April 17. 
COUNTRY GENTLEMAN’S COMPANION. 
33 
WEEKLY CALENDAR. 
D 
M 
D 
W 
APRIL 17—23, 1855. 
Weather near London in 1853. 
Sun 
Rises. 
Sun 
Sets. 
Clock 
bf. Sun. 
Day of 
Year. 
Barometer. 
Thermo. Wind. 
Rain in 
Inches. 
R.&S. 
Age. 
17 
Td 
Haliplus impreasus. 
30.234—30.206 
59—32 
E. 
. 
3 a 5 
57 a 6 
8 a 20 
1 
0 22 
107 
18 
W 
Haliplus assimilis. 
30.130—30.024 
67—41 
E. 
— 
1 
58 
9 43 
2 
0 36 
108 
19 
Th 
Haliplus obliquus. 
29.968—29.868 
77-44 
N.E. 
— 
IV 
VII 
11 2 
3 
0 50 
109 
20 
F 
Hydroporus unistriatus. 
29.750 — 29.566 
75—51 
E. 
02 
57 
2 
morn. 
4 
1 3 
110 
21 
S 
Sun’s declinat., 11° 46' n. 
29486—29.357 
70—41 
S. 
01 
54 
3 
0 13 
5 
1 16 
111 
22 
Sun 
2 Sunday after Easter. 
29.639—29.341 
49-39 
N. 
06 
52 
5 
1 13 
6 
1 29 
112 
23 
M 
Hydroporus humeralis. 
29.111—29.864 
47—31 
N.E. 
— 
50 
6 
1 59 
7 
1 41 
113 
Meteorology ok the Week. —At Chiswick, from observations during the last twenty-eight years, the average highest and lowest tem¬ 
peratures of these days are 53.1°, and 37.5°, respectively. The greatest heat, ~b°, occurred on the 22nd, in 1842; and the lowest cold, 25°, 
on the 17 th, in 1647. During the period 106 days were fine, and on 90 rain fell. 
The April Meeting of tlie Entomological Society was 
held on the 2nd instant, J. Curtis, Esq., F.L.S., Pre¬ 
sident, in the chair, and was fully attended. 
The Secretary gave notice that the Council had re¬ 
solved to distribute their duplicate collection of insects 
among the members, one of whom, distinguished equally 
by his love of plants and insects, had, in the most 
liberal manner, undertaken the charge of the arrange¬ 
ment of the duplicates for that purpose. It was in¬ 
tended, at first, to distribute the duplicate foreign Butter¬ 
flies, foreign Coleoptera, and British Coleoptera, the 
distribution to commence after the June meeting, and 
members were requested, in return, to contribute to the 
Society’s collection, from their own duplicates, such 
species as the Society did not already possess. 
Since the last meeting the Society had received a 
donation of considerable interest from Mr. Francis 
Walker, being a collection of the British species of 
Plant Lice, or Aphides, mounted on glass in Canada 
balsam, an excellent mode of preservation, the delicacy 
of the limbs of these insects rendering them very 
difficult to be preserved in the ordinary manner in col¬ 
lections. 
Mr. Henry Doubleday, of Epping, had also presented 
to the Society a box of fifty-two rare British Lepi- 
doptera. 
Donations of books from the Royal Society, the 
Society of Arts, the Royal Society of Munich, the 
Entomological Society of Stetten, the Berwickshire 
Naturalists Club, &c., were also announced, and thanks 
ordered to be given to the several donors. 
Mr. Edward Shepherd exhibited four specimens of a 
species of Donacia; two pinned with the ordinary pin, 
and two with electro-plated pins ; the former, although 
only four or five months old, were now infested with 
verdigris, whilst the latter pair were still free from this 
exudation, which is so destructive to cabinet specimens 
of insects. 
Mr. Stainton also exhibited specimens of Nepticula 
acetoscc, a small Moth reared from Sorrel leaves last 
year, by Mr. Shield, of Dublin, and which were already 
partially saturated with grease, being the only species 
of the genus in his collection thus injured, and which 
Mr. Stainton thought might be attributable to the 
acidity in the leaves of the plant upon which the insect 
feeds. Mr. Stainton took occasion to state to the 
Meeting Mr. Shield’s qualifications as an indefatigable 
entomologist, he having been proposed as an associate 
of the Society, a class of members, the admission of 
which had been resolved upon when the by-laws had 
been recently revised. Considerable diversity of opinion 
appeared, however, to exist among the members, as to 
the advisability of the admission amongst the members 
of working entomologists, who may not be in a condition 
to pay the ordinary fees to the Society. For our own 
part, however, knowing how well the associate system 
works in the Linmean Society, and feeling convinced 
that the admission of a few well-selected associates 
from the poorer classes of collectors would be regarded 
by those elected as an honour, and by their friends as a 
motive for fresh exertions, we would earnestly advocate 
the adoption of the system. 
Mr. Foxcroft exhibited a number of fine Lepidoptera 
reared from larvae taken last year in Fifeshire. Mr. 
Foxcroft is about to undertake another journey to Scot¬ 
land, and requests fresh subscriptions for the insects 
which he may capture. He also exhibited specimens of 
Papilio Machaon, reared from two very distinct varieties 
of the larvae. 
Mr. S. Stevens exhibited specimens of the singular 
and very rare Eucheirus longimanus, brought from the 
Eastern Archipelago, by the celebrated traveller, 
Madame Pfeiffer. 
A notice was read, from Mr. Wallace, containing a 
description aud figure of a grand, new Butterfly, from 
Borneo, which he proposed to name Ornithoptera 
BrooJceana, after the Rajah Brooke. 
Mr. Curtis read some notes on several curious kinds 
of Galls found upon different species of Oaks in the 
Crimea; descriptions and figures of which have been 
recently published in the Gardeners' Chronicle. 
A valuable Memoir, by Mr. Desborough, on the 
Economy of the Hive Bee, as exhibited in the Obser¬ 
vatory Hive, was read. This Memoir is a continuation 
of the Essay which obtained the prize recently offered 
by the Entomological Society, which has since been 
published. 
Dr. J. E. Gray stated that he had made arrangements 
with Mr. Janson for the preparation and publication of 
a working Catalogue of British Coleoptera; and that 
the British Museum had secured the whole of Mr. 
Wollaston’s collection of Madeira Coleoptera, consisting 
of the type specimens described and figured in his fine j 
work recently published. 
No. CCCXLII. Vol XIV. 
