SOCIETIES. 127 



food-habits of birds, or that any careful and exhaustive inquiry had 

 been made into the subject. Instances were also cited to show how 

 very easily destruction of this kind might be overlooked ; while nega- 

 tive evidence derived from an examination of the contents of birds 

 might be very misleading, owing to the fact that in so many instances 

 the butterflies' wings are not swallowed, so that any recognition of the 

 remains becomes extremely difficult. Finally, it was urged that the 

 large body of evidence resulting from merely casual observations 

 indicated that the assumption that birds do not eat butterflies to any 

 extent is certainly premature, and that a fuller inquiry will probably 

 show it to be entirely unfounded. A discussion followed in which 

 Mr. A. W. Bacot, Mr. H. Eowland-Brown, Mr. H. Main, Mr. A. E. 

 Tonge, Mr. H. M. Edelsten, Mr. J. W. Tutt, and other Fellows gave 

 their experiences on the subject, Mr. W. Sharpe maintaining that 

 the actions of the sparrow, as a domesticated bird, was not evidence 

 for conditions which exist in the case of purely natural species. Dr. 

 T. A. Chapman suggested that the paucity of observations on the 

 point was largely due to the shyness of birds eating in the presence 

 of human beings. Mr. W. J. Kaye said that he had never observed 

 birds attacking butterflies in Tropical South America, and Comman- 

 der J. J. Walker gave similar testimonv v^^ith regard to the many 

 Australasian and other oversea localities visited by him. — H. 

 Eowland-Brown, M.A., Hon. Secretary. 



The South London Entomological and Natural History 

 ^ocm-TY. —Fehruary llth, 1909.— Mr. A. Sich, F.E.S., President, in 

 chair. — Mr. Bauman, of Chingford, was elected a member. — Mr. 

 Newman exhibited portions of the stems of Viburnum and pointed 

 out the evidences showing that the larvae of JEgeria andreniformis 

 were present. They were found in a shady locality. — -Mr. Tonge, 

 stereographs of the ova of Tiliacea citrago in situ on lime twigs, and 

 of Biiralis betulcB on sloe. — Mr. Main, a second brood specimen of 

 Melampias epiphron, bred on Sept. 20bh, 1908 ; a very light example 

 of Stauropus fagi from the New Forest, and a very dark form from 

 Epping Forest. — Dr. Hodgson, a dark, smoky specimen of Brenthis 

 selene from E. Sussex, with rayed submarginal markings.— Mr. Coote, 

 bred and captured specimens of Gahjmnia pyralina.—M.x. R. Adkin, 

 a series of Camptogramma fiuviata bred from Nov. 21st to Dec. 13tli 

 last, from Eastbourne. — Mr. Harrison reported that the results of 

 the cross breeding of the forms of Aplecta nehulosa by Mr. Mans- 

 bridge, were grey x thompsofii = all rohsoni and rohsoni x grey = fifty 

 per cent, each of these forms. A long and interesting discussion took 

 place as to the oviposition and early life of the lava of the iEgeriids. 

 It was noted that in the first instar the larvae of several species 

 were hairy and presumably external feeders. 



February 'ibth, 1909. — The President in the chair. — Mr. Stone, of 

 Clapham, was elected a member. — Dr. Hodgson exhibited a series of 

 Nemoria viridata taken in 1906-8 in Lancashire and Surrey, and 

 commented on the forms shown, including ah. concavilinea. He also 

 showed a third brood specimen of Celastrina argiolus in which the 

 blue was almost wholly replaced by dull grey. — Mr. West (of Green- 

 wich), a cabinet drawer of Coleoptera, the first of the rearrangement 

 of the Society's Collection. — Mr. Main, for Mr. Baldock, a yellow 



