262 t^i'"'- 



March 6th, 1879.— J. W. Dunning, Esq., M.A., F.L.S., Yice-President, in the 

 Chair. 



The Chairman, in a short address, referred feelingly to the great loss the Society 

 had sustained by the death of Mr. Fi-ederick Smith, who had been again nominated as 

 one of the Vice-Presidents at the previous meeting. 



Mr. J. T. Harris, of Burton-on-Trent, was elected a Subscriber ; and Mons. C. 

 Brongniart, of the Musee d'Histoire Naturelle, at Paris, was elected a Foreign 

 Member. 



Sir S. S. Saunders exhibited a series of species of HaJicttcs from Greece, including 

 new forms. 



Mr. Wood-Mason recurred to Mr. Swinton's observations at the previous meeting 

 regarding tlie stridulation attributed to Mantis religiosa, by Col. Groureau, and 

 denied the existence of any true stridulating organs in the insect, the noise being 

 merely caused by the rustling of the wings. 



Mr. W. Cole called attention to Dr. Kerner's essay on " Flowers, and their un- 

 bidden Guests," in which it was suggested that flowers were, as a rule, not attacked 

 by larvte, because they contained principles distasteful to them. Mr. Cole was of 

 the opinion that the caterpillars, in neglecting flowers, had a regard for their own 

 safety, rather than that they found them distasteful, and alluded to the fact, that the 

 larv86 of many species, and even of almost entire genera, feed by preference on 

 flowers. Mr. Meldola saw no difiiculty in Dr. Kerner's statement, and suggested 

 that in the case of flower-feeding larvae, the digestive organs might be so modified 

 as to permit of the colouring matter being permeated in an unaltei-cd condition, 

 in the same manner that chlorophyl passes unaltered into the tissues of green cater- 

 pillars that feed on leaves, as had been proved spectroscopically. 



Mr. Elwes mentioned an instance of injury to bulbs of Sternhergia by some 

 larva, which Mr. McLachlan suggested was probably that of the dipterous genus 

 Merodon. 



Dr. Sliarp communicated a paper on Coleoptera from the Hawaiian Islands. 

 Mr. Cameron communicated a paper on new or little known species of British 

 Hymenoptera. 



The Btttteeflies of North Ameeica, by W. H. Edwards ; 2nd series, part 

 vii, 4to. Boston — Houghton, Osgood & Co. ; London — Trixbner & Co. 1878. 



We have frequently, on former occasions, spoken in terms of unqualified praise 

 of preceding parts of this magnificent work. The part before us maintains the high 

 reputation the author has gained amongst entomologists to its fullest extent; in fact 

 it is, if possible, an advance on all previous parts, both in the beauty of the plates 

 and the excellence of the text. The first plate, with four figures, is occupied by 

 Papilio Indra, Eeakirt, a species of very local distribution, and apparently confined 

 to Western California. On the second plate, with eight figures, are represented An- 

 thocharis Oenutia, F.,and Julia, Edwards, two species with curious falcate anterior- 

 wings. The third plate, with eight figures of the butterfly and many of the larva, &c., 

 is devoted to Colias Eury theme, Boisd.,to which are united KeewaydinajiA Ariadne, 

 Edw., as polymorphic conditions. We have no space to devote to a consideration of 

 the manner in wliich the author shows that the various forms are due to the brood 



