SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



ZOOLOGY 



Lepidoptera at Hastings. — On July 20th I 

 saw a perfect specimen of the large tortoise-shell 

 butterfly {Vanessa polychloros) evidently just out 

 from pupa. It was at rest on a leaf, so affored a 

 good view, Avhen it was at once seen not to be 

 V. iD-tica. On August 3rd I had a larva of the 

 deathshead moth {Ache rout ia atropos) brought to 

 me. It had been found in the centre of Hastings, 

 in a garden, feeding on the common groundsel. 

 Is not this a new food-plant for this species ? 

 Last autumn a friend of mine caught a specimen 

 of Catocala fraxina, that had flown into their 

 house in Hastings, and which I do not think has 

 been hitherto recorded. — H. W. Ford-Lindsay, The 

 Shrubbery, Clive Vale, Hastings ; Atigust ^rd, 1896. 



Vipers ix Damp Places. — ^^*hen in search of 

 sedge-warblers, as described below, it might also 

 be interesting to mention that, in spite of the wet, 

 we saw two vipers, which slipped into the water upon 

 seeing us, and it is worth remarking that I have 

 never been to these marshes \\'ithout finding vipers, 

 which shows their partiality for wet land is quite as 

 great, and in my opinion the more so, as their love 

 for the dry, sandy bank facing the south. I also 

 discovered, suspended on a reed, a large cocoon 

 which I took to be that of the drinker - moth 

 {Odonetis potatoria), but from which, to my 

 pleasure, a lappet moth (Gastropacha qiiercifolia) has 

 since emerged. — H. Mead Briggs, 37, Nunnery 

 Fields, Canterbury ; July 2Sth, 1896. 



Nesting of Sedge-warblers. — Some time ago 

 I ventured to put forward a few short notes -with 

 reference to the nesting-sites of the sedge-warbler 

 {Acrocephalus phragmites), and I then stated (Science- 

 Gossip, vol. ii., p. 156) my own experience had 

 clearly shown that this bird did at times im- 

 doubtedly suspend its nest in the reeds, or rather 

 sedges, in a like manner to the cup-shaped cradle 

 of the reed-warbler. Subsequent!}-, my notes were 

 agreeably confirmed by 'islv. H. K. Swann (Science- 

 Gossip, vol. ii., p. 249), but for many reasons I was 

 unable to adduce further evidence of this habit, so 

 much contradicted by manj- eminent ornithologists, 

 until this year, when, through the kindness of Mr. 

 Carrington and the courtesy of Mr. Stevens, 

 General Manager of the South-Eastern Railway, I 

 was able once more to \-isit an old and favourite 

 localit}' on the South-Eastern Railway Companj^'s 

 land. Unfortunately rain considerably marred our 

 pleasure and hampered our progress on the one and 

 only day it was possible to go, and although, from 

 the standpoint of myself and friend, the outing was 

 more or less a dismal failure, we were able to find 

 two more suspended nests of the sedge-warbler, 

 one of which contained young birds which flew on 

 our approach. The shape of this nest to a great 

 extent has been more or less spoiled by the 3-oung 

 birds and its rough-and-tumble journej-, but by the 

 aid of wires I have tried to restore it as much as 

 possible. This nest was about two feet above the 

 water, close to the edge of the dyke, and as the 

 sedges were old and brittle it was impossible to cut 

 them any length. — H. Mead Briggs, 37, Nunnery 

 Fields, Canterbury ; July 28th, 1896. 



Rare Fungus, Annularia l.evis. — In the 

 autumn of 1894, after the great heat of the pre- 

 ceding summer, I found several specimens of the 

 fungus, Annularia Icsvis, a species and a genus not, 

 as far as I know, hitherto recorded in this country ; 

 the plants were in two different localities, quite a 

 mile distant. Dra'wdngs of these were sent, with 

 others, to Mr. Murray at the South Kensington 

 ^Museum. — E. Wheeler, Clifton, Bristol; June 18th, 



Fruiting of Auracaria. — Referring to the 

 remarks of Mr. Lett (ante p. 24) respecting the 

 fruiting of Atiracaria in Ireland, I do not think it 

 was at all an uncommon occurrence here during 

 the hot summer of 1894. When at Clevedon, 

 Somerset, in the autumn of that year, there were 

 several trees of this species which bore extremely 

 fine cones. No doubt the development of fruit 

 resulted from the abnormal heat of that year. — 

 E. Wheeler, Clifton, Bristol : June 18th, 1896. 



Abnormal Plants at Bolton. — Enclosed you 

 will find a peculiarly-twisted stem of figwort. I do 

 not know if this form is common, but we have 

 come across two examples this season in this 

 neighbourhood, also one with whorled leaves. 

 Another peculiar sport is of the garlic. This was 

 found near Chorley, about nine miles from here, by 

 Mr. J. Ashton. There is an abnormal growth of a 

 leaf from the calyx of the flower. The following 

 double-headed varieties of flowers have also been 

 found near here this season : dandelion, two or 

 three examples of ma}-flower, plantain, treble- 

 headed ox-eye daisy, also unusually deep red- 

 coloured flowers of yarrow. — Thos. Midgley, Chad- 

 iinck Museum, Bolton, Lancashire : July, 1896. 



Bolton Botanical Society. — At the commence- 

 ment of the present year a few botanical enthusiasts 

 waited upon the Chairman of the Aluseum Com- 

 mittee at Bolton, in Lancashire, asking that a 

 Botanical Society might be formed, having the 

 pri\ilege of holding its meetings fortnightly, on 

 Alonday evenings, in the Museum. Permission 

 was granted, and the society formed under the title 

 of "The Borough of Bolton Botanical Society," 

 the annual subscription being only two shillings. 

 Previously there had been many such societies in 

 the town, but they have never had a suitable place 

 of meeting. The new societj' has already over 

 sixty members and numbers of enthusiastic workers. 

 Our aim is to tabulate the flora of the district, and 

 as several of the local landowners have granted the 

 members free access to their estates, I doubt not 

 that with a few seasons' working, this end will be 

 achieved. I enclose you a card, and from this you 

 will see that fortnightly rambles are held ; the 

 specimens collected on the Saturdays being brought 

 down to the meeting, and explained and commented 

 upon on the Monday following. This society 

 cannot fail to encourage in the district a taste for 

 natural science as well as botany. — Thos. Midgley, 

 Hon. Sec., Chadwick Museum, Bolton. 



