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SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



Taylor's "British Mollusca." — On page 62 of 

 Part i. of Mr. J. W. Taylor's recent work on " British 

 Extramarine Mollusca," reviewed in Science-Gossip 

 page 230), the author states, that "fluviatile species 

 tend to develop a lengthened shell under the influence 

 of a steady and rapid current." It appears to me that, 

 even if this generalization is true, insufficient 

 evidence is adduced to show it. In cases of this 

 kind it is necessary to consider those instances in 

 which the theory is not exemplified as those 

 which tend to prove its truth. I should like to 

 offer a few remarks on local observations on shell 

 forms. The River Wye, near Hereford, is 

 distinctly a rapid river, but not a torrent. 

 Limncea peregra here occurs as a small very fragile 

 form, with rather a shorter spire, if anything, than 

 the pond forms. The palustroid variety occurs 

 exclusively in still, streamless ponds. A variety of 

 L. auricularia occurs in the Isis as large, fragile, 

 and inflated ; the Herefordshire pond form is 

 distinctly more like typical L. peregra. L. truncatula, 

 as found in the Wye, differs only from the ordinary 

 ditch type in being smaller. The most produced 

 L. stagnalis I have seen are from the Hereford and 

 Gloucester Canal ; the specimens from the Isis are 

 much broader in comparison to their length. To 

 turn to the Acephala: Unio tumidus and U. pictofum, 

 from the Wye, are distinctly less produced than 

 specimens from the Hereford Canal and ponds near 

 Staplehurst, in Kent, respectively. Margaritana 

 margaritifera, which seems only to occur in rapid 

 streams, is by no means an elongated species. 

 Mr. Taylor himself states that the specimen of 

 U. pictorum, var. platyrhincoidea, which he figures, 

 comes from a "lake." So much for rivers. The 

 L. peregra and L. truncatula, from mountain torrents 

 in Radnor Forest and the Black Mountains (eleva- 

 tion 1,200 to 1,800 feet), are a short form, less 

 produced, in fact, than the type. Finally, one 

 remark upon the converse proposition, that " short 

 spired forms, of otherwise elongate shells, more or less 

 characterise species inhabiting lakes and other large 

 bodies of water." I presume Mr. Taylor does not 

 intend to emphasize the large size of the lakes, etc. 

 In a small artificial pond, with no weed except 

 self-introduced, I placed a large typical peregra in 

 1893. This spring the species abounded, and an 

 average specimen measured 17-5 by 11 mm., most 

 certainly not a " short-spired form." This, however, 

 does not really bear on the question, as the experi- 

 ment was made under more or less artificial 

 conditions. In conclusion, it seems obvious that 

 further evidence is necessary before this theory can 

 take rank as a law. — Arthur E. Boycott, The Grange, 

 Hereford; Dec. 20th, 1894. 



American Zyg.enid^;. — Could anyone inform me 

 whether any species of Zygaenidas occur in America ? 

 Kirby ("European Lepidoptera," page 88) says: 

 ' ' One species has been recorded from America, 

 but probably in error." Now, in a small collection 

 of South American insects, I have two specimens 

 which almost certainly represent two species of 

 Zygana. I append a short description. (No. 1) 

 About the size and shape of Zygana filipendula, but 



with the abdomen a little stouter ; all the wings 

 smoky brown ; antennae brown, with white tips ; 

 filiform and not clubbed ; head and thorax brown ; 

 at the junction of the head and thorax is a spot of 

 a metallic green colour, and a metallic red spot on 

 either side of this ; at the junction of the head and 

 thorax is a green band and three red spots arranged 

 in the form of a triangle ; abdomen brown down 

 the back, shading off into green along the sides ; 

 beneath the abdomen is brown, with a red spot at 

 the anal extremity ; legs brown. (No. 2) About 

 the same size as the preceding ; primaries dark 

 brown, with what are in filipendula spots 1 and 3 

 marked in crimson ; secondaries dark brown, with 

 a crimson border ; head and thorax, base of fore- 

 wings and both extremities of abdomen of a 

 metallic blue-green colour; beneath, spot 1 does 

 not show through, and the base of all the wings is 

 of a brilliant blue colour. — T. B, Fletcher, 78, 

 Thornlaw Road, West Norwood, S.E. 



Rare Sussex Birds. — We were pleased to find 

 on a recent visit to the Booth Museum of Birds, at 

 Brighton, that the Corporation of the town, to 

 which body Mr. Booth left his collection, is still 

 adding to it. The additions since Mr. Booth's 

 death include the following more or less rare 

 species from the county of Sussex. An arctic blue- 

 throat or blue-throated warbler (Cy anemia suecica), 

 a little bittern (Ardetta minitta), three avocets (Re- 

 cuvvirostra avocetta), a Baillon's crake (Crex bailloni), 

 a great snipe (Gallinago tnajor), a case of seven 

 Lapland buntings (Calcarius lapponicus), an Iceland 

 gull (Larus leucopterus), a glossy ibis (Ibis falcinellus) , 

 and a gold-crested wren (Regulus cri status). The 

 majority of these specimens are from the neighbour- 

 hood of Brighton ; the little bittern having been 

 taken alive near the Dyke Road, and not far from 

 the Museum. The bird is a beautiful specimen, 

 though somewhat immature. It was photographed 

 whilst alive and set up in most natural attitude 

 from the picture. Two other species have also 

 been added to the museum, viz. : — a honey buzzard 

 (Pernis apivorus), and a couple of forked-tailed 

 petrels (Procellaria leucorrhoa). The cases contain- 

 ing the additions since Mr. Booth's death are, we 

 understand, to be placed down the centre of the 

 room, distinct from those which were cased under 

 his own supervision. It is mentioned that there 

 may be some slight rearrangement of these latter, 

 so as to bring, as far as possible, those of each 

 genus nearer together. The Corporation has voted 

 a sum of ^"100 for the printing of a new descriptive 

 catalogue of the museum, which was needed on 

 account of that prepared by Mr. Booth being 

 nearly out of print. There is a proposal on foot 

 for opening this museum on Sunday afternoons ; 

 we hope it may be soon carried out. — Q.T.C.j 



Antlers. — In reply to the query under the above 

 head (Science-Gossip, New Ser., p. 211), I may 

 mention during a seven years' stay in Canada, where 

 I was engaged on surveys for new lines of railway 

 through the bush, as far north as Lake Nipissing, 

 I frequently asked old hunters and Indians what 

 became of the cast antlers, and although I have 

 travelled many hundreds of miles through the 

 woods, I have never seen any myself, nor ever 

 heard of anyone who had. — Frank Baker, Vernon 

 House, Canterbury ; November igth, 1894. 



[This does not apply to Manitoba, where the 

 cast antlers of Wapiti deer are still found, both in 

 the north and south of the province. I have seen 

 many a settler's house ornamented outside with 

 trophies of horns picked up in the bluff's. — [J.T.C.] 



