1921. J 



41 



Societicfi. 



Yorkshire Naturalists' Union: Entomological Sf;ction. — The 

 Annual Meetinj>' of the Entomological Section of the Yorkshire jNaturalists' 

 Union was held in the Leeds Institute on October 30th, 1920. The chair was 

 taken bj' Mr. G. T. Porritt, F.L.S., F.E.8., the President of the Section. 

 There was a large attendance of entomologists from all parts of the county. 

 With a few additions and alterations the various committees were re-eiected. 

 A matter of extreme interest to the Section is the election of ])r. H. II. 

 Corbett, F.L.S., of Doncaster, to the Presidential Chair of the Yorkshire 

 Naturalists' Union for 1921. A pleasing feature of the Annual Meeting was 

 the addition of new blood to many of the committees and the presence of 

 several younger members of the entimiological family. 



The various reports, as given by the secretaries of the sections, contain 

 much of interest ; though the consensus of opinion is that insects of all orders 

 have been unusually scarce. 



In Lepidoptera, Mr. B. Morley reports that the season has been one of 

 the worst on record. The common white butterflies have been rarely observed, 

 but there was an immigration, accompanied by Plusia (juinvut, of Vanessa 

 cardui and V. atalnnta in the spring, which latter insect produced an abundant 

 autumnal brood. 



An interesting addition to the list of Yorkshire Lepidoptera is Nonayria 

 arundineta, a colony of which was discovered in Wharfedale by the Rev. Cyril 

 1). Ash. The melanic var. dissoluta occurred with the type. Mr. Ash also 

 reports two examples of Ayrotis praeco.v from the East Riding, near Ilolme- 

 on-Spaldiug Moor. This is essentially a coast species, but as the soil is sandy 

 near Holme its occurrence may be compared to the occasional captures inland 

 of littoral Coleopf.era, e.g. Broscus cephalotes, which is well established on 

 certain sandy tracts near Doncaster. 



Mr. T. A. Lofthouse, F.E.S., obtained two specimens of the local Tineid 

 Anesychia funerella, a Wicken Fen speciality, near Staithes. The only pre- 

 vious record is by Mr. J. Sang at Richmond. Mr. Lofthouse has also added the 

 following eight species as new to the county list:— P(^«e<:Zwc« simiana Iliibn. 

 among birch; Lipoptycha aeratana Pierce, at Lealholm audlngleby Greenhow ; 

 Eupoecilia ciffinitana Dough, near Grangetown Station ; Micropteryx sanyii 

 Wood, at IMsedale ; Blustutere ylabratella Zell., on the Eston Hills ; Coleo- 

 phora arteniisiella Scott, at Fleet ; Laverna hellerella Dup., at Middlesbrough ; 

 Oposteya salaciella Tr., at Acklam and Middlesbrough. Mr. Morley has 

 added Heliodes tenebrata, Ajnimea leucostiyma, and Peronea us2Jersana to his 

 local list for the Skelmanthorpe district. Plusia moneta appears to be 

 spreading in the county, and there are new records from all three Ridings ; 

 and Achi^rontia atropos has turned up in two places in the West Riding. 

 Mr. G. T. Porritt has found the larvae of Sciaphila sinuana abundantly near 

 Huddersfield, and took a fine rayed variety of Mehmippe haxtata in Houley 

 Wood, Huddersfield. Dr. Corbett finds that Phiyaliu p>eduria was extremely 

 abundant, in the Doncaster district, in great variety, as early as January. 

 liybernia defoUaria and Himera pemmria were also common during the 

 winter, but Cheiniatohia hrumata and Hybernia aurautiana were scarce, and 



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