134 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



days at Eandazzo, and on April 23rd I had one hour's sunshine and 

 secured three male and three female damone. Kain followed and I 

 left on the 25th, with Mount Etna still hidden by clouds. 



Still another week-end without any luck. The feast of St. Joseph 

 provided an opportunity to cross the Straits and visit Scylla in 

 Calabria with my son. The early morning was promising, and at 

 6 a.m. we were climbing the steep hill (2000 ft.) leading from Scylla 

 to a plateau above, where Melanargia arge has its haunts. Before 

 we reached the top, a quite unexpected cloud covered the hill and 

 rain fell in bucketfuls. Fortunately we had umbrellas, but our boots 

 were soaked through and we had much difficulty in negotiating 

 various seams of clay, sometimes of a brilliant red, that we came 

 across. Eventually we obtained shelter under a shed and waited. 

 Later in the day we made a steep descent over slippery limestone 

 rock to the nearest village of San Roberto, where the people were 

 keeping the festa in orthodox fashion, with a band to play dance 

 music, to which the young men danced, generally two at a time, 

 followed by the young women by themselves and then the little 

 girls. The "festa offerings" to be obtained were of the cheapest and 

 commonest kind, but it was interesting to see how the natives enjoy 

 themselves at such a trifling cost. 



My ill-luck in April stuck to me until the 30th, when I walked 

 up to Gravitelh, and heavy rain sent me back home at once. — J. Platt 

 Barrett ; Westcroft, South Road, Forest Hill, S.E. 

 (To be continued.) 



SOCIETIES. 



The South London Entomological and Natural History 

 Society.— i^e/^mar^ 12th, I914.--Mr. B. H. Smith, B.A., President, 

 in the chair. — Mr. B. Wilhams, of East Finchley, and Professor 

 Meldola, F.R.S., were elected members. — Mr. H. Rowland-Brown dis- 

 cussed the matter of Nature Reserves, and appealed for further 

 financial aid and suggestions for the care of these areas. — Rev. G. 

 Wheeler read a paper on "The Genus Melitcea," and exhibited many 

 European species. — Mr. A. E. Gibbs exhibited his collection of the 

 American species of the genus Melitcea with species of the allied 

 genus Phyciodes. — Mr. Curwen, specimens of most European species 

 of Melitaa. — Mr. J. Platt Barrett, series of Sicilian M. athalia and 

 M. didyma. — Mr. Edward, species of Phyciodes and Goatlantona, 

 from South and Central America. 



February 26th. — The President in the chair. — There was a special 

 exhibition of lantern-slides by members. — Mr. Tonge, various details 

 of lepidopterous life-histories. — Mr. C. W. WiUiams, organisms 

 obtained by using the Berlese apparatus, and details of Coniopteryx 

 and Aleyroides, &c. — Mr. West, various species of Collemhola, &c. — 

 Mr. Colthrup, illustrating the resting position of lepidopterous 

 imagines. — Mr. Frohawk, a series of Anosia plexippus bred from ova 

 laid by a female sent ahve to this country. — Mr. Main, for Mr. Sharp, 

 of Eastbourne, a bred gynandromorph of Eriogaster lanestris, left 



