12 
of H. paliulis has not yet been determined. It is the only form of the 
group that occurs on certain parts of the south coast of England. It 
overlaps 11. nictitans at Deal, and overlaps 11. lucent at Warrington. 
Although at present I have no doubt that H. paludis is distinct, as 
species go, from H. nictitans, my knowledge of 11. lucern in nature is 
not sufficient to lead me to hazard an opinion. It will be observed 
that in the specimens which Mr. Finlay sends for your inspection 
three forms occur, viz., (1) with the reniform white; (2) with the 
reniform orange; (3) with the reniform red. It will further be 
noticed that two of the specimens which are grouped with those 
having a white reniform have the latter slightly tinged with ochreous. 
In ground colour it will be observed some specimens are darker than 
others. It is remarkable in this respect, that whilst the ground colour 
of the specimens with white reniforms are partly bright red, partly 
dark (inclining to brown), with one pale (somewhat grey) specimen, 
all those with red stigmata are of a bright red ground-colour, only one 
specimen being somewhat darker. On the other hand, those with 
orange stigmata are without exception dark in ground colour. The 
small orbicular, too, which, in many of the specimens having a white 
reniform, is almost imperceptible, is most distinctly red or orange in 
those specimens which respectively have red or orange reniforms. 
The mottled character of all the specimens is, however, very 
noticeable.” 
“ Aberrations of Agrotis tiutici. —I exhibit also two specimens of 
A. tritici, a species which is exceedingly rare at Morpeth. The first, 
captured on August 10th, 1895, is of the normal dark greyish-fuscous 
streaked form ( tritici, L.). The second, captured on August 23rd, 
1895, is a most uncertain-looking specimen, confusedly marked, and 
not at all unlike some A. nigricans in general appearance. This is the 
ab. hurtoruin, St.” 
Mr. Bate read the following : — “ Notes on Selenia tetralunaria 
(illustraria). The insects exhibited to-night were bred from ova 
given me last year by Mr. Bacot, which were laid by union of two 
of his summer brood. He told me that the batch of eggs which pro¬ 
duced the ova given to me were largely infertile, and this infertility 
was conspicuous in the present case ; certainly not more than one- 
third of the batch given me hatched out. They fed up well on 
birch, and pupated between two leaves, drawn together with a few 
threads of silk. Although not so large as his spring brood, they are 
distinctly larger than his summer brood, and it is noticeable that, 
although not perhaps so widely different as in his insects, the females 
are distinctly darker than the males. I spoiled the condition of the 
bulk of my specimens in the endeavour to continue the breed, as 
it was not until I fortunately obtained a pair of insects, which 
emerged within twenty-four hours of each other, that I succeeded in 
obtaining fertile eggs. It looks, therefore, as if this was a necessary 
condition for copulation to take place. A brood of larvae is now 
feeding up, and I trust to bring copious details of their life-history 
before the Society at an early date.” 
Mr. Bate then read the following :—“ Notes on Spilosoma men- 
dica. The insects exhibited consist of two males and six females, 
bred from ova given mo by Mr. May, of Tottenham, last year, and 
thoro is nothing peculiar about them. Out of a batch of thirty eggs, 
