24 [January, 1898. 



at Copthorne, in Sussex, and exhibited two fine specimens of Plusia moneta taken 

 at valerian, near Balcombe, Sussex, on June SOtli, 1897. Mr. M. Burr, three new 

 species of Roumanian Orthoptera in illustration of a later communication. On 

 behalf of Mr. T. D. A. Cockerell, of Mesilla, New Mexico, two specimens of Synchloe 

 lacinia from that locality were exhibited to show the remarkable forms of variation 

 found in individuals occurring at the same time and place and on the same flowers. 

 Mrs. NichoU communicated a paper " On the Butterflies of Aragon ;" and Mr. Burr 

 a " List of Roumanian Orthoptera." Mr. Tutt read a paper, entitled, " Some 

 Results of recent Experiments in hybridising Tephrosia histortata and Tephrosia 

 crepuscularia." 



December 1st, 1897. — Mr. R. Teimen, F.R.S., President, in the Chair. 



Mr. Hope Alderson, of Hilda Vale, Farnborough ; Mr. Arthur Home, of Ugie 

 Bank, Aberdeen ; Mr. Charles H. Pemberton, of 4, Kent's Terrace, Torquay ; and 

 Mr. E. P. Stebbing, Indian Forest Service ; were elected Fellows of the Society. 



Mr. Dudley Wright exhibited an aberration of Argynnis Euphrosyne, in which 

 the upper-side was suffused with black, and the silver spots of the under-side of the 

 hind-wings converted into streaks. On behalf of Mr. W. H. Tuck, Mr. Tutt showed 

 examples of MetcBcus paradoxus, L., taken in nests of Vespa vulgaris, near Bury 

 St. Edmunds, together with some of the cells in which they were found. About a 

 fifth of the nests examined were affected, some containing as many as twenty-four, 

 twelve, and eight examples of the beetle ; the more usual number present was from 

 two to four. The dates between which examples were taken in 1897 were from 

 August 2nd to October Ist. According to Dr. Chapman, the eggs were laid in the 

 cracks of posts, &c.j from which the wasps got the pulp to make their cells. Combs 

 were also exhibited from the nests of Vespa crabro and Vespa germanica, in which 

 Mr. Tuck had found larvEe of Velleius dilatatus, Fabr., which, however, he had been 

 unable to rear. The Rev. A. B. Eaton, a specimen of the singular Myodites sub- 

 dipterus, Fabr., taken by himself at Biskra, Algeria, and a near ally of MetcBcus. 

 Mr. Blandford called attention to a new instance of the destructive propensities of 

 Dermestes vulpinus, Fabr. He had received examples found at Hong-Kong among 

 flags made of bunting, which were presumably injured, although no details had been 

 forwarded. This form of injury was analogous with the damage to woodwork 

 recorded by himself and others ; it had nothing to do with the feeding habits of 

 the insect, but was committed by the larvse in their search for shelter in which to 

 pupate. Probably the flags had been stored at some period in the neighbourhood 

 of infested leather goods, or dried provisions. The only other case of damage to 

 textile fabrics by Dermestes vulpinus which he knew of occurred in connection with 

 the case recorded by him (Proc. Ent. Soc. Lond., 1890, p. xxxi) ; a blue handker- 

 chief, spotted with white, left in the infested building, was found next day to have 

 all the white spots eaten out. In the ensuing discussion Mr. C. Q-. Barrett referred 

 to the damage done by Agrotid larvae to linen spread out to bleach on the hillsides 

 near Bellfast. Investigation showed that this did not take place except when the 

 linen was gathered up and brought into the warehouses without being shaken. The 

 caterpillars which had taken shelter underneath it then ate their way through, in 

 order to escape in search of food. Mr. Champion communicated papers, entitled, 

 " Notes on American and other Tingitidae, with descriptions of two new G-enera and 

 four Species," and " A List of the StaphylinidcB collected by Mr. J. J. Walker, R.N., 

 in the region of the Straits of aibraltar."— W. F. H. Blandfoed, Hon. Sec. 



