56 



SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



exhibition specimens of GJaux maritma and Silem 

 ?nayitima, and contributed notes on their specific 

 characters, structure, habits and time of flowering, 

 adding a suggestion that botanists should pay 

 attention to the time of flowering of our British 

 flora with the view of correcting the innumerable 

 errors in botanical works of the day. Mr Tutt 

 read a paper, entitled " Is cold the cause of 

 melanism in Scotch specimens of Tryphoena orhona ? " 

 in which he showed by magazine references, that 

 the area of distribution of T. orbona, var. curtisii, was 

 by no means the coldest portions of the country, 

 and that there the sallows flowered quite as earh- 

 as in the south of England. He was of opinion 

 that the variation was wholly brought about by 

 utilit}-, that the species was protectively coloured. 

 In the subsequent discussion several members 

 considered that the dark variation in this species 

 was a return to an ancestral form, and that ever}" 

 evidence showed that the processes of evolution 

 were still in progress. — Hy. J. Turner (Hon. 

 Report Sec.) 



North Loxdox Natural History Society. — 

 Minutes of a meeting held Thursday, IMarch 26th, 

 1896. Mr. C. B. Smith, President, in the chair. 

 The curator announced a donation from Mr. Bacot 

 of a valuable lot of Lepidoptera from our "local 

 district." The exhibits included: Mr. Prout, a 

 series of Caradrina morpheus, var. ohscura, Tutt, bred 

 from ova from North London ; also a specimen 

 of the flavescent Continental type of the species 

 from Germany ; also, on behalf of Miss Dale, 

 several interesting plants from Sandown. Air. 

 R. W. Robbins, Anemone fidgens, double, showing 

 stamens, etc., developed into petals; also two 

 specimens of Spilosoma urtic.?, and two of Cidaria 

 fulvaia, to illustrate a method of labelling. This 

 •was followed by some phenological remarks upon 

 the early season'by Misses Simmons and Nicholson, 

 Messrs. Austin, Battley, C. Nicholson, R. W. Rob- 

 bins and Woodward. Air. Prout read a paper on the 

 " Flora of Sandown District of the Isle of AVight." 

 This he bounded on the north and north-east by 

 Brading and Bembridge Down, on the south-east 

 by the coast-line, on the south by Lake and 

 Black Pan, and on the west and north-west 

 by Bordwood, Youngwood and Alverstone. He 

 gave a long and exhaustive account of the plants 

 he had met with in the district, of which the best 

 was perhaps Oycbanche cceruha, and was able to 

 make several additions to Townsend'slist. Dealing 

 v.ith the subject of white varieties, he remarked : 

 •' It seems to me to be very noticeable that the 

 large majority of cases in which these white 

 varieties appear are those of normally red, purple, 

 or even blue flowers ; and that, as they certainly 

 occur too regularly and in too healthy plants to be 

 attributed to mere failure of colour through any 

 diseased or abnormal conditions, they can pretty 

 safely be viewed as instances of reversion. Grant 

 Allen so regards them in his little book on ' The 

 Colours of Flowers,' and he remarks that, ' where 

 the red and purple is very deeply engrained, as in 

 labiates, reversion to white occurs less commonly.' 

 From this point of view, the variable little Poly gala 

 (milk-wort) is at present in a somewhat unsettled 

 condition, ' a process of modification,' pink being 

 its normal colour, blue a progression, white a 

 retrogression. Perhaps I need hardly remind you 

 that it is pretty generally conceded that the genetic 

 sequence of colour in flowers is from green through 

 yellow to white, thence on to pink, red, and purple, 

 and finally (the most highly specialized), to blue. 

 Amongst the flowers at present imder our notice, 



there is one, however, in which the white variety 

 cannot be a reversion if the foregoing order of 

 colour sequence is correct. This is the common 

 broom. I have not seen the variety in question, 

 and therefore cannot venture to pronounce upon it ; 

 but one is certainly not accustomed to expect white 

 varieties in the yellow flowers, and where they 

 occur, as for example occasionally in species of 

 ranunculus, they rather present a bleached appear- 

 ance which suggests to one that there is a failure of 

 pigment, not a progression in development, in fact 

 that they are pathological rather than phylo- 

 genetic' Mr. R. W. Robbins recorded a white 

 variety of the viper's bugloss from Boxhill. Mr. 

 Austin believed the raven and the peregrine 

 falcon were still building in the island. Mr. L. J. 

 Tremayne enquired whether Eupithecia virganreata 

 was recorded trom the Isle of Wight. Messrs. C. 

 Nicholson, Jennings and Harvey also joined in 

 the discussion. — Lawrence J. Tremayne {Hon. Sec.) 



NOTICES TO CORRESPONDENTS. 



To Correspondents and Exchangers. — Science-Gossip 

 is published on the 25th of each month. All notes or other 

 communications should reach us not later than the i8th of 

 the month for insertion in the following number. No com- 

 munications can be inserted or noticed without full name 

 and address of writer. 



Notice. — Contributors are requested to strictly observe the 

 following rules. All contributions must be clearly written 

 on one side of the paper only. Words intended to be 

 printed in »?a/tVs sh uld be marked under with a single line. 

 Generic names must be given in full, excepting where used 

 immediately before. Capitals may only be used for generic, 

 and not specific names. Scientific names and names of 

 places to be written in round hand 



The Editor is not responsible for unused MSS., neither 

 can he undertake to return them, unless accompanied with 

 stamps for return postage. 



Subscriptions. — Subscriptions to Science-Gossip, at the 

 rate of 6s. 6rf. for twelve months (including postage), should 

 be remitted to the Proprietors, 60, St. Martin's Lane, 

 London, W.C. 



The Editor will be pleased to answer questions and name 

 specimens through the Correspondence column of the maga- 

 zine. Specimens, in good condition, of not more than three 

 species to be sent at one time, carriage paid. Duplicates 

 only to be sent, which will not be returned. The specimens 

 must have identifying numbers attached, together with 

 locality, date and particulars of capture. 



All editorial communications, books or instruments for 

 review, specimens for identification, etc.. to be addressed to 

 John T. Carrington, i, Northumberland .\venue, London, 

 W.C. 



CORRESPONDENCE. 



S. E. Hill (St. Alban's). — The little animals are mites 

 (A cams), but too dry and broken to identify specifically. 



J. Welburn (Driffield). — The plant is "field-madder" 

 (Sharardia atvensis), common among clover and corn. It 

 appears to be harmless to cattle and sheep, even if they eat 

 it. Some authors say they thrive upon it. It is frequently 

 temporally abundant in cultivated fields. 



E. A. Clift (Southamptoni.— You will find full particulars 

 in answer to your enquiries in Dr. Knaggs' " Lepidopterist's 

 Guide " (Cooke and Son, Museum Street. London, W.C, 

 price one shilling). Set your uutterflies and moths well 

 forward, and not sloping down ; place two-thirds up the pin, 

 and set on a rather flat block. 



EXCHANGES. 



Notice. — Exchanges extending to thirty words (including 

 name and address) admitted free, but additional words must 

 be prepaid at the rate of threepence for every seven words 

 or less. 



Cuckoos' eggs with those of foster parent wanted. — 

 W. Wells Bladen, Stone, Staffordshire. 



Offered, Science-Gossip, 1S90-1895, " Naturalist's Jour- 

 nal," 1S94-1S95. Wanted, trilobites and Flatter's slides; in 

 return, shells, fossils, unmounted objects, etc, -A. Sclater, 

 Northumberland Place. Teignmouth. 



A SPLENDID series of spongiform flints, etc., from Mid- 

 Kent, illustrating Bowerbank's " Silicious Bodies of the 

 Chalk," in exchange for lower cretaceous polyzoa (named). 

 — W. Gamble, 2, West Street, New Brompton, Kent. 



