184 (August, 



present report shows no falling off, either in quality or quantity of work, from any 

 of its predecessors, and will be read with much satisfaction and interest by all Ento- 

 mologists. The immense general collection of insects of all Orders in the Hope 

 Department, second only in extent and importance to the National Collection, and 

 including, according to a census completed during the current year and published 

 in the Report, nearly half-a-million specimens, and a vast number of types, is being 

 steadily put into thorough systematic order. Perhaps the most important single 

 piece of work of this nature is the revision and arrangement of the extensive series 

 of Orthoptera by Mr. R. Shelford, the Blattidie being already completed. The 

 re-arrangement of the fine collection of Diurnal Lepidoptera, which is constantly 

 receiving large accessions from generous donors at home and abroad, is also well 

 advanced. The most valuable addition in this Order is the marvellous series of 

 seasonal forms (until quite recently regarded as distinct species) of the genus 

 Precis from Tropical South Africa, worked out by Mr. G-uy A. K. Marsliall and 

 presented by him to the Museum. Thanks to Mr. Marshall and other energetic 

 collectors, the Hope Department may now justly claim to possess the finest repre- 

 sentative series of butterflies in existence from this most interesting and prolific 

 region. As in previous years, a great amount of work has been effected in the 

 bionomics of Insects of all Orders, and several important memoirs on this subject 

 have already appeared, while others are in active preparation. Lastly, the insects 

 collected early in the last century in South Africa aud Brazil by the famous 

 traveller W. J. Eurchell, which are even now unrivalled in the perfection of their 

 data, are restored as far as their condition will allow, fully named, and arranged. 

 Professor Poulton and his staff may well be congratulated on the work of the 

 year 1905. 



^bituarij. 



Dr. Peter Kempny died at Gutenstein, Lower Austria, on May 20th, at the 

 early age of 44 years, after a painful illness of four months. He suffered from a 

 heart malady, brought on by over exertion in liis profession of a medical doctor in 

 the mountainous district in which he lived. Some of his early papers relate to the 

 Lepidoptera of Lower Austria, but latterly his attention was more exclusively given 

 to Neurojytera, and he did some original work of importance on the Pleceptera 

 (Perlidx). His papers on Leuctra are of great value, and ihey deal with a difficult 

 genus in a remarkably able way. His last paper, a contribution to the knowledge 

 of the Neuroptera of Roumania (Beitrag zur Neuropteroiden fauna Rumaniens, 

 Bull, de la Soc. des Sciences de Bucarest, 190fi) was received by the writer very 

 shortly before the author's death, and he had also in view a similar work on the 

 Neuroptera of Syria. — K. J. M. 



BiEMiNGHAM ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY : Monday, May 2\st, 1906. — Mr. 

 G-. T. Bethune-Baker, President, in the Chair. 



Mr. C. J. Wainwright referred to Mr. R. C. Bradley's exhibit of Cheilosia 



