Societies and Academies

Abstract

LONDONEntomological Society, July 3.-A. R. Wallace, president, in the chair. Prof. Westwood exhibited the minute-book of proceedings of an Entomological Society existing in London in 1780, but which appeared to have been dissolved after about a year. The members seemed to have consisted of Messrs. Drury, Honey, Swift, Francillon, Jones, and Bentley; the meetings being held weekly.-Mr. S. Stevens exhibited a collection of * Bulletino Meteorologico del Collegia Romano, dell Osservatorio di Palermo edel Collegio Carlo Alberto a Moncalieri. Coleoptera recently made in Ireland, the most interesting species being Chlcemius holosericeus from near Killaloe. Mr. Champion exhibited an example of Emus kiriics recently captured by him in the New Forest; also rare British Hemiptera. Mr. Blackmore exhibited a collection of insects of all orders'from Tangiers; locusts were extremely destructive there, and on the shore the pedestrian is often up to his ankles in the dead and dying accumulations of these insects.-Mr. Dunning read a letter from the Rev. Mr. Wayne, of Much Wenlock, calling attention to the damage done to his strawberries in consequence of a Myriopod effecting an entrance into the interior of the ripe fruit; also complaining that his young carrots were destroyed by a dipterous larva, probably that oíPsiZa rosa, which bored into the root.-Mr. Druce exhibited a collectionofrare Diurnal Lepidoptera, including'speciesof Papilio, Euryades, Ifeliconia, Eresia, Catagramma, Agrias. Paphia, &c.- Mr. S.tainton exhibited an example of Botys fuscalis captured by the Rev. R. P. Murray in the Isle of Man, to the head of which a portion of the puparium still adhered; the insect was flying briskly when taken, notwithstanding that it must have been nearly blind. Mr. Albert Miiller exhibited a leaf from a vine growing at Basle showing the damage done by Phytoptus vitis.-Mr. Riley, State Entomologist for Missouri, exhibited a collection of American insects with their transformations.-Prof. Westwood read a paper on new species of exotic Papilionidce. Mr. S. S. Saunders read a monograph of the Strepsiptera, describing twenty-one species; he considered the group as undoubtedly pertaining to the Coleoptera, in the vicinity of Rhipiphorus. Mr. C. O. Waterhouse read a memoir on some species of Can tharis. The Baron de Selys Longchamps communicated a statistical sketch of the Odonata; the number of species of dragon flies now known he estimated at 1,344.