149 



SOCIETIES. 



Entomological Society of London. — MayQth, J 891. — Mr. Frederick 

 DuCane Godman, M.A., F.R.S., President, in the chair. Mr. Kobert A. 

 Dallas Beeching, of 24, St. James's Road, Tanbridge Wells, Kent ; Mr. 

 H. Shortridge Clarke, of Douglas, Isle of Man ; Monsieur Leon Fairnaaire, 

 of 21, Rue du Dragon, Paris; Mr. Wra. Reid, of Pitcaple, Aberdeenshire ; 

 and Mr. Nelson M. Richardson, B.A., of Montevideo, Weymouth, were 

 elected Fellows of the Society. Dr. D. Sharp exhibited a number of eggs 

 of Dytiscus marginalis laid on the sheath of a species of reed, and com- 

 mented on the manner of their oviposition, which he said had been fully 

 described by Dr. Regimbart. The Rev. A. E. Eaton exhibited a collection 

 of PsychodidcB from Somersetshire, including six species of Psychoda, 

 eleven species of Periconia, and one species of Ulomyia. Mr. M'Lachlan 

 commented on the interesting nature of the exhibition. Mr. P. Crowley 

 exhibited a specimen of Prot/io'e Caledonia, a very handsome butterfly from 

 Perak ; and a specimen of another equally handsome species of the same 

 genus from Tonghou, Burraah, which was said to be undescribed. The 

 Secretary read a letter from Mr. Merrifield, pointing out that the state- 

 ment made by Mr. Fenn, at the meeting of the Society on the 1st April 

 last, of his views on the effect of temperature in causing variation in Lepi- 

 doptera, was incorrect ; he (Mr. Merrifield) had never suggested what might 

 happen to TcBniocampa instabilis, and had expressly stated that he had 

 found a reduction of the temperature below 57° to produce no effect, 

 whereas in Mr. Fenn's experiments the temperature must have been below 

 40°. The Secretary also read a letter which Lord Walsingham had 

 received from Sir Arthur Blackwood, the Secretary of the Post Office, in 

 answer to the memorial which, on behalf of the Society, had been submitted 

 to the Postmaster- General, asking that small parcels containing scientific 

 specimens might be sent to places abroad at the reduced rates of postage 

 applicable to packets of bond fide trade patterns and samples. The letter 

 intimated that, so far as the English Post Office was concerned, scientific 

 specimens sent by sample post to places abroad would not be stopped in 

 future. — H. Goss, Hon. Secretary. 



The South London Entomological and Natural History Society. 

 April 23rd, 1891.— W. H. Tugwell, President, in the chair. Mr. E. 

 Sabel, of Clapham, was elected a member. Mr. R. South exhibited a 

 series of Polyommatus phlcsas, L., among which were examples of the vars. 

 schmidtii, Gerh., and eleus, Fab., and some other interesting aberrations, 

 together with representatives of the species from Europe, Asia and Africa. 

 Mr. R. Adkin, Emmelesia alhulata, Schiff., bred from pupae received from 

 Shetland, 1888, and stated that in 1889 four only were bred, while in 1890 

 upwards of twenty emerged, including var. griseata, Stgr., and var. thules, 

 Weir. Mr. Adkin also exhibited Cedestis gysselinella, Dup., pupa in 

 drawn-together fir needles ; and Lithocolletis vacciniella, Scott, larvse 

 mining under side of leaves of Vacciniuvi, both species from Rannoch. 

 Mr. Tugwell, Larentia olivata, Bork., from Portland. Mr. Billups, the 

 three cabinet drawers of life-histories shown by him at the Annual 

 Exhibition, and made remarks thereon; also pupa and imago of Eulophus 

 damicornis, Kirby, bred from Demas coryli, L., by Mr. Symes ; Cetonia 

 cturata, L., showing the position of the species in the cocoon after its 

 cljange from the larval stage; and on behalf of Mr. Mansbridge, galls on 

 Uieracium and birch collected near Leeds. Mr. Billups exprtt.sed au 



