SOCIETIES. 175 



yesterday week, being full a fortnight early, — Aug. Hrd, this year as 

 against Aug. 18th. in 1891, and Aug. 19th, 1895. Since then, I 

 have been favoured with a strong and cold N. or N. E. wind crcr]! night, 

 but to-day the wind has shifted to the W., and I am hoping for better 

 luck, though the wind is still a great deal too strong. A few ni'ghts 

 have been devoted to work under the cliff, between Sandown and 

 Bhanklin, the ^' p/ucu/iiiitidis ground," as we call it; a few lovely 

 specimens of the red var. of phrai/initidis have turned up, and I had 

 the pleasure of re-discovering Cocnohia rufa, after an absence of some 

 five years ; I have taken about a dozen. By the way, it is quite 

 noteworthy how many of my old friends are returning this season 

 after an absence of some years. I believe I mentioned Zift/ncna tiifulii in 

 my first letter, and I am able to add Siiilosoiim fHlii/inusa (a ^ and 

 two J s) ; the latter have both, as usual with this species, laid freely ; 

 AcidaUa ('ijianjinata, one specimen only ; Ririila Hcriiralis, also one 

 only ; Lv/dia adustata larvsB (quite a large number in the spindle tree, 

 from which I obtained a lot in 1893) ; Dicranum farcnla larva, one 

 in the sallows whence I obtained two in 1893 ; and I believe one or 

 two other species. I have made one more addition to my Lepidoptera 

 list, having this afternoon captured a specimen of the local iSpilodcs 

 sticticalis." Mr. Lovis reported sugar a failure at Margate. Mr. 

 Rose reported that larvre of Spil()so}i)a urticae from Broxkournk had 

 pupated. Mr. C. B. Smith had been spending a week at Cromer, 

 where entomological collecting had not been very successful, but he 

 recorded the following species : Macnuilosaa stcllataruiii, Eiujonia 

 polijcldoros, Colias edusa, Arctiafidujinom, Ijiyophila perla (plentifully), 

 but no B. nmralis. 



:KiEYIEWS AND NOTICES OF BOOKS. 



Insects and Spiders. — Their structure, life-histories and hajuts, 

 BY J. W. Tutt, F.E.S. [Published by George Gill and Sons, 

 Minerva House, Warwick Lane, E.G. Price 1/-, 116 pp., 8 plates 

 and numerous woodcuts.] — This little book consists of 15 chapters, 

 giving structural and characteristic details of the various orders of 

 insects. These are entitled, " General external characters of insects," 

 " Internal organs of insects and their functions," " Metamorphosis of 

 insects," " The Earwig," " Locusts and Grasshoppers," " Dragonflies," 

 " Caddisflies," " Butterflies and moths," " Beetles — Cockchafers, 

 Burying Beetles, Boring Beetles, Glowworms," " Flies— House-fly, 

 Crane-fly, Gnats," " Social Insects — Bees, Wasps and Ants;" " The 

 Honey Bee," " Wasps," " Ants," " Spiders." As a sample of the 

 contents, the following paragraphs from the chapter on "Metamor- 

 phosis" will show the character of the work. 



" EcDYsis. — The shedding of the skin is usually explained as taking 

 place because of the increasing size of the insect, but this is hardly a 

 satisfactory explanation, for the skin, even at the time of exuviation, 

 is capable of considerable extension. The skin itself is composed of a 

 basement membrane, on which is placed the cellular structure or 

 hypodermis, which forms the real skin, the latter being covered by an 

 excretion of chitin, which gives the skin its toughness. It has been 

 suggested that the skin is the organ by means of which much of the 

 waste matter of the body is got rid of, and, if so, it is very evident 

 that a time must come when the excretory power of the skin is reduced 



