1911.] 135 



^oci(fti(js. 



Lancashire and Cheshire Entomological Society. — Meeting' lield 

 February 20th, 1911, at the Koyal Institvitioii, Colqviit Street, Liverpool. 

 Mr. Geo. Arnold, M.Sc , F.E.S., Vice-President in the Chair. 



The Vice-President delivered a lecture, " Ants," in which he dealt chiefly 

 with the recent discoveries connected with the habits of the subterranean 

 fvmgus-eating species and the curious procedvire of the females when founding 

 a new colony. The ants which infest trees, constinicting their nests in hollow 

 parts of the brandies, were also specially dealt with, and the economic effect 

 of their presence described. The lectiu'e was illustrated by a large number of 

 specimens and also by means of drawings on the blackboard. — H. E. Sw^eeting 

 and Wm. Mansbridge, Hon. Secretaries. 



The South London Entomological and Natural History Society : 

 Thursday, February 23rd, 1911.— Mr. W J Kaye, F.E.S., President, in the 

 Chair. 



Mr. J. H. Leslie, F.E.S., of Tooting, was elected a Member. 



Mr. Turner exhibited three Noctuids sent to him by Mr. Murray, of St. 

 Anne's-on-Sea ; two of the specimens were very dark melanic forms of Agrotids 

 superficially very similar, but which, on close examination, he considered to 

 belong to two sijecies, Agrotis tritici of the v. nigra form, and A. 7iigrica7is of 

 the V. fumosa. Fab. (nee Godt.). The third specimen was a worn Lwperina, 

 possibly referable to L. cespitis, the small, grey, rough-surfaced form sometimes 

 met with on the coasts of Lancashire and Svissex. Mr. Moore, the very beautiful 

 leaf-moth of India, Gloriana (Phyllodes) ornata. Mr. Newanan (1), sticks, both 

 living and dead, of sallow containing larvis of Trochilium bembeciforme, and 

 also some containing the similarly feeding larvae of the musk-beetle Aromia 

 moschata ; (2), a living specimen of Sesia culiciformis, bred after sixteen days 

 forcing ; and (3), full-fed larvas of A^rtia caia and Callimorpha dominula, which 

 had been forced on, and stated that some of the former had made no response 

 to the treatment. Mr. Kaye, a varied series of Spilosoma lubricipeda and its 

 var. zatima, and asked if it had been obtained by any one recently. Mr. Adkin, 

 melanic examples of A. nigricans to compare with Mr. Murray's specimens. 

 Mr. Tonge sliowed a series of lantern slides, each illustrating the complete life- 

 history of a British butterfly. Mr. Edwards, a set of slides illustrating the 

 anatomy of a Lepidopteron. Mr. Main, slides sent by Mr. Hancock, of 

 Birmingham, illustrating the structure, habits, and snares of spiders. 



Thursday, March 9th, 1911.— The President in the Chair. 



Mr. A. E. Gibbs exhibited a collection of Lepidoptera from the Cuna Cuna 

 Pass, Blue Mountains, Jamaica, including the rare Papilio homerus, and fine 

 local forms of Aganisthos odius, Gymecia dives, Hymenitis diaphanus, Calisto 

 zangis, Adelpha abyla, &c. Mr. Newman, a new kind of larva-cage, introduced 



