On Silk produced by Diurnal Lepidoptera. 393 



arising from the foregoing causes, would, however, not present 

 so many difficulties, were astronomers, as a rule, able to de- 

 lineate what they see with anything like an approach to accuracy 

 of detail. Much confusion is created by the exaggeration of 

 certain details which happen to strike forcibly the mind of 

 particular observers, who give undue prominence to those 

 features both as regards size and intensity. But astronomers 

 are not responsible for the whole of the difficulties placed in 

 the way of those who undertake the task of reducing observa- 

 tions; the steel- engraver, the lithographer, and the wood- 

 engraver, are answerable for a great share of the confusion 

 engendered by their very free translations of the drawings 

 placed in their hands to be copied." 



Mr. Banks, to whom we owe a beautiful series of drawings 

 of this planet in 1864, published in the Astronomical Register, 

 remarks that a considerable change will be found in the position 

 of the poles, the N., which was then beyond the limb, coming 

 more and more into sight, while the spots near the equator will 

 be projected further from the centre of the disc, and follow a 

 course much more curved upwards (as seen inverted) so as to 

 render their identification more difficult. 



Uranus will be very well situated for observation this month; 

 at the commencement of it lying very near the sf edge of the 

 fine cluster near Propus (Int. Obs. v. 54) and reaching at its 

 opposition on the 2 7th, a station between 2° and 3° sp e 

 Geminorum, a 3 mag. star standing about -^ of the way from 

 Pollux to Aldebaran. 



OCCULTATION. 



20th. B.A.C. 1526, 6 mag. 5h. 11m. to 5h. 59m. 



ON SILK PRODUCED BY DIURNAL LEPIDOPTERA. 



BY PHILIP HENRY GOSSB, P.R.S. 



The Rev. D. C. Timins, in his interesting paper On the 

 Habits of some Lepidopterous Larvce (Intellectual Observer, 

 Nov., 1866) says at p. 255, after describing a silken couch, 

 spun across a leaf by the caterpillar of Charaxes Jasius — 

 " This is, so far as I know, the only instance of silk being pro- 

 duced by a member of the diurnal Leyidoptera" 



The expression is too strong ; for I need not remind Mr. 

 Timins, I am sure, that the pupge of the Vanessadce and 

 similar dangling forms hang from a dense conical button of 

 silk spun by the mature caterpillars, while those of the 



