SOCIETIES. 153 



Lancashire and Cheshire Entomological Society. — March 8th. 

 The President, Mr. S. J. Capper, F.L.S., F.E.S., in the chair. Mr. 

 Fred Birch read a paper entitled " An Excursion to Cassiope-lsind, 

 with a sample of its Entomologial Fauna," in which he graphically 

 described a visit to the grand Langdale Pikes, in Westmorland, in 

 search of this the only alpine species of butterfly occurring in England, 

 which he was successful in capturing, along with Ciambus fnrcateUus 

 and other rare mountain species. The Rev. A. M. Moss also read a 

 paper entitled " Notes on Chlaria reticxdata from Windermere," in 

 which he recounted his experience in taking this species in the larvffi 

 and imago stages. Both papers were well illustrated by numerous 

 specimens. Mr. Moss also exhibited a drawer of Bombyces, with life- 

 histories. Mr. J. G. Mason, a long series of Tmiiocampa opima, bred 

 a week previously. Mr. John Watson, Colias hyale and vars. j^olio- 

 graphus and simoda, C. erate var. sareptensis and ab. erioptera, and C. 

 romanovi. — T. N. Pierce, Hon. Sec. 



The Nonpareil Entomological and Natural History Society. — 

 December Srd, 1896. — Mr. Harpur exhibited a block of solid African 

 ebony in which was a large boring, out of which he had extracted the 

 body of a caterpillar very much like Cossus Ivjniperda in shape and 

 colour, and probably an African representative of that species. Mr. 

 Walmer exhibited insects from the New Forest. Mr. Lusby exhibited 

 a good series of Ocneria dispar with a series of P. bucephala. Con- 

 cerning L. dispar a curious fact came to light. Last autumn Mr. 

 Gurney gave some eggs of the species (all laid by the same female) to 

 Messrs. Lusby, Craft, and Newbery. The larvfe resulting from these 

 were fed up ; Mr. Lusby's on red-flowered hawthorn, and those of 

 Messrs. Craft and Newbery on white-flowered hawthorn. Mr. Lusby 

 could get nothing else to feed his larvaa upon, and the leaves he said 

 were large, old, and tough. The images resulting from these were 

 fine large specimens, whilst those of Messrs. Craft and Newbery were 

 small and stunted. Mr. Craft showed a box of bred insects from Not- 

 tingham. Mr. Newbery exhibited a series of Hybernia aurantiaria and 

 H. defoliaria, both sexes, with a variable series of Cheimatobia brumata, 

 taken at Wood Street on November 28th. 



December Vlth. — Messrs. Gurney and Martin exhibited series of 

 H. aurantiaria and H. defoliaria, taken at Wood Street. It would 

 seem that both species, and also C. brumata, were very plentiful, 

 although the specimens were not quite as large as usual. Mr. 

 J. A. Clarke exhibited twelve specimens of Lycmut mjon ; these included 

 two typical males from Cumberland and two ordinary females from 

 Box Hill. The remainder were female specimens from Cumberland. 



March Ath, 1897. — Mr. Huckett exhibited a case containing hand- 

 some series of A. yrossxdariata , among which were some very fine dark 

 and suffused forms ; also series of A. prunaria, L. salads, and P. syrin- 

 garia. Mr. Schooling exhibited series (bred from egg) of A. remutata, 

 M. galiata, and M. rivata. He took galiata at Ramsgate, and in 

 gathering bedstraw as food for the larvae he obtained eggs of rivata, 

 which he fed on knot-grass and then dandelion during hybernation. 

 In July he also took J. aversata, from which he obtained eggs, reared the 

 subsequent larvas, and the imagines emerged about August, all females. 



