Iviii 



besides 'Proceedings' separately paged, and are illustrated by fifteen 

 })lates.* 



The number of memoirs published is eighteen, nine of which are 

 purely descriptive, three consist of rectifications of synonymy, &c., 

 and six are on insect economy, anatomy and morphology. Nearly all 

 Orders of insects are treated of in the volume; and if there be any 

 deficiency it can only lie in the scarcity of papers on the Entomology 

 of our own islands. And here let me remind Members who may be 

 disposed to make this objection to the contents of our publications, 

 that the absence of such papers is not the fault of the Council, who 

 can only select papers, for printing, from such as are submitted to 

 them, and would be pleased to receive interesting memoirs relating to 

 the geographical distribution, economy, structure and physiology of 

 even our commoner British insects. 1 am glad to be able to add that 

 the sale of our 'Transactions' has been greater in 1868 than during 

 any recent year. 



Looldng beyond our Society, there are no special signs that the 

 study of Entomology has made much progress in the British islands. 

 I might, however, point to memoirs of some importance which have 

 been read before our parent Society, the Linnean, and are published 

 in their 'Transactions' and 'Journal;' and also to the descriptive 

 papers by Mr. Andrew Murray, Mr. Pascoe and Mr. Butler, contributed 

 to the 'Annals and Magazine of Natural History.' The two periodicals 

 devoted to Entomology, the 'Entomologist's Monthly Magazine' and 

 the 'Entomologist,' have appeared regularly during the year. These 

 journals fulfil well their purpose of serving as a record of occurrences 

 and observations relating to British insects, and keep alive the interest 

 of the numerous collectors, many of whom are also acute and original 

 observers, who live, isolated from each other, in various parts of the 

 country. But, besides notices of British insects, the 'Entomologist's 

 Monthly Magazine' contains descriptive articles and short monographs 

 of great scientific interest, and the numerous notes on the habits and 

 transformations of species, especially those by Dr. T. A. Chapman on 

 xylophagous insects, the Rev. J, Hellins and Mr. W. Buckler on Lepi- 

 doptera, and others, are important contributions to our knowledge of 

 the development and economy of our native species. In the provinces, 



* The volume "for 1868" is only part of the Society's publications during that 

 year. See the Rt^port of the Council. 



