118 



SOCIETIES. 



ENroMOLOGiCAL SnciEi'Y OF LoNDON. — Miirch 6, 1889. —The Rt. Hon. 

 Lord Walsingham, M.A., F.R.S., President, in the chair. The Rev. W. 

 F. Johnson, M.A., of Armagh; the Rev. C. F. Thornewill, M.A., of 

 Burton-on-Trent; and Mr. C. R. Straton, F.R. Co., of Wilton, were elected 

 Fellows. Mr. F. P. Pascoe exhibited several specimens of the Saliba Ant 

 (CEcodoma cephalotes), from Paia, carrying portions o-f dried leaves. It 

 seemed questionable whetlier tlie leaves were collected by the Ants for the 

 purpose of making their nests or for the saUe of some fungus which might 

 be growing on them. Mr. Jenner-VVeir exhibited, and read notes on, speci- 

 mens of a Buttertly {Tiraiaala jMitiverana), from Monibaza, Eastern Africa. 

 Mr. J. H. Durrant e.^hibited a living larva of Cossus Lbjaiperdd , wnich hud 

 entirely lost its ordinary colour and liad become first pink and then white. 

 He attributed the change, and sul)sequeut loss, of colour, to the fact that 

 it had been deprived of its natural food and fed for eighteen mouths on pink 

 paper, with which the box in which it was kept was lined, and subsequently 

 on white cardboard. Mr. M'Lachlan remarked that the most extraordinary 

 peculiarity about this larva, in addition to the loss of colour, was the 

 absence of the usual odour of Cossus. Lord Walsingham observed that it 

 was questionable whether tlie colours of larvae were dependent on tlie colours 

 of their surrouixlings, or whether they were afiected by the contei>ts of 

 the intestinal canal. Prof. Meldola said that the caterpillar exhibited having 

 eaten the pink paper had most probably become dyed by the colouring 

 matter, and he did not think the ol)servation had much bearing on the 

 question of the protective colouring of caterpillars. It was well known to 

 physiologists that certain dye-stufls could be introduced into the tissues 

 of animals by mixing the colouring matters with tlie food, and paper was 

 frequently stained with coal-tar dyes such as eo^sin, magenta, &c., so that it 

 was simply a case of direct dyeing of the larva. Mr. \V. White observed 

 that two extreme forms of a larva might often be found feeduig side by 

 side on the same tree or shrub, so that the colour of a larva could not Ihe 

 altogether governed by the colour of its food. Mr. B. A. Bower exhibited a 

 specimen of Parasia iieuropterella, bred from heads of Ceiiiaurea scahlosn, 

 and said he believed the species had not l)een previou>ly bred. He also 

 exhibited series of Coleophora aiivaceeila, C solikirielLa, and Lavenia stibhis- 

 triyella. The President remarked on the beautiful condition and setting of 

 the specimens. Mr. White exhibited a series of male and female specimens 

 of Orffijia tlujalina, belonging to Mr. Leech, and obtained by the late Mr. 

 H. J. S. Pryer in Japan. Some of the females had their wings Jully developed, 

 and some of tliem were semi-apterous, as is usual with the females of this 

 genus. Mr. White remarked that he knew of no other species of the genus 

 in which the females had fuUy-doveloped wings. Lord Walsingham, Prof. 

 Meldola, and Mr. R. South took part in the discussion which ensued. 

 Lord Walsingham exhil)ited specimens of preserved larvae- of Eitpit/ieciu 

 extensaria, from King's Lynn, Norfolk ; also a preserved larva of Sinerlnlhas 

 ocellatus and one of Spliinx liynstti. The larva of the last-named species 

 was a variety, and the President remarked that it was the only one of this 

 species he had ever seen. The Secretary read a communication from the 

 Kev. Dr. Walker, announcing his intention of making an expedition to 

 Iceland this year, from the 23rd June to the 29th July, and asking that 

 any entomologists who might wish to accompany him would send him their 



