9i [April, 



carbolic be renewed in two or three months, and if the drawers are pretty tightly 

 closed, will kill what may be therein. The carbolic should not be allowed to get on 

 the insects, but the vapour will be found to help to keep them clean and bright by 

 preventing all forms of decomposition. From many years' experience by myself 

 and others (by Mr. Blackburn in the damp climate of the Hawaiian Islands), I can 

 recommend this method as the most effectual in preserving insect collections. The 

 tissues of the insects in the drawers become after a time, I believe, sliglitly carbolized, 

 and then mites and mould will not attack them. I use it in all my boxes and 

 drawers, and consider it essential to the preservation of collections containing very 

 large insects by keeping the atmosphere inside the drawers quite disinfected. — D. 

 Sharp, Cambridge : February 28th, 1893. 



Pith. — Having seen some remarks on pith for mounting insects on, I may add 

 that insect boxes are always lined with aloe pith out here, but it is very unsatis- 

 factory, being very liable to be attacked by a minute beetle, and some portions of it 

 are so hard that no fine pin will go in at all, and on the other hand, large pins very 

 soon work loose.— P. E. Radlet, Marguerita, Maturatta, Ceylon : Feb. 20th, 1893. 



[The attacks of the beetle might be both cured and prevented by saturating the 

 pith with a solution of arsenic in pure alcohol ; the latter soon evaporates, but the 

 suspended arsenic remains. — Eds.]. 



oi[ti|ti^s. 



BiEMiNGHAM Entomoiogical SOCIETY : February 20th, 1893. — Mr. G-. T. 

 Bbthune-Bakee, Vice-President, in the Chair. 



The following were exhibited : — By Mr. E.. C. Bradley, a long series of the 

 genus Conops, taken at Wyre Forest last year, and including the following : flavipes, 

 quadrifasciatus, cericeformis, and strigatus (two only). By Mr. Baker, a box con- 

 taining a number of rare and local insects, mainly continental examples of British 

 species, and including Plusia, moneta, Arctia lubricipeda, var. Zalvma, &c., also the 

 pale Irish male of Arctia inendica, &c. By Mr. G-. W. Wynn, a number of Noctuce, 

 bred from hibernating larvge found last spring at Wyre Forest and Marston Gi'een. 

 By Mr. W. Harrison, living larvae of Sesia tipuliformis. Mr. P. W. Abbott read 

 two short papers, illustrated by specimens : one about his work at Wyre during 

 1892; he had been working new ground, and turned up a lot of new things, in- 

 cluding Gymatophora fluctuosa and duplaris, Asth'na Blonieri, &c. ; the other paper 

 described a journey to Freshwater in August for Colias Edusa. — Colbean J. 

 Wainweight, Hon. Secretary. 



Lancashiee and Cheshiee Entomological Society : March 13th, 1893. — 

 Mr. S. J. Cappee, F.L.S., F.E.S., President, in the Chair. 



Mr. W. E. Sharp read a paper, entitled, " Notes on some Irish and other 

 Coleoptera," with a list of additions to the local fauna. Mr. Willoughby Grardner, 

 F.R.G.S., read a paper, entitled, " Notes on some of the rarer Aculeate Hymenoptera 

 of our District." After presenting a copy of his " Hymenoptera Aculeata of Lan- 

 cashire and Cheshire " to the Society's library, he noticed several species rare to the 

 district. Both papers were well illustrated by specimens. The President exhibited 



