80 



THE YOUNG NATURALIST. 



present list very considerably. That such an undertaking would be amply 

 rewarded, might be gathered from the fact that he had, single handed, taken 

 in the Armagh district, in the four years since he began to work at the cole- 

 optera, upwards of 76 species of Geodephaga, many of which had not been 

 previously recorded as Irish. A list of the species captured with observations 

 thereon followed, and in conclusion, the author said he could not regard the 

 list with anything like satisfaction. It was only a beginning, and would 

 serve to shew where the gaps were, and what remained to be done. He, 

 however, felt sure that if the south, and west, the sea-coasts, and the moun- 

 tains were searched by earnest workers, not only would most of the gaps in 

 the present list be filled, but probably many new species would be added to 

 the coleoptera of the British Isles. 



An exhibition of microscopical objects^ was then given. Messrs. Dodswell, 

 Terry, Macer, Coombs, Shaw, Turner, Adkin, West, Tutt, and Medland 

 exhibited. 



March Sth. — President in the chair. Messrs. H. Robson and H. A. Auld, 

 were elected members. Mr. R. Adkin, exhibited a variety of Eubolia bipun- 

 ctaria. The whole of the ground colour of the fore-wings being black, 

 the whitish-grey basal patch and central fascia, on which latter the usual 

 central spots were very prominent ; being the only markings visible, and hav- 

 ing correspondingly dark hind-wings. The specimen was taken by Mr. 0. 

 Danneberg, at Box Hill, July, 1886. Mr. C. H. Watson, a var. of Phibala- 

 pteryx tersata, from the New Forest, 1887. A note was read by the 

 Secretary from Mr. T. D. A. Cockerall, on the origin of Gonepteryx cleopalra, 

 which in his opinion arose as a seasonal variation. Colias eurytheme, of 

 Boisduval, generally distributed throughout the Slates, had on the fore-wings 

 an orange patch on a yellow ground, precisely similar to that of G. cleopalra, 

 there was, however, a seasonal form Keewaydin, Edwards, which emerged from 

 hybernated pupae, and had the orange patch much reduced, in some speci- 

 mens being almost or entirely suppressed. The seasons in America being 

 very marked, the summer and winter types must necessarily alternate ; but 

 supposing the North States to become uniformly cold, the South States uni- 

 formly warm, what would happen ? Was it not obvious that the winter form 

 of G. eurytheme, would be perpetuated in the north, while the summer form 

 would be prevalent in the south, thus producing species (for so they would 

 then be called), exactly analogous to G. cleopatra and G. rhanmi. Many 

 things pointed to the fact that the seasons were once extremely marked in 

 Europe, and he had no hesitation in saying, that in those old days G. rhamm 1 

 and G. cleopatra were but seasonal forms of one and the same species. A 

 further note from Mr. Cockerell, was also read with regard to Agrotis suffusa. 



