VI 



in lat. 96" 24' S., long. (32° 10' E. (the nearest land being the islanrl of 

 Mauritius, about 360 miles distant), by Captain Eaeburn, of the ship 

 ' Airlie.' The motlris a common Indian species, but is found also in Africa. 

 A specimen was long ago received from Brazil, and Mr. Grote had recently 

 noticed its occurrence in Florida. 



Mr. M'Lachlan also exhibited a cocoon and pupse of a species of CetoniidcB 

 (probably Diplognalhus silaceus) from Caraeroons, sent to Mr. Rutherford. 

 The cocoon appeared to be formed of dark brown earth, but attached thickly 

 to the exterior were oval, slightly flattened, deep black, hard bodies (each 

 nearly five lines long by two broad), which he thought were probably the 

 excrement of some rodent quadruped. 



Mr. Champion exhibited Stenus Kiesenwetteri (hitherto only found in this 

 country at Wimbledon), Gymnusa brevicoUis, Bembidium nigricorne, and 

 Plociomerus hiridus, all from Chobham ; also Philonthus cicatricosvs from 

 Shoreham. 



Mr. Howard Vaughan exhibited (on behalf of Mr. Bidwell) a specimen of 

 Notodonta trilophus, taken about the year 1867 at Ipswich by a lamp- 

 lighter. Mr. Douglas had captured some years ago at St. Osyth, in Essex, 

 what was hitherto the only authentic British specimen of this insect. 



The President read some interesting remarks from a letter he had received 

 from Mr. B. G. Cole respecting some specimens oi Ephyra pimctaria which 

 he had bred from eggs laid by the same female, the greater number of which 

 emerged from tbe .pupae in July (as the spotted variety), while the remainder 

 appeared in May, in all respects resembling the mother. He repeated the 

 experiment in 1876 with similar results ; all but one pupa from a batch of 

 eggs laid in May appeared in July as the spotted form (males and females), 

 the single exception remaining still in pupa, which it was presumed would 

 appear during the coming May in the vernal dress. In this latter case he 

 had reared a second brood of larvse from eggs laid by some of the July 

 females, all of which were now in the chrysalis state. Mr. Cole added — 



"May not the above be considered a case of 'season-dimorphism' 

 analogous to that occurring in Pieris, Araschma, Selenia, &c., as investi- 

 gated by Dr. Weismann, a slow process of development during the winter 

 being necessary for the production of the May form (which may be con- 

 sidered the type), whilst if the development of the pupa is hastened by the 

 heat (and light?) of summer, the smaller and less perfect individuals are the 

 result. Referring to the similar case of Selenia ilhistraria, Dr. Knaggs 

 (Entom. Mo. Mag., vol. iii. p. 238) remarks as follows: — 'It is pretty well 

 known that in the natural sequence iUustraria reproduces itself in the form 

 of delunarla and vice versa. But what I assert is, that whenever (whether at 

 large, owing to exceptionally hot or long summer seasons, or in captivity 

 from warmth, assisted perhaps by what Mr. Crewe has happily termed 



