143 



gOCIETIES. 



South London Entomological Society. — July 24//;, 1890. 

 Several exhibits took place; among others, Mr. Wellman exhibited 

 living larv?e of Dia/it/uecia carpopliaga, D. ciicubali, and D. conspersa, 

 also Cosinia affitiis, bred from larvae taken at Chattenden ; Mr. West, 

 specimens of Apamea ophiognimina, taken in his garden at Streatham 

 hovering over privet bloom ; Mr. Adkin, normal specimens of Mot/ia 

 orion from the New Forest ; Mr. Moore, a variety of Chelonia caja, 

 with the fore wings almost entirely suffused with brown, and the whole 

 of the hind wings, except the anal angle, black ; Mr. Turner, a series 

 of the variable Noctua festiva and a very pale variety of the larva of 

 Bi^ton hirtaria ; Mr. C. G. Barrett a specimen of Ephestia kii/init'I/a, 

 with the transverse markings very distinct ; Mr. Joy, CoUix sparsafa 

 from Wicken, and larvae feeding on knot-grass {Polygonum aviculan) ; 

 Mr. Bouttell, a variable series of the larger form of Hypsipetes elufafa, 

 bred from sallow, larvce taken near Hastings, also two very pale Mamestra 

 brassiccE, taken at Catford, and three striking specimens of Melaiiippe 

 fluctuata, taken also at Catford (in the exhibitor's garden), one almost 

 white, with a small central costal spot on each fore wing (var. deleta, 

 Ckll.), one much suffused with black (var. neapo/isala, Mill), the other 

 a most complete banded specimen showing apparently a reversion to 

 the banded species (if we may look upon these as the most primitive 

 form in this group, as I strongly suspect). Mr. Tutt pointed out that 

 var. neapolisata^ Mill., although originally named from a specimen taken 

 near Naples, was figured in the Trans, of the Eutom. Soc. of France from 

 specimens obtained by Mr. Reid at Pitcaple, near Aberdeen, and that 

 the variety, comparatively rare on the Continent, was the usual form in 

 Scotland, while occurring more or less freely all over the British Isles, 

 was especially abundant in the wetter districts ; Mr. Jenner Weir pointed 

 out its occurrence at Bournemouth. The knowledge which came to 

 light about the variation of this species seemed to astonish even some 

 of the old collectors. Botanical specimens were exhibited, Mr. 

 Carrington calling attention to the advisability of collecting a consider- 

 able quantity of seedheads of Campanula, even though no traces of 

 larvae were evident, as the larvae of Eiipithccia campanulafa, although 

 not easily found during the day, leave the heads and become abundantly 

 visible during the night, and by keeping them in a bandbox large 

 numbers have been bred ; Messrs. Carrington and Tutt called attention 

 to the fact that Ercmobia ochroleuca might be found during the daytime 

 seated on or just under the flower-heads of Srab/osa arrens/s and 

 Centaurea scabiosa. while Mr. C. G. Barrett suggested picking flower- 

 heads of Scabiosa arvensis and putting them in a bandbox for Eupcv- 

 cilia flaviciliana ; the latter gentleman also pointed out that the roots 

 of Eryngium produced Argyrolepia marifimana, while the leaves of the 

 same ])lant were the pabulum of Depressaria cnicella. The informa- 

 tion obtained from the botanical exhibits of this Society rarely soars 

 much above the level reached in second-rate text-books, but a distinct 

 advance was made at this meeting in this direction. — Ed. 



