11 



&c. The male of the latter species I have reason to believe is a large yellow one. 

 Two years ago I broke a hollow fence post, in which I found a species of Xylocopa ; 

 the females were black, the males of a pale fulvous colour. This species was of 

 a smaller size." 



Mr. S. Stevens exhibited an entomological store-box lined with Croggon's patent 

 felt, instead of cork, for which, he observed, it appeared to be a tolerably good and 

 very cheap substitute. 



Mr. Stevens announced that Mr. Shield proposed to visit Bahia or Paraguay, in 

 search of insects and other objects of Natural History, and was anxious to obtain sub- 

 scribers to enable him to do so. 



Mr. Stainton read the following 



Note on a curious little Geometra tahen in London by Mr. Hunter. 



" Some years ago Mr. Hunter met with a little species of Geometra, apparently of 

 the genus Acidalia, in his garden in Bloomsbury Street. The specimen was unfortu- 

 nately much injured on one side, and the other side was not so brightly marked as 

 could have been wished ; yet enough was left to show that it belonged to none of our 

 existing species. 



" In 1855 I examined this specimen, and referred it to the circuitaria of Hiibner, 

 remarking at the time, 'No good figure of this exists,' from which it may be assumed 

 that I did not find a complete agreement between the insect and Hiibner's figure. 

 The reason of this is now obvious: Hiibner's figure of circuitaria is cited by Guenee 

 as an excellent figure ; hence it cannot be intended for Mr. Hunter's insect. 



" Mr. Hunter's insect thus loses the name by which it has passed current for two 

 years, and what is to become of it? We all remember how we were startled by the 

 announcement of Eriopus Latreillii having been bred at 24, Bloomsbury Street, and 

 when I again looked at the little Acidalia I was haunted by lurking suspicions that, 

 perhaps, what I had before me was only another case of accidental importation. 



" Having been lately working at the genus Acidalia, I had the markings of each 

 species fresh in my recollection, and I became very strongly convinced that this speci- 

 men must be placed near bisetata and trigeminata, in spite of the great difl'erence in 

 the ground colour. 



" Referring again to Guenee's volume, I found, almost immediately following 

 trigeminata, a species which not only answers our purpose of giving a name to Mr. 

 Hunter's late circuitaria, but also afi'ords us an explanation of the peculiar habitat of 

 London for a new British Geometra. 



" The insect in question is Acidalia herbariata and Fischer's figure of pusillaria is 

 referred to as the best representation of the insect. The first glance at Fischer's figure 

 was anything but reassuring: instead of the powdery-looking insect I had before me 

 I saw a bright neat insect, with a well-defined dark central band. Not content with 

 the figure, I referred to the description, which I found far more satisfactory. 



" The ground colour of all the wings is pale loam-colour, mixed with black scales, 

 which form fascia) and slrigse, whence the markings appear blackish gray. The space 

 between the base and the middle fascia is dull ; the fascia is in many specimens ' very 

 dark' ; it seems to have been one of these that Fischer has figured ' broadest at an 

 exterually protruding point in which is a black dot, narrowest below the middle, 



