51 



to take imagines in numbers was about seven o'clock in the 

 morning, when the ground was wet with dew ; after half-past 

 nine the imago was only to be obtained by being kicked out. 

 The larvae fed on Salix repens, L., and both he and Mr. Prest 

 had made many attempts to introduce the species to other 

 localities, but without success. 



Mr. Goldthwaite exhibited Ematurga atomaria, L., among 

 which was a singular variety of the male ; the ground colour 

 of all wings being a bright orange, the usual transverse brown 

 bands absent, but replaced on the forewings by several black 

 blotches, so placed as to give the insect a very distinct and 

 beautiful appearance. Also a xanthic variety of Lyccena mini- 

 may Fues., from West Horsley ; and a long series of very dark 

 forms of Xylophasia monoglypha, Hufn., which he stated was 

 almost the only result of twelve days work in that locality. 



Mr.C. Oldham exhibited a series of Abraxas grossulariata, 

 L., bred from pupae obtained from Cambridgeshire, showing 

 a better range of variation than is usually seen in a number 

 bred in the same hap-hazard way. 



Mr. Carrington said that in the north of England, where 

 varieties are more frequent than in the south, the collectors 

 never hunted promiscuously, but went to particular localities 

 where there was almost a certainty of getting those beautiful 

 banded varieties that were to be found in the north, and it 

 was extremely probable that these varieties were hereditary. 

 Dark forms were more likely to be obtained when the larvae 

 were fed on blackthorn. There was a melanic variety of the 

 larva taken in the neighbourhood of Shields, and as far as he 

 knew was never taken elsewhere. The usual food plants of 

 the larva were blackthorn, currant, and gooseberry, but 

 it was not to be found so commonly on gooseberry as on 

 currant. The larva had, however, been found feeding on 

 Cotyledon umbilicus. 



Mr. Weir remarked that the fact of this species feeding 

 on the Cotyledon was very interesting, as it was a plant closely 

 allied to the currant and gooseberry. 



