SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



275 



A NEW BOOK ON LEPIDOPTERA. 



TV /TR. Bertram George Rye, F.E.S., and Miss 

 Maud Horman-Fisher have issued to their 

 subscribers the first part of a " Handbook of the 

 British Macro-Lepidoptera." 



We must confess that when we heard that a new 

 work of this kind was to be issued in parts, the 

 news was received with a certain amount of de- 

 pression of spirits, having in mind other books 

 which have appeared in parts on this and kindred 

 subjects. Some of these have so woefully disap- 

 pointed their subscribers that the system of books 

 in parts, issued over long intervals, has become 

 sadly discredited. 



The first part of Mr. Rye's and Miss Horman- 

 Fisher's work will do much to dispel the suspicion 

 and prejudice hanging over such works, for it is 

 really excellent as a whole, especially the coloured 

 plate. If they keep up this standard as they pro- 

 ceed, which appears probable, for both author and 

 artist are evidently in earnest, the book will be one 

 well worth possessing. 



One naturally turns first to the plates in a work 

 of this kind. In the part before us there are two, 

 one being plain, illustrating portions of the anatomy 

 of butterflies — neuration, an ovum, larva and pupa 

 of Pieris brassica. More care should be expended 

 by the lithographic printers, and attention given to 

 clean and sharp printing of their work. The " key ' 

 upon which the hand-colouring is placed, in the 

 second plate, is much too heavy. Work of this 

 kind makes it quite impossible for Miss Horman- 

 Fisher and her colourists to do justice to her art. 

 This second plate contains six figures, which, had 

 it not been for the distinct fault referred to, would 

 have been all that could be desired. They are, 

 Papilio machaon, Aporia cratagi, males and females 

 each of Pieris rapes and P. brassier. On Plate I. are 

 diagrams illustrating the veins and cross-nervules, 

 with reference letters explaining the nomenclature of 

 these for descriptive purposes, also of the different 

 parts of the wings treated in a like manner. 



The letterpress of Part I. is of necessity intro- 

 ductory, and deals with Metamorphoses and 

 Classification; one species, P. Machaon, only being 

 reached in the general descriptive portion. We 

 gather from the introduction that the chief object 

 of this work is to illustrate the local races and more 

 permanent varieties of the butterflies and moths of 

 Britain. If the selection of illustrations are chosen 

 with care, not repeating too many of those forms 

 generally figured in other works, there is sure to be 

 a demand for this hand-book. 



The size of the pages is crown 8vo ; there are 

 eight of these and two plates in the part, which 

 costs two shillings and sixpence. The letterpress 

 is printed and the work published by Ward and 

 Foxlow, Church Street, St. Marylebone, London. 



THE WORD "SCIENTIST." 



IV /T UCH interest has been aroused in the daily 

 -*-*-*- and other papers by the question we have 

 raised as to the value of the word " scientist." In 

 nearly every case, when quoting Science-Gossip 

 on this subject, objection to the word has been 

 expressed. We have also had a number of letters 

 upon the discussion. Some are from persons 

 favouring the admission of the word to our pages, 

 but a far larger number object to the word. What 

 seems to be wanted is a better expression to super- 

 sede it. As an example of the distance from which 

 some of these have come, we may quote the following : 



" 174, Rua da Piedade, Oporto; January 12th, 1895. 

 "Do the objectors to ' scientist ' never use the 

 mongrel word 'starvation' (starvatio), nor the 

 barbarous phrase, ' cobra di capello '? I wish you 

 would raise your voice against this absurdity. 

 The early Portuguese naturally described what 

 they saw, a hooded snake, and they gave it a 

 significant name, which in the modern language 

 would hold good, viz., ' cobra de capello.' People 

 seem to have confounded this with Italian, and 

 introduced the word ' di,' that has no meaning to a 

 Portuguese. I hope you will take this point up, 

 and others will no doubt be suggested, and intro- 

 duce or rather preserve an interesting educational 

 feature in Science-Gossip. — Yours faithfully, 



" ROBT. H. MORETON." 



Our contemporary, "Nature," commenting on 

 the discussion, in its issue of 10th January, says : 

 " Science-Gossip is now one of the brighest and 

 most diversified monthlies for the lover of science. 

 The January number is remarkably good. Mr. 

 J. T. Carrington, the editor, contributes a number 

 of replies he has received to a letter asking for an 

 opinion upon the use of the word ' Scientist.' The 

 word is never allowed knowingly to appear in 

 contributions to 'Nature.'" We cannot do less 

 than thank our neighbour for its good opinion and 

 kindly expressions about Science-Gossip. 



WHITE RAINBOW. 



ON Saturday, January 5th, the unusual phe- 

 nomenon of a white rainbow was visible for 

 about three-quarters of an hour, from 12.15 to 

 1 p.m., at Westnewton, Cumberland. The arc 

 was nearly three times the breadth of an ordinary 

 rainbow, and uniform yellowish-white in colour, 

 with the small patches of cumulus forming at 

 the time. Light snow was falling just before the 

 bow appeared. The bow was in the higher cloud 

 zone, and apparently formed on sleet. Near the 

 centre it was broken by a patch of cumulus from 

 which it appeared to proceed, the tint of the bow 

 and the cloud being exact. The rainbow was clearly 

 at a considerable elevation. Irregular cirro-cumulus 

 was seen to condense and form cumulus at the 

 time. Very cold weather followed. On the two or 

 three occasions when I have seen this phenomenon, 

 very stormy weather has followed in a few days. 

 Westnewton, Aspatria ; Jan.Sth, 1895. S. Barber. 



