1002.] 71 



entomological work of the first year of the century, with special reference to many 

 matters of local importance. The Kev. K. Freeman proposed, and Mr. F. N. Fierce 

 seconded, a vote of thanks to Mr. Wilding, both for his able address and for his 

 valuable services in the chair during the past year, which was heartily accorded, and 

 in response to the unanimously expressed wish of the members present it was 

 resolved that the address be printed and bound in the Annual Report. On the 

 motion of Mr. Sopp, a cordial vote of thanks was also tendered to Mr. Fredk. 

 Birch for his indefatigable labours as Secretary during the past three Sessions. 



The following exhibits were made during the evening:— Cwlioxys mandibular is, 

 a Hymenopteron new to the British list captured at Wallasey by Mr. Fredk. Birch, 

 who also exhibited on behalf of the Kev. T. B. Fddrup various species of Lepido- 

 ptera sent for distribution among students of the group ; Vanessa c-album taken in 

 the Liverpool district by Mr. G. A. Dunlap ; and Corydia Petiveriana, an attract- 

 ively decorated cockroach from Madras by Mr. Sopp. 



Monthly Meeting, February 10th, 1902. — Mr. R. Wilding in the Chair. 



Letters were read from Messrs. B. H. Crabtree and H. Massey with reference 

 to their arrangements in connection with the Society's forthcoming visit to Man- 

 chester. A valuable paper was then read by Mr. Willoughby Gardner, F.L.S., 

 F.R.G.S., F.E.S., on the Life Habits of the Hymenoptera-Aculeata, dealing in a 

 full and complete manner with all that is at present known of the life history of 

 these most useful hexapods. After describing the characteric features of the Order 

 as a whole, he exhaustively reviewed the various families constituting the section 

 Aculeata, the females of which are armed with a retractile sting. Dealing first 

 with the Heterogyna, or social ants, he gave many facts of interest connected with 

 the instinct and economy of these remarkable insects, and mentioned that most of 

 our indigenous species belonged to the family Formicida, or mining ants. He also 

 described the methods pursued by the Fossores in the capture and preservation of 

 their prey. Of the Diploptera, or true wasps, two families are native to Britain, 

 their value on account of their wholesale destruction of Lepidopterous and other 

 injurious larva? being fully discussed. After enumerating the Coleopterous and 

 other inmates of the nests of lespa vulgaris and /'. germanica, the lecturer passed 

 to a consideration of the Anthopkila, or bees, alluding to the great part played in 

 nature by these pollen loving insects in the fertilization of clover and other plants. 

 Having referred to Colletes cunicularia, our " Wallasey Bee," and Cvelioxys man- 

 dibularis, a recent local addition to the British list, the concluding portion of the 

 address was devoted to the life history of Apis mellifica, the common honey bee, in 

 which many interesting, historical, economic, and other matters were ably dealt 

 with. At the close of his paper Mr. Gardner presented his recent monograph on 

 the Hymenoptera-Aculeata of Lancashire and Cheshire to the Library of the 

 Society. A hearty vote of thanks was tendered Mr. Gardner for his interesting 

 paper, and also for his welcome gift ; after which the following exhibits were made : — 

 Bembidium saxatile from Garston, by Mr. F. Birch ; Bembidium stomoides from the 

 River Hodder, by Mr. C. E. Stott ; Tropiphorus tomentosus (Heswall), Berosus 

 ajffinis (Moreton), Heptaulacus villosus and jEgialia rufa (Wallasey), Carcinops 14- 

 striata, &c, by Mr. R. Wilding ; and a pair of the earwig, Pyragra brasiliensis 

 from Espirito Santo, by Mr. E. J. B. Sopp. Mr. G. O. Day, some rare Dutch 



