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of man, differ not alone in aspect, but also in their 

 habits, as we may learn from the capricious ways 

 of the common white ones. The rabbit populates 

 the sand hills, and the hare holds to the brushwood, 

 but while summer shimmers over the grass blades 

 and warms the plain, the green vein (P. Napi\ is 

 flying with the other whites, and is here, there, and 

 everywhere, so that we never imagine the place of 

 its nativity. As we travel over the mountainous 

 coast of Argyleshire it is quite otherwise, and it is 

 really curious to note how it is confined to 

 the flaggy swamps or tarns in the hollows, where a 

 female having the border spots on the fore wing 

 running into a line will now and then flit past ; and 

 on passing north, to Sutherlandshire, the south land 

 of the Vikings (judging from an example in the cabinet 

 of my friend, Mr. King), these dusky shapes assume 

 the hue of the mountain form Bryonia?, known in 

 the Alps and Dovre Fjeld. The motherly small 

 white (P. Rapes) is divided in care between the 

 cabbages and red and yellow nasturtiums ; or, if 

 nothing better occur, it will entrust its eggs to rape or 

 other cruciferous weed in the fields ; but I was quite 

 taken by surprise at the commencement of last 

 August by a flock of large whites (P. Brassiai), that 

 came flapping in their lubberly way, eager to 

 oviposit on a wayside row of whitlow pepper-wort 

 (Z. Draba), which from its early associations might be 

 called the Ramsgate runner. These caterpillars, as far 

 as I nursed them, were turning a little dark, for, 

 alienated from the heart of the cabbage, how could 

 they keep fair and plump ? when at the critical 

 juncture they fell into infidel hands and were 

 otherwise disposed of, I fear, into the dust bucket. 

 I notice Mr. Kirby tells us that this butterfly is 

 replaced in the Canary Islands by a form with very 

 large black spots, and that in Madeira, which lies 

 between, an intermediate variety is found, resembling 

 that seen in India, and consequently very like the 

 English summer brood. 



Some who do not devote their attention to the 

 gradual changes in the world around may start on 

 perceiving that there is nothing here that may be 

 called monstrous or imperfect. A moth has two 

 kinds of scaling on its wings, the one replaces the 

 other, and it loses the character by which we 

 recognised it ; a butterfly has two or more instincts 

 which allow it to adapt itself to diverse circum- 

 stances ; in moral certainty isolation has produced a 

 settled change of appearance. Some day we may 

 record unawares the birth of a new species. 



We are deeply sorry to note the death of Mr. 

 Thomas Bolton, the well-known purveyor of many 

 microscopic objects, at the comparatively early age of 

 57. Few microscopists are unacquainted with his 

 name and work. A more genuine or sincere lover of 

 nature never lived. 



SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



We have received No. 85 of Mr. William Westley's 

 useful catalogue of natural history and scientific 

 books. This part is devoted entirely to geology, 

 palaeontology, and mineralogy. 



The Second Annual Report of the City of London 

 College Scientific Society has just been issued, with 

 capital abstracts of the papers read and excursions 

 made. 



We regret to announce the death, in extreme old 

 age, of Mr. Edwin Lees, F.L.S., of Worcester, the 

 well-known naturalist, whose contributions have often 

 enriched our pages. 



The Hampshire Field Club, had a capital day's 

 "Fungus Hunt," in the New Forest. Dr. M. C. 

 Cooke and Mr. G. Massee were among the party, 

 and acted as directors. 



In our last notice of New Books, we gave credit 

 to Mr. T. Charter White as being the author of " The 

 Student's Handbook to the Microscope." Both he 

 and the publishers write to say he is not, and of 

 course we are bound to believe them. 



We have received the " Transactions of the 

 Middlesex Natural History and Science Society." 

 The Society has only been in existence a year, and 

 yet the "Transactions " are as bulky and important 

 as those of much older and longer established 

 societies, showing what energetic progress has been 

 made. This is largely due to the Hon. Sees., Mr. 

 W. Mattieu Williams and Mr. Sydney T. Klein. 

 The entrance fee to the society is only iar. 6d. and the 

 annual subcription the same, so the list of members 

 ought to be large. 



Dr. W. G. Farlow, of Harvard University, is of 

 opinion ("Botanical Gazette," 1887, p. 182) that the 

 number of species of Fungi exceeds that of flowering 

 plants, although, he adds, "it is not true that more 

 species of Fungi have already been described." In 

 countries where the fungal flora has been thoroughly 

 studied, few species of phanerogams are without 

 their special parasite, and Pirotte records no less than 

 104 species found on six species of vine. 



The life of Charles Darwin, in two vols, by his 

 son, just out, has been the chief event in the book- 

 market for some time past. 



Mr. John Browning's remarkable little book, 

 " How to Use Our Eyes," has just entered the 

 sixth edition — a sufficient proof of the hit it has 

 made. Large numbers of medical men recommend 

 it as one of the best and cheapest treatises on this 

 important subject. 



Dr. J. W. Williams, M.A., Editor of "The 

 Naturalists' Monthly," has written "The Shell- 

 collector's Handbook for the Field," giving directions 



