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SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



CONTRIBUTED BY FLORA WINSTONE. 



La Feuille des Jeunes Naturalistes (Paris, 

 January, 189S). The editor announces that on 

 February 1st an important addition will be 

 made to the library, open to readers of the paper, 

 in the form of eight natural history collections, 

 including Tortrices, Coleoptera, shells and mosses, 

 lent by various gentlemen, who have, in most 

 instances, personally collected the specimens. 

 Amongst them there are fine collections of 

 Pomatias from all parts of Europe, made by 

 Messrs. Dautzenberg, Standinger, Margier, Caziot, 

 Langlasse and Dollfus. The exhibition will be 

 open for one month. The object of M. Dollfus is 

 to give his readers an opportunity of studying the 

 decisions and practical work of specialists with 

 whose publications they are already familiar. Our 

 readers who may be visiting Paris will doubtless 

 also be welcome to examine these collections, 

 which are deposited at 35, Rue Pierre- Charron. 

 M. Ernest Andree commences a " Synopsis of the 

 Mutillides of France." His descriptions are 

 arranged in a tabular form, and in this number 

 include the following genera : Methoca, Myrmosa, 

 and an analysis of characters of males and females. 

 M. Gustav F. Dollfus continues his discussion upon 

 the " Formation of the Chloride Marl Stratum." 

 He states that M. J. Lambert, having examined 

 the Echinides of the fauna, is of opinion that they 

 are closely allied to those of the Cenomanien stage. 

 M. Eugene Simon contributes some further notes 

 on the " Revision of the Trochilides," dealing 

 •this time with the genera Aglaeactis, Boissonneauxia, 

 Engyete and Spathura. M. Henry W. Broelemann 

 supplies some facts towards a description of one of 

 the fauna of the Myriapodes of France, Geophilus 

 pinguis, n. sp. Among the notes is one by M. Pierre 

 Marty, giving a catalogue of the birds of Cantal 

 which, he says, have not yet been described. 



The Victorian Naturalist (Melbourne, 

 December, 1897). M. C. French contributes some 

 interesting notes on a " Trip to Brisbane " Mr. 

 Oswald B. Lower, F.E.S., continues a " Catalogue 

 of Victorian Heterocera," this being Part xxvi. The 

 families included in this number are Elachistidae 

 (concluded), Plutellidae and Tineidae ; one of the 

 genus Limnoecia (L.phragmitella) and one of Endrosis 

 (E. lacteella) are introduced species. (September, 

 1897.) This number contains the preliminary 

 notice of the seventh session of the Australasian 

 Association for Advancement of Science. Mr. 

 T. S. Hall contributes an account of a geological 

 excursion to Collingwood Quarries, and Mr. Robert 

 Hall gives some notes on the " Bird Fauna of the 

 Box Hill District " ; Mr. J. A. Kershaw writes on 

 the Synonymy of Pieris perimale, Don. It is, he 

 says, generally known as Pieris scyllara, but its 

 long list of synonyms shows the confusion that 

 has been created by the variability of this species. 

 This number contains Part xxv. of Mr. Oswald 

 B. Lower's " Catalogue of Victorian Heterocera," 

 the families included being Gelechiadae and 

 Elachistidae. 



Royal Meteorological Society. — The annual 

 meeting of this Society was held on Wednesday, 

 January 19th, at the Institution of Civil 

 Engineers, Mr. E. Mawley, F.R.H.S., President, 

 in the chair. The Secretary read the report of the 

 Council for the year 1S97, showing that there had 

 been an increase in the number of Fellows, and 

 that the finances were satisfactory. The Presi- 

 dent, Mr. Edward Mawley, then gave an address 

 on " Weather Influences on Farm and Garden 

 Crops," in which he pointed out the intimate 

 connection between meteorology, agriculture and 

 horticulture. He explained the special character- 

 istics of the climate of the British Isles as regards 

 temperature, rainfall, etc. Of all the influences 

 brought to bear on vegetable life by the atmos- 

 phere, he considered temperature to be the most 

 powerful and far-reaching, and only second to this 

 came rainfall. The leading effects of snow, wind, 

 and sunshine, as well as of prolonged droughts, 

 severe frosts and persistent rains, were also de- 

 scribed. He then dealt with the influence of 

 different important weather changes on such farm 

 crops as wheat, roots, grass, etc., as well as on 

 fruit trees, vegetables and flowering plants in the 

 garden. In his concluding remarks he called 

 attention to the great want of experimental farms, 

 in conjunction with meteorological stations, being 

 established in this and other countries in Europe, 

 for it was only by the examination of meteorological 

 observations, together with weekly records of the 

 extent and character of the growth made by our 

 leading crops, that the close connection existing 

 between weather changes and their influences on 

 such crops could be clearly traced. Mr. F. C. 

 Bayard, LL.M., was elected President for the year. 



North London Natural History Society. — 

 Thursday, December 2nd, 1897.— Mr. C. Nicholson, 

 F.E.S., President, in the chair. Exhibits : Mr. 

 Bacot, hybrids between Tephrosia bistortata and 

 T. crepuscularia ; ditto between T. bistortata and var. 

 delamerensis ; second crosses between different 

 pairings of the hybrid moths ; crosses between 

 the second brood of hybrid moths and a second 

 brood of T. crepuscularia. Also specimens of 

 second broods of T. bistortata and T. crepuscularia. 

 Mr. E. M. Dadd, specimens of Catocala nupta, C. 

 elecata and C.fraxini, on which he read some interest- 

 ing notes. Mr. Jennings, a living example of the so- 

 called Roman snail (Helix pomatia), taken in 

 Headley Lane, Surrey, on September 4th last. Also 

 a series of the yellow variety lutea of H. hortensis, 

 all taken in the Lea Valley, in 1S93-4. He stated 

 that both type and variety were common, although 

 it was not always easy to get the shells in good 

 condition. Mr. Battley recorded the following 

 observations on a blackbird's nest at Stamford 

 Hill: " 1897, April 10, began sitting — four eggs; 

 April 23rd, eggs hatched ; May 6th, birds flew ; 

 May 17, began sitting — four eggs, nest not repaired ; 

 May 29th, eggs hatched ; June 8th (?), birds flew ; 

 June 12th, nest repaired ; June 19th, began sitting — 

 four eggs; July 4th, two eggs hatched, others addled ; 

 July 17th, birds flew. Three broods in fourteen 





