CURRENT NOTES. 191 



leisure) so that one would assume that those who know how to work 

 otherwise than with a net have little or nothing at which to grumble. 

 We still want larvse andpupte of L'latyptilia te^sfrculactyla, Psebiophonni 

 braclujilactijluii, Oxiiptilu^ distant, (). piloscllae, O. parridactijla, and 

 Aciptilia paluduiii, among the most critical species, and should be glad 

 to buy larvte or pupje of these species (alive or preserved), of professional 

 collectors. We have pi'omises of Ambli/ptilia acanthuilactiila, A. punr- 

 tidactj/la, Mimaeseoptilus ^ophodatt>/la, a,ud Pterop/mnix inonodactijla, but 

 trust that each of our readers who gets these species will do his best to 

 supply us in case our present proposed source of supply fails. Among 

 other species we appear to have stumbled on a larva of Plati/ptilia 

 zette rated tii, hitherto among our unknown and undescribed European 

 species in its earlier stages. As a large amount of our present material 

 will be used up in getting thoroughly good descriptions of the law* 

 and pupre, we should be exceedingly glad to receive from any of our 

 correspondents living $ s and a supply of the foodplant to try for eggs. 

 We shall have larvffi and pups and we must get the eggs to make the 

 life-histories complete. The material can be sent to Dr. T. A. 

 Chapman, Betula, Reigate, Mr. A. W. Bacot, 154, Lower Clapton Rd., 

 London, N.E., or Mr. A. Sich, Corney House, Chiswick, who are 

 collaborating with us in this matter. A division of material, if suffi- 

 cient is available, might be useful and prevent possible failure. 



At the Conversazione of the Royal Society, held on May 13th, 1904, 

 there were no very definitely entomological exhibits, although the 

 following may be interesting to our readers: — I. "Examples of Photo- 

 Micrography," by Mr. Arthur E. Smith and Mr. Richard Kerr, F.G.S. 

 The exhibit included sections of histological, botanical, and entomo- 

 logical specimens, intended to assist students of biology generally and 

 medical students especially. The camera used is unusually large in 

 order to ensure direct photography. In no case are the results pro- 

 duced from the enlargement of small negatives. Some of the photo- 

 graphs of insects were especially good. II. " Ticks and Tick-trans- 

 mitted Diseases," by Dr. G. H. F. Nuttall, F.R.S. (1) Phuplaama 

 ranis, a parasite living within the blood corpuscles of the dog, is the 

 cause of a very fatal canine disease in Africa and parts of Europe. In 

 South Africa the disease is carried by a tick {Hcu'iiiophynalis leachi). 

 Similar parasites cause diseases peculiar to cattle (Texas fever or 

 Redwater, Rhodesian fever) and sheep, both of which are tick-trans- 

 mitted. The horse may suffer from " Piroplasmosis," also men 

 apparently (Rocky ^fountain or Tick fever). (2) Spirochaete of 

 Marchoux, a blood parasite causing a fatal disease of fowls in Brazil, 

 is transmitted by a tick (Artfas mudatus). Similar parasites cause 

 relapsing fever in man, a fatal disease of geese in Russia, a bovine 

 disease, but in none of these three has the carrier as yet been deter- 

 mined. Nothing is known regarding the development of the species 

 of parasites belonging to the above genera (1 and 2). It is remarkable 

 in both cases that infected ticks may transmit the diseases to dogs or 

 fowls respectively after starving for five and six months. The exhibit 

 includes specimens of ticks which transmit several of the diseases 

 above named, also specimens of the parasites and hgures. III. 

 " Microscopical preparations and Diagrams of the Chromatophores of 

 the Higher Crustacea," by Mr. Frederick Keeble and Mr. F. W. 

 Gamble. The coloration of such Crustacea as Hippolijtc lariana is due 

 to pigments contained in chromatophores. The chromatophores 



