82 



behind the early one of 1893, but a trifle earlier than last 

 year. On May 23rd, at Byfleet Canal, the May-fly {Ephemera 

 vulgata) was emerging in numbers. 



Mr. West exhibited a specimen of the rare hemipteron, 

 Drymus pilicornis, obtained by shaking moss at Boxhill. 



Mr. Edwards exhibited a large number of " Cicadidae," 

 chiefly from Borneo and India, and contributed notes. He 

 observed that about eighty-two genera and some seven 

 hundred and twenty species are known to science. 



JUNE 8th, 1898. 



Mr. }. W. Tutt, F.E.S., Vice-President, in the Chair. 



Mr. Main exhibited a considerable number of large and 

 brilliant Coleoptera from West Africa, among the species 

 being the remarkable Rhina amplicollis, which has the 

 "rhynchus" much produced beyond the insertion of the 

 antennae, and covered with bristles for about half its length. 

 He made a few remarks as to the uses of the peculiarly 

 developed frontal armatures possessed by several of the 

 species, and said that they were of service as a means of 

 defence, and also enabled the insect to break the bark and 

 wood of trees to extract the juices. 



Mr. Alfred Sich exhibited living specimens of an Ephestia 

 (which Mr. Tutt and Dr. Chapman identified as elutella) 

 from a makings in Hammersmith. Mr. Tutt remarked on 

 the great variation exhibited by this species. 



He also exhibited ova laid by a female Hepialus lupulinns. 

 Most of these ova were probably laid on June 7th, about 

 8.30 p.m. At 9 p.m. they were of a pale ochreous colour ; 

 at midnight some of them had changed to a deep purplish 

 tint, and at 5 a.m. on June 8th they were all black. Thus 

 some of the ova changed from ochreous to black within the 

 period of five hours. During the meeting the above H. 

 lupulinns deposited more ova, which appeared when placed 

 under a microscope to be of an ivory colour. 



Mr. Edwards exhibited a specimen of the hive-bee pest, 

 Galleria mellonella, and remarked on the damage the species 

 sometimes caused to bee-keepers. Mr. Tutt considered 

 Achrcza grisella to be a still greater pest in the hives. 



Mr. F. Noad Clark exhibited ova of the fresh-water fish 

 parasite (Argulus foliaccus). He remarked that the para- 

 sites had been in abundance during the past two or three 

 weeks, and had been taken from sticklebacks in the Grand 

 Junction Canal. 



