30 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



this may be therefore a reminiscence of an ancestor that possessed 

 these dark markings as an imago. He very much doubted this, how- 

 ever, partly because of the great variabihty of these dark pupal mark- 

 ings, and partly because there was no question of pigment involved. 

 Exhibited specimens of the wings at a later stage, showed the true 

 imagiual markings developed. The white pigment was well developed, 

 while the dark markings were still very transparent, little pigment being 

 yet developed on them. The solidity and firmness of these specimens 

 showed how much later they are than the others. With regard to 

 these effects, Dr. Chapman explained them to some extent as analogous 

 to photographic effects. It was quite possible, he thought, that light 

 and heat caused a differential effect through the different coloured areas 

 of the pupa. Another specimen. Dr. Chapman thought, might throw 

 some light on the question of supernumerary joints and limbs in insects. 

 He had, he said, in this connection made several hundred experiments 

 upon Porthetria dupar last summer, but of these had as yet only 

 examined about a dozen, one of them being the specimen exhibited. 

 The larval limb in this case, by some mistake, had not been cleanly 

 amputated, but partially crushed. This was done at the last larval 

 moult, and also probably so immediately after the moult that the parts 

 had not yet fully expanded, still less hardened, resulting, as the 

 specimen showed, in their remaining only partially expanded. The 

 result in the imago was a limb in which all the parts were abnormal, 

 even the trochanter, whilst the femur was curiously flattened out 

 triangularly, bearing on one angle an unquestionable tibia and tarsus, 

 and on the other a member that was no doubt an abortive tibia, since 

 it bore at least one short spur. — A paper was also communicated on 

 " Contributions to a Knowledge of the Rhynchota," by W. L. Distant, 

 and " An Account of a Collection of Ehopalocera made at Zomba, 

 British Central Africa," by Mr. P. I. Lathy.— C. J. Gahan and H. 

 Rowland Brown, Hon. Sees. 



South London Entomological and Natural History Society. — 

 October 25th, 1900.— Mr. W. J. Lucas, B.A., F.E.S., President, in the 

 chair. Mr. Kirkaldy, Worple Road, Wimbledon, was elected a member. 

 Mr. MacArthur exhibited specimens of Agrotis vitelUna from Shore- 

 ham, an example of J)»/*/u/y//m</7/(7o/>o_ryo«/s with pale marginal blotches 

 on the fore wings, and a specimen of Hesperia {ThymelicHs) thaumas 

 of a pale straw colour. Mr. Lucas, a specimen of the cockroach 

 Hhyparobia iiiaderie, taken in a desk in Covent Garden Market. Mr. T. 

 D. A. Cockerell, a photograph of a hollyhock plant as an example of 

 the ravages of the larva? of Pmataeis cardui at Raton in New Mexico. 

 Mr. West, a series of a local homopteron, Acocephalus brunneo-bifasciatus, 

 taken at Blackheath. Mr. R. Adkin, a series of the plain and banded 

 forms of Acidalia aversata, bred in September from ova deposited by a 

 banded female taken at Lewisham in July, and contributed notes on 

 their history and variation ; together with living larvfe of Caradrina 

 ambiyua. Mr. Mera, specimens of Culias edusa and var. heiice, with 

 intermediate varieties ; very pale specimens of C. Jujale ; and a speci- 

 men of ,S)iierint/a(s popuU with the basal area of the hind wings suffused 

 with yellow instead of dull red. Dr. Fremlin read a short paper on 

 *' Bacteria," illustrating his remarks with a varied exhibit showing the 

 methods of culture. — H. J. Turner, Hon. Rep. Sec. 



