Entomological Society. 9743 



of June, 1865, in whicb the writer stated that they were collected about 100 miles in 

 the interior, in a valley about seventy miles west of the Snowy Mountains, and about 

 the same distance from the Magdelena River; they had been brought from the- 

 interior on a mule's back; the writer had obtained very decent apartments in a house 

 where the next neighbour was thirty miles off, was in good health and spirits, and had 

 become used to the heat of the country. 



Lieut. R. C. Beavan sent from Calcutta some exquisite drawings of tlie Tusseh 

 silk-worm and moth, which were exhibited. 



With reference to a statement in the 'Journal of the Society of Arts' of the 4th of 

 August, 1865, that "the silk-worm culturists in France announce the birth or hatching 

 of the larva of Boinbyx Atlas ; this gigantic moth has never before been seen alive in 

 Europe," Mr. F. Moore mentioned that he had bred Bombyx Atlas in London more 

 than a year ago." 



Prof. Westwood had been informed that the Yamamai silk had entirely failed this 

 year in Holland. He had recently reared some of the Ailanthus silk-worm, and 

 found them sluggish in habit, feeding only at night; with the exception of young 

 lar\iE, less than half an inch long, he never found one to feed by day ; when a moult 

 took place, and immediately afler it had escaped from the old skin— at a lime there- 

 fore when any movement must be inconvenient to it— the larva invariably turned 

 round and at once ate up the old skin ; he had noticed that the skin was covered with 

 a light powder, and this appeared to be the attraction to the larva. 



Referring to Mr. Stone's comrauiiicaiion, read at the previous Meeting (Zool. 9704), 

 on the number and early appearance of wasps, Mr. Stainton remarked that though 

 wasps were so numerous in the spring, there were scarcely any at the present time, 

 when fruit was abundant and ripe ; for some weeks past he had seen two wasps and 

 two only. 



Mr. W. W. Saunders corroborated Mr. Stainton as to the almost entire dis- 

 appearance of wasps, whereas earwigs were more plentiful than ever. 



Prof. Westwood had not seen a wasp for two months ; he thought their absence 

 was to be accounted for by the remarkably heavy rain-falls which had occurred on two 

 or three occasions, iu May, in June, and more recently, whereby the nests had been 

 swamped. 



Mr. Saunders replied that that explanation was not applicable to the neighbour- 

 hood of Reigale, where the rain-fall, taken month by month, was not so great as last 

 year, when wasps were exceedingly abundant; and there had not been any single 

 rain-fall of one inch, whereas in previous wasp-abounding years, as much as three 

 inches had been registered at a single rain-fall. 



Mr. Stainton observed, moreover, that a heavy rain-fall was local only, whilst the 

 extinction of the wasps appeared to be general. 



Mr. C. A. Wilson, Corresponding Member, of Adelaide, communicated the 

 first portion of some "Notes on the Buprestidae of South Australia," which was 

 read. 



Mr. Dunning exhibited a curious specimen of Fidonia piniaria, which he had 

 captured on the Uth of June, 1850, in a pine wood at Farnley, near Huddersfield. 

 It was well known that the sexes of this moth were very different in appearance, and 

 were described by Linneeus as two species, the male as Phalaena piniaria, " alis fuscis, 

 bimaculatis; antennis pectinalis," the female as Phaljena tiliaria, " alis ferrugineis ; 

 anteunis setaceis;" the specimen exhibited was what a hybrid between piniaria and 



