isso.] 263 



getting-up are both in every way excellent, and this first part contains memoirs by 

 Spangberg, Holmgren, Wallengren, Sehoyen, and others. Communications may be 

 sent written in French, Latin, German, English, or any of the Scandinavian tongues, 

 but French is preferred, and when the vernacular is used, a short resume in French 

 will appear at the end of each part. Under the editorship of so young and ener- 

 getic an entomologist as Dr. Spangberg, we have no doubt the new journal will prove 

 both successful and useful. 



Entomologicai Society of London, February Ath, 1880.— J. W. Dunning 

 Esq., M.A., F.L.S., Vice-President, in the Chair. 



The following elections took place : — Mr. P. F. Copland, of Hillcote, Buckhurst 

 Hill, as Member ; and Mr. J. B. Bridgman, of Norwich, and Mr. P. Cowell, of 

 Liverpool, as Subscribers. 



Mr. Stainton exhibited, on behalf of Mr. Grigg, of Bristol, an example of 

 Heliothis scutosa, captured near Weston-super-Mare. 



Mr. Pascoe exhibited an example of what, according to his experience, is the 

 ordinary "fire-fly" of the Amazon Valley — Aspisoma lineatum — which is not 

 alluded to in the works of Messrs. Bates and Wallace : its light was intermittent, 

 appearing at intervals of about two seconds, but it seemed able to extinguish it at 

 will for an indefinite period. 



The Eev. H. S. Gorham questioned the advisability of applying the term "fire- 

 fly " to all luminous insects indiscriminately. With regard to our Lampyris noc- 

 iiluca, he did not think it possessed the powers of extinguishing its light when 

 ahirmed, and he thought the supposed " flashing " was due to the light-producing 

 surface becoming alternately exposed and concealed during the insect's movements. 



Mr. McLachlan said that many years ago he and a companion had placed a large 

 number in their nets, and carried them for a long distance, the accumulated lights 

 producing quite a " sensation." He called attention to a discussion on the supposed 

 power of swarms of "fire-flies," to simultaneously exhibit and extinguish their lights, 

 that took place at meetings of this Society, May 1st, June 5th, and July 3rd, 1865 

 {vide Proc. Ent. Soc, ser. 3, vol. ii, pp. 94, 95, and pp. 101, 102 : Ent. Mo. Mag., 

 vol. ii, pp. 24 and 72), in the course of which he had suggested that the phoenomenon 

 might be due to slight currents of air altering the position of the insects when flying, 

 and thus exposing and obscuring the light-producing surfaces. 



Mr. Salvin said that in Central America the flight of Pyrophorns was in a 

 straight line ; and Mr. Meldola remarked that in Ceylon he had noticed a Lampyrid 

 very numerous ; its flight was straight, and not in swarms, and its light did not 

 appear intermittent. 



Sir S. S. Saunders said that in Corfu and Albania he had constantly observed 

 the intermittent nature of the light of Luciola italica. There could be no doubt of 

 this ; the light was not merely temporarily obscured, but totally extinguished, and 

 all the insects in a swarm acted in unison in this lighting-up and extinction. 



Mr. Meldola said he had once made experiments as to the nature of the light 

 of the glow-worm, and found that it was continuous, and spectrum analysis showed 

 it to be very rich in green and blue rays, and poor in red and yellow. 



Mr. Pascoe exhibited the sexes of Isopogon hotientottus (Asilidce), a Dipterous 

 insect new to Britain, taken by him at Box Hill, and determined by Mr. R. H. Meade. 



