1918.] 21 



Yorkshire Naturalists' Union: Entomological Section.— The 

 Annual Meetings of the Entomological Section of tlie Yorkshire Naturalists' 

 Union were held at the Leeds Institute on October 27th, 1917. Mr. W. P. 

 Winter, B.Sc, the President of the Section, occupied the chair at both the 

 afternoon and evening meetings. 



The usual business, which included the election of Officers and the 

 presentation of the Annual Reports, was transacted, and Mr. G. T. Porritt, 

 I'.L.S., F.E.S., was unanimously elected President of the Section for the 

 ensuing year. Reports on the work done in the various Orders of insects 

 were given by the Secretaries of the different Committees. That on 

 Coleoptera by Dr. W. J. Fordham, F.E.S., showed the following nine 

 additions made to the County list 'since the 1916 report — Atheta hritteni 

 Joy (Bubwith), Atheta nitidula Er. (Swaledale and Cleveland), Gabrms 

 appendiciilatus Sharp (Bubwith), Gahrins stipes Sharp (Skipwith and Biickden), 

 Bledius erraticus Er. (Richmond), Cerylon fagi Bris. (Bubwith), Crypto- 

 cephalus parvidus Miill. (near Bawtry), Lissodejna cursor Gyll, (West 

 (larf'orth), and Ceuthorrhynchus rugulosus Hbst. (Bubwith). In addition, 

 a doubtful I'ecord of Bolitochara Innulata Pk. was contirmed by a specimen 

 from Cleveland. There were also a number of new vice-comital records. 



An extensive report on Lepidoptera was presented by Mr. B. Morley. 

 The season appears to have been a good one, and species usually i^carce 

 have in some instances turned up in numbers. Vrmessa antiopa L. has 

 been taken in one or two localities (Silsden and Pickering), and Sphinx 

 eimcohifli L. has occurred all over the county, the curious point in its 

 distribution being that it has been mostly recorded from the vicinity of 

 towns — Keighley (2 J c? , 1 $ ), Middlesbrough (seven specimens), Doncaster 

 (quite common), Barnsley, York (four), Pickering, and a considerable number 

 at Scarborough being among the instances cited. Choerocamjm celerio L. has 

 been taken at Scarborough. Mr. AV. Hewett has taken Plusia monnta Fab. 

 near York and Sesia cidieiformis L. at Warthill. In Cleveland Mr. T. A. Loft- 

 house, F.E.S., has found the season good. A hard winter appears favourable 

 to insect life, and larvae were abundant from spring to autumn and a large 

 number of common butterflies were observed. Vanessa io L. occurred at 

 Middlesbrough. (This insect has been recorded from several localities this 

 year. The experience of most of the lepidopterists present at the meeting was 

 that it is usually an uncommon butterfly in Yorkshire. Mr. J. F. Musham says 

 that it has been recently common at Selby on fallen fruit.) Dr. H. H. Corbett 

 noted an abundance of common species in the Doncaster district, and reported 

 that a young collector had taken sixteen species of butterflies in the neighbour- 

 hood, including Arc/ynnis adippe L. He also recorded Zenzera acscvli L., 

 Choerocnmpa porcelhislj., and elpp.nor L. Mr. Hooper reported the destruction 

 of acres of white turnip near Wakefield by the larvae o\' Ayrotis seyetum Schiff . 

 of which there were sometimes four or five to a root. Mr. Morley had found 

 Jyiicroleindoptera in great abundance, and also commented on the swarms of 

 Charaeas yraminis L. in August on both moors and lowland pastures. In 

 some parts of South-west Yorkshire the larvae have been a great pest this 

 year, and Mr. Morley mentioned the fact that the Penistone town roller was 

 " mobilized " to deal with the invasion. 



Messrs. Rosse Butterfield, F.E.S., aud J. F. Musham, F.E.S., reported on 



