( X ) 



There is great variety in the black markinijs on the pupal 

 wing ; in some they are few and small, in others they expand 

 and unite so that more than half the wing is black. The 

 ground-colour of the pupa varies from bright greenish-yellow 

 to whitish-grey. As might be expected of an insect whose 

 larva pupates by pi-eference on stems screened by foliage, its 

 colour is not very greatly affected by its surroundings. On 

 comparing some which had had yellow or orange surroundings 

 with others which had had dark ones, it was shown that the 

 former tended to yellow ground-colour, and the latter to grey, 

 having also an increase of the dark spots with which the thorax 

 and abdomen are thickly strewn. 



Mr. Merrifield also exhibited some enlarged coloured 

 photographs of the green and dark forms of Papilio machaon, 

 obtained by causing the larvse to pupate on green, yellow or 

 orange surfaces, and on dark ones respectively. In answer to 

 Mr. Jacoby he stated that though, when the pupa first 

 appeared, it was always of the green form, it had also, if it 

 was going to be a dark one, from the moment of its appear- 

 ance a few very minute subdorsal and sublateral dark spots, and 

 a little darkening of the anal end. The darkening began to 

 spread in an hour or two, and at an ordinary temperature was 

 complete in much less than 24 hours. Whether tlie pupa was 

 to be green or dark was determined by the surroundings to 

 which it had been exposed before it had cast off the larval 

 skin, and if it was going to be a dark one, the dark colouring 

 came on exactly the same in complete darkness as in light. 



Sir G. F. Hajipson exhibited specimens of a moth belonging 

 to the subfamily Hydrocampiniv of the Pyralidee : Oligostigma 

 ara'cdis, Hampson, from Ceylon, where his correspondent, Mr. 

 J. Pole, had met with a swarm on an island in a I'iver which 

 he estimated at 20,000. When disturbed the buzz made by 

 their wings was quite audible, and after three waves of the 

 net 236 specimens were bottled from round its edges, the net 

 still appearing quite full ; as in the some 30 specimens sent 

 the sexes Avere in almost eA^en proportions, this was not a case 

 of male assemblage. He also exhibited cleared wings, show- 

 ing the neuration of Diacrisia russula, Ti/ria jacohiwr, CaUi- 

 moiyha liera and C. domimda, the two former being typical 



