258 



SCIENCE- GOSSIP. 



) lave in my collection a specimen of this colour taken 

 by myself on Canvey Island in Essex in 1892. An- 

 other example, unusually light, taken at Smyrna by 

 Mr. Bliss in 1900 In both these there is a bluish- 

 green shading about the h.w. not usually seen. Some 

 specimens, especially British, are very deep clear 

 orange-yellow, with but little shading on h.w. The 

 female in its normal form is much more constant 

 in colour than the $. There is however a 

 dimorphic form in which the wings are greenish- 

 white, the bases of f .w. and the area of h.w. being 

 shaded with bluish-grey, the disc, spot of h.w. still 

 remaining yellow or orange. This is the ab. lielice 

 of Hubner. A form of 9 occurs which may 

 be considered intermediate between edusa and 

 lielice in which the ground colour is very pale 

 yellow ochre. This is ab. aubuissoni Car. As 

 stated above, all the orange Coliacles are liable to 

 a white dimorphism in the 9 . d. Breadth of 

 marginal border. This varies considerably in $. 

 In some specimens it is nearly double the width 

 seen in others, though an extremely narrow 

 border is rare. In 9 the breadth of border is 

 more constant, less so in lielice than in edusa. 

 e. Markings of border. The veining of the border 

 in $ varies considerably. It is caused by the 

 yellow colouring of the termination of the 

 nervures which cross the black marginal band. 

 In some specimens every nervure is clearly 

 marked on both wings, in others hardly 

 any except one or two near the apex of f.w. The 

 most common condition is a mean between these 

 extremes. This striation of the border seems to be 

 an exclusively male character in this and other 

 members of the genus. The spots on the border 

 on f.w. 9. , as stated above, vary greatly in size and 

 number. There are sometimes as many as seven, 

 most usually three or four ; the most stable is that 

 nearest the an. ang. Sometimes the border is 

 almost, and occasionally quite, without spots. The 

 marginal spots on h.w. also vary ; sometimes they 

 are large and square or oval, sometimes reduced to 

 mere points. They vary in colour from orange to 

 greenish-yellow. /. Costal patch on h.w. $ varies 

 in colour from reddish to nearly white. I have 

 never seen a specimen in which it was wanting. 

 g. Violet reflection, seen sometimes in <J , varies in 

 intensity ; it is most marked in the darker speci- 

 mens, but is not a constant character, and does not 

 apparently occur in 9 in this species. It is seen 

 best in fresh specimens. 



I have dwelt thus upon these variations, because 

 it is interesting to notice how far C. edusa ap- 

 proaches other species in certain particulars. The 

 proximity to one another of the various species 

 of the orange-coloured group has led several 

 writers to conjecture that many of the types re- 

 ceived as specific are only local forms of C. 

 edusa. 



This species is the most widely distributed of the 

 genus. Its irregular appearance in Britain is well 



known to every collector, but no satisfactory solu- 

 tion of this problem has yet been given. 



Hab. Central and S. Europe, Western Asia, 

 Persia, Daghestan, Algeria, Egypt, Canary Islands. 

 VII.— X., IV.— VI. h. 



Larva. Cylindrical, dark green, with a lateral 

 whitish stripe, spiracles yellowish. On Trifoliuvi,. 

 Cytisus. Onobrijcliis, and other Leguminosae. VI., 

 VII. 



Pupa. Pale yellowish green, with lateral yellow 

 abdominal stripes. The wing cases are 'streaked 

 with black. 



a. ab. lielice Hub. 9 . The white form alluded 

 to above. It occurs with the typical form, but as 

 a rule is not nearly so common. In the summer of 

 1900, when we had an abundance of C. edusa, in 

 the neighbourhood of Southend, in Essex, ab. 

 lielice was in many places the commoner form. 



I), ab. aubuissoni Car. Occurs with type, but is 

 rare. Wings light ochre-yellow in place of orange. 

 A form intermediate between C. edusa and its var. 

 lielice. 



3. C. fieldii Men. Cat. Mus. Petr. Lep. I., p. 79 

 (1855). 



47 — 53 mm. 



Very closely resembles C. edusa, but the ground 

 colour of the wings is less brilliant than in that 

 species, and has a brownish tint when compared 

 with C. edusa. Black border on f.w. less dis- 

 tinctly veined in $ and stronger and darker in $ 

 with the yellow spot of the same colour as the 

 wings. Disc, spot f.w. large and plain centred 

 with white beneath. Fringes more distinctly rosy 

 red than in C. edusa. Disc, spot h.w. of the same 

 colour as ground of f.w. 



Hab. Mountains, Amdo, Thibet, Sikkim, Mon- 

 golia. VII. 



{To be continued.} 



The Kammatograph. — We have had our atten- 

 tion directed to an invention connected with the 

 photography and later reproduction of moving- 

 objects on a screen. As is now well known, the 

 usual plan for obtaining this effect is by using a 

 long band of small photographs which have been 

 taken rapidly, as transparencies, and then running 

 them in front of a lantern, so reproducing the 

 effects desired as pictures on the screen. Except- 

 ing in the hands of a professional operator, the 

 band is said to be liable to give trouble, or at least 

 considerable anxiety. Messrs. L. Kamm & Co., of 

 London, have overcome the necessity of having 

 the band of separate pictures by placing them all 

 on a disc. When exhibiting, this disc is placed in 

 front of the lantern, and by a spiral movement it 

 brings each view exactly opposite the lens, so pro- 

 ducing the same effect as if worked by the band. 

 The Kammatograph itself is an arrangement 

 including a camera and projector combined, thus- 

 avoiding the use of two apparatus. It appears to- 

 be one that will be found useful to amateurs. 



