Entomological Society. 2635 



Mr. S. Stevens exhibited a living specimen of Lamia textor, found by Mr. 

 Barton in an osier bed, near Bristol, and fed for two months on osier leaves. 



Mr. W. W. Saunders exhibited some tobacco, imported in bales from South 

 America, which had been fed upon by the larvae of Lasioderma testaceum, Steph. 

 He observed that only the thin portions of the leaf were eaten, and that the amount 

 of damage done to the tobacco was considerable. It was noticed that the destructive 

 qualities of this Lasioderma to capsicum and shumac had been exhibited to the 

 Society in 1847, and that the species had a wide range of food. 



Mr. Shepherd exhibited a long series of Peronea tristana, Hub., bred from larvae 

 found on Viburnum Lantana. This species has been known in our collections under 

 the names of trigonana, plumbosana, Boscana and Logiana, all of which it was now 

 shown were but varieties of one species. It was also interesting to find that there 

 was not among them any of the varieties of ferrugana, W. V. (gnomana, Haw.), which 

 is considered on the Continent to be synonymous with tristana, Hub. 



Captain Parry exhibited a box of splendid insects from Cayenne. 



Mr. Douglas exhibited a fine Deilephila Celerio, found by a child in a garden at 

 Folkestone ; also several Tineidae, beaten out of thatch in the neighbourhood of 

 Folkestone : the most worthy of note were Gelechia vilella, Depressaria rotundella, 

 D. depressana, Fab. (Bluntii, Curtis), D. ultimella and subpropinquella. 



Mr. Westwood exhibited, from the collection of Mr. Melly, some small Coleop- 

 tera from Melbourne, South Australia, including ten species of Pselaphidae, one of 

 which appeared to be of the genus Articerus of Dalman, said by that author to have 

 been found in amber, and remarkable for having only one joint to the antennae : the 

 present specimens were found in the centre of nests of black ants, three to six at a 

 time, but not frequently occurring. Mr. Westwood also exhibited, from Mr. Melly's 

 collection, two Goliath beetles from Tropical America": they were two distinct species 

 of the genus Dicranorhina, closely resembling each other, and hitherto confounded 

 under the name of G. micans, Drury. Mr. Westwood read brief discriminating 

 descriptions of each, the one retaining Drury's name (micans), the other he proposed 

 to call cavifrons. He also exhibited Ptinidae, found in a barrow 1400 years old, by 

 Albert Way, Esq., of Reigate : they were observed on bones in a covered vase, which 

 again was enclosed in another vase covered with a stone, and under a quantity of 

 earth : he inclined to believe that they had not penetrated through these coverings, 

 but had been deposited with the bones. 



Mr. Douglas read a continuation of his memoir on the genus Gelechia of Zeller. 



Mr. Stainton read a paper on the synonymy of Elachista aeratella of Zeller. 



The President said he was instructed to offer as a prize the work of Fischer von 

 Roslerstamm, on Lepidoptera, for the best monograph of some genus of Tortrices, 

 subject to the following conditions: 1. The prize to be awarded to the writer of the 

 best monograph of some genus of Tortrices (the genus not to contain less than twelve 

 species). 2. The monograph to be forwarded to the President of the Entomological 

 Society, not later than April 15th, 1850. 3. The President to appoint three entomo- 

 logists (who are not contending for the prize) to act as examiners, and to decide 

 which of the monographs sent in is the best. 4. Their decision to be announced at 

 the May meeting of the Entomological Society. 



The Secretary announced that vol. v. part 8 of the Society's Transactions was on 

 the table.— J. W. D. 



