THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN’S COMPANION, December 2, 1856. 141 
WEEKLY CALENDAR. 
D 
M 
D 
W 
DECEMBER 2—8, 1856. 
Weather nj 
Barometer. 
ear Lon 
Thermo. 
DON IN 
Wind. 
1855. 
Rain in 
Inches. 
Sun 
Rises. 
Sun 
Sets. 
Moon 
R.& S. 
Moon’s 
Age. 
Clock 
bf. Sun. 
Day of 1 
Year. 
2 
Th 
Bembidium poccillum. 
29 . 879 — 29.811 
44—26 
N. 
04 
48 a. 7 
52 a. 3 
8 13 
5 
10 
13 
337 
3 
W 
Bembidium propercens. 
29-988—29.983 
40—31 
N.F.. 
02 
49 
51 
9 38 
6 
9 
49 
338 
4 
Tii 
Colymbetes fuliginosus. 
‘29.828—29.525 
47—36 
S.W. 
01 
51 
51 
11 3 
7 
9 
24 
339 
5 
F 
Opilus mollis. 
29.557—29.509 
44—30 
W. 
00 
52 
50 
morn. 
3 
8 
59 
340 
6 
S 
Phosphuga atruta. 
29.504—29.373 
42—28 
N.W. 
00 
53 
60 
0 28 
9 
8 
34 
341 
7 
Son 
2 Sunday in Advent. 
29-580—29.480 
42—27 
N. 
00 
54 
50 
1 52 
10 
8 
8 
342 
8 
M 
Scaphidium quatuor niaculatum. 
29.841-29-562 
35 — 19 
N.E. 
00 
55 
49 
3 19 
11 
7 
41 
343 
Meteorology ok the Week. —At Chiswick, from observations during the last twenty-eight years, the average highest and lowest 
temperatures of these days are 44.0°, and 32.7°, respectively. The greatest heat, 58°, occurred on the 8th, in 1843 ; and the lowest cold, 14°, 
on the 5th, in 1844. During the period 101 days were fine, and on 95 rain fell. 
The November Meeting of the Entomological Society 
was held on the 3rd instant at the Society’s Rooms, 
W. Wilson Saunders, Esq., F.R.S., Treas. H.S., &c., 
President, in the chair. 
After the donations of hooks had been announced 
Mr. Augustus Shepherd exhibited some rare species 
of Moths recently captured near Brighton, including 
Acronycta alni and Phibalapteryx gemmaria. 
Mr. Foxcroft exhibited a number of the rare species 
which he had captured during his visit to Scotland in 
the summer, which were intended for distribution among 
his subscribers; and Mr. Stainton exhibited the follow¬ 
ing rare Moths taken by Mr. H. Cooke near Brighton 
Pldogopbora empyrea, Leucctnia vitellina and musculosa, 
Lcipliygma exigua , and CuculHa verbasci; also the rare 
Beetle, TJleiota planata, hitherto regarded as a doubtful 
native, but which had been now proved to be indigenous, 
by having been taken beneath the loose bark of a Lime- 
tree. Mr. Stainton also read a note from Herr Dohra, 
President of the Stettin Society, giving an account of 
the capture of the three species of the singular blind 
Beetles, belonging to the genus Leptoderus, in the 
caverns of Carniola, where so many blind insects and 
other animals, including the Proteus anguinos, were 
found. Specimens of these three insects, and of another 
curious blind Beetle from the same caverns, were now 
to be obtained for ,£3. 
Mr. Stainton exhibited a beautiful open net-work 
cocoon of an unknown Lepidopterous insect recently 
received from China. It was further remarkable for 
being attached at the extremity of a long, slender foot¬ 
stalk. Mr. Westwood stated that the cocoons of the 
Indian Silk Moth, Saturnia Mylitta, were attached by 
a still longer foot-stalk to the twigs of the trees on 
which the caterpillars fed. 
Mr. Samuel Stevens exhibited a specimen of the 
Chinese Wax Insect on the twig, recently received from 
Mr. Fortune; and Mr. Bowring stated that the natives 
were in the habit of employing this insect-wax for the 
purpose of coating their tallow candles, so as to give 
them a hard surface. Mr. S. Stevens also exhibited the 
larvae of the rare Noctua Ashworthii, and also the larvae 
of a small Lepidopterous insect, which still continued 
its attacks upon the bottle of liquorice-powder exhibited 
at a former meeting of the Society. 
Mr. Bowring exhibited a singular monstrosity occur¬ 
ring in a specimen of the Chinese Water Beetle, Cybister 
limbatus, in which, although arrived at the perfect state, 
the insect still retained the head of the larva; and Mr. 
Westwood stated that a similar circumstance had oc¬ 
curred in a specimen of the Butterfly, Nymphalis populi, 
as described and figured by M. Wesmael, of Brussels. 
Mr. Adams exhibited specimens of the rare Beetle, 
Polystichus fasciolatus, Treclius nanus, and Drypta emar- 
ginata, together with a larva considered as that of the 
last-named species. 
Mr. Gregson exhibited specimens of the little Moth, 
Coleophora vitisella, and the case formed by its larva. 
Mr. Stevens communicated a letter from Mr. Wallace, 
dated at Lambok, an island near to Borneo, in which 
the insects were so scarce that, during two months’ 
residence, he had only captured eighty species of Beetles. 
A note from Mr. Thwaites, of the Botanic Gardens, 
Paradenia, in Ceylon, was read, giving an account of 
the manoeuvres of a species of Spider in capturing its 
prey, which it gradually encircles with its web. Mr. 
Marshall mentioned the capture of eight specimens of 
Pieris Daplidice near Glasgow; and the Secretary 
announced that a new part of the Society’s Transactions 
was ready for distribution among the members. 
LONDON HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY’S 
MEETING.—Nov. 25th. 
This was the first General Meeting of the Society 
under the new Council; and if envy was allowable, 
they, the new Council, might well be envied for their 
immediate success, seeing that a long course of bad 
management had brought the affairs of the Society to 
a dead lock. There were thirty-four new Fellows ad¬ 
mitted by ballot at this meeting, and two more who 
wished to become F.H.S. were too late till the next 
batch. There was a meeting in October to elect officers 
for the ensuing year, at which a batch of seventeen new 
Fellows were made; in all, fifty-three new Fellows in 
one quarter, and that the dullest in London of the 
whole year. There never was a larger or a more practical 
meeting of the Society in my time than this one of 
which I am about to report the doings. 
J. Blandy, Esq., was in the chair, supported on the 
right by Dr. Royle, and on the left by Dr. Lindley; but 
to find chairs or benches for one half of the meeting 
was out of the question; standing-room and packing 
and squeezing were the order of proceeding when the 
chair was taken at 2 p.m. 
There was a tremendous competition in Black and 
White Grapes, without a single bad bunch of any kind. 
Pine Apples were uniformly good, and never more 
uniformly in size and weight. There were about a score 
of them. Pears, with few exceptions, were not nearly 
as large as I have seen some of the same kinds here on 
No. CCCCXXVII. Vol. XVII. 
