SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



225 



porccllus at Skipwith, Ccrastis vachui and C. spudicea 

 at Skipwith. The season up to the end of April 

 was decidedly early, since then everything has 

 been very late. 



With regard to a tendency to melanism, 

 owing to the great scarcity of lepidoptera, instances 

 of dark forms have been rare this season, although 

 I have noticed fine melanic examples of the follow- 

 ing species : — Agrotis ravida, Noctua xanthographa, 

 Lupcrina testacca, Trephrosia biundularia, several 

 intermediate forms as well as the variety delamer- 

 ensis, of which I have taken forty-four specimens 

 this season. Phigalia pedaria (=pilosaria) a fine 

 lead-coloured variety of Abraxas ulmata, of which 

 form I now possess three specimens, and Anisopteryx 

 (escularia. 



All accounts prove that sallows have been a 

 universal failure this season. Three excursions I 

 made in quest of Tasniocampidse resulted in about 

 as many moths. 



This usually productive mode of attracting 

 Noctuas, has been like everything else connected 

 with entomology this season, a miserable failure 

 almost everywhere. The only exception which 

 has come to my knowledge in Yorkshire, being at 

 Hull, where it seems to have maintained its 

 well-known seductive power. 



Geometrse have been decidedly rare, the only 

 exceptions being T. biundularia and its variety 

 detainer ensis, T. punctulata, A. luteata, L. lobulata, 

 A . ulmata, C. testata, as stated above. 



The following interesting varieties have been 

 obtained this season in Yorkshire : a specimen of 

 the variety varleyata of Abraxas grossulariata, bred, 

 July 22nd, by myself; a specimen of the variety 

 cytisi of Zygcena filipendula, bred by Mr. Chatterton 

 from cocoons collected at Spurn Point, near Hull ; 

 a specimen of the lead-coloured variety of Abraxas 

 ulmata obtained by Mr. Chatterton at Drewton 

 Dale, Yorkshire, where the type was abundant. 

 12, Howard Street, York; October, 1894. 



Osprey in Kent. — It is with much regret that 

 one has to record the slaughter of another scarce 

 British bird in Kent. A fine specimen of a young 

 female osprey, Pandion haliaetus, met with the usual 

 fate of such birds at the beginning of last month, in 

 the immediate vicinity of this town. The bird had 

 been observed in the neighbourhood for a day or 

 two previously, and hopes were entertained that it 

 might be permitted to remain unmolested, but un- 

 happily it was fated to fall a victim to the indis- 

 criminating zeal of a gamekeeper, who, with that 

 ignorance of the habits of birds which is a strange 

 characteristic of many members of that craft, was 

 afraid that the bird's presence indicated destruction 

 to the game and poultry under his charge, and so 

 forthwith shot it. — /. Herbert Allchin, Maidstone; 

 October ijth, 1894. 



THE MARKET VALUE OF 

 SPECIMENS. 



A LTHOUGH, theoretically, it is considered to 

 -^*- be beneath the high moral tone of the correct 

 man of science to place a money value on speci- 

 mens necessary for investigation, practically there 

 are a great number which are only readily 

 obtained by purchase. The most convenient 

 market for preserved specimens is the periodical 

 sales of collections which are held by auction. 

 We have arranged with Mr. Oliver J. Janson, of 

 Great Russell Street, London, who, in company 

 with his father, the well-known natural history 

 agent, regularly attends such sales, to furnish 

 occasional notes for publication in our columns. 



The leading auction sale-rooms in London, and 

 perhaps in the world, for natural-science objects 

 are "Stevens's Great Rooms," King Street, Covent 

 Garden. During the greater part of the year there 

 is seldom a week passing without a sale of more or 

 less interest. Autumn is a sort of vacation at 

 these rooms, so with the exception of a collection 

 of British lepidoptera, formed by Mr. John W. 

 Downing, not much of special interest has lately 

 been offered. Mr. Downing's collection was sold 

 on two days, October 23rd, and the remainder 

 on the 20th of November. Unfortunately the 

 late owner had the custom of removing all 

 labels of date or locality from any speci- 

 mens he obtained, as he considered the labels 

 disfigured his cabinet, otherwise the collection 

 would have realised much more money. As a 

 whole, including two forty-drawer cabinets, the sale 

 only made somewhat over ^300. This, from a 

 commercial point of view, shows the value of 

 correctly labelling every specimen with locality 

 or origin and date. Among the butterflies were a 

 fine series of thirteen Polyommatus dispar, the so- 

 called extinct " large-copper butterfly," which were 

 sold at prices ranging from about ^3 3s. to £4 10s. 

 each, according to condition. Ordinarily typical 

 insects sold as usual at low prices ; for instance, 

 fifty-six Melitcea about equal in numbers, of the 

 three British species, only fetched six shillings. 

 Varieties, on the contrary, realised good sums, 

 Lyccena bellargus (adonis), a very fine variety, sold at 

 £5 10s. An authenticated Notodonta tritophus taken 

 by a lamplighter at Ipswich in 1862, £1 6s. A 

 score of Lcelia ccenosa, went in couples, male and 

 female, from £1 2s. to £1 12s. 6d. per pair. Two 

 Lasiocampa ilicifolia from Cannock Chase, £1 10s. 

 The lost Noctua subrosea sold at £1 5s. to ^3 3s. per 

 pair, according to condition. A remarkable mottled 

 variety of Venilia macular ia from Abbots Wood, 

 Sussex, one of our common geometers, reached the 

 high figure of £4. One mahogany forty-drawer 

 cabinet, drawers, 16J by i6£ inches, reached 28 

 guineas, and the other to match, 22^ guineas. 



