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LONDON Entomological Society, October 6.—Robert McLachlan, F.R.S., President, in the chair.—Mr. W. Bartlett Calvert, of Santiago, Chili, was elected a Fellow.—Mr. McLachlan exhibited a number of seeds of a Mexican species of Euphorbiaceœ, popularly known as “jumping seeds,” recently received by him from the Royal Horticultural Society. He stated that these seeds were known to be infested with the larvæ of a species of Tortricidœ, allied to the apple Tortrix. They were first noticed by Prof. Westwood at a meeting of the Society held on June 7, 1858, and the moths bred therefrom were described by him as Carpocapsa saltitans. These seeds have since, from time to time, been referred to both in the United Kingdom and America.—Mr. Roland Trimen exhibited and read notes on some singular seed-like objects found in the nests of Termites, and also in those of true ants, in South Africa. They were apparently of the same species as those from the West Indies, described in 1833 by the Rev. L. Guildmg as Margarodes formicarius, which was usually referred to the Coccidœ. They were of various shades from yellowish pearly to golden and copper colour, and were strung together by the natives like beads, and used by them as necklaces.—Mr. W. F. Kirby exhibited, on behalf of Mr. John Thorpe, of Middleton, a long series of buff and melanic varieties of Amphidasis betularia, and read notes on them communicated by Mr. Thorpe.—Mr. Kirby also exhibited, on behalf of Mr. Nunney, a dark variety of Argynnis aglaia from Caithness, and a tawny-coloured variety of Vanessa urticœ from Bournemouth.—M. Alfred Wailly exhibited a fine series of Saturnias and other Bombyces, mostly bred by him, from South Africa; also specimens of Dirphia tarquinia, Attacus orizata, Plalysamia cecropia, P. ceanothi, Callosamia angulifera, and C. promethœa, from Central America. M. Wailly stated that several of the large South African Saturnidœ formed no cocoons, the larvæ entering the earth to undergo the change to the pupal state. Mr. Trimen said he was able to confirm this statement.—The Rev. W. W. Fowler exhibited a number of minute Acari which had been doing injury to fruit trees near Lincoln.—Mr. Poulton gave an account of the experiments recently made by him with the larvæ of several species of the genus Vanessa, for the purpose of ascertaining the relations of pupal colour to that of the surface on which the larval skin was thrown off, which had formed the subject of a paper lately read by him before the British Association. He also exhibited the frame constructed by him for the purpose of these experiments.—Mr. Slater exhibited a specimen of Prionus coriarius found in Devonshire on fennel, and a specimen of Calandra palmarum from Pembroke Dock.—Mr. Enock exhibited Mymar pulchellus, and a specimen of Atypus piceus recently taken on Hampstead Heath.—Mr. Elisha exhibited a series of Gelechia hippophaëlla, bred from larvæ collected at Deal on Hippophaë rhamnoides.— —Mr. Billups exhibited Echthrus lancifer, a species of Ichneu-monidœ new to Britain, taken at Walmer on August 15 last. He remarked that Brischke had bred members of this genus from Sesia stheciformis, S. formicœformis, and Leucania obsoleta; but that in this country the genus was little known, only one species being mentioned in Marshall's list of Ichneinnonidœ.—Mr. E. A. Butler exhibited living specimens of Chilacis typhœ, received from the Rev. E. N. Bloomfield, of Guestling, Hastings; and a pair of Harpalus discoideus, obtained in August last, near Chilworth, Surrey.—Mr. A. J. Rose exhibited specimens of a mountain form of Lycœna virgaurea, recently collected by him in Norway.—Mr. Champion exhibited Teratocoris antennatus and Drymus pilicornis, taken near Sheerness.—Mr. W. White exhibited a specimen of Chelonia caja with abnormal antennæ, and read notes on the subject.—Mr. Elisha read a paper on the life-history of Geometra smaragdaria.—Mr. C. O. Water-house communicated a paper on the tea-bugs of India and Java.
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Societies and Academies . Nature 34, 611–612 (1886). https://doi.org/10.1038/034611a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/034611a0