1 1 G LMay, 



ENTOMOLOGICAIi SOCIETY OF LONDON : Mar. 16^A, 1898. — Mr. E. McLachlan, 

 F.R.S., Vice-President and Treasurer, in the Chair. 



Mr. Champion exhibited specimens of Acanthia inodora, A. Duges, from 

 Guanajuato, Mexico. This insect, a congener with the common bed-bug, was found 

 in fowl-houses, where it attacked poultry. Mr. Wainwright, a locust found alive in 

 broccoli at Birmingham. The insect was identified by Mr. Burr as Acridium 

 oRgyptium. Mr. Tutt, a series of captured examples of Calligenia miniata, varying 

 in colour and the amount of black markings, one example being a clear yellow and 

 another orange. The Secretary, part of a series of holograph letters, &c., which he 

 had discovered among old papers in the Society's Library, including communications 

 from Kirby, Spence, Darwin, Hope, Yarrell, and many other entomologists. A 

 paper by Mr. E. E. Green, of Punduluoya, Ceylon, entitled, " Further notes on 

 Byscritina, Westwood," was read, and illustrated by specimens and drawings. The 

 author had discovered two distinct species of Dyacritina, which he was able to keep 

 in captivity, and rear from the early larval stage to that of the imago. The 

 characteristic abdominal cerci increased in length with successive moults, until in 

 D. longisetosa they became much longer than the body. In the penultimate 

 stadium they were lost without a moult, being probably bitten off by the possessor, 

 the long basal joints alone remaining. The imago was a typical earwig, the forceps 

 being developed within the basal joints of the cerci. Sensory organs on the 

 antenna and palpi were described, as well as the habits of both species. In the 

 ensuing discussion Mr. M. Burr referred the imagos to the genus Diplatys, that of 

 Mr. Green's new form being, he believed, a known species. The genus Dyscritina 

 must therefore be sunk. Mr. Gahan observed that the fact of the forceps being 

 developed within the basal joints of the cerci alone did not prove that they were 

 not homologous with the entire cerci ; perhaps the internal structure of the latter 

 was retracted by a histolytic process before amputation. In Forficula he had found 

 evident traces of meristic division in the forceps of embryos which were nearly on 

 the point of hatching. Dr. Chapman read a paper, entitled, " Some remarks on 

 Heterogynis penella," giving a full account of its life-history. The female was 

 destitute of all appendages whatever, and only left the pupal case for pairing, 

 returning within it about ten minutes later. It possessed an organic connection 

 with the pupal case in the situation of the legs. The larvae were hatched within 

 the case and devoured the remains of the mother. On anatomical characters he 

 assigned to the insect a place near the ZygcenidcB. 



April 6th, 1898.— Mr. R. McLachlan, P.E.S., Vice-President and Treasurer, 

 in the Chair. 



Sir Archibald Buchan-Hepburn, Bart., of Smeaton-Bepburn, Prestonkirk, E. 

 Lothian, N.B., was elected a Fellow of the Society. 



On behalf of Mr. Greenshields, Mr. Jacoby exhibited specimens of the 

 longicorn beetle, Micropsalis Durnfordi, Burm., from Patagonia. Mr. Greenshields, 

 who was present, stated that this species, remarkable for the great development of 

 the palpi, was originally taken by Darwin ; his own examples were taken hiding in 

 thorny bushes in a dry water-course. Mr. Champion, continental examples of 

 Harpahis Frohlichi, a newly-discovered British species. Mr. B. A. Bower, living 



