192 THE entomologist's RECORD. 



and HemiiDtera. The active flyers such as Diptera, Hymenoptera^ 

 and Lepidoptera seldom feign death." This death feint in insects 

 falls into three classes ; («) The insect on receiving a shock becomes 

 rigid without releasing its hold, (b) The insect when disturbed rolls 

 itself into a motionless ball, (f) The insect releases its hold, contracts 

 its legs and antennae, and falls to the ground, where it usually remains 

 motionless and apparently dead. Reference is made to the classical 

 example given by Kirby and Spence of Anohium pertinax, which may 

 be literally pulled limb from limb without moving a joint. The 

 writer argues that the advantages of this instinct to its possessor is 

 doubtful, and gives the most probable theory of the nature of the 

 death -feint as "an example of negative thigmotaxis, that shrinking 

 from contact characteristic of so large a proportion of all classes of 

 animals." 



SOCIETIES. 



The Entomological Society of London. 



March 1th. — Death of a Member of Council. — The death of Mr. 

 A. E. Gibbs, a member of the Council, and for five years a most valued 

 member of the Business Committee, was announced. 



South Indian Hemiptera, etc. — Mr. E. A. Buoler exhibited two 

 species of S. Indian Hemiptera Urentius eckinua, Dist., and Apollodotus 

 2)raefectits, Dist., received from Mr. T. V. Campbell, M.B., who captured 

 them at Chikkaballapura in the Mysore State. 



Also several recently described species of S. Indian Fulgoridae, 

 together with the 3' of Eurybrachys toinentosa, Fabr., which has only 

 recently been recognised. 



Notes on Mimicry in Oriental butterflies by Col. T. Jermyn, — 

 Prof. Poulton said that he had recently received some interesting notes 

 on mimicry, and had tried to induce the author to communicate them 

 in person. Col. Jermyn, being unfortunately prevented from coming, 

 had forwarded with his manuscript the illustrative specimens exhibited 

 to the meeting. 



Ammophila sabulosa, L., with only two submarginal cells to both 

 FOREwiNGs. — A male A. sabulosa with two instead of three submarginal 

 cells in each forewing was exhibited to the meeting by Prof. Poulton. 



The President stated that, at Prof. Poulton's request, he had 

 recently examined the specimen from the Burchell collection (No. 1330), 

 which was shown that evening, and he had no hesitation in saying that 

 it was either a larva or female of the group Fhengodini. The females 

 of this group are completely larvi-form. Both larvae and females may 

 be distinguished from Elaterid larvfe by the fact that the tenth 

 abdominal segment is somewhat conical or tubular in form, and projects 

 beyond the ninth segment so as to be visible from above. 



New Cetoniids from British India. — Mr 0. E. Janson exhibited 

 the four new species of Cetoniidae of the genera Clerota, Pseudocalcothea, 

 and Anatona, described in the paper subsequently read, and made some 

 remarks on their characters. 



Temperature at which Insect Life is Destroyed. — Mr. A. Bacot 

 desired to call attention to a very valuable paper in the Memoirs of the 

 Department of Agriculture in India (November, 1916, Vol. IV, No. 6) 



