132 



Mr. Westwood exhibited a box of exotic Lepidoptera, recently obtained in Paris, 

 containing many rare and interesting species, especially several collected by M. Lorquin 

 in tbe Philippine Islands, including Papilio Da;dalus, Zetbera Pimplea (of which the 

 male only had been hitherto known— figured by Erichson — the female now exhibited 

 being totally unlike the male), Debis Lorquinii, a species belonging to the family 

 Satyrida', but having the wings of the male of a resplendent blue colour ; also Morpho 

 Aurora, Westw. (a lovely species of great rarity), several brilliant Erycinidse, a fine 

 new Paphia from Colunobia, and a remarkable Adolias from the Philippine Islands ; 

 likewise specimens of both sexes of Saturnia Cynthia and S. Ricini, reared at Paris, 

 as well as specimens of both sexes of a hybrid variety reared between the two last 

 mentioned species. Unfortunately, owing to the absence of M. Guerin Meneville 

 from Paris during Mr. Westwood's visit, he had not been able to obtain any detailed 

 account of the circumstances under which these hybrids had been produced, nor had 

 he learned whether they were prolific. M. Guerin himself had given in the ' Annales 

 de la Societe Entomologique de France,' 1859 (Proc. p. xlvi.), some account of these 

 hybrids showing their peculiar tendency both in structure and habits to one or other 

 of their parents. On the occasion when this account was given to the French Society, 

 M. Aube suggested the probability that the two supposed parent species were not 

 specifically distinct, but were, on the contrary, only races due to domesticity, an opinion 

 which Mr. Westwood was induced to adopt, although the circumstances connected with 

 the two supposed species as regarded their food-plants, relative capability of enduring 

 cold, time of pupation, (kc, if applied to great numbers of the Micro-Lepidoptera 

 would be regarded by most modern Lepidopterists as decided evidence of distinctness of 

 species. Even supposing these hybrids are not fertile (upon which, however, Mr. West- 

 wood had no information) the fact of the facility with which the species had been 

 crossed seemed to him to show that the parents were more nearly related than if they 

 were really distinct species. 



Mr. Lubbock wished Mr. Westwood would confirm by actual experiments his 

 repeatedly expressed opinion that very many of the so-called species, both of Macro- 

 and Micro-Lepidoptera, were mere modifications produced by| diversity of food, 

 locality, &c. 



Mr. Stainton observed that the hybrid Saturnise exhibited by Mr. Westwood were 

 larger and finer insects than either S. Ricini or S. Cynthia ; he thought such would 

 hardly be the case if they were mere local varieties of one species. 



Mr. Syme exhibited a female specimen of Sphinx Convolvuli, which had 

 emerged from the pupa on the 15lh ult. It had been produced from a larva 

 found in a potato field at Deal in the autumn of last year, and had remained 

 nearly a year in the pupa state; the eggs contained in the abdomen were, however, 

 extremely small. 



Mr. Smith exhibited a specimen of a Danish humble-bee {Bornbus equeslris) caught 

 by Mr. J, Slevens on board a steamer at sea, midway between Hamburg and Lowes- 

 toft, and consequently about two hundred miles from land. 



Mr. Smith also exhibited two parasites found on Anobium paniceum, received from 

 Dr. Power. The insects, which were a species of Pteronialus, had been found by that 

 gentleman on the Auobia, bred in a preparation of a human arm which had been 

 laid aside for some time. 



Mr. Janson observed that he had frequently met with Anobium paniceum asso- 

 ciated with a minute Hymenopierous parasite closely resembling, he would not say 



