240 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



the extinction of certain British Butterflies. He referred to the extinction 

 of Chrysophanus dispar, Lyccena acis, and Aporia cvatcegi, and to the pro- 

 bable extinction, in the near future, of Papilio machaon, and more especially 

 of Melitcea cinxia and Lycmna avion. He stated that one of the objects he 

 had in view in bringing this matter forward was to see whether some plan 

 could not be devised to protect those narrowly localized species which were 

 apparently in danger of being exterminated by over-collecting. Prof. Mel- 

 dola said he fully sympathized with the remarks of Mr. McLachlan, and he 

 thought that a resolution passed by the Society, possibly in conjunction 

 with kindred Societies, might produce some effect. Mr. Goss stated that 

 P. machaon, although apparently doomed to extinction in its chief locality 

 in Cambridgeshire (Wicken Fen), would probably linger on in the county 

 in smaller fens, such as Chippenham, where the larvae had been found 

 feeding on Angelica syhestvis. It would certainly survive in the Norfolk 

 Broads, both from the irreclaimable nature of the fens there and the 

 extensive range of the species in the district, which Mr. Goss said he had 

 explored in 1887 in boats. He said that M. cinxia, although gradually 

 disappearing from most of its old localities in the south of the Isle of Wight, 

 was still found in the island further west in localities in which he had seen 

 it in some numbers in May, 1895. He added that L. arion was far from 

 extinct in Gloucestershire, and was distributed over a much wider area in 

 the extreme south-west of England than was generally supposed. Its 

 disappearance from South Devon was due to the burniug of the grass, and 

 the consequent destruction of the food-plant. Mr. Elwes stated that in 

 the district in which he lived, in Gloucestershire, he had found L. avion in 

 three or four places, on his own property, some ten or twelve miles distant 

 from its known localities, but the species had disappeared of late years. 

 The fact that L. avion had disappeared from his own property, where it was 

 not collected, seemed to point to the fact that it was dying out from natural 

 causes — perhaps owing to changes in climate not perceptible to us. Colonel 

 Irby said that L. avion had disappeared many years ago not only from Barn- 

 well Wold, Northamptonshire, but from another part of the county on the 

 estate of Lord Lilford, not accessible to the public, and that its disappearance 

 there was no doubt caused by the destruction of the food-plant and other 

 herbage, by burning the pasture and by the grazing of sheep. Mr. Crowley, 

 Mr. Tutt, Mr. Waterhouse, and Mr. Blandford continued the discussion. 

 It was moved by Mr. Tutt, and seconded by Mr. Elwes, that a committee 

 be appointed by the Council to investigate the matter and to report thereon. 

 This was carried nem. con. 



Mr. Guy A. K. Marshall communicated a paper entitled "Notes on 

 Seasonal Dimorphism in South African Rhopalocera." 



Mr. P. Cameron communicated a paper entitled " Descriptions of new 

 species of Hymenoptera from the Oriental Region." — H. Goss, Hon. Sec. 



