Quadrupeds. 4047 



Vespidae (Polistes gallica) and Sphegidoe (Amraophila sabulosa), which are found abun- 

 dantly on Umbelliferae. These insects, although as captives they at first miss their 

 usual employment and care for their brood, live in their cage for several weeks, espe- 

 cially if they are from time to time supplied with fresh flowers of Umbelliferae spread 

 over with pounded sugar. Being accustomed to work, they are thus provided with 

 employment; they busy themselves on the flowers, and lick up the sugar, and their 

 life is prolonged as long as possible, so that the pupae of the Stylopidae contained in 

 their bodies obtain time to develope, and (in the case of the males) emerge as winged 

 insects. The Stylopized Hymenoptera are known in the following manner : — The 

 larvae of Strepsiptera living as Entozoa in the cavity of the hinder part of the body of 

 Hymenoptera, eventually, when about to assume the pupa-state, with the fore part of 

 the body pierce through the soft portion between the hinder segments of the body of 

 their foster-parent, where they continue to remain, so that the ever wingless and foot- 

 less females end their lives there ; the males, after a time, thrust the prominent fore- 

 part of their pupa-case out of the hinder part of the body of their foster-parents, and 

 flutter out of their confinement. The Hymenoptera which are burdened with male 

 pupae, are known by the dark brown conical fore ends of the pupa-cases projecting be- 

 tween the segments of the bodies of the bees and wasps ; the female Strepsiptera are 

 distinguished by the light brown scale-formed projecting fore part of the body, which 

 remains unchangeably fixed, whilst the conical fore part (cephalothorax) of the male 

 pupa breaks off upon the exclusion of the perfect insect." 



Herr Schiodte, of Copenhagen, who was present as a visitor, made a few remarks 

 in favour of the proposition that the Strepsiptera should be associated with the Coleo- 

 ptera ; observing that the characters of the latter Order are possessed generally by the 

 Strepsiptera, though some are in a rudimentary state only, laying stress upon the form 

 of the mouth and the metamorphosis, as more essential characters of the Coleoptera 

 than the large prothorax ; and arguing that in such a matter as the position of the 

 Strepsiptera, the most essential characters of all the Orders, and not the minute detail, 

 should be considered and compared : from which he was led to believe that the Strep- 

 siptera, though apparently in some respects anomalous, were more nearly related to 

 the Coleoptera than to any other Order ; and that the opponents of this view should 

 show that any of the characters of the Coleoptera are not represented in the Strep- 

 siptera. 



Mr. Waterhouse briefly opposed the junction of the Strepsiptera with the Coleo- 

 ptera, confining himself chiefly to the different development of the prothorax in each 

 Order, the form of which he considered very characteristic of different groups. 



Mr. Westwood also made some similar observations : and argued that the Strepsi- 

 ptera were more nearly allied to the coarctate Diptera.— J. W. D. 



Anecdote of the Oared Shrew (Sorex remifer). — Walking in my garden a few days 

 ago, I heard a faint, plaintive, wailing noise proceeding from a grass walk on the side 

 of my orchard. Directing my attention to the spot, I saw a shrew, which, from its 

 size, I at once knew to be the oared shrew (Sorex remifer), pulling at the hind leg of 

 a large frog. Froggy evidently did not at all like his position, and what the issue 

 would have been I can hardly conjecture, had not the shrew chanced to see me, which 



