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the purpose of keeping living flies in, which he thought 

 might he adapted to practical entomological use in the field. 



Mr. George T. Porritt exhibited a long series of Hybernia 

 •progemmariu, bred from moths collected at Huddersfield last 

 spring. He said that out of two hundred specimens all the 

 females and a large proportion of the males belonged to the 

 dark variety called fuscata, which, though almost unknown 

 twenty years ago in the West Riding, now seemed likely to 

 replace the paler and original type of the species. 



Mr. Jennor YVeir observed that the melanic varieties of 

 Hybernia frogemmaria were very interesting, as it appeared 

 from Mr. Porritt's statement that twenty years ago this dark 

 form was unknown. He suggested that the development of 

 this form might be due to the greater number of manufactories 

 in the district, and the consecpiient increase of smoke and the 

 blackening of the tree-trunks on which the species is usually 

 found, which would give the dark form an advantage over the 

 paler form in the struggle for existence. This seemed the 

 more probable because all the females, which were apterous, 

 were darker than the males, and would be well concealed by 

 their colour, which much resembled a piece of bark. Mr. 

 Weir added that the same remarks would apply to the 

 melanic variety of Biston betularia, which had also appeared 

 of late years, and was also becoming more common. 



Lord Walsingham also commented on the apparent increase 

 in the number of melanic forms in the north, and suggested 

 explanations of the probable causes of such increase. 



Mr. Gervase Mathew, R.N., exhibited several new species 

 of Rhopalocera taken by him in the Solomon Islands during 

 the visits to those islands of H.M.S. 'Espiegle' in 1882 and 

 1883. Amongst the specimens exhibited were species of 

 Euplcea, Mycalesis, Messarus, Rhinopolpa, Cyrestis, Diadema, 

 Parthenos, Lampides, Sithon, Pieris, Pcqrilio, &c. 



Mr. E. B. Poulton exhibited a large hairy Bombyciform 

 larva brought from Celebes by Dr. Hickson. The natives 

 describe the larva as causing a complaint of the nature of 

 erysipelas in those who touch it. On handling the larva, 

 which had been kept in spirit, the points of the short crowded 

 bristles deeply penetrate the skin, while the bristles themselves 



