Linnaan Society. 63 



Gen. 5. Cerapterus, Swed. — Three species, one of which is supposed 



to be new. 

 Gen. 6. Trochoideus, Westw. — One species. P. cruciatus, Dalm. 

 This interesting insect was found by Dalman, in copal gum. 

 Mr. Westvvood also mentions the Hispa bihamata of Linnaeus as 

 supposed to belong to the family, and has also given the characters 

 of a new genus, which he names Megadeuterus, related to the Te- 

 lephoridae, containing two species, the type of which is the Paussus 

 flavicorms, Fab. The drawings exhibited in illustration of the paper, 

 comprised fifty-five figures of species and their anatomical details, 

 including representations of all the genera and new species described 

 by the author. 



A paper by John Morgan, Esq. F.L.S. was read, in which the au- 

 thor described some anatomical peculiarities which he had met with 

 in the organs of deglutition in several of the order Rodentia. 



It appears that in the Capybara (Hydrochcerits Capybara), as well 

 as in some of its congeners, Mr. Morgan has found a singular de- 

 velopment of the velum palati, or membrane interposed between the 

 mouth and throat, to which he has assigned functions different from 

 those which are attributed to this structure in any other class of 

 animals. After noticing the very extensive grinding surfaces of the 

 molar teeth of the Capybara, and the necessity for such an arrange- 

 ment of parts in the masticating organs of an animal living occasi- 

 onally upon hard vegetable substances, and possessing a simple sto- 

 mach, as in the case of this species, the author proceeded to show that 

 the complete mastication of the food is not only provided fovbythe form 

 and extent of the teeth, but that it is rendered absolutely indispensable 

 to the passage of nutriment from the mouth to the stomach, by the pe- 

 culiar conformation of the velum palati, which occupying the whole 

 area of the passage through the fauces, would form a complete sep- 

 tum between the mouth and pharynx, but for the existence of a 

 small circular aperture in its centre, through which the food is al- 

 lowed to pass. The velum palati thus formed assumes the shape of 

 a cone or funnel, during the act of swallowing, from the pressure of 

 the food against its anterior surface, and the smaller end or apex of 

 this funnel, which is terminated by the central aperture, is thrust 

 backwards into the cavity of the pharynx beyond and above the open- 

 ing of the glottis, to which part it thus offers additional protection. 

 A sort of membranous strainer is thus produced, through the small 

 aperture of which the grosser particles of unmasticated food are pre- 

 vented passing from the organs of mastication to those of digestion. 

 The muscles attached to these parts were also particularly described. 

 A paper was also read, entitled " An attempt to introduce a more 

 precise distribution of the genus Papilio, by George Milne, F.L.S." 



In this paper Mr. Milne describes the methods of distributing the 

 insects belonging to the genus Papilio, which have been adopted, 

 successively, by Linnseus, Fabricius*, and Latreille. Mr. Milne then 



* The method adopted in the Systema Glossator inn of Fabricius, which 

 Mr. Milne alludes to as having never seen, was, we believe, scarcely kown 

 in this country before the sketch of it, with which we were favoured by 

 Mr. Children, appeared in the Phil. Mag. and Annals, N.S. vol. vii. p. 118. 



proposes 



