109 



the latest dates he had previously known were November 9th and 

 November 11th. He asked if the finding of imagines of Acronicta 

 vieciacephala on a poplar trunk, on the dates June 8th and August 

 8th, two months apart, indicated two broods. 



In the discussion Mr. Adkin said that according to Eagle Clarke, 

 November 16th was the latest recorded date for the Martin to be 

 seen on migration in this country. Mr. West (Ashtead) said that 

 phosphorescence Avas seen at times on most parts of our coast, and 

 was due to the presence of a vast quantity of Koctilnea. It was not 

 considered that A. vietjncejihala had two broods in the season. 

 Probably it was only a retarded emergence. Mr. Sich had seen a 

 specimen in October some years ago. 



Mr. Blair exhibited larvae of the Dipteron Microdon iiiutabilis, 

 which had been sent to him from the New Forest where it had been 

 found among Spluifininn. It was usually a guest of ants and was 

 supposed to act as a scavenger, subsisting upon the various debrin in 

 the ants' nests. 



Mr. F. W. Frohawk reported a new habit he had this year noticed 

 in the common wasp, that of collecting the ears of corn. He had 

 found a portion of a field, 300 yds. by 12 — 14 yds., more or less 

 completely ruined by this hitherto unrecorded habit. The nest in 

 this case was some distance away, situated in a shed. If this habit 

 grew and spread, formidable destruction of corn crops might ensue. 



DECEMBER Uth, 1916. 

 The Annual Exhibition of Varieties. 



Mr. W. J. Kaye exhibited on behalf of Mr. J. J. Joicey:^ 



(1) A well-marked gynandromorph of Papilio lycojihron var. 

 fhanias, E. and J., from North Peru. 



(2) A pair of Polyf/rapha cyanea, Godra. and Salv. The c? is 

 not rare in the tropical Andean region of South America, but 

 the $ was unknown till the specimen here exhibited was taken in 

 Ecuador by M. G. Palmer. A second specimen has not been re- 

 corded as far as we know. This female is remarkable in presenting 

 a strong resemblance to certain species of Oimphanes. These Bras- 

 Bolids fly round the houses at dusk, and as the female Polyyrapha 

 was found drowned in a native water-pot outside a house, it is pos- 

 sible that it flew in company with the Opsiphanea. 



