Northern Entomological Society, 



6191 



not scarce: he also exhibited Carahus nitens, taken by baiting; the plan adopted 

 being to place a piece of ham-sandwich under a bunch of loose heath in the centre of 

 a wettish swamp patch on the "moss;" these patches are perfectly bare, hence 

 tbe beetles cannot get under cover when yon go for tliem ; the first bait placed at 

 night produced three fine specimens of nitens next morning, — one munching ham, 

 one eating bread and butter, the other asleep. 



The Rev, H. H. Higgins also brought a box of Carahus nitens for distribution, and 

 informed the Meeting he was now engaged upon a new Flora of the district around 

 Liverpool, and asked the opinion of the Meeting as to the desirability of attaching 

 the names of Lepidopterous larvas to tbe plants on which ihey feed ; the Meeting 

 considered it desirable if a plan could be struck out, and requested the Secretary 

 to take the responsibility as to the accuracy of the information tendered. 



Mr. N. Cooke announced the discovery of the centre of Bankia Bankiana 

 by one of tbe members, Mr. Birchall, and observed that thus another of the lost spe- 

 cies would be made common ; a discussion took place as to what species were yet to 

 be rediscovered, in which strong language was used towards gentlemen who kept 

 their localities a secret : it was observed. Weaver, as a dealer, bad a perfect right 

 to retain his information, yet entomologists generally had obtained more information 

 from him than from some who are not called dealers. 



The Secretary read an extract from a letter from Dr. Battersby, of Torquay, offering 

 Acoutia luctuosa to those members who wanted it, and informing the Meeting that be 

 had captured Micra ostrina (!) ; also a letter from W. Hydes, who is now collecting at 

 the New Forest for tbe members of the East Lancashire Entomological Society, from 

 which it appeared he had been very successful until some London dealer had 

 got him driven from the New Park, by telling the keepers he was injuring the 

 young oaks. 



Mr. Morrot exhibited some admirably got-up anatomical parts of insects under 

 the microscope ; they reflected great credit upon the manipulator, and gave great 

 pleasure to the members present. 



The President, on behalf of E. Newman, Esq., read the following paper : — 



On Diminutive Cocoons of Cossus ligniperda. 



*' Trifling deviations from tbe ordinary mode of pursuing the path of life are much 

 more interesting in insects than in ourselves : insects follow the leader as a matter of 

 course; tt^e only do so when it answers our purpose: insects are proud of following 

 the leader; we do so by stealth, and often with confusion of face, and don't like to be 

 caught out: insects are much more consistent in their general conduct than we are. 

 It is on this very ground that when an insect deviates from its ordinary course we like 

 to know the why and the wherefore, in fact we want to be told all about it. Now, 

 there are every now and then to be met with small cocoons of Cossus, indeed so small 

 that entomologists in general won't believe them Cossus at all, and suppose them 

 to be some undiscovered species of Sesia, a trifle less perhaps than Apiformis 

 and Bembeciformis, and a trifle bigger than Tipuliformis and the minors : under this 

 idea the little cocoons are cherished, but perversely refuse to produce moths, being 

 always infested by an Ichneumon, the familiar red-legged Lampronuia setosa. This 

 fact still adds to their value and to the mystery; for every one wants to know 



