58 



of the rarer inset^ts of the plains, which must require most 

 careful searching for when at rest on the truniis of trees. 

 Amongst the AcridiidcB, the great green arboreal locust, Acri- 

 d III in sp., is another uncommon species of the plains, but the 

 most important, economically, is A. pereiiriiiiun, 01., the migratory 

 locust, and A. snccinctiiin, Lin., the Bombay locust, also a migra- 

 tory species. The most impressive is surelj^ Teratodns nionticollis, 

 Gray, a very buffalo of grasshoppers, with its great thorax and 

 jaunty air. The so-called Cofiee locust, Aidarches inilioiis, Fab., 

 and the painted grasshopper Puecilocera picta, Fab., though of nO' 

 economic importance, furnish examples of warning colours, not being 

 good to eat and consequently having no natural enemies. Amongst 

 the Lnciistidw is the great Mecopoda elomjata, L., another rare 

 insect of the plains, though common in the hills. One of the 

 greatest curiosities of Indian insect life is Schizodacti/liis iinmstniosiis, 

 Don., still of uncertain systematic position. In the Mole-cricket, 

 Grijllotalpa africaiia, Beauv., a species found in Africa, Asia, Aus- 

 tralia, and elsewhere, we have an instance of the disadvantage of 

 giving a geographical name to anything before its geographical 

 distribution is known. Brachijtnipen achatiiiiis, Stoll, the common 

 brown cricket, is notable as being the noisiest. 



" I would like to record my appreciation of the self-denial and 

 unexpected generosity of Mr. Grosvenor, which adds another happy 

 memory to many others associated with members of this Society." 



Mr. W. West exhibited four drawers of British Hemiptera,. 

 including a specimen of the extremely rare European Eeduviid 

 species, Pyyohwipis bidentata, which he had taken in May, 1914, in 

 the New Forest, the second recorded British specimen. 



Mr. H. W. Andrews exhibited a number of species of British 

 Diptera to illustrate wing-patterns and coloration, and contributed 

 the following note : — 



"The Diptera are well known as one of the ' clear-winged ' 

 orders of insects. The typical dipterous wing consists of two layers 

 of transparent membrane of a more or less vitreous nature, and the 

 only colouring is the iridescence caused by structural modification^ 

 of the surface. Yet, on looking over a large number of species 

 there is a considerable amount of colour and pattern to be found. 

 I have selected from my collection various species of the different 

 families illustrating the extent and character of wing-pattern and 

 coloration obtaining in the order. This exhibit by no means 

 pretends to be a complete one, as I have not nearly enough material 



