GLASGOW SOCIETY OF FIELD NATURALISTS. 35 



It was reported that the lizard exhibited at the last meeting 

 had since then given birth to four young ones, which seemed to 

 be born perfect, and to be quite independent of their parent, 



SPECIMENS EXHIBITED. 



The Chairman exhibited the mosses collected at the excursion 

 to Ben Yoirlich — about sixty different species, mounted and named. 



Mr. Cameron exhibited the galls of Cynips ferruginea, Htg., 

 which are somewhat spindle-shaped and covered with brownish 

 hair. They were found on oak-buds at Kenmuir, and had not 

 been previously recorded as British. 



EXCURSION. 



Ben Lawers. — Dr. Stirton, conductor. It was reported that at 

 this excursion the following rare flowering plants and mosses were 

 found : — Centiana nivalis, Saxifraga cernua, Draba rupestris, 

 Sesleria ccerulea, Poa glauca, Carex atrata, Juncus biglumis, 

 Tortula fragilis, Timmia Norvegica, Weissia compacta, Anacalypta 

 latifolia, and Habi-odon Notarisii. 



PAPER READ. 



Mr. Cameron read a paper on " Saw-fly Larvae." He pointed 

 out their distinctive characters, and showed by what means they 

 could be known from the larvae of the Lepidoptera, and mentioned 

 their relationship towards these, as well as to the larvse of the 

 Trichoptera. He alluded to their habits, all being plant-eaters ; 

 some living solitary, others gregarious, as many as a dozen or more 

 on a single leaf. Others inhabit galls on willow-leaves or in 

 swellings on the petioles ; while Others live beneath the epidermis, 

 or in leaves whose edges are folded down by the larvae themselves. 

 He stated that those larvae which feed in an open and conspicuous 

 manner, had either an obnoxious smell, peculiar glands on the 

 under side of the abdomen, or had the power of ejecting, often to a 

 considerable distance, a fluid of a somewhat acid nature. Many 

 were injurious to the gardener and farmer; of which the best 

 known are the larvae of Nematus ribesii, on the gooseberry; Athalia 

 spinarum, commonly known as the Black-jack or Nigger, on the 

 turnip ; Blennocampa aethops, on the plum ; and various species 

 of Cephus on the wheat ; whilst the pine has a genus {Lophyrus) 

 attached exclusively to it. He remarked that these were not 



