174 



THE BRITISH NATURALIST. 



[July 



Ent. Mbn. Mag., vols, xiii., xxiii., xxv. ; Trans. Ent. Soc. London, 1889, Q ^ c - — 

 J. W. Tutt, Westcombe Hill, S.E., 28th June, 1894. 



I must respectfully disclaim that wide knowledge of the literature of elementary 

 natural history which Mr. Tutt kindly ascribes to me. Unlike him, I do not 

 possess a copy (well-thumbed or otherwise) of the Rev. J. G. Wood's book ; 

 and, as my criticism was based on personal observations, it remains unaffected 

 by the errors of contributors to the Young Naturalist. Mr. Tutt has apparently 

 been led astray by a too hasty perusal of my review ; if he will again glance at 

 it he will find that it was his statement about the " whitish bellies " of the 

 young blindworms to which I took exception. Against this he quotes the 

 record (of an anonymous correspondent) of one June specimen, " greyish-brown 

 with white belly," and informs us that the "whitish" of his book means 

 "bluish-black to white." If, in the Tuttian vocabulary, "whitish" has so 

 extended a meaning, one is inclined to suspect that " melanism " also may bear 

 a sense which, until it has been defined authoritatively, may be provisionally 

 regarded as ranging over the tints between white and blue-black. I do not 

 claim to be a specialist in Lepicloptera, but am fortunate enough to number 

 amongst my friends some of both the older and younger schools, and have 

 derived much amusement, and I hope some little instruction, from their dis- 

 cussions. Being a very modest mortal, I did not presume to decide on a ques- 

 tion about which doctors differ so widely, and therefore contented myself with 

 the expression of a doubt. I fancy, however, that it is easier to prove the 

 theory than the fact, and the tone of Mr. Tutt's concluding remarks strengthens 

 that supposition. "With regard to the sloughing of our English snakes, I may 

 add that my statement that they slough " oftener than thrice a year," is based 

 on numerous observations both in the country and in numerous private 

 collections ; nor does Mr. Tutt challenge its accuracy. He, however, uses it as 

 a peg on which to hang the statement, that " the reviewer again appears to be 

 generalizing on very slender data." If for " the reviewer " " Mr. Tutt " had 

 been substituted, the sentence would more fairly apply to Mr. Tutt's melanic 

 theories. -The Reviewer of "Random Recollections." 



[Have not the author of " Random Recollections," and those of his authorities who 

 refer to the white bellies of the young of Anguis fragilis, mistaken the dorsal 

 for the ventral surface? — Editors.] 



REPORTS OF SOCIETIES. 



THE SOUTH LONDON ENTOMOLOGICAL AND NATURAL 



HISTORY SOCIETY. 



June 14th, 1894, E. Step, Esq., President, in the chair. 



Mr. R. Adkin exhibited, on behalf of Mr. Tugwell, a series of vars. of Spilosoma 

 lubriccpeda, Esp., the product of a cross between var. radiata and var. fasciata, and read 

 notes; on behalf of Mr. R. A. Adkin, a very variable series of Cyclostoma elegans, Mull, 

 taken during the Society's field meeting at Reigate ; three spscimens of hibernated 

 Vanessa antiopa, L., from Montreal, Canada, with pale margins ; a series of Asteroscopus 



