SOCIETIES. 71 



normal colour. These were a part of a brood similarly affected, bred 

 from Hailsham. He also exhibited typical specimens for comparison, 

 Mr. Weir exhibited a splendid series of Pieris napi from various parts 

 of the world, some of the varieties being as large as P. brassiaz. He 

 also read souie interesting notes on the variation of the undersides of 

 napi in its various broods, and pointed out some remarkable facts 

 relating to the sexual variation in this direction. A paper was then read 

 by Mr. W. Wallis Kew, on " The Dawn of Memory in the Animal 

 Kingdom," and dealt with the facts related, and assumptions made by 

 various authors as to the ability of certain lower animals, principally 

 Mollusca, to return to their homes under satisfactory and unsatisfactory 

 conditions, but he made no attempt to argue out the feasibility of 

 supposing these animals capable of an attempt to reason. Mr. Dobson 

 called attention to the fact that Mr. Kew had not dealt with the 

 possibilities of " reason " occurring in the lower animals, and stated that 

 it was difficult to differentiate "instinct" and "reason," and that he 

 considered the illustration brought forward as probable attempts at 

 memory were but simple instinctive processes. Mr. Tutt agreed with 

 Mr. Dobson that it was impossible to differentiate between instinct and 

 reason, and suggested that the line could not be drawn between the 

 instinctive faculty and the lowest possible development in reasoning 

 power. Even in the lower Vertebrata, instinctive faculty could be 

 trained into what could possibly be called a first attempt at reasoning 

 faculty. Mr. Tutt then went at length into the nervous structure of 

 the Mollusca, and the facts relating to the special differentiation of 

 sensory nerve centres and motor nerve centres, and stated that although 

 improbable, it was quite possible that any specialised nerve centre 

 which was the seat of any special sense, might be utilised for the 

 reception of external impressions, so as to be a means of enabling an 

 animal to actually use some very small amount of discretionary power, 

 but at the same time urged its utter improbability. He then referred 

 to the essential structure of the nervous system in the lower Vertebrata, 

 and believed here, memory in an exceedingly elementary form which 

 could be increased by special training, was necessarily present. He 

 referred to the necessity of a biological training as apart from superficial 

 observation on the study of such a subject as this. The President 

 made some remarks, and a most successful meeting came to an 

 end. — Ed. 



Lancashire and Cheshire Entomological Society. — Mr. W. E. 

 Sharp read a paper entitled " Some remarks on the Hydradephaga of 

 the District," illustrated with specimens and large coloured diagrams. 

 The author referred to the general classification of the Coleopteia, and 

 pointed out that in the genus Dvtiscus the whole physiology was to 

 adapt them to less resistance m swimming. He then gave a resicmc of 

 the records of local species, of which 74 species had been recorded out 

 of 129 known to be indigenous to the British Isles; only four genera 

 being unrepresented. The President exhibited fine varieties oi Ennovios 

 angularia ; Dr. Ellis, Pulvinaria camellicola (a rare species of Coccus 

 from camellia trees) ; Mr. ColHns, 4 specimens of Deilcphila galii, bred 

 by him from 22 larvce taken on Epilobium angustifolium, at Warrington 

 in 1S89, the specimens were small and were the only perfect ones bred, 

 and a variety of Noctua /estiva, with distinct black transverse lines on 



