202 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



Chapman communicated a paper entitled " On a Lepidopterous pupa {Miero- 

 pteryx j^urjjurella) with functionally active mandibles." Mr. McLachlan 

 said Dr. Chapman's observations were of great value, and tended to show 

 that the position of Micropteryx was still nearer the Trichoptera than had 

 been supposed. The President announced that the new Library Catalogue, 

 which had been edited by Mr. Champion, with the assistance of Mr. 

 McLachlan and Dr. Sharp, was now ready for sale to the public at 9s., and 

 to the Fellows of the Society at 6s. a copy. — H. Goss, Hon. Secretary. 



South London Entomological and Natural History Society. — 

 April 27th, 1893. — J. Jenner Weir, Esq., President, in the chair. Mr. Tutt 

 exhibited a series of Tapinostola concolor, Gn., from Cambridgeshire, and 

 remarked upon the extremely restricted range of this species, and in how very 

 few localities it had been taken in any number. He pointed out the confusion 

 that had arisen with regard to the nomenclature of this insect, in consequence 

 of Hiibner's figure of T. extrema having blackish cilia. Mr. Weir men- 

 tioned that specimens of Polyonimatus dispar, Haw., had realised £6 each 

 on Tuesday last, at Stevens's Auction Rooms. Mr. W. H. Wright exhibited 

 a very long and variable series of Bombyx castrensis, L., bred from larvae 

 captured on the banks of the Medway, and mentioned that his experience 

 was, that unless the larvae were, say, within about a week of being full fed 

 when captured, they usually refused to feed, and seldom came to perfection. 

 Mr. R. Adkin and Mr. Tutt both corroborated this view, stating this 

 species was especially resentful to a change of habitat. In proof of the 

 recent extraordinarily fine weather, Mr, Tutt mentioned that Melitcea 

 cinxia, L., and other June species were on the wing in Guernsey, and that 

 Lyccena argiolus, L., was flying at Hereford during the first week in April, 

 and Mr. R. Adkin noted the rare occurrence of the blackthorn [Fnmus 

 spinosa) and whitethorn [Cratcegus oxyacantha) being in bloom at the same 

 time. In the course of some remarks upon Colias edusa, Fb., Mr. Tutt 

 said it ought to have had a good chance of hybernating here this last 

 winter. In Algeria and Morocco it could be got in all its stages, with the 

 exception of the egg, nearly the whole year through, and that in the Medi- 

 terranean littoral it practically did not hybernate at all, but one brood 

 followed the other in rapid succession. 



May 11th. — Charles G. Barrett, Esq., F.E.S., Vice-President, in the 

 chair. Mr. R. South exhibited a series of Diurnea fagella, Fb., from 

 Buckinghamshire, the light and dark forms being about equal in number. 

 Mr. South said that the trees in the wood in which they were taken were 

 darker on their western side than on their eastern, and at the time he 

 collected these specimens the wind was in the east and most of the moths 

 were at rest on the western side of the trees, the dark insects being incon- 

 spicuous, and he thought that if this often happened when this species was 

 on the wing, it would, by natural selection, tend to produce a darker race. 

 Mr. Barrett, in referring to the breeding of Bombyx castrensis, L., in cap- 

 tivity, said the larvse should be well wetted at times and exposed when 

 possible to the sun, and he thought the absence of the latter in some years 

 might account for the uncertain appearance of this species. Mr. Turner 

 said that he had bred B. castrensis very successfully on rose-leaves dipped 

 in salt water, the discussion being continued by Messrs. Tutt, Frohawk, 

 and South. Mr. Adye exhibited a long series each of Mama orion, Esp., 

 Eurymene dolobraria, L., Amphidasys betularia, L., Hylophila prasinana, 

 L., &c., and odd specimens of Acronycta alni, L., Notodonta chaonia, Hb., 



