C29 
beneath and, above, a scarlet cloudy patch on the forewings, 
between the large white costal spot and the third of the 
outer row of white spots, about which it tended to form 
a scattered ring. Low temperatures caused a great exten- 
sion of the blue-green, lavender and white markings, and 
much suffusion. Some specimens obtained or bred under 
natural circumstances, but in very cold weather, and forwarded 
to him by Mr. J. J. Walker and Dr. Chapman respectively, 
showed effects similar to these, but considerably less in degree. 
In Vanessa c-album both the first or July emergence and the 
later or September emergence are affected by moderately low 
temperatures, but the former responds in a much greater 
degree than the latter; this seemed to be quite in accordance 
with Mr. W. H. Edwards’ observations and experiments on 
the allied North American Grapta interrogationis and Grapta 
comma. In Vanessa io low temperatures disintegrated the 
ocellus on the forewing, reducing it to a chain of white spots, 
and brought out other presumably ancestral features. In 
Vanessa antiopa no results had been obtained, but this was 
perhaps owing to the pup being too old. The experiments 
generally confirmed the previous conclusions of the writer ; 
but there was much more to be learned by further experiments 
in the same direction, and probably in the direction of other 
circumstances affecting the insects—moisture, foodplant, and 
possibly light, electricity, and magnetism, though as to the 
three last, such experiments as had yet been tried by the 
writer had produced no results. 
Dr. F. A. Dixey read a paper entitled, ‘‘ Mr. Merrifield’s 
experiments in Temperature-variation as bearing on theories 
of Heredity,” which was supplemental to the previous 
paper. The author said that the interest of Mr. Merri- 
field’s experiments was much enhanced by the fact that 
many of the changes produced were of a reversionary 
character, and that the restored ancestral features differed 
with the nature of the disturbance. The present series of 
experiments not only confirmed former conclusions to this effect, 
but added new evidence of the same kind, referene2 to which 
was made by Dr. Dixey in detail, with the help of diagrams. 
