120 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [April,. 



FEBRUARY 27, 1896. 



Meeting held this evening at 8 P. M., in the new quarters at 

 The Academy -of Natural Sciences, President Horn in the chair. 

 Members present: Dr. Horn, E. T. Cresson, Liebeck, Dr. Skin- 

 ner, Laurent, G. B. Cresson, Seiss, Welles, Johnson. Fox, Rid- 

 ings, Dr. Griffith. Visitors: Dr. Castle, Prof. Holt, Reinick, 

 Luccareni, Kemp, Westcott, Mr. Lancaster Thomas and Mrs. 

 C. B. Aaron. Dr. Skinner, Curator, reported that almost all the 

 property of the Society had been removed from the rooms in 

 the lower hall formerly occupied. The amount of space now 

 secured, and the distribution of material, show how very inade- 

 quate were our former quarters. The Publication Committee 

 reported in favor of the publication of a paper by Dr. J. L. Han- 

 cock, on the Illinois grouse locusts. Dr. Skinner spoke in regard 

 to the proper labeling of specimens. He stated that fully seventy- 

 five per cent, of the insects in the collection of the Society were 

 without locality labels to show where the insects had been taken. 

 It was claimed that such labels were a necessary adjunct to the 

 proper study of collections by those interested, and they should 

 be placed on the pins of all specimens. The speaker asked the 

 President his opinion of political boundaries in the make up of 

 scientific collections, and especially in reference to Lower Cali- 

 fornia. The President replied, explaining why Lower California 

 had been included in the fauna of this country. How Dr. Le- 

 Conte in his descriptions of insects from that locality had been 

 led to include them with our own, and gave instances of the use- 

 fulness of so doing. He further stated that a smaller percentage 

 of tropical insects are found there than in Texas. Dr. Skinner 

 exhibited a book presented to the Society in 1877 by Mrs. Lucy 

 Say. It represented local Lepidoptera prepared by gumming 

 them on to paper and then peeling ofif the membrane leaving the 

 scales. This, when neatly done, looks like a perfect colored 

 drawing of the insect. Two bound volumes of papers by Dr. 

 John Hamilton were presented by the author. The thanks of 

 the Society were voted to the kind donor. The President an- 

 nounced the death of Mr. T. B. Ashton, of Tonganoxie, Kans. y 

 one of the early members of the Society, and spoke of the in- 

 terest shown by the deceased in its welfare in its younger days. 



I. H. RIDINGS, Rec. Secy* 



