68 



THE YOUNG NATURALIST. 



(Apeil 



Dr. Sharp read a paper entitled " On the Water Beetles from Ceylon." 



Mr. J.J. Walker communicated a paper entitled " Notes on Lepidoptera from the 

 Region of the Straits of Gibraltar." Mr. F. Merrifield, Mr. B. G. Nevinson, Capt. 

 Elwes, and Mr. G. Lewis took part in the discussion which ensued. 



It was announced that papers had been received from Mr. E. Meyrick, Prof. 

 Westwood, and Mynheer P. C. T. Snellen, but in consequence of the lateness of the 

 hour the reading of them was postponed to the next meeting. — H. Goss, Hon. Sec. 



CITY OF LONDON ENTOMOLOGICAL AND NATURAL 

 HISTORY SOCIETY. 



February 2.0th, 1890. — J. A. Clark, F.E.S., President, in the chair. Mr. C. B. Smith 

 was elected a member of the Society. Mr. J. A. Cooper exhibited a whitish, but 

 prettily mottled variety of the common Starling, also an albino of same species, and 

 a stoat in winter fur. Mr. Whittle, three specimens of S. fagi, fromEpping; Mr. J. 

 W. Tutt, the genus Xanthia, including a long series of intermediate forms of X. fulvago 

 fcerago), from perfectly clear to very dark specimens ; a selection of Agrotis tritici, from 

 Deal, Aberdeen, and Valais, exhibiting variation in ground colour from pale whitish 

 grey to deep brown and black, and the two marked forms — (a) with pale costa and 

 median nervure (b) without pale costa. In the course of his observations Mr. Tutt 

 said that the latter reticulated form had often been mistaken for A , cursoria ; and that 

 Newman, in his "British Moths," undoubtedly treats it as such, although at the same 

 time he figures the true cursoria. 



Coleoptera : — Mr. Miltcn exhibited Blaps similis, Necrophorus intcrruptus ; Mr. 

 Heasler, Geodephaga ; Mr. Cripps, Apionidse ; Mr. Raine, preserved larvae of Tenebrio 

 and Ocypus. 



Mr. Battley gave an interesting account of the construction of spiders' webs. He 

 differed from those who affirmed that the framework was first built, and demonstrated 

 this by means of a number of models and diagrams taken from webs in actual progress, 

 as witnessed by him last year. It appeared from his observations that the radii were 

 first constructed. The discussion which followed was taken part in by Messrs. Clark, 

 J. A. Cooper, Lewcock, Milton, &c. 



March 6th. — The President in the chair. Mr. Whittle exhibited a series of P. 

 plagiodactylus , and a specimen of F. piniaria which had been captured in London streets 

 also D. 00 and A . nemoraUs ; Mr. Battley, some dark varieties of H. progemmaria ; Mr. 

 Quail, life-histories of C. Ugniperda and L. asculi; Mr. Simes, a pair of E. autumnaria, 

 captured at Southsea in September last ; Mr. J. A. Clark, Blatta americana with egg- 

 bag attached to female; Mr. Milton, specimens of 5 . apiformis and D . orion ; also 

 Necrophorus interruptus. Mr. Heasler, Bembidium 4-guttatum, Chlenins vcstitus, Stcnus 

 bipunctatus, &c. Mr. G. A. Lewcock, a necklace composed of pupa-cases of a Coccus 

 found in Ants' nests at Cape Colony, received from Mr. P. Jarvis. Dr. J. S. Sequeira, 

 a pair of migratory locusts (Pachytylus migratorius) from the Mediterranean Sea. — 

 G. A. Lewcock, & E. H. Hanes, Hon. Secretaries. 



