SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



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City of London Entomological and Natural 

 History Society. — Tuesday. January 19th, 1897. 

 Exhibits : Mr. E. Heasler, a series oi Aplecta prasina 

 taken at sugar in June last at Brockenhurst ; series 

 of Hylophila bicolorana, bred from larvae taken at 

 Loughton, and H. prasinana, captured at sugar in 

 New Forest. Mr. J. A. Clark, a dark specimen of 

 Acherontia atropos, the larva being taken at 

 Walthamstow in August, and imago emerging 

 November 25th ; also picked variable forms of 

 Angerona pninaria, var. sordiata, six male, four 

 female, bred from ova laid by a female the last of 

 three impregnated by same male. The brood con- 

 sisted of eighty-two larvae, of which about sixty-five 

 successfully passed through all stages. Amongst 

 the males variation occurred in the size of the 

 orange marking in apical angle of fore-wings, 

 which marking coalesced with the central orange 

 area in one specimen ; in another the orange area 

 was streaked with black lines. A female was 

 asymmetrically marked, the left hind-wing being 

 without the broad dark border of the right. Also 

 Aglais {Vanessa) nrtica, caught in August last at 

 Ponder's End, with the black spots at costal 

 margin much suffused, and the two outer confluent. 

 Also two vars. of Pieris raps from same locality, 

 the upper wings of one, a male, being almost 

 perfectly white, with no darkening at tip of 

 fore-wings, and the black spot in the middle 

 showing dimly ; the second, a female, having 

 the hinder of the two spots on upper wing in 

 duplicate. Mr. G. R. Garland, larvae oiTrochilium 

 crabroniformis [bemheciformis), from Manchester, 

 feeding on wood of willow ; also a series of Nyssia 

 zonaria, taken at Blundellsands, near Liverpool ; 

 and a sample of cotton made by a new patent 

 process to imitate silk. Mr. D. C. Bate, five well- 

 marked male and one female DasycJiira pudibunda, 

 bred from larvae ivith black hairs ; all emerged in 

 November, having been kept indoors. Also 

 Pacilocampa populi, the larva being beaten at 

 Dorking, In endeavouring to breed Hybernia 

 defoliaria he said his imagines emerged dwarfs, 

 three being exhibited. The larvae were obtained at 

 Dulwich, and wild moths shown from same locality 

 were of normal size. Mr. Clark suggested the 

 dwarfing was perhaps caused by keeping the larvae 

 too dry. Mr. L. J. Tremayne read a paper 

 entitled, "The History of Silk," and a vote of 

 thanks was heartily accorded him. — Hon. Sees., L. 

 J. Tremayne, H. A. Sauzi^. 



The South London Ento.mological and 

 Natural History Society.— January 2Sth. Mr. 

 R. South, F.E.S., President, in the chair. This 

 was the Annual Meeting and devoted to receiving 

 the report of the Council, the reading of the 

 balance sheet and the address of the retiring 

 President. The officers and Council elected for the 

 ensuing year were: — President, R. Adkin, F.E.S. ; 

 Vice-Presidents, R. South, F.E.S., and J. W. 

 Tutt, F.E.S.: Hon. Treasurer, T. W. Hall. F.E.S. : 

 Hon. Librarian, H. A. Sauze : Hon. Curator, W. 

 West (Greenwich) ; Hon. Secretaries, Stanley 



Edwards, F.L.S.. F.E.S., and H. J. Turner, F.E.S. ; 

 Council, Messrs. C. G. Barrett, F.E.S., A. W. 

 Dennis, H. S. Fremlin, F.E.S., W. Mansbridge, 

 F.E.S , A. W. Mera, Hy. Tunaley, F.E.S., and 

 Col. C. E. Partridge. Mr. South then delivered 

 his address. After referring to the good position 

 which the Society still continued to maintain in 

 membership and usefulness as well as in its 

 finances, he pointed out various lines of study 

 which members of the Society might with benefit 

 take up. Especial interest was attached to the 

 study of the various means of protection in 

 insects. He spoke of the extraordinary interest 

 shown in natural history by the general public, 

 as evinced by the success of so many recent pub- 

 lications. After enumerating the new additions 

 to the British fauna, he remarked on the 

 growing interest taken by British entomologists in 

 European lepidoptera, and said that no doubt 

 the result would be the degradation of many now 

 called species. In reference to the study of varia- 

 tion he considered that much more attention might 

 be paid to the distribution of varieties. He stated 

 that classification seemed to be in a state of chaos, 

 each of the several works recently issued on 

 lepidoptera differed very materially in that 

 respect. He referred in glowing terms to the 

 recent experiments of Weismann, and urged all 

 those who took an interest in breeding to work 

 much more on experimental lines. — February nth, 

 Mr. R. Adkin, F.E.S., President, in the chair. Mr. 

 Barrett exhibited specimens of a species new to 

 Britain, Platyptilia tessaradactylus, taken by Mr. 

 de V. Kane in the west of Ireland ; the specimens 

 were greyer than the usual German form. Mr. 

 Routledge, a fine var. of Dianthiscia conspersa, bred 

 from Orkney ; it was generally ochreous, the usually 

 white markings being grey. Mr. Tutt, dead larvae of 

 Hepialus lupulinus, which had been attacked by a 

 fungus. Living larvae were also shown which had 

 nibbled the dead ones. On behalf of Mr. Fletcher, 

 of Worthing, he exhibited a series of hybrid Zygae- 

 nidas, from continental Z. ochsenheimeri and British 

 Z. filipendula', which hybrid race was perfectly 

 fertile ; also, on behalf of Mr. Prince, of Cheshire, 

 a large box of common species, showing the local 

 forms and range of variation ; among these the 

 Nyssia zonaria was most interesting for the varia- 

 tion in the transverse lines ; and, on behalf of Dr. 

 Chapman, the living larva oiBryopIiila perla, showing 

 its silken gallery to which it retires during the day ; 

 it was noted that the species did not hibernate, but 

 fed all the winter. Mr. McArthur, a specimen of 

 Aplecta occulta just bred from a Rannoch larva. 

 Mr. Adkin, a series of the same species, part taken 

 and part bred from larvae taken at the same locality. 

 The)' were of good size and very darkly marked. 

 Mr. Perks, specimens of the "Jumping Bean," a 

 Mexican fruit containing the larvae of Carpocapsa 

 salt! tans. The remainder of the evening was devoted 

 to the exhibition, by means of the lantern, of some 

 sixty photo-micrographic slides of insect anatomy 

 by Mr. F. Clark, aided by Mr. Furneaux, F.R.G.S. 

 Some of the prepared objects from which slides had 

 been made were kindly lent by Mr. W. West, of 

 Streatham. Mr. Clark first showed, by means of 

 diagrams, his method of making the slides, and then 

 went on to exhibit various forms of antennae, the 

 trachae, se\eral forms of the tongue, the compound 

 eye, scales of lepidoptera, hairs of common larvae 

 and a most interesting series of the parasites of 

 man and animals. The large screen used had been 

 bought by Mr. Edwards and most kindly presented 

 to the Society, which is now admirably equipped 



