Mar. 23, 1888.] 



SCIENTIFIC NEW^S. 



283 



nettles, and has a similar life-history. The Red Admiral 

 V. atalanta is also a nettle feeder, but differs in deposit- 

 ing its eggs singly, and the young caterpillars make a 

 sort of domicile by rolling around itself a nettle leaf; 

 after eating a portion it removes to another, and the 

 same process is repeated until the caterpillar is mature. 

 In speaking of the Northern Brown Butterfly Erebia 

 blandina, he stated that it was abundant in Grass Woods, 

 Grassington, and that it was not taken further south in 

 Britain. The Orange-tip Butterfly Anihocaris cardmitines 

 was next dealt with, a species somewhat generally dis- 

 tributed, but in this district remarkably scarce, although 

 it was stated that it formerly occurred in plenty in the 

 neighbourhood of Saltaire. Amongst the various moths 

 dealt with were the Gooseberry or Currant Moth Abraxus 

 grossulariata which often does much injury to goose- 

 berry or currant bushes in the larvae state, the Oak 

 Eggar Moth Bombyx callunce, and the Emperor Moth 

 Saturnia carpini. Of the two latter Mr. Illingworth has 

 had considerable experience in rearing them through 

 their translormations, and observing their habits, which 

 are somewhat remarkable, especially that of assembling, 

 which is perhaps the most curious phenomenon con- 

 nected with insect life. If a living female example of 

 either of these species be taken on to the moors in April 

 and May the males are attracted in large numbers, and 

 according to Mr. IlUngworth's observations will come 

 from a distance of nearly two miles. In speaking of the 

 Cinnabar Moth Eiicheliajacobces, a most brilliant insect, 

 he stated that at Skegness it occurred in vast numbers, 

 and in the month of July nearly every plant of Rag- 

 wort, its natural food, is tenanted by scores of the 

 yellow black-banded caterpillars. The Gipsy Moth 

 Liparus dispar he stated was extinct in Britain, but in 

 France it was extremely abundant. It is remarkable 

 for the manner in which the eggs are deposited and 

 protected, the female moth placing a layer of down from 

 her body between each layer of eggs as a protection 

 during the winter. It is a species very easy to rear, and 

 the lecturer distributed a number of eggs amongst the 

 members for this purpose. 



ROYAL SCOTTISH SOCIETY OF ARTS. 

 At the meeting held on February 27th the committee's 

 report on the paper read at a former meeting by Mr. 

 John Reid, Rosemount, was submitted. The object of 

 the paper was to show a means of saving water in 

 hydraulic hoists, by making it possible to approximate 

 the quantity of water used to the load to be lifted. Hy- 

 draulic hoists, the committee explained, were generally 

 constructed with a single ram and cylinder, and the ram 

 being made sufficient for the maximum load to be lifted, 

 it followed that the quantity of water used was the 

 same whether the hoist raised the full weight or only a 

 small part of it. In hoists with variable loads there 

 was consequently a great loss of power, and to obviate 

 this Mr. Reid had proposed to use three smaller rams 

 and cylinders, with an aggregate power equal to the 

 single ram and cylinder — the centre ram to be used for 

 light loads, the two outer rams for intermediate loads, 

 and all three rams locked together for the maximum 

 load. This separation of the rams was the novelty of 

 the paper. Though considering that in certain par- 

 iculars the paper was not fully worked out, and that it 

 would not be advantageous to have more than one ram 

 in small hoists, the committee were of opinion that in 

 lai'ge hoists, triplicate rams, as advocated by Mr. Reid, 



'f properly arranged and constructed, would be the 

 means of a considerable saving of power. A paper 

 " On the Regulation of the Compensation Balance 01 

 Timekeepers," written with the view of showing how 

 the operation might be simplified and made more 

 accurate, was also read, the subject being treated in a 

 purely technical manner. 



LIVERPOOL MICROSCOPICAL SOCIETY. 

 At the meeting on March 2nd, a communication from Mr. 

 George Thomas, entitled " A Few Notes on Microscopic 

 Eyepieces," was read by the secretary. Mr. Isaac 

 Thompson then read a paper upon " Some New and 

 Rare Species of Copepoda, recently found in Liverpool 

 Bay." Since the establishment of the Liverpool Marine 

 Biology Committee by Professor Herdman, some three 

 years ago, a vast amount of work had been done towards 

 investigating and tabulating the marine life of our neigh- 

 bourhood. Mr. Thompson had worked chiefly at the 

 copepoda, a large class of microscopic Crustacea animals, 

 somewhat resembling very minute shrimps, and in his 

 paper described some of the new and rarer species re- 

 cently found. Until the Liverpool Marine Biology Com- 

 mittee was established, only six species of marine cope- 

 poda had been recorded in this district, the number having 

 since reached over fifty. Of these, four species are new 

 to Britain, and three are altogether new to science. Two 

 of the other species had not been before recorded in 

 Britain for fifty and thirty years respectively. Among 

 the new and rarer forms described were Cymbasoma 

 herdmani, Cyclops puffini, and other new species found 

 about Puffin Island ; Eiirytemora hirundo, Giesbrecht, a 

 copepod new to Britain, found in Crosby Channel ; 

 Euterpe gracilhts, Claus (copepoda), a very rare species 

 found about Puffin Island ; Isica clavipes, Boeck, occa- 

 sionally taken in Liverpool Bay ; Lichoniolgus sabellce, a 

 new semi-parasitic copepod, recently found at Beau- 

 maris ; Longipedia coronata, Claus, common about Puffin 

 Island ; Paripontella brevicornis, Lubbock, occasionally 

 taken about Puffin Island ; Peltidium interruptum, Good- 

 sir, often found in rock pools at Hilbre, &c. ; Temora 

 velox, Lillieborg, a brackish water species found at Lea- 

 sowe, &c. ; Pontella wollastoni, Lubbock, hitherto very 

 scarce, recently plentiful about Puffin Island; Trebins 

 caudahts, Kroyer, a parasitic copepod, recently taken by 

 night tow-net off Puffin Island. 



The recent cold temperature had appeared to favour 

 the presence of species not found in warmer water, and 

 other forms had been found only on dark winter nights. 

 The regular series of observations now being undertaken 

 would probably prove of great interest and of value in 

 many ways. One of these was as to food supply. It 

 was well known that the copepoda lived upon refuse 

 matters from our shores and rivers, thus preventing 

 pollution, and showing that the question of the disposal 

 of sewage was biological rather than chemical. And 

 as copepoda were allowed to increase and multiply, not 

 only were our rivers purified, but furnishing, as they did 

 the chief, if not entire, food of fishes and even whales, 

 they were of the greatest benefit to mankind both as 

 efficient scavengers and as valuable food producers. Mr. 

 Thompson concluded by recommending the microsco- 

 pical study not less of the fresh water forms of copepoda 

 than the marine. He believed there was still much 

 original work to be done regarding them, and they were 

 to be found in every pond. 



