116 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



Herr Jacoby read a paper entitled " Contributions to our knowledge of 

 African Phytophagous Coleoptera." Dr. D. Sharp remarked that Erichsen 

 began the ' Insekten Deutschlands ' some sixteen years ago, and as he was 

 engaged on a classification of the Coleoptera of the world, he included a 

 considerable number of these exotic species in his work. 



Mr. G. F. Hampson read a paper entitled " Descriptions of new 

 Heterocera from India." — W. W. Fowler, Hon. Secretary. 



Feb. 2 Oth.— Professor Raphael Meldola, F.R.S., President, in the 

 chair. 



Mr. W. M. Christy exhibited specimens of Lycmia agestis, caught in 

 Sussex last summer, which had a white edging round the black discoidal 

 spot. He said the specimens might perhaps be identical with the northern 

 form of the species known as the variety salmaeis. 



Mr. H. Goss exhibited a small collection of Lepidoptera from the South 

 of France made by Mr. Frank Bromilow. 



Professor Meldola invited discussion upon the address delivered by 

 Mr. Elwes, as retiring President, on the Geographical Distribution of 

 Butterflies, at the last Aunual Meeting. He thought that the discussion 

 might lead to a useful expression of opinion if the speakers would deal 

 with the question as to how far the scheme of distribution advocated by 

 Mr. Elwes was borne out by a comparison with other orders of insects. 

 He was of opinion that in considering schemes of geographical distribution 

 the results arrived at were likely to be of greater value the wider the basis 

 on which they rested ; and he therefore suggested a consideration of the 

 question how far it was justifiable to draw conclusions from one division or 

 one order only. 



Dr. Sharp remarked that geographical distribution consisted of two 

 divisions — firstly, the facts ; secondly, the generalisations and deductions 

 to be drawn from them. He thought that, as regards insects generally, 

 our knowledge of the facts was not yet sufficient to warrant many gene- 

 ralisations. Still the impressions of those who have paid attention to 

 particular groups of insects are even now of some importance, though at 

 present based on incomplete knowledge. He thought the Rhopulooera would 

 prove to be a somewhat exceptional group in their distribution. Notwith- 

 standing that Australia and New Zealand are so poor in them, this was by 

 no means the case with their Coleoptera, Australia being very rich, and its 

 fauna of Coleoptera being very distinct. He thought that if Lepidoptera 

 generally were well collected in Australia and New Zealand, it would be 

 found that this order was not so poor in species as was supposed. He 

 instanced the case of the Sandwich Islands, where it was supposed that 

 there were very few species of Lepidoptera, and yet some five hundred 

 species, or perhaps more, had been recently found there by Mr. li. C. L. 



