which had been sent by Mr Robert Hill, resident there. The collection, which was much admired for its variety, consisted of butterflies, beetles, spiders, and dragonflies, and contained several rare species, which were pointed out and described by the chairman.

Mr George Donaldson described the beautifully-formed nest, with its ingenious entrance, of the Tarantula or Trap-door Spider, which he had often seen in the State of Kentucky; and Dr Flemyng gave some interesting particulars regarding it and some of the species which he had frequently observed in South Africa.

The chairman exhibited a case of fine butterflies from Western Africa. Several of the specimens were of rare species, among which were Papilio hesperus, P. latreillianus, Charaxes ameliae, and C. eupale-two of these Mr Chapman had not seen before.

Mr George Donaldson exhibited several objects of interest which he had obtained during a residence in the United States of America, and in visits to the Polynesian Islands. Among these were-I. A series of specimens of the remarkable stony operculum of the Rebton shell-fish, Turbo petholatus, from the Samoa Islands. II. The skin of a Turkey Snake, about four feet in length. This snake, which is common in the central States, is quite harmless, and receives its name from the habit of feeding on the eggs of the Wild Turkey. The specimen exhibited was obtained in the nest of a Turkey, where it had swallowed three of the four eggs which the nest contained; the fourth was found at the bottom of the nest, covered with saliva, and ready for swallowing, which it no doubt would have been had the reptile not been disturbed during its repast. III. A spine of the Sting-ray (Raia pastinaca),. the serrated hooklets of which are very dangerous, a wound from them often proving fatal. Mr Donaldson had himself experience of the serious effects they produce, having received from one of them a slight wound on the hand. It had produced excessive sickness, with severe spasms, which continued for some time. Mr John Young stated that spines nearly identical with that now shown were from time to time found in the Carboniferous strata of the district, from which it would seem that fishes similar to the Sting-ray had existed during that period, although the species had not been determined.

Mr Peter Cameron exhibited a number of insects from different localities in Scotland, amongst which there were, of Tenthredinidae,

two new species of Nematus,-N. flavipennis and N. baccarum, Cam.; the latter probably the smallest species of this genus, and bred from hairy pea-shaped galls sent from Dunkeld by Dr Buchanan White; an Eriocampa, reared from yellow larvae, feeding on the upper surface of rose leaves, which is either a new species or the true Tenthredo aethiops of Fabricius, and appears to be quite unknown on the Continent. Of Ichneumonidae, a

new species of Bassus, bred from the larvae of Nematus cadderensis, Cam.; a species of Ichneutes, bred from the larvae of Nematus viminalis; a specimen of Ichneutes reunitor, reared from the larvae of Cladius padi, and the male of the rare Eumesius crassicornis, from Kingussie. This is the first indication of the life history of Ichneutes, and as there are only four species, it is probable that they are all attached as parasites to the Tenthredinidae. Both the species of Ichneutes, as well as the Bassus, were found in Cadder Wilderness. Mr Cameron also enumerated several other interesting species from stations in the neighbourhood, and showed the cast-off skins of the larvae of Phaenusa pygmaea, retaining completely their forms and markings, a very unusual occurrence with larvae of saw-flies, and perhaps in this instance owing to disease, as the larvae died shortly after moulting.

PAPERS READ.

I-A Monograph of the British species of Phaenusa. By Mr PETER CAMERON.

In continuation of my paper on the British leaf-mining sawflies, Vol. ii., pp. 315-321, I propose here to monograph the more obscure and perplexing species of Phaenusa. The species belonging to this genus are amongst the smallest of the family; they have short thick bodies, generally of a deep black colour, with the feet more or less relieved with testaceous or white. The antennae are 9-jointed (in P. hortulana according to Hartig they are apparently 10-jointed); the maxillary palpi 7-jointed; the eyes touch the base of the mandibles; the wings have 2 marginal and 3 sub-marginal cellules, the first and second of the latter receiving each a recurrent nervure; the lanceolate cellule is petiolate; the posterior wings have no middle cellule; and the feet have no patellae. The larvae resemble those of Phyllotoma, and the description given at pages 315, 316 (.c.) will apply here, the only

difference being a slight one in the markings and in the manner of pupation: as already remarked, they do not pupate in the mine.

I have had great trouble in differentiating the species. Unfortunately the descriptions of Klug and Hartig are not very explicit, as these authors relied mainly on colour for their specific distinctions, and colour alone will not serve to properly elucidate such obscure forms. The excellent work of Thomson, depending as that author does upon structural as well as colour distinctions, is a great step in advance upon that of the German authorities, and I have derived much assistance from the "Hymenoptera Scandinaviae." I have to acknowledge my indebtedness to Mr C. Healy for types of the species described by him in "Newman's Entomologist," or otherwise I would not have been able to satisfactorily determine them-or at any rate some of them from the descriptions alone. Prof. Zaddach of Königsberg has given me types of P. pumila and pygmaea.

A. Frontal sutures distinct; head pilose; marginal nervure received a good piece beyond the second sub-marginal. Antennae short, pilose. Feet more or less black.

Antennae not thickened towards the apex, 3d joint more than double the length of the 4th-melanopoda.

Antennae perceptibly thickened towards the apex, 3d joint not more than double the length of the 4th-pumila.

1. PHAENUSA MELANOPODA, Cameron.

Fenusa* nigricans, Thoms., Hymen. Scand., i., 184, 1.

Glossy-black; antennae shortly pilose, a little curved, as long, if not longer than the thorax; the 1st joint large, globose, with a pedicle at the base; the 2d nearly as long as the 1st, not so globose; 3d more than double the length of the 4th; the rest to the 8th getting a little shorter; 9th conical, thinner and longer than the 8th. Head scarcely narrower than the thorax, smooth, covered with a fuscous black pubescence; sutures distinct, moderately deep; labrum and mandibles piceous; palpi fuscous. Thorax shining, smooth, scarcely pubescent; sutures very distinct; cenchri obscure. Breast smooth, shining. Feet: all the knees, and four anterior tibiae and tarsi obscure yellowish-white, verging to testaceous; tarsi slightly darker; spurs short. Abdomen short; apex truncated obliquely; sheaths of saw glabrous, a little

Correctly, Phaenusa.

projecting; blotch broad. Wings blackish, with deep black costa, stigma, and nervures; costa dilated towards the stigma; 1st marginal cellule much broader and longer than the 2nd; 1st submarginal longer than the second, which is twice wider at the apex than at the base, and angled where it receives the 2nd recurrent nervure. Marginal nervure curved, received a good piece past the 2d sub-marginal; 1st recurrent received in the middle of the 1st sub-marginal cellule; the 2d about a fourth of the length of the cellule from the 1st sub-marginal nervure. Length 12 lines. The male I have not been able to distinguish.

The distinct frontal sutures, deep smoky black wings, pilose antennae with the 3d joint more than double the length of the 4th, will serve to distinguish this species.

Apparently not common.

Taken near Glasgow, and in the

London district (J. G. Marsh). June.

The larva is not known with certainty. Zaddach (Besch. neuer oder wenig bekant. Blattw., f. 12, p. 29) states that the larva of P. pumila mines the leaves of the alder; but as pumila in this country is a birch miner, it seems probable that Zaddach's observations refer to melanopoda rather than to pumila. The alder miner, as figured by Zaddach, does not differ apparently from that of the true pumila.

The P. nigricans of Klug and Hartig seems to be a different species from the above, as will be seen from Klug's description (Blattw., No. 188), which is as follows:-"Brownish-black: antennae as long as the abdomen; labrum and tips of the mandibles testaceous; legs pale testaceous, with dusky trochanters; wing scales yellowish; wings hyaline, with the nervures and stigma brownish." Length 2 lines (Hab., Sweden).

No one has yet re-discovered it, and Thomson thinks that the original type may have been a Blennocampa, with 3 sub-marginal cellules, and he adopts Klug's name for melanopoda; but we have no evidence that the original nigricans was not a true Phaenusa, and in default of this information, it seems to me better to regard it as belonging to that genus, and to rename the species first described by Thomson, which I have accordingly done.

2. PHAENUSA PUMILA.

Tenthredo pumila, Klug, Blattw., 120, 190.

Tenthredo pygmaea,

Zetterstedt, Ins. Lapp., 340, 11. Fenusa pumila, Stephens, Ill.,

vii., 41, 1; Hartig, Blattw. u., Holzw. 259, 3; (?) Zaddach, Beschr. neuer oder wenig, &c., Blattw., 29, f. 12; Thomson, Opus. Ent., 272, 2; Hymen. Scand., 186, 2. Fenusa fuliginosa, Healy, Ent., iii., 225.

Black, shining; knees, tibiae, and tarsi pale testaceous. Antennae short, slightly thickened towards the apex.

Male similar, but with thicker antennae, sometimes a little paler underneath, with the posterior tibiae suffused with black. Length 11 lines.

Smaller than the preceding; the head scarcely so pilose; the wings of a lighter tint; posterior tibiae rarely black; tarsi paler; antennae shorter, thickened towards the apex; the 3d joint not more than double the length of the 4th; the joints rather more globose, not so sharply cut off from one another; and the frontal sutures scarcely so deep.

Common in birch woods in May and June, and again in the

autumn.

The larva, when young, has the body white, with a greenish tinge on the back, caused by the contents of the food canal shining through; the head pale brown. On the ventral surface of the 2d segment is a black dumb-bell shaped mark, and in the centre of the 3d and 4th is a round black dot. The feet are encircled with brown; the abdominal feet white. Before the third moult the head is darker coloured; on the dorsal surface of the 2d segment is an oblong black mark, usually divided in two by a pale band in the centre; on the ventral surface of the 2d segment is an irregular black plate, and on the 3d, 4th, 5th, and 6th there is in the centre a black dot, these dots being, however, frequently absent from the two last-mentioned segments. At the last moult the body loses the markings, and becomes of a yellowishwhite colour, with a pale-brown head.

Length about 5 lines.

It mines the leaves of the birch, preferring, as Mr Healy has remarked, a variety with woolly leaves. There are usually from four to eight or ten in a single leaf, each mine being at first separate, but in course of time becoming united. There are two broods; the first in June and July, the second in August and the other autumn months. The pupa state is passed in the earth without the protection of a cocoon.

The pupa is white.