THE YOUNG NATUEALIST. 



141 



mens, or from the series of preserved specimens he brought with him, which 

 comprised some two dozen cases, so beautifully prepared, and giving such 

 practical illustration of everything, that, as was observed at the conclusion, 

 " the paper was so exhaustive as to be plain enough without the illustrations," 

 and the preserved larvse, &c. " almost told their own life-history without the 

 aid of a paper." At the conclusion a very interesting discussion ensued, dur- 

 ing which some amusing anecdotes, respecting the larvae, were told, one 

 member mentioned one having been placed on the kitchen table under a glass, 

 and needless to say, next morning the larva had disappeared, and the table 

 was somewhat damaged. Another instance of a full-fed larva being found 

 in the interior of a loaf of bread was also mentioned ; and the parasite infest- 

 ing the species also occupied the members. A very hearty vote of thanks to 

 Mr. Clark terminated the proceedings. Among the exhibits may be men- 

 tioned, a fine series of C. Helens and living larvse of L. sybilla, by Mr. Hanes. 

 A series each of P. hamula, N. pulveraria, A. mendica, and N. hispidaria, all 

 bred from ova, by Mr. Huckett. Irish forms of A. mendica, by Mr. Anderson , 

 and A. cardamines and P. statices, by Mr. Gates. Mr. Eussell brought up 

 a large number of larvse of B. neustria and distributed them among the mem- 

 bers—and some discussion as to the enormous number of larvse round Lon- 

 don took place. Mr. Lewcock gave the members the result of a trip to 

 Brockenhurst, where he found coleoptera fairly numerous, including Orchesia 

 undulata, Athonus vitiatus, etc. 



At the following meeting, Mr. Sheldon exhibited bred Y. impluviata, S. 

 culiciformis with red and yellow belts, A. alni, &c. Mr. Hanes had in his 

 box a series of L. argiolus and four iV. chaonia, two from Epping and two 

 from Brokenhurst, there was a very perceptible difference between the two 

 pairs. Mr. Huckett showed larvse of E. autumniaria, and Mr. Clark brought 

 a selection of insects bred that day including S. tila, K pygmceata, arbu- 

 tana, &c, while Mr. Jarvis brought a large selection of coleoptera chiefly 

 from the Lea Valley.-— J. Eussell and E. Anderson, Joint Hon. Sees. 



SOUTH LONDON ENTOMOLOGICAL AND NATUEAL HISTORY 



SOCIETY. 



May Mtk, 1888.— T. E. Billups, Esq., F.E.S., President in the chair. 

 Messrs. A. H, Japp, L. Stevens, and J. C. Matthews, were elected members. 

 Mr. Jager exhibited a larva of Nemeophila plantaginis, which he had found 

 dying, partially covered with mould ; on examination he had noticed a small 

 larva (also exhibited) emerging from the caterpillar. Mr. West stated that 

 the larva which Mr. Jager had found emerging from the plantaginis larva was 

 that of the hair worm, the ovum of which had probably been swallowed by 



