SOCIETIES. 139 



Arctia caia this season. I can quite confirm his report, at all events 

 as regards this neighbourhood. For several seasons past I have 

 reared considerable numbers of Odonestis potatoria, Lasiocampa quercus, 

 Arctia villica, and A. caia, with a view of obtaining varieties. I may 

 mention that I have been fairly successful in this respect, this being 

 specially the case with A. caia and O. potatoria. I would also point out 

 that it has been my invariable custom to turn loose all type-specimens 

 in the haunts where I find the larvae, so that the scarcity of both, last 

 season and this, cannot be put down to over-collecting as far as I 

 am concerned. For instance, last season, rearing over one hundred 

 A. caia, I only set eleven, all the rest being turned loose. Probably 

 the numbers of these four lots of larvae obtained, and a few comments, 

 may be of interest. Odonestis potatoria. — In 1902 I took one hundred 

 and twenty-three larvae ; in 1903, one hundred and seventy-one ; in 

 1904, sixty-three ; in 1905, sixty-seven; in 1906, ninteeu; and this 

 year, to date, only three. Arctia villica. — In 1902, forty-nine larvae ; 

 in 1903, one hundred and six; in 1904, twenty-five; in 1905, fifty- 

 one; in 1906, none; and this season, twelve. Last season these 

 larvae seemed quite extinct, yet they could not have been, as my son 

 took six imagines. This year it seems to be appearing again, as we 

 have taken twelve, as mentioned above, all of which have fed up 

 well and have now pupated. Lasiocampa quercus. — In 1902, one hundred 

 and sixty larvae ; in 1903, one hundred and six ; in 1904, seventeen ; 

 in 1905, ten ; in 1906, one ; and this year, to date,- one. This 

 species was very abundant in the seasons 1902-3, but, though feed- 

 ing up well and spinning up apparently healthily, very few of the 

 larvas pupated, but died in the cocoons. One or two correspondents, 

 to whom I sent a few larva?, confirmed my observations in this 

 respect. Since 1903 L. quercus has been very scarce around here. 

 Arctia caia. — In 1902, ninety-five larvae ; in 1903, two hundred and 

 ninety-eight ; in 1904, three hundred and seventy-four ; in 1905, 

 five hundred and thirty-one ; in 1906, one hundred and seventeen ; 

 and this year sixty-four. In 1902 I bred some very nice varieties, 

 nearly all dark ; and in 1903, four specimens with lemon-yellow under 

 wings, and another with a broad white line right across the thorax. 

 Since then there has been nothing very special. The larva? this 

 season are all doing well and look healthy. To turn to another 

 matter — my son took a nice specimen of Smerinthws oceilatus on a lamp 

 to-day; is not this rather early for this insect? — H. Huggins ; 

 13, Clarence Place, Gravesend, May 16th, 1907. 



SOCIETIES. 



Entomological Society of London. — Wednesday, May 1st, 1907. — ■ 

 Mr. C. O. Waterhouse, President, in the chair. — M. Alexandre Bonnet, 

 of SGbis, Boulevard Bineau, Neuilly-sur-Seine, Seine, France; Mr. 

 Henry Murray Giles, of Pertb, Western Australia; Mr. Arthur Leslie 

 Raywood, of Colebrooke, Park Lane, Wallington, Surrey ; and Mr. 

 Yeend Duer, of Tokyo, Japan, were elected Fellows of the Society. — 

 The decease was announced of the Rev. "William Henry Heale, M.A. — 



