246 THE entomologist's record. 



This will be news to the lepidopterists of all but our northern and north- 

 western counties, and of those areas where melanism is particularly 

 prevalent. Again he asks : " Have we any evidence of distinct 

 melanism from South Staffordshire, East Worcestershire and South 

 Wales ? " Why does not an individual who asks such a question 

 make himself conversant with such things, and instead of asking 

 the entomological public such questions, write to our South Wales 

 collectors (if he even knows their names), and to the Secretary of the 

 Birmingham Natural History Society for information ? Mr. Sharp 

 then gives some definitions of " natural selection," " heredity," etc., for 

 which we who are readers of The British Naturalist must give him 

 special thanks, as he evidently does not rate our intelligence and 

 reading power at a very high pitch. A further series of definitions 

 follows, of which those of " ontogeny " and " phyllogeny " stand out 

 strikingly; We might have supposed that these were misprints for 

 •' ontogeny " and " phylogeny," but that they are repeated throughout 

 a long- paragraph. There are also some new ideas on the Gulf Stream, 

 and the absence of its effects, which should be included in the next 

 Syllabus on " Physiogi'aphy," issued by the Science and Art Department, 

 South Kensington. Eeally Mr. Sharp should get up the subject first and 

 write about it afterwards, and should not criticise specialists till he has 

 become a specialist in advance of those he criticises. Mr. Sharp's initial 

 reason for supposing that what he wrote might " not be quite devoid 

 of interest," does not seem a particularly strong one if we consider 

 that every beginner at the subject has in common with himself no 

 * preconceptions to sustain nor theories to enunciate," and tliat only 

 those students have, who have devoted long and patient liours to 

 thoughtful study and research, and who from siicli vagaries have at 

 last obtained preconceptions which they can generally sustain amongst 

 well-informed men, and have enunciated theories which they can con- 

 vince specialists are at least soimd enough to hold water. It is certainly 

 to be hoped, however, that every beginner at Lepidoptera who feels 

 called upon to treat us to his opinions, will do so in as nice a manner as 

 has Mr. Sharp, because even if of no use to science they aid digestion 

 by amusing us. 



The Western University of Pennsylvania has just conferred the 

 degree of D.Sc. on Frederick Moore, and that of Ph.D. on A. G. Butler, 

 both of London, in recogTiition of their work in entomology (Psyche). 



Our coleopterists would do well to read Mr. H, F. Wickham's paper 

 (illtrstrated by 20 figures), entitled, " Some interesting colour- varieties 

 in the genus Crossidius,''' published in tlie August number of The 

 Canadian Entomologist, whilst to economic entomologists Mr. C. H. Tyler 

 Townsend's paper on " Michigan insects, principally Coleojytera, affect- 

 ing forest trees," to be found in the same number, should prove useful. 



Micro-Lepidopterists will have to read Dr. Wood's paper (E. M. 

 M., p. 197) "On the earlier stages of the Nepticnlce." We can imagine 

 nothing Ijetter for those who wish to become conversant with the 

 habits, etc., of these interesting atoms in their earlier stages. 



The Right Hon. Lord Walsingham states that specimens of Conchylis 

 degreyana were recorded as bred from Linaria vnhjaris by Messrs, Bree 

 and Warren, although both he and Mr. Barrett generally found it 

 among Vlnntago, and in 1889 he bred a specimen from P. lanceolatus. 

 Lord Walsingham then concludes that there are two larvae with 



