120 THE entomologist's RECORt) 



noise, and the female seemed in this respect to surpass the male. Mr. 

 W. F. H. Blandford said he wished to sui:)plement the remarks which 

 he made at the meeting of the Society on the 8tli of February last, on 

 the larva of Bhyncliophorns. He stated that he had since found that 

 only the lirst seven pairs of abdominal stigmata were rudimentary. 

 The posterior pair were well develoi^ed, and displaced on to the dorsum 

 of their segment, which was thickly chitinised, and bore a deep de- 

 pression, on the margins of which the spii'acles were situated. He 

 suo-o'ested that the absence of lateral spiracles was perhajjs correlated 

 with the wetness of the larval burrows, and that it was a displacement 

 of the posterior stigmata, usually supposed to be restricted to aquatic 

 coleopterous larvae. He added, that dissection showed that the posterior 

 pair were the principal agents of respiration. Dr. Sharp and Mr. 

 Champion made some remarks on the subject. Mr. W. H. 13. Fletcher 

 exhibited a long series of bred Zygcena lonicerce and Z. trifolii hybrids of 

 the first generation, with the following parentage: — Z. lonicerce, male — 

 Z. trifolii, female ; Z. trifolii, male — Z. lonicerce, female ; also hj^brids of 

 the second generation between Z. trifolii — hybrid and Z. lonicerce — 

 hybrid. The President enquired Avliether the hybrids Avere robust and 

 healthy, or the reverse. Mr. Fletcher stated that many of the hybrids 

 were larger than the parent species, and that some hybrids between 

 Z. lonicerce and Z. fiiipendulce, were the largest he had ever seen. He 

 added that Zygcena meliloti would not hybridise with Z. lonicerce, Z. 

 trifolii or Z. fiiipendulce. Mr. Barrett and Mr. Tutt continued the 

 discussion. Mr. F, W. Frohawk exhibited a bred series of Vanest^a 

 atalanta, showing the amount of variation in the red band of the fore 

 wino-s of the female. In seven specimens there Avas a white spot on 

 Ijand, and in ten specimens it was absent. Mr. Ehves exhibited a large 

 number of specimens of Chrysophanus pliheas, from various places in 

 Europe, Asia and North America, A\-ith the object of showing that the 

 species is scarcely affected by variations of temperature, which Avas con- 

 trary to the opinion expressed by Mr. Merrifield in his recent jjaper 

 " On the effects of temperature in the pupal stage on colouring," Ac. 

 Mr. McLachlan, Mr. A. J. Chitty, Mr. Bethune-Baker, Mr. Tutt, Mr. 

 Barrett and Mr. Frohawk took part in the discussion Avhich ensued. 

 Dr. Sharp read a paper entitled " On Stridulating Ants." He said that 

 examination revealed the existence in ants of the most jDcrfect stridu- 

 lating or sound-producing organs yet discovered in insects, Avhich are 

 situated on the 2nd and 8rd segments of the abdomen of certain species. 

 He Avas of opinion that the structures Avhich Sir John Lubljock thought 

 mio'ht be stridulating organs in Lasitis flai-us, Av^ere not really such, but 

 merely a portion of the general sculpture of the surface. Dr. Sharp 

 said that the sounds produced Avere of the greatest delicacy, and Mr. 

 Goss had been in commimication Avith Mr. W. H. Preece, F.K.S., Avith 

 the view of ascertaining Avhether the microphone Avould assist the human 

 ear in the detection of sounds produced by ants. Mr. Preece had 

 stated that the microphone did not magnify, Init merely reproduced 

 sound, and that the onty sounds made l)y ants, which he had been able 

 to detect by means of the instrument, Avere due to the mechanical dis- 

 turbance ijroduced l)y the motion of the insects over the microijhone. 

 A long discussion ensued, in Avhich the President, Canon Fowler, and 

 Messrs. Champion, McLachlan, Goss, Hampson, Barrett, Jacoby and 

 Burns took part. Mr. C. J. Gahan read a paper entitled " Notes on the 



