SOCIETIES. 139 



British Lepidoptera, and recommended it to all students of that Order. 

 Mr. Burgess-Sopp, of Hoylake, read his paper on " Our Cockroaches." 

 Beginning with the most ancient known form, Palaoblattina douvillei, 

 found in the Caradoc beds of Calvados, in France, he traced the history 

 of the order as shown by fossil remains through the carboniferous, 

 mesozoic, and cainozoic periods down to the present. The Blattodea 

 were most numerous in the carboniferous period which he designated 

 the " Age of Cockroaches." Since then the number of species has 

 gradually dwindled away, until at the present day we cannot boast of 

 more than three truly indigenous to the British Isles. Throughout 

 this vast period the change undergone in their structure has been very 

 small indeed, consisting chiefly in the thickening of the anterior pair 

 of wings into elytra. He enumerated ten species now found in Britain ; 

 three of these — Ectobia livida, E. lapponica, and E. panzeri — being 

 indigenous; four introduced, viz. Blatta orientalis (the common cock- 

 roach), Periplaneta americana, P. australasia, and Phyllodromia ger- 

 manica ; and three occurring as occasional visitants from abroad, viz. 

 Rhyparobia madera, Leucopluca surinamensis, and Blabera gigantea. He 

 then gave an account of the life-history of Blatta orientalis, illustrating 

 his remarks by means of well-executed figures. He also exhibited a 

 case containing the species mentioned in his most interesting paper. 

 Other exhibits were, a delicate green cockroach by Mr. F. N. Pierce; 

 remarkable varieties of Camptogramma bilineata, by the President ; 

 British Carabida?, including the rare Carabus aiuatus, C. nitens, and 

 C. clathratus, by Dr. J. W. Ellis ; Lepidoptera by Mr. H. B. Prince, 

 and Rhagium bifasciatum, taken in February by Mr. F. Birch. 



April 10th. — In the absence of the President and Vice-Presidents, 

 the Rev. R. Freeman, M.A., occupied the chair. Owing to a sudden 

 attack of ilness the lecturer for the evening, Mr. Robert Newstead, of 

 the Grosvenor Museum, Chester, was not able to be present, and the 

 members were thereby deprived of the pleasure of hearing his lecture 

 on " The San Jose Scale and newly introduced Scale Insects," to have 

 been illustrated by oxy-hydrogen light. Mr. F. N. Pierce read some 

 interesting notes from Mr. Louis B. Prout on the much disputed species 

 of the genus Oporabia, and showed many specimens of the forms dilutata, 

 autumnaria, and filigrammaria. Other exhibits were — of the order 

 Lepidoptera, specimens from the Delamere, Eastham, and Knowsley 

 districts, by Mr. F. C. Thompson, Mr. H. B. Prince, and the Rev. R. 

 Freeman respectively, local forms and interesting varieties being well 

 represented ; of the order Orthoptera, Blabera gigantce, taken in the 

 Liverpool Docks, and Panasthia javanica, received from abroad by Mr. 

 E. J. Burgess-Sopp ; of the order Coleoptera, Mr. R. Wilding exhibited 

 his collection of Bembideous Carabidaa, which is a model of neatness 

 and order, and contains many local, rare, and otherwise interesting 

 species. Carabus glabratus, from Sty Head Pass, Cumberland, was 

 shown by Mr. F. Birch. It was resolved that the meetings be 

 adjourned till October 9th, on which date the chief exhibitional meeting 

 of the year will be held. — Frederick Birch, Hon. Sec. 



Birmingham Entomological Society. — February 20th, 1899. — Mr. 

 P. W. Abbott, Vice-President, in the chair. Mr. R. C. Bradley showed 

 some rare Phycidae, Galleridae, &c, presented by Dr. P. B. Mason to 



