142 [June, 



4000 years old. Occasionally disease ravages the inbred races of the insect, 

 hence the necessity to introdiice new blood. So far, hybridisation has not been 

 very successful, thus the efforts of practical Entomologists are directed towards 

 finding out and investigating new species of wild moths whose larvae make 

 a cocoon of serviceable silk. Mr. Watson showed the Japanese silk moth, 

 Anthersea yama-mai, and also the Tnssor, or Indian, silk moth, A. mylitta, as 

 instances of wild insects capable of cultirre and yielding a large quantity of 

 valviable silk ; Saturnia injretorum, the moth whose larvae yields the gut used 

 for fishing lines, the production of which forms the staple industry in the 

 Island of Hainan (China), also came in for attention. The lecture was illus- 

 trated by Mr. Watson's collection of twenty large drawers containing many 

 very rare species arranged with the silk they produce, the whole forming an 

 educational exhibit of exceeding interest. At the same meeting Mr. W. 

 Mansbridge, exhibited, on behalf of Mr. L. W. Newman, of Bexley, the new 

 breeding pot invented by Mr. Newman, and also his relaxing boxes. 



The conchiding meeting of the Session was held on April 9th. Mr. Geo. 

 Arnold, Vice-President, in the Chair. 



Mr. Wm. Mansbridge gave an address on Grapholitha nxvana and (?. (? var.) 

 geminana, in which he dealt with the various forms of these insects in Lanca- 

 shire and Yoi'kshire. He stated that in the West Riding the two species were 

 in the imago state at the same time in localities near to one another, where the 

 holly form {nsevana) and the bilberry form {geminana) occiuTcd. At Delamere 

 however, the bilberry feeder was worn at the time the holly feeder was begin- 

 ning to emerge in the district round Liverpool. Although nsevana from holly 

 had a variation like geminana, it was never so pale as the latter, and the moth 

 from bilberry was always smaller in size ; geminana did not possess a black 

 variation like nsevana, but a very small percentage wex'e unicolorous dark grey. 

 Mr. F. N. Pierce then described the results of his examination of the genitalia 

 of the two species ; after critically comparing a long series of preparations of 

 both males and females, he had failed to distinguish any point of difference. 

 In discvission by the Members it was held that the negative character of 

 Mr. Pierce's results was not sufficient, in this instance, to sink geminana to the 

 level of a variation of nasvana. Mr. Wm. Mansbridge exhibited a long series of 

 Selenia bilunaria, comprising very dark speckled forms and a new variation of 

 a uniform dark ferruginous brown colour, for which he proposed the varietal 

 name hrunnearia. Mr. C. E. Stott showed a specimen of Panchlora nivea, L., an 

 exotic cockroach, taken on the wing at Trentham, N. Staffs., in October, 1910. — 

 H. R. Sweeting and Wm. Mansbridge, Hon. Secretaries. 



The South London Entomological and Natural History Society : 

 Thursday, March 23rd, 1911.— Mr. W. J. Kaye, P.E.S., President, in the Chair. 



