SOCIETIES. 321 



considered that many of the specimens would most likely be cut in 

 pieces with the upsliding back. Mr. Heasler exhibited a beautiful 

 specimen of Phoroilcsma pmtulata, which he had found when freshly 

 emerged at Hendon, the empty pupa-case being near ; also two 

 Airutia Jic.vula from the New Forest. Mr. Tutt called attention to the 

 unsatisfactory state of our knowledge with regard to the affinities of 

 AvENTiA FLExuLA. He pointed out that Stainton included it among 

 the Geometrides. Newman did not include it in his book at all, so 

 that he evidently considered that its affinities were not with any 

 of the super-families he described as comprising the Macro-Lepidoptera. 

 Some authorities give it a position in close proximity to the Deltoides, 

 treating it as a distinct family. The peculiar larval structure sug- 

 gested that its affinities were rather with the Catocalids, and most 

 recent authors are agreed as to this. He remarked that, in a recent 

 paper,'-' Prof. Grote places this genus in the Bolctobiini, a tribe of the 

 Catocaline moths, and Avrites : — " The suppression of the prolegs in the 

 Catocaliuai', especially in the JUdi'tohiini, where it reaches its maximum 

 in Boh'tnhia and Avrutia, would seem to be of phylogenetic importance." 

 He reminded the members, however, that Mr. Tugwell consideredf 

 the larva of Boletohia fidujinana a true Geometrid, but as he troubled 

 little about structural peculiarities, his opinion may not be worth 

 much, and although Mr. Tutt saw the larva that Mr. Tugwell reared, 

 he carried no remembrance of it sufficiently definite to be of service. 

 Mr. Heasler also showed a specimen of CTe< nuetra pa jdlionaria, c-Ai^tuved 

 about 9.30 p.m., at Polegate. In a discussion which ensued it was 

 elicited that the species is on the wing, as a rule, from 9 p.m. until 

 very late, and that it frequently came freely to light, but always at a 

 late hour. Mr. May stated that Aaphalia ftavivarnis was not nearly so 

 abundant at Wimbledon Common this spring as it had been last year, 

 and that most of the specimens he had seen Avere very Avorn. 



Mr. R. W. Robbins read a most interesting and instructive paper 

 on " Ferns." In the discussion which ensued the destruction of 

 localities both for ferns and lepidoptera by professional collectors was 

 very warmly debated, the number of well-known localities which have 

 been practically destroyed of late years being almost incredible. 



At the meeting of the Entomological Society of London, held on 

 March 4th, 1896, Mr. Percy H. Grimshaw exhibited specimens of 

 ('ephenowijia rufiharbis, Meigen, a new British Bot-fly parasitic on 

 the Red Deer. He said that the specimens were collected by Mr. L. W. 

 Hinxman, in Ross-shire, in June and July, 1894, and in the Cairngorm 

 Mountains, in 1895. Mr. C. G. Barrett exhibited, for Mr. Porritt, a 

 black variety of Folia Jiariciucta, taken at sugar in his garden at 

 Huddersfield ; a variety of CoHtnia trapezina with a blue-black central 

 band ; and a variety of Xacnia ti/pica, with pinkish-white central 

 markings, bred by Mr. Tunstall, of Huddersfield. Mr. A. H. Jones 

 exhibited specimens of the following butterflies captured at Coomassie 

 by Major Henry P. Northcott during the recent expedition, riz., 

 I'apilio zenohia, Ehjmnia baiiuiiakoo, Livinas alcippKJi, Eotiialeosoma 

 ijausojic (var.), Catuna coenohita, Tcrias ceuf/aloisis, and ±^cj)tes ncinctes. 

 Sir John T. D. Llewelyn, Bart., M.P., exhibited a small species of the 

 Diptera, which he believed to be parasitic, on ^i/^ia sp/n'i/ifoniu', as he 

 had bred a number from that species. He remarked that <S'. splu'fji/uriin', 



*" TheHypenoid Moths and Allied Groups," Proc. Amer. Phil. Soc, xxxiv., pp. 421-2, 

 t Entom., xvii., p. 155. 



