SOCIETIES. 257 



Cidaria imrnanatn, Hi/droecia nictitans, plentiful; Xanthia cerai/o, Uvo, 

 rather soon for this species here. I got two specimens of Cirrha'dia 

 xerampelina at the base of an ash tree on August 19th at 6 p.m., also on 

 the trunks of ash trees I captured Polia chi var. oJinicea. — J. Finlay, 

 Meldon Park, Morpeth. August 22nd, 1S93. 



Ireland. — Neither sugar nor light have been worth much the last two 

 months, and the results of sugar have been only swarms of Xijlophasia 

 monoghjpha and Triphcena pronuha. Nor have Geometers latterty been 

 much on the wing. I have beaten for larva3 also in good localities,, 

 both in Kerry and Galway, but the exercise is tiresome when nnpro- 

 ductive. In Kerry I scarcely took one larva for a half-hour's work, 

 especially on oak, and in Galway I found sallow and birch gave me 

 the best results, but even these were meagre. Not one of Sinerinthua 

 oceUalns or popuU for 20 last j^ear. I think birds have devoured them 

 this hot season. While in Kerry I procured a few iiielanic vars. of C. 

 hilineata, and one $ laid some ova. — ^W. F. de V. Kane. JuJij 21th, 1893. 



pOCIETIES. 



City of London Entojiological and Natural History Society. — 

 August 1st, 1893. — Exhibits: — Dr. Buckell : a copy of the first 

 edition of Donbleday's List of British Lepidoptera, bearing date 1850 ; 

 this copy was kindly lent for exhibition purposes by Mr. J. E. Eobson. 

 Mr. Smith : examples of Macroglossa fucifonnis and 31. homhijliformis 

 from the New Forest. Mr. Gates : BatracJuedra prceangiista, Dictyopj- 

 terijx contaminana and Halonota brunnichiana from Hammersmith. Dr. 

 Sequeira : series of Geometra vcrnaria, Nemoria riridata and Pseiidoterpna 

 pruinata (cytisaria) from the New Forest ; also dwarfed specimens 

 (mostly bred) of Theda betuhe, Notodonta ziczac, Dicrannra furcula, 

 Amphipyra pnjvamidea and Catocala sj)onsa. Mr. Nicholson : an abnor- 

 mally large 2 specimen of Ocneria dispar, bred this season ; also a 

 very fine var. of SmerinfJms tilice, which had been bred by a friend, 

 the insect was of the reddish form, but showed no traces of the broad 

 central band. Mr. Riches : a fine batch of full-fed larva? of Smerinthus 

 mice ; also examples of the leaves of the side-saddle flower 

 (Sarracenia), and both flowers and leaves of the pitcher j^lf^nt 

 (Nepenthes). Mr. Eiches expressed his doubt as to the reported carni- 

 vorous propensities of Nepenthes, but upon reference it was found that 

 these propensities have been attributed to the genus on no less authority 

 than that of Sir J. D. Hooker, who, in his address to the British 

 Association at the Belfast meeting in 1874, recorded many experiments, 

 shewing that the acid juice secreted at the base of the pitcher is indeed 

 capable of digesting meat and other nitrogenous matter. Mr. Battley 

 exhibited a fine series of Zygcena trifolii from Broxbourne, the variation 

 ranging from the type to the conjiua form. Captain Thomjison : a very 

 fine series of Tapinostola elymi bred from pupa? from Hornsea, on the 

 S.E. coast of Yorkshire. Captain Thompson stated that in the hojje of 

 emulating Mr. Porritt's success in taking this species at Cleethorpes, he 

 had requested his friend, Mr. P. Inchbald, who resides at Hornsea, on 

 the other side of the Humber estuary, about 25 miles north of SiJurn 

 Point, to look out for the food plant of the species, viz., the Lyme 

 grass (Elymus arenarius). In May, Mr. Inchbald reported that he had 

 not found the Elymus, hnt that the marram (Ammophila anmdinacea), a 



