THE AUSTRALIAN NATURALIST. 147 
tion; (b) an immature specimen of the Crowned Leaf Insect. 
The adult female is wingless, and is remarkable for its protective 
mimicry of the foliage among which it feeds. 
Miss A. A. Brewster gave an interesting account, accompanied 
by coloured drawings, of (a) Arils on the seeds of “Dogwood” 
Synoum glandulosum and Cupania anacardioides, and discussed 
the function of these peculiar appendages to the seeds, (b) the 
pollination of the Blood-root Haemodorum planifolium, which 
the exhibitor had not yet elucidated, but was of the opinion that 
the plants were not self-pollinated. A suggestion was thrown 
out to members to note any insects found visiting this plant: (¢) 
sections of the egg masses of Mantis. An explanation of the 
arrangement of the eggs was given, which demonstrated the keen 
powers of observation which Miss Brewster had brought to bear 
on the subject. Miss Le Plastrier offered some observations on 
the habits of Hutane terminalis and mentioned the increasing 
spread of the Wax-seale. Mr. Froggatt suitably commented on 
both insects. 
The President congratulated Miss A. A. Brewster on her 
appointment to the position of Deputy-Head-mistress of the 
Sydney Girls’ High School. The members present expressed 
their approval by acclamation. 
The lecturer for the evening, Mr. A. G. Hamilton, was unable 
to attend owing to a bronchial attack, and our thanks are due 
to those members who so kindly supplied interesting notes and 
exhibits at very short notice. 
LIFE HISTORY OF DICKY RICE WEEVIL (PROSALIUS 
PHYTOLYMUS). 
By L. Gaunarp. 
Having completed my investigations on the life history of the 
Apple-root Borer (Letops Hopei), as detailed in Mr. W. W. 
Froggatt’s paper in the N.S. Wales Agricultural Gazette, janu- 
ary, 1920, I took up the study of that of the Dicky Rice Weevil, 
which is a serious pest in our Citrus orchards. As this insect, 
though only about one-twelfth the size of L. Hopei, has in the . 
adult state much the same general shape and habits, it seemed 
probable that the larvae also would be found to resemble one 
another in these respects. 
The early stages of the Dicky Rice have not hitherto been 
described. 
Attempts to find the larvae by turning over the soil in the 
