Col. Pike exhibited a nocturnal Lepidopier which he 

 believes to be DeilepMla Celerio of Bois Duval. This 

 insect is often found completely dried up on the branches 

 of shrubs. It might be mistaken for the remains of a 

 Sphynx. Its body bristles with long filaments or rather 

 a parasite growth of very peculiar kind. 



These curious details are not mentioned in the very 

 short description given by Bois Duval, and we have not 

 seen in any illustrated paper drawings of other butterfly 

 such as it is found here. 



Colonel Pike has communicated to us all his discove- 

 ries, and we have been able to form an idea of the consider- 

 able collection he has made in Mauritius of fishes^ in- 

 sects_, shells, etc. His collections are accompanied with 

 numerous drawings_, and thus contain all the information 

 necessary for writing the Fauna of Mauritius. The oflPer 

 to publish his work under the auspices of the Royal 

 Society has been made more than once by our learned 

 colleague, with characteristic warmth and heartiness, but 

 reasons which may be easily understood have prevented 

 Col. Pikers oifer from being accepted. In the first place 

 the pecuniary resources of the Society are inadequate to 

 defray the cost of publishing such a work with the draw- 

 ings, and on the other hand it is doubtful whether a 

 sufficient number of copies coulji be disposed of to cover 

 expenses. 



Our grateful acknowledgments are nevertheless due to 

 Col. Pike for the deep interest he has always shewn in the 

 welfare and progress of the Society, and for his repeated 

 ofiers, at our meetings, to place at our free disposal, for 

 study or for description, the specimens which he has 

 collected for the Natural History of Mauritius. 



Your Secretary had forwarded to Professor A. Decan- 

 dolle, some seeds of the Entada Pursaetha of which a 



