Insects. 4803 



parental duties, which are a necessary consequence of that command which went 

 forth at the beginning to weevils as well as to man, ' Increase and multiply.' It is 

 more than twenty years since I first traced the history of this insect, which is a most 

 dangerous enemy to the horticulturist: my observations were then directed to its 

 operations on Saxifraga sarmentosa, the crown of leaves and flowering stalks of which 

 I constantly found completely severed from the roots by this subterranean marauder, 

 but I think this is the first time it has been noticed in connexion with ferns." 



Insects injurious to Forest-trees. 



Captain Cox remarked that Chrysoclista Linneella was swarming on the trunks of 

 lime-trees in Hyde Park, the bark of the trees in many places being almost destroyed 

 by the larvae: he also alluded to the destruction now progressing of many fine elms 

 and other trees in the parks by the Scolytus, &c, and regretted that those in authority 

 would not adopt the very simple means to remedy the evil. — E. S. 



Proceedings of Natural- Hist l ory Collectors in Foreign Countries. 



Mr. A. R. Wallace.* — " St. Munjon Coal Works, Borneo, 8th April, 

 1855. You will see by the heading of this letter that I have changed my 

 locality. I am now up the river Sadong, about twenty miles N.E. of 

 Sarawak. A small coal-field has been discovered here, and is now 

 being worked. At present the jungle is being cleared, and a road 

 made to carry the coals to the river side, and it is on account of the 

 scarcity of roads in this country that I thought it advisable to come 

 here. Another reason was, that this is the district of the " Mias" or 

 Orang-utan, the natural history of which I am very anxious to investi- 

 gate, so as to determine definitely whether or no three species exist 

 here, and also to learn something of their habits in a state of Nature. 

 An English mining engineer has the direction of the works here, and 

 has about a hundred Chinese labourers engaged. I am residing with 

 him, at the foot of the hill in which the coal is found. The country 

 all round us is dead level and a perfect swamp, the soil being a vege- 

 table mud, quite soft, and two or three feet deep, or perhaps much 

 more. In such a jungle it is impossible to walk ; a temporary path 

 has, however, been made from the river (about a mile and a half) by 

 laying down trunks of trees longitudinally. Along this path is very 

 good collecting-ground, but many fine insects are daily lost, and but- 

 terflies can hardly be captured at all, from the impossibility of step- 

 ping out of the path, and the necessity of caution in one's movements 



* Communicated by Mr. S. Stevens. 



