51 
of this species did not fly in the ordinary way. Many moths were 
known to pair and lay some eggs in the immediate vicinity of their 
emergence, before flying away to lay the remainder of their eggs at a 
distance from their place of birth. This was particularly noticeable 
among the Arctiidce, and probably some similar habit prevailed here. 
In looking over the maps attached to the reports dealing with the 
spread of this insect in America, one had to bear in mind that it 
dealt with thousands of square miles, with an area much 
larger than the British Islands, and presenting great variation 
in physical features, and it was impossible to suppose that, how¬ 
ever energetic the larvae were, they could surmount rivers or moun¬ 
tains, or even spread over continuous large districts if their own special 
food plants did not exist. He felt satisfied that the supposed inability to fly 
on the part of the imagines was an error due to want of observation, and 
that at present it simply meant that they had not been observed at the 
right time, probably very late at night. The discussion was continued by 
Mr. Clark, Mr. Gates and others. Mr. Nicholson in reply said, that 
it certainly would seem difficult for the species to have spread without 
flight on the part of the female, until one was acquainted with the 
crawling powers of the larvae. As would be seen from the Reports on 
the table, they travelled considerable distances, clearing the trees and 
bushes of their leaves, and even devouring low plants when arboreal 
vegetation failed. 
Sept. 2nd, 1894.—Exhibits:—Mr. Prout: a series of seven Leucania 
albipuncta, taken on sugar at Sandown, S.W., from which he had been 
unable to obtain ova. He had also taken one specimen each of Caradrina 
ambigua and Triphaena subsequa. ' Mr. Battley: Eubolia bipunctaria and 
Z ygaena Jilipendulae from Beer, Devon. The former were very 
neat, and he specially drew the attention of the members to two of the 
latter; one of these had the black band on the hind wings occupying 
nearly the whole of the wing, as is often the case in Z. trifolii; the 
other specimen had the upper spot of the middle pair of spots, reduced 
to a mere dot, and the spot nearest the tips, strongly bisected by the 
wing-ray Mr. Bloomfield : bred Nonagria typhae from Bures, Suffolk. 
Dr. Sequeira : Pterophorus monodactylus, Amblyptilia acanthodactyla, Oxyp- 
tilus teucrii, Platyptilia zetterstedtii, Aciptilia spilodactyla (? Ed. from 
Folkestone) and A. tetradactyla, all from Folkestone. Mr. Bacot: larvae of 
Busina tenebrosa from ova from Ongar Park Wood ; he remarked that 
they were very slow feeders, and would probably hybernate when full- 
grown : also a bred series of Triphosa dubitata from Chingford. Mr. Han- 
bury : aveiy striking, pale form of Agrotis tritici from Hunstanton. Mr. 
Clark : a variable lot of Gnophos obscurata from Folkestone Warren. 
Mr. Tutt, commenting on these, observed that this species was one which 
responded very readily to its environment, and hence produced very 
strongly marked local races. Being an insect which rested on the ground, 
and occurred on a variety of geological formations, it was interesting to 
note how “ natural selection ” had stepped in, and perfected these local 
races. The dark New Forest and Perth races were, perhaps, the most 
melanic ; another very distinct race occurred at Clevedon, whilst the 
palest local race yet obtained in Britain, came from the neighbourhood 
of Lewes. At Folkestone, it was widely spread, occurring by the road¬ 
sides, and being scattered over the Warren. The geological conditions 
