SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



17 



horizontal and one sub-vertical ; the first is thin, 

 horizontal, parallel with and near to the suture, 

 slightly indented about a third of its length from 

 the posterior termination ; the second stouter and 

 longer, also horizontal, slightly depressed, and 

 indented near its posterior termination ; the third 

 stout, horizontal, but shorter than the first, also 

 indented near the posterior extremity ; the fourth, 

 stout, horizontal, shorter than the third, bluntly 

 triangular, the apex reflexed, and having a slightly 

 elongated thin denticle posteriorly in a line with it ; 

 the fifth, stout and very short, sub-vertical, obliquely 

 crescent-shaped, the concave side towards the 

 aperture and lower suture ; on the posterior side, 

 near the lower extremity, occurs a small denticle ; 

 the sixth is short, but broad, horizontal, and it has 

 an elongated dentical posteriorly. The specimen 

 figured is in Mr. Ponsonby's collection, and is 

 from Pegu. It measures : major diameter, 13-5 

 millimetres; minor diameter, 11-5 millimetres; 

 altitude, 5 millimetres. Two specimens in my 

 collection, from Akoutoung, are a little more raised 

 in the spire and less angular above the periphery ; 

 they measure 14 millimetres in diameter ; altitude, 

 6 millimetres. 



An immature specimen in my collection, having 

 five and a-half whorls completed, is interesting from 

 the fact that it possesses the set of barriers nearly 

 identical with that of mature specimens ; but the 

 upper horizontal parietal fold is very short, only 

 about one quarter of the length of that in old speci- 

 mens, the anterior portion being absent ; the thin 

 lowest fold runs as far as the aperture. As already 

 mentioned, the second fold appears as two coalesced 

 folds, and an additional denticle occurs between it 

 and the upper fold. 



Addendum. — Plectopylis pseudophis (figs. 77a 

 and b). — Since writing my remarks upon this 

 species (vol. iv., p. 170, f. 62), I have been fortunate 

 in obtaining a specimen through the kindness of 

 the Rev. R. Ashington Bullen. I am thus able to 

 supplement my former notes and figures, which 

 were copied from other sources, as at that time I 

 had not examined the armature. The specimen in 

 question differs from the type of P. pseudophis, as 

 described by Lieut. -Colonel Godwin Austen, in 

 having an additional short fold between the 

 long upper and the short lower parietal fold, 

 resembling in this respect P. leiophis ; but as 

 already stated, when discussing that species, this 

 character appears to be an inconstant one. The 

 palatal armature consists of : first, a short thin 

 horizontal fold near the suture ; secondly, a 

 longer horizontal fold, somewhat deflected pos- 

 teriorly, with an additional short wedge-like fold 

 attached to it, which has posteriorly, a little 

 above it, a small denticle ; thirdly, a shorter hori- 

 zontal fold widened towards the posterior extremity, 

 then suddenly attenuated and indented, and finally 



again widened a little ; fourthly, a short, slightly 

 curved horizontal fold, descending a little pos- 

 teriorly, also slightly attenuated and indented near 

 the posterior extremity ; fifthly, a crescent-shaped, 

 sub-vertical fold (the concave side being towards 

 the aperture and the lower suture), with a small 

 denticle near its posterior extremity ; and sixthly, 



Fig. 77.— Plectopylis pseudophis. 



a longer curved horizontal fold, having its upper 

 edge reflected towards the fifth fold, and possessing 

 a small denticle near its posterior extremity. 



(To be continued.) 



New Work on Lepidoptera. — Mr. J. W. 

 Tutt, F.E.S., is passing through the press a 

 new work on Lepidoptera. It is to be devoted 

 to a critical examination of the order, especially 

 as represented in Europe, and will include the 

 divisions of Macro-lepidoptera and Micro-lepi- 

 doptera. It is expected to appear early in 

 the autumn. The author is publishing it by 

 subscription at 15s. the volume before issue, 

 and one guinea afterwards. The chief feature of 

 this work will be a new scheme of classification 

 based entirely on recent research by Messrs. Dyar 

 and Chapman. This is well-known to advanced 

 entomologists, and is of great scientific importance. 

 We may therefore expect some remarkable changes 

 in the direction of the study of the order. The 

 preliminary chapters of the book will consist of 

 (1) The Origin of Lepidoptera, (2) The Lepi- 

 dopterous Egg and its Evolution, (3) Partheno- 

 genesis, (4) The Embryology of a Lepidopterous 

 Insect, (5) The External Structure of a Lepi- 

 dopteron, (6) The Internal Structure of a Lepi- 

 dopterous Insect, (7) The Variation of the Margins 

 of Lepidoptera, (8) Defensive Structures and Pro- 

 tective Coloration of the Larvae, (9) Classification 

 of Lepidoptera. These chapters occupy about 

 112 pages of the work. The second part of this 

 work will consist of a monograph of the Sphingo- 

 Micropterygid Stirps, of the Nepticulid moths, 

 the Eucleides, the Authercerides and the Lasio- 

 ampides. This part is well forward, in fact nearly 

 completed. Mr. Tutt has received important 

 assistance from several of the leading British 

 lepidopterists who study the order from the point 

 of view of an exact science. Intending subscribers, 

 should apply direct to Mr. Tutt, Rayleigh Villa, 

 Westcombe Hill, London, S.E. 



