1897.] 95 



February 26tli, 1897. — Thk President in the Chair. Professor Newton, 

 Professor of Zoology, was elected an Honorary Member. Mr. Harmer, of King's 

 College, was elected President for the following year. Dr. Sharp exhibited a larva 

 of one of our common Geotrupes, and called attention to its stridulating organ, in 

 which one pair of legs work upon the pair in front of them. He said that this 

 beetle in the imago state also possesses a stridulating organ, but it is situated in a 

 different position anatomically, and therefore not corresponding with the larval 

 organ. The latter is lost in the imago, and it is clear that this elaborate structure 

 exists solely for the larval state, but Dr. Sharp acknowledged that he was unable 

 to guess what use such a structure could be to a larva, leading, as this does, an 

 underground life, and having, as far as we know, no relations with the lives of other 

 individuals of its own species that could be influenced by any sound it might 

 make. — L. Doncaster, Hon. Secretary. 



The South London Entomological and Natural History Society : 

 February llth, 1897. — R. Adkin, Esq., F.E.S., President, in the Chair. 



Mr. Barrett exhibited specimens of a species new to Britain, Platyptilia 

 tesseradactyla, taken by Mr. de V. Kane in the West of Ireland. Mr. Routledge, 

 a fine var. of DianthcBcia conspersa, bred from Orkney. It was generally ochreous, 

 the usually white markings being grey. Mr. Tutt, dead larvae of Hepialus Iwpulinus 

 which had been attacked by a fungus. Living larvee were also shown which had 

 nibbled the dead ones. On behalf of Mr. Fletcher, of Worthing, he exhibited a 

 series of hybrid Zygcenidm, from continental Z. Ochsenheimeri and British Z. 

 JilipendulcB. Also, on behalf of Mr. Prince, of Cheshire, a large box of common 

 species showing the local forms and range of variation. And on behalf of Dr. 

 Chapman, the living larva of Bryophila perla, showing its silken gallery to which 

 it retires during the day. It was noted that the species did not hibernate, but fed 

 all the winter. Mr. McArthur, a specimen of Aplecta occulta, just bred from a 

 Rannoch larva. Mr. Adkin, a series of the same species, part taken and part bred 

 from larvae taken at the same locality. They were of good size and very darkly 

 marked. The remainder of the evening was devoted to the exhibition by means of 

 the lantern of some sixty photo-micrographic slides of insect anatomy, by Mr. F. 

 Clark, aided by Mr. Fnrneaux, F R.G.S. Some of the prepared objects from which 

 slides had been made were kindly lent by Mr. W. West, of Streatham Mr. Clark 

 first showed, by means of diagrams, his method of making the slides, and then 

 went on to exhibit various forms of antennas, the tracheae, several forms of the 

 tongue, the compound eye, scales of Lepidoptera, hairs of common larvffi, and a 

 most interesting series of the parasites of man and animals. The large screen 

 used had been bought by Mr. Edwards and most kindly presented to the Society, 

 which is now admirably equipped with its lantern and all appliances for 

 demonstration purposes. 



February 25th, 1897. — The President in the Chair. 



Mr. Bishop, of Kingston-on-Thames, was elected a Member. 



Mr. Billups exhibited for Mr. Sauze' some seventy species of Diptera, Coleoptera, 

 Neuroptera, &c , which had been taken during the last year. Mr. Tutt, specimens 

 of Aglais {Vanessa) urticoe, var. ichnusa, from Corsica, and remarked that Mr. 

 Merrifield's experimeniis had resulted in only an approximation to this var. He 



