SOCIETIES. 171 



A cordial vote of thanks was accorded the lecturer, on the motion of 

 Mr. Wilding, seconded by Mr. Willoughby Gardner, F.L.S., who con- 

 gratulated Mr. Pierce on the excellence of his slides, and referred to the 

 interest of the subject, as instanced, for example, in Agrotis ashivorthii, 

 which was shown by the genitalia to be a Xoctua. Amongst the exhibits 

 were the following : — By Mr. F. N. Pierce, Cucnilia scrophidaria, C. 

 verbasci and C. h/chnitis, Acronycta venosa and A. albovenosa. — Mr. 

 Willoughby Gardner, specimens of the carpenter bee, Xylocopa vioiacea, 

 from Northern Italy, with diagrams of its burrows in pine-wood, in 

 showing which he gave some interesting facts of its life-history ; also 

 living examples of Xyssia zonaria, taken near the mouth of the Conway, 

 North Wales. — Mr. J. J. Richardson, a case of South American, East 

 Indian, and Mayalan hawk-moths. — Mr. .J. R. le Brockton Tomlin, 

 long series of the red Elaters, E. lythrupterus, E. pomonce, E. elon- 

 gatnlus, and E. sanyuinolentus, from Wimbledon, Sherwood, and the 

 New Forest. — Mr. W. Mallinson, ova of Tmiiocampa opinio,, in natural 

 position on branches of Rosa spinosissiina, from Wallasey. — Mr. 

 E. J. B. Sopp, a pair of the largest of the European grasshopper, 

 Acridinm miyptium, captured in Southport during 1903. For com- 

 parison he also exhibited Acridium cnstatiim from British Guiana, one 

 of the largest of the genus, and Locusta rirUlissima, the largest of our 

 British grasshoppers, from Freshwater Bay, Isle of Wight. — E. J. B. 

 Sopp and J. R. le B. Tomlin, Honorary Secretaries. 



Manchester Entomological Society. — At the Manchester Museum, 

 Owens College, on March 2nd, 1901, Mr. C. F. Johnson presided. A 

 paper entitled "Sounds produced by Insects" was read by Mr. R. 

 Brauer. Dealing in the first place with Coleoptera, one of the 

 simplest cases is that of the Anohium, which produces the noise by the 

 tapping of its body, and, if imitated, will again repeat the sound. 

 Certain Longicorn beetles carry on their hind legs a small file, on 

 which Laudois has counted not less than 238 ribs, and this, coming in 

 contact with the body, acts as the stridulatiug organ. Mr. Brauer 

 also dealt with instances relating to British Curculionid^e, Necrophorus, 

 and Dytiscus viaryinaUs. In Lepidoptera Acheruntia atropos, a well- 

 known example, produces the sound, it is said, by rubbing the palpi 

 against the base of the proboscis. Amjeronia feronia, a South American 

 insect, makes a peculiar clicking, which can be heard for a distance of 

 several yards. In the tropics, the Cicadas become a positive nuisance 

 in places where they abound, on account of the noises produced ; 

 to this Darwin, in his 'Descent of Man,' makes special reference. 

 Some scientists believe that a horny scale or drum is responsible for 

 this. Mention was made of Gryllns campestris, G. domesticus, and 

 Gryllotalpa vulgaris ; and a certain species, according to Professor 

 Dolbear, acts as a thermometer, for by noting the number of chirps 

 made per minute the exact temperature of the air has been estimated. 

 Other groups dealt with were the Locustidfe, Acridiidas, and the South 

 African genus Pneumora. Singular as it may appear, with few excep- 

 tions it is the males that produce so much music in the insect world ; 

 doubtless it is intended as calls to the females, or it may be simply 

 expression of joy in life, such as the singing of birds on a summer's 

 day. Again, if so many insects of different orders are endowed with 



