103 



OCTOBER gth, 1902. 



Mr. F. NoAD Clark, President, in the Chair. 



Mr. McArthur exhibited, from the Shetland Islands, 

 specimens of a moss which was undergoing the process 

 of petrification. (i) The growing moss ; (2) the moss 

 partially covered b)^ an earthy deposit ; (3) the moss entirely 

 formed into a porous, rocky mass. He also showed an 

 extraordinary example of emergence from the pupa-case, in 

 which an imago of Hadcna adusta was emerging backwards. 

 Mr. McArthur saw the pupa-case break open, and after 

 sundry struggles the abdomen of the imago was thrust 

 parth' out. He then killed and pinned the insect. 



Mr. F. B. Jennings exhibited the following species of 

 Coleoptera: — (i) Cathonnioccrns sociiis, Boh., Sandown, I.W., 

 October ist, 1902 ; (2) Gyninctron linaricE, Panz., Southport, 

 Lanes, July 14th, 1902 ; (3) Baris lepidii, Germ., Edmonton 

 Marsh, October 5th, 1902 ; (4) Histcr merdarins, ¥., Brox- 

 bourne, Herts, August i6th, 1902. 



C. sociiis lives at the roots of grass at the sides of high 

 cliffs, and is extremely difficult to find on first searching ; 

 when, however, the nature of its haunts is appreciated, it 

 can sometimes be taken in numbers in favourable weather. 



G. linarice is a rare and extremely local insect ; it lives on 

 toadflax. The specimen shown was sent me by Dr. Chaster, 

 of Southport, who is, 1 believe, the only living coleopterist 

 who has taken the species in this country. 



Bai'is lepidii is also a local weevil, but is rather common 

 where it occurs ; it lives in marshes at the roots of Barbarca 

 pracox, on which the larvae, which are tiny white grubs, 

 feed. 



Histcr mcrdaritis is a usuall}' scarce species of a family of 

 dung- and carrion-feeding beetles. I have recently been 

 fortunate enough to find a large colony of it living in old 

 gas-lime ! 



Mr. Kemp exhibited specimens of the Coleopteron Carabns 

 violaceus, var. exasperatns—iwo from North Cornwall taken by 

 Mr. Montgomery, and two from the New Forest taken by 

 himself. 



Mr. Robert Adkin exhibited a specimen of Cossiis ligniperda 

 which emerged on July 8th last from a pupa found on the 

 previous evening protruding from a round hole in the skirting 

 of a fence, on which a number of examples of this species 



