THE BRITISH NATURALIST. 



49 



gist. It was during his residence at Homerton that Mr. Clark 

 developed a taste for Natural History, Entomology and Ornithology 

 being his favourite studies. At that period V . atalanta and V. urticce 

 fairly swarmed in the district, and were frequent visitors to the 

 flowers in the gardens. On one occasion Mr. Clark secured a 

 specimen of V. polychloros, and this capture served as an incentive to 

 the young entomologist, who from this time became an ardent student 

 of Lepidoptera. 



On the formation of the now flourishing City of London Entomo- 

 logical and Natural History Society, in 1858, Mr. Clark enrolled 

 himself as a member, and ever since has manifested great interest in 

 the Society. On the decease of Mr. Harper, he was elected Treasurer 

 of the Society ; and later, in 1889, a ^ the earnest request of the 

 members, accepted the office of President, a position he retains at the 

 present day, having been unanimously re-elected each succeeding 

 year. It will thus be seen that Mr. Clark is held in the highest 

 estimation by the members of the City Society, and deservedly so ; 

 and he is seldom absent from their meetings. 



Mr. Clark was also one of the founders of the Hackney Micro- 

 scopical Society, and has recently been the recipient of a testimonial 

 from the members in recognition of his services to that Society. The 

 testimonial — a valuable binocular microscope— bears the following 

 inscription on a brass plate " Presented to J. A. Clark, Esq., M.P.S., 

 L.D.S., Eng., F.E.S., by the rpembers of the Hackney Microscopical 

 and Natural History Society, a\a mark of esteem and their apprecia- 

 tion of his services as Treasurer, January 4th, 1893." He is 

 likewise a member of the Entomological Society of London, the South 

 London, and various other Societies 



In breeding and rearing Lepidoptera Mr. Clark has been highly 

 successful. He was one of the first to breed T. subsequa, the life 

 history of which was published in " Newman's Entomologist." Also 

 the pretty Hypercallia citrinalis, Scop, (formerly called Hypercallia 

 christiemella, Hb.), the larva having been found by him at Sevenoaks, 

 Kent. 



In August, 1889, Mr. Clark read a paper at the City of London 

 Society on the life history cf Phoresdesma smaragdavia, fully describing 

 the habits of the larva, manner of pupation, and peculiarities of the 

 imago ; and at the same time exhibiting sections of the food-plant 

 (Artemesia maritima ), showing larvae of all sizes, cocoons with pupae 

 enclosed, and a fine series of the perfect insect. In connection with 

 this species it may be interesting to note that imagines have been 

 successfully reared by members of the City Society from larvae fed on 

 the garden plant Southern Wood or Old Man's Beard. 



Among other contributions to entomological literature we notice a 



