CURRENT NOTES. 27 



•enemy in the larval state in the shape of a small Mantis larva. This 

 butterfly, instead of being rather rare, would be one of our commonest 

 species, as the ova and youug larvae can be found by hundreds in April 

 on certain small trees. After leaving them to grow in the natural 

 state upon tlieir foodplant, I was surprised, in the season of 1901, to 

 find only single larvfC here and there where there had been great 

 numbers of both ova and young larvae. This season I determined to 

 find out the reason and marked down several young trees with hundreds 

 of eggs upon them. After they had hatched I watched every day and 

 found them getting less and less numerous, so 1 paid a visit by night 

 with a lantern and then found the cause. On all the trees were 

 several larvae of a Mantis eating the young C. ethalion larvae for all 

 they were worth. This winter I have planted small trees in my 

 garden and hope to breed C. ethalion next year by protecting it in 

 * sleeves.' I may also mention that C. ethalion is badly ichneumoned in 

 the oval state." 



Professor E. B. Poulton is to be the next president of the Entomo- 

 logical Society of London, and possibly no more popular choice could 

 have been made. Even those who disagree with his theories cannot 

 but admire his energy and the cool certainty Avith which he 

 advances the most remarkable views, and the fx cathedra way in which 

 he occasionally lectures those who disagree with him. His lectures on 

 the proposal to amend the byelaws have been charming, but we do 

 sincerely hope that he will put aside for ever the notion that Fellows 

 who hold a different opinion from the Council are censuring the 

 Council by giving effect to their own opinion. One thing is certain, 

 there will be some life at the meetings of the Entomological Society 

 of London in the immediate future. 



Colonel Bingham, Mr. Burr, Dr. Chapman, Mr. Druce, Professor 

 Meldola, Professor Miall, and Colonel Yerbury, form, on the whole, a 

 very fair choice of new members on the council. It is true we are not 

 conversanc with any recently published work of one or two of these 

 gentlemen, but this possibly is our own fault. The Council has to 

 be careful to select for its favours, men who are now running the 

 entomological work of the country in its various branches and not 

 those who have retired from active work. 



Herr Gauckler of Carlsruhe sends us a separatum from the 

 Ento\iiolo(iische>i Jahrbiicli, entitled " Ein Beitrag zur Eiablege der 

 Schmetterlinge," in which he has brought together a large number of 

 statistics (nearly all from his own personal observation) of the average 

 numbers of eggs laid by various species of lepidoptera, and the average 

 percentages of moths bred. His general conclusion is that the 

 smallest numbers are laid by Rhopalocera (with some exceptions, how- 

 ever, such as Pier is brassicae, Aporia erataaji, ( olias ednsa, Vanessids, 

 €tc.), then follow the Sphingids, Geometrids, l>ombycids [sens, lat.] 

 -and Noctuids, individual females in the last tAvo "families" sometimes 

 yielding as many as 800 ova. He considers that the Geometrids repay 

 the breeder best in the percentage of moths yielded. 



Last November we pointed out that the alterations of the bye-laws 

 of the Entomological Society, proposed by a Committee of the Council, 

 did not meet the supposed demand for giving the Fellows at large 

 greater facilities for expressing their wishes in the election of Officers 

 and Council, but, on the contrary, very much diminished those they 

 then enjoyed. The special meeting of the Society on December 8rd 



