Zoological Society. 3399 



such numbers that all good view of the interior, and therefore all accurate observation 

 was at an end. The bees were evidently at a loss to find the exit ; by which it would 

 seem that bees are not always the blind creatures which they have been represented to 

 be (I could adduce other facts to show that they see well enough at times), but are 

 guided as much by sight, in their passage to the open air, as by any other sense or in- 

 stinct. Be this as it may, certain it is that I have never been able to make any accu- 

 rate observations on tine working days. I am bound, however, to acknowledge that I 

 have not, by leaving the glasses exposed, or opening the window-shutters for a suffi- 

 cient length of time, endeavoured to ascertain whether the bees might not gradually 

 get accustomed to the light, and find their way out by memory instead of sight. Here 

 it is that my hope lies respecting the truth of the new discovery : for although, even 

 after the establishment of this fact, certain difficulties remain, yet I see not at present 

 any insuperable obstacle to the discovery being found to work successfully in practice, 

 with a due attention to certain rules. I shall pay particular attention next spring to 

 the clearing up of this interesting, but, I think, still doubtful point. — P. V. M. 

 Filland ; Ross, Herefordshire, February 13, 1852. 



Occurrence of Clostera anachoreta in Britain. — Last year I found a larva which I 

 at once pronounced to be that of Clostera anachoreta ; and I have the great gratifica- 

 tion to announce that it produced a fine female moth on the 15th of February, which 

 is now on my setting-board. The re-appearance of Melitaea Dia would be in no respect 

 more remarkable than that of this extremely rare and doubted British insect. — 

 Richard Weaver ; Pershore Street, Birmingham, February 17, 1852. 



Proceedings of the Zoological Society. 



Evening Meeting, January 13, 1852. — W. Yarrell, Esq., in the chair. 



Mr. Gould having a new species of humming bird to describe, took occasion to 

 refer briefly to the whole of the birds which belong to the genus Thalurania, in which 

 he places it under the name of T. refulgens. 



Mr. Tomes exhibited a drawing of the head of a young rattle-snake (Crotalus horri- 

 dus), which he had recently dissected, and which exhibited a fang devoloped upon each 

 portion of the double root. 



Dr. Baird read a paper upon the family Apodidas, crustaceans belonging to the 

 division Entomostraca, with the description of a new species of Apus, and of two 

 species of Ostracoda, belonging to the genus Cypris. This paper contained a com- 

 plete monograph of the family Apodidae, composed of Apus, five species ; Lepidurus, 

 three species. 



The new species were characterized under the names of Apus domingensis, Cypris 

 Belcheri, Cypris Schomburgkii. 



The Meeting adjourned to January 27. 



