48 



in September and October last, from larvae collected from 

 plants of the common mallow (Malva sylvestris) at East- 

 bourne, in the previous June. All of the plants on which 

 larvae were found were growing on the cliff within about a 

 hundred yards of the sea, even the most stunted as well as 

 the most luxuriantly-grown plants producing larvae ; but on 

 those growing further inland no traces of larvae could be 

 found. During the day the larvae concealed themselves 

 most effectually, and it was not until it was quite dark that 

 any could be found. 



Mr. W. J. Kaye exhibited a long series of Heliconius 

 hydara, sub. sp. colombina, together with a pair of Heliconius 

 amaryllis, sub. sp. rosina. The two species were most extra- 

 ordinarily alike and had been taken together at Medellin, 

 Colombia. The sub-species H. rosina was slightly more 

 glossy, and had the red apical patch of a somewhat different 

 shape, but on the underside it was readily recognisable that 

 the two insects belonged, one each, to the two main groups 

 into which the genus Heliconius has been divided by Riffarth. 

 The character being, that in the group to which H. amaryllis 

 belongs, the inner margin on the underside of the forewing 

 is covered with smooth scales up to the median nervure, 

 while in the group to which the H. liydava belongs, the 

 smooth scales stop short of the median nervure by about 

 half to three-quarters of a millimetre. By this character it 

 has been found that there are several cases in the genus 

 Heliconius where two species are exactly alike in colouring, 

 but which are not only distinct, but not even very closely 

 related. 



Mr. Harrison, on behalf of Mr. W. Mansbridge, read a 

 short paper, " Notes on Agrotis ashworthii,''' 1 of which the 

 following is a short summary : 



" The ova were obtained from moths bred in captivity in 

 June, 1905, from wild larvae. They hatched on July 5th, 

 or thereabouts, and the larvae fed beneath sallow leaves, no 

 doubt for concealment, indifferently on the under or upper 

 surface. After the third instar they bite right through the 

 leaf. The larvae feed very regularly until after the fourth 

 change of skin, when some hurried and some delayed, so 

 that five weeks separated the time of pupation of the 

 first and last. A few larvae dragged on through part of the 

 winter. The first imago emerged on October 1st, and thus 

 completed its metamorphosis from egg to perfect insect in 

 less than twelve weeks. The forms bred were very interest- 

 ing: 68^ per cent, of the larvae produced typical imagines, 



