Ixxxii Joitrnal of Pwceediiuja. 



Club was too local, inasmuch as the operations of the Society embraced 

 the whole county. 



Before the commencement of the scientific business of the evening the 

 President alluded in feeling terms to the death of an honoured original 

 member of the Club, Sir Antonio Brady, F.G.S., who died on Monday 

 morning, December 12th, at his residence, Maryland Point, Stratford, at 

 the age of 70. He was sure he was but expressing the desire of all mem- 

 bers of the Society in suggesting that a letter of condolence should be 

 sent to the family expressive of their respectful sympathy, and their deep 

 sense of the loss geological science and the county generally had sustained 

 by the death of their distinguished member. He might add the Secretary 

 had suggested that the Club should publish in the ' Transactions' a short 

 memoir of Sir Antonio, accompanied, if possible, by a portrait. To thus 

 record departed worth was in his (the President's) opinion a very com- 

 mendable custom, and one which obtained in many Societies, especially 

 on the Continent, and he thought they might well initiate it in their own 

 Club. 



The resolution was passed unanimously. 



Mr. White exhibited an aberration in a specimen of Thecla Quercus 

 (the " purple hair-streak butterfly "). The specimen was a female, and 

 on the dark purplish brown disc of the fore wings two or three blotches 

 of an orange colour were clearly traceable, suggesting a relation of affinity 

 with another well-known butterfly of the same genus, — Thecla Betula, — 

 the female of which has a large orange patch on the fore wings. Mr. 

 White thought that such instances of departure from type were well 

 worthy of careful attention, as by the aid which they afford in elucidating 

 the least apparent cases of affinity, and in determining more exactly the 

 " cousinship " of species, they always yield some evidence of value to the 

 evolutionist. He thought that from an examination of the specimen 

 they might fairly conclude that Thecla Quercvs was a younger form of 

 butterfly than its sloe-feeding ally. He also exhibited a collection of 

 British species of Sesiidae or " Clear- wing " Moths, in order to show the 

 close general resemblance in many cases between these delicate creatures 

 and other insects which possess special means of defence, such as bees 

 and wasps. 



In most of the species of the family the scales upon the wings, so 

 characteristic of the order Lepidoptera, are almost entirely absent, but 

 one of Mr. White's specimens of Sesia fucifonnis which he had bred from 

 the pupa, still retained some scales. These scales generally fall oft' readily 

 when the insect flies. One section of the family (the genus Macroglossa 

 for example) has wings densely clothed with scales, and the President 

 pointed out the interest attaching to the specimen exliibited as showing 

 that the " clear-wing " character was a later development, tending to the 

 advantage of the creature in assimilating its appearance to the well-pro- 

 tected Hymenopteia, whilst its origin from a densely scaled form was 

 indicated by the tiansitoiy rettntion of scales in the recently jDerfected 



