188 [August, 



" Chattendenia "), and of Strymon pruni. The details of the almost universal 

 distribution, in the warmer regions of the Old World, of Lampide.i bceficus, and of 

 its more or less successful attempts to establish itself as a resident in less favoured 

 regions (pp. 358 — 378) will be read with great interest ; and the recorded instances 

 of the occurrence of the species in England, seventeen in all, are critically discussed 

 by the author on pp. 375- -6, with the result that several at least of these records 

 appear to be open to grave doubt. Perhaps the most interesting passage in the 

 book is the practical demonstration, mainly by the exhaustive researches of 

 Dr. Chapman, of the specific identity of the numerous and often very discordant- 

 looking races of Celastrina argiolus occurring throughout the north temperate 

 regions and extending into the tropics of both hemispheres (pp. 399—427). 



As in the case of the preceding volume, the first eleven chapters (pp. 1 — 80) 

 are devoted to general considerations of the preliminary stages of butterflies, the 

 subjects here dealt with being the " JEstivation and Hibernation of Butterfly 

 Larva? " ; " The Gregarious Habit of Butterfly Larvae," and " Family Habits of 

 Butterfly Larva?." These chapters will be found of exceptional interest, as besides 

 the numerous observations on the larva? of our British Butterflies, a very large 

 amount of detailed and valuable information on the allied and representative species 

 in the Palsearctic and Nearctic regions is here brought together. Indeed, we think 

 it very desirable, in the event of the author not already having this idea in view, 

 that the preliminary chapters of these and the succeeding volumes should be 

 published as a separate work, which would form a most substantial contribution to 

 the general knowledge of our butterflies, and of their allies abroad. The specula- 

 tion on p. 11, that the failure of certain species, such as Pyrameis carditi and our 

 two forms of CoUas, to establish themselves as permanent residents in the British 

 Islands, is due to the inability of their larva? to accommodate their period of 

 hibernation to our winter, is specially interesting and suggestive. 



The numerous half-tone plates which illustrate this volume, especially those 

 depicting the life-history of the species, fully maintain the high standard of excel- 

 lence reached by those which appeared in Vol I, and we would especially call 

 attention to Plates IV and IX, in which all the stages of Callopkrys rubi and 

 Strymon pruni are clearly and beautifully rendered from photographs by Messrs. 

 A. E. Tonge and Hugh Main.— J. J. W. 



Birmingham Natural History and Philosophical Society. — The newly 

 constituted Entomological Section (the old Birmingham Entomological Society) 

 held its first meeting after the amalgamation on April 13th. The President, 

 Mr. Geo. T. Bethune-Baeer, in the Chair. 



The resignation of Mr. Colbran J. Wainwright from the Hon. Secretaryship 

 after nineteen years' service was received with great regret, and Mr. A. H. 

 Martineau was elected to fill the office for the present year. 



The President exhibited and described some Lycsenidas from Australia, all of 

 which are associated with ants during some portion of their life-history. Mr. II. 

 Willoughby Ellis gave an account of the present knowledge of British Myrmeco- 



