118 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



belong the following species : — G. palpalis, Rob. Desv. ; G. tachi- 

 noides, Westwood ; G. fuscipes, Newst. ; and G. palUcera, Bigot. 

 In all of these species the claspers of the males are connected by a 

 thin and finely spinose membrane, which is deeply divided medially, 

 but in all cases the distal extremities of the claspers are quite free 

 and widely separated. Group III. (the morsitans group).— This 

 group comprises : G. morsitans, Westwood ; G. submorsitans, Newst. ; 

 and G. longipalpis, Wiedemann. In these the claspers are com- 

 pletely united by a spinose membrane, and they are also fused 

 medially. They are of very remarkable form, their shape somewhat 

 resembling the scapula of a mammal in miniature, and are altogether 

 much more highly complicated structures than those in either of the 

 preceding groups. Thus we see in these three groups forms which 

 are so widely different as to lead one to assume, without taking other 

 external features into consideration, that they represent three distinct 

 genera. Certain it is that these insects illustrate one fundamental 

 principle of evolution, namely, that they have attained great develop- 

 ment of one set of morphological characters and have retained others 

 apparently of an ancestral type. 



January 16th, 1911.— Mr. Geo. Arnold, M.Sc, Vice-President, in 

 the chair. — A discussion on " Agrotis cursoria and its Varieties " was 

 opened by Mr. Wm. Mansbridge, and continued by Mr. T. Baxter, 

 of St. Anne's-on-Sea, Mr. F. N. Pierce, and other members. — Mr. 

 Baxter brought his fine varied series of cursoria for exhibition, which 

 included some very rare forms, as well as the commoner vars. 

 brunnea, ochrea, saggitta, cceriUea, costa-ccerulea, and obsoleta. Mr. 

 W. Mansbridge also brought a varied series from St. Anne's. At 

 Wallasey and Crosby cursoria is of extremely rare occurrence and, 

 though still common on the North Lancashire sandhills, it is not 

 nearly so abundant as was the case some twenty years ago, owing to 

 the encroachments made by builders and golfers upon its haunts. Mr. 

 Baxter said that, having given particular attention to the matter, he 

 had never seen the ordinary mottled form in coitu with the streaked 

 form saggitta ; he suggested that there might be two species in collec- 

 tions under the same name ; he had seen many pairs in copulation 

 during the last season, but they were always of similar varieties. Other 

 exhibits were by Mr. C. B. Williams : Hesperia lineola, Apaviea opliio- 

 grarmna, and Plusia moneta, from Cambridge ; a series of Macrogaster 

 castanecB and a large number of local fen species from Wicken. — Mr. 

 Geo. Arnold brought Pepsis formosus, from California, locally called the 

 " Tarantula Killer," together with our largest British Pompilid, Salius 

 fuscus, for comparison ; Amovima burmeister, male and female — the 

 " Driver Ant " — from Central Africa. — H. R. Sweeting and Wm. Mans- 

 BEiDGE, Hon. Sees. 



RECENT LITERATURE. 



Catalogue of the Lepidoptera Phalcence in the British Museum. 



Vol. X. By Sir Geoege F. Hampson, Bart. London : Printed 



by Order of the Trustees. 1910. 

 In this volume of eight hundred and thirty pages the Erastrian®, 

 a subfamily of the Noctuidse, are catalogued and described. Of the 



