120 THE entomologist's record. 



the former there was much vakiable material offered for inspection. 

 Mr. Southey's small box of Hemeropkila abruptaria from HoUoway, 

 contained some very fine dark brown (inclining to black) aberrations 

 and some intermediates. Until quite recently dark aberrations of this 

 species were extremely rare, and the capture, practically in London 

 itself, of these specimens, is particularly interesting. Mr. Prout 

 exhibited some of his pet " carpets." The Melanippe montanata, from 

 Shetland, are very remarkable, the specimens having a very mottled 

 appearance. The MelantJiia bicolorata, from Forres, exhibit an 

 extremely interesting phase of this species, being of unusually large 

 size, and very strongly marked and without the bluish tint, some ab. 

 plumhata were also fine. Dalston specimens of Melanippe jiuctuata 

 again shows the action of natural selection, as a consequence of smoke 

 and dirt. Melanthia ocellata, from Wimbledon, with a very slender 

 band, was contained in the valuable collection. Mr. James showed 

 the attention he had paid to the autumn Noctuids. Anchocdis liinosa 

 was represented by a fine series mostly taken in North London. 

 Curiously enough dark aberrations are rare even in London. The red 

 form was well illustrated in the series. Of A. pistacina five rows were 

 shown and practically all its forms exhibited. The dark olive-tinted 

 specimens struck one as being the best. Mr. Mera had a fine drawer 

 of Spnlosoma luhricipeda, which contained, amongst others, some grand 

 intermediates and fasciated examples bred from strongly marked forms, 

 and some var. radiata with a particularly broad pale margin. Mr. 

 Bacot had some fine series of " plumes," bred from the material 

 obtained for the purpose of working out the life-histories for publica- 

 tion in one of the future volumes of Mr. Tutt's work on British 

 Lepidoptcra, and his long bred series of Spilosoma urticac, showing 

 extensive variation, was a most interesting exhibit. In Mr. Pickett's 

 exhibit the bred specimens of Sphinx convolvnli, with preserved larvffi 

 of same, attracted some attention. The larvse were, we understand, 

 taken at Dover. One knows that S. convolvnli is invariably a migrant 

 and does not often feed up within our shores. Of course one also under- 

 stands that the migrants must oviposit, and one suspects that those larvae 

 Mr. Pickett had found had been exceedingly well placed for food and 

 warmth. Some fine Smerinthns tiliae, with bands of varying width, an 

 asymmetrical specimen, and one with dark hindwings were amongst 

 those exhibited. Mr. Turner had amongst his specimens a much- 

 spotted $ of Spilosoma mendica, whilst, besides other nice things, 

 Lymantria monacha var. eremita was noted. Mr. Clark exhibited some 

 very fine specimens. A series of Laelia coenosa, bred by himself from 

 Wicken larv«, made one wonder if the species will ever be found again. 

 It has now been lost for just twenty years, but other species have 

 apparently disappeared for many years and have reappeared again, so 

 perhaps we may be favoured once more with the sight of this once 

 abundant insect. A full series of Drcpana harpa(jida, from the Leigh 

 woods near Bristol, was noted in one of the drawers. It has never 

 yet been cleared up why this species is so local. Does it really not 

 occur anywhere else in these islands ? Mr. May had a very full 

 drawer of Agrotids. The long series of Agrotis corticea, A. 

 lunigera, A. exclamationis, and A. segetum, containing mostly picked 

 specimens from Sandown, formed extremely interesting studies in 

 variation. The series of A. exclamationis might well have puzzled a 



