SCIENTIFIC SOCIETIES. 351 



directed to the internal anatomy of insects, which, by the aid of the last- 

 mentioned apparatus, is shown out in a wonderful manner, and is much 

 facilitated, an example of which may be noticed in Sir John Lubbock's 

 plates of the internal anatomy of the head of the ant, and especially in 

 Mr. George Dimniock's inaugural memoir on the parts of the mouths of 

 the gnat and other dipterous insects. 



It is with great pleasure that I have witnessed the gradual development 

 of the entomological collections of the British Museum, now, I venture to 

 say, the finest in the world. Let us hope that their removal from Blooms- 

 bury to their magnificent new home at South Kensington will be safely 

 effected, and that their new domicile on the ground floor of that establish- 

 ment will be less disastrous than that which has attended the location of the 

 fine collection of insects in the New Museum of Geneva, where, from the 

 misplaced position of the entomological laboratory, mould to a terrible 

 extent has assailed the collections, the very valuable one of Mr. Melly 

 having, however, escaped by being placed in an upper room. 



In conclusion, I cannot too strongly insist on the necessity of investi- 

 gating the correlation between the various structures of insects and their 

 corresponding habits ; believing as I do that every variation of structure 

 has resulted from a preconceived design, and that nothing has been left to 

 blind chance, or to the power of external forms in developing previously 

 non-existent structures into a permanent specialized condition." 



Mr. J. W. Slater exhibited a large case containing numerous specimens 

 of Lepidoptera from Zululand. 



Prof. Westwood made some detailed remarks on some of the specimens, 

 especially on the Rhopalocera and Bombycithe, noticing various rare and 

 beautiful species of Acrica and a pair of the rare Bombyx Oubie, Guer., 

 figured in Lefebvre's ' Vojage en Abyssinie' (Ins. pi. xii. figs. 1, 2), but 

 hitherto otherwise unknown to him. 



Mr. W. F. Kirby exhibited an object found in a nest of Formica nigra 

 in Ayrshire by Mr. P. Cameron. Prof. Westwood suggested that it was the 

 pupa, or rather the indurated skin, of some syrphideous insect. Baron 

 Osten-Sacken, who was present as a visitor, said it was certainly the pupa 

 of one of the Syrphidce, probably of Aphritis aureopubescens, Latr. 



Mr. E. Saunders exhibited a specimen of Lebia turcica, Fabr., recently 

 captured by Mr. W. H. Bennett in a clearing in a wood at Guestling, near 

 Hastings. Mr. Saunders remarked that this species had been omitted from 

 the two recently-published British catalogues. Mr. M'Lachlan enquired 

 whether any member present had heard of other recently-reported captures of 

 this insect. Rev. H. S. Gorham said there had been no other recent capture, 

 he fully believed in the authenticity of this one. The species was figured and 

 by Curtis, and he saw no reason to think the specimen now exhibited was 

 imported. Lebia crux-minor was almost unique until taken in some numbers 



