SOCIETIES. 77 



Birmingham Entomological Society. — November 20th, 1893. — Mr. 

 E. C. Bradley in the chair. Exhibits :^- By Mr. E. C. Rossiter, 

 insects from Arley, including Aplecta tincta, Hadena contigna and H. 

 proteus ; also one specimen of Xylophasia scolopacina from Shut Mill. 

 By Mr. A. H. Martineau, Mucroglossa stellatarum from Solihull and 

 Abersoch in North Wales, and one specimen of Sesia cynipi/nrmis from 

 Wyre Forest ; also male specimens of three species of bees from Nevin 

 in N. Wales — Bombus musconim, B. sylvarwn, and B. cognatus — all 

 easily distinguished from one another by the arrangement of the hairs, 

 and remarkably alike in appearance. By Mr. R. C. Bradley, males, 

 females, and neuters of Vespa crabro from Astwood Bank ; also Ammo- 

 phila sabulosa from Cannock Chase, for which species Mr. Saunders, in 

 his ' Hymenoptera Aculeata,' Part iii., gives no midland localities. By 

 Mr. W. Harrison, a nest of Boitibus cognatus — males, females, and 

 neuters — from Harborne ; also a box of Lepidoptera taken during the 

 trips of the Society to the Cotswolds in June last, and including, in 

 addition to species taken by other members, Nemeobius lucina, EucheUa 

 jacobacc, and Nemeophila jjlantaginis, male and female, &c. Mr. F. W. 

 Urich, of Trinidad, communicated a paper entitled " Wayside Notes of 

 a Naturalist ; " it described a walk in the neighbourhood of Port of 

 Spain, with many observations upon the habits of the insects, &c., 

 met with. A number of photographs of the district were shown, also 

 a box of insects which had been collected during one week, to show 

 what might be done there ; the box contained about 50 dragonflies, 

 and over 130 Lepidoptera, &c. 



December 18th. — Mr. G. H. Kenrick, F.E.S., Vice-President, in the 

 chair. Exhibits : — By Mr. R. C. Bradley, Polyommatus phlceas, from 

 Sutton and Knowle, a short and very variable series. Mr. G. T. Bethune- 

 Baker referred to Mr. F. Merrifield's breeding experiments with P. 

 phlceas, as recently described before the London Entomological Society, 

 and said that Mr. Merrifield found that he got darker and duller 

 colours with heat, and paler and brighter ones with cold ; Mr. Bradley, 

 however, had taken his lighter specimens in Sept. and Oct., and they 

 had probably therefore been bred during hot months. Mr. Bradley 

 also showed five species of Diptera, all new to the British list, namely, 

 Dactylolabis gracilipes, Lw., Goniomyia jecunda, Lw., Ephelia varinervis, 

 Ztt., Clinocera lameUata, Lw., and Didea fascia ta, Macq. Mr. G. T. 

 Bethune-Baker, Crambus furcatellus, C. ericellus, and Psodus coracina, 

 all from Ranuoch. Mr. G. H. Kenrick, a boxful of insects taken by 

 himself in Sutherlandshire this autumn, and including Calocampa soli- 

 dag'mis, C. vetusta (common), C. exoletn, Epunda nigra, Noctiia iimbrosa, 

 Agrotis siiffusa, &c. ; he said that the specimens of C. solidaginis, of 

 which he took a nice series, were lighter and greyer than our Cannock 

 ones. Mr. W. Harrison, three boxes of Hymenoptera taken during 

 the year, and including Andrena trimmerana from a spot in Edgbaston, 

 where he has seen it for several years ; this year, for the first time, be 

 has seen and taken the parasite, Nomada alternata, and it was com- 

 moner than its host ; there were also in the boxes Halictus smeathma- 

 nella, Mimesa dahlbomi, Crabro unicolor, Ccelioxys vectis, Osmia bicolor, 

 &c. Mr. Martineau, a box of Hymenoptera taken this year, including 

 Crabro interniptiis taken at Middleton Woods, Mimesa dahlbomi from 



