•->88 THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN’S COMPANION. —July 22, 1850, 
doors as freely ns the White Street Water and White 
Muscadine. 
The following gentlemen were elected ordinary 
Members:— 
Mr. Theodore Yon Spreckelsen, Hambiug. 
Mr. Solomon, Fruiterer, Covent Garden. 
Thf. July meeting of the Entomological Society (at 
which the President, W. W. Saunders, Esq., E.R.S., 
Treas. Hort. Soc., &c., occupied the chair) was rendered 
a special one, in order to fill up the vacancy in the 
Secretaryship paused by the resignation of Mr. Douglas, 
I who had occupied that post during the last seven years 
in conjunction with Mr. Edwin Shepherd ; whereupon 
Mr. Ianson, who has for some time past acted as the 
Curator of the Society, was elected joint Secretary, in 
tho stead of Mr. Douglas. 
Dr. J. E. Gray, of the British Museum, moved a vote 
of thanks to the latter gentleman for his efficient services 
during the period he had held the Secretaryship, which 
was carried unanimously; as was also a vote of thanks, 
proposed by Mr. Douglas, to the President, for the 
' liberal manner in which he had entertained the members 
i of the Society, on their annual excursion, which had 
i taken place at Reigate, on the 21st ult. 
A numerous list of donations to the library was read 
by the Secretary, from the Royal and other Societies of 
j Bavaria, Moscow, Stettin, the Linmean Society, Society 
I of Arts, &c., including, also, the fine work upon insects 
{ preserved in amber, published by the late Dr. Berendt. 
Mr. Westwood gave a detailed account of this work, 
of which three folio volumes have already appeared, 
dwelling upon their great value as illustrations of the 
insect races of an antediluvian period, which, owing to 
the transparency of the material in which they were 
preserved, were far more satisfactorily capable of ex- 
| amiuation than those found in the stone series. He 
trusted, moreover, as the collection of specimens was 
intended shortly to be offered for sale by Madame 
Berendt, that the British Museum would not miss such 
an opportunity to enrich its zoological series, regarding 
these specimens as belonging to the zoological rather 
than the palieontological collections, filling up, as they 
did, many gaps in the series of existing forms. 
Dr. Gray said, that it was necessary to be extremely 
cautious in such a matter, as he knew that impositions 
had taken place. A small fish had, in one instance, 
been introduced into a piece of amber, the orifice of the 
hole having been subsequently closed with a gum of the 
same colour, so accurately as to have deceived a first- 
rate collector. Many specimens, also, of gum anime, 
containing insects, had also been sold for amber. He 
should, however, be very happy to secure the collection 
for the national Museum. 
Mr. Douglas exhibited four new species of minute 
Moths, belonging to the family Tineidse, taken at Box 
Hill, near Brighton. 
Mr. S. Stevens exhibited various interesting Coleop- 
tera, collected by Mr.. Eoxcroft in Scotland and Wales, 
including Uleiota jlavipes, Chrysomela cerealis, &o.; also 
a living specimen of Lehia crux minor, and specimens 
of the plumeless plume Moth, Agdistes Bennettii, reared 
from the caterpillar, as well as full-grown larva of 
Notodonta Cannelita and Petasia nubeculosa, reared 
from the eggs ; and also a box of beautiful Butterflies, 
recently received from Brazil, collected by Mr. Bates. 
Mr. Augustus Shepherd exhibited a fine specimen of 
the rare Moth, Gastropacha ilicifolia. 
Mr. Adam White exhibited a box of rare and curious 
insects, collected by Mr. J. Bowring at Houg-Kong, and 
in Siam and Java; and Mr. BowriDg himself gave some , 
account of their habits, including the transformations of 
a species of the interesting genus Sagra, and of a 
Chinese species of Elater. 
Mr. Wilkinson exhibited some living specimens of 
the beautiful Eire-fly of the West Indies, Elater nooti- 
lucus. Although in a weakly condition, many have been 
brought from Havannah by way of New York, which 
had occupied six weeks, during which time they had fed 
upon moistened sugar; they yet emitted a lovely, pale- 
greenish light, both from the two spots on the back of 
the prothorax, and also from the membrane connecting 
the thorax with the abdomen. On being excited by 
being placed in warm water, the light became much 
more vivid. 
Dr. Calvert exhibited some larvie of Noclua cubicularis, 
which had proved very destructive to his crops of rare 
grasses, in a growing state, by devouring the seeds when 
nearly ripe. They were also very injurious to wheat, by 
feeding upon the grain in the same manner, as illus¬ 
trated by Mr. Curtis in the “ Journal of the Royal 
Agricultural Society.” They were, however, very partial 
in their attack, as they would not touch one species of 
Festuca, although they devoured the other. 
Mr. Westwood brought for distribution among the 
members, specimens of Porrectaria Laricella and P. He- 
merobiella. The latter feeds upon Pear leaves in the 
garden of the Horticultural Society at Chiswick; the 
former is occasionally injurious in Larch plantations. 
He also exhibited some leaves of wheat, the extremities 
of which had been rolled up by the caterpillars of some 
species of Tortricidce; and also a new and very beauti¬ 
ful species of Saturnia, with its cocoons, from California > 
where attempts had becu made to use it in the manu¬ 
facture of silk, but apparently with little success, owing 
to the structure of the cocoon. 
Mr. Staunton read a memoir on the study of Micro- 
lepidoptera on the Continent. 
Gardeners’ Benevolent Institution. —In the list of 
subscribers at tho anniversary dinner of this Institution, 
which we recently published, we regret that we omitted 
to record the name of Mr. M. Busby, of Stockwood 
Park, near Luton, who very liberally contributed the ! 
sum of Ten Pounds towards the fund of this admirable 
charity. We trust that many more will follow his 
example. 
