﻿SOCIETIES. 127 



Mansbridfje read a paper entitled " Silverdale as a Collecting 

 Ground." Having given a brief survey of the geology and flora of 

 the district, the author enumerated a large number of local species 

 of Lepidoptera generally rare in the North of England, but which 

 had been recorded from this favoured area. Many of these, how- 

 ever, had not been reported for a couple of decades or longer, and 

 members were urged to endeavour to confirm such records as L. 

 corydon, T. betulce, P. egeria, E. hyperanthes, L. minima, S. malvcB, 

 S. anomala, A. marginepunctata, L. olivata, and E. tceniata, all of 

 which had been recorded some thirty years ago. He also referred 

 to the two field meetings which had been held at Silverdale — gather- 

 ings that had been greatly enjoyed by all who had attended. The 

 author mentioned having taken a fine specimen of Coccyx cosvio- 

 lihorana on May 30th, 1914, in Gatebarrow Wood ; also Adda fibulella 

 and Eiipithecia constrictata. — Mr. A. W. Hughes exhibited Lepi- 

 doptera from Eastham as follows : Hybernia defoUaria, H. auran- 

 tiaria, and a very long series of Cheimatobia brumata, the latter 

 showing great variation from very pale to very dark brown, almost 

 chocolate-coloured forms ; the last were scarce, forming only three 

 per cent, of the number captured. H. aurantiaria had not been re- 

 corded previously for the locality. — Mr. F. N. Pierce show^ed his 

 extensive series of the genus Cnephasia {Sciaphila), containing all 

 the British species except tvahlbomiana and abrasana ; with regard 

 to these he stated that it was considered very doubtful whether they 

 had any right to be included in the British Fauna, or even to be 

 ranked as good species at all. The variation was remarkable in that 

 almost every species showed both melanism and albinism, and it is 

 only by a microscopic examination of the genitalia, which can easily 

 be done without damaging the specimen, that the moth can be 

 identified, especially when it approaches the extreme variation. 



February 15th, 1915. — Dr. J. Cotton, Vice-President, in the 

 chair. — The evening was devoted to a pocket-box exhibition of 

 natural history objects. — Mr. F. N. Pierce contributed a selection of 

 " insect habitations," which included portable cases characteristic of 

 the PsychidiB, Coleophoridae, and the Trichoptera ; he also showed 

 the cases of the Coleophoridee under the microscope, and called 

 attention to the character of the silk of which some of them were 

 composed. — Mr. K. Wilding exhibited a number of Tortrices col- 

 lected in the neighbourhood of West Derby, including series of the 

 following: DictyopteryxJiohniana, Catoptria cana, Orthotania striana, 

 and many of the common hedgeside species. — Dr. J. Cotton, a box of 

 Triphcena fimbria and Carsia paludata from near St. Helens. — Mr. 

 W. Mansbridge brought a specimen of the fungus Polyporus betu- 

 linus, which, when dried and cut into strips, he used for mounting 

 Micro-Lepidoptera ; also a series of Mimasioptilus bipunctidactylus, 

 cinnamon-coloured form, from the Crosby sandhills, and a short series 

 of a melanochroic variation of Ellopia prosapiaria, bred from a 

 Delamere female ; he stated that, although not usually so dark as the 

 present family, the species is considerably darker at Delamere Forest 

 than in the South of England. — Wm. Mansbeidge, Hon. Sec. 



The Manchester Entomological Society. — January 6th, 1915. 

 — Mr. J. E. R. Allen showed L. flavicinctata from Co. Fermanagh 



