134 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 
days at Randazzo, and on April 23rd I had one hour’s sunshine and 
secured three male and three female damone. Rain followed and I 
left on the 25th, with Mount Htna still hidden by clouds. 
Still another week-end without any luck. The feast of St. Joseph 
provided an opportunity to cross the Straits and visit Scylla in 
Calabria with my son. The early morning was promising, and at 
6 a.m. we were climbing the steep hill (2000 ft.) leading from Seylla 
to a plateau above, where Melanargia arge has its haunts. Before 
we reached the top, a quite unexpected cloud covered the hill and 
rain fell in bucketfuls. Fortunately we had umbrellas, but our boots 
were soaked through and we had much difficulty in negotiating 
various seams of clay, sometimes of a brilliant red, that we came 
across. Hventually we obtained shelter under a shed and waited. 
Later in the day we made a steep descent over slippery limestone 
rock to the nearest village of San Roberto, where the people were 
keeping the festa in orthodox fashion, with a band to play dance 
music, to which the young men danced, generally two at a time, 
followed by the young women by themselves and then the little 
girls. The ‘festa offerings” to be obtained were of the cheapest and 
commonest kind, but it was interesting to see how the natives enjoy 
themselves at such a trifling cost. 
My ill-luck in April stuck to me until the 30th, when I walked 
up to Gravitelli, and heavy rain sent me back home at once.—J. Parr 
Barrett; Westcroft, South Road, Forest Hill, S.E. 
(To be continued.) 
SOCIETIES. 
Tue South Lonpon Entomotoaican AND Natura History 
Socrery.—February 12th, 1914.--Mr. B. H. Smith, B.A., President, 
in the chair.—Mr. B. Williams, of East Finchley, and Professor 
Meldola, F.R.S., were elected members.—Mr. H. Rowland-Brown dis- 
cussed the matter of Nature Reserves, and appealed for further 
financial aid and suggestions for the care of these areas.—Rey. G. 
Wheeler read a paper on ‘The Genus Melitga,” and exhibited many 
Huropean species.—Mr. A. E. Gibbs exhibited his collection of the 
American species of the genus Melit@a with species of the allied 
genus Phyciodes.—Mr. Curwen, specimens of most Huropean species 
of Melitea.—Mr. J. Platt Barrett, series of Sicilian M. athalia and 
M. didyma.—Mr. Edward, species of Phyciodes and Coatlantona, 
from South and Central America. 
February 26th.—The President in the chair.—There was a special 
exhibition of lantern-slides by members.—Mr. Tonge, various details 
of lepidopterous life-histories.—Mr. C. W. Williams, organisms 
obtained by using the Berlese apparatus, and details of Contopteryx 
and Aleyroides, &c.—Mr. West, various species of Collembola, &e.— 
Mr. Colthrup, illustrating the resting position of lepidopterous 
imagines.—Mr. Frohawk, a series of Anosva plexippus bred from ova 
laid by a female sent alive to this country.—Mr. Main, for Mr. Sharp, 
of Eastbourne, a bred gynandromorph of Hriogaster lanestris, lett 
