5012 Tue ZooLoGist—JUuLy, 1876. 
Mr. M‘Lachlan, on behalf of Dr. Atherston, of South Africa, exhibited a 
pair of a very singular Orthopterous insect (belonging to the Acrydiide), 
which, in colour and in the granulated texture, so exactly mimicked the 
sand of the district as to render it almost impossible to detect it when in a 
quiescent state. The name of the insect was uncertain, but it was supposed 
to approach the Trachyptera scutellaris, Walker. Also some singular oval, 
flattened cases, open at each end, and from six to eight lines in length, 
formed of silk, to which was externally fixed a quantity of fine light brown 
sand. The cases were found under stones in sandy districts, and were 
stated by Mr. Charles O. Waterhouse to belong to a beetle of the genus 
Paralichas (one of the Dascillide). Also the cases of a species of Oiketicus, 
of peculiar structure; the inner lining of the tube was, as usual, composed 
of toughened silk, but to this was attached, externally, a quantity of fine 
sand, and outside this a number of small angular pebbles, only the tail-end 
bearing a few rather long twigs and species of grass stems: thus the cases 
differed from those of most species in which substances exclusively vegetable 
were attached externally, the addition of the pebbles making the cases 
(which were nearly two inches in length) unusually heavy. 
The President read descriptions and exhibited drawings of two very 
singular forms of Coleopterous insects from Mr. A. R. Wallace’s private 
collection. For the first, which belonged to the family Telephoride, he 
proposed the generic term Astychina, remarkable for the form of the two 
terminal joints of the antenne, which were modified in one sex into what 
appeared to be a prehensile apparatus, different from anything in the insect 
world, but of which some analogous forms were found to occur in certain 
Entomostracous Crustacea. The other belonged to the family Cleride, and 
was named Anisophyllus, differing from all known beetles by the extremely 
elongated branch of the ninth joint of the antenne. 
Mr. Smith read descriptions of new species of Hymenopterous insects 
from New Zealand, collected by Mr. Charles M. Wakefield. ‘The number 
of known Hymenoptera from New Zealand appeared to be about 48. 
Papers read. 
Mr. J. 8. Baly communicated descriptions of new genera and species of 
Halticine. 
Dr. Sharp communicated descriptions of a new genus and some new 
species of Staphylinide, from Mexico and Central America, collected by 
Mr. Salvin, Mr. Flohr, and Mr. Belt. 
New Part of ‘ Transactions.’ 
Part 1 of the ‘ Transactions’ for 1876 was on the table.—F’. G. 
