'"(08 THE entomologist's record. 



History Society on Tuesday, October 22nd, a very interesting lot of 

 exhibits of Hi/diionwna furcata (Hi/jisi petes suniidata) were brought 

 together, well illustrating the almost endless variability of this species. 

 The smaller size of the bilberry-fed examples, with a prevalence of 

 blackish and reddish forms from Yorkshire and Scotland, and of pale 

 and yellowish greens from Kent and N. Devon, was very noticeable : 

 whilst the most intense melanic specimens were Mr. V. E. Shaw's from 

 Wigan, and Mr. H. J. Turner's from Macclesfield, the former having 

 been bred from sallow in a small wood. Discussion turned on the 

 causes of the variation, it being pointed out that the insect must 

 either be capable of adjustment to very varying conditions, or else 

 must be protected in some other way than by its colouring, and thus 

 able to continue in a state of exceptional instability. In this latter 

 connection it was remarked that, in the soiith, II. furcata was hardly 

 ever seen exposing itself on tree-trunks or palings like its congener, H. 

 antiiitiiialiH {trifasciata), but seemed constantly to resort to the shelter 

 of thick bushes. 



At the meeting of the Ent. Soc. of London, on October 15th, 1902, 

 Mr. A. J. Chitty showed an entirely black specimen of Metim-m 

 parado.eits as tending to disprove the mimicry suggested by him at the 

 meeting on the 1st October. Dr. Chapman said that in his experience 

 one out of every six specimens of this species was black. Mr. 

 Donisthorpe stated that out of about one hundred specimens he had 

 never caught or bred a l)lack Metoecux. 



At the same meeting Mr. E. P. Pickett exhibited a long series of 

 Poh/nminatxs corydtm tciken near Folkestone and Dover in x\ugust last, 

 including four males of the last named species, with the black band on 

 the edge of the forewings much deeper than usual ; also twelve dwarf 

 male specimens of this species, four dwarf females, and many other 

 aberrant forms. Mr. Goss said this dwarf form of P. eorydun occurred 

 constantly, according to Mr. Sidney Webb, in one valley about two 

 miles east of Dover, but he was unaware of its regular occurrence 

 elsewhere in this country. He remarked that a dwarf form of Lycaena 

 arion occurred everywhere where the type was found, both in Gloucester- 

 shire and Cornwall. We recorded the dAvarf form of 1\ cori/datt 

 {Knt., XX., p. 32B) almost 20 years ago from the upper edges of Fan 

 Bay, the hollow near the South Foreland lighthouse, and suggested 

 reasons for its occurence there. Professor Cockerell also discussed 

 the matter at length {Ent., xxii., p. 176). 



At the same meeting Dr. Chapman exhibited of Nutndunta 

 {Hyhocavipa) / dryinopa from Queensland. It was remarkably similar 

 in appearance, structure, and habits to Hy'wcavia vrilhauseri (see, 

 Kntomoloyiat, 1889, and p. 43 of 1902). He stated that the pupa, with 

 a similar spine to that of H. viilhaiiseri, does not cut out a regular oval 

 lid from the cocoon like that species, but by a stabbing process pierces 

 it with a number of holes, since with bits of bark, stone, etc., a 

 cutting process would be impossible, whereas the cocoon of H. 

 milhameri, was of pure gum-like silk. He pointed out that the larva 

 much resembled that of H. milhatiseri, but the hinder segments were 

 more like those of Stauropus fayi. He also exhibited living eggs, 

 larvffi, and imagines of Orina tristin, var. sviaraydiua, from Pino, Lago 

 Maggiore. The beetles were taken on May SOth, and had laid many 

 eggs. Dr. Chapman said that the embryo, ready to hatch, might be 

 seen within some of the eggs, and its hatching spines observed. 



