22 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



Mr. Charles H. Pemberton, of 4, Kent's Terrace, Torquay ; and Mr. 

 E. P. Stebbing, Indian Forest Service, were elected Fellows of the 

 Society. Mr. Dudley Wright exhibited an aberration of Argynnis 

 euphrosyne, in which the upper side was suffused with black, and the 

 silver spots of the under side of the hind wing converted into streaks. 

 On behalf of Mr. W. H. Tuck, Mr. Tutt showed examples of Metcccus 

 paradoxus, L., taken in nests of Vespa vulgaris near Bury St. Edmund's, 

 together with some of the cells in which they were found. About a 

 fifth of the nests examined were affected, some containing as many 

 as twenty-four, twelve, and eight examples of the beetle ; the more 

 usual number present was from two to four. The dates between 

 which examples were taken in 1897 were from Aug. 2nd to Oct. 1st. 

 Acccording to Dr. Chapman, the eggs were laid in the cracks of posts, 

 ic, from which the wasps got the pulp to make their cells. Combs 

 were also exhibited from nests of Vespa crabro and Vespa germanica, in 

 which Mr. Tuck had found larva? of Velleius dilatatus, Fabr., which, 

 however, he had been unable to rear. The Eev. A. E. Eaton exhibited 

 a specimen of the singular Myodites subdipterus, Fabr., taken by himself 

 at Biskra, Algeria, and a near ally of Metcecus. Mr. Blaudford called 

 attention to a new instance of the destructive propensities of Dermestes 

 vulpinus, Fabr. He had received examples found at Hong-Kong 

 among flags made of bunting, which were presumably injured, 

 although no details had been forwarded. This form of injury was 

 analogous with the damage to woodwork recorded by himself and 

 others ; it had nothing to do with the feeding-habits of the insect, but 

 was committed by the larva? in their search' for shelter in which to 

 pupate. Probably the flags had been stored at some period in the 

 neighbourhood of infested leather goods, or dried provisions. The 

 only other case of damage to textile fabrics by Dermestes vulpinus which 

 he knew of occurred in connection with the case recorded by him 

 (Proc. Ent. Soc. Lond. 1890, p. xxxi) ; a blue handkerchief spotted 

 with white, left in the infested building, was found next day to have all 

 the white spots eaten out. In the ensuing discussion Mr. C. G. 

 Barrett referred to the damage done by Agrotid larvae to linen spread 

 out to bleach on the hillsides near Belfast. Investigation showed that 

 this did not take place except when the linen was gathered up and 

 brought into the warehouses without being shaken. The caterpillars 

 which had taken shelter underneath it then ate their way through it, 

 in order to escape in search of food. Mr. Champion communicated 

 papers entitled " Notes on American and other Tingitidse, with 

 Descriptions of two new Genera and Four Species"; and "A List 

 of the Staphylinidae collected by Mr. J. J. Walker, E.N., in the Straits 

 Gibraltar." — W. F. H. Blandford, Hon. Sec. 



South London Entomological and Natural History Society. — 

 November 25th, 1897.— Mr. B. Adkin, F.E.S. President, in the chair. 

 Mr. Tunaley exhibited xanthic specimens of Epinephele ianira, taken 

 in North Kent in 1896 ; a variable series of Ant/erona prunaria, from 

 the same locality ; and, on behalf of Miss Miller, of Chelmsford, an 

 unusual variation of Acronyeta rumicis, having a distinct red tinge on 

 the submarginal area of the wings, some portions of the body being 

 similarly tinted. Mr. H. Moore, a small collection of Lepidoptera, taken 

 in France last August, while on a cycling tour, and contributed notes. 



