116 THE entomologist's RECORD. 



strand of spider's web already there. If Miss Fison can elicit more 

 definite information on these points it would be useful. — C. Nicholson 

 (F.E.S.), 35, The Avenue, Hale End, Chingford, Essex. 



Thaumatopaea pityocampa. — The larvfe Miss Fison saw {E7it. Bee, 

 xxvii., p. 86) in the road at Pallanza, on February 11th, were certainly 

 not processionea but jiityocainiia. The larvie of the latter hatch in 

 autumn, make their great nests in the pine trees, and are full-fed in 

 early spring, they then leave the trees and "process" across country 

 roads or anywhere, to find a place in which to spin their cocoons and 

 pupate. They enter some cavity together and spin their cocoons in a 

 mass. They do " process " on the trees from their nests to the feeding 

 places, but only leave the trees and march on the ground when ready 

 to pupate. Pityocampa feeds on pines, and in its southern habitats 

 feeds all the winter. On the other hand processionea feeds on deciduous 

 trees, usually oaks. The small larvfe may be found, in beautifully 

 radiating groups, on oak leaves, not very long after these have fully 

 expanded in the spring, but they still have nearly all their growth and 

 feeding to do, and are not full-fed till well on in the summer. The 

 life histories of both species are well-known, and the discrimination 

 between them when found as larvae is easy, but the facts do not seem 

 to be familiar to everyone. — T. A. Chapman (M.D.), Betula, Reigate. 

 April, 1915. 



(grURRENT NOTES AND SHORT NOTICES. 



The earnest sympathies of all our readers will go out to Professor 

 E. B. Poulton, F.R.S., of the Hope Museum, for the loss of his son, 

 Lieutenant R. W. Poulton-Palmer, killed in action in France. 

 Lieutenant Poulton took the name of Palmer two years ago when he 

 inherited the fortune of his uncle, a director of the great biscuit 

 factory at Reading. He was a well known athlete and had taken part 

 in many first-class and international matches. 



Those entomologists who were present at the South London 

 Entomological Society to hear Dr. Dixey's paper on " Seasonal 

 Dimorphism " had a treat. It was an admirable and lucid statement 

 of the phenomena by the author at his best, and was fully illustrated 

 by diagrams and a valuable series of appropriate slides. Those 

 members of the Society who were unable to be present will enjoy 

 reading this paper ivhen it is printed. 



The word when in the last paragraph calls attention to a grievance 

 which not only authors of papers, read at our various societies, have, 

 but which is also shared by the audience, the members unfortunately 

 unable to be present, and often by science itself. An extreme 

 instance may be quoted. On February 12th, 1914, our colleague, the 

 Rev. G. Wheeler, read a very valuable paper on the "Genus Melitaea" 

 at a London Society, and yet owing to the customary routine this paper 

 has not yet been published. 



This is in no way intended to signalise any individual society ; similar 

 delays occur in most of them. A paper read early in the official year 

 rarely gets printed until well over twelve months after, and it may, by 

 that time, be somewhat out of date. Having appreciated the delay, 

 and its effects on the progress of our knowledge, how can it be avoided ? 

 There seem but two ways to get over the difficulty, either the societies 



