72 THE entomologist's record. 



Guinea at some distance inland from the coast. The species is nearest 

 to Truides rictoriae from the Solomon Islands, of which a very distinct 

 geographical form (^niblaniiH) was shown for comparison. A remarkable 

 gynandromorphic specimen of Truides hali/jhron, \\&s also exhibited ; 

 it was obtained l)y Dr. L. Martin in South Celebes, the left side being 

 2 and the right side 3' • 



Mr, R. Adkin exhibited specimens of Tortrix pronuhana, Hb., reared 

 in June and July from larvae collected, at p]astbourne, in May, also others 

 reared in autumn from ova deposited by moths of the June emergence. 

 He said that, of the hirvre derived from the June emergence, the majority 

 produced moths in the autumn, but a portion of them hybernated when 

 nearly if not quite fullfed, and that the larvse derived from the 

 autumn moths hj'bernated quite small. He therefore concluded that, 

 when the habits of the species came to be better understood, it would 

 be found that, in this country, as had been shown to be the case in 

 Guernsey, it was practically continuously-brooded throughout the 

 summer months, the chief emergences taking place in June and 

 October, but with stragglers appearing probably in every month from 

 April to November. Mr. J. W. Tutt remarked that in the south of 

 France it was common in March and April, at Digne and Draguignan. 



At the same meeting Mr. Guy A. K. Marshall read a very 

 important paper entitled " On Diaposematism, with reference to some 

 Limitations of the Miillerian Hypothesis of Mimicry." In this he 

 pointed out the difficulty of accepting the idea of a mutual simul- 

 taneous mimicry between two unpalatable species siich as is postulated 

 by the hypothesis of Diaposematism. It was suggested that an initial 

 inequality in the individual numbers of the two distasteful species was 

 an essential condition for the production of Miillerian mimicry, and 

 that, in such circumstances, the mimetic approach would always be in 

 one direction only, namely, from the rarer species toAvards the more 

 abundant ; for any initial variation from the latter towards the former 

 must be disadvantageous. The various cases which have been put 

 forward as proving the existence of Diaposematism in nature were 

 critically examined, and it was contended that the facts could be more 

 satisfactorily interpreted on lines which did not involve the assumption 

 of a mutual interchange of characters between mimic and model. 

 While the great importance of Miiller's principle was fullj^ recognised, 

 it was pointed out that it had certain definite limitations, and the 

 attempt to explain all cases of mimicry among butterflies on this 

 theory was contested. On the other hand, it was held that the wide 

 significance of Bates' principle had not been adequately appreciated, 

 and it was urged that this theory would afford an explanation of many 

 cases of mimicry between unpalatable species, which had been 

 previously considered as purely Miillerian in character. 



Eruatdm. — The omission of some words ia the " Current note" (p. 45) on 

 two new species of Ncpticula has rendered the reading ridiculous. Joannis 

 describes the imago, the larva, the cocoon, and life-history of N. spiiwsella, com- 

 pai'es the larva and mine of N. j'lagicolella with those of N. spinoselhi , and the 

 imago of the latter with the two other " prunellier "-feeding species — N. prune- 

 torum (the head being reddish instead of black and the golden tint on the inner 

 margin near the base absent), and N . plaiikolella (the purple tint being absent). 

 Page 45, lines 13-15 should read — " The diiierences between the larva and mine of 

 this species and those of N. plaiiicolclla are pointed out, whilst the imago is com- 

 pared with those of xY. pkujicoleUa and N. primetorum." — Eu. 



