260 THE entomologist's record, 



partly formed, were plainly visible, and also the large Ijlotch from 

 wliicli the larva had eaten the i3arench3nna. They have since been 

 identified by jVIr. McLachlan as the work of a saw-fl3% Phyllostoma 

 aceris, Kalt. The President also exhibited nearl}^ adult larva? of Heme- 

 rophila abruptavia, and drew attention to the fact that two pairs of 

 prolegs were, as usual in Geometers, fully develoi^ed, and that there 

 were also two other imperfect pairs in front of these. He considered 

 these very imperfect prolegs to be vestigial. Mr. Frohawk exhibited 

 specimens of Macroglossa bombyliformis, together with a species of 

 humlde bee, which it mimics, taken in companj^ over rhododendi'ons 

 in the New Forest, on 21st May last. Mr. Eobert Adkin exhibited a 

 specimen of Sesia ci/nipiforiais, in which the usual red colour of the 

 band of left fore wing and a portion of the costal streak were replaced 

 by yellow ; also a series of Spilosoma luhricipeda, reared from Barnsle}' 

 parents, in some of which the spots showed a tendency to become 

 elongated. IMr. Oldham exhibited series of Sphinx h'<jnstri, Apamea 

 ophioijraniina, Calymnin ajfinis, and other species taken at Woodford. — 

 H. Williams, Hon. Sec 



MOTICES AND REVIEWS. 



Brief Guide to the Common Butterflies of the Northern United States 

 and Canada, by S. H. Scudder (Pul)lislied l)y H. Holt i^' Co., New York). 

 Price 5s. — This little book, from the author of one of the best scientific 

 books on Lepidoptera ever published for the general reader, is in itself 

 quite unique and would form a good model for a similar little treatise 

 on our own British Butterflies, since all ovir books on them are either a 

 quarter of a centur}^ old, or if more recent have been written up in the 

 light of our knowledge about the middle of the i^resent century. The 

 "Introduction " consists of a series of short articles on scientific subjects 

 written in popular form, and as useful to the students of lej^idoptera 

 in all countries as to those for whom they are primarily intended, their 

 simplicity making them especially valuable to less advanced students 

 who are seeking for light. But to us the most important part of the 

 work is the series of scientific classificatory tables (pp. 34 to 59), in 

 which the author gives a key to the various groups into which butter- 

 flies are divided, as shown in the egg, larval, pupal and imaginal states. 

 This sort of work has been sadly neglected by those who have 

 attempted to write books on this subject during the last forty years in 

 England, and Avlien one looks through a list of those who have made 

 the attempt, it does not do to enquire too closely why? But these 

 tables deal with our British genera (often with our British species) and 

 hence are as useful to us as to American lepidopterists. Tlie descrip- 

 tions and notes on Anosia plexipims, Envanessa antiopa, Vanessa cardni, 

 V. atalanta, Ci/aniris pseudargiolus, Pieris oleracea and P. rapce will give 

 English readers an insight into the distribution of well-known 

 European insects in North America. Each butterfly dealt with 

 has a short summarised description of the imago, caterpillar 

 and chrysalis, followed by general notes on its food plants, habits, 

 distribution, etc. The glossary of entomological terms will prove 

 generally useful ; whilst the instructions for collecting, rearing and 

 preserving larv;^, jmpa? and imagines, are of the kind generally given 

 to entomologists. — Eu. 



