VARIETIES. 311 



very great extent; and it is as well to bear in mind, that 

 it will be simplifying the science to form divisions, and not 

 genera, when the groups are not unmanageable from their 

 extent. It will be seen, from my characters of the other two 

 divisions, that it might, on the same principle, be contended 

 that M. vnlgar'is and M. Fidlo should each have a generic 

 name ; but such a step would, I think, be actual folly. You 

 will see, in the errata of Vol. IX. published this day, that 

 since Melolontha was illustrated by me, I have had a female of 

 M. solstitialis sent me by a friend, by v/hich means I learn 

 that I was unacquainted with that sex before, and beg to sub- 

 join the corrected definition of M. Latreille's genus. 



Amphimalla. — Antennas 9-jointed, 3 terminal joints forming 

 the club, which is very small in the female ; the legs differ 

 in the sexes as in the other species, being dentate or 

 spined in the female. 



There must be something different in the habits of the 

 sexes, for I examined nearly twenty specimens, which had 

 been retained from many scores, taken at different times and 

 places, and, from their varying in size, I presumed I had both 

 males and females ; but it appears I had none of the latter sex. 

 I think it is very probable that they were all taken on the 

 wing, and if that were the case, it may be inferred that the 

 females seldom fly, and that the swarms that we see of these 

 insects in the evening are either flying about, or in search of 

 their partners. I am, yours, &c. 



John Curtis. 



December, 1832. 



27. Singular Instinct in a Spider. — In a walk, after break- 

 fast, this morning, in our little garden at Kennington, I was 

 much delighted by the contrivance of a small garden spider : 

 she had formed her web over the middle of a gravel path, 

 attaching the supporting threads to the paling, on one side, 

 and to a sunflower on the other. The breeze was rather 

 strong; and, to keep her web steady, she had drawn up a 

 small gravel stone, though very nearly the size of her own 

 body, which hung beautifully poised between two threads, 

 about a foot above the path, and which answered the purpose 

 she wished most admirably well ; it swung backwards and 



