20 



HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



There was also some new apparatus by Zeiss. Mr. 

 Badcock exhibited " Pond Life," some rare finds. 

 Our old friend, the larva of Tiresias scrra— memorable 

 for the settlement, many years ago, of the question, 

 " Whence is obtained the object, figured in all the 

 microscopical works as ' Hair of Dermestes ' " (vide 

 Science-Gossip, October 1865, and the early dis- 

 cussions reported in the journal of the Quekett Club), 

 — put in an appearance, to remind one of old errors 

 cleared away ; lor the object, so well known, is not 

 got from Dermestes at all. Mr. Groves displayed 

 -the structure of a glandular hair of Drosera, an 

 insect-eating plant ; and Mr. Grove illustrated the 

 recent botanical discoveries as regards the continuity 

 of protoplasm in the medullary rays of certain plants. 

 The beautiful microscopic drawings made by the late 

 Mr. Draper were on view. The readers of Science- 

 ■Gossip have seen a few of these, associated with the 

 chapters on " Graphic Microscopy," which appeared 

 two or three years ago ; and from these specimens, 

 will be able to judge of the quality of the whole 

 collection, which will probably become the property 

 of the Royal Microscopical Society. The genial Mr. 

 Charters White was in good form, with his capital 

 album of microphotographs. That man is always 

 " to the front; " and so is Professor Stewart, who 

 showed a very pretty object from a Crustacean, never 

 seen before. He told me it had no scientific interest, 

 though I and others found it to be very, very curious. 

 There were several interesting mineralogical slides, 

 and many other exhibits worthy of special notice. 

 Many old friends turned up ; and there were many 

 joyful recognitions of old microscopists whom we 

 have not seen for years. On a former occasion 

 (Science-Gossip, 1875, page 16), I thought it worth 

 while to record a most interesting Scientific Evening 

 on 9th December, 1874; and this latter display is 

 equal to it. It shows that the old society is as 

 vigorous as ever, although so many of its then 

 energetic Fellows have "joined the majority." — S. J. 

 Mc I nt ire. 



ZOOLOGY. 



IIyalina glabra, var. eicolor. — This variety 

 is mentioned in the "Journal of Conchology," 1886, 

 p. 86, but has never been described. It differs from 

 the type in having a whitish or pale umbilical region, 

 which is more or less sharply defined from the brown 

 colour of the rest of the shell. The interest of this 

 form, which was taken at Bromley, Kent, lies in its 

 being apparently a case of atavism. According to 

 the theory that the brown colour represents the dark 

 bands of other Helicidae suffused over the shell, this 

 variety bicolor is a case in which the suffusion has 

 not taken place lower than the edge of the fourth 

 band, leaving the original ground-colour in the 

 umbilical region. It may be well to state that the 



H. glabra is Zonites glabcr of Jeffreys, and the H. 

 alliaria of some Continental authors, though not of 

 Kobelt.— T. D. A. Cockerel I, West Cliff, Custer Co., 

 Colorado. 



H. arbustorum, M. sinistrorsum.— In the 

 last number of the "Journal of Conchology" 

 (Q. J. C, s. 225), Mr. J. W. Taylor records the only 

 two sinistral specimens of Helix arbustorum, L., 

 which he knows. A third specimen was recorded in 

 the May-June number of the " Nachrichtsblatt d. d. 

 Mai. Ges.," for this year (p. 76), by Herr Tschapeck. 

 He found it in Styria, near Mittendorf, in the 

 meadows of the Salza. The specimen was perfect 

 and mature, with a curiously-depressed spire, colour- 

 ing not mentioned. The specimen figured in 

 Ferussac belonged to M. Charpentier, and was 

 found near Gryon, in Canton Vaud. — Brockton 

 Tomlin, B.A. 



Scarcity of V. atalanta in 1887. — I wonder 

 if Lepidopterists in general have noticed a scarcity of 

 V. atalanta during the past season ? Though I have 

 been in the country all the summer and autumn, and 

 have been constantly in the open air, generally for 

 five or six hours every day, I have only met with a 

 single individual of this species. I can hardly think 

 that this was owing to any want of observation on 

 my part, especially as I could only find two caterpillars, 

 though I must have searched several hundred nettle- 

 beds for them. Last year I got fourteen caterpillars 

 without making any careful search for them, and in 

 due course I saw several dozens of the perfect insect. 

 — R. B. P., Eastbourne. 



The Zoological Society of Glasgow. — The 

 third meeting of this society for the session was held 

 on Monday, 14th November, the Rev. E. Walters, 

 president, in the chair. One new member was 

 elected. Mr. J. MacNaught Campbell showed a 

 black racer (Coluber alleghaniensis, Hoi.), and a blue 

 racer snake (C. constrictor), from North America, 

 both exceeding five feet in length. The same gentle- 

 man exhibited several garter snakes (Tropidonotus 

 saurita, Linn.), and a small rattlesnake (Crotalo- 

 pJiorus tergemimis, Hoi.), which, although only a few 

 inches in length, was quite capable of defending 

 itself. Mr. G. G. McKenzie exhibited several diving 

 spiders (Argyroneta aquatica) with their nests from 

 his aquaria. The secretary showed skins of an old 

 female and young male " Old English " black rat 

 (Mus raltus, Linn.), caught recently in Glasgow. 

 This species — which is now almost extinct in Britain 

 — is hardly ever found now in this district, having 

 given way before its larger and more powerful 

 relative, the common brown rat. — IV. Hannau 

 Watson. 



Colours of Cocoon Silk. — At a recent meeting 

 of the Entomological Society, Mr. E. B. Poulton 

 exhibited the cocoons of three species of Lepidoptera, 



