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Mr. F. N. Pierce delivered the Presidential address, taking for his subject 

 " The Hairs and Scales of Lepidoptera." The President described in detail his 

 original observations upon this branch of insect morphology and illustrated the 

 same by many drawings and microscopic preparations. In the course of his 

 remarks he described a difference he had found between certain scales in 

 Tephrosia crepuscularia and biundularia and stated that this was the only differ- 

 ence of a structural character he had been able to discover in these two species. 

 Mr. R. Wilding brought a specimen of Eubolia bipunctaria for exhibition and 

 stated that it was taken by himself so long ago as July, 1880, but he had never 

 before recorded it. Captured at West Kirby ; this is the second record of this 

 unlikely moth for our two counties. Dr. J. Cotton showed a number of colour 

 photographs of Lepidoptera by the Paget process and pointed out the advantages 

 of these plates over the older processes. 



Monday, January 19th, 1914. — Mr. E. Wilding, President, in the Chair. 



A discussion vipon " Varieties and Species recently added to the local list 

 of Lepidoptera " was opened by Mr. W. Mansbridge. Novelties were confined 

 almost entirely to the Micro-Lepidoptera and to variation. Twenty-six species 

 new to Lancashire and Cheshire since the last published list were enumerated, 

 one of them, Scoparia vafra, Meyr., being new to science. The increasing ten- 

 dency to melanism and spread of melanic forms was commented upon, instances 

 being Boarmia repandata becoming more frequent at Delamere in its black form 

 (var. nigra) ; Fidonia atomaria from near Pmrnley and Chat Moss ; Tortrix 

 costana from Liverpool and Burnley. He also mentioned that the black forms 

 of Aplecta nebulosa did not appear to be increasing in relative numbers at 

 Delamere ; on the contrary, in 1913 the percentage was smaller than usual from 

 wild larvae. 



Mr. S. P. Doudney exhibited a speeimen of Chcerocampa celerio captured at 

 Prescott, and Mr. W. Mansbridge brought a specimen of Catocala fraxini, 

 having very dark, almost black forewings, bred from a Sussex female. 



Monday, February 16th, 1914. — The President in the Chair. 



This meeting was a joint one with the Manchester Entomological Society, 

 who were invited to tea by the Council. 



A large number of exhibitions were made including the following, viz. : — 

 A small collection of insects from the Amazons by Mr. C. H. Walker. 

 Prof. Newstead and Mr. Watson of Manchester made remarks upon this exhibit, 

 describing the habits and life-history of the more noteworthy species. 

 Mr. V. Coryton, of Manchester, a fine melanic specimen of Plusia gamma, as 

 well as a bronzy form and the typical insect for comparison, also Trochilium 

 crabroniforme Noia cucullatella, Eiipithecia fraxinata, and a short series of 

 Peronea variegana, all from the Brooklands district of Cheshire. Mr. E. Tait, 

 Jun., full-fed larvae of Epunda lichenea found in the open in N. Wales on 

 January 10th ; many then found had already pupated. He also made some 

 remarks upon the early date. Mr. B. H. Crabtree showed varieties of Abraxas 

 grossulariata as follows, viz. : — lacticolor-radiata, lacticolor-cuneata, iochalcea, 



