Society of British Entomologists. 4071 



September 6, 1853. — Mr. Harding, President, in the chair. 



Mr. Dalman exhibited a splendid pair of Plusia Orichalcea, taken by Mr. Hard- 

 ing- near Kingsdown, in Kent. 



The President exhibited a box of insects from the Kentish coast, among which 

 were Lithosia quadra, L. pygmaeola, Setina irrorella, Lupirona albicolon, Agrotis 

 Aquilina, A. valligera, Eremobia ochroleuca, Heliothis marginata, H. Dipsacea, Do- 

 sithea itnmutata, Acidalia perochraria, Timandria emutaria, Odontia dentalis, Phi- 

 balapteryx gemmaria, Cledeobia angustalis, Scopula ferrugalis, Anerastia Farrella, 

 Nemotois Cypriacellus, &c. 



The President read the following letter from Mr. Oxley, who emigrated to Austra- 

 lia in May, 1852 : — 



" Forest Creek Diggings, 



" Victoria, March 5, 1853. 



" This colony is not a first-rate place for an entomologist. The Coleoptera are 

 curious, and some few certainly handsome ; I have succeeded in getting a few score 

 of them, my collecting in this department being more extensive than in Lepidoptera. 

 The colours of the Lepidoptera of this place have a strong resemblance to those of the 

 English moths and butterflies, very few of them having the rich metallic tints of the 

 tropical species. The markings of many of the insects are very pretty, but the colours 

 generally obscure and dusky. From October up to last month we had Cynthia Cardui, 

 or one very like it, in abundance ; indeed it appears to be the commonest butterfly 

 here, and lasts, as most of the insects do in this country, for a long time. If I were 

 to pass my opinion on such of the Lepidoptera as have come under my notice, I should 

 say that with one exception I have seen nothing here to equal our Vanessa Atalanta, 

 V. Io, or Limenitis Camilla. 



" I live in the hope that the autumn now approaching may turn out something bet- 

 ter than the past season, as on the 3rd instant I bred two insects, coming I think near 

 the hair-streaks, only larger, having the borders of the wings indigo-colour, or nearly 

 black, and their centres a metallic azure-blue, with red and black caudal appendages : 

 the under side yellowish, beautifully lined and spotted with black. This is one of the 

 most beautiful things I have seen ; I hope to breed a dozen or two more of them. 



" You justly observed that I should find collecting difficult work, for many times 

 of an evening I see insects and have no heart to take them, being so tired with the 

 day's exertions ; and as gold-digging was the primary object of my coming here, I can 

 with difficulty spare time to do much in the day-time. I shall not be able to collect 

 enough to make it worth while to send home, but hope to have some kind of a collec- 

 tion — an olla podrida, or a little of everything — to bring home on my return. 



" No country has been so much over-written as this ; thousands who are here curse 

 it from the bottom of their hearts. I am writing this under the shade of a red gum- 

 tree ; the sun is scorching all around, and perhaps at night it will be chilly cold : the 

 changes are more extreme than at home. There is much dysentery, ophthalmia, and 

 rheumatism amongst the people here. At the end of November or beginning of De- 

 cember there was a tremendous flight of grasshoppers for two days — millions and mil- 

 lions of them ; and they still are with us in countless numbers. This is a great country 

 too for ants, they are to be found of every size, and in nearly every place. Nor must 

 all mention of fleas and flies be omitted, for the former will scarcely allow you to get 

 a wink of sleep at night, and the latter are a perfect pest, getting into one's mouth, 

 eyes, and nostrils, so as to render the wearing of veils indispensable. 



