210 THE entomologist's record. 



The Congress opened informally with a meeting in New College 

 Hall, at 8.30, on Sunday evening, August 4th, when badges and 

 programmes were distributed and arrangements made known, old 

 acquaintances renewed, and new ones made, and a general atmosphere 

 of " feeling at homo " created. The formal opening took place at 

 10.80 on Monday morning, the President, Professor Poulton, being in 

 the Chair, with Professor Horvath as Vice-Chairman, and Mr. 

 Eltringham, as at the other General meetings, as Secretarj\ After 

 welcoming the Congress the President gave a most interesting 

 Address, illustrated by many drawers of specimens, tracing the mimetic 

 changes of the 5 of Papilio dardanus across Africa, from Madagascar 

 to the west coast. The Professor is singularly well placed for 

 investigations of this kind, being in constant touch with Fellows of 

 the Entomological Society of London, who, for various reasons, are 

 settled across Africa, and who are working (entomologically speaking), 

 under his direction. The Hon. N. C. Rothschild then read a paper on 

 " National Reserves," urging the preservation in different parts of the 

 Kingdom of suitable areas, in which the native flora and fauna may be 

 preserved for the enjoyment of the student and the public. A society 

 has been formed with this object, and its prospectus will be issued 

 shortly. 



In the afternoon there were two sectional meetings, one " Economic 

 and Pathological," presided over by Dr. Howard, with Dr. Newstead 

 as Vice-President and Mr. Scott as Secretary, at which Sir D. Morris 

 read an important paper on behalf of Mr. W. A. Ballou, entitled " Some 

 Entomological Problems in the West Indies," dealing with the attacks 

 of insect pests on sugar-cane and cotton plants, and the control of 

 certain insects by their natural enemies. Two other papers were read 

 on behalf of Messrs. J. Dewitz and R. S. MacDougall, that by the 

 latter author being entitled " Heteroptera and Thripida? as apple 

 enemies." At the other sectional meeting on " Systematics and 

 Distribution," as Mons. Oberthiir had not yet arrived, and the Vice- 

 President, Dr. Sharp, could not be found, the Chair was taken by the 

 Hon. N. C. Rothschild, the Rev. G. Wheeler being Secretary. Two 

 papers were read, one, by Prof. Kolbe, on " The unequal Value of the 

 Zoogeographical Elements in the different Zones of each Continent, as 

 the Result of varying Geological Periods," the other, a short paper by 

 Dr. Horn on " The Importance of Junk's Coleoptororum Catalogus." 



The General Meeting on Tuesday morning, under the Presidency 

 of Prof. A. Lameere, with Prof, van Bemmelen as Vice-President, was 

 given up to a most interesting paper, illustrated by lantern slides, 

 entitled " The Silk of Spiders and its Uses," dealing with the dift'erent 

 forms of silk spun by spiders and the different uses to which they put 

 them, by Prof. Comstock. This was followed by a meeting on 

 " Evolution, Bionomics and Mimicry," with Herr Sjostedt in the 

 Chair, Dr. Skinner as Vice-President, and Mr. Doncaster as Secretary, 

 in which three papers, (or more correctly speaking addresses] were 

 given, all illustrated by specimens, by Prof. Poulton, Dr. Perkins, and 

 the Rev. K. St. Aubyn Rogers, their subjects being respectively : " Mr. 

 Wiggins' and Dr. Carpenter's researches in Mimicry in the forest 

 butterflies of Uganda," " The colour-groups of the Hawaiian Wasps," 

 and " Mimicry in the two sexes of the East African Lycaenid Alaena 

 picata." 



