.s()c[ETn':.s. 353 



(Higham Park) whicli had just then been thrown o[)en to the public. 

 Mr. Milton had been to Richmond and Enfield, and taken several of 

 the spring insects. He lemarked that specimens of H. di'foliaria were 

 still to be obtained in good condition, their emergence having probably 

 iieen retarded by the long frost. The Secretary read a paper by Mr. J. 

 E. Robson on Abraxas pantatia, in which he expressed his opinion 

 that this species, Abraxas itlmata, A. leopardina, and many other 

 Asiatic forms, were but varieties of one species. To prove this, he 

 minutely described the markings of A. uliiiaia^ as compared with 

 A. pantaria, and showed that the same markings and colours were 

 present in both -species, but that in A. pantaria they were less pro- 

 nounced both in size and colour, whilst even in the var. cataria, 

 which had scarcely any markings, the peculiarities could still be 

 observed. The paper was illustrated by various specimens from 

 different countries. In the discussion which followed, Messrs. Clark 

 and Boden stated that they had formerly taken A. ulinata near 

 Croydon. A vote of thanks, proposed by Mr. Hodges, and seconded 

 by Mr. Smith, was unanimously accorded to Mr. Robson for his kind- 

 ness in sending the paper. 



March 5th, 1891. — Exhibits : Mr. Clark, various species of British bees 

 and wasps. Mr. Milton, Hyberuia rupicapraria^ H. leucophcearia^ and 

 Ennomos autumn aria ; the following Coleoptera also, Dytiscus punc- 

 tulaius, D. circum^exus, Pocadius ferriigineus, Sa'pin^us castaneus, 

 Hypop/icei/s bicoior, and Mycetopliagus i^pustulatus. Mr. Heasler, 

 Tetratoma fungoruni, and a specimen of Dorcus panlklopipedus taken 

 on February 21st, the usual time of appearance of this species being 

 June. Mr. Battley, a glass case containing living bees, with their 

 queen, to illustrate his i>aper. 



Mr. Battley read a paper on "The Honey-Bee and Modern Bee- 

 keeping." He first remarked on the great antiquity of bee-keeping, 

 and contrasted the old wasteful methods with the modern system. 

 He then described the varieties of the iioney-bee domesticated in 

 Britain — the black bee {Apis mellifica) being taken as the type, and 

 the Ligurian, Syrian, Cyprian, and Carniolian bees compared to it in 

 markings and habits. These races interbreed freely with the black 

 bees, and the hybrids are fertile, but always spiteful, thus showing a 

 reversion to the wild bee. He explained the structure of the comb 

 and the theory of the hexagonal cell showing that the cells on the 

 edges of the comb were circular, and that the hexagonal form was 

 obtained by the mutual pressure of other cells. He then gave an 

 account of the life-history of the bees. The workers are imperfect 

 females, and attain the perfect state in twenty-one days from the 

 time the egg is deposited. The number contained in one hive 

 during the summer months is about 25,000, Besides accomplishing 

 the ordinary work of the hive, they feed the larvse and gather the 

 honey. The drones, or males, come to maturity in twenty-lour days, 

 and only exist in the swarming season, their sole u^e being to fertilize 

 the young queens. The queen, or perfect female, is the mother of 

 all the bees in the hive, and emerges on the fifteenth day. She 

 produces two kinds of eggs, viz. female and male, the latter not 

 being fertilized. If i)y reason of any deformity, the quei n is never 

 impregnated, then her eggs will hatch into drones. The structure and 



