SOCIETIES. 171 



A cordial vote of thanks was accorded the lecturer, on the motion of 

 Mr. Wilding, seconded by Mr. Willoughby Gardner, F.L.S., who con- 

 gratulated Mr. Pierce on the excellence of his slides, and referred to the 

 interest of the subject, as instanced, for example, in Atjrotis aahwoithii, 

 which was shown by the genitalia to be a Xoctiia. Amongst the exhibits 

 were the following : — By Mr. F. N. Pierce, CncniUa scrophidaria, C. 

 verbasci and C. lychnitis, Acromjrta vcnosa and A. alhovoiosa. — Mr. 

 Willoughby Gardner, specimens of the carpenter bee, Xylocopa violacea, 

 from Northern Italy, with diagrams of its burrows in pine-wood, in 

 showing which he gave some interesting facts of its life-history ; also 

 living examples of Xyssia zonaria, taken near the mouth of the Conway, 

 North Wales. — Mr. J. J. Richardson, a case of South American, East 

 Indian, and Mayalan hawk-moths. — Mr. .J. R. le Brockton Tomlin, 

 long series of the red Elaters, E. b/thropterus, E. pomonce, E. elon- 

 gatxdus, and E. sanfjuinolentus, from Wimbledon, Sherwood, and the 

 New Forest. — Mr. W. Mallinson, ova of Tuniocampa opima, in natural 

 position on branches of Rosa spinnausima, from Wallasey. — Mr. 

 E. J. B. Sopp, a pair of the largest of the European grasshopper, 

 Acridium tei/i/ptiuin, captured in Southport during 1903. For com- 

 parison he also exhibited Acridium cristaium fi-om British Guiana, one 

 of the largest of the genus, and Locusta riridissima, the largest of our 

 British grasshoppers, from Freshwater Bay, Isle of Wight. — E. J. B. 

 Sopp and J. R. le B. Tomlin, Honorary Secretaries. 



Manchester Entomological Society. — At the Manchester Museum, 

 Owens College, on March 2nd, 1904, Mr. C. F. Johnson presided. A 

 paper entitled " Sounds produced by Insects " was read by Mr. R. 

 Brauer. Dealing in the first place with Coleoptera, one of the 

 simplest cases is that of the Anohium, which produces the noise by the 

 tapping of its body, and, if imitated, will again repeat the sound. 

 Certain Longicorn beetles carry on their hind legs a small file, on 

 which Landois has counted not less than 238 ribs, and this, coming in 

 contact with the body, acts as the stridulating organ. Mr. Brauer 

 also dealt with instances relating to British Curculionidse, Necrophoriis, 

 and Dytiscus manjinalis. In Lepidoptera Acheruntia ntropos, a well- 

 known example, produces the sound, it is said, by rubbing the palpi 

 against the base of the proboscis. Amjeroniaferonia, a South American 

 insect, makes a peculiar clicking, which can be heard for a distance of 

 several yards. In the tropics, the Cicadas become a positive nuisance 

 in places where they abound, on account of the noises produced ; 

 to this Darwin, in his ♦ Descent of Man,' makes special reference. 

 Some scientists believe that a horny scale or drum is responsible for 

 this. Mention was made of Gryllua campestris, G. domesticus, and 

 Gryllotalpa vulgaris ; and a certain species, according to Professor 

 Dolbear, acts as a thermometer, for by noting the number of chirps 

 made per minute the exact temperature of the air has been estimated. 

 Other groups dealt with were the Locustida}, Acridiida;, and the South 

 African genus Pimimora. Singular as it may appear, with few excep- 

 tions it is the males that produce so much music in the insect world ; 

 doubtless it is intended as calls to the females, or it may be simply 

 expression of Joy in life, such as the singing of birds on a summer's 

 day. Again, if so many insects of different orders are endowed with 



