36 



THE YOUNG NATURALIST. 



[Fbbruart, 



CITY OF LONDON ENTOMOLOGICAL AND NATURAL 

 HISTORY SOCIETY. 



December 20th, 1888.— Mr. Huckett, Vice-President, in the chair. Exhibitions : 

 Mr. Hanes, a series of A. aprilina. Mr. Clark, a series of A. cinerea, four bred and 

 two captured; the bred specimens differing from those taken at large in having 

 clear grey wings and the crossing lines being very dark and distinct ; the captured 

 specimens were dull ochreous brown, with the lines faint and undecided, these speci- 

 mens were also the larger of the two forms. Referring to this exhibit Mr. Clark 

 remarked that these insects were from the locality of Lewes, and that all the cap- 

 tured specimens he had seen were totally unlike those exhibited ; other members 

 also remarked upon this apparently unusual form of the species. 



January yd, 1889.— Mr. Huckett, Vice-President, in the chair. Exhibitions : 

 Mr. Huckett, a series of P. unguicula, bred in December, without forcing. Mr. 

 Clark, lepidoptera from Forres, consisting of a series of C. suffumata, with variety 

 piceata, and specimens of M. rubiginata, one of the latter being very large and of dull 

 colour. Mr. Hanes, a series of X. rhizolitha. Mr. Lewcock, specimens of Dascillas 

 cervinus and Melandrya caraboidcs ; also two specimens of Centrotus cornutus, a species 

 Homoptera taken by him at Esher, in June last. In this curious-looking insect the 

 pronotum is developed in the most extraordinary manner into two horn-like pro- 

 jections or ears — hence its name, the Eared Hopper ; it was this remarkable de- 

 velopment which attracted Mr. Lewcock's attention to it at the time of capture. 

 Mr. Hanes mentioned having found a very large and nearly ripe wild strawberry on 

 Dec. 23rd ; and several members contributed remarks concerning the abnormal 

 mildness of the early part of December last. The President read a letter announ- 

 cing the death of Mr. Eedle, a well-known naturalist, who was one of the founders 

 of the Society. — Edmund Hanes and G. A. Lewcock, Joint Hon. Sees. 



SOUTH LONDON ENTOMOLOGICAL AND NATURAL 

 HISTORY SOCIETY. 



December 2jtk, 1888. — T. R. Billups, Esq., F.E.S., President in the chair. 

 Messrs. F. E. Fenton, M.R.C.P., F. P. Perks, J. Scudder, and W. Reid were 

 elected members. Mr. F. E. Strong exhibited full-fed larvae of Bombyx quercus, 

 from Abergele, N. Wales, and made some remarks thereon. Mr. R. Adkin, a long 

 series of Pygcera anachoreta, and remarked that in a recent number of the " Young 

 Naturalist," Mr. Gregson.in an article on this species suggested that the continental 

 specimens were readily distinguishable from British by their ashy grey shade, the 

 series now exhibited were all bred from one stock and the colour varied from a 

 brown tinge to the most ashy grey tints, and he therefore thought that too much 

 reliance should not be placed on the shade of colour. Mr. Billups read a 

 paper " A partial list of Parasitic Ichneumonidae with the hosts from which bred 

 and reared during the last three years by a few members of the Society." The list 

 consisted of some 100 species, numbering some thousands of specimens, many of 

 the species being new. Mr. Billups said that if this number could be got together by 

 nine or ten lepidopterists, which was only a tithe of what must have been bred by 



