SCIENTIFIC SOCIETIES. 235 



The British Ornithologists' Union. 



The Annual General Meeting of the British Ornithologists' Union was 

 held at the Zoological Society's Rooms, in Hanover Square, on Wednesday, 

 the 9th inst. In the absence of the President (Lord Lilford), the chair 

 was taken by Mr. P. L. Sclater, F.R.S. The report of the Committee gave 

 a flourishing account of the finances, a good balance having been carried 

 over, after payment of the expenditure on 'The Ibis' for 1893. One 

 vacancy in the Union had been occasioned by death, and four by resignation 

 since the last Anniversary, and the Union was stated to consist at present 

 of 240 Ordinary Members, besides Honorary and Foreign Members. 



Seventeen new candidates for election having been balloted for, Lord 

 Lilford was re-elected President and Mr. F. D. Godman, Secretary for the 

 ensuing year, and Lt.-Col. L. H. Irby and Mr. W. T. Blanford were placed 

 on the Committee in lieu of two retiring members. It was agreed that a 

 new (seventh) series of ' The Ibis ' should be commenced in 1895, with the 

 37th volume, and that Mr. P. L. Sclater and Mr. Howard Saunders should 

 be appointed as joint Editors of it. It was further resolved, on the motion 

 of Mr. Harting, that the Committee should take the necessary steps towards 

 the preparation of another volume of the ' General Index ' from the com- 

 mencement of the Fourth Series to the end of the Sixth Series, and 

 consider at the same time the feasibility of improving it by including the 

 names of authors of papers, and such places as are mentioned in the titles 

 of papers. 



Entomological Society of London. 



May %nd, 1894. — H. J. Elwes, Esq., F.L.S., President, in the chair. 



Mr. S. Stevens exhibited a specimen of Argynnis aglaia var. charlotta, 

 taken by the late Rev. James Watson in the New Forest in 1870. 



Mr. J. A. Clark exhibited a curious variety of Chelonia caja, having an 

 extraordinary wedge-shaped marking extending from the outer margin to 

 the base of the left hind wing, and also, on the same wing, a small spot. 

 It was brown and white in colour, and had the appearance of having been 

 taken from the fore wing and inserted in the hind wing. The specimen 

 was said to have been taken at Abbotts Wood, in July, 1892. 



Prof. E. B. Poulton exhibited living specimens of the larvae of Gastro- 

 pacha quercifolia, surrounded respectively during the early stages of growth 

 by black twigs and lichen-coloured twigs, the food being the same in both 

 cases. All the larvae were shown upon a white paper back-ground, but 

 examples of the surrounding twigs which produced the change of colour 

 were shown beside each batch. Mr. Merrifield made some remarks on the 

 subject. 



