140 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



the type collection. Mr. J. T. Fountain, Sphinx lugustri, from Salfard 

 Priors. He said that he had found larvae there in 1897, on privet ; on 

 searching in the same place for more, in 1898, he found they had 

 apparently forsaken the privet, for he could only find two on it, but 

 found a number on ash. Mr. A. H. Martineau said that he had found 

 them at Solihull on the leaves of a small spineless holly, and reared 

 them on it. Mr. P. W. Abbott showed a series of Apamea unanimis 

 taken at Wicken, and including one dark specimen. Mr. Fountain 

 also exhibited Hybernia marginaria var. fuscata and H. rupicapraria, 

 taken the night before at Small Heath. Mr. Martineau, photographs of 

 butterflies in the kromskop. 



March 20th. — Mr. Gr. T. Bethune-Baker, President, in the chair. 

 Mr. P. W. Abbott showed Epinephele hyperanthus, under sides, from 

 Carlisle, three being var. arete, and three being very pale with usual 

 sized spots ; also three typical specimens for comparison. Mr. Bethune- 

 Baker, a lot of Lycaanidas, including a big series of L. icarus from many 

 localities, with blue forms of the females from North Wales, and others 

 from Brusa, Asia Minor, in which the females showed a shade of blue ; 

 also nice forms of L. corydon from Spain &c. Mr. E. C. Bradley, 

 Paraponyx nymphaata and P. stagnata, from various localities, including 

 two white P. stagnata, small in size, with the markings very faint, 

 locality unknown. Mr. G. H. Kenrick read a paper upon " Some Phases 

 of Variation among the Lepidoptera." He divided varieties into seven 

 different kinds — (1) permanent variation of double broods = seasonal 

 dimorphism; (2) permanent local forms not occurring with the type, 

 such as Lycccna salmacis ; (8) persistent variations occurring with the 

 type, such as Argynnis valesina ; (4) species which occur in two or more 

 well-marked forms, sometimes connected by intermediates, sometimes 

 not, such as Apamea oculea, Miana strigilis, &c. ; (5) occasional and yet 

 persistent varieties, such as yellow Zygaanas, Arctias, &c. ; (6) permanent 

 food-plant forms, of which Tceniocampa gracilis apparently presents an 

 example ; (7) the rare erratic abnormality. He exhibited four drawers 

 of insects, including good examples of each class, and described them 

 more or less at length. — Colbean J. Wainwright, Hon. Sec. 



BECENT LITERATURE. 



The Lepidoptera of the British Islands : a Descriptive Account of the 

 Families, Genera, and Species indigenous to Great Britain and 

 Ireland, their Preparatory Stages, Habits, and Localities. By 

 Charles G. Barrett, F.E.S., &c. Vol. V. Heterocera Noctuae. 

 8vo, pp. 381. London: Lovell Reeve & Co. 1899. 



The present volume deals with the Trifidas section of the Noctuina 

 group, and comprises reference to one hundred and eleven species and 

 forty-five genera, commencing with Celcena haworthii and concluding 

 with Xanthia ocellaris. 



The arrangement of genera is not quite that we have been accustomed 

 to, neither does it agree with the system of any other recent author. 

 The changes in this particular that have been made are not likely to 

 cause the render very much trouble, and there are but few alterations 



