128 THE YOUNG NATURALIST. 



universally understood that I am surprised at Mr. Pierce's singular 

 mistake. 



With regard to the lengthy remarks he makes on my statement, 

 that the whole of our Zygaenidae are well known -in all their stages, I 

 would merely point out that it was made in answer to his strange 

 assertion that very little was known of their earlier stages. Will he 

 now give us the names of those species which he considers are not 

 known ? 



Then again, with regard to the British Zygaenidae as a class. 

 Most entomologists will agree with me that there is no difficulty in 

 recognising the typical specimens of each species, but that the difficul- 

 ties only arise when we have to determine to which species aberrant 

 forms belong. How Mr. Pierce proposes in these cases to determine 

 the species while ignoring the individuals does not as yet appear clear, 

 but it is to be hoped that he will extend his observations to some of 

 these singular forms of our Zygaenidae, which are frequently though 

 probably erroneously called hybrids. 



I regret to see that Mr. Pierce seems to think that I was depreciat- 

 ing the value of his observations ; on the contrary, although thinking 

 that the Zygaenidae are a group that present peculiar difficulties from 

 their apparently unsettled characteristics, I trust that he will pursue 

 such useful investigations on a matter comparatively little known. 

 55, Lincoln Inn Fields, igth May, 1889. 



Reports of Societies. 



ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF LONDON. 



May 1st, 1889.— Mr. F. Du Cane Godman, M.A., F.R.S., Vice-President, in the 

 chair. Mr. Walter F. H. Blandford, B.A., of Trinity College, Cambridge, and 48, 

 Wimpole Street, W., and Mr. John W. Downing, of 59, Lupus Street, St. George's 

 Square, S.W., were elected Fellows; and Dr. Neville Manders and Mr. Arthur Cant 

 were admitted into the Society. 



Mr. W. L. Distant announced the death of Dr. Signoret, of Paris, one of the 

 Honorary Fellows of the Society. 



Dr. Sharp exhibited male and female specimens of an abnormal form of Rhombo- 

 rhina japonica, found in Japan, by Mr. G. Lewis. They exhibited a contraction of 

 the thorax, which was much narrower than usual at the base, so that the meso- 

 thoracic epimera were entirely exposed. Dr. Sharp also exhibited a small collection 

 of Coleoptera, made by Dr. N. Manders, in the Shan states, Upper Burmah ; this 

 collection contained several new interesting forms, the most remarkable being a 

 small Heteromerous insect bearing a considerable resemblance to Rhysodes. Amongst 



