96 
from the common gnat by the absence of two distinct short feathery tufts on the 
anterior antennas, by its broader and shorter body, by the greater breadth and 
brown colour of the head, and by its large black proboscis, and by the absence of 
the yellow coloured rings between the divisions of the body, and to those who 
have the misfortune to be bitten, by the more poisonous character of its bite. 
I found the best way to clear a house of its presence was to saturate it with the 
fumes of carbolic acid, which seems to have the property of driving away, if not 
destroying, this and many other insects which are troublesome to man and the 
lower animals. Many of the insects which are such pests to the larger animals, 
among them the " Tsetse," which renders certain districts of Africa impenetrable 
to travellers with oxen, belong to this order (Diptera). I would here diffidently 
suggest whether the proper use of carbolic acid might not enable travellers through 
Africa to ward off this fatal insect from their cattle. 
I apologise for the imperfect appearance of the specimens, which have not im- 
proved by being kept, and which I have not had leisure to ?rrange as I could 
wish. I may here mention that a similar prevalence of Mosquitoes took place 
some years ago at Cardiff, which was clearly traced to the arrival of a ship from 
a Mosquito country. 
The Vice-President remarked upon his experience of musquitoes in 
Egypt, and the want of caution displayed in reference to them by travel- 
lers on their way to India, who. and especially the ladies, suffered 
frequently very severely in consequence. 
Mr. Letpner remarked that some gnats flying at night made a peculiar 
humming noise, something like that caused by the musquito ; but that 
Mr. Swinfen Jordan, who was well acquainted with the difference between 
the two sounds, was certain that he had not unfrequently heard musquitoes 
in Clifton. 
Mr. S. H. S wayne referred to a paper on musquitoes, with good 
illustrations, in a recent number of Hardwicke's Science Gossip. 
Mr. W. W. Stoddart then exhibited a very fine specimen of Echinus 
Flemingii, caught off the Land's End. It measured 14£ inches round, 
while the largest mentioned by Prof. E. Forbes, was only 13| inches in 
circumference. He briefly referred to the fact that the markings on the 
shell, and the arrangement of the spines, were the characters used to 
define the species. 
Mr. W. L. Carpenter mentioned that the Echinus was very abundant 
in Lamlash Bay, Isle of Arran, N. B.. and gave a short account of the 
habits of the animal, as observed by him there, referring to its mude of 
locomotion by suckers pushed out from holes in the shell between the 
spines, the pedicellarise, jaws, eggs, and other points of interest. 
