Entomological Society. 5413 



Mr. Stevens exhibited a flue specimen, in its natural state, of the wax secreted by 

 Coccus pela, or wax-hlsect of China, sent to him by Mr. Fortune. 



Mr. Westwood said this Coccus was a subject of considerable interest, as we thus 

 were able to see from what the Chinese wax is produced ; it is the covering formed by 

 the female of a species of Coccus called by the Chinese pela, whence the specific name 

 applied to it: its chemical properties had lately been investigated by Mr. Daniel 

 Hanbury, who had recently exhibited some very fine specimens. In some of the wax 

 sent home by Mr. Fortune he (Mr. W.) had found the remains of male insects, and 

 also two species of Chalcidae, which were doubtless parasites of the Coccus. 



Mr. Bowring observed that this wax was used in China to coat over the outsides of 

 the candles made from the candle tree, in order to give them a hard surface. 



Mr. Stevens exhibited a full-grown larva of Agrotis Ashworlhii, remarking that it 

 was one exhibited by him at a previous meeting, when but a few days old; also the 

 bottle containing liquorice-powder exhibited at the last meeting, in which were 

 specimens of Endrosis fenestrella still alive. 



Mr. Stainton exhibited, on behalf of Mr. H. Cooke, a specimen of Leucania 

 vitellina, a Noctua new to Britain, taken by him in his own garden at Brighton ; also 

 Phlogophora empyrea, Leucania musculosa and Laphygma exigua, all taken near the 

 same locality during this season, and a specimen of Cucullia Verbasci, reared from 

 larva which had been found feeding on Budhlsea globosa. 



Mr. Douglas exhibited two specimens of Brontes planatus, Lin. (Uleiota planata, 

 Steph. Alan.), which he had taken on the previous day under the loose bark of 

 a lime tree, in the neighbourhood of Lee, which had beeu felled about a year ago; 

 and observed that the species is given by Stephens as " very rare, Hermitage, South 

 Lambeth," and that Shuckard says, " very rare, query indigenous," so that the capture 

 is of interest in more ways than one. 



Mr. Stainton exhibited the cocoon of a species of Tinea, from Ceylon, attached to 

 a footstalk about half-an-inch long, the cocoon itself being composed of network, 

 similar to those of the European genus Plutella. 



Mr. Westwood observed that a much more remarkable instance of the cocoon of a 

 Lepidopterous insect being attached to a footstalk occurs in the Saturnia Cynthia of 

 India, in which species the footstalk of the cocoon is two inches long. 



Mr. Stevens exhibited the following Coleoptera, recently taken by Mr. Arthur 

 Adams: — Polistichus fasciolatus, at Sheerness; Trechus nanus, at Mickleham; also 

 six specimens of Drypta emarginata, and a larva which he presumed pertained to the 

 latter species. 



Mr. Westwood observed that the larva referred to Drypta was, in reality, that of a 

 species of Silpha, 



Mr. Weir exhibited a specimen of Anthribus albinus, captured at Pembury, 

 Kent. 



Mr. Foxcroft exhibited some Coleoptera and Lepidoptera, taken in Scotland and 

 Wales during the past summer, including a single specimen of Otiorhynchus septen- 

 trionis, from Perthshire. 



Mr. F. Smith exhibited a specimen of Cybister limbatus, having the head of the 

 larva instead of that of the perfect insect ; it was found alive and swimming, in 

 apparent health, by Mr. Bowring, at Hong Kong. 



Mr. Westwood said this was the first recorded instance in Coleoptera of the imago 

 being found with the head of the larva; in Lepidoptera, however, instances had 



