10 



in types and interest. Whether that comes to pass or not, 

 a Society of our magnitude, containing so man}^ hard-work- 

 ing entomologists, ought to have a far better type collection ; 

 and every one who has duplicates should make a point of 

 looking them out and forwarding them to Mr. West as soon 

 as possible. 



There is also room for improvement in another direction, 

 i. e. the reading of papers at our ordinary meetings. This is 

 too much confined to a few willing friends, upon whom we 

 are apt to press too hard. Many members at the beginning 

 of last year promised papers. Som.e have failed to keep 

 those promises, nor have we had the number of volunteers 

 to fill their places that I should like to see. I would respect- 

 fully suggest members not only giving their names as willing 

 to read a paper or papers during the year, but in each case 

 offering definite dates, and if possible data, for the purpose. 

 This once booked would spur each individual member on, 

 and he would be more likely to keep his promise than if no 

 date were fixed, and he felt he could put it off from time to 

 time to suit every little seeming necessity that arose. 



Our meetings during the year have, I think, kept up their 

 average of attendance and interest, but we need a little more 

 attention in that respect in order to prevent any retrograde 

 movement. Let each member do his best to exhibit any- 

 thing he may obtain of interest or instruction, at the same 

 time carefully preparing a short written notice for the 

 secretary, in order that none of the special points may be 

 overlooked. Let none of our younger members fail to bring 

 their exhibits forward for fear of their being of little or no 

 interest. Even the commonest specimen may disclose points 

 of interest equal to or greater than the rarest. Had it not 

 been for the attention Messrs. Hawes and others paid to 

 Hesperia linea, we might still have been in ignorance of the 

 existence in our midst of Hesperia lineola. 



It would perhaps be invidious on my part to particularise 

 any of our exhibits during the year, but special reference is 

 due to the two exhibitions of Mymaridae made by Mr. Enoch. 

 On the gth Ma}^, with the aid of the microscope, he showed 

 us living specimens of that exceedingly rare aquatic parasite 

 on the eggs of the dragon-fly, Polyncma nutans (Lubbock), 

 which, as could be seen, used its wings for swimming, and as 

 regards which Mr. Enoch states he has observed copulation 

 to take place below the surface of the water. On the 12th 

 September Mr. Enoch also showed us a number of speci- 

 mens of Trichogravuna cvanescens, contributing interesting 



