77 



Mr. B. S. Williams exhibited two aberrations of Rumicia pldceas 

 of the autumn brood, 1920, from North Finchley. One was the ab. 

 snhradiata, Tutt ; the other was the same form with a series of 

 copper patches between copper-marked nervures on the hiudwings 

 of the same shape and size as the blue patches in ab. camleo- 

 punctata. 



Mr. A. A. W. Buckstone exhibited several series of Hi/(/)ochroa 

 si/ringaria, one consisting of fairly large and brightly coloured 

 specimens bred from larvae taken at Wimbledon in March last. 

 Emergence took place in June. There was a fair amount of varia- 

 tion in breadth of wing. Another series, bred from two pairings of 

 the above, consisted of smaller insects which emerged in August. 

 They were more uniform in breadth of wing, but the colour was 

 dull, and the pale blotch on outer margin of forewing was reduced 

 in size. 



A third series was bred from larvae taken at Wimbledon in 1913 

 and 1915, the large, brightly coloured moths emerging in June 

 each year. The ground colour of the wings of the females was 

 yellow as compared with the greenish tinge of the wings of that sex 

 in the previous two series. Two of the males had the centre line of 

 the forewings duplicated. There were in addition specimens 

 captured at Wimbledon, June, 1913, which were pale in colour and 

 of small size as compared wibh the foregoing. 



The larvffi of the first series were beaten from honeysuckle, but 

 fed on privet, as were their descendants. 



Of 263 ova obtained from these pairings 233 eventually became 

 imagines, five larvae hibernating after their second moult, the 

 remaining larvae dying from accidental injuries. 



Mr. Bujckstone also exhibited living pupae and imagines of 

 Pyraniein atalanta, from larvae taken at Merton Park, and full-fed 

 larvfe of Abraxas (jroasulariata (one spinning up) taken in the same 

 locality where a considerable number were found equally precocious. 



In the ensuing discussion it appeared that several members were 

 obtaining a second emergence of P. atalanta, and it was claimed 

 that they might be hibernated as pupae if protected from frost. It 

 was stated that a second brood of A. grussiilan'ata could always be 

 bred even out of doors. There were a few records of P. atalanta 

 being seen wild in winter, but in the Scilly islands it appeared to 

 hibernate regularly. If imagines were wintered indoors and fed 

 regularly it was always possible to get them to pair in the spring. 



Dr. Dixey, F.R.S., read a paper on " Sexual Dimorphism," 



