PROCEEDINGS OF SCIENTIFIC SOCIETIES.
Entomological Society of London.
September 4, 1878. — Frederick Smith, Esq., Vice-President, in the chair.
Mr. David Price, of West Street, Horsham, Sussex, was ballotted for and elected an Ordinary Member. Capt. Thomas Broun, of Whangarei Heads, Auckland, New Zealand, was ballotted for and elected a Subscriber.
Mr. D.G. Rutherford exhibited two specimens of an Orthopterous insect, Palophus Centaurus, Westw. (originally described from Old Calabar), taken on Mount Camaroous, at an elevation of 6000 feet. The species is nocturnal in its habits, and is remarkable on account of its very perfect resemblance to the twigs of the tree which it frequents.
Mr. Meldola stated that, while on the subject of protective resemblance, he would remark with reference to Mr. Rutherford's exhibition of Aterica Meleagris, made at the last meetiug, and Mr. Jenner Weir's suggestion that a similar mode of variation might be found to hold good in Hipparchia Semele, that having recently obtained a long series of this last butterfly from the sand-hills at Southport, in Lancashire, he had compared the under sides with those of a series from the chalk at Caterham, but no perceptible difference of colour could be observed.
Mr. Weir remarked that he had detected in a British collection some specimens of H. Semele which had been taken in Jersey, and that these were darker than specimens from the chalk. With regard to moths, he stated that it was well established that certain species, such as Gnophos obscurata and Eubolia bipunctata, exhibited a tendency to local variation in colour.
Mr. W. C. Boyd stated that he had observed specimens of Hepialus lupulinus from Margate to be whiter than usual.
Mr. F. Smith exhibited a specimen of the so-called "locust-tree" (Hymenea coubaril), from British Guiana, forwarded to Dr. Sharp by Mr. Harper. On opening the fruit it was found to coutaiu three living specimens of a weevil (Cryptorhynchus stigma, Linn.), a cocoon containing the chrysalis of a moth, together with the remains of one or more such cocoons, and lastly a small parasitic hymenopterou (an ichneumon allied to Chelonus). The small puncture by which the eggs of the weevil were probably introduced could be seen in the shell of the nut, but no trace of any other opening. Mr. Smith also stated that Mr. Harper was taking steps to secure information con- cerning the curious "trap-door bee," the habits of which had formed the subject of an article in 'Household Words' many years ago (vol. ii., p. 353).
