156 THE entomologist's record. 



England from Ootacamund, in the Presidency of Madras. The 

 first British specimen came from Tavistock, in Devon, in 1894. 



A superficial and illogical paper on " Melanism and Climatic 

 Conditions " appears in the Entoiu. for May. The author writes from 

 the College, Winchester, and the paper might readily be supposed to 

 emanate from a school boy who did not understand his subject. But 

 why such a prominent place in TJw Entomohxjist ' 



Dr. Dixey read another very interesting paper on mimicry, at the 

 meeting of the Ent. Society of London, on May 4th, and Mr. 

 Blandford, to illustrate his remarks on " Homseochromatic groups of 

 butterflies," exhibited a part of the unparalleled Godman and Salvin 

 collection, including many of Bates' original types and figured 

 specimens. Why was not Dr. Dixey's paper properly advertised as to 

 be read on that evening, we wonder ? Many entomologists will attend 

 to hear Dr. Dixey and Prof. Poulton who come at no other time. 



A very successful conversazione was held at the London Institu- 

 tion on the evening of April 27th, by the City of London Entom. 

 Society. In the course of the evening Lord Walsingham delivered a 

 short, but highly interesting, address to the members and their friends, 

 dwelling particularly upon the value of scientific societies. Mr. Enock 

 gave one of his excellent illustrated lantern lectures, " The trap-door 

 spider," and Dr. Gerard Smith discoursed on X-rays, and illustrated 

 his remarks by a series of very interesting experiments. 



The insects sent by Dr. Standfuss for exhibition at the Conver- 

 sazione of the Royal Society have been placed in the Insect Gallery 

 of the British Museum, South Kensington, so that all entomologists 

 may examine them. They consist of : (1) Remarkable mongrels and 

 hybrids. (2) Aberrations resulting from series of temperature experi- 

 ments. Some of the more remarkable aberrations produced by Mr. 

 Merrifield are also placed on exhibition with them. 



SOCIETIES. 



The City of London Entomological and Natural History Society. 

 — April 6th, 1897.— Cidaria immanata from Raindene Wood. — Dr. 

 Sequeira : a series of Cidaria inimanata from Raindene Wood, near 

 Folkestone. Xyleborus saxeseni from Richmond Park. — Mr. Heasler : 

 a series of Xyleborus sa.rcseni from an oak stump in Richmond Park 

 last November. He said : " This species belongs to the group which 

 bore into the solid wood, and are usually difficult to obtain, especially 

 when they take to oak. The whole of my specimens, however, were 

 taken in the bark in company with Dryococtcs rilloam, Placusa puntilio, 

 Rhizophaifus fcrrw/inews, etc." T.eniocampa populeti. — Mr. Taylor : a 

 series of Tacniocainpa populeti from Wimbledon, illustrating the entire 

 range of variation of the species in this district, and including speci- 

 mens of ab. ubsoleta, Tutt, and ab. intermedia, Tutt. The Lepidoptera 

 OF THE Isle of Dogs. — Mr. Woolley read some " Notes from the Isle 

 of Dogs." He gave a list of the Lepidoptera to be taken on the 

 island, and exhibited many of the species and some plants. The 

 particular piece of ground from which all these were taken was about 

 a mile square, and was constantly used by the Millwall Dock Company 

 as a receptacle for the mud which is dredged from the bottom of the 

 dock. The land was divided into three parts, and each division was 



