( xviii ) 



Mr. E. Saunders exhibited a specimen of Lebia turcica, Fabr., recently 

 captured by Mr. W. H. Bennett in a clearing in a wood at Guestling, near 

 Hastings. Mr. Saunders remarked that this species had been omitted from 

 the two recently-published British catalogues. 



Mr. M'Lachlan enquired whether any member present had heard of 

 other recently-reported captures of this insect. 



Rev. H. S. Gorham said there had been no other recent capture, and 

 he fully believed in the authenticity of this one. The species was figured 

 by Curtis, and he saw no reason to think the specimen now exhibited was 

 imported. Lebia crux-minor was almost unique until taken in some numbers 

 in a marshy spot at Holme Bush, near Brighton, by Dr. Power ; it had not 

 since been found there, although he and Mr. Lewis had often hunted the 

 exact spot. Mr. Gorham believed the recent fine weather had contributed 

 to the occurrence of this interesting species, and that if the fine season 

 lasted he expected many other rare species to be captured. 



Mr. K. A. Fitch exhibited specimens of Ixodes sp. ? taken from sheep 

 at Maldon ; this was with reference to some recent remarks by the Rev. L. 

 Blomefield, in which he says, "I can remember no instance of an Ixodes 

 found on sheep, though I would not undertake to say they never occur on 

 that animal" ('Nature,' vol. xxvii. p. 553; April 12, 1883). Mr. Fitch 

 believed the occurrence of Ixodes on sheep to be very rare in the Eastern 

 Counties ; from the evidence of a gang of sheep-shearers of large experience 

 he could only gather that they had met with these true ticks on three or 

 four occasions during the last fifty years; it appeared to be otherwise 

 further north. Mr. Fitch then read a letter from Mr. Eliott Lockhart, of 

 Branxholme, Hawick, N.B., giving some very full information of tick- 

 attacks on sheep, and making numerous inquiries about the life-history of 

 the Ixodes, which Mr. Fitch hoped some members of the Society would be 

 able to supply. This matter had a very practical importance, as the Ixodes 

 were supposed to be the cause or necessary agents in producing that fatal 

 malady " louping-ill " or " trembling " amongst sheep. Extracts from the 

 Reports of the Louping-ill Committee of the Teviotdale Farmers' Club 

 were read, and Prof. Williams' reports, printed in the 'Transactions of the 

 Highland and Agricultural Society ' (1882, pp. 176 — 201), and Megnin's 

 ' Les Parasites,' p. 377, were referred to. The Ixodes appeared to occur 

 commouly as far bouth as the hills of Cumberland and Northumberland, and 

 wherever the ticks occurred louping-ill was prevalent. Mr. Todrick notices 

 the presence of Ixodes and a disease with similar symptoms to louping-ill 

 on the hill-farms of Devon, and Prof. Rutherford notes their existence iu 

 Cornwall. The northern ticks had been determined by Mr. F. Moore and 

 the Rev. O. P. Cambridge to be Ixodes erinaceus, Aud., and I. marginatus, 

 Leach. Megnin says /. reduvius, DeG., is the species most commonly found 

 on sheep, but mentions five other species which had occurred. 



