1920.] 213 



of his subject, and we recommend the work to the notice of both the ento- 

 mologist find general zoologist. The printing and illustrations are particularly- 

 clear, most of the latter being original ; tliere is also a convenient and not too 

 lengthy bibliography of the more important books and memoirs. — A. D. Ijims. 



6bitu;iri). 



William West died at llairingay, Middlesex, on July 20th, aged 84. He 

 -was born at Rotherhithe in 1836, and removed at an early age to Greenwich, 

 where he was apprenticed to the Engineering firm of John Peun and Sons. 

 Nearly filty years of his life were spent in their employ, working in tlieir 

 brass foundrj'. Retiring in 1899, he devoted the remainder of bis life to 

 liis favourite study of entomology, especially to field-work, and to mounting 

 specimens for his collections or to give to his friends. He was possessed 

 of all his faculties and gave evidence of untiring activity up to the time of 

 liis sudden death, due to natural causes. As one of the founders of the South 

 London Entomological and Natural History Society, and Curator of their collec- 

 tions, to which he was always a liberal donor. West was well known to all their 

 members. For many years past the Hemiptera Heteroptera and Homoptera 

 were his favourites, and as recently as November last he presented his 

 beautifully-mounted named collection of the latter group, containing nearly 

 SoOO specimens, to the Natural History Museum at S. Kensington. To the 

 Coleoptera, Orthoptera, and Lepidoptera, and to the Land and Freshwater 

 Mollusca also, West also gave a great deal of attention ; and the collection of 

 beetles got together by him included man}' rarities. As a collector he was 

 extremely " lucky " at times, and amongst such captures may be mentioned 

 Tropideres sejncola and Pt/i/olcanpis bifurc(da in the New Forest, lly abates 

 boiuiairei at Box Hill, Oxylaemus variolosus at Darenth Wood, etc. The vast 

 number of insects obtained by him were mostly determined by competent 

 experts, and, perliaps in consequence of this, his writings on entomological 

 subjects were limited in number. He wrote the articles on Hemiptera and 

 Coleoptera for the Woolwich and West Kent Survey, pp. 200-332 (1909). 

 West leaves two sons and two daiio-hters. — S. R. Ashby. 



TiiK South London Entomological and Natural History Society: 

 June 2Uh, 1920.— Mr. K. G. Blair, B.Sc, F.E.S., President, in the Chair. 



Exhibition and discussion of Ilijdriomena fnrcata Thunb. {ehitata): 

 Messrs. Turner, Barnett, etc., exliibited series ; the first-named showed a copy 

 of Thunbei-g's " Dissertationes," 1784, containing the original figure and de- 

 scrption of the species, and read notes on the lines of variation and pointed out 

 the named forms; in Mr. Baruett's series was a very fine example of the 

 1/ifu.fcata form. Mr. S. Ashby, specimens of the rare beetle Letna erichsoniy 

 taken by Mrs. Ashby and himself near Rye in A.pril last. Mr. Bunnett, series 

 of the Rhynchophorous heetle Attelabus nite7is (curculionoides) yvith lenves of 

 oak rolled by the larvae ; and also larvae and pupae of Ledra aurita (Hemipt.). 



