94 



Ters, by Iiis son Benjamin Franklin King. Referred to the Publication 

 Committee. 



Mr. C. Cooke presented, in the name of H. F. Shepard, a singular 

 spine, reported by the natives to have been found, with a number of 

 others of the same kindy on an island in a salt-water lake situated 

 about five hundred miles west of Zanzibar, Africa. 



Mr. E. Bicknell exhibited a section of the spine under the micro- 

 scope, and described its singular structure. Mr. Bicknell said that 

 the spine was''iinlike any heretofore examined by him, and differed in 

 many respects from those of a fish, though it might prove to be a 

 spine of some unknown genus of that class. 



Dr. A. S. Packard, jr., presented, in the name of Miss Mack, a larva> 

 of Tliereva?, or, more probably, a Scenopinus, a singular Fly, found un- 

 der a carpet on which it was probably feeding. 



"Westwood states that the larva of Thereva lives in mould and rot- 

 ten wood, where it undergoes its transformations. A specimen from 

 Hingham, in the Museum of the Boston Society of Natural His- 

 tory, was said to have had the same habit of feeding on car- 

 pets, as the specimen presented to-night. 



This larva is long, filiform, cylindrical, smooth, gradually 

 tapering toward the head and tail, being thickest in the middle 

 of the body. There are thirteen segments exclusive of the 

 head. The three thoracic aiid first abdominal rings are of the 

 same length, but the remaining abdominal segments are con- 

 tracted, just behind the middle, by a well-marked constriction 

 which can with difliculty be distinguished from the actual su- 

 tures between the segments, so that it appears at first sight as 

 if composed of twenty segments exclusive of the head ; and it 

 was not until we had compared this larva with that of Mycetobia pal- 

 lipes?, found in the summer under the bark of the appletree, where the 

 segments are similarly constricted, though in a less marked degree, the 

 hinder division of the ring being much the smaller, that the true num- 

 ber of segments was satisfactorily determined. The twelfth ring 

 tapers much more rapidly behind than the others, while the thirteenth, 

 or terminal segment, is much slenderer, ending in a pair of rather 

 slender legs. There are one or two long hairs arising on each side of 

 each of the thoracic and last abdominal ring. 



The head is conical, flattened beneath, one-third longer than broad ; 

 it is reddish corneous, while the body is white. Length, .65, breadth, 

 .04 inch. It is very active in its habits, also resembling Mycetobia 

 in this respect, jerking its body rapidly when disturbed. 



A number of donations to the Libraiy and Museum were announced. 

 W. W. Lander, of Salem, and Josiah A. Haskell, of Beverly, were 

 duly elected Resident Members. 



