35 



form. They were of all shades, from intense black to brown, 

 and unicolorous. Mr. Adkin said that Mr. South had this 

 year taken a black female at Macclesfield. 



Mr. Carrington exhibited specimens of a monstrous 

 growth of Eqidsetum arvense, L., which he had just received 

 from Ventnor. The fertile stems of this species are usually 

 simple, but in these specimens the stems had split into two, 

 three, or more, each of which were clothed with the spore 

 scales. It was considered that when just coming out of the 

 ground they had received some injury, perhaps had been 

 trodden upon, as they were found close together, and only in 

 one spot. 



Mr. Moore exhibited a Pterostichus madidiis, F., which 

 had been attacked by a Gordius, some four inches of which 

 had emerged from its body. 



Mr. Adkin exhibited a male specimen of the Little Auk 

 {Mergulits die, L.), taken at Filey, Yorks, in February last, 

 when the species was unusually common ; and mentioned 

 that the occurrence of specimens at Greenwich in Kent, and 

 Hastings in Sussex, during the recent severe weather had 

 come under his notice. Although the southern range of the 

 species appeared to extend to the Azores and the Canaries, 

 it was certainly not a frequent visitor to the north-east of 

 England, and its being found there this winter was no doubt 

 due to the extreme severity of the weather. 



Mr. Turner exhibited a specimen of Plusia moneta, Fab., 

 which had been taken in July, 1894, ^^ West Wickham, by 

 Mr. Slade of Hatcham. He also exhibited a short series of 

 Spilosoma menthastri, Esp., showing variation. One pair, 

 bred in Brockley, had the spots on the primaries small in 

 size and few in number; while the blotches on the hind 

 wings were very faintly marked. Three of the specimens 

 were from Linlithgow, and showed the usual dark buff of 

 northern specimens in a greater or lesser degree, but the 

 arrangement and coalescence of the spots was very pretty. 

 In one specimen the spots had united to form an almost 

 complete second line, and at the same time an apical streak 

 had been developed. Mr. Adkin said that Scotch specimens 

 were usually dark, but the arrangement of the spots rarely 

 varied. Mr. Barrett said that several white Bombyces had 

 no very definite markings, yet varieties occurred having the 

 second line developed, and sometimes even the first line 

 appeared. He instanced both Porthesia chrysorrhcea, L., and 

 P.siinilis,Fues, as showing this, and he had seen the character 

 produced in a specimen of Lcelia cosnosa, Hb. 



