52 



OCTOBER gth, 1890. 



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



Mr. W. E. Butler was elected a member. 



Mr. T. R. Billups exhibited specimens of Epeolus pro- 

 ductus. Thorns., taken at Chobham in September last. Mr. 

 Billups said that this species, which is one of our prettiest 

 parasitical bees, was mostly to be met with in sandy localities, 

 where species of the genus CoUetes had established colonies ; 

 it is a very indolent kind of bee, and must be handled with 

 caution as it stings acutely. It may occasionally be met 

 with on the ragwort {Senecio jacobcea, L.), as also on the 

 mouse-ear hawkweed [Hieracium pilosella, L.), where it fre- 

 quently enjoys a siesta ; it has not been taken in the 

 immediate neighbourhood of London, but is plentiful in the 

 lanes of Kent, Surrey, and Hampshire. It has also been 

 taken at Barmouth in Wales, in Suffolk, and Norfolk ; but 

 has not been recorded from Scotland or Ireland. 



Mr. Billups also exhibited a series of a species of Ichneu- 

 monidae. Trichoma enecator, Rossi., bred by Mr. Adkin, its 

 host being Peronia hastiana, L., the larvae of which were 

 feeding in sallow shoots brought from the Isle of Man. 

 Also a male and female of the rare Braconid, Pelecystoma 

 Intea, Nees ; the former bred by Mr. Adkin from the larva 

 of Tortrix piceana, L., and two of the latter from larvae of 

 Papilio machaon, L. The Rev. T. A. Marshall, in his mono- 

 graph of British Braconidae, said the right of this species to be 

 considered British is established upon two females, one 

 mutilated, in Mr. Fitch's collection, bred by Sang from a 

 doubtful Geometer feeding on fir, either Ellopia prosapiaria, 

 L., Thera firniata, Hiib., or variata, Schiff. ; the other from 

 Heterogenea liniacodes, Hufn., by Raynor on June 22nd : it 

 had been reared on the Continent from the latter host, both 

 by Reissig and Gourea. 



Adverting to a specimen of Vanessa exhibited at the last 

 meeting, and said to have been taken at Polegate, Sussex, 

 Mr. Jenner Weir stated that, in his opinion, the insect in 

 question was Vanessa milberti, a well known North American 

 species, of which he exhibited specimens from the Canadian 

 North-West Provinces, and also specimens of Vanessa urticce 

 from Hong Kong, Lulea in Sweden, and St. Petersburg, 

 showing how very little the species varied in these widely- 

 separated localities, differing also so much as they did in 

 climate: Hong Kong being within the tropics, and Lulea but 

 just outside the arctic circle. 



