SOCIETIES. 141 



parison, and the only known Welsh and English examples; * D. cmia, 

 with continental forms for comparison ; D. albimacula, from Dover, 

 Folkestone and Portsmouth ; two drawers from the cabinet of Mr. 

 Sydney Webb, containing the same species, and including the two D. 

 cowpta from the late Mr. Bond's collection. Mr. Adkin also exhibited 

 series of Dianthcecia. In the discussion which ensued, Mr. Barrett 

 considered D. carpophaga and D. capsophaga as one and the same 

 species ; he was convinced that D, barrettii was but an extreme local 

 form of the continental D. liiteago, and felt almost inclined to say that 

 there never was a British specimen of D. compta. Messrs. Adkin and 

 Tutt preferred to consider the first-named as closely allied species 

 possessing extreme parallelism in their range of variation. Mr. Hall 

 said that he always found D, carpophaga larvae on Lychnis vespertina 

 and scarcely any on Silene. Various members testified as to the 

 doubtful origin of British D. compta. Mr. McArthur gave instances 

 of how D. conspersa always resembled the colour of rocks or walls on 

 which it sat in various districts. Mr. Tutt said that D. cucuhali was 

 the only member of the genus which came to sugar, and that it was 

 also double-brooded. — Hy. J. Turnee, Hon. Report Sec. 



Birmingham Entomological Society. — December 16iA, 1895. — Mr. 

 Geo. H. Kenrick, F.E.S., in the chair. Mr. J. T. Fountain, 58, Darwin 

 Street, was elected a member of the Society. Exhibits : — By Mr. R. 

 C. Bradley, fine specimens of j^schna juncea and yE. grandis from 

 Sutton Park. By Mr. Kenrick, a few Lepidoptera taken during a 

 short trip on the Norfolk Broads. He had gone in a wherry, and 

 collected chiefly by means of light from the boat ; amongst the things 

 taken by this means were Leucania albipuncta, Nonagria despecta, and 

 CaJamia phragmitidis ; he also tried sugar with poor results, the best 

 take being Apamea fibrosa. He also showed a pair of small dark Plusia 

 festuccB he bred from larvae found there. 



January 20th, 1896.--Mr. P. W. Abbott, V.-P., in the chair. 

 Exhibits : — By Mr. Abbott, Notodonta dodoricea from Wyre Forest ; a 

 fine dark female Nonagria typhce, one of two bred from a large number 

 of pupae taken in Norfolk by himself and Mr. Hodges last year ; also 

 pale male Odonestis potatoria, also from Norfolk, only a little darker 

 than normal females. By Mr. R. C. Bradley, Erigone vagans, a hand- 

 some Tachinid, which he took in Sutton Park in June, 1885, flying 

 round the pines in company with great numbers of other insects ; 

 there were many Tipulidae, bees, &c., and the flowers seem to have 

 been quite deserted for the pines. He believed the attraction to have 

 been the resinous exudation, as he could find no trace of honey-dew 

 or other likely attraction. By Mr. Wainwright, Micros, including 

 Stenia punctalis from Boscastle, Cornwall. By Mr. Martineau, six 

 cases of Hymenoptera from his collection, containing many fine and 

 interesting things. 



February drd. — Seventh Annual Meeting. — Mr. G. T. Bethune-Baker, 

 President, in the chair. Mr. C. A. E. Rogers, of 31, Hall Road, 

 Handsworth, and the Wells House, Malvern Wells, was elected a 



'^ Some doubt was expressed, after the meeting, as to whether the Welsh 

 and English specimens in the series of D. barrettii were really referable to 

 that apecies. — Ed. 



