4912 Society of British Entomologists. 



September 4, 1855. — Mr. Harding, President, in the chair. 



Mr. C. J. Briggs was proposed as a subscriber. 



The President exhibited a box of insects, taken principally on the coast of Kent ; 

 among them were the following: — Melitaea Cinxia, Sphinx Convolvuli, Lithosia 

 pygmaea, L. quadra and L. com plana ; Acronycta auricoma, taken near Canterbury ; 

 Spaelotis cataleuca, Eremobia ochroleuca, Heliothis marginata and H. dipsacea, 

 Plusia orichalcea, Botys fuscalis, B. lancealis, Ceramia ligustrana, Timandra emu- 

 taria, T. imitaria, with a number of others. He said that he had also taken four 

 larvae of Deilephila Galii, and that three of them had gone into the pupa state. In 

 all the years he had been an entomologist he had never seen such numbers of white 

 butterflies as there were this year along the coast ; their caterpillars had destroyed all 

 the cabbages. Plusia Gamma and Xylophasia polyodon were also in such number as 

 to be a perfect pest ; the former, swarming among the flowers in the evening ; the 

 latter rendered sugaring quite a dead letter, as they came in swarms, and their 

 pugnacious habits were such that they drove away any other insects that came : it was 

 quite amusing to witness the battles that took place. 



Mr. Millar exhibited specimens of Choreutes scintillulana, Swammerdamia 

 lutarea and Peronea hastiana var. Bentleyana. Mr. Millar said the statement of 

 Madame Leinig, that the larva of this species feeds upon birch, is certainly deserving 

 of credit, as Mr. W. Machin has bred it from leaves of this tree, collected in- 

 discriminately, and therefore has not any recollection of the larva. On the 2nd inst., 

 he beat two specimens from a birch-tree in Headley lane : it is rather singular that 

 the perfect insect should exhibit such a partiality for the Lombardy poplar; but 

 Asychna modestella is extremely partial to the blossoms of Stellaria, yet there is no 

 proof that this plant is the food of the larva. 



Mr. Millar made the following observations on Cerambyx moschatus: — "I was 

 much amused, one day last July, with the proceedings of a specimen of this common 

 beetle: I had put it away in a chip-box, and on looking at it a few days after I found 

 that it had gnawed the sides of the box, and was in consequence covered with small 

 fragments of wood : its first care on being released from captivity was to free itself 

 from these particles ; for this purpose it laid its antennas on the tarsus of the fore leg, 

 then covered it with the tarsus of the second leg, and, elevating its head slowly, drew 

 the antennae through; thus was proved the use of the pulvilli, which acted as minute 

 brushes, and cleaned the antennae from the particles adhering to them : this operation 

 concluded, the tarsi were raised to the mouth, and the palpi passed repeatedly over 

 them, for what purpose I cannot say, but most likely to remove the collected fragments 

 entirely from them. No sooner was the foregoing process ended than the long tibiae 

 were raised to the base of the elytra, and passed repeatedly over them, until every 

 particle was removed. From some accident one of the wings had got attached to the 

 tip of the corresponding elytron ; this it discovered in an attempt to fly ; and now to 

 show the admirable conformation of so trifling an object as a beetle — without the least 

 hesitation or sign of perplexity the spine at the base of the tibiae was passed down the 

 suture of the elytra repeatedly, until the obstruction was removed, and the insect able 

 to fly."— J. T. N. 



