RASHKB Journal 皇家亞洲學會香港分會學刊 | RAS-1964 https://digitalrepository.lib.hku.hk/catalog/qz20zx09r HONG KONG BUTTERFLIES SEASONAL VARIATION 101 In warm climates butterflies often run continuous broods at intervals of about two months. Even in England certain species, the Whites and Vanessidae, for instance, have more than one emergence during the year. The summer brood of the former is differentiated from the spring brood in that the spots are black instead of grey. The Common Blue (Polyommatus icarus) is two-brooded, but there is no difference in the marking, though the August brood is smaller than that in May. The Vanessas, Large and Small Tortoiseshell, Painted Lady and Common Red Admiral, and the rare visitor, the Camberwell Beauty, show no variation. In Hong Kong, a large number of species have distinct dry and wet season forms, the change taking place at the turn of the monsoon in October and May. The general tendency is for the underside, which is displayed when the insect is at rest, to become less ornate in the winter months. When the leaves are on the trees, the tropical sun in summer produces a dappled effect of light and shade in the woods. Many butterflies have numerous white pupillated ocelli, which tend to break up the surface pattern on the underside to produce a protective camouflage. In the winter, the sun's rays are less obstructed, and the insects rest on the ground among the fallen leaves. The "eyes" disappear, and the ground colouring blends with the carpet of dried vegetation. One of the Satyridae, Mycalesis mineus, has a submarginal border of eight full-sized ocelli at the height of summer, and these are gradually reduced in size and number in successive broods during the autumn. In winter, the underside of the butterfly is entirely obsolete, blending perfectly with the dead leaves on which it rests. The process is reversed in the spring, each brood being more conspicuously provided with eyes than the last. The Precis family, known as the "Pansy" butterflies, of which there are six species in Hong Kong, not only lose their underside ocelli in the dry season but considerably modify their whole outline. The wings are much more rounded in the wet season, whilst in the dry season, the tornus of the fore wing comes to an exaggerated point, whilst the inner angle of the hind wing is almost a tail. The Pieridae, among which the "Whites" are found, show great seasonal variation. The underside, in both sexes, is almost plain ================================================================================ RASHKB Journal 皇家亞洲學會香港分會學刊 | RAS-1989 https://digitalrepository.lib.hku.hk/catalog/8336pm92h 237 COYNE, Joseph Stirling (1803-1868) "Binks the Bagman" (13.12.1843). P: 8.10.1857 "Duck Hunting" (29.9.1862). P: 30.3.1864; 4.4.1865 "The Infanticidal Farce or Did you ever Send your Wife to Camberwell?" (16.3.1846). P: 21.2.1856 **Urgent Private Affairs** (7.1.1856). P: 5.5.1858 CROSS, John C (d 1810?) The Golden Farmer or Harlequin Ploughboy (28.6.1802). P: 8.10.1857 DANCE, Charles (1794-1863) **Delicate Ground or Paris in 1793** (27.11.1849). P: 13.2.1864 "The Dustman's Belle" (1.6.1846). P: 9.2.1858 DANVERS, Henry (??) **A Conjugal Lesson** (3.7.1856). P: 26.3.1857 DIBDIN, Thomas John (1771-1841) **The Birthday** (16.3.1799). P: 9.2.1858 DUMAS, Alexandre fils (1824-1895) "Camille" (English adaptation of 'La Dame aux Camélias') (1852; London: 1858). P: 27.3.1865 EDWARDS, Henry Sutherland (1828-1906) **The Goose with the Golden Eggs** (with A. Mayhew) (1.9.1859). P: 13.2.1863 FITZBALL, Edward (1792-1873) "The Daughter of the Regiment" (30.11.1843). P: 15.4.1865 GILL, W.B. **Aurora Floyd Burlesqued**. P: 19.4.1865 "Which is Which?". P: 27.3.1865 GORE, Catherine Grace Frances (1799-1861) **A Good Night's Rest or Two in the Morning** (19.8.1839). P: 21.2.1856 HALLIDAY, Andrew (1830-1877) "The Area Belle" (with W. Brough) (7.3.1864). P: 30.9.1865 HARDWICKE, Pelham: See C. Mathews HARRIS, Augustus Glossop (1826-1873) "The Rose of Castille" (Music by M.W. BALFE) (29.10.1857). P: 8.10.-14.10.1864 HAZLEWOOD, Colin Henry (1823-1875) ? "Aurora Floyd or the First and Second Marriage" (21.4.1863). P: 26.11.1864; 17.4.1865 ? "Lady Audley's Secret" (25.6.1863). 142 P: 28.12.1864 "Rob Roy" (19.6.1864). P: 28.3.-5.4.1865 JERROLD, Douglas William (1803-1857) "Black-eyed Susan or All in the Downs" (8.6.1829). P: 28.3-5.4.1865 JERROLD, M. William Blanchard (1826-1884) ================================================================================ RASHKB Journal 皇家亞洲學會香港分會學刊 | RAS-2002 https://digitalrepository.lib.hku.hk/catalog/mp4901278 385 INTRODUCING THE CONSERVATION SECTION OF THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT PAUL HARRISON1 I am sure most members of HKBRAS regularly attend Hong Kong's museums and libraries. They might, however, not be familiar with all the work that goes on behind the scenes to make these institutions effective. One group of specialists are the conservators. The author is employed as a conservator and is a life member of the HKBRAS. He is one of a team of thirty-five specialists who work at laboratories at the Museums of Art, Heritage and History, the Film Archive and the Central Library. These are further divided into ten specialist teams, to work on the many varied materials that these institutions collect. There is another similar team at the Public Records Office to conserve the Government's archives. A question that the author is often asked is 'What did you study to be able to do this?' The answer is that he has a B.Sc. in Archaeological Conservation, and an M.Sc. in Ancient Metal Working Techniques from University College London, and, accordingly, works in the Metals team. The other teams are Archaeology, Ceramics/Stone, Central Library, Film Archive, Historical Documents, Organic Materials, Paper, Photographs and Textiles/Natural History. The other, curatorial, members of the section are locally employed chemistry graduates who after serving an apprenticeship at a museum head overseas to study a conservation discipline. Previously they all went to UCL too. Now people have been to Canberra University, Australia; the Canadian Conservation Institute, Rochester, New York, USA for Film Conservation; De Montfort University, Lincoln, England, and Southampton University for textile conservation; and Camberwell, London to study paper conservation. But training is a life-long experience and experienced conservators are sent on short training courses, overseas, to expand the skills base of the section. Another question that I sometimes get is 'Can you do carbon-14 dating?' ================================================================================