22 
PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS. 
Gentlemen,— Another year has gone and I am called upon to give 
you the annual address, notwithstanding my exhausted supply of any 
material which can fulfil the requirements of our Society, including as 
it does such a thorough going body of Field workers. Since our last 
annual meeting the Society has to grieve the loss through death of 
more than one of its members. Particularly must be mentioned our 
old and revered friend. Dr. Sequeira, whose attachment to the study of 
Entomology and to this Society was most profound, and who after 
becoming quite blind, found great pleasure in being brought to our 
midst, to hear what was goimr on, and to give a friendly greeting to 
one and all. And I may safely say that few Entomological Societies 
ever included a member who took such a lively interest in its proceed¬ 
ings, whilst labouring under such infirmities. 
It would appear from our Secretary’s report that there has been no 
lack of interest in our meetings, although the average attendance may 
have varied to a small extent. 
On only one of our excursions was I able to join, and that was to 
Bexley Woods, led by our friend, Mr. Newman. This was in the 
autumn, and was taken with a view to larvie beating. This was 
carried on for some little while in the woods not far from Mr. 
Newwan’s house, but the number of larvte taken was not wholly 
satisfactory. I may here mention that the leaves on the oak in the 
wood, were apparently all attacked by a kind of mildew, which 
seemed entirely to prevent any larvae feeding on them. This 
mildew, as I have no doubt many of you have noticed in other- 
parts of the country, seems to prefer the young and tender shoots, 
and more especially the Scrub Oak, and lower boughs of the trees. I 
first noticed this disease some five or six years ago at Brentwood, 
and since then I have seen it in most of our Southern Woods, in some 
places affecting large tracts of Woodland. My friend Mr. Willsdon 
tells me that the oaks in some plantations in the New Forest this 
autumn, were similarly attacked, and that under those conditions the 
trees were absolutely bare of any larvte. As far as my observations go, 
I should certainly say, that the spread of this disease is comparatively 
recent, and if it should go on increasing as it appears to have done for 
the last few years, it will probably be the cause of the diminution in 
numbers of many of our oak feeding species of lepidoptera. 
The season of 1912 opened with great promise for the collector, 
and many insects were unusually early and numerous, but the 
experience of most of us has been, that this promise was not fulfilled 
later on. There are some very remarkable early dates recorded for 
several insects. Pilosaria was so early that they go back to the year 
before, some of the dates being, December 17th, from Highgate Woods; 
December 29th, Reigate ; December 30th, N.W. London; January 1st, 
2nd and 5th, near Birmingham ; January 7th, near Reading. This 
last was given by Mr. W. E. Butler, who says the earliest previous 
records he had were, January 20th, 1895, and January 21st, 1887. 
xxii.-xxiii. 
