obelbey ie eG * ROPE bo DIT Da ota Pree” ve My aie ibe Sete Tes UF Apaen cy 14) Pah erate) any eect pee Mf Giron Neeehge 109044 9p ite ere els Wtihsbadt ttc h steed a Keates seed wren tesats es ea rts Bsaidnoass I one is ‘J Pat auc yh ie aa Miisnactat ‘ Eph Avent Has ay pret pied pee inetd tie fal ie Y eat sits pid ee Hy! F948 tees ae sit ie fi ” . HF nthe Wy HEE 24 Fret ye es Ty Sheetal se bit eet he) Tog a 2074 bet ht ety Binh at Besgiane abaa's id pe sh ib tet r si abal beak eta white TUR? aes Ulotioa + Uh babies Htyey! what obit) My ni ite in UU i ' ‘ ie we oes if rhtane a £7 Mel HW Ne 4 Ra sie i “ta = Tt hii hantes Ast ne aie eR ety ni as se st al? Hsteannietn i Hy Rise Hips} sees = i oly ehhpae Talat; cular it i ss ” alah whe H + AnD i syeaa Fiat ul tiie deesqee hie i yar trae ! UA oso Hi aan tty * a 2) Mad ®) 4u ayy Pear ties tie? ny Si i ran i iat eer bie i i , H i Se sesens aasas t zt - aa a At set se Wid hale ree nae i i itd ei: a ant aes a fa nf LD ie saree! a iia k aT Bet Hig fae ‘ 7 Bit i Eh Bie H Hi ‘ Mit a . : aaa a tee . vie ce tat Hy} ft rant ite Seep i gists sh hs ee Tea er bi ty ae aire vd bala iat phat seat fait geht Hi i path ae nin ees i} ia ta : ws, ae ce D rai rae di ina (sins iM a Aaa veves na fut i esti of rT sth a ee Lae a iste ie Hig Peet nt ee nips ital ae i aa beta suai Ra Mt Jah ter Oh ae Me tet hee ite hae pr hive Fendshe ce ae at hap Shem : Ge i ie pipe si oe 8 aoe eet ie i" e v Hues yh antat It at + Nien ef i hein Dah ea winiys ‘agit he ye BET EbMtal panier. VN) PUL IT a Ay (ie on yf iy hts ited > ’ betans Hite eck ae justia nee 4 1 ba ely tet i eee den tt rh adore ai +f Mat ite ae HH i r a entene ayn ince bi . a rH ee cs yt i i at a3 Hs i He audios i i Pi si shee ee H ee ht nia ria mht ,' , | ty sal ieadt ri i At haat i} nh ey Abe ged at) yer a rena) et Bit) site lakh ion ni 2 i 7 A seria lest aie ea ith eee is ii uM my eo ty siete Ms its a ith Hib ne ; ie r LO at i aati musta is lehshet it ef oars ait. hh ie a f Hl th i cai tis ye ve ee aie i a i i ae eat it oo 2 ae Saat ati io i Prat Ria aMaaT sae) hee. ie Dry Ait aviary a in naa isa Peat staat mt i Mitt i Hetty ij int Hig ay Hiveat) 2 t iH 1 ve jaan ie agit nota Ser 4 tists Te Gio aii Aaa rd a ney LS we en Det ef n fe} " + ait ' dae sti ae as pe Hal Tas i tly ARE by: the Wied on ih ele ie iat aeaeat $44 Hits 7 Shbaste ik “is a5 of Ly 2 PA pede | nee ean ra oe agg 2d) fewer ys ae sratige etd al be Casita tae ist} i ia ) ie Mes i risa thy mG ete ci ne Ht) ie ee Hite re ane fat nite wt eddie ae Une baat aed ene eet lee ses es = a sett ti! tM) ie ihetay eta ana sit ae bees ag mes ri) Me ik a ipa pea bat i Pisa ed esa ‘on ehh ait: het rites eee ath “e aia reat lee Patt 3 pigs he bengal “sy ieee 85: an pelleted AD Bh ot ehh Hivilt peeaiehat urn WR } ( Pig be EH) Epa Bd abiotdsb amet na : ish A ys BMPR ali trate 7 i) i Rett i sie ma a ‘ te ae i 38 Heerhhl way heat Hae ie Hed Pea aK yg ie ft 8 j ry oy nye i pint Meas iy ain +i ae ee a aa ee 2 Mii 4113 c Veta y naa aa ana Baa shi telat a Hi u Ssehe 14 suite ales gee aed th to 9 MEY Ph 4 444 5h 9191) sd agd, heels 2 deh ssi) ey ¢ WAAL AES Hb atte , ye ' mice ot t yi OH i fi ¢ ; Ran a SRA et Scar Feehan UY fy yeast ty ir ite ibs oe ily ean ey pit Vid a itt iti shebedet Avi sy sand reanbeh titanate ayy ina i ft mali ) he fa LH iD iH ty) Hie Nie tr! Neb Ath alae taehasd Pa ite - S anit bar iris Wee ital * atid e aes + r aU by nit BMP at ol wit sig a ican OR ie “ ith wy eabent mins Militie Fee a Wag ell eas i ath inn a etodets Pree eae ey 3 ate Hy ne Hult Spey ahi! rhe att tits Mh ri hiNd 4 n foi jes + Mitesh Bie AID 4) ey ae Bie tii aes pot ite cary ait: gs a 9H bby. sett ies iti27) , sp ababeysys pe earefs py ae fi i Sal te mii rete et ae fel 2 pitt eps eeielt ie iiderdes Bitiee) they ce ie nia Nias wy ot ‘ bs ‘J 1s i rerio rae; shih ihe 2 ott ey Hi f ssi se seat ite = = 36 esti a a icaeeaied Herren mrt i “H pene bier eat 4 ' sae Setphat. a 38 katy seatein ttt autas seamen te aie py iahche a, yt aie Pas rat HaSion aut y i the tee 25 fe, a ee es et oe J’engage donc tous & éviter dans leurs écrits toute personnalité, toute allusion dépassant les limites de la discussion la plus sincére et la plus courtoise.—Laboulbéne. JOURNA ) Wary RA “Akin MIRANDA MINAS: Publication Commnvittee - H. Caraccioro, President ; P. Carmopy, F.I.C., F.C.S. : Syt Devenisn, M.A. ; B. N. Rake, M.D. ; R. R. More ; F. W. Uricu. F.E.S., Hon. Secretary. - VOLUME I APRIL 1892 FEBRUARY 1894. MIRROR OFFICE, PORT-OF-SPAIN, Seen TAKIN 1 wes -* ae Een, ae PE aE a Di | vad lee Thre a ER ne) @ <4 GENERAL INDEX. Aleyrodes, attacking guava - : - - 65 Alligator shooting in Trinidad - - - 142 Animals wanted from Trinidad — - - - 41 Announcement - - - : - ] Annual Meetings, Reports of - - - 17, 236 Artibeus hartii, Description of - - - 151 Bee, Common honey - - - - 10, 33 Beetles, some peculiar types of ete: - - 147 Birds, Method of preserving - - - 39 Borer, Small sugar cane, Report on - - 45 Blue basin, Excursion to - - - - 187 Broadway, W. E. Articles by - - 5, 36, 190, 208 Butterflies, The metamorphoses of - - - 28 Butterflies, Protective resemblance and mimicry in 31 Butterflies, Peelnity list of Trinidad - - 173 Caligo ilioneus - 31 Caracciolo, Henry, aeholss by 3, 16, 31, 62, 64, 65, 66, 147, 297 Caroni, Babiche shooting in - - - 93 Carr, Albert B. Article by - - - 269 Carr, T. W. Notes ce - : - 273, 313 Cassavas) - - - - - 223 Castnia licus, a Mees pest - 141 Check List of Coccide—Neo Tr epi Reus - - 31i1 Chittenden, Dr. J. F. Communication from - 39 Bl, 75, 104, 131, 155, 179, Club Meetings, Reports of 203. 297. 259, 291 Coccidee - - 200, 226, 255, 262, 306, 311 Cocoanut, Pest of - 71 Cockerell, T. D. A. Brieles by 153, Ets 200, 226, 255, 262 Collens, J. H. Article by - - - 170 Committees for 1893-94 — - - - - 232 Composite, The natural order of - -— - 190, 208 Constrictor, Notes on a young - - - 8 Cricket, Cannibalistic habits of — - - - 62 Crowfoot, W. M. Article by . - - 173 Devenish, Syl. Letter from - - - = 39 Devenish, Syl. Article by - - = 4 142 Economic Entomology Competition, Rules for - - 236 Entomology, Elementary - - . - 22, 72 iv. : Index: Lpicrates cenchris - - - : s 8 Lunectes murinus - . : 56 Ewen, E. D., Articles by : 117, 223 Excursion to St. Anns - - - : 297 Fungus, Description of a New - - : 312 Grape rust in Jamaica - : - - 153 Gryllotalpa vulgaris - . - - 36 Guppy, P. L., Articles by - - 7, 198, 250 Guppy, R. J. L., Articles by - : - 21, 277 Guppy, R. J. L., Letter from - - - 19 Goldney Prize Competition—Prize. ee i - : 297 Lerpetodryas carinatus - - 20 Hewlett, W. G., Article by - - - 28 Ichneumon, The - ; - - 62 India, Natural History Notes in - - - 109, 135 Tnseets, Classification of - - - 5 Insects, External Anatomy of - - - 14 Insects, Hints on Preserving for the Cabinet - 27 Kirby, W. E., Article by - - - 70 Ladies’ Evening - - 291 Larve, Notes on the Collecting and Rearing of - 3 Larva, Bullet Excavated by a : : 64 Lepidoptera, Gynandromorphism in - - 67 Lepidoptera, Notes on - - - 198 Lepidoptera, Notes on Sille-prodeidizig : - 250 Lota, Dr. A., Article by - - - 59 Lucilia hominivorax - . - 59 Mammals, Preliminary List of Grinided 158 Mammals, wanted - - - - . 70 Manatee, ‘The Trinidad - - : - - 170 Meaden, C. W., Articles by : - 91; 127, 222 Members, Lists. of 79, 232 Microzoa of the Tertiary aad other Roaks of Trinidad and the West Indies 277 Mole, R. R., Articles by 8, he, 56, 93, 184, 187, 295 Mole Cricket. . - 36 Mosquitoes . - - 216 Mosquitoes and diseases i in human body - 168 Mosquito-worm, the so-called - - - 91 Mygale, Bite of . - - . é 127 Ccodoma cephalotes . - - 68, 123 ‘Orange, Disease of - - - - 66 ‘Obituary Notice - . - : - 259 Pleurotomaria adansoniana - - - - 21 “Potter, T. I. Articles by - - - 10, 33, 141 Presidential Addresses - Index, Quank hunt, A - - P r Quank hunt, Notes! ona - : ‘ Racoon, Notes on a - - - - Rattlesnake Notes on - - - Rake, Beaven N. Dr., Articles by - . 109, 135 _. Reptiles, Notes on some Trinidad - - - 19 San Fernando, Visit to - - - - 157 Scale insects, on Crotons - - - - 64 Scale insects, destroyed by fungus - : =n tote Secretary’s Reports : . - -- 78, 227 Secua nut - . - - - . 117 Spilotes variabilis - - : - en3i$ 3,20 Tanner, J. E. Articles by - - - - 68, 123 Ticks on an Iguana - - - - 222 Tick, Determination of a Trinidad - - - 268 Thomas, Oidfield Articles by - - 40, 151, 158 Treasurer’s statement for 1892-93 - - - . 234 _ Trinidad, Biological and Faunistic notes‘on - 118, 175 Urania leilus - - - -- - - 16 Uraniscodon plica - - - - - 20 Urich, F. W. Articles by - 14, 19; 216, 268, 293 Vampyrops caracciole, Description of - - - 40 Warming, Eug. Letter from - - - - 18 Xiphosoma hortulanum - - - . - 19 ANIMALS, PLANTS, &c. REFERRED TO IN REPORTS OF CLUB MEETINGS. Actinote pellenea - : - - - 109 Amphisbena - - - - =, na: hae Antidote for snake SS - - . 134 Anobium - - : - 180 Anthercea pernyi - - - - 183, 207 Ant, parasol - - - - - 132 antiquorum (Pristis) -- - . - 261 argesilaus (Papilio) - Sy gy Fis - 16, 207 Asteridium moniliferum (fungus) - - : 260 Attacus bolivar - - - - : te Attacus cynthia - - - . - 181 atrox (Bothrops) - : - - s 132 bahamensis Slats) - barbara (Galictis) - ~ Belvoisia bifasciata Boa constrictor bolivar (Attacus) Bombyces from Trinidad Borer, Sugar cane - Bothrops atrox Calandra paulmarum Canoletus conicus Carpophilus dunidatus Castnia licus cenchris (Epicrates) Centipede, Bite of - Centipedes constrictor (Boa) Coral snake cordifolia aesha) Crocodiles Crepidodua cresphontes (Péepilio) cynthia (Attacus) Dermatobia noxialis Diebé, Plants collected at Dorylus Dragon fly (new genus of) dunidatus (Carpophilus) edwardoir (Peripatus) Epicrates cenchris - Eunectes murinus - ferr rugineum (Trilobiuna) Fervillia cordifolia - fumata Typhea - Galictis barbara - = Gordius Hawks - Heliconie hemipterus (Sphevoplionna) hominivorax (Lucilia) Humming bird impressicolis (Rhizophagus) Indian curiosities Lachesis muta Land tortoises Lasioderma testacea leilus (Urania) 8 (Noctilio) - -) - licus (Castnia) - - - . linner ( re, ) - - Locusts - - - - - 109, 207 Lucilia ae - - . - 75 -macrurum (Ophion) - - - - 77 ’ marthesia (Siderone) - - - - 292 Mildew on roses” - - - - - 182 Momotis bahamensis - - - - 261 . Morpho - - - - - . 109 murinus (Hunectes ) . - - - 132 muta (Lachesis) — - - - - . 132 Mutilla— - - - - - - 76 Mygale - - - - - - 53, 107 Myrmeleontide - - - - - 134 N octilio leporinus - - - - - 204 Notarcha silicalis - - - - - (i noxialis (Dermatobia ) - - = = Ophion macrurum - : - - - 17 Otter - - . - - . 76 oryza (Sitophilus) - . - - : 77 Papilio cresphontes - - - - = its le Papilio argesilaus - - - . - 76, 207 palmarum (Calandra) - - - - 75 Parasol ant - - : - - 132 Peripatus - - - - - - 106 Peripatus edwards - - - - 54 pellenea ( Actinote) - o - - - 109 perforans (Xyleborus ) - - - - 77 prasina (Scolopendra) - - - - 292 pernyt (Antherea)- . - - - 183, 207 Pristis antiquorum - - - - - 261 Rhizophagus impressicolis - - - - ti Scorpion, Sting of - - ; - 3. 4%) 181 Scolopendra prasina - - - - 292 Seps tridactyla - - - - - 134 Siderone marthesia . “ - - 292 silicalis (Notarchia) - - a - 77 Sitophilus oryza + . . : 3 77 Sphenophorus hemipterus - : : . 75 Spiders trap door - . - = ‘ 138 Sphyrinas zygena - J E : i 181 spectrum (Vampyrus) - - - . 249 Stone axes - . : - - : 262 Tannia disease - - - - - - 261 testucea (Lasioderma) = = : - at una ferrugineum rinidad Bombyces . ? —— tridaetyla (Seps) — - . =" -. 4 Tucuche, ascent of - - =; ‘ a Typhea fumata - - By é nt ie " Typhlops reticulatus - 2 Z a a Two headed Snakes - : ss ‘ . Urania leilus - : 3 = . ide i Vampyrus spectrum - = 4 E Ses Xyleborus perforans = - - : aot ae zygena (Sphyrinas) — - - 5 ee 7 3 at Roan as edie ht eee we i ) . ' { ] } ; i / ) ' M 1 4 7] ’ 1 I ; } Ate { ‘D ’ 4 4 ' : } \ hl i et i i } i vale i / ‘ t A i i ~ id t a , 1 ) | 4 Y Hf ‘yl, u } i ‘ j % U de * ra { i | i I! Mi } f ‘ "i i i i a! ry i \ , } i, i t ae i | ) yaa fe) : i i p HA p ; | ¥ \ A i i » ‘ j eur y as a fa ee AA t 1 f ‘ i i i u ! ‘ i \ j i ; i ’ ‘ i j x : \ ? ve) ay | ve Y Li ¢ T < * ike) t Ny F 4 CY say heh Phi id is. On if fay é pa fi i ¥ : y ‘ Lh oer ay! Ue a Cee eat pV en een Pad tA DAS } } : v y 1 i it ‘ i us . ay ‘ in ‘ } The . i py yr { ‘] ? Le r ’ i , si il , ' i 1 i i ¥ iy ia =" ‘ - ? ' i ' ‘I i P 5 ‘ Y 1 1 f \ r ’ tT t i , \ ' i i i 4 7 4 Vy , bY ice A fs . ANG r , 4 . 1 ‘ . i ’ r ‘ t4 + . ¥h 7 eel i va) rs da) hice einai ea Soar , my ¥ AN ty ; as be a ; TA nf ; i fi { mY, AD aA Viiaos i : ee) eee © eer r % a7; oP 4 ; x , A Oe ss 7 hie Aftihas ye hs Bs) ae, Pe ; ait) r ay \ ; r \- a Oy ay 4 5, f } ? : ” ; i Oe > PSs te ’ 1 ‘ » ' 7 ' Vez \ . i i “ 1 ' ' 1 _— Y J . ’ . : ’ ’ \ i i ’ * i } : = y . ‘ Fe \ i ( i A i \ te A, ‘ " { r 7 Hy | wy \ 4 ; Pay Mi iN rey vee ee pathy a aw) — eae a a Ae rae a) on Steily ol i ‘ he onl Metre Wad , ‘ qs ty ay ¥ ye owiiid : J i Me i Pehle ae rea a ie seh) ahi alt Cie a 4 ’ ray 4 Was 2 i 4] Pdi A Ww 4) UA ne me Pee Ws / at ie q is i / ; mi \ ‘ ‘ a ‘ ‘ { a5 j ™ \ 4 1 i ip > j ." F p { we ’ A BR i UL ih 4 } } . i oa - : | } ' ; 9 A ah 5 Ii Vol. 1. AUGUST, 1892. No. 3. Fengage donc tous a éviter dans leurs écrits toute personnalité, toute allusion dépassant les limites de la discussion la plus @ sincere et la plus courtotse—-LABOULBENE RE A EO I RO NATURA MAXIME MIRANDA IN MINIMIS. Publication CGoninrittee : H. CARACCIOLO, Esog., President. i Pror. P’ CARMODY, F.1.C.; SYL: DEVENISH, Esq.) MiAS; ; Mr. R. R. MOLE CONTENTS :— Report of Club Meetings Eunectes Murinus Lucilia Hominivorax The Ichneumon Seale Insects Guava attacked by Aleyrodes Orange Diseases Gynandromorphism (Ecodoma Cephalotes Description of a New Butterfly Elementary Entomology “ Mirror” Office, Port-ot-Spain ie eerie ee fa - >) “a | i] s Rie. Pi ch UL Aad Ay fay, pie iva, 4@ { aA tia le . tk : A an + * wrens owe ® el ind , 4 . cy a & f =) ‘ ‘ off a 7 % 8 .*2 ‘ 14 ( y io hee } : se & 4 j ’ Th ¥ ‘ ne “ae ‘ i ie a j ."s Pi ; Sled ay a Ne ¥' ony f wip ; me ta) : i 3 } 4 % is i a. 5 i) a i ae 7) pom } i i b ? ’ ; y 5 5 ’ 4 ait ¢ 7 \ 4 hi ae j t " Ale 9 s. ' t ‘ 4 4 T a eh Lil ae Te \ 1 4 ‘fats % a | uP) Se j we) AAS ry LY ie =f Ae an i Cdgentt soe} @p} Oe GM vn rire UP saat fy i y | wed ly Wahi aM Ma ree iti} ; ‘ ‘ahah pel as ‘ ij ys [Wing ; Wail \ ‘ Ma \ ai ‘ Thy ip Liky F e Bah a K, * any Ca ey a _ iy vas wm Uh ESTABLISHED AD. 1843.0 COLONIAL DISPENSAKia TELEPHONE No. 114. Wi Cy OSes | Wholesale and Retail Druggist, | 2, FREDERICK STREET, PORT-OF-SPAIN, TRINIDAD, Keeps always in stock the Purest Drugs and Chemicals, Perfumery, Surgical Instraments and Appliances, Patent Medicines, Toilet Arti- cles, Confectionery, Biscuits, Liqueurs, Wines, Preserved Meats, &e. | PRICES TO DEFY COMPETITION. PEDRO Pek De | 36, Kine Street, Port-of-Spain, | TRINIDAD. WHOLESALE AND RETAIL DRY GOODS MERCHANT. Ready Made Clothing, Boots and Shoes, Hats, Umbrellas, Guns and Ammunitions, Furniture, &e., &ec., &e. bistablished 4.D 1886. Telephone No. 128. P.A._ RAMSEY, DRUGS Importer of Fresh Drugs, Chemicals and Pharmaceutical Preparations, English, French & American Patent Medicines, Toilet Articles. Perfumery, Soaps. Brushes, etc., ete, BEST QUAIATY ONLY KEPT IN SiGe Physicians’ Prescriptions carefully Dispensed with the Choicest Drugs at any hour, day or night, at moderate prices. Family Medi- cine Chests filled up with appropriate Medicines. Fresh Supplies every Mail. THE ‘‘'CREOLE°PHARMACY,’’ South-Eastern Corner of Upper Prince St. & Brunswick Square, PORT-OF-SPAIN, TRINIDAD. JOURNAL OF THE Field Naturalists’ Club. VOE. 1: AUGUST, 1892. No. 3. REPORT OF CLUB MEETINGS, SEVERAL members of the Club having expressed the opinion that the Journa should contain reports of the Club meetings from its commencement and that the proceedings should always be published in the pages of their official organ, the Publication Committee were very glad when Mr. F. W. Urich offered to furnish the JournaL with a synopsis of the work of the Club since its formation... Mr. Urich has performed his task admirably and deserves the thanks of the members for the valuable service he has rendered, 10TH Jury, 1891. This meeting was held at Mr. Caracciolo’s residence for the consideration of the formation of a Society for the study of Natural History. Present: Messrs. H. Caracciolo, R. R. Mole, W. KE. Broadway, F. W. Urich, T. J. Potter, G. W. Hewlett, P. L. Guppy, A. Taitt. Mr. Mole was proposed and took the chair. lt was decided that a Society for the study of Natural History should be formed, and that it should be called ‘‘ The Trinidad Field Naturalists’ Club.”” The following 8 Rules were adopted provisionally: 1, One dollar entrance fee; 2, Two shillings monthly subscription; 38, Officers to be elected annually; 4, Papers to be read and criticised; 5, Interesting specimens to be submitted at meetings; 6, Meetings to take place first Saturday in each month; 7, Have field excursions ; 8, Candidates for election to be proposed, seconded and carried 52 by majority of members present. The following officers were unanimously elected: Mr. II. Caracciolo, President; Mr. A. Taitt, Secretary and Treasurer. Stu Aucust, 1891. Present: Messrs. H. Caracciolo (President), Broadway, Mole, Urich, Potter, Guppy, Scott, Hewlett, Taitt (Secretary) and Professor Vrass as a guest. An excursion to Morrison’s Valley, Maraval, on the 22nd instant was announced. The following gentlemen were admitted to the Club: Messrs. H. Ganteaume (corresponding member), C. Walker, W. V. Wiison (ordinary members), Professor E. Vrass (honorary member). A Committee consisting of Messrs. Mole, Urich and Taitt was appointed on Mr. Mole’s suggestion for the purpose of getting a place for the meetings. Mr. Urich read a letter from the Sec- retary of the Zoological Society, London, acknowledging receipt of some snakes and lizards Mr. Mole and himself had sent to the Gardens. It was agreed to subscribe to the EnTomoLoGrcaL News and the Zoonocist. It was decided that notices with respect to the formation of the Club be in8erted in the local papers. The following papers were read: ‘‘On the Meta- morphoses of Insects’ by the President. ‘‘ On the Preservation of Entomological Specimens” by Mr. P. L. Guppy. Mr. Mole exhibited a peculiarly marked lizard from Fort George, which seemed to be an undescribed species at least so far as Trinidad was concerned. 7TH SEPTEMBER, ,1891. Present: Messrs. Caracciolo (President), Urich, Mole, Broadway, Guppy, Potter, Walker, and Taitt (Secretary). It was agreed that in future meetings shculd be held at All Saints School-house. Rev. R. H. Moor was admitted as a member. An excursion to Tunapuna on the 21st instant was, announced. The following papers were read: ‘On the Classification of Insects ’’ by Mr. Broadway. ‘‘ Notes on a Young Constrictor ” (Ericrates ceNcuris) by Mr. Mole, who exhibited the snake in question and fed it before the meeting. 2np OcrtozEr, 1891. Present: Messrs. Caracciolo (President), Broadway, Urich, Rev. Moor, Potter, Guppy, and Taitt (Secretary). Mr. Frank St. Claire Gray and Mr. J. R. Murray were admitted as members. Mr. Potter read a paper on the ‘‘ Habits of the Honey Bee.” Rev. Moor described some types of butterflies and moths from the East Indies closely allied to ours. Mr. Guppy exhibited a painting made by him of the PapmLio CRESPHONTES.— Corres- pondence relating to specimens forwarded for determination to the ee ts 53 British Museum and the best means suitable for future despatch was read and discussed, when it was finally agreed that all speci- mens should be sent through the Secretary. Mr. Broadway announced his capture of a dragon fly which was found to be a new genus by the British Museum authorities. 15TH November, 1891. Present: Messrs. Broadway, Mole, Urich, Guppy, Scott, Wilson, Hewlett, and Taitt (Secretary). In the absence of the President Mr. Broadway took the chair. A Committee con- sisting of Messrs. Caracciolo, Broadway and Mole was appointed for the purpose of framing rules for the guidance of the Club. Mr. W. G. Smith, of Grenada, was admitted to the Club as an honorary member. Mr. Urich read a paper on the “ External Anatomy of Insects.” An excursion to the Caroni river was announced. Messrs. Mole and Urich placed on the table several copies of an interesting extract from the “ Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London” on some snakes and lizards pre- sented by them to the Society, with notes on their habits. Mr. Guppy exhibited a fine collection of butterflies, in which figured some beautiful HeEticonrer, caught at Matura, and Mr. Mole a large living specimen of the so-called Tarantula, but more properly Mycatr, which he stated was very partial to small lizards and bockroaches. and he described its methods when shedding its skin. 47n Decemper, 1891. Present: Messrs. Caracciolo (President), Mole, Guppy, Urich, Broadway, Hewlett, Wilson, Potter, Murray, and Taitt (Secretary). Professor Warming, of Copenhagen, and Mr. H. Bock, as guests. The following gentlemen were admitted to the Club: Messrs. J. Petersen and ip Hobson as ordinary members, Professor Warming and Messrs. EH. Bock, Leomson and Lassen as honorary members. Mr. Caracciolo read a paper on the Uranta Lritus and the Prionus Crervicornus. Mr. Urich exhibited a young EpicrarEes Cencuris, which took mice when presented to it in the fingers. A young Venezuelan Boa Constrictor, shewn by Mr. Mole, killed and devoured a full grown male rat. The process of sw allowi ing greatly interested the members, 25rD DecemBer, 1891. Present : Messrs. Caracciolo (President), Broadway, Mole, Urich, Petersen, and Taitt (Secretary). The following gen- tlemen were admitted to the Club as members: Messrs. J. Nairn and C. G. Archibald. The draft Rules for the guidance 54 of the Club were*read. It was decided that the Rules should be submitted to the members, and, if assented to, published as early as possible. 8tn January, 1892. Present: Messrs. Caracciolo (President), Mole, Urich, Broadway, Potter, Walker, Scott, Petersen, Hewlett, Nairn, and Taitt (Secretary). The following gentlemen were admitted to the Club as members: Mr. Syl. Devenish, M.A., Professor Carmody and Mr. F. E. Eagle. The draft Rules were read a second time, amended and passed. It was decided to print 100 copies. The Secretary read a letter from the Hon. C. B. Ham- ilton with reference to a humming bird which had built a nest on a palm (Latanta Barponica) in his drawing room. Letters were also read from Professor Warming and Mr. W. G. Smith of Grenada thanking the Club for their election as honorary members. Mr. Mole announced that he had found a Peripatus Epwarsit in the St. Ann’s Valley and Mr. Urich stated that he also had found a specimen of the same species at Arouca. Mr. Hewlett read a paper on the Metamorphoses of Insects (Chiefly Butterflies). Anexcursion to the St. Ann’s Valley on the 23rd instant was announced. oTH Fepruary, 1892. Present : Mr. Caracciolo, Professor Carmody, Messrs. Deven™ ish, Broadway, Potter, Urich, Petersen, Eagle, Archibald and Mole. In the absence of Mr. Taitt Mr. Mole acted as Secretary. The following standing Committees were appointed: Publica- tion : The President, Professor Carmody, Messrs. Devenish and Mole ; Finance: The President Messrs Taitt and Broadway. The following gentlemen were admitted to the Club: Mr, J. H. Collens, as member, the Hon. C. B. Hamilton as honorary member. A letter from Mr. J. H. Hart, covering a_communi- cation from a London Analytical Chemist, was read. Mr. Devenish made some verbal communications on several curious occurrences connected with Natural History, which he had noticed in his numerous travels about the Island. A discussion on a banana disease ensued, and it was said to be caused by the larva of an insect, in which Messrs. Potter, Urich, Caracciolo and Broadway took part. Mr. Potter produced a specimen of the Trap-door spider with its nest, also a chrysalis found on a cocoa tree. Mr. Broadway exhibited some specimens of Frangipani and Tobacco moths and made some remarks on them. Mr. Petersen showed a collection of snakes. Mr. Potter read the continuation of his paper on the “ Habits of the Honey Bee” and the President one on “Some Instances of Protective Mimicry in the Calligo Illioneus and other Lepidoptera”? and 55 illustrated it by prints of the wings of different species. Mr. Carmody showed some specimens of two Sugar Cane Borers and explained several points of interest in connection with them. Mr. Devenish also made some remarks on them. 47H Marcu, 1892. Present : Messrs. Caracciolo (President), Broadway, Urich, Potter, Murray, Scott, Hewlett, Wilson, Walker, Mole, Petersen, Hobson, Nairne, Eagle and Taitt (Secretary). Mr. E. Gerold was admitted as a resident member. It was decided to send re- ports of the meetings to the two leading papers of the Island. The President read a etter from Mr. Oldfield Thomas of the British Museum congratulating the Club on the start it had made and offerfng to compile a list of the Trinidad Mammals as represented in the British Museum for the Club, Mr ‘Thomas’ offer was thankfully accepted. Mr. Oldfield Thomas was elec- ted an honorary member. Mr. Broadway exhibited a case of OrtuoptTera, also afew cocoons of the Ver Palmiste or gru-gru beetle. The President exhibited four Trinidad bats determined by Mr. Oldfield Thomas. Mr. Broadway read a paper on the Mole Cricket (GryLioratpa Vuncaris) and illustrated it by a case of these insects in all stages of development. Mr. Mole read some extracts on the Huillia (Hunecres Murinus), a living specimen of which wasexhibited. A long discussion took place on the Small Sugar Cane Borer in which the President, Messrs, Hobson, Murray and Urich took part. The President finally appointed a Committee consisting of Messrs. Hobson, Murray, Urich, Petersen, and Potter to investigate the question. Ist Aprit, 1892, Present: Messrs. Caracciolo, Devenish, Carmody, Urich, Scott, Potter, Broadway, Mole, Eagle, Collens, and Taitt (Sec- retary). A letter was read from Mr. J. UH. Hart enclosing a letter from Mr, T. Wardle, of Leek, asking for specimens of Artacus Borivar. Mr. Urich read a paper on the “ Internal Anatomy of Insects.” ‘The price of the Journal was fixed at 6d. acopy. Mr. Broadway exhibited a case of parasol ants including winged forms, and a case of dragon flies. Mr. Eagle exhibited a case of rare Trinidad moths, including one that had developed from a caterpillar found on cabbage brought from the United States in arecentice vessel, Mr. Taitt said that he had that day seen a piece of mahogany from a tree which had been destroyed by a borer which was identical with the sugar cane borer. Mr. Devenish made some remarks relative to a pest which was destroying banana and plantain trees, not only in Trinidad, but in Barbados and in Venezuela. The President exhibited several specimens of a bamboo borer. 56 6TH May, 1892. Present : Messrs. Caracciolo (President), Broadway, Urich Eagle, Scott, Petersen and Mole. In the absence of Mr. Taitt, Mr. Mole acted as Secretary. Letters were read from Mr. T. A. D. Cockerell, Jamaica, Professor A. Morgan, Mr- H. Skinner, M.D., Lieut.-Colonel D. Wilson, C.M.G., and the Hon. H. Fowler, all congratulating the Club on the issue of its first journal. ‘The following elections were made. His Excellency Sir F. N. Broome, Messrs A. Lamy, C. J. Thavenot as members. A.letter was read from tle Secretary to the Commissioners for the Columbian Exposition asking the Club to collect typical specimens of Insects for sending to the Chicago Exhibition. It was decided on the motion of Mr. Scott that the President should endeavour to obtain the use of a room in the Victoria Institute for the Club. Mr. Broadway exhibited a case of beetles and some water snails. Mr. Mole asked whether the time had not arrived to make arrangements for the Conversazione which it was first intended should take place in August. The President postponed this matter to the next meeting. (To be continued.) CLUB PAPERS. EUNECTES MURINUS. Tue snake before you was purchased from a Spaniard by Mr. Urich and myself about a fortnight ago. THeis, or more probably she is, a young one, and came from Venezuela, The species, however, is found in Trinidad and is known here as the Hera. In Brazil it is called the ANAconpA, a name which is applied by the Cinghalese, from whom the Portuguese got it, to any large snake, whether of the Old or New World. It is known in some parts of South America as Ex Troca VenaDo—* the deer swallower.” The Anaconda is only found in South Ameri- ca and Trinidad and there are some highly exaggerated tales about its ferocious habits and enormous size. A French writer says the Anaconda is of brownish tint with a double series of colours extending from the head to the tail; the sides are covered with annular spots with white disks, surrounded by blackish rings: Seba has represented this creature lying in wait for mice. But this is probably the prey of the young Anaconda. 57 Sir Robert Ker Porter sent the following description with the specimen he presented to the United Service Museum: - ‘** This species is not venomous, nor is it known to injure man, at least not in this part of the New World. However the natives of the plains stand in great fear of it, never bathing in waters where it is known to exist. Its common haunt, or rather domicile, is invariably near lakes, swamps, and rivers, likewise close to wet ravines, produced by inundations of the periodical rains. Ani- mals which repair there to drink and even fishes are its prey. The creature lies watchfully under cover of the water and while the unsuspecting animal is satisfying its thirst suddenly makes a dash at its nose and with a grip of its back reclining range of teeth never fails to secure the terrified beast. Inan instant the, sluggish waters are in turbulence and foam, The whole form of the serpentis in motion, its huge and rapid coilings encircle the strug- gling victim and but a short time elapses ere every bene in the body of the expiring prey is broken.” A description follows of the manner in which the dead body is lubricated by the serpent’s saliva but this is an error, as it is only covered with saliva in the passage down the snake’s throat. One of the main differences between the Boa and the Anaconda is that the former has its head covered with scales while the Anaconda’s is furnished with irregular plates. They last long, indeed many months, without food. In that delightful book, Ar Lasr, Canon Kingsley thus wrote of the Anaconda—‘‘We were anxious too to see, if not to eet a Boa Constrictor of one kind or other. For there are two kinds in the Island which may be seen alive at the Zoological Gardens in the samecage. ‘The true Boa which is here called the Mahajuel is striped as wellas spotted with two patterns, one over the other. The Huillia, Anaconda, or Water Boa bears only a few large round spots. Both are fond of water, the Huillia living almost entirely in it, both grow to a very Tibge size and both are dangerous, at le Be to ehalieen and some ani- mals. That there were Huillias about the place, possibly within fifty yards of the house there was no doubt. One of our party had seen with his own eyes one, 27 feet long, killed with a whole kid inside it only a few miles off. The brown Policeman crossing an arm of the Guanapo, only a month or two before, had-been frightened by meeting one in the ford, which his excited imagination magnified so much that its head was on the one bank while its tail was on the other,—a measure- ment which must I think be divided by three. But in the ver spotin which we stood some four years since, happened what might have been a painful tragedy. Four young ladies whose names were mentioned to me, preferred, not wisely, a bath in the still lagoon to one in the surf outside, and as they disported them- 58 selves one of them felt herself seized from behind. Fancying that one of her sisters was playing tricks, she called out to her to let her alone, and looking up saw, to her astonishment, her three sisters sitting on the bank and herself alone. She looked back and shrieked for help, but only just in time, for the Huillia had her. The other three girls to their honour, dashed into her assistance. The brute had luckily caught hold, not of her poor little body, but of her bathing dress and held on stupidly. The girls pulled—the bathing dress, which was luckily of thin cot- ton, was torn off, the Huillia slid back again with it in his mouth into the dark labyrinth of the mangrove roots and the girl was saved. ‘TMvo minutes delay and his coils would have been round her and all would have been over. ‘The sudden daring of these lazy, stupid animals is very great. ‘Their brain seems to act like that of the alligator or the pike, paroxysmally, and by rare fits and starts, after lying for hours motionless and as if asleep. But when excited they will attempt great deeds. Dr. de Verteuil tells a story, and if he tells it it must be believed, of some hunters who wounded a deer. The deer ran for a stream down a bank but the hunters had no sooner heard it splash into the water than they heard it scream. They leaped down to the place and found it in the coils of a Huillia which they killed with the deer, and yet this snake which had dared to seize a full grown deer could have no hope of eating her for it was only seven feet long.” With regard to the specimen before the meeting, it lives all day long, and all night too, it might be said, in a tub of water with only its nose and eyes above the surface. You will notice the prominent position of the small eyes and also that the nostrils are placed on the tip of the nose, unlike the position which those organs occupy in most snakes. We _ believe this snake is a female as it has passed some whitey, stringy sub- stance, which is probably the remains of undeveloped oviaries which were injured in the reptile’s capture. It has been tried with fowls and pigeons, but hitherto has refused to eat anything. Its length is about 7 feet 4 inches. 4th March, 1892, R. R. MOLE. FIFTEEN HJNDRED DOLLARS FOR A BUTTERFLY. A young man camping in the Sierras discovered and captured a butter- fly of an unknown species. He sentit to the Smithsonian Institution at Washington, and received therefor a check for fifteen hundred dollars, with the request to make careful search for others of the same kini. It was an individual of a fossil species, supposed to be extinct, and great was the ex- eitement among the scientists at the discovery that one of the race had be2a recently alive. Although diligent search has been made by men paid for the service, no other specimen has been found. 59 UN CAS DE LARVES de Lucilia Hominivorax dans les fosses nasales d’une femme. Les mefaits de la Luctnta Homintvorax sont bien conus dans la science. Cependant c’est toujours un spectacle curieux et quelque peu surprenant que de voir sortir des vers, des larves, du nez d’une femme ou de celui d’un homme. Un fait de ce genre s’est presenté & mon observation vers la fin du mois de mai dernier. Une dame encore jeune, arrivée . récemment d’ Europe, me fut presentée, qui offrait un ecoulement abondant, sanieux et fetide des deux narines. La face etait rouge, gonflée, les yeux larmoyants injectés, toute la téte douloureuse. Il y avait de la fiévre et les nuits etaient sans sommeil. Quand je pus examiner l’intérieur du nez avec un speculum, je vis, a travers les mucosités purulentes qui encombraient les fosses nasales, surtout la gauche, des corps en saillie, blanchatres, qui remuaient. Je retirai un de ces corps avec une pince. cetait un ver. iss) oo 1 1 Adult fly. 2 Manlible magnifiel. 3 Larva. Un ver grisdtre, long & peine de 4 ou 5 millimétres, dont le corps etait parsemé de saillies annulaires rugueuses. Il me fut facile de reconnaitre la larve d’une mouche, appelée par Coquerel, qui A fait de cet insecte et de ses mefaits une etude particuliére, Lucitta Homrmnivorax. On n’a qu’a ouvrir un liyre d’histoire naturelle ou de pathologie médicale pour y trouver des observations nombreuses ot cette mouche malfaisante a dépusé ses eufs dans la fosse nasale d’un étre humain, qui bien souvent & succombé aux accidents inflammatoires ou imfectieux produits par les larves de cet insecte. Le cas que j’ai observé & eu une terminaison heureuse. 60 Il est probable que la personne atteinte, venant d’Europe avec un certain degré de Coryza, a été attaquée par la mechante béte & la Martinique, ot elle avait sejourné plus de 386 heures dans d’assez mauvaises conditions, et qu’elle est arrivée a la Trinidad, Vintérieur du nez déji énvahi par les larves de la mouche. Quoiqu-il en soit, aussit6t que le genre d’affection, a eté reconnu, un traitement approprié fut applique pour detruire les larves et réparer les desordres produits. Tout ce que je pus enlever doucement fut tiré dehors avec des pinces, puis je fis de grands lavages avee de l’eau phéniquée suivis d’insufflations d’une poudre composée d’lodoforme et d’Oxide de Zinc. ‘Tous les jours on retirait ou il sortait spontanément un certain nombre de vers, lesquels grossissaient & vue d’eil. Parmi les derniers obtenus figurent ceux que Mons. le President Hi. Caracciolo a presenté a la Société. Ce sont des larves adultes ou l’on retrouve tous les caracteres assignés aux produits de la Luc. Homin. la couleur noire qu’elles presentent doit seion moi etre attribuée & une imbibition d’Iodoforme ou d’Iode, celui-ci resultant de la decomposition de celui-la. Apres 4 jours d’expulsions ou d’extractions succes- Sives, on ne vit plus de larves et je tachai de remédier aux desordres quelles avaient determinées et qui ne sont pas encore complétement réparés aujourd’hui, aprés plus d’un mois d’un traitement actif et regulier. J’espére néamoins que par le moyen de topiques variés qu’on peutappliquer pour ainsi dire a ciel ouvert par le moyen d’un speculum nasi et d’un bon éclairage, la guérison définitive ne se fera pas attendre lonetemps. A. Tas aia Clarence Street, le 7 juillet, 1892. [ TRANSLATION. | THE LARVZ OF THE LUCILIA HOMINIVORAX IN THE NOSTRILS OF A WOMAN. Though the ravages done by the Lucit1a Homminiyorax are already well known to Science, it is at times interesting and even curious to see worms extracted from a man or woman’s nose. I attended_one of these cases about the end of May. A lady, comparatively young and recently from Europe was presented to me; she had an abundant flow of sanious and 61 foctid matter from the two nostrils. Her face was flushed, eyes bloodshot and weeping, she suffered from headache, had fever, and spent sleepless nights. When I was able to examine the interior of her nose with a speculum I saw traversing the purulent mucus which blocked the passage, especially in the left nostril, projecting bodies which moved about. I extracted one of these bodies with a pair of tweezers ; it was a worm. A greyish worm 4 or 5 millimetres in length. The body was spangled with rugose annular rings. I readily recognized the larva of a fly named by Coquerel, who made a special study of this insect, Lucia Homrnrvorax. One need but open any book on Natural History or Medical Pathology and he will find many instances where this fly is known to have deposited its eggs in the nostrWs of human beings who very often have succumbed from inflammatory accidents produced by their larve. _ The case I had on hand was attended with success. It is probable that the person affected, coming from Europe and suffering from Coryza was attacked by this insect in Mar- tinique, where she had spent some thirty-six hours in rather unpleasant conditions : arriving here the interior of her nose was already invaded by the wicked fly. Be that as it may, as soon as I recognized the affection I applied myself towards killing the larve and repairing the evil done. All I could extract without difficulty were extracted by means of the tweezers. Ithen washed copiously with a carbolic lotion followed by insufflations of a powder composed of Iodo- forme and Oxide of Zine. Every day I extracted a number of worms and many cameaway of themselves. They grew rapidly. Among the last removed were those that the President, Mr, H. Caracciolo presented to the Club, these were full grown. I am of opinion that the dark tinge they presented was due to the Iodoforme and Iodine which they imbibed, the latter being produced by the decomposition of the former. After four days constant work, no more larve were to be seen, and then I tried to remedy the disorders attendant on their presence, which, up to this day, are not yet completely repaired after one month’s active and reeular treatment. T hope, however, by means of topical remedies which can be applied with the naked eye by means of a speculum nasi and a good light, that she will very shortly recover. Yea eee al BS July 7th, 1892. 62 CANNIBALISTIC HABITS OF THE CRICKET. In the “ Canadian Entomologist,” vol. xxiii, p. 137, Mr. Wm. Brodie cites several cases of cannibalism that came under his notice. My attention was first called to the cannibalistic habits of the cricket some four years ago while bass fishing in the upper Delaware River. Wishing to make an early start, I had taken the precaution to secure my bait the evening previous ; part of the bait consisted of about fifty large crickets, which I placed in a good-sized tin-box ; the next morning I was surprised to find only thirty-five live crickets in the box, with the legs. heads and other parts of the missing fifteen. The day selected for fishing turned out to be a rainy one, so our trip was postponed ; the box of crickets was laid aside, andthe next morning on examining the contents of the box I was not surprised to find about ten more missing. I now determined to use the remaining crickets for an ex- periment ; I kept the box in my room, and on several occasions on approaching the box very carefully and peeping in, I would be rewarded for my trouble by sights of cannibalism. In a week or ten days 1 removed the contents of the box, whick consisted of some eight or ten large, fat crickets, and an innumerable mass of legs, heads and other hard parts of crickets. In this case it was no doubt the survival of the fittest (or fattest), the stronger overcoming the weaker.—Puinip Laurrnt.— Entomological News, Nov. 1891. -—[I also have observed the same habit in the Pertinax Pertyn. In August, 1891, I captured a few specimens of the above which I placed in a bottle and leftthem fora few hours, when I returne] to remove them, one specimen had his friend’s head neatly clipped off and was marching triumphantly about with his trophy. I tried to separate them but to no purpose. I starved it, & cruel experiment no doubt, but interesting under the circumstances, and it breathed its last without releasing its prey.—HENrRy C.:RAcciono. } THE ICHNEUMON. The IcHNeuMoNIDAE are readily recognized by their long and slender form. The head is usually square, with long and slender autennae; the maxillary palpi are five to six jointed, while the labial palpi are three to four jointed. The abdomen is inserted immediately over the hind pair of trochanters, and usually consists of 7 visi- ble segments. The fore wings have from one to three sub- costal cells. ‘The larve are soft, cylindrical and footless grubs, and the rings are smaller than in the other families. The ichneumons in lieu of a sting have an auger, and deposit their eggs into the skin of caterpillars. 63 They prey on certain coleoptera and hymenoptera and even on the larve of water beetles. This subject (Fig. 1), I have re- ferred to the genus ophion and term it ophion macrurum, which, according to Packard ‘‘Stuay Entomology ”’ page 195 attacks the American silk worm. ‘This species, he says, is honey yellow incolour. My specimen was discovered escaping from the cocoon of the Attacus Bolivar. In January, 1891, I received this cocoon, together with many others, and thinking they were void of chrysalides or already hatched, I placed them in my drawer until May this year, when I hunted them up for the purpose of forwarding them to. Mr. Thomas Wardle. Before doinz so, however, I opened four, which I found alive. I forwarded two and kept the others in my breeding cage, after exposing them in a damp place for two days on a shelf in the yard. A week afterwards I saw a beautiful Ichneumon flying in the cage and on the following day saw another coming out of the cocoon. ‘They had destroyed the chrysalides completely, and I lost two specimens of the Attacus which I had greatly prized. But I was fortunate enough to receive a caterpillar on the 26th May, presented to me by Rev. Father Simeon of the Belmont Orphanage with a branch of the tree on which it was found. The tree was determined by Mr. Broadway as a species of Duranta. It was full grown and fed up to the 30th June, when it spun a beautiful cocoon, and on the 16th July I was happy to find that it produced a beautiful Attacus Bolivar. This confirms my investigation, published in the report of the Royal Botanic Gardens. 1890. H. CARACCIOLO. Internat Revenve Prosiems.—Truth is often much funnier as well as stranger than fiction. An important public officer of Duisberg, in Germany, is an ardent entomologist, and made a costly purchase of rare butterflies in Holland. The collection arrived in due time at the Duisberg custom-house, where the inspectors were at a loss to know whether the insects were dutiable or not. They finally came to the conclusion they were and that, inasmuch as they had wings, they must be classed as poultry, and much explanation and expostulation were required before they could be induced to regard them in any other light. 64. CROTONS AFFECTED BY SCALE INSECTS. Our Crotons are generally attacked by a species of scale insect, Orthesia, which very soon ruin them, but there is a natural enemy, the Aphis lion, frequently following them. This Aphis lion (fig. 2 a.) isa deadly enemy of the scale insect as its eggs (fig.2b.) are laid in their immediate vicinity. These FIG. 2. (a) Aphis lion. (b) Eggs. egesarevery much like the pistils offlowers,and are deposited on the leaves. It is popularly known as the golden eyed lace wing fly, and belongs to the neuropterous genus chrysopa. There is another enemy, the ‘“ Brachyacanthara Ursina”’ (fig. 2 c.), a minute rounded beetle, which, when pursued, affects death. II. CARACCIOLO. A BULLET EXCAVATED BY A LARVA. We reproduce, from ‘Insect life,’’ the figure of a bullet which has been excavated by the larva of an insect which usually bores wood. This bullet must have been fired into an oak tree, probably during the war of Secession. When this trea wes felled it was found that the larva of an OrtHosoma had pene- trated it. This larva had evidently commenced its attack in the concave extremity of the bullet, had gone through two-thirds of its length and escaped sideways. This specimen was found by Dr. Eversfield in Maryland. — Le Narorauiste. 66 GUAVA ATTACKED BY ALEYRODES. The Guava is attacked by a species of Aleyrodes. Axzyropicus Cocors Curt., which is the only genus of the family Arzyropip® intermediate in systematic position between the plant lice or scale insect (Coccrpz). If you observe the leaves of the guava thus attacked, you will find the young, filed in order along the nerves of the leaves, and a species of ant PRENOLEPIS LONGICORNIs UTR. busily engaged attending to them. These ants derive their sustenance from sucking the honey dew emitted by the Aleyrodicus. The knot-like projections on the guava leaves (fig. 3 e.) are the females of a very common cosmo- FIG 3. (a) Leaves attacked by insect.. (b) Adult insect magnified. (c) Gnat size, (d) Prenolepis longicornis. (¢) Lecanium hemisphexricum politan scale insect known as Lecanium ueMispHazricum Tara. It can be readily killed, as well as the aleyrodes, at the proper time of the year by spraying with dilute kerosine emulsion made as follows : Kerosine oF Spee aril Soap vee ese il lb. Water aie fi a galls: By beating the above properly it forms an emulsion ; mix one part of the emuision with 18 parts of water. This solution can also be used with success for crotons and guava trees thus affected. H. CARACCIOLO. 66 ORANGE DISEASES. Our Orange and Lime trees are attacked by several enemies. The small white specks as seen (fig. 41) on the bark of the orange tree are the male scales of the Cuionaspis Cirri, a scale insect which does considerable injury to these trees; and the large white and green blotches are lichens (fig. 4 2). In fact FIG. 4. 1. Male scales ‘‘ chionaspis citri,” 2. Lichen. the orange and lime trees have very many enemies, some more injurious than others. ‘The above do more material injury as by being placed on the trunks and limbs of the tree they render it sickly. Other pests such as the PAPILIO ANCHISAIDES, PAPILIO ANDROGOES, do injury by eating the leaves. The former, like the scale insects, can be destroyed by spraying with a weak solution of kerosine, water and svap. H. CARACCIOLO, How two INsects TALKED.—A Parisian chemist has caught two little insects in the act of nocturnal “ spirit”? rapping. They were found about four inches apart on opposite sides of” a piece of heavy wrapping paper. Each tapped loudly with the headsabout six strokes a second, one answering as the other finished. 67 GYNANDROMORPHISM, OR THE UNION OF BOTH SEXES IN LEPIDOPTERA. ———— ANGERONA PRUNARIA. Pua. Grom. prunarta (Lonnevs). Hirparcuus pronaria (Leacu. Sampu Cortis). ANGERONA PRUNARIA (DUPoNCHEL). We have been induced to figure this interesting specimen of a well-known European geometrine moth for the purpose of exemplifying a phenomem, perhaps more frequently observed among this tribe of insects than any other, viz., what is called Gynandromorphism, or the union of both sexes (at least in external features) in the same individual. In this instance the whole right side is that of a male and the left that of a female, insomuch that one would say some person had been amusing themselves by attaching the wings in this manner; but the impossibility of observing the suture at the point of junction soon convinces us that there has been no artifice in the case, and that Nature alone has produced this anomalous union. In truth such occurrences are not very rare, and various lists of different kinds of Gynandromorphism have been published by authors. The example here figured is called semi- lateral gynandro- morphism, and is the - most common kind of it. In Angerona Pru- naria the abdomen was dried up in consequence of the specimen hav- ing been long pre- served, so that it was impossible to determine whether the peculiarity extended to the internal organization. In a specimen of Melitea didymus, however, which admitted of dissection, the male organs were found complete, and in their usual condition, and there was an ovary placed on the left side, having no connection with any other organ. Another kind of Gynandromorphism is called superimposed, the sexual characters not being disposed transversely, but according to the longitudinal axis of the body, whence two combi- 68 nations result, the male parts being anterior, and the female posterior, or vice versa; this is of rare occurrence, and has been noticed only in a kind of ichneumon. Crossed Gynandromorphism is when each side of the body presents at the same time the characters of the two sexes. This combination is rare, although much less so than the preceding. It has been observed in a Bombyx. Castrensis, in which the left antenne and the right wings were female, and the right antenne and the left wings male. The foregoing is an extract read by Mr, F. EH. Magle at the * Club meeting of June 7th. GiCODOMA CEPHALOTES. Tue Parasou or Lear Courtine Ant. Ir may be interesting to members of the Club, to learn that I have two Parasol ep nests on a table in my house, and that I have fed them for some weeks. The nests have there- fore been easy of supervision, and very accessible for observing these ants’ habits and their method of life. I propose in this paper to refer only to the treatment the leaves receive, after they have been carried into the nest. We in Trinidad, who are interested in such subjects, well know the hurried manner with which a parasol ant returns to her (all leaf cutting workers are females) nest, bearing erect in her mandibles, the portion of leaf she has herself just cut off, and is apparently running home with it in triumph. These foragers, for they are the ones who supply the house- hold, carry their portion of a leaf well into the nest, drop it, and retumn for another picce, nor do they cease doing so, till the supply is more than those in the nest require. I could not induce the ants in one of my nests, “B,” after its capture, to carry any leaf whatsoever into the nest, till one day I coaxed a small worker to doso, as she entered she was caressed by those in the nest, who stroked and patted her with their antenne. The small piece of leaf she had brought was at once taken by one of the larger workers, to go through its various processes, while she returned for more, and she continued to bring in pieces till late in the evening. Strange to say, none of the others followed her example. Even now, four weeks later, only two or three carly in any portions of leaf, indeed the nest is very inactive on that score. It may be that there is no queen as she was accidentally killed while taking the nest. i 69 The other nest ‘A’ has a queen, and with it there has been no trouble, for they have kept themselves well supplied from whatever I have offered them on their feeding ground, whether rose leaves, plumbago or quis-qualis. Each forager drops her portion of leaf in the nest, which is taken up as required by the small workers, and carried to a clear space in the nest to be cleaned. This is done with their mandibles, and if considered too large it is cut into smaller pieces. It is then taken in hand by the larger workers, who lick it with their tongues, Then comes the most important part, which almost always is done by the larger workers, who manipulate it between their mandibles, mostly standing on three legs. The portion of leaf is turned round and round between the mandibles, the ant using her palpi, tongue, her three legs and her antenne while doing so. It now becomes a small, almost black ball, varying in size from a mustard seed to the finest dust shot, according to the size of the piece of leaf that has been manipulated. The size of the piece of leaf is from an + by ¢ of an inch, to + by + of an inch. I do not wish it to be understood that only one class of workers manipulate the leaf, for all seem to take to it very kindly on emergency. Even the smallest workers will bring their tiny ball to where the fungus bed is being prepared. These balls, really pulp, are built on to an edge of the fungus bed by the larger workers, and are slightly smoothed down as the work proceeds. The new surface is then planted by the smaller workers, by slips of the fungus brought from the older parts of the nest. Hach plant is planted separately and they know exactly how far apart the plants should be. It sometimes looks as if the plants had been put in too scantily in places, yet in about 40 hours if the humidity has been properly regulated, it is all evenly covered with a mantle, as if of very fine snow. It is this fungus they eat, and with small portions of it the workers feed the larve. J. EDWARD TANNER. Port-of-Spain, Trinidad, 30th July, 1892. 70 TRINIDAD FIELD NATURALISTS’ CLUB. Mr. Oldfield Thomas, of the British Museum, an Honorary Member of the Trinidad Field Naturalists’ Club, has personally written to the President informing him that he is framing a catalooue* of the mammals of Trinidad, a copy of which he intends presenting to the Club for publication in its Journal, and requesting its assistance in its compilation. A Committee is now at work collecting specimens of the Mammals, and will be glad to receive the assistance of the public in this matter. The undermentioned members will be glad to receive specimens, and will either: forward them for identification in the name of the collector, or will purchase them on behalf of the Club. Henry CaraccioLto, Steamers’ Warehouse, F. W. Uricu, c/o F. Unico & Son, South Quay, T. J. Porrer, Crown Lands Office, AuFreD TaiTt; All Saints, R. R. Mone, 3, Abercrombie Street, The Animals wanted are Bats, Field Rats and mice, Otters to be found in rivers (locally known as water dogs), Mangrove dogs, Tiger Cats, Tatous, Ant Eaters, Sloths, Porcupines, etc., alive or recently killed. * The Catalogue arrived by the Mail of August 3—this weck. DESCRIPTION OF A NEW BUTTERFLY FROM TRINIDAD.* By W. F. KIRBY, F.E.S, Tithorea Flavescens.—Expanse from 2} to 24 inches. Dark brown, with yellow markings, more or less tinged with tawny, especially towards the base. Fore wings rather pointed, the hind margin slightly oblique, very slightly sinuated, and not convex, hind wings with the hind margin regularly rounded and slightly sinuated. Fore wings dark brown, with the prin- cipal nervures orange towards the base, and in the yellow por- tions of the wing ; from the base run two yellow stripes, the first curves through the cell till it descends on the median nervure, after which it is slightly interrupted before meeting a large yellow band divided by the nervures, which crosses the * This article is taken from the Entomologist for June, 1889, vol. XXII, No. 313. The butterfly described is the common ‘ sweet oil” (local name of Trinidad), and was included in a set of insects sent by Mr, W. E, Broadway to the British Museum for determination in 1889. As will be seen, although extremely common with us, it was unknown to science.—P.C. 71 end of the cell towards the hind margin. Just beyond the cell is a large oblong black spot, and there is a smaller one between the second and third branches of the median nervure, which are generally surrounded with yellow. Below this point are two submarginal yellow spots, the upper one irregular, and the second round, above the hinder angle of the wing. The lower basal streak is divided by the sub-median and first branch of the median nervure, and extends to about four-fifths of the length of the wing. ‘Towards the tip is an oblique row of four yellow spots ; the uppermost, above the sub-median nervure (which is here black), is a mere streak. Hind wings yellcw, with all the borders brown, and a brown, band dentated beneath towards the extremity, runs from the middle of the inner margin, nearly across the wing, but ceases before reaching the border. Under surface similar, but the yellow markings are paler and rather more extended, most of those on the fore wings being confluent ; hind margins with a row of submarginal white spots between the nervures, mostly arranged in pairs ; hind wings with a curved subcostal basal stripe. Head spotted with white, orbits white ; antenne fulvous, black towards the base. Thorax with fulvous hairs above; the sides spotted with yellow ; legs black, femora streaked with white, abdomen black above and yellow beneath. This species belongs to the group of T. Harmonia Crom., but is of a much paler colour than any of its allies. It is abundant in Trinidad, and is extremely constant in its markings. I have never seen it from any other locality; and like Papitio Cymocutrs, Gray, and one or two other species, it appears to be peculiar to that island, which, however, is so close to the neigh- bouring coast of South America, that its insects properly belong to the fauna of that continent, and not to the West Indian fauna, Zoological Department, Brit. Mus. (Nat. Hist.) S. Kensington, April, 1889. A COCOANUT PEST. The United States Consul at Santiago de Cuba has made a report to the Secretary of State in regard to a mysterious disease prevailing in that coun- try which at one time threatened to annihilate all the plantations producing cocoanuts for market and export. Small shipments of cocoanuts are con- stantly leaving Santiago for the United States, and the Consul says he has sought to discover the origin of the disease which has effected them. Opin- ions of scientists differ as to the cause and nature of the disease. ‘The consul says that it has been at last definitely ascertained that the destroyer of the cocoanut tree is an insect of diminutive size, barely visible to the naked eye, and probably a Coccid. Prof. Gundlach, of Havana, recommends that all cocoanuts received in the United States be dipped into boiling water oa arrival, and that the bags they are shipped in be destroyed.—E. M. ARON, 72 ELEMENTARY ENTOMOLOGY. —E SECOND PAPER.—THE GENERAL STRUCTURE OF INSECTS. * In those papers of this series which treat of the anatomy of Insects in general, we have largely drawn, with the author’s permission, from Prof, J. H. Comstock’s excellent ‘‘ Introduction to Entomology.’’* Thanks to the kindness of Prof. A. 8. Packard, we have also made use of his well-known ‘“ Guide’’} and his valuable ‘‘ Entomology for Begin- ners.” t As stated in the first paper the body of an Arthropod, and consequently that of an Insect, is made up of a series of rings or segments, within which are the vital apparatus and muscles. Confining our attention to insects, it is to be noticed that even young larve § just hatched from the egg show this segmentation of the body. If such a young larva be examined] the jointed appearance of the exterior will be seen. The skin of this young larva is quite soft, but becomes harder as the larva grows. This hardening is due to the deposition in the outer layer of the skin (called the cuticle) of a horny substance—chitine. The chitine is deposited in the cuticle of the different segments, but there is left a narrow space around the body between each segment, in which there is little or no chitine. These narrow rings of unaffected skin divide the segments from each other, and are termed sutures. Remaining soft, the sutures permit a freedom of motion of the hard segments upon each other. In larve the sutures are usually wider than in the corresponding imagos. Very often the sutures themselves become hardened by chitine, so that the line of separation between two segments disappears. Such an obliteration of sutures occurs very frequently in the head and fore-parts of imagos, and less frequently in the hind parts. We have spoken of the segments as hard, but the hard part of any one seoment is not a continuous ring. On the contrary, the hard part a segment consists of several vieces which are more or less free to move upon each other. These pieces are the sclerites (from the Greek skleros, hard). Some of the soft cuticle remains between the sclerites, and this separating portion also receives the name of suture, and like an inter-segmental suture may also become ‘‘ obsolete’ (i.e. obliterated). The skin, originally soft, but now with its cuticle hardened in the segments, the hard part of each segment consisting of several sclerites, forms the body-wall of the Insect. The reader of this series already knows that all an insect’s growth is completed in its larval state. As a larva grows quite rapidly, and as chitine * An Introduction to Entomology by John Heniy Comstock, Professor of Entomology and General Invertebrate Zoclogy in Cornell University, and formerly United States Entomologist. With many orginal illustrations drawn and engraved by Anna Botsford Comstock. Ithaca, N. Y. Published by the author 1888, pp. iv, 284, 201 figures. Price 2.00 dollars. + Guide to the study of Insects and a treatise on those injurious and beneficial to crops for the use of Colleges, Farm-schools and Agriculturists by Alpheus S. Packard, M.D., with fifteen plates and 670 woodcuts; ninth edition. New York, Henry Holt & Co-, 1889, 715 pp. (first edition, 1869, Salem.) + Entomology for Beginners. Vor the use of Young Folks, Fruit-growers, Farmers and Gardeners, by A. S. Fackard. M.D., Ph. D.; second edition, revised. New York, Henry Holt & Co., 1889, 867 pp. 272 figs. § It is hardly necessary to remind the reader that an Insect is an Insect, whether it is an unhatched egg, a growing larva, an apparently lifeless pupa, or a flying or creeping imago. Imagos being so mnch more conspicuous than the preceding stages, have naturally received both common and soientific names first. 4 The student cannot be too strongly reminded that he should compare these papers with some insect, say a grasshopper. 73 is being constantly deposited in the cuticle, the cuticle thus hardened loses its elasticity and is soon too small for the increasing size of the body. Consequently it splits along the middle line of the back, and through this fissure the insect withdraws itself from its chitinous coat. Or, in other cases, the cuticle comes off gradually in thin shreds. The ‘new skin” contains very little chitine as yet, and being quite clastic, stretches to accommodate the size of the body. This skin (cuticle) in turn becomes hardened, is likewise cast off, or moulted, and succeeded by others, varying in number in different species of insects. Very often there are changes in the shape, color, etc., of the larva after successive moults. Technical names for the process of moulting are ecdysis and exuviation, and for the moulted skins, exwvic. In the case of those insects passing through a complete transformation, when the larva moults for the last time, it becomes a pupa, usually of quite dissimilar shape from the larva, and usually quiet, that is, does not move from place to place. The last moult of the insect’s life is when the cuticle of the pupa splits open and the imago emerges, and, after a short period, spreads its‘wings and begins its «rial life. Where the insect undergoes but an incomplete transformation, when the nymph moults for the last time, the imago state is entered at once. Hitherto, in speaking of the segmented form of an insect’s body, reference has been made solely to the body-wall. So far as the internal organs are concerned, the muscles, the nervous, circulatory and respiratory systems, at least, are more or less arranged“ in correspondence with the segmentation of the body-wall._— P. P. C.—Entomological News, June, 1890. ““T RECOLLECT some ten or twelve years ago, one Sunday, whilst collecting in a neglected field, near Bernard’s dam, that the proprietor of the ground, or of some neighbouring territory, a pleasant, hale old gentleman, came down in his shirt sleeves to gratify his curiosity in regard to my doings. He first approached with the proper caution due to nearing an equivocal animal, but assuring himself by the placidity of my countenance, doubtless, that there was no apparent danger to be dreaded, he approached me, and in the Pennsylvania German dialect asked what I was doing. I showed him my collecting-box and its contents, my net, etc., and as at that monient a large female of the Epurstion butterfly flew near, I joined example to precept by capturing and killing and pinning it in my collecting-box in his presence. The most difficult part to make the old gentieman comprehend, was what the things could be used for after they were caught. I attempted an explanation. Whether I- was successful in doing so to his satisfaction I still doubt, however, he seemed pleased, and by way of explanation said, as he departed, ‘Ich haab dich gasayn for ein bar Suntaag here und durt so rum springe un ich hab gaydenkt du waarst so ein kaerl wo nicht gons recht in kopf war, aber’ (‘I have seen you running around here for the last. couple of Sundays, and I thought you were one of those fellows who were not quite right 74 in the upper story, but’ ). Here he paused and looked puzzled. and I fear to this day the worthy old husbandman (bless his kindly face) is still, if living, in a state of suspense as regards my being responsible for my actions before the Lord and my fellow-man.”—LHnt. News, May, 1892. THERE ARE Exceptions.—’‘ A beetle cannot fly with its elytra removed.” EF. H. Wenham, Aerial Locomotion, Smith- sonian Report 1889, p. 318. A few days ago along a sunny river-bank I found CicINDELA HIRTICOLLIS abundant. Examples were taken and the elytra removed; every one flew away in- stantly, on being released, with a speed that defied the eye to follow. ‘‘ Insects are killed quickly by putting them into a bottle containing lumps of cyanide of potassium cuvered by plaster of Paris.” So every body says. To this I note three exceptional cases. One June day, I happened to be collecting where many species of Phalenide were abundant. Examples of several species taken were all killed quickly in my cyanide bottle except one, that of CorycraA VESTALIATA (sex not noted). To my surprise it was found some time after its imprisonment alive and struggling to escape. To test the matter, other moths were put into the bottle, all of which were quickly over- come, but C. vestauiata still lingered, having withstood the fumes more than an hour. ‘The second instance is similar ; the species was CABERODES CONFUSARIA. It was active more than thirty minutes by the watch, and, to make it sure, the prisoner was resisting death, contrary to all reason, crickets, grasshoppers, wasps, moths and butterflies introduced to the same space, all responded as they should. The third case occurred a few weeks since the same species as the preceding exhibiting similar behaviour. Have others observed similar be- haviour by any insect ? What explanation occurs to any one ? —D. 8. Kitiicor.—Ent. News. OLD MAIDS THE CAUSE OF VARIETY IN PLANTS. A Professor at Ann Arbor, says the Entomolgical News, was discussing the process of fertilizing plants by means of insects carrying the pollen from one plant to another, and told how old maids were the ultimate cause of it . all. The bumblebees carry the pollen ; the field mice eat the bumble bees ; therefore, the more field-mice the fewer the bumble-bees and the less pollen aml variation of plants. But cats devour field-mice, and old maids protect cats. Therefore, the more old maids the more cats, the fewer field-mice, the more bees. Hence, old maids are the cause of variety in plants. There- upon a sophomore, with a single eyeglass, an English umbrella, a box-coat, with his trowsers rolled up at the bottom, rose and asked : —‘‘ I sa-a-y, Pro- fessah, what is the cause— ah—of old maids, don’t you know?” ‘ Perbaps Miss Jones can tell you,’ suggested the Professor. ‘‘ Dudes!” said Miss Jones, sharply, and without a momext’s hesitation. ‘OBER, 1892. No. 4. v dans leurs écrits toute personnalité, les limites de la discussion la plus 2,—LABOULBENE. MIRANDA IN MINIMIS. mW LPI pa Gommittee : LO, Esg., President. SYL. DEVENISH, Esg., M.A.; _E anp F. W. URICH. III ENTS :— Report Report a in the upper story, but’— puzzled. and I fear to this (bless his kindly face) is sti regards my being responsibl my fellow-man.”’—Ent. Nea THERE ARE EXCEPTION! elytra removed.” F. H.W sonian Report 1889, p. 3lé river-bank I found CIcINDE were taken and the elytra stantly, on being released, follow. ‘‘ Insects are kill bottle containing lumps ¢ plaster of Paris.’’ So ever exceptional cases. One Ju where many species of Ph of several species taken we bottle except one, that of | To my surprise it was foun alive and struggling to moths were put into the b« come, but C. VESTALIATA § fumes more than an hot the species was CABEROL than thirty minutes by th prisoner was resisting dea erasshoppers, wasps, mot same space, all responde occurred a few weeks sine: exhibiting similar behavior haviour by any insect? —D. §. Kituicor.—Ent. OLD MAIDS THE CA A Professor at Ann Arbor the process of fertilizing plants one plant to another, and tolc . all. The bumblebees carry th therefore, the more field-mice ani variation of plants. But cats. Therefore, the more 0 the more bees. Hence, old m; upon a sophomore, with a sin with his trowsers rolled up at fessah, what is the cause— ah- Miss Jones can tell you,” su Jones, sharply, and without a Nol. 1. OCTOBER, 1892. F engage donc tous a évitey dans leurs écrits toute personnalité, foute allusion dépassant les limites de la discussion la plus sincere et la plus courtoise —LABOULBENE., No. 4. PrRoF PO Publication Gommittee : H. CARACCIOLO, Eso., President. . P. CARMODY, F.1.C.; SYL. DEVENISH, Esg., M.A.: Messrs. R. R. MOLE anv F. W. URICH. CONTENTS :— Report of Club Meetings First Annual Meeting Secretary and Treasurer’s Report Publication Committee’s Report Presidential Address. ‘ y:: Patron's Address Hon. S. H. Gatty’s Speech Exhibits at Annual Meeting The so-called Mosquito Worm Babiche Shooting in the Caroni nt Me et me av ‘ * : +t ar tee nN ot ht oate® ; is . Gi ry ? LS ' oy "hai ye 4S ae Pe Aas , 5 * F i —_— . a bf , ’ Fe = | » $ ] $ \ e; ie , ¥ ¥ 7 Ja wre xk a, P. Py. yw * 4 > TM bo? by - % ‘ A is -—. ‘; _ ee | Se ae 7 Ww Poe Oy es eae = Tes r. - — ma, | ls we 8 Se _ Sere —< 7 eee et oe ne 6 ee Ase es ae Se ek ae Wis oa ae, ee 4 - | s j —¥ CARL O. BOGE, Family & Dispensing Chemist, PROPRIETOR OF The ENGLISH PHAKMAG® No. 6. BRUNSWICK SQUARE, Respectfully calls attention to his full lines of the Purest anp Finest DRUGS, CHEMICALS & MEDICINES or Every Description. ENGLISH, ecole AMERICAN Patent Medicines, Homeopathic Medicines, AND SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS. SUPERIOR SWEETS, AND WEST INDIAN CIGARS. FURTHER :—All kinds of Toilet Articles and Sundries; Perfumer- ies; Soaps; Powder Boxes and Puffs; Hair, Tooth, Nail and Cloth Brushes; Combs; Sponges, Bathing Caps; Ice Caps; Babies’ Food; Chemical Food; Feeding Bottles; Elastic Stuck- ings; Knee Caps. &¢., &c., &¢C. * HORSE *« MEDICINES. * From Recipes that have been well tried and found to be equal, and in many cases superior, to those imported. AERATED WATER FACTORY. The Waters of the Establishment have now received so many recommendations, and are generally acknowledged favourably to stand comparison with any produced from the best makers in Europe and America. They received the GOLD MEDAL 2% the TRINIDAD & TOBAGO EXHIBITION, 1890. The Waters are Perfectly Pure, aud noted for their Strength and Refreshing and Cooling power. Only the purest and finest materials are in use. PRESCRIPTIONS This Department has constantly the most minute care and atten- tion. The latest improvements in the art of Dispensing are always introduced. Prescriptions are dispensed at any hour, night or day, during the week, and on Sundays. The Stock is continually renewed, and only the best and most reliable Drugs kept. af at JOURNAL OF THE Field Naturaligts’ Club. VOL.; I. OCTOBER, 1892. No. 4. REPORT OF CLUB MEETINGS. 7TH June, 1892. Present: Messrs, Caracciolo (President), Devenish, Carmody, Hobson, Potter, Scott, Mole, Urich, Broadway. Petersen, Hewlett, Eagle, Wilson, Murray and Taitt (Secretary). The following eentlemen were elected members of the Club: Hon. H. Fowler, Hon. J. E. Tanner, Messrs. Erick Bock, F. J. Maingot, J. G, Reed, Dr. A. Lota, Messrs. L. de Verteuil, R. Dumoret and C. W. Meaden (country member). Different amendments to Rules were discussed and agreed to. Mr. Broadway proposed that the office of Patron be created and that the Governor be asked to fill it, seconded by Mr. Potter and carried unanimously. His Excellency Sir F. N. Broome was thereupon unanimously elected Patron of the Club. Mr. Mole read the draft report of the committee appointed to investigate the sugar-cane borer, A long discussion ensued on it and it was decided that it should be published in the Journal. The President having to leave at this stage the chair was taken by Mr. Syl. Devenish, MA. The Secretary exhibited, on behalf of the President, a tew larve of the Lucilia hominivorax sent by Dr. Lota, who extracted them from the nose of a lady here. ‘These larve are produced by the above fly, and commit great ravages in Cayenne among the con- victs. Two beetles, one a Calandra palmarum, the other Sphenophorus hemipterus, were sent by Mr. Ludovic de Verteuil, with the information that these beetles were found in the sugar- cane, which they entered from the roots. A black ant with two 76 lateral spines on each side of the head and one on each side of the thorax and mezothorax, Mutilla sp? This ant was invariably observed to frequent the purlieus cf the parasol ants’ nest. A specimen of the Mutilla armata captured by Mr. Mole, who was severely stung by it. A species of Dorylus and two females of parasol ants were also shown. Mr. Eagle exhibited a case of moths, amongst which figured conspicuously six beautiful speci- mens of Philampelus linnet bred by him, together with a fine assortment of microlepidoptera. Mr. Broadway exhibited a fine specimen of Papilio argesilaus caught at Ariapita Valley, St. Ann’s. He said it was very rarein Trinidad. Mr, Taitt showed a beautiful humming bird’s nest. Mr. Broadway reported having seen the first Urania leilus for the year flying on the 23rd May. Mr. Eagle read an extract on the Gynandromorphic sex of insects in external appearances. The Conversazione spoken of at the last meeting was, on Mr. Carmody’s motion, postponed to a later date at the end of the year. isr Jouy; 1892; Present: Messrs. Caracciolo (President), Reed, Eagle, Potter, Broadway, Mole, Meaden and Urich. In the absence of Mr. Taitt Mr. Urich acted as Secretary. The following gentle- men were unanimously elected honorary members of the Club: Dr. Gunther and Mr. A. G. Butler, both of the British Museum, and Mr. H. F. Wilson. Several books were presented to the Club by Messrs. Eckstein, H. K. Collens and R. R. Mole. These were thankfully received, and will be kept to form the nucleus of the Library. A letter was read from Mr. D. Morris, Assistant Director of Kew Gardens, in which he says: ‘ The first issue of the journal is very promising. The ‘Trinidad society has an excellent field for investigation and the start it has made promises well. I wish it every success.” Mr. Meaden said that in the last Journal of the Club he saw that amongst other things the Trinidad otter was very much wanted at the British Museum. He stated that a few years ago he shot two specimens at Chaguanas, which he was almost sure were the animals in ques- tion, but, unfortunately, the skins being left in the open air to dry, were lost. Since then he has never come across any other specimens. The head of one was sent to the British Museum, but he never heard anything of it. Mr. Broadway asked whether any of the members could procure him some of the large centipedes found at Monos and whether they were very venomous,—Mr. Potter said their bite caused fever, but he never heard of any death resulting from it.- Mr. Eagle said that he * Since the above meeting -Mr. J. S. Greenidge of Tacarigua, has pre- sented the Club with a fine skin of this rare animal. 77 had been bitten by one (about six inches in length) behind the ear, he was in great pain for about six hours, ammonia, lauda- num and several other things were applied to the bite but with- out avail, the pain passed off suddenly by itself—Mr. Meaden said he did not know of any case of acentipede bite, but he saw a coolie stung by a scorpion show the first symptoms of epilepsy eighteen hours after the sting. At the same time he had seen men that were stung without any bad effects following, except a short temporary pain. The President said he had received a letter from Mr. Wardle, President of the Silk Association of Great Britain, congratulating him on his discovery of the Atta- eus Bolivar here and he hoped that the correspondence would be kept up, as it was very interesting to him.—The President ex- hibited an Ichneumon Ophion macrurum found in a chrysalis of the Attacus Bolivar. Healso showed mounted slides of the four following small insects which are all enemies to the Xyleborus perforans :—They are (1) Typhoea fumata, (2) Rhizophaqus im- pressicolis, (3) Canoletus conicus, (4) Carpaphilus dunidatus. The &. impressicolis especially is the sworn enemy of the cane borers, as it follows them into the burrows and destroys the eggs and larve. Mr. Broadway exhibited a case of different beetles and a moth nicely mounted which were (1) cigar beetle, Lasioderma testacea, very destructive to cigars; (2) Linseed beetle, Trilobiuna ferrugineum ; (3) Bamboo borer, Sitophilus oryza ; (4) Two different species of Crepidodua, one injurous to the leaves of the egg plant, Melogenes ; the other found on a sap- indaceous plant at Caledonia Island, doing much damage to the leaves on which it feeds in its larval and perfect state ; (5) Not- archa silicalis —moth—larve destroys the leaves of ramie fibre _and Bois Canot.—Mr Potter exhibited a curious hairy Bombyx caterpillar from Guapo. FIRST ANNUAL MEETING. Stn AvGusT. Present : His Excellency, Sir Frederick Napier Broome, K,C.M.G., Patron, Henry Caracciolo, Esq. (President), Hon. J. E. Tanner, Messrs. W. E. Broadway. F. W. Urich, R. R. Mole, P-L. Guppy, J. Nairn, R. Dumoret, J. Petersen, J. G. Reed, C. W. Scott, C. W.Meaden, L. de Verteuil, H. F. Wilson, T. J. Potter, Syl. ‘Devenish, M.A., J. H. Collens, F. Eagle, and A. Taitt, (Secretary). The Hon. S. H. Gatty, Acting Chief Justice, Mr. Justice Lewis and Mr. W. Miles, B.A., were present as guests. 78 After some preliminary business the Secretary and Treasurer read the following report :— As required by Rule 6, I beg to report on the first year’s operations of the Trinidad F ield Naturalists’ Club as follows :— 1. —Meetings. The first formal meeting was held on the 8th August, 1891, at Mr. Caracciolo’s residence, since that date there have been 13 meetings. —Menbers Elected. The Society en of nine Resident Members at the first meeting, and at the present time there are: Town Members if eee ae) Country do. Ae ys ont he Hon. and Corresponding do... Avie Total .. 44 the majority of whom were elected during the last six months. At the monthly meeting in May the members had the honour of electing His Hxcellency the Governor as a member, and on the 18th of the following month His Excellency was pleased to accept the office of I Patron. Among the list of Honorary Members will be noticed the’ names of core Gunther, Mr. Oldfield Thomas, and Mr. A. G, Butler, all well-known Naturalists. Tappend a list of members, showing the dates of their elections, etc. 3.—Finances. The total receipts for the year amount to nas apa oaes and the expenditure oe fe = vo hoe leaving a balance of a one .. § 49.87 to the ech of the Club. 4 — Journal, ‘At a meeticg held in February it was decided that a bi-monthly Jour nal should be issued, containing the Papers read by members at the meetings. In April the er Journal was issued, 150 copies of which were distaiwoiee Of the next issue in June 250 copies were disposed of. In both cases the demand being far greater than the supply. ; The wembers will, Iam sure, agree with me in stating that success, far greater than even the sanguine and energetic pro- 9 moters (Messrs. Caracciolo, Broadw ay, Mole and Urich) expected, has attended the first year’s existence of the Trinidad Field Naturalists’ Club, ALFRED TAITT, Hon. Secretary & Preasurer: MEMBERS OF THE TRINIDAD FIELD a uae CLUB. Town Members. Name. Date Elected. Name. Date Elected. Broome. f.f. Siz F.N., K.C.M.G., May 6, ’92 Murray. J. Russell, Oct. 2, 91 Patron June 7, 92 Mole. R. R., July 10,91 Bock. E., June 7,’92 Moor. Rev. R. H., Sept. 7, 91 Broadway. W.E., July 10, 91 Maingot. F. J.; June 7, 92 Caracciolo. T., x Nairn. J., Dec. 23, 91 Carmody. Prof. P., i Jan. 8, 92 Potter, T. J.. July 10, 91 Collens. J. H., Feb. 5, 92 Petersen. J, Dee 4,’91 Devenish. S., M.A., Jan.8,'92 Reed. J.G., Tune 7, 92 Dumoret. R., June 7,’92 Scott. C. W.; July 10, 91 Eagle, ¥., Jan. 8, 92 Thavenot. C, J.. May 6, ’92 Fowler. Hon. H., June7,’92 Taitt. A., July 10, 91 Gray. F., Oct. 2, 91 Tanner. Hon. J. E., June, 7, 92 Gerold. E., March 4, 792 Urich. F. W., July 16, 91 Hewlett. W. G., July 10, ‘91 Wilson. E. V., Aug, 8, 91 Lota. Dr, A.. June, 7, 92 Walker. C.- W., 3 ; Country Mremepers. de Verteuil. L., June 7. 92 Hobson. J.J., Dee. 4,91 Guppy. P.L., July 10,91 Meaden. C.W., June 7, 92 Honorary AND CornrnesponpInc MrEMpeErs. Butler. A.G., July 1,’92' Smith. G. W., Nov. 13, 91 Ganteaurve. H., Aug. 8, 91 St Vraz. Prof. B. Aug. 8,91 Gunther. Dr. A., July 1, °92 Thomas. Oldfield, March 4, ’92 Hamilton. Hon, C.B., Feb. 5, 92 Warming. Prof., Dee. 4, 91 Lassan, — Dec. 4, 91 Wilson, W. F., July 1, *92 Leomsen. — Fi Ewrections up vo 191m Avuausr bast. Gatty. Hon. $.H.(Town M’mb’r) Aug, 19/92 Carr. A.B: ay Member) Aug. 19, ’92 Miles. W.., » ” Guilbert, « Ms 5 Rake. Dr. ‘Beayen, ” Mr. Mole then read the following REPORT OF PUBLICATION COMMITTEE. * The Publication Committee have very little to report as to their pro- ceedings, owing to the fact that they have been pre etty fully dealt with by the President in his address. The following items, however, may fill up the blanks in the details of their work w hich have been uritouched by that ably written document. The Publication Committee was only formally constituted at the meeting of the 5th February this year, hut it has always existed in an informal way. The first notice it eave of its exislence appeared in the Part-of- Spain Gazette of the 11th September, i891, when a paragraph appeared, contributed by the members, announcing the for mation of the Club. On the 9th October the same Journal kindly published a a report by the President of the meeting - of the 2nd October. Since then reports of the monthly meetings have regu- larly appeared in either the Gazetie or Public Opinion. The Committee, ou behalf of the Club, thank the Editors of these papers for the kindness which they have shewn the Club in placing their columns at the Committee’s disposal. Be 80 The Publication Committee, as has been previously stated, was formed on the 5th February and has since then made itself directly responsible for the reports in the newspapers which have appeared from time to time, and also for the three numbers of the official organ of the CJub. The Committee are inclined to be very proud of the Journal, for the reason that their effort has met with unqualified success. The first number, 150, was soon out of print and the second number of 250 was found insufficient to meet the de- mand for copies of it ; the third has been equally successful. The Committee are also pleased to be able to place on record their gratification at the Journal having received complimentary notices from the three leading newspapers of the Island—the Port-of- Spain Gazette, Public Opinion and the Catholic News. In conclusion the Committee thank the members for the loyal assistance they have received, and verture to express a hope that they will in the future be assisted in their labours, not only with original articles, but also with any extracts and cuttings bearing upon the subject of Natural History which the members of the Club may find in the course of their studies. (Signed) H. CARACCIOLO. SYL. DEVENISH. R. R. MOLE. The undersigned members of the Committze cannot allow this oppor- tunity to pass without acknowledging the debt which the Journal owes to the President of the Club, who has not only contributed so many able articles to its pages, but has further added to its interest by several wood cuts of the subjects which those articles treated of. Mr. Caracciolo has never had any training as an engraver, and the members feel sure that the Club highly appreciates the talent, perseverance and ingenuity he has shewn in cutting the block of the Inca Beetle, which lends so much attractiveness to the cover of the Journal and the various other cuts which have appeared in the last. two numbers. The undersigned regret the absence of Professor Carmody, the absent member of the Committee—he would, they are sure, have heartily endorsed their opinion in this matter. (Signed) SYL. DEVENISH. R. R. MOLE. Both reports were unanimously adopted. According to the rules the election of officers for the ensu- ing year took place. Mr. H. Caracciolo was unanimously re- elected President and Mr. A. Taitt, Secretary and Treasurer. —Mr. Mole informed the members of the steps which had been taken at-an extraordinary meeting about the collection of ‘Trini- dad mammals. Mr. Devenish moved that any expenditure in- curred in collecting these specimens be sanctioned by the Club. Seconded by Mr. Petersen and carried. At 9 o’clock His Excellency the Governor, accompanied by the Hon S. II. Gatty, the Hon. J. E. Tanner and Lieut. Clerk, A.D.C., arrived and were welcomed by the President and the Committee. After His Excellency had taken his seat at the head of the table the President read the following address: Your Excellency and Gentlemen of the Trinidad Field Naturalists’ Club,—It was in the year 1890 I recollect making an attempt to found a Natural History Society, and as a pie- liminary step made a list of the names of a few of those gentlemen I thought likely to join in this good work. Messrs. 81 Broadway and Potter must both remember this futile effort, which from pressure of work and want of time I failed in carrying out. I can assure you my disappointment was deep. It was with great pleasure, however, that a few months later I received a letter from Mr. Mole, on behalf of Messrs. Broadway and Urich, proposing the formation of this Society. I needn’t tell you how ready I was to accept his invitation, and accordingly on the 10th of May, 1891, a preliminary meeting consisting of himself, Messrs. Urich, Broadway and myself, was held at his residence for the purpose of considering the scheme, and it was there decided that the Club should be called the “ Trinidad Field Naturalists’ Club.” ' Having done that much we applied ourselves to the task of procuring members: this, I must say, was attended with ereat- success from the very first, and on the 10th July another meet- ing was called at my residence. Amongst those present were Messrs. Urich, Mole, Broadway, Guppy, Hewlett, Potter and Taitt, and it was then I was honoured with the post of President, a distinction which I highly appreciated, but which I felt I had no claim to and never anticipated. Since then I have used all my endeavours to promote the objects of the Club, and I am vain enough to think that our united efforts have been crowned with no mean success. Mr. Taitt was appointed Honorary Secretary and Treasurer, and to him we owe a great deal of our success. You will all join me in thanking him for the indefatigable attention he has paid to the affairs BF the Club and the great interest he has taken in it. Our next meeting, which took place on the 10th August, we reckon to be our first regular meeting. At that meeting a few rules were framed for our guidance, which were later on re-considered, and a new set, based on those of the Entomological Society of Philadelphia, were framed and passed. From that date, in accordance with these rules, monthly meetings have been held. We were for some time at a loss for a place of meeting, but at length we were offered this school-house, and I take this opportunity, in the name of the Club, to thank the Rey. A. Taitt for his kindness in placing this room at our disposal. Reports of our meetings have been regularly published in our local papers, and our thanks are due to the Editors of the Port-of-Spain Gazette, Public Opinion and Catholic News for the publicity they have given to our proceedings. I may point out we have subscribed to the Entomological News, an American monthly, which, with some books presented by Messrs. Eckstein, 82 H. K, Collens and Rk. R Mole, together with exchanges, form the'nucleus of the library which the Club one day hopes to possess. With regard to the work of the Olub Mr. Urich has given us an elaborate paper on the External Anatomy of the Enceladas gigas (Bonnett), illustrated with dissections beautifully mounted on glass. Messrs. Urich and Mole have placed at our disposal the copy of a paper written by them and read before the Zoological Society of London on several snakes and lizards pre- sented by them to the Society’s collection, two of which, a Machete ( Herpetodryas carinatus), and a Plica lizard (Uranis- codon plica), were new to the collection. A new species of butterfly (Tithorea flavescens), has been captured by Mr. Broadway, and a new bat (Vampyrops caracciole), by myself. Mr. Broadway has also made one of those discoveries that few men have the opportunity of doing. He found a new genus of dragon fly which has not yet been described. Mr. Broadway is to be complimented on his find. Mr. Mole has given us a most interesting paper on the boa Kpicrates cenchris, and all will be pleased to learn it has been criticized most favourably by Mr. Morris of Kew. Mr. Guppy has shown some beautiful paintings of butterflies done by himself and other paintings and prints of the complete metamorphoses of some have been shown by myself, the wings of the butterflies being reproduced by a process in which alum, sugar candy and salt are the principal agents employed. Mr. Potter has treated us to an able paper on bees, which must have proved interesting to the most indifferent to the study of Natural History. Mr. Hewlett has given us a thoughtful paper on the metamorphoses of insects and Mr. Eagle on Gynandro- morphism, or the union of both sexes in Lepidoptera—two most valuable papers. Mr. Guppy, in one of our first excursions, was fortunate enough to capture the largest moth known here, which probably belongs to the genus Thysania. This moth was about nine inches across the wings. In another Mr. Mole secured a fine specimen of the Peripatus, Hdirardsii, which is very rarely to be met with even where it is most common. ‘Two other specimens have been cap- tured by Mr. Urich at Arouca. With regard to these creatures it may be interesting to mention that in the year 1883 a German scientist, Dr. Von Kennel, crossed the Atlantic for no other purpose than to procure specimens of the Peripatus, the life history of which is still in- volved in considerable mystery. The group of Peripatide is perhaps equivalent and allied to the Myriapoda or centipedes, with some affislities to the J'ardigrades or bear animalcules, 85 which are microscopic insects and true hermophrodites. He searched for some weeks and only secured one or two specimens, until one day near Laventille he turned over a log and found no less than sixty of the commoner kind Hdwardsii, which is a native of Venezuela. This was a most extraordinary find, and can only be attributed to the fact that the weather was exceed- ingly dry and the Peripati had retired to the log for the sake of moisture, which is essential to their existence. I may here mention that Trinidad is more eontinental than insular in its physiological character, and has nothing in common with the West Indies proper ; and Iam of opinion that exchanges with Venezuela would be very profitable for the purpose of making comparisons. He also found the Peripatus ftorquatus, which is a much larger species, and it is left to us now to find the Trinidad species, Tidnitatis, which has been solicited from me by Dr. Gunther since the year 1889. ‘The Club has also deter- mined to make Economic Natural History a feature of its researches. ‘The most important work done by the Club in this direction is the investigation of the habits of the small sugar-cane borer, which was undertaken by a committee appointed for that purpose. ‘This report, I am glad to say, has been well received by the public who were kind enough to compliment us on our success. Mr, Hart, the talented and energetic Director of the Royal Botanic Gardens, has kindly endeavoured to put the Committee right on one or two points; but after some lengthy correspondence he was found to have been labouring under a series of misapprehensions as to the precise ground taken up by the Club, and as the further continuance of the correspondence did not promise any fresh light on the subject other than thrown by the Committee’s report, it was decided to bring it to a close. Yhe Club has received complimentary letters on its inauguration from many of the leading men of the scientific world—amongst them I may mention Dr. Gunther, Mr. Oldfield Thomas, Mr. A. G. Butler, of the British Museum, London; Professor Warming, Director of the Botanic Gardens, Copenhagen ; Mr. Morris, of Kew; Professor C. V. Riley, Entomologist of the U.S. Department of Agriculture ; Professor A. Morgan, and Mr. J. D. A. Cockerell of the Jamaica Institute. Amongst the Club’s honorary members figure: Dr. Gunther, Messrs. Oldfield Thomas and A. G. Butler, Professor Warming and Professor Kirby. So great was the encouragement received by the Club, that it was decided to apply to the Kditor of the Agricultural Record asking whether our Papers could be published in the Record, which was the only journal of a scientific nature in the Colony. We regretted at the time that we were denied the 84 privilege on the plea that the Record was purely an agricultural paper. This was our first disappointment, but we have since been very glad that the Record’s pages were closed to us, as it has manifested the fact that the Club was one of the hardiest of the institutions of this Colony. At the very next meeting we decided upon publishing our own journal. Accordingly the first number appeared in the month of April, the second in June, the third this month, the second and third appearing with illus- trations. On the first number our critics, with the exception of an anonymous one, complimented us on our venture. Our second number contained our draft report of the small sugar-cane borer (Xyleborus perforans) which I before referred to, with an illustration of the Inca, an insect we have adopted as the typical one of our Club, with a motto, Natura maxime miranda tn minimis, Our second issue of the Journal circulated 250 copies and the third 350. I may mention that in accordance with the desire expressed by the members I had arranged to propose to the Committee of the Victoria Institute that the section of Natural History, comprising Zoology in general, should be given in charge to the Trinidad Field Naturalists’ Club, who were willing to place their collections in the building of the Institute and go on increasing them, forming complete collections of all the mammals, reptiles and insects of the Colony; but as: the Building is not yet taken over, I have not had an opportunity of moving in the matter. I think that the large collections we have in hand already and the means we have to increase them would be a guarantee to the Committee that in a very short time the Colony would possess a pretty good representative collection, I think the Club may congratulate itself upon the fact that it is paying its way through the esprit de corps of the members, who not only‘subscribe to the Club funds, but also pay for their copies of the Journal. Now, gentlemen, we are not without cause when we say we are proud of the work we have done ; not because we pretend to have produced work of high scientific value, but because it has been the first of the kind undertaken on a similar basis; and without being presumptuous we hope that this Club will be of great service to science and of very great benefit to agriculturists and the country generally. We have every reason to congratu- late ourselves on the success and continued progress of the Club, but it is well to bear in mind that we have many difficulties still to overcome, so distant are we from the scientific world. It will therefore be necessary to struggle on and on until we can accumulate that amount of knowledge necessary to create a position for ourselves, It is to be hoped that we will receive, 85 as we have already done, every assistance from agriculturists and others interested in the welfare of the country and the Club, Only two mails ago I received letters from Mr. A, G. Butler and Mr. Oldreld Thomas, of the British Museum, telling me that numbers of insects from Trinidad were yet undetermined. The latter, an honorary member to whom we are indebted for a catalogue of the mammals of the Island in the British Museum, says: “ Extraordinarily little is definitely known of the mammals of your Island.” Short notes of original observation are of immense value and will always be received with pleasure by the Club. Our gardens. plains, mountains, rivers, in fact every corner of our island swarm with insects, reptiles and mammals of all descriptions, a good many of w hich are quite new to science. Our principal staples and fruit trees are all attacked by insects which we must seek to exterminate, and the only way to do so is by continual observation and applying ourselves to seeking the remedies to get rid of them. Already the Club has done some good work in saving the (clus/a alba) trees planted in the Almond Walk, which were being ruined by a scale insect (Ieerya mountserratuensis); and in our last Journal we drew attention to the attacks on Guava, Crotons and Orange trees, recommending remedies for same. It is in most cases necessary to employ artificial means, but as everything in Nature has its counterpoise, we know instances in which the natural enemy is near at hand and often multiplied in order to effect the cure; such is the case with the scale insect attacking crotons, which harbours two enemies as related in our last Journal. What else can we desire when we have such treasures before us ? Should it not be a labour of love to develop them all ? If we only look upon the magnitude of the work before us, we may be struck with amazement and exclaim: Oh! we shall never achieve anything; this is too stupendous. But there is a beginning to everything, and remembering the old adage ‘ Rome was not built in a day,’ take heart of grace and go forward. In conclusion, Lrepeat, whatever we vead or whatever cones to our notice let it be very carefully done. and done in earnest. Dates, descriptions, locality, mode of liring, ete., ave essential in the biology of insect and auimal life. To illustrate my meaning you will allow me to relate a tale told of Mr. Henry Ward Beecher, which will no doubt be interesting. It happened that he had made it a rule of his life, whenever he saw anything done, to give it his fullest attention, hoping that if one day he were called to do the same thing he would be able to do it well. In this instance he had stood by whilst his horse was being shod and noted carefully how it was 86 done. Passing some time after, a small village, his horse cast a shoe ; he went into the blacksmith’s shop, and finding that the owner was away he lighted the fire and shod his horse. He then drove about ten miles and reached another viilage ; upon passing by a blacksmith’s shop he thought he would have his work examined to see if it were well done. The smith scrutinized it closely, saw how the nails were clinched and how it fitted generally, then turned round to Mr. Beecher and exclaimed : ‘* Look here, mister, if you made that shoe yourself and put it on, as you say, you had better give up preaching and take to smithing.” Gentlemen, allow me to thank you for the attention you have paid to my address; let us hope that our efforts will be crowned with success; that the Club will go on prozressing, and that, assisted by scientists and scientific institutions in Europe and America, from whom we have hitherto received every encouragement possible, we will become a useful institution of the Colony. To His Excellency, Sir Frederick Napier Broome, who was kind enough to accept the position of patron to our Club, we owe a great deal of encouragement, and it is to be hoped that the Club will continue to thrive successfully under his patronage. His Exceitency the Patron said he was sure they had all listened with great interest to the address which had just been read, giving an account of the first year’s operations of the Trinidad Field Naturalists’ Club. Ashe took it, the primary ob- ject of such a clubas this was to give pleasure to its members by observation of animal, insect, and plant Jife in Trinidad. They did not aspire, he took it, to be a Scientific institution or to render great services to the Colony. He thought it would be a mistake if they aspired to that. All clubs of this deseription were formed for mutual amusement, recreation and interest, and they had round them a field which certainly could afford most boundless occupation and study with the greatest profit, interest, and pleasure to all their members. If he would venture (for he was a totally unscientific man himself) to make any remark on the address, it was this—that he thought it was penetrating to too high ambition and too scientific aims. Do not let them try to be severely scientific, let them be amateurs, ordinary colonists—citizens of the island of ‘Trinidad—interchanging their ideas, observing with all the aids they could the man- fold life about them, interesting themselves in the wenderful phenomena and processes of nature, and feeling that the aims and objects of-their existence as a club were fulfilled in the pleasure that they themselves derived from this glorious field of nature about them, He was sure there were few spots on 87 earth where a field naturalists’ club had more abundant material at its hands than Trinidad. He never took a walk in the evening without noticing something to interest him in plant or insect life, and if this was the case with a most un- learned observer, what must it be with such learned naturalists as his friend Mr. Gatty, or the Member who had just read the address, or other Members of the Club such as Mr. Devenish. What simple amateurs wished to do, was to learn from experienced Members of the Club the proper methods of observing and appreciating that which lay under their feet and before their eyes, and he was sure that the various ob- jects collected and exhibited there that night, and at other times by this Club, and the papers read by its Members could not be but of the greatest benefit to them. Let their key-note —according to his humble judgment—be as unscientific as possible ; not to aim so much at having a scientific society, as to have a society for mutual recreation and enjoyment in the open air. The most valuable branches of effort of a club like this he took to be excursions by its Members to the woods and waters of the dominion around them. He did not know whether this Club had yet made any such excursions; he rather thought it had. He was sorry to say he had not been able to join in them, he wished he had. Again, his Excellency impressed upon the Members the object of a Naturalists’ Club, which was to give delight to its Members, and not to indulge in scientific matters. They were too exalted for them. There was one point which pleased him more than anything else in the annual report, and that was that the Club was estab- lished on a sound financial basis. Depend upon it. whether they dealt with business, science, or pleasure, the first point to be considered was the finance. ‘That was the key-stone of any such institution as this. He congratulated the Officers of the Club for paying great attention to the financial depart- ment, and exhorted them to collect the subscriptions severely, and not to give away a single copy of their magazine except such as were given to learned societies, and he would not have so much to do with learned societies if he had anything to do with it. If th ey were careful and economical they would prosper. He had m uch pleasure in accepting an invitation to join the Club, for this reason, because he wished in his humble way to interest himself in all that he thought it behoved the youth and the manhood of Trinidad to interest themselves in. He wished to try and set a good example, and he felt he could identify himself as Governor of the Colony with no more health- ful and self-rewarding organization than a Field Naturalists’ Club. In conclusion he wished the Club every success. 88 The Hon. 8. H. Garry said he was there unexpectedly that night. The truth was that he was a little hurt at the Club not having asked him to become a member, but, at any rate, he had subscribed to the magazine, and he should be only too glad to be a member if they allowed him. (Applause.) He had heard also of another ardent naturalist in the Colony who was asked to be a member and said he would be, but he had never been elected or he would have been there that night—he alluded to Dr. Rake.* Sothat they had not yet got all those in the colony who took an interest in natural history among their ranks. He had belonged all his life to natural history societies, and field naturalists’ societies, he thought, were most excellent institutions. As His Excellency had pointed out—and he had covered almost all the ground—no one could have a more healthful occupation than studying the ways of nature in the manner these clubs did. What they ought to be on the look-out for was that the work they did was not entirely thrown away ; that was to say, that they should work on proper lines. He was in correspondence with a gentleman who was collecting insects from all parts of the world and who assured him that he did not want so much the specimens as careful notes of the actual habits of the insects ; that was where science was most at fault. They who were on the spot could see in their living state and watch the specimens sent home, and in this way amateurs could do, by their obser- - vations, as much as most eminent scientists. He had some of his correspondent’s letters there—he had brought them down, having put them in his pocket at the last moment, because he only heard of this meeting before he sat down to dinner, and his correspondent wrote him that a great many ot the insects here were South American; some of them, he said, which were com- monly thought to be the greatest triumphs of their captors, the large and showy Morphos, Caligos and Papilios were not rarities, but there were things that were vastly more interesting to him, the small whites and Theclas and Skippers and Simonide, which were less known ; then, he said, “1 wish you would sit down some day and write what you have observed.” Well, he could not say that his observations were accurate enough ; in fact, he had not the time to make notes, but he thought he had got in him—probably inherited from his mother, who was a great naturalist all her life—the right sort of instinet of obser- vation, and he wrote about those butterflies a short story of how they flew, and so on, and his correspondent said it was most valuable. He told him that the cracklers only crackled when * The election of Dr. Rake and several other gentlemen had been post- poned, as some amendments with regard to the election of members were being made, Dr. Rake has since been elected. 89 they were together—he never observed them crackling alone. That was a curious thing. Then his correspondent said, “tell me about their colours,” and he wrote him about them, and he observed that there was a tendency to albinism among the but- terflies that flew in the shade under the cocoa trees and the curious fact that so many happened to be of the colour of chocolate. Probably that particular colour enabled them to conceal themselves from their enemies. He also sent his cor- respondent a tiny creamy butterfly with spots of metallic gold upon it, as if a little piece of gold leaf had been placed upon it, and he had written to ask him where did the ancestors of that creature of natural selection see a golden guinea-piece to enable it to take that gold. The metallic green they saw on the Urania had been laid down by recent scientists as being the last and most perfect colour developed by natural selection, and in writing to his correspondent he said “this gold beats your green into fits!’ Huis correspondent had not yet answered that question. But all these sorts of things were interesting, and it was about them that they wanted to know. Of the caterpillars and chrysalis he had not had much success in tracing the life history out here. Perhaps his sight was not sufficiently keen, but he believed their President had succeeded in making a drawing, showing the different stages and metamorphoses of a ~ number of Trinidad insects. But there were other things besides insects, and he should like to say a word in favour of botany. In regard to tliat he had been disappointed. He knew European botany very fairly well, and even once, when a boy, found a microscopic fungus which was new and got into Mr. Cooke’s book and he thought it was a great triumph ; but when he came out here he thought it a great pity that persons whose lot was cast out here had no means of learning the botany of the place. There was no handbook, so far as he was aware, published in Great Britain, within the ordinary means of a person, which taught you even the natural orders of tropical botany, and he thought it would be a very good thing for that institution—if- it could not be done at the Botanic Gardens—to institute a series of lectures where they could learn the natural orders of the trees out here. He was quite ashamed when pecple came out from England and asked him the scientific name of some plant, to find that he had never had the opportunity of studying it, and unless you purchased a big book like Hooker’s Genera Plantarum there were practically no means of knowing it. Mr. Devenish, for instance, might give them a lecture on the flower- ing trees of Trinidad, and there should be classes at which students could have flowering plants before them to dissect and classify. He thought they ought to inform themselves a great 90 deal more in botany than they had done. Of course, insect life here was very interesting. An American naturalist told him there were some forty thousand species ot lepidoptera, and he had not the least doubt that there were a vast number of insects which were not yet known to science. His friend had been preparing a list of Trinidad insects and had sent him a draft list which he had not yet had time to go through and compare with lists published in the colony, but he had sent him a list of the insects that had been sent from Trinidad, and there was not at all a complete list made yet and published anywhere. So that there was an immense amount of work before them—(The Governor: Some pleasure too)—and plenty of pleasure too. He took that for granted. (Laughter.) He could not imagine anyone not liking to dabble in natural history, and he quite endorsed His Excellency’s remark that it was healthy occu- pation. He could not imagine anyone having hard brain work which tried his temper, in this hot climate, not feeling relief in going out ina flannel suit and enjoying himself with a butterfly- net or in collecting plants. He did not know much about the animals, but he saw one* in the room which he once hoped would prove to be the natural enemy of the parasol ant, if they could find the natural enemy of the parasol ant he thought it would be a great thing to do. He agreed with His Excellency that to pre- tend to be a highly scientific society and lay down the law too quickly would be a great mistake. But they could name their species. and pursue scientific methods, and work towards an end which was capable of bearing good fruit, and if they could only make one discovery and find out for instance the natural enemy of that parasol ant, they would have done a good deal. The thing to cultivate, if they meant to do any scientific work, was to learn in the first place how to do it. The next thing was how to preserve their specimens, and to try and make the right ob- servations, but they must be accurate and not allow their observations to run away with them, and whatever conclusions they came to, they should have some evidence in support of them. They all had to get it into their minds to take accurate notes. If they could keep away from imagination they might do good work, although they might be nominally pleasing them- selves. They ought to meet together no doubt for mutual recreation and not aspire too much to being able to determine the enemy of the cane-borer or parasol ant. It would probably take one or two generations to find that out. In the meantime if there were excursions he should probably go out and he should thoroughly enjoy himself, as he thought every one with any sense must do, if they would only take part in them. (Applause. ) * Armadillo. 91 Mr. Meaden then read a paper on the so-called Mosquito Worm and Mr. Potter a few notes on the Banana disease. His Excellency, accompanied by the Club’s guests, then went round the room inspecting the collections, Mr. Caracciolo, the President, giving what explanations were necessary. A young Boa (Kpicrates Cenchris), was placed loose on the table, and, to the surprise of most of those present, took a mouse offered to it by one of the members and devoured it without any dis- play of bashfulness. ‘The process of swallowing seemed to interest the visitors very much. Mr. Caracciolo exhibited a collection of all the known bats of Trinidad, amongst which figured a very fine specimen of the fish- eating bat (Noctilio leporinus), he also exhibited snakes and lizards in spirits and stuffed alligators and armadillos. Mr. Broadway had on view some very nicely arranged cases of the Lepidoptera, Coleoptera, Orthoptera and Hymenoptera of Trinidad. Mr. Wagle some cases of Lepidoptera, amongst which a case of Trinidad Sphinges attracted attention by their beauty. Mr. Guppy was to the front with his beautiful water colour paintings of a good many of our butterflies and moths ;-he also showed some cases of Lepidoptera amongst which some rare kinds of Heliconig and a large moth (Thysania sp ?), caught at Morrison’s Valley, Maraval, were conspicuous. Mr. Petersen showed a fine coliection of snakes in spirits. Messrs. Mole and Urich showed the following live snakes: 1, a large Boa Constrictor 10 feet long. 2, two young specimens and a half-grown one of Hunectes Murinus. 3, a half grown Hpicrates cenchris, which was much admired for its iridescent coat. 4, a young Tree Boa (Xiphosoma hortulanum),. The above 4 species formed a complete set of the constricting snakes indigenous to Trinidad. 5, a green Machete (Herpetodryas viridissimus). 6, a fine specimen of a beautiful Tree snake (Dipsas sp). 7, a common Cribo (Spilotes corais). 8, a Diamond Rattle-snake (Crotalus horridus). Two Mats (Tejus teguexin). A large specimen of the bird-eating Spider (Mygale), wrongly called Taran- tula here. Mr. Mole also showed the prepared hyvid bone of the red howling Monkey, which, by its large size and hollowness, enables these animals to produce the loud roaring noise they do. CLUB PAPERS. THE SO-CALLED MOSQUITO WORM. Evidently this form of insect life is incorrectly named, and its origin pr actically unknown. The progress of the mosquito into Be Btence is well known, but it does not at all coincide with that of the insect under view. Most Members of the F.N.C. are more or less acquainted with the Mosquito Worm, and in writing this short paper, my hope is that some of our Members will find opportunity to give attention to this insect, and bring to light some means of dealing with it, for in the country dis- tricts it caynot be considered Tess than a pest. We may take it for granted, that a fly of some unknown kind is the founder of the mischief, and in its search for a house for its reproduction 92 attacks alike both man and animal, and apparently no epidermis is strong enough to resist this desire. Only one egg is laid at a time, I think, because I have seen many instances where the body has been punctured in several places, and only one worm produced in each. The fly appears to be mainly confined to forest land, and those living on the borders are the chief sufferers. At certain seasons, June and October, the fly is hardest at work, and all parts of the human or other body exposed is made an abode for the egg. Wild animals are severely attacked, especially the agouti. The amount of suffering this little rodent goes through while the eggs are incubating must be enormous, for I have shot them when they have been simply a mass of sores caused by the worms forming, and thus rendered quite unfit for food. Lapp suffer in a similar way, but hardly so severely; deer ina lesser degree on account of their heavier and closer-haired skins. In one case I extracted four worms from the head of a young un- fledged bird, known as grieve. Domestic animals are often sufferers. How or when the egg is deposited has perhaps never been ascertained. The worm is brought forth in the manner of an abscess forming, and the pain of such is increased by the con- tinued movement of the worm, ‘This movement causes the spot to inflame, and the skin to become thin, and easily broken for the insect’s departure for fields afresh and pastures new. I think it has never been found into what state the worm passes on leaving its birthplace*; this is what ought to be followedup. I have tried to breed the worm, and trace its after life, but failure attended my experiments. I suggest here that a way of ob- taining this object would be to place the worm in fresh pork, the meat to be kept at about the temperature of the human body. From this could be watched the after stages of existence the worm takes. The worm at its full growth is often three-quarters of an inch long, with a small brown head, round serrated body, ending with a sharp point of white colour. Whena worm is discovered the best treatment appears to poultice the place to increase the heat, and so hasten the entrance of the worm into its next stage. Todine injected will kill the worm, but as the foreign matter remains under the skin, bad after effects may ensue, which may prove worse than the cure. In hunting, I have often been shown a large black mosquito which the hunters asserted was the parent of the worm. I call De 2. see ee eee : * Like other species of parasitical flies it is probable that the worm leaves its unwilling host to go into the earth and turn into a chrysalis.—P.C 93 it a mosquito of an aggravated form, and it looks and bites for- midably enough to be responsible for such a pest as the worm, but I cannot support it as the originator, and at the same time can give no better theory for its existence. | In conclusion, I shall be most happy to work with any Member of the F.N.C. in trying to solve this problem in economic natural history. August 8th, 1892. C. W, MEADEN. BABICHE SHOOTING IN THE CARONI.* After a few preliminary remarks, in which he explained that his M.S. was originally written for an entirely different use to that which he then intended to put it, and expressing a hope that its reading might do something towards reviving the some- what declining interest in the Club’s éxcursions, Mr. Mole read the following paper :— A lovely tropical morning just before the close of the dry season, the last quarter of the moon fading away in the South- West, while over the verdure clad hills of Laventille—beautiful even after months of scorching heat—and the Church of Our Lady of the Mount, which crowns one of the highest peaks of the range,the bright rosy tints of dawn herald the approach of day’s great luminary, giving a peculiarly enchanting aspect to the tree-tops, now slightly swaying on the crest of the hills under the morning breeze. Beneath, where the shadows of night still linger as if reluctant to depart slowly roll masses of dense mist as if searching for hiding places in the hollows in the hill-sides ‘but soon to be dispelled by the rapidly rising sun. Away to the Westward the ships are lying on the usually placid waters of the Gulf now slightly ruffled by the rising breeze. Yards and rigging are silhouetted against the sky. A slight column of dis- tant smoke on the horizon announces either the approach or de- parture of a steamer. To the south lie a number of sloops aboard of which few signs of life are visible at this early hour. A boat winds its way in and out between the sleeping craft, as- it approaches the market on the wharf bearing the silvery vic- tims of the fisher’s night-long toil. Beyond, on the left the al- * For the scientific names of the trees, mammals, birds and reptiles noted in this article Mr. Mole desires us to state he is indebted to a List ‘by Mr. Prestoe, a Catalogue by Mr. Oldfield [homas, Dr. Leotaud’s Cata- logue, Book and Collection of Birds, Dr, Court’s Catalogue of Reptiles, and the London Zoological Society.—P.C. 94 most interminable line of green mangroves, over which at a great distance can be descried an estate’s tall chimney pouring out volumes of inkysmoke. Further still the heights of Mont- serrat begin to peer through the mist. Moresoutherly San Fer- nando Hill like a dark cloud appears to lightly rest upon the oO waters; to the south again dark dots indicate the coast line to ° Iccacos Point. How wonderfully clear the atmosphere appears as we look southward. Such is the scene presented to us as Urich and myself stand on the Queen’s Wharf Jetty superinten- ding the packing of our provisions and other impedimenta on board a pair oared boat. The clocks are just chiming six as we settle ourselves down in the sternsheets and directly afterwards we are being propelled as fast as two pairs of strong arms can pull towards the mouth of the Caroni. The time occupied in covering the distance, which cannot be more than three miles is busily employed in getting cartridges ready and arranging a cunningly devised wire snare on the end of an eighteen foot bamboo. ‘The estuary of the Caroni is almost imperceptible to the stranger owing to the many bends in the river and the long stretch of mangrove swamp through which it meanders, presen- ting an apparently almost unbroken coastline for many miles. It is, however, sufficiently well marked out to the boatmen who take shooting parties thither and to the mangrove woodsman whose search for daily bread induces him to pass half his days in the swamps cutting fire-wood and making the charcoal indis- pensable to Trinidad cookery. These people steer by the marks afforded by the mud stranded logs and tree trunks, the bare and weather beaten branches of which afford comfortable resting places to gull and pelican gorged with fish caught about these mud banks. Such a scene as this is rather disjiriting but it is soon left far behind as our oarsmen row straight for the shore in which an opening gradually appears and, suddenly almost, we find our boat has entered a smoothly flowing muddy stream about twenty yards wide, the banks of * which are invisible for the mangroves which grow in the shallow water. Up this stream we slowly but easily make our way. The sun is shining brightly and now and again his rays are retilected from the scaly sides of huge fish** as they leap out of the water and descending with resounding splashes send little wavelets rippling over the muddy water in far extending circles. Again and again the fish leap as if in mere playfulness and joy, inspired by the freshness of the morning, or are they feeding on the numerous insects which are flitting over the surface near the banks ? “‘ Could they not be taken with a fly ?” I ask, “such * Called by the French Creoles Grande Ecaille. 95 monsters would surely afford good sport.” ‘‘ No” is the reply, “it has been tried many times without success.” ‘ Dey get too much to eat here, dey don’ care for bait sah,’ volunteers a boatman, Now and again the line of mangroves is broken by a young palm or the creeper clad relict of what was once a stately ceiba* or silk cotton, as it is more commonly known here. Over every thing, the mangrove roots and the dead trees which they surround grows a vine-like plant which is in places, almost covered with a cup shaped flower, bringing back vividly to our minds the convolvu'us to be seen on old neglected garden walls at home.