SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



55 



unanimously. Mr. J.T. Hotblack read a short paper 

 on the black rat at Yarmouth. The President 

 (Mr. H. D. Geldart) delivered the annual address. 

 He proceeded to make some remarks on the subject 

 of Arctic distribution of flowering plants, especially 

 with reference to the influence of the glacial epoch 

 upon the flora of the British Isles. He denied the 

 probability of the destruction of the flora during 

 the glacial epoch, a considerable number of species 

 showing at the present time enormous powers 

 of endurance, and asserted the improbability of 

 any land communication having existed between 

 Scotland and Greenland, by means of a hypo- 

 thetical bridge (marked by the existence of shoals 

 between those countries) since the glacial epoch. 

 A comparison was made between the existing 

 floras of a Greenland belt, from sixty-seven 

 degrees to seventy-one degrees N. latitude, and 

 a district of Great Britain of an equal number 

 of degrees, from fifty-four degrees to fifty- 

 eight degrees N. latitude, showing that more 

 than half of the species existing in the former are 

 common to both, giving ground for supposing that 

 they might have held their own in both situations 

 during the whole of the glacial epoch. 



The South London Entomological and 

 Natural History Society. — March 26th. Mr. R. 

 South, F.E.S., President, in the chair. Mr. F. 

 Enoch, F.L.S., gave an admirable and instructive 

 lecture, with lantern illustrations, on " The Life 

 History of the Tiger Beetle, Cicendela caiiipesti'is," 

 being an epitome of his very numerous observations 

 on this insect, both in nature and in confinement, 

 during the last five years. Mr. Clark exhibited 

 a number of photo-micrographic slides, many of 

 which were prepared from specimens lent by 

 members of the Society, and a fine example of the 

 Rontgen ray photography. — April gth. The Presi- 

 dent in the chair. Mr. R. Adkin exhibited two 

 specimens each of Margarodes unionalis and Mecyna 

 polygonalis, which were taken at Deal in 1877, by the 

 late Mr. Tugwell, and contributed notes on the 

 occurrence of these and other species of Pyralides. 

 Mr. Barrett, on behalf of Mr. Capper, of Liverpool, 

 some 400 drawings, coloured by hand, by Mr. 

 Mosely of Huddersfield, of the varieties existing 

 in Mr. Capper's collection. Mr. Tunaley, a 

 lantern for entomological purposes, invented by 

 himself, to obviate the inconvenience and smell of 

 oil. It was thought that it would be, when com- 

 pleted, a capital success. Mr. South, a banded 

 specimen of Vanessa tirtic^, taken alive in his house 

 at Tooting, on March 22nd. Mr. Williams, a 

 living specimen of Bombylius media. Mr. Perks, a 

 specimen of the Morel fungus (Morcliella esailenta). 

 Mr. Turner, an apparatus sent to him for exhibi- 

 tion, for taking moths from a lamp. It could be 

 put on the end of a stick and worked by means of 

 a string. Mr. McArthur, a bred series of Hypsipetes 

 trifasciaria, from Hoy. They were of a rich 

 chestnut colour, and had been reared on heath. 

 This was considered to be a most unusual 

 food. Mr, Edward exhibited a number of exotic 

 Khopalocera which were examples of mimicry. 

 —April 23rd. Mr. T. W. Hall, Vice-President, 

 in the chair. Mr. A. Briggs exhibited a male 

 specimen of Stylops melitUc, taken at Leatherhead 

 on April i8th. Messrs. Barrett and Turner, 

 series of Tyipluna comes {orbona) from various 

 localities. Mr. Atkin, his very long and \-aried 

 series of the same species from many localities in 

 the British Islands, and also specimens from Asia 

 Minor and Europe. Pie then read a paper entitled, 

 " Further notes on Triph^na comes, with special 



reference to var. curtisii." After referring to his 

 previous paper on the subject, he discussed at 

 length the geographical distribution and variation 

 of the species. ItS range was from Syria, in the 

 east, to the Atlantic coast on the west ; and from 

 south Sweden and the neighbourhood of Moscow, 

 in the north, to the southern shores of the 

 Mediterranean Sea on the south. Great Britain 

 was its extreme north-west limit, and here 

 occurred the greatest variation. In Asia Minor 

 the specimens were of a uniform clay colour, 

 the increase in intensity, both of colour and 

 markings, being very gradual up to its extreme 

 north-west limit in the Orkneys, where the 

 prevailing form was the var. curtisii. In Scotland, 

 the forms of variations were endless. The 

 specimens from Scilly had scalloped transverse 

 lines very plainly marked. He then discussed the 

 history and distribution of the var. curtisii, and 

 gave as the results of his experiments in breeding, 

 that the species was, normally in its southern 

 localities, continuous brooded, but in its northern 

 limits had acquired the habit of hibernating in its 

 larval stage. The extreme colour of var. curtisii 

 may have been developed for protection, but 

 further observations were nesessary on this point. 

 A discussion ensued, in which Mr. Barrett, Mr. 

 Tutt and Mr. McArthur joined.— May 14th. The 

 President in the chair. IMr. Enock exhibited 

 specimens of two very rare aquatic Hymenoptera, 

 Prestwicliia aquatica, which uses its legs in swimming 

 and which has not been recorded since its first capture 

 in 1865; and Carapliractus cinctus=Polyiuma natans, 

 which uses its wings in swimming. Mr. R. Adkin, 

 a bred series of Melanippe hastata, from Sutherland, 

 with series of the same from Sussex and co. Cork. 

 The larvae of the first were fed on Myrica gale. 

 The Cork series had a pale ochreous tone instead 

 of the usual dead white ground. The southern 

 series were very uniform, whereas the northern 

 examples varied considerably in the black markings. 

 Mr. Carrington, specimens of Helix aspersa, var. 

 exalbida, from Devizes, and made remarks thereon, 

 Mr. Barrett, series of Abraxas ulmata and Pieris 

 rapes, var. crueiferarum, from Japan. The former 

 were of the British type, but the latter equalled P. 

 brassier in size, had a considerable suffusion of 

 black from the base, and in some of the females a 

 partial fusion of the spots. In the discussion which 

 ensued it was suggested that it might be the result 

 of abundance of succulent food. Mr. Carrington 

 remarked on the hardy constitution of the species in 

 Canada, where, during its cycle of life, it experienced 

 extremes of temperature from 60 degrees below zero 

 to 1 38 degrees Fahr. Mr. Tutt noted the oscillation 

 in abundance and rarity of P. rapw in .\merica, 

 where it had survived after a great struggle with a 

 closely allied indigenous species with which it was 

 supposed to have interbred and which was now 

 very rare. Mr. Tutt, for Mr. Merriefield, a number 

 of specimens of butterflies, bred under various 

 degrees of heat and cold : Aglais urticie, Pyrameis 

 atalanta, Euvanessa antiopa, and Gonepteryx rhamni. 

 He described the variations in detail, and remarked 

 that it was mainly the upper sides which had been 

 affected, whereas the under sides, which in the 

 Khopalocera were developed for protection, were 

 but slightly influenced. Tryphena orbona, var. curtisii, 

 and these species were not parallel cases of variation, 

 as in the former it was the upper side that was 

 projectively coloured. Mr. Clark, living Ento- 

 mostraca parasitic on sticklebacks, with a micro- 

 photograph. X 30, of the same, the organs of 

 attachment being well shown. Mr. Step sent for 



