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HARD WICKE ' S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



moth known as fulvata was exceeding plentiful this 

 season, being readily beaten from the trees at the 

 edge of the wood, whilst we waited for darkness to 

 set in. The pretty scalloped shell was likewise to be 

 taken. I might extend this slight record of the 

 enumeration of some forty more or less common 

 species of moths taken in three nights at intervals of 

 a week. 



In the daytime an esteemed companion succeeded 

 in catching one of the clear-wings (bombyliformis) in 

 Wyre Forest, together with larvae of the five-spotted 

 fournet moth, which have been successfully hatched 

 out. Some oak eggars are still feeding. The 

 humming-bird hawk has been generally common 

 during the hot weather. On the oolitic hills I took 

 a series of the wood tiger [Chelonia plantaginis) in 

 nice condition, a moth unknown to us in the valley, I 

 think. In the same place the burdock plume {P. 

 galactodaclyhis) was feeding on the backs of the 

 leaves in sub-pupal condition. Snails eat these 

 leaves, but the circular holes left by the larvre may be 

 distinguished at a glance by a film of white fringing 

 the edge of the eaten parts of the leaf, the snails 

 leaving no such edging. The common! mullein was 

 also infested with larva; of C. verbasci. There 

 is a well-known haunt in these parts for Procris 

 statices, which, however, has been less plentiful this 

 year than last. One solitary specimen of Colias edusa 

 I have seen by the Severn side, where a dozen were 

 taken last year. 



One day I travelled by train from Gloucester 

 to Worcester carrying a cardboard box containing 

 a female poplar hawk that had deposited a fine 

 selection of eggs therein. The lid was pierced with 

 holes. To my dismay I suddenly found a dozen little 

 horned caterpillars vivaciously crawling on a lady's 

 dress, she being in blissful ignorance of the fact. 

 The wretched things had changed in the box, 

 escaping through the holes in the lid. I " lay low," 

 simply wrapping my precious box up in a newspaper. 

 The escaped youngsters, finding the lady not exactly 

 a poplar-tree or congenial food-plant, either died or 

 disappeared. One death's-head larva I have seen 

 this year, amongst potatoes. Quite by accident I 

 found the peculiar eggs of the neuropterous lace-wing 

 attached by long gossamer-like filaments to a leaf of 

 mistletoe in the orchard. The elegant insect is 

 common enough, but the eggs so disposed I had seen 

 only in figured plates. The ephemera may-fly rose 

 this year fully three weeks before the usual date. 

 May 5th I saw several in the sub-imago state. 



I caught a fly, that is one of the diptera, one day, 

 but I am all at sea in the identification of this 

 extensive order. Perhaps, in common with many 

 others, I may find the opportunity of gaining know- 

 ledge from Mr. Theobald's new work on dipterous 

 insects. The fly to which I allude in size resembled 

 a house-fly, of slightly stouter build than ordinary 

 ones. The abdomen was yellow. The peculiarity 



was a sharply-pointed process, or elongation like a 

 snout, projecting from the front of the head. It 

 formed a sharp defensive weapon, as I found when it 

 punctured my hand. 



There is little of value, I fear, in these entomo- 

 logical notes. It is my one great regret in the 

 chequered course of life, to find that the closer the 

 application to a study of nature the more profound 

 one's ignorance appears. Still, there is a solid 

 satisfaction derived from the mere effort to pierce the 

 veil, and after all, a comparison of field-notes has 

 some infinitesimal value. 



C. Parkinson. 



Worcester. 



%* The entomologist occasionally finds himself in 

 an undignified situation. For example, it is an injury 

 to the feelings to be interrupted at midnight in the 

 pursuit of peaceful avocations, as a poacher in some- 

 one's pheasant preserves. Equally embarrassing is 

 it to be caught by an emissary of law and order up a 

 lamp-post at 2 a.m., diligently bottling swallow-tail 

 or tiger moths ; there is, moreover, risk of being 

 arrested as a harmless sort of lunatic under such 

 circumstances. "Mad, my masters, mad," will be 

 the popular verdict. And so we are to some extent ; 

 everyone, in degree, has a crack somewhere. Show 

 me perfect sanity, and you will produce the perfect 

 man ! Still, there are relative grades in mental 

 aberration, and even if I am caught up a lamp-post, 

 I protest that I am as sane as most of my neighbours. 

 It is the pursuit of knowledge that alone lands me in 

 so equivocal a situation, and from the lofty eminence 

 I gaze in tranquillity on the world below. 



SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



Wincanton Field Club. — This provincial 

 society, which has done some good work since its 

 formation, held its fifth annual meeting in Wincanton 

 on June 26th, the president, Mr. T. H. Baker, F.M.S., 

 in the chair. After the annual report and balance 

 sheet had been submitted, the officers of the club 

 were elected for the ensuing year, and excursions for 

 the season arranged. Mr. J. Phillis, of Shepton 

 Mallet, then read an interesting paper on the discovery 

 of Roman remains in that town, several cases of 

 which he exhibited. A nice collection of British 

 birds' nests and eggs was shown by Mr. E. A. 

 Swanton, wasps' nests and local coleoptera by 

 Mr. E. W. Swanton, and a fine collection of native 

 Graminere and rare plants by Mr. W. Herridge. At 

 the invitation of Mr. W. Galpin, the members took 

 tea in the Market Hall, after which, under the 

 guidance of Mr. G. Sweetman (hon. sec), some 

 ancient houses in the town were inspected, one of 

 which, known as " The Dogs," attracted interest, 



