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Mr. Stevens read the following extract from a letter just received, addressed to him by Mr. A. R. Wallace, dated Batchian, Moluccas, October 29th, 1858:—

"As there is now a boat going which may just catch the mail at Ternate, I write a few lines to let you know of my having arrived here safe and commenced operations. I came here in a small hired boat with my own men, luckily it was fine weather, or 100 miles at sea with no means of cooking and only room for one day's water, would have been more than unpleasant. I stopped five days at the Kaiod Islands, just half way, and got a nice collection of beetles, a fair number of new species, and some curious varieties of those before found at Ternate and Gilolo. I have only been here five days, but from what I have already done, and the nature of the country, I am inclined to think it may prove one of the best localities I have yet visited; I have already twenty species of Longicorns new to me, nothing very grand, but many pretty and very interesting; the most remarkable is one of the Bornean genus, Triammatus, also several species of the elegant little genus Serixia, which have been very scarce or absent since I left Sarawak; I have also an elegant new Pachyrhynchus, a fine Ips, a small new Cicindela, and a small new species of Therates. In butterflies I have taken an imperfect specimen of a glorious new species very like Papilio Ulysses, but distinct, and even handsomer! I have also seen a female of a grand new Ornithoptera, but cannot say what the male will prove to be. I have several times seen what I think is a new species allied to Papilio Codrus, but they are too wild to catch: the Papilio allied to P. Sarpedon, which I found at Macassar, is also here, and two or three other species which I have not yet been able to capture."

Part I. of the fifth volume of the new series of the Society's 'Transactions' was announced as published.

April 4, 1859.

Dr. GRAY, President, in the chair.

Donations.

The following donations were announced, and thanks ordered to be presented to the donors:—'Mémoires de la Société de Physique et d'Histoire Naturelle de Genève,' Tome xiv. 2e Partie; presented by the Society. 'Mémoires couronnés et Mémoires des Savants etrangers,' publiés par l'Académie Royale des Sciences, des Lettres et des

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The omission of these numbers caused the names of these species to appear as synonyms of the preceding insects.

Mr. Stevens exhibited a fine Buprestis, allied to Catoxantha, found by Mr. Wallace at Gilolo, of which Mr. Adam White furnished the following description:—

"The Buprestidæ are separated into genera and even into great groups by characters which, in many other families of insects, would be deemed hardly important enough to be regarded as anything but specific The subgenus, here briefly described, more nearly resembles Catoxantha in the shape of its thorax than Chrysochroa; it has an apparently dull-coloured look, compared with either of the two genera alluded to; its under side is decidedly metallic, except on the last segment of the abdomen beneath; its elytra are strongly grooved, and in their contour considerably resemble Catoxantha, differing in surface and in terminal pointing. It may be called Catoxantha (Demochroa) carinata.

CATOXANTHA (? DEMOCHROA) CARINATA, n. s.

C. Elytris viridi-purpurascentibus, creberrime acupunctatis, costis quatuor cultratis elongatis, costa brevi obliqua ad suturam prope basim, apice subtruncato, triapiculalo; capite, cæruleo, purpureo et viridi decorato, antice inter antennas subcavato, et cultrato; thorace dorso irregulari creberrime acupunctato, postice sulculis duobus curvates longitudinalita directis, et sulco ad latera singula; thorace, abdomineque subtus purpureis, pilis brevibus subdensis ochraceo-flavis, indutis, pedibus cyaneis, femoribus, basi præsertim, viridi et igneo variegatis, abdominis segmento ultimo subtus pallido flavo, dorso læte metallico-viridi.

Hab. in Insula Gilolo. Long. unc. 1, lin.6."

May 2, 1859.

H. T. STAINTON, Esq., V.P., in the chair.

The following donations were announced, and thanks ordered to be presented to the donors:— 'Journal of Proceedings of the Linnean Society,' Vol. iii., No. 12; presented by the Society. 'Abhandlungen der Koeniglich Bayerischen Akademie de Wissenschaften,' Vol. iii., Part 2; by the Society. 'The Zoologist' for May; by the Editor. 'The Literary Gazette' for April; by the Editor. 'The Journal of the Society of Arts' for April; by the Society. 'The Entomologist's Weekly Intelligencer,' Nos. 132 to 135, and Vol. v.; 'Manual of British Butterflies and Moths,' Nos. 29 and 30.

Election of a Member.

Douglas Timmins, Esq., of Oriel College, Oxford, was balloted for and elected a Member of the Society.

Exhibitions.

Mr. Stevens exhibited some butterflies taken by Mr. Wallace, in New Guinea; the most conspicuous being a beautiful Hestia, allied to H. D'Urvillei.