Reports of Societies. 



127 



shell in a most extraordinary manner. The grass had formed the 

 " stuflBLng " of a bird's skin he had recently received. The rest of the 

 meeting was spent in discussion and conversation on various topics. 



HuDDEESFiELD Naturalists' Society. — Meeting Jan. 7th : Opening 

 address by the president, Mr. Wm. Nettleton. J an. 19, conversational 

 meeting. Feb. 4, Mr. S. D. Bairstow read a paper on The Reasoning 

 versus Non-reasoning Powers in Caterpillars." Feb. 16, Mr. Geo. Brook 

 ter. gave a very instructive lesson on mounting objects for the micro- 

 scope. He hoped members would go into this branch of study, as it was 

 both interesting and instructive. — S. L. Mosley, Hon. Sec. 



Leeds Naturalists' Club and Scientific Association. — Entomo- 

 logical Section. — At the close of 1877 a number of entomologists formed 

 a section for the more systematic study of this science (in the broadest 

 sense), for the writing of a list of the insects of the borough of Leeds, and 

 the collection of information with regard to the entomology of Yorkshire 

 in general, not however forgetting that of Britain and the world at large. 

 The section began its scientific work with the year 1878, and has met 

 almost weekly, taking up at each meeting a certain number of species 

 and working them out as far as possible. The names of the specimens 

 exhibited are entered in books specially ruled for the purpose, with 

 tabular columns for localities and other information. Mr. W. H. Taylor 

 is president, Messrs. John Grassham and Charles Smethurst vice- 

 presidents, and the secretaries are Messrs. Wm. D. Roebuck (pro tern.) 

 and G. Tyers. At the first meeting Mr. Smethurst read a paper, in which 

 he advocated the thorough study of the life-history of insects, and the 

 mounting of microscopic preparations illustrating their structure and 

 various stages. In the paper he also made observations as to cannibal 

 larvse, and an instance of protective resemblance in the young larva of 

 Acronycta alni, which much resembles a bird's dropping. He was 

 beating for larvse at Bishop's Wood, near Selby, when he saw it in his 

 umbrella, and after having tried to tap it off and failing, he examined it 

 more closely, and then saw that it was a larva. A letter from Mr. Edwin 

 Birchall, F. L. S. , giving a list for Leeds, was read at the same meeting ; 

 Mr. Smethurst also mentioned with regard to the yellow ichneumon-fly 

 affecting D. vinula, that one stinging him in the arm produced a pain 

 which lasted for some weeks after. Much information was given as to 

 the range of Colias Edusa in Yorkshire during 1877, and its partiality for 

 moist places. As an instance of this, at Selby it was to be met with in 

 plenty on the river banks, but nowhere else. Beautiful varieties of 

 Argynnis Selene (Bishop's Wood, Mr. Smethurst), Vanessa urticoe (Bishop's 

 Wood, Mr. H. Marsh, and Adel, Mr. Smethurst), Melitcea Artemis (bred 

 by Mr. W. G. Smith), Polyommatus pMceas and Lycoena Alexis (Mr. 

 Smethurst) and others, were exhibited at various meetings. The secre- 

 tary (Mr. Tyers) exhibited a specimen of Catacola nupta taken by him at 

 Scarboro' in August, 1876. Other orders were also represented — hyber- 



