46 



NA TURE 



[May 12, 1892 



They possess a dorsal and ventral series of contractile gills, which 

 make them differ from all other known fresh-water worms. 



To summarize shortly a few of the other exhibits, we may 

 mention iVIessrs. Pike and Harris's high tension apparatus; Mr. 

 H. L. Callendar's platinum resistance pyrometers ; the original 

 %^QZ\mQVi oi Asteropecten Orion (Forbes), and a specimen of a 

 slab of mountain limestone Bolland showing the passage of a 

 foraminiferal ooze into crystalline calcite, by Prof. W. C. 

 Williamson ; Prof. Percy Frankland's crystals of active calcium 

 glycerate (lasvorotatory) ; and the two exhibits of turacin, one 

 by Dr. C. A. MacMunn, showing the very remarkable spectrum 

 it produces ; the other by Prof. A. H. Church, who discovered 

 this red pigment in the wing-feathers of certain plantain-eaters 

 or Touracos. A very ingenious process of so-called colour photo- 

 graphy was explained by Mr. F. Ives, of Philadelphia, who 

 showed several pictures by means of a special optical lantern. 



THE SOUTH LONDON ENTOMOLOGICAL 

 AND NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY. 

 'T'HE annual Exhibition of this Society was held on the 5th 

 -*- and 6th inst., at "The Bridge House," London Bridge, S.E. 

 The President, Mr. C. G. Barrett, F.E.S., in opening the 

 Exhibition, gave a short account of the history of the Society 

 from its formation by eleven South London entomologists in 

 1872 ; and he referred to the work done by members in render- 

 ing popular the study of biological science. 



The exhibits were arranged in four rooms, and were very 

 varied, including examples of nearly every order of the animal 

 and vegetable kingdoms. 



In the first room Mr. C. S. Cooper exhibited an almost per- 

 fect collection of British wild flowers and leaves ; the Lambeth 

 Field Club, Mollusca ; Mr. J. T. Carrington, land shells from 

 the Riviera, arranged so as to show variation ; Mr. C. H. 

 Collings a d Mr. D. W. CoUings, British and Australian birds' 

 eggs and British birds ; Mr. H. J. Turner and Mr. Rice, nests 

 and egt;s of British birds, the latter having a double nest of the 

 great titmouse {Parus major). The tables around this room 

 were set apart for the exhibition of objects by aid of the micro- 

 scope, and among so many it is difficult to make a selection ; but 

 the more important objects were those of Mr. T. D. Ersser, 

 who showed the circulation of the blood in a gold carp, a most 

 interesting subject ; Mr. J. H. Stanley, spawn of perch ; Mr. 

 H. Groves, the circulation of sap in Nitella ; Mr. K. Macer, 

 heads and eyes of various species of .spider ; Mr. West, fresh- 

 water Polyzoa ; Mr. E. Hinton, preparations of the Hydroids, 

 including the beautiful sea pen, killed with the tentacles fully 

 extended ; Mr. W. B. Medland, the pulsation in the heart of a 

 snail ; Mr. J. B. Medland, a section of the jaw of a mole, with 

 the teeth in situ (polarized). 



In the second room Mr. J. A. Cooper's birds' nests and eggs 

 in natural clutches occupied one end, and were much admired : 

 one of the principal features of this collection being that it is 

 arranged to show the variation in different clutches of the eggs 

 in one species. This was particularly noticeable in those of 

 the red- backed shrike. Among the eggs there were white 

 varieties of those of the chaffinch, lapwing, and great black- 

 backed gull ; variable series of the guillemot, razorbill, lapwing, 

 and golden plover ; also a series of nests containing eggs of the 

 cuckoo, including nests of the wagtail, tree pipit, chaffinch, 

 greenfinch, hedge sparrow, robin, flycatcher, yellow bunting. 



In the class Insecta some of the more important exhibits were 

 those of Mr. J. H. Leech, with sixteen drawers containing 

 Palaearctic Lepidoptera. This collection attracted considerable 

 attention. Mr. J. Jenner Weir showed exotic Rhopalocera, 

 illustrating forms of mimicry, and fine examples of South 

 African Orniihoptera. Mr. S. P2dwards also contributed a 

 large exhibit of exotic Rhopalocer.i. Adjoining these, was 

 the Society's ty|)ical collection of Canadian Lepidoptera. 

 Four drawers of European Neuroptera were shown by Mr. R. 

 McLachlan. Mr. H. Moore exhibited a number of wasps' nests. 

 Mr. T. R. Billup's exhibit comprised British Coleoptera, con- 

 taining types of nearly all the known species ; three drawers of 

 Hemiptera-Heteroptera and one of Homoptera were beautifully 

 arranged, and the adoptionof a system of labelling giving the name 

 of the species, the locality where taken, and dite of capture, is 

 much to be commended ; seven drawers of Hymenoptera Aculeata, 

 containing many rare species, also long series of Ichneumonidse, 

 many of the specimens being new to science, and others new to 



NO. II 76, VOL. 46] 



Britain ; also two drawers of life-histories of Hymenopterous 

 and Dipterous parasites, together with the larvae and imagines 

 of the Lepidopterous host. This last exhibit was one of the 

 most interesting and instructive of the exhibition. Of British 

 Lepidoptera there was a magnificent display, there being some 

 forty exhibitors. Mr. R, South showed nearly the whole of his 

 collection of Pyrales, Crambi, Pterophori, and lortrices, a 

 selection of Noctua, among which were extreme series of most of 

 the polymorphic species in the group ; a drawer QiLyccena icarus, 

 showing the colour range of both sexes, one very blue female 

 without black discoidal spots was especially interesting ; a 

 drawer of Geometras showing that the colour and orna- 

 mentation of the female parent is transmitted to a large 

 proportion of her offspring ; Mr. C. G. Barrett, Piens napi, one 

 female of a light canary-yellow colour from Norfolk, others 

 suffused with grey from South Wales, others with black spots 

 and tips and dark nervures from the north of Ireland ; varieties of 

 Anthocharis cardamines ; long series of Odonestis potatoria, 

 showing extreme variation, the colour in the males ranging from 

 chocolate to a pale buff; also extensive series of varieties of 

 Agrotis cursoria and A. tritici, from the east coast of England. 

 Mr. Barrett also exhibited a drawer of varieties of Rhopalocera 

 lent to him for the purpose of figuring in his book on the 

 British Lepidoptera, by the Rev. Joseph Greene, the Rev. O. 

 Pickard Cambridge, Dr. Wheeler, Mr. J. E. Robsoii, Mr. E. 

 Sabine, and Mr. Sydney Webb. It is doubtful whether such a 

 collection of varieties has been seen before, and those Lepido- 

 pterists who pay special attention to the question of variation 

 were much interested in the extraordinary varieties shown. Mr. 

 F. Merrifield, examples of 6'^/^wia ^V/MJ■/r«r^«, 6". illunaria, S. 

 lunaria, Eugonia alniaria, Vanessa urticcz, Platypteryx falca- 

 taria, Arctia caia, Boinbyx quercus and var. calluna, bred by 

 him in his experiments on the effect of temperature on the 

 pupae of certain species in causing variation. Labels were 

 attached to each specimen showing the conditions to which the 

 pups had been subjected, and the results obtained from these. 

 It appeared that a lower temperature produced examples 

 which were darker and more intense in colour than those 

 subjected to higher temperatures. A third drawer of S. 

 illustraria and S. illunaria was shown, as illustrations of 

 the effect of temperature applied for a very few days 

 to pupse at a sensitive stage, i.e. just before they began to 

 show the colour, the forcing temperature was about 77° ; the 

 natural temperature about 40" to 50°; a range of 15° or less (at a 

 point which it appeared was not yet actually ascertained between 

 57° and 73°) was sufficient to produce the full temperature 

 effects shown in the first two cases, but a range of much less 

 than r3°, if at the right part of the thermometric scale, pro- 

 duced substantial difference of colouring. Mr. W. Farren 

 contributed examples from Cambridge including fine yellow 

 specimens of Bryophila perla, and extensive series of B. 

 muralis and B. iittpar of Warren ; these gave rise to consider- 

 able discussion among visitors as to whether impar was a true 

 species or only a variety of muralis. Mr. R. S. Standen, a small 

 box showing extreme varieties oi Argynnida. Mr. Tugwell, a 

 selection from his cabinet, including long series of Eiigonia 

 alniaria^ Esp., melanic forms of Phigalia pedaria, Boarviia 

 repandata, Tephrosia bitindularia, &c., and striking varieties of 

 Abraxas grossulariata. Mr. C. G. Gregson also put in a magni- 

 ficent series of varieties of this last-named species, some of the 

 specimens being entirely suffused with the black markings, 

 in others the yellow-coloured markings were wanting, and 

 many were very pale forms, the black markings being ab- 

 sent ; Mr. Gregson also showed Dianthcxcia conspersa, 

 from various localities, to illustrate the local variation 

 in that species — many of the forms were so extreme that he had 

 given them varietal names. Mr. J. R. Wellman, his collection 

 of Dianthoecia and Acidalia, also a drawer of Cidana russata, 

 bred and captured from various parts of Great Britain, a most 

 interesting drawer as showing local variation. Mr. F. W. 

 Hawes, Rhopalocera, reared in 1890 and 1891, chiefly from ova 

 obtained by searching or from the captured female, thus enabling 

 Mr. Hawes to ascertain the early life-histories of this group ; 

 among them were examples of Hesperia lineola, the species 

 recently added to the British list by Mr. Hawes. Variation in 

 Arctia caia was shown by Mr. Goldthwait, Mr. T. W. Hall, 

 and Mr. A. Mera. Mr. C. H. Williams included in his series 

 a gynandrous specimen of ^r^/««?j /a//n'a taken by him last 

 summer in the New Forest, and much attention was paid to this 

 beautiful specimen. Life-histories, the larvae being mounted on 



