304 the entomologist's record. 



YAR I A T 10 N . 



Cidaria picata ab. lacteomarginata, Raynor. — With reference to 

 Rev. G. H. Raynor's record (antea, p. 239), it may be interesting to record 

 that I bred a similar specimen in September, 1906, amongst a series 

 reared from Torquay ova. I have compared the specimen with Mr. 

 Raynor's, and find both quite alike. — V. Eric Shaw, 20, Salisbury 

 Road, Bexley, Kent. October 28th, 1907. 



URRENT NOTES. 



Our esteemed contributor, Mr. P. A. H. Muschamp, has removed 

 from Geneva to Staefa, on the Lake of Zurich, having become the 

 Principal of the International College there. 



We never saw such a jam of "gooseberries" as at Stevens' room on 

 October 22nd, and November 5th, when Mr. Raynor's collection was 

 sold. Nor were there wanting samples of the gooseberry fool, mellowed 

 though they were by some of that cream, which regards these fine 

 aberrations as matters of scientific interest, and not as so many say, 

 postage stamps. Besides long series of A. grossulariata in store-boxes, 

 there were especially two drawers containing some 170 specimens, which 

 sold for nearly £'200. It has been assumed that the value of these 

 specimens was partly due to the fact that they were the examples 

 which Messrs. Raynor and Doncaster had specially discussed as 

 bearing on questions of heredity, worked out by pedigree breeding. 

 This, of course, was not so, as Mr. Raynor presented to the Cambridge 

 University Museum, two cabinet-drawers full of grossulariata (chiefly 

 ab. lacticolor), containing all the families which he had reared for 

 heredity purposes, and which were described by Mr. Doncaster and 

 himself. This sale contained no members of such families. Their 

 value under Mr. Stevens' hammer was, however, certainly increased by all 

 being furnished with aberrational names. Nor were these always alien to 

 the Genius loci, for a specimen of var. chalcobares (laden with brass), 

 produced brass to the amount of £6, and a series of chalcozona (brass- 

 girdled) from Lancashire, from two to three guineas a specimen. 

 Amongst others, nigrolutea female, sold for £6 10s., lacteasparsa female, 

 for £5 10s., nigrosparsata male £3, female £5 15s., melanozona male, 

 £6 10s., varleyata female, £1 10s. to £4 10s., a lacticolor male £4, female 

 £5 15s., and others £2 to £3, lutealacticolor £3, and so on. 



Of other species Xylina semibrunnea seemed to be prized, and 

 Cucullia gnaphalii was worth about a guinea a pair ; aberrations 

 of Spilosoma lubricipeda went mostly for a few shillings, but a 

 few specimens sold each for £3 3s., £1 Is., £1 15s., £2; a pair of 

 Drepana harpagula (sicula) £1 5s., aberrations of Angerona primaria, 

 at all prices up to £3 3s. a pair, and two were valued at £2 5s. and 

 £3 15s. respectively. Cidaria picata ab. lacteoniartiinata £1, 

 single specimens of IStrenia clathrata were worth £1, £1,£2 7s. 6d., 

 £2 5s., £1 8s., £1 10s., £2 5s., £1 12s. 6d., £1 10s., and others down- 

 wards. Most of the collection brought fair but not startling prices. 



On the afternoon and evening of November 2nd, several members 

 of the South London Entomological and Natural History Society 

 were invited by Mr. W. Kaye to spend a few hours socially at 

 " Caracas," Ditton Hill, Surbiton. Tea was served by Mrs. Kaye 



