17 
Dicycla oo at Walthamstow.— Mr. Fuller exhibited a series of 
this moth captured at sugar in this neighbourhood, also, from Darenth, 
a specimen of Mam extra sordula. 
Abraxas grossulariata.— Mr. Riches showed a specimen of 
Abraxas yrossulariata, found on a wall at Hornsey Rise. The central 
area of the liindwings had no black spots arranged as a fascia across 
the middle. Mr. Bate was of opinion that A. yrossulanata tended to 
produce darker specimens with less yellow if fed on Kuonymus. This 
view was not shared by Mr. Clark, who had brought up a number of 
specimens fed on this plant, being all he had bred this year. Although 
all were not dark, the majority were so tending, a few being very dark. 
Mr. Riches said his custom was to feed these larvfe on currant, and 
thought his were darker than those exhibited. Mr. Clark mentioned 
that he had found it feeding wild on hawthorn. 
Smerintiius popult variation.— Mr. Bate exhibited S. populi, 
remarking that the $ s showed variety in colour, but the $ s were all 
of the same tint. 
Noctuids.— Mr. J. A. Clark, two beautiful vars. of Xoctua festiva, 
and one of Grammesia triyrammica , which was much suffused and very 
dark, from Polegate. 
Saturnia pavonia cocoons.— Mr. A. Robertshaw had sent to the 
Secretary for exhibition two cocoons of the above species, the one 
brown and the other pale. Mr. Robertshaw drew attention to a note 
of Mr. May in the Transactions for 1896, in which it is stated that if 
the larvae are kept warm and moist brown cocoons result, but if kept 
cool and dry, pale. Mr. Dadd mentioned a case in which he had 
known a cocoon of this species go brown on one side when wet 
remaining white on the other. Mr. Clark said, in a place where no 
damp could get, he had some cocoons brown and some pale. 
Malacosoma castrensis bred, etc.— Mr. Dadd said Mr. Bacot’s M. 
castrensis had pupated, and three had emerged. Of the Porthesia 
chri/sorrhoea 88 imagines had appeared. 
August 15th, 1899.— Abraxas grossulariata on different food- 
plants.— Mr. Riches exhibited a series of A. yrossidariata. These were 
the picked specimens out of 800 bred. He had commenced feeding 
the larva? on Kuonymus, and had finished on currant. Under these 
circumstances the point raised at the last meeting as to which food- 
plant (Kuonymus or currant) produced the blackest imagines could 
hardly be judged by these specimens. Some were as dark, some 
darker, and some were lighter than Mr. Bate’s specimens fed entirely 
on Kuonymus. 
Orgyia antiqua in London.— Mr. Bate said, having seen in a 
daily newspaper that the trees in the avenue of limes at Buckingham 
Palace were being destroyed by caterpillars, he had visited the place to 
discover the identity of the larvae, and found Oryyia antiqua on the 
trees in thousands, and their cocoons were packed together in masses. 
There were also immense numbers of cocoons of ichneumon flies, the 
cocoons being golden yellow, and of the size of rice grains. A pupa 
of 0. antiqua taken home produced a ? moth, which attracted into the 
house several $ s. Leaving the box open in the room, he forgot it for 
a day or so, and on next remembering it he found the ? dead, but a few 
males still in the room, and for two days after he knew the insect to 
