SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



167 



soil is very poor in lime. I have taken H. arbiistorum 

 quite as thin as these at Barlow Moor Wood, near 

 Manchester. We call this form var. fused, but I am 

 not aware that it is recognised by the authorities ; 

 however, the name is good enough. The Iceland 

 specimens are darker and smaller than our English 

 ones." In addition to Mr. Standen's take near 

 Manchester, Mr. I. Stephenson added that he had 

 procured a form at Clitheroe which somewhat 

 approaches these Icelandic examples, but they are 

 a little larger, lighter brown, and less transparent, 

 not so glossy, and lines of growth not so marked, 

 but with the usual mottlings obsolete. York, Bell 

 Busk and Clitheroe appear to be the only recorded 

 habitats of this variety in this country. The form 

 is named in the Conchological Society's list as var. 

 canigonensis. It is quite as thin as the Iceland 

 specimens, although the soil abounds in lime. 

 Presumably it is the result of some imperfection in 

 the secreting organ of the mantle. The shell sub- 

 stance is of fine texture, smooth and pretty. Helix 

 arbiistorum is a species which appears to live 

 gregariously on shrubs and on the ground ; it is 

 frequently met within very small areas, wandering 

 little from its favourite feeding grounds. It will 

 eat several kinds of vegetation, including nettles, 

 coltsfoot, cabbage, lettuce, common dock, etc. ; it 

 is easy to mature in captivity. Its distribution is 

 fairly extensive ; it is one of the commonest Helices 

 of this country, Yorkshire heading the list of 

 localities by recording sixty-one habitats, varying 

 in altitude from one hundred to eight hundred feet. 

 It is recorded from Lapland by Mr. J. W. Taylor, 

 in his monograph of the species published in the 

 Journal of Conchology, but Iceland is omitted, 

 where Mr. Haworth Taylor was fortunate enough 

 to find it on the 23rd of June, 1894. Mr. Haworth 

 exhibited several specimens of the fossil Sigillaria 

 lepidodendron. Mr. Stephenson exhibited the bloody 

 crane's-bill (Geranium sanguincum) — this plant is rare 

 here; great wild valerian (Valeriana officinalis); 

 spotted orchis (Orchis maculata), etc. — Isaac 

 Stephenson, Report Secretary. 



The South London Entomological and 

 Natural History Society. — Thursday, July 

 26th, E. Step, Esq., President, in the chair. Mr. 

 Frohawk exhibited a bred series of Melittza cinxia, 

 set to show the variation on the underside. One 

 specimen had large oblong blotches in the light 

 median band. Mr. Hall, a very variable series of 

 Melanippe hastata, from Sheffield, Scotland and the 

 Hebrides, some specimens showing the median 

 white band almost obliterated. Mr. Carpenter, a 

 bleached var. of Epinephele janira, from the New- 

 Forest, being the only insect captured worth 

 recording during a fortnight's hard work. He 

 stated sugar was an absolute failure. Mr. Robson, 

 a series of Macroglossa bombyliformis, taken on May 

 15th, in the New Forest. A discussion ensued as 

 to the presence of scales on the wings at emergence. 

 Mr. R. Adkin, a series of Coccyx strobilella, together 

 with the spruce cones from which they had been 

 reared. Mr. Auld, a bred series of Calymnia affinis, 

 from Chattenden, and also a series of Ephippipliova 

 fccnella, bred from mugwort roots, which were shown 

 with pupa cases in situ. Mr. Moore, a number of 

 fossil sharks' teeth, taken out of a cargo of guano 

 from Bull River, S. America. Mr. Harrison, 

 photographic views of Boldermere, taken during 

 the Society's Field Meeting at Wisley, which he 

 presented to the Society. Mr. Perks, a pale speci- 

 men of the Wood Betony, Stachys betonica, and 

 several microscopical fungi. Mr. Adkin read a 



communication from Mr. South, stating that the 

 dipterous larvae, exhibited some months ago in the 

 stems of Arundo phragmites, had been found to be. 

 Lipara luce ns larvae. Several members remarked 

 upon the abundance of Acidalia virnularia 

 (incanaria), and the scarcity of Spilosoma menthastri, 

 S. lubricepeda and Euplexia lucipara, while last year 

 just the reverse occurred. Mr. Frohawk said that 

 blackbirds and thrushes were this year still in full 

 song, and remarked how unusually late it was. Mr. 

 Step reported that a rare fungus, Pezi.za rumastigma,. 

 had made its appearance upon a ceiling in his 

 house at Epsom. — August 9th, President in the 

 chair. Mr. A. W. Peach, of Chiswick, was elected 

 a member. Mr. Hall exhibited bred series of 

 Xanthia fulvago (cerago), from Derby and Croydon,, 

 stating that it was usual to obtain more in propor- 

 tion of var. flavescens from the north than from the 

 south ; also bred series of A", citrago. Mr. West, of 

 Streatham, exhibited two males and two females of. 

 Lasiocampa quercifolia, bred from larvae obtained 

 in the Fen district. Mr. Adkin, on behalf of Mr. 

 South, bred series of Hypsipetes sordidata (clutata), 

 from Northwood, having very dark ground colour;, 

 bred series of Cleoceris viminalis, from Blatchworth, 

 some being melanic, while others were very pale ; a 

 few Tortrix xylosteana, of which one had jet black 

 markings instead of the rich reddish brown ; a long 

 series of Scoparia mitrana, from Macclesfield ; a 

 series of Prays curtiscllus, comprising the normal, 

 and uniformly fuscous form, collected round 

 Macclesfield ; and an exceptionally strongly-marked 

 female of Hepialus humuli, taken at Elstree. Mr. 

 Croker, a long series of Leptogramma hastiana, bred,, 

 from St. Anne's-on-Sea, and two exceptionally 

 distinct specimens of L. literana, from the New 

 Forest. Mr. Adkin, a few specimens of Spilosoma 

 mendica, bred, from Hartlepool, and three specimens, 

 of Hylophila bicolurana (quercana), bred from New 

 Forest larva?, with the cocoons, remarking upon 

 their mechanical structure. Mr. Williams, a 

 curiously scorched specimen of Uropteryx sambucata,. 

 from Highgate. Mr. Turner, a dark specimen of 

 Melanippe fluctuata, referable to var. neapolisata, 

 taken at Brockley. — Henry J. Turner, Honorary 

 Report Secretary. 



The Midland Union of Natural History 

 and Scientific Societies held its seventeenth 

 annual meeting at Ellesmere, Salop, on Friday and 

 Saturday, August 3rd and 4th. At the council 

 meeting on Friday afternoon, the report of the 

 executive committee was received, and after 

 considerable discussion, adopted. It was decided 

 amongst other items that papers competing for 

 the Darwin medal should be published within the 

 area Of the Union, and that the Union should be 

 made primarily a record office for the natural 

 history of the Midlands. The new executive 

 committee consists of the secretaries or a repre- 

 sentative of each society in the Union, and six 

 elective members, viz., Professors Allen, Bridge 

 and Lapworth, of Mason College, Messrs. Chase, 

 Hughes and Wilkinson, with Professors Hillhouse 

 and T. V. Hodgson as secretaries. The annual 

 meeting was held later, and accepted the 

 recommendations of the council. The other officers, 

 were unanimously elected, viz., Brownlow R. C. 

 Tower as President, and E. de Hamel as Treasurer. 

 It was also decided to admit photographic 

 societies into the Union. The Conversazione 

 was held in the evening at St. Oswald's College, 

 and attended by upwards of two hundred 

 members and friends. There.\vas a fair number of. 



