1867.] Geography. 255 



February 18. — Mr. Moore gave an account of the ravages of 

 Tomicus monographus in India. This destructive little beetle has 

 caused the loss of vast quantities of ale, in some cases amounting 

 to 50 per cent, of the stock in store, by eating its way in all direc- 

 tions in the wood of the casks, until at some point, at last becoming 

 perfectly porous, the contained liquid escapes. The insect has not 

 been found in this country, although common on the continent ; 

 but it is stated that the oak staves of which the barrels are made 

 are imported from Sweden. The inference is, therefore, that the 

 eggs were in the wood at the time they were being made into 

 casks ; how they escape destruction during the preliminary process 

 of steaming seems unaccountable. The insects were known in 

 Burmah previous to 1862, but are now found in most parts of 

 India. No case seems to have occurred in which the ale escaped 

 while in transitu. Mr. Newman exhibited an ant taken at Kinloch 

 Eannoch, and new to Britain. It was doubtful whether it was to 

 be referred to Formica herculeana or F.pubescens ; it was stated to 

 form single cells in the stumps of old pines. Mr. Wallace read a 

 paper " On the Geographical Distribution and Affinities of the 

 Eastern Pieridse." The subject, in all its aspects, was treated in 

 the most comprehensive manner, but the views of the author, 

 in reference to the extent of the Indian Islands as a Zoological 

 Kegion, were combated at some length by Mr. Pascoe. A paper 

 "On the Distribution of the Lepidoptera in Great Britain and 

 Ireland " was communicated by Mr. Herbert Jenner Fust. This 

 was a long and most elaborate essay, in which the distribution of 

 945 species were classified according to their geographic types and 

 the areas to which they were limited in the United Kingdom ; the 

 Tineinse and one or two other groups were excluded. A paper 

 " On the Buprestidse of the island of Penang was communicated 

 by Mr. E. W. Saunders. 



8. GEOGEAPHY. 



{Including the Proceedings of the Royal Geographical Society.) 



The place of Admiral Fitzroy, as Corresponding Member of the 

 Paris Academy of Science, is to be filled by Captain Eichards. 

 Mr. E. H. Major, Hon. Sec. of the Eoyal Geographical Society, 

 has been appointed Keeper of the Map Department in the British 

 Museum ; a new post, for which Mr. Major has well qualified himself 

 by his researches in Ancient Geography. 



This subject of Ancient Geography has received much atten- 

 tion of late on the other side of the Channel. A new translation of 

 the amended text of Strabo is being produced by MM. Amedee 



