SOCIETIES. 357 



Mathew exhibited seven beautiful and striking varieties of Arctla 

 villica, bred from larvfe obtained on the Essex coast, near Dovercourt, 

 in March and April, 1893 and 189J:. Herr Jacoby exhibited two 

 specimens of Blaps viucronaUis, with soft elytra, taken on a wall at 

 Hampstead. The Kev. Canon Fowler and Mr. G. C. Champion made 

 some remarks on the subject of the elytra of immature beetles. 

 Mr. H. Goss exhibited a specimen of Peiiplaneta (mstralasim, received 

 from Mr. C. E. Morris, of Preston, near Biighton. Mr. McLachlan 

 said the species had been introduced into this country, but was now 

 considered a British insect. Mr. B. G. Eye exhibited specimens 

 of the following rare or local species of Coleoptera, and gave the 

 names of the localities in which they had been taken : — Cicindela 

 gennanica, Enmicrus rufiis, Triarthron markeli, Mezium affiiie, Homaloplia 

 ruricola, Anomalafrischi \QX.juUi, Synaptiis ftliformis, Lixus paraplecticiis, 

 Bnlanimis cerasonim, Asemnm striatum, and Zeugophora JiavicoUis. Mr. 

 McLachlan exhibited, for Mr. G. C. Bignell, of Plymouth, two new 

 species of Ichneumouidfe, from Devonshire, viz., Pimpla bridgmnni, 

 Bign., a parasite on a spider, Drassiis laindicolens, Walck. ; and Praon 

 ohsinthii, Bign., a parasite on Siplwnophora ahsinthii, Linne. Mr. C. 0. 

 Waterhouse stated that the Acridium received from Capt. Montgomery, 

 and exhibited by Mr. Goss at the last meeting, was Acridium septem- 

 fascidtinn, and he exhibited the species with the wings extended. Mr. 

 Ridley exhibited a species of a scale insect [? Lecanium), found on a 

 nutmeg tree in Malacca, and made some remarks on Formica smarag- 

 dinri, which makes its nest on the trees, joining the leaves together by a 

 thin thread of silk at the ends. The first step in making the nest is for 

 several ants to bend tlie leaves together and hold on with their hind 

 legs, and one of their number after some time runs up with a larva, 

 and, irritating it with its antennae, makes it produce a thread, with 

 which the leaves are joined ; when one larva is exhausted a second is 

 fetched, and the process is repeated. Mr. Waterhouse read a paper 

 entitled " Some Remarks on the Antennae of Insects." A discussion 

 followed, in which Messrs. Champion, Jacoby, McLachlan, and Gahan 

 took part. — H. Goss and W. W. Fowlek, Hon. Secretaries. 



South London Entomological and Natural History Society. — 

 October 25th, 1894. — E. Step, Esq., President, in the chair. Mr. Hy. 

 Lamb, of Maidstone, and Mr. Arth. Cosway, of Watford, were elected 

 members. Mr. Jobson exhibited a var. of Abraxas grossulariata, L., 

 from his garden, having only a few black scales in place of the usual 

 markings. Mr. McArthur, bred series of Hgpsipetes sordidata, Fb., 

 from N. Devon ; the lighter specimens from bilberry-fed larvae, and the 

 darker ones from salloAV-fed larvse. Mr. Frohawk, xanthic examples of 

 PJpinephele hgperanthes, L. , and E. ianira, L. A long discussion ensued 

 as to the causes of this class of variation, and the eft'ect upon the imago 

 of injuries to the larva and pupa, with the bearing of Weismann's theory 

 thereon. Mr. Tutt, perfectly white vars. of Kmydia cribnim, L., from 

 the Alps, with New Forest examples for comparison ; also two specimens 

 of the new British species Cataplectica farreni, Wals., from Cambs. 

 Mr. Mansbridge, the dry carcase of a mole taken from a barn door, 

 which was covered with lepidopterous cocoons and pupa-cases. Mr. H. 

 Moore, two specimens of the violet carpenter-bee, Xylocopa violcicea, 



