16 THE KNTu3KiLI)(;I!>t'.s KK( Oltl). 



AVliile I feel that most of the iiiforniation in tlie.se few notes will lie 

 quite superfluous to many, yet, from the large numlier of collectors who 

 have not yet reached the ntthappii state of re letion in all l)ut the un- 

 obtainal)le species, I have no doulit hut that they will )ie read with 

 interest l)y many, to whom I trust they \\ill prove of some slight 

 service. — ALBKitx J. Hodgks. 



SOCIETIES. 



CiTV fiF London* Entomological and Natikal Histoby Sociktv. — 

 Tuesday, 20fk December, 1892. — Exhibits : — Lciudoptera. — Exhibits of 

 C'oh'as ednsii wovo made by Messrs. Bacot, Battlcy, Bayne, Clark, Hill. 

 Lewcock, Nicholson, Prout, Eiches, Eosevcar and Smith, and included 

 several var. helicc and intermediate forms between that and the type, 

 also a preserved larva. Colcoptera.— Mr. Jjcwcock, Nebria comjpJanatdy 

 taken by Mr. C'uthbert, in Ireland ; Puchi/ta collaris, and several other 

 species irvin Farnham ; Crj/pfoceph<ihis fvlcratiis and others from West 

 Wickham, and several species from Brockenluirst. 



Mr. Battley then opened the discussion on '"The Colias edusa of 

 1892." After expressing his thanks to various gentlemen who had sent 

 him }iotes. he gave a general sketch of the a]H)earance of cdrisa in 1892. 

 "The earliest record was from the New Forest by ^Ir. P. W. Ridley of 

 Bath, on 24tli May. On the following day (2oth) ednsa was seen at 

 Blandford (Dorset), Gussage near C'ranborne, and, about this date, at 

 Bognor and Weymouth. On 28th, Dorking and Chichester produce 

 records, and on the 29th, Cowley (Oxon), and one unaccountable speci- 

 men al Doncaster. May 30th shows a further extension to Micklehanu 

 Bexley, Dartford and Cambridgeshire, and on May 31st, the extension 

 in a westerlv direction is continued h\ records from Cleveland and 

 South Devon. After this, ednfici is recorded almo.st every day up to 

 26th June, I'eaching St. Bees on the north, and Tenby westwards. He 

 then discussed the theories as to the origin of these specimens. The 

 first, tliat they were lired in England the previous autumn and had 

 hybernated, A\as disin'oved )>y the fact that edusa Avas scarce in the 

 autumn of 1891, and that the .spring s])ecimens were above the average 

 in size. The second theory, that they were tlie result of eggs laid by 

 the autumn l»rood, the larva? having fed \\\^ during the winter was 

 hardly jtossilile, as the spring specimens were chiefly worn and faded; 

 the few fresh specimens taken l»eing similar to the fcAv Gonepteryx 

 rhamni, which could be obtained in good condition in the spring. He 

 therefore, held to the ' migratory theory," as explaining their occur- 

 rence ; the reasons giA'en l)eing, their large size and tattered condition, 

 and the dates of appearance. If they had lieen English, either hylaer- 

 nated or freshly emerged, they would a}t}»ear in a scattered way over 

 the country, liut on the contrary, the first record (Ncav Forest), was- 

 followed in regular order by others at further and further distances from 

 it, sliowing tlie ])rogress of the flight, and their gradual dispersio:i over 

 the kingdom, the place of landing being on the Hampshire Coast. 

 After a fcAv notes on the life-history of the species, he passed on to 

 consider the distribution of the August l)r(jod. which had been recorded 

 from every English county except North undierlarul. Durham, West- 



