were trapped by one of his coolies while in the act of burrowing in the 

 ground for the evident purpose of finding their way through a hole in the 

 rhizome up to the top of the tree, in order, by the attacks of their larvae, to 

 destroy it; the whole according to the manner described by Mr. Russell, 

 whose very interesting account is fully corroborated by Mr. Netscher's, who 

 has very obligingly drawn it up from his own experience, at my request. 

 The beetles are a male and female, well known in the country as belonging 

 to the real destroyers of cocoa-nut trees, and from their very prominent 

 features, easily recognizable as answering in every point — the male to the 

 description of the Scarahceus aloe, the other, or female, to that of the 

 8. alveus in Dr. Voet's ' Catalogus Systematicus Coleopterorum,' both 

 insects being stated to belong to Surinam. Let me add that, from their 

 hirsute aspect, they look a by no means very amiable couple." 



The Secretary exhibited a Longicorn beetle which had been sent from 

 Birkenhead by Mr. David Henderson. It had been captured on the wing 

 in that town, having probably flown from a ship in the river. 



Paper read. 



Mr. J. W. Slater read a paper entitled " Vivarium Notes on some 

 common Coleoptera." 



October 3, 1877. 



Professor J. O. Westwood, M.A., F.L.S., President, in the chair. 



Donations to the Library were announced, and thanks voted to the 

 donors. 



Exhibitions, do. 



Mr. W. L. Distant exhibited a specimen of the ravages of Dermestes 

 vulpinus (Fab.) in a cargo of dried hides from China. On the arrival of 

 the hides in this country they were found to be infested and gnawed into 

 holes by swarms of the insect in their different stages, causing a damage 

 of from fifteen to twenty per cent, on the value of the cargo. It is not 

 unusual to see this well-known insect amongst these articles, but quite 

 unprecedented to find it in such numbers and causing such an amount of 

 damage. In fact, its appearance had quite paralyzed the importation of the 

 hides, and gave further proof of the value of Economic Entomology in 

 the arts and manufactures. 



Mr. M'Lachlan exhibited a portion of a wooden case containing hides 

 from Shanghai, which was riddled with borings of the larvae of this beetle. 



Prof. Westwood remarked that some years ago the attention of the 

 Society was drawn to the depredations of this beetle in a cargo of cork, 



