170 



inserted iuto the body of the larva was fastened by a cross-pin stuck through the skin, 

 which was thus retained in its proper position throughout the process of blowing- 

 Mr. W. W. Saunders exhibited some young Swede turnips, the lower part of the 

 roots of which had been consumed by the larvse of Agrotis segetum ; the young plants 

 had been very healthy, and promised an excellent crop ; three weeks later ibey ceased 

 to grow, and became yellow, which was attributed at the time to the weather; a fort- 

 night afterwards a careful examination was made, and it was discovered that the roots 

 were attacked just below the surface of the ground; scarcely one was affected above 

 the surface, but the whole under part of the tubers was ealen away, four or five larvae 

 being found in each turnip, and the whole crop, three acres in extent, being entirely 

 destroyed. He should be glad to hear of any remedy, or rather of some mode of 

 preventing such destruction in future. 



Prof. Westwood referred to Curtis's ' Farm Insects,' where many suggestions were 

 made for preventing the ravages of the larvae of A. segetum, or "surface grubs," as 

 they were called. He himself believed that there was no plan so efficacious as 

 employing children to pick and destroy the grubs, or turning a lot of ducks into the 

 field. 



Mr. Saunders pointed out that all the remedies suggested by Curtis were inap- 

 plicable to the present case, where the grubs were only found under ground, and within 

 the earth-covered part of the root; in fact, the natural plan of getting at the grub was 

 to pluck up the turnip; he was afraid that nothing would be effectual, short af 

 discovering and destroying the eggs of the parent moth. 



Mr, Staintou exhibited living larvse of Anesychia bipunctella, from Wiesbaden ; 

 the species was formerly supposed to occur in this country, and, though now included 

 amongst the reputed British Tineae, might not improbably be found here again. 



Mr. Stainton also exhibited specimens of Tortrix grandoevana, Zel. (= tussila- 

 ginana, H.-8.), a large and prominent species, the larva of which was found on sand- 

 hills on ihe shores of the Baltic, fed ou the roots of the common coltsfoot {Tussilago), 

 and formed perpendicular tubes in the sand, of the thickness of a man's little finger, 

 within which it turned to the pupa ; frequently the surrounding sand was blown away, 

 and the tubes thus exposed were opened at the top by birds, which came in quest of 

 the fat pupa within. This also was a species not unlikely to be found in this country, 

 now that its habit had been discovered. 



Mr. W. W. Saunders mentioned that one of his sons had observed, at Valencia, 

 some sand-tubes which corresponded exactly with Mr. Stainton's description, and the 

 origin of which he had hitherlo been unable to explain. 



Prof. Westwood exhibited some larva-cases of Psyche helicina ; also some 

 Trichopterous larva-cases, found at Mentone, and coated over with particles of stone; 

 the silken grating spun by the full-grown larva when about to turn to the pupa, which 

 was said to be usually at the head only of the case, was in this species spun at both ends, 

 and this circular silken covering was closed up throughout one half of the circle, whilst 

 the remaining semicircle w^s radiated open-work; the cases also had along tail or 

 appendage, which looked like a piece of grass or straw attached to the end. The 

 species was Aspatherium picicorne; and out of one of the specimens the Professor had 

 had the pleasure of extracting a parasitic Ichneumon, Agriotypus armatus, whose habit 

 it was to descend beneath the surface of the water for the purpose of depositing its 

 eggs upon the Trichopterous larva-case. 



Mr. M'Lachlan remarked that, according to Von Siebold, all the specimens 



