168 THE entomologist's record. 



immigration. They occurred all over Europe and Asia, and over the 

 greater part of Africa and Australasia, but there seemed to be none in 

 America. Probably they could not stand the cold. They depend 

 solely on flight, and spread more widely every year. A. atropas and 

 .S'. conndndi were not truly British, as they do not generally breed 

 here. He doubted if even Macronlossa stcllataruin. was firmly established. 

 Mr. R. W. Bobbins mentioned the capture of a specimen of JK i/alii in 

 1888, on Stamford Hill, and one had also been taken in the house of 

 Mr. Simes, a former member. Larvse were also reported from the Lea 

 Marshes. He had heard of <J. nerll having been taken in Poplar. If 

 so, it was probably imported. He agreed with Mr. Bacot as to the 

 similarity of the moths with regard to general structure, r.//., the large 

 feeding of the caterpillar and comparatively small body of the imago. 

 The food evidently goes to store up energy, which produces their strong 

 flight, and hence their wide distribution. The recent successive 

 occurrences of 1>. mphorbiae might possibly have been due to its 

 having immigrated to some mild locality, and bred there for a few 

 seasons. Its then sudden disappearance might have been due to an 

 unusually severe winter. Mr. Harvey mentioned the discovery of a 

 specimen oi Achcnmtia atmpos, on the ship of Mr. Woodward's father, 

 when she was off Gravesend, outward bound. He also remarked that 

 Mr. Culpin had sent over specimens of N. roncolndi from Australia. 

 He did not think the wings of these moths were better adapted for 

 flight than those of the Bombyctdes. Mr. C. B. Smith thought there 

 were reasonable grounds for not considering Marroi/lo.isa stdlatdruin 

 and Aclwrontia atnipos British species. They occur very irregularly, 

 and iS'. (■(inrolruU and A. atmpos were generally to be found together. 

 The latter sometimes lies over the winter, and emerges the following 

 June, but this, he thought, was a purely accidental circumstance. He 

 thought that A. atropo.s bred here very often, if not very regularly, 

 but of .S'. conrolndi he was doubtful. Mr. Prout, in reply, said that a 

 specimen of C. cdcriu Avas brought to Mr. Hanbury a month ago. Sphiji.r 

 piiiasfri was probably imported here accidentally, and managed to settle 

 down. Perhaps a bad winter put them down for a time, and they 

 were overlooked, but they turned up again, and have probably come to 

 stay. He agreed with the remarks of Messrs. Nicholson and Bacot as 

 regards the others. 



The indefatigable secretary of the North London Natural His- 

 tory Society has arranged an attractive programme for the first half 

 of 1896. The annual exhibition is to be held on January 4th ; on 

 February 27th Mr. Tutt will read a paper ; on March 12th 

 Mr. Nicholson will open a discussion on the family Amphi- 

 pyridae ; on May 14th, Mr. Tremayne will deal with Termites ; and 

 on June 25th, Mr. C. B. Smith will contribute some notes from 

 North Wales. Excursions will take place on May 16th to Epping 

 Forest, on May 22nd to the New Forest, and on June 13th to Oxshott. 



At a meeting of the Nonpareil Entomological Society, on Novem- 

 ber 7th, Mr. Norman exhibited living specimens of Hiincra pcnnaria, 

 IJi/hcrnia man/inaria, H. li'UnipJnu'aria, 11, dcjuliaria and Arctia raia, 

 all bred by himself during the preceding week in an outdoor breeding 

 cage. He also announced that he had larv;e of a third brood of A. 

 caia feeding at the present time. Mr. J. (1. C'l'aft exhibited specimens 

 of A. caia which emerged during the second week of September. 



