SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



27 



Royal Meteorological Society. — At the 

 meeting of this Society on Wednesday evening, 

 March i8th, Mr. E. Mawley, President, in the 

 chair, Mr. Frederic Gaster, F.R.Met.Soc, of the 

 Meteorological Office, delivered a Lecture on 

 "Weather Forecasts and Storm Warnings, how 

 they are prepared and made known," which was 

 illustrated by numerous instruments, diagrams, 

 and lantern-slides. Mr. Gaster said that in the 

 preparation of forecasts the position held by the 

 barometer was so much more important than that 

 of any other instrument that its action must be 

 fully comprehended if the rest of the work was to 

 to be at all clearly understood. The lecturer having 

 fully explained this, referred to the use of a single 

 isolated instrument, and showed how new light was 

 thrown on the observer who could have telegraphed 

 to him simultaneous observations from a large 

 number of places scattered over a considerable area 

 of the earth's surface. The kind of variation in 

 the distribution was dealt with, isobars were drawn, 

 and the phenomena which they exhibit in the way 

 of high and low pressure areas described. An 

 explanation was given of the terms "cyclonic" 

 and "anticyclonic," and the generally opposite 

 characteristics of these two systems were referred 

 to. Mr. Gaster next drew attention to the obvious 

 importance of the variation in the weather over a 

 given area caused by alterations in the position of 

 the cyclonic and anticyclonic systems, and the 

 importance of the fact that the former tended to 

 move round the latter from left to right. This led 

 to some remarks on the indications observed when 

 disturbances were advancing towards our islands 

 from different points. Attention was drawn to 

 secondary systems, both of high and low pressure, 

 the forms they assume, and their effect on the 

 ■weather which, but for their presence, would 

 probably have accompanied their primaries ; and 

 the necessity for allowing for such systems in 

 sending warnings to our coasts. The lecturer 

 then remarked on the value of auxiliary informa- 

 tion, such as is to be obtained from decided changes 

 in the direction of the wind, sudden changes of 

 temperature, the movements of clouds at different 

 levels, observations made at high level stations, 

 and telegrams from the United States. Mr. Gaster 

 next explained how the information is made known 

 to the public. Forecasts are issued by the 

 Meteorological Office in the Daily Weather Report, 

 and also communicated to the press, etc. Hay 

 harvest forecasts are issued to certain selected 

 authorities who circulate them as much as possible 

 in their neighbourhood. Storm warnings are 

 telegraphed to our coasts with instructions to hoist 

 the cone — point up — when the gale is probable 

 from northerly to easterly points, and point 

 down, when from southerly to westerly points. 

 In conclusion, the lecturer drew attention to 

 the marked improvement which had occurred in 

 these warnings in recent years, and to some of 

 the occurrences which from time to time caused 

 failures. 



The South London Entomological and 

 Natukal History Society. —February 27tb. 

 Mr. R. South. F.E.S., I'resident, in the chair. 

 Mr. A. E. Waters," B.A., of Cambridge, and 

 Mr. J. A. Lucas, 13. A., of Kingston-on-Thames, 

 were elected members. Mr. R. Adkin exhibited 

 specimens of llyhernia Icucophcaria, from Abbotts' 

 Wood. The pale and dark-bordered were found in 

 equal proportions and only one black specimen 

 was taken. Mr. Short, a bred series of Acronycta 

 myrica:, with a dipterous and a series of hymenop- 

 terous parasites, Ichneumon fuscipes from its larvae. 

 Mr. Dennis, two living females of Vespa i;ermanica, 

 taken in February. Mr. Perks, two living 

 specimens of Rluigium inquisitor, L., from Epping 

 Forest. Mr. Mc.Vrthur, communicated notes on 

 the occurrence and life-history of Coccyx cosmo- 

 phorana, and Retinia resmella. He said that the 

 former was always more or less common at 

 Rannoch, where the latter was unknown. As far 

 as he had observed the larvae of the former did not 

 in Scotland feed in the way described by Kalten- 

 bach. He was convinced that the larvae did not 

 normally feed on the refuse of R. rcsinella, but that 

 it did so at Forres he was perfectly certain. A 

 long discussion ensued, during which it was 

 suggested that R. rcsinella had not abstracted all 

 nourishment from its food, which was hence 

 available as pabulum for C. cosmophorana, and so 

 presumably the latter species had different habits 

 in different districts. Mr. Billups then read a 

 Paper entitled " Hymenopterous and Dipterous 

 Parasites reared by ^lembers of the Society during 

 i8gi-2," and exhibited in illustration a large 

 number of species with the hosts they had preyed 

 upon. — March 12th, the President in the chair. 

 Col. Partridge exhibited bred specimens of Phtgalia 

 pedaria, from Epping, of a unicolorous grey with 

 dark nervures ; a specimen of A gratis puta, ha%nng 

 alternate dark and pale bars ; and the specimen of 

 Hadena albifusa, taken by him at Portland, .\ugust 

 15th, 188S. Mr. South, bred specimens of P. 

 pedaria, from a black female taken at Macclesfield. 

 The males were of the same form as those of Col, 

 Partridge, but most of the females were black. 

 Mr. Adkin, specimens and sections of the nodules 

 of Retinia rcsinella, to illustrate remarks made at 

 the previous meeting. Mr. Frohawk, bred male 

 and female of Nyssia lapponaria, the ova having 

 been obtained from Mr. Cristy, the female was 

 alive. Mr. West, of Greenwich, a female .V. 

 liispidaria, taken in West Wickham Woods. 

 Mr. Lucas, a carding spider taken at Hampton 

 Court. Mr. Barrett, the series of the various 

 species of the genus Dianthacia, from his own 

 collection, including every shade of both D. 

 carpophaga and D. capsophila, from various British 

 localities ; D. harretti, with Continental D. lutcago for 

 comparison, and the only known Welsh and 

 English examples ; D. C(esia, with Continental forms 

 for comparison ; D. albimacula, from Dover, Folke- 

 stone and Portsmouth ; two drawers from the 

 cabinet of Mr. Sydney Webb, containing the same 

 species, and including the two D. compta from the 

 late Mr. Bond's collection ; and also Mr. .-Vdkin's 

 series of Diantlhieia. In the discussion which 

 ensued, Mr. Barrett considered D. carpophaga and 

 D. capsophaga, as one and the same species, he was 

 convinced that D. harretti was but an extreme local 

 form of the Continental D. lutcago, and felt almost 

 inclined to say that there never was a British 

 specimen of D. compta. Messrs. Adkin and Tutt 

 preferred to consider the first-named as closely 

 allied species possessing extreme parallelism in 



