Entomological Society. 8837 



Proceedings of Societies. 



Entomological Society. 



October 5, 1863. — F. P. Pascoe, Esq., V.P., in the chair. 



Donations to the Library. 

 The following donations were announced, and thanks returned to the respective 

 donors : — ' The Journal of the Royal Agricultural Society of England,' Vol. xxiv. 

 Part 2; presented by the Society. ' Sitzungsberichte du Konigl. bayer. Akademie der 

 Wissenschaften zu Miinchen,' 1863, I. Heft. 3 ; by the Academy. ' The Intellectual 

 Observer,' No. 21 ; by the Publishers. * On the Development of Chloeon (Ephemera) 

 dimidiatum,' Part 1 ; ' On the Development of Lonchoptera,' by John Lubbock, Esq., 

 F.R.S., F.L.S., F.Z.S. ; by the Author. 'Exotic Butterflies,' No. 48 ; by W. W. 

 Saunders, Esq. 'The Zoologist' for October; by the Editor. 'The Journal of the 

 Society of Arts' for September; by the Society. ' The Farm and Garden,' Vol. ii. 

 No. 22; Vol. iii. Nos. 25, 26, 27, 28 and 29; by C. A. Wilson, Esq., Corr. Memb. 

 Ent. Soc. 'The Athenaeum' for September; by the Editor. 'The Reader' for 

 September; by the Editor. 



Exhibitions, 8fc. 



Prof. Westwood supplemented the account he had given at the last Meeting of the 

 method pursued at Dresden in the preservation of larvae, by stating that the larva-skin 

 was not first blown out and afterwards placed in a glass vase over a lamp, but the skin 

 was first placed within the vase and blown whilst actually suspended over the lamp, by 

 which means the rapidity of the skin's drying was much increased ; it was done with a 

 small tube or blow-pipe fixed, at the end of a bladder, which was held under the arm 

 or between the knees, so as to leave the hands at liberty; and the straw which was 

 inserted into the body of the larva was fastened by a cross-pin stuck through the skin, 

 which was thus retained in its proper position throughout the process of blowing. 



Mr. W. W. Saunders exhibited some young Swede turnips, the lower part of the 

 roots of which had been consumed by the larva? of Agrotis segetum ; the young plants 

 bad been very healthy, and promised an excellent crop ; three weeks later they ceased 

 to grow, and became yellow, which was attributed at the time to the weather; a fort- 

 night afterwards a careful examination was made, and it was discovered that the roots 

 were attacked just below the surface of the ground; scarcely one was affected above 

 the surface, but the whole under part of the tubers was eaten away, four or five larva? 

 being found in each turnip, and the whole crop, three acres in extent, being entirely 

 destroyed. He should be glad to hear of any remedy, or rather of some mode of 

 preventing such destruction in future. 



Prof. Westwood referred to Curtis's ' Farm Insects,' where many suggestions were 

 made for preventing the ravages of the larvae of A. segetum, or " surface grubs," as 

 they were called. He himself believed that there was no plan so efficacious as 

 employing children to pick and destroy the grubs, or turning a lot of ducks into the 

 field. 



Mr. Saunders pointed out that all the remedies suggested by Curtis were inap- 

 plicable to the present case, where the grubs were only found under ground, and within 

 the earth-covered part of the root; in fact, the natural plan of getting at the grub was 



