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Mr. W. Cole exhibited a wasp's nest from Woodford Bridge, Essex, 

 from which he had extracted specimens of VesjMi norvegica, Fabr., and 

 stated that Master Chapman, the finder of the nest, had captured specimens 

 of Vespa sylvestrcs, Scop., issuing from the nest. 



Mr. E. Saunders stated that he had examined the specimens, and the 

 circumstance of the two species occurring in one nest was very curious ; 

 they both belonged to the same section, and were not structurally distinct, 

 except in the genitalia of the males; still the species differed much in size, 

 colour, and pubescence. 



Mr. W. L. Distant exhibited, on behalf of Mr. L. de Niceville, of 

 Calcutta, a series of wings of butterflies, illustrative of seasonal variation in 

 Indian Uhopalocera. Of fourteen species, as hitherto understood, this 

 investigator admits seven only. All the specimens were collected in 

 Calcutta; the species are all common ones, and exhibit the diverse 

 forms found in the wet and dry seasons. Thus Ypthima Howra, Moore, 

 appears to be the dry season form of Y. Huehneri, Kirb. ; 1^ Marshallii, 

 Butl., the dry season form of Y. PJiilomela, Job. ; Mycalesis Blasius, 

 Fabr., speciOcally sinks as the wet-season form of M. Perseus, Fabr. ; 

 Mycalesis indistans, Moore, thus shows as the dry-season form of M . viineus, 

 Linn. ; and Mycalesis runeka, Moore, bears the same relationship to 

 M. viedus, Fabr. It was quite consoling to find that Melauitis Ismene, 

 Cram., is but the dry-season form of M. Leda, Linn., as the two species were 

 always unsatisfactory; and in the l^ymiiha.Viv.gs, Jimo)iia Alma)ia, 'Linn., 

 would seem to be the dry-season form of J. Asterie, Liim. Mr. Distant said 

 he considered this one of the most interesting of recent observations made 

 in the study of butterflies, though doubtless in some quarters it would meet 

 at first with a cold reception. The point to be discovered is, as M. de 

 Niceville wrote to him, why " the ocellated forms should occur in the rains 

 and the non-ocellated ones in the dry weather?" Mr. Distant had been 

 asked to offer a suggestion, and now asked the Society to assist him in 

 doing so. 



Capt. Elwes made some extended remarks upon the subject of seasonal 

 dimorphism and geographical forms, saying that Mr. Fullers exhibits 

 reminded him of one of the most interesting facts connected with geo- 

 graphical distribution, as many of the varieties in his collection madu on 

 the line of the Canadian Paciiic occurred again over 500 miles south in 

 the mountains of Colorado, and at no intermediate stations. 



The President also remarked on the importance of J\i. de Niceville's 

 exhibition and discoveries of the temperature forms of various Satyridce, 

 and hoped that this would serve as a warning to museum naturalists, as he 

 firmly believed that a vast majority of the new species now being n)ade on 

 very slender characters would prove to be casual varieties or seasonal forms 

 of one and the same species. Jn his younger days he well remembered 



