SOCIETIES. 



205 



Barrett exhibited specimens of Heterocera destructive to the fruit crops 

 of South Africa. Among them Sphivf/nworpha mimtcironis, Butl., known 

 as the Fruit Moth in Cape Colony — a bold and powerful insect, with a 

 sucking tongue strong enough to pierce the sound skin of a peach or 

 fig. The presence of a light does not appear to disturb it, ^o that 

 examination of its methods can be readily made, when it can be seen 

 that it does not take advantage of the natural opening into a fig, or of 

 a crack or other injury to a peach, but deliberately pierces a hole which 

 afterwards shows as a small round spot, from which decay invariably 

 results. It seems a matter of indift'erence to the moth whether the 

 fruit has fallen, or is on the tree, ripe or unripe. With regard to 

 Ach(Ba lienardi and Seirodes inara, the two species are restless and 

 timid, and therefore more difficult to observe. In the present season, 

 however, both have been extremely abundant, and have been seen at 

 apparently uninjured fruit, so that it seems they are capable of equal 

 destruction, and this is the more probable as all the species alike are 

 provided with somewhat saw-like teeth toward the tip of each section 

 of the sucking apparatus. Several others, feeding mainly on damaged 

 fruit, were also taken with the aforesaid species, among them several 

 new to science, and recently described by Sir George Hampson. They 

 included Pseudophia tirrhcea, Cr., Ophiusa melicerta, Drury, 0. mor- 

 moides, Walker, Ophiusa griseimargo, Hampson, 0. selenaris, Hampson, 

 Dysgona faber, Holt, Ericeia unangxdata, Gn., Homoptera glaucinans, 

 Gn., H. edusina, Pandesnm umbrina, P. fugitiva, Trigonodes obstans, 

 Audea ochripennis, Dordura tegulata, Hampson, D. retracta, Hampson, 

 Hybocala deflorata, Deva iiatalensis, Oresia argyrosigma and var. pro- 

 vocans, 0. emarginata, Agrotis aegetiim, A. munda, A. spivifera, A. ama- 

 tura, A. decipiens, A. rimosa, Noctua atrosigvata, Axylia interstnata , 

 Hampson, Gonites sabulifera, Cosviophila erosa and var. xanthyndyna, 

 Leucania interciliata, Hampson, L. nlbovitta, Hampson, L. vwnosticta, 

 Hampson, L. rhabdoplwra, Hampson, L. tacuna, Feld., L. aniens, 

 L. torrentium, L. loryi, Laphygma exigua, L. vrbicularis, and Eiila- 

 phygma abyssinia. Mr. Jacoby exhibited Callomorpha tvahlbergi from 

 Africa, and Spilopyra snwptnosa from Australia. A paper was commu- 

 nicated on " New Paliearctic Pyralidffi," by Sir George F. Hampson. 

 Bart. — C. J. Gahan & H. Rowland Brown, Hon. Sees. 



South London Entomological and Natural History Society. — 

 April 12th, 1900.— Mr. F. Noad Clark in the chair. Mr. G. B. Browne, 

 43, Southbrook Road, Lee, was elected a member. Mr. Edwards ex- 

 hibited a living specimen of Scorpio etiropaus, sent by Dr. Chapman 

 from Cannes ; it fed readily upon cockroaches. Mr. Sich, living larvae 

 and cases of Coleophora lineola, from Chiswick. Mr. Clark, photo- 

 micrographs of the ova of (1) Engonia fmvantaria, showing clearly the 

 serrated edges ; (2) Geometra vernaria, in piles as deposited ; and (3) 

 Nenro)iia popidaris. Mr. Colthrup, specimens of Bomhyx quercus var. 

 calhmcE. Mr. Tutt gave an interesting account of the Lasiocampid 

 Moths, to which he had recently been devoting his attention. He 

 showed that they formed a clearly definable section, and contained 

 numerous easily distinguishable, although closely allied, subsections 

 and genera. The various points of view of ovum, larva, pupa, and 

 imago were taken into consideration, and contrasted and compared 

 with allied groups, as well as inter se. 



