Entomological Society. 2615 



But during the entire gooseberry season the bushes were quite free from wasps, and I 

 noted that I saw only one individual wasp in the garden while that fruit lasted ; nor 

 did they increase at a later period of the season, except in a very slight degree. In 

 the spring of the present year (1849) there were with us very few of the so-called 

 breeding wasps. From this circumstance, combined with former experience, I prog- 

 nosticated an abundant flight in the summer, which proved to be the case. By the 

 beginning of August these insects were a perfect pest. There was but little fruit for 

 them, but that little they attacked before it was ripe : the apricots they began to de- 

 vour while they were yet hard and only beginning to change colour ; even the rough 

 coat of the peach was not proof against their voracious jaws : other fruit being gone, 

 they laid siege to a red-currant tree against a wall, well hung with fruit, which 

 usually hangs on till November, and stripped it of every berry in a very short space 

 of time. On referring to some remarks I formerly made on this subject, in the 

 1 Magazine of Natural History,' I find that the relative scarcity and abundance of 

 wasps, in the years 1833 and 1834, precisely correspond with what 1 have above 

 stated of the years 1848 and 1849. In 1833 wasps were abundant in the spring, 

 scarce in the summer. In 1834 they were scarce in the spring, abundant in the 

 summer. I may add that I am not aware of any peculiarity in the weather, in any 

 of the above years, which might be supposed to affect either the scarcity or abundance 

 of wasps at their respective seasons of appearance. Should any readers of the 

 * Zoologist ' be able to throw light on the above fact, so contrary to what might be 

 expected, I hope they will communicate their remarks through its pages. — W. T. 

 Bree; Allesley Rectory, near Coventry, October 10, 1849. 



Proceedings of the Entomological Society. 



October 1, 1849. — H. T. Stainton, Esq., in the chair. 



The following donations were announced, and thanks ordered to be given to the 

 respective donors thereof: Catalogue of the Calcutta Public Library; Report of the 

 Librarian of the same, for 1847 and 1848 ; presented by the Curators of that library. 

 * The Athenaeum,' for May, June, July and August ; presented by the editor. Six 

 specimens of Agrophila sulphuralis, from Brandon, Suffolk ; presented by Mr. Dun- 

 ning. 



The following gentlemen were elected corresponding members of the society ; 

 — Goding, Esq., M.D., Barbadoes ; — Walcott, Esq., M.D., Barbadoes ; Grant 

 Thomas, Esq., Barbadoes: Daniel Blair, Esq., Surgeon-General, British Guiana; 

 Captain — Hamilton, Madras. 



Mr. Stainton exhibited a small species of Tineidac of remarkable structure, new to 

 Britain, communicated by Mr. Henry Doubleday. 



Mr. Westwood stated that the species of Aphidse found on the lettuce, recently 

 described by him under the name of Pemphigus Lactucae, had been previously no- 

 ticed by Sir O. Mosley in the * Gardener's Chronicle,' and by the Rev. L. Jenyns in 

 his ' Observations on Natural History.' 



Specimens of Cosmopteryx pedella, Linn, (angustipennella, Hiibner), a species of 

 Tineidae new to this country, were exhibited by Mr. Dunning, from Brandon, Suffolk. 



