SOCIETIES. 91 



l)Gmg at all abundant in that locality. H. defollaria. —All forms of 

 this variable insect are abundant at Shipley Glen, near Bradford ; and 

 among them a purple nnicolorous variety is taken. Cheimatohia hrum- 

 afa. — I have never seen it recorded that melanism exists in this 

 •common species, and I take this oiiportunity of calling attention to the 

 fact. 1 have several specimens of a deep brownish purple from 

 Sandburn Wood, Norfolk ; also tlie same form from llorsforth, and 

 one from Wimbledon Common ; these have been selected from tliousands 

 examined during the last six years." 



Mr. Tutt, in proposing a vote of thanks to Mr. ]\[ansbridge, re- 

 marked, that contrary to the suggestion in Mr. Mansbridge's paper, 

 dark Miana striijills Avith a gTeenish tinge were not contined to York- 

 shire, but were found somewhat commonly in most localities, that the 

 dark form of Ncenia typica Avas very generally distriljuted, and that the 

 darkest forms of Triphoena pronnha were cajitured at Deal and other 

 southern localities ; that the sjiecimens of Cleocer/'s viininaUs exhibited 

 by Mr. Mansbridge Avere in no way so dark as those sent out by the 

 Barnsley and Derby collectors, and were very like the Darlington form. 

 He also pointed out that Mr. Mansln-idge alone Avas in error in his 

 general discrimination of the varieties of Polia chi. The form from 

 ]jradford (of Avhich the Huddersfield specimens Avere an exti'eme type), 

 Avere the originally described var. xnffam, and in this form the males 

 and females both haA^e a dull grey ground colour, l>ut that the specimens 

 ■exhibited by Mr. Mansl)ridge had the gnjund colour of the males 

 ■essentially Avhite, and this Avas generally so at Leeds, and in fact Avithin 

 a feAv miles of Bradford. At Huddersfield, too, Avhere the darkest known 

 specimens of this species occurred, the Avliite form occurred in certain 

 localities only a iew miles out. It was one of those species in Avhich 

 local forms Avere restricted remarkably. Mr. Mansbridge's specimens 

 ■exhibited the ordinary sexual A-ariation, but he had nothino- corre- 

 sponding Avith the Bradford form, still less like the extreme Hudders- 

 field A'ar. nigrescens. The ApJecta nehdosa exhibited AA'ere tlie ordinary 

 Yorkshire form = var. bimnctdosa, but less dark tlian those from 

 Warrington. Melanic Cheimatohia hrurnata Avere pretty generally 

 <listril)uted in the neighljourliood of large toAvns, and in no Avav ])eculiar 

 to Yorkshire ; and Hijhernia nnrantiaria from GlasgOAV and Morijeth 

 Avere generally darker than the Yorkshire specimens ; and specimens 

 from Epping Forest Avere frequently as dark as those exhibited. The 

 females of Larentia didymata generally exhibited considerable A^ariation 

 in colour in most localities, and tlie specimens of Melanippe galiata from 

 the neighbourhood of Huddersfield Avere of the normal Lancashire tyije 

 Avith the central band especially dark and strongly marked. He doubted 

 the correctness of Mr. Mansbridge's reference to Forres Odontojjera 

 hidentata being exceptionally dark, as his experience of Scotch specimens 

 of this species did not bear out this suggestion. The dark form of 

 Boarmia gemmaria exhibited agreed generally Avith the London \-ar. 

 perfnmaria,^vhiht the B.repandata shoAved Ijut little approach to the dark 

 specimens bred hy Mr. Porritt from Huddersfield, or by Mr. Batty from 

 Sheifield. The Avhole subject of melanic A\ariation Avas excessively 

 complex. The rainfall of West Yorks. Avas rather heaA-j^, and the soil 

 retentive, the surface soil generally dark, and the trunks of trees in the 

 neighbourhood of the large toAvns considerably Idackened by soot and 

 rains, and these made a strong primary instalment of facts bearino- on the 

 production of melanic forms, Avhich needed only the most general action of 

 ♦' natural selection " to Avork on. But these elementary princijjles Avere 



