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SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



study of stipules had led him on to that of buds, 

 and he explained the structure of the winter bud in 

 many of our common shrubs and trees, which 

 differ greatly in the mode in which the young 

 leaves are protected against the cold of winter. 

 The young leaves and flowers are formed early in 

 the preceding autumn. He showed the flowers 

 and leaves of the coming summer, and in the case 

 of the pine, even the leaves of next summer year. 

 He explained the reason for some of the different 

 forms of stipules, and showed how, in many cases, 

 the structure and form of the bud influenced the 

 forms of the leaves. He pointed out that the seed 

 leaves, or cotyledons, differed from the subsequent 

 leaves, being influenced not by the form of the 

 bud, but of the seed, and showed, for instance, how 

 the form of the seed leaf of the mustard was thus 

 determined. The lecture was illustrated by many 

 specimens and some beautiful diagrams, and Sir 

 John concluded by saying that he hoped he had 

 explained, at any rate in some cases, the presence, 

 the uses and the forms of stipules, and the structure 

 of buds in some of our common trees and 

 shrubs. If he should have induced his hearers to 

 look at them for themselves in the coming year's 

 spring they would be amply rewarded. They 

 would often be reminded of Tennyson's profound 

 remark about Nature — "So careless of the single 

 life, so careful of the type she seems" — and they 

 would, he was sure, be more and more struck with 

 wonder and admiration at the variety and beauty 

 of the provisions by which Nature preserves these 

 tender buds from the severity of winter, and 

 prepared and provided, with rich profusion, for 

 the bright promise of spring and the glorious 

 pageant of summer. 



City of London Entomological and Natural 

 History Society.— Mr. J. W. Tutt, F.E.S., 

 President, was in the chair on January 4th. 

 Exhibits included : Mr. May, series of Agrotis 

 nigricans, and also a small one of A. tritici from 

 Sandown, Isle of Wight. Mr. Bacot narrated an 

 experiment he had made with some larvae of 

 Choerocampa elpenor, which he had kept in water for 

 various periods ranging from one to thirty-two 

 hours, but all of which had subsequently revived 

 with every appearance of perfect health. Mr. Tutt 

 narrated a somewhat similar experiment on the 

 part of Mr. Tunaley with Smerinthus populi. Dr. 

 Chapman had known earwigs recover after being 

 swollen with water to such an extent that decom- 

 position was setting in. A discussion took place on 

 the subject, the President pointing out that many 

 insects, amongst others the larvae of Phorodesima 

 smaragdaria, must possess water-resisting power in 

 a very high degree, either in themselves or the silk 

 with which they surround themselves, as the 

 marshes on which they live are so frequently 

 swamped by the tide. Mr. Jennings read an 

 explanatory paper on the Order Hymenoptera. 

 Messrs. Sauze, Tremayne and H. Heasler, Dr. 

 Chapham, and Messrs. Bacot, Prout, and Nichol- 

 son took part in the discussion which followed, 

 and Mr. Jennings replied. — January 19th. Mr. 

 Louis B. Prout, F.E.S., Vice-President, in the 

 chair. Exhibits : Mr. Garland, Odontoptera bidentata 

 from various localities, showing variations, Anuria 

 myrtilla from Oxshott, showing one with black tips 

 on forewings ; Venilia macularia from the New 

 Forest, being rather darker than usual ; Cailimorpha 

 hera from South Devon. Mr. H. Heasler, Calodera 

 vnibrosa, taken by sweeping at Boxhill last August, 

 the only British member of the genus likely to be 



taken in this way, as the rest are found in marshy 

 places on the ground ; Homolota atomaria taken 

 with above, a widely distributed but rare species ; 

 Aleochara succicola taken in putrid fungus at Wood 

 Street, Walthamstow, last November ; Tetratoma 

 fungoruvi taken in fungus growing on a pollard oak 

 in Wood Street, last November. Mr. S. J. Bell, 

 four large coloured plates, figures of British 

 lepidoptera, birds, flowers and birds' eggs, 

 presented by Messrs. Colman to principals of 

 secondary schools. The curators put part of the 

 Society's collection on view. Mr. Bacot had been 

 continuing his experiment with pupae of Choerocampa 

 elpenor, which were still living after being under 

 water eight days. Mr. Tremayne read a paper on 

 "Darwin." — February 1st. Mr. J. W. Tutt, 

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

 Donnisthorpe exhibited rare coleoptera collected 

 during the year 1897. Mr. W. G. Pearse, a large 

 case of specimens of Hemerophila abruptaria, either 

 collected at Holloway or bred from ova obtained 

 from captured insects, showing the ordinary light 

 forms, series of very dark-brown forms, and series 

 of intermediate forms, with the dark-black band 

 showing through the dark-brown ground colour of 

 the wings. One female possessed one male and 

 one female antenna. Mr. Stanley Austin read a 

 paper on " The British Corvidae," which was 

 illustrated with a fine exhibit of eggs on the part of 

 Mr. Wm. Bayne.— Lawrence]. Tremayne, Hon. Sec. 



North London Natural History Society. — 

 January, 1st and 3rd. Sixth Annual Exhibition in 

 the Lecture Hall of the North-East London 

 Institute, which was prettily arranged and numer- 

 ously attended. On January 1st, Mr. J. E. Greenhill, 

 F.G.S., delivered a half-hour lecture on " Flint 

 Flakes," which was much appreciated. Short 

 lectures were given by Mr. C. Nicholson on 

 "Astronomy," by Mr. Jennings on "Predatory 

 Insects," and by Mr. R. W. Robbins on "The 

 Colours of Flowers." The principal exhibits were 

 a splendid collection of photographs of birds and 

 their nests by Mr. J. C. Hills; a hippopotamus 

 skull, elephant and rhinoceros tusks, etc., by Mr. 

 W. H. Barber ; ornithological specimens by Mr. 

 D. C. Barber ; foreign lepidoptera by Dr. Sequeira ; 

 and plants by Messrs. Hanbury and C. S. Nicholson. 

 Ornithology and general zoology were more to the 

 fore than in previous years. — Mr. R. W. Robbins, 

 President, was in the chair on January 6th. 

 Exhibits: Mr. Jennings, three specimens of 

 Aphanns pini, L. (Hemiptera, Heteroptera, Lygo- 

 cidae), taken by Mr. W. H. Smith and himself on 

 December 27th, 1897, in Epping Forest amongst 

 grass and ling; Mr. L. J. Tremayne, specimen, 

 sent by Dr. Abbott, of a thin, white, silky-looking 

 membrane which formed the lining of small cells 

 made by an insect in the Tunbridge Wells sand- 

 stone. No one present could name this insect. 

 The Presidential Address was read. — January 29th. 

 Visit to the Horniman Museum, Forest Hill. The 

 members assembled at the Museum at 3 p.m. ; the 

 party was met by Mr. Quick, the Curator, who 

 made a gallant effort to show us round. Unfor- 

 tunately the Museum was about to close for the 

 purpose of rebuilding, and, being the last day, the 

 house, which is not very commodious, was crowded 

 with people. Under these circumstances anything 

 like an organized demonstration was impossible. — 

 Lawrence J. Tremayne, Hon. Sec. 



Greenock Natural History Society. — A 

 meeting of this Society was held in the MacLean 

 Museum, Watt Institution, on January 27th. There 



