110 Proceedings of Societies. 
Mr Picking attached by the remarkable parasites belonging to the genus Xylops. 
Athena'um. 
May 2 1. Entomological Notices, by \V. Spence, Esq., F.R.S., including "Ob- 
servations upon, and suggestions for obviating the great annual expenditure caused 
in Brussels by the attacks of some of the timber-boring Beetles in the wood-work 
of houses ;" also, "Observations upon the injury caused by the Scolytus destructor 
to the Elm-trees in the Park at Brussels ;" also, " Upon a disease to which 
Silk-worms are subject in Italy, termed the Muscadine, and which is proved to 
be caused by the growth, within and upon the bodies of these caterpillars, of a 
minute parasitic fungus," thus affording, as the Rev. Edward Stanley noticed, 
an analogy and a clue to a solution of the difficulties connected with the nature 
of the vegetable wasp of Surinam. 2. " Descriptions of a new genus, and several 
new species belonging to the Coleopterous family Paussidae, from the collection 
ofM. H. Gory of Paris," by J. O. Westwood, F.L.S. Secretary of the Society. 
3. " Extracts (relating to the AnnulosaJ from a memoir upon the comparative de- 
velopment of the nervous system of the various classes of animals with that of 
the human subject, illustrated by a beautiful series of preparations and drawings," 
by John Anderson, Esq., of Richmond. 4. " Notices of the destruction of the 
Canesin the West Indies by the Mole Cricket," communicated by J. C. Johnstone, 
Esq., M.E.S. of Grenada, and which, upon the motion of Col. Sykes, was re- 
ferred to the Cane-fly Committee of the Entomological Society Aihenaum- 
MEDICO-BOTANICAL SOCIETY, 8th March 1836. Earl Stanhope, President, 
in the chair ; Dr M'Reight was elected a Fellow of the Society Dr Morries, 
F. R. S. Edinburgh, and Professor of Toxicology to the society, made some ob- 
servations on opium, conium, digitalis, tobacco, and hyoscyamus, more especial- 
ly with reference to their empyreumatic oils. There appears to be considerable 
resemblance between the oils of these plants . they are obtained by distillation 
from the dried powdered leaves. A specimen of the oil of hyoscyamus was ex- 
hibited, which presented the following characters : It has a light yellow colour, 
and an oily appearance ; a very powerful, virose odour, so penetrating and vo- 
latile, as to be perceptible at a considerable distance, even when the bottle is 
closed. Eight or nine drops, Dr Morries stated, would destroy life in an hour 
and a-half, and he observed that it was nearly as fatal as prussic acid : a much 
more powerful preparation, however, might be obtained, by distilling this empy- 
reumatic oil with potass ; the same quantity of the products would cause death 
in from thirty seconds to two minutes. Communicated by Mr Foote. 
EDINBURGH. 
ROYAL SOCIETY, January 18, 1836 Right Honourable Lord Greenock, V. P. 
in the chair. Observations and experiments on the coloured and uncolourable 
matters in the leaves and flowers of plants, particularly in reference to the prin- 
ciples upon which acids and alkalies ac"t in producing red or yellow or green co- 
lours, by Dr Hope. 
March 7th, Sir T. Mackdougall Brisbane, President, in the chair Communi- 
cations were read by Dr Christison and Dr Graham, on the composition and the 
botanical origin of Gamboge. 
WERNEBIAN SOCIETY, January 9, 1836 Professor Traill, V. P. in the Chair. 
