( xxvii ) 



ichmisa. Mr. Merrifield said that his high temperature 

 examples resembled this local variety in some respects, 

 such as the increase in area of the red colouring and its 

 tendency to brick red, and the disappearance or great reduc- 

 tion of the three dark spots, but in the temperature speci- 

 mens this effect extended to the third spot, the one on the 

 costa, which was not the case in var, ichnusa ; on the other 

 hand, the cooled specimens closely resembled the var. poJarix. 

 Mr. Merrifield exhibited also some cooled V. anti(>p«(, and a 

 normal specimen for comparison ; with this species he had 

 not obtained results equal to those obtained and figured by 

 Dr. Standfuss, but the comparative darkening of the border and 

 great increase in the size of the blue spots would be noticed. 

 It was very gratifying to find that the effects of pupal tempera- 

 ture on the imago, and their causes, were now being made the 

 subject of systematic research, not only by Professor Weis- 

 mann,but by several other highly qualified observers, Dr. Stand- 

 fuss, Mr. E. Fischer, and others, and it might be hoped that 

 they would be prosecuted and extended. He expected at a 

 future time to ofi'er some observations on the general results 

 obtained. In the meantime it might be noted that what may be 

 termed the direct effect of temperature in some cases might be 

 taken as proved ; also that, though, as a rule, the summer 

 pupse appeared to respond much the more readily to varying 

 temperature, yet, in many species, among the Hetcrocera at all 

 events, the colouring and markings were much affected by 

 temperature applied in early spring to the winter pupae. 



Mr. Elwes asked if these experiments had been made 

 on pupa? only or on the larvre as well. Mr. Merrifield said 

 that the results were only noticeable when the experiments 

 were made on pupa?. The eftect of them on larvns was not 

 apparent. 



Mr. Kirkaldy exhibited ova of Notonecta (jlmica var. 

 urcata, and read the following note : — 



" In the Ann. Soc. Ent. France, 1875, p. 204, Eegimbart 

 briefly describes the oviposition of NoUmecta t/lanca. He notes 

 that in the stem of a rush or other allied aquatic plant, a 

 separate incision is made for each ovum, which is inserted 

 two-thirds of its length, the cephalic extremity protruding. 



