584 SUMMARY OF CURKENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO 



Gynandromorphic Earwig.* — J. P. Hill records a gynandroraorph 

 of Forficiila auricularia. The right limb of the forceps was 3 "25 mm. 

 long and of the male type ; the left limb was 2 "75 mm. long and of 

 the female type, being slender and only slightly curved. On the right 

 side there was a well- developed testis with fully formed sperms ; the 

 left gonad was not observed, and was probably either absent or very 

 rudimentary. 



Melanic Aberrations in Acraeinae.t — C. N. Barker describes these 

 in species of Acrsea, A. violarum and A. petrsea, in the Millar collection 

 of butterflies in the Durban Museum. " Whatever the causes may be 

 that bring it about, seasonally dimorphic butterflies of our sub-region 

 are invariably more heavily patterned with black spots, bands or margins 

 (in those species where they occur) than is the case in their dry season 

 congeners ; and melanic aberrations are simply extreme examples of 

 this predisposition. Consequently they almost invariably occur in 

 seasons of excessive rainfall." 



Injurious Insects in Ireland. J — George H. Carpenter reports on 

 injurious insects observed in Ireland during 1914 and 1915. He deals, 

 for instance, with the diamond-back moth, the turnip moth, the oak 

 aphis, the potato aphis, the rosy rustic moth, the brassy flea-beetle, 

 shield bugs {Tropicoris rufipes and Palomena prasina) on apples, the 

 apple iQol-mm&x {Lyondia clerclcella), the cattle-biting louse {Trichodectes 

 scalaris), and the so-called bee-louse Braula caeca, a wingless Dipteron, 

 seventy specimens of which may occur on one bee. 



Bird-infesting Mallophaga of Japan. § — SeinosukeUchi da continues 

 his study of these insects, and deals with the genus Lipeurus, of which 

 nineteen species are recorded. Descriptions are given of L. anmdiventris 

 from a grey fork-tailed petrel, and L. turturis from a turtle-dove. 



5. Arachnida. 



Species of Demodex.jl — Stanley Hirst deals with Demodex folliculorum 

 Simon from man, D. caninus Tulk from dog, D. ratti Hahn from 

 Raitus norvegicus, D. musculi Oudms from mice, and D. equi Raill. from 

 the horse. He indicates the differences in size, in the proportions of 

 parts, in the capitulum and the spines. 



Whip-tail Scorpion's Reaction to Light.1I — Bradley M. Patten has 

 studied a Thelyphonid, Mastigoproctus giganteus, with reference to its 

 reactions to light. The threshold for the kinetic effect of light was at 

 about 0"16 candle metres. The response was clearly negative to all 

 directive illuminaticm which induced locomotion. The light operates as 



♦ Proo. Zool. Soc. London, 1917, p. 213. 

 t Ann. Durban Museum, i. (1917) pp. 451-7 (2 pis.). 

 X Economic Proc. K. Dublin Soc, ii. (1916) pp. 221-37 (4 pis.). 

 § Annot. Zool. Japon., ix. (1917) pp. 201-15 (3 figs.). 

 \\ Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., ix. (1917) pp. 232-5 (2 figs.). 

 t Journ. Eiper. Zool., xxiii. (1917) pp. 251-75 (4 figs.). 



