300 NOTES—ORIGINAL AND SELECTED.
Oysters and the Typhoid Bacillus.—The Times of
January 11th, 1904, had a leading article on the conclusions set
forth by the Royal Commission on Sewage-Disposal with
reference to the precautions which can be taken for the
preservation of oysters from the Bacillus of Typhoid. An excuse
for the reluctance of the Commissioners to recommend stringent
measures for the prevention of the outfall of untreated sewage
into tidal estuaries lies in an unexpected bacteriological
difficulty. The chief risk from sewage contamination arises
from the possible presence of the typhoid bacillus. This bacillus
is fortunately rare, but the Bacillus coli-communis, which is
invariably found in the human alimentary canal, and has
hitherto been regarded as evidence of sewage contamination, is
now found to be generally present in the oyster "even when
this creature is of the most unspotted character." In short, the
Bacillus coli-communis may be as natural to the oyster as
to man, and therefore its presence cannot be regarded as
evidence that the oyster has lived in sewage-contaminated water.
The Commissioners, however, hold out hopes of being able to
say that the colon bacilli in an oyster should not exceed a
certain number, excessive quantities of them only being
regarded as indicating sewage contamination.—T.V.H.
INSECTS.
Deilephila Livornica near Romford.—Our member,
Mr. G. P. Hope, of Havering Grange, near Romford, writes that
on July 17th he found feeding on Antirrhinum in his garden a
larva which he and several entomologists to whom he has shown
it consider to be Deilephila livornica (=lineata)—the "Striped
Hawk-Moth." The larva of this moth is very variable, and Mr.
Hope's specimen differs from the figures in "Buckler" and
"Westwood," but Mr. Fenn and others have little doubt as to
the species. D. livornica is very rare in Essex (as indeed every-
where in Britain), but has occurred near Colchester, Walton-on-
Naze, Upton Park, Walthamstow, etc. The natural history
journals record the capture of several specimens this season, and
Mr. Hope mentions one that was sent to a friend from South
Devon early in May. All these specimens are doubtless
immigrants from the continent, and Mr. Hope's caterpillar would
be the progeny of one of these spring visitants. The larva has