22 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



Hemerobius ? or Chrysopa? — In two successive months 

 past (Entom. xvi., pp. 259 and 284) I noticed references to lace- 

 wing flies, under the name of Hemerobius. The descriptive 

 remarks in the first, and the odour alluded to in the second, 

 of these communications, render it all but certain that the 

 insects in question must belong to the genus Chrysopa, and 

 probably to the species G. septempunctata, which is the chief of 

 our " stink-flies." This insect was commoner than usual last 

 summer. Hemerobius and Chrysopa appertain to distinct 

 families, Hemerobiidce and Chrysopiclce. — J. E. Fletcher; 

 Worcester, December 3, 1883. 



Entomological Evenings at the Eoyal Aquarium. — On 

 December 3rd the usual Monday evening meeting was held on 

 the invitation of Mr. Carrington, and was well attended. Among 

 the many specimens of insects exhibited were especially to be 

 noted those by Mr. Billups, which included forty-eight species of 

 Ichneumons, including Ophion minutus, Ichneumon sanguinator, 

 Phylodicetus fabricator, &c. ; a handsome series of sixty Diptera, 

 many being rare; a number of Aculeate Hymenoptera; also a 

 box containing the life-history of the celery-fly (Tephritis 

 onopordinis), with their parasites reared on the day of the 

 meeting; all these were very beautifully mounted. Mr. Mera's 

 exhibit was bred Fidonia conspicuata and Corycia temerata. 

 Mr. E. H. Jones brought bred examples of Cucullia gnapthalii 

 and Acronycta alni, reared by himself. Larva? of Sphingidae, 

 preserved by Mr. Edward Lovett in a saturated solution of alum, 

 as an experiment in 1880, drew much attention from those 

 present, on account of the success of the system. Mr. Jobson 

 showed two varieties of Apatura iris from the New Forest. 

 Mr. Cooper's box contained very fine varieties of Polyommatus 

 phlcsas, Arctia caja, Stauropus fagi, and Boarmia repandata. 

 The most striking exhibit of the evening was a very remarkable 

 variety of Abraxas grossidariata, the centre of the anterior wings 

 being richly suffused with bright orange-colour; none present 

 had seen this form before. This, with others, all having a 

 tendency to the abnormal orange coloration, was taken during 

 the past season by Mr. Gee in a garden in Islington. Mr. T. W. 

 Hall showed a box containing types of Lepidoptera taken at 

 Folkestone in 1883, during three weeks in June and July, when 

 upwards of 2000 specimens were obtained, including several rare 



