sOCcitETIES. 149 
South Loxnpon EntomoLoeicaL anp Naturat History Society.— 
April 14th, 1892.—Mr. C. G. Barrett, F.E.S., President, in the chair. 
Mr. South exhibited several aberrant specimens of Arctia caia, L., and read 
notes on the variation of this species; and also exhibited examples of the 
species artificially darkened by being killed with nicotine just after the 
expansion of the wings and before they had dried. Mr. C. G. Barrett 
exhibited a long series of Noctua festiva, Hb., from all parts of the British 
Isles, including the Isle of Shetland, and stated that Mr. Hart, of Dublin, 
had taken what appeared to be a partial second brood, and some of these 
were comparable to the so-called Noctua conflua. Mr. Barrett expressed 
the opinion that the series shown were all one species. Mr. Adkin also 
exhibited a series of N. festiva from Forres, Rannock, and Shetland. 
Mr. Tugwell, southern forms of N. festiva, specimens from Aberdeen, and 
one from Kincardineshire, similar to the Shetland form. In the discussion 
which ensued, Mr. Tugwell remarked that the late Mr. Doubleday was of 
opinion that Noctua festiva and N. conflua were identical. Mr. Lewcock 
said that, from an examination of Mr. Tutt’s long series of festiva and 
conflua, he could observe no satisfactory. specific distinction. Mr. Fenn 
questioned the appearance of a second brood in so short a time; in the 
examples he had from Shetland some had narrow and others broad wings ; 
he expressed an opinion that the narrowness of the wing arose from the 
harduess of the conditions of life to which the species was exposed in the 
Shetlands, and was a kind of immaturity. Mr. South said that Mr. Tutt 
based his distinction of Noctua festiva from N.conflua mainly on the shape 
of the wing, whereas Treitschke, in his description of the last-named 
species, did not refer to the shape; the original type came from the 
HRiesengebirge Mountains in Silesia. Since then specimens had been 
obtained from Iceland, and referred to the conflua of Treitschke; the 
Shetland specimens were not in any way referable to this form, but 
were the var. thulet [thules]; the narrow wings, in his opinion, were 
certainly not due to immaturity. He added that the moorland form of 
Jestiva was not peculiar to the north, as he had taken it in Devonshire. 
Mr. Barrett exhibited a specimen of Notodonta bicolor, Hb., which was 
taken in Devonshire in 1880, and until recently had been in a local 
collection under the name of Notodonta cucullina. He also exhibited, on 
behalf of Mr. Sydney Webb, of Dover, varieties of Rhopalocera. Mr. Adkin 
exhibited Phibalapterya lapidata, Hb., and P. vitiata, Bork., and read notes 
relative thereto. Mr. Lewcock, vars. of Silpha atrata from English, Scotch, 
and Irish localities; var. subrotundaria from Orkney and Ireland; also 
Mesites tardii, Curt., male and female, to show that in the male the 
antenne are inserted nearer the apex of the rostrum than in the female, 
and that the male has a much stouter rostrum. It was also noted that this 
species was now taken in quantity under the bark of old holly trees. 
April 28th. — Mr. C. G. Barrett, F.E.S., President, in the chair, 
Mr. J. V. Blachford, M.B., F.R.C.S., was elected a member. Mr. A. Cant 
exhibited a case of the genital organs of the Hesperiid, mounted in such 
a manner that they could be kept with the series in the cabinet. 
Mr. Frohawk, varieties of the under side of Pieris rapa, L., from Cambridge, 
a variety of Argynnis euphrosyne, L., and a black example of Apatura iris, 
L., without any spots on the inferior wings. Mr. C. G. Barrett, on behalf 
of Major Still, a series of Demas coryli, L., reared this spring, and showing 
the variation the species was subject to in Devonshire; Mr. Barrett pointed 
out that in some cases the central markings were eliminated. On behalf of 
