SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



137 



Otters in Buckinghamshire. — The l>ucks 

 Otter Hounds are stated to have killed no less than 

 seventy otters this season in the county. This docs 

 not look as though these interesting animals were 

 becoming extinct. — John T. Carringtoii. 



Late Swift. — Whilst watching the birds on the 

 lake in Kew Gardens to day, I was surprised to 

 note a solitary example of the swift {Micropus apiis) 

 still lingering here. I called the attention of one of 

 the keepers of the gardens to the bird, who also 

 recognized it as being undoubtedly a swift. Is not 

 this unusually late ? Referring to my diary I find 

 my previous latest date, August 23rd, 1S94. — 

 H. Mead-Biiggs, Ealing ; September 6th, 1S9G. 



Whirlwind off Isle of Wight. — On the 

 evening of August 25th we were standing in the 

 garden overlooking the sea, and watching the 

 ragged edge of a very heavy black cloud passing 

 over the sea from the north-west. About a quarter 

 to seven o'clock one of our party drew our attention 

 to a peculiar oblong projection hanging from the 

 edge of this cloud. This projection rapidly became 

 longer, till it reached a point about half-way 

 between the cloud and the sea, when the lower 

 part of it appeared to fall down, expand and 

 become invisible, while the upper half gradually 

 returned to the cloud. This action was evidently 

 caused by a whirhvind, for that part of the sea on 

 to which the lower half fell could be seen broken 

 into spray, and moving, for a short time, rapidly in 

 a south-easterly direction. We could hear no 

 sound, but about a mile to the west the " roaring " 

 of the water could be heard. The movement then 

 subsided. The cloud scenery about this time was 

 very fine, several curtains of dark cloud over- 

 hanging the sea. The next day a short but fairly 

 heavy thunderstorm occurred, with showers of rain, 

 and the weather in a very disturbed condition. 

 Since writing the above, I hear that three water- 

 spouts were seen on the same day, two off 

 Atherfield, about four miles west of this place, and 

 one off here. This last was described as a 

 cylinder, down which water was being poured, 

 while the tail of cloud connecting it with the cloud 

 above was of serpentine or S form. — Frank Sich, 

 juni'., Niton, Isle 0/ Wight ; August 2-jth, 1896. 



Caterpillar of the Eyed Hawk-Moth. — 

 Early last June I had brought to me a pair of eyed 

 hawk-moths (Smerinthus occllatus) taken in copula. 

 I placed the female in a large box, and had the 

 satisfaction of obtaining about one hundred eggs 

 from her. These, in the course of ten or twehe 

 days, hatched out, and ha\'ing no other food placed 

 handy I fed the young larv.x on poplar, of which 

 there was an unlimited supply in the neighbour- 

 hood. They readily took this, and allowing for 

 deaths in skin changes and over-crowding, I think 

 I was extremely successful in getting eighty to pass 

 into pupse. At one time it looked extremely 

 doubtful if I should obtain anything like this 

 number, as I was suddenly called away from home 



for a few days, just when the caterpillars were full- 

 grown and were wanting to go under the earth. 

 Having no earth available, when I returned I found 

 to my dismay about thirty contracted forms to all 

 appearances lifeless, but being busy I did not 

 throw them away as was my intention. They 

 remained like this in a box for some ten days. 

 Noticing one of the others in the box where I 

 placed the fresh food did not go under the earth 

 that I had provided them, but only partly, as a dead 

 leaf concealed it, had succeeded in becoming a 

 chrysalis, I covered the thirty with a cloth, thus 

 leaving them in darkness, and to my surprise twenty- 

 three out of them passed into pupa- that same night. 

 The others did so in the course of a day or so. 

 This naturally has raised a thought in my mind — if 

 the reason for passing under ground is to escape 

 the light rather than for any other desire ? It might 

 furthermore be interesting to add that two of the 

 thirty, in spite of the unpleasantness of their 

 surroundings, do not seem t(j have in any way 

 suffered, as on August loth they emerged as perfect 

 moths, thus making a double brood. Curiously 

 these two both came out the same night, within a 

 few minutes of each other. My attention was 

 called to them as I was going to bed by the 

 noise the chrysalis made in bursting : it was quite 

 a loud "pop." — //. Mead-Briggs, Canterbuiy; August 

 2.0th, 1S9G. 



The Label List for Five-banded Shells— 

 Writing in a letter from Mesilla, New Mexico, 

 U.S.A., August 15th, 1S96, to Mr. Carrington, Mr. 

 Theo. D. A. Cockerell says; "Many thanks for 

 Label List of Snail-Shells — a very useful production 

 certainly. I see Mr. Gude has given a review, so I 

 will only concern myself with a few criticisms. 

 The Conchological Society was quite illogical in 

 its method of selecting varieties or mutations for 

 citation, and you are equally illogical in following 

 them. Under Helix nemoralis why are not 

 citrinozonata, CklL, and rupozonata, Ckll. (with 

 yellow and rufous — not pink — bands respectively), 

 as good as roseozonata and hyalozonata ? Why is not 

 luteolaliata, Ckll. (lip tinged with yellow), as good 

 as roscolaliata ? Why is not tenuis, Ckll. (MS., Marq., 

 1SS9), as good as the tenuis var. of Itortensis .^ And 

 I think aurantia, Ckll., 1SS5, the beautiful orange 

 unhanded var., should be added, as also petiverid 

 and shideria. These I recommend merely as 

 ranking with those accepted. Others of less note 

 I do not now press. In H. Itortensis var. luteoLiliata 

 was defined and named by me in 1SS7, long before 

 Mr. Adams. The form rufozonata, Ckll., 1SS7. 

 should, I think, also go in : likewise fallida, Ckll.. 

 1SS4. H. aspersa var. luteseens, Ckll., 1SS7, seems to 

 me also valid enough. I know my views about 

 naming variations are not orthodox, and I hope you 

 will understanil that 1 would not criticise you for 

 not adopting them ; all I urge is that you should be 

 consistent in whatever system you do adopt. Now 

 as to the band formula?. It would have been x'cry 

 desirable to indicate which had occurred in Great 

 P.ritain and Irclaml, and which not. That would 

 stimulate collectors to look for the missing ones In 

 " British Naturalist," July, iSo,), you will find alist 

 by me of tho.se actually reconled up to the time I 

 left iMigland. Since then Mr. A. Belt has added two 

 or three in a paper in Rep. ICaling Soc. I think 

 Mr. Gude added a few in ' iMcld,' and perhaps 

 some others have been recorded. .\ great deal 

 more might be said, but I am writing at home and 

 all my snail note-books and MSS. are at the 

 college." 



