124 



THE BRITISH NATURALIST. 



[May 



The President gave an interesting account of a curious nabit of some ducks in killing 

 toads during the breeding season, by dexterously slitting their abdomens. 



Thursday, April 26th, E. Step, Esq , President, in the chair. 



The Rev. M. Corden Jones and Mr. Francis Fell were elected members. 



Mr. Dennis exhibited a bred variety of Pararge egeria, L., having all the light 

 markings much extended. 



Mr. Routledge, a series of Miselia oxyacanthce, L., taken by Mr. Beaumont. 



Mr. Auld, a series of Tseniocampa murida, Esp., with several examples of var. 

 immqculata, Stgr., taken at West Wickham; also a series of T.populeti, Fb,, taken at 

 Westerham, 



Mr. Enoch then gave his paper entitled, " Notes on Common Insects," and illustrated 

 it by about fifty slides, shown with the oxy-hydrogen lantern. The paper dealt 

 largely with common pests and their parasites, such as the Sycamore Aphis with 

 its numerous enemies, the Currant Mite, the Sawfly of the willow with the insects 

 which attack its larva, the flies whose larvae mine the Marguerite plant, the parasites 

 of the Hessian Fly, and last but not the least beautiful, examples of the minute Fairy Flies, 

 of which he stated he possessed at least one hundred and fifty species. He laid consider- 

 able stress upon the economic side of the subject, and strongly advocated following the ex- 

 ample set by the United States Government in having an Entomological Section attached 

 to the Agricultural Department. Most of the information given was the result of original 

 observations, and unobtainable in any book. The admirable manner in which the 

 interesting and peculiar life histories of these minute creatures were portrayed upon the 

 screen, and described, excited the greatest admiration among the large number of 

 members and friends present. 



After a few remarks from the Chairman on the kindness shown by Mr. Enoch in coming 

 to both entertain and instruct us, Mr. Barrett proposed, and Mr. Auld seconded, a 

 hearty vote of thanks to Mr. Enoch, which was unanimously passed. In reply, Mr. Enoch 

 said that at present he saw no chance of either the farmers or the Government taking up 

 the matter of Economic Entomology, and he considered both were culpably ignorant. — 

 Hy. J. Turner (Hon. Report Secretary). 



LINNEAN SOCIETY. 

 At the meeting of the Linnean Society held at the Society's Rooms on May 3rd, 

 Professor Poulton, M.A., of Oxford, showed a series of interesting lantern slides, illustra- 

 tive of some experiments he had been conducting to show the change of colouring which 

 certain lepidopterous larvae are capable of assuming for protective purposes Several 

 questions were asked, and Mr. A. E. Gibbs, F.E.S., detailed the results of feeding the 

 larvse of Amphidasys betularia on birch, which has brown shining stems, and on acacia, the 

 petals of which are of a green colour, the larvse in one case becoming brown and in the 

 other case green. Mr. James Saunders, of Luton, showed by means of the lantern, a 

 photograph of the plasmodium of a mycetozoa, and in an interesting speech explained 

 the exhibit. A vote of thanks was accorded to the exhibitors.. 



NOTES ON SOME EARLY FRUIT PESTS. 



F. V. THEOBALD, M.A., F.E.S. 



With the extremely forward spring has come a very early appearance 

 of many insects, notably the plant lice (Aphidse). On March 22nd, I 

 found a large number of the Plum Aphis (A. pmni) upon the opening 



