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Petr Petrovich Semenoff-Tian-Shansky, father of our Honorary Fellow, A. P. 

 Semenoff-Tian-Shansky, President of the Russian Entomological Society, died 

 of pneumonia at his residence in St. Petersburg, after a very short illness, in 

 his 88th year. 



Although not an active entomologist, he formed a very fine collection of 

 Palsearctic Coleoptera, and by his sympathy and powerful influence did much 

 to forward the study of insects in Russia. 



His contributions to the literature of botany, geology, statistics, art, and 

 above all, geography, were as numerous as valuable ; to the latter science, 

 indeed, they were vast. He first earned fame by his explorations in 1856 and 

 1857 of the then mysterious mountains of Central Asia, the Altai and Tian- 

 Shan, whence the honorable distinctive addition to his family name. He was 

 intimately associated with the Imperial Russian Geographical Society for over 

 half a century, being Vice-President since 1873 : he was awarded the gold 

 Founder's Medal of our Royal Geographical Society in 1897, and in 1910 the 

 Gesellschaft fur Erdkunde of Berlin granted him the Ritter-Medal specially 

 struck in gold. His orders and distinctions were very numerous, among the 

 most prized being the German Emperor's order, " pour le merite." 



He was Director of the Central Statistical Committee from 1864 to 1880, 

 President of the Permanent International Statistical Commission since 1872, 

 Senator since 1887, and Member of the Council of State since 1897. 



In spite of his great age, he was working with his accustomed energy and 

 optimism up to three days before his death. — M. B. 



Societies. 



The South London Entomological and Natural History Society : 

 Thursday, March 12th, 1914.— Mr. B. H. Smith, B.A., F.E.S., President, in the 

 Chair. ► 



Mr. J. C. Fryer, Northumberland Avenue, was elected a Member. 



Mr. W. J. Kaye exhibited two quite distinct species of Heliconius, H. hydara 

 and H. amaryllis, var. euryades of almost exactly the same facies, with micro- 

 scopic slides of the genitalia. Mr. Newman, Lasiocampa ilicifolia, ? , taken 

 at Cannock Chase, May 25th, 1913, by Mr. G. B. Oliver. Mr. Tonge, nest of the 

 N. American hornet, Vespa maculata, from Massachusetts, with several imagines. 

 Mr. Step, photographs of Aleurodes (Aleyrodidse),n family allied to the Coccidee, 

 and gave notes on the habits of the insects. The rest of the exhibits were 

 microscopical. Dr. Chapman, the androconia of Agriades thersites, spring brood 

 larger, much like those of /'. escheri, summer brood, much like those of P. 

 icarus. Mr. West, imagines of Aleurodes (Aleyrodidse). Mr. Adkin, armatures 

 of Ptycholoma lecheana, cocoon structure of Anthrocera filipendulse and Satumia 

 pavonia. Mr. C. B. Williams, British species of the Order Protura. Mr. Cox- 

 head, galls, with larvae and pupae, of Cecidomyia saliciperda. Mr. Ashdown, 

 various species of Coleoj)tera and Hemiptera, including Hispa atra, larva of 

 Jalla dumosa, etc., with Swiss specimens of Ceuthorrhynchus horridus. Mr. Noad 

 Clark, androconial scales of P. brassicse. 



