﻿131 
  

  

  manner. 
  A 
  few 
  moments 
  sufficed 
  to 
  exhume 
  the 
  little 
  creature, 
  which 
  was 
  about 
  the 
  

   size 
  and 
  had 
  very 
  much 
  the 
  general 
  appearance 
  of 
  Margaritia 
  hyaliualis. 
  It 
  was 
  very 
  

   lively, 
  and 
  walked 
  quickly 
  about 
  the 
  table, 
  moving 
  its 
  antennae 
  in 
  all 
  directions. 
  The 
  

   wiugs 
  were 
  all 
  shrivelled 
  and 
  crumpled 
  together, 
  so 
  that 
  I 
  could 
  make 
  but 
  very 
  little 
  

   of 
  them, 
  nor 
  did 
  they 
  in 
  the 
  least 
  expand 
  with 
  exercise. 
  The 
  inside 
  of 
  the 
  puparium 
  

   of 
  the 
  Lasiocampa 
  Trifolii 
  was 
  filled 
  with 
  a 
  dry 
  pale 
  powder, 
  and 
  I 
  could 
  find 
  no 
  trace 
  

   of 
  any 
  cocoon, 
  or 
  vestige 
  of 
  any 
  kind, 
  of 
  the 
  moth 
  which 
  I 
  had 
  just 
  extracted 
  from 
  it. 
  

   There 
  was 
  no 
  evidence 
  to 
  show 
  how 
  long 
  it 
  had 
  been 
  there 
  ; 
  and 
  as 
  it 
  was 
  manifestly 
  

   far 
  Jog 
  small 
  and 
  feeble 
  to 
  make 
  any 
  opening 
  in 
  its 
  prison 
  by 
  its 
  own 
  efforts, 
  it 
  must 
  

   have 
  remained 
  there 
  until 
  it 
  died, 
  had 
  T 
  not 
  opportunely 
  set 
  it 
  free. 
  It 
  did 
  not 
  occupy 
  

   more 
  than 
  one-sixth 
  of 
  the 
  interior 
  of 
  the 
  puparium, 
  and 
  lay 
  in 
  a 
  reversed 
  position, 
  

   with 
  the 
  apex 
  of 
  the 
  abdomen 
  in 
  the 
  place 
  of 
  the 
  head 
  of 
  the 
  proper 
  occupant. 
  It 
  was 
  

   quite 
  unable 
  to 
  turn 
  itself 
  round 
  inside 
  the 
  case, 
  as 
  it 
  was 
  too 
  long, 
  and 
  also 
  the 
  whole 
  

   space 
  which 
  it 
  did 
  not 
  fill, 
  was 
  well 
  filled 
  with 
  tbe 
  dry 
  powder 
  above 
  mentioned. 
  A 
  

   rigid 
  examination 
  showed 
  no 
  opening 
  in 
  the 
  puparium 
  through 
  which 
  anything 
  could 
  

   have 
  entered 
  ; 
  and 
  indeed 
  the 
  pupa 
  had 
  been 
  too 
  carefully 
  preserved 
  to 
  be 
  within 
  the 
  

   reach 
  of 
  accident 
  or 
  enemies. 
  Most 
  unfortunately, 
  before 
  I 
  had 
  completed 
  my 
  inves- 
  

   tigations, 
  I 
  was 
  suddenly 
  called 
  away, 
  and 
  in 
  my 
  absence 
  the 
  whole 
  was 
  swept 
  away 
  

   and 
  destroyed 
  by 
  a 
  servant. 
  I 
  took 
  no 
  memorandum 
  of 
  it 
  at 
  the 
  time, 
  being 
  exceed- 
  

   ingly 
  busy, 
  but 
  I 
  have 
  the 
  clearest 
  recollection 
  of 
  the 
  circumstances, 
  and 
  can 
  answer 
  

   for 
  the 
  facts 
  being 
  in 
  every 
  particular 
  correct. 
  I 
  cannot 
  explain 
  the 
  matter, 
  and 
  should 
  

   be 
  very 
  glad 
  of 
  any 
  light 
  that 
  can 
  be 
  thrown 
  upon 
  it. 
  — 
  J. 
  Walter 
  Lea 
  ; 
  Ramsgate, 
  

   September 
  7, 
  1853." 
  

  

  The 
  President 
  called 
  the 
  attention 
  of 
  the 
  Society 
  to 
  three 
  different 
  subjects, 
  as 
  

   under; 
  requesting 
  observations 
  from 
  the 
  members 
  present. 
  

  

  1. 
  Bees 
  destroyed 
  by 
  Toads. 
  — 
  "A 
  friend 
  has 
  lately 
  communicated 
  tome 
  a 
  fact 
  rela- 
  

   tive 
  to 
  bees, 
  which, 
  having 
  mentioned 
  to 
  my 
  highly 
  esteemed 
  and 
  venerable 
  friend, 
  Dr. 
  

   Bevan, 
  and 
  having 
  been 
  recommended 
  by 
  that 
  distinguished 
  apiarian 
  to 
  make 
  it 
  pub- 
  

   lic, 
  I 
  beg 
  to 
  submit 
  to 
  the 
  Society. 
  My 
  friend 
  relates, 
  that 
  a 
  stock 
  of 
  bees 
  was 
  ob- 
  

   served 
  to 
  grow 
  weaker 
  day 
  by 
  day, 
  until 
  at 
  last 
  it 
  became 
  so 
  pauperized 
  that 
  the 
  hive 
  

   was 
  removed, 
  and 
  the 
  bees 
  turned 
  adrift 
  to 
  shift 
  for 
  themselves 
  : 
  nothing 
  amiss 
  was 
  

   detected 
  in 
  the 
  interior 
  of 
  the 
  hive. 
  A 
  second 
  stock 
  shortly 
  afterwards 
  exhibited 
  simi- 
  

   lar 
  symptoms 
  of 
  depopulation 
  ; 
  and 
  a 
  suspicion 
  was 
  entertained 
  that 
  some 
  nocturnal 
  

   depredator 
  entered 
  the 
  hive 
  at 
  night 
  and 
  devoured 
  the 
  bees. 
  About 
  two 
  hours 
  after 
  

   dark, 
  the 
  hive 
  was 
  visited 
  with 
  a 
  view 
  to 
  an 
  inspection 
  of 
  the 
  interior 
  ; 
  but 
  on 
  arriving 
  

   at 
  the 
  spot 
  with 
  a 
  lantern, 
  the 
  owner 
  found 
  a 
  large 
  toad 
  squatted 
  on 
  the 
  alighting- 
  

   board, 
  and 
  looking 
  about 
  him 
  with 
  bright 
  and 
  animated 
  eyes. 
  Presently, 
  a 
  night- 
  

   roving 
  bee 
  returned 
  home; 
  there 
  was 
  a 
  sudden 
  movement 
  on 
  the 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  toad, 
  and 
  

   the 
  bee 
  vanished. 
  A 
  long 
  interval 
  of 
  patient 
  watching 
  ensued, 
  when 
  a 
  second 
  bee 
  came 
  

   home, 
  a 
  similar 
  movement 
  of 
  the 
  toad 
  followed, 
  and 
  the 
  bee 
  again 
  vanished 
  : 
  but 
  the 
  

   light 
  of 
  the 
  lantern 
  being 
  this 
  time 
  thrown 
  full 
  upon 
  him, 
  he 
  was 
  distinctly 
  observed 
  

   to 
  swallow. 
  The 
  toad 
  was 
  caught 
  and 
  killed, 
  and 
  eight 
  still 
  living 
  bees 
  were 
  taken 
  

   from 
  his 
  stomach. 
  I 
  attempt 
  no 
  explanation 
  of 
  the 
  mode 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  toad 
  attained 
  

   his 
  station 
  at 
  the 
  entrance 
  of 
  the 
  hive, 
  or 
  what 
  antidote 
  he 
  possessed 
  against 
  the 
  poi- 
  

   son 
  so 
  likely 
  to 
  be 
  conveyed 
  by 
  the 
  stings 
  of 
  the 
  bees 
  ; 
  all 
  I 
  can 
  do 
  is 
  to 
  vouch 
  for 
  the 
  

   veracity 
  of 
  my 
  informant, 
  which 
  1 
  do 
  without 
  any 
  hesitation." 
  

  

  