21 
Entomological Notes at the Chester Electric Lights. 
Of late years there has been a distinct falling off in the number of 
Moths coming to the electric lights. During the summer months of 1911 
and 1912, my brother Cyril and I worked the lamps on almost every 
favourable evening. We especially made note of the absenve, or the 
occasional occurrence only, of species which twelve years ago were 
common: and of these I have only to instance :—A. betularia, Sm. populi 
and ocellata, P. tremula (dictea), D. vinula, E. fuscantaria and B. piniarius, 
as examples. 
The following is a list of the more interesting records and captures :— 
D. falcataria, On August 6th, 1912, we saw a specimen of this 
moth at the Northgate lamp on a windy evening, but failed to 
secure it. 
A. agathina. New to Chester. 
H. lepatica and X. citrago. The first taken by us in Chester, 
though they have been previously recorded. 
C. rufa. In August, 1911, Wm. Dobie, Jun., and I took six speci- 
mens of this local and rare moth. 
P. interrogationis. A very striking variety of the female, taken 
at the Watergate, on July 21st, 1912. New to Chester. 
E. pustulata (bajularia). One specimen of fawncolour ; the colour 
was noted when the moth was first netted. 
L. cesiata (a moorland species). We captured six specimens, and 
it is new to Chester. 
C. pinellus. New to the Chester list. 
P. ferrugalis. New to Chester. 
‘A. nivens. A somewhat rare and local species, which comes very 
readily to light, but is very difficult to capture. It was fairly 
abundant in 1911, and on July 24th, 1912, I found it at every 
lamp visited, and secured twenty-four specimens, mostly 
females, all of which had the wings fully developed. 
Amongst others taken and shown at the Annual Meeting, were :-— 
N. dictwa, N. Ziczac, N. dromedarius, A. alni, A. fimbria, C. graminis, 
E. cespitis, M, persicarie, D. capsincola, A, lutulenta, T. fulva, P. arcuosa, 
CG. werampelina, O lota, N. glareosa and X, fulvago, E. popularis and 
P. festuce, were abundant in 1911. 
GEOLOGICAL SECTION. 
Only one Meeting was held during the Session owing to the 
difficulty—unfortunately an increasing one—in securing the services of 
lecturers. The Chairman, Mr. A. W. Lucas, F.G.S., on the 27th March 
read a Paper on “The origin and character of Limestone,” and this, 
although of a somewhat elementary nature, was made interesting by 
means of slides of characteristic fossils and Dee foraminifere. 
It may not, perhaps, be out of place in this Report to ask Members 
of the Society, who have friends or acquaintances able to assist the 
Section with suitable lectures or papers, to be kind enough to bring their 
names to the notice of the Chairman or the Secretary. 
NATURAL PHILOSOPHY SECTION. 
Scientific Method. 
By J. K. Winxins, M.A., B.Sc. 
__ The Lecture was intended to make clear by illustrations, such as 
might be understood both by people who had some scientific training and 
by those who had not, the principles involved in scientific research. The 
_ futility of the old a priori method was shewn, and illustrated by a 
