14 
PROCEEDINGS OF SOCIETIES. 
been noticed and recorded in the proceedings of the Society. So far back as the 3rd 
of January, 1845, Dr. Farran read a paper, the result of an extensive series of 
observations of the late Mr. William M^Calla, enumerating a very full list of the 
collections made by him on the west coast of Ireland. Those lists contained the 
record of the discovery of Thia polita—the original specimen being in the museum 
of the Society. A notice of it was also made by i)r. Scouler in the “ Annals of 
Natural History” for March, 1846. Yet, in a very recent publication of the British 
Crustacea, by Professor Bell, the entire credit of adding this interesting Mediter¬ 
ranean crustacean to the Fauna of Britain is given to Dr. Melville, of the Queen’s 
College, Galway. Mr. Andrews did not impute the slightest desire or intention on 
the part of either of those gentlemen to deprive of credit where it was due, but he 
blamed them for the absence of reference to what had already been accomplished 
in the natural history of this country. Mr. Andrews intended to bring forward a 
general recapitulation of the proceedings of the Society, in which many facts of 
interest would be noticed with regard to the late Wm. M l Calla, whose zeal and in¬ 
telligence had been great, and whose ardour in the pursuits of natural history had 
not been surpassed in this country. 
Doctor Gordon begged to move a vote of thanks to Mr. Andrews for his dona¬ 
tions, as one who had always been indefatigable in promoting and forwarding the 
interests of the Society. 
This being seconded by Dr. Farran, 
Mr. James Haughton, jun., read a paper 
ON THE COLEOPTERA INFESTING GRANARIES. 
He said—Mr. Chairman and gentlemen—Having, for some time past, had frequent 
opportunities of observing the habits, &c., of many of the coleoptera which infest 
the granaries in this city, I beg to bring before you a few observations which I have 
recorded about them, in the belief that any facts concerning even the most insig¬ 
nificant insect, cannot fail to be of some interest to those to whom their habits are 
not generally known. In the summer season many of our corn stores are visited, in 
vast numbers, by the weevil tribe, which commences depredations on a scale which, 
I think, classes them amongst the most destructive of all insects. To give an idea 
of the mischief they are capable of committing, I may mention, that previous to the 
repeal of the corn laws, when the duty upon grain was very high, wheat, which had 
remained in bond for a length of time, frequently becarrfb so infested with them, 
that it might actually be seen shifting its place on the lofts from the move¬ 
ments of the living mass contained in the heap, and, in some instances, the 
portion left, not being worth the duty, had to be thrown out; also, an instance 
of a loft of wheat, containing 1,000 barrels, having, in a few months, become 
deficient upwards of fifty barrels, in addition to a depreciation in the value of 
the remainder of about ten per cent.—almost all of which loss was caused by 
the common corn weevil (Calandra granaria). From the foregoing statements, 
it is obvious that it is of great importance to find out some way by which 
these mischievous insects can be destroyed without injury to the grain. The 
wheat to which I have last alluded was Egyptian, which, from its excessive 
dryness, is peculiarly suited to the multiplication of the species. A curious 
fact connected with them is, their propensity for gathering into masses in one 
place. The amount of heat they generate when thus collected is quite 
surprising, and is even more observable when the wheat in which they are 
stored is in sacks, instead of being thrown loosely on a loft. On applying 
the ear to the outside of a sack in which there are many weevils, one can 
quite distinctly hear the buzzing and crackling noise caused by the incessant boring 
going on inside. When the grain is stored in bulk on a loft, and removed from its 
contact with the wall', the weevils creep out in immense numbers, and are then 
easily swept up and destroyed. I myself have seen many malt shovelsfull taken 
away in a single day. I have brought with me some of the weevils, of which it 
will be easily perceived there are several kinds, and also some wheat bored by them, 
which will give a good idea of the ravages they commit, as, in many instances, 
nothing is left of the grain but the outside shell or bran. Most workmen about 
corn stores assert that they bite wickedly ; but, although I have constantly been on 
