44 [February, 



Society, of which he had been long President. He was a systematiat of the highest 

 order, judging beetles as he found them, and probably caring little for the speculative 

 side of the subject. For much of the information in the foregoing short notice we 

 are indebted to our excellent American contemporary " Psyche." 



George Christopher Dennis, F.E.S., died almost suddenly at York on December 

 22nd, at the age of 49 years : he was born March 11th, 1848. The earlier part of the 

 previous day he had spent in setting exotic (or European) butterflies ; then went out 

 in his usual health and spii'its to distribute the Christmas dole in connection with 

 one of the York charities, and whilst thus engaged in the Vestry of the Church he 

 attended, was seized with a stroke, became unconscious almost immediately, and 

 died soon afterwards. When quite young he became connected with a well known 

 north of England firm, eventually becoming partner in the business, from which 

 about two years ago he retired, to devote his time to natural history, gardening, 

 fishing, and other outdoor pursuits. He was best known, and for many years, as a 

 Lepidopterist, and in the pursuit of his favourite study it was his delight to make 

 distant and lengthened excursions to localities in various parts of the country. 

 Quite recently he had taken up the study of the Neuroptera and Trichopiera with 

 the intention of forming a collection for the York Museum, in which institution 

 he took great interest, and to which we believe he has left his collection of insects. 

 At the time of his death he was (and had held the ofiice for a number of years 

 previously) President of the York and District Naturalists Society ; he was also on 

 the Council of the Yorkshire Philosophical Society ; was a member of the Yorkshire 

 Naturalists Union, in which he formerly took active interest, holding office as Secre- 

 tary of the Entomological section, but the presidency of which, though repeatedly 

 offered to him, he always refused. He joined the Entomological Society of London 

 in 1892. Mr. Dennis has left a widow, but no family. — Q-. T. P. 



Birmingham ENTOMOLoaiCAi Society : November Ibth, 1897. — Mr. G. T. 

 Bethttne-Bakek, President, in the Chair. 



Apropos of Mr. G. H. Kenrick's paper on Mimicry at the last meeting of the 

 Society, the following examples of cases of mimicry were shown : — By Mr. E. 0, 

 Bradley, Volucella bombt/Ians, with both its forms and the Bombi they resemble, £. 

 lapidarius and terrestris ; and V. inanis, with its host, Vespa crabro, which it also 

 closely resembles. Mr. C. J. Wainwright, a number of examples amongst Diptera, 

 arranged in groups, showing various species mimicking Apis mellijica ; another 

 lot showing a general wasp-like type ; another lot closely resembling Bombus mus- 

 corum, &c. Mr. A. H. Martineau, a number of similar insects ; Chilosia flavicornis, 

 with an Andrena, with which it flies in the spring, when few other large insects are 

 about, and which it very closely resembles ; Arctophila mussitans and Criorrhina 

 oxyacanthce, both of which, the former especially, so closely resemble Bombus mus- 

 corum as to constantly deceive the collector ; Merodon equestris, which not only 

 resembles Anihophora furcata in appearance, but flies in exactly the same manner, 

 and has a similar and very characteristic high pitched note ; he also showed the 

 species of Psithyrus, with their hosts, Bombus lapidarius and terrestris ^ , a more 



