i go 



THE YOUNG NATURALIST. [October 



Iceland, and gave an account of his recent travels in that Island. He stated that 

 had taken Bombus tervestris this year, for the first time, in the north-west of Iceland, 

 from which quarter of the island it had not been recorded by Dr. Staudinger ; he 

 also referred to the enormous numbers of Ichneumonidas and Diptera which he had 

 noticed in the island. He further stated that in 1889, in the months of June and 

 July Noctua conflua was the most abundant species of Lepidoptera in Iceland ; but 

 that this year, in July and August, Crymodes exulis was the prevailing species, and 

 that Charaas Graminis and Coremia munitata also occurred in great numbers. In 

 reply to a question by Mr. Stainton, Dr. Walker said the flowers chiefly frequented 

 by the humble-bees were those of a small species of white Galium (probably Galium 

 saxatile !) and Viola tricolor. Dr. Walker also read " Notes on Calathus melano- 

 cephalus collected in Iceland, the Westmanno Isles, and the Faroe Isles in June and 

 July, 1890." Messrs. M'Lachlan, Stainton, Jenner Weir, Stevens, Jacoby, Lewis 

 and others took part in the discussion which ensued. 



Mr. Arthur G. Butler communicated a paper entitled " Further Notes on the 

 Synonymy of the genera of Nectnites." — H. Goss, Hon. Sec, 



CITY OF LONDON ENTOMOLOGICAL AND NATURAL 

 HISTORY SOCIETY. 



September 4th, 1890. — Mr. Clark, President, in the chair. Coleoptera : — Mr. 

 Beck exhibited New Forest species including Leptura fulva, Geotrupes vernalis from 

 Swanage and the Lake District, also G. pyrenceus, Licinus silphoides, Carabus nitens, 

 C. arvensis, Achenium depression, and Rhagium bifasciatum. Mr. Heasler, species from 

 Deal, including Syncalypta hirsuta, Psammodius sulcicollis, Corticaria Wollastoni, Silpha 

 opaca, Corymbetes pectinicornis, Tclephorus lividus var. dispar. Mr. Milton, Prionus 

 conarius, Silpha littoralis, Dorcus parallelopipedus, and Sinodendron cylindricum. 



Lepidoptera : — Messrs. Raine and Simes, well preserved larvae of Notodonta 

 dictaa, N. dromedarius, A. aceris, P. lacertula, S. tilice, and M. margaritata. Dr. J. 

 S. Sequeira and Mr. S. R. Sequeira exhibited a number of lepidoptera from the 

 New Forest, including Melitcza athalia, Zygcena trifolii, and meliloti, a white banded 

 form of L. hcxaptcrata, Eulcpia cribrum, Boarmia repandata, conversaria, B. roboraria, 

 Cleora lichenaria, Diphtheria orion, and a very dark form of Eubolia palumbaria. Mr. 

 Hanes exhibited a series of Phorodesma smaragdaria from the Essex marshes, and 

 rtated that he had the larvae of the species feeding in his garden at Kentish Town. 

 The evening was specially devoted to the genus Agrotis, and exhibits in this order 

 were made by Messrs. Battley. Clark, Gurney. Hanes, Harper, Hodges, Hollis, 

 Mera, Sequeira, Smith, and Tutt. Mr. Battley having first drawn the attention 

 of the members to the genus, Mr. Tutt gave a long account of the superficial 

 characters of the imagines, the apparent sub-divisions into which the genus might be 

 divided, and the range of variation in the species, remarking on the distribution, &c, 

 of the individual species. He pointed out that there were first of all those species 

 with hyaline hind wings, joined by A . segetum and A . lunigera to the tritici-cursoria 

 group, and that at the end of the genus were several species which seemed to have 

 scarcely any affinties in common, agathina, ravida, porphyrea, pyrophila, and Ash- 

 worthii. The close connection of Agrotis saucia and suffusa was referred to, and the con- 

 nection of these species to the next group by means of A. segetum, &c. He pointed 



