SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



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varied series oi A. grossulariata and A. sylvata, from 

 Yorkshire, and contributed notes. Mr. H. Moore, 

 a female Lyca-na corydon, with male colouration, and 

 specimens of Bombyx quercus, Catocala nupta, and 

 Ocneria disbar, with a batch of ova of the last 

 species, all from France. A long discussion on 

 0. dispar ensued. Mr. McArthur, series of Toxo- 

 campa craccce, Noctua glareosa, Acronycta rumicis and 

 Agrotis agathina, all from North Devon. Mr. C. A. 

 Briggs exhibited types of Plusia ni. Mr. Winkley, a 

 living specimen of Helix pomatia, showing the 

 epiphragm formed at the commencement of hiber- 

 nation. Mr. Tutt, a narrow-winged specimen of 

 Eupithccia subnotata, Agrotis ripce, from St. Anne's- 

 on-Sea, and two specimens of Eupithecia subfulvata, 

 var. Oxydata. Mr. Fenn, series of Civrhoedia xeram- 

 pelina, from the Isle of Man, and series of examples 

 of Apovophyla australis, Epunda lutulenta, E. lichenea, 

 Anchocelis lunosa, Calocampa vetusta, and Xylina 

 scmibrunnea, all from Deal. Mr. Tug well and Mr. 

 Tutt exhibited a large number of Scotch and Swiss 

 specimens of Zygcena exulans, and contributed 

 papers thereon. A considerable discussion ensued. 

 — Hy.J. Turner, Hon. Report Sec. 



The Annual Fungus Gathering took place on 

 Saturday, October 13th, under the leadership of 

 Messrs. E. Step and C. A. Briggs. The ground 

 selected was the firwoods lying between Esher and 

 Oxshott, Surrey. There was an abundance of 

 specimens, and the weather was most favourable 

 for the purpose. Among the large number of 

 species obtained we noted Amanita muscarius, 



A. phalloides, A. vaginatus, A. rubescens, the rare 

 Sparassis crispa, Hydnum imbvicatum, Auricularia 

 mesenterial, Polyporus schweinitzii, Boletus satanas, 



B. seaber, B. edulis, B. luteus, B. bovinus, Cantharellus 

 cibarius, C. tubaformis, Russula emetica, R. fcetens, 

 Stropharia arnginosus, Clitopilus prunulus, C. orcella, 

 Clitocybe laccatus (red form), Calocera viscosa, Clavaria 

 tenuipes, etc. 



Norfolk and Norwich Naturalists' Society. 

 — A meeting of this society, to which non-members 

 were also invited, was held in the hall of the 

 Church of England Young Men's Society, on 

 October 2nd, when the President (Dr. Plowright) 

 delivered an address on " Poisonous Fungi." 

 Arranged on a table, in front of the president, 

 was a large collection of fungi, including poisonous, 

 edible, and others which, from their unattractive- 

 ness or other reasons, might be disregarded and 

 treated as negative. After describing the structure 

 and diagnostic points of the common mushroom, 

 the fact was emphasised that in the vast majority 

 of cases in which death ensues from eating 

 poisonous fungi, it does so from the consumption 

 of one particular specimen and one alone, namely, 

 Agaricus phalloides. Specimens of this, in all stages 

 of development and in all the varieties of colour 

 which it assumes, were exhibited side by side with 

 the true mushroom. The structure of both species 

 was further shown by diagrams. Agaricus phalloides 

 has been fatal several times to persons in Norfolk 

 and Suffolk during the past few years. A case was 

 recited which occurred in 1865, near Ipswich, in 

 which a woman and two children had it cooked in 

 mistake for the common mushroom. The children 

 died in forty hours, and the woman, although ill, 

 was sufficiently recovered to attend the inquest, but 

 died the fifth day. Other cases were enumerated, 

 including one near King's Lynn, in 1S79, and the 

 recent one this year at Bawsey. It was in all 

 probability this species which caused the death of 

 two persons at Yarmouth in 1S92. Agaricus 



phalloides sometimes bears a certain resemblance to 

 the true mushroom. It is whitish and about the 

 same size and form, but its gills are permanently 

 white ; its stem is hollow, its top shining, the most 

 distinctive mark about it, however, is the bulbous 

 base to the stem. This bulb is surmounted by the 

 remains of the volva, so that the stem appears to 

 spring from the interior of "the poison cup," so 

 called by an American writer in one of the recent 

 magazines. Specimens of Agaricus muscarius were 

 also shown, and its action as a poison explained 

 and the symptons it produces detailed. Several of 

 the other more important poisonous species were 

 on the table, including Lactarius turpis, torminosus, 

 Russula emetica, Agaricus ceruginosus, etc. In 

 juxtaposition to the above was a collection of the 

 more important edible species, so arranged that the 

 audience were able to contrast the one with the 

 other. Some interesting additional information 

 was elicited in a discussion which followed the 

 lecture, in which the Mayor (Sir Peter Eade, 

 M.D.) and others took part, and Dr. Plowright 

 called attention to the peculiarities of some of the 

 more interesting of the many species of fungi which 

 were displayed on the table, assuring his audience 

 that if he had succeeded in making plain to them 

 the characters by which the one most deadly of all 

 the fungi could be distinguished, he should be 

 abundantly repaid for his trouble. Mr. Roberts 

 exhibited a beautiful example of the variety of the 

 mackerel known as the " scribbled mackerel." 



Accrington Naturalists' and Antiquarian 

 Society. — The monthly meeting of the above society 

 was held on Saturday, the 6th inst., Mr. Miller, 

 President, in the chair. Mr. Charles Dawson 

 exhibited a stone hatchet-head from the interior of 

 Australia ; it is there used by the natives as an 

 implement of war ; it is evidently composed of 

 one of the primitive rocks. Mr. U. Laft exhibited 

 for Mr. Ainsworth a number of marine shells from 

 Brazil, including; — Area braziliana, Bulla adansoni, 

 Oniscia oniscus, Trochus granosus, also species of Triton, 

 Cassis, Trochus, Fusus, Natica, Mitra, Pleurotoma and 

 Patella. Specimens showing the formation of coral 

 and sponge ; also a number of birds, including 

 humming-birds, finches, shrikes, etc. An interest- 

 ing discussion took place on the insects that 

 frequent willow-baskets and rush articles generally. 

 — Isaac Stephenson, Report Secretary. 



Greenock Natural History Society. — The 

 sixteenth annual meeting of this society was 

 held on September 27th, in the Watt Museum, 

 Mr. T. L. Patterson, F.I.C., F.C.S., President, 

 occupying the chair. The report of Mr G. H. 

 Black, the treasurer, showed that the funds of 

 the society were in a satisfactory condition. 

 Mr. G. W. Niven, the secretary, submitted his 

 report for the past session, of which the following 

 is a summary : — During the session 1S93-94, one 

 business and seven ordinary meetings were held, 

 and at the latter seven papers were read, viz. : 

 "The Sorghum Sugar Experiments in the United 

 States," by Mr, T. L. Patterson; "A Study of 

 Fungi," by Dr. M. Calder ; "Scenes from 

 Australia," by Mr. Thomas Steel, F.C.S., Sydney; 

 " Gems and Precious Stones," by Mr. James 

 M'Neil; "The Evolution of Navigation and 

 Nautical Astronomy," by Mr. G. W. Xiven ; 

 " Plants with Angular Stems," by Mr. John Ballan- 

 tyne, Rothesay; "Notes on the Cladocera," by 

 Mr. M. F. Dunlop. Mr. Patterson's paper was 

 also read before the Philosophical Society of 

 Glasgow, and published in that Society's " Pro- 



