85 



extremely varied in ground colour, from a light green to a 

 dark blackish brown. Of the whole brood no two larvae 

 were exactly alike. 



Mr. Sich exhibited (i) larvae of Nisoniades tages and (2) 

 larvae of Syrichthus malvee. They were both feeding well on 

 garden strawberry, and during the day hid away from view 

 in tents made of the leaves fastened loosely together. In 

 the evening and at night they came out of these tents to 

 feed. The former species passed the winter as a larva, 

 while the latter species hibernated as a pupa. 



Mr. West (Greenwich) exhibited two very local species of 

 Hemiptera from North Denes, Yarmouth, taken in July of 

 this year : (1) Gnathoconus picipcs, found by searching at the 

 roots of violets on the sandhills ; (2) Chorosoma schillingi, 

 obtained by sweeping marram grass on the sandhills. 



Mr. Turner exhibited specimens of (1) JEdipoda and (2) 

 Locusta viridissima, both from Gavarne, in the Hautes Pyre- 

 nees, where they were very common. The latter species was 

 alive and fed readily on lettuce. A discussion took place as 

 to the food of L. viridissima. Mr. Step said that it was 

 generally supposed to be purely vegetarian in its diet, but one 

 he had kept alive for some time in Cornwall fed exclusively 

 on flies ; it refused all vegetable substances, and he believed 

 that this species was usually carnivorous. A specimen of 

 Meconema varians he had recently found also refused all 

 vegetable substances, but devoured a chrysalis which hap- 

 pened to be in the box. Mr. Brown said that he had found 

 the large grasshopper very troublesome at the " sugar " 

 patches a few weeks ago at Deal, where it was lying in wait 

 for the Noctuae. It was particularly partial to Xylophasia 

 monoglypha {polyodon), which was in extreme abundance. 

 Mr. Main had repeatedly seen them feeding on the sugar. 

 Some years ago Mr. Adkin kept one alive for some time on 

 shredded beef, which it ate with avidity. Mr. Sich said 

 that the species would readily eat its fellow-captives, and 

 Mr. West (Ashtead) had had one which had actually eaten 

 one of its own legs. 



Mr. E. Step exhibited a female specimen and photographs 

 of the rare crustacean Dromia vulgaris, from Portscatho, 

 Cornwall. It is the sole British representative of the tribe 

 Anomala of the Brachyura, which are distinguished by the 

 breadth of the sternal plastron and a wide telson or " tail " 

 to correspond. The carapace is remarkably convex, the 

 front narrow, the eyes retractile into deep orbits, and there 

 are grooves to accommodate the antennae when not in use. 



