SOCIETIES. 76 



Lancashire and Cheshire Entomological Society. — January 16th, 

 1911. — Agkotis cursoria and its Variations. — Mr. W. W. Mansbridge 

 opened a discussion on A. cursoria which was continued by Mr. 

 T. Baxter, of St. Anne's-on-Sea, Mr. F. N. Pierce, and other members. 

 Mr. Baxter brought his fine varied series of cursoria for exhibition, 

 which included some very rare forms, as well as the commoner vars. 

 brunnea, ochrea, sa(/itta, caerulea. costa-caerulea, and ohsoleta. Mr. 

 W. W. Mansbridge also brought a varied series from St. Anne's. At 

 Wallasey and Crosby, A. cursoria is of extremely rare occurrence and, 

 though still common on the North Lancashire sandhills, it is not 

 nearly so abunndant as was the case some twenty years ago, owing to 

 the encroachments made by builders and golfers upon its haunts. 

 Mr. Baxter said, that having given particular attention to the matter, 

 he had never seen the ordinary mottled form in coitii with the streaked 

 form sat/itta. He suggested that there might be two species in 

 collections under the same name ; he had seen many pairs in copulation 

 during the last season, but they were always of similar varieties. 

 Large Californian Pompilid. — Mr. George Arnold brought Pepsis 

 forinosus from California, locally called the "Tarantula Killer," together 

 with our largest British Pompilid, Salius fuscns, for comparison, also 

 Amomma burnieistcri, ^ and ? , the "Driver Ant," from Central Africa. 



The Birmingham Natural History and Philosophical Society.— 

 yovewber 21st, 1910. — Entomological Section.— Mr. G. T. Bethune- 

 Baker, President, in the chair. Teratological Specimen, etc — 

 Dr. Beckwith Whitehouse exhibited a round-winged deformity of 

 Kut/onia polychloros, and eighteen specimens of two varieties bred from 

 larvfe from the New Forest, 1910. Also the following : — Neineophila 

 sanio {russula), Sesia scoliaefornris (Rannoch), S. spkecifonnis, Fb. (Tilgate 

 Forest), S. andrenaefortnis (W. Kent). Pyrales. — Prof. E. Wace 

 Carlier, series of Hcrminia cribralis and Liivula sericealis, both from 

 Brundal Marsh, Norfolk. Asilid.e. — Mr. G. T. Bethune-Bakcr, a 

 predaceous Asilid taken with a specimen of Lycaena sewiaryus on its 

 proboscis. The food of the Asilidae consists chiefly of Viptera, but 

 they have been known to prey on Coleoptera, and the above observation 

 is of additional interest. 



The South London Entomological and Natural History 



Society. — January 'i'drd. — Annual Meeting. The Report of the 



Council was adopted. It stated that the membership stood at 

 1G4, and that the average attendance at the 23 meetings was 38. 

 The volume of Proceedinys published consisted of 150 pages, with 

 13 plates, and was the most attractive that the Society had pro- 

 duced. The following is a list of the members elected to fill the otiices 

 of the Society for the ensuing year : — Presiacnt : — W. J. Kaye, F.E.S. 

 Vice-Presidents : — A. Sich, F.E.S. , and A. E. Tonge, F.E.S. Treasurer: 

 — T. W. Hall, F.E.S. Librarian:— A. W. Dods. Curator :--^Y . West 

 (Greenwich). Hon. Secretaries: — Stanley Edwards, F.L.S., F.Z.S., 

 F.E.S. (Corres.), and Hy. J. Turner, F.~E.H. {Report). Council :~-'R. 

 Adkin, F.E.S., F. W. Cowham, E. C. Joy, F.E.S., R. A. R. Priske, 

 F.E.S., A. Russell, F.E.S., B. H. Smith, B.A., and E. Step, F.L.S. 

 Address. — The President, Mr. W. J. Kaye, then read his Address. 

 After dealing with the affairs of the Society, and making suitable 

 references to those who had passed away during the year, particularly 

 to the irreparable loss, not only the Society, but the entomological 

 world, had incurred by the death of a past president, Mr. J. W. Tutt, 



