188 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



though Mr. Bankes tells rne that it did occur to him some few years 

 ago, but only to be dismissed at the time as an untenable idea. 

 Probably there was scarcely then an entomologist living who would not 

 have at once almost scouted the idea that this plant could in any way 

 furnish food for the larvae of such a delicate little insect ; a plant so 

 apparently, by its peculiar powers and predilections, inimical to insect- 

 life. Another circumstance also tended to prevent the discovery of 

 the larva, inasmuch as no female of this moth had ever, certainly in 

 our experience, been found to have laid any eggs after capture. How- 

 ever, matters went on with the problem still unsolved, from 1886 to 

 1904, when, on the 20th of August in that year, Mr. Bankes came 

 over to Bloxworth to endeavour to obtain the insect once more in its 

 original haunts, if haply he might get females, and obtain a batch of 

 eggs, with a view to experimenting upon the larvae with the unlikely 

 sundew. Mr. Bankes that evening captured a number of the insect, 

 among them being several females, from one or more of which a few 

 eggs were obtained. Plants of several kinds were put in for the 

 moths to lay their eggs upon, among the plants a stem of Drosera, 

 and only upon this such eggs as were obtained, or at any rate most of 

 them, were deposited. The eggs were at once placed by Mr. Bankes 

 in Dr. Chapman's hands, with a supply of sundew, and the succeed- 

 ing efforts and unwearying care bestowed upon the problem by Dr. 

 Chapman are related at great length by himself in his paper on the 

 subject iu the ' Transactions of the Entomological Society of London,' 

 1906, pp. 133-154, PL vii. One of the most curious facts arising out 

 of the rearing of this insect was that the part of the sundew which 

 one would have supposed would be carefully avoided by the minute 

 and delicate larvae was the very part specially devoured by them, that 

 is the glutinous secretion with which the foliage of the plant is 

 furnished, and with the aid of which it is wont to supply its own need 

 of insect-food. With the clue thus given, by Mr. Bankes' efforts, 

 larvae were found in the following May (1905) by Dr. Chapman, in the 

 Esher district of Surrey, upon the sundew growing there, and from 

 these, towards the end of June, the perfect insects were bred. Thus, 

 though Mr. Bankes' larvae failed to produce the perfect moth, the find- 

 ing through his clue by Dr. Chapman of others in their natural state, 

 and the rearing of the insect from them, has settled this very interest- 

 ing twenty-year problem. — 0. Pickard-Cambridge ; Bloxworth, June 

 25th, 1907. 



The Entomological Club. — A meeting was held on March 19th 

 last, at 27, Hereford Square, S.W., the residence of Mr. A. J. Chitty, 

 the host and chairman of the evening. The other members present 

 were Messrs. Adkin (R.), Donisthorpe, Hall (T. W.), Porritt, and 

 Verrall. There were also fourteen visitors. 



On the invitation of Mr. Gr. T. Porritt, of Huddersfield, a meeting 

 was held at the ' Hand and Spear ' Hotel, Weybridge, on July 8th 

 last. Seventeen sat down to supper, including the following mem- 

 bers : — Messrs. Adkin (K.), Chitty, Donisthorpe, Hall, and Porritt. 



