On an Insect Feeding on the Ordeal or Poison Bean. 349 



Dr Thomas E. Fraser, here, the author, in 1863, of a 

 valuable treatise on the Calabar Bean, and apparently the 

 gentleman referred to in the newspaper paragraph, published 

 a communication " On the Moth of the Esere, or Ordeal- 

 Bean of Old Calabar," in " The Annals and Magazine of 

 Natural History" for May 1864, in which he states the 

 fact of an insect feeding on the poison-bean, and gives 

 details of its metamorphoses, &c, without being aware, 

 apparently, of the paper read to the Botanical Society, or 

 of the Rev. Mr Robb being the original observer, wdio had, 

 at Old Calabar, watched the whole progress and development 

 of the insect, and had sent home his notes and specimens to 

 allow of its being described or identified by the entomo- 

 logists of this country. 



Dr Fraser, indeed, in his paper referred to above, stated 

 that the beans, &c, were given to him by the Bev. John 

 Baillie, w r ho had returned from Old Calabar. Mr Baillie's 

 bad health, and subsequent death, had apparently prevented 

 him from giving Dr Fraser any history or details of the beans 

 and insects he had got from Mr Robb. 



Dr Fraser also mentions, that his friend Dr John Anderson 

 got the insect or moth identified by the authorities of the 

 British Museum as the Deiopeia pulchella (ord. Lepidoptera, 

 fam. Tineidce, Leach). 



Of course, the discovery of an insect being able to feed 

 and live on the poison-bean, and the description of its trans- 

 formations, was due to the zeal and observation of the Rev. 

 Alexander Robb of Old Calabar. 



The specimens of the poison-beans eaten by the insects, and 

 of the insects themselves, preserved in spirits, which were 

 formerly sent home by the Rev. Alex. Robb, and were shown 

 to the Botanical Society, were exhibited by Mr Hewan 

 to the meeting. 



The insects were then given to the Secretary for further 

 examination. 



