SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



3 J 9 



Royal Meteorological Society. — On the 

 evening of February 15th, Mr. E. Mawley read his 

 annual report on phenological observations, and 

 stated that the weather of the past year, taken 

 as a whole, had been throughout the British Isles 

 very warm and dry. Wild plants blossomed much 

 in advance of their average dates until about the 

 end of March, but then, until the close of the 

 flowering season, they were mostly late in bloom- 

 ing. Rains in May caused the crops of hay to 

 be everywhere remarkably heavy, but the long 

 drought which followed dried up the pastures 

 and caused a scanty yield of roots. The dry sea- 

 son suited the cereals admirably, especially the 

 wheat, of which there was a very abundant crop. 

 There was a splendid crop of potatoes in Ireland 

 and in parts of Scotland, but elsewhere the yield 

 was moderate. Apples, pears and plums flowered 

 abundantly, but adverse weather conditions, and 

 dry subsoil in the spring, caused irregular " set " of 

 fruit, so that crops were below average. There 

 were good yields of all the smaller fruits. A paper 

 by Prof. W. M. Davis, of Harvard University, U.S., 

 on " The Circulation of the Atmosphere," was read 

 by the Secretary. 



City of London Entomological and Natural 

 History Society. — Meeting, 17th January, 1899. 

 Exhibits : Mr. J. A. Clark, a series of Peronea 

 cristana from the New Forest, one being without 

 the white button on the fore-wings, although a 

 fresh specimen when captured ; also of P. umbvana 

 in great variation, taken in the same locality. 

 Mr. F. B. Jennings, a fly, Pipiza noctiluca, taken in 

 May, 1896, in Epping Forest, on the sloe, attention 

 being drawn to the lunar markings. Mr. A. F. 

 Bayne, two Agyotis cinerea, one being very large, 

 taken on the chalk hills at Tring, in 1896. Mr. 

 W. J. Kaye, five boxes of Rhopalocera from 

 Trinidad, taken by himself, showing many 

 Hesperiidae in great variety of form. Many of 

 the insects were species new to science, and await 

 description. — H. A. Sauze, Hon. Sec. 



North London Natural History Society. — 

 January 19th, 1899, Mr. L. J. Tremayne, President, 

 in the chair. Messrs. Woodward, Nicholson, 

 Bacot, Prout, and Robbins exhibited British and 

 foreign species of Pieridae. Mr. Nicholson opened 

 a discussion on this family, dealing with its classi- 

 fication, distribution, the characteristics of the 

 early stages, the frequency of mimicry in the 

 family, the abnormal abundance of Pieris brassicae 

 larvae last autumn, and the rarity of Aporia crataegi 

 and Pieris daplidice in Britain, the latter indeed 

 having no claim to be regarded as truly indigenous. 

 In the discussion, Mr. Prout called attention to the 

 interesting cases of seasonal dimorphism in some 

 of the British species. Mr. Bacot referred to the 

 recent discovery that the singularly dissimilar 

 Terias bvigitta and T. zoe, which he exhibited from 

 South Africa, were seasonal forms of one species. 

 Mr, Barber pointed out that where kindred forms 

 occurred at very different latitudes, their greater 

 altitude in the more tropical habitats generally 



brought about approximately similar conditions of 

 temperature. Mr. Bacot further remarked on the 

 loss of the black spots on the upper side of the 

 species of Pieris, and considered it inexplicable, 

 unless, perhaps, on the ground of sexual selection. 

 Mr. Robbins spoke of the profusion of P. brassicae 

 larvae in Northamptonshire last September ; 

 sometimes more than fifty were counted on a 

 single cabbage-leaf. Mr. Nicholson, in replying, 

 spoke in favour of Wallace's view, that in this 

 country the birds did not trouble themselves much 

 about butterflies ; while the large amount of land 

 under cultivation favoured the multiplication of 

 the cabbage- whites. — Louis B. Prout, Hon. Sec. 



Cambridge Entomological and Natural 

 History Society. — February 3rd. Dr. Sharp 

 exhibited a number of stag-beetles (Lucanidae) 

 from various parts of the world, calling attention 

 to the trimorphism conspicuous among the males 

 of many species. They differ not only in size, but 

 also in the form of the mandibles, and can be 

 usually placed in three well-marked groups in each 

 species. He also exhibited some bees of the genus 

 Koptorthosoma from Ceylon, in the female of which 

 a cavity is formed in the anterior end of the 

 abdomen by an involution of the skin. The abdomen 

 is pressed so close against the thorax that in the 

 normal position this cavity is invisible, but it can 

 be seen by bending down the abdomen, or by 

 cutting it off. The cavity varies in form in different 

 species, but is found throughout the genus in the 

 females, and always contains a number of large 

 acari. It is not known whether these parasites 

 have any connection with the! development of the 

 structure in question. Dr. Harmer exhibited an 

 amphipod crustacean of the genus Niphargus, 

 found in a well at Norwich. This genus is only 

 known to occur' in deep wells ; and in the complete 

 absence of pigment from all parts of the body, in- 

 cluding the eyes, it resembles a cave animal. 



. Hull Scientific and Field Naturalists' 

 Club. This society has altered its place of meeting 

 to the "Young People's Institute," Charlotte Street, 

 Hull. On February 1st, the members held a 

 "sectional" meeting. It was arranged that the 

 evening should be devoted to geological topics, and 

 there was a very good attendance. Mr. William 

 Morfitt, of Atwick, one of the club's corres- 

 ponding members, exhibited and described an 

 interesting collection of geological rarities, most 

 of which had been secured during this winter from 

 the beach and cliffs of the Holderness coast 

 between Hornsea and Skipsea. Foremost amongst 

 them should be mentioned a large portion of a 

 tusk of a mammoth (Elephas primi genius), which had 

 been obtained from the boulder clay cliffs. There 

 were also several vertebrae and other bones of the 

 gigantic fish lizards (Saurians) which flourished in 

 Liassic times. These, though found near Atwick, 

 had originally been derived from the rocks at 

 Whitby. Of more recent date was a very fine 

 polished stone axe-head of large size, and with the 

 cutting edge as sharp and fresh as if made but 

 yesterday. This was taken from one of the beds 

 of peat which in two or three localities occur 

 resting on the boulder clay. Mr. J. R. Boyle, 

 F.S.A., pointed out that this implement was a 

 relic of the Vikings, who in various ways have 

 left abundant evidence of their presence in great 

 numbers of places in this district. Other matters 

 of interest were brought forward and papers 

 were read. — T. Sheppard, Hon. Sec, 78, Sherburn 

 Street, Hull. 



