^60 



THE ENTOMOLOGIST S RECOED. 



and varieties of the Caradrina quadripunctata group, viz. : C. aelini 

 (Germany); var. auc^yw (Syria) ; C . menetricul (Siberia); C. alhina 

 (Russia), and C. infiisca (Central France). With the exception of the 

 typical C. fidiui, all the specimens bore a very great resemblance to some 

 of the forms of ('. quadrijmnctata. Mr. Bate : a very dark specimen 

 of Luperina tcstacea from Dulwich. Mr. Sauze : Mdanmstdina 

 quadyi))iaculatiuii (Sydenham, March, 1895), and (Kn/cera trilincata 

 (Deal, July, 1895) amongst other Diptera. Mr. E. Heasler : 4(J 

 Selidosemaerict'taria, Psfudotcrpma pruinata (three specimens, unusually 

 green considering that they had been captured) ; two extreme forms 

 of (thoji/ios obsrnrata (deep black and ash-grey, respectively), and 

 Acidalia strcniiinata, one of which had a distinct dark band, generally 

 considered to be the distinguishing mark of A. circellata, all from 

 NeAV Forest. Mr. Frost : two Kpincpluie huperanthus, with xanthic 

 blotches ; a very dark Hadena dissimilis var. confluens, closely 

 resembling the dark purplish forms of H. oleracea and a short series 

 of Noctua (jlan'osa, all from Ipswich. 



February 4th, 1896. — Exhibits :— Mr. Prout : a short series of 

 Hi/dmecia luct'u^, from the Kyles of Bute. Mr. Bloomtield : a short 

 but prettily marked series of (Jpinabia dilutata, bred from Ringwood 

 pupae, and bearing some resemblance to 0. fd'Kjriunmaria. Mr. 

 J. A. Clark : a beautiful series of Ai/rotis tritiri from Howth (Ireland). 

 Mr. Tutt remarked that the form with the pale costal streak seemed 

 unusually prevalent in this locality, if the series exhibited was a 

 typical one. Mr. Fuller : an old book entitled, " A Collection of 

 Curious Insects," published by Laurie and Whittle, and dated 1794, 

 though the series of 13 copper-plate engravings seemed older than 

 that. Mr. Riches : living specimens of the slug, Tcstacella ludiotidca 

 from Hornsey Rise. Messrs. E. Heasler and W. I. Cox showed 

 specimens of Dulwich insects to illustrate an amusing and instructive 

 paper, read by Mr. D. C. Bate, on " The Lepidoptera of Dulwich." 

 Mr. Tutt exhibited a specimen of JJlaps muctonata, on behalf of 

 Rev. C. R. N. Burrows, who had taken it in his cellar, and read the 

 following notes from that gentleman : — Notes on Blaps mucronata. — 

 " I packed this beetle under the impression that it might be something- 

 new to science, Init appear since to have identified it as Blaps 

 mucronata. of which Mouliet in his Theatre of Insects writes as follows : 

 — ' It is of a pure black glistening colour, very slow paced, as no 

 creature the like, the body so framed and ordered that you would 

 swear it were winged, and had sheath wings ; nevertheless none of 

 them ha^^e any wnngs, no, not the male itself, among this sort of them, 

 whatever Pliny dreameth to the contrary. It hath long, slender, thin 

 shanks ; remains in dark cellars ; it creepeth very slowly, but at the 

 least glimpse of light and whisper of talk she hides herself ; a 

 shame-faced creature, certainly, and most impatient of light, not so 

 much for its ill-favouredness, but the guiltiness of its conscience in 

 regard of the stink it leaves behind it, and of its ill-behaviour, for it 

 frequents base places, and digs through other men's walls, and doth 

 not only annoy those that stand near it, but oftcnds all the place 

 thereabout with its filthy savour. The mouth of it is forked, the back 

 covered (as it were) with a sheath-wing, so solitary a creature that you 

 shall scarce find two of them together.' It is rather remarkable that 

 Mouffet, though he persistently calls the insect which he is describing 

 a ' Blat,' and is good enough to place it amongst the Moths, gives a 



