( 15 ) 



to Colonel J. W. Yerbury and to Mr. J. E. Collin, both of 

 whom had compared the structure to that of the tongue in 

 :such Diptera as Caricea tigrinay F., and Stomoxys calcitrans, 

 supporting the conclusion that Ochromyia jejuna possessed 

 similar habits and powers of attack. 



ixviii] 



Wednesday, May 6th, 1908. 



Blattid.e in Amber. — Mr. R. Shelford exhibited some 

 Blattidse in amber, forming part of the collection of Dr. R. 

 Klebs, of Konigsberg; the specimens came from the well- 

 known deposits of Lower Oligocene age in East Prussia, 

 celebrated even in Roman times for the large quantities of 

 amber found in them. A great monograph on this amber 

 fauna was written in the years 1845-1856 by Berendt and 

 Germar ; in this work 5 species of Blattidaa are figured and 

 ■described, but very little has been written since then on the 

 subject. A preliminary examination of Dr. Klebs' collection 

 shows that it contains representatives of six genera which are 

 identical with recent genera. These are Ectohia (2 species), 

 Ischnoptera (1 or 2 species), Phyllodromia (4 to 5 species), 

 xxix] 



Temnopteryx (1 species), Periplaneta (1 species), Holocompsa 

 (1 species). It is remarkable to find the genera Ectohia and 

 Holocompsa existing side by side, for at the present day the 

 former genus is confined to the Palsearctic region, whilst the 

 latter is essentially a tropical genus. Both the species of 

 Ectohia represented in the collection are allied to the recent 

 ^. lapponica, L., and it is difficult to avoid the conclusion 

 that the genus was one of the few that were not driven from 

 Europe by the onset of the glacial epoch, or in other words, 

 E. lapjyonica appears to be a lineal descendant of the amber- 

 •enclosed species E. haltica. Phyllodromia is now represented 

 in Europe by one doubtfully-indigenous species, but is repre- 

 sented by scores of species in the tropical and sub-tropical 

 regions of the world. Ischnoptera and Temnopteryx are now 

 found in all regions of the world except the Palrearctic. The 

 <!ollection affords still further proof, if any was required, that 



