SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



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appeared to be (i) that it destroys the balance of 

 nature ; (2) that it hinders scientific work. But, 

 said Mr. Robbins, the balance of nature is being 

 inevitably destroyed by man every day in the ordi- 

 nary course of his existence. It is perpetually 

 fluctuating in all well-populated countries. The 

 effect of our own small scientific transplantations 

 would practically not be felt among all this fluctua- 

 tion. Dealing with the second objection, Mr. 

 Kobbins said that he presumed the scientific work 

 chiefly hindered by transplantation was the compila- 

 tion of local listsand the study of the phenomena 

 of distribution deduced from them. This seemed 

 a serious consideration, but the hindrance was more 

 apparent than real. In a country like our own, the 

 fauna and flora are already so well known that any 

 introduction is quickly recognised as such, and if the 

 introduced species thrives, it enriches our fauna 

 and flora, and provides us with additional scientific 

 material, without creating confusion. An artifici- 

 ally introduced species would have no chance of 

 survival if the conditions were not similar to its 

 native haunts. Moreover, transplantation was 

 often of great use in preserving a rare species, and 

 might sometimes be necessary to ascertain facts by 

 experiment. In conclusion, Mr. Robbins recom- 

 mended the introduction of various conifers into 

 Epping Forest, and the re-establishment therein of 

 the White Admiral and Silver Washed Fritillary, 

 and said that, quite apart from utility, he considered 

 almost all genuine work of this kind justified by the 

 increase of beauty and interest which might thus 

 be provided in the world around us. Mr. Prout 

 replied in the negative. He agreed with Mr. R. 

 W. Robbins that transplantation was of course 

 justifiable under certain circumstances, but objected 

 to it as a practice, and claimed that unless from 

 the point of view of a naturalist it could be proved 

 perfectly harmless, the point of view of the artist, 

 or that of the utilitarian, could not come at all 

 before the consideration of the meeting. He 

 proceeded to contend that our mission is to study 

 nature, not to improve upon her. Many of the 

 most important scientific problems in natural 

 history are worked out chiefly or entirely on data 

 of geographical distribution ; and no naturalist has 

 any right to hinder or even risk hindering the 

 progress of scientific research in the department of 

 which he professes to be a devotee, merely for the 

 sake of some selfish gratification or even for the 

 sake of giving pleasure to lovers of variety in 

 natural surroundings. Transplantation, without 

 the fullest publicity, is an offence against scientific 

 knowledge. Transplantation to save extermination 

 is chiefly or entirely within the same district. Trans- 

 plantation to restore extinct forms is indefensible. 

 Accidental transplantation is sometimes inevitable, 

 but that of course was not under consideration, and 

 is generally too inconsiderable in extent to do any 

 serious harm. Summing up, Mr. Prout said that 

 biological science demands accurate data of 

 geographical distribution ; that transplantation, 

 especially of the more obscure forms of life, can 

 hardly possibly be made so public that all consequent 

 error is avoided ; and only too often, if naturalists do 

 not set their faces firmly against the whole practice, 

 there will be found those who are willing to trans- 

 plant with the intention to deceive : and a very 

 fruitful source of error and trouble be thereby 

 created. IMr. Bacot said that this question of 

 transplantation applied also to man. He himself 

 was an outcome of transplantation, as instanced 

 by the Huguenot immigration, which had probably 

 not resulted in the increased happiness of their 



descendants, but he fancied it had been on the 

 whole to the advantage of the English rare. 

 Of course transplantation was justifiable on any 

 and every plea. Certainly on precedent, for man 

 had transplanted himself in every age, though 

 not always successfully. With regard to trans- 

 plantation causing difficulties in settling the 

 geographical distribution of animals and plants, 

 Mr. Bacot asked whether Mr. Prout would consider, 

 because one hundred or one thousand specimens of 

 any given species were to be found in a certain 

 district, that this would prove them to be firmly 

 established in the country. Would he not try to 

 discern if the environment were suitable to all, and 

 whether any might have been transplanted by some 

 agency other than its own, before considering the 

 point settled ? After reading a modern work on 

 the distribution of organic life, is it not patent 

 that every portion of the globe must be visited 

 occasionally by winged or finned animals or seeds, 

 and that there are numberless chances of getting 

 from place to place for species which do not possess 

 these advantages ? Was not the crucial question 

 of distribution rather one of suitability of environ- 

 ment and adaptability of the organism than of 

 actual opportunity of the plant or animal in 

 one or another stage to reach any particular des- 

 tination. There were, of course, exceptions to 

 this, but they were not so numerous as might be 

 supposed at first consideration. The question 

 being subsequently put to the vote, the meeting 

 decided in the affirmative. — Thursday, October 

 22nd, 1896. Mr. C. B. Smith, President, in 

 the chair. The exhibits chiefly comprised 

 specimens of Hypsipetcs sordidata, which were 

 shown by Messrs. C. Nicholson, Prout and R. W. 

 Robbins. Mr. Prout, beside his own cabinet 

 drawer of the species, showed interesting variable 

 series, lent by Major Robertson, of Cheltenham and 

 Mr. G. T. Porritt, of Huddersfield, the latter being 

 bred examples of the small bilberry-fed form. Mr. 

 Prout also exhibited a short series of Caiadrina 

 ambigua, two specimens of Lucania albipuncta (one 

 very red the other quite grey), and a strongly 

 marked specimen of Mamcstra abjccta, all captured 

 at Sandown, in 1S96. Messrs. C. Nicholson and 

 L. J. Tremayne reported Lepidoptera practically 

 absent, and recent weather execrable, from North 

 Wales and the New Forest. Mr. Prout read a 

 paper on " Hypsipetcs sordidata,'" the name of which 

 he said would probably have to be altered, for that 

 of furcata had a better title in accordance with the 

 law of priority, and he expected a still older term 

 would be unearthed. The paper dealt with the 

 nomenclature and variation of the species, and in- 

 cluded an excellent rough table of its various forms. 

 Regarding its differentiation, Mr. Prout said that 

 Guenee's pale spot on the outer band was not 

 absolutely reliable, nor, he was afraid, was Meyrick's 

 differentiation, but the general aspect of the insect 

 was so different from that of H. trifasciata and H. 

 rnbcrata, that no distinguishing character need be 

 selected. The species was essentially a northern 

 one, though common all over the British Isles ; but 

 local on the Continent, disappearing altogether as 

 one proceeds southwards. Mr. Prout also narrated 

 its life-history, and informed the meeting of the 

 incorrectness of Newman's account, that the young 

 caterpillars emerge from the egg in twelve days and 

 hibernate half-grown. He described how he had 

 been led to doubt this by noticing (i) the develop- 

 ment of ovipositor in the female, which suggested 

 secure concealment of the eggs, which would hardly 

 be necessary if they were to hatch in twelve days, 



