40 
PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS. 
Gentlemen, 
Doubtless the subject which is foremost in our minds, at the 
present time, is the amalgamation of our Society with the North 
London Entomological and Natural History Society. It is with 
feelings akin to regret that we have felt it advisable to join hands with 
another Society, thus losing to some extent our individuality as an 
Entomological Society. As we all know we have had a long career, 
connecting up a band of some of the best known Entomologists from 
the year 1858. About this time both Doubleday and Stainton 
frequented our meetings. In those palmy days the collector had a 
large undiscovered field before him, as the life-history of many of the 
British lepidoptera were yet unknown, and it was only by the hard 
work and perseverence of the field worker that the material could be 
obtained for publication; and this Society was always to the front in 
supplying its full quota of such men. 
With these reflections in my mind, 1 was fortunate, during my 
summer holiday to the Aberdeen Highlands in meeting with a party 
of Entomologists who were all as keen as ever on collecting. 
One of our principal excursions was a trip in search of Exulans , 
and for the first time in my life I saw this insect alive in its native 
haunt. 
Where Exulans occurs, the hill-tops appeared to me to be much the 
same, but the range of the insect is very circumscribed. 
Another most interesting insect which fell to my net for the first 
time, was Trepidaria. This insect, of course, is well-known to frequent 
only the very tops of the hills, or mountains, and the amount of wind 
that the moths have to contend against is very great : but in spite of 
it all they never leave the bleak and exposed positions, for as soon as 
one descends a few feet, no more Trepidaria are seen. The manner in 
which they hide to the leeward of a small stone, to escape the full 
blast is remarkable, and their ability to cling hold, due to the develop¬ 
ment of their front legs, is proportionately great. It is only necessary 
to walk towards the wind with the net open to take quite a number of 
specimens. Repeatedly I walked along in that way, and without even 
seeing the insect rise I found my net contained one or more specimens. 
Another insect which I took in fair numbers was Darns, the Highland 
form, with few spots on the underside, and in some of the specimens 
the spots were entirely absent. With the exception of the three 
species which I have referred to, there appeared to be a remarkable 
absence of day-flying insects. No doubt, to some extent, it was owing 
to the badness of the season, but I could not help being impressed, 
during one gloriously hot day, when I looked across a large tract of 
rough, and in some places, swampy ground, at not seeing a single 
living lepiodopterous insect on the move, and that in the month of 
July. Certainly, after walking another mile or so, and in a more 
sheltered position, I came upon Davits, but then in nothing like large 
numbers. 
Speaking generally, the season of 1913 has not been a prolific one. 
xxii.-xxiii. 
