‘Entomological Society. 8979 
Prof. Westwood exhibited a specimen of “ wild silk” placed in his hands by Mr. 
Daniel Hanbury; it had come from the State of Salvador, Central America, and was 
the work of a colony of larve described as “ dark bluish, feeding on an oak bearing 
large acorns,” the moth being “ dirty gray.” The Professor discussed at some length 
the probability of the silk being made economically useful. 
Mr. F. Smith exhibited a collection of wasps’ nests—one of Vespa rufa, the rest of 
V. vulgaris; they were in various stages of formation, the earliest consisting of only a 
single cup containing the first egg, others consisting of three or four cups, whilst 
others again were more complete. The whole had been artificially obtained 
by Mr. Stone, who tempted the wasps to build by excavating holes in banks and fur- 
nishing them with foot-stalks ; in fact, Mr. Stone appeared to possess the power of 
inducing wasps to build nests of almost any shape he pleased. 
Mr. T. W. Wood (who was present as a visitor) exhibited a mass of conjoined 
cells which had been found embedded in a piece of Honduras mahogany at Chatham 
Dockyard ; the cells were in form like the honey-pots of a humble-bee, brittle and 
very light, and composed apparently of comminuted or triturated and agglutinated 
wood and earth. Mr. Bates suggested that they might possibly be chambers of a spe- 
cies of Termes, though he thought they were too large. No other Member hazarded 
a conjecture as to the origin of the phenomenon. 
Prof. Westwood exhibited a further selection from the captures in the Zambesi 
country of the Rev. H. Rowley, and read the following description of a gigautic spe- 
cies of Moluris :— 
Mouovris (PHANEROTOMA) RowLEIANA, 2. sp. 
Species magna et insignis, WM. Bertolonti fere equalis. Capite et pronoto nigris, 
opacis, punctatissimis ; prothorace subquadrato, lateribus rotundatis, latitu- 
dine majori paullo ante medium. Elytris oblongo-ovatis, prothorace paullo 
latioribus, luteo-villosis, singulis costis quatuor obliquis nigris nilidis instruc- 
tis; sutura nigra, nitida. Corpore subtus et pedibus nigtis, subnitidis, punc- 
tatissimis ; abdomine, leviori. 
Long. corp. unc. 133; prothoracis, lin. 6; elytr. lin. 14. 
Habitat prope fluv. Shire, Zambesi. 
Revdo. H. Rowley capta, et ad Museum Entomologicum Oxonie benevole com- 
municata. 
Prof. Westwood also read the following descriptions of two anomalous Carabideous 
beetles :— 
Genus Detintus, Westw. 
Genus novum Carabidorum, Steropi madidi habitu et statura. Antenne breves, 
graciles, geniculate, articulo basali tertiam partem occupante. Caput me- 
diocriter porrectum, labro in medio marginis antici prominenti. Mandibule 
graciles, acute, intus edentate. Maxillz spina rigida apicali lobo interno, 
spinulisque margine interno armate. Palpi maxillares externi articulo api- 
cali mediocre subsecuriformi. Palpi labiales magni, articulo ultimo magno 
securiformi. Mentum in medio emarginature porrectum, truncatum. Pro- 
thorax subquadratus, lateribus rotundato-curvatis. Elytra ovalia. Tibie 
antice haud palmate, margine interno emarginate. 
