﻿35 
  

  

  I 
  

  

  The 
  President 
  exhibited 
  a 
  curious 
  cottony 
  formation 
  from 
  the 
  body 
  of 
  the 
  larva 
  of 
  

   a 
  Sphinx, 
  forwarded 
  from 
  China 
  by 
  Mr. 
  J. 
  C. 
  Bowring. 
  It 
  consisted 
  of 
  the 
  cocoons 
  

   of 
  a 
  parasitic 
  Eurytoma, 
  and 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  perfect 
  insects 
  were 
  left 
  entangled. 
  

  

  The 
  President 
  also 
  exhibited 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  plates 
  of 
  M. 
  Emile 
  Blanchard's 
  new 
  

   great 
  work 
  entitled 
  ' 
  L'Oiganisation 
  du 
  Regne 
  Animal.' 
  

  

  Mr. 
  Moore 
  communicated 
  the 
  following 
  extract 
  from 
  ' 
  Allen's 
  Indian 
  Mail,' 
  of 
  

   Octobers, 
  1852. 
  

  

  " 
  Gigantic 
  Spiders. 
  — 
  Captain 
  Sherwill, 
  in 
  an 
  expedition 
  to 
  the 
  Kurrulcpoor 
  Hills, 
  

   south 
  of 
  Monghyr, 
  found 
  upon 
  the 
  summit 
  of 
  Maruk, 
  a 
  table-topped 
  hill 
  of 
  1,100 
  feet 
  

   elevation, 
  several 
  of 
  the 
  gigantic 
  webs 
  of 
  the 
  Epeira 
  spider, 
  some 
  of 
  which 
  measured 
  

   (including 
  the 
  guy-ropes) 
  from 
  10 
  to 
  20 
  feet 
  in 
  diameter, 
  the 
  reticulated 
  portion 
  being 
  

   about 
  5 
  feet, 
  in 
  the 
  centre 
  of 
  which 
  the 
  spider, 
  of 
  a 
  formidable 
  size 
  and 
  very 
  active, 
  

   sits 
  waiting 
  for 
  prey. 
  ' 
  The 
  webs 
  ' 
  he 
  says 
  ' 
  from 
  their 
  great 
  strength 
  offered 
  a 
  sensible 
  

   resistance 
  when 
  forcing 
  our 
  way 
  through 
  them 
  ; 
  in 
  the 
  web 
  of 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  spiders 
  we 
  

   found 
  a 
  bird 
  entangled, 
  and 
  the 
  young 
  spiders, 
  about 
  eight 
  in 
  number, 
  feeding 
  upon 
  

   the 
  carcass. 
  The 
  bird 
  was, 
  with 
  the 
  exception 
  of 
  his 
  legs 
  and 
  beak, 
  entirely 
  enveloped 
  

   in 
  web, 
  and 
  was 
  much 
  decomposed 
  ; 
  the 
  entwined 
  web 
  had 
  completely 
  pinioned 
  the 
  

   wings 
  of 
  the 
  bird, 
  so 
  as 
  to 
  render 
  his 
  escape 
  impossible. 
  The 
  bird 
  was 
  about 
  the 
  size 
  

   of 
  a 
  field 
  lark, 
  and 
  was 
  near 
  the 
  centre 
  of 
  the 
  web 
  ; 
  the 
  old 
  spider 
  was 
  about 
  a 
  foot 
  

   above 
  the 
  bird; 
  we 
  secured, 
  measured 
  and 
  bottled 
  him. 
  Its 
  dimensions 
  were 
  6 
  inches 
  

   across 
  the 
  legs, 
  and 
  it 
  was 
  armed 
  with 
  a 
  formidable 
  pair 
  of 
  mandibles." 
  

  

  Mr. 
  Douglas 
  read 
  the 
  following 
  extract 
  from 
  the 
  ' 
  Literary 
  Gazette 
  ' 
  : 
  — 
  

  

  " 
  M. 
  Bazin, 
  an 
  eminent 
  French 
  agriculturist, 
  has 
  made 
  observations 
  in 
  Picardy 
  

   and 
  Burgundy, 
  which 
  satisfy 
  him 
  that 
  the 
  potato-disease 
  is 
  caused 
  by 
  microscopic 
  in- 
  

   sects, 
  which 
  alight 
  on 
  the 
  leaves 
  in 
  the 
  night-time, 
  and 
  disappear 
  almost 
  instantane- 
  

   ously 
  on 
  the 
  slightest 
  alarm, 
  into 
  the 
  earth. 
  The 
  depredations 
  of 
  these 
  insects 
  cover 
  

   the 
  leaves 
  with 
  yellow 
  spots, 
  which 
  turn 
  black 
  afterwards 
  ; 
  and 
  the 
  insects 
  also 
  attack 
  

   the 
  root. 
  It 
  has 
  generally 
  been 
  assumed 
  that 
  the 
  malady 
  consisted 
  in 
  a 
  fungus 
  grow- 
  

   ing 
  on 
  the 
  plants; 
  but 
  M. 
  Bazin 
  is 
  convinced 
  that 
  the 
  fungus 
  is 
  exclusively 
  caused 
  by 
  

   the 
  insects. 
  These 
  same 
  insects, 
  it 
  appears, 
  have 
  begun 
  to 
  attack 
  melons.'' 
  

  

  The 
  following 
  remarks 
  on 
  the 
  " 
  fly-blight 
  " 
  in 
  Australia, 
  by 
  Mr. 
  Spence, 
  were 
  

   read 
  : 
  — 
  

  

  "In 
  a 
  review 
  in 
  the 
  September 
  number 
  of 
  ' 
  Blackwood's 
  Magazine' 
  (p. 
  309), 
  of 
  

   Col. 
  Moody's 
  'Our 
  Antipodes,' 
  containing 
  an 
  account 
  of 
  his 
  travels 
  in 
  Australia, 
  men- 
  

   tion 
  is 
  made 
  of 
  a 
  disease 
  in 
  the 
  human 
  eye, 
  called 
  the 
  ' 
  fly-blight,' 
  attended 
  with 
  acute 
  

   inflammation 
  and 
  temporary 
  loss 
  of 
  sight, 
  and 
  caused 
  by 
  some 
  species 
  of 
  fly. 
  These 
  

   insects. 
  Col. 
  Moody 
  observes, 
  ' 
  are 
  the 
  common 
  fly, 
  harmless 
  in 
  Europe. 
  The 
  blight 
  

   is 
  occasioned 
  either 
  by 
  their 
  bite, 
  or 
  the 
  deposition 
  of 
  their 
  larvae, 
  and 
  is 
  most 
  disas- 
  

   trous 
  to 
  working 
  men.' 
  And 
  he 
  then 
  goes 
  on 
  to 
  observe, 
  ' 
  Mr. 
  Icely's 
  [a 
  gentleman 
  

   he 
  was 
  visiting] 
  daughters 
  invented 
  the 
  " 
  Fitzroy-Paramouche," 
  a 
  net 
  to 
  hang 
  from 
  

   the 
  hat 
  over 
  the 
  face, 
  and 
  although 
  the 
  meshes 
  were 
  large 
  not 
  to 
  obstruct 
  the 
  air, 
  the 
  

   flies 
  ventured 
  not 
  within.' 
  

  

  