to provide Popular Lectures for the outside public. They, however, 

 suggest that endeavours be made during succeeding Sessions to provide 

 one or more Lectures by well-known men, these Lectures to be given 

 before Members of the Society and their friends only, in the usual meet- 

 ing place of the Society, a small charge being made for admittance in 

 order to cover the Lecturer's fee. 



G. HARRIS MORRIS, 



Hon. Sec. 



REPORT OF THE ENTOMOLOGICAL SECTION. 



Chairman: Rev. C. F. Thornfavill, M.A. 



The Entomological Section has but little to report this year, though 

 solid work has been done by several of its members in the way of work- 

 ing out the Entomology of the district. But a very serious loss has been 

 sustained by this section in the removal from Burton of its energetic 

 Secretary, Mr. T. Gibbs, who has left the neighbourhood for an appoint- 

 ment in South Wales. Mr. Gibbs's place will be very difficult to fill: and 

 partly from this cause, partly from the temporary absence from Burton 

 of several other members of the section, most of the Excursions planned 

 for the season failed to take place. The principal feature, however, of 

 the year from an Entomological point of view, has been the remarkable 

 scarcity of larvae Thccla W-albiim, in particular, which last year 

 abounded in the larva state in Repton Shrubs, was this year hardly 

 to be found at all: and the same may be said of many other species. 

 C. solidaginis, on the other hand, was exceptionally abundant, as many 

 as 70 of the perfect insect having been taken in one day by a single 

 collector on Cannock Chase, where also it has appeared in several fresh 

 localities. The occurrence of T. variata and M. liturata, too, in Hoofie's 

 Wood, deserves to be noted, as these two species are not often found 

 where Scotch firs are of such rare occurrence as in this wood. The 

 larvae of A. atropos has been found again this year in the neighbourhood 

 of Burton, but S. convolvuli. though noticed in many parts of the king- 

 dom, has not been seen with us. To conclude, a little fresh blood 

 would be of great advantage to the Entomological Section: and the Com- 

 mittee would be glad to hear that some of the junior members of the 

 Society were taking up the study of this very interesting branch of 

 Natural History. 



CHAS. F. THORNEWILL, 



Chairman. 



