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SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



the " beans " in situ. Mr. S. J. Bell, two Triphaena 

 orbona {subsequa) taken in the New Forest this year. 

 Mr. Bayne asked whether any member had observed 

 Nisoniades tagcs at rest at night. He noticed that 

 when lantern-light was turned on this species it 

 dropped its wings from the usual butterfly position 

 to that known as the "penthouse " position. Mr. 

 Tutt remarked that Spilothyrus altliaca (a Continental 

 species) when perfect rests with wings depressed, 

 like a geometer ; but when worn it raises them over 

 its back. Mr. Tutt read a paper, "The Antennae 

 of Lepidoptera, their Structure, Functions and 

 Evolution." — Tuesday, November 3rd, i8g6. 

 Exhibits ; Mr. Oldham, Plusia chrysitis (one larger 

 and one darker than usual), Plusia iota and 

 Anthocaris cardamines (with exceptionally small 

 central spots), all from Wisbech ; also a very long 

 and variable series of Triphaena pronuba, taken in 

 his garden at Woodford, during the years 1892-95, 

 and a small pale specimen of Naenia typica from 

 the same district. Mr. H. H. May, three 

 male and three female Boarmia repandata, var. 

 conversaria, from Lyndhurst, June, 1896, and 

 a male Himera pennaria with the wings of a 

 suffused smoky brown, and the apical white spot 

 rather larger than usual. Mr. Tutt, specimens 

 of Xanthia ocellaris and M. gilvago for comparison, 

 to show that they could not well be mistaken for 

 each other, although the fore-wings of gilvago are 

 occasionally somewhat pointed. Captain B. B. 

 Thompson then re-opened the discussion on Bombyx 

 quercus and B. callunae (continued from May 5th 

 last), and exhibited these species. The discussion 

 was continued by Mr. Tutt, who gave a summary 

 of extracts from the " Record," and Messrs. Bacot, 

 Bayne, Nicholson, Prout, J. C. Warburg and 

 others, many of whom exhibited their series. Mr. 

 Warburg's exhibit also included long bred series of 

 B. Sparta from the south of France. Messrs. W. 

 Hewett, of York, and A. Home, of Aberdeen, also 

 very kindly sent most beautiful series of B. callunae 

 from their respective localities for exhibition. 

 From the general mass of the evidence brought 

 forward, it seemed probable that B. quercus, B. 

 callunae and B. spartii are all local varieties of one 

 species, as there appeared to be no character 

 whatever sufficiently constant to enable them to 

 be infallibly separated. Mr. Bacot said that he 

 had opened an egg of Pamphila {Hesperia) comma on 

 October nth last, and had found the young larva 

 fully developed within. — C. Nicholson and L. J. 

 Tremayne, Hon. Sees. 



South London Entomological and Natural 

 History Society. — October 22nd, 1896, Mr. C. G. 

 Barrett, F.E.S., Vice-President, in the chair. Mr. 

 A. F. Potter, of Whangarei, Auckland, New Zea- 

 land, was elected a member. Mr. R. Adkin exhibited 

 a series of Hadena adusta, from Shetland, very 

 beautifully marked. Mr. Ficklin, bred specimens 

 of Liiperina cespitis from larvae taken on grass stems 

 in the spring. He suggested that their small size 

 was due to the proper food being grass roots and 

 not the green blades. A large number of specimens 

 of Tcphrosia crepusctilaria and T. biundularia were 

 shown by Messrs. Tutt, Henderson, Barrett, 

 Auld, Mera, Mansbridge, de V. Kane, Tunaley, 

 H. Williams, and Chittenden, forming such a 

 collection of forms as, in the opinion of all present, 

 had never been before brought together. In reply 

 to Mr. Barrett's re-assertion, based on Mrs. 

 Bazett's captures, that these two are one species, 

 Mr. Tutt read a very exhaustive paper. He as- 

 sumed that the earlier species should be termed 



T. bistortata and the later one T. crepuscularia, as 

 Mr. Prout asserted, and said that the difference of 

 opinion among entomologists was largely a matter 

 of the definition of a " species." They each had 

 distinct life-cycles, distinct facies and one had 

 seasonal dimorphism, besides which each bred true 

 to its own race. He showed that errors had arisen 

 from statements made on insufficient data and 

 from too much reliance being placed on various 

 authors' writings, such as those made in Newman's 

 " Moths." He reviewed the discussion which took 

 place some ten years ago in the magazines, and 

 said that the concensus of opinion then was the 

 same as his own. The opinions of the chief 

 opponents were then discussed in detail, especially 

 the various contributions of Mr. Barrett to the 

 discussion. He showed by quotations that Mr. 

 Barrett had accepted the idea of two species until 

 he recently received certain specimens and data 

 from Mrs. Bazett, including some supposed second 

 brood T. biundularia. After stating that these were 

 undoubtedly T. crepuscularia second brood, he 

 referred to the evidence offered as to distinctness 

 by Messrs. Porritt, Fenn and Tugwell, who had 

 bred both species, and pointed out the differences 

 which separated the two. He showed that 

 parallelism was not a sign of unity of species, nor 

 was it right to compare dates of years like 1888 

 with 1893. He discussed the Scotch forms, and 

 remarked that they more nearly resembled the 

 German specimens. Mr. Henderson said that he 

 had taken T. crepuscularia in the very woods where 

 it was stated by Mrs. Bazett not to occur. His 

 experience and remarks agreed wholly with Mr. 

 Tutt's, and he mentioned that the late Mr. J. A. 

 Cooper had reared a second brood of T. biundularia. 

 The remarks made by the other exhibitors all 

 tended to support the case as put forth in Mr. 

 Tutt's paper. Mr. de Vismes Kane sent an 

 account of the occurrence of the only species 

 (T. biundularia) occurring in Ireland, together with 

 a typical exhibit. In reply to the vote of thanks 

 proposed by Mr. Barrett and seconded by Mr. 

 Auld, Mr. Tutt said that the idea of species was 

 simply a matter of utility, and as there were two 

 distinct life cycles, it was more convenient to con- 

 sider them as two species, although they might be 

 very closely allied. Mr. Montgomery reported 

 that there was considerable doubt about his record, 

 on September 24th, that N . diptrapezium occurred 

 in Yorkshire. — Hy.J. Turner, Hon. heport Secretary. 



North London Natural History Society. — 

 Thursday, October 8th, 1896, Mr. C. B. Smith, Presi- 

 dent, in the chair. Exhibits: Mr. Woodward, 

 ahnovmiiy oi Arctia plantaginis hsivrng the last pair 

 of legs replaced by wings ; Mijs Nicholson, fruit of 

 the jessamine ; Mr. C. B. Smith, Macroglossafuci- 

 formis, M. bombyliformis and Bombyx trefolii from 

 Lydhurst, Macroglossa stellatarum from Cromer and 

 Ellopia prosapiaria from Oxshott. Mr. Goymour 

 recorded the capture of a specimen of Catocala 

 fraxijii at rest on the trunk of a lime tree in the 

 Stamford Hill district, on September 27th. The in- 

 sect measured four inches across the wings and was 

 in very fair condition. Mr. R. W. Robbins opened 

 a debate entitled, "Transplantation — is it justifi- 

 able?" He took a decided affirmative, and main- 

 tained that transplantation wks justifiable in all 

 cases, excepting when practised for fraudulent and 

 dishonest purposes, and frequently advantageous. In 

 agriculture and many other instances there was no 

 disagreement between himself and his opponent ; 

 the main objections to scientific transplantation 



