12 



SCIEXCE-GOSSIP. 



Folkestone Natural History and Micro- 

 scopical Society. — This Society, which has just 

 entered on its 26th year of existence, held its 

 usual Monthly Meeting in the Lecture Hall 

 of the Museum, on Tuesday evening, February 

 6th. The Secretary, Mr. Henry Ullyett B.Sc, read 

 a paper on " The Mammoth and its Extinction," 

 The writer gave a brief description of the Mammoth, 

 and of the abundance of its remains. He placed 

 before his audience the theories accounting for its 

 w-idespread and apparently sudden destruction, 

 dwelling specially on the explanation recently ad- 

 vocated by Sir H. Howorth and Sir J. W. Dawson. 



Norfolk and Norwich Naturalists' Society. 

 — A meeting was held January 30th last, the 

 president, Mr. T. Southwell, F.Z.S., in the chair. 

 Mr. Silcock exhibited varieties of the Mealy and 

 Common Redpolls. Mr. J. H. Gnrney, F.Z.S., 

 exhibited and read some notes on a female specimen 

 of a Scaup duck which had partially assumed male 

 plumage. A hybrid between the tree and house 

 sparrows was shown bv Mr. Southwell, on behalf of 

 the Rev. Julian Tuck, of Tostock. Mr. F. W. Har- 

 mer, F.G.S., read a paper on " The Age of a Flint 

 Implement found at Hellesdon." Mr. Mayfield sent 

 some ' ' Notes on Norfolk Earth-worms. ' ' The list of 

 " Norfolk Fishes," by Dr. Lowe, brought up to 

 date, was submitted, as also was the list of ' ' Norfolk 

 Birds. ' by Messrs. Gurney and Southwell, the 

 recent additions bringing the total number of 

 species observed in Norfolk up to 296. Mr. W. H. 

 Tuck sent a list of Coleoptera captured by him in 

 Suffolk, also an interesting note on " The Growth 

 of Eels." Mr. Patterson read some notes on 

 ' Natural History for December and January." 



The South London Entomological and 

 Natural History Society, Annual Meeting, 25th 

 January, 1894, J. Jenner Weir, Esq., F.L.S., Presi- 

 dent, in the chair. — This was the .A nn ual Meeting 

 and no exhibits were made, the occasion being devoted 

 to hearing the Treasurer's and Council's Reports and 

 the Address of the retiring President. The Presi- 

 dent presented a handsome album to the Society, 

 and said he hoped that all the members would con- 

 tribute their portraits, as such a collection would, 

 in the future, probably be of great interest and 

 value. The following gentlemen were then elected 

 the officers for the ensuing year : — President, Mr. 

 E. Step: Vice-presidents, Mr. J. Jenner Weir, F.L.S., 

 and Mr. C. G. Barrett, F.E.S.; Treasurer, Mr. 

 R. Adkin. F.E.S. : Librarian and Report Secretary, 

 Mr. Hv. J. Turner, F.E.S. ; General Secretary, Mr. 

 S. Edwards, F.L.S. : Curat:;-, Mr. W. West. In 

 his Address, the President showed fully the plea- 

 sures and advantages derived from the study of 

 Entomology. He spoke of recent attentions which 

 have been given to classification, noticing especially 

 the admirable work of Dr. Chapman, and made 

 considerable reference to Melanism, coupling there- 

 with the results of the laborious experiments cf 

 Mr. Merrifield. A graceful reference to the 

 late Mr. H. T. Stainton, as one who "being 

 dead vet speaketh," and words of welcome to the 



incoming President, ended a most able address. 

 February 8th, 1S94, E. Step, Esq., President, 

 in the chair. — Mr. Carpenter exhibited A& 



..;. Bork, not distinguishable from a southern 

 form of A. tritici, all from Aberdeen. Mr. W. F. 

 Warne, a case of nearly two dozen species of 

 Rhopalocera, taken by himself, near Rockhampton, 

 in Queensland, last year, representing one morning's 

 captures. They included that American wanderer, 

 Anosia plexippus, and Deiopeia pidchelia. Mr. W. A. 

 Pearce, series of butterflies taken by himself in 

 Alleghany, U.S.A., during 1892-3. A discussion 

 ensued upon remarks by Mr. John T. Carrington, 

 as to the singularity of a species like Vanessa antiopa 

 being gregarious in the larval stage, while the 

 imagines were seldom met with in company. 

 Mr. R. Adkin showed examples of Crambi, and 

 pointed out characters by which the closely 

 allied species might be easily separated. Mr. 

 De nni s, a specimen of Vanessa io, L., with a 

 small additional ocellus on each secondary wing, 

 while below the central costal blotch on the 

 primaries was a smaller dark blotch. Mr. H. 

 Williams, specimens of P.;; :'j brassiae, L., curiously 

 tinted from contact with liquid ammonia. Mr. 

 J. Jenner Weir, on behalf of Mr. Adye, a specimen 

 of Plusia moneta, taken at Christchurch in 1893, 

 and a nearly black specimen of Venilia macularia, L., 

 from the New Forest ; also, on behalf of him- 

 self, Eucheira socialis, Westw. (perhaps the most 

 archaic form of the Pierine sub-family extant), 

 and contributed notes. Mr. Frohawk, a bred series 

 of Argvnnis euphrosyne, L., which were nearly eleven 

 months in the larval stage. Mr. Sauze, a large 

 number of Diptera, captured in 1893. Mr. Manger, 

 an example of a Land Crab (Ocypode cursor), from 

 Lagos, which was so nimble as only to be obtained 

 by shooting. — Hy.J. Turner, Hon. Report. Sec. 



Streatham Entomological Club. — This Club 

 was formed in January last among the Entomolo- 

 gists who reside in the neighbourhood of 

 Streatham. The meetings partake of the character 

 of a club, and, we understand, there are neither 

 subscriptions nor formal rules, the Members 

 associating in a friendly manner to talk over 

 matters biological, and exhibit specimens. The 

 Hon. Secretary is Mr. John Henderson, Penfold 

 Road, Streatham, S.W. At the meeting of January 

 22nd, Mr. C. H. Watson in the chair, there were 

 several interesting exhibits of local and general 

 interest, including fine vars. of Abraxas gross- 

 lilariaia by Mr. J. Henderson, upon which remarks 

 were made by Messrs. F. W. Frohawk and J. H. 

 Carpenter. By Mr. Watson, Arg r^Iaia and 



A . adippe, from the New Forest, also a specimen of 

 a second brood of Apatura iris. Messrs. M. H. 

 Winkley and A. C. Forrester supported a proposi- 

 tion to commence at an early date the formation 

 of a reliable local list of insects still found in that , 

 part of the London district. The meeting held 

 February 5th was well attended, there being ex- 

 hibits bv W. A. Pearce (Lepidoptera from America) ; 

 A. C. Forrester (from Perth) ; also by M. Winkley, 

 C. H. Watson (some Cicadas from the New Forest), 

 and J. Henderson. 



City of London College Science Soc:zr . — 

 On the 9th February, Mr. L. W. Fulcher, B.Sc, 

 F.C.S., read a Paper on the "Physical Theory of 

 Solutions." Mr. Fulcher stated that the theory, 

 due to Van Hoff, arose from his conception of the 

 function of " Osmotic pressure." Mr. Fulcher 

 remarked that no theory had yet been thoroughly 

 established. — G. H. Powell, Hon. Sec. 



