Miscellaneous. 521 



in diameter. The materials of Mhich the nest is composed are very 

 substantial; and the external undulations allow of the tracing of 

 four layers of comb. Many of the neuters fell out on shaking, but 

 neither males nor females were detected. The specimen being 

 unique, Mr. Curtis has not cut it open, but he entertains no doubt 

 that its structure is very similar to that of the nest of PoJistes nidulans, 

 figured by Reaumur. The following characters are those of a nearly 

 allied species, of which numerous neuters were contained in the 

 same collection : 



Mijraptera elegans, sericeo-nigra, capite thorace abdomineque lineis cin- 

 gulisque fuh'is, tibiis tarsisque ochraceis. 



Mr. Curtis adds a list of the nine species referred to the genus 

 Polistes, and which should be distributed into four genera, distin- 

 guished by the structure of the trophi ; no assistance being derivable 

 from the form of the antennae or the neuration of the wings. They 

 are as follows : 



I. Abdominis peliolo brevi sensim incrassato. 



1. Polistes Gallica, L. 



2. ActcEon, Hal. The nest resembles the foregoing. 



3. Africaiia, Pal. de Beauv. 



II. Abdominis petiolo brevissimo, abrupte incrassato ; thorace postice 



truncato. 



4. Epipone nidula?hi, Fabr. 



5. Lecheguana, Latr. 



III. Abdominis petiolo elongato, clavato; thorace abrupte truncato. 



6. Chartergus Morio, St. Farg. 



IV. Abdominis petiolo elongato, clavato ; thorace postice declivi. 



7. Myraptera srufellaris, Wliite. 



8. - elegans, Curt. 



9. — — — — hrunnea, Cuit. 



The paper was accompanied by a series of drawings illustrative of 

 the insects and their nests. 



Feb. 20. — The Lord Bishop of Norwich, President, in the Chair. 

 Read a further portion of Mr. Griffith's memoir on Root-Parasites 

 and their allies, comprehending a description of Asiphonia, a new 

 genus of Asarince, and an account of Hydnora, Thb. 



MISCELLANEOUS. 



METHOD OF PRESERVING ANIMAL SUBSTANCES. BY M. GANNAL. 



From the observations made by M. Gannal, and reported to the 

 Academie des Sciences at a recent sitting, it appears that arsenic 

 does not permanently preserve animal substances, although it pre- 

 vents, for the moment, a putrid fermentation. 



He alludes to his former communication, explaining how the 

 salts of them act on the gelatine and preserve the animal matter from 

 putrid fermentation by the combination of the two substances. The 



Ann. S^ Mag. N. Hist. Vol. xiii. Suppl. 2 M 



