38 



SCIENCE. 



C. ADJUNCTS TO TAXIDERMY. 



Tools, eyes, materials, perches, leaves, rock-work, 

 etc. 



Already a large number of important objects are 

 entered for exhibition, consisting chiefly of artistic 

 groups, both large and small, and it is certain that 

 there will be a fine display in class B, or household or- 

 naments and decorations, most of which will be en- 

 tirely new and original in design. A silver medal will 

 be awarded to the finest single exhibit, a bronze 

 medal to the best general exhibit, and a diploma of 

 honor to the best exhibit in each of four natural 

 classes, viz. : Mammals, birds, reptiles and fishes. A 

 number of interesting papers and notes upon the va- 

 rious methods of taxidermy will be read at the general 

 meeting and afterwards published in a volume as the 

 proceedings of the society. From now until Decem- 

 ber each member will be busily engaged in putting 

 forth all his skill and knowledge in the effort to win 

 some of the honors offered for the highest excellence. 



It is to be earnestly hoped that their vigorous and 

 already successful movement will meet the hearty ap- 

 proval and co-operation of all American taxidermists, 

 both amateur and professional, and that they will, by 

 joining the society, and taking active part in the 

 meetings and exhibitions, help to build up a powerful 

 and influential organization, which is devoted to their 

 best interests. The most unskillful amateurs are cor- 

 dially welcomed as members, if they are but earnest 

 in taking hold of the work in hand^ It now remains 

 to be seen how much liberality of mind, enthusiasm 

 of purpose and ambitious enterprise will be awakened 

 by this movement among American taxidermists. 



DESCRIPTION OF SOME MONSTROSITIES 



OBSERVED IN NORTH AMERICAN 



COLEOPTERA. 1 



13Y HORACE F. JAYNE. 



The accumulation of material in some of the larger 

 collections of Coleoptera of our fauna has suggested 

 that a description of the more marked monstrosities 

 might be interesting, and aid at some future time in 

 throwing light on points of development not yet un- 

 derstood. I have, therefore, in this paper, describ- 

 ed and figured those monstrosities which M. Moc- 

 querys of Rouen, in his excellent work on Abnor- 

 mal Coleoptera, calls " Monstrosities by Excess." 

 Deformities by deficiency or incomplete development 

 have not been considered as they do not seem of 

 sufficient importance, and point only to accidents 

 happening to the insects while in the larvoe or pupae 

 stage. 



I desire to return my sincere thanks to Dr. Horn 

 for the free use of his collection and library, for many 

 suggestions and for kindly revising these pages ; also 

 to Dr. LeConte for the loan of specimens from his 

 cabinet, and to Dr. Hagen for the use of specimens 

 belonging to the Museum of Comparative Zoology at 

 Cambridge. 



■A paper read before the Am. Ent. Soc., June, 1880. 



CALOSOMA TRISTE, LeC 



Fig. i represents a monstrosity on the right antenna 

 of a specimen of Colosoma triste, Lee. It consists 

 in the sixth joint bearing two branches of five joints. 

 Fig. 1 a, shows the antenna greatly enlarged. The 

 first three joints are normal ; the third a little dilated 

 at apex. The fourth is normal in length but is one- 

 half broader at apex. When viewed from above it is 

 distinctly pyriform. The fifth joint is also of normal 

 length but twice the width of that of the left side and 

 slightly broader at apex. The sixth joint is penta- 

 gonal in form, in its widest place as wide as long. 

 The apex is obliquely truncate on its inner and outer 

 angles, presenting two unequal faces for the insertion 

 of the two branches. The inner or posterior facet is 

 much smaller and from it arises that branch with the 

 joints exactly resembling the normal antenna. The 

 anterior or outer facet is larger and gives insertion to 

 an anterior or outer branch of five joints ; the first 

 being short and thick the others similar to the corre- 

 sponding normal joints but smaller. 



The specimen is in Dr. Horn's Cabinet. Collected 

 in California. 



CYCHRUS ANGUSTICOLLIS, Fisch. 



Fig. 2 represents the deformed left anterior leg of 

 a specimen of Cychrus angusticollis. The femur is 

 greatly dilated a little beyond the middle and gives off 

 from its superior border a tubercle moderately long 

 and blunt at tip. This may possibly indicate an 

 attempt at the development of a second leg. The 

 femur is .then narrowed and at apex is a little larger 

 than the apex of the normal joint. The existence of 

 a cotyloid cavity shows the former presence, and acci- 

 dental loss of the tibia. 



In the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Cam- 

 bridge. 



METRIUS CONTRACTUS, Esch. 



A monstrosity in the middle left leg of a specimen 

 of Metritis contractus is shown in fig. 3. The femur 

 bears two tibix ; the inner one bearing two full sets of 

 tarsal joints. The femur is normal. The outer tibia, 

 which may be regarded as the normal one, arises from 

 the extremity of the femur and is somewhat shorter, 

 stouter, and more curved than the tibia of the middle 

 right leg. The inner tibia arises from the posterior 

 side of the femur a short distance within the tip and is 

 articulated with it by a separate cotyloid cavity, the two 

 cavities however are confluent as seen in fig. 3a. It 

 is distinctly arcuate, dilated toward the apex which is 

 obliquely truncate at each angle. From each facet 

 thus formed arises a tarsal joint of normal length, al- 

 most contiguous at their bases, and somewhat stouter 

 than the succeeding joints which are normal in form 

 but shorter than those of a normal tarsus. There are 

 four terminal spurs to this tibia, two placed external 

 to the outer tarsus, two within the inner. 



In Dr. Horn's Collection. 



PASIMACHUS I'UNCTULATUS, Hald. 



A specimen of Pasimachus punctulatus has seven 

 legs ; the extra one arising from a trochanter placed 

 between the normal trochanter and femur of the left 



