( x ) 



niger at Portland in April 1900. The species, which is myr- 

 mecophilous, was first discovered in Guernsey. 



Mr. C. P. Pickett exhibited aberrations and varieties of 

 Lycsena bellargus, L. corydon, and L. astrarche taken by him 

 in August 1900 at Folkestone and Dover. 



Mr. H. Goss exhibited a gynandromorphous specimen of 

 Lycsena bellargus which he had taken at Reigate in June 1900. 

 It had the characters of a male in the right wings, and the 

 characters of a female in the left wings, which were, however, 

 not entirely free from the blue scales of the male. No dissec- 

 tion had been made of the genitalia, so it was impossible to 

 say whether the specimen was strictly hermaphrodite. 



Dr. Chapman exhibited a cocoon of Anther&a mylitta and 

 a flint from Redhill — two objects with practically nothing in 

 common. Whilst dissenting in toto from those who see no- 

 thing in many cases of mimicry but accidental resemblance, he 

 presented them with this as a case undoubtedly in accordance 

 with their views, the cocoon and the flint being remarkably 

 alike. 



Professor Poulton exhibited an apparatus invented by him 

 to determine the strength of the formic acid discharged by the 

 ant in defence of its nest. Mr. Donisthorpe, he said, had 

 noticed that a shower of formic acid had sometimes a great 

 effect, and he thought it would be interesting to determine the 

 quantity of anhydrous acid. In the case of Bicranura vinula 

 the fluid, which contains forty-five per cent, of acid, was 

 painful in the eye, but did not damage the skin or body. He 

 considered that the acid was only virulent during the time 

 that the larvae and the pupse were in the nest, and that it was 

 used purely for defensive purposes. A discussion followed, in 

 which Professor Hudson Beare said he had found his skin 

 affected by Formica rufa, and Mr. Donisthorpe that the skin 

 had been removed from his hand and his gloves burnt in 

 patches after being placed in the nest of the same species. 



Mr. F. Enock exhibited numerous specimens of Dragon-Fly 

 Nymphs. 



The President announced that the Council found them- 

 selves unable to appoint a committee to advise the editors 

 of the Victorian Histories upon a uniform system of entomo- 

 logical nomenclature, as directed by a General Meeting of 



