294 THE EiNTOMOLOGIST. 



November 4, 1872. 



Rare British Buiterjlies. — Mr. S. Steveus exhibited one 

 example of Pieris Daplidice and six of Argynnis Lathonia 

 taken by himself, last September, near Dover; also a dark 

 variety of Pieris Napi, which he took at Leenane, Co. Mayo ; 

 two varieties, one very fine and rich in colour, of Pyrameis 

 Cardui, and a black variety of Calliraorpha dominula from 

 Dover; and Sesia asiliformis, Clicerocampa celerio, and 

 Deilephila livornica from Brighton, (See Entom. vi. 219.) 



Fossil Builerjly in the Slonesjield Slate. — Mr. Butler 

 exhibited a remarkably perfect impression of the wing of a 

 fossil butterfly in the Stonesfield slate. It appeared to be 

 most nearly allied to the now-existing American genus Caligo. 



Minute Book of an Entomological Society. — Mr. Smith 

 exhibited, and presented to the Society, the Minute Book of 

 the Meetings of an Entomological Society existing in Lon- 

 don from 1806 to 1822, in which were copied the minutes of 

 the pre-existing Aurelian Society. This had been given to 

 him by Dr. J. E. Gray. The Meeting passed a special vote 

 of thanks to Mr. Smith for this interesting donation to the 

 Society's Library. 



[There are two Societies apparently comprised in this 

 memorandum : the first existed iiom 1806 to 1813, and was 

 called TJie Entomological Society of London : the second 

 from 1822 to 1824, when it merged in the Zoological Club 

 of the Linnean Society; it was called The Entomological 

 Society of Great Britain. I have given details of these and 

 four previous Entomological Societies, at p. 300 of the 

 ' Grammar of Entomology.' — Edward Newman.^ 



Gnats at Oxford. — Prof. Westwood made some remarks on 

 the habits of the common gnat. He had observed none in 

 his house at Oxford till about July ; but from then up to the 

 present time there were swarms in certain rooms every night, 

 making their presence known by flying to the lights. All were 

 females, which sex alone is known to torment man by its 

 bites. They were carefully destroyed each day ; yet, although 

 both doors and windows were closed, they were daily replaced 

 by a fresh swarm, and he could only account for their pre- 

 sence by supposing they came down the chimneys. 



[It would have been interesting if Prof Westwood had 

 stated the technical name of the insect he designates as " the 



