306 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



quite different to the flight of other butterflies, and it occurred to me 

 that this may be the female's method of depositing her ova, in which 

 action the horny pouch is of use. The Alps is by far the most 

 prolific butterfly locality I have visited as regards species, but I 

 need not enter into details, as numerous writers have already done 

 so, except to say that I captured local forms of galathea at Berisal 

 (5000 ft.) and at Brigne (2000 ft.) to compare with Sicilian, Calabrian, 

 and Apennine forms. I reached home on July 8th with the heat- 

 wave in full force. — J. Platt Barrett ; " Westcroft," South Eoad, 

 Forest Hill, London, S.E. 



A Public Benefactor. — Henry Watson Stockman, of Boling- 

 broke Grove, Wandsworth Common, was summoned before Mr. de Grey 

 at the South-Western Police Court yesterday for damaging a growing 

 tree on Putney Heath. The under-keeper said that he saw the de- 

 fendant with a hammer knock off the bark of a birch-tree. He told 

 the witness that he wanted to remove the caterpillars from their 

 holes in the trees. Mr. de Grey: "Oh! he is a naturalist." The 

 defendant : " Yes, sir. The keeper is quite ignorant of the damage 

 done to trees by this particular kind of caterpillar." Mr. de Grey : 

 " The authorities ought to be very much obliged to you^ and you can 

 go away. At the same time you must not do it again, for others may 

 follow your example till there are no trees left." (Addressing the 

 keeper), " You may not know, perhaps, but it is a fact that if this 

 kind of caterpillar remains in the tree it would eventually destroy it." 

 The summons was dismissed. — (' Westminster Gazette,' Sept. 21st.) 



SOCIETIES. 



The South London Entomological and Natural History 

 Society.— ilfa?/ 23rd.— Mr. W.J. Kaye.F.E.S., Vice-President, in the 

 chair. — Mr. H. W. Andrews exhibited specimens of the Dipteron 

 BrachyoiKV hicolor, a Syrphid, from Bexley, with the Anthomyiid, 

 Hyctodesia scutellaris, which it closely resembled. — Mr. Alfred Sich, 

 specimens of Ptycholoma lecheana, bred on May 23rd from larviE 

 taken at Eichmond on May 11th. — Mr. Cowham, a cocoon of Dicra- 

 nura bifida, from which he had observed the imago emerge after 

 softening a portion with a fluid which it had secreted. — Dr. Chap- 

 man, a larva of Scolitantides orion, in its first instar, mining between 

 the cuticles of a leaf of Seduvi telephiuvi. — Mr. A. E. Gibbs, a large 

 number of species of the genus Ccenonymjjha, and read notes on 

 variation, characteristics, and distribution of the various species in 

 the PalaBarctic and Nearctic areas. — Mr. Kaye, the genus Conno- 

 nympJia, referring particularly to the large size and minute ocelli of 

 the under sides in Irish specimens of C. tipJion. — Mr. E. Adkin, 

 C. tiphon from English, Scotch, and Irish localities, and remarked on 

 their general local characteristics, and C. panqjhilus, referring to the 

 varied development of the eye-spots. — Mr. Sheldon, fine series of the 

 rarer species, G. liera, C. cedippus, and C. iphioides, and remarked on 

 the unaccountable absence from Britain of the extremely common 

 European species, C. arcania. — Mr. Curwen, long and varied series 



