aS 
CURRENT NOTES,. , .. bd 
to me is ‘het hens are any others on the market at all.—Lours- B. 
Prout, 246, Richmond Road, N.E.. December 28th, 1899. 
GY URRENT NOTES. 
The eighth Annual Exhibition of the North London Natural 
History Society, was held on December 30th, 1899, and January 1st, 
1900, and proved a very successful gathering. The members and 
visitors who were present on the later date, but especially the ento- 
mologists, were much interested and instructed by a lecture on Mimicry 
and Protective Resemblance in Insects, with numerous lantern illus- 
trations, which was delivered by Mr. J. W. Tutt, F.E.S. Exhibits 
in the entomological department were perhaps not quite so numerous 
as on some previous occasions, but included some good drawers of 
British lepidoptera, by Mr. L. B. Prout and others, some well illus- 
trated life-histories, by Messrs. J. A. Simes and A. Quail, and a good 
show of exotic lepidoptera, among which Mr. Bacot’s cases of insects 
from the Transvaal were specially interesting. 
The presidential address read before the Entomological Society of 
London, on January 17th, by Mr. G. H. Verrall, dealt with a large 
number of highly interesting, if debatable, points bearing on such 
subjects as ‘unscientific work,” ‘ priority,’ ‘synonymy,’ ‘ means 
and sufficiency of publication,” &c. 
We learn that our esteemed friend, Mr. S. J. Capper, F.L.S., 
F.E.S., having long since passed his presidential majority, has again 
been re-elected President of the Lancashire and Cheshire entomological 
society. 
The Annual Meeting of the South London Natural History and 
Entomological Society was held on January 26th, when a very satis- 
factory report was read. The only regrettable feature was the Trea- 
surer’s statement that the Council had been unable from want of 
sufficient funds to publish its Proceedings in two half yearly instalments 
as had been done the preceding year, although they would now be 
published in one volume, with all possible speed. There is a humorous 
side to a picture that shows the entomologists at Chandos Street 
investing £1000, because they have more money than they require for 
current expenses and publication purposes, whilst those of Hibernia 
Chambers have the material and have to wait until the end of the 
financial year before being able to afford the money to publish it. 
The balance-sheet of the treasurer of the Entomological Society of 
London shows a balance of £181 6s. 8d. for the past year. How this 
flourishing condition of affairs has been brought about is evident from 
the Presidential address, where we learn that in 1899, there were 300 
members and £400 invested, whilst in 1899, there were 418 members 
and nearly £1000 invested. In 1866, the President tells us there were 
only 207 members, so that whilst there was only a permanent increase 
of 93 members in the 23 years, 1866-1889, there has been an increase 
of 118 members in the 10 years, 1889-1899. During the past year, 
however, we learn from the Secretary’s report that there has been a 
considerable falling off in the number of Fellows elected, and side by 
side with this a marked falling off in the number and quality of the 
exhibitions at the ordinary meetings. This latter is strikingly 
