SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



251 



and lucens to be distinct from nictitans as they were 

 found in different localities and did not fly together. 

 Mr. Clark, a New Forest specimen of Chora 

 lichenaria about as large as Coremia ferrugata. Mr. 

 Tremayne, a Mamestra brassica from Deal, which 

 had a pale grey ground colour and very distinct 

 transverse lines, the ordinary dark mottling being 

 almost entirely absent. Mr. Nicholson, a short 

 series of males of Ocneria dispar bred this year ; one 

 was beautifully marked with pale buff, and others 

 showed considerable variation in the same direc- 

 tion ; their average wing expanse was ig inch. 

 Capt. Thompson, Eubolia cervinaria, bred from 

 larvae taken from Hornsea, Yorkshire. Mr. Bacot, 

 variety of Mania typica with the fore-wings much 

 suffused with black, and pale and dark varieties of 

 Lecronycta megacephala, the former closely resem- 

 bling A . aceris, and the latter having a subterminal 

 row of pale spots. — Tuesday, October 15th, 1895. 

 Exhibits : Mr. Nicholson, a specimen of Mamestra 

 brassica of an almost uniform lead-colour, the 

 discoidal spots and subterminal line being of a 

 smoky yellow tint. Mr. Tremayne, Acidalia con- 

 tiguaria and other species from N. Wales. Dr. 

 Sequeira, amongst other insects, a very fine pale- 

 banded form of Cidaria siterata from the New 

 Forest. Mr. Oldham, male Odoneslis potatoria with 

 female colouration, bred from Cambridgeshire 

 larvas, and a living example of Chelonia caia taken 

 on the 14th at Woodford. Mr. Gurney, the skin 

 of a penguin which had been captured at Port 

 Elizabeth, South Africa, and was supposed to have 

 swum from Bird Island, a distance of about 30 

 miles. Mr. Bayne, Hesperia comma from near 

 Aylesbury, showing variation in the amount of 

 suffusion with paler scales. Rev. C. R. N. Burrows, 

 Xanthia gilvago and X. circellaris from Suffolk, 

 showing some beautiful variations. He enume- 

 rated a list of fourteen species which he had seen at 

 sugar at Rainham that evening, before he left for 

 the meeting ; these included Calamia lutosa, Plusia 

 gamma, Noctua c-nigrum, Caradrina cubicularis and 

 Orthosia lota. Mr. Bate, a living AcJierontia atropos 

 which did not require much persuasion to induce it 

 to squeak. In quality of tone the sound strongly 

 resembled the call of the corncrake in miniature, 

 but it was repeated incessantly, instead of twice at 

 short intervals as in the case of the bird. Mr. T.W. 

 Jackson, a very large bred variety of Chelonia caja 

 in which the hind wings were entirely orange- 

 coloured, except a small blackish blotch near the 

 apex ; the fore-wings were only slightly marked 

 with brown, and the left pair of wings were less 

 distinctly marked than the right pair. Dr. Buckell 

 read a paper on Ccenonympha typhon, several of the 

 members bringing their series of the insect to help 

 to illustrate the paper.— C. Nicholson, A. N. 

 Battley, Hon. Sees. 



The South London Entomological and 

 Natural History Society.— October 24th, 1895, 

 T. W. Hall, Esq., F.E.S., President, in the chair. 

 Colonel Partridge was elected a member. Mr. 

 Frohawk exhibited two specimens of Acherontia 

 atropos, one of which had been washed ashore in 

 Glamorgan, and the other taken at the lighthouse 

 of St. Agnes, Stilly. It was remarked that the 

 species had occurred singly in many places in 

 Britain this autumn. Mr. Oldham, series of 

 Mamestra brassica from Wisbeach and Woodford, 

 those from the latter place being darker; two 

 Cosmia paleacea from Lancashire ; Xylina semibrunnea 

 and several other species, from Folkestone. Mr. 

 Williams, the feet of a cat possessing seven claws 



on the fore-paws and six on the hind. Mr. 

 Carrington remarked that he knew of a race of 

 such cats which had existed more than ten years, 

 and he had heard of one specimen having ten 

 claws on each foot. Mr. West (of Greenwich) 

 several molluscs of the genus Helix, from the 

 Eastern Archipelago. Mr. McArthur, H. arbustoi urn 

 and H. hortensis, from the Orkneys. The former 

 were thin-shelled and dark, while the latter were 

 small and dark. A series of Noctua /estiva, var. 

 conJlua,and specimens of Agrotis vestigialis, A . cursoria, 

 and A. tritici, all from the Orkneys this year. Mr. 

 Hy. J. Turner, series of Agrotis obelisca and Aporo- 

 phyla australis, from Freshwater, and stated that 

 the former had been very common there this year. 

 Mr. R. Adkin, two series of Himera pennaria, from 

 the New Forest and Abbot's Wood, respectively, and 

 contributed notes. Mr. W. B. Thornhill communi- 

 cated a series of observations upon a brood of Arctia 

 caja, analysing the smaller variations shown. Mr. 

 West, a bug, Zicrona ccerulea, taken by Mr. Billups on 

 the fungus table at the exhibition at St. Martin's 

 Hall. Mr. Carrington reported having seen a fresh 

 specimen of Colias edusa on the South Coast on 

 October 20th, and Mr. Frohawk stated that several 

 were seen on Hayling Island on the same day. 

 Mr. Edwards read a paper communicated by Mr. 

 Step, entitled " Notes on Sea Anemones." Mr. 

 Turner laid on the table a full report of the annual 

 exhibition, held October 17th, 1895. — Hy.J. Turner, 

 Hon. Report Sec. 



North Staffordshire Naturalists' Field 

 Club. — This club's first evening meeting of the 

 winter season was held on November 23rd, 1895, in 

 the New Gallery, Campbell Place, Stoke. The 

 chair was occupied by the President, Mr. W. 

 Wells Bladen, who gave a most interesting demon- 

 stration on " Osseous remains found in the recent 

 excavations for drainage-works at Stone," which, as 

 classified on the table, attracted much attention. 

 He said he was bringing to their notice some 

 objects of a greater or less antiquity which had 

 been found during the present year in excavations 

 for a deep drainage at Stone. He could not claim 

 that they were beautiful to the eye, but to the 

 archaeologist, geologist and zoologist they could not 

 fail to be of great interest from the story they had 

 to tell. Amongst the various things he proceeded 

 to point out were remains of Bos pnmigenius (urns), 

 Bos longifrons, horse, red-deer, sheep and goat, a 

 flint flake, an iron spear, some worked stones and 

 tiles, and some pieces of earthenware of a later 

 date. Most of them had been collected by 

 himself. For assistance in bringing this subject 

 before the club, he had to thank his friends, Mr. 

 Lynam and Mr. De Ranee, also Professor Boyd 

 Dawkins, F.R.S., who had, with the greatest 

 kindness, identified everything he had sent to him. 

 No. 1 (length 16 inches, circ. at base S inches), a 

 left horn core of Bos itrus was found between two 

 large boulders. The ground about it had often 

 been disturbed ; it smelt very strongly of sewer- 

 gas. He submitted it to Professor Boyd Dawkins, 

 who wrote, from Owens College, Manchester, as 

 follows : "The horn core, which I return, is the 

 left horn core of an ox of the urus type. I should 

 infer from its small size and the absence of the 

 usual double curvature, that it belonged to a 

 domestic variety. If it does, the date will be fixed 

 as not earlier than the conquest of Britain by* the 

 English. It has been cut with an edge of metal. 

 Of course it may be an abnormal form of urus. 

 If so, it is new to me." No. 2 (length iij inches, 



