! The following is aa abstract of Mr. Leipner'a communica- 
j tion upon Devonian Corals, at the October meeting of the 
j section. He appeared as the spokesman of Mr, Spencer 
Percival, of Henbury, upon two species of Devonian Corals, 
described by Messrs. Milne Edwards, and Jules Haime,viz., 
Cyathophyllum ccejpitoaum, and Pachyphyllum Devoniense, 
! To found a new species upon a single specimen, unless 
specially marked with undoubted individual character, was 
at all times a hazardous undertaking, but when the organ- 
isms, as was the case with corals, were liable to great de- 
partures from a type, such a step ought to be taken with the 
I most extreme caution. Indeed, Mr. Leipner unhesitatingly 
i affirmed that the limits of each species could never be de- 
I fined correctly, and its essential characters delineated, until 
the Coral beds of a given locality had been patiently and 
carefully investigated, as Mr. Percival had done at Withy- 
comb, North Somerset. The opportunities the author had 
1 had of examining and naming a great number of corals 
I strongly enforced this maxim upon his mind, more particu- 
i larly in reference to the Palaeozoic corals. Mr, Percival 
j had obtained a series of fasciculated and astreiform speci- 
j mens of Cyathophyllum coespitosum from Withycomb, 
which were exhibited, and the latter, i, e., the astreiform 
specimens answered so fully to Milne Edwards' Pachyphyl- 
lum Devoniense — a species founded upon a single specimen 
—as to make Mr, Percival arrive at the conclusion that 
Pachyphyllum Devoniense is but the astreiform variety of 
' Cyathophyllum cceapitosum. Independently of this, Mr, 
Leipner called upon the members carefully to compare the 
descriptions and illustrations of these two species, as given 
in the monograph, and he ventured to assert that even from 
this alone they could not bat arrive at the same conclusion. 
He also showed the specimens belonging to the museum of 
the Institution, which had been named by Mr, Lonsdale 
according to the monograph, and pointed out that there was 
no essential difference between them, except that the speci- 
men of Pachyphyilum was of course astreiform, and those 
of Cyathophyllum fasciculate. The specimens recently pre- 
sented by Mr, Percival supplied the connecting 
link, furnishing instances of the latter species occor- 
ring both fasciculate and astreiform in the same specimen. 
Entomological Section, Dec. 12.— -Mr. Stephen Barton, 
president, in the chair. Mr, A. E. Hudd exhibited some 
fine specimens of Dasypolia templi, Colias Edusa, variety 
Helice, and Colias Hyale. Mr, Cole exhibited a fine lepi- 
dopterous insect, the wings of which measured nine inches 
in expanse, and, being unknown to all the members present, 
some discussion took place as to the division to which it 
belonged. The Secretary exhibited a pair of bred specimens 
of Deilephila Galii, a floe species, the larva of which feeds 
on Galium verum, and has been taken near Clevedon and at 
Brean-down. Also Ghgerocampa Celerio, captured near 
Worcester; Agrotis cinerea, one of two specimens taken on 
Dardham-down ; and a specimen of Mamestra abjecta. The 
President then read a short paper on the Coleoptera of St. 
Helena, illustrating it with specimens taken by himself. 
After giving a brief sketch of the island and its productions, 
Mr, Barton went on to remark that the number of species 
of Coleoptera occurring at St, Helena was surprisingly 
small, A week's collecting only produced seven species, viz,, 
Calosoma Helecse, Pristonychus complanatus, Ileterony- 
chua arator, Longitaraus HelecjE, Cvdonia lunata, Opatrnm 
nadroides, and Necrobia rufipes. The author, after some 
amusing reminiscences of his visit to the island, remarked 
that the extreme paucity of insect life might be accounted 
for by the insular position of St, Helena, and also by the 
destruction of the forest that covered the island when first 
discovered. 
