SOCIETIES. 191 



one of the most genial of our British lepidopterists, William Henry 

 E. Thornthwaite, whose decease on June 27th, at the age of 58, was 

 most unexpected. He was in his usual health on the 25th, on the 

 evening of which day he attended a dinner at the Savoy Hotel. 

 During the raeal he fell back insensible, and, although immediate 

 medical aid was at hand, he never recovered consciousness, and died 

 in _about 30 hours. He was an excellent lepidopterist, studying the 

 micro- as well as the macro-lepidoptera, and was also greatly interested 

 in Astronomical Science, whilst his charming personality endeared him 

 to all who were fortunate enough to share his friendship. He had a 

 most successful business career, and at the time of his death was 

 Chairman of the Board of Directors of The Gresham Life Assurance 

 Societ}', a position that he had held foi' vei'y many years. He was exceed- 

 ingly devoted to his work, and was always findable by friends in his 

 rooms at St. Mildred's in office hours. Privately he did much to 

 support our favourite study, and, whilst entomologists generally have 

 lost an excellent colleague, some of us have also lost a dear and 

 honoured friend. Truly 1908 is bearing hard on British entomologists. 



We have received from the Rev. A. M. Moss, who is now the 

 Chaplain of the Anglo-American Church at Lima, Peru, a most 

 interesting booklet, entitled " A Souvenir of the Oroya Railroad," with 

 64 excellent photos, and explanatory text, illustrating a journey from 

 Lima to Oroya, up the Pacific slope of the Andes, a distance of 138 

 miles, in which the railroad at its highest point, 107 miles from the 

 start, reaches an altitude of 15,665ft. Even seasoned travellers have 

 to think to recognise what this means. There is a suggestion of 

 another series of the Junin Valley, in which the railway continues 

 down the opposite slopes of the mountains to La Merced, which, 90 

 miles from Oroya, has descended to 2,550ft. into the heart of tropical 

 Peru. 



Mr. E. A. Newbery, " with some hesitation," adds {Ent. Mo. Ma;i.) 

 Plujllotreta diadeinata, Foudr., to the British list on the authority of 

 Capt. Deville, the specimens on which the determination has been 

 made having been captured in South Devon by Mr. De la Garde. 



J^ C I E T I E S . 



Birmingham Natural History and Philosophical Society. — The 

 newly constituted entomological section (the old Birmingham Entomo- 

 logical Society) held its first meeting after the amalgamation on 

 April 13th. The President, Mr. Geo. T. Bethune-Baker, F.L.S., 

 F.Z.S., F.E.S., in the chair. The resignation of Mr. Colbran J. 

 Wainwright, F.E.S., from the Hon. Secretaryship, after nineteen years' 

 service, was received with great regret, and Mr. A. H. Martineau, 

 F.E.S., was elected to fill the office for the ensuing year. The Presi- 

 dent exhibited and described some Lycenid^ from Australia, all of 

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

 Mr. H. Willoughby Ellis, F.Z.S., F.E.S., gave an account of the 

 present knowledge of British myrmecophilous Lycffinid larvfe, and 

 gave a list of records to date with remarks on the methods pursued by 

 the ants in obtaining the juices from them. He also gave an account 

 of the British myrmecophilous coleoptera, with special mention of the 



