io8 



THE YOUNG NATURALIST. 



[June 



beetles had effected its exit from the nut during the voyage : a second had recently 

 emerged, after the nuts had been in this country for five years; and that a third had 

 undergone its metamorphosis and died within the nut. Dr. Sharp also exhibited 

 several specimens of Diptera collected by Mr. Herbert Smith in St. Vincent, and 

 read a letter from him to Mr. Godman on the subject of the vast number of species 

 of this order which he had recently collected in that island. Mr. M'Lachlan, Dr. 

 Mason, Mr. Mason, Mr. Waterhouse, and Capt. Elwes took part in the discussion 

 which ensued. 



Mr. R. F. Lewis, on behalf of Mr. W. M. Maskell, of Wellington, New Zealand, 

 exhibited and read notes on about twenty-five species of Coccida from that colony. 

 He also exhibited some specimens of the larvae and imagos of Icevya Purchasi, Maskell, 

 obtained from Natal, where the species had proved very destructive to orange, lemon, 

 and other fruit trees. He also showed specimens of the larvae of an allied species from 

 Natal, originally arranged by Mr. Douglas to the genus Ortonia, but which Mr. Mas- 

 kell was inclined to regard as a new species of Icevya. Mr. M'Lachlan and the Chair- 

 man commented on the interesting nature of the exhibition, and the importance of a 

 knowledge of the parasites of injurious insects, in connection with which special 

 mention was made of the researches and discoveries of Prof. Riley. 



The Secretary exhibited, on behalf of Mr. T. D. A. Cockerell, of Colorado, a large 

 collection of insect-galls, and read a letter from Mr. Cockerell on the subject. Dr. 

 Mason said he should be happy to take charge of these galls, with a view of rearing 

 the insects and reporting the results. 



Mr. H. W. Bates communicated a paper entitled "On new Species of Cicindelidcs. 

 — H. Goss, Hon. Sec. 



LANCASHIRE AND CHESHIRE ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



The Monthly Meeting of this Society was held on Monday, May 12th, in the Free 

 Library, the President, Mr. S. J. Capper, F.L.S. in the chair. Mr. Edward Porritt 

 of Huyton, was proposed as a member, and Mr. Sydney Webb of Dover, was elected 

 an honorary member. The President read a letter from Mr. C. S. Gregson, who sent 

 two specimen of the glow worm, Lampryris noctihtca, from New Ferry. 



Mr. Robert Newstead, Curator of the Grosvenor Museum, Chester, read a paper 

 on " Local Injurious Insects, with notes on the current bud mite, Phytoptus ribis," illus- 

 trating his remarks with large drawings and beautifully prepared cases of life histories 

 of actual specimens. The author, in speaking of the ignorance among farmers, re- 

 counted how a certain grower had actually distributed cuttings of currant trees infested 

 with P. ribis, to friends believing them to be a fine variety of the currant tree, thus 

 spreading the disease. Mr. Newstead also gave a full account and best means of pre- 

 vention and cure, of the new Flour moth, Ephestia kuhniella, the Ash Bark Scale, 

 Chionaspis fraxini, &c, and exhibited specimens, with drawings of Pulvinaria ribesiac, 

 the woolly scale insect of the currant, the male of which was unknown, until discovered 

 by him on April 7th, this year. 



The President, exhibited some fine varieties of Polyommatas phlaas, including the 

 var. Schmidtii, with intermediate forms. 



Mr. E. D. Fish, brought samples of leather, which were riddled with holes, caused 

 by the warble fly, Hypoderma bovis, breeding in the back of the beast during life, and 



