Microscopical Society. 3071 



Three other species of insects attack the cotton plants in the East Indies, and 

 cause serious injury, viz., 



The larva of some beetle, probably of the family of the Chrysomelidae. An Aphis, 

 for which I propose the name A. Gossypii ; and the immature state of a Homopte- 

 rous insect, probably related, to the family Cercopidae. 



I trust that this notice, imperfect as it is, may be of some use as a first step to- 

 wards a history of the insects injurious to the cotton-plant, and may bring the impor- 

 tant subject to the notice of entomologists, who have opportunities of witnessing the 

 ravages committed by insects on the cotton-plant, and induce them to record their 

 observations, with a view of furnishing materials for a more complete investigation of 

 the subject hereafter." 



The paper is accompanied by a plate. 



The President announced that in addition to the donation of lithograph copies of 

 the portrait of the late Rev. W. Kirby, for the ' Transactions,' Mr. Spence had placed 

 fifty copies at the disposal of the Council, who have determined, to offer them to mem- 

 bers and subscribers at one shilling each. 



The President also said he had been requested to announce that Mr. Foxcroft in- 

 tended to visit Wales this year, on an entomological expedition, for which he solicited 

 subscriptions, to be repaid by his captures. — /. W. D. 



Proceedings of the Microscopical Society of London. 



January 15, 1851. — Dr. Aethub Farre, President, in the chair. 



A paper ' On the Femoral Plates or Scales of Zootoca vivipara, a kind of Lizard,' 

 by J. B. Spencer, Esq., was read. 



After some introductory remarks, in which the description given by Professor Bell 

 in his ' History of British Lizards ' was noticed, as stating that this lizard was one of 

 those distinguished by being covered with scales or plates, some of which possess a 

 very curious structure, and among which the femoral plates are particularly distin- 

 guished as having pores, the use of which is not known ; the author went on to 

 state that these femoral plates occur in a single row on the under surface of each lower 

 leg, and are usually ten or twelve in number. He, however, found upon examination, 

 that they did not agree with Prof. Bell's description, not being perforated, but on the 

 contrary their surface was produced into a semitransparent process or horn, of a light 

 yellow colour, without any discoverable perforation ; these last, where they occur, 

 being due to the rubbing off of the horny process, which is detached by a very slight 

 touch. He was, therefore, induced to believe that these scales possibly serve to give 

 the creature a greater mechanical power of adhesion in certain cases. A drawing il- 

 lustrating the size and position of the plates was also exhibited. 



Mr. Quekett then directed the attention of the Society to an observation of a some- 

 what similar nature to that of Mr. Spencer, which he had made about ten years since, 

 in the structure of the skin of a viviparous blenny (Zoarcus viviparus). In the 



