May 19, 1887] 



NATURE 



71 



ents, the practice was recommended of compounding a name 

 m those of the two parent genera, so as to avoid all confusion 

 h existing genera. With regard to orchid hybrids generally, 

 following are the author's conclusions: — (l) Hybridization 

 y take place not only between distinct species, but also 

 ween distinct genera, or between plants so structurally dif- 

 ;nt as to be usually regarded as such. (2) These hybrids are 

 lerally of artificial origin, or accidentally produced, and can- 

 be treated in the scheme of classification either as varieties, 

 cies, or genera. (3) The possibility of hybridization taking 

 ce between species hitherto considered as distinct does not 

 :essarily prove them to be merely forms of the same species. 

 The occurrence of a hybrid between two structurally different 

 lera does not prove the necessity of uniting them in one ; nor 

 I such hybrids be arbitrarily referred to either of the parent 

 lera. (5) Species and genera will always have to be dealt 

 h in the scheme of cla=;sification according to their structural 

 ;uliarities and differences, without reference to the possibility 

 lybridization taking place between them. — A report was read, 

 the Alcyonaria of the Mergui Archipelago, by Mr. Stuart O. 

 lley, in which a considerable number of new forms were de- 

 :bed ; the Burmese coast being rich in species bearing an 

 lian facies. 



Zoological Society, May 3. — Dr. E. Hamilton, Vice- 

 isident, in the chair. — The Secretary read a report on the 

 litions that had been made to the Society's menagerie during 

 month of April 1887, and called attention to two young 

 ar bears {Ursus maritimus) presented by Mr. Joseph Mon- 

 h ; and to two crested ducks {Anas cristatd) from the Falk- 

 1 Islands, presented by Mr. F. E. Cobb. — Extracts were 

 \ from a letter addressed to the Secretaiy by Mr. Roland 

 men, respecting the obtaining of a second example of 

 liarius atrocroccus in South Africa. — Mr. J. Jenner Weir 

 ibited and made remarks on a skull of a boar from New 

 land. — A com-nunication was read from Mr. G. A. Bou- 

 jer, containing the description of a new snake of the genus 

 npropht!, based on a specimen living in the Society's 

 dens, which had been presented to the collection by the 

 '. G. H. R. Fisk. — A communication was read from Mr. 

 I. Leech, containing an account of the diurnal Lepidoptera 

 apan and Corea, based on a collection recently made by the 

 lor during a recent entomological expedition to those coun- 

 3. The total number of species in Mr. Leech's list was 155. 

 [apan, Mr. Leech had discovered one new species {Papilio 

 ■ado), and in Corea four others. — Mr. R. Bowdler Sharpe, 

 e an account of a second collection of birds formed by Mr. 

 VVray in the mountains of Perak, Malay Peninsula. This 

 ection contained samples of about fifty species, of which ten 

 e described as new to science. — Mr. H. J. Elwes pointed 

 the characters of some new species of diurnal Lepidoptera, 

 :imens of which had been obtained by him during his recent 

 ittoSikkim. — A communication was read from Mr. Lionel 

 I ^^iceville, containing an account of some new or little-known 

 I ian butterflies. 



Entomological Society, May 4. — Dr. D. Sharp, President, 

 the chair. — The Rev, C. Ellis-Stevens, Mr. F. Merrifield, 

 I H. Rowland- Brown, and Mr. C. Matthews were elected 

 lows. — Mr. Warren exhibited specimens o^ Stigmonota palli- 

 utana, S. internana. Asthenia pygimvana, and A. abiegana 

 vscquana, Haw.). — Mr. Stainton remarked that it was for- 

 : ly thought that Haworth's suhseqtiana was identical with the 

 I ;ies previously figured by Hiibner as pygmaana ; but now 

 t; the two allied species were critically examined, it appeared 

 \: the species describe! by Haworth as subsequana was not 

 )»t(Cana, but another species known as the abiegana of Du- 

 Hchel, dating only from 1842, so that Haworth's name — 

 lequana — had priority by thirty years. — Mr. F. Pascoe ex- 

 i ted a specimen of Diaxines taylori, taken out of the stem of 

 nrchid — Saccolabiiim cwleste — received from Moulmein. — Mr. 

 (Lachlan exhibited nearly 200 specimens of Neuroptera, col- 

 Sed by Mr. E. Meyrick in Australia and Tasmania, compris- 

 I about seventy species. There were between forty and fifty 



i;ies of Trichoptera, including forms from Western Australia, 

 ;d to Plectrotarsiis, and other species belonging to a group 

 resented by Hydropsyche edwardsii. Among the Planipen- 

 the most remarkable insect was a species of the singular 

 IS Psyckopsis, from Mount Kosciusko, where it was common. 

 Pseudo-Neuroptera there was a species of Embiida from 

 item Australia, and certain Psocida and Perlida. Mr. 



Meyrick made some remarks on the localities in which he had 

 collected the species. — Mr. M. Jacoby exhibited a new species 

 of Xenajlhra, collected by Mr. G. Lewis in Ceylon. — Mr. C. 

 O. Waterhouse exhibited a living example of an ichneumon — 

 Ophion tnicnirum — bred from a larva of Callosamia protnethea, 

 a North American species. He also exhibited a number of wings 

 of Lepidoptera denuded of the scales, in order to show the neura- 

 tion, and explained the method he had adopted for removing 

 them. The wings were first dipped in spirit and then placed in 

 eau dejavelle (potassium hyperchlorite). Mr. Waterhouse said 

 he had sometimes substituted peroxide of hydrogen for eau de 

 javelle, but the action was much less rapid, although the results 

 were satisfactory. Mr. Poulton remarked that the discovery of 

 some chemical for softening chitine had long been wanted to 

 prepare specimens for the microscope. — Mr. Slater read a note, 

 extracted from the Medical Press, on the subject of the poison 

 used by certain African Bushmen in the preparation of their 

 arrows. It was stated that the poison was prepared from a 

 caterpillar which they called "N'gwa." — The Rev. W. W. 

 Fowler read a note received from Mr. J. Gardner, in which it 

 was stated that Dytiscus marginalis possessed the power of 

 making a loud buzzing noise like that of a humble-bee. Dr. 

 Sharp said he was familiar with the humming of Dyliscus 

 marginalis previous to flight, and thought it might perhaps be 

 connected with an inflation of the body for the purpose of 

 diminishing the specific gravity of the insect ; he had noticed 

 also that it was occasionally accompanied by the discharge of 

 fluid from the body. — Mr. Wm. White read a paper on the 

 occurrence of anomalous spots on Lepidopterous larva?. — Mr. 

 Waterhouse read descriptions of new genera and species of 

 Buprestidce. 



Geological Society, April 27.— Prof. J. W. Judd, F.R.S., 

 President, in the chair. — The following communications were 

 read : — On the London Clay and Bagshot beds of Aldershot, by 

 Lieut. H. G. Lyons, R.E. The author first described the 

 section from Thorn Hill on the north to Redan Hill on the 

 south, plotted from the 6-inch Ordnance Survey on a scale of 6 

 inches to l mile horizontal, and 12 inches to i mile vertical. 

 This section comprises beds from the Woolwich and Reading 

 series to the Upper Bagshot inclusive. The second section 

 described runs from Gravel- Pit Hill on the north to Ash Green 

 on the south. It was drawn to the same scale, and showed the 

 beds from the Chalk to the Middle Bagshots inclusive. The 

 third section was drawn, also on the same scale,, through Aider- 

 shot town, showing the beds from the Woolwich and Reading 

 series to the Middle Bagshots inclusive. It was inferred from 

 various calculations, as also from direct obsei-vations, that the 

 thickness of the London Clay shows no diminution throughout 

 the section, being nearly the same also at Ash and at Aldershot 

 Place. In " Caesar's Camp " the pebble-bed occurs at altitudes 

 ranging from 500 to 550 feet. The author concluded that 

 wherever we can fix the top or base of the London Clay we get 

 a northerly dip of 2^° to 3°, showing a fairly constant thickness 

 of from 330 to 340 feet. The same thing occurs from Odiham 

 on the west to Ash on the east, whilst at Brookwood the London 

 Clay is thicker. He also assumed the existence of a passage 

 from the London Clay up into the Bagshot beds in the deep wells 

 or borings at Wellington College, at Brookwood, and at South 

 Camp. Hence at these points there can have been no great 

 erosion or unconformity. The overlying Bagshots lie con- 

 formably on the London Clay and on each other. The Presi- 

 dent congratulated the Society on the acquisition of a recruit 

 whose carefully plotted sections did credit to his training as an 

 oBficer of the Royal Engineers. The author's conclusions were 

 discussed by Messrs. Irving, Whitaker, Monckton, Hudleston, 

 and Herries. — Supplementary note on the Walton Common 

 section, by Mr. W. H. Hudleston, F.R. S. The principal 

 object of this paper was to point out the occurrence of certain 

 beds of clay or loam in what are usually known as the " Lower 

 Bagshot Sands " of West Surrey. The author maintained (l) 

 that the more we study the Bagshot beds of this area the less 

 likely are we to see a passage between the curiously diversified 

 Lower Bagshots and the much more uniform and homogeneous 

 London Clay ; (2) that, until we realize the considerable though 

 sporadic development of clays in the Lower Bagshots, we shall 

 be in danger of referring beds to the Middle Bagshots which do 

 not belong to them, and thereby give encouragement to a specu- 

 lative stratigraphy which can only mislead. The reading of the 

 paper was followed by a discussion, in which the President, Mr. 

 Whitaker, Mr. Irving, and Mr. Herries took part. 



