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North America has a white collar but in Europe this occurs 

 only very occasionally. On the other hand, in Europe and 

 America the hind wings are red ; but in Asia Minor (Amasia 

 and Tokat) the males have them pure white. All this is very 

 interesting ; but it is desirable to collect more information 

 as to the variation from red and yellow to white in the 

 Sphinges and Bombyces before venturing on any definite 

 conclusions, and it is with the hope of obtaining such that I 

 have written this note." 



Mr. Tugwell remarked that he had never previously seen 

 a white-banded specimen of this species, and it was an excep- 

 tional variety ; the colour of the band in Mr. Frohawk's 

 specimen was a pale creamy white, very much the same 

 tone of colour as prevailed in the band of vS". spJiegifonnis. 

 In Nemeophila plantagmis, L., var. hospita, Schiff., we have 

 another example of variation from yellow to white. 



AUGUST (jth, 1888. 

 J. T. Carrington, Esq., F.L.S., Vice-President, in the Chair. 



Messrs. R. Waller and J. N. Young were elected members. 



Mr. C. A. Briggs exhibited a series of Zygmia meliloti, 

 Esp., taken in the New Forest during the year by Mr. Meek, 

 who had stated that the species occurred in a different spot 

 from that where it had been previously obtained. 



Mr. J. T. Carrington exhibited Venusia cambrica, Curt., and 

 Boarmia repandata, L., from Sheffield, and said that they 

 were remarkable on account of their melanic appearance. 

 Mr, Wellman had informed him that he had a similar 

 specimen of the first-named species, from the same neigh- 

 bourhood, which was almost as dark as the one shown. 



Mr. Weir thought a great deal of interest attached to this 

 exhibit, as many species received from the north of England 

 showed a great tendency to melanism. The point was 

 whether the action was direct or indirect ; whether melanism 

 arose from the smoke cutting off the sunbeams, coupled witn 

 the dirty state of the tree trunks through the deposit of soot, 

 and whether in consequence the insects became darker because 

 they were more easily concealed. Mr. Wellman, having from 

 the same locality received these dark insects, showed some 

 cause at work to produce this darkening ; but it was an open 



