July 1, 1870.] 



HAKWDICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



155 



they emerged from the grass. As he caught them 

 he placed them in a paper box made out of au 

 envelope, and became somewhat annoyed by finding 

 the males not only flying at, but alighting on him 

 in great numbers. This I consider another case of 

 sembling. 



In an account of the Saturnia mylitta, the moth 

 which produces the Tusseh-silk, given by Dr. Rox- 

 burgh in the Linncean Transactions, vol. vii. p. 33, 

 is a letter written by Mr. Atkinson to a Mr. Pope, 

 of Mahometpore, from which we make an abstract 

 on this wonderful subject : — 



" The difference between the two species is that 

 the natives retain a part of the Jaroo cocoons for 

 seed ; these they hang out on the Asseen trees when 

 the proper season of the moth arrives. When the 

 moths come out, the male insects fly away ; but 

 the females remain on the trees. These are not 

 impregnated by the males bred along with them, 

 but, in ten or twelve hours, or perhaps one, two, or 

 three days a flight of males arrive, settle on the 

 branches, and impregnate the females. By the bye, 

 the hill-people calculate good or ill fortune in pro- 

 portion to the speedy or tardy arrival of the 

 stranger males. In regard to the Bughy species, 

 they all take flight, females as well as males, and 

 hence the natives firmly believe that they are all 

 males, thougli I cannot conceive any physical reason 

 for supposing them so. 1 have frequently 

 endeavoured to detain the males of the Jaroo 

 species, and have kept them locked up in a box for 

 that purpose; but whether they did not like to 

 make free with their female relatives, or upon what 

 other cause I know not, I never could obtain them 

 in the domestic state, and the efforts of the male to 

 escape were wonderful, and, at last, always 

 effectual. The accounts given by the natives of the 

 distance to which male insects fly are very 

 astonishing. I have put, at different times and 

 occasions, innumerable questions to them on this 

 subject, and they assure me that it is no uncommon 

 practice among them to catch some of the male 

 moths and put a mark on their wings previous to 

 letting them fly, the marks of different districts 

 being known. I am told that it has been ascertained 

 that male moths have come from a distance equal 

 to a hundred miles and upwards. I, of course, 

 cannot vouch for the truth of this, but have no 

 hesitation in declaring that I believe it." 



A curious confirmation of an idea that the moths 

 have times of flight was given on Saturday, May 

 7th. Mr. Goss had taken a female up to Balcombe 

 in the morning, and had not attracted a male until 

 between two and three o'clock, between which time 

 and a quarter to four o'clock, five were attracted. 

 Some of those with us on Saturday saw two taken. 

 Now, curiously, the time agreed exactly with the 

 times at which in every case the males began and 

 ceased coming up with us. 



D'ORBIGNY'S POBAMINIFEBA. 



T"N completion of the figures of Poraminifera of 

 -■- the Chalk figured by D'Orbigny, of which we 

 have already presented two instalments, we now 

 proceed with the enumeration of the residue of forms 

 contained hi the Memoir on that subject. 



Fig. )3S. Truncatulina Beaumontiana. 



37. Succeeding Globigerina, figured in our May 

 number, is one species of Truncatulina called Trun- 

 catulina Beaumontiana, said to be rare at Meudon 

 and in England (fig. 138). The localities given by 

 Professor Morris are Gravesend and Warminster. 



Fig. 139. Rosalina Lorneianu. 



38. This is followed by two species of Rosalina, 

 of which the first is Rosalina Lorneiana (fig. 139), 

 common at St. Germain and Meudon, and rare at 

 Sens and in England. 



Fig. 140. Rosalina Clementiana. 



39. The other species is Rosalina Clementiana 

 (fig. 140), which, though very rare at St. Germain. 



