38 



be referred he was uncertain ; it seemed that many species 

 of CiUex had the habit of biting very sharply. In some 

 countries it might be one species and in another country a 

 different one. Even the same species might be an intoler- 

 able nuisance in one region, while it was comparatively harm- 

 less in another. Mr. Pearce spoke of the destructiveness of 

 the swarms of locusts on the mountain slopes of Pennsyl- 

 vania. If any tool was left out in their path they would 

 even gnaw the smooth handle and make it appreciatively 

 rough to the grasp. The incessant noise of the Cicadas had 

 also impressed him ; it was distinctly audible above the 

 noise of a train, and he thought the noise of a circular saw 

 very closely resembled it, except that the latter had no 

 pulsations. His experience of the wasps was similar to 

 that of Mr. Mansbridge; they monopolised every small cavity 

 obtainable ; a row of empty cartridge cases on a shelf in his 

 room were all occupied by wasps, and even the small hole 

 in a camera case was repeatedly tenanted. Mr. Warne and 

 others took part in the discussion. 



MAY 2yd, 1895. 



T. W. Hall, Esq., F.E.S., President, in the Chair. 



Mr. C. G. Barrett, on behalf of Mr. Home, of Aberdeen, 

 exhibited a long series each of Agrotis cursoria, Bork., and 

 A. tritici, L., from the north-east of Scotland. The range 

 of variation shown by both species was so great that it was 

 difficult from an inspection of the upper side alone to deter- 

 mine to which species many of the specimens belonged. It 

 was stated that from the East Coast of England very pretty 

 light forms were generally obtained, while from the West 

 Coast of Ireland the usual form was dark or even black. The 

 specimens shown from the North seemed to have a happy 

 combination of these two shades. He also exhibited a 

 gynandrous specimen of Saturnia carpini, L., belonging to 

 Dr. Mason, of Burton-on-Trent. Mr. Mansbridge said that 

 recently half-a-dozen gynandrous examples of this species 

 had been bred at Bonn. They differed from the one exhibited 

 by Mr. Barrett, however, in the wings being alternately male 

 and female. The body was divided down the middle, the 

 external organs being male on one side and female on the 

 other {vide " Entomologist," vol. xxviii., p. 164), Mr. Hall 

 said that he possessed a specimen of Orgyia antiqua, L., 

 showing similar aberration. 



