72 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



just now. Although not directly connected with Entomology, it may be of 

 interest to record that I saw a bat flying about at dusk on the 11th of this 

 month ; it must have been perplexed at the absence of its usual food." 

 Some time during the week ending Jan. 20th a bat was captured, by Mr. 

 D. Cross, in a house near Marlborough Road Station, St. John's Wood. 

 —Ed. 



SOCIETIES. 



Entomological Society of London. — December Gth, 1893. — Henry 

 John Elwes, Esq., F.L.S., President, in the chair. Mr. W. F. Kirby 

 exhibited, for Dr. Livett, a series of specimens of a moth taken at 

 "Wells, which Dr. Livett considered to be varieties of Dasijcmnpa ruhi- 

 ginca, but which many entomologists present thought were varieties of 

 Cerastis vaccinii.-'' Mr. Kirby added that specimens similar in appear- 

 ance to those exhibited had been taken rather freely during the past 

 autumn in Berkshire, and it was suggested that they might be hybrids 

 between D. ruhiginea and C. vaccinii. Mr. Lovell Keays exhibited, for 

 Mr. A. L. Keays, a series of Lycana alexis, with confluent spots on the 

 under sides of the front wings. He drew attention to the fact that 

 the insects were all taken within a short radius, and probably were in 

 the ratio of about one in forty with reference to the ordinary form. All 

 the examples, with one exception, were females. Mr. Lovell Keays 

 remarked that he had some years ago met with a similar brood near 

 Weymouth, in which the confluent spots were, as far as the specimens 

 collected by him extended, entirely confined to females, and in that in- 

 stance the proportion was much higher. Prof. S. H. Scudder, of Cam- 

 bridge, Mass., U.S. A., stated that he had observed the occurrence of broods 

 of Cknjsophanus phlceas with sufl'used spots in America, but they were not 

 confined to any special locality. Mr. C. 0. Waterhouse exhibited the 

 type- specimen of Coptomia opalina of Gory, from the Hope Collection at 

 Oxford, and pointed out that it was quite distinct from C. vmtabilis, W. 

 The distinct punctuation of the whole insect, and the striolate pygidium 

 in C. ojxiiina, were sufficient to distinguish it at once. Mr. Waterhouse 

 called attention to this, as some French entomologists maintain that 

 these insects are the same species. He also called attention to Silpha 

 atomaria, of Linnaeus (Syst. Nat., ed. xii., i., p. 674), a Swedish species 

 which appeared to have escaped notice, and was not included in any 

 catalogue. The type is still extant in the Linuean cabinet, and Mr. 

 W^aterhouse said he was of opinion that it is Olibrus yeminus of our 

 collections, but he had not had an opportunity of making a critical 

 examination. He also exhibited male and female specimens of a 

 Helopeltis (the Tea-Bug), which he considered a distinct species, and 

 stated that it had occurred only in Assam. Mr. M. Jacoby exhibited 

 certain species and varieties of the genus Ceroc/lossus from Chili, and 

 Dr. D. Sharp, Mr. J. J. Walker, and Mr. Champion made remarks on 

 their geographical distribution. Prof. Scudder exhibited the type- 

 specimen of a fossil butterfly — Prodryas persephone — found in beds of 

 Tertiary Age at Florissant, Colorado. He said the species belonged 



* See note, ante, p. 61, 



