^54 



SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



The South London Entomological and 

 Natural History Society. — October 27th, 

 1898, Mr. J. W. Tutt, F.E.S., President, in the 

 chair. Mr. Ashdown exhibited twenty British 

 species of Longicorn Coleoptera which he had 

 brought to add to the Society's collection. Mr. 

 Montgomery, a specimen of the third brood of 

 Cyaniris argiolus bred on September 30th ; specimens 

 of three broods of Selenia bilunaria, of which the 

 third brood followed the second ; and specimens 

 of a third brood of Coremia ferrugata (bred). Mr. 

 Mansbridge, two blue varieties of the female, 

 and two underside varieties, of Polyommatus bellar- 

 gus, and remarked that the females of this species 

 seemed to get more blue year by year. Mr. 

 Dennis, pupa and cocoon of both Chaerocampa 

 elpenor and Sphinx ligustri. Mr. Tutt, on behalf 

 of Mr. Gordon, a considerable number of species 

 taken in Wigtonshire, including Satumia pavonia, 

 with much red on the hind-wing ; a pale fawn 

 Smerinthus populi ; Phalera bucephala, with right 

 fore-wing dark ; Caenonympha typhon, chiefly var. 

 rothliebii ; strongly banded Pelurga comitata, and 

 others. Mr. Adkin, variable series of Bryophila 

 perla, B. muralis and Botys flavalis, to illustrate his 

 paper entitled " Lazy Days by the Sea." A dis- 

 cussion ensued. — November 10th, Mr. J. W. Tutt, 

 F.E.S., President, in the chair. The evening was 

 devoted to a special exhibition of varieties and was 

 a most successful gathering. Mr. Robinson, on 

 behalf of Mr. A. H. Jones, of Eltham, specimens 

 of the following species and varieties : Lycaena 

 corydon, a light-brown female ; Melanargia galatea, an 

 unusually perfect white band ; Argynnispaphia var. 

 valezina, with basal spots confluent ; Xanthia aurago, 

 nearly unicolorous ; Ephyra pendularia, with red 

 suffusion ; Thais cerisyi, a melanic female from 

 Armenia, and Argynnis pales var. arsilache, from 

 the Engadine. Mr. Robinson also exhibited 

 gynandromorphous specimens of Chora lichenaria 

 and Crocallis elinguaria from the New Forest. Mr. 

 Chittenden, Xanthia aurago, red, yellow, pink and 

 dark forms; Anchocelis lunosa, a red form and a 

 black form ; black forms of Agrotis corticea and A . 

 scgetum ; A . exclamationis, red form ; and a pair 

 of beautifully marked Toeniocampa incerta. Mr. 

 Williams, a long bred series of Pararge egeria, very 

 brilliant in colour, and also a fine bred series 

 of Amphydasis betularia, derived from ova of an 

 ordinary female and showing a wonderful develop- 

 ment of melanism, which in some specimens almost 

 reaching var. doubledayaria. Mr. Mansbridge, 

 Cabera pusaria var. rotundaria, bred from North 

 Kent. Mr. Edwards, Abraxas grossulariata, in 

 which the white areas were closely dusted with 

 fine black dots and having the orange markings 

 very intense. Mr. Rose, a fine series of Xanthia 

 aurago, rich uniform red, bright canary-coloured 

 and banded forms of all shades, from Reading. 

 Mr. Butler, of Reading, Stauropus fagi, ordinary 

 dark, pale and intermediate forms, together with 

 specimens of a second brood ; also exceptionally 

 dark forms from an August pairing ; a very dwarf 

 captured Luperina testacea ; Xanthia aurago, a series 



showing all the named forms, together with an 

 undescribed pink form, and a greasy-looking form 

 of Vanessa io. Mr. Tutt, specimens of a Zygaena 

 received from M. Oberthur, of Rennes, named by 

 him Z. palustris, and apparently identical with the 

 large form of Z. trifolii = Z. trifolii-major, also a 

 marsh frequenting form ; two cabinet drawers of 

 British Argynnids and Brenthids for comparison 

 with Dr. Chapman's exhibit of the same species, 

 and a long series of Brenthis pales from various 

 continental localities. Mr. Pearce, a considerable 

 series of Bryophila perla from Folkestone, among 

 which were a good proportion of leaden forms. 

 Mr. South, a bred series of thirty-five Spilosoma 

 lubricepeda var. zatima, and seven males of the 

 type from the same batch of zatima eggs ; Eubolia 

 limitata, light golden-brown forms and very dark 

 specimens ; Boarmia cinctaria, a light form, bred 

 from Irish ova ; and Hydraecia micacea, bred from 

 potato stems. Dr. Chapman, very long series of 

 Aglais urticae and several species of European 

 Argynnids, and read notes on their modifications 

 in the various localities he had visited in Europe. 

 Mr. Lucas, series of Libellula quadrimaculata and of 

 Calopteryx virgo from his own and Rev. J. E. 

 Tarbat's collection, showing great variation ; the 

 var. praenubila of the former species, and three 

 smoky males of the latter, from Surrey, were very 

 noticeable. Mr. Nevinson, Chora glabraria, very 

 dark; Fidonia clathrata, almost unicolorous; Acidalia 

 contiguaria, light and dark forms ; Fidonia atomaria, 

 male, with female coloration ; Carpocapsa pomonella, 

 unicolorous pale form, reared from a walnut. Mr. 

 Adkin, local forms of Aplecta occulta, some magni- 

 ficent dark specimens ; Dianthaecia nana (conspersa), 

 from all the chief British and Irish localities, and 

 his drawers of Argynnids and Brenthids. Mr. 

 Moore, some grand underside forms of the leaf- 

 butterfly, Kallima inachis, and a series of Salamis 

 antera. Mr. West, of Streatham, Vanessa atalanta, 

 without spots in the red marginal band of the 

 hind-wings, and Caiocala nupta, with unpig- 

 mented streaks on the hind-wings. — Hy. J . Turner, 

 Hon. Report. Sec. 



City of London Entomological and Natural 

 History Society. — Annual meeting, December 6th, 

 1898 — Exhibits: Mr. J. A. Clark, a collection com- 

 prised in several large glass-topped boxes, giving 

 the life-history of Cossus ligniperda. He had bred 

 many insects right through from the egg, and 

 showed preserved larvae in many stages, one being 

 of a " putty colour," which he said illustrated the 

 change which came over this larva during hiber- 

 nation. Sections of tree-stems and wood revealed 

 the burrows gnawed by the larvae, one gallery 

 being five or six inches long, showing the insect did 

 not pupate close to the bark. Mr. Bate had 

 experience in breeding this moth artificially, he 

 had found his larvae did not penetrate far into the 

 wood supplied, but pupated close to the bark. 

 In March his larvae, having hibernated, were of 

 the usual red colour. Mr. Tutt asked whether 

 some go through the winter as pallid and some 

 dark red ? Or, whether they change their skin in 

 spring ? It appears they will feed between emerg- 

 ing from hibernation and pupation, and Mr. Clark 

 presumed the dark colour came back with feeding. 

 In all his searching for this insect Mr. Clark had 

 never happened to meet with one pupating under 

 ground. Mr. Mera spoke of finding a cocoon made 

 of earth, sticking out of a hedge-bank some dis- 

 tance from a tree. He pointed out the larvae do not 

 hibernate in the same sort of cocoon as that used 

 to pupate. He attributed the pallid colour to the 



