CURRENT NOTES. 297 



the appointment of Dr. Malcolm Burr, who also takes Mr. Shelford's 

 place on the " Business and Publication Committee." 



It would appear that the Business and Publication Committee of 

 the Entomological Society of London will this ^-ear bring the publi- 

 cation of the Transartiuns up-to-date. As well as Parts iii, iv and v 

 of last year, Parts i, ii, and iii, of the current year have already been 

 published since January, and, if fairly fortunate. Part iv will be out 

 shortly, so that the Fellows should be in the happy position at 

 Christmas of awaiting Part v — the Presidential Address — which 

 might be published almost as soon as it is delivered. 



An unambitious little volume, "The scaly-winged," by R. B. 

 Henderson, M.A., comes under notice. There are, in this booklet, 

 some rather startling statements, and, as it is written as a very 

 elementary text- book, on a knowledge of which the boys of Rugby 

 School are to be admitted, after examination, to the entomological 

 section of the School Natural History Society, one would have expected 

 it to have been accurate as far as it goes, and so, on the whole it is, 

 and, as it is charmingly written, its errors and blunders read almost 

 like truth, even when one discovers them. One only hopes that the 

 youngsters who have read ahead of the master's text-book, will not be 

 ploughed for writing the true facts, which the master has evidently 

 not observed. One suspects, too, that any of the youngsters who may 

 have seen the eggs of Paranje e(/eria and Kpinephele ianira, etc., will 

 not be satisfied with the sketches on p. 15 (after Furneaux). 



We are inclined to ask Mr. Henderson whether he has ever 

 personally confirmed the statement that " nearly all that part of a 

 caterpillar's body which is not used for digestive purposes, is occupied 

 by silk-making apparatus," and particularly, where the "circulatory 

 system " and "fat body," come in? We would also ask Mr. Henderson 

 what he thinks, on mature consideration, of his remarkable little 

 statement on " Melanism ?" Mr. Henderson's complete remark on the 

 subject reads : — 



"It is worthy of remark here, that the colouring of species of lepidoptera 

 exhibit a distinct tendency to become darker with increased distance from the 

 tropical and subtropical regions. This is, perhaps, due to the greater prevalence 

 of dark tree-trunks and undergrowth in the moi'e northerly districts, giving in 

 consequence better protection to the darker individuals of a species. This 

 phenomenon is known as Melanism.'' 



We suppose this must be so, if our author says so, but we hope the boys 

 will neither be misled by the definition or assumed facts. The remarks 

 on the selection of a partner by the $ lepidopteron, are written with 

 such a charming ease and insouciance, that one is apt to think they also 

 must be true, but, unless our field observations are greatly at fault, 

 the principal statement is entirely wrong. We should like to challenge 

 Mr. Henderson to cite a single case that has come under his own 

 observation, in which the 5 has certainly selected from several (two or 

 more) the $ that she wishes to pair with her. We have made dozens 

 of observations that certainly go to prove that the $ is hopelessly and 

 entirely passive and indifferent, and that the quickest, most active ^ , 

 is the one that pairs. When a 5 refuses a 3" it is usually because 

 she has already been fertilised and no longer requires his services. 



One other thing strikes us, why should the Rugby boys be confined to 

 questions on butterflies and moths for admission into the School 

 Natural History Society. Equally elementary notes relating to the 



