SCIENCE- GOSSIP. 



the vegetation of the earth, like all living Nature, 

 is engaged, and always has been engaged, in life- 

 long combat. 



Food, light, and moisture are to a certain extent 

 limited commodities under the conditions of life, 

 and each organism fights with its neighbours for its 

 supply. Every minute modification rendering more 

 facile the attainment of these necessities will push 

 forward the fortunate possessor to the detriment of 

 its fellows, 



A change no greater than the disruption of a 

 microscopically small cellular cross-wall standing 

 in the path of the water current would add to the 

 nutrition of the plant and assist in the plant's 

 struggle for life. 



This constant warfare of the living world, acting 

 through untold ages, is the key by which to read 

 the structure of plants. 



I have not been able to do more than touch 

 lightly upon some few of the broader anatomical 

 features, but in your own study of the structure of 

 plants innumerable problems will constantly pre- 

 sent themselves. I hope that I have been able to 

 indicate the spirit in which you should approach 

 these questions and the methods that ought to be 

 adopted in seeking their solution. 



Elmnwod, BicMey, Kent. 



BUTTERFLIES OF THE PALAE- 

 ARCTIC REGTON. 



By Henry Charles Lang, M.D., M.K.C.S., 

 L.R.C.P. Lond., F.E.S. 



(Continued from page 170.) 



GENUS ETJREMA (continued). 



E. heeabe (continued). Larva I.— IV. on 

 Aesehynomene sesban. Other authorities quoted by 

 Leech, p. 431, give Leguminosae and Madras 

 Thorn. 



2. E. laeta Boisd. Sp. gen. Lep., p. 674 (1836). 

 35-50 mm. 



Wings amber-yellow, not so bright as in E. 

 heeabe. F.w. have the base slightly powdered 

 with black. Black border generally as broad as 

 in E. heeabe, but without the square-shaped notch 

 seen in that species ; and it gradually enlarges in 

 width towards the costa, and is slightly denticulated 

 internally. Fringe reddish-yellow. Apices pointed. 

 H.w. less rounded than in E. heeabe, without any 

 markings on the wing area, but with a trace of a 

 black border at external angle, and sometimes 

 with a row of marginal black points. U.S. f.w. 

 yellow, with costa and ou. marg. reddish. H.w. 

 pale reddish. 



HAB. S. Corea (Leech). XI., NIL, III.— V. h. 



a. var. svb-fervens Butl. Differs from type in 

 the redder tone of the colouring of u.s., costa and 



apex of f.w. and the entire surface of h.w. being 

 of a deeper colour than in the 3 of E. laeta. 



b. var. bethesba Janson. Cist. Entom. ii. p. 272 

 (1878). Differs from type in having the f.w. less 

 pointed at apex. Wings pale lemon-yellow, colour- 

 ing of u s. pale pinkish-white. £ smaller and 

 paler yellow than $ , " with the wings rather thickly 

 speckled with black " (Janson). This is considered 

 to be the summer dimorphic form of the species 

 (vide Leech, p. 427), VII. — IX., occurring up to 

 9,000 feet altitude. There is no notice of these 

 species in Staudinger's Catalogue, third edition. 

 It is difficult to understand the omission, as they 

 certainly occur in Corea. 



Having now concluded the 1 account of the family 

 Pieridae, I here subjoin some extracts from the 

 new edition of Staudinger's Catalogue of Palae- 

 arctic Lepidoptera, which involve additions or 

 suggest alterations in respect of what I have set 

 down in the present work. I shall not take any 

 notice of names which are prefixed in the Cata- 

 logue by an *, as the forms so marked in that work 

 do not properly belong to the Palaearctic Region. ' 



Aporia hippia Brem. var. thihetana Gr.-Gr. 

 Hor. xxvii. p. 127. Tiansclianica R.H. smaller, 

 h.w. more strongly ochreous beneath. Hab. Nan 

 Schan. A. hreitneri Friv. is reckoned a var. of 

 hippia. 



Aporia dvbernardi Oberth. var. hozlori Alph. 

 Mem. Rom. ix. p. 232, t. 2, f. 1. ? Aporia bieti of 

 this work. 



Pieris bra.ssicae L. a. Gen. vern. Charielea 

 Steph. ill i. p. 17. H.w. darker beneath. Hab. 

 Azores. b. (Gen. aest. ?) Catolevca rober Ent. 

 Nach. 1896. Larger, with large black spots; h.w. 

 whiter beneath. Hab. Asia Minor, Syria, etc. 

 o. wollastoni Butl. ; reckoned a var. of P. brassicae. 



d. cheiranthi Hb. ; reckoned a var. of P. brassicae. 



e. var. brassicoides Stgr. The spring brood of 

 Cent. Asia. H.w. very dark beneath, sprinkled 

 with greenish-black. Hab. Fergana. 



P. hrueperi Stgr. Gen. vern. devta Nicev. Journ. 

 As. Soc. 1883. H.w. grey and white beneath. 

 Hab. Issyk Kul., Pamir, Ladak, etc. Var. maho- 

 metana Gr.-Gr. Wings with black margins above ; 

 u.s. much darker. Hab. Pamir. 

 (To be continued.) 



The Homeland Handbooks. — We have on 

 previous occasions referred to the excellent Home- 

 land handbooks published by the Homeland Asso- 

 ciation, Limited, at St. Bride's House, 24 Bride 

 Lane, Fleet Street, London. Before us we have 

 two of the later guides, one being to the Devon- 

 shire town of Teignmouth, by Beatrix F. Cresswell, 

 and the other, by Stanley Martin, being a second 

 edition of " A Glimpse of Cranbrook, the Town of 

 the Kentish Weald." Both are picturesquely 

 illustrated, and contain references to geology, 

 plants, and other objects of Nature. The price 

 is only 6d. per volume, and these books are well 

 worth the expenditure of so small a sum. 



