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of the anterior wings very black, the remainder of the anterior 

 wings and the inferior wings darker than usual. Spilosoma 

 mendica, Clerck., with only one black spot on each wing. 

 Scopelosoma satellitia, L., of a greyish ground, marbled with 

 black. Anaitis plagiata, L., with the transverse lines con- 

 tracted into a single band. Tcsniocampa munda var. imniacu- 

 lata, Stgr., and one of a grey ground colour. 



Mr. T. R. Billups exhibited on behalf of Mr. W. F. de V. 

 Kane, specimens of Rhopalomesites tardii. Curt, from Killarney 

 and Powerscourt, Ireland, and invited remarks upon the same 

 as regards variety ; but the opinion seemed to be that there 

 were no varieties, the pale forms being only immature 

 specimens. 



Mr. H. T. Dobson read a paper, " Does the Darwinian 

 Theory lessen Biological Mystery." 



FEBRUARY gik, 1888. 



T. R. Billups, Esq., F.E.S., President, in the Chair. 



Messrs. F. Warne, N. Warne, A. T. Mitchell, F. E. Strong 

 and P. C. C. Billups, M.D. were elected members. 



Mr. R. South exhibited long series of Cerastis vaccinii, L., 

 and the dark insect known in this country as C. spadicea, Hiibn. 

 This last, he said, was most certainly the insect known on the 

 Continent as Cerastis, or rather Orrhodia ligula, Esp., var. 

 polita, Hiibn., specimens of v/hich he also exhibited, as well 

 as examples of Hiibner's spadicea and mixta, Staud., both of 

 which are forms of C. vaccinii, as known to Entomologists in 

 this country. 



Mr. South went on to say that, although he could not 

 conclusively prove it, yet he was strongly inclined to think 

 that C. vaccinii and C. ligJila were forms of one species, and 

 he illustrated by examples that certain characters, other than 

 the dark coloration of primaries, claimed for C. ligida only 

 were also to be found in C. vaccinii. 



Mr. J. W. Tutt exhibited Xylophasia rurea, Fb. (vars.), 

 including a whitish grey form having a slight glaucous tinge, 

 rare in Britain ; the specimens shown coming from Sligo, 

 although it was occasionally taken in the Isle of Man, and at 

 Rannoch. The other varieties included a banded form from 



