SOCIETIES. 147 



March 2ith. — The President in the chair. — Mr. H. Kowland- 

 Brown, F.E.S., of Harrow, was elected a member. — Mr. Main exhibited 

 a collection of Coleoptera from Cape Colony, Hemiptera from West 

 Africa, and a spider found in a cargo of sugar from Java. — Mr. 

 Goulton, photographs of the ova of Ptilophora phimiijera and Enbolia 

 cervinata, with notes on their characteristics. He also showed photo- 

 graphs of various species of lepidopterous larvae in their resting 

 positions. — Mr. Mauger, a large Coleopteron, Macrodontia cervicomis, 

 from Demerara. — Mr. West, an example of the rare British Longicorn, 

 Monohammus sutor, taken on a doorstep at Great Yarmouth in 1903. — 

 Mr. Malcolm Burr gave a very interesting address on his tour in 

 Montenegro, and along the mountains on the eastern coast of the 

 Adriatic ; and illustrated his remarlcs with a large number of lantern 

 slides, made from photographs taken by himself. — Hy. J. Turner, 

 Hon. Rep, Secretary, 



Lancashire and Cheshire Entomological Society. — The Second 

 Ordinary Meeting of the Session was held in the Royal Institution, 

 Liverpool, on March 21st, Mr. Robert Tait, Junr., presiding over a 

 large attendance of members. — Mr. W^m. Mansbridge, F.E.S., Sefton 

 Park, Liverpool, was elected a member of the Society. — A paper 

 entitled "Notes of Captures, &c., near Simonswood Moss," was con- 

 tributed by Dr. J. Cotton, F.E.S. After describing the situation and 

 limits of the Moss, which is roughly a mile long by three-quarters of a 

 mile broad, the lecturer entered into details of the best methods and 

 most suitable nights for sugaring. He prefers to work with a sheet 

 and acetyline lamp, manufacturing the gas on the spot by means of a 

 simple and portable apparatus. The extent of ground to be covered 

 makes a companion desirable, for the possibility of meeting with 

 poachers is not a remote one. The only time a friend seems de trop is 

 when single rarities such as Acronycla alni or black A. leporina turn 

 up, and there comes the inevitable division of the spoil ! The paper 

 was largely devoted to a description of some twenty of the most note- 

 worthy forms which occur on the Moss, including Xotodouta camelina, 

 N. dictcBoides, X. dromedarius, Hadena (jlaiica, TriphcEna fimbria, &c., 

 with earliest and latest dates of capture. An enumeration of the 

 Lepidoptera taken on this Moss shows a total of one hundred and 

 fifty-six species, twelve of these being butterflies. A discussion was 

 afterwards carried on by Major Ross and Messrs. R. Tait, Junr., R. 

 Willing, F. N. Pierce, F. Birch, and E. J. B. Sopp ; and it was 

 generally accepted that all the evidence forthcoming corroborated the 

 theory that dampness is the predominant factor in producing melanism. 

 On the motion of Mr. R. Wilding, a hearty vote of thanks was 

 accorded the lecturer. — Dr. G. W. Chaster exliibited all the species of 

 the genus Ayathidium, including the recent addition to the British list, 

 A. badium. — Mr. C. E. Stott showed Periplaneta anstralasicc, a cock- 

 roach which has now become naturalised at Worsley (Lanes.). — Mr. 

 F. N. Pierce, a specimen of Cri/ptophafjmi acutanyulns, from Manchester. 

 — Mr. J. J. Richardson, Ptinus tectus, from Liverpool ; and Mr. Sopp, 

 Panchlora viridis and P, virescens, from Liverpool, which had been kindly 

 identified for him by Mr. Malcolm Burr. — E. J. B. Sopp and J. R. le 

 ToMLiN, Hon. Secretaries. 



