8838 



Entomological Society. 



to pluck up the turnip; he was afraid that nothing would be effectual, short of 

 discovering and destroying the eggs of the parent moth. 



Mr. Stain ton exhibited living larvae of Anesycbia bipunctella, from Wiesbaden ; 

 the species was formerly supposed to occur in this country, and, though now included 

 amongst the reputed British Tineas, might not improbably be found here again. 



Mr. Stainton also exhibited specimens of Tortrix grandoevana, Zel. {— tussili- 

 giniana, H. S.) t a large and prominent species, the larva of which was found on sand- 

 hills on the shores of the Baltic, fed on the roots of the common coltsfoot (Tussilago), 

 and formed perpendicular tubes in the sand, of the thickness of a man's little finger, 

 within which it turned to the pupa ; frequently the surrounding sand was blown away, 

 and the tubes thus exposed were opened at the top by birds, which came in quest of 

 the fat pupa within. This also was a species not unlikely to be found in this country, 

 now that its habit had been discovered. 



Mr. W. W. Saunders mentioned that one of his sons had observed, at Valencia, 

 some sand-tubes which corresponded exactly with Mr. Stainton's description, and the 

 origin of which he had hitherto been unable to explain. 



Prof. Westwood exhibited some larva-cases of Psyche helicina; also some 

 Trichopterous larva-cases, fouud at Mentone, and coated over with particles of stone; 

 the silken grating spun by the full-grown larva when about to turn to the pupa, which 

 was said to be usually at the head only of the case, was in this species spun at both ends, 

 and this circular silken covering was closed up throughout one half of the circle, whilst 

 the remaining semicircle was radiated open-work ; the cases also had a long tail or 

 appendage, which looked like a piece of grass or straw attached to the end. The 

 species was Aspatherium picicorne; and out of one of the specimens the Professor had 

 had the pleasure of extracting a parasitic Ichneumon, Agriotypus annatus, whose habit 

 it was to descend beneath the surface of the water lor the purpose of depositing its 

 eggs upon the Trichopterous larva-case. 



Mr. M'Lachlan remarked that, according to Von Siebold, all the specimens 

 affected by the parasite had a peduncle attached to the case; but the appendage to 

 the cases exhibited appeared to be nothing but straw or vegetable matter. 



Prof. Westwood also exhibited specimens of a beetle belonging to the family 

 Nitidulidae, which was parasitic in the nest of Trigona carbonaria, the honey bee of 

 New South Wales: the wax which accompanied the specimens of the beetle sent to 

 him was merely a rude shapeless mass, and he was unable to ascertain whether or not 

 the Trigona made cells ; he had also been desirous of discovering whether the larva of 

 the beetle fed upon the larva of the bee, or upon the wax: with this view he had 

 placed pieces of cooked meat before the larva?, but they avoided it, and many of them 

 died ; upon the removal of the meat, he put in portions of the wax, which was soon 

 found with the Coleopterous larvae crawling over it. 



The President sent for exhibition some specimens of the same beetle, accompanied 

 by the following note: — 



" This very interesting insect was obtained by Mr. T. W. Woodbury, of Exeter, 

 from a nest of Trigona carbonaria, in which it lives, feeding upon the wax of which 

 the combs are composed. The nest came from Brisbane, in Queensland. Specimens 

 of the insect have been forwarded to Mr. Murray, who has so long worked upon the 

 family of the Nitidulidae, to which it belongs; and he informs me that it is the 

 Brachypeplus auritus of his work, the ear-like form of the basal joint of the antenna? 

 having suggested its specific name. The insect is closely allied to the British Carpo- 



