SOCIETIES. 123 



concluded his paper by a short reference to other groups besides the 

 Lepidoptera, and suggested that an index collection such as this would 

 be useful in museums. In the discussion which ensued, the President, 

 and Messrs. Pierce, Moss, Freeman, Cotton, Gregson, Loche, Wilding, 

 and Webster made suggestions, and criticised the methods of the 

 speaker. Mr. Capper exhibited a remarkable variety of Zygmna loni- 

 cera ; Mr. Prince, spring captures ; Mr. Saxby, Acherontia atropos and 

 Smerinthus populi ; Mr. Moss, preserved larvae; Mr. Johnson, an 

 excellent series of varieties of Arctia caia, bred in January last, some 

 of which were very dark specimens. Mr. Pierce exhibited a fine living 

 example of Periplaneta australasia ; and Mr. Freeman, eggs of Orthosia 

 macilenta. 



April Uh. — The President in the chair. — Mr. F. W. Saxby gave a 

 lecture on Photomicrography of Insect-structures. He used for illumi- 

 nation a very powerful jet of acetylene gas. In describing the apparatus 

 he referred to this gas, jet, the doublet condenser, the microscope 

 without eye-piece, the sleeve connecting the microscope with the 

 camera, aud lastly the camera itself. He afterwards photographed a 

 slide of the vertical section of the compound eye of Eristalis tenax. 

 The negative (developed in the building) showed well the many lenses 

 with interspersed hairs, the optic nerves, &c. The lecturer, assisted 

 by Messrs. Pierce and Freeman, then exhibited several slides of insect 

 anatomy, among which were frenula and tentacula of a hymenopteron ; 

 front tarsi of Dydscus marginatus. Mr. Webster exhibited Papilios 

 from Lagos. Dr. J. Cotton exhibited a very long series of Grammesia 

 trilinea var. bilinea, concerning which the President made a few 

 remarks. 



Birmingham Entomological Society. — March 21s£, 1898. — Mr. G. 

 T. Bethune-Baker in the chair. Mr. J. T. Fountain showed a locust 

 found in imported vegetables at King's Norton, and which had been 

 identified by Mr. Malcolm Burr as Acridium cegyptium. Mr. P. W. 

 Abbott, a short series of Phorodesma bajularia from Wyre Forest ; 

 a specimen of Grammesia trigrammica with the outer half of the wings 

 from the median bar very dark, and the inner half light ; also a series 

 of Hecatera dysodea from the fens. He also showed a series of the 

 Cornish Lyceena arion for comparison with some also exhibited by 

 Mr. G. T. Bethune-Baker from the Gloucester locality. The Cornish 

 ones were distinctly brighter, of quite a distinct type of blue, much 

 gayer looking specimens. Mr. Bethune-Baker's specimens were taken 

 in 1896, like the Cornish ones. Mr. Bethune-Baker also showed spe- 

 cimens from Switzerland, the Amoor &c, all more like the Gloucester 

 than the Cornish specimens ; distinctly dark varieties from Switzerland, 

 the Ural, &c, var. alpina, and var. ubscura from the Alps, and var. 

 uraleiisis, in which the blue had nearly disappeared, from the Ural ; also 

 a number of other similar species of Lycana from Europe and Asia. 

 Mr. B. C. Bradley read a paper on the Aculeate Hymenoptera, illus- 

 trating it with eight boxes of insects, and some very good diagrams 

 which had been drawn by Mr. A. H. Martineau. Mr. A. H. Martineau 

 showed a box full of nests &c. of Aculeates in wood and pierced stems, 

 also in illustration of Mi\ Bradley's paper. — Colbban J. Wainwkight, 

 Hon. Sec. 



