264 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



Lancashire and Cheshire Entomological, Society. — The openin 

 meeting of the session was held iu the Society's rooms, at the Roys 

 Institution, Colquit Street, Liverpool, on Monday the 15th inst., Mi. 

 Eichard Wilding, Vice-President, in the chair. — This being the annual 

 exhibition meeting of the Society, there was a good muster of members 

 from other towns. The number and interest of the exhibits was quite 

 up to the high standard maintained for several years past, and those 

 present had an opportunity of seeing many rare and noteworthy 

 insects. In the order Lepidoptera Mr. F. N. Pierce, F.E.S., showed a 

 case of varieties of Abraxas ijrossidariata from Wallasey, some of the 

 forms being of exceptional interest. Mr. Prince also showed the same 

 species, together with other insects from Wallasey. — Dr. Edwards, two 

 drawers of Lepidoptera from Lancashire and Devon, including among 

 others short series of Limenitis aibylla, CaUigenia miniata, Epione 

 apiciaria, Geometra papilinnaria, and Cidaria silaceata. — Mr. B. H. 

 Crabtree, F.E.S., brought a couple of cases containing beautiful bred 

 series of Odontopera bidentata ab. nup-a, from Manchester ; Heliothis 

 peltigera, from Sidmouth ; Boarniia repandata, Agrotis ashworthii, and 

 Epunda lichenea from North Wales, and many other interesting species. 

 — Mr. R. Tait, junr., long series of bred insects, showing variation : — 

 Agrotis agathina, A. ashivorthii, Boarmia repandata, and C'leora lichen- 

 aria, from North Wales ; Thecla quercus, T. betuJcE, and Angerona pru- 

 naria, from Hunts ; Aplecta nebulosa var. robscmi, and a beautiful melanic 

 specimen of Acrouycta alni, from Delamere, the last taken as a pupa 

 from an alder.— Dr. Bell, of New Brighton, showed cases of life- 

 histories illustrating the early stages of many of our rare as well as 

 common moths, mounted upon their food-plants ; also the results of 

 four days' collecting in fenland. — Mr. W. Mansbridge, a series of 

 Aplecta nebulosa and its black variety robsoni, bred from ova deposited 

 by a wild black female; a long series of Macaria litiirata and var. niyro- 

 fidvata, both from Delamere ; a series of Cabsra pusaria var. rotundaria 

 from Knowsley, and a series of Rnwia luteolata from Allerton, showing 

 seasonal variation between the spring and autumn broods. The last 

 member also read a communication to the Society upon the general 

 causes of insect variation. In the Coleoptera section Dr. Corbett, of 

 Doncaster, showed series of various species of beetles from that dis- 

 trict, including the very rare Carpophihts sexpustulatus recently taken 

 in an isolated locality and undoubtedly indigenous British specimens. 

 — Messrs. J. F. Dutton and George Ellison, interesting varieties of 

 Cicindela campestris (the common tiger-beetle), Agabus nebulosus, Ccelam- 

 bus novemlineatus, OtiorhyncJms blandus, and many others, from the 

 Orkney Islands, collected during a visit last summer to that locality. 

 Mr. George Ellison further exhibited two specimens of the Orkney 

 vole, Microtus orcadensis, a new British mammal, together with its 

 parasitic fleas C. pmicilliger, C. gall.inm, and T. agyrtes, and stated that 

 all of these parasites were well known to occur on the domestic fowl. 

 — H. R. Sweeting and Wm. Mansbridge, Hoji. Sees. 



