SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



191 



nightshade, in flower and fruit ; Hyoscyanus 

 aegyptica, or henbane ; Nicotiana rustica, tobacco 

 plant ; Aponogeton distachyou ; Euphorbia lathyris, or 

 caper spurge ; Vitis corinthia, the currant vine ; 

 Phytolacca decandra ; Ficus carica, or fig ; Datura 

 stramonium, or thorn-apple; Sedium spectabile ; Cyperus 

 aquations and C. longus ; Statice Umonium, sea 

 lavender; and Eryngium amethystimum, a species of 

 sea holly. Mr. F. P. Smith brought specimens of 

 Daphina pulex, Cyclops quadr icornis , Diatoma vulgare, 

 etc. A debate was held, entitled " Are Man and 

 Monkey descended from a Common Ancestor? " 

 The affirmative was carried nciu. con., but several 

 members present refrained from voting. — October 

 6th, 1898. Pocket Box Exhibition at the Sigdon 

 Road Board School. Among the exhibits were 

 numerous Lepidoptera, and local plants taken on 

 the occasion of the Society's excursion to Deal on 

 August iSth. — Lawrence J. Tremayne, Hon. Sec. 



City of London Natural History Society. — 

 Meeting, October 4th, 1898. Exhibits : Mr. A. 

 Bacot, hybrids between Tephrosia bistortaia and 

 T. crepuscular ia. Mr. E. M. Dadd, series of Gortyna 

 ochracea bred from pupae found on the Lee Marshes. 

 Mr. J. W. Tutt, a cochliopodid larva in spirit, from 

 America, for comparison with the larvae of the 

 British forms Hclerogenea limacodcs (testudo) and 

 H. asella. Mr. J. A. Clark, Gonepteryx rhamni from 

 Eltham, and a dark female Agrotis pitta. Capt. 

 B. B. Thompson, English, Irish and Scotch speci- 

 mens of female Lycaena icarus, the two latter being 

 nearly a third larger and considerably more 

 suffused with blue than the former. Communica- 

 tions : Mr. Dadd, referring to Mr. Clark's remarks 

 about Gonepteryx rhamni being still found so near 

 London as Eltham, said he had taken it at Hadley 

 Wood. Mr. Clark had taken an exceptionally 

 large Lycaena corydou at Caterham. Sphinx con- 

 volvuli was reported as having been common round 

 London this Autumn. Mr. H. Fuller read a paper, 

 " Notes on the Broads," an account of a holiday 

 last June, in company with our members, Messrs. 

 Cox and E. Heasler, in " Broadland." Mr. Dadd 

 also joined them for a couple of days. In the 

 course of Mr. Fuller's remarks, which were of 

 great interest to collectors, he said no less than 

 109 species of macro-lepidoptera had been captured 

 during the fortnight. He and his friends hired an 

 8-ton cutter-rigged yacht, together with the services 

 of a skipper, who was also ready to act as cook. 

 Starting from Wroxham they cruised to Horning 

 Ferry, explored the river Ant, and visited Barton 

 Broad, Stalham Broad, Ludham Dyke, Potter 

 Heigham, Horsey Mere, Hickling Broad, Waxham, 

 Whitesley Mere and Ranworth Broad. As in- 

 clination led they would choose a collecting-ground 

 and land. An acetylene lamp giving a brilliant 

 light, with its concomitant "sheet," had been 

 provided, but attraction by light was found during 

 this fortnight to be uncertain, the principal insects 

 caught by this means being Spiiosoma urticae, 

 Neuria reticulata (sapponariae), Meliana flammea, 

 Noctua augur, N. f estiva (vars.), Dianthoecia capsin- 

 cola, and Nudaria sencx. At blossoms of ragged 

 robin, Dianthoecia cucubali and D. nana (conspersa) 

 were taken. At those of the yellow iris, Plusia 

 chrysitis, P. festucae, Choerocampa elpenor, and 

 Smerinthus ocellatus. At the white campion, 

 Choerocampa porcellus, Cuculiia umbratica, and 

 Dianthoecia cucubali. By "dusking" were netted 

 Earias chhrana, Spiiosoma urticae, Senta maritima 

 (ulvae) — about a dozen, including one Bond's 

 variety with black orbicular and reniform spots — ■ 

 Chilo phragmitcllus, Dicranura vinula, Hydrelia uncula 



(unca), Leucania impudens (pudorina), Metrocampa 

 margaritaria, Acidalia immutata, Emmelesia albulata, 

 E. dccoiorata, Phibalapteryx vittata (lignata) and 

 Lomaspilis marginata. Some fifteen Papilla machaon 

 were captured on the wing and its food plant 

 found, but no larvae were discovered. Sugaring 

 was remunerative throughout the holiday; Leucania 

 Uttoralis, L. impudens (pudorina), L. comma, L. 

 straminea, Xylophasia rurea and its var. alopccurus, 

 X. hepatica, Mamestra albicolor, Apamea basilinea, 

 A . gemina, red-banded Micena strigilis, Caradrina 

 morpheus, Agrotis vestigialis (valligera), vars. of A. 

 segetum, A. exclamationis, Noctua augur, N. plecta, 

 N. c-nigrum, N. triangulum, N. f estiva (vars.), 

 Hecatera serena, Hadena aditsta, H. dcntiua, H. pisi, 

 H. dissimills (suasu), Gonoptera libatrix, and Cymato- 

 phora octogesima (ocularis) being attracted. A 

 large number of larvae of Leucoma salicis were 

 taken on willow and successfully reared, and 

 the moths Odoneslis potatoria, Miana bicolorata 

 (furuncula), Bapta bimaculata (taminata), Hypsipetes 

 tri/asciata (impluvlata) Cidaria truncata (russata), 

 Melanippe rivata and Nemoria viridata were also 

 seen. The following observations were recorded: 

 Hydrelia uncula has a curious short rapid flight 

 and buries itself among the grass stems if alarmed. 

 Chilo phragmitcllus and Senta maritima were flying 

 at same spot, and superficially are so much alike 

 that it was not known until the entomologists' 

 return to quarters that the latter good insect was 

 captured. Two bunches of grass on the sand-hills 

 were sugared, but only visited by a dormouse and 

 a natterjack toad. Reed-warblers running up and 

 down the reed stems are sometimes so fearless as to 

 allow one to approach within three or four feet of 

 them before flying away. Various vicissitudes 

 were undergone by the boat and her passengers. — 

 H. A. Sauze, Hon. Sec. 



NOTICES CF SOCIETIES. 



Ordinary meetings are marked f, exclusions * ; names of 



persons following excursions are of Conductors. 



Clapham Junction Y.M.C.A. Natural Science Circle. 



Nov: 2. — t" A Chat on Shells, their form and beauty." J. 



C. Dacie. 



,, 16. — t" London a Million Years ago." Lantern views. 



W. H. Shrubsole, F.G.S., F.K.M.S. 

 ,, 30.— I-" Testimony of the Monuments." Rev. H. M. 

 Mackenzie. 

 Dec. 14. — t" The Occupiers of Space." C. Nicholson, F.E.S. 

 ,, 28.— I" Art in Nature and Nature in Art." J. Miller- 



Catr. 

 1899. 

 Jan. n. — J" The Microscope" and Microsopic Demonstra- 

 tion. Arthur Newton. 

 ,, .28.— t" The Light of Olden Days." E. Lovett. 

 Feb." 8.— tGeological Lecture. Prof. |. Logan Lobley, F.G.S. 

 ,, 22. — I" Interesting Features of Plant Life." Lime-light 

 views. W. H. Griffin. 

 Mar. 8. — fLecture on " Chemistry," with experiments. W. 

 G. Whiffen. F.I.C., F.S.C.I. 

 ,, 22.— +" South Africa." Lime-light views. Duncan 

 Milligan, F.R.A.S. 

 April 5. — t' The position of Insects in regard to Man and 

 their influences on Plants." A. Bacot. 

 Hon. Sec, F. W . Cannon, 1, Glycena Road, S.W. 



North London Natural History Society. 

 Nov. 3. — |" Henry Walter Bates : his Life and Work." L. 

 B. Prout, F.E.S. 

 ,, 17.— {Discussion : "The Origin of Migration in Ani- 

 mals." Opened by J. A. Simes. 

 Dec. 1. — t" Solitary Bees and Wasps." W.H.Smith. 

 ,, 15.— {General Business. 



Visitors will be cordially welcomed at all meetings and 

 excursions. Lawrence J. Tremayne, Hon. Sec. 



South London Entomological and Natural History 



Society. 

 Nov. 10. — {Exhibition of Varieties. 



,, 24. — I" British Shells." Lecture and lantern. 

 Dec. 8. — j" Dragonflies." Lecture and lantern. 

 Streatham Geological and Natural History Society. 

 Nov. 5. — ("Sketches of the Geology of Wiltshire." R. 

 Alexander. 



