8670 



Entomological Society. 



should be able to rear them, and thus to supply a correct account of their metamor- 

 phoses. In this we were guided by the form of the perfect insect, and accordingly 

 p aced before them grains of maize, pieces of flannel and woollen cloth, shreds of 

 partially decayed paper, some fungus and lichen, and other materials known to be the 

 food of caterpillars belonging to the genus Tinea and neighbouring genera. Unfor- 

 tunately they turned with distaste from all these supplies, with the exception of the 

 cloth and flannel, and even to these they attached themselves with reluctance. We, 

 however, persevered, and put them in a dark and roomy box, aware of the marked 

 dislike to light of larva? possessing depredatory habits, and left them undisturbed for 

 a week, at the end of which we were pleased to find that small silken tunnels or tubes 

 had been constructed on the surface of the brown cloth, and that the denuded appear- 

 ance of several places exhibited signs of their ravages. From this cloth they shortly 

 afterwards transferred themselves to the flannel, where they fabricated small portable 

 cases, composed of two separate pieces of an irregular oval form, joined at the sides, 

 but leaving apertures at each end, and being thus comfortably housed we entertained 

 sanguine hopes of rearing them. These hopes, however, were not to be realized, for 

 towards the end of November (nearly two months from their birth) they ceased to 

 thrive, and eventually all perished. * * * * 



" ' As we failed in affording proper nourishment to the larvae, we think it probable 

 that they exist in their natural state upon decaying animal or vegetable matter, as 

 found to be the case with the Sarcophaga carnaria (or common blowfly) and some 

 others which produce their young in a living state.' — (Trans. Entom. Soc. of N. S. W. 

 Vol. i. Part 1). 



" It will now be a problem for European Micro-lepidopterists to ascertain whether 

 any of our European species of the genus Tinea have a similar habit. When Dr. 

 Staudinger was in Spain he met with one larva of this genus (if I remember rightly) 

 which fed on dry dung. Is it not possible that some species of the genus may feed on 

 the freshly dropped dung of animals, and hence the larvas require to be deposited in 

 an active state? Many of the larvae of the Tineae of Europe are still unknown to us; 

 possibly a clue is now furnished which may prove of service." 



Mr. Stainton read the following: — 



Notes on the ' Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Philadelphia! 



" I have before me the ' Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Philadelphia* 

 from March, 1861, to the close of 1862, forming nine parts of variable bulk, and extend- 

 ing to 311 pages. These 'Proceedings' are well printed on good paper, and contain 

 several memoirs of considerable importance, so that it is extremely desirable that the 

 existence of an Entomological Society on the other side of the Atlantic should be 

 generally known to the entomologists of Europe. 



" It does not appear from these ' Proceedings ' when the Entomological Society of 

 Philadelphia was first started. In the Report of the Secretary for 1861 we read that 

 'the cabinet was commenced in January, I860,' which is fourteen months before the 

 earliest meeting recorded on the second page of the 'Proceedings,' at which 'the 

 Committee appointed to revise the Constitution and By-Laws prior to procuring a 

 Charter made their final Report.' However, it appears from the by-laws that the 

 common seal of the Society was to bear the words 'Founded 1859.' It is interesting 

 at the very time when we are called upon to decide the question of the dispersion of 

 our own collection to notice how energetically this young Society is engaged in the 



