SCIENCE- G OSSIP. 



TYLSfi 



Lepidoptera near Portsmouth. — Butterflies 

 and moths have been unusually abundant here 

 during the past season, and the following are a 

 few of the more important species which I have 

 observed this year within the town of Portsmouth 

 and its suburbs of Southsea. Landport. etc. 

 Lycaena argiolus. fairly common in 1900. I have 

 not before observed this species here. Colias 

 hyale, common, 1900, especially so on the Ports- 

 down hills to the north of the town. Has not been 

 previously observed for many years. Colias edusa, 

 a good many seen, but not so common as in 1898 

 and 1899. C. edusa var. helice, one specimen 

 caught 1900. Acherorvtia atropos, an imago ob- 

 tained November 2nd, 1900, in one of the densest 

 parts of the town. Choeroeampa elpenor, several 

 seen in 1899, but not found this year. Smerinthus 

 ocellatus. scarce, but several larvae obtained. 

 S. populi, fairly common, larvae frequent on poplar. 

 JIacroglossa stellatarvm, several seen in 1899 and 

 1900. Euchelia jacobaeae, Spilosoma lubrieipeda, 

 & menthastri, S. mendica, and Arctia caw., all 

 common, the first three abundant. Porthesia 

 chrysorrhoea, scarce, one imago in 1900. P. similis, 

 imagos and larvae both common. Leucoma salicis. 

 caterpillar and adult very common. Orgyia antiqita 

 and Bombyx neustria abundant. Eriogaster lan- 

 estris and Odonestis patatoria, fairly common. Di- 

 cranura rinula, very numerous, especially the 

 larvae. The latter frequently exhibit some curious 

 variations in markings. The extension of the 

 dorsal band on the eighth segment, above the proleg, 

 is sometimes divided, so as to form a separate 

 spot 25 mm. in diameter, purple-brown in colour 

 and surrounded by a white border. This spot is 

 occasionally on both sides of the body, but more 

 often occurs on the left only. One specimen I had 

 this year developed a large number of small dark 

 spots several days before changing to the violet 

 colour which caterpillars of this species assume 

 before pupation. This may be a case of reversion 

 to a primitive spotted type. As regards the ex- 

 sertible filaments. I am almost convinced they are 

 for the purpose of warding off in some manner the 

 attacks of ichneumon flies : the more so as the 

 easiest way to make the creature protrude them is 

 by touching it on the back. Nbtodonta dictaeoides. 

 rare, one in 1899. PTialera bucephala, abundant. 

 Geometra papilionaria. scarce, one imago 1900. 

 Z'ropteryx sambuearia, also rare, two in 1899. 

 Abraxas grossulariata is not very variable here. 

 The larvae are numerous on Euonyinus europaeus, 

 but quite two-thirds are destroyed by the grub of 

 a species of Tipula. Cossus ligniperda, larvae fre- 

 quent in trunks of the poplars. The above list 

 shows that some interesting species of butterflies 

 and moths can be found within the limits of even 

 a large town. Very many of the commoner kinds 

 are also to be obtained in gardens here, and 

 indeed Portsmouth seems particularly favoured 

 by lepidoptera. This is doubtless owing to its 

 mild climate and the protection afforded on the 



north by the Portsdowns. and on the south from 

 the storms of the Channel by the Isle of Wight. — 

 H. J. Hughes. Norman, Court, Southsea. 



Colias Edusa in Autumn. — On October 29th 

 this year I saw a freshly-emerged specimen of the 

 clouded-yellow butterfly on a railway bank in 

 Surrey. A few years ago I took a specimen of 

 this interesting butterfly near Brighton as late as 

 November 9th. These dates, though late for Eng- 

 land, are by no means unusual in Southern Europe, 

 where Colias edusa may be seen until after Christ- 

 mas, as it there hibernates in the imago stage. 

 "We have, however, not any evidence that this 

 species passes the winter in this country, in the 

 perfect state. — John T. Carrington. 



Monochromatic Vision. — A test has been made 

 bv Sir W. de W. Abney upon a patient possessing 

 only monochromatic vision. All colours were 

 matched with white by him with the same facility 

 as if they were white. The patient's curve of 

 luminosity agrees with and is practically identical 

 with those obtained by the normal eye, when it 

 measures a spectrum of very feeble luminosity. — ■ 

 James Quick. 3 Milbord' Place, Cork. 



Golden Kod. — Can any of the readers of 

 Science-Gossip kindly give me information as to 

 the woods in the South of England in which 

 Solidago virgaurea is to be met with in great pro- 

 fusion I In the London district one comes across 

 a few plants here and there, and I have seen it in 

 little colonies in various places on banks and road- 

 sides both in England and Scotland ; but I believe 

 that in certain woods in the South of England it 

 grows in dense masses and in enormous abundance. 

 I am studying the distribution of our wild flowers, 

 and endeavouring to obtain photographs of the 

 more striking species in their natural surroundings ; 

 so I should be very glad to get a photograph of 

 the Solidago in its headquarters. If any reader 

 can help me in this matter I should be very much 

 obliged. — C. U. Jones, Putney. London, S. IT". 



Electrical Fire-Pumps on Board Ship. — 

 The cadet ship " Conway " has been fitted with an 

 electrically controlled fire-extinguishing apparatus. 

 The pumps are driven by electric motors and are 

 capable of producing a very powerful jet of water. 

 The motors are supplied with electricity from a 

 storage battery charged by the ship's dynamos, 

 and the capacity of the battery is sufficient to 

 work the pumps seven or eight hours at full 

 speed. 



Value of American Coal. — The experiments 

 which have been made with regard to the possible 

 substitution of American for British coal in the 

 English markets are not likely to have any great 

 effect upon the production and winning of coal in 

 Britain. The South Metropolitan Gas Company 

 finds that American coal costs them a third as 

 much again as English coal ; and although the 

 former is preferable in some ways, its benefits are 

 not a sufficient" set-off against the higher cost. It 

 would not seem at present that there is likely to 

 be any real American competition. The Engineer- 

 ing Magazine gives the following as the average 

 cost of coal per ton at the pit -head in the countries 

 mentioned : — United States. Is. 9§d. ; Great Britain, 

 5s lOJd. : Germany, 6s. lid. ; Belgium, 7s. 7d. ; 

 France, 8s. Sd. : New South Wales, 5s. 9d. ; New 

 Zealand. 10s. ; Japan, 5s. — E. A. Martin. 





