SOCIETIES. lOi 



Annual Exhibition of the South London Entomological and 

 Natural Histoky Society. — The Exhibitions of this Society have, year 

 by year, been increasingly successful, and there is but little doubt that the 

 exhibition announced to be held at the Bridge House Hotel, London 

 Bridge, on the 15th and 16th of April next, will be quite equal to, if it 

 does not surpass, any of the Society's previous achievements. Evidence of 

 the popularity of these " shows " is found not only in the very large 

 attendance on each occasion that an entertainment of the kind is provided, 

 but also in the fact that if from any cause the exhibition is not held in any 

 year there is general disappointment, and a feeling that a distinct void has 

 occurred in the record of that year. Several circumstances conspired to 

 prevent the Society holding their " Annual " last year; but the outcome of 

 the failure in the autumn of 1890 is a spring exhibition in the present year, 

 so that instead of a loss we have what should prove a decided gain. The 

 Hon. Sec, Mr. H. W. Barker, 83, Brayards Road, Peckham, S.E., will be 

 pleased to hear from anyone wishing to assist by exhibiting entomological 

 or other objects of Natural History. 



SOCIETIES. 



Entomological Society of London. — MarchAth,]89l. — The Eight 

 Hon. Lord Walsingham, M.A., F.R.S., Vice-President, in the chair. 

 Mr. H. St. John Donisthorpe, Mr. F. W. Frohawk, Mr. Charles Fryer, 

 Mr. G. F. Hampson, B.A., Mr. Frederick J. Hanbury, F.L.S., and 

 Mr. G. B. Routledge, were admitted into the Society. Mr. F. P. Pascoe 

 exhibited, and made remarks on, a curious Coleopterous larva with a case 

 somewhat resembling that of the Lepidopterous genus Psyche, which was 

 found at the Theatre of Bacchus, Athens. Mr. J. W. Douglas sent for 

 exhibition specimens of Icerya {Crossatosoma) cegyptiaca, which, through 

 the kindness of Mr. A. D. Michael, he had received from Alexandria on 

 the 19th January last. It was stated that in travelling most of them had 

 become loose, and had lost their waxen appendages ; but a few still 

 remained on the stems of their food-plant. In connection with this subject, 

 Mr. G. H. Verrall alluded to a Dipterous parasite oi Icerya from Adelaide, 

 — Lestophonus icery(B, WiWistou, — which had been bred from Icerya pur- 

 chasi, Mask., last February. Mr. M'Lachlan and Lord Walsingham 

 continued the discussion. Mr. R. Adkin exhibited a long and interesting 

 series of Triphcena comes from various parts of the South of England, 

 Yorkshire, Forres, the Isle of Man, the Isle of Lewis, and the North of 

 Ireland. Mr. G. F. Hampson exhibited a series of varieties of Plotheia 

 frontalis, Walk., which was the only species in the genus, and confined to 

 Ceylon. He said that the varied forms of this species had been described 

 under twenty-one different names by Walker, Felder, and Moore. Mr. F. 

 Merrifield showed a number of specimens of Selenia illustraria, of three 

 different stocks, proving that the spring brood of this species, which passed 

 the winter in the pupal stage, was, like the summer pupa, materially 

 aifected in colouring by the temperature to which the pupa had been 

 exposed in its later stages. He thought this fact, coupled with similar 

 results ascertained with respect to the single-brooded Ennomos autumnaria, 

 indicated that the operating cause was one of wide general application, and 

 that valuable results might be looked for if entomologists would turn their 



