216 r September, 1909. 



without having been distarbed in any way by us. They were indeed repeatedly 

 observed to fly into tlie trees we were examining, from outside, and to settle on the 

 twigs and brandies. When the late Mr. R. McLachlan saw the several specimens 

 I then had in my collection, he remarked that they were much smaller than the 

 Continental form of the species. This must be characteristic of the British insect, 

 for of those I took a few only are slightly larger than those he saw in my cabinet, 

 whilst many of them are still smaller. — GrEO. T. Porritt, Elm Lea, Huddersfield : 

 August 3rd, 1909. 



Melanic Acronifcta meni/nnthidis near Sheffield. — In tlic wood near ShefEeld 

 alluded to above, and on tlie alpestri.t ground, on the same occasion, Mr. L. S. 

 Brady found a quite black Acronycta menyanthidis $ on a pine trunk. The black 

 form has not previously been recorded from that division of the county, though well 

 known in the Selby and York districts. It was the only specimen of the species 

 seen that day, but Mr. Brady told me he had in previous years seen several speci- 

 mens of the ordinary pale form in the wood. — Id. 



Sirex gignfi in Nottinghamshire. — On August 5th a ? specimen of Sirex gigas 

 was taken in the garden here. This insect has frequently occurred in Worksop 

 previously, but not during the last few years. — E. Maude Alderson, Park House, 

 Worksop, Notts. : .iugust, 1909. 



^octd]). 



The South London Entomological and Natural History Society : 

 Thursday, July 8th, 1909.— Mr. A. Sich, F.E.S., President, in the Chair. 



It was announced that the collections of British and European Butterflies made 

 by the late Mr. F. F. Freeman, of Tavistock, Devon, had been generously presented 

 to the Society by Mrs. Freeman, through Mr. Rowland-Brown. It is contained 

 in two handsome cabinets. The collection comprises series of almost every 

 European species as well as of many local and rare forms, including much of the 

 material collected by the late Mr. P. Lemann. This is the only modern collection 

 of European Butterflies in London available for reference, and should be of great 

 value to the rapidly increasing number of students of Palsearctic Butterflies. 



Mr. Sperring exhibited a specimen of Pararge megsera from Somerset, in which 

 the usually fulvous markings were of a pale straw colour, together with five examples 

 of Canonympha pamphUtis, showing five distinct shades of colour, from Porchester, 

 all taken at one time. Mr. Edwards, a specimen of the rare Opsiphanes syme from 

 Brazil. Mr. R. Adkin, a bred series of Odontopera hidentata of Yorkshire origin , 

 and contributed notes on the results of tlie breeding, particularly with regard to the 

 production of black forms. Mr. B. Adkin, a short sei'ies of very curious small 

 specimens of Cidaria suffumata from North Devon, showing very dose superficial 

 resemblance to C. si/aceafa. — llY. J. Turner, Hon. Secretary. 



