72 THE entomologist's record. 



the memorial which, on behalf of the Society, had been submitted to 

 the Postmaster-General, asking that small parcels containing scientific 

 specimens might be sent to places abroad at the reduced rate of postage 

 applicable to packets of bona fide trade patterns and samples. The 

 letter intimated that, so far as the English Post Office was concerned, 

 scientific specimens sent by sample post to places abroad would not be 

 stopped in future. — H. Goss, Hon. Secretary. 



South London Entomological Society. — May i^th, 1891. — 

 Mr. Jager exhibited living larvae of Callinwrpha hera from ova laid 

 by a female captured in Devon. Mr. Frohawk, a variety of Eiichloe 

 lardamines ? . Mr. W. H. Tugwell, a series of bred Lobophora 

 viretata, and on behalf of Mr. J. E. Robson, a most interesting box 

 of insects, containing amongst others a suffused variety of Abraxas 

 2ilmata, a variety of the same species resembling A. pantaria in the 

 absence of the spots a hybrid Smerhithus ocellaiuspopuli, a re- 

 markable underside of Vanessa atalanta, fine varieties of Lyaena 

 alexis, Vanessa uriico'. and many others ; whilst on behalf of Mr. 

 Collins of Warrington, the black var. of Apleda nebulosa {Ent. Rec, 

 i., p. 241), and Lencania lithargyria var. marginata {Ent. Rec, i., 

 p. 242) were exhibited. Mr. Fenn exhibited a strange moorland 

 form of a Tortrix which Mr. C. G. Barrett referred to T. costana. 

 Mr. Adkin exhibited a fine series of varieties of Noctiia festiva, from 

 Forres, N. Wales, Kent, etc., some of the bright red forms being 

 particularly striking. Mr. Carrington considered that certain speci- 

 mens of the so-called var. conflua sat on the sugar differently to 

 typical festiva, and that there might be an undetected species among 

 them. Mr. Merrifield's remarks on the effect of temperature on the 

 coloration of Selenta iUustraria and Ennomos autumnaria, as 

 published in the Trans. Ent. Soc. Lond., were read, Mr. C. G. 

 Barrett making some comments thereon. Mr. Tutt then gave a 

 short lecture on "Reproduction and Parthenogenesis." He ex- 

 plained first of all the methods of asexual reproduction by fission, 

 gemmation and encystation in monads, the A)n(cba, and Vorticella ; 

 showed how both asexual and sexual reproduction occurred in Hydra., 

 the former by gemmation and by artificial subdivision, the latter by 

 the development of spermatozoa and ova. The reproduction of the 

 common earthworm was considered, its hermaphroditism and method 

 of copulation explained, showing how by the arrangement of the 

 spermathecce and male genital pores common fertilisation was effected. 

 The sexual reproduction of the cockroach was then considered, and 

 lastly, that of insects generally. 



Referring to the asexual reproduction due to gemmation, the 

 well-known parthenogenetic reproduction in Aphis was compared 

 with that in Hydra, and the daughter-cells, produced all the summer 

 in the former, were looked upon as a specialised form of gemmation, 

 whilst the normal sexual reproduction appeared similar in both cases, 

 excepting that Hydra was hermaphrodite, whilst Aphis had distinct 

 sexes. Parthenogenesis and its influence on the sexes of bees was 

 then mentioned, and the probability of parthenogenesis occurring in 

 insects was discussed, with references to cases which seem beyond 

 dispute. A discussion followed in which Messrs. Tugwell, C. G, 

 Barrett and J. T. Carrington took part. — Ed. 



