Entomological Society. . 7807 



Mr. Miller exhibited a small and beautiful moth of the family Geometrina, said to 

 have been bred from a larva found in the vicinity of London, which fed on the exterior 

 of the bedeguar, or mossy gall of the rose; it had been examined by Messrs. 

 Doubleday and Newman, and considered by them as a species not yet known as an 

 inhabitant of Britain. 



Mr. Shepherd believed this insect would prove to be an extraordinary variety of 

 Ephyra pendularia. 



Messrs. F. Bond and S. Stevens were of the same opinion. 



Professor Westwood remarked that at the meeting of the Society on the 4th of 

 February last, Mr. Smith had sent for exhibition what were considered to be small 

 pupa cases found attached to wasps' nests by Mr. Stone; he was uow enabled to 

 stale that they were the eggs of the dipterous genus Volucella, well known to be 

 parasitin in wasps' nests, Mr. Stone having forwarded to him the larvae produced from 

 them, which were undoubtedly those of Volucella. Professor Westwood exhibited the 

 larva, which he observed was well figured by DeGeer, ' Histoire des Insectes,' Vol. vi. 

 plate 3. Professor Westwood had also been informed by Mr. Stone that he had found 

 Anthomyia incana to be parasitic in wasps' nests; and the same accurate observer had 

 detected the larva of Ilytbia sociella in a nest of Bombus sylvestris; the cocoons of 

 this moth had been frequently found in the vicinity of humble bees' nests, but he 

 (Professor W.) had not previously heard of the larva having been actually discovered 

 in the nests. 



Professor Westwood also observed that he had, at the meeting of the Society on 

 the 2nd of August, 1858, exhibited a mutilated Strepsipterous insect, sent to the late 

 Mr. Spence by Herr Neitner, of Ceylon, who had found the specimen issuing from the 

 body of a Formica found iu that island. Professor Westwood had at the same time 

 read a description of the insect, and published figures in the ' Transactions,' forming 

 for its reception the genus Myrmecolax. He had lately received from Herr Neitner 

 an ant having one of these parasites protruding from the end of the abdomen ; this he 

 had had the pleasure of extracting, and exhibited it to the Meeting ; he also found 

 the head-cap of the pupa of a second specimen, proving that there had been two of 

 the parasites within the ant. Professor Westwood added that he was now enabled to 

 state, from the examination of this perfect example of the Stylops, that the figures and 

 description he had published, from the damaged insect received in 1858, were on the 

 whole tolerably accurate. He called especial attention to the remarkably large 

 antennae of this insect, exceeding those of any other genus of Strepsiptera. 



Dr. Wallace read a list of rare or reputed British Lepidoptera which he had lately 

 seen in a collection formed by a farmer iu SuflFolk ; it included Papilio Podalirius (said 

 to have been captured near Seven Oaks, Kent), Parnassius Apollo (said to have been 

 taken in the Forest of Dean), and many other species of extremely rare or doubtful 

 occurrence iu Britain. 



Dr. Knaggs exhibited living larvae of the following species of Eupithecia, received 

 from the Rev. Joseph Hellins, of Exeter, viz.:—'E. tripunctata, E. expallidata, 

 E. virgaureata, E. subfulvata and E. succenturiata. Dr. Knaggs pointed out the 

 differences in the larvse of the two last-named insects, which are by some entomologists 

 considered to be varieties of one inconstant species: he staled that Mr. Hellins had 

 noticed the larva of E. succenturiata, which feeds on raugwort, preferring the seeds, to 

 be infested by an hymenopterous parasite, the larva of which, when full fed, eats its 

 way out of the caterpillar and constructs a cocoon on its back ; he had on one occasion 



