Miss E, M. Smee on the Caddis-worm. 399 



Rostral shield broader than high, scarcely reaching to the upper 

 surface of the head ; anterior frontals not quite half as large as the 

 posterior ; vertical pentagonal, as broad as long, the lateral edges 

 being shorter than the anterior. Occipital shields moderate, slightly- 

 notched behind. Nostrils wide, the suture between the two nasals 

 being very indistinct. Loreal large, longer than high ; two anterior 

 and two posterior oculars, the upper anteocular not being in contact 

 with the vertical. Seven upper labials, the third and fourth coming 

 into the orbit. Eight temporal shields in three transverse series ; 

 the two anterior temporals are somewhat elongate, and the upper of 

 them is in contact with both postoculars, the others are scale-like. 

 Eight lower labials, five of which are in contact with the chin-shields. 

 Ventral shields 206 ; anal entire ; subcaudals eighty-seven. There 

 are six or seven rather strong teeth in each maxillary, and ten in each 

 mandible. Eye rather small, two-fifths of the length of the snout. 



Total length 43 inches. 



If we divide the Colubri with equal or subequal teeth into the 

 subgeneric divisions of Coluber, Elaphis, Cynophis, Spilotes, and 

 Coryphodon, as indicated in my ' Catalogue of Colubrine Snakes,' 

 p. 84, the present species does not enter any of these sections ; and 

 we may propose the name of Lielaphis for a sixth group, of which 

 C. holochrous is the type, and to which also Spilotes samarensis, 

 Peters, belongs. Its characters would be : — Rostral moderate ; body 

 and tail rather elongate and compressed ; two anterior and two poste- 

 rior oculars. Scales smooth. Teeth subequal, in small number. 



Feb. 24, 1863.— E. W. H. Holdsworth, Esq., in the Chair. 



The following letter, relating to the habits of the Caddis-worm 

 (larva of Phryganea), addressed to Dr. Gray by Miss E. M. Smee, 

 was read to the Meeting : — 



" Feb. 19, 1863. 



" My dear Sir, — I have ventured to send for your inspection a 

 box containing cases made by the Caddis-worm, the worms of which 

 were collected by myself from that part of the Wandle which runs 

 through our garden at Wallington. 



" I found, on examining the natural cases, that they were made of 

 different materials. For instance, some were constructed of small 

 stones finely glued together, others of sticks, and some were formed 

 of sticks and stones combined. Again, some were made of leaves of 

 water-plants, and I observed that others were formed of the shells of 

 creatures which inhabited the same stream. 



" As I had never seen or heard of these Caddises before, I felt 

 much astonished that creatures somewhat resembling maggots, and 

 living at the bottom of the river, should live in houses built by them- 

 selves, and yet that these houses should differ so greatly in their con- 

 struction. Indeed I was so interested that I determined, if possible, 

 to discover the capabilities which these creatures possessed of form- 

 ing diiFerent kinds of dwellings under difi'erent circumstances. I very 

 much desired to know whether they could construct cases from other 



