6472 



Entomological Society. 



however, burrow in wood, whilst others avail themselves of ready-formed burrows, &c, 

 adapted to their purposes, never, as far as I have observed, forming tunnels or recep- 

 tacles for their cells : this appears to be the habit of the species of the Genera Sapyga 

 and Pern ph red on. 



" Our knowledge of the economy of Exotic species is very limited ; I have had the 

 pleasure of bringing before the Society some very interesting observations, made by 

 M. Guenzius at Port Natal, upon various species of Hymenoptera, some belonging to 

 the fossorial division. Mr. Bates has also contributed occasional notices of the habits 

 of various species of these insects. In a collection lately received from the latter 

 gentleman, a nest with the insect which constructed it was received, than which nothing 

 could be more at variance with our preconceived ideas of the habits of the genus to 

 which it belongs: the insect is a species of Larrada ; the nest is composed apparently, 

 as Mr. Bates suggests, of th escrapings of the woolly texture of plants ; it is attached 

 to a leaf, having a close resemblance to a piece of German tinder or a piece of sponge. 

 With the first nest of this description forwarded by Mr. Bates was received a note, to 

 the effect that he saw the insect issue from it, and he supposed it to be the builder ; a 

 second nest has, however, been received with the information that he had now no doubt 

 of the nest being constructed by the Larrada, as he had observed it repeatedly busy in 

 its construction. I have raised the nest from the leaf, and found four or five pupa- 

 cases of a dark brown, thin, brittle consistency. 



" I am not aware of any similar habit of building an external nest having been pre- 

 viously recorded ; our British species of the closely-allied genus Tachytes, are burrowers 

 in the ground, particularly in sandy situations ; their anterior tarsi are strongly ciliated, 

 the claws bifid and admirably adapted for burrowing. On examining the insect which 

 constructed the nest now exhibited, I find the legs differently armed ; the anterior pair 

 are not ciliated, and the claws are simple and slender, clearly indicative of a peculiar 

 habit, differing from its congeners, and how admirably is this illustrated in the nest 

 before us. 



" Another nest, also sent by Mr. Bates from Ega, is equally interesting ; it is that 

 of a species of Sphex, I believe the Sphex Lanierii of Guerin : this is constructed of 

 a cottony substance, which fills a tunnel formed by a large curled leaf. Here we have 

 another instance of ecouomy at variance with our preconceived notions of the habits of 

 the genus ; we have hitherto regarded the species as being pre-eminently fossorial, and 

 upon examing a large number of individuals I find they have the anterior tarsi very 

 strongly ciliated, and all the tibia; strongly spinose. On examining the Sphex which 

 constructed the nest in the rolled leaf, the anterior tarsi are found to be very slightly 

 ciliated, and the tibiae almost destitute of spines, thus affording another instance 

 proving that difference of structure is indicative of difference of habit." 



Mr. Tompkins exhibited three species of Psych ida3 hitherto unrecorded as British, 

 wz. : — P. roboricolella, Bruand, bred June 26, 1858; P. salicolella, Bruand, bred 

 June 23, 1858; P. tabulella, Bruand, taken July 24, 1854 flying about beeches at 

 Mickleham ; the names were determined from Bruand's Monograph of the family. 



Mr. Stainton exhibited specimens of the coloured plates which were intended to 

 illustrate Mr. Logan's projected work on the Lepidoptera of Scotland, on which the 

 transformations of the following species were beautifully delineated, viz. : — Poly- 

 ommatus Artaxerxes, Agrotis lucernea, Lampronia rubiella, L. quadripunctella and 

 Loz r )tsenia costana. 



