CURRENT NOTES. 61 



Mr. Ct. T. Porritt describes {E. M. M., Oct.) the larva of Boarmta 

 consortaria, of which he says there are two main forms ; one of these 

 has the ground-colour a pale glaucous-green ; in the other the colour 

 is brown, yellowish or greyish, strongly marked or marbled 

 with dark brown or red-brown. The larvte hatched on June 

 24th, 1892, and fed well on oak, birch and sallow, some of 

 them being almost full-grown by August 3rd. By August 23rd nearly 

 all had disappeared below the surface of the ground, and the moths 

 began to emerge on May 16th, 1893, and continued to do so till nearly 

 the end of July. 



It is not often that two first-class collections of essentially 

 fen insects are sold in one month, but such is to be the case 

 in November. The remainder of Mr. F. W. Wheeler's collection 

 will be brought to the hammer by Mr. Stevens, on the 11th, whilst on 

 the 19th that of Mr. W. Farren will be sold. The latter contains un- 

 paralleled series of Fapilio machaon, Bryophila impar, Nonagria 

 neurlca (arnndtneta), and the genus Anticlea, the series of shtuata 

 being superb, as also are the melanic Venusia cambriraria. 



"^ ARI AT ION. 



A PALE VARIETY OF Hadena protea. — ^As I was sugaring, on Sept. 

 20th, I noticed an insect at rest on the garden wall, which at the 

 moment appeared to be a rather small, darkish Xylina ornithopufi. On 

 setting it, however, I found that it was a variety of //. ■protea, in 

 which there was no trace of green. The fore-wings are cream-coloured, 

 with black and pale ochreous-brown markings, the latter chiefly 

 towards the base and before and behind the stigmata. The thorax 

 and body have similar coloration. The hind- wings are like those of 

 the type, but paler. The specimen is a male, and is in perfect condi- 

 tion.— W. S. Riding, M.D., Buckerell, E. Devon, Sept. 27th, 1895. 



31^0TES ON COLLECTING, Etc. 



The Exchange Club. 



The " Record Exchange Club " has recently re-awakened into 

 more vigorous life, and I owe an apology to many subscribers 

 for not answering their letters relating thereto, and for not ful- 

 filling their request to send copies of the rules. To tell the tiuth, 

 there never have been any copies of the rules, except those fastened 

 in each of the circulating baskets. It may be well here to point out 

 the advantages of the system to those of our subscribers who are not 

 yet members. Each member has his own box in the basket into 

 which he puts his Duplicates. He selects from the other boxes his 

 Dei^iderata, enters in a book that travels with the basket what he 

 sends, and signs for what he takes out. He, therefore, need take out 

 no damaged specimens, and such get returned to their owners. He 

 can, by selecting a few of his wants from each box, obtain an 

 excellent exchange from other collectors with whom individually he 

 would probably fail to effect one. A does not want B's insects, B does 

 not want C's, and C does not want A's — but C. wants B's insects, B 

 wants A's, and A wants C's, hence an exchange is effected, and with 



