SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



47 



Royal Meteorological Society. — At the 

 monthly meeting, held on February 21st, the 

 following papers were read: — " Temperature, Rain- 

 fall, and Sunshine at Las Palmas, Grand Canary," by 

 1 1]' [ . Cleasby Taylor. The author gave the results 

 of his observations during the five years, 1889-93. 

 The island of Grand Canary occupies a position 

 midway between the African continent and the 

 most western of the Canary group. The diurnal 

 range of temperature fluctuates considerably with 

 the variations in wind and sunshine, but any sudden 

 variation is very rare. The rainfall is not great, 

 though it is spread over a large number of days, 

 the average yearly amount being S90 inches. The 

 greater part of the rain falls during October to 

 January, while the period from June to September 

 is practically rainless. "Report on the Phonological 

 Observations for 1893," by Mr. E. Mawley. This is 

 a series of observations made on the flowering of 

 plants, appearance of insects, and the song and 

 nesting of birds. The year 1893 was in complete 

 contrast to its predecessor, being very forward 

 throughout the United Kingdom. The February 

 and March plants were later than usual in blossom- 

 ing, especially in the colder parts of our islands ; 

 but after this the dates were everywhere in advance 

 of the average, and during the height of the flower- 

 ing season the departures from the mean were often 

 considerable. 



Malacological Society of London. — Ordinary 

 meeting held on March 9th, Dr. Henry Woodward, 

 F.R.S., Pres. G.S., in the chair. The following 

 papers were read : — " On the value of Aneylastrum," 

 by Charles Hedley ; " Revision of the British 

 Eocene Cephalopoda," by R. Bullen Newton and 

 G. F. Harris; "Description of new Chinese 

 Glausilice," by Dr. O. Boettger and B. Schenacker ; 

 "On the South African Polyplacophora, by E. R. 

 Sykes. Mr. Da Casta exhibited species of Cydotus 

 from Bogota and of Cyclostoma from Africa and 

 Madagascar. Mr. E. A. Smith exhibited specimens 

 of Conns cedonulli, also varieties of Bulimics oblongus. 

 Mr. G. B. Sowerby exhibited species of Spondylus, 

 and Mr. E. R. Sykes, species of Chinese Clausilue. 



Greenock Natural History Society. — On 

 22nd February, the Secretary, Mr. G. W. Niven, 

 read a paper entitled " The Evolution of Naviga- 

 tion and Nautical Astronomy. The progress of 

 astronomical and geographical knowledge was 

 traced to the time of Prince Henry of Portugal, 

 when scientific navigation may be said to have 

 commenced. The nautical instruments used from 

 the 15th century to the present time were next 

 described. These included the sea quadrant, 

 astrolabe, cross-staff, fore-staff, back-staff, noctur- 

 nal, Davis quadrant and others. Incidents connected 

 with invention of the sextant were narrated, and 

 photographs shown of the first designs of Newton's 

 and Hadley's instruments. An account of the 

 establishment of national observatories and the pub- 

 lication of nautical almanacks concluded the lecture, 

 which was illustrated with about sixtv lantern slides. 



Norfolk and Norwich Naturalists' Society. 

 — A meeting was held in the Museum, Norwich, 

 on February 27th, the President (Mr. T. Southwell. 

 F.Z.S.) in the chair. Mr. T. E. Gunn, F I 

 exhibited an adult female specimen of the Great 

 Bustard, killed at Costessey on the i^t February. 

 The bird weighed sib., being rather un<icr the 

 average for its sex. The stomach was filled with 

 green food, and contained five flat pieces of flint 

 and pottery. Mr. (iunn also read some notes 

 dealing with previous migratorv occurrences of 

 this bird in Norfolk. Mr. H. D. Geldart read 

 " Notes on Plants collected in the Faeroes by 

 Colonel Fielden." The interest of the flora of 

 these islands was shown to be more in the 

 distribution of the plants and problems connected 

 with it, than in the species themselves. The 

 theory that all flowering plants were driven out 

 of the Faeroes, Iceland, and Greenland, during the 

 ice age, and returned in more genial times by 

 immigration over a bridge supposed to have been 

 formed by elevation of the sea-bottom between 

 Rona and the Faeroes, and thence to Iceland and 

 Greenland, following a line of submarine shoals- 

 still existing, was shown by analogy with the 

 present state of Greenland to be unlikely, and that 

 distribution from a circumpolar continent in remote 

 pras-Glacial times is more probable. Mr. A. W. 

 Preston, F.R.Met.S., contributed his " Meteoro- 

 logical notes" for 1893. A note on the Hybrid 

 Sparrow exhibited at the January meeting on 

 behalf of Rev. Julian Tuck, by Mr. J. H. Gurney 

 was read. Mr. Southwell laid on the table the 

 additions to the mammalia of Norfolk since the 

 last published list ; also his notes on the Herring 

 Fishery for 1893, which were taken as read. 



The South London Entomological anl 

 Natural History Society, 22nd February, 1S94, 

 E. Step, Esq., President, in the chair. Mr. South, 

 for Mr. Rose, of Barnsley, exhibited a long-bred 

 series of Phigalia pedaria, Fb., some being uniformly 

 black without a trace of markings ; for Mr. Fowler, 

 of Ringwood, a var. of Euchelia jacobez, L., having 

 the costal stripe carried round the hind margin to 

 meet the spot ; for Mr. Dennis, of York, photo- 

 graphs of very long series of Spilos 

 Esp., ranging from very pale and almost spotless 

 to very deep colouration, and a photograph of 

 three other vars. from the Allis collection of York, 

 of which two were undoubtedly of the zatima form, 

 although not extremes ; for himself a specimen of 

 Argynnis aglaia, L., from Hampshire, which was a 

 modification of var. charlotta, Sow., the silvery spots 

 forming long streaks, and several vars. of Argynnis 

 euphrosyne, L. Mr. Frohawk, coloured drawings 

 representing the complete life history of both 

 aglaia, L., and A. adippe, L., with deiails enlarged 

 to show the remarkable larval structure. Mr. 

 Pearce, series of Feniseca tarquinius, Fab., spring 

 and summer broods of Lyctsn 

 L. eomyntas, Godt., and Thec'.a edwardsii, Saund., 

 from Pennsylvania, U.S.A. Mr. Aukl, for Mr. 

 Tugwell, to correct an error in the report of 

 January nth. series of the York City form of 

 soma lubricipeda, Esp., for which he suggests 

 the name var. eboraci, series of var. zatima, Cr , 

 and series of the selected brood originating from 

 Yorkshire, for which he suggests the varietal name 

 fasciata. A discussion ensued as to variation pro- 

 duced by artificial selection. Mr. Carrington, a 

 shell of Helix pomatia, L., which he had cut to show 

 the spiral and the smooth internal lining, which he 

 stated was probably caused by the animal depositing 



