NOTICES OF NEW BOOKS. 277 



Nowers last June in Bewdley Forest ; also a corresponding greenish black 

 variety of Callimorpha dominula, L., bred at Dover. 



Mr. Mason also exhibited two specimens of the Noctua recorded by 

 Dr. Knaggs as Agrotis helvetina, Boisd. Three specimens were taken near 

 Derby in 1870 ; one of these Mr. Mason received direct from the captor, 

 and the other but one remove from him. He had recently sent these to 

 Dr. Staudinger for his opinion, who returned them as "perfectly unknowu 

 to him, but doubtless a great aberration of some Noctua, most probably 

 A r . augur.'' This agreed with what Mr. Mason had previously surmised. 

 He also remarked that- he had the exact locality of capture well searched 

 again, but without any success. A specimen of the true A. helvetina from 

 Staudiuger's collection was exhibited for comparison ; it differed widely 

 from the British examples. 



Mr. H. T. Staiuton said that he thought the specimens more resembled 

 N. xanthographa than A T . augur. 



Mr. Stainton called attention to the fact that apparently all the larva? of 

 Nematus ribesii had died in their infancy this spring ; the leaves of the 

 currant-bushes had been riddled by the young larvae, but he had not yet 

 seen a single tree stripped. 



Mr. R. M'Lachlau read " A revised list of British Trichoptera, brought 

 down to date, and compiled with especial regard to the ' Catalogue of British 

 Neuroptera ' published by the Society in 1870." That catalogue included 

 136 species ; 158 were now enumerated. 



Mr. W. L. Distaut read " Descriptions of new species and a new genus 

 of Cicadida from Madagascar." He remarked that the distinct character 

 of the Rhynchotal fauna of Madagascar was specially marked by the fact 

 that every species of the widely distributed genus Platypleura received from 

 that island was new to Science. 



Mr. A. G. Butler communicated a continuation of the " Heterocerous 

 Lepidoptera collected in Chili by Thomas Edmonds, Esq. Part III. 

 Geometrites." — E. A. Fitch, Hon. Sec. 



NOTICES OF NEW BOOKS. 



The Birds of South Africa. By E. L. Layard. New Edition 

 thoroughly revised and augmented by K. E. Sharpe. 

 Part V., pp. 337—528. London : Quaritch. 1882. 



We are glad to notice the issue of another part of this 

 important work, which is announced to be completed in six parts. 



