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they do on many of the smaller injurious creatures such as larvae, 

 earthworms, mulluscs, &c. He then proceeded to take the various 

 families more in detail, mentioning as types the Tiger-beetles (Cicin- 

 delae), the Ground-beetles (Carabidae), and the great Water-beetle 

 (Dytiscus).— Mr. C. F. Johnson showed Lepidoptera taken at 

 Courmayeur, in North Italy, in July, 1914 : M. didyma, females show- 

 ing a good deal of variation ; M. parthenie var. varia, E. melampiLS, 

 E. Ujndarus, E. lijcaon, L. pheretes, L. hylas, L. escheri, L. damon, 

 Z. carniolea, Z. achillem, Z. scahiosa. — Mr. B. G. Crabtree exhibited 

 vars. of Arctia villica, with cream tips to the wings. — Mr. V. 

 Coryton brought living larvae of U. samhiicaria and a living imago 

 of H. defoliaria. — Mr. L. Nathan showed P. atalanta and P. cardui 

 from Kersall, October, 1914. 



December 2nd. — Mr. J. H. Watson showed preserved specimens 

 of the life-histories of the common house-fly, the blow-fly, and the 

 gnat. These preparations were by Messrs. Flatters & Garnet. — Mr. 

 B. H. Crabtree showed, for Mr. R. Tait, jun., Cidaria mssata from 

 South Devon, with vars. He also exhibited Abraxas grossulariata, 

 bred from York this year from wild larvae, var. nigro-sparsata, and 

 one remarkable specimen asymmetrical in the hind wings. — Mr. 

 Mansbridge had examples of the same species, var. lacticolor, bred 

 from wild larvae taken at Huyton, near Liverpool. — Mr. J. E. Cope 

 exhibited living specimens of Ptinus tectus, found in dog-biscuits. — 

 Mr. F. N. Pierce showed beautiful series of the genus Sciaplula of 

 the Tortrices, mostly taken from the Tutt collection. — Mr. L. H. 

 Suggitt gave a very interesting paper entitled " The Evolution of 

 Insects." As an introduction he mentioned the relationship which 

 exists between P. icariis and P. artaxerxes. He gave further illus- 

 trations from the various geological formations, noting that the 

 earliest known type of an insect was found in the Silurian epoch. The 

 evidence of embryology is also of great interest in this regard, inas- 

 much as by its aid we are able, to a certain extent, to trace the rise 

 of any given species from earlier forms. 



London Natural History Society. — November 8th, 1914. — 

 Dr. E. A. Cockayne exhibited four extreme suffused forms of 

 Bumicia phlceas from Japan, much darker than any English 

 specimens ; Mr. W. E. King, Aricia medon from Wendover, in- 

 cluding an immense female, obsolete under sides, and one partly 

 striated, also Zizera minima from Horsley, including abs. obsoleta 

 and extrema. — Mr. H. B. Williams, four Aricia medon showing 

 obsolescence in the under side spotting, a striate under side of 

 Agriades thetis, five specimens of Co&nonympha ptaniphilus Sbh. pallida, 

 Tutt, from Herts ; Bumicia pklceas ab. infra-radiata, Tutt, two ab. 

 raviata, Tutt, ab. obsoleta, Tutt, and an ab. caruleopunctata, Staud., 

 with paUid patches on the fore wings, from Wimbledon, also a male 

 of the same species from Herts, with left fore wing almost entirely 

 white. — Mr. L. A. E. Sabine a store-box of Noctuae from Co. Sligo, 

 1914, including a remarkably fine series of Agrotis tritici and a fine 

 form of Epunda lichenea. — Mr. A. W. Mera, comparative series of 

 B. repandata illustrating the marked darkening that has taken place 

 in the general facies of this species in the London district during the 

 last thirty years. 



