SOCIETIES. 95 



SOCIETIES. 



The South London Entomological and Natural History Society 

 met on September 26th, 1895. Sympathetic references were made to 

 the death of Mr. Tugwell. Mr. Adkin exhibited specimens of 

 Spilowma mcutJiastri from Morayshire, the fore-wings of which were of a 

 rich dark brown colour ; also a specimen of Carpocapm pomumila, bred 

 from a walnut. Mr. West, of Greenwich, had bred the species from a 

 chestnnt. Mr. South brought a short series of Xanthia fnlratiu from 

 Macclesfield, which were representative of a large number bred this 

 year; var. y/rt(VArt'»s occurred in about the proportion of 1 in 20, but 

 the flarai/t) form was very rare. Mr. Turner showed Caloptcri/.c 

 rityo from Horsham, and a specimen of Lycaena icani.s from Clandon, 

 in which the sub-marginal row of spots on the underside of the fore- 

 Avings were prolonged into dashes. Mr. Carrington exhibited some 

 flowers of the Canadian wall-flower, which had been grown in Mr, 

 Briggs' garden, from seeds picked at the head of Lake Superior. 



The fourth Pocket Box Exhibition of the N.L.N.H.S. was held 

 on October 10th, 1895. The meeting was fairly well attended ; 

 exhibits were numerous, and very interesting. Amongst them were 

 the following : — Mr. Rose : I'apilio machaun, Hjjna muiicata and 

 Yiminia albovenosa, from Wicken Fen. Also Acontia luctuosa, 

 Aijrophila trahealis, Heliotlih dipsacea, Hecatera serena and Acidalia 

 ruhicjinata, from Tuddenham. All these insects were taken early in 

 July of thisyear. Mr. Prout : Caradruia amby/iui, Leurania albiptincta-M\d 

 Tnjjihacna sKb.mjua, from Sandown. Mr. Battley : Taenioca)iij>a 

 ininiosa, Asji/ialia ridens, FaiiuUs piniperda, Tephroda crejniscidaria, 

 taken in the New Forest, at Easter ; and Scoria lineata, Erastria 

 fasciana, Scsia culirifoniiis, Aaintia Inctuosa, Kplujra anniilata, K. porafa, 

 taken at Chattenden, at Whitsuntide. Mr. L. J. Tremaync : a box 

 of insects from North Wales, including a specimen of Acidalia 

 contiijnaria. 



:]^EYIEWS AND NOTICES OF BOOKS. 



On a new Classification of the Lepidoptera, by A. S. Packard 

 {hora ih.Q Aincrican NatniaJixt, .July — September). — Upon the fact that 

 Walter has discovered in Eriaccphala caltlulla, maxilho constructed 

 on the type of those of mandibulate Insecta, and assisted by Dr. 

 Cliapman's remarkable discoveries in pupal characters throughout the 

 Order, no less than by his special studies upon the larva of E. caUheUa, 

 Dr. Packard proposes to divide the Lepidoptera into two "grand 

 divisions," for which he proposes the names Lepidoptera-Ijaciaiata and 

 Lepidoptera-Glossata. In the course of his papers, Dr. Packard finds 

 reason to style Hepialus a " colossal Tineoid." This may be the 

 correct way of viewing Hepialus, but, if so, it is a " colossal Tineoid " 

 with a jugum and without a frenulum, and thus contrasting with other 

 " Tineoids," large and small, which are icithont a jugum and tvith a 

 frenulum. It appears, then, unphilosophical to class the families 

 with a jugum with those with a frenulum, as Dr. Packard would do 

 in placing the Hepialidae among the Tineides. The jugum is un- 

 doubtedly a characteristic of the lowest Lepidoptera or PalaDolepidoptera, 

 and has evidently been retained longer, in other existing families, 

 than the free pupa or the maxillaB of the imago. Hence, for purposes 

 of classification, the jugum offers a character common to more families 

 than the free pupa or the retained mandibulate maxilloB. Morpholo- 



