118 



THE YOUNG NATUEALIST. 



having opportunity for full investigation ourselves, we had to accept the balance of 

 evidence, and finding that Hubner, Duponchel, Herrick-S chaffer, and Guenee, used 

 the name of Despecta, as well as Stainton and Doubleday, whilst only Lederer used 

 Rufa, there could be no question as to how it should stand in our list. I am afraid I 

 must plead guilty to the fault I found with others, of accepting a reference without 

 examination for the " ?•" after Haworth. But from our standpoint, I do not see what 

 else could have been done than was done. The name given by Haworth was rejected 

 by the almost unanimous agreement of investigators, and had we been of opinion 

 Haworth's name ought to have been adopted, yet for the purposes of our list, Despecta 

 as that in general use must still have had precedence. Let me ask Mr. Tutt what 

 entomological gain there can be in changing a name, that will make difficult, refer- 

 ences ,to all these writers, and make nothing clear except that Haworth possibly 

 meant this species ? — John E. Robson.] 



REPORTS OF SOCIETIES. 



CITY OF LONDON ENTOMOLOGICAL AND NATURAL 

 HISTORY SOCIETY. 



The meeting of May 3rd was well attended. Mr. Clark exhibited a bred 

 series of 0. filigrammaria, and Mr. Hanes a series each of C. flavicornis and 

 B. parthenias. Mr. Hillman brought a specimen of the greyheaded wagtail, 

 and various stones taken from the gizzards of the various British birds. Mr. 

 Gates exhibited a nice selection of micro-lepidoptera. A skull of an extinct 

 species of kangaroo, and other objects, were presented by Mr. Hillman to 

 the Society's collection. Several members mentioned that there appeared to 

 be an abundance of the common Ttzniocampa round London, and coleop- 

 tera were also fairly numerous. Mr. Hillman read a paper on " Meteors and 

 Meteorites/' which was of an interesting nature. 



On May 17th, a paper on " Burying Beetles," was read by Mr. Lewcock, 

 and was very instructive. Mr. Lewcock gave a complete life-history of the 

 different species, together with the modus operandi of their proceedings, and 

 also hints as to the best way of collecting them. In connection with the 

 paper, he exhibited six species of the genus Necrophorus, ten species of the 

 genus Silpha, and several species of the genus C/ioleva. At the conclusion of 

 the paper an interesting discussion took place, in the course of which the 

 habit of some species to feed on fungi, in the absence of carrion, was dwelt 

 upon. Among the other exhibits were various species of wagtails, shewn by 

 Mr. Gates; series of L. muUistrigaria and A. hadiata, by Mr. Hanes; P. 

 orichalcea, E. venustula, A, cordigera, A. melanopa, B. argentula, and other 

 rare species by Mr. Harper ; a series of L, argiolus, by Mr. J. Clark ; and 

 a selection of large coleoptera, &c, from South America, by Mr. Huckett. 

 The President presented to the Society a framed letter from the late Mr. H. 

 Doubleday, shewing the autograph ; and Mr. Dawes, of "Nottingham, pre* 



