36 



MAY \oth, 1S94. 



E. Step, Esq., President^ in the Chair. 



Mr. H. B. Lawrence, of Anerley, was elected a member. 



Mr. South exhibited some examples of Boarniia cinclaria, 

 Schiff., part of a series bred from ova obtained from a female 

 captured at Glengariff, Ireland, by Mr. McArthur. The 

 majority of the specimens bred were cripples, but all agreed 

 with the female parent in colour and pattern, and none were 

 so pale as those exhibited some time ago by Mr. Kane. Mr. 

 Adkin, who had also been breeding this species from the 

 same locality, said that his specimens were characterized by a 

 lighter ground but darker markings, while some were much 

 darker. 



Mr. South also exhibited the new Postal Box invented by 

 Dr. Knaggs, and described in the " E. M. M.," vol. xxx., p. 

 10 1, 1894. It was thrown across the room, but the insects 

 enclosed were in no way harmed, and members present con- 

 sidered it a very successful device. 



Mr. Barrett exhibited, on behalf of Mr. Sydney Webb, of 

 Dover, the pick of his valuable and extraordinary varieties 

 of the "Tigers," viz.: Arctia villica, L., five specimens, vary- 

 ing from almost spotless to nearly black; Arctia caia, L., 

 fifteen specimens, among them being spotless, brown m.arbled, 

 pale blotched, half one colour half another, pink shaded, and 

 black suftused ; NevieopJiila plantaginis, L., three specimens, 

 red and pale varieties ; and Callimorpha dominiila, L., four 

 specimens — yellow, white spotted, pink, and dusky. He 

 remarked that most species and groups varied in certain 

 definite directions while possessing very permanent markings. 

 In the Noctuse, for instance, the stigmata were always pre- 

 sent in precisely the same positions, and in the Geometers 

 the first and second lines were remarkably constant in posi- 

 tion. Not so in the "Tigers," for in these the markings 

 seemed to have no definite position, and many of the varieties 

 exhibited the most abnormal divergence of marking. Yet, 

 at the same time, in many instances variation was along 

 definite lines. A. caiao{\.&x\. possessed yellow hind-wings, and 

 the black spots were most variable in size ; in fact, it was dififi- 

 cult to find two specimens precisely alike in their markings. 

 These miglit be called regular forms of variation, while the 

 unicolorous, black, very pale, or unspotted, were by no means 

 to be expected. A. villica showed the same range of varia- 

 tion, but not to the same extent. In C. doviijuila there was 



