z ^ • 100 ANNALS OF NATURAL HISTORY; OR, MAGAZINE OF ZOOLOGY, BOTANY, AND GEOLOGY, (being a continuation of the 'magazine of zoology and botany,' and sir w. j. hooker's 'botanical companion.') CONDUCTED BY Sir W. JARDINE, Bart.— P. J. SELBY, Esq., Dr. JOHNSTON, Sir W. J. HOOKER, Regius Professor of Botany. AND RICHARD TAYLOR, F.L.S. LONDON: PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY R. AND J. E. TAYLOR. SOLD BY S. HIGHLEY; SIMPKIN AND MARSHALL; SHERWOOD AND CO. ; W. WOOD, TAVISTOCK STREET ; BAILLIERE, REGENT STREET, AND PAKIS : LIZARS, AND MACLACHLAN AND STEWART, EDINBURGH ', CURRY, DUBLIN : AND ASHER, BERLIN. \l8jr-1839. " Omnes res creatae sunt divinae sapientiae et potentiae testes, livitiae felicitatis humanae: ex harum usu bonitas Creator is ; ex pulchritudine sapie. la Domini ; ex oeconomia in conservatione, proportione, renovatione, potentia majestatis elucet. Earum itaque indagatio ab hominibus sibi relictis semper aestimata; avere eruditis et sapientibus semper exculta ; male doctis et barbaris semper inimica fuit." — Linn. 9- //■ 2. ADVERTISEMENT. The Second Volume of the Annals of Natural History being now completed, the Editors have the satisfaction of being enabled to state, after the experience of a year, that the support which their Journal has received from the public is at the least sufficient to give the full assurance of its permanent establishment. That which above all af- fords them the greatest encouragement is the quality and quantity of the contributions with which they have been supplied by valuable correspondents diligently employed in the observation of Nature. Thus aided, they are gra- tified at finding that their labours have begun to engage attention, not only in their own, but also in other coun- tries. Already have some of the contents of this Journal been deemed worthy of being transferred into the pages of the Annales d'Histoire Naturelle ; whilst expressions of approbation and encouragement in the journals and correspondence of their contemporaries of Germany, Belgium, and the United States lead to the expectation that it will be increasingly useful as an established and IV ADVERTISEMENT. ready medium of communication for the lovers of Na- tural History in all parts of the world. The Editors must, however, be allowed earnestly to call upon all those to whom the success of such a Work may seem important, for their exertions to extend its sale, which though just sufficient to ensure permanence, and gradually on the increase, is still far short of that which its well-wishers might hope for. It can hardly be necessary for the Editors to state that their means of giving additional interest and value to these Annals, in various respects, must necessarily depend upon their having a greater sale than will merely cover the expenses of Publication. P.S. It is hardly possible to speak of the difficulties with which Scientific Journals have to struggle in this country in comparison with all others, without adverting to the very heavy expense of Post- age, and expressing our regret and mortification that nothing has yet been done by Government to relieve Science and Literature among us from a burthen so enormously oppressive. CONTENTS OF VOL. II. NUMBER VII. I. On some new forms of Arachnida. By W. S. MacLeay, A.M., F.L.S. (With Plates.) page 1 II. On Fishes new to Ireland. By William Thompson, Esq., Vice- President of the Natural History Society of Belfast * 14 III. Botanical Notes of a Tour in Ireland, with notices of new Bri- tish Plants. By J. Ball, Esq 28 IV. Some account of the genus Langsdorffia. By G. W. Arnott, LL.D 36 V. On a new species of British Fish. By R. Parnell, M.D., F.R.S.E. (With a Plate.) 39 VI. On the British Shrews. By the Rev. L. Jenyns, M.A., F.L.S. 43 VII. Florae Insularum Novae Zelandiae Precursor; or a Specimen of the Botany of the Island of New Zealand. By Allan Cunningham, Esq. 44 VIII. An attempt to ascertain the Fauna of Shropshire and North Wales. By T. C. Eyton, Esq., F.L.S 52 IX. Information respecting Botanical Travellers 57 New Books : — Icones Fungorum hucusque cognitorum, auctore A. C. J. Corda ; Commentationes de Leguminosarum Generibus, auctore Georgio Bentham ; Natural Arrangement and Relations of the Fa- mily of Flycatchers, by W. Swainson 61—64 Proceedings of the Geological Society ; Royal Society of Edinburgh ; Royal Irish Academy ; Zoological Society 64 — 77 Helminthology ; Nest and Eggs of the Water Rail ; Walking of the Seal; Hydrce; Meteorological Observations and Table 77 — 80 NUMBER VIII. X. Observations on the Fur Seal of Commerce. By R. Hamilton, Esq., F.R.S.E. (With a Plate.) 81 XI. On Ononis antiquorum. By Edward Forster, Esq., F.R.S., Vice-President of the Linnaean Society 95 XII. On the Genus Syngnathus. By Prof. B. Fries 96 XIII. Enumeration of the Plants collected by Rob. Schomburgk, Esq., in British Guiana. By George Bentham, Esq., F.L.S 105 XIV. Illustrations of Indian Botany. By Drs. Wight and Arnott. (With a Plate.) Ill XV. Descriptions of new British Insects. By A. H. Haliday, Esq. 112 XVI. Communication respecting Fossil and Recent Infusoria. By Prof. C. G. Ehrenberg 121 XVII. Florae Insularum Novae Zelandiae Precursor; or a Specimen of the Botany of the Island of New Zealand. By Allan Cunningham, Esq. 125 New Books : — Illustrations of the Zoology of South Africa, by A . Smith, M.D.; Wiegmann's Archiv fur Naturgeschichte ; Natural History and Illustrations of Scottish Salmonidce, by Sir William Jardine, Bart. ; Monographia Anoplurorum Britanniae, by H. Denny, Esq 132—139 Proceedings of the Botanical Society of Edinburgh ; Zoological Society; British Association 140 — 156 VI CONTENTS. Orchidacece ; Collections of Scottish and American Mosses; Animal of Panopcea australis; Industry and Metamorphoses of the Odyneri; Lestris parasiticus', Copper in Plants; Occurrence of Falco Islan- dicus'm England; Meteorological Observations and Table page 157 — 160 NUMBER IX. XVIII. On the Organic Origin of the Potstones or Paramoudras of Whitlingham, near Norwich. By Prof. C. G. Ehrenberg 161 XIX. On the Genera Pinus and Abies, with remarks on the Culti- vation of some Species. By Capt. S. E. Cook, R.N 163 XX. On the Metamorphoses of Crustacea. By Capt. Du Cane, R.N. (With Plates.) 178 XXI. Notes on the Hairy-armed Bat (Vespertilio Leisleri). By Thomas Paine, Esq., Jun. (With a Plate.) 181 XXII. Decscriptions of New British Insects. (By A. H. Haliday, Esq.) 183 XXIII. On the Formation of Fibrous Cells or Tubes of the Liber in Plants. By Prof. J. Meyen 190 XXIV. On some new Organic Remains in the Flints of Chalk. By the Rev. J. B. Reade, F.R.S. (With Plates.) 191 XXV. Descriptions of British Chalcidites. By Francis Walker, F.L.S 198 XXVI. Floras Insularum Novas Zelandise Precursor; or a Specimen of the Botany of the Islands of New Zealand. By Allan Cunning- ham, Esq 205 New Books : — Plantae Javanicae rariores, quas in Insula Java legit et investigavit T. Horsfield, M.D. ; Monograph of the Caprimul- gidce, by John Gould, Esq., F.R.S. ; Wiegmann's Archiv fur Na- turgeschichte 214—223 Proceedings of the Zoological Society ; Botanical Society of Lon- don 226—233 Cardamine sylvatica ; Himalayan Gypaetos ; Occurrence of Nasturtium Anceps ; Action of free Carbonic Acid on the Nutrition of Plants ; Hybridity in Ferns; Affinities of the Ceratophyllacece; Striped Hyaena ; on a representative of the order of Insectivorous Mam- malia; Caoutchouc in Plants; Obituary; Meteorological Obser- vations and Table 235—240 NUMBER X. XXVII. Remarks on the Greenland and Iceland Falcons, showing that they are distinct species. By J. Hancock, Esq. (With a Plate.) 241 XXVIII. On the Land and Freshwater Mollusca of Algiers and Bougia. By Edward Forbes, Esq. (With two Plates.) 250 XXIX. On the Habits of the King of the Vultures. By Robert H. Schomburgk, Esq 255 XXX. On the British species of Lotus. By Charles C. Babington, M.A., F.L.S 260 XXXI. On Fishes ; containing a notice of one species new to the British, and of others to the Irish Fauna. By W. Thompson, Esq. ... 266 XXXII. On the Wild Cattle of Chillingham Park. By L. Hind- marsh, Esq 274 XXX II I. On some new or little known Mammalia. By J. E. Gray, Esq., F.R.S. (With two Plates.) 284 XXXIV. Catalogue of the Slender-tongued Saurians, with Descrip- tions of many new Genera and Species. By J. E. Gray, Esq., F.R.S. 287 CONTENTS. Vll New Books : — The Honey-Bee : its Natural History, Physiology and Management, by E. Bevan, M.D. ; Plantae Javanicse Rariores, quas in Insula Java 1802 — 1818, legit et investigavit T. Horsfield, M.D page 293, 294 Proceedings of the Zoological Society 300 On the New Holland Gerboa Rat; new anomalous Reptile; on the Fur Seal of Commerce ; Habits of the Black Slug ; Regulus mo- destus, Gould, a British Bird ; Meteorological Observations and Table 307—312 NUMBER XL XXXV. On the Writings of Goethe relative to Natural History. By F. G. Pictet 313 XXXVI. Notes on some Shrews brought from Germany, including the description of an apparently New Species. By the Rev. L. Jenyns, M.A 323 XXXVII. Descriptions of two New Orchideous Plants. By Sir W. J. Hooker, F.R.S. (With two Plates.) 329 XXXVIII. Catalogue of the Slender-tongued Saurians, with Descrip- tions of many New Genera and Species. By J. E. Gray, Esq., F.R.S. 331 XXXIX. On the Breeding of the Woodcock in Ireland, By W. Thompson, Esq., Vice-Pres. Nat. Hist. Soc. Belfast 337 XL. On the Botany of the Channel Islands. By Chart es C. Ba- ^bington, M.A < 348 XLI. Descriptions of British Chalcidites. By F. Walker, Esq. ... 350 XLII. Floras Insularum Novas Zelandiae Precursor; or a Specimen of the Botany of the Islands of New Zealand. By Allan Cunning- ham, Esq 356 XLIII. Information respecting Botanical Travellers 360 New Books ;— A Cornish Fauna, being a Compendium of the Natural History of the County, by Jonathan Couch, F.L.S. ; British Ento- mology, vol. xv., by John Curtis, F.L.S. ; Icones Plantarum, by Sir W. J. Hooker, F.R.S. ; English Botany, by J. D. C.Sowerby ; Tijdschrift voor Natuurlijke Geschiedenis en Physiologie ; Icones Plantarum Indias Orientalis, by Dr. R. Wight ; A History of the Fishes of Madeira, by the Rev. R. T. Lowe 365—369 Proceedings of the Royal Society ; Linnasan Society ; Wernerian So- ciety ; Zoological Society 370 — 380 Occurrence of Jackson's Gull (Larus Jacksonii) ; Coronated Lump Fish, new to the British Fauna ; French Expedition of Discovery to the South Polar Seas ; Occurrence of Viola lactea ; Meteor- ological Observations and Table 381 — 384 NUMBER XII. XLIV. On two species of a new South African Genus of the Na- tural Order Rhizanthece. By the Hon. W. H. Harvey. (With two Plates.) , 385 XLV. On the Synonymy of Passandra, with Descriptions of all the old and of some new Species. By Edward Newman, F.L.S 388 XLVI. On the Existence of a third Tunic ; together with certain other peculiarities in the Structure of Pollen. By Herbert Giraud, F.B.S.E. (With a Plate.) 399 XLV II. Observations on several British Fishes, including the de- scription of a New Species. By William Thompson, Esq., Vice- President of the Natural History Society of Belfast. (With a Plate.) . 402 Vlll CONTENTS. XLVIII. Miscellanea Zoologica : — The British Jphroditacece. By George Johnston, M.D. (With three Plates.) page 424 XLIX. Enumeration of the Plants collected by Robert Schomburgk, Esq., in British Guiana. By George Bentiiam, Esq. F.L.S 441 L. Metamorphosis observed in Syngnathus lumbriciformis. By Prof. B. Fries. (With a Plate.) ...., 451 LI. Information respecting BotanicalTravellers 455 NUMBER XIII. SUPPLEMENT. Information respecting Botanical Travellers 457 New Books: — Ornithological Biography, by John James Audubon, F.R.S. ; Genera Plantarum secundum Ordines naturales disposita, by S. Endlicher; Icones Flora? Germanicae, by L. Reichenbach ; Iconographia Generum Plantarum, by S. Endlicher ; Icones Fungorum hucusque cognitorum, by A. C. J. Corda; Linnsea ; Manuals of British Insects, by J. F. Stephens 458 — 466 Proceedings of the Zoological Society ; Wernerian Society 466 — 478 Fur Seal of commerce ; curious habit of Earth-worms ; Occurrence of A triplex rosea', Animal of Modiolus discrepans; Vespertilio Leisleri; Note respecting Mr. Babington's paper on the Botany of the Channel Islands; Meteorological Observations and Table 478 — 482 PLATES. Plates I. II. New forms of Arachnida. III. Motella cimbria. IV. Fur Seal of Commerce. Y. Acalypha ciliata. VI. VII. Metamorphosis of Crustacea. VIII. Fossil Scales of Fish. IX. Infusoria in Flint. X. Hairy-armed Bat ; and Feathers of P'alcons. XI. XII. Mollusca of Algiers. XII. Metamorphosis of Syngnathus lumbriciformis. XIII. Bos brachyceros. XIV. Pteronura Sandbachii. XV. XVII. New Orchideous Plants. XVI. British Fish. XVIII. Structure of Pollen. XIX. XX. New Rhizanthese. XXI. XXII. XXIII. British Aphroditacese. ERRATA. Page 123, line 16, for this is the character read this is a character. — 134, line 2 from bottom, for Sterocles read Pterocles. — 135, line 1, for Sternotherus Linneotus read Sternotherus sinuatus. — 138, line 5, for ciliatory read ciliary. — 183, last line of text, for Platypalpus read Pachypalpus. J*.. • — 184, last line,/or f read If. — 250, line3, after mandible insert, beginning afresh paragraph, Young or nest plumage, like, &c. — 263, 6 lines from bottom, for Beche read Beke. — 268, line 13, for Willoughbigii read Willughbeii. — 269, 270 : the paragraphs relative to Salmo fero.r and Anguilla latirostris should have been appended as notes after that on Coregonus Pollan. — 286, line 23, after Archipelago insert under the name of Cynogale Bennettii. Ann,. Ml. Hhsb.Yol.M.Y ba^k & JVopS 6vMLtlcU>i I* >CIC#C& /> Jfi/pcpZalea, celer ANNALS OF NATURAL HISTORY. I. — On some new Forms of Arachnida. By W. S. MacLeay, Esq., A.M., F.L.S., &c. [With Plates.] WHILE I take shame to myself for never having fulfilled a promise made months ago to the c Magazine of Zoology and Botany/ I hope to make up for past indolence by contribu- ting my mite very frequently in future to its successor e The Annals of Natural History.' In the mean time I shall be glad if any interest is excited by the novelty of the forms here- after described. Four of them at least are very singular, and I have selected them as such out of a great variety of new forms in my cabinet. M. Latreille has somewhere said that it would be difficult to discover a spider that cannot find its place in one of Walckenaer's divisions. The truth however is that naturalists as yet know but little of Arachnida. Leon Dufour, Koch, and even the distinguished Walckenaer himself, are acquainted with but few extra-European forms compared with the im- mense variety that exist. The great majority of species are inhabitants of warm climates, and being in general extremely difficult to preserve, they are therefore rare in our collections. Yet no Annulosa are more curious in their structure or per- form more important functions in the ceconomy of nature. My custom, when I was abroad, was to make sketches of the spe- cies while yet alive ; which plan I recommend to naturalists as the only safe mode of studying these animals. The pencil is, for the entomologist, an instrument as necessary to wield as the pen. I now place the following species before naturalists, in order to prove how little is as yet known of even that part of the class Arachnida which has been the most studied, namely, Spiders*, * For instance, not any one part of the definition given by Mr. Kirby (Int. to Ent. vol. iv. p. 397) to the Araneidea is correct, except that the Ann. Nat. Hist. Vol. 2. No. 7. Sept. 1838. b 2 Mr. MacLeay on some new forms of Arachnida. Four of these species will be sufficient to show that this inter- esting order has never yet been correctly marked out in any en- tomological work. I am not fond of giving insulated descrip- tions without an ulterior object in view ; and therefore I may as well state that my aim now is to show that a true spider may have a distinct head, — that spiders may have an articulated thorax and abdomen, — that spiders may have only two eyes, — and that those which have eight may have them disposed in systems very different from any of the systems hitherto de- scribed, — finally, that although spiders in general have their labial palpi like feet, some species on the other hand may have their true feet like palpi and their labial palpi with- out ungues. Nay, were I to proceed to the other orders of Arachnida, I could exhibit facts equally extraordinary with respect to the whole class. For the present I shall merely say that my mode of distinguishing the order of Araneidea from other Arachnida is as follows : — Head rarely distinct from thorax. Antennae of two joints, the last of which is a moveable corneous fang. Labrum and Mandibles confluent with the tongue so as to form the oral orifice. Maxillary palpi five-jointed. Abdomen pedunculated ; furnished at the base with two or four respiratory apertures, and at the extremity with a spinning apparatus. Feet with the coxae and tibiae each of two joints. Genus NOPS. Antennae* small, not advancing from under the head, the first abdomen is furnished with a spinning apparatus. Nor are the four cha- racters given to the order by Walckenaer (Hist. Nat. des Ins. Apt. vol. i. p. 38) less liable to objection. * Walckenaer asks what is the use of calling these organs chelkera or antennae. The answer is, that if we give them the old name " mandibles," we are decidedly wrong ; and that if we call them antenna?, we refer them to those organs of Ptilola with which they correspond by analogy of position. If we dissect a large Nephila when alive, we can easily perceive that these organs are not in the mouth, but separated from it by the labrum, which is under them, and not above them as Walckenaer erroneously says. The fact is, that the part which is called by Walckenaer the " bandeau" is not the true labrum, which is confluent with the mandibles, so as to form what the French call the " languctte" Amv. Ma. m*b. Vol.H.Tl.n Ofwthops Hhfrksruwri, J£ajire : klJv * Z' Mr. MacLeay on some neiv forms o/Arachnida. 3 joint vertical, short, subcorneal, with the second joint or fang small, curved, acute, and of the same colour as first joint. Eyes only two, placed close together towards the fore part of cephalothorax. Maxillce conspicuous, subquadrate, bent round the mentum and having their apex obliquely truncated. Maxillary palpi having the first joint very short, the second joint obconical and elongate, the third short and bent, the fourth straight, obconical, and longer, the fifth or last thick, oval, and hirsute. Labial palpi pediform with seven joints. Mentum separated from the sternum by a transverse furrow ; longer than broad with its frontal edge semicircular. Head not distinct from thorax. Cephalothorax subtranslucid with convex back without hair, obovate, narrowing gra- dually towards the front, which is rounded. Its tegument is subcrustaceous, while that of the abdomen is membra- naceous. This abdomen is a prolate spheroid terminated by six spinners of which two are inconspicuous and two are very prominent. Sternum twice as long as broad, oval, flat, and crustaceous. Feet like the labial palpi translucid ; the penultimate pair being the shortest. Un- gues short, pectinated at base. If there be a third unguis it is evanescent. Sp. 1. Nops guanabaco;£. — Nops sanguineo-rubra, palpis maxillavibus articulo ultimo crasso obscuvo hirsuto pilis canescentibus ; cephalotho- racis macula oculifera parva nigra, pectore punctata piano ; abdomine obscuro hirto, fusulis paliidioribus ; pedibus versus apicem hirtis ; un- guibus nigris. Long. 5 lin. The trivial name of this remarkable spider will serve to com- memorate Guanabacoa, the place where first I found it, a place in which I long resided, devoting many delightful hours to the science of natural history. The genus Nops is easily known from all other spiders hitherto described by having only two eyes. These are round, black, and when alive very brilliant ; but they have no iris. In the species Nops Guanabacoce they are set in the middle of a black spot, which is on the fore part b2 4 Mr. MacLeay on some new forms of Arachnida. of the egg-shaped cephalothorax. The sternum has vestiges of those eminences at the base of the feet which distinguish Ariadne and certain American forms of Dy solera. This spi- der has only two pulmonary pouches ; or if it has four, the additional ones are very small. It is common under stones in woods ; and occurs also, although more rarely, in houses. I have never seen it making a web, so that in this respect it agrees with some of the Drassi, In fact, it connects the Dys- derina, such as Savigny's subgenus Ariadne, with certain Dras- sina, such as Savigny's subgenus Lachesis. The Dysderina form a curious group. In them not only have we the eyes varying in number, two, four, six, or eight, but the organs of manducation are in some species rudimentary, and in others excessively developed. I possess specimens of a translucid West Indian spider closely allied to Filistata, and having Mygalidous eyes situated on the balloon-shaped cepha- lothorax of a Nops. In these specimens the antennae, max- illae, &c. are so rudimentary and inconspicuous as would al- most make us doubt that the species can be an animal of prey, did we not find it making an irregular web in the cor- ners and crevices of houses. I call it Hemerachne tenuipes ; and on viewing it we can the better understand how Nops and Ariadne should have small antennae, while Dysdera erythrina has these organs so large. I place Nops among the Dysderina, and not among the Dras- sina, on account of its hard tegument ; for the Drassina in ge- neral have this very tender, and thus we see Clubiona and other comparatively delicate genera not only to form the food of Hymenoptera like Pelopceus, but even of Diptera. I have caught various species of Asilidce in the act of devouring these tender-skinned spiders, so that if certain spiders live on flies, there are also certain flies that feed on spiders. But to return to Nops Guanabacoce, the figure I give of it was drawn by Mr. Charles Curtis from a dried specimen in my cabinet, and coloured from a sketch made by me in Cuba of the live animal. I possess another species of the genus which has no black spot on the cephalothorax. I take this opportunity of saying that I shall be glad to ex- change specimens of Nops for specimens of the genus Artema, Mr. MacLeay on some new forms of Arachnida. 5 Walck., or Tessarops. Tessarops is a genus described by Rafinesque in the ' Annales des Sc. Phys. de Bruxelles/ and to which some doubt is attached. Although I have no hesi- tation in admitting that spiders may occur with four eyes as well as with two, six, or eight ; still the magnified hind leg as figured by Rafinesque, and other circumstances connected with the peculiar character of the author, make me agree with Latreille in considering the existence of Tessarops maritima as extremely apocryphal. If any such being exists, I suspect it will be found to have been most incorrectly described. At all events, I cannot believe it properly placed by Latreille among the saltigrade spiders ; nor do I think it can on the other hand be very nearly allied to Nops. It seems, if I may be allowed to found a conjecture upon a figure so bad and a description so lame as those of Rafinesque, to be more closely connected with a singularly flat and minute hard-shelled six- eyed spider with a sessile abdomen, which is to be found in Cuba among old papers and in boxes of insects, and which passes off directly to the Acaridea or order of mites. I have called it Sclerachne ; for its tegument is even more hard in proportion to its size than that of the genus Gastracantha of Hahn, or any of the cancriform Epeiridae which form Wal- ckenaer's genus Plectanus. Plate I. Fig. 1. Nops Gnanabacoce magnified. Genus SELENOPS, Dvfour. Antennae short, with the first joint subconical, and the second joint or fang hooked and sharp. Eyes eight, six of which are placed in a semicircle with the arch convex forward, the two lateral ones being the largest and rather further removed from the intermediate four than these are from each other. The remaining two eyes, which are the least of all, are anterior, placed one on each angle of the head and nearly on the same line with the two middle ocelli of the semicircle. Maxillae straight. Maxillary palpi having the first joint very minute. Labial palpi pediform and seven-jointed. Mentum rounded at apex. 6 Mr. MacLeay on some new forms of Arachnida. Head not distinct from thorax. Body very flat on the ground with the legs also extended flat on the same surface. Ab- domen soft with six fusi. Of the genus Selenops Walckenaer gives three subgenera, Omalosoma, Apharteres, and Aissus. Near to the latter comes the following additional form of Selenops, which I shall call Hypoplatea, Subgenus Hypoplatea. Antennas with two teeth on the inner side of the groove of first joint. Eyes, the two lateral ones of the arch rather oval in form. Maxillae subparallelogrammic, being obliquely truncated at the inside. Maxillary palpi having their terminal joint the longest and crowned with an unguis. Mentum semicircular. Sternum suborbicular, but posteriorly emarginate. Abdomen as wide as the cephalothorax. Feet, the last pair but one the longest. Tarsi having a cushion surmounted by two very minute ungues. Sp. 2. Hypoplatea celer. — Hypoplatea flavescenti-grisea, abdomine fascia apicali nigra emarginata terminato ; ad basin tripunctato, punctis inter pilos ochreo-flavos nigris ; femoribus trifasciatis fascia media fulva utrinque nigra fasciis externis nigris; tibiis subfasciatis. Long. 6J lines. This species is common in Cuba, darting in the rainy sea- son with extreme velocity over the plastered floors. Its body and legs are extended so flatly on the surface on which it moves, and moreover it has the Thomisidous faculty of run- ning backwards so strongly developed, that it is sure, along with various little lizards of the subgenus Sphceriodactylus, to attract the attention of new comers, when, owing to certain qualms inside and torrents of rain outside, they shut them- selves up in their apartments to ponder gloomily over the novelties of a West Indian climate. I possess other species of the genus, but which belong to Walckenaer's subgenus Aissus, and which are only to be found on the trunks of trees. These are seen like a ray of light to flash before the entomo- logist when they have been dislodged by his stripping off the Mr. MacLeay on some new forms q/^Arachnida. 7 bark in search of insects. The difference between the West Indian subgenera Aissus and Hypoplatea is that in the former the first pair of feet are the longest, whereas in Hypoplatea it is the penultimate pair; besides in Aissus the two large lateral ocelli are round; in Hypoplatea they are oval. The mentum of Omalosoma, another subgenus of Selenops, is not truly se- micircular, nor does that kind of spider lie so broad and flat on the ground as Hypoplatea. In general aspect Hypoplatea bears great resemblance to the genus Artamus of Koch, but differs from it altogether in the disposition of the eyes. Tha- natus, Koch, Artamus, Koch, Selenops, Duf., Philodromus, Koch; and Olios of Walckenaer (which last is identical with Koch's Ocypete, a name that cannot stand as it has been else- where employed), all form a group of laterigrade spiders which perhaps are the swiftest of the whole order. They lie in wait for their prey like the saltigrade spiders and those other late- rigrade spiders of which Thomisus is the type ; but instead of leaping on their food like Thomisus, they catch it by their ex- treme velocity in running. They differ thus also from the Ly- cosina, which regularly hunt down their prey*; and I may take this opportunity of observing that Koch makes a gross mis- take in placing Walckenaer's genus Ctenus among the Krab- benspinnen. Ctenus is not a laterigrade spider, but has all the habits and structure of the Wolfspinnen, as I know by per- sonal experience, the genus being very common in Cuba. Latreille is also wrong in calling the Wolfspinnen a citigrades" par excellence, for they are far less swift than the present group. I have introduced Hypoplatea in this place, not so much from the form being new to science, as in order to show the proper mode of considering the ocellar system of spiders when we are investigating their affinities. Thanatus and Ar- tamus have nearly the typical system of ocelli which prevails throughout the greatest part of the laterigrade spiders, of which it may be said that the arch of their eyes is typically convex outwards in opposition to that of the Drassina, where * On this account Walckenaer is wrong in placing the genus Oxyopes, Lat, or his own Sphasus among the Lycosina. I have always found these Oxyopes on syngenesious flowers sedentary like Thomisi. One large green species of Oxyopes is common in Cuba. I call it O.floricola. 8 Mr. MacLeay on some new forms of Arachnida. the arch is typically convex inwards. Now the Thomisidce in general may be said to have their eight eyes disposed, four and four, in two concentric arches, of which the curve is con- vex in front. The four ocelli of the inner arch remain pretty nearly in all the Thomisidce at equal distances from each other : so also do the four of the outer or front arch in Artamus, In the nocturnal genus Olios, of which the type is the Aranea ve- natoria of Linnaeus and the manners very singular,* the con- vexity of the front arch is scarcely to be detected. In the aber- rant genus Thanatus, which is close to Ocyale and Dolomedes, it is more visible. In Philodromus of Koch we see the four front eyes going two and two to eaqh side of the head. In the genus Selenops the anomaly is at the extreme, so as to place the outer edge of what is ordinarily the front arch in the curve of the inner one and the other eyes a little lower. Thus in the subgenus Hypoplatea there are six ocelli in an arch convex outwards and two others in front, one at each corner of the head. The sketch of Hypoplatea celer was taken by me from the animal immediately after death. Plate I. Fig. 2. Hypoplatea celer magnified. u, } system of eyes ; /3, men- turn, maxilla and maxillary palpus ; y, sternum. Genus DEINOPIS. AntenncB proceeding vertically downwards nearly in the same plane with the two large eyes. First joint subquadrate, the second joint or fang closes inwards. Eyes eight, two dorsal and six frontal ; of these last two enor- mously large black, shining, spherical eyes occupy the half of the front. Under these in the middle are two very minute ocelli ; and two others also small are placed be- low, one on each, outside of the large eyes, but not on the same vertical plane with them, for these last two small ocelli are somewhat lateral. Maxillae subquadrate, thick, and diverging from the men- turn. Maxillary palpi with the first joint somewhat dilated ; the others cylindrical, nearly equal, excepting the last, which * Walckenaer is in error when he says that this genus feeds on lizards. I believe that no spider lives on Vertebrata. Thomisus morbillosus of the Ap- pendix to King's Survey of the Intratropical Coasts of New Holland belongs to the genus Olios. Mr. MacLeay on some new forms of Arachnida. 9 is subovate and terminates in a very minute unguis in the female. Labial palpi seven-jointed and pediform ; but differ from the feet not only in being longer, but also in the joint cor- responding with the femora, which is stouter and emargi- nate at the base. This joint moreover is furnished nearly half-way on the inside with curved setae. The last joints of the labial palpi are also thicker than the corresponding tarsi of the true feet, and their basal joint is indistinct. Mentum separated from the sternum by a transverse furrow, longer than broad, restricted in the middle, and having a semicircular apex. Body slender, more than five times as long as broad. Head confluent with body. Cephalothorax convex in front, and as broad as abdomen, behind broader and depressed. The cephalothorax above presents an anterior elevation in the form of a pentagon, which is the true head ; the base of the pentagon being the front of this head, which is truncated in front, rounded off at the sides, and canali- culated longitudinally in the middle, while each of the lateral posterior angles of the pentagon supports a small black eye. The head from the base of the above-men- tioned pentagon is perpendicularly truncated, and thus presents a vertical face, in which are situated the other six eyes. Sternum of three distinct segments. Abdomen more than twice as long as the rest of the body, sub- cylindrical, only gradually tapering towards the point. Fusi inconspicuous. Feet slender, of which the first pair is longer than the third, and the third pair than the se- cond, all being long and slender, and having inconspi- cuous ungues. Sp. 3. Deinopis Lamia. — Deinopis villosa grisea ; capite medio lineis duabus ochraceis obscuris ; sterno vitta nigra lata utrinque instructo ; abdomine punctis quatuor minutis nigrescentibus basalibus, macu- lisque duabus versus medium nigris ; pedibus maculis nigrescentibus variegatis. Long. 5-^- lines. One of the distinguishing characteristics of the class Arach- nida is the disposition of the segments of their body to become confluent. Even when, as for instance in the scorpions, the 10 Mr. MacLeay on some new forms o/'Arachnida. segments are in general distinct, the head remains confluent with the thorax. In general the dorsal segments have this disposition to become confluent more strongly than those of the under side ; and thus in the cancriform Epeiridcs we can detect the vestiges of articulation on the under side of the ab- domen, and in Deinopis on the under side of the cephalotho- rax. But what makes the present spider above all others in- teresting is the position of the eyes, which are remarkably un- equal in size. Two of them are dorsal as usual, but the other six have a rather novel situation, not being visible when we look on the back of the insect. The head, being truncated in front, presents, like that of certain saltigrade spiders, or rather like certain Crustacea, a vertical face. Half of this face is oc- cupied by two enormous black eyes, set in blood-red circular rims*, which touch each other laterally, and form irides that give our spider a most truculent aspect. This curious system of eyes may, however, be easily approximated to that of Ctenus, if we make no account of the truncation of the head. I found Deinopis, with the last-mentioned genus and Dolo- medes, under stones in the island of Cuba. It must be as- signed to the Wolfspinnen of Koch, but it is very unlike any of them hitherto known. My drawing was made from it while yet alive. I never found the male. Plate II. Fig. 3. Deinopis Lamia, magnified, a, front and vertical view of head ; /3, sternum, mentum, maxillae, and a maxillary palpus. Genus MYRMARACHNE. Antennce twice as long as head, with the first joint thick, ex- serted, subtrigonal, plane above, and armed beneath and on the inside with six minute spines ; the second joint or fang long, slender, sinuated, and very sharp at the point. Eyes eight, disposed as in Attus. Maxillce short, straight, dilated and rounded off at their ex- tremity. Maxillary palpi having their first joint small ; the second ob- conical, subtrigonal, and thrice as long as the third ; the third, fourth and fifth forming an obconical club, of which * This fact proves the affinity of Deinopis to the Lycosina and Saltigrade spiders, where the two largest ocelli of the eight may be seen to have the pupil, as it were, surrounded by a coloured iris as in Vertebrata. Mr. MacLeay on some new forms of Arachnida. 11 the former is the shortest joint, and the last is by far the thickest, being truncated and concave at the apex. Labial palpi pediform and 7 -jointed, only the basal joint is evanescent. Mentum oval, elongate. Body with a subcrustaceous tegument. Head distinct from thorax though soldered to it ; quadrate and convex on the upper side, where the eyes are placed. Thorax ovate, narrower and longer than the head, and convex also on the upper side. Abdomen subarticulate, arched, pedun- culated at the base, swelling in the middle, with a con- vex back and dilated margined sides, and then termina- ting in a spindle ; the peduncle before mentioned being slender, cylindrical, and longer than the head. Feet are like the labial palpi, but the two first pair are somewhat shorter. Ungues not very conspicuous. Sp. 4. Myrmaraciine melanocephala. — Myrmarachne capite nigro; an- tennarum articulo primo rufo basi flavo ; palpis maxillaribus brunneo- nigris; thorace abdominisque pedunculo rufis; abdomine nigro ; palpis labialibus pedibusque piceis. Long. 4£ lin. This handsome spider is a native of Bengal, and I present a figure of it, made by my friend Mr. C. Curtis, in order to show the relation which it bears to the American subgenus, called Myrmecium by Latreille. Myrmarachne is even still more like than Myrmecium to an ant or Mutilla, Its hard corneous en- velope, its distinct head, the long peduncle of its abdomen, and its insected body, all tend to aid the deception in the most striking manner. It evidently comes between Alius formicoides, Walck., and Myrmecium rufum, Lat. It has the eyes of the former spider, except that the two smallest and middle ones are not placed at the margin of the head. With the latter spider it agrees in the head being even still more perfectly distinct from the thorax, as well as in the abdomen being subarticulate. Myrmecium, however, in its eyes, ap- proaches, as Walckenaer observes, to Dolomedes, while the antennae are short and of an ordinary form. In Myrmarachne melanocephala the antennae are long, stout, and the first joint has a tubercle on the upper side of its apex, and its whole plane upper side is transversely striated. No- 12 Mr. MacLeay on some new forms of Arachnida. thing is certainly known with respect to the manners of these curious spiders, but I suppose, from analogy, that they may eventually be found to feed on ants. Itjias been long known that the Volucellce in their larva state live in the nests of the Bombi they so much resemble ; and I have discovered that the larvae of those tropical Bombylii which have such a bee- like form live on the larvae of the bees they so strikingly repre- sent. Perhaps, in like manner, the object of nature in giving such a striking form to this spider is to deceive the ants on which they prey. Attus of Walckenaer is a very good subgenus, if the name be confined to such ant-like insects as Aranea formicaria of DeGeer, and Attus formicoides of Walckenaer. Latreille's name, Salticus, ought therefore to be confined to those salti- grade spiders of which the Aranea scenica of Linnaeus may be considered the type. This, however, is an use of the two ge- neric names the very reverse of that which is proposed by Sundevall in his description of the spiders of Sweden. Plate I. Fig. 4. Myrmarachne melanocephala, magnified, x, system of eyes ; /3, antenna ; y, abdomen viewed laterally. Genus OTIOTHOPS. Antennce short, having the first joint transversely vertical, subcuneiform, and the second joint or fang minute and horizontal. Eyes eight ; the four frontal ones disposed in a transverse line, of which the two on the outside are the least and suboval ; behind these last there are two other eyes placed small and round ; and the remaining two are in the mid- dle between them only placed further behind ; these two are so confluent that to the naked eye the spider seems to have only seven ocelli. (In my specimen the right ocellus is evanescent, and the left is very large and of a silvery lustre.) Maxillce large, subtriangular, truncated at the apex, and having the palpi inserted at their very base. Maxillary palpi with the penultimate joint short, and the last one long, triangular and hirsute. Labial palpi vertical, not pediform, six-jointed ; first joint curved, thick ; second semilunar, much incrassated ; third Mr. MacLeay on some new forms of Arachnida. 13 obconical and less ; fourth and fifth simple, the latter shortest, and both armed on the outside with a brush, while the last joint is appendiculated, pyriform, and at the base on the side provided also with a brush. Mentum separated from the sternum by a transverse furrow, elongate, triangular, with a rounded point, and subar- cuated in the middle. Body thickish and convex. Head confluent with the thorax. Cephalothorax very convex above, narrower before and behind, rounded in front and truncated behind, with con- vex sides. Abdomen a prolate spheroid, with a hairy mem- branaceous tegument. Fusi six, two being very minute. Breast plane, the segments being confluent. Feet dis- similar, that is, the two last pair are very different from the first pair. These are thicker, darker-coloured, and have the penultimate joint on the inside armed with a brush of hairs. The ungues of the feet are only two, which are inconspicuous, except when greatly magnified*. Sp. 5. Otiothops Walckenaeri. — Otiothops cephalothorace glabro pal- pisque labialibus castaneo-brunneis ; pedibus brunneo-testaceis ; abdo- mine nigro hirsuto. Long. 5 lin. This hard-skinned spider comes close to the genus Chersis of Savigny, or Palpimanus of Dufour. The eyes, however, here are totally different, and, moreover, very remarkable from the confluence of the two hinder ones. Another singular cha- racter is the first pair of feet, which are palpiform, and differ- ent in structure from the two last pair ; thus demonstrating how in Arachnida true feet may become palpiform in the same way as, more ordinarily, true palpi become pediform. The con- version of the organs of the mouth into organs of locomotion, and again of true feet into organs of manducation, is a sin- gular characteristic of certain apterous Annulosa. Otiothops, like Chersis, has strong points of affinity to the saltigrade spi- ders. Our specimen is a female. Walckenaer, as an essential character of spiders, lays stress on what he calls the eight feet, that is, the labial palpi and * Their structure, highly magnified, is figure^ by Walckenaer in his beautiful work, tab. 10. 14 Mr. Thompson on Fishes new to Ireland. six true feet, being unguiculated. Here, however, as in Cher- sis, the labial palpi have no ungues at their extremity. More- over, these labial palpi have only six joints ; differing from those of spiders in general, which have seven. I have named the species after my old and very distin- guished friend Baron Walckenaer, to whom we owe so much of our knowledge of Arachnida*. Otiothops Walckenaeri is found under stones in the woods of Cuba. My sketch is from the life. Plate II. Fig. 5. Otiothops Walckenaeri, magnified. /3, disposition of eyes j B, sternum ; c, first joints of coxre ; s, first joint of labial palpi ; £, labial palpi; &, mentum; y, maxilla; \ maxillary palpus; *, base of antenna; a, abdomen ; a, fusi. II. — On Fishes new to Ireland. By William Thompson, Esq., Vice-President of the Natural History Society of Belfast. [Continued from Vol. I. p. 359.] Motella glauca, Jenyns, Mackerel Midge. — Two mi- nute specimens — the larger lj inch long — of Motella that I have closely examined, and which were obtained at the South islands of Arran (off county Clare), by R. Ball, Esq., in June 1835, agree in every respect with the Ciliat a glauca of Couch, described in the Magazine of Natural History, vol. v. p. 16 ; at the same time I cannot perceive any specific difference be- tween them and M. Mustela, Phycis furcatus, Flem., Common Fork-beard. — To Cortland G. M. Skinner, Esq., of Glynn Park, Carrickfergus, I am indebted for a remarkably fine specimen of this fish, which was kindly secured for me on its being stated by the fishermen who captured it to be a species quite unknown to them. It was taken on February 24, 1836 (a calm day), with a gaff or hook, as it " lay floundering 55 on the surface of the water ; was very violent when brought on board, and before dying had struggled so hard as to divest itself of nearly all its scales. * I wish, however, that in his excellent volume on Apterous insects in the 1 Suites de Buffon ' he had not been so fon> 66 54. \o . 1. P. 4 upper side, 2 under side ; V.5: ; C. 18; altogether. 2. 4 >> 2 >» 5 18 >> 3. 4 >> 2 j> 5 19 }> Breadth of body of No. 1, 13 lines. In form they differ con- siderably from Solea vulgaris, by tapering towards the tail. Dorsal and anal fins similarly connected with the caudal, the last ray of each exhibiting a low inconspicuous membrane, which extends to the base of the outer caudal ray — these three fins, merely touching in this manner, appear at a cursory view unconnected. In the number of rays in the fins, and characters generally, they correspond with Donovan's descrip- tion of the Pleuronectes variegatus (vol. v. p. 117)> hut differ remarkably from his figure in colouring ; nor in this respect do they agree entirely with Hanmer's figure (Penn. Brit. Zool., vol. hi. pi. 48. ed. 1812), with which I consider them identical, as they want the blotches of black represented on the dorsal and anal fins. They also differ a little from each other in co- louring, the largest being of an uniform reddish brown on the upper side ; the two smaller, of a paler shade, with a series of roundish black spots on the body, a short way inwardly from the back of the dorsal and anal fins, and a few similar spots on the lateral line : in one the spots approaching the fins just named are eight in number, in the other they are fewer and less conspicuous. In the three specimens all the fins except the ventral have, at irregular intervals, an occasional ray black; the rays only exhibiting this colour. Mr. Jenyns has called attention to the difference of colour and number of rays in the fins of the specimen he examined (p. 468) compared with the individual described by Mr. Han- mer. In both respects it appears the species is subject to considerable variation. Dr. Parnell has more recently de- scribed (Mag. Zool. and Bot., vol. i. p. 527) what he considers to be a new species of sole, and names Monochirus minutus ; Mr. Thompson on Fishes new to Ireland. 19 but a comparison of my specimens with his description satis- fies me of their identity. The specific character of M. minutus is "every sixth or seventh ray of the dorsal and anal fins black," which marking appears in the individuals under consideration, though less regularly ; their dorsal fins are connected with the caudal as in this fish, although the junction, as before men- tioned, is only observable on close examination. Two of my three specimens at the same time display "blackish spots, which extend beyond the base of the rays [of the D. and A. fins] towards the body of the fish," a character remarked by Dr. Parnell as distinguishing M. Lingula from his new species. My specimens generally possess in common the characters of M. Lingula and M. minutus. In Mr. YarrelFs collection there is a dried specimen, 4 J inches long, from the Mediterranean, identical with mine, and like them displaying conspicuously, at irregular intervals, the black markings on the dorsal and anal fins*. Addendum. Solea Lingula and Solea variegata. Belfast, June 18, 1838. Among some small fishes taken by dredging within the en- trance to Belfast bay by my friend Dr. J. L. Drummond, on the 16th instant, and considerately forwarded to me when quite recent, were five specimens of Solea, or Monochirus (Cuv.) . Of these, which with one exception were examined be- fore being transferred to spirits, four individuals, varying from 3^ to 4£ inches in length, are the Solea Lingula, Rond. ; and one, 2.J inches long, the Pleuronectes variegatus of Donovan. In our two latest and best works upon the subject — Yarrell's ( British Fishes/ and Jenyns's i Manual of British Vertebrate Animals* — these names are brought together as synonymous, or representing but one species, with, however, an expression of doubt as to its correctness by the latter author. A compa- rative examination of the present examples satisfies me that they apply to two distinct species. In placing the individuals together, the most obvious differ- * Dublin, June 1838. — A specimen of this sole 3-^- inches long, and taken at Youghal, is in the collection of 11. Ball, Esq. Its upper side does not exhibit any variegation of colours, but is of an uniform reddish brown hue. The rays of the dorsal and anal fins are occasionally black, as in all indivi- duals of this species I have seen. c 2 20 Mr. Thompson on Fishes new to Ireland. ences appear in the dark blotches and transverse bands of S. variegata (Pleur. variegatus, Don.) contrasted with the com- paratively uniform tint of S. Lingula ; in the scales of S. varie- gata being very much smaller *, in its eyes being relatively to each other placed more vertically, in the dorsal and anal fins being rather more distant from the caudal fin, and in the general form of the body, which tapers less towards the tail ; the rays too of the dorsal and anal fins are considerably fewer in number than in S. Lingula. The colour generally of the S. variegata is very similar to that of Donovan's figure (British Fishes, vol. v. pi. 117)> being of a pale yellowish brown, with the three conspicuous dark transverse markings approximating more the form of bands, and equidistant from each other, the last extending entirely across the body ; the indication of a fourth band appears above the termination of the opercle, one (narrow and inconspicuous) at the base, and another near the extremity of the caudal fin ; the body is likewise marbled with blackish brown, towards, and spreading over, the base of the dorsal and anal fins ; be- tween the bands are faint markings of pale brown ; dorsal and anal fins pale yellowish brown, marked irregularly with black towards the tail. The four specimens of S. Lingula, though not all exactly of the same shade of colour, are on the upper side of a pale brown, entirely and closely freckled over with a darker tint, and exhibiting several small roundish dark brown and white spots on the body at the base of the dorsal and anal fins, and along the lateral line : these brown and white spots are often disposed alternately. The largest individual presents in ad- dition to them, small white specks over the body generally. * Although I here speak only relatively to the size of the scales of S. Lingula, the remark may without explanation seem inconsistent with Do- novan's " specific character" of the variegated sole, in which the scales are stated to be "large;" but a reference to his general description will show that it is the comparative magnitude of its scales to^those of the common sole (S. vulgaris) to which he alludes, and in which he is correct, as he likewise is in describing those of the latter species to be " remarkably diminutive." The scales of my specimen accord in size with those of Donovan's figure of P. variegatus: being reckoned from the origin of the lateral line to the base of the rays of the caudal fin (those on the rays not being enumerated) they are about eighty-five in number ; in the specimen of S. Lingula examined there are about seventy scales within the same space. The scales lie more closely to the body in S. Lingula than in S. variegata. Mr. Thompson on Fishes new to Ireland. 21 Rays of dorsal and anal fins occasionally black. Pupil dark blue, surrounded by a golden ring of about a hair's breadth. The number of fin-rays in my specimen of S. variegata are D. 63, A. 49, P. 4*, V. 4, C. 19 in all. In two of the specimens of S. Lingula, varying most from each other in size, there are 72 rays in the dorsal and 56 in the anal fin ; two others have the dorsal with 7 6 and the anal with 58 and 59 rays. Both species have papillae on the under surface of the head, are rough with ciliated scales on the under as well as the up- per side, and have the nostrils tubular, but not to such an extent as Risso, terming the projection a " barbillon," figures that of his Monochirus Pegusa. The variegated sole of Donovan and Yarrell appears to be the same, and with it I consider the individual under consi- deration identical. With Mr. Jenyns's description of S. Lin- gula my other specimens accord, as they also do with Mr. Hanmer's description and figure of the red-backed sole (Pen- nant's British Zoology, vol. in. p. 313, pi. 48, ed. 1812), with the exception of the black markings on the dorsal and anal fins, extending over several rays and their connecting mem- brane, instead of being confined to a single ray as in all the specimens I have examined. It is worthy of investigation whether the Monochirus Pe- gusa of Risso (t. 3, p. 258, f. 33, ed. 1826) be different from the Solea variegata here treated of. The figure and description of that species, though not in every respect accordant with each other, present many characters in common with it. The S. variegata is here for the first time recorded as occur- ring on the coast of Ireland. Anguilla latirostris, Yarr. Broad-nosed Eel. — When at Toome (county Antrim) in Sept. 1834, a kind of eel was described to me as very different from the species (A. acuti- rostris) taken there in such abundance when entering the river Bann in autumn, on their passage from Lough Neagh to the sea. It was called * Culloch or hunter-eel," and was * This refers to the upper side, in which the second ray is the longest, and terminated by a filament ; length of this ray and filament 1| line : P. fin on under side rudimentary, half a line in length, and rays undistinguish- able. 22 Mr. Thompson on Fishes new to Ireland. stated to differ much in appearance and voracity from that species. A very intelligent fisherman at another part of the lake, distinguishing it by the name of " Gorb-eel," bore testi- mony to its voracious propensity*. He believes it to live chiefly on pollans (Coregonus Pollan), from the circumstance of having frequently known it to destroy these fishes when in the nets. He considers this species to be stationary in the lake, where it is sought for during summer with night lines, generally baited with very large worms or small perch : about 5 lbs. is the greatest weight he has known it to attain. In Belfast market I subsequently saw quantities of this eel from the above locality, when they proved to be the A. lati- rostris. On pointing them out to an angling friend, I was as- sured that he had seen similar eels from Lough Erne on sale in Enniskillen. A correspondent writing from Portumna, in allusion it is presumed to this species, mentions a large- mouthed eel, which preys much on fish, as an inhabitant of the river Shannon. Mr. Yarrell observes, " In its habits the broad-nosed eel has not been distinguished by any peculiarity that I am aware of from the other common eel" (vol. ii. p. 299), but the follow- ing circumstances incline me to believe, in addition to what has been mentioned, that there is a further difference in this respect. On looking over some thousand eels, taken in the nets at Toome on the night of the 24th of Sept., I did not re- cognise one of the broad-nosed species, nor have I seen it among eels brought from this place to Belfast market, nor again with the A. latirostris exposed here for sale, have I de- tected the common eel ; but as it is from an examination in a very few instances that I speak, this may perhaps apply only in general terms. The season at which the two species are brought to this market is different, the time for the A. lati- rostris being summer, and autumn for the A. acutirostris. The intelligent fisherman before noticed states, however, that he has taken both species on his night lines at the same time. He knew the broad-nosed from the common eel before it ap- peared at the surface, by the greater resistance offered, and * Hence probably the name " Glut Eel," by which it was known to Pen- nant. Mr. Thompson on Fishes new to Ireland. 23 frequently it was brought up twisted round the line in its en- deavours to become extricated from the hook. During the summer months the A. latirostris is brought in by the tide as it flows over the banks of Belfast bay, and is taken by eel-spearers. A specimen 4^ inches long that I ex- amined, and which was procured off the coast of the county Antrim at mid -winter, had in proportion to its size every cha- racter as strongly marked as the largest of its species : the fleshy prominence on each side of the head and terminating at the nape was very conspicuous. Ammodytes Tobianus, Bloch. Wide-mouthed Sand-eel. — This species is rare on the shores of Ireland as elsewhere compared with A. Lancea. Of the latter, were specimens of Ammodytes favoured me by Mr. R. Ball from the coast of Cork, and with one exception, all that I have taken from the stomachs of the cod and other fishes. Such likewise, judging from their size, (" four to nine inches in length") are those de- scribed in the e Wild Sports of the West ' as sought for on the coast of Mayo, and also those taken on the sands adjoining the village of Bushfoot near the Giants^ Causeway. In this last locality I speak on the authority of a gentleman who has often been present at the sand-eel fishing, and who, on being shown my specimens of A. Tobianus, remarked that he had never seen any of those taken there at all approaching them in size. In a paper by Dr. J. D. Marshall on the Statistics and Natural History of the island of Rathlin, published in a late part of the Transactions of the Royal Irish Academy, the A. Tobianus is enumerated among the fishes of the island ; but I have the authority of the author for stating, that it is the common spe- cies now distinguished by the name of A. Lancea*, to which he there alluded. August 23, 1836. — On inquiring at Dundrum on the coast of Down about sand-eels, I ascertained that two species are procured in the extensive sands here ; the larger of which is called e£ Snedden," and the smaller " Sand-eel," and that they are throughout the district considered as distinct as any two species of fish. This information induced me to attend the sand-eel fishing today, when at the extreme of low water I had * Both species were until the last few years considered as one, which was designated A. Tobianus. 24 Mr. Thompson on Fishes new to Ireland, the satisfaction of seeing bothA Tobianus and A.Lancea taken indiscriminately. From the loose sand covered with water to about the depth of nine inches, the persons engaged in this occupation with great dexterity drew these fishes from their lurking-places, using for the purpose old reaping hooks. These are run through the sands with the right hand drawn towards the left, by which the fish is seized and transferred to a basket strapped round the waist and carried in front. It is in shape like the angler's, but much larger and open at the top. The A. Tobianus is said to be always scarce here compared with the A. Lancea, and is sometimes not to be found at all. An intelligent fisherman informed me that the greatest quantity he ever took of the former species during "one ebb" was twelve or thirteen quarts. It is by measure both kinds are estimated and sold, the A. Lancea producing from one to two pence the quart, and the ff sned- dens", being more highly prized on account of their superior size, one half more. On inquiring how the two species are distinguished when of equal size, one man stated by the difference of form, and chiefly in that of the head; and an- other said he knew them by colour alone. Although the dif- ference was in each respect very apparent to myself, I put both parties to the test, and found that the one guided by form, and the other by colour, drew the A. Tobianus from his basket with equal dexterity, and without a moment's hesitation singled it out from hosts of the A. Lancea, This fishing is car- ried on here daily throughout the year except in winter, when being full of spawn the sand-eels are considered unfit to be eaten. At other times they are used by all classes of people. In the excellent hotel at Dundrum they were served up to us at dinner along with salmon, and were fried with crumbs of bread strewed over them — for breakfast they are similarly cooked. The poorer people dry them in the sun, and in bright days the tables and trays of the cottage are sure to be seen set out before the doors covered with sand-eels. August 27. — At Newcastle, about three miles south of Dun- drum, great quantities of sand-eels were taken at the morning- ebb of the spring-tide ; by some individuals so many as forty quarts. In the evening I reckoned about eighty persons out fishing, and having two one-horse carts in readiness beside Mr. Thompson on Fishes new to Ireland, 25 them to carry away the produce ; but the harvest that was then gathered fell short of requiring such extra aid*. Having observed a number of pigs at Newcastle daily fre- quenting the sand at the extreme edge of the retiring waves, I ascertained, as had been anticipated, that they were in search of sand-eels. This however was not the chosen feeding-ground of these animals, as I subsequently saw them regularly driven out there to forage for themselves. The A, Tobianus though taken here is less frequent than at Dun drum. When at Ballywalter, on the coast of Down, and north- wards of the last-mentioned place, in May 1 836, 1 found a few of A. Tobianus by examining the sand-eels which fishermen were using as bait, and in the month of March following, obtained a specimen along with two of the A. Lancea from the stomach of a sea trout (S. Trutta) taken at Donaghadee. On question- ing some fishermen at Portaferry, situated just within the en- trance to Strangford Lough, in the same county, respecting the two species of sand-eel, I learned that they had not been as such distinguished by them. It was however stated, that they occasionally obtained much larger individuals than or- dinary, which from colour were named " green-backs," the common being called sand-eels : the former both from supe- rior size and different colour must doubtless be the A. Tobia- nus, Amongst a few fishes found dead on the beach at Cairn- lough near Glenarm (county of Antrim) in June 1836, by Dr. J. L. Drummond, was a specimen of the A. Tobianus, In this as well as every other instance in which I have seen the last- named species, specimens of A. Lancea occurred at the same time. In the ' Wild Sports of the West' there is a short but graphic account of sand-eel fishing by moonlight on the coast of Mayo ; and at Strangford Lough and other places in the north of Ireland it is likewise a favourite pastime of the young in the moonlight nights of summer. It is said that from the silvery brilliance of the fish being more striking by night than * " The coast [at Newcastle] affords plenty and variety of sea fish ; and such quantities of sand-eels have sometimes been taken on it, particularly in the late season of scarcity, that the 'poor carried them away in sacks- full."— Harris's Down, (p. 81.) published in 1744. 26 Mr. Thompson on Fishes new to Ireland, day, it is at this time captured with greater facility ; but is it not rather for the novelty of dry-land fishing, with the addi- tional feature of being achieved by moonlight, that the sport is at this time practised* ? Although the sand-eel is noticed in several of the Statistical Surveys of the Irish counties, there is not that I recollect any remark which would lead us to suppose that more than one kind has been observed ; but there can be little doubt that both species are found elsewhere than on the coasts of Down and Antrim. The largest specimen of A. Tobianus obtained at Dundrum was 13 inches long. D.56 (first very short), P. 13, A. 29, C. 15. In all the characters of form and relative proportion of parts it agrees with the descriptions of Yarrell and Jenyns. In colour this species is of a dark bluish green, while the A.Lancea is of a sandy hue like the Atherine (A. Presbyter), but tinged partially on the back and sides with bluish green. From the mouth of the specimen described I took a small individual of of its own species f: Bloch and Couch mention similar in- stances. The largest A. Lancea procured at Dundrum was 8 inches long. D. 54, P. 11, A. 27, C. 14. Dorsal fin commencing " in a line with the last quarter," and not above u the middle" of the pectoral fins. Syngnathus Typhle, Linn. Deep-nosed Pipe-fish. — An individual of this species, above 8 inches in length, and ob- tained in 1835 at Glendore, county of Cork, by Mr. Allman, has been forwarded for my inspection by Mr. R. Ball. Among some small fishes taken along with Crustacea, &c. in Larne Lough (county of Antrim) during the summer of 1836, by Mrs. Patterson of Belfast, and very kindly sent to me, was a specimen of S. Typhle. Though only 1 inch 2 lines in length, every character in proportion to its size was as strongly marked as in the adult fish. Syngnathus ^quoreus, Linn. iEquoreal Pipe-fish. — A specimen of this fish taken at Youghal (county Cork) has * Mr. Lukis states that in Guernsey they are sought for by moonlight. — Yarr. Brit. Fish. vol. ii. p. 324. j An observant friend once saw a sand-eel about four inches in length, taken with bait, which was either a piece of herring or a composition of feathers — the latter a common bait for the coal-fish {Merlangus Carbonarius) in the north of Ireland. Mr. Thompson on Fishes new to Ireland, 27 been submitted to my examination by Mr. R. Ball. Its length is 19 inches, rays of dorsal fin 40. It corresponds in all re- spects with this species as admirably characterized by Mr. Jenyns (p. 486) ; as also does another individual obtained in the autumn of 1836 on the beach near Larne (county Antrim), by Mr. James Marks of that town, who presented it to the Belfast Museum. This specimen is 21 \ inches long, but being imperfect at the caudal extremity, must when entire have been at least one inch more. Its D. rays 41. March 15, 1838. I received from George Matthews, Esq. of Spring- vale (county Down), a perfect and beautiful specimen of this fish which was found on the beach there after a high tide during the boisterous weather about the beginning of this month. Its length is 22^ inches. D. rays 46. Caudal fin apparent to the naked eye ; its rays distinguished by a lens, 8 in number. This Syngnathus was in the present instance preserved and forwarded to me on account of the fishermen being unac- quainted with it. Syngnathus Ophidion, Bloch. Snake Pipe-fish. — From Mr. R. Ball I have received two specimens of S. Ophidion, which were procured in 1835 at Glendore (by Mr. Allman) and Youghal. The larger one is upwards of a foot in length, and with the unimportant difference of its having 41 rays on the dorsal fin, both individuals agree in every character with the descriptions of this species by Jenyns and Yarrell, which are much more minute than Bloch's account of it. Mr. Ball has subsequently informed me of his having received a third specimen, about 14 inches in length, from Youghal, where it was captured in July 1836. Soon after this time I received a S. Ophidion from the coast of the county of Antrim. Hippocampus brevirostris, Cuv.? Sea-horse. — Vide Zool. Proc, 1837> p. 58, for the first specimen recorded as Irish. In addition to the individual there mentioned, a Hip- pocampus was taken alive in Belfast Bay in July 1837, by my relative Richard Langtry, Esq., and though ordered to be preserved for me, was unfortunately lost. In consequence of this, its species, as in the former instance, cannot be given with certainty*. * I am credibly informed that a Hippocampus was found dead on the beach near Youghal, on the southern coast, a few years ago. 28 Mr. J. Ball's Botanical Notes of a Tour in Ireland. Petromyzon Planeri, Cuv. Fringed-lipped Lamprey. — I am indebted to Mr. R. Ball for two specimens of this fish* which were obtained in the vicinity of Naas, county of Kildare. They are 4 J and 5 inches in length respectively; the smaller one only has the " anal sheath/' which is two lines long. (See fig. in Yarr. B. F. vol. ii. p. 457.) The dentition in these spe- cimens is similar to that shown in Mr. Yarrell's figure of P. fluviatilis, and consequently in this character they do not ac- cord with his figure of the mouth of P. Planeri ; in this same wood-cut however, the chief peculiarity of the species — the fringed lip — is well represented. The dentition or f* armature of the mouth" of P. fluviatilis and P. Planeri is similar, as re- marked by Mr. Jenyns*. April 2, 1838. From the Rev. Charles Mayne, Vicar Ge- neral of Cashel — to whose kindness I have in several instances been indebted for specimens of fishes, &c, from the river Shannon — I to-day received a lamprey, 4| inches in length, recently taken in the vicinity of Killaloe, and which proved to be the P. Planeri. Addendum to vol. i. p. 356. Gobius gracilis. Dublin, June 1838. — In the collection of my friend Robert Ball, Esq. of this city, there are two spe- cimens of Gobius gracilis about 3 inches in length, from Youghal. On closely comparing them with individuals of Gobius minutus of equal size, the differences in so far as they are above mentioned are very obvious ; but further, as in those before examined, I cannot perceive any constant characters. III. — Botanical Notes of a Tour in Ireland, with Notices of some new British Plants. By J. Ball, Esq., of Christ College, Cambridge. The attention of British naturalists having been recently di- rected towards the wide field for investigation which Ireland presents to them, it may perhaps not be inappropriate to offer some additional information for the botanical tourist, gathered • Dublin, June 1838. — Specimens of this Lamprey have lately been re- ceived by R. Ball, Esq. from Inch river, about ten miles north-west of Youghal. Mr. J. Ball's Botanical Notes of a Tour in Ireland. 29 during an excursion from Dubli? through the northern part of the island in the summer of 1837; as also to notice the discovery of two or three plants, which are, I believe, new to the British Flora. The neighbourhood of Dublin is princi- pally rich in some of the more local sea plants ; I may men- tion as a station for several of these the south-eastern side of the rocky point of Killiney Hill, which runs out towards the small island of Dalkey. I have here gathered Inula (Lim- barda, Hook.,) crithmoides, Lavatera arbor ea, Euphorbia port- landica, Linum angustifolium, Statice spathulata, Daucus ma- ritimus, &c. Further south, near Bray, Marrubium vulgare may be seen more truly wild than it usually is in Ireland, ex- tending for some distance along the shore, as also upon the common near the town : on banks near the road, between Bray and Enniskerry, Erodium moschatum appears certainly indigenous, and near the latter village I have noticed Melissa Calamintha (Calamintha officinalis, Hook.), and Polygonum minus, Scirpus Savii, Habenaria chlorantha, &c, as also Ge- ranium pyrenaicum certainly wild and very common. Erio- phorum pubescens, which has hitherto been found in the boggy ground just above the village, is, I fear, extirpated by drain- age. In the sand pits on the hill by the Dublin road may be noticed Festuca bromoides, and also a remarkable state of Hieracium Pilosella, apparently intermediate between that plant and H. Peleterainum, Merat., which latter is however by many botanists considered a mere variety of H. Pilosella. In Glen Cree, a valley running from Powerscourt to Lough Bray, I have gathered Carex laevigata, Senecio viscosus, Pin- guicula lusitanica, Myosotis repens, Pyrus Aria, &c. ; and on the mountains south of Glen Cree I have found a Leontodon (Apargia, Hook.), to all appearance distinct from any recog- nised British species. If it be possible to judge by mere de- scriptions in this difficult genus, I should consider it to be L. alpinum, Jacquin, (L. pyrenaicum, Gouan,) though in some respects it approaches more near to L. hastile of Linnaeus. The neighbourhood of Powerscourt Waterfall is remarkably productive in ferns ; in addition to the common species, there are found here P oly podium pheg opt eris, Nephr odium oreopteris, Hymenophyllum Tunbridgiense and H. Wilsoni (which latter 30 Mr. J. BalFs Botanical Notes of a Tour in Ireland. is not rare on the Irish mountains), and here for thirty years has been known to grow a single frond of the rare Tricho- manes brevisetum. On the south side of the stream, below the waterfall, and elsewhere in the same neighbourhood, grows a species of Nephrodium which Mr. Mackay considers identical with N. dumetorum of Smith. The plant however by no means agrees with the specimen in Smithes Herbarium, which is nothing but a small diseased specimen of N. dilatatum. The present specimen differs widely from any of the forms of that variable plant which I have seen ; how far these differ- ences may be permanent is of course a question to be deter- mined by more experienced botanists than myself. Near the same place I have observed a concave variety of a Nephrodium of the spinulosum tribe*, which may possibly be the same as the variety of N. dilatatum mentioned by the Rev. W. Bree in Mag. Nat. Hist. vol. iv., though it differs very constantly both in form and habit from that plant. I have found it also on the Great Sugar Loaf in the County of Wicklow and on Curslieve Mountain in Mayo. > Salix herbacea may be gathered on rocks at the summit of Djouce mountain, and is, I believe, found in similar situations on other mountains of this group. Upon the great Sugar Loaf, which, like other mountains composed of quartz rock, is exceedingly unproductive both in animal and vegetable life, almost the only plant of interest is the Melampyrum monta- num, Johnstone. This plant, which I have met in a similar situation on Curslieve in Mayo, is found by the side of the largest gully on the east side of the mountain ; it preserves very constantly its distinct habit. I am not aware whether it has ever been remarked that the form of the lowest pair of leaves is always obovato-lanceolate, being quite different from that of the superior ones. In boggy ground, at the north-east base of the mountain, grows the Wahlenbergia (Campanula, L.) hederacea, mentioned by Mr. Mackay as growing upon this mountain. In the Dargle, near the bed of the river, may be found Meconopsis cambrica, and Bromus giganteus /3, and * The name spinulosum appears more applicable to this than to any plant of this genus, the serratures of the pinnules being all tipped with stifl" hairs, which converge towards the extremity of each pinnule. Mr. J. BalPs Botanical Notes of a Tour in Ireland. 31 Bryum punctalum abundant in fructification. Returning to Dublin, and proceeding northward along the shore of the bay, Linum angustifolium may be found plentifully on banks be- tween Clontarf and Howth ; on the sandy sea shore Euphorbia paralia is abundant. Close to the ruined church of Kilbarrick may be seen the five British species of Papaver, P. somni- ferum being as truly wild as it is ever seen in Britain. In ad- dition to many rare or local plants mentioned by Mr. Mackay I have found in the sandy fields near this spot, Bromus erectus, Festuca rubra, and Avena pubescens, and in a marsh near Baldoyle, Heliosciadium inundatum. On banks above the vil- lage of Howth I have collected a species of Sagina, differing in appearance from the described British species, and agree- ing very closely with a specimen from Sussex, named by Mr. Borrer the Sagina filiformis of Pourret. For many rare plants in the neighbourhood of Portmarnock, stations are given in Mackay's Flora Hibernica : I may observe that the species of Viola, named in that work V, Curtisii, and which agrees with cultivated specimens from a plant so named by Mr. Borrer, is not the V, Curtisii of the original description, which agrees with V. lutea in having the centre lobe of the sti- pules undivided, being probably no more than a variety of that plant ; whilst the plant in question, which is abundant on the sandy coasts north of Dublin, and which I have seen also in the counties of Down and Derry, is apparently very nearly allied to the V, saxatilis of continental writers, which in com- mon with all the many named forms of V. tricolor, has the middle lobe of the stipule dentate. On the sandy warren near Portmarnock I noticed a tetrandrous species of Cerastium, which appears to be identical with the C. pedunculatum, de- scribed and figured by Mr. Babington in vol. ii. p. 197. PI. VI. of the Magazine of Zoology and Botany. I may mention ha- ving noticed in the county of Dublin the Fumaria parviflora,for which only a single station is given in the c Flora Hibernica/ At Clogher Head, in the county Louth, I found in a corn field, just above the village, Thlaspi arvense and Lamium incisum, both rare in Ireland ; and on the summit, Trifolium striatum and Trigonella ornithopodioides ; and on steep banks over the sea Statice spathulata and a white variety of Antliyllis vulne^ 32 Mr. J. Ball's Botanical Notes of a Tour in Ireland. raria, first found, I believe in Kerry, by Miss Hutchins. Near this I likewise found Fedia auricula, and, which is quite as rare in Ireland, Lepidium campestre, the place of which plant, so familiar to the English botanist, is almost always filled in this island by L. Smithii. I may mention that the distinctive character drawn from the smoothness of the capsule in L. Smithii, though very general, cannot be relied upon, the only constant character being, as I believe, the comparative length of the styles. At Jonesboro', near Dundalk, I observed a white-flowered variety of Galeopsis Tetrahit, the same I believe with the var. ft pubescens of Henslow's Catalogue of British Plants ; it has the leaves of a more acutely lanceolate form, and the whole plant has a softer and more abundant pubescence. I may here mention that near Newcastle in the county Down, the rare Achillea tomentosa has been found by Miss Keown. Sir J. E. Smith mentions his having received this plant from Ireland, but no station has before been made known for it in that country. The neighbourhood of Belfast is pe- culiarly rich in botanical productions, to the stations for many of which I was directed by my friend Professor Bryce. I may mention some additional objects of interest which have not, I believe, been previously noticed. On the south side of the bay, between Belfast and Hollywood, I found Atriplex littoralis, Blysmus rufus, and Scirpus glaucus. By the side of a sandy lane, to the right of the road to Hollywood, I remarked a sin- gular straggling variety of Viola lutea, which plant is very rare in Ireland. Here also may be found the Rosa Hibernica, which has become very scarce in this neighbourhood. Upon that interesting botanical station the Cave Hill, I found a late single-flowered variety of Saxifraga hypnoides, the flowers of which were mostly sessile upon the extremities of the procum- bent shoots; some, which had elongated flower stalks, appeared identical with the form described by Smith under the name of elongella : together with this, upon the south side of the hill, I found the Alchemilla vulgaris ft minor (A. hybrida, Pers.) ; it appears to differ in nothing from a but in its small size and dense white spreading pubescence, which gives it a hoary appearance. The finest specimens of the rare Orobanche rubra (some of them nearly a foot in height) are to be found Mr. J. Ball's Botanical Notes of a Tour in Ireland. 33 on the basaltic rocks at the south-east angle of the hill. Under bushes at the east side I found Circcea intermedia very luxuriant both in flower and fruit, as likewise Vicia syl- vatica, &c. At Colin Glen, a few miles from Belfast, I gathered specimens oi Rubus saxatilis; and in boggy ground, about half way up the Glen, a single specimen of a fern which corre- sponds accurately with Smith's original specimens of Nephro- dium cristatwn (N. callipteris, DC). Nearly in the same place I collected Mentha rubra and a Galium, apparently of the palustre tribe, but without flower or fruit, remarkable for the leaves in the whorl being constantly four in number. In ascending from the lower woody part of the glen to the rocks at the summit, the botanist can scarcely fail to remark the gradual transition from a very divided form of Aspidium an- gular e through the forms named aculeatum and lobatum, to one on the rocks above, which cannot be distinguished from A. lonchitis*. Throughout a great part of Antrim I noticed Rubus Idaus as the most common species of the genus in hedges and woods as also on rocky ground. At Coleraine in Deny, Carum verticillatum is found in great abundance by the west bank of the river about a quarter of a mile below the town. In a potato field near the same place I found Lamium intermedium, which is new to the Irish Flora; I also found it in a similar situation near the foot of Ben Bul- ben in Sligo, and it is probably not rare in the northern coun- ties. On sandy ground, near the mouth of the Baun, I no- ticed Gnaphalium minimum and rectum, and Trifolium medium. I may direct the attention of the conchologist to the sandy coast of Magilligan, which is very productive in marine shells. In addition to many rare plants mentioned in the Flora Hi- bernica as growing on Ben-ye-venagh, I found many alpine species not common in Ireland, Silene acaulis, Dryas octope- tala, Saxifraga hypnoides, Salix herbacea ; and on Umbragh rocks Rubus saxatilis. Throughout the counties of Derry, Tyrone, Donegal, and Sligo Galiopsis versicolor is common ; but I may observe as somewhat remarkable, that I have never * In this glen some rare land shells, Helix fusca and scarburgensis (lamel- lata, Drop.), are to be found : for the direction to this spot 1 am indebted to that active naturalist Mr. Thompson of Belfast. Ann. Nat. Hist. Vol. 2. No. 1. Sept, 1838. B 34 Mr. J. Ball's Botanical Notes of a Tour in Ireland. seen it except in potato fields ; a fact somewhat corroborative of the opinion as to its being a luxuriant variety of G. Tetrahit. In the neighbourhood of Enniskillen, on the banks of Lake Erne, I found Circcea intermedia and Galium boreale ; and in the same locality many species of Mentha might probably be dis- criminated by a botanist acquainted with that difficult genus. Perhaps the mountains of Sligo offer the most promising field to the inquiring naturalist of any part of Ireland. I may mention the results of a hurried visit to Ben Bulben, which is already known to be a habitat of Arenaria ciliata and many other rare plants ; on the limestone ledges at the north-west angle of the mountain I found Dry as octopetala, Silene acaulis, Saxifraga hypnoides and Aizoides, Juniperus nana, and a very diminutive variety of Thalictrum minus, which has possibly been mistaken for T, alpinum, said to grow on this mountain. A little to the east, on the northern face of the rock, I gathered a very large glabrous-fruited form of Car ex recurva, probably the C. Micheliana of Eng. Bot., and in the same spot Poly- gonum viviparum, not mentioned in the Flora Hibernica ; but in a notice in the Mag. Nat. Hist, since pointed out to me, I find that it was gathered nearly in the same spot many years ago by Mr. Murphy. Proceeding eastward along the ledges of limestone, which abound in fossils, particularly many spe- cies of corals, I found growing in company with Sesleria cceru- lea a grass new to the British Flora, the Koeleria valesiaca, Gaud. Near the same place I noticed Asplenium viride, Cy- stopteris fragilis, &c. On the bogs between Sligo and Bal- lina I gathered Gnaphalium rectum, Osmunda regalis, and Juncus nigritellus, Eng. Bot. Supp., a plant apparently quite distinct from J. lamprocarpus ; and near the coast Raphanus maritimus and Scirpus Savii, /3. monostachys, a form which I have also noticed in Wicklow. Near Ballina Gentiana Amarella occurs with white flowers. In the great boggy district of Ty- rawley, the herbage consists principally of Rhyncospora alba, Schcenus nigricans, Eleocharis palustris, Drocera anglica, and Osmunda regalis, with a few T of the more common carices and junci. After passing the night at a cottage about seven miles from its base, I next day ascended Curslieve, one of the highest mountains in theErris group. By the side of a stream, descend- Mr. J. BalPs Botanical Notes of a Tour in Ireland. 35 ing from Currough-na-Gorragh, a small lake at a considerable elevation on the mountain, I gathered Melampyrum montanum, and a concave Nephrodium which I have already mentioned. I also found here a species of Epilobium with downy fruit somewhat allied to E. alpinum ; it corresponds accurately with the description of E. nutans in Reichenbach's < Flora Excur- soria Germanica/ and Professor Don considers it identical with that plant. On the rocks above Currough-na-Gorragh I ob- served a variety of Saxifraga stellaris with a large spreading pa- nicle, the leaves covered with long dense hairs larger and more deeply cut than in the ordinary state of the plant. Saxifraga umbrosa /3. (S. punctata, Haworth), is abundant on this and all the other mountains in this part of Ireland. Between New- port and Castlebar I noticed Nepeta Cataria, probably not indigenous, growing to the height of three or four feet. The limestone district on the banks of Lake Carra near Castlebar, is exceedingly productive in rare plants ; on the north-eastern shore near Moore Hall I found Gentiana verna in fruit, a dwarf red-flowered variety of Gentiana Amarella, Gnaphalium dioicum, Thalictrum minus, sometimes growing to a large size and approaching very near to T. majus, Galium boreale in great luxuriance, &c. To the west of this point I found Neottia spiralis and Equisetum variegatum. On a point of low rocky land called Derrynany, I found Rhamnus catharti- cus and frangula, both very rare in Ireland; Rubia peregrina, Euonymus europceus, and a fern in abundant fructification but with the capsules all burst, probably a Nephrodium, in which case it is allied to N. thelypteris, but differs in its very rigid habit, and in having the pinnules finely serrated and wanting the characteristic depression of the two lower pinnae. Near Delphi in Morrisk I noticed Lycopodium selaginoides with Saxifraga umbrosa, and Daboecia (Menziesia, Sm.) poli- folia in great abundance, as also Anthemis nobilis, which is a rare plant in Ireland. In a walk across the district lying between the Mamturk mountains and the group called the Twelve Pins, I gathered several of the peculiar plants of this district, as Eriocaulon septangulare, Utricularia minor and in- termedia, &c. : also on rocks in the bed of the river above Lough Inagh, Galium boreale, Thalictrum minus, and Hiera- d 2 36 Dr. Arnott on the Genus Langsdorffia. cium umbellatum, in a very reduced state and generally with only a single flower to each stem. An account of the botany of Connamara having been published by my friend Mr. Ba- bington in vol. ii. of the Mag. Nat. Hist, it will be unne- cessary to add anything further as to this district. On the lime- stone rocks at Kilcornan near Galway, 1 collected Grammitis ceterach, Melissa Calamintha, Asperula cynanchica, Euonymus europceus, Saxifraga tridactylites, &c. ; also, which may ap- pear somewhat remarkable, on level ground near the sea, Ju- niperus nana in great abundance and luxuriance. I cannot close this brief notice without expressing my ob- ligations to my friend Mr. Babington for his assistance in the determination of many of the plants here mentioned. It is hoped that these results of a very hurried visit to some little frequented parts of Ireland, may tempt some British na- turalists to bestow a more careful examination on the hitherto little investigated districts of the west, where there can be no doubt that much would be found to repay their exertions. IV. — Some Account of the Genus Langsdorffia. By G. W. Arnott, Esq., LL.D. Langsdorffia Mart. Recepiacula solitaria, stipites simplices terminantia, unisexualia. Flores masculi inter paleas clavatas basi complanata in favi modum nexas sessiles. Perigonium infundibuliforme, limbo 3 — 5-fido, laciniis sestivatione indupli- cato-valvatis. Stamina 3 — 5, monadelpha, perigonii laciniis opposita ; co- lumna solida, tubo perigonii adnata, parte libera anthesis breviore : antherae connatae, extrorsse, biloculares ; loculi sequales, juxta totam longitudinem debiscentes. Ovarii rudimentum nullum. Flores feminei (imperfecti ?), confertissimi, pedicellati. Stylus filiformis simplex. Ovarium stipitatum in stylum gracilem attenuatum. Herbse carnosce, stipites e rhizomate hypogceo crassiusculo assurgentes, simplices, squamis obsessi, monocephalL Capitula unisexualia, alia ex eodem rhizomate mascula, alia feminea. 1. h.janeirensis; rbizomate repente subsimplici, stipitis squamis arete imbricatis lanceolatis villoso-fimbriatis, perigonio masc. trifido laciniis demum patentibus, floribus fem. (glandulam nullam ambientibus T) infra stylum bulboso-granulosis. — L. janeirensis, L. C. Richard, in Mem. du Mus. d'Hist. Nat. viii. p. 412. t. 19. — L. hypogsea, Mart. Journ. von Brasil, ii. p. 179 ; Nov. gen. et sp. iii. p. 181. t. 299. Hob. in sylvis umbrosis circa Rio Janeiro. As no notice is taken of the glands which in the next are Dr. Arnott on the Genus Langsdorffia, 37 found mixed with the female flowers, I presume that they do not exist, but have not myself been so fortunate as to examine specimens. 2. h.indica; rhizomate caespitoso ramoso, stipitis squamis patulis ellip- ticis margine glabris, perigonio masc. 4— 5-fido laciniis demum reflexis, floribus fern, circa glandulam pyriformem stipitatam insertis laevibus. — L. indica, Wight et Am. ined. ; Hook. Ic. PL t. 205, 206. — Bala- nopbora indica, Wall. Cat. n. 7247. — B. elongata, Blume en pi. Jav. i. ;?. 87? Hab. In Peninsula India? orientalis prope Courtallum et Cunnawady, atque in monte Newere-Ellia in insula Ceylano, Wight. Rhizoma carnosum, amorpbum, ramosum, ramis brevibus crassis subprse- morsis. Caules seu stipites caespitosi, erecti, crassi, 4 — 6-pollices alti, mono- cepbali, e basi usque ad capitulum squamis patulis tecti, alii ejusdem caes- pitis masculi-flori, alii femini-flori. Foliorum loco squamae obovales vel el- lipticae, obtusaa, versus basin angustatae, summae consimiles, omnes flavido- virentes, camosae, siccatione rigidulo-membranacese, glaberrimae, minime ciliolatas, persistentes. — Capitulum masculinum sessile, ovato-globosum vel cylindraceo-ovale, obtusissimum, nunc squamis stipitis summis involucratum, nunc omnino emersum. Flores numerosi, majusculi, circa axin dense spi- ratim dispositi. Axis seu receptaculum crassi stipitis, subcylindraceum, apice quandoque paullo crassius, paleis carnosis clavatis apice truncatis basi membranaceis ac in favi modum connexis obsitum. Perigonium intra sin- gulos alveolos solitarium, sessile, infundibuliforme, paleis subtriplo longius : tubus cylindraceus semipollicem fere longus, andrcecio omnino farctus, pedi- cellum cylindricum crassiusculum referens : limbus saepius quadrifidus, haud raro tamen quinquefidus ; laciniae asquales, duas tresve lineas longae, ovales, obtusae, aestivatione induplicato-valvatas, dein patentissima?, demum reflexae. Stamina monodelpba : columna filamentorum solida tubo perigonii cohasrens, extra tubum breviter exserta : antherae 4 — 5, laciniis perigonii oppositae, circa columnae apicem solidum connatas, singula?, cordatae, biloculares, lo- culis asqualibus intus septulo longitudinali secundario biloculatis, per totam longitudinem extrorsum dehiscentes, septulis post pollinis emissionem albo- membranaceis patulis cristas tenues 16 vel 20 longitudinales simulantibus. Pollen subspbaericum, compressiusculum, angulis tribus poriformibus. — Ca- pitulum femineum sessile, ovoideum, squamis stipitis summis involucratum. Flores innumeri, minutissimi, totam axeos seu receptaculi ovoidei superficiem densissime tegentes, pedicellati, laeves, fasciculatim dispositi : fasciculi a plurimis floribus circa glandulam insertis compositi: glandula obpyriformis, fusco-purpurea, semipellucida, obscure cellulosa, stipitata ; stipes basi in- crassata flores sustinens, supra basin gracilis. Ovarium ovoideum vel sub- globosum, saepe inaequilaterum, atro-fuscum, basi in pedicellum apice in stylum attenuatum, ad styli basin lineola transversali (limbum perigonii co- haerentis truncatum verosimiliter indicante) obscurissime notatum, intus ut videtur solidum homogeneum ac inovulatum, ideoque forsan in nostris abor- 38 Dr. Arnott on the Genus Langsdorffia. tivum. Stylus filiformis, laevis, apicc crassior ac truncatus, structura sub- cellular!, ex apice ovarii attenuate- tarde deciduus, ovario colore pallidior : stylorum apices glandulam supra descriptam vix superantes. Richard, in his account of the genus, considers the female flowers hitherto known to be imperfect : w nescio quid imper- fecti in omnibus trium capitulorum a me dissectorum floribus femineis deprehendens, ad suspicandum alia existere capitula perfectioribus onusta floribus moveor." Most other botanists adopt the same view. I have never in the Indian species been able to find so perfect a perianth as Richard found in that from Brazil; and although the reputed ovaria were much more swollen than those which Richard saw, I cannot find the smallest trace of an ovule. I should therefore have thought it probable that those female capitula which arise from the same rhizoma as the male, were always imperfect, and that the fer- tile ones were to be found on a different plant, perhaps ac- companied by imperfect males ; but Dr. Wight has observed the L. indica in different places and at different times, and he seems never to have detected any other than the form above described. Blume, if indeed his Balanophora elongata be the same as that from Dr. Wight, while he inserts it in Balanophora, makes no exception as to the imperfection of any of the female flowers : but that plant is referred doubtfully by Endlicher to Cynopsole, a new genus, which is said to be dioecious (the male only being known), but which may with equal probability be held to be monoecious, and would then only differ from Langsdorffia indica by " flores masculi singuli bractea canaliculafa excepta," instead of these bractea or paleae being clavate upwards while their membranaceous bases intersect each other and form cells. Blume also says of his plant that it is dioecious, but from the account given in the generic character of the structure of the monoecious species, it is obvious that by dicecious he only alludes to the capitula being unisexual. Further observations may thus prove the three to be one and the same species. Whether we suppose that Blume saw perfect females, and that he found the structure as in the genus Balanophora, where the ovaria are "one-ovuled and attenuated upwards into a setaceous style," or that the style Iff llli: 4 r*3 P <3 W Mr. R. Pamell on the Motella cimbria. 39 described by Richard, and above in Dr. Wight's species, be- longs to a complete but imperfectly observed female flower, I cannot draw the conclusion at which Endlicher has arrived, that Langsdorffia belongs to the same section of the order as Helosis and Scybalium, both with two styles and a bilocular ovary : it appears to me to be more intimately related to Ba- lanophora, and this relation is confirmed by the female flowers of B. indica being placed on glandular partial receptacles, as in Balanophora fungosa of Forster. From Balanophora, how- ever, Langsdorffia is readily recognised, by the males and fe- males being on different, not on the same receptacles, and by the ovaria being stalked, so that the ovary, considered along with the stalk and style, may almost be called fusiform. If, Endlicher, as I incline to think, has described his genus Cy- nopsole from imperfect materials, and if Blume's Balanophora elongata, and Wight's Langsdorffia indica be referable to it, and if the original Langsdorffia janeirensis is really destitute of the glands that are intermingled with the female flowers of the other,Cynopsole may still be kept up for the eastern species. I may here remark that the ovary and style represented by Forster agree tolerably well with those observed in Dr. Wight's plant ; that Forster, as appears from his manuscripts quoted by Richard, was doubtful if what he saw was an ovarium, or that it was one-celled, and that he had seen neither pericarp nor seed ; from which it may be inferred that the female flowers observed were in appearance equally imperfect with those of Langsdorffia. It appears, however, from Blume's ge- neric character (en. pi. Jav. i. p. 86) that he had at last ascer- tained them to be perfect, and that the fruit is crustaceous and one-seeded. V. — On a new Species of British Fish (Motella cimbria). By Richard Parnell, M.D., F.R.S.E. [With a Plate.] Motella cimbria*, the Four-bearded Rockling. Specific characters. — Snout with three barbules, and one on the chin. Plate III. * Gadus cimbrius, Linnaeus. 40 Mr. R. Parnell on the Motella cimbria. Description, — From a specimen 14 inches in length. Form closely resembling that of the five-bearded rockling, but the length of the head is somewhat greater compared to that of the body ; body elongated, rounded in front, compressed be- hind, tapering from the vent to the caudal extremity, greatest depth less than the length of the head. Head one-sixth of the entire length, caudal fin included, slightly depressed; snout blunt, projecting considerably beyond the under jaw ; eye large, of an oval form, placed high up, and about its own length from the point of the snout ; operculum rounded, oblique ; gill-opening large ; gape wide ; maxillary extending in a line with the posterior margin of the orbit ; teeth sharp, and fine, situated in two rows on the under jaw, and in five rows on the upper, a few are also placed in a cluster on the anterior part of the vomer; barbules four, one a little in front of each nostril, one at the extremity of the upper lip, and one on the chin ; tongue fleshy, smooth, and without teeth. Fins, first dorsal obsolete, scarcely discernible, commencing over the operculum, and terminating a little in front of the second dorsal, composed of a number of short, fine, capillary rays, of which the first is the largest, presenting an appearance, ac- cording to Linnaeus, of the letter T, but this latter character I was unable to recognise in the present example, owing to that ray having been somewhat destroyed previously to the fish coming into my possession ; second dorsal taking its ori- gin in a line over the ends of the pectorals, and terminating a little in advance of the caudal, the anterior portion nearly of equal height, the rays in the posterior half more sensibly in- creasing in length to the last but four, from thence rapidly diminishing, the first ray simple, the rest branched ; anal com- mencing in a line under the twelfth ray of the second dorsal, and ending under the last ray but three of the same fin, in form similar to the second dorsal, but the rays scarcely more than one half the length, the first ray simple, the rest branched; caudal rounded at the extremity, the lengths of the middle rays equalling the space between the first and twelfth rays of the anal, the lateral rays simple ; ventrals jugular, the second rays the longest, about two-thirds the length of the pectoral ; pectorals rounded at the extremities, equalling the length of Mr. R. Parnell on the Motella cimbria. 41 the caudal, the first rays stout and simple, the rest branched. The fin-rays in number are 1st D. 50; 2nd D. 50; P. 16 ; V. 5 ; A. 43 ; C. 20; Vert. 52. Scales small, smooth, and adherent, covering the head, body, and membranes of the dorsal, caudal and anal fins ; lateral line distinct, formed by a number of oval depressions placed at intervals from each other, commencing over the operculum, taking a bend under the ninth, tenth, and eleventh rays of the second dorsal fin, from thence running straight to the middle ray of the caudal. Colours, back and sides of a grey- ish brown, belly dirty white, second dorsal fin edged with white, which is more apparent towards the caudal end ; upper half of the caudal fin tipped with white ; pectorals, caudal and lower parts of the dorsal, dark brown approaching to black ; anal and ventrals dusky. Two well-known species of 'Motella are frequently met with on our coast, the Motella quinquecirrata and the Motella vul- garis-, but I am not aware of the Motella cimbria (Gadus cimbrius of Linnaeus) having previously been noticed as a British fish. It was found in June last, a little to the east of Inchkeith, on a haddock line baited with muscles, and sent me by the fishermen of Newhaven, as being the only fish of the kind they had ever met with. From its general appearance^ they at once recognised it to be closely allied to the five-bearded rockling (Motella quinquecirrata), a common species through- out the coast, but on comparison the differences between them were obvious ; and although the two fishes do disagree in some particulars, yet it is difficult to point out accurately and satis- factorily, to those who are not in the habit of handling them, what these particulars are. Some authors, placing no depend- ence as a character on the numbers of barbules on the snout, consider the five-bearded rockling and the three-bearded rock- ling as mere varieties ; but this is not admitted either by Mr. Yarrell or by Mr. Jenyns, who very justly consider them as deserving of a place as distinct species in their valuable works on British Ichthyology. The four-bearded rockling, accord- ing to Linnaeus, occurs in the Atlantic and Norway seas, and is distinguished by the first ray of the anterior dorsal fin pre- 42 Mr. R. Parnell on the Motella cimbria. senting the form of the letter T. On dissecting the specimen I examined, I found the stomach filled with shrimps and small crabs : the caecal appendages were few in number ; the roe was large, the ova small and numerous, and apparently in a fit state to be deposited. It is probable that the habits of this fish are similar to those of the other species, but from its ra- rity it is difficult to determine. The Motella cimbria differs from Motella quinquecirrata in the following respects : — in the snout having but three bar- bules ; the head one-sixth of the whole length ; the teeth sharp and slender, placed in two rows on the under jaw ; the eye large, of an oval form ; the snout much produced ; the gape wide ; from the point of the snout to the posterior extremity of the maxillary, from thence to the origin of the pectoral, equal ; the lateral line very distinct ; the tips of the upper half of the caudal rays white ; the second ray of the ventral fin but slightly produced ; the rays in the anterior half of the second dorsal nearly double the lengths of those of the anal ; where- as in M. quinquecirrata the snout is furnished with four bar- bules ; the head one-sixth the length as far as the base of the caudal fin ; the teeth, blunt and stout, placed in three rows on the under jaw ; the eye small, nearly circular; the snout but slightly produced ; the gape rather small ; from the point of the snout to the posterior extremity of the maxillary, from thence to the origin of the ventral, equal ; the lateral line very indistinct ; the caudal fin of a uniform brown ; the second ray of the ventral fin much produced ; the rays in the anterior half of the second dorsal about equal the lengths of those of the anal. The Motella cimbria differs from Motella vulgaris in the snout being produced, and furnished with three barbules ; the teeth small, fine and slender, all nearly of equal length and size ; the anal fin with forty-three rays ; the body without spots ; whereas in M. vulgaris the snout projects but slightly, and is furnished with only two barbules ; the teeth irregular, long and stout, with small ones at the base, closely arranged in many rows ; the anal fin with fifty rays ; the body with a number of large dusky spots. The form and arrangement of the teeth in this species are very striking. Rev. L. Jenyns on the British Shrews, 43 VI. — Additional Note on the British Shrews. By the Rev. L. Jenyns, M.A., F.L.S., &c. Since the publication of my last memoir I have seen a third specimen of the Chestnut shrew in the museum of the Zoolo- gical Society ; and on comparing it with my own, I find it so exactly similar, both in form and colours, with the sole ex- ception of these last being somewhat paler, as to remove all doubt in my mind of its being a distinct species from the So- reoc tetragonurus. The following may serve as the distin- guishing characters of these two shrews : — 1. S. tetragonurus, Herm. (Square-tailed Shrew.) — Snout broad, compared with that of the common shrew: feet, fore espe- cially, much larger: tail slender, more quadrangular at all ages, and slightly attenuated at the tip ; clothed with closely-ap- pressed hairs in the young state, in age nearly naked : upper parts very deep reddish brown; under parts dark yellowish grey. 2. S. castaneus, Jen. (Chestnut Shrew.) — Snout and feet much as in the last species, but the former rather more atte- nuated : tail moderately stout, nearly round, well clothed with hairs, which form at the extremity a long pencil; upper parts, as well as the snout, feet and tail, bright chestnut ; un- der parts ash-grey. The specimen of this shrew in the Museum of the Zoological Society is a female, not yet arrived at full size. The length of the head and body is 2 in. 1^ lin. That of the tail, 1 in. 7i ^ m « With regard to the error* of my considering the British water-shrew as distinct from the S. fodiens of the continent, I may observe that it has been already in part corrected in my last memoir, wherein I stated that further investigation had led me to believe that it was the real S. fodiens of Gmelin, as well as of Bechstein, Brehm, and Wagler. If it be also the S. fodiens of Duvernoy,the error of regarding them as distinct has originated, not with me, but with the author just mentioned, who must have assigned a wrong type of dentition to his own species. And such, from the statement of Nathusius quoted by the editor in the last number, would seem to be the case. Swaffham Bulbeck, July 31, 1838. * Alluded to by Nathusius in his memoir on the European shrews, accord- ing to the Editor of this Magazine, to whom I am indebted for drawing my attention to the circumstance. See the last number of the Annals, i. 427. 44 Specimen of the Botany of New Zealand. VII. — Florae Insularum Novce Zelandice Precursor; or a Spe- cimen of the Botany of the Islands of New Zealand. By Allan Cunningham^ Esq. [Continued from vol. i. p. 462.] CONVOLVULACE^E, Juss. 1. Calystegia, R. Br. 394. C. sepium. Br. Prodr. i. p. 483. A. Rich. FL Nov. Zel. p. 250. Rcem. and Sch. Syst. Veg. iv.p. 182. — Convolvulus sepium. L. Engl. Bot. t. 313. — C. Tugurionum. Forst. Prodr. n. 74. New Zealand (Middle Island). — 1773, G. Forster. (Northern Island), River Thames. — 1 827, D' Urville. Bay of Islands in marshy ground. — 1 826. A. Cunningham. Wytangy and Keri-Keri rivers. — 1834, R. Cunningham. 395. C. Soldanella. Rcem. and Sch. Syst. Veg. iv. p. 184. A. Rich. Fl. Nov. Zel. p. 200. Endl. Prodr. Fl. Norf. p. 52.— Convolvulus Soldanella, L. Engl. Bot. t. 314. Pone incolarum Tolagae. D 'Urville. New Zealand (Northern Island). — 1769, Sir Jos. Banks. Tolaga Bay, east coast. — 1827, D' Urville. Shores of the Bay of Islands.— 1834, Rich. Cunningham. Obs. L'espece que M. R. Brown a decrite sous le nom de Calystegia re- niformis, ne differe en rien du C. Soldanella, Rich. loc. cit. conf. R. Br. Prodr. p. 484. 2. Ipomlea, Jacq. 396. I.pendula. R. Br. Prodr. i. p. 486. Endl Prodr. Fl. Norf. p. 52. Andr. Rep. 613. New Zealand (Northern Island). On the banks of the Hokianga river among fern ; also on the Kana-Kana river, Bay of Islands.— 1834, R. Cun- ningham. 3. Dichondra, Forst. Char. Gen. 397. D. repens. Forst. Prodr. n. 134. Br. Prodr. i.p. 491. Willd. Sp. PI. 1. p. 1353. Smith Ic. Ined. i. p. 8. t. 8. A. Rich. Fl. Nov. Zel. p. 201. — Steripha reniformis. Banks and Sol. Mss. in Bibl. Banks. New Zealand (Northern Island). — 1769, Sir Jos. Banks. 1826, Bay of Islands. — A. Cunningham. — 1834, R. Cunningham. GENTIANEiE, Juss. 1. Gentiana, L. 398. G. saxosa; corollis quinquefidis campanulatis, floribus longe pedun- culatis subumbellatis, foliis caulinis subremotis spathulatis carnosis glabris, radicalibus approximatis. Forst. Prodr. n. 132. A. Rich. Fl. Nov. Zel. p. 202. Willd. Sp. PL 1 . p. 1357. New Zealand (Middle Island). On rocks washed by the sea, Dusky Bay. —1773, G. Forster.— -1791, A. Menzies. Specimen of the Botany of New Zealand. 45 399. G. montana ; corollis quinquefidis campanulato-infundibuliformibus, floribus pedunculatis subcorymbosis solitariisve, foliis caulinis remotis sessi- libus ellipticis ovatisve, infimis approximatis basi attenuatis. Br. Prodr. 1. p. 450. Forst. Prodr. n. 133. A. Rich. Fl. Nov. Zel. p. 203. Willd. Sp. PI. I. p. 1334. New Zealand (Middle Island). On the bare and bleak summits of the loftiest mountains. — 1773, G. Forster. 2. Seb,ea, Soland. R. Br. 400. S. ? gracilis, corollis quinquefidis, calycis carinis simplicibus, foliis ovato-oblongis obtusiusculis enerviis, caule gracili tetragono membranaceo, capsula cylindrica. New Zealand (Northern Island). In bogs at Mangamuka, Hokianga. — 1834, R. Cunningham. I have referred this slender plant to Sehcea, notwithstanding the spirally twisted anthers, post anthesin ; the capsule being bilocular and margins of the valves inflexed. It differs from S. ovata, Br. in having a long cylindrical capsule, leaves without defined nerves, and a habit altogether more slender. LOGANIE^, R. Br. in Flind. Voy. Von Mart. Nov. Gen. 8f Sp. PI. 2. p. 133. Flos anisomerius. Calyx liber quinquepartitus. Corolla limbo sequali, seu inaequali aestivatione convolutiva. Stamina e corolla isogenea quin- que (vel unum). Pollen vittato-trilobum (in Pagamea). Stylus in- sertus ? Stigma simplex. Capsula bilocularis, placentis originatus vel tandem liberis ; aut drupa mono-vel dipyrena, pyrenis mono-dispermis. Albumen carnosum vel cartilagineum. Embryo orthotropus, Martins. 1. Geniostoma*, Forst. (Anasser, Juss. Aspilobium, Soland.) Calyx quinquefidus persistens. Corolla tubulosa vel subcampanulata fauce barbata, limbo quinquepartito, laciniis incurvatis vel reflexis. Stamina 5, filamenta brevissima in fauce inserta. Antherce biloculares. Stigma capitatum. Ovarium biloculare. Capsula 2-locularis, bivalvis, valvis integris, marginibus inflexis angustis insertis placentis duabus invicem cohserentibus, et post dehiscentiam valvularum persistentibus. Semina numerosa. — Arbores vel frutices. Folia opposita, petiolata, * The other species may be thus distinguished : G. rupestre, Forst., arboreum, foliis oblongo-lanceolatis acuminatis con- coloribus, corolla laciniis involutis, stigmate capitato sublamelloso. Hab. In Insula Tanna. G. Forster. G. borbonicum, fruticosum, foliis ovatis obtusiusculis. — Anassera bor- bonica. Lam. Illustr. I. p. 40. Rcem. et Sch. Syst. Veg. iv. p. 204. Pers. Syn. i. p. 264. Hab. In Insula Borbonia. Commerson. 46 Specimen of the Botany of New Zealand. slipulata, Integra, venosa ; stipules in vaginas intrapetiolares connata?. Flores axillares, subverticillati, cymosi. Pedunculi subsimplices, fili- formes, bracteis birds medio instrncti. 401. G. ligustrifolium, fruticosum, foliis ellipticis ovatisve acuminatis sub- tus discoloribus, laciniis corollse refiexis, stigmate depresso-capitato. — G. rupestris. A. Rich. Fl. Nov. Zel. p. 207. non Forst.— Aspilotum laevigatum. Banks et Sol. Mss. Hunghi hunghi Incol. R. Cunn. New Zealand (Northern Island). — 1769, Sir Jos. Banks. In dry woods, Bay of Islands.— 182C, A. Cunningham.— 1827, ^UrvilleL.— 1834, R. Cun- ningham. APOCYNEiE, R. Br. 1. Parsonsia, Br . 402. P. heterophylla', paniculis terminalibus, tubo corollae laciniis calycis triplo longiore, foliis ovato-lanceolatis integerrimis mncronatis vel elongato- lanceolatis attenuatis repandis, ramulis pubescentibus. Periploca capsularis. Forst. A.Rich. Fl. Nov. Zel. p. 205.— Pi Incolarum. New Zealand (Northern Island). Shady woods at Wangaroa. — 1826, A. Cunningham. At Hokianga, &c. — 1834, R. Cunningham. Upon comparing specimens of this plant recently gathered with authentic samples of Periploca capsularis, Forst. (in the Banks. Herb.) they appear identically the same species. Yet the latter is described by its discoverer (Prodr. n. 126) as having small flowers in axillary racemes shorter than the leaves, and the tube of the corolla shorter than the segments of the calyx. According to Sprengel, Forster's plant is identical with Echites corymbosa (Jacq. Amer.) OLEINEiE, Hoffmansegg # Link. Olea, L. 403. O. apetala, Vahl. Endl. Prodr. Fl. Norf. p. 56. Rcem. et Sch. Syst. Veg.\. p. 71. Excl. syn. Andrewsii. New Zealand (Northern Island). A tree 25 feet high, on the banks of rivers, &c. — 1769, Sir Jos. Banks. — 1826, A. Cunningham. The iron wood of the earlier colonists on Norfolk island, where it attains a height of forty feet. SAPOTEiE, Juss. ACHRAS, L. 404. A. costata. Endl. Prodr. Fl. Norf. p. 49. New Zealand (Northern Island). A small tree between the villages of Ngaire and Wainai, opposite the Cavallos Isles, off the east coast. — 1833, R. Cunningham. Obs. The specimens with which I have been furnished, without fructification, have been compared with those indigenous to Norfolk Island ; and so far as the venation, general structure and figure of Specimen of the Botany of New Zealand, 47 the leaves have enabled me to determine, the New Zealand sea coast plant is identical with that elaborately described by M. Endlicher from Norfolk Island. MYRSINEjE, R. Br. Myrsine, L. 405. M. Urvillei ; glabra, foliis ovatis obtusis integris (undulatis) pellu- cido-punctatis, floribus subsessilibus fasciculatis (4) 5-andris polygamis, lobis calycinis minimis dentiformibus, antheris sessilibus ovoideis. DC. {rev. Nat. Ord. Myrs.) in Linn. Tr. v. 17. p. 105. — M. undulata. A. C. Mss. 1826. — Merista laevigata. Banks et Sol. Mss. 1769. — Suttonia australis. A. Rich. Fl. Nov. Zel. p. 349. t. 38. Tepan Incol. New Zealand (Northern Island). — 1769, Sir Jos. Banks. In dry woods, Bay of Islands. — 1826, A. Cunningham. (Middle Island) Tasman's Bay. 1827, D'Urville. 406. M. 1 divaricata ; ramis valde divaricatis arcuatis dependentibus glabris, foliis (semiuncialibus ad extremitatem ramulorum 2 — 3) late obcor- datis seu emarginatis retusis coriaceis venosis, margin e incrassatis, paginis- que punctatis, punctis pellucidis rubescentibus, lobis calycinis (quaternis) ovatis obtusis glabris, bacca "globosa" pedicellata nigro-punctata. New Zealand (Northern Island). A shrub found at the head of the Wy- caddy river, Bay of Islands; also near the mission station on the Hokianga. ; — 1834, R. Cunningham. EPACRIDEiE, R. Br. 1. Cyathodes, Labill. 407. C. acerosa, foliis lineari-oblongis linearibusve (semiuncialibus) pa- tulis cuspidatis subtus glaucis 3 — 5-nerviis, nerviis extimis pectinatis ramu- losis, margine ciliatis. R. Br. Mss. Roem. et Sch. Syst. Veg. iv. p. 473. — Styphalia acerosa. Banks et Sol. Mss. — Leucopogon Forsteri. A. Rich. Fl. Nov. Zel. p. 216. — Epacris juniperina. Forst. Prodr. n. 71. New Zealand (Northern Island). — 1769, Sir Jos. Banks. Summits of hills Wangaroa. — 1826, A. Cunningham. (Middle Island), Astrolabe bar- bour.— 1827, D'Urville. 2. Leucofogon, R. Br. 408. L.fasciculatus, spicis aggregatis solitariisve nutantibus, ovariis tri- locularibus, drupis globosis, foliis lanceolatis planiusculis 5-nerviis, margine serrulatis, ramulis pubescentibus. A. Rich. Fl. Nov. Zel. p. 215. — Epacris fasciculata. Forst. Prodr. n. 72. New Zealand (Northern Island). A large shrub in close forests. Kana Kana river, Bay of Islands. — 1826, A. Cunningham. (Middle Island). — 1773, G. Forst er. 409. Ij. Fraseri, pumilus, pedunculis brevissimis erectis unifloris, foliis confertis imbricatis adpressis erecto-patulisve obovato-oblongis convexius- culis mucronatis subtus striatis, marginibus cartilagineis ciliatis scabris, ra- mulis tenuissime pubescentibus. 48 Specimen of the Botany of New Zealand. New Zealand (Northern Island). Among ferns on the hills near the Bay of Islands. — 1820, C. Fraser. — 1834, R. Cunningham. 3. Pentachondra, R. Br. 410. P. pumila. Br. Prodr. i. p. 549. Rcem. et Sch. Syst. Veg. iv. p. 487. A. Rich. Fl. Nov. Zel. p. 217— Epacris pumila. Forst. Prodr. n. 70. Linn. Suppl. p. 138. Pers. Syn. i. p. 174. New Zealand (Middle Island), summits of the bleakest and barest moun- tains.— 1773, G. Forster. Obs. Caules subpalmares, erecto-patentes, filiformes, foliosi, ex eadem ra- dice plures, basi aphylli subterranei, vixramosi. Folia minima, ovata, acuta, integerrima, 6 — 7-nervia, umbilicata, apice cartilagineo rubro. Flores soli- tarii in apice ramulorum sessiles. Forst. 4. Epacris, Smith, Labill. 411. E. pauciflora, foliis rhombeo-ovatis subacuminatis erectis concavis imbricatis crassis 3-nerviis muticis, floribus solitariis axillaribus pedicellatis, pedicellis multibracteatis, calycibus acutis tubum corollae superantibus, sta- minibus inclusis. A. Rich. Fl. Nov. Zel. p. 213. Toe-toe Incol. see D'Urville. — Kowangatura. R. Cunningham. New Zealand (Northern Island). Shores of the Bay of Islands in open heaths. — 1826, A. Cunningham. — 1827, D'Urville. 5. Dracophyllum, Labill. 412. D. latifolium; arboreum, foliis linearibus valde attenuates (sesquipe- dalibus) basi dilatatis vaginantibus, paniculis terminalibus ramosis. — Epacris latifolia. Banks et Sol. Mss. New Zealand (Northern Island). Dry woods on the Kana Kana river, Bay of Islands. — 1769, Sir Jos. Banks. — 1826, A. Cunningham. 413. D. longifolium, arboreum, foliis lineari-lanceolatis acuminatis (saepe in ramis junioribus spithamaeis) basi dilatatis vaginantibus, racemis latera- libus simplicibus reticulatis. R. Br. Mss. A. Rich. Fl. Nov. Zel. p. 219. Rcem. et Sch. Syst. Veg. iv. p. 385. — Epacris longifolia. Forst. Prodr. n.68. New Zealand (Middle Island). In woods. — 1773, G. Forster. 414. D. rosmarinifolium, fruticosum, foliis linearibus rigidis erectis (sex- quiuncialibus) apice obtusis basi dilatatis vaginantibus, floribus axillaribus solitariis. R. Br. A. Rich. Fl. Nov. Zel. p. 200. Rcem. et Sch. Syst. Veg. iv.p. 385. — Epacris rosmarinifolia. Forst. Prodr. n. 69. New Zealand (Middle Island). On the summits of the highest mountains. —1773, G. Forster. 415. D. Urvillianum, fruticosum, foliis fasciculatis linearibus acutis rigidis, margine retrorsum scaberulis basi dilatata vaginantibus floribus 2 — 4-spicatis, squamulis oblongo-lanceolatis acutis ciliatis, limbi corollae laciniis ovali- acuminatis. A, Rich. Fl. Nov. Zel. p. 221. — D. attenuatum. A. C. Mss. 1826. New Zealand (Northern Island). Open fern grounds on the shores of the Bay of Islands. — 1826, A. Cunningham. (Middle Island), Tasman's Bay on rocks. — 1827, D'Urville. Specimen of the Botany of New Zealand, 49 416. D. Lessonianum, foliis fasciculatis longioribus linearibus acutis sub- ulatis semiteretibus glabris retrorsum scaberulis basi dilatatis subciliatis, floribus 6—8 alternis pedicellatis in spicam terminalem dispositis, squamulis 3 — 4 longitudine calycis longe acuminatis sepalis ciliatis longitudine corolla?, limbi laciniis oblongo-lanceolatis. A. Rich. Fl. Nov. Zel. p. 223. — D. ros- mariniforme. R. C. Mss. 1834. New Zealand (Nortliem Island). Banks of the Keri-Keri river, Bay of Islands.— -1 834, R. Cunningham. (Middle Island,) on rocks.— -1 827, Z)' Urville. ERICEiE, R. Br. Gaultiieria, L. 417. G. antipoda, caule fruticoso ramoso ramis lanuginosis, foliis obovati- orbiculatis obtusis serratis glabris, floribus axillaribus solitariis pedicellatis, A. Rich. Fl. Nov. Zel. p. 211. Font, Prodr. n. 196. Willd. &c. Ton-aye Incol., D y Urville. ^-Kehuhutia, R. Cunningham. New Zealand (Middle Island). — 1773, G. Forster. (Northern Island). Open fern lands, Bay of Islands. — 1826, A. Cunningham. — 1827, D' Urville. — 1834, R. Cunningham. 418. G. rupestris, (R. Br.) caule suifruticoso ramoso, ramulis verrucosis non hispidis, foliis elliptico-lanceolatis serrulatis utrinque glabris (uncialibus) racemis axillaribus terminalibusve simplicibus folio longioribus, rachi pedi- cellisque pilosis. — Andromeda rupestris. Forst. Prodr. n. 195. A.Rich. Fl. Nov. Zel. p. 208. t. 27. New Zealand (Middle Island). In swamps and on wet rocks. — 1773, G. Forster. 419. G. jfluviatilis, caulibus suffruticosis procumbentibus, ramis crinitis, foliis lineari-lanceolatis obtuse acuminatis petiolatis (semiuncialibus) margine revolutis remote serratis, serraturis apiculoque obtusis callosis, supra tenuiter pilosis, subtus rugoso-striatis, racemis terminalibus folio multoties longiori- bus, pedicello bracteatis villosis. — Andromeda rupestris. R. C. Mss. 1834, non Forst. New Zealand (Northern Island). In the pebbly bed of the Keri-Keri river near the Great Fall, Bay of Islands. — 1834, R. Cunningham. CAMPANULACEiE, R. Br. 1. Wahlenbeugia, Schrad. (Campanula, sp. L.) Calyx 3 — 5-fidus. Corolla campanulata, basi tubulosa, limbo 3 — 5-fida. StaminaS — 5, inaequalia, filamenta basi simplicia. Stigma obtusum, trilobum, barbatum. Capsula trilocularis, univalvis, apice foramine triplici hians. Dissepimenta utrinque placentifera. Semina indefinita, pendula. 420. W. gracilis, caule erecto gracili tereti a basi ramoso glabro aut pi- loso, foliis linearibus integris aut dentatis, glabris aut pilosis, floribus termi- nalibus ad apicem ramorum solitariis 5-fidis, corolla ovario duplo triplove longiori. A. Rich. Fl. Nov. Zel. p. 225.— Campanula gracilis. Forst. Prodr. n. 81. Br. Prodr. i. p. 561. Rcem. et Sch. Syst, Fog. v. p. 97. Bot. Mag. t. 691 . — C. polymorpha, var. Sol. Ms. in Bill. Banks. Ann. Nat, Hist. Vol. 2. No. 7. Sept. 1838. B 50 Specimen of the Botany of New Zealand. Punai-uou Incol., R. Cunn. Kouletao, D'Urville. Obs. Species polymorpha valde variabilis, cujus hujus varietates e Nova Zelandia ot Nova Caledonia, in Herb. Banks, vidi. R. Br. New Zealand (Northern Island). Among ferns on the hills, Bay of Islands, &c.— 1834, R. Cunningham. (Middle Island).— 1773, G. Forster. Astrolabe Harbour.— 1827, D'Urville. 2. Lobelia, L. 421. L.alata. Br.Prodr. i. p. 562. A. Rich. Fl. Nov. Zel. p. 227. Rcem. et Sch. Syst. Veg. v. p. 68. Labill. Nov. Holl. i. p. 51. t. 72. Pourao Incol. sec. D'Urville. — Wae-wae-Kou-kou, R. Cunningham. New Zealand (Northern Island). Sea coast near the Bay of Islands, on rocks. — 1834, R. Cunningham. (Middle Island), Astrolabe Harbour. — 1827, D'Urville. 422. L. angulata. Forst. Prodr. n. 309. Willd. Sp. PI. \.p. 951. Rcem. et Sch. Syst. Veg. v. p. 65. A. Rich. Fl. Nov. Zel. p. 227. New Zealand (Middle Island).— 1773, G. Forster. (Northern Island.) Valley of Wangaroa. — 1826, A. Cunningham. 423. L. littoralis {R. Cunn.) procumbens, glaberrima, caulibus adscen- dentibus gracilibus, foliis subrotundo-ovatis grosse dentatis, pedunculo ebrac- teato florifero plus duplo brevioribus floribus axillaribus solitariis pedunculis fructiferis valde elongatis. New Zealand (Northern Island). On the shores of the Keri-Keri and Kana-Kana rivers, Bay of Islands. — 1834, R. Cunningham, 424. L. submersa (R. Cunn.) repens, csespitosa, radicans, foliis (semiun- cialibus) lineari-spathulatis obtusis integerrimis subrepandisve infra medium attenuatis piligeris, pedunculo ebracteato parum longioribus, staminibus epipetalis. New Zealand (Northern Island). In stagnant water, lodged in basins of the rock in the bed of the Keri-Keri river, Bay of Islands. — 1834, R. Cun- ningham. 425. L. physaloides, suffruticosa glabra, cauie anguloso subramoso, foliis ovato-oblongis longe petiolatis acutis inaequaliter serratis, racemis termina- libus nutantibus laciniis calycinis linearibus dimidium corolla? vix sequanti- bus, capsula globosa torulosa. Odu vel Oru Incol. vulgo dicitur. New Zealand (Northern Island). In damp woods at Wangaroa, Matauri, &c, Bay of Islands. — 1 834, R. Cunningham. Planta (in horto) vix ad basin suffruticosa, duo vel tripedalis, ramulis ro- tundato-angulatis purpureo-luridis. Folia alterna, ovata, acuta, valde prominenti-venosa, petiolata, 3 — 4 uncias longa, inaequaliter serrata, serraturis glanduloso-callosis, petiolis biuncialibus, supra canaliculatis, basi incrassatis decurrentibus. Raccmi divisi, 6 — 8-flori. Peduncidi alterni unciati, bracteis foliaceis linearibus suffulti. Calycina? lacinice lineari-lanceolatae, subulatse, acuta 1 , corolla plus duplo breviores. Co- rolla ccerulea, unciam longa, laciniis lanceolatis attenuatis lineatis sta- mina sequantibus. Anther ce exserta?, apice penicillata?. Stigma dila- Specimen of the Botany of New Zealand, 51 tatum, bilobum, lobis rotundatis supra convexis glabriusculis, subtus concavis dense villosis. Obs. In horto rogio Kewensi colitur, ubi quotannis floret. STYLIDEiE. 1 . Stylidium, Swartz. Labillardiere. 420. S. spathulatum. Br. Prodr. 'up. 569. A. Rich. Fl. Nov. Zel. p. 229. New Zealand (Middle Island). Tasman's Bay (lat. 40£ S.).— 1827, D'Urville. This plant, a native of the south coast of Australia, is here ad- mitted as indigenous also to New Zealand, solely on the authority of M. Achille Richard, who has described a plant which was found on the shores of Tasman's Bay in the voyage of L' Astrolabe, and which he has referred to Stylidium. He says, " Nous avons rapport6 au Stylid. spathulatum de Brown un seul petit echantillon de ce genre qui a e*t6 recueilli par le capitaine lui-meme a la baie Tasman. La seule difference que notre echantillon nous ait presentee, e'est que la hampe est legerement poilue dans sa partie infdrieure, tandis que, selon la phrase du celebre auteur du ' Prodrome de la Nouvelle Hol- lander elle serait tout-a-fait glabre. Mais cet difference est de trop peu d'importance pour former un caractere distinctif." A.Rich.hcit. Of this genus, no species was detected in New Zealand, either in the several Voyages of Cook or in that of Vancouver, and the order has hitherto been represented on those islands by the following ge^ nus only. 2. Forstera, L. Forster. 427. F. sedifolia. L.fil. mild. Sp. PI. 4. p. 149. Pers. Syn. 2. p. 211. A. Rich. Fl. Nov. Zel. p. 229. Forst. in Nov. Act. Zips. 3. p. 184. tab. 9. New Zealand (Middle Island), summits of mountains at Dusky Bay. — 1773, G. Forster. — 1791, Arch. Menzies. Obs. Radix perennis. Caulis adscendens, palmaris, radicans. Folia li- neavia, carnosa, obtusa. Pedunculi solitarii, uniflori, longissimi. Flores albi, fauce rubescente. GOODENOVLE, R. Br. 1. Goodenia, Smith. 428. G. rcpens. Br. Prodr. 1. p. 579. Labill, Nov. Boll. 1. p. 53. tab. 76. A. Rich. Fl. Nov. Zel. p. 228. Rcem. et Sch. Syst. Veg. 5. p. 31.— G. radicans. Rcem. et Sch. Syst. Veg. 5. p. 32. — G. littoralis. Br. Gen. Re- marks in Flinders' s Voy. 2. p. 561. Reko-reko Incol. D'Urville. Raumauga, nomen vernaculum sec. R. Cunn. New Zealand (Northern Island). Saltwater creeks, saltwater marshes, &c, Wangaroa. — 1834, Rich. Cunningham. (Middle Island). Sandy shores of Astrolabe Harbour.— 1 827, D' Urville. E 2 52 Mr. Eyton on the Fauna of Shropshire. 2. Scevola, L. 429. S. 1 Nova; Zelandia, calyce (quinquepartito ?) ovario multo breviore, foliis obovatis obtusis valde reticulatis glabris distanter denticulatis, axillis barbatis. New Zealand (Northern Island). On the sea coast, opposite the Ca- vallos Isles. — 1834, R. Cunningham. From the very imperfect specimens I possess, the genus of this remarkable plant cannot be satisfactorily determined. The presence, however, of barbated stipuliform appendages at the axillae, as also of the bilocular fruit, have induced me to place it here rather than with Euphorbiacece, with which habit, &c, seem to indicate its affinity. [To be continued.] VIII. — An attempt to ascertain the Tauna of Shropshire and North Wales. By T. C. Eyton, Esq., F.L.S. [Continued from vol. i. p. 293.] No. III. Aves. Charadrius jtluvialis, Linn. (Golden Plover.) Has several times oc- curred in the district during winter ; is said to breed on the moun- tains above Chirk Castle. Charadrius Hiaticula, Linn. (Ringed Plover.) Common in the neighbourhood of Holyhead and Rhoscolyn, where I have several times found the eggs. Vanellus cristatus, Meyer. (Lapwing.) Common both during summer and winter. Hamatopus ostralegus, Linn. (Oyster Catcher.) Common on the Welsh coast. A remarkable change in the form of the bill takes place in the young of this species during its progress towards matu- rity. On leaving the egg the bill is not very unlike in form to that of the golden Plover, and well adapted for picking up minute in- sects and mollusca, at that time its natural food ; indeed, had it the perfect wedge-shaped bill of the adult, the strength necessary to di- vide as it were the limpet from the rock would be wanting. Squatarola cinerea. (Grey Squatarole.) One specimen has been sent to me obtained during last winter near Holyhead. Ardea cinerea, Linn. (Common Heron.) Breeds in several lo- calities within the district ; numbers of nests may be seen on the pre- cipitous rocks in the neighbourhood of the South Stack lighthouse ; when the young are nearly fledged, if a noise be made under the nests by striking the oars against the side of the boat, they will often spring out and fall into the sea. Mr. Eyton on the Fauna of Shropshire. 53 Ardca (Botaurus, Steph.) stellaris, Ray. (Bittern.) Several spe- cimens have occurred, A hatch of these birds came off at Cosford Pool, near Nufnal, in 1836. Nycticorax europaus, Steph. (Night Heron.) Two specimens have occurred within the district ; one killed near Wroxeter in the young state of plumage, now in the possession of Mr. Stanier of that place ; the second on an estate belonging to Bukeley Owen, Esq. in Anglesea, in the adult plumage. Platalea Leucorodia, Linn. (Spoonbill.) I am informed that a specimen is in the collection of a gentleman near Aberystwith, killed near that place. Scolopax (Numenias, Lath.) arquata, Linn. (Curlew.) Breeds on Whixan moss in Shropshire, and in the neighbourhood of Holy- head. Scolopax (Numenius, Lath.) Pheopus, Linn. (Whimbrel Curlew.) A specimen is in my collection killed at Betton Pool, near Shrews- bury. Scolopax Rusticola, Linn. (Woodcock.) Common. Scolopax Gallinago, Linn. (Snipe.) Common. Scolopax Gallinula. (Jack Snipe.) Common. Limosa rufa. (Black-tailed Godwit.) Several specimens have oc- curred. Tringa subarquata, Gmel. (Pigmy Curlew.) A specimen in my collection killed Sept. 1836 on Shrewsbury race-course. Tringa alpina, Linn. (Dunlin.) Common everywhere on the "Welsh coast during summer, and often killed inland during the winter months. Tringa Schinzii, . (Schinz's Sandpiper.) A specimen killed near Stoke Heath is in Sir Rowland Hill's collection. Tringa maritima, Gmel. (Purple Sandpiper.) One specimen only, which has been received from Holyhead. Phalaropus lobatus, Lath. (Grey Phalarope.) Two or three spe- cimens have occurred ; one is in the possession of the Rev. John Roch of Clungunford ; another killed near Montford-bridge is in my own. Tringa (Strepsilas, 111.) Interpres, Linn. (Turnstone.) Common on the Anglesea coast. Totanus Calidris, Linn. (Redshank.) I once killed several out of a flight of at least fifty near Rhoscolyn. Totanus Ochropus, Linn. (Green Sandpiper.) Often killed in- land as well as on the coast. 54 Mr. Eyton on the Fauna of Shropshire . Totanus Hypoleucos, Linn. (Common Sandpiper.) Common on the coasts and islands. Rallus aquaticus, Ray. (Water Rail.) Common on the wild moors. Crex pratensis, Bechs. (Corn Crake.) Common during the sum- mer months. Gallinula chloropus, Ray. (Moor Hen.) Common. Fulica atra, Ray. Common. Podiceps cristatus, Linn. (Crested Grebe.) Common on the meres in the neighbourhood of Ellesmere, where it breeds ; its food is entirely vegetable. I have several times attempted to keep this bird alive in confinement, but never with success. Both males and females possess two pairs of muscles of voice similar to those de- scribed by Mr. Yarrell to exist in the Indian Crowned Pigeon. Podiceps minor, Lath. (Lesser Grebe.) Common. Colymbus glacialis, Linn. (Northern Diver.) Several specimens have occurred both on the meres of Shropshire and on the Severn, during winter. The trachea of this as well as the two following is acted upon by two pairs of muscles of voice similar to those found in the grebe, but stronger. Colymbus arcticus, Ray. (Black- throated Diver.) One specimen occurred last winter ; the trachea as in the last. Colymbus septentrionalis , Linn. (Red-throated Diver.) Occurs every winter : trachea as in the two preceding. Uria Troile, Briss. (Guillemot.) Common. We are convinced that U. Brunnichii is not distinct. Fratercula arctioa, Steph. (Puffin.) Breed on Priestholm island off Beaumaris in the greatest abundance ; also at the Skerries off Holyhead. Alca Tor da, Linn. (Razor Bill.) Common on the coast. Procellaria {Thalassidroma, Leach.) pelagica, Linn. (Stormy Pe- trel.) Two or three specimens have occurred both inland and on the coast. Thalassidroma Leachii, Steph. (Leach's Petrel.) One specimen only has occurred ; it was killed on the Severn near Montford-bridge, and is in my collection. Lestris, Temm. Birds of this genus are said to have occurred, but I have never been able to obtain any for examination. Gavia (Rissa, Leach.) cinerea, Briss. (Kittiwake.) Common. Larus canus, Linn. (Common Gull.) Common. Larusargentatus,Bmn. (Herring Gull.) Breeds plentifully along the whole line of the Welsh coast. Mr. Eytofl on the Fauna of Shropshire* 55 Larusfuscus, Linn. (Lesser Black-backed Gull.) One speciiheji is in my collection: killed near Holyhead. Larus marinus, Linn. (Greater Black-backed.) Said to breed near the South Stack lighthouse, but I have never observed it. My specimen was killed feeding at a dead horse near Holyhead. Chroicocephalus ridibundus, nobis. (Laughing Gull.) Common. Chroicocephalus capistratus, nobis. (Brown-headed Gull.) One specimen only has occurred and is in my collection : killed near Bangor. Sterna arctica, Temm. (Arctic Tern.) Breed on the Skerries : the trachea possesses a second pair of muscles of voice besides the usual sterno-tracheal ones corresponding to the fifth pair of Mr. Yar- rell found in the Raven. Sterna marina, Ray. (Common Tern.) Also breeds at the Skerries. Sterna Dougallii, Mont. (Roseate Tern.) One specimen is in my possession, killed near Longden mill, three or four years ago. Phalacrocorax Carbo, Auct. (Common Ray.) Breeds in numbers on Holyhead mountain. Phalacrocorax Graculus, Lath. (Crested Cormorant.) One or two nests of this species are found every year on Cardinal's Point ; both this and the foregoing possess two pairs of muscles of voice, the first, the usual sterno-tracheal ones, the second continued from the point at which the first pair branch off to the upper rings of the bronchise, between which and the last tracheal ring is situated a membrane stretched and able to be rendered more or less tense by the action of the muscle. Sula Bassana, Briss. (Gannet.) I never heard but of the occur- rence of one specimen in the district ; it was picked up exhausted, in the neighbourhood of Holyhead. Mergus Merganser, Ray. (Common Merganser.) Often killed on the Welsh lakes and on the Severn during hard weather. Mergus albellus, Linn. (Smew.) Found in the same localities as the preceding. Mergus cucullatus, Linn. (Hooded Merganser.) One specimen is in my collection, killed on the Menai Straits during the winter of 1 834 ; it is a young male of the year. Mergus Serrator, Linn. (Red-breasted Merganser.) One or two specimens occurred last winter on the Severn. Clangula chrysophthalmos, Steph. (Common Golden Eye.) Com- mon on the coast, and occasionally found on inland waters during winter. 56 Mr. Eyton on the Fauna of Shropshire, Fuligula cristaia, Steph. (Crested Pochard.) Also -found on the coast during winter. Fuligula Marila, Steph. (Scaup Duck.) Not nearly so common as the other species of the genus, and never killed inland. Fuligula /mwa, Steph . (Red-headed Pochard.) Found with the preceding always on the sea. Melanitta nigra, Bore. (Black Scoter.) Several times obtained from the coast. The female of this species has the trachea acted upon by two pairs of muscles of voice. Anas Boschas, Linn. (Common Wild Duck.) Common. Rhynchaspis clypeata, Steph. (Shoveller.) Not uncommon both on the coast and inland during winter. Querquedula Crecca, Steph. (Common Teal.) Common in the district, and occasionally breeds on the Welsh lakes. Marecafistularis, Steph. (Widgeon.) Common. Dafila caudacuta, Steph. (Pintail.) Not uncommon on the Welsh coast during winter ; the only specimen I ever heard of being killed inland, was obtained during the winter 1832-3 on Ruyton brook. Tadorna Bellonii, Steph. (Common Shieldrake.) I have more than once received this bird from Holyhead. A specimen is in the collection of the Shropshire and North Wales Natural History So- ciety, killed near Ecleshall, which is the only one I ever heard of being killed inland. In the neighbourhood of Holyhead it is called the Stranger Duck, and breeds on a point jutting out to sea between Rhoscolyn and Abermenai, in its usual place, rabbits' holes. Cygnus ferus, Ray. (Wild Swan.) Upwards of twenty speci- mens of this beautiful bird were killed during last winter, 1837, in Shropshire. Cygnus Bewickii, Yarrell. (Bewick's Swan.) One specimen was killed two or three years ago on the upper part of the Severn ; but though so many of the common species were met with last winter, not one of C. Bewickii occurred. Anser Segetum, Steph. (Bean Goose.) Common during hard winters on the Weald moors and Ruggymoor. Anser Fry thr opus, Flem. (Laughing Goose.) Has occasionally been killed in the district. Bernicla Leucopsis, Bechst. (Common Bernacle.) Several times received from Holyhead during winter, and once observed on the river or creek separating Holyhead Island from Anglesea during summer. Information respecting Botanical Travellers. 57 IX. — Information respecting Botanical Travellers. Unio Itineraria. The following appeal to the friends of natural history, and of bo- tany in particular, has recently been published and circulated by the Directors of that highly useful Society the " Unio Itineraria," and we trust it will not be made in vain. This Society affords an inesti- mable opportunity for botanists to enrich their herbaria with plants of great rarity from various parts of the world, collected at much expense, at great risk, preserved with the greatest care, and named by naturalists who are competent to this task, and we do trust that some of our readers will be induced by the following statement to come forward and encourage so useful and scientific an insti- tution. Our friend, John Hunneman, Esq., 9 Queen Street, Soho, London, will forward the names and subscriptions to the Directors, and will receive and distribute the different collections, so that those who may wish to possess these plants will be put to no trouble on this account. — Sir W. J. Hooker. Particulars respecting M. Schimper's Abyssinian Journey. The important results of the journey to Egypt and Arabia encou- raged us to extend the original plan, so as, if possible, to embrace Abyssinia, according to our notice of December, 1836. This coun- try is so interesting, whether as regards its geographical situation or physical structure, the latter having procured it the name of the African Switzerland, and has hitherto been so superficially examined, that we hoped it would excite the curiosity of scientific individuals in general, as well as of the members of this Society ; and trusting to receive the needful participation and support, we provided the traveller with such a sum of money as appeared requisite. But al- though our hopes were tolerably well fulfilled, so far as regarded the members of the Unio, and we received sufficient subscriptions to cover the first outlay, as originally calculated, yet it shortly proved that the expedition was attended with far heavier cost than had been anticipated. Circumstances of detention arose : — the traveller found it needful to provide himself with presents, wherewith he might pro- pitiate favour and obtain leave to proceed. Sometimes indeed the offering of these is no matter of choice, but of compulsion. Thus, even before entering the country which he was to explore, our tra- veller was obliged to have recourse to an English Consular Agent, who kindly assisted him in his present necessities with money upon our credit. Schimper is now in the interior of the country, at Adowa in Abyssinia. He has conciliated the favour of one of the 58 Information respecting Botanical Travellers* native princes, and, except as regards the important want of money, he is in a most favourable situation for exploring the whole territory. There is nothing to endanger his safety, and we confidently antici- pate that the expectations of the subscribers will be amply realized, as this naturalist possesses a happy union of the mental and bodily properties requisite for his object, if he is furnished with the means of prolonging his stay and making excursions in the country. We subjoin a short extract from Schimper's account of his pro- gress. He took shipping in the middle of November, 1836, at Suez, for Djedda, whence, on the 19th of the following month, he pursued his course by water, and early in January reached Massava, which is a small island in the Red Sea, close by the coast of Abyssinia. There, unfortunately, a whole month's detention took place, owing to a quarrel which had just arisen between two Frenchmen, who re- sided in the neighbourhood, and some of the natives, which ended in one of the Abyssinians being shot. The Frenchmen fled, but the minds of the people were so much exasperated against all foreigners that the attempt to penetrate into the country would have been highly dangerous at that juncture. It was not till the 8th of Febru- ary that Schimper could venture to enter the territory of Akiko, which he effected by purchasing the permission at considerable cost from the Naib there, a Bedouin prince, who appears to have shown himself a great extortioner. Thence his route lay to Haley, 60 miles further, but this being the very place where the murder was committed, our poor naturalist was exposed to such perils that he quitted the town as soon as he could buy leave to do so, leaving be- hind six camels' loads of his property : " these," he says, " were af- terwards returned to me through the favour of King Ubie, governor of Tigre and king of Abyssinia, who received me in his tent and showed me much kindness, thanks to the very high recommendations which I carried from the Austrian General Consulate at Cairo." Schimper found it necessary to give presents to king Ubie, in order to ensure his continued protection : he also dined twice with him in Ins tent, accompanied by the Missionary Blumhardt, of Stuttgard, who is likewise settled at Adowa, with his companion in religious la- bour Isenberg. The latest accounts from our botanist state, that his labours, after he had succeeded in obtaining some money on our credit from Mr. Dumreicher, of Alexandria, have been attended with con- siderable success. It was his intention to commence in autumn a journey to the highest mountain of the Semen range, whose snowy peaks were in sight from Adowa, and to explore the country in all directions, as the season and climate permitted. Among the plants Information respecting Botanical Travellers. 59 which particularly struck him he mentions an arborescent Euphorbia, 12 — 20 feet high, which the inhabitants call Koll- Quail; it is pro- bably E. officinarum, Linn. He had also noticed five different spe- cies of Mimosa, and thought by the aspect of the plants which he had already collected, to the number of about 12,000 specimens, that one-third of them might prove new. His hopes of performing much for the cause of science are high, provided they are not baffled by the want of pecuniary means, of which he sorrowfully complains, as likely to hasten him home. As matters now stand, our readers must perceive that it will either be necessary to aid the traveller li- berally with such supplies as the cordial co-operation of the members of this Union can easily raise, without any considerable risk to their own interests, or else the enterprise must be abandoned. For our own parts, we take the liberty of reminding our friends that at the very outset we ran the chance of pecuniary loss for the benefit of the Society, and have at this very time afresh aided M. Schimper with a considerable sum for immediate use, which is not yet covered by the subscriptions of the Members, and of which, in strict justice, the burden ought not to lie upon us. During the course of the pre- sent year there has certainly been granted by the Governments of Wurtemberg and of the Grand Duchy of Baden no inconsiderable aid towards the expenses of this expedition ; but the sums in ques- tion fall far short of covering the outlay already made, much more of enabling him to proceed with his investigations and his labours ; and the liberality of the Grand Duke's royal Danish Consul at Alexan- dria, M. Dumreicher, who thrice, through the English Consular Agent at Djedda, advanced money to assist Schimper, while it argues the most obliging confidence in the members of the Unio to meet these engagements, and in Schimper to exert his best abilities in their service, still more powerfully binds the individuals whom he has obliged to come forward and relieve M. Dumreicher from this risk of loss. The undersigned will on no account disown in any degree the debt which the Unio has thus incurred ; they, on the contrary, would urge on the Members the advantages which they will severally derive from coming forward early to clear these engagements, inasmuch as they will have the first selection of the rarest and best plants, and will obtain them about one-third cheaper than any purchasers who present themselves at a future period. We would therefore again invite all the Members of this Society and every friend of botany to become contributors towards this expedition, and that, not only from motives of justice to the undersigned, but also for their own exclusive advantage. As it is calculated that M. Schimper will in these tro* 60 Information respecting Botanical Travellers. pical districts collect at least 2000 species (Mr. Ecklon collected thrice that number in the three years he spent in South Africa), it will be seen that a treble subscription of 60 florins will not meet the value of an entire collection made during the two or three years' absence of M. Schimper. But to those who subscribe 120 florins we will ensure to them the future collections at the same rate of sub- scription. We think that the subscribers may rest assured, that whereas the century of species will cost them 15 florins (33 francs), those indi- viduals who may apply afterwards will have to pay 20 florins (42 francs). Up to the present time we admit of contributors coming forward to the smaller amount of 50 — 60 florins : these, however, can only claim three or four centuries at the subscription price. We again venture to express our hope that such botanical friends as possess the means, particularly public cabinets of natural history and those individuals who have hitherto been members of the Unio, will not forsake us in this important undertaking; and especially that they will consider this journey as a national enterprise, which for the honour alike of country and of science they will do their best to promote. As our traveller also collects zoological objects, especially bird- skins, fish, and shells, the amateurs of these respective departments of natural history may secure a proportion of them, according to their subscriptions, observing, however, that the contributions to- wards this journey have some analogy to stock, whose value rises and falls according to circumstances. The greater, however, be the assistance afforded to the traveller, to enable him to prolong his stay and in safety to prosecute his researches, the richer may the proceeds be expected to prove. To those members who take an interest in the productions of the Georgian Caucasus, we beg to intimate that fresh packets have just arrived from M. Hohenacker, containing 200 species, most of which had not been previously sent, and of the rest only individual speci- mens. Particulars are mentioned in the Appendix. Of the North American plants of the deceased Dr. Frank, there remain collections of 100 and of 200 specimens. These will be sold at 12 florins and 24 florins, after the period during which the sub- scription of 1 1 florins was admissible shall have closed. Lastly, we are enabled to offer to the respected Members of the Unio and to other botanists, dried plants from New Holland, which the Royal Botanic Society of Ratisbon has transmitted to us for va- luation and sale. They were collected by Dr. Lhotsky, at Sydney and Port Jackson, and are described by us and consigned to us on Bibliographical Notices. 61 commission. The collections of 100 and 200 species are respect- ively prized at 15 florins and 30 florins; and we beg to observe, that to those who do not already possess the collections of Sieber, they are highly interesting, and the more so as the specimens are incom- parably more beautiful and complete than the relics which are still on sale of Sieber's plants. Professor Hociistetter, Dr. Steudel. Esslingen by Stuttgard, Jan. 1838. BIBLIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES. Icones Fungorum hucusque cognitorum. Auctore A. C. J. Corda. Pragse, 1837. Though the present work is not wholly destitute of the faults which are chargeable against the other mycologic labours of the author, it is one of very great importance. If his matter is not always correct, nor his views judicious, we find much that is at least original ; and there are many observations and discoveries which throw quite a new light on several obscure branches of mycology. It would indeed be dif- ficult to point out any work of the same size which contains so much of interest. The price too is extremely moderate ; and as the specific and generic characters and references to the dissections are in Latin, though the remarks are in German, it is generally accessible to bota- nists. It is much to be desired that the author will meet with suf- ficient encouragement to enable him to continue a work which, from the style in which it is got up, must necessarily involve a consider- ably outlay, and even more brilliant discoveries may be confidently expected in other branches of the science. At present there are few good figures of the fruit-bearing organs of fungi ; and, from our own e'xperience, we can bear witness that much remains to be done. Mycologists have till lately been in possession of instruments which can show only a part of the structure, and many of the more minute species have been very imperfectly investigated, nor have the differ- ences, which exist at different periods of growth, received sufficient attention. Indeed the fructification of the typical group of fungi has been altogether misunderstood. Among the points of most interest, we shall note the following, taken in the order in which they occur. The author asserts that Trichothccium roseum is a parasite on hy- phomycetous fungi, or Mycelia. Trichothecium domesticum is said to occur on the hyphasma of Mucor Mucedo. «This hint is well worth 62 Bibliographical Notices. following up. We have long since been convinced that the com- monly received notions of the structure in this genus are incorrect, and the published figures very insufficient. We cannot however agree, even if the author is correct (which is highly probable), that it has any affinity with Puccinia, much less that it belongs to that genus, with which he unites it. To the correctness of the next point, viz. that Sepedonium roscwn accompanies Verticillum cylindrospora, Corda, we can ourselves bear testimony. Whether it be a parasite or no demands further in- quiry. There are figures of some very interesting new species of Torula, and of some extraordinary productions nearly related to that genus. Helicomyces is asserted to be parasitic on the hairs of Sphceria cx- ilis, Dematia, Helminthosporia, &c, and destitute of any proper stroma. Helicotrichum, Nees, therefore, is, contrary to the opinion of Fries, a distinct genus. Puccinia Bullaria is figured as a Phragmotrichum* If the analysis is correct, the species figured must be quite different from what we have now before us, which does not differ from other Puccinia:, ex- cept in being more closely invested with the epidermis. Under Helminthosporium apiculatum, a highly interesting analysis of the genus is given. The spore consists, 1st, of an outer light skin ; 2nd, of an inner, hard, coloured, horny skin, which incloses a third, which, like the first, is light- coloured. Within this are the septa, which have a proper membrane, and are not united at all to the third coat, or connected with it. They inclose large drops of oil, with which they are also surrounded. The apiculus is formed of a proper skin, and merely adheres to the spore, without being clothed with any of its coats. The drops of oil are what are sometimes called sporidiola, and they require further investigation. We do not deny that the cells sometimes contain drops of an oily fluid, but that the so-called oil- drops are sometimes true reproductive bodies is quite certain. The distinction between the genera Dor atomy ces and Stysanos is well worth attending to, as it throws light upon a matter at present somewhat obscure. Some of the latter will probably be found to be mere anamorphoses of AspergUU. Chordostylum, Tode, an ill-understood genus, is shown to be allied to Pilobolus. The flocci of Trichia are shown to be spiral vessels, like the elaters of Jungermannia. The genus Chcetomium is figured as ascigerous, a most interesting fact, which we can ourselves con- firm. The matter, however, requires further attention. Myxascia, Berk., is probably only a correctly observed Chcetomium. Bibliograjihical Notices. 63 The sporidia of Chatomium murorum have a chink on one side, like those of the Spharia pedunculata, Dick., and S. Mppotrichioides, Sow. The true structure of Sphtcronema is delineated in a species which grows upon the buds of Dahlias, which is almost identical with S. blepharistoma, figured in Mag. Bot. and Zool., vol. i. The reproductive bodies of Tuber are beautifully figured, under Tuber fuscum. In the common truffle we find them just the same, and by no means such as represented by Turpin in his memoir on that genus. The last illustration is perhaps the most important, being a com- plete confirmation of the views on the structure of hymenomycetous fungi, published in a late number of this journal *. It is most curious that Ascherson, Corda, Montague, Leveille, Brogniart and Decaisne should almost at the same time have observed the true structure of the hymenium in typical fungi. It will not be thought invidious, if after calling attention to so many points of interest, (and there are many which we have not no- ticed,) we point out a few matters which might mislead. The au- thor is certainly too hasty in the proposing new species and genera : indeed, many of his species appear to be the conidia of other fungi, or anomalous forms of described species. Bispora intermedia appears to be a correctly drawn Torula antennata. Halysium atrum is Spilo- ma melanopum, E. B. t. 2358, which has been neglected by authors- Its nature is still doubtful. Periconia byssoides is either incorrectly drawn or is not the true plant of Nees, the flocci of which are arti- culated and the spores curiously granulated. The species figured as Stilba appear to belong to other genera. Stilbum crystallinum is clearly Aspergillus albus, and Stilbum vulgarc certainly not the true plant. Stilbum nodosum appears to be young Aspergillus maximus. Other points might be noted, but we had rather again call the at- tention of our readers to the merits of the work, and recommend it very strongly to their patronage. Commentationes de Leguminosarum Generibus. Auctore Georgio Bentham. During an interesting and extensive tour lately made on the con- tinent of Europe, our valued friend Mr. Bentham devoted his time, whether in the field or in the public and private museums, to the * On the fructification of the Pileate and Clavate Tribes of Hyinenomy- cetons Fungi, vol. i. p. 81. 64 Geological Society. study of botany, with that energetic zeal which marks his character, and which induces him to labour, not for his own improvement only, but for the public good. One of the results of this tour has been the publication (at Vienna) of a 4to brochure, of 100 closely printed pages, under the title above given. Here are included a great num- ber of most valuable observations on many new genera and species of Leguminosa, chiefly from the Herbaria of Munich and Vienna, where the collections were (as elsewhere) thrown open to him with a liberality which has called forth his grateful acknowledgements. His work, we are happy to learn from the preface, now that Mr. Bentham is returned to London, is but the forerunner of a more ex- tensive one on this extensive family of plants. The Natural Arrangement and Relations of the Family of Fly -Catchers or Muscicapida. By William Swainson, Esq.* This work, one of the cheap and beautifully illustrated volumes of Sir William Jardine's Naturalist's Library, well sustains the charac- ter of that popular series. Mr. Swainson's talent as a zoological writer appears to be peculiarly fitted for works of this description, — his slight sketches combine the beauty of a work of art, with the di- stinctness and accuracy so requisite in subjects connected with na- tural history. The text is an extension of the author's remarks on this family, originally published in the Ornithological volumes of Lardner's Encyclopaedia, and contains much useful information, conveyed in an agreeable manner, and illustrated by thirty accurately coloured plates, beautifully engraved by Mr. Lizars. The work is published at such a moderate price as to place it within the reach of any person wishing to pursue the study of natural history, but who may hitherto have been prevented by the high price at which books on such subjects are usually brought out. Much, however, as we are pleased with the general execution of this little volume, we cannot but regret that Mr. Swainson has not been more accurate in the orthography of the scientific names. The same volume also contains an interesting memoir and plate of Baron Haller, the poet, the physiologist, and the naturalist. PROCEEDINGS OF LEARNED SOCIETIES. GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY. April 4. — A paper was read, entitled, " A Description of Viscount Cole's specimen of Plesiosaurus macrocephalus (Conybeare)," by * Jardine's Naturalist's Library : Lizars, Edinburgh ; Highley, London. Geological Society, 65 Richard Owen, Esq., F.G.S., Hunterian Professor in the College of Surgeons, London. The author premises his description of the Plesiosaurus macroce- phalus, by pointing out the characters of a species of Plesiosaurus, which he regards as distinct from the Plesiosaurus dolichodeirus of Mr. Conybeare ; and which, from the completeness of its skeleton in the British Museum and other collections, he selects for a more im- mediate comparison with the Plesiosaurus macrocephalus. He proposes to call the species thus selected, as a term of com- parison, Plesiosaurus Hawkinsii, in honour of the gentleman to whose remarkable skill and indefatigable labour, the beautiful and perfect skeletons of it are exclusively due. The chief points in which the Plesiosaurus Hawkinsii differs from the PI. dolichodeirus are, — that the neck is a little longer than the trunk, instead of being fully equal to the body and tail united; — that it contains twenty-nine cervical vertebrae, bearing hatched-shaped ribs, instead of thirty-five; and that the length of the head is equal to one-tenth part of the total length of the skeleton, instead of one-thirteenth part as in the dolichodeirus. The PL Hawkinsii differs also in the relative shortness and form of the ulna and fibula, and in some other minor points. Having defined the species selected to illustrate the specific pecu- liarities of the PI. macrocephalus, Mr. Owen next offers some new views respecting the elementary composition of a vertebra in the abs- tract, suggested principally by a study of the vertebral column in the Plesiosauri ; for having observed that the vertebral ribs, or the elements termed by Geoffroy St. Hilaire paraaux, or para-vertebral elements, are not bent down in the caudal region to form the protect- ing lamina? of the vascular trunks beneath the tail, but are continued as shorter rib -like processes through a great part of the tail, co* existing with the inferior lamina? (also called paraaux by Geoffroy), he proposes to call these latter or inferior elements (which remain united in the Plesiosauri) ' hcemapophyses' , in allusion to their physio- logical relations with the great blood vessels. The superior lamina? he denominates on the same principle ' neur apophyses' , from their being developed to protect the great nervous trunk. The author fur- ther observes that the parts or processes of a complicated vertebra are of two distinct kinds ; some being developed independently in separate cartilages, while others are mere projections from these in- dependent constituents. As examples of the first, or autogenous elements, Mr. Owen in- stances the centrum, or body of the vertebra? ; the neur apophyses and superior spine ; the hcemapophyses and inferior spine ; and the ribs, or Ann. Nat. Hist. Vol.2. No. 7. Sept. 1838. f 6G Geological Society. costal processes. The transverse and oblique processes are instances of the second, or exogenous parts of a vertebra. The vertebrae of the Plesiosaurus are then described according to the preceding views, and the varying relations of the different vertebral elements in different regions of the spine are pointed out. The dorsal vertebras having been determined in previous descrip- tions of the skeletons of this genus by their usual anatomical charac- ter of affording articular surfaces to ribs, much difficulty has been ex- perienced in denning the precise number of the cervical vertebrae, in consequence of the gradual change of the cervical ribs (hitherto con- sidered as transverse processes), from the form of an expanded hatchet to that of an elongated style. The author, however, regarding the lateral appendages of the spinal column throughout its whole extent as modifications of one and the same vertebral element, proposes to distinguish the cervical and dorsal regions of the spine by the position of the articular surface supporting that lateral element, or rib : thus he would call cervical, all those anterior vertebras in which the body af- fords the whole or any part of the costal articular surface ; and the dorsal series would commence at that vertebra where the costal sur- face had first passed upon the neurapophysis. The author finds in the Plesiosaurus Hawkinsii that the costal processes of the two ver- tebras which are articulated to the ilium, and which are consequently to be regarded as sacral, begin again to slide down from the neurapo- physis upon the centrum ; and that in the PL macrocephalus, where the costal appendages are lost, the bodies of the first two vertebras which again begin to exhibit a portion of the costal pit, correspond, in their relative situation to the ilia, with the sacral vertebras in the more perfect skeletons of the PL Hawkinsii. In the vertebras which succeed the sacral ones, the ribs rapidly descend from the neurapo- physes upon the centrum ; but the bodies of the caudal vertebras so characterized "may be distinguished from those of the cervical by the absence of a longitudinal groove which traverses the costal pits in the cervical region; and.'also by the presence of the articular surfaces for the hasmapophyses. The determination of characters in the body or central element of a vertebra which point out the region of the spine to which it belongs, is the more valuable in the skeletons of the Enaliosauri, because in these cold-blooded reptiles ossification is tardy in its progress, and anchylosis of the autogenous elements of a vertebra rarely takes place ; and hence the bodies are often found separated and detached from their peripheral appendages. After concluding his observations on the structure of the vertebras in the Plesiosauri generally, the author next proceeds to point out Geological Society* 67 the specific peculiarities of the cervical, dorsal, sacral, and caudal vertebrae of the Plesiosaurus macrocephalus. The bodies of the cervical vertebrae of this species may be distin- guished from those of the PI. Hawkinsii and PL dolichodeirus by the close proximity of the costal to the neurapophyseal depressions : in this respect, indeed, the anterior cervical vertebrae of the PI. macrocephalus differ from those of every Plesiosaurus which the author has examined. Other minor distinctive characters are also pointed out. The number of cervical vertebrae in the PL macrocephalus is twenty-nine, that of PL Hawkinsii thirty-one ; the length of the neck is twice that of the head ; in PL Hawkinsii it is three times the length of the head. The dorsal vertebrae of the PL macrocephalus differ from those of the PL Hawkinsii and PL dolichodeirus in being more flattened in the antero -posterior direction, and more concave at the sides ; true trans- verse processes are developed from the neurapophyses to support the ribs, as in other Plesiosauri. In the sacral vertebrae the medullary canal presents a slight en- largement as compared with that in the neck. The terminal caudal vertebrae in the specimen described are wanting, but in those of a perfect skeleton of the PL Hawkinsii in the British Museum, the author discovered an interesting modification of the sur- faces by which the bodies are joined to one another. They are hol- lowed out like the vertebrae of the Ichthyosaurus, so as to join by double concave surfaces; he conceives this to be, as in the Batrachian reptiles, the original structure of all the vertebrae, and that it is per- manent in those which are most remotely situated from the centre and source of vital energy : but Mr. Owen observes, that this arrest of development is obviously designed, to give to the tail of the Ple- siosaurus the same combination of elasticity with flexibility, which characterizes that of fishes. After describing the vertebral and sternal ribs of the abdominal region, the author next compares the bones of the pectoral and pelvic extremities with those of other species of Plesiosauri. In the macro- cephalus the ulna is relatively longer and broader, and presents a more complete reniform figure than in the Hawkinsii or dolichodei- rus. These characters are still more marked in the fibula ; the femur is longer than the humerus. There are eight ossicles in the carpus, and six ossicles in the tarsus ; these latter are so arranged as to allow of greater freedom of inflection forwards, and to give a compound motion to the stroke of the hinder paddle. The author concludes with a detailed account of the structure of the cranium, which he compares, at each step, with that of the two F 2 68 Royal Society of Edinburgh. principal modifications of the Saurian type, as exemplified in the Crocodilian and Lacertine species ; and he points out many particulars in which the Plesiosaurus deviates from the Loricate, and corresponds with the Lacertine or Squamate group. Amongst these may be no- ticed, the predominance of the elongated form in the cranial bones, extending from point to point with wide interspaces, and giving to the osseous fabric of the head the appearance of a scaffolding ; the posterior bifurcation, mesial crista, and foramen of the parietal bone ; the form and relative position of the posterior frontals, and especially the absence of the ridge which, in the Crocodile, extends like a second zygoma longitudinally across the zygomatic cavity. Mr. Owen fur- ther dwelt upon the form and position of the zygomatic portion of the temporal bone, the bony interspace of the external nostrils, the structure of the lower jaw, and particularly on the existence of a wide space on each side of the posterior region of the skull, bounded above by the arch formed by the bifurcate processes of the parietal and the tympanic bones, and opening into the temporal fossae, as evidences of the affinity of the Plesiosaurus to the Lacertine Sauria. The cor- respondence of the cranial organization of the Plesiosaurus to those of the Crocodile, was noticed in the strength of the maxillary apparatus, the general form and structure of the upper jaw, and in the nature and alveolar lodgement of the teeth. The peculiarities of structure referable to the special exigencies of the extinct form of Saurian under consideration, were also dwelt upon, and, lastly, those which charac- terized the species described, and which illustrate its more imme- diate affinities, ROYAL SOCIETY OF EDINBURGH. April 9th. — Dr. Abercrombie, V.P., in the Chair. Sir Charles Bell read a paper " On the Comparison of the Nerves of the Spine with those of the Encephalon." (Part ii.) As this paper bears more directly on physiology than zoology we shall be the more brief. This part is chiefly occupied with the portio dura of the 7th pair of nerves of the brain, which is peculiar in its function, origin, and distribution. Instead of investigating its func- tions by experiments, the author stated it could be more humanely done by attentive observation on the living, and still more on the dying ; it is pre-eminently a muscle of respiration, and its influence was conspicuous on the countenance through the process of dissolu- tion to the last sigh ; also in the highest state of excitement, mental and bodily, and in the state of greatest repose. Though not a nerve of pure sensation or volition, but of respiration, and although the Royal Society of Edinburgh, 69 system to which it belonged at first appeared confused, yet still there was method in the complexity. Through nearly the whole animal series, its agency might be traced from the most simple up to the most complicated; in those instances where respiration was per- formed only by the air playing upon the surface ; by its being ad- mitted into some simple sac, or into tubes, or by then leading to viscera. Even after this, it became associated with other functions, as of taste, smell, speech, &c. No wonder then that it was complex ; both vital and voluntary actions being most closely associated with it. For example, the throat was a common passage for respiration and deglutition ; and how admirable that there is so little interference ! Directions were given for tracing the portio dura from the surface to its true origin, in a flat layer spreading out on the pons Varolii or nodus cerebri ; its relation to the spinal cord was then shown, as that of other nerves, the 8th, 6th, and 4th ; its cause and distribution was then stated, corresponding to its varied functions, on the lips and other parts connected with speech, on expression generally, the play of the features, not excluding the eye. That every fibre and aperture of the countenance is associated with respiration, is now too clear to be disputed ; direct experiments, as well as many of the phe- nomena of health, and yet more of disease, most strikingly demon- strate it. It acts in laughter, not negatively, or as the result of defective influence, but positively ; so in extreme pain, in passion, &c. In his next paper the author means to point out in what respects this nerve differs from others. Dr. Macdonald made a verbal communication on the Osseous Structure of Fishes. The author had scarcely time to do justice to himself or subject, and we have still less in our limited space. He stated he thought zoologists attended too little to anatomy, those especially who gave themselves to tracing analogies throughout the scale of animated nature. He avowed himself an advocate for the quaternary not the quinquennary grouping of the series. His attention was first directed to the structure of fishes, when comparing the fourth or last portion of the first great circle, viz. the vertebrata, with insects. The ana- logies here were striking, but great mistakes are generally committed regarding them. Starting from the views propounded by Carus, of three important portions being fundamental, and which, in ascend- ing, are converted into the jaws, the limbs, wings, &c. he traced these modifications through the series. Entomologists have almost universally erred in establishing analogies with the more complicated classes of animals. They state that the lower part of the anterior 70 Royal Irish Academy. portion of the body corresponds with the sternum of the vertebrata ; whereas in insects there is a complete inversion. This lower part to which the limbs are attached does not correspond with the ster- num but with the back. Then the internal viscera should be viewed in this same relation ; they lie upon or are above the back, and are truly Agastric not hypogastric. When furnished with wings, if with two pair, the anterior proceed from the true thoracic arch, the posterior from the pelvic. In the turtle the three arches are beauti- fully seen ; the pro-thoracic in the jaw, then the thoracic, and finally the meta-thoracic or pelvic. In this group, as in some of the neigh- bouring ones, from the peculiar arrangement of the pelvic and other bones, the heel is turned forwards and the toes backwards. In fishes M. Geoffroy St. Hilaire attempted to establish an analogy between the bones of the operculum and the ossicula of the ear. But this is quite wrong : these bones are nothing more than a peculiar arrange- ment of the thoracic arch and fore-arm, as may be seen in the osseous arrangement, in its connexion with the respiratory function in the gills. The Proteus when viewed in its compound character presents no exception. Again, not a less common, though equally glaring mistake is made with regard to the pectoral fin and the deeper seated parts connected with it. Proceeding upon analogical consi- derations, the bones have been designated the scapular, proscapular, humerus, &c, whereas the true analogy of these parts is not with the shoulder but with the pelvic limb. As the osseous system, cor- rectly contemplated, demonstrates this, so do the soft parts, and more especially the nerves, whether we look at the nerves of sensa- tion or motion, or the portio dura of the 7 th. The pro thoracic arch, as already stated, is found in the jaw, and here the analogy is as conspicuous as elsewhere. On looking at the skeleton of the Lophius there appeared to be a contradiction, for here we find something so like a fin or hand, that it cannot fail to be taken for it ; but in seeking for it in the recent specimen it is not to be found ; in truth it is so ru- dimentary, that it never reaches, far less protrudes from, the skin. These are merely a few hints upon a very extensive and interesting subject, which the author would do well to illustrate in a more systematic and satisfactory manner than was possible in a short verbal communication. ROYAL IRISH ACADEMY. May 28, 1838. — Sir W. Hamilton, A.M., President, in the Chair. Mr. Ball read a paper, by Wm. Thompson, V.P., Nat. Hist. So- ciety of Belfast, " On the Irish Hare." (Lepus Hibernicus.) Royal Irish Academy, 71 This paper commenced with a review of what has been written on the subject of the Irish hare, from the time it was brought under the notice of English zoologists in 1833, until the present period. Mr. Thompson stated, contrary to what has been advanced, that the hare of England and Scotland, and that of Ireland, have long been known to differ ; and that in 1807 the difference in the fur of the two spe- cies was alluded to as a matter of common notoriety, in the MS. of the late John Templeton, Esq. He further stated, that on account of their differing from the Irish species, a number of hares were, up- wards of thirty years ago, brought from England and turned out on the largest of the Copeland Islands, off the county of Down ; and that many years since, the Irish hare was, for a similar reason, introduced to the island of Islay, off the coast of Scotland. The Lepus Hibernicus is considered distinct from all described spe- cies. It exhibits, in several respects, characters intermediate be- tween the British hares, L. timidus and L. variabilis ; but considered generally, more nearly approximates to the former animal. The chief result of detailed measurements is shown in the supe- rior length of the ears and tail of L. timidus, compared with those of L. Hibernicus. The former, or common hare, displays greater diver- sity of colour on the head, ears, and body, than the Irish species, which again exhibits greater variety in that of the legs. The most obvious difference in colour (and which has been unnoticed by authors,) is in the tail, the upper surface of which is black in the L. timidus, and white, tinged with greyish towards the base, in the Irish species. On looking to their osteology, some slight differences are observable in the head ; the comparatively more horizontal direc- tion of the lumbar vertebra in the Irish hare is conspicuous, and like- wise the relative shortness of its tail, which, as first recorded by Mr. Eyton, contains three vertebrae less than that of the English species, thirteen only being possessed by the former, and sixteen by the lat- ter animal. The occasional whiteness of fur in the Irish hare is believed by the author to be a consequence of age, and not regulated by the law that is understood to affect the Alpine hare, which is considered to change its dark summer fur to white at the commencement of every winter. The oeconomy and habits of the Irish hare, which generally corre- spond with those of the common species, are, together with a com- parative description of form, colour, &c, very fully detailed in this paper. 72 Zoological Society. ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY. October 24th, 1837.— Richard Owen, Esq., in the Chair. The Prince of Musignano read a short communication upon the Long-tailed Trogon (Trog. resplendens of Gould). The Quesalt, the native name of this species, is a rare bird, and very shy in its habits; it is confined to restricted limits, being solely found in a peculiar section of the mountainous district of Vera Paz, in the province of the same name, now forming one of the five inde- pendent states constituting the Federal republic of Central America. A single instance is on record of its having been domesticated. It builds its nest in the shape of a barrel or bag, open at both ends, by which means injury to its long tail-feathers is avoided. The Prince stated that he had communicated the present notice of the history of the Long-tailed Trogon to an American Journal some years since, and that so long as the year 1826, he had proposed that the specific name of Paradiseus should be given to the species. Mr. Gray exhibited a drawing of a new species of the genus Te- trapturus, in the British Museum, which had been obtained at the Cape, and for which he proposed the specific name of Herschelii* . Mr. Gray afterwards called the attention of the Meeting to some pieces of chalk, which he had recently found in the cliffs at Brighton, exhibiting perforations made by the Patella and Pholas, and pre- senting appearances which he considered to have been produced in the case of the latter genus by the rotatory action of the valves. The remarks of Mr. Gray elicited considerable discussion as to the manner in which certain molluscous genera penetrate limestone rocks and other hard substances, a phenomenon which Mr. Owen thought could not be explained upon the supposition of its being exclusively caused by a rotation of the valves, but that it was chiefly due to the mechanical influence of the currents of water produced by the vibratile cilia of the animal, as noticed by Mr. Garner in a com- munication made to the Society in 1835. Mr. Martin exhibited a new Bat from Fernando Po, belonging to the genus Rhinolophus, which he characterised as Rhinolophus Landeri. Rhin. vellere molli, et pulchre castaneo- rufescente; auribus acutis,patulis, erectis, ad latus exterius emar- ginatis, et lobo rotundato accessorio instructis ; prosthemate du- plice ', anteriore bidentato cum scypho parvulo ad basin anticam, hoc ferro-equino membranaceo circumdato ; prosthemate posteriore * The description of this species with a plate will be found in vol. i. p. 313 of this Journal. Zoological Society, 73 ad basin transvcrs\m sinuato, ad apicem acuto ; fcrro-equino mem- branaceo, lato, margine libero antice bifido ; pollice brevi, gracili, in membrand subtiis per dimidium incluso : ungue parvulo -, anti- brachiis robustis ; cruribus gracilibus ; patagiis nigricantibus. unc. lin. Longitudo corporis cum capite 1 4J cauda 9 . aurium 7-J , antibrachii 1 7| cruris 8 calcanei „ 4J- Prosthematis longitudo 2 Alarum amplitudo 9 Habitat in Insula Fernando Po. " This beautiful little species of Bat is a genuine Rhinolophus ; the nasal appendages consist of a horse-shoe, a crest, and an elevated leaf. The horse-shoe is broad with indications of a double furrow; its outer margin is free and bifid anteriorly. In its centre is placed a little cup-like depression with an elevated rim, from the back of which rises a bifid crest not much elevated : the larger apex is the posterior of the two. On each side of this crest and behind it, the skin continued from the horse -shoe, and forming the base of the leaf, is furrowed by two deep but unequal sulci, with a marked posterior ridge, elevated across the base of the leaf, which latter ends in a short acute lanceolate point ; posteriorly it is covered with short hairs, anteriorly it is nearly naked. Its length is two lines. The ears are large, broad, and pointed ; the outer margin is emarginate, and passes into a large rounded accessory lobe, closing the ear anteriorly. The anti-brachia are short, the thumbs small, the tibia slender. " The fur is soft and delicate, and of a fine light or rufous chestnut, a little darker on the middle of the back ; the wings are blackish. " I have ventured to name this species in honour of the late enter- prising, but unfortunate Mr. Lander, during whose expedition it was taken at Fernando Po." Mr. Martin also communicated to the Meeting the following no- tice of a new species of Hedgehog. ** Among the specimens of Natural History, from the neighbourhood of Trebizond, presented to the Society by Keith Abbot, Esq., is a species of Hedgehog, decidedly differing from our well-known British species, and appearing to be at present undescribed. It is much smaller than the Erinaceus Europceus, measuring from the tip of the muzzle to the root of the tail, over the arch of the back, only 9 J inches. The spines advance upon the forehead, and overshadow the eyes ; 74 Zoological Society. the general colour presented by the spines * en masse' is mahogany brown, but each spine individually taken is yellowish brown for three parts of its length from the basal extremity; this colour then becomes darker, and again passes into yellowish brown at the extreme apex ; the annulation, however, is far less decided than in the British ani- mal. " The ears are short and rounded, a white patch is placed before them, and also on the forehead ; the chest is dirty white ; the sides of the muzzle, and the whole of the under surface are intensely blackish, or umbre brown, several long white hairs being intermixed with the rest on the shoulders, extending from the chest. " The tarsi are longer than in E. Europaus. In a very large speci- men of the latter, measuring from the nose to the root of the tail, over the back, 14^ inches ; the foot from the heel to the end of the middle toe, excluding the nail, measures 1 inch §, while in this smaller species it measures 1 inch f . " For this species I propose the name of Erinaceus concolor. It may be thus characterised. "Erinaceus concolor. Er. obscure fuscus, spinis infrontem, et super oculos obductis ; spinis rigidis, flavescenti-fuscis ad basin, apicem versus intense fuscis, apice extremo pallide rufescenti-brun- neo ; auribus parvis, rotundatis ; rostro breviusculo -, infrontem notd albd, necnon ante aures ; pectore sordide albo, vellere cor- poris subtus nigrescenti-fusco, pilis longis albis ad humeros spar sim intermixtis. unc. lin. " Longitudo corporis, a rostro ad caudse basin, super dorsum 9 6 Longitudo pedis postici a calce ad apicem digiti intermedii ungue excluso 1 7^ w Habitat apud Trebizond." Mr. Waterhouse called the attention of the members to two spe- cies of Kangaroos, which were upon the table. One of these had lately been procured by the Society, and was from the neighbour- hood of Hunter's River, the other had died in the Menagerie. Of this latter species the Society has possessed several living specimens ; and there is still one in the Gardens, which was bred there. Mr. Waterhouse stated that his object in bringing the animals in question before the Meeting, was to show that the specimen from the Menagerie was not, as had been supposed, the Macropus ualabatus of Lesson, but that it was in fact an undescribed species, being distin- guished from that of Lesson, (which Mr. Waterhouse considered as identical with the specimen from Hunter's River,) by the following Zoological Society* 75 characters : — the under parts are grayish white, instead of buff yel- low ; the ears are rather longer in proportion, and the tail hoary gray, white beneath, and with a white tip, instead of being almost totally black. Mr. Waterhouse proposed that the name Macropus Bennctti be adopted for this species, and proceeded to characterise it as follows ; Macropus Bennetti. Mac. intense cineraceus, regione scapulari, clunibus, et regione cir cum- ocular i, rufo-brunneis -, corpore subtus cinerescenti-albo ; rostro, auribus postice, digitis anticis posti- cisque nigris ; lined albescenti vix distinctd ab angulo oris, ad genas excurrente ; caudd cinerescente, ad apicem nigrd, et subtus sordide flavescenti-albd. unc. lin. Longitudo ab apice rostri ad caudae basin . . , . 24 10 cauda 24 7 ab apice rostri ad marginem oculi . . 3 ab apice rostri ad basin auris 5 10 tarsi digitorumque (sine unguibus) . . 8 9 — auris 3 1 Hab. Nova Cambria Australi. " The fur of this animal is rather long and moderately soft; the longest hairs on the middle of the back measure about two inches, and the shorter about one and a half inches in length. Its general line is a very deep gray, inclining to black on the back, somewhat paler on the sides of the body, and a rust-like tint is observable on the back of the neck and base of ears externally, over the haunches and shoulders and in the region of the eye. The under parts of the body, and the inner side and fore part of the hinder legs, are of a grayish white colour. The muzzle is black, and the crown of the head is brown black ; an obscure whitish line extends backwards from the corners of the mouth, and becomes obliterated on the cheeks ; the hairs on the lips are dirty white ; the chin is blackish. The ears are furnished with white hairs internally, and longish black hairs externally, excepting at the base. The limbs externally are of the same hue as the sides of the body ; the fore feet, and the toes of the hind feet are black, the outer side of the heel is also black. The hairs of the tail (excepting at the base, where they are of the same colours and character as those of the body) are rather harsh, black, and broadly annulated with silvery white near the apex j the general tint is hoary gray, the white portion of each hair being most conspi- cuous ; the apex of the tail is black, and on this part the hairs are long and form a kind of tuft ; the under side of the tail is white. The hairs on the upper part of the body are of a deep slate colour at the base, the remaining portion of each hair is black annulated with white, or more generally with pale rust colour ; on the under parts 76 Zoological Society. of the body, the hairs are of a deep slate colour with the apical por- tion white. " The above descriptions and dimensions are taken from an adult male ; the two females in the Society's Museum are of a smaller size and paler colour, their prevailing tint being reddish gray : around the entrance to the pouch the hairs are of a deep rusty brown colour/' A species of Mouse from the Cape of Good Hope was next de- scribed by Mr. Waterhouse under the name of Mus subspinosus. M . pilis subspinosis, corpore supra fuscescenti- griseo ; ad lateraflavescente ; subtiis niveo, oculis flavido cinctis ,• caudd capite corporeque breviore ; auribus mediocribus. unc. lin. Longitudo ab apice rostri ad caudse basin .... 3 4 — — — cauda 2 11 ab apice rostri ad basin auris 10J tarsi digitorumque 8± auris 3^ Hab. Cape of Good Hope. " This species is allied to the Mus Cahirinus of Geoffroy; it is, however, not so large ; and although the hairs are flat and bristle - like, they are less harsh than those of the North African species ; it also differs in its colouring." Mr. Gould introduced to the notice of the Meeting a very singu- lar form among the Caprimulgidce for which he proposed the generic appellation of Amblypterus. Rostrum debile et elongatum. Nares elevatse et rotundatse. Rictus setis robustis instructus, rostro longioribus. Ala truncatse ; remigibus externis sextis fere sequalibus et falcatis ; remigibus 2 d0 , 3 tio , 4 t0 ad externum pogonium emarginalis, 7 mo , 8 vo , 9 n0 ad apices elongatis et attenuatis, 10 mo abrupte brevi; secondariis brevissimis, rotundatis et ab tertiariis tectis, his longissimis. Cauda brevissima et quadrata. Pedes ambulatorii. Tarsi elongati, graciles, squamis indistinctis antice et postice fas- ciati ; digito intermedio longissimo et gracillimo ; digitis lateralibus brevibus et sequalibus ; digito postico parvo, debili et libero ; ungui- bus elongatis, ungue medio pectinate Amblypterus anomalus. Amb. summo capite, corpore supra et alis cinereo-fuscis, singulis plumis nigro irregulariter sparsis et maculatis ; primariis nigris, ad bases rubrescenti-cervinis, ad apices albis ; secondariis cervinis, nigrescenti-fusco irregulariter Miscellaneous. 77 fasciatis ; rectricibus caudce cervinis, nigrescenti-fusco irregula- riter fasciatis et maculatis; duabus centralibus cinereo-fuscis ; gutture, pectore et abdomine ad partem superiorem nigrescenti- fuscis, singulis plumis cervino maculatis ; abdomine imo pallide cer- vine- , singulis plumis nigrescenti-fusco transversim fasciatis ; ros- trofusco ; pedibus pallide fuscis. Long. tot. unc. 6f ; rostri, 1 ; alte, 5 J ; caudce, 3 ; tarsi, |. Obs. Mr. J. E. Gray believes this bird to be from Demerara, or the Brazils ; the specimen is in the collection at the British Museum, and so far as I am aware is unique. Mr. Gould afterwards exhibited a species of Ibis, having many characters in common with the Ibis religiosa of Cuvier, and two new species of the genus Platalea, which were accompanied with the fol- lowing descriptions. Ibis strictipennis. — lb* capite et collo superiore nudis, et nigre- scentifuscis, cceruleo lavatis ; corpore toto, et alis albis, cervino lavatis ; plumis in guld longis, angustis, lanceolatis et rigidis ; primariis ad apices cceruleo-viridibus ; tertiariis valde productis et nigro-cceruleis, albo spar sis ; tarsis et spatio nudo sub aid rufo-fuscis. Long. tot. unc. 30 ; rostri, 6 ; alee, 14-J-; caudce ■, 6 ; tar si , 4. Hah. Australia. Platalea regia. Plat, crista occipitali pendente et corpore toto, pectore excepto, albo ; pectore fiavo parum lavato ; fronte facie anteriori et guld plumis prorsus nudis ; notd super oculos atque in occipite medio aurantiacd. Long. tot. unc. 39 ; rostri, 8^ ; alee, 15 ; caudce, 5i; tarsi, 5±. Hah. Nova Cambria Australi. Fcem. differt a mare adulto, staturd minore. Platalea flavipes. Plat, corpore toto albo ; parte faciei nudd angustiore quam in Plat, regia ; parte nudd et rostro aurantiacis; pedibus flavis. Long. tot. unc. 28 ; rostri, 7\; alce,\^\\ caudce, 5^; tarsi, 4$. Hab. Nova Cambria Australi. MISCELLANEOUS. HELMINTHOLOGY. D. C. M. Dresing, in the Nova Acta Phys. Med. xii., has given twopapers onHelminthology; one a monograph of the genus Tristoma, describing four species, one of them hitherto unknown ; and the other on some new genera and species of this animal, amongst which is a fifth Tristoma. — J. E. Gray. 78 Miscellaneous, NEST AND EGGS OF TIIE WATER RAIL (RalluS (tqUatlCUS). The bird had selected for her nest a thick turf of long grass, hollow at the bottom, on the side of the reed pond ; the nest, about an inch and half thick, was composed of withered leaves and rushes ; it was so covered by the top of the grass, that neither bird, nest, or eggs could be seen ; the entrance to and from the nest was through an aperture of the grass, directly into the reeds, opposite where any one could stand to see the nest. The length of the eggs on an average were one inch and a half, some near a tenth more, others near a tenth less ; weight, seven drachms ; colour, light cream, thickly spotted at the larger ends with bright rusty red, intermixed with sunk faint lilac spots, thinly and finely spotted at the lesser ends with the same colours, with a blush of pink over the whole egg, but more towards the lesser ends ; the yolk a bright blood red, brighter than any egg I ever opened, and I think that the pink tint of the shell is owing to the redness of the yolk, for after emptying the eggs it was hardly perceptible. On the 20th of June I found another nest in the same reed pond ; the eggs were destroyed ; this nest was built among the reeds, and very near the water. On the 10th of July I obtained a third nest, from the same place, of eleven eggs within two or three days of hatching, the nest and situation much like the first. — John Smith, Yarmouth. WALKING OF THE SEAL. The common seal in the Zoological Gardens, when on the land, scarcely uses its feet in walking, but only the abdominal muscles, jerking itself forward by a series of convulsive actions. It only used its fore-feet to assist in balancing itself, and when it turned on one side it expanded its hinder feet, which are generally contracted and held together, with the depressed forked tail between their base. This does not arise from any imperfection in the formation of the fore-feet, for it used them as hands to bring bodies near to its mouth. —J. E. Gray. HYDRJ;. A. J. Corda, in the Nov. Act. Ph. Med. xviii. 299. t. 14—16, has given a very complete anatomy of the brown fresh-water polypus (Hydra fusca), showing that the animal is of a much more complex organization than was previously supposed, and that the digestive cavity is furnished with a short straight canal, ending with a distinct vent in the hinder part of the body near the foot or part by which it adheres. — J. E. Gray* Meteorological Observations. 79 Register of Meteorological Observations for June 1838, made at Applegarth Manse, Dumfries -shire. By the Rev. Wm. Dunbar. (Omitted last Month.) Days Barometer. Therm. Wind. Weather. Month . 9 a.m. 9 p.m. 9 a.m. 9 p.m. June 1 29-80 29-75 50 49 E. Cold and withering. 2 2963 29-58 491 49 SW. Fine: rain : genial. 3 29-54 29-50 55 52 SSW. Showery and sunny. 4 29-49 29-60 59 53 S. ... Showery and warm. 5 29-71 29-85 62 52$ s.w. ... Showery: thunder. 6 29-96 30-02 61$ 47 k. by k. ... Showery : cold p.m. 7 30-05 30-08 56 45$ SSW. ... Dry : cool : genial. O 8 30-13 30-11 55 48$ N. &S. 1-12 Dry : cool : genial. 9 29-97 29-71 54 50 SSW. ... Dry, but threatening rain. 10 29-48 29-40 50 51 s. 0-46 Wet all day. ll 29-49 29-50 56 49 SE. 072 Wet : thunder. 12 29-61 29-67 55 49$ NE. Dry and pleasant. 13 29-68 29-64 53 51 NE. ... Dry : rather cool. 14 29*51 29-50 51 48 NE. 0-62 Wet throughout. £15 29*50 29-49 53 53 SW. 1-80 Very genial day. 16 29-53 29-55 55 55$ S. 1-46 Soft rain all day. 17 29-64 29-67 57 56 s.by w. Fine growing weather. 18 29-55 29'36 60 57 N.E. ,., Fair a.m. 1 wet p.m. : thund. 19 29-30 29-50 55$ 55 W. 0-96 Wet preced g night: dry p.m. 20 29'49 29-20 59 50 SW. 1-32 Very wet afternoon. 21 29*21 29-25 57 51 SW. 3-74 Fair all day. 022 29*37 29-60 52 52$ SW. ... Showery a.m. : cleared. 23 29-89 29-91 60 54$ SSW. ... Fair : fine day. 24 29-80 29-80 62 56 SSW. ... Fair all day. 25 29-91 29-93 56 58 SSW. ... Fair and mild. 26 29-86 29*86 66 ... SE. ... Fair and warm. 27 29-75 29-80 56 50 SR. ... Wet a.m. : cleared up. 28 29-80 29-85 61 48$ S. ... Fine summer day. 29 2Q-87 29-85 54 54 NE. .-. Showery, but warm. D30 29-70 29-74 54$ 56 NE. 0-60 Cloudy and moist. Mean. 29-71 29-67 56 51J 7-26 1 METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS FOR JULY 1838. Chiswick. — July 1. Cloudy and fine : rain. 2. Sultry : ram. 3. Rain. 4. Hazy, fine. 5. Very fine. 6. Heavy rain with thunder: fine. 7, 8. Fine. 9— 11. Very fine. 12. Overcast. 13. Very hot: lightning at night. 14. Rain. 15. Showery. 16 — 22. Very fine. 23. Overcast. 24, 25. Fine. 26. Cloudy and fine : rain. 27. Fine. 28. Very fine : slight rain. 29. Cloudy: rain. 30. Heavy showers. 31. Very fine. Boston.— July 1. Cloudy : rain early a.m. 2. Cloudy : rain p.m. 3, 4. Cloudy. 5. Fine. 6. Fine: rain p.m. 7. Fine. 8. Rain. 9. Cloudy. 10. Fine. 1]. Cloudy: rain early a.m. : rain p.m. 12. Cloudy. 13. Fine : thunder and light- ning p.m. 14. Cloudy: rain early a.m. : rain p.m. 15. Fine: rain p.m. 16. Cloudy. 17. Fine. 18. Cloudy. 19. Fine. 20—22. Windy. 23. Fine: rain p.m. 24. Fine. 25. Cloudy. 26. Fine : rain p.m. 27. Stormy. 28. Fine. 29. Fine : rain a.m. 30. Fine : rain a.m. 31. Fine. Applegarth Manse, Dumfries-shire.— July 1. Shower a.m. : fair p.m. 2. Fair all day. 3, 4. Fine summer days. 5. Excellent weather. 6. Warm : thunder : rain. 7. Showery all day. 8. Fair : mild : cool p.m. 9. Dull day: very cloudy. 10. Rain in the afternoon. 11. Rainy all day : fog p.m. 12. Rain : cleared up p.m. 13. Showery. 14. Showery all day. 15. Showery : cleared p.m. 16. Showery a.m. : cleared. 17. Wet all day. 18. Fine day : moist p.m. 19. Showery all day. 20. Fair day, though cool. 21. Fair a.m. : showery p.m. 22. Fair throughout. 23. Heavy rain : thunder. 24. Fair throughout. 25. Fair, but cool. 26. Wet nearly all day. 27. Showery a.m. 28. Showery nearly all day. 29, 30. Showery p.m. 31. Fair throughout. is § •: g • •gas S o >>* JOO) •ajjqs -soujiunQ : CO to GO : : : : : : • 6 • * M * • : : : : • 4 •#■*©' • • • • • • 1— 1 CO as •uo^soq; cn .O . . . 5 ^ M CM SS2 •urd 1 w j h i i i i & . £ 4 *i I £ £ £ £ £ £ *" t ^ =» > !l E u S S S S . fl • > • • 8 • it *» '|J . s> :* . . . .S . .fefeB « ai £ »'£»'£ £ > if & £ £ £ £ £ £ £ > > * it ** k £ £ £ £ £ *ii £ * ^"••-•^zPZ * £ He* He' He>i r-i!e> h|« H« Mr* Mtt T£ q £, < 2, , <* °° t^0M>-r^(O C7\GO iO<00"«*iOiOCOCMCNC>COCNCOCO.-< 10 io^o *© vo io>cioiotf)ioio>oinioy3icioioiominTt | iOkc»okCio ^•-«ioco<©r^cyi© c?i£o go 10 go Tfcocovoco •<* t^..C^*0^0 to tO uo to tO<© iOiOiOiOiOVOu0»O"LOiOiOU0iOiO'O •uojsog Ip ip ip ip fee V^?°^^P^^9^^? 5 7 ,<, r~ , P9 c PP9 , ? ,c P c ^ < -' :> 7*°° ^P C^ "^ T 5 ^ ^ 9 ■sfS Ooi^c^cbi^©&c»cy>cy>cyi^©cMc^uo^©^incocM©cocV>c^ =* to tO UO to tO O tOiOiOUOtOVOOVOiOUOi-O^OiOtOVOiOiOiO^'^iOiOvOiOiO 9^7^97t9cs^o^cp(N^Gp9i^9>pcpcpcp7fcp^Gb^^coc7^©^^cccoc©cb&c>>cocN^^cb>^cocN CMcpip»pcp9cpi^cMCNO^i^cp!^CNg^Gpcp9^9^^cpi^9c»t^7fl> e* A. ro>ni>.^* , 'rtc* ud OocVir^^o OouoCoco^b oi cVi£> cbnioinio^o©^o©c Ok *5 oioooooaomr^iot^ctooooooixnoooiOirsoQonuMnc^ooo C^CiO^O^CTiC^VOCOCJO t^t^OO UO — < tOCT\r>-OCX)GO O OQOOOCO >OtO'^t , ^ttOI>- ^ os &\ &\ o\ o\ &\ o>o^cViO c^cVicyicViONcyicyi tcVi C»O)WWd(N(N(NC<0<(N(N(N(N(N(N«nWC<pip»p^^cpcp^^^cpcp9»p^^^^cp^^'0^^rO"^c>io<-iC« n(NiO-O(O(NKCC > \O(N' , *f < 5O > i(STrQ0Ct^C0 1 -i(MC1COC > if^C > irl'CO'<1 , 0>0«501(NiOOlOOOCO*Oat^C > iOO-<(N C\« OiOOh 00>0>0\H«OOM»lOt^OO > >HOO>0'HOM^O^t^OOI>iOt^<» Or-l>--^fCO»OC^^O(MvOcooHt>omoo(Ni»ioooa)coo o > \OOHHOc > ic-M««o9i>g\(N^(NciOHi-i COtOt^CM00CNCNC0op go ^o 10 9 o^oooooo^oooooocScSooooooooooc^CTic^o^c^o (NCOv^COCOCOC^COCOCOCOrOCOC^C^COOrococococoiOCOCOC^CNC^C^C^O O)00OO(X)OO00(S^OOOO(NiONtO>inHtOCOOlOO( y 3 t OlOO > ilOHOFmOO(»(»0(»(M(N^ l Oa) c^ooooooc^ooooo^c^oooooooocSoc^cSc^c^c^cS ^ 05 . . ^^^^^ph^^^h^oic^CMCICNCIC^OICNCNCOCO 1 ^ ANNALS OF NATURAL HISTORY. X. — Observations on the Fur Seal of Commerce, By R. Ha- milton, Esq., F.R.S.E., M.W.S., &c. [With a Plate.] XN soliciting attention to the Fur Seal of Commerce, we need scarcely remark that it claims regard in a commercial as well as in a scientific point of view. With the existence of the seal trade of the northern regions we have for centuries been fami- liar ; but this trade must yield both in extent and importance to that which more recently has been prosecuted in the south- ern hemisphere. The fur seal has not indeed formed the sole object of the southern trade, some of its congeners being of equal or even greater importance ; more especially the pro- boscis seal of Peron, which, from its magnitude, not less than its nasal appendage, well merits its appellation of the sea elephant. This species attains the dimensions of 20, 25, and even 30 feet in length, with an unwonted proportional bulk, thus equalling in dimensions half the size of the great Green- land Whale ; and the oil obtained from it is of very superior quality. Next however in importance to this giant of the group unquestionably comes the fur seal, which has yielded its thousands and tens of thousands sterling to the adven- turous trader. This is not the place to dwell upon the origin or to trace the history of the South Sea seal trade, but a few notices may not be unacceptable. Soon after Captain Cook's voyage in the Resolution in l77l> be presented an official report concerning New Georgia, in which he gave an account of the great num- ber of proboscis seals and fur seals which he had encountered on the shores of that island. The information speedily tempted several enterprising merchants to fit out vessels for the cap- ture of these animals. With regard to the oil obtained from the former, it has been stated, on most respectable authority, that during a period of about fifty years, not less than 20,000 Ann. Nat. Hist. Vol. 2. No. 8. Oct. 1838. g 82 Mr. R. Hamilton on the Fur Seal of Commerce. tons were annually procured from this spot alone for the Lon- don market, which at a very moderate price, say 501. per ton, would yield about 1,000,000/. per annum. With regard again to the fur seal, from the same island, the English and others, chiefly the Americans, have procured a number of skins which cannot be estimated at less than 1,200,000. From the island of Desolation also, which Capt. Cook first made known, the number has scarcely been smaller nor the profit less ; and finally, with regard to South Shetland, the number taken off by vessels.of different nations, during the two years 1821 and 1822 alone, was not less than 320,000. The value of these skins of course varies with the state of the market ; but it is in relation to them, it has been stated in the current edition of the Encyclopaedia Britannica, that " from about the year 1806 till 1823 an extensive trade was carried on in the South Seas in procuring seal skins, which in that part of the world are covered with a fine fur. They were obtained," it is added, " in vast abundance by the first traders, and yielded a very large profit. Cargoes of these skins yielded five and six dollars a piece in China, and the present price in the English market averages from thirty to fifty shillings*." With regard to the fur seal trade alone several thousand tons of shipping have annually been employed t ; and respect- ing the seal trade generally, it has recently been stated that the English and Americans, who together nearly engross the whole, employ not fewer than sixty vessels of from 250 to 300 tons burden J. It must be regarded as not a little singular, and yet we be- lieve it is not more singular than true, that this animal, which has been the object of such extensive and profitable pursuit, has not hitherto been described by the scientific naturalist ; so that were any one to turn to works of science, he would not only be unable to ascertain the characters of the fur seal, but would even be at a loss to discover whether in the long cata- logue of the Phocce which has been accumulated, the fur seal has obtained a place. At several distant aeras of the science, indeed, a few indistinct notices of this species of seal may * Vol. x. p. 264. f Voy. towards the South Pole. Lond. 1825, p. 54. | Lesson, Diet, Class, des Sc. Nat, Mr. R. Hamilton on the Fur Seal of Commerce, 83 perhaps be found, under the names of longicollis and Falk- landica ; and these it may be interesting to consider in the sequel. But with these exceptions, which are truly more ap- parent than real, it will be found that so far as the records of the science are concerned, this animal has hitherto been neither recognised nor described. It is the object of the following pages to supply these de- ficiencies ; not indeed with all the accuracy we could wish, but so far as our opportunities permit. We shall first, however, premise a word or two respecting the furs of seals. A slight examination of the recent skins speedily exhibits that two substances sufficiently distinct go to form the coat or ' robe of most seals, as well as of many other animals. These are hair, so well known on our own persons, and on most qua- drupeds, and a soft woolly down or fur, which usually lies at the root of the hair, close to the skin, and which is penetrated and covered by the hair. The hair of the different species of seals is in very various quantities and of very different qua- lities ; as is also the fur, positively and relatively. Sometimes the hair is exceedingly coarse and meagre, and accompanied with little or no down, so as to be of no more value to the fur- rier than the hide of the horse or ox. In other instances the hair is copious, soft, long, and silky, so that even without down, and still more with it, it is highly esteemed as a fur skin, and is used like those of the fox or sable ; and once more, there are certain species in which the relative quantity and quality of the hair is so inferior to that of the fur, that the former is disregarded, and is wholly removed, so that no- thing is left but the soft woolly down. Of this last descrip- tion is the fur seal skin of commerce. We need scarcely add, that the skins of a great variety of seals are very extensively used both by rude and refined nations. They are employed by the former especially, as leather is with us, as articles of dress and for domestic purposes, both raw and tanned, and sometimes made water-proof. They are also used in their natural state, the fur being retained ; and in this condition some of them are compared to velvet : they are in this way extensively employed by savage tribes, and also throughout Russia and Asia, and more sparingly among ourselves. But Q2 84 Mr. R. Hamilton on the Fur Seal of Commerce* thirdly, the proper seal fur of commerce is formed of skins from which the hair is removed by art, leaving the under ex- quisitely soft and downy covering, which forms an article highly prized by all nations. In the absence of scientific information respecting the ani- mal yielding this fur, we must turn to our navigators and seal hunters ; and we find that one of the earliest intimations is that already alluded to in Capt. Cook's memorial, which in all probability had reference to this seal. Another early notice concerning this animal is from the pen of Lieut. Clayton, who in the year 1773-4 commanded the English settlement in Saunders Island, one of the Falklands, which he characterizes as a barren, dreary, desolate, boggy, rocky spot. In his paper in the Phil. Trans. 1775, he tells us that four kinds of seals were found there, viz. the common seal, the sea lion, the clap- mutch, and the fur seal, which last, he says, has its name from its coat, which is a fine soft fur ; and it is also thinner-skinned than any of the others : he adds, that from these isles a va- luable fishery might be carried on*. But still more to the point, we have the information derived from the late gallant and enterprising Weddell, who, as is well known, with his little squadron consisting of the Jane of Leith of 160 tons, and the Beaufoy of 65, penetrated in the year 1823 two hun- dred and fourteen miles nearer the South Pole than the cele- brated Cook or any other navigator had previously done. We never heard of this distinguished individual when alive, but happy should we feel could we by any means be the humble instruments of procuring for his services in our own depart- ment the meed of praise they really merit. He was a most successful and extensive seal hunter, and engaged in success- ive voyages with this single object in view ; and, judging from his published workf, he was an accomplished and intelligent as well as a successful mariner. He invariably and without hesitation speaks of the fur seal as one and as distinct from all others of the southern hemisphere, which he contradistin- guishes as hair seals. He encountered the fur seal in South Georgia, among the South Orkneys, and in much greater * Phil. Trans., vol.lxvi. p. 102. f Voyage towards the South Pole. London, 1825. Mr. R. Hamilton on the Fur Seal of Commerce. 85 numbers in the South Shetland islands, which he was the first to discover. He expressly states, ee that the species of seal which inhabits the shores of these last-named islands is ex- clusively the fur seal ;" and again he says, i: I have mentioned that the only species of seal found in these islands is that pos- sessing the fur :" and he adds, Ci the circumstance of its pos- sessing a valuable fur has not been noticed in any description of the seal which I have met*." Our researches have probably been somewhat more extended than those of Mr. Weddell, and it will be seen that our remarks are very much in accordance with his observation. Among several other good offices which this gentleman per- formed for this department of science, one was his conveying to this country, and depositing in the hands of the eminent keeper of the Museum of the University of Edinburgh, two specimens of the stuffed skins of this animal ; and assuredly, judging from what he has done in other cases, he would have done more, had he not imagined that naturalists on this point required no help from him. These two specimens are now in the Museum, preserved in excellent order, and though insuffi- cient satisfactorily to establish all the characters of the ani- mal, yet as supplying the majority of them, we shall present a faithful sketch and a detailed description. The specimens are very nearly alike in every respect ; they appear to have been carefully and accurately prepared, and to have been ob- tained from female animals f. Judging from the specimens, this seal upon the whole is long and slender J, having much the shape of a double cone, largest at the middle and tapering at both extremities. The head is broad and rather flat ; the external ear is black, narrow, and pointed. The fore paws are precisely in the middle of the animal ; their shape is pyramidal, and in addition to the fore paw, properly so called, there is a strong projecting membrane running from the tip along the posterior margin to the base ; they have no vestige of nails. * Loc. cit. p. 137, 141-2. f For the accompanying very beautiful drawing I am indebted to the kindness and skill of Mr. Stewart, so well known for his faithful and elegant sketches of animated nature, and we have no doubt that an acquaintance with this drawing alone would enable any one at once to recognise the animal. X I would here observe that in noting the characters I have had the valu- able assistance of my friend Mr. William Jameson. 86 Mr. R. Hamilton on the Fur Seal of Commerce, The hind flippers are rhomboidal in their shape, and consist of the fleshy portion, and a membranous addition, which at its termination is divided into five strap-like processes ; there are nails on all the toes but the great one, those of the three middle toes being much the largest and quite straight ; there is a curious slashing at the junction of the common skin and the membrane, — the skin covered with hair descending to the nail, whilst the membrane runs up between the toes more than an inch. The coat or robe is composed of hair and fur ; the former is very soft, smooth, and compact, of a brownish black colour towards the root, and a greyish white towards the tip ; it extends considerably beyond the fur, and gives the general colouring to the hide : the fur itself is of a uniform brownish white colour above, and of a somewhat deep brown beneath, and is quite wanting on the extremities. The colour of the body is of a uniform wjbitish^grey above, passing gra- dually underneath into a reddish white colour, which is deep- est in the abdominal regiom The upper portion of the ex- tremities is covered above with a very short brownish black hair, which near the body passes into the colour of the back. The under portion of both extremities — to the extent of §• of the anterior, and nearly the whole of the posterior — are naked, being quite destitute both of hair and fur. The whiskers are brownish black, five rows being present. In one of the spe- cimens there is a dark marking under the eyes. We shall here subjoin the principal measurements of these Edinburgh specimens. ft. inch. lin. Length from the snout to the tip of the tail ,'J 3 of the tail 1 of the ear 1 ■ from snout to anterior edge of the base of the paw 15 6 « from posterior edge of paw to the root of the tail 1 5 G of fore paw from base to tip 11 of its membranous portion 4 Greatest breadth of fore paw at base 4 its tip 18 Length of posterior extremity from base to tip 7 of its membranous portion , 2 Breadth across the' back, from the base of one paw to that of "1 . A A theotber / 1 ° ° Distance from tip of snout to the ear 5 G The angle of the mouth is in the perpendicular of the eye. Mr. R. Hamilton on the Fur Seal of Commerce, 8 J To this detailed account of the specimens we must add an important character which is supplied by Captain Weddell. (i Nothing/' he remarks, " regarding the fur seal is more asto- nishing than the disproportion in the size of the male and fe- male. A large grown male from the tip of the nose to the ex- tremity of the tail is 6 feet 9 inches, while the female is not more than 3J feet. This class of the males however is not the most numerous, but being physically the most powerful, they keep in their possession all the females, to the exclusion of the younger branches ; hence at the time of parturition the males attending the females may be computed to be as one to twenty, which shows this to be perhaps the most polygamous of large animals." Habits. — The few particulars which are casually noted by this original observer, are so strongly illustrative of the pecu- liar habits of this seal, and of many others, that it would be improper here to omit them. " These fur seals," he states, (i are in their nature completely gregarious ; but they flock to- gether and assemble on the coast at different periods, and in distinct classes. The males of the largest size go on shore about the middle of November, to wait the arrival of the fe- males, who of necessity must soon follow, for the purpose of bringing forth their young. These in the early part of De- cember begin to land, and they are no sooner out of the water than they are taken possession of by the males, who have many serious battles with each other in procuring their respective seraglios ; and by a peculiar instinct they carefully protect the females under their charge during the whole period of gesta- tion. By the end of December all the female seals have ac- complished the purpose of their landing. The time of gesta- tion may be considered nearly twelve months, and they seldom have more than one at a time, which they suckle and rear ap- parently with great affection. By the middle of February, the young are able to take the water, and after being taught to swim by the mother, they are abandoned on the shore, where they remain till their coats of fur and hair are completed. During the latter end of February, what are called the dog seals go ashore ; these are the young seals of the two prece- ding years, and such males as, from their want of age and 88 Mr. R. Hamilton on the Fur Seal of Commerce. strength, are not allowed to attend the pregnant females. These young seals come on shore for the purpose of renewing their annual coats ; which being done, by the end of April they take the w T ater, and scarcely any are seen on shore again till the end of June, when some young seals come up and go off alternately. They continue to do this for six or seven weeks, and then retire to the water. The large male seals take up their places on shore, as has been before described, which completes the intercourse all classes have with the shore du- ring the whole year. The young are at first black ; in a few weeks they become grey, and soon after obtain their coat of hair and fur. Their sense of smell and hearing are acute ; and in instinct they are little inferior to the dog ; that is, I judge their sagacity in the water much exceeds that which they exhibit on shore ; for though they are capable of remain- ing a certain time on land, their natural element is the water. I have estimated the female to be in general at its full growth within four years ; but possibly the male is much longer, and some which I have contrasted with others of the same size, could not from their very old appearance be less than thirty years. " When these South Shetland seals were first visited they had no apprehension of danger from meeting men ; in fact they would lie still while their neighbours were killed and skinned ; but latterly they had acquired the habit of preparing for danger by placing themselves on rocks, from which they could in a moment precipitate themselves into the water. The agility of the creature is much greater than from its appear- ance an observer would anticipate. I have seen them indeed often escape from men running fast in pursuit to kill them. The absurd story that seals in general defend themselves by throwing stones at their pursuers with their tails may be ex- plained in this way — that when an animal is chased on a stony beach, their mode of propelling themselves is by drawing their hind flippers forwards, thereby shortening the body and pro- jecting themselves by the tail, which when relieved by the effort of the fore flippers, throws up a quantity of stones to the distance of some yards." And now to revert to the identification of the fur seal, we Mr. R. Hamilton on the Fur Seal of Commerce. 89 regret that we are not aware of the existence of a cranium of this species in any of our museums, and therefore we cannot supply its specific characters, or compare them with those of any of the established genera. After the foregoing details however we need scarcely remark that it is a very different animal from the ursine seal, with which M. Lesson, almost the only author, so far as we have perceived, who touches upon this point, has identified it. This intelligent naturalist, who himself spent a considerable time in the antarctic regions, in the able article on the Phoca in the e Dictionnaire Classique des Sciences Naturelles/ expressly says, " I/Otarie de Forster est la Phoque a fourriers des pecheurs Europeens*;" theOtary of Forster, better known under the name of the sea bear or ursine seal. But we have no positive evidence that the ursine seal is a fur seal in contradistinction to a hair seal, in which latter character it is unquestionably prized. The difference of these two species is, we apprehend, too plain to require much elucidation. Concluding with the illustrious Peron, that the ursine seal of the southern hemisphere is different from that of the northern, which is known as Steller's sea bear, still the descriptions supplied of the southern variety are too specific to leave any doubt on the subject. Dampierf states that at Juan Fernandez the sea bear was found of the size of an ordi- nary calf; and Forster remarks that those found in New Yearns Island, Staten-land, equal the size assigned by Steller to his bear, that is, to that of its terrestrial namesake, of a large size. But in addition to this we have again the valuable testi- mony of Mr. Weddell. After what has been stated, no one can doubt of his acquaintance with the fur seal. He was also familiar with the ursine seal, both as encountered in its haunts and as described by naturalists J ; and yet when speaking of the ursine seal (so denominated by him) he never once hints that its fur has any peculiar value, but on the contrary ex- cludes it with the others, and ranks it merely as a hair seal. Were any further corroboration on this point required it may be found in the testimony of our furriers. We have inquired of a considerable number of them, and especially of M. L'Ry, * Diet. Class, t. xiii. 422. f Voyage, p. 137. X Loc. cit. p. 199. 90 Mr. R. Hamilton on the Fur Seal of Commerce. who for years was superintendent of one of the largest fur concerns in the metropolis of the empire, and was in the habit of overhauling great cargoes of south seal skins ; and the only response we have obtained is, that there is but one seal which has yielded this particular fur. On visiting M. I/Ry he speedily informed us that he happened to have lying by him a skin of the true fur seal, which he immediately produced, and it ap- peared manifestly to be identical with the two given by Capt. Weddell to the College Museum. The same gentleman in- formed us that the fur of this valuable animal is prepared by a process quite different from that employed for the others, the hair being entirely removed, which is done by heating the skin, and then carding it in a peculiar manner with a large wooden knife prepared for the purpose : the fur then appears in all its perfection. But though we consider it was a decided mistake in that naturalist, who of all others might have been supposed best acquainted with the subject, to confound this fur seal with the ursine, yet, as we before hinted, we think it evident there has been obscure notices of this seal in former and remote periods of the history of the science ; and to these it will be now in- teresting shortly to advert. It will be remembered by many that in most of our sy- stematic works there is appended to the supposed ascertained species of this interesting group, a list of obscure and doubtful ones which have long maintained their place, without almost anything being known regarding them. In this position we find the Falklandica and longicollis, both of which we are disposed to consider as the same with the fur seal, and conse- quently with each other. All our modern systematists, French and English, have ranked the Falklandica as an otary ; and considering its true value, it is not a little curious that its cha- racter and natural history have been so much obscured. This seal seems to have been introduced to notice by Pennant. 66 There has of late," says he, " been introduced into the Mu- seum of the Royal Society, from the Falkland Islands, another seal, the length of which is four feet ; its hair is short, cine- reous, tipped with dirty white ; the nose is short, beset with strong black bristles ; the external auricles are short, narrow and pointed ; the upper teeth are sulcated transversely ; the Mr. R. Hamilton on the Fur Seal of Commerce. 91 lower in an opposite direction ; on each side of the canine there is a lesser or secondary one ; the grinders are conoid, with a small process on each side near the base : there are no claws on the fore feet, but underneath the skin there are evi- dent marks of the bones of five toes : the skin extends far be- yond their ends. On the toes of the hind legs are four long and straight claws, but the skin stretches far beyond, which gives them a very pinniform look*." Shaw's account is a li- teral copy of the above ; and this appears to have been all the information given to the public by naturalists concerning this seal. We are not therefore to wonder at Baron Cuvier's ex- clamation, "Quefaire de cette Otarie (O.Falklandica) cendree, tachetee de blanc sale ? Sont ce des ages, des varietes de Fours de mer ; sont ce des especes ? On ne pourra le savoir que lorsque des individus bien entiers seront decrits en detail a l'exterieur, et au moins pour les parties osseuses de la tetef." Other French naturalists take precisely the same view of this animal which Baron Cuvier did in 1823. Desmarest, three years before, in his c Mammalogie/ supplied the characters furnished by Pennant without an additional remark. M. Fr. Cuvier in the year 1826 %, and M. Lesson in 1827 §, have merely introduced it into a list of little more than bare names, as a species altogether obscure and unascertained ; and the last-named distinguished author, in one of the last and best treatises on the seals, in 1828, says of it, "Espece peu connue et trop incompletement decrite qu'on puisse Pisoler, ou la rap- porter a telle ou telle espece ||." Though so much difficulty was thus experienced by these able naturalists, yet we find that the personal observation of Capt. Weddell enabled him at once to identify the Falklandica with his fur seal. In relation to this point he unhesitatingly says, " The fur seal is what is called in zoology the Phoca Falklandica, the Falkland Island seal, a species which has been distinguished by naturalists by the peculiarity of its shape." Pennant indeed had stated that it came from the * History of Quadrupeds, 3rd edit. 4to, vol. ii. p. 275. f Oss. Fossils, torn. v. P. II. p. 214. X Diet, des Scien. Nat. torn, xxxix. § Manuel de Mammalog. in loc. cit. II Diet. Class, des Se. Nat. torn. xiii. 92 Mr. R. Hamilton on the Fur Seal of Commerce, Falkland Islands ; but then these dreary regions are, or we must rather say were, rife with many species of seals, and the fur seal has long been exterminated from them: besides he gives no hint of its possessing a valuable fur. The otary which Lesson and Garnat captured at a later period among the Falk- land Islands, — the Otaria Molossina of the f Zoologie de la Co- quille/ is quite a different animal from this Falklandica. The French zoologists, who have laboured most in this department, from not being interested in the trade, seem never to have re- ceived any specimens or drawings of this seal ; hence these naturalists with all their acumen could have nothing but a partial and imperfect conception of this important species. But it is quite a different matter with a man living in the midst of these animals ; to him a hint or two is sufficient to certify its characters and establish its identity. So we believe it was with Weddell ; and so will it be with any one who ac- quires clear and specific notions of the form and appearance of this species, and its most nearly allied congeners. Still greater obscurity has prevailed, and with less apology, regarding the longicollis. This seal is enumerated as a species distinct from the preceding by Pennant and Shaw; and has been arranged by Messrs. Desmarest, Fr. Cuvier, and Lesson among the earless seals or true Phocce ; whilst Baron Cuvier with his wonted acumen refers it rather to the Otaria; whilst at the same time he exclaims, "Que faire de cette mauvaise peau du Musee de la Societe Royal, gravee par Parsons, nommee par Pennant Phoca longicollis*}" In turning to what Parsons denomi- nates Dr. Grew^s " excellent book of Rarities" of the Royal Society, which was published in the year 1694, we find that at that date the Museum contained three specimens of seals. Two of these he refers to the species vitulina, or common seal ; and of the third he remarks, a I find him nowhere distinctly mentioned ; he is much slenderer than any of the former ; but that wherein he principally differs is the length of his neck ; for from his nose to his fore feet, and from thence to his tail, are the same measure : as also, that instead of fore feet he has rather fins, not having any claws thereon, as have the other kinds t." Dr. Parsons, who entertained the Royal Society with * Loc. cit. f Grew's Catalogue of Rarities, &c. Lond. 1C94, p. 95. Mr. R. Hamilton on the Fur Seal of Commerce. 93 a paper on seals in 1750, supplies the next notice concerning this animal ; and to Dr. Grew's description he merely adds, " that the head and neck of this species are exactly like those of the otter*/ 5 But the most satisfactory witness as to the existence of this animal, if not to the identical specimen, is the illustrious coadjutor of Buffon, in the Paris Museum, and in the publication of the 6 Histoire Naturelle/ In their first united treatise, published we believe in the year 1767* we find the learned Daubenton, when treating of quite a different seal, remarking, (i I have seen the dried specimens of two indivi- duals of the same kind of seal. The largest appeared full- grown, and was not 2^ (English) feet long, from the end of the snout to the origin of the tail ; the neck was longer and the body shorter than the common seal ; the fore feet were near the middle part of the whole body, and it had a small external ear. The hair was longer and softer than that of the other seals, being an inch long ; it was glossy, waving and curled in some places. It was black on the upper part of the head, neck, and body, and dark brown underneath, and on the feet. On separating the hairs, it appeared they were of a pale fawn colour at the root. The skin of the sole of the foot was naked, and of a brown colour, with very marked rugae or longitudinal lines ; the nails were very small, and the skin which united the toes extended below the nails, and was prolonged much beyond them, and terminated in a divided membrane, each projecting part of which was of a size proportioned to the toe to which it belonged \" This is the animal which is figured in the 47th vol. of the Phil. Trans. From this it will be seen that Dr. Shaw, especially after the time of Daubenton, had no authority, and on the other hand acted alike gratuitously and erroneously in designating this the earless seal of Pennant ; by which statement he misled the eminent French naturalists we have named, and was the means of introducing that erro- neous classification which has so long prevailed. Nothing is added concerning the habitat and habits of this seal, or of any ceconomic use to which it was applied ; which is the less to be wondered at, as probably the value of the fur * Phil. Trans, vol. xlvii. p. 112. t Hist. Nat. 4to edit. Tom. xiii. p. 414. 94 Mr. R. Hamilton on the Fur Seal of Commerce, seal was not then known. But influenced by only a becoming deference to these original and respectable, though not quite modern authorities, we think it may be held that these cha- racters thus assigned to their specimens are not equivocal. Daubenton states that he had seen two specimens of the same species, and the other witnesses had examined one individual. The animal they describe differs remarkably from all the pre- viously described seals, and from nearly all that have been subsequently examined ; more especially in having the fore paws situated midway between the snout and the tail ; it is also an otary, according to the two last witnesses, and more- over it possesses the very singular flippers, apparently pecu- liar to this tribe of animals. Hence, and from other consider- ations on which it is unnecessary to enlarge, we conclude that this longicollis, like the Falklandica, may without hesitation be considered identical with the fur seal of commerce. Although upon the grounds we have stated we think little doubt can remain regarding the animal which forms the true fur seal of commerce, yet we are persuaded there is still room for fresh and additional inquiry. We conclude our observations for the present with the fol- lowing quotation from Lesson. w The Americans," he says, "regard many seals as fur seals which are unknown to natu- ralists, and wholly distinct from each other. Thus, they state that the fur seal of Patagonia has a pump behind its head ; that that of California is of very large dimensions ; that the up- land seal, or that which retreats far from the shore, is small and exclusively inhabits the Macquarrie islands and Pennanti- podes ; and finally that the fur seal of the south of New Zea- land has other and distinctive characters*." Of the seals here alluded to, we have no evidence whether they are to be regard- ed as fur seals in the more limited sense insisted upon in these pages, and whose peculiar mode of preparation is difficult, and has sometimes been lost sight of; or are fur skins in the more popular acceptation of the term as bear and foxes skins are usually denominated furs. The truth however may be, that many seals would produce in high perfection that article which is now so much desiderated, and yields so rich a return. In * Diet. Class, des Scien. Nat, torn, xiii. p. 411. Mr. E. Forster on Ononis antiquorum of Linncnus. 95 fact, we have seen the skin of another seal, from the South Sea, whose species was unknown, which was dressed as a fur skin, and formed a beautiful manufacture ; and the sea otter skin, which is second in value only to the sable, is usually pre- pared as a fur and not a hair skin. These hints at all events should be sufficient to excite the attention of the trader and the naturalist, as a matter which is both of commercial and of scientific interest. XL — On Ononis antiquorum of Linnaeus. By Edward Forster, F.R.S., V.P.L.S. Being rather surprised by a remark made to me by an ex- cellent botanist, and assented to by another, that u Mr. Ben- tham is mistaken in referring in the Supplement to English Botany, our common rest-harrow to Ononis antiquorum of Lin- naeus," I was induced to examine the Linnaean specimen, when, as I expected, I immediately saw that Bentham was decidedly accurate, the specimen agreeing in every respect with Ononis spinosa of Hudson, the plant which at this time so beautifully adorns our heaths. On turning to Sir James Edward Smithes own Herbarium, I found a foreign spe- cimen of the plant in question called O. antiquorum on the authority of Mr. West, and it is plain that Smith so consi- dered it, by his remark in English Botany, and afterwards in his English Flora, though conceiving it not distinct from O. arvensis, he has preferred that name. It is true that the Lin- naean specimen is badly dried, but I happen to have one as ill done which corresponds exactly. I have thought it right to say thus much in justice to my friend Bentham as well as for the information of the public. From looking into Reichenbach's f Flora Germanica Excur- soria/ it has appeared to me probable, that the doubt has arisen from trusting implicitly to that author, who is ac- quainted with 0. antiquorum by seeing a specimen gathered by Tournefort, yet asserts that O. antiquorum Auctorum is not that plant of Linnaeus, but 0. arvensis /3. spinosa, Smith, which he keeps distinct from O. antiquorum of Linnaeus : in doing so he is in error, for I must maintain that our plant is 96 M. Fries on the Genus Syngnathus. properly referred to O. antiquorum of Linnaeus and to Anonis legitima antiquorum of Tournefort, nor have I any reason to doubt its being the Ononis vel Anonis of Pliny. Reichenbach refers our O. arvensis to O. repens, Linn. : this may admit of some doubt, as the specimen marked repens and one from the Upsal Garden marked both arvensis and spinosa, are by no means so convincing as that of O. antiquorum ; yet I think it safe to remain as we are, considering the usual and healthy state of O. arvensis to be 0. spinosa and mitis of the c Species Plantarum/ and O. arvensis of the — Prof. Wiegmann.'] M. Fries on the Genus Syngnathus. 101 for distinguishing the species. If this character has been ob- tained from a comparison of the same sex I would acknowledge its justness, but not otherwise ; for the rule, that the anal aper- ture in the female is at a far greater distance from the snout than in the male, holds good in all pipe fish, and especially in S. cequoreus is this distinction between both sexes very re- markable. The age must also be taken into consideration ; for if we compare a young specimen with an old one, both of one sex and the same species, we find in the former the distance rather shorter than is the case in the latter. 2. It is worthy of remark, that although the anal aperture in the male is situated closer to the snout than in the female, we still find the same number of plates, and of rings formed of these, in both sexes, both between anus and head as well as between anus and caudal extremity. Hence follows that the number of plates affords a very good character for the species if their enumeration were not connected with some difficulty and uncertainty, as they partly merge into one another, and in living and quite fresh specimens it is almost impossible to di- stinguish them. 3. The form of the body is quite different in the two sexes. We may take it as a rule, that the body in the female is higher and broader, that there is a raised keel or ridge on the back as well as under the belly, which the male, which has a more cylindrical trunk, possesses only traces of under the belly. Al- though the trunk in living specimens of both sexes scarcely exhibits any traces of three ridges running on each side, with the exception of one species, where they are more prominent ; yet they are apparent in all, if they have been laid in spirits for some time or dried. 4. The length of the head in proportion to the rest of the body, in all small and long fishes, is not constant ; disregarding the difference which age brings with it in this respect. As in young individuals the head is always found relatively longer, we also meet in the Syngnathi with considerable individual differences. 5. The position of the dorsal fins stands always in a rather constant proportion to the anal aperture, and if not fixed too minutely affords a very good character, which holds good in both sexes. 102 M. Fries on the Genus Syngnathus. 6. The rays of the dorsal fins vary, it is true, in number, as is the case in most fish ; but the difficulty of counting them with certainty renders the character which might hence be adduced less applicable, and is undoubtedly the chief cause of the different statements which we find in various authors re- specting their number. To be able to determine the number with certainty, the fins must be spread out under water, and the rays counted with the help of a lens. 7. The colour of the body is quite characteristic for our na- tive species, if they are examined when alive, although, as in most fishes, it is subject to great variation with respect to markings and depth. The colour is, however, for a diagnosis of a second-rate value, since in order to determine it, it is ne- cessary to have live specimens at hand. It is impossible to judge of the colour of a living specimen from one which has laid in alcohol. 8. The length of the snout, in proportion partly to the length, partly to the height of the head, I regard as being the cha- racter most easily seized for distinguishing the species, and shall therefore especially employ this character in the diagnoses. The distinction is very perceptible, and indeed no measure- ment is necessary : but in order to determine distinctly this character by terms, and to leave no room for doubt respecting the scale of measurement, I w r ill previously explain that I take the length of the snout from its extremity to the centre of the eye, and compare this length with the distance from the cen- tre of the eye to the posterior edge of the operculum. I am convinced from numerous comparisons that this character is constant in both sexes and in specimens of different size and age of the same species. In order to distinguish our three native species in the easiest way, they may be divided as follows into two sections. * Pinna caudali rudimentaria e radiis £ brevissimis composita {parte ma- jore pinncB dorsalis ante latitudinem ani sita.) To this section belongs only one species. jEquoreal Pipe-Fish, Syngnathus cequoretis, Linn. — Trunco sat distincte angulato ; longitudinc rostri distantiam a centro ocnli ad margincm operculi superante. Syn. S. sequoreus, Linn. Syst, Nat. i. p. 417; Mont, in Wern. Mem, i. p. M. Fries on the Genus Syngnathus. 103 85. pi. 4. f. 1 ; Penn. Brit. Zool. vol. iii. pi. 23. f. 61 ; Flem. Brit. An. p. 176. $ =S. sequoreus, Jenyns's Manual, p. 486 ; YarrelVs Brit. Fish, II. p. 335. $ =S. Ophidion, Jenyns's Man. p. 487; Yarr. Brit. Fish, II. p. 335. Stenaale, No. 2, Strom., Sbndm. beskrif. Of all the Scandinavian species of Syngnathus this is the largest and most distinguished. It attains a length of 2 feet. The general size of the females amounts to between 18 and 20 inches ; the males, which appear to be constantly smaller, are generally met with between 13 to 16 inches in length. The colour is a beautiful burnt or brownish yellow ; along the sides run rather wavy whitish oblique stripes parallel to each other, and which are inclosed by a brown frame. Between head and anal aperture are 29 to 30 plates or rings, and between the aper- ture and the caudal extremity about 70. The dorsal fin con- sists of 40 to 44 rays, and extends over 12 rings and somewhat over the 13th. The trunk of the female is pretty evidently octangular ; then at each side proceed three ridges, a rather sharp keel on the belly, and along the back is a smaller ridge, which appears to pass over into a fold of the skin. The males have a more bordered trunk ; the lateral ridges and the ven- tral keel are more even and the back quite plain, without a trace either of a ridge or a folding of the skin. In the female the anal aperture is situate at about the middle of the body, in the male much more anteriorly. The males have the eggs fastened to the belly in several rows (in 8 to 10). This beautiful fish was formerly not admitted in the Swedish Fauna; it occurs sparingly if not rarely on the Bohusland coasts. ** Pinna caudali omnino nulla {parte maj ore pinnae dorsalis pone latitu- dinem ani sita.) To this section belong two distinct species, which have pre- viously been confounded one with the other. Common Pipe-Fish, Syngnathus Ophidion, Linn. — Corpore teretiusculo gracili, fere lineari ; longitudine rostri distantiam a centro oculi ad mar- ginem operculi aequante ; ano circa medium corporis sito. Syn, S. Ophidion. Linn. Fn. Suec. No. 375 ; Syst.Nat. i. 417; Retz. Fn. Suec. p. 312. No. 21 ; Ekstrom, Abh. d. Akad. d. Wiss. 1831. p. 280 ; Nilssofi, Synops. p. 488. S. lumbriciformis. Jenyns's Man. p. 488. Artedi Descript. Spec. p. 1. No. 1. Synon. p. 2. No. 4. Gener. p. 1. No. 2. 104 M. Fries on the Genus Syngnathus. The body is very small and of almost equal breadth ; the tail gradually diminishes in size, and almost imperceptibly ends in an extremely fine point. Of all the species this is the long- est in proportion to the height of the body, or about the pro- portion 60*1. The usual length amounts to about 9 to 10 inches. The colour is olive green above, passing into yellow be- neath, with a quantity of small, blueish white, frequently round spots at the sides, and above the gill covering with a quantity of minute beautiful azure blue stripes, which proceed abruptly towards the sides of the body. Between head and anal aper- ture are situated 30 to 3 1 rings, and from this last to the cau- dal extremity about 60 and above. The dorsal fin consists of 34 to 38 rays, and extends over 10 segments of the body. The anal aperture occupies in the male nearly the middle of the body ; in the females it is found somewhat behind this point. The eggs are placed in 3 to 4 rows. This species is very easily distinguished from the following one by its longer projecting and somewhat pointed snout, which surpasses in some degree in length (reckoned from the centre of the eye) the greatest height of the head. It is this species which is so very common on our coasts, occurring both in the Baltic and Cattegat. The females are in greater plenty than the males. Little Pipe- Fish, Syngnathus lumbriciformis, Yarr. — Corpore teretius- culo, crassiore, rostro apice reflexo, breviore, distantiam a centro oculi ad marginem operculi non attingente ; ano circa anteriorem £ longitu- dinis corporis sito. Syn. Acus lumbriciform. Willoughb. Hist. Pise. p. 160. — Little Pipe Fish. Penn. Brit. Zool. p. 23. No. 62. — S. lumbriciform. Yarrell, Brit. Fish. ii. p. 340. Compared with the preceding species, which most resembles this, we have the body somewhat thicker in proportion to its length, about 1 to 35 — 40, the tail is also somewhat thicker. This little fish, which only attains a length of 5 — 6 inches, possesses from its short snout, which is bent somewhat up- wards and at the extremities is rather obtuse, an appearance easily recognizable. The usual colour is chestnut brown, which in some is brighter, in others darker ; along the back are situated irregular large spots of a whitish grey colour, Plants collected by Mr. Schomburgk in British Guiana. 105 which towards the tail become much smaller, and thus give it a kind of marbled appearance. The distance from the nasal extremity to the centre of the eye is shorter than the greatest height of the head, and than the distance from the centre of the eye to the hinder portion of the gill covering. Between head and anal aperture are 19 segments, and between this aperture and caudal extremity about 50. The dorsal fin consists of 26 rays (in all specimens which I have hitherto examined this has been constant) and extends only over 7 segments. The anal aperture is situated in the male at the anterior third part of the length of the body. The eggs are arranged in four rows. I discovered this little recruit to our Fauna on the Bohusland coast. Lately I found several specimens, all males, of which two had roes. This pipe-fish is probably not so rare, but all the specimens I obtained were fished up from the bottom of a water 16 fathoms deep, which appears to show that it inha- bits deep water; a circumstance, which renders the catching of this small fish so difficult, that it easily escapes. I have never seen it caught on the shores. The female I am unacquainted with. XIII. — EnumerationofthePlants collected byMx. Schomburgk, British Guiana. By George Bentham, Esq., F.L.S. Mr. Robert Schomburgk was in the year 1834 appointed by the Royal Geographical Society to command an expedition into the in- terior of British Guiana, with permission at the same time to make, on his own account, collections in the various branches of natural history, one set being deposited in the British Museum. Having procured a certain number of subscribers to the dried plants which he should collect, it was further arranged that Mr. Schomburgk should make them up in sets and forward them to me for transmission to the subscribers, and that each species should be marked with cor- responding numbers in the several sets, with a view to identifying them when published. Mr. Schomburgk, having received his final instructions, left George Town, Demerara, on the 21st of September, 1835 ; ascended the Essequibo, and its tributary, the Rupunoony, as far as the creek Anna-y, where he established a temporary habitation or head- quar- ters ; made several excursions from thence during a stay of about 106 Mr. G. Bentham's Enumeration oftJie Plants three months, and returned to George Town in March, 1836. In the following month of September he again started for the river Courantine, which he ascended in the course of October as far as lat. 4° 214-' N., and from November of the same year to March, 1837, was spent in an expedition up the river Berbice. In the autumn of 1837 he again ascended the Essequibo and Rupunoony, and from his former post at Anna-y made an excursion to the chain of mountains at the sources of that river, and crossed the ridge to the equatorial line, and returned to Anna-y, from whence the last accounts are dated in February last. Detailed reports of these several expeditions will be found in the Journal of the Royal Geographical Society, vol. vi. p. 224, vol. vii. p. 285, and in the Reports of the Council of the So- ciety for the years 1835-6, 1836-7, and 1837-8, attached to the same journal*. The length of time thus spent in a tract of country at once so little known, and so varied in aspect, in a quarter of the globe where vegetation is perhaps the richest, would lead us to expect a most va- luable harvest as the result ; but unfortunately a series of disappoint- ments, arising from serious accidents as well as from the unhealthiness of the climate, counteracted much the persevering endeavours of Mr. Schomburgk. The intermittent fevers, which attacked the whole party in the first expedition, rendered them incapable of taking the necessary precautions to protect their specimens from the unceasing rains, and those which they collected to replace them were lost at one of the rapids in descending the Essequibo ; and in the last ex- pedition to the mountains under the line, the difficulty of conveying the indispensable means of support wholly precluded them from car- rying the paper requisite for drying specimens of theMch vegetation observed. The whole collection consists, however, of about 700 spe- cies, gathered chiefly in the Savannahs about Anna-y and along the Essequibo and Rupunoony, with a considerable number from the shores of the Berbice and Courantine. The natural orders the most abundant appear to be Leguminosce, Melastomacecd, Rubiacece, and Composites ; and amongst the most re- markable plants, in orders less abundant in species, may be men- tioned the splendid water-lily, dedicated by him to Queen Victoria, some curious new species of Podostemea, and many Orchidacea of great beauty. It had been my intention to enumerate the whole collection nearly in the order adopted by DeCandolle in his Prodro- mus, but as that would require the having previously determined the * Letters from Mr. Schomburgk, with an account of his journey, will be found in our first volume, p. 63. collected by Mr. Schomburgk in British Guiana. 107 whole series, and as circumstances have led me to complete in the first instance some of the larger and more distinctly marked orders, I have thought it might be of service to the subscribers to publish them in the mean time, commencing with the Composite, which ac- quire an additional interest from the recent completion of that por- tion of DeCandolle's Prodromus. The Museum of Natural History of Paris having recently distri- buted a collection of above 300 species from French Guiana, and si- milar sets collected in the same country by M. Leprieur having been presented to several botanists by Baron Benjamin Delessert, I have thought it might be useful to include these two collections in my enumeration, both as enabling their possessors to identify their spe- cimens, and as affording occasionally data for the geographical distri- bution of particular species. With a view to the interest of Mr. Schomburgk,whose losses, owing chiefly to repeated attacks of fever, have been very severe, I should add that several sets of about 500 species each remain undisposed of. COMPOSITE. Tribe Vernoniace^s. 1. Sparganophorns Vaillantil, Gaertn. DC. Prod. 5. p. 11. — Banks of the Courantine and of the Currasawaak. Schomburgk, n. 154 & 20G. 2. Vernonla odoratissima, H. B. K. DC. Prod. 5. p. 38. — Rocky places in Savannahs on the Rupunoony. Schomburgk, n. 97. 3. Vernonla scorpioides, Pers. DC. Prod. 5. p. 41. — British Guiana. Schomburgk, n. 258. 4. Vernonla tricholepis. DC. Prod. 5. p. 54. — British Guiana. Schom- burgk, n. 282. — French Guiana. Herb. Par. n. 152. /3. Mlcrocephala, foliis oblongo-lanceolatis, capitulis parvis. — British Gui- ana. Schomburgk, n. 149. Perhaps a different species, but my specimens are too imperfect to determine. 5. Centratherum muticum, Less. DC. Prod. 5. p. 70. — British Guiana. Schomburgk, n. 254. 6. Elephantopus carolinlanus, Willd. DC. Prod. 5. p. 86. — British Gui- ana. Schomburgk, n. 473 or 413. This plant, which I have also from various parts of Brazil, is pre- cisely similar to several of my North American specimens. They have the main stem usually corymbose, not dichotomous, and the floral leaves larger than in E. mollis, though seldom longer than broad. The E. nudicaulis, judging from Drummond's Covington and Jacksonville specimens, appears to be very near the true E. mollis. All these species, however, as well as the East Indian E, 108 Mr. G. Bentham's Enumeration of the Plants scaler, run so much into one another as to suggest the probability of their being mere varieties of each other. 7. Elephantosis angustifolia. DC. Prod. 5, p. 87. — British Guiana Schomburgk, n. G12. 8. Trichospira menthoides, IT. B. K. DC. Prod. 5. p. 91. On the Cur- rasawaak. Schomburgk, n. 153 and 695. 9. Pedis elongata, H. B. K. DC. Prod. 5. p. 99.^-British Guiana. Schomburgk, n. 184. Tribe Eupatoriace^;. 10. Ooclinium villosum. DC. Prod. 5. p. 134. — French Guiana. Herb. Par. n. 148 and 151. and Leprieur. This is without, doubt an Ooclinium. The leaves are often deeper toothed than is described. 11. Ooclinium 1 clavatum, sp. n., suffruticosum ? caule tereti striato scabri- usculo, foliis oppositis distantibus linearibus trinerviis scaberrimis, panicuke ramis oppositis apice subtrifidis, ramulis subtricephalis, capitulis subcylin- dricis circiter 20-floris, involucri squamis imbricatis appressis striatis apice obtusis brevissime appendiculatis deciduis/receptaculo obovato-clavato. — British Guiana. Schomburgk, n. 165. The very deciduous involucrum is precisely as in Ooclinium, with which this species is also connected in habit ; the receptacle, how- ever, is not so decidedly oviform, being obconical in the lower part and only slightly convex on the top. Amongst Eupatoria it would be nearest related to the E. obscurum, DC. 12. Eupatorium subvelutinum. DC. Prod. 7. p. 268. — Savannahs of the Rupunoony. Schomburgk, n. 76. 13. Eupatorium conyzoides. DC. Prod. 5. p. 143; var. foliis subtus gla- brioribus. — Woods of the Paraime Chain. Schomburgk, n. 72. Flowers blue ; var. foliis plerisque supra piloso-hispidis. — E. Maximiliani /3. hispidulum, DC. 1. c. ? — French Guiana. Herb. Par. n. 154. and Leprieur. 14. Eupatorium subobtusum. DC. Prod. 5. p. 61. French Guiana. Herb. Par. n. 149. and Leprieur. 15. Eupatorium ixodes, sp. n., fruticosum, glabrum, viscosum, ramis te- retibus, foliis oppositis vel supremis alternis breviter petiolatis oblongis ob- tusis integerrimis vel hinc inde sinuato-dentatis basi angustatis rigidis pen- ninerviis, panicula? ramis alternis oppositisque apice corymbosis, capitulis sessilibus pedicellatisque ovatis 25 — 30 floris, involucri squamis 4 — 5-seriatis oblongo-linearibus imbricatis dorso subpuberulis, intimis apice breviter ci- liatis, achseniis ad costas scabridis. — Savannahs of the Rupunoony. Schom- burgk, n. 79. This species comes nearest to E. subobtusum, but is more glutinous, the upper leaves and branches of the panicle usually alternate, and the squamee of the involucre much more numerous. Flowers, as in collected by Mr. Schomburgk in British Guiana. 109 E. Salzmannianum and others of the same habit, pink. Leaves very- similar to those of the Dodoncea viscosa. Differs from E. dodonea- folium by the pubescent achsenia, &c. 10. Mikania racemulosa, sp. n., fruticosa, scandens, ramis teretibus peti- olisque pube fusca scabridis, foliis petiolatis late ovatis acuminatis integerri- mis, basi obtusis, supra scabris, subtus subvelutino-pubescentibus irregulariter penninerviis, ramorum floralium parvis triplinerviis, panicula composita, raccmis oppositis elongatis terminali longiore, pedicellis bracteola duplo lon- gioribus capitulo subsequilongis, involucri squamis oblongo-linearibus apice fimbriates, achaenio glanduloso. — British Guiana. Schomburgk, n. 480. Leaves 4 to 5 inches long, about 3 broad. Pedicels numerous, divaricate, about 2 lines long. Flowers white. This species, very- well marked amongst the spiciform ones by the flower heads being all pedicellate along the axis, is probably allied in this respect to the M. Houstonii, which is, however, described as entirely glabrous. 17. Mikania Hookeriana. DC. Prod. 5. p. 195. — British Guiana. Schom- burgk, n. 479. Flowers white. 18. Mikania denticulata. DC. Prod. 5. p. 198. — British Guiana. Schom- burgk, n.321. 19. Mikania convolvulacea. DC. Prod. 5. p. 199. — British Guiana. Schom- burgk, n. 93. 20. Mikania Parkeriana. DC. Prod. 5. p. 199. — British Guiana. Schom- burgk, n. 310. Tribe Asteroide^e. 21. Baccharis leptocephala. DC. Prod. 5. p. 413. — British Guiana. Schomburgk, n. 129. 22. Eclipta erecta, Linn. DC. Prod. 5. p. 490. — British Guiana. Schom- burgk, n.331. Tribe Senecionide. 3. Ideal figures of Loxodes Bursaria in various states of the extension of the alimentary canal, and its inner circular motion, not of the ventral sacs, but of the contents of the sacs voided into the canal. a the mouth, b the alimentary canal, c ventral sacs, w anal aperture. Specimen of the Botany of New Zealand. 125 XVII. — Flora Insularum Novce Zelandice Precursor; or a Spe- cimen of the Botany of the Islands of New Zealand. By Allan Cunningham, Esq. [Continued from p. 52.] Composites s. Synantherea. I. CICHORACE^E, Lessing. 1. SCORZONERA, L. DC. 430. S. 1 scapigera (Sol. MSS.) foliis lanceolatis retrorso-dentatis integer- rimisve, caulibus gracilibus, scapo unifloro. Forsl. Prodr. n. 534, absque descript. New Zealand (Northern Island). — 1769, Sir Jos. Banks. Among fern, on the hills, Bay of Islands. — 1834, R. Cunningham. Anne vere species hujus generis ? 2. Sonchus, L. 431. S. oleraceus. L. Forst. Prodr. n. 282. A. Rich. Fl. Nov. Zel. p. 230. Engl. Bot. t. 843. Pouro-rona, Incol. D'Urville. New Zealand, frequent on the northern and middle Islands. — 1773? Forster.— 1827, D'Urville. 3. Picris, L. Lessing. 432. P. hieracioides. L. Willd. Sp. PL 3. p. 1556. Engl. Bot. 1. 196. New Zealand (Northern Island). On the sea coast, near the Bay of Islands, rare. — 1834, R. Cunningham. 433. P. attenuata, caule erecto glabriusculo vel tenuiter hispido, foliis elongato-lanceolatis attenuatis integerrimis strigosis, foliolis exterioribus in- volucri laxis. New^Zealand (Northern Island). On the hills, among fern, Bay of Islands. — 1834, R. Cunningham. II. VERNONIACEiE, Lessing. 1. Shawia, Forst. Capitulum uniflorum. Pappus biseriatus, setaceus, scaber. Achenium hirsutum, teres. Involucrum turbinatum, imbricatum. 434. S. paniculata. Forst. Gen. 48. tab. 48. Prodr. n. 507. Lessing. Syn. Gen. Comp. p. 156. A. Rich. Fl. Nov. Zel. p. 243. New Zealand (Northern Island). — 1769, Mercury Bay, Sir Jos. Banlcs. —(Middle Island) 1773, G. Forster. Obs. Caulis arboreus, ramosus. Folia alterna, ovato-oblonga, petiolata, undulata, obtusa, supra viridia, glabra, subtus sordide albo-tomentosa, bi- pollicaria. Paniculse terminales axillaresque compositce, pedicelli uniflori, brevissimi. Involucrum imbricatum, cylindricum, foliolis 5 — 6 oblongis acutis, tribus interioribus longioribus suba^qualibus. Achenium solitarium oblongum lanatum. Pappus pilosus, basi pubescens. (Ex Forstero.) 126 Specimen of the Botany of New Zealand. III. ASTEROIDEiE, Lessing. p. 161. 1. Solidago, L. Lessing. 435. S. arborescens, fruticoso-arborea, paniculis corymbosis crectis termi- nalibus, foliis ovato-oblongis basi attenuates petiolatis glabris acutiusculis obtusisve repandis, subtus discolovibus, ramulis angulatis glabris (incanisvc, Forst.). For st. Prodr. n. 298. A. Rich. Fl. Nov. Zel. p. 252. New Zealand (Northern Island). A tree 12 — 15 feet high, in dark humid woods on the Kana-Kana and Hokianga rivers.— 1826, A. Cunningham (Middle Island).— 1773, G. Forster. 2. Lagenophora, Cassini, Lessing*. Radius uniserialis fcemineus. Discus hermaphroditus. Achenium plano- compressum, calvum, rostratum. Lessing, 436. L. Fosteri, foliis orbiculato-spathnlatis crenato-serratis piloso-ciliatis petiolo (pollicari) duplo triplove brevioribus, foliolis involucri margine ci- liatis, rostro achenio bifido. L. Commersonii, Cassini in Diet. Sc. Nat. xxv. p. 109. Lessing. p. 193. Microcalia australis. A. Rich. Fl. Nov. Zel. p. 230, tab. 30. Calendula pumila. Pers. Syn. PI. 2. p. 492. Forst, Prodr. n. 305. The daisy of New Zealand. Tupu-tupu incolis vulgo dicitur. New Zealand (Middle Island). — 1773, G. Forster. Astrolabe Bay. — 1827, D'Urville (Northern Island.) — 1769, Sir Jos. Banlcs. Sloping shelves and in swamps on the shores of the Bay of Islands. — 1826, A. Cunningham. — 1834, R. Cunningham. 437. L. lanata, foliis obovato-oblongis obtusis undulatis dentatis, basi sensim angustatis utrinque villosis, foliolis involucri glabris membranaceis, rostro achenii. New Zealand (Northern Island). Among fern, between the Waitangy and Keri-Keri rivers. — 1834, R. Cunningham. 3. Aster, L. Cass. 1 438. A.I holosericeus. Forst. Prodr. n. 296. A. Rich. Fl. Nov. Zel. p. 248. New Zealand (Middle Island). On mossy rocks, at Dusky Bay. — 1773, G. Forster. Obs. Caules herbacei, 4 — 5 pedales, erecti. Folia radicalia, spathulato- lanceolata, argute dentata seu subserrata, subtus argenteo-holosericea. Ca- pitulum solitarium, terminale, amplitudine fere ac in Astere Chinensi, L. ra- diatum. 439. A. 1 coriaceus. Forst. Prodr. n. 297. A. Rich. Fl. Nov. Zel. p. 250. New Zealand (Middle Island).— 1773, G. Forster. * The type of this genus, a native of Van Diemen's Land, may be thus characterized : Z. Billardieri ; foliis obovato-oblongis dentatis in petiolum attenuatis, undique pilosis, foliolis involucri glabris, rostro achenio integro leviter dilatato. L. Billardiere. Cassini in Diet. Sc. Nat. xxv. p, 109. — Bellis stipitata. Labill. Nov. Hoi. 2. p. 55. t. 205. Pers. Syn. 2. p. 460. Hab. In Insula Van Diemen, 1792.—/, «/, La Billardiere, Specimen of the Botany of New Zealand. 127 Obs. Caulis herbaceus. Folia ovata, coriacea, integra, supra sulcata, subtus villosa. Scapus foliosus, uniflorus, lanugiuosus. " Cette espece, fort voisine de la pr^cedente, n'en est peut-etre qu'une simple variete." A. Rich. I. cit. I have no means of ascertaining to what genus these species, if distinct from each other, belong, as Forster says but little of the real structure of the achenium, and nothing at all of the form of the pap- pus. They appear, however, to be species of Calmisia. Cass. 4. Haxtonia, Caley. D. Don. Involacrum polyphyllum imbricatum. Flosculi radii fceminei Hgulati, stigmatibus linearibus obtusis, sulco exaratis, margine incrassatis ! Disci hermaphroditi. Achenia sulcato-angulata. Pappi radiis persistentibus, apice penicillatis ! D. Don. 440. H.furfuracea, fruticosa, foliis ellipticis coriaceis petiolatis obtusis, margine undulatis integerrimis dentatisve, supra lsevibus subtus argenteo- furfuraceis, corymbis terminalibus, " radiis ternis." — Aster furfuraceus. A. Rich. Fl. Nov. Zel. p. 246.-— A. elongifolius. A. Cunn. Ms. 1826. Tarata Incolarum fluvii Thames. D'Urville. New Zealand (Northern Island). Banks of rivers, at the Bay of Islands. 1826. A. Cunningham. — 1834, R. Cunningham. River Thames. — 1827, D'Urville. Obs. Frutex6 — 10 pedalis. 5. Vittaclinia, A. Richard. Capitula radiata. Involucrum polyphyllum imbricatum. Receptaculum alveolatum. Semifiosculi exteriores fceminei longiores, revoluti ; flos- culi interiores hermaphroditi tubulosi, graciles. Stamina 5 libera; an- theris linearibus, basi abrupte recurvatis. Stigmata duo linearia. Ache- nium teres basi stipitatum. Pappus sessilis, fimbriato-pilosus. 441. V. australis. A. Rich. Fl. Nov. Zel. p. 251. — Brachycoma spathulata. Gaud, in Freyc. Voy.p. 467. New Zealand (Northern Island).—! 769, Sir Jos. Banks. (Middle Island.) On the sandy rocky shores of the French strait (Passe des Francais). Tas- man's Bay. — 1827, D'Urville. Planta ramosa, erectiuscula, subpilosa, 6 — 8 uncias alta. Folia obovali- spathulata sub 5-loba, lobo terminal! majore obtusa. Capitula terminalia so- litaria. Flores radiati. IV. SENECIONIDEjE, Lessing. 1. BlDENS, L. 442. B. pilosa. L. Forst. Prodr. n. 283. A. Rich. Fl. Nov. Zel. p. 235. Koeriki ab indigenis. D'Urville. — Horihike Incolarum secund. R. Cun- ningham. New Zealand. Most frequent on cultivated ground, chiefly on the North- ern Island. G. Forster. D'Urville. R. Cunningham. 2. Cotula, L. Lessing. Capitulum, heterogamum, floribus $ uniserialibus saepe sterilibus in ambitu, reliquis £ fertilibus. Achenium calvum, flori fcemineo stipi- tatum, piano- compressum, flori hermaphrodito sessile etangustius, 128 Specimen of the Botany of New Zealand. 443. C. coronopifolia. L. Forst. Prodr. n. 300. A. Rich. Fl. Nov. Zel. p. 235. New Zealand.— 1773, G.Forster. 3. Myriogyne. Linncea, vi. 219. Lessing. Capitulum heterogamum, fioribus ? pluriserialibusin ambitu, reliquis £. Achenium angulatum, exalatnm, calvnm, conforme. 444. M. minuta, foliis subsphatlmlatis parce serratis, basi sensim angus- tatis, capitulis minimis oppositifoliis. Less. Stjn. Compos, p. 26G. — Cotula minuta. Forst. Prodr. 301 . A. Rich. Fl. Nov. Zel. p. 235.— C. cuneifolia. Willd. Sp. PI. 3. p. 2170. — Grangea minuta. Lamarck, Poiret, Diet. x. p. 825. New Zealand (Middle Island).— 1773, G. Forster. (Northern Island.) Swampy ground at the Bay of Islands. D'Urville.— 1834, R. Cunningham. 4. Soliva, Ruiz 8f Pavon. (Gymnostyles, Juss.) Cor. florum ? pluriserialium in ambitu filiformis persistens et cum ovario continua. Achenium apice truncatum bialatum, alis marginalibus. Less. Syn. p. 268. 445. S. tenella, repens stolonifera, foliis pinnatifidis, apice dilatatis pin- nato-lobatis, lobis oblongis incisis. New Zealand (Northern Island), on the margins of fresh- water streams. — 1834, R. Cunningham. Anne species distincta a Gymnostyles anthemifolia, Juss. ? 5. Craspedia, Forst. (Cartodium, Sol. Mss. Richea, Labill.) Capitulum circiter 5-florum. Rachis bracteolata. Pappus uniserialis, plu- mosus. Achenium erostre. Less. 446. C. unijlora (melius Solandri) foliis orbiculato-spathulatis glabris, margine albo lanuginoso fimbriatis. Forst. Prodr. n. 386. Willd. Sp. PI. 3. p. 2392. A. Rich. Fl. Nov. Zel p. 245.— Cartodium, Sol. Mss. New Zealand (Middle Island). — 1769, Sir Jos. Banks. Shores of Queen Charlotte's Sound, Cook's Strait. — 1779, G. Forster. Quid Craspedia fimbriata (Forst. Mss. in Herb. Mus. Par. ex DC.) in litt. e Nova Zelandia (conf. Endl. in Ann. der Wien. Mus. Band 1. p. 109 ?) 6. Cassinia, R. Br. Involucrum imbricatum, scariosum, pauciflorum. Receptaculum paleis distinctis squamis intimis involucri subsimilibus. Flosculi tubulosi vel omnes hermaphroditi vel paucissimi fceminei angustiores in ambitu. Antlierce (inclusse) basi bisetse. Stigmata apice obtuso subtruncato hispidulo. Pappus pilosus seu penicillatus, persistens. 447. C. leptophylla, foliis lineari-lingulatis subter ramulisque incanis co- rymbis terminalibus, involucris turbinatis. Br. in Linn. Soc. Tr. 12. p. 126. — Calea leptophylla. Forst. Prodr. rc. 287. Willd. Sp. PI. 3. A.Rich. Fl. Nov. Zel. p. 234. Specimen of the Botany of New Zealand, 129 New Zealand (Northern Island) . — 1 769, Sir Joseph Banks. Sandy ridges on the shores of the Hokianga river. — 1826, A. Cunningham. (Middle Island.)— 1773, G. Forster. Obs. Upon further examination of the specimens gathered on the shores of the Hokianga river in 1826, and at that period considered an unpublished species of Cassinia, I am now disposed to view it as Forster's plant. 7. Ozothamnus, R. Br. Involucrum imbricatum, scariosum, coloratum. Receptaadum epaleatum, glabrum. Flosculi (pauciores quam 20) tubulosi vel omnes herma- phroditi vel paucissimi, fceminei angustiores in ambitu. Anther ce (in- clusoe) basi bisetae. Stigmata apice obtuso subtruncato hispidulo. Pappus sessilis, pilosus, nunc penicillatus, persistens. 448. 0. pinifolia (R. Br.) foliis lanceolatis acerosis glabriusculis margine revolutis, corymbo terminalibus congestis, ramulis tomentosis. — Calea pini- folia. Forst. Prodr. n. 288. Willd. Sp. PI. 3. p. 1795. A. Rich. Fl. Nov. Zel. p. 234. New Zealand (Middle Island).— 1773, G. Forster. 8. Helichrysum, Persoon. 449. //. bellidioides. Pers. Syn, 2. p. 415. Willd. Sp. PI. 3. p. 1911.— Xeranthemum bellidioides. Forst. Prodr. n. 293. A. Rich. Fl. Nov. Zel. p. 242. New Zealand (Middle Island), Cook's Strait. — 1769, Sir Jos. Banks. — 1773, G. Forster. Obs. Caulis herbaceus, gracilis, ramosus, spithamaeus, ramulis apice capi- tulo unico terminatis. Folia obovalia, obtusa, apice mucronata, amplexi- caulia, superne viridia, subtus cano-tomentosa. Flores magnitudine Bellii minuti. Involucrum explanatum, foliolis interioribus longioribus linearibus albis externe ima basi tomentosis. Receptaculum planum, nudum. 9. Gnaphalium, R. Br. Capitulum multiflorum, floribus $ numerosis, pluriserialibus in ambitu. Paptpus pilosus, uniserialis, conformis. Stylus £ ramis apice solo peni- cillatis. Achenium erostre. Rachis tota ebracteolata. 450. G. luteo-album. B. Willd. 3. p. 1871. A. Rich. Fl, Nov. Zel. p. 236. Endl. Prodr. Fl. Norf. p. 50. Engl. Bot. 1. 1002. Ponkatea, incol. D' Urville. New Zealand (Northern Island).— 1769, Sir Jos. Banks. River Thames. — 1827, D. Urville. Bay of Islands.— 1 833, R. Cunningham. 451. G. simplex, herbaceum, caule simplicissimo lanato, foliis inferioribus obtusis caulinis oblongo-linearibus subacutis integris utrinque albo-lanatis, floribus capitatis. A. Rich. FL Nov. Zel. p. 237. Pon-hatea vulgo dicitur. D 'Urville. New Zealand (Middle Island). Rocky shores of the harbour of L'Astro- labe.— 1827, D 'Urville. (Northern Island). Bay of Islands.— 1834, R. Cunningham. Ann, Nat, Hist. Vol.2. No. 8. Oct. 1838. k 130 Specimen of the Botany of New Zealand. 452. G. lanatum, herbaceum lanatum, foliis linearibus oblongis apice cal- loso-mucronatis, corymbis coarctatis, caule simplicissimo. Forst. Prodr. n. 290. mild. Sp. PL 3. Endl. Prodr. Fl. Norf. p. 50. A. Rich. Fl. Nov. Zel. p. 238. New Zealand (Middle Island). Astrolabe Harbour.— 1827, D'Urvi/le. — 1773, G. Forster. (Northern Island.) On the hills near the Keri-Keri Mission Station. — 1834, R. Cunningham. 453. G. (Lasiopogon) involucratum ; herbaceum caule erecto simplici, foliis lineari-lanceolatis acutis, margine revolutis, supra parce subtus tomen- toso-lanatis, capitulis axillaribus sessilibus ad ramulorum apices approxi- matis. Endl. Prodr. Fl. Norf. p. 50. Forst. Prodr. ft. 291 . Willd. Sp. PL 3. A. Rich. Fl. Nov. Zel. p. 241. — Enchiton Fosteri, Cassini in Diet. Sc. Nat. lvi.p.216. Ponlcatea seu Poalclimon, incol. D'Urville. New Zealand (Middle Island). — 1773, G. Forster. Astrolabe Harbour. —1827, D'Urville. (Northern Island).— 1769, Sir Jos. Banlcs. Bay of Islands. — 1833, Rich. Cunningham. 454. G. Keriense, herbaceum, caule adscendente, foliis lineari-lanceolatis acutis enerviis sessilibus semiamplexicaulibus, margine revolutis, supra lsevi- bus viridibus subtus albo-argenteis, pedunculis terminalibus lanatis, corymbo laxo. New Zealand (Northern Island). In the vicinity of the falls of .the Keri- Keri river. Bay of Islands. — 4833, R. Cunningham. 455. G. trinerve, fruticosum, caule adscendente tereti laevi, foliis lanceo- latis acutis sessilibus trinerviis supra glabris subtus albidis (lanugine expla- nata relucente) panicula corymbosa terminali laxa. Forst. Prodr. n. 289. Willd. A. Rich. Fl. Nov. Zel. p. 239. New Zealand (Middle Island). Dusky Bay.— 1773, G. Forster.— 1791, A. Menzies. 10. Arnica, Cassintl Capitulum radiatum. Pappus conformis, setaceus, uniserialis. Stylus disci ramis pube longa descendente obsessis truncatis aut cono brevi superatis. Less. 456. A, ? operina. Forst. Prodr. n. 299. Willd. A. Rich. Fl. Nov. Zel. p.232. New Zealand (Middle Island). Dusky Bay.— 1773, G. Forster. Obs. Caulis fruticosus, orgyalis, diffuse ramosus, loevis. Folia confertn, spathulato-lanceolata, patentia, petiolata, acuta, profunde crenata, crenis apice cartilagineis luteis, supra glabra, viridia, trinervia, subtus albo-lanata, palmaria. Pedunculi solitarii, terminales, imiflori. Flores ampli, disco luteo. Corollulce hermaphroditse numerosse in disco, fcemineoe plurimoe in radio, ligulatse, ligulalanceolata 3-dentata. An spec. Gerberce Cass. (Diet. Sc. Nat. xviii. p. 459) ? 11. Senecio, L. Lessing. Syn. p. 391. Capitulum heterogamum, rarius homogamum. Pappus pluriserialis seta- ceus, caducus, rectus, subsequalis, conformis. A^/y^ $ ramis truncatis Specimen of the Botany of New Zealand, 131 apice solo penicillatis. Achcnium erostre apterum, terctiusculum, glaberrimum seu hirsutiusculum. 457. S. lautus (Sol. MS.) corollis revolutis, foliis oblongo-lanceolatis pe- tiolatis sequaliter serratis, summis integerrimis. Forst. Prodr. n. 535. Willd. Sp. PL iii. p. 1981. A. Rich. Fl. Nov. Zel. p. 257. New Zealand.— 1 769, Sir Jos. Banks. 458. S. australis, foliis lanceolato-linearibus acutis glabris coriaceis inte- gerrimis aut basi utrinque dente lineari auctis, floribus radiatis corymbosis, radio subreflexa. A. Rich, in Sert. Astrolab. 131. t. 39. Willd. Sp. PL iii. p. 1981. A. Rich. Fl. Nov. Zel. p. 257.— S. angustifolius. Sol. Mss. Forst. Prodr. n. 539. non L. — S. dryadeus. Sieber, non L. New Zealand (Northern Island).— 1769, Sir Jos. Banks. 459. S. neglectus, foliis subcarnosis amplexicaulibus pinnatifidis glabris aut pilosiusculis, segmentis plus minus profundis acutis, pedunculis pauci- floris, radiis revolutis. A. Rich. Fl. Nov. Zel. p. 258. New Zealand (Middle Island). Astrolabe Harbour. — 1827, D'Urville. 466. S.argutus, caule stricto striato, foliis basi sagittatis lanceolatis argute serratis pinnatifidis subtus albidis supremis linearibus integris, floribus pa- niculatis, flosculis interioribus 5-deutatis. A. Rich. Fl. Nov. Zel. p. 258. Endl. Prodr. Fl. Norf. p.5\. Sert. Astrolab. p. 1 01. Pon-katea, incol. D'Urville. New Zealand (Middle Island). Pebbly shores of Astrolabe Harbour.— 1827, D'Urville. (Northern Island.) Bay of Islands.— 1834, R. Cunning- ham. 461. S. quadridentata, caule erecto striato niveo-tomentoso lanuginoso, foliis lineari-lanceolatis subacuminatis tomentosis integerrimis margine rc- flexis, floribus corymboso-paniculatis, flosculis hermaphroditis 4-dentatis. Willd. Sp. PL iii. p. 1973. Labill. Nov. IIoll. ii. p. 48. 1. 194. A. Rich. Sert. Astrolab. p. 101. New Zealand (Northern Island). Sea coast near the Bay of Islands. — 1834, R. Cunningham. 462. S. hispidulus, caule subsimplici, foliis lanceolato-linearibus acutis tuberculato-hispidulis, margine subrevolutis distanter at inasqualiter serratis, infra albido-pilosis, ima basi utrinque et approximate bidentatis, floribus parvulis corymbosis, flosculis 3 — 5-fidis, laciniis ovalibus acutis. A. Rich. Sert. Astrolab. p. 92. t. 34. New Zealand (Northern Island). Among fern at Wangaroa — 1833, R. Cunningham. 12. Braciiyglottis, Forst. Char. Gen. 46. t. 46. Capitulum radiatum, radiis brevissimis recurvis tridentatis. Pappus den- sus plumosus caducus. Achenium erostre teretiusculum sulcatum. 463. B. repanda, paniculis decompositis divaricatis terminalibus, foliis el- liptico-ovalibus petiolatis repando-sinuatis, supra laevibus, subtus albo-tomen- tosis, caule arboreo. Forst. loc. cit. — Cineraria repanda. Forst. Prodr. 7i. 295. Willd. Sp. PL iii. p. 2076. A. Rich. FL Nov. Zel. p. 250.— C. deal- bata. Sol. Mss. in Bibl, Banlcs. k2 132 Bibliographical Notices, Puka-Puka or Buka-buka, indig. R. Cunningham. New Zealand (Middle Island). Queen Charlotte's Sound.— 17G9, Sir Jos. Banks. (Northern Island.) River sides, Bay of Islands. — 182G, A. Cun- ningham. Wangaroa. — 1834, R. Cunningham, Obs. Arbor 10 — 15 pedalis. The natives call a letter or paper Buka-Buka, from the English word book, a quantity of paper bound together ; so, where paper has been wanting to write a letter, the ample leaf of this plant has been used in New Zealand by Europeans, the white underside, even in its recent state, taking ink or diluted pigment extremely well ; hence the modern name of the plant by the natives Buka-Buka ! 464. B. rotundifolia, paniculis paucifloris foliis petiolatis ovato-subrotun- dis integerrimis subtus tomentosis. Forst. Char. Gen. n. 2. — Cineraria ro- tundifolia. Forst. Prodr. n. 294. Willd. A. Rich. Fl. Nov. Zel. p. 254. New Zealand (Middle Island.) Dusky Bay.— 1773, G. Forsler. 465. B. Rani ; paniculis ramosis multifloris terminalibus, foliis petiolatis lato-ellipticis acuminatis repando-serratis, supra glabris, subtus niveo-tomen- tosis, caule arboreo. Rani, incol. Rich. Cunningham. New Zealand (Northern Island). Banks of rivers, Bay of Islands, &c. — 1834, R. Cunningham. Obs. Arbor ssepe 3-orgyalis et ultra, ramosus ; rami valde patentes. Folia alterna, elliptica, grosse serrata, subrepanda 2 — 4 pollicaria. Petioli pa- tentes vix longitudine dimidii folii, supra canaliculati. The plumose pappus, the short rays of the female florets, and the form of the achenium, appear sufficient to justify the separation of these plants from Cineraria, to which Forster referred them in his * Prodromus', some years after he had published the genus Brachy- glottis, which Persoon thinks ought perhaps (for the above reason) to be restored, although Forster's second view has been adopted by Willdenow. Lessingmore recently, (1832) whose Synopsis Compos, appears now to be the text-book in this vast tribe of plants, consi- ders them species of Senecio. He says, " Genus Br achy glottis, Forster's (pappo plumoso) Jacobma, Thunb., generaque Cassiniana, Grammarthion, Dorobcea, Obojcea (Senecionis seu 2. L. radio revo- luto), &c. non sunt separatu dignse" ab Senecione. [To be continued.] BIBLIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES. Illustrations of the Zoology of South Africa ; consisting chiefly of Figures and Descriptions of the objects of Natural History collected during an Expedition into the interior of South Africa in the years 1834, 1835, and 1836, fitted out by the " Cape of Good Hope As- Bibliographical Notices* 133 sociationfor exploring Central Africa.'" By Andrew Smith, M.D., Surgeon to the Forces and Director of the Expedition. 4to. Nos. I. II. Smith, Elder, and Co., London, 1838. This is the work devoted to natural history alluded to in our no- tice of the ' Zoology of the Beagle' which has received the support of Government by a grant of money to defray the expenses of engraving the plates, &c, and being thus in a manner public property, we shall have little hesitation in expressing our opinion regarding it. It is a selection from the zoological collections brought home by the ex- pedition which some years since penetrated into Central Africa under the care and superintendence of Dr. Smith, to whose persevering zeal in the pursuit of natural history we are mainly indebted for the whole plan and execution of the journey. That gentleman we be- lieve spent some part of his early career as a student in the Univer- sity of Edinburgh at the period when Dr. Barclay as a private lec- turer gave a new impulse to natural science by undertaking a series of lectures on comparative anatomy. These lectures, novel at the time, and attended at first by many as being so, gave a different turn to the minds of young men entering the medical profession, and called on at an early period to go abroad. Many began to trace the beautiful gradations and analogies of structure in the frames of the singular animals inhabiting the different countries they visited. We can with confidence affirm that many an hour was thus spent which might otherwise have been thrown away ; and the Barclayan Museum in the Hall of the College of Surgeons in Edinburgh will bear testi- mony of the assiduity with which many a pupil wrought to add something to the collection of his admired and respected teacher. Dr. Smith appears to have imbibed much of this zeal, and when en- tering on the duties of his profession in a foreign station soon gave evidence that he had not attended these lectures in vain — for not only was the direction of the Museum at Cape Town much improved, but several valuable and novel additions were made to it by his exertions ; and the country, which had been explored by Sparrman and Barrow, and Le Vaillant, was still found to contain materials unknown and of vast interest to the zoologist. An active mind could not however rest within the boundaries of the colony, or even within the range of some of our enterprising modern travellers ; and after several ex- cursions of considerable extent, the journey we have alluded to was planned and executed, and the first portion of the result is now be- fore us. Had this work appeared ten or twelve years since, we and others would have held it as a beautiful production and scarcely to be ri- 134 Bibliographical Notices. vailed. The numbers before us are no doubt beautiful, but we have lately seen so much of the luxury of illustration that we are perhaps spoiled and become too fastidious. The work is, comparatively speaking, moderate in price, and the figures will answer every pur- pose of the naturalist ; but knowing at the same time what London can do in this department, and knowing also that a large sum of money (£1500)* has been voted by the Treasury for its use, we should have liked to have seen every part finished in the highest style of art. The plates, entirely lithographic, want boldness, and in some instances clearness, or decision in the outline and markings. Lithography suits some subjects beautifully, but in a work like that before us a combination of styles should be used wherever one was more suit- able than another to the subject, and in the representations of most of the Mammalia engraving or etching produces the more natural ef- fect. The backgrounds and stumps are extremely careless ; witness the accompaniments to Echinorhynus obesus, where it may be diffi- cult to say what it is intended to represent. Diagrams of the teeth, &c, and other structures, should be introduced either on separate plates or as wood-cuts ; the latter is the most convenient and does not entail more expense. The descriptive part is clear, distinct, and scientific, just what it should be ; and we can only wish that " the more detailed account of the manners and habits" proposed to be given in an appendix, " hereafter to be published," had been given now. Each number contains ten plates, published miscellaneously, but numbered so that each department may be arranged separately. In No. I. we have Rhinoceros Keitloa, Smith, a new species, and con- trasted with the R. bicornis, Linn., to which it is somewhat allied. Dr. Smith considers that this animal does not now range higher than about 25° S. latitude, though some time back they must have fre- quented the vicinity of Latakoo ; but from the evidence which was collected from the natives he is of opinion that at least another distinct and at present unknown species still remains to be discovered. 3. Falco semitorquatus, Smith. 4. Chizcerhis concolor, Smith. Jud- ging from the figure we should consider this bird more closely allied to Corythaix of Illiger ; it was first met with at nearly 25° S. la- titude ; it perched on the highest branches of trees, flitting to and fro in search of fruits. 5. Sterocles gutturalis, Smith, discovered about 80 miles eastward of Latakoo. 6. Otis ruficrista, Smith. * These instances of the partial patronage of science by the Treasury have, we find, caused some dissatisfaction, as being questionable on the score of favouritism, and of the disadvantage at which others have to appear, un- aided, before the public; and not merely unaided, but subjected to excessive fiscal burthens, through the Post Office, the advertisement duty, the sur- render of copies to privileged libraries, &c. &c. Bibliographical Notices. 135 7. Sternotherus Linneotus, Sm. 8. Varanus albogulari?, Daud. 9. Bucephalus viridis, Sm. 10. Echinorhynus obesus, Sm. ; a spe- cies of shark, taken, though rarely, at the Cape of Good Hope ; and it is worthy of notice, that at a late Meeting of the British Asso- ciation Mr. Strickland exhibited a drawing of an undescribed shark, taken on the Yorkshire coast, very closely allied in appearance to this, and coming into the same genus. No. II. contains : 1. Erinaceus frontalis, Sm., a good figure of a hedgehog, obtained in the districts around old Latakoo. 2. Herpestes badius, Sm., from the same locality. 3. Sciurus Cepapi, Sm. 4. Prionops Talacoma, Sm. 5. Crater opus Jar dinii, Sm. 6. Euplectes taha. 7 . Philatccrus lepidus, Sm. 8. Merops Bullockioides , Sm. 9. Pterocles variegatus, Burchell. 10. Echidna incrassata. Archiv fur Naturgeschichte. In Verbindung mit mehreren Gelehrten, herausgegeben von Dr. Ar. Fr. Aug. Wiegmann, Professor an der Friederich Wilhelms-Universitat zu Berlin. Vierter Jahrgang. Zweites Heft. Berlin, 1838. [Continued from Vol. I. p. 321.] The present part contains several very interesting papers, which we can but briefly notice in this place. The first article, ■ Remarks on the Caspian Sea/ by Prof. E. Eichwald of Wilna, has for its principal object to establish that the Caspian is independent of the Black Sea, a conclusion founded upon its different Fauna. Most of the fish found in the Caspian are fresh-water fish ; there are however several peculiar species from genera which hitherto have been ob- served in salt water only. Several new species of fish are described by the author, of which we can merely mention the names. The most numerous tribe inhabiting this sea, are the Cyprinidce, some of which are quite peculiar to it. The following are those described as new : Cobitis caspia, Clupea caspia, C.pontica, Atherina caspia, A.pon- tica. A new genus allied to the family of the Gobia, the diagnosis of which is as follows : — Bentiiophilus. Caput depressum, dilatatum, alepidoti trunci instar ver- rucis aculeigeris undique obsitum, operculum branchiale aculeato-ver- rucosum, apertura branchialis exigua lateralis, pinnae abdominales sub pectoralibus infixse medio connatse, pinna dorsi duplex, priore 3-radiata. Benthophilus macrocephalus, Gobius sulcatus, G. affinis, G. caspius, Syngnathus nigrolineatus and S. caspius. Among the Amphibia we find mentioned as most remarkable, Clemmys caspia and Tropidonotus hy- drus. T. scutatus, Pall., the author considers to be merely a black va- riety of T. natrix ; the same is the case with T. persa, Pall. The sea 136 Bibliographical Notices. is very poor in Crustacea, of which the author notices two new species, Gammarus caspius and Stenosoma pusillum. It is also ex- ceedingly poor in Mollusca compared with the Black Sea, which is ascribed to the following cause ; — that the sea is continually dissolving and taking up great quantities of salt, numerous beds of which occur in the neighbourhood, at Baku, Sallian, and towards the east coast, and in the hot summer the constant evaporation concentrates the salt water to such a degree as to render it unfit for the preservation of animal life. 2. On the dentition of the whale, by Prof. Wiegmann. 3. Remarks on the skulls of Lutra and Spalax, by H. Nathusius. 4. Cheloniorum Tabula Analytica, auctore Carolo L. Bonaparte. 5. A highly interesting paper on Evadne Normanni, a hitherto un- known Entomostracon, by M. Loven. The Evadne forms a new genus > and the author has named the only species with which he is ac- quainted after the distinguished naturalist Alex. v. Nordmann, Pro- fessor at Odessa, The author has given a detailed anatomy of the various organs, comparing them with those of Limnadia, Daphnia, Lynceus and Polyphemus. It is a very lively animal and its motions are more regular than those of Daphnia. It never proceeds in a straight, but generally in a zigzag direction. The scanty knowledge of the exotic forms, and the dissimilarity of some of the known ge- nera, for instance Daphnia and Cyclops, Cypris and Apus, which un- doubtedly will have to be widely separated when we have become acquainted with more forms, renders the systematizing at present very difficult. Evadne may be considered as a link, and is most closely allied to Polyphemus, Mull. ; it may be easily distinguished by its enormous thorax. 6. On Limosa Meyeri, Leisl., and L. rubra, Briss., by Drs. Horn- schuch and Schilling. The specific difference of these two birds has long been doubtful ; to settle this point the authors examined and compared a vast number of individuals, and have established the fol- lowing specific distinctions : — Limosa Meyeri, Leisl. Crown of the head flat ; forehead extended, from the posterior angle of the nasal aperture to the anterior edge of the eye, in the male 10 lines, in the female 11 to 12 lines ; lorum blackish brown, distinct; the tail white, banded with blackish brown. Limosa rufa, Briss. Crown of the head prominent ; forehead short, from the posterior angle of the nasal aperture to the anterior edge of the eyes 8 lines, in the female ? lorum blackish brown only inti- mated ; tail white, and banded with blackish brown. Summer clothing of the old male. — L. Meyeri, Leisl. The entire Bibliographical Notices. 137 under surface of the body dusky brown. L. rvfa, Briss. The entire under surface of the body dusky red. Summer clothing of the old female. — L. Meyeri, Leisl. Neck and gape tinted with bright dusky brown, with numerous blackish brown cross bands and longitudinal stripes ; breast white, with large dusky brown spots ; the sides blotched with blackish brown cross bands and spots ; belly white, towards the front spotted with dusky brown. 7. Dr. C. Th. Siebold on the female generative organs of the Ta- chince. From observations made on the following species which oc- cur in the neighbourhood of Dantzic, 1. T.fera; 2. T. tessellata; 3. T. grossa; 4. T. hcemorrhoidalis ; 5. T. vulpina; 6. T.nov. spec; 8. T.flavescens; 9. T.flavescens} 10. T. larvarum; 11. T. larvarum} 12. T. tristis; — it appears that the female generative organs of the Tachina are not organized after a common type, but present very remarkable differences of structure ; those from No. 1 to 7 bringing forth living maggots. The vagina is the part subjected to the greatest change in the various species, its peculiar forms at times curiously character- izing the female generative organs of certain Tachince. In this re- spect they may be properly divided into two groups : in the first is enumerated all those having a long vagina, while the second group contains those possessing a sac-like vagina. I. Group. The eggs col- lect in immense quantities in the long vagina of this group, and here are developed into maggots, which leave their egg-shell before they are deposited by the female. The development of the eggs takes place only in the vagina, therefore after they have slid by the mouth of the seminal capsules, which are situated at the posterior end of the vagina. Those eggs, quite perfectly formed, which were met with above the mouth of the seminal capsules in the ovaries or ovi- ducts, never exhibited any incipient development of the maggot. The number of eggs which the vagina contains is immense. "As I had taken the pains," says Dr. Siebold, " to count the brood in T. tes- sellata, which I found in the vagina, and brought out by an exact enumeration 2386 maggots and eggs, I could not bring myself to enumerate those which were housed in the vagina of T.fera, as I was convinced on a general view that I should have to count a brood three times greater than in T. tessellata. When therefore Reaumur, in his ' Memoires pour servir a l'Histoire des Insectes,' t. iv. p. 417, calcu- lated the almost incredible number of 20,000 larvae in the vagina of a female Tachina, this in the end might not be much overrated." II. Group. The female Tachina of this group produce fewer eggs than those belonging to the first. " I discovered in their short wide sheath generally but one large egg, in which the development of the 138 Bibliographical Notices. maggot had never commenced, so that, at least up to the present time, I have observed none of the species of this group to be vivipa- rous. It is curious how the seminal fluid and the Spermatozoa con- tained in it can arrive in the seminal capsules, situated so far from the vulva; in the first group of the Tachince, ciliatory motion cannot advance the semina from the anterior commencement of the sheath to its very end, since the sheath and the other female generative organs do not possess any, and indeed I have hitherto not discovered any ciliatory organs in true insects." 8. On the genus Scarabus, Montf., by F. H. Troschel. 9. On some native (German) land snails, by Dr. Aug. Muller. The author notices the occurrence of Helix Scarburgensis near Kiel, on the coast of the Baltic, and points out the impropriety of giving names of places to new species. The other species mentioned are Vertigo plicata and V. pusilla. On vegetable Spermatozoa, by J. Meyen. The author directs the attention to the existence of the long-tailed Spermatozoa in the an- thers oi Mar chantia poly morpha. The first part of a paper on the Motions of Plants (a prize me- moir), by M. Dassen ; this we shall notice with the third part. And a translation of Mr. Owen's paper on Gnathostoma finishes the pre- sent number. Works in the Press. Natural History and Illustrations of the Scottish Salmonidse. By Sir William Jardine, Bart. It is proposed, under the above title, to publish a series of plates illustrating the different species of the Scottish fishes, which com- pose this family, accompanied with a volume of descriptive letter- press. The plates will amount to from twenty-five to thirty in number, elephant folio, so as to admit of the greater part being represented of the size of life. On these will be figured all the species of migra- tory salmon and of trout, with its varieties, which inhabit or frequent the rivers and lochs of Scotland, together with the char, coregoni, &c. The very dissimilar appearance which this group of fishes as- sumes at different ages and at different seasons, has rendered their history extremely difficult to investigate, and has in many instances caused a nominal multiplication of species by several being described in states apparently very different, while the variation was occasioned by the same influence which acts at similar periods on the plumage of birds, and to which may be attributed the great confusion so long Bibliographical Notices. 139 existing, and in some degree still continuing, in our knowledge of this higher class of living beings. Scotland being almost in every part an alpine country, and abound- ing in large rivers and innumerable mountain streams, with lochs in an equal proportion and variety, affords an ample field for the illus- tration of this group. This great characteristic mark of its fresh - waters, and opportunities having occurred here more frequently for the examination of the various species, and their habits, than in the other parts of Great Britain or Ireland, induces the author to restrict the work, and give the illustration of this range of country complete in itself. At the same time, with a few exceptions, all the British species will be represented ; and it is proposed, if a moderate success attend the publication of this work, that two additional Fasciculi shall be devoted to the illustration of those species and varieties of England and Ireland, which do not occur in the sister kingdom. The illustrations will be published in Fasciculi of six plates each. The first will be ready for delivery to Subscribers in November, and will contain figures of, 1. S. Salar, young or Gilse; 2. Do. do. va- riety ; 3. S. albus of Fleming, or Herling of the Solway ; 4. S. ferox ; 5. S.fario, lacustrine varieties ; 6. Coregonus Willughbii or Loch- maben coregonus. The volume of descriptive letter-press will be printed in*an octavo size, and will be published on the completion of the illustrations. In this will be detailed, as far as possible, the na- tural history of the family, and it will be accompanied with nume- rous plates and wood-cuts, illustrating the parts connected with the external characters, scaling, structure, food, parasites, &c. Information is earnestly requested on any subject connected with the above work, to be addressed to Jardine Hall, by Lockerbie, Dum- friesshire. Intended to be published by Subscription, in One Volume, demy 8vo, Monographia Anoplurorum Britannia, ; or an Essay on the British Species of Parasitic Insects belonging to the order Anoplura of Leach. By Henry Denny, Esq. The object of the present Monograph is to combine in one vo- lume highly magnified figures and descriptions of all the species of parasitic insects belonging to the families Pediculidce and Nirmida, found in Great Britain, "many of the individuals of which being the companions and consequence of poverty and filth, are regarded in general rather as objects of disgust than of attraction : from this cause and perhaps too from their minuteness, these insects have hi- therto excited less attention amongst naturalists than their singular 1 40 Botanical Society of Edinburgh* and beautiful forms and structure deserve." The importance, how- ever, of illustrating this tribe will be evident when it is stated that almost every species of quadruped and bird has its peculiar parasite, and many of them are infested by two, three, or even five distinct species — that these offer so great a diversity of colour, form, and habits, that none but an entomologist would recognise the family to which they belong from any analogy they bear to the more fami- liar examples. Notwithstanding the number of individuals conti- nually offering themselves to the observer of nature, it is no less strange than true there is no one book to which he can refer for the purpose of naming them. It must not, however, be inferred from this that the subject has been wholly neglected by men of science, for so early as 1688 forty species were figured and described by Redi, since which we find the illustrious names of Linnaeus, Geoffroy, De Geer, Scopoli, Schranke, Fabricius, Albin, Latreille, Hermann, Olfers, Lyonet, Panzer, Leach, Nitzsch, and Children, assisting to elucidate this group. But as the labours of many of these natural- ists are difficult to come at, and several when procured give little more than a catalogue of names, without figures or reference to de- scription, few can avail themselves of the benefit they offer. The work will form a concise concentration of the information already possessed, with original figures, drawn and coloured after nature, and will undoubtedly be a valuable addition to the entomological litera- ture of this country. Mr. Denny will feel greatly obliged by the transmission of exam- ples of the different species of Pediculidce and Nirmidte from the fol- lowing quadrupeds and birds : — Fox. Otter. Polecat. Weasel. Squirrel. Hedgehog. Mouse. Hat. Shrews. Mole. Dormouse. Guinea Pig. Hare. Seal. Wild Cat. Bats. Pine Martin. Goat. Kite. Goshawk. Kestril. Eagle. Owl. Little Owl. Roller. Nutcracker. Creeper. Wren. Long-tailed Titmouse. Goldfinch. Pine Grossbeak. Redstart. Redbreast. Ringouzel. Dipper. Pratincole. Bittern. Crane. Night Heron. Ibis. Bustard. Little Bustard. Northern Diver. Black Stork. Quail. Hawfinch. PROCEEDINGS OF LEARNED SOCIETIES. BOTANICAL SOCIETY OF EDINBURGH. April 12th, 1838.— Robert Maughan, Esq., Member of the Wer- nerian Society, in the Chair. Mr. Forbes read a paper on the specific claims of Primula acaulis, Botanical Society of EdinburgJi. 141 veris, and elatior, in which he contended that instead of three, these form but two species, viz. P. acaulis and veris; and that P. elatior is not only not a hybrid, but a non- existence, inasmuch as after par- ticular investigation he had not been able to find any plant at all agreeing with the characters of P. elatior as given by Jacquin, who was the founder of the species. Professor Christison presented some observations on the preser- vation of fruits and other botanical specimens in the moist state, and remarked that after numerous experiments made for a series of years with various fluids, he had found none which served so well to pre- serve both the consistence and colour of fruits, leaves and flowers, as a concentrated solution of common salt. Numerous specimens were exhibited which had been preserved in this way for one, two, three, and five years, among which were sprigs with leaves and ripe and unripe fruit of Myristica moschata, Xanthochymus pictorius, Garcinia Cambogia, G. Mangostana, Hebradendron cambogioides, Alpinia Car- damomum, Mangifera indica, Ricinus communis, Flacourtia inermis, &c. In the greater part of these the green tint of the leaves and the pe- culiar colour of the fruit seemed to have undergone little alteration. When the fruit however is very pulpy, as in Solanum Lycopersicum, or lemons and oranges, a solution of salt is comparatively inapplicable, because the fruit shrivels by exosmosis of its fluids, and diluted pyro- ligneous acetic acid is found to be preferable. Mr. Hamilton read a paper on the Gardens of the Ancient Hebrews, treating in succession, 1st. Of grounds for the cultivation of the vine, the olive, or any single species of fruit tree ; 2nd. Of orchards for rearing fruit trees in general ; 3rd. Of kitchen gardens ; 4th. Of flower gardens. The paper concluded with assigning the reasons on account of which gardens were excluded from the walled cities of Judah, and with mentioning certain restrictions on the horticultural taste and skill of the people, occasioned by the interference of their Doctors and Rabbis. May 10th. — Professor Graham, President, in the Chair. Mr. Macaulay read the first part of a paper " On the effects of Ve- getation on the Atmosphere," in which the influence of the vegetable kingdom on the composition of the atmosphere was treated. After detailing various experiments tending to show that different natural families may differ in their effects on the atmosphere, and giving an abstract of the researches of Priestley, Senebier, Berthollet, Ellis, Saussure, Burnet, Morren, Daubeny, and others, Mr. Macaulay concluded by presenting a series of propositions which appeared to him to contain the present state of our knowledge on this subject. 142 Botanical Society of Edinburgh, Dr. Graham read a description of Catasetum discolor, var. luico- aurantiacum, and offered some general observations on the genus Ca- tasetum. June 14.— Dr. Balfour, V.P., in the Chair. The Secretary stated that a letter had been received by the Pre- sident from William Gibson Craig, Esq., M.P. inclosing a commu- nication from Lord John Russell, intimating that Her Majesty had been graciously pleased to become Patron of the Botanical Society. Dr. Balfour then read a paper byWm. B. Carpenter, Esq. of Bristol, containing a general view of the function of reproduction in vege- tables, in which Mr. Carpenter endeavoured to show that the repro- ductive system can be traced with increasing complexity, but with- out alteration in its essential characters, from the lowest Cryptogamic Tribe up to the most perfectly organized flowering plants. July 12th. — Professor Graham, President, in the Chair. It was stated by the Secretary that the Society had received an increase of 77 Members since the date of the last Annual Report in 1837, and that the total number of Members now amounted to 199, in the following proportions. British Honorary Members . 6 Non-Resident Members 63 Foreign Honorary Members 20 Foreign Members .... 27 Resident Members 82 Associate 1 — 199 Mr. Falconer read an account of a Botanical excursion to one of the islands of Hyeres by Mr. Percy in the year 1836, with a list of most of the species observed. Mr. Macaulay read some observations on several of the species of the genus Tortula, communicated by Mr. Robert Stark of Ciren- cester. Mr. Brand read a paper containing his views on the proper mode of arranging the Society's Herbarium and forming a catalogue for reference. He proposed to divide Great Britain and Ireland, inclu- ding the adjacent islands, into 42 districts, grouped according to a union of their political and natural boundaries, and he exhibited a map of the country arranged on this principle. He proposed to de- vote a page of the catalogue to each species, and to have printed on it the numbers and names of all the districts, with columns annexed for recording the following particulars, namely, the latitude and lon- gitude of the centre of each district, and the county whence the spe- cimens are obtained ; the condition of the plants in the respective districts, as denoted by the marks or signs used in the Society's published catalogue ; the relative situation or habitat of the speci- mens furnished, as whether upland, inland or from the coast ; the Zoological Society. 143 nature of the soil or rocks where the plants were found ; the time of their first coming into flower; with a space for general observations. The principles and objects of Mr. Brand's scheme and arrangement seemed to be generally approved of, and it was referred to a Com- mittee to consider it more fully, and to report to the Meeting in November. The Society then adjourned till Thursday the 8th of November. ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY. January 9th, 1838. — Thomas Bell, Esq., in the Chair. Mr. Gray exhibited a new species of Perameles, in size and ge- neral appearance very closely agreeing with Per. nasutus, but pecu- liar for its very short white tail, and in having several indistinct broad white bands over the haunches. The species inhabits Van Diemen's Land, where it frequents gardens, and commits great havoc amongst bulbous roots, which it is said to devour with avidity. Mr. Gray proposed for it the name of Per. Gunnii, after its discoverer, Mr. Ronald Gunn*. It was suggested in the course of some discussion which followed Mr. Gray's observations, that the roots upon which this species was supposed to feed, were probably attacked for the purpose of procu- ring such insects as might be found in them ; and Mr. Owen in re- ference to this point alluded to a dissection of a Perameles made by Dr. Grant, and published in the Wernerian Transactions, in which insects were found to constitute almost the sole contents of the stomach and intestines. A very large and beautiful Antelope, of a species hitherto entirely unknown, and which had just arrived in England under the care of Captain Alexander from the Cape, was in the room for exhibition ; and the history of the circumstances under which it had been dis- covered, were detailed in the following letter, addressed to the Se- cretary, by Capt. W. C. Harris, of the Bombay Engineers. Cape Town, South Africa, Oct. 10, 1837. Sir, — I beg the favour of your presenting to the Zoological So- ciety the accompanying drawing and description of an entirely new and very interesting species of Antelope, which I discovered in the course of an expedition to the interior of Africa, from whieh I have lately returned. A perfect specimen that I brought down has been admirably set up by Monsieur Verreaux, the French naturalist at Cape Town, and will be sent to London in the course of a few days, * Since described in the Annals of Natural History, for April, 1838. 144 Zoological Society, to the care of Dr. Andrew Smith. It would appear to belong to the sub-genus Aigocerus, and in form, as well as in other respects, bears remote resemblance to the Aigocerus Equina, (Roan Antelope or Bastard Gemsbok,) with which it has been confounded by many persons imperfectly acquainted with the subject to whom it has been exhibited. A comparison of the two animals will, however, render the existing difference between them too obvious to demand any observation from me. During nearly three months that I hunted over the country lying between the 24th and 26th parallels of south latitude, within 28° and 30° east longitude, I only once met with the Antelope in question. On the northern side of the Cashan range of mountains, about a degree and a half south of the tropic of Capricorn, I found a herd, consisting of nine does and two bucks, and followed them until I captured the specimen from which the enclosed drawing was made. None of the natives of the country were familiar with the appear- ance of the animal when first interrogated on the subject, although after conferring amongst themselves, they agreed that it was Ko5- kame, (Oryx Capensis,) the Gemsbok; and, of the many individuals to whom it has been shown, a trader named Robert Scoon is the only one by whom it has been recognized. He declares that he saw a herd of them some years ago near the very spot I have described, but could not succeed in killing one. It is, doubtless, very rare ; and, judging from the formation of the foot, entirely confined to the mountains. The females are somewhat smaller than the males, are provided with shorter and slighter, but similarly shaped horns, and are simi- larly marked ; a deep chestnut brown, verging upon black, taking the place of the glossy black coat of the male. I did not obtain a female specimen ; but whilst riding down the buck, I had abundant opportunities of narrowly observing them within the distance of a few yards, and am, therefore, positive as to the correctness of the descrip- tion here given. I have for the present designated the new Antelope " Aigocerus niger" but of course it will rest with the Zoological Society either to confirm that name, or to bestow one more appropriate or more scientific ; and I shall be gratified by their doing so. I have the honour to be, sir, , Your most obedient servant, W. C. Harris. Zoological Society. 145 The following description of this interesting addition to the Fauna of Southern Africa was appended to the above letter. Aigocerus niger. The Sable Antelope. Adult male four feet six inches high at the shoulder ; nearly nine feet in extreme length. Horns thirty-seven inches over the curve, placed immediately above the eyes, rather higher than occurs in the Aigocerus Equina ; flat, slender, sub-erect, and then strongly bent back similar- wise* ; at first gradually diverging, and then running parallel to each other; three-fourths annulated with about thirty strongly pronounced, incomplete rings, more rigid on the edges, but chiefly broken on the outside of the horn ; the remaining one fourth smooth, round, slender and pointed. Head somewhat attenuated towards the muzzle, and compressed laterally. Carcase robust. Withers elevated. Neck broad and flat. Hoofs black, obtuse, and rather short. Hair close and smooth : general colour of the coat intense glossy black, with an occasional cast of deep chestnut. A dirty white streak commencing above each eye, continued by a pen- cil of long hairs covering the place of the suborbital pouch, (of which cavity no trace is to be found in this Antelope,) and then running down the side of the nose to the muzzle, which is entirely white ; the same colour pervading one half of the cheek, the chin and the throat. Ears ten inches long, narrow, tapering and pointed ; white within, lively chestnut without, with black pencilled tips. A broad half crescent of deep chestnut at the base of each ear, behind. A small, entire black muzzle. A copious standing black mane, five and a half inches high, somewhat inclined forwards, and extend- ing from between the ears to the middle of the back. Hair of the throat and neck longer than that of the body. Belly, buttocks, and inside of thighs, pure white. A longitudinal dusky white stripe be- hind each arm. Fore legs jet black inside and out, with a tinge of chestnut on and below the knees. Hind legs black, with a lively chestnut patch on and below the hocks. Tail black; long hair skirting the posterior edge, and terminating in a tuft which extends below the hocks. Sheath tipped with black. Female smaller than the male, with smaller, but similarly shaped horns. Colour, deep chestnut brown verging upon black. Very rare. Gregarious, in small families. Inhabits the great mountain range which threads the more eastern parts of Mosele- katse's territory. * Scimitar-wlse 1 Ann, Nat. Hist, Vol 2. No. 8. CW, 1838. l 146 Zoological Society. Dimensions. Inches. Inches. Height at shoulder ...... 54 Breadth of neck 16 Length of body 44 Breadth of fore-arm 6 Length of neck 17 Breadth of thigh 6 Length of head 19 Breadth of fore-leg 2 J Length of tail 25 Breadth of hind-leg ...... 3 Length of hind-quarter . . 19 Length of honis 37 Depth of chest 30 Breadth asunder at base . . 1 Length of fore-arm 16 Breadth asunder at tips . . 9 J Fore knee to foot 15 Length of ears 10 Croup to hock 36 Breadth of head 9 Hock to foot 18J A specimen of a marine snake (JPelamys bicolor) presented to the Museum by the Rev. William White, Wesleyan Missionary to the New Zealand Association, and which, with several others, had been picked up dead upon the beach on the west coast of that country, was upon the table ; also another portion of the birds collected by Charles Darwin, Esq., to which Mr. Gould in continuation drew the attention of the Members. January 23. — Richard Owen, Esq., in the Chair. A selection of the Mammalia procured by Captain Alexander du- ring his recent journey into the country of the Damaras, on the South West Coast of Africa, was exhibited, and Mr. Ogilby directed the attention of the Society to the new and rare species which it con- tained. Among the former were the Herpestes melanurus and Cynictis Ogilbii of Dr. Smith, the Canis megalotis, &c. The latter consisted of five new species, which Mr. Ogilby characterized as follows : Macroscelides Alexandri. Fur long and fine, very dark blue- black at the root, but pointed with pale sandy- red above, and white beneath; ears pretty large, subelliptical, and red behind; whole under lip red ; tarsi white ; tail long, hairy, and very much attenuated : length 5 J inches ; tail 4| inches. Macroscelides melanotis. Of a rather larger size than the for- mer, with large head, dark brown or black ears, rather sandy under ip, dunnish white throat and abdomen, but pale reddish brown chest ; colour of the upper parts much the same, but rather more ashy ; tarsi light brown ; tail mutilated : length 6 inches. Chrysochloris Damarensis. Brown, with a silvery lustre both above and below ; a yellowish white semicircle extends from eye to eye, under the chin, covering the whole of the cheeks, lips and lower jaw ; a very marked character which, as well as the peculiar shade of the Zoological Society, 147 colour, readily distinguishes it from the new species described by Dr. Smith : no tail : length 4 J inches. Bathyergus Damarensis. A species intermediate in size between Capensis and Hottentotus : colour uniform reddish brown both above and below, with a large irregularly square white mark on the occiput, much larger than in Hottentotus, and another on each side of the neck just under the ears ; these two meet on the throat, which is thus covered with dirty dunnish white ; tail, a large flat stump covered with coarse reddish brown bristles, which stand out from it in all directions like radii ; paws reddish brown : length 8J inches \ tail \ inch*. Graphiurus elegans. Smaller than Graph. Capensis of CuV., and of a purer and deeper ash colour above ; the chin, throat, and cheeks are covered by a large patch of pure white, the rest of the under sur- face is mixed grey and ash, and all the tarsi and paws pure white : there is a mark of the same colour above and in front of each ear, and an oblique white stripe runs from the throat backwards over the shoulder, just in front of the arms ; an intense t>lack stripe passes from the commissure of the mouth, through the eye to the ear ; the tail is covered with short coarse hair, pure white above, pure black be- low, and pencilled or shaded on each side; face greyish ash; whiskers abundant, and of a grey colour : length 5 inches ; tail 2| inches. Mr. Ogilby observed, that the above species, and the one described by F. Cuvier, under the name of Graph. Capensis, appeared to him to differ in no respect from the genus Myoxus, and that in character- ising the present animal, he merely made use of the name Graphiurus to indicate its relation to that originally described by Cuvier. Mr. Ogilby likewise called the attention of the Society to certain peculiarities in the structure of the hand, in a living specimen of a new species of Galago, which he proposes to call Otolicnus Garnettii, after the gentleman to whom he was indebted for the opportunity of describing it, and who has already conferred many advantages upon science by the introduction of numerous rare and new animals. The peculiarity of structure to which Mr. Ogilby alluded, consisted in the partially opposable character of the index finger of the fore hands, the fingers on these members being divided into two groups, com- posed of the thumb and index on one side, and the remaining three fingers on the other, as in the Koalas and Pseudocheirs. He re- * This specimen, and the Macroscelides melanotis, were purchased for the British Museum, and the remaining three species for the Museum of the Zoological Society at the sale of Capt. Alexander's Collection, March 8, 1838. l2 148 Zoological Society* marked that the anterior index in all the inferior Lemuridce was weak and powerless, and that it had the same tendency to divide with the thnmb instead of the other fingers in the rest of the Galagos, as well as in the Nycticebi, Microcebi, Cheirogalei, and Tarsii, whilst in the Potto it was reduced almost to a tubercle. These genera conse- quently formed a little group analogous to the Koalas and Pseudo- cheirs among the Didelphida, being, exclusive of these animals, the only Cheiropeds in which this character occurs; and Mr. Ogilby re- garded the fact as a strong confirmation of the truth of the relations which he had formerly pointed out as subsisting between these two families. The Otolicnus Garnettii is of a uniform dark brown colour on every part both >above and below ; the ears large, black, and rather rounded ; the tail long, cylindrical and woolly ; and the size of the animal about that of a small lemur, or considerably larger than Oto. Senegalensis. A communication was then read to the Meeting by Prof. Owen, entitled, " Notes on the Anatomy of the Nubian Giraffe." These notes contain the general results of the anatomical exami- nation of three specimens of the Giraffe, which Mr. Owen had been so fortunate as to have the opportunity of dissecting ; one of the three (a male) died in the Society's Menagerie, and the remaining two (male and female) were in the possession of Mr. Cross of the Surrey Zoological Gardens. The author agrees with Cuvier in considering that the external cha- racters of the Giraffe clearly indicate its position in the orderRuminan- tia, to be between the genera Cervus and Antilope; the true bony ma- terial of its horns, which are covered by a periosteum defended by hairy integument, resembling the growing antlers of the Deer; but the non-deciduous character of this tegumentary covering to the perios- teum, and the consequent permanency of the horns in the Giraffe, reminding us of the persistent nature of these organs as it obtains throughout the Antelopes. The black callous integument on the upper surface in the horns, is noticed as a probable indication of a tendency to develope a su- perabundance of epidermic material ; and Mr. Owen conceives that the strong black hair which grows in a matted tuft around their extremities may represent, in an unravelled state, the fibres com- posing the horny coverings of the core in the horns of the Antelope. A few examples occur among both Deer and Antelopes, in which the possession of horns is found in the two sexes, as in the Giraffe ; but in this animal these organs present certain peculiar characters in the mode of their articulation to the skull, the basis of the horn Zoological Society, 149 being united by sychondrosis to the frontal and parietal bones, con- stituting an epiphysis rather than an apophysis of the cranium. With regard to the supposed occurrence of a third horn in the male Nubian Giraffe, as the osteological details bearing upon this point are given in that part of the memoir which embraces the description of the skeleton, Mr. Owen in this place merely observes, that the evidence afforded by the examination of the two individuals in ques- tion was rather opposed to, than in favour of its existence. The general form of the Giraffe is obviously modified with especial reference to its exigencies and habits ; the prolongation and extensibility of its hair-clad muzzle, the peculiar development, cy- lindrical shape and flexibility of its tongue ; the oblique and narrow apertures of the nostrils, defended by hair and surrounded with cutaneous muscular fibres, enabling the animal to close them at will, and thus to protect the olfactory cavity from the fine particles of sand which in the storms of the desert would otherwise find ingress, are points referred to by the author as exhibiting marked adapta- tions of structure in especial harmony with a mode of life consequent upon the nature of its food and its geographical distribution. For a description of the general external peculiarities of the body the author refers to Riippell's Reise im Nordlichen Africa ; Geoffroy in the Annales des Sciences, xi. p. 210; Salze, in the Memoires du Museum, xiv. p. 68 ; and the 5th and 6th volumes of Sir E. Home's Comparative Anatomy. The bulk of the paper consists of anatomical details relative to the organs of digestion, the sanguiferous system, the nervous system, the muscles, and the male and female organs of generation of the Giraffe, for which we must refer to the original abstract contained in No. 61 of the Society's " Proceedings." "We extract, however, the following particulars belonging strictly to the comparative ana- tomy and to the zoological relations of this animal. The Giraffe differs from every other Ruminant in the form of the mouth, which resembles that of the Elk in the non-division and ex- tensibility of the hair-clad upper lip, but differs widely from it in the elegant tapering shape of the muzzle. The muscles of the tongue, both as to number and arrangement, presented no peculi- arities of importance, but the nerves were characterized by the beau- tiful wavy course in which they were disposed, and by which dis- position they are accommodated to the greatly varying length of this organ. The erectile tissue, conjectured by Sir Everard Home to be present in the tongue of the Giraffe, "and to be the cause of its extension, has no existence : the only modifications of the vas- 150 Zoological Society. cular system worthy of notice were the large size and slight plexiform arrangement of the lingual veins at the under part of the base of the tongue. The inner surface of the lips, especially where they join to form the angles of the mouth, was beset with numerous close-set, strong, retroverted and pointed papillce, similar to those distributed over the interior of the gullet in the Chelonice ; a struc- ture which is also present in other Ruminants. The palate was beset with about sixteen irregular transverse ridges, having a free denticulate edge directed backwards ; an appa- ratus for detaining the food, and ensuring its deglutition, which Mr. Owen notices as especially required in the Giraffe, by reason of the small comparative size of its head and jaws : he also refers to the mechanical obstacles, which oppose the escape of the food when re- gurgitated, in the Ruminantia generally, as the presence of buccal papillce, &c. as an evidence on which to found an argument of spe- cial adaptation or design. This structure is noticed by Cuvier, but considered by him as only coexistent with the occurrence of papillce upon the lining membrane of the stomach, and as a condition of parts which furnishes no obvious indication of any connexion with final causes ; with a view of showing that no such relation of coex- istence as that imagined by Cuvier, in the presence of papillce upon different portions of the alimentary canal, can be positively esta- blished, Mr. Owen instances the Turtle, which has these callous bodies in great abundance, but entirely restricted to the lining mem- brane of the oesophagus, in which situation their use is sufficiently apparent. The great omentum, in the female, was studded reticularly with fat, as in the Ruminants generally. In the male, on raising the paunch, the spiral coils of the colon (characteristic of the Ruminants) came into view, together with the rest of the jejunum and ilium, upon the removal of which the third and fourth stomachs, and the small liver wholly confined to the right of the mesial plane, were exposed. The spleen, as usual in the Ruminantia, had its concave surface applied to the left side of the first stomach or rumen. The kidneys occupied the usual position in the loins, the right one a little more advanced than the left ; their figure was rounded and compact, as in the Deer and Antelopes, and they were not ex- ternally lobated as in the Ox. The cells of the reticulum, as in the Reindeer, were extremely shallow, their boundaries appearing only as raised lines ; but there was the same form and grouping of the cells as obtains throughout the Ruminants generally, the arrangement being that by which the greatest number are included in the least possible space. Zoological Society. 151 The folds of the psalterium resembled those of most other Rumi- nants. The ccscum was a simple cylindrical gut, as in other Ruminants ; its circumference about six inches. The disposition of the colon re- sembled that of the Deer. The presence of a gall-bladder, distinguishing the hollow-horned from the solid-horned Ruminants, made the investigation of this point in the anatomy of the Giraffe one of extreme interest \ and Mr. Owen remarks, that the result of his examination of three individuals shows the caution which should be exercised in generalizing upon the facts of a single dissection. In the first Giraffe (Mr. Cross's female) a large gall-bladder was present, having the ordinary position and attachments, but presenting the unusual structure of a bifid fundus. Upon making a longitu- dinal incision down its side, it was found to be divided throughout its length by a vertical septum of double mucous membrane, form- ing two reservoirs of equal size ; the organ in fact was double, each bladder having a smooth lining membrane, and communicating sepa- rately with the commencement of a single cystic duct. In the two Giraffes subsequently dissected not a vestige of this organ could be detected, the bile in them being conveyed by a rather wide hepatic duct to the duodenum. Mr. Owen therefore concludes that the absence of the gall-bladder is the normal condition, and that the Giraffe in this respect has a nearer affinity to the Deer than to the Antelopes. The cranial plexus of the internal carotid artery was much less developed than in the ordinary grazing Ruminants. The brain of the Giraffe closely resembled, in its general form, and in the number, disposition, and depth of the convolutions, that of the Deer : it was more depressed than in the Ox, and the cerebrum was wholly anterior to the cerebellum. The anterior contour of the cerebral hemispheres was somewhat truncated. The olfactory nerves were large, as in most Ruminantia, and ter- minated in expanded bulbs, in length 1^ inch, in breadth 1 inch : these were lodged in special compartments of the cranial cavity. The optic nerves and ninth pair were relatively larger than in the Deer. The other cerebral nerves presented no peculiarity. The spinal chord had a close investment of dura mater, and was remarkable for the great length of its cervical portion, which, in the Giraffe dissected at the Zoological Gardens, measured upwards of three feet, the entire length of the animal from the muzzle to the vent being eight feet. Mr. Owen here particularly describes the ap- pearance in the origins of the cervical nerves depending upon the 152 Zoological Society, elongation of this part of the spinal chord ; the space between the lower filaments forming the root of one nerve, and the upper filaments of the root of the succeeding nerve was not more than the space be- tween the individual filaments of each root ; whence it would seem that the elongation of the cervical portion of the chord was produced by a general and uniform interstitial deposition during foetal develope- ment, which thus effected an equable separation of these filaments ; so that a single nerve, as in the case of the third cervical, might derive its origin from a space extending six inches in length. In the dissection of the abdominal muscles no peculiarity of im- portance was noticed ; but in the neck there existed a highly inter- esting modification of the parts which effect the retraction of the os hyoides. The pair of muscles which, as in some other Ruminants, combines the offices of sterno-thyroideus and sterno-hyoideus, arose in the Giraffe by a single long and slender carneous portion from the anterior extremity of the sternum ; this fleshy origin was nine inches long, and it terminated in a single round tendon six inches in length ; the tendon then divided into the two muscles, each division beco- ming fleshy, and so continuing for about 16 or 18 inches ; then each muscle again became tendinous for the extent of two inches, and ultimately carneous again, prior to being inserted in the side of the thyroid cartilage, and continued thence in the form of a fascia into the os hyoides. Mr. Owen observes that this alternation of a non- contractile with a contractile tissue, as exhibited by the above structure, displays in a most striking manner the use of tendon in regulating the amount of muscular contraction. Had the sterno-thyroideus been muscular throughout its entire length, the contraction of its fibres would have been equal to draw down the larynx and os hyoides to an extent quite incompatible with the connections of the adjacent parts ; but the in- tervention of long and slender tendons duly apportions the quantity of contractile fibre to the extent of motion required. The ligamentum nucha was remarkable for its prodigious develope- ment ; it commenced at the sacral vertebra, and receiving, as it ad- vanced, accessions from each of the lumbar and dorsal vertebra, be- came inserted into the spinous processes of the cervical, the extreme portion passing freely over the atlas, and terminating by an expanded insertion upon the occipital crest. The bony attachment of the liga- ment afforded by the skull was raised considerably above the roof of the cranial cavity, the exterior table of the skull being widely sepa- rated from the vitreous plate by large sinuses, which commencing above the middle of the nasal cavity extended as far posteriorly as be- neath the base of the horns ; the sinuses were traversed by strong Zoological Society. 153 bony septa, forming a support to the exterior table. The sphenoidal sinuses were of large size. The nasal cavity occupied the two anterior thirds of the skull, and the ossa spongiosa were proportionably developed. The condyles of the occiput were remarkable for their great extent in the vertical direction, and the inferior and posterior parts of the articular surface meet at an acute angle ; a structure which enables the Giraffe to elevate the head into a line with the neck, and even to incline it slightly backwards. Four longitudinal rows of flattened processes projected from the inner surface of the uterus, showing that the foetus is developed in the Giraffe by means of a cotyledonous subdivided placenta, as in other horned Ruminants, and not, as in the Camel, by an uniform vascular villosity of the chorion. February 13th, 1838.-— William Yarrell, Esq., in the Chair. Mr. Martin exhibited an insectivorous animal which had fallen un- der his observation in examining a collection of specimens, presented some time since to the Museum, by the late William Telfair, Esq. In the Zoological Proceedings for March 12th and July 9th, 1833, reference is made to a letter of Mr. Telfair's, accompanying a very young insectivorous animal, known to the natives of Madagascar by the name "Sokinah," and which Mr. Telfair was disposed to refer to the genus Centenes. The above specimen being only seventeen days old, its characters could not be satisfactorily determined; but the pre- sent animal, which Mr. Martin considers to be the adult of the same species, appears to be more nearly related to the genus Erinaceus than Centenes; but at the same time it differs so materially in the charac- ter of its dentition, as to warrant the establishment of a new genus for its reception. Mr. Martin therefore proposed to characterize it under the generic appellation of Echinops, with the specific title of E. Telfairi, in memory of the lamented and zealous Corresponding Member of the Society from whom it had been received. Echinops. Corpus superne spinis densis obtectum. Rostrum breviusculum. Rhinarium, aures, caudaque ut in Erinaceo. Denies primores -f, superiorum duobus intermediis longissimis, discretis, cylindraceis, antrorsum versis ; proximis minoribus. Canini ~zq. Molares s~\ utrinsecus antico l m0 supra, et 3 bus infra spuriis ; re- liquis, ultimo supra excepto, tricuspidatis, angustis, transversim 154 Zoological Society. positis ; ultimo suj)ra angustissimo ; molaribus infra inter se fere sequalibus, ultimo minor e. Pe^fes 5-dactyli, ambulatorii; halluce breviore ; unguibus parvulis, compressis ; plantis denudatis. EciiiNOPS Telfairi. Ech. auribus mediocribus, subrotundatis intus atque extus pilis parvulis albidis obsitis ; capite superne pilis fus- cis; buccis, mystacibus corporeque subtiis sordide albis, spinis fus- cescenti-albis ad basin, apicibus castanets ; caudd vix apparente, unc. lin. Longitudo corporis totius 5 2 ab apice rostri ad auris basin . . 1 2 tarsi, digitorumque „ 10 j — auris „ 5 Habitat. Madagascar ? " Sokinah " of the Natives of Madagascar ? In the upper jaw the incisors are four in number, and apart; the two middle are large, sub-cylindrical, elongated, and placed at the apex of the jaw ; the two others are small, and seated behind the former. Separated from these by a small space, succeed the canines, similar in character to the incisors, but stouter and with a slight posterior notch. The molars are five on each side : the first false and simple ; the three next transversely elongated, with two external tubercles in contact, and one internal; hence their crowns assume the form of an elongated triangle, the apex being internal ; the fifth molar is a slender lamina transversely placed, but not advancing so far laterally as the molar preceding it. The under jaw presents two small incisors, somewhat apart from each other, and directed obliquely forwards; behind these there follow on each side in succession three larger and conical teeth, di- rected obliquely forwards, and which may be regarded as false molars. Separated from the last of these by a small space, succeed four molars on each side, vertical and smaller than those above, with two tuber- cles internally and one externally, so that the worn surface is trian- gular, with the apex outwards ; the last is the smallest : the surfaces of all are apart, but their bases are in contact. Mr. Martin observes, that this system of dentition (very distinct from that which characterizes the Tenrecs, (Centenes,) and the ge- nus Ericulus of Isidore Geoffroy) presents us with characters which decidedly separate Echinops from Erinaceus, notwithstanding their approximation. In Erinaceus the upper incisors are six ; there are no canines, but three false molars on each side, and four true molars, of which the last is small and narrow ; the others square, with two outer and two inner tubercles ; while in the lower jaw, the incisors, Zoological Society, 155 two in number, are very large, followed on each side by two false molars, and four true molars. In Echinops, as in Erinaceus, the feet have five toes ; the thumb of the fore-feet is small and seated on the wrist/ the other toes are small, and armed with feeble, compressed, hooked claws, the last toe the smallest : the toes of the hind-feet resemble those of the fore-feet, and the inner and outer are the smallest. The snout, ears, tail, and spiny covering of the upper sur- face of the body, as in Erinaceus. The skull, as compared with that of Erinaceus, was proportion- ally very inferior in size ; it was more level above, and narrower, the cranial cavity being contracted, and the muzzle shorter. The occipito-parietal ridge was elevated, the zygomatic arches were almost obsolete. The palate was narrow, and the posterior foramina, which in the hedgehog are large open fissures, were reduced to mi- nute orifices. The pelvis was very narrow, and the pubic bones were separate in front. The vertebral formula was as follows : Cervical 7 Dorsal 15 Lumbar 7 Sacral 2 Coccygeal 8 ? The ribs consisted on each side of 8 true and 7 false. Mr. Yarrell exhibited a recently preserved example of a new spe- cies of Swan, closely allied in external appearance to the well-known Domestic Swan, but having the legs, toes, and interdigital mem- branes of a pale ash-grey colour, which in the Cygnus olor, 111., are deep black. Mr. Yarrell observed, that this species had been known to him for some years past as an article of commerce among the London dealers in birds, who receive it from the Baltic, and di- stinguish it by the name of the Polish Swan. In several instances, these swans had produced young in this country, and the cygnets when hatched were pure white, like the parent birds, and did not assume at any age the brown colour borne for the first two years by the young of all the other known species of White Swans. Mr. Yarrell considered that this peculiarity was sufficient to entitle the bird to be ranked as a distinct species, and in reference to the unchangeable colour of the plumage, proposed for it the name of Cygnus immutabilis . During the late severe weather, flocks of this swan were seen pursuing a southern course along the line of our north-east coast, from Scotland to the mouth of the Thames, and several specimens were obtained. The specimen exhibited was shot on the Medway, where one flock of thirty, and several smaller flocks were seen. 156 Eighth Meeting of the British Association. BRITISH ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE, EIGHTH MEETING, HELD AT NEWCASTLE-UPON-TYNE. Section of Zoology and Botany. President. — Sir W. Jardine, Bart. Vice-Presidents. — R.K. Greville, LL.D., Rev. L. Jenyns, Rev. F. W. Hope. Secretaries. — Messrs. John Edward Gray, R. Owen, John Richardson, M.D. Assistant Secretary. — Prof. T. Rymer Jones. Committee. — Messrs. Joshua Alder, John A damson, C. C. Babington, J. E. Bowman, — Bowman, W. Backhouse, Thomas Bell, Thomas Coulter, M.D., Messrs. J. H. Fryer, George T. Fox, Albany Hancock, W. C. Hewitson, Hon. T. H. Liddell, Mr. Edwin Lankester, Prof. Morren, of Liege, Patrick Neill, LL.D., Mr. George Ord (Philadelphia), R. Parnell, M.D., Mr. W. Robertson, Capt. James Ross, R.N., Messrs. P. J. Selby, W. Thompson, G. Wailes, T. Teale, W. C. Trevelyan, W. Yarrell, Richard Taylor, Rev. W. Hincks, Capt. J. Cook, R.N., Messrs. J. Allis, Arthur Strickland, H. Watson, G. B. Sowerby, Prof. Ehrenberg, Joseph Woods, Prof. Graham, M.D. The following communications were laid before the Section ; some of which, or authentic abstracts, will be given in our present and succeeding Numbers. Aug. 20. — On the Botany of the Channel Islands ; by C. C. Ba- bington, Esq. — On the Formation of Angular Lines on the Shells of certain Mollusca; by J. E. Gray, Esq, Aug. 21.— On the Wild Cattle of Chillingham Park; by J. Hind- marsh, Esq., of Alnwick. — On the Production of Vanilla in Europe; by Prof. Morren, of Liege. — On some new and rare Species of Bri- tish Fish ; by Dr. Parnell. — On the Falco Islandicus of authors ; by Mr. J. Hancock. — On the Cants jubatus ; by Col. Sykes. — On some Vegetable Monstrosities ; by the Rev. W. Hincks. Aug. 22. — On the Gemmiferous Bodies and Vermiform Filaments of Actinia? ; by Mr. T. P. Teale. — Account of an Inosculation in two Trees ; by Mr. Wallace. — On a new Species of Ascaris ; by Dr. Bel- lingham. — On the Genera Pinus and Abies ; by Captain J. E. Cook, R.N. — On the modern Classification of Insects ; by the Rev. F. W. Hope. — On the Ardea alba ; by A. Strickland, Esq. Aug. 23. — A verbal report on Infusoria was made by Prof. Ehren- berg*. — Verbal communications were also made by Dr. Parnell on Clupea alba (White Bait) from the Frith of Forth ; by the Rev. Mr. Jenyns on some species of Sorex ; and by Mr. Gray on the Boring of Pholades. — Report on the present state of our knowledge of the Salmonida of Scotland ; by Sir W. Jardine. — On the Toes of the African Ostrich, and the number of Phalanges in the Toes of other * The substance of this report has been communicated to us by M. Ehren berg, and will be found at p. 121. of our present Number. — Ed. Miscellaneous* 157 Birds ; by Mr. Allis, of York. — On a hybrid Tetrao, given by Tem- minck as a distinct species ; by Dr. Charlton. Aug. 25. — On the Sternoptixinece, a family of Osseous Fish ; by Dr. Handy side. — On the distribution of the Terrestrial Pulmonifera ; by E. Forbes. — On the annual appearance of the Lestris tribe on the coast of Durham ; by E. Backhouse, Esq. — A verbal report on the Marsupiata by Mr. R. Owen. — On a new species of Smelt, Osmerus hebridicus ; by Mr. Yarrell. — On the application of Botany to Agriculture ; by Mr. Jerdan. — On noxious Insects occurring in the year 1838 ; by the Rev. F. W. Hope. MISCELLANEOUS. ORCHIDACEM. The public journals have not been wanting in paying due honour to the two most magnificent works which have ever appeared upon the subject of botany, we mean the Orchidacece of Mexico and Guati- mala, by James Bateman, Esq., and the Sertum Orchidaceum of Prof. Lindley. It would be invidious to attempt to draw a comparison between them. Each is alike honourable, whether as regards the scientific or pictorial department : each treats of the same splendid, eminently splendid, family of plants ; yet there is no rivalry ; and so carefully is the introduction of the same species avoided in both, that one work may be considered a continuation of the other, and we trust they will meet with that encouragement to which their merits entitle them. Sure we are that neither the Botanical Magazine nor the Botanical Register combined can record the numerous species of this favourite group of vegetables so rapidly as to keep pace with their introduction. Mr. Gardner from Brazil alone has sent home to our collections many new species, and we have at this moment received from Mr. Moss, of Otterspool, Liverpool, a Cattleya, which in size, colour and fragrance may be deemed the most remarkable of this family. Its flowers are 1\ inches across in one direction, %\ inches in another, 24 inches in circumference ! This will very shortly be figured in the Botanical Magazine. COLLECTIONS OF SCOTTISH AND AMERICAN MOSSES. Such arrangements have been made with the family of the late excellent botanist and traveller Mr. Drummond, that the extensive collection of mosses made by him in Scotland, and more particularly in British North America and in the southern United States, will be 158 Miscellaneous. classed in sets, and offered for sale at the rate of 1/. 155. the 100 species of Scottish mosses, and 21. the 100 for those of America; of which latter, however, the northern and southern will form se- parate sets, several of the northern having been published pre- viously to Mr* Drummond's death, which are already in the possession of those who might therefore now wish to purchase only the southern species. The exact number of each set cannot clearly be ascer- tained at present (they being in the charge of a botanist, competent to the task, who is naming them), except as regards the Scottish mosses, of which some sets are already prepared, amounting to from 220 to 230 species. It is reckoned, upon the average, that there may be about 80 or 100 of the southern American mosses, and from 150 to 180 of the northern ones. They are good specimens and in beautiful preservation, and can be had loose or arranged in volumes, at the option of the purchaser. Application for sets may be made to Sir W. J. Hooker, in whose hands there still remain a few sets of Mr. Drummond's phsenogamous plants from Louisiana and Florida. DESCRIPTION OF THE ANIMAL OF PANOPJEA AVSTRALIS. M. Valenciennes has recently presented a memoir on this subject to the Academy of France detailing the internal and external organi- zation of Panoptea australis. The most recent works on Mollusca enumerate but three species. M. Valenciennes has however shown, that by combining the materials scattered in the various collections and works, that we are at present acquainted with fifteen species of shells belonging to this genus, five of them living in the different seas of the globe, and the other ten fossil, belonging to the various layers of calcaire grossier or to the chalk. Of the living species two are found fossil, but completely identical, in the recent forma- tions of the argillaceous marls of the environs of Palermo ; one spe- cies belongs to the Mediterranean, the other to the Norwegian seas. — Compte Rendu, No. 6, August 1838. INDUSTRY AND METAMORPHOSES OF THE ODYNERI. M. Leon Dufour has recently presented to the Academy of France a memoir on the industry and the metamorphoses of this genus of insects, describing at the same time several new species. Since the time of Reaumur, who made such interesting researches on this subject, sci- ence has remained quite at a stand-still. M. Dufour confirms the correctness of the facts advanced by Reaumur, corroborating them by the description of an analogous but distinct industry in some new Odyneri.— Compte Rendu, No. 10, Sept. 1838. Meteorological Observations. 159 LESTRIS PARASITICUS. A mature individual of the Lcstris parasiticus, Tern., was shot near Whitburn in the county of Durham, about the 24th Oct. 1837, and is now in my possession. — J. Hancock. OCCURRENCE OF COPPER IN PLANTS. M. Wiegmann, senr., has lately announced that Prof. Sprengel of Brunswick had found in the cinders of Trifolium pratense 3 per cent, of copper, and that he had also found the same quantity of this metal in those of Trifolium pannonicum, cultivated in his garden, the soil of which is very different from that whence the Trif. pratense had been obtained. M. Sprengel subsequently examined some tre- foils grown in a field, the soil of which did not indicate any traces of this metal in its composition ; and was convinced that its exist- ence in the two former was owing to its presence in the ground where the plants were cultivated. The fact affirmed by M. Spren- gel proves that a small quantity of a noxious substance may be absorbed by plants without any prejudice to their development. — Flora. OCCURRENCE OF FALCO ISLANDICUS IN ENGLAND. A specimen of the Iceland Falcon (Falco Islandicus) in first plumage was shot at Normanby, Yorkshire, March 1837 ; and an- other individual in the Newcastle Museum, which is a female and in the mature plumage, was shot in Northumberland a few years ago. These two instances are sufficient to rank the Iceland species as a British bird.— J. Hancock. METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS FOR AUGUST 1838. Chiswick. — August 1. Very fine : heavy rain at night. 2. Main. 3. Fine. 4. Overcast : slight rain. 5. Cloudy. 6. Sultry, with showers. 7. Showery. 8, 9. Fine. 10. Overcast. 11 — 16. Very fine. 17. Hazy : slight rain. 18 — 20. Very fine. 21. Showery. 22. Rain. 23. Showery. 24. Cloudy and fine. 25. Foggy : rain. 26, 27. Very fine. 28. Overcast : lightning at night. 29. Cloudy and fine. 30. Clear and dry. 31. Very fine. Boston. — August 1. Fine. 2. Cloudy: rain early a.m. 3. Rain. 4. Fine: rain p.m. 5. Fine. 6. Cloudy : rain p.m. 7. Heavy rain with thunder and lightning p.m. 8. Cloudy. 9. Fine : rain p.m. 10. Cloudy: rain p.m. 11, 12. Cloudy. 13—15. Fine. 16. Cloudy. 17,18. Fine. 19,20. Windy. 21. Windy: rain early a.m.: rain p.m. 22. Windy: rain p.m. 23. Stormy. 24, 25. Fine. 26. Cloudy. 27. Cloudy : therm. 74° 6 p.m. 28. Cloudy. 29. Windy: rain early a.m. 30,31. Fine. Applegarth Manse, Dumfries-shire. — August 1. Rain p.m. : warm and moist. 2. Fine day throughout. 3. Fine day : occasional showers. 4. Moist and cloudy. 5. Heavy rain p.m. 6. Very heavy showers. 7* Showery all day. 8. Fine summer day : cool p.m. 9. Wet throughout. 10. Fair a.m. : wet evening. 11. Drizzling rain a.m.: fair p.m. 12. Fair: shower p.m. 13, Fair: shower at noon. 14. Fair throughout. 15. Fine clear day. 16. Tem- perate: cool. 17. Beautiful summer day. 18. Cloudy: moist p.m. 19,20. Showery all day. 21. Rainy all day : flood. 22. Showery all day. 23,24. Fair a.m. : shower p.m. 25. Very moist : rain p.m. 26. Fair : warm : cloudy. 27. Fair, but threatening. 28. Drizzling all day. 29. Clear and cool, 30. Temperate, 31. Mild though cloudy, i£s tO■ * * £ lis £ * It' ► I * *' * I co ~ 55 4ihilUlHH\4 ' hjS hS i-ii5 H« h«h« h|m h|im h|c» Si5 m|c* ■«* co . as to <© tO lOiOlOioiCO LOVOtOtOtOiOiO'O 'Ti , iO».0*O l OtO«0»OiOiOtO , to "^ u"i to OsOOs— ©O00t^<©a0p-HOSI>'©ast^.tO©l>(OiOTtt0t0©00Osas-o to to *o *o *n <© to io io ^o w io io ioioio>oio»nioioioic»nioio to to >p *p ip to coU3C^iU3ei©» — idNHin >< 'i:'|'P9 , ^ l ^9 c !P?????9?9?V :i ?9V 5 ? l P^ l P^^?9?? , f :i 9 Ss'coosdb— obcouo^ — obo> — cn — coco^ooos©os4f^ — .2*jinio«:©io»cio i o»niowio(oioioioio>oin«:ioio i ou5'*in^oio(0'n ( io ^OfONt^OOOOOip^OipOOipippOOOOipiOOpOip ^i<^^coocoob^(^c^c^^"obi^»©c»©coc^6>io»bco^^^^«N co^^^cococi©coco^i^^©^c»ob6ir^^^©<^^t^©cot^c^>h© 0(OOOOdOOOOlOOOO*0>0 10*0 10 00 10 to tO tO i© i© O lO to <© COtOCI <©00 - ( t^COOsOsOsr^OOO © CO t>- yr »o cp oo os © © — © — © *© ci as -i i> as op op as r» © — gs osasososososos© as as as as © © © o © © as csoo ososdiososci^o o a C«C^C^C^C^C^C*COC^CNC^C^COOCOCOOCOC^C^C^(NC^OIC.ir^op gso © © ^ Osc^c^<^c^O>cr>c^c^c^0^c^©S© © © © CMCNOJCMC10IC1CNCN(Mt^TCOS(Or*»OC«Tf«m00Or-lOO>00(N«5O OlOTfrf o Ot-HOnOOKMO tOOOt^l'COOOlOOOXX) N"*r5iO(NOS«OSOOlCfO OSNt>*OiOiO*OOi-iOOSOO hhOh rioOTfcO(NTfOSOOr«M>HH (N-^fcip-KVo-^ooooQOoico— C^.ci cotocoi>-asoi asioio^asio— cototoioio o © cooo coasas OX I^i0ici0l>0 OO h ©CM'- • — — ICM(^COCOCOCOCOCOCOCOOOCOCOCMCICOCO ANNALS OF NATURAL HISTORY. XVIII. — On the Organic Origin of the Potstones or Paramou- dras of Whitlingham, near Norwich. By Prof. Ehrenberg of Berlin. AT the late Meeting of the British Association in Newcastle, Mr. Lyell made a very interesting communication on the verti- cal funnel-shaped flint tubes, three feet in length and one in width, which arc filled with chalk, and traverse the horizontal layers of chalk near Norwich and in Ireland. Mr. Lyell inti- mated that these flint tubes, known by the local name of Pot- stones or Paramoudras, would probably be found to consist of microscopic organized beings, similar to those which had been diieovered 'in other chalk flints. Prof. Sedgwick was rati er of opinion that they had the appearance of being merely petri- fied fungi, since they quite resembled some forms of large living sponges. Dr. Buckland, who had formerly considered them of organic origin*, at present abandoned this opinion, and viewed them rather as a product of the chemical separation of the silica from its mixture with the chalk, supporting him- self by direct experiments which had exhibited similar pheno- mena. This difference of opinion among geologists of such emi- nence and so universally esteemed, induced me to submit these stones to a direct microscopic examination. During my stay in London in September I obtained from the museum of the Geological Society some small fragments of two of these Pa- ramoudras, which have exactly the form of large specimens of Spongia Infundibulum. The microscopic examination deter- mined the organic nature of these masses. I failed to discover in the interior of the stone the structure of well-preserved sponges, which the exterior forms represented, and perceived only contorted remains of decomposed vegetables (probably in- * See Trans, of Geol. Soc. First Series, vol. iv. p. 413. where figures of them are given. — Edit. ■ Ann. Nat. Hist. Vol.2. No. 9. Nov. 1838. m 162 Prof. Ehrenbcrg on the Origin of the Paramoudras. deed sponges), and among these, along with many imperfect specimens, some well-preserved microscopic Polythalamia, shells, and Infusoria, of the same species which I have found diffused in like manner in all flints from the chalk, and which therefore very probably may have had great influence at the formation of these very extensive layers of stone. I also readily recognised well-preserved examples^f Xanthidium pilosum and fragments of X ramosum*, together with the Polythalamia, which I have mentioned in my memoir on the Berlin flints. The sinking of this silica, deriving its origin from organic fragments, by its own gravity, in a funnel shape, through a more solid but naturally still soft layer of chalk, may probably be explained from local circumstances (perhaps from air cavities), which caused the yielding of the yet soft subjacent chalk, where large horizontal flat masses of silica had collected, and could in its pulpy state still sink in the form of a funnel, when the superior layer of chalk pressing down on it formed the core. A heavier body coming from the upper layers of chalk may also have here and there slowly sunk through the soft siliceous masses into the under layer of chalk, and have left these flint funnels behind as indicators of its passage. In the first case, the funnel would always be found closed at the bottom 5 in the latter open at the top and bottom. In each case it would always be wider at the top and narrower at the bottom. If the flint funnels stood with their wider aperture directed downwards, a penetrating force may have proceeded from below upwards, and in this way ascending gases may have operated. Local observations will easily explain further this interesting phenomenon. The circumstance of the other contemporaneous forms of the English layers of flints being for the greater part compressed in flattened plates, speaks against the supposition that they were well-preserved sponges in which Infusoria and Mollusca happened to be living ; and also the remaining upright of such large soft forms is not at all pro- bable ; nor does the existing internal structure in any way fa- vour this view. Ehrenberg. * Drawings of these two as well as of several other species of Xanthidium occurring in the English flints will be found in the plates illustrating the Itev. J. B. Reade's Paper in the present number. — Edit. Capt. 8. E. Cook on the Genus Pinus and Abies. 163 XIX. — On the Genera Pinus and Abies, with Remarks on the Cultivation of some Species, By Capt. S. E. Cook, R.N.* The extraordinary interest which has been excited by the introduction of the various species of Pinus within the last few years, may make a few observations respecting them, more especially on their ceconomic value, acceptable. By the zeal and activity of our own and foreign collectors, seconded by the assistance of various bodies and of wealthy individuals, we are provided with a list of about seventy spe- cies of Abies and Pinus, exclusive of the junipers, cedars and other kindred Coniferce which now ornament our collec- tions. The greater part of these may be considered as well- defined species or varieties ; whilst, as is inevitable from the comparative novelty of the subject, and the want of public gar- dens and repositories for the purpose of standard reference, which to the discredit of the authorities and the prejudice of the public good we are yet without, a portion derive their appel- lations from the gratuitous assistance of those who are inter- ested in multiplying names, and frequently confer them where no real distinction exists. It would be impossible within moderate limits to give even a short notice of this long list individually. At present it is intended merely to form them into groups, reserving more de- tailed observations for the Europoean species, which are by far the most interesting in a national and oeconomical point of view. We propose to divide the seventy species above-mentioned into the following groups : 1st. Old America, if we may use the expression, which includes the United States west of the Mississippi, and Canada with Labrador, and extends to the li- mits of vegetation to the north. 2nd. Those species which are produced in the magnificent range which separates the waters of the Atlantic from those of the Pacific, commonly known by the barbaric appellation of the Rocky Mountains, for which the " Northern Andes " or some native term, if such could be obtained, ought to be substituted. This, which at present forms about fifteen species, we shall designate by the name of * Read in the Section of Zoology and Botany at the Meeting of the Bri- tish Association, Newcastle, and communicated by the Author. M 2 164 Capt, S. E. Cook on the Genus Pinus and Abies. the " Douglas group/' as we owe most of our knowledge re- specting it to that lamented traveller, whose memory well de- serves such a compliment. The 3rd is that of the uplands of Mexico, of which we already possess a few specimens. The 4th is composed of the species newly discovered to clothe parts of the Himalaya mountains. The 5th is that of Europe. We should gladly make another division of the Caucasus and mountains of the north of Asia, but as yet our information is too incomplete to enable this vast portion of the globe to be regularly placed in the series. The first group, that of the United States and Canada, pre- sents every variety of form and size to the number of about twenty species. Of the whole of this list, although many of them are of the noblest port and dimensions, none produce tim- ber of more than second-rate quality, and the greater part only of very inferior value. Many of these kinds are found in the depth of enormous and primaeval forests, where they are shel- tered from every wind, and draw their nourishment from the richest alluvial soil covered by the successive vegetable depo- sits of countless ages, in a climate where a severe but steady winter is rapidly succeeded by an almost tropical summer. We can easily imagine that under these circumstances the rapid growth of timber may be fatal to the solidity of its tex- ture, and consequently to its durability ; but how are we to ac- count for the same quality pervading that of the species which are grown on dry and sandy or rocky uplands, or on the bleak coast of Labrador, in climates resembling those of Russia and Norway, in which our finest timber is produced ? Such, how- ever, is the undoubted fact, and it is equally singular that none of these species grow well in Europe, our best specimens being little more than abortive representations of the indivi- duals they are descended from when seen in their native fo- rests. As in the ceconomic point of view, therefore, they can neither be considered as very useful nor even ornamental, we shall not make any further remark upon them. Far other anticipations may be indulged in respecting the Douglas group. Without being over sanguine, there is little doubt that amongst the gigantic species forming it, of which we are already acquainted with about fifteen, we shall make Capt. S. E. Cook on the Genus Pinus and Abies. 1G5 some valuable additions to our woodlands. One species al- ready known, the Abies Douglasii, according to the accounts transmitted to Dr. Lindley, which are fully borne out by the appearance of the timber and the growth of the young trees in every part of England, appears to possess the qualities of the larch, of durability, quick growth, and utility when young, with the advantage in some respects of being an evergreen. We earnestly entreat all cultivators to attend to this species, which, in the absence of seed, which we hope will shortly be supplied from our own trees, is readily propagated by cuttings. Our acquaintance with these Californian forests is too recent, and the habits of the people who frequent them too barbarous, to admit of our possessing much certain information respect- ing the nature of their timber ; but as, by the munificent care of the Duke of Devonshire, collectors are now in the country for the express purpose of collecting large quantities of cones of the kinds already known, and of making further discoveries, it is to be hoped we shall soon possess more ample knowledge of them. It is very much to be regretted that Government does not take advantage of this period of profound tranquillity, and in con- cert with the Fur Company cause a line of permanent settle- ments to be made across some parts of the chain. By this means we should obtain valuable and certain information on these and other interesting subjects ; and by carrying the same system through Upper Canada, the Anglo-Saxon race would be established from Labrador to the Pacific across the whole continent of North America. The species which have been as yet sent from Mexico are few in number and of too recent introduction, to warrant delay in giving detailed accounts of them, and it is more than pro- bable they may be found rather remarkable as tropical species than for any superior qualities to be expected from them. From the Himalaya range, our species, although as yet but few in number, are on a scale we should expect to find in such a chain of mountains. TheEuropaean species are in some degree represented amongst them, as we have silver and spruce; and there is a cedar in place of that of Western Asia. From the comparative advanced state of the inhabitants with those of the American forests, we may look for better accounts of the 166 Capt. S. E. Cook on the Genus Pinus and Abies. quality and durability of their timber ; and the enlightened pa- tronage of the India Company, seconded by the unwearied zeal and ability of their officers, will no doubt enable us to add materially to our list of this interesting region. The Abies Webbiana, a gigantic silver fir, probably the noblest of the tribe, has not perfectly stood this winter near London, although it has in my neighbourhood. It may probably become inured to the climate, and the A, Morinda, their spruce, which has stood uninjured, well deserves attention. Both species are propagated easily by cuttings. In the northern parts of the chain our travellers might meet with the A, pichta, the silver fir of the Altaian chain, which seems to be a most desirable tree to possess ; and in the mean time, through the assistance of the Russian Government, which in matters of science is extremely liberal, seed might be pro- cured in sufficient quantity to make the trial it so well de- serves, as it ought to equal in hardiness if not surpass any of our Europsean species. The last and most interesting group on the whole is un- questionably that of Europe. We are now tolerably well ac- quainted with the species that are spread over this portion of the globe, from the arctic circle to the shores of the Mediter- ranean and the confines of Asia and Africa. By far the greater part of these are of considerable, and some of surpassing value. In taking the range from south to north it will be found that the qualities of the timber become more valuable, as the tree which produces it grows naturally at a higher elevation, lati- tude, and level above the sea, one or both entering into this calculation. The same tree which grows spontaneously on the shores of the Baltic is never found in a similar situation on those of the Mediterranean, but as it approaches the south gradually ascends the sides of the mountains in search of a more congenial climate. We also find that there is no in- stance of a species which grows naturally at a low elevation producing good timber, the improvement in quality being as nearly as possible in a direct ratio from south to north, or in the degree of winter's cold they are able to resist. To prove these positions, which we shall find afterwards to be of some importance, we shall proceed to analyse some of the principal species, following the descending scale. Capt. S. E. Cook on the Genus Pinus and Abies. 1G7 We may take the P. sylvestris, the hardiness and good qualities of the timber of which are so well known, as a point to commence from. Two Europaean species only of Pinus to my knowledge claim to live at a higher elevation than the Scotch fir ; these are the P. Cembra and P. uncinata. The Cembra grows in the very highest of the northern and central Alps, and, wherever I have seen it, above the other forests. There are a few remaining on the Montanvet at Chamouny, apparently because they were not worth removing, nearly all the good specimens in that locality being extinct. It grows in the coldest parts of Siberia. The timber is superior to that of the sylvestris. In like manner the P. uncinata forms a complete zone in the high Pyrenees, where it is placed above the sylvestris. The timber is of higher value than that of its less hardy congener. The sylvestris itself is found from Norway to the south of Spain, where I found two ranges of forest ; one in the Sierra de Guadarrama, or great central chain of Spain, where it forms the upper zone; the other in the Sierra de Cuenca (lat. 41°), of which it occupies the northern summits, and is floated down by the western arm of the Tagus to supply Madrid with build- ing materials. This is, as far as I know, its southern habitat. Its place in hardiness and value consequently is nearly but not quite the first. The next in rank are two species which I shall place toge- ther, because their geographical site and elevation as well as quality seem to indicate the propriety of doing so, although they are wholly distinct from each other, the P. Laricio and P. hispanica. The P. Laricio is found, as far as any authen- tic information we possess goes, exclusively in the central parts of the lofty island of Corsica, in lat. 43°, where it grows at a moderately high elevation, and does not descend to the shores of the Mediterranean. The Pinus hispanica, which as yet has been found only in Spain, I found to range from the Sierra de Segura, in lat. 39°, to the foot of the Pyrenees, in lat. 43°. It grows generally at an elevation of 2000 to 3000 feet, and not to my knowledge higher nor lower. It has erroneously been represented by some writers to extend into France. The fact is, in the local- ity where the forests of the hispanica are placed, between the 1G8 Capt. S. E. Cook on the Genus Pinus and Abies. rivers Cirna and Essera, it is separated from the French ter- ritory by leagues of distance and thousands of feet of eleva- tion. The frontier line in that part extends for a great distance amid the Siberian altitudes of the Maladetta and Mont Perdu, far above the limits of arboreal vegetation. The forest men- tioned in the c Arboretum' as at the Port de Scez, is ofuncinata, and is Spanish and not French. Independently of other differences between these species, which are quite distinct, the Laricio is highly resinous, the hispanica white and dry in the timber. The former tree as- sumes the umbellate form, which the hispanica does not, its growth being singularly free and elegant ; and it is more clear and transparent both in the bark and foliage than its geogra- phical neighbour. In the scale we propose the timber of both these species ought to be of the middle quality, better than those below them, and inferior to the preceding species which are higher in the scale. This is precisely the case ; and the Laricio is rather the better of the two, its habitat being colder than that of the southern natural site of the P. hispanica. The Pinus Pinaster, and Pinea, or stone pine, are next on the list. There is little difference in the habitats of these spe- cies, or in the value of their timber. I found the Pinaster to oc- cupy a regular zone below the sylvestris, in the central range of the Guadarrama. If there be two varieties, which is doubtful, this is identical with the Pin des Landes ; and taking altitude and latitude both into account, these localities, which are about its northern limit, pretty nearly correspond with each other. The Pinus Pinea has its most northern natural habitat, as far as I know, taking the elevation into account, in the plains and uplands of Old Castile, which is further north than that assigned to the Pinaster, but it is certainly less hardy than that species in other climates. These pines, growing thus far north and at a rather high elevation, ought to produce good timber, whilst that of both is notoriously the contrary. How does this happen ? Because these northern sites are not the general or exclusive habitats of the species, both of which descend to a very low level. In the same country the Pinea is found growing spontaneously in the sandy wastes of Anda- lusia, in the Tierra Caliente of Spain, in the zone where the Capt. S. E. Cook on the Genus Pinus and Abies. 169 palm and the cactus are found along with it ; and the Pinaster' inhabits the warm valleys of the Serrania de Ronda, at a low elevation above the Mediterranean, in a corresponding situa- tion to which, along the coast of Provence and in the Ligurian Apennines east of Genoa, it is also met with. These species, which are next below the Laricio and P. hispanica, produce, as follows from the localities assigned to them, timber of inferior quality to the species inhabiting the zone above them ; the Pinea I believe being rather the better of the two. There now remains the halepensis, of which three varieties are found along the shores and inlands of the Mediterranean, nearly throughout its whole extent. The three varieties are that with large red cones, which is the common, and I think only species in Spain, and is probably the more hardy ; the second has small cones, and was found on the Riviere of Genoa ; the third is the P. Brutia of Professor Tenore. There is a tree in the Botanical Garden at Naples. The northern habitat of this tree in Italy is Romagna and the Vale of Terni, and in Spain the Alcarria, a high but genial di- strict of New Castile, where I found it abundant ; below the Pinaster and P. sylvestris. Its site is thus the lowest in the Europasan series ; and whilst the palm of beauty must be ceded to it beyond every other in form and colour, for ceconomic purposes it is the most worthless of the tribe. A complete confirmation of the relative hardiness of this species has been afforded last winter. Near London and through the greater part of the north of the kingdom the halepensis may be con- sidered to be extinct. I have lost two varieties, whilst the P. hispanica and Laricio, which were growing by their side, are wholly unscathed. These observations embrace the principal species of the centre and w r est of Europe ; the P. Pumiiio is omitted, as not being a timber tree, though it is only precluded by its scanty dimensions from being in the first rank, to which its port, and hardiness appear to entitle it. Before we proceed to the Abies and Larix we must notice two species which appear to be nearly allied, the tatarica or Pallasiana, and the austriaca. The locality of the former is the Crimea, and we can scarcely, 1 70 Capt. S. E. Cook on the Genus Pinus and Abies. from its occupying a district so distinct from any other, place it regularly in the European series. It is, however, beyond doubt of the upper or better class, and most probably hereafter its true place will be found amongst the zones of the Caucasus and Northern Asia. The austriaca, which appears to be nearly allied to it, as they probably bear about the same relation to each other that the hispanica does to the Laricio, has been recently introduced by Mr. Law r son of Edinburgh. Not having seen or examined the forests which supply it, I cannot yet assign it a specific place ; but it is no doubt entitled to a very high rank in the upper series, and promises to be a most valuable addition to our arboretum. We now proceed to the Larios or common larch, which is spread from the Southern Alps to Siberia, but I believe never grows naturally at a low level, excepting far to the north. The most southern site I know it to inhabit is in the high Apen- nines, near their junction with the Alps in Piedmont. In this part were, and I suppose still are, as I was informed by the Piedmontese engineers, vast and almost inaccessible forests of trees of the largest dimensions. It is common in the highest Piedmontese Alps around Mont Rosa and Mont Blanc, and in ascending the Great St. Bernard is seen far above every other tree. I have little doubt, however, that it once was overtopped by the Cembra, which in the adjoining valley of Chamouny holds the highest zone. It thus claims the high place its hardiness and value of the timber so fully bear us out in as- signing to it, on the theoretic examination of the zones it na- turally inhabits. In Scotland it appears to thrive at a higher level than the sylvestris by the report of the Duke of Athol ; but although a most valuable and important fact, it may be from local causes, and these observations are confined to the natural position of the tree in its original forests. We shall be anxious for future information whether the larch of Siberia and of the centre of Europe be identical, of which we have some doubts ; and it would be very desirable to ascertain the fact precisely, which could easily be done by correspondence with the Russian Go- vernment and the authorities of Odessa. The Abies now claim our attention. We do not adopt the Capt. S. E. Cook on the Genus Pinus and Abies. 171 fanciful term of Picea, and divide the class, because of the difficulty of making a true demarcation ; and that the species of Europe are too scanty in number to make it necessary. Besides these reasons, the term is not truly applied, some other pines producing turpentine in greater quantities than that on which this name has been conferred. The Abies do not supply us with the same extended series of observations which w T e have traced in the Pinus. They are also inferior in the absolute quality of their timber to the best of the preceding genus, and we suspect, but want data to affirm its being generally the case, that is so through the groups, and that the Abies fall below the Pinus in ceconomic value. It is certainly so in the Europaean series. The first in hardiness is the Abies excelsa, or common spruce, which ranges from Lapland to Savoy, south of which it is not to my knowledge found in the natural state. It cer- tainly does not, nor ever did inhabit the Pyrenees, as asserted by some writers. It would appear to live further north than the sylvestris, its only neighbour in the north of Scandinavia ; but it is possible, that dampness of soil, which it resists better than any of the tribe, may be the cause of this apparent greater degree of hardiness. Although its timber, which is dry and light, may not equal that of some Of the kindred species in utility for some purposes, it is a most valuable tree and well worthy more attention than it has received in an ceconomic point of view. The Abies pectinata, or silver fir, is unquestionably less hardy than the last-mentioned species. It ranges less to the north and further to the south than either the sylvestris or excelsa. Extensive forests of it exist in the Pyrenees, where it is placed in a regular zone below r the P. uncinata and syl- vestris, and next above the beech. It descends into the com- paratively genial climate of Navarre and the Basque Provinces, and as a variety even into Greece. The common silver fir is not to my knowledge found be- yond the Baltic, and it is probable that those reported to exist far north in the East of Europe are the pichta or Altaian species. A variety has been recently found in Cephalonia, on which 172 Capt. S. E. Cook on the Genus Pinus and Abies. it is to be regretted that the local name [A. cephalonica) should have been conferred, for there can be no doubt that the same species forms the capping found by the French Savans who recently visited that country, to cover the loftiest summits of Mount Taygetus, in the centre of the Peloponnesus, and hel- lenica or grceca would have been a better distinctive appella- tion. This with the common species of Europe and the pichla forms three varieties, which no doubt will be found to differ in quality as in hardiness, when we have the opportunity of minutely comparing them. These absolute zones or degrees of ability to resist the cold can only be collected by extensive observations and compa- risons of many regions, but when treated on that scale are con- stant and unvaried. There are localities notwithstanding, where the species nearly allied in hardiness meet as upon neutral ground. The Splugen is one of these. In passing that wild mountain, five years since, I took up in the same part of the Rheinwald, plants of P. sylvestris, A, excelsa, A.pecti- nata, and Larix europeeus, which were thus congregated; and in judging hastily it might have been inferred that the species grew naturally at the same degree in elevation, which, as we have demonstrated, would have been erroneous. We now proceed to the application of the facts on which the foregoing observations are founded, namely, to show the practicability of cultivating some species of Pinus on a large scale, with a view to the increase of our national resources, and to render the payment of enormous sums annually for timber hereafter in a great part unnecessary. There is no question whatever that the Grampian mountains, instead of being as at present, in great part an unproductive waste, would, if properly managed, at a cost comparatively trifling, enable us not only to provide for our own wants, but even to export timber, instead of being, as we are at present, wholly de- pendent on foreign countries for this necessary of life. We are indebted for our attention being called to this im- portant subject by the prudent and calculating foresight of the Dukes of Athol, who in laying the foundation of enormous wealth and power for their descendants, have shown the policy which ought to be followed by the nation. Capt. S. E. Cook on the Genus Pinus and Abies. 173 The last Duke of Athol calculated that the possessor of his woodlands on the Tay would in a few years be as rich or richer than any individual in Britain ! What are these wood- lands ? They consist of about ten thousand acres of larch, planted in great part upon barren moor land, the aggregate value of which was a very few hundreds per annum ! How different our Administrations manage these things ! We are at this moment almost dependent on foreign Governments for permission to buy the timber, which, with hardly any cost, we could produce in the same way that this princely fortune has been founded. We are now actually buying larch timber to build steam boats from the Italians ! We are annually lay- ing out enormous sums for the growth of oak, of which one large portion, that of Staffordshire, is avowedly of bad quality, whilst no attempt is made to grow fir, of which a rapid and most enormous profit may easily be made. To show the re- lative value of an acre of larch in the north of Scotland with one of oak in the New Forest, or that of Dene, we will take the mountainous declivities of the Grampians at 2s. per acre ; we take this value, which is very high, because Governments always purchase dear, and because only the ground best suited to the purpose should be selected. Land which would pro- duce larch admirably in the Grampians is worth not more than 6d. per acre of annual rent. In Hampshire or Staffordshire no land which will grow good oak is worth much less than 21. per acre, thus making, at the high computation for larch, twenty times the value for the same extent. But by the calculations of the Duke of Athol ten acres of larch would suffice for the same purpose as seventy- five acres of oak, on account of the trees growing so closely, and that there is little ground lost. This makes a seventh or less ; therefore the respective values of land in the Grampians and in the south of England, if applied in this manner, are one to one hundred and forty, and the cost of larch compared to that of oak would be the one hundred and fortieth part, the time required for the maturity of each being taken at seventy to seventy-five years. It seems incredible that a subject fraught with such momentous consequences to the nation should have been wholly or entirely overlooked by those who have the dis- 174 Capt. S. E. Cook on the Genus Pinus and Abies. posal of our resources, and that no steps should have been ever thought of to effect a purpose which would immortalize the memories of those who should first set about it, and lay the foundation for wiping off the national disgrace of being without forests, whilst we have the most ample means of creating them. Besides the common and well-known advan- tages of the larch, which are in the quick growth and unpa- ralleled excellence of the wood, there are other not less cogent reasons for recommending it as the chief or staple produce in a system of national forests. Not only the thinnings are more productive than those of any other tree, but the prodigious increase of value in the soil which is derived from the ferti- lizing power of its spicula? must be taken into account. In fifteen to twenty years lands planted with it could be safely let as sheep pasture, and the rents would soon increase so as probably to defray the expense of purchase, or at last pay a very good interest for the money expended in the first instance ; thus adding another increase of national resources by convert- ing waste into productive soil. Besides the low value of land in these districts, which is so strong an ceconomical recommendation, there are others in favour of the north of Scotland. The rocks in the Grampians are chiefly primary and many of them igneous, which are ex- tremely favourable to the growth of timber, especially of the larch, which requires free drainage and a dry subsoil. In this description of ground alone is the tree seen in its true form as in the alpine forests, throwing out enormous arms and vying in picturesque beauty with the other inhabitants of the woods. It may be urged, in answer to these observations, that there are abundant plantations already in the hands of private indi- viduals, and that in case of need the country will have the benefit of their outlay. It is very clear that no certainty can exist in such calculations. The caprice, extravagance, avarice, or cupidity of private persons may at any time operate to the serious injury of the public. What has become of the ancient Caledonian forests, the last remains of which have been swept away in this generation ? The history of the mines which sur- round us is sufficient proof how little individuals frequently look beyond the moment they require pecuniary supplies. Capt. S. E. Cook on the Genus Pinus and Abies. 1?5 The volcanic appearance of the heights on every side, and the treasures which are being consumed for ever, are sufficient proof of the futility of calculating on such resources, and show that we ought to create them, as we have the power to do, in fee simple, making ourselves alike independent of indi- viduals and foreigners. By devoting 100,000 acres, which is about the size of the larger Highland estates, to this purpose, we should in seventy to. seventy-five years, proceeding on the calculation of the Duke of Athol, that in the same period his forests would be worth five to six millions sterling, be possessed of national capital to the amount of fifty to sixty millions in timber alone, besides a large tract of mountain pasture returning an ample annual revenue, and all this with an outlay in the first instance com- paratively trifling. It is needless to observe that this immense result cannot be obtained, or even the entire foundation laid, in a moment, but must be attained by steady and systematic perseverance, like that of the individuals above-mentioned who have bequeathed us so noble an example. By the creation of forests on this scale, we should make some reparation for the consumption and destruction of the vast mineral treasures, on which vital staple of national wealth the operations of this ge- neration will about that period begin to be seriously felt. Although the larch unquestionably far exceeds every other tree for the purpose we are speaking of, it would be most de- sirable that some of the evergreens should be grown on scales according to the results of experience of their utility and the fitness of the soil and situation to bring them to perfection. It is hardly necessary to observe that we should only recom- mend those of first-rate properties, as shown in the list we have gone through. The P. Cembra, of which the timber is perhaps superior to that of any other species, labours under the disadvantage of being extremely slow of growth. However, the trials made in this country are as yet not sufficient ; and it can only be fairly tried on dry hills or mountain sides, clay soil and flats being unsuited to it ; and very probably it might be improved by grafting the P. sylvestris in the Tchoudy manner. The uncinata is considerably quicker in growth than the 176 Capt. S. E. Cook on the Genus Pinus and Abies. Cembra, and being superior in quality to the sylvestris, would require trial as soon as seeds could be procured in sufficient quantity, which at present must be done from the forests in the Spanish Pyrenees. The sylvestris of course would have its place in localities suited to it. The spruce would claim the greatest consideration, especially in damp soil, which might be found unfavourable to the larch, and where warmth and shelter were required. It is extraor- dinary that in a country so congenial with Norway this tree should not have been tried on a larger scale by the Highland proprietors. We remember being struck with the grandeur it would impart to the magnificent though denuded fall of Fyers. The silver fir would no doubt repay the cultivation in cer- tain localities suited to it, its growth being very rapid ; and it resists the wind much better than its last-mentioned congener. The writer knew an instance where, near Plymouth, the pro- prietor of an estate there was offered by the people of the dock-yard 100 guineas for a single tree of this species ; it was during the war and the highest prices ; but as that tree would not occupy a space of more than forty feet in diameter, we may conceive the value of an acre covered with such trees*, and its age probably was not above seventy years. An establishment of the sort we are contemplating would require space to be devoted to trials of such other species as might prove desi- rable to acclimatize, such, for instance, as the P. austriaca and Pallasiana, A. Douglasii, A. pichta^ &c. &c. We must now conclude with a few hints to individuals on other species, more especially to those who reside or have pro- * Since this paper was read the writer has received a communication from Mr. Salvin of Croxdale, near Durham, who possesses extensive woods and has given much attention to the subject. He states that the silver fir, when felled and left on the ground, resists the effects of a humid climate and damp soil, well fitted for such a trial, better than the larch. As it is per- fectly well known that the timber of the one species is very much inferior to that of the other, we were at first rather struck with this curious fact. It is strongly denied that there is any inferiority or defect in the larch such as is apt to be the case when grown in soil unsuited to it, which indeed rather affects the inside than the outside of the tree. The solution we suspect to be the following : that the heart of the timber is preserved by the turpentine, which is deposited in the outer layers ; and we hasten to announce this most important and valuable information, in order that experiments maybe made on the silver fir as pile timber, for which, if the pluenomenon here men- tioned be general, the tree will, in every respect, be most admirably suited. Capt. S. E. Cook on the Genus Pinus and Abies. 177 perties in the west and south of England. The larch cannot be grown to much profit as timber on cold wet lands, what- ever be the climate. The pines of the middle class, P. Laricio and P. hispanica, we have not the smallest doubt might be grown to advantage on Dartmoor or Exmoor, South Wales, &c, and it is to be regretted that proprietors should have planted so bad and useless a tree as the Pinaster, which has been done in some of those counties, where these better spe- cies would thrive equally well or better. The cedar of Lebanon might be grown for profit by care at first in any part of the south of England. They may be easily raised from cuttings, the modes of which as well as the grafting pines may be found in that excellent work Loudon's c Arbo- retum 5 , the vast quantity, and condensation of information in which makes it invaluable to the tree cultivator. The pre- judice against trees raised in this manner is quite unfounded : we might with quite as much reason declaim against propaga- ting by layers, which, in many species, is our only resource when the tree does not ripen seeds in this climate. We have one more observation to make respecting the larch, which is more particularly addressed to those who pos- sess estates in the adjacent counties, and especially in the higher and colder parts. It is to call their attention to the planting larch as an improver of soil. There is no doubt whatever, by draining our cold clays, and planting larch alone, that after fifteen to twenty years thinning them to open order, sheep could be admitted with perfect safety. After that, by regularly opening them out, the land would be prodi^ giously increased in value as pasture, and the last trees could remain until they were wanted, or that the tops should supply the unerring information that they had done their best and must be cut down. It is necessary to observe that belts or strips will not answer the purpose, but that planting with this view should be in solid masses, or squares or oblongs, from east to west, and also that in this system we do not recommend, but on the contrary deprecate, the mixture of other trees, especially oaks, to the vain and useless hope of growing which so much capital is uselessly expended. In short, according to our calculation, the larch is to be used merely as a fructifier Ann. Nat. Hist. Vol.2. No. 9. Nov. 1838. n 178 Capt. DuCane on the Metamorphosis of Crustacea. or ameliorator, the trees remaining to defray the expense and loss of time. The prejudice of the damage done to trees by sheep is groundless, compared to the benefit to be derived from their use as here recommended ; and we are quite sure that it could be acted on with the greatest benefit to the land and to that of the vicinity by the shelter afforded, and that the value of every estate, large or small, would be very much increased by the general adoption of such a plan. S. E. Cook. Carlton, 16th August. XX. — Letter from Captain DuCane, R.N., to the Rev. Leonard Jenyns, on the subject of the Metamorphosis of Crustacea*. With Plates VI. and VII. Southampton, August 20, 1838. Sir, The British Association for the Advancement of Science having requested me to present a report at its Meeting at Newcastle this year on the subject of the metamorphoses of the Crustacea in the Southampton waters, I beg to trouble you with the following observations relative to the metamor- phoses of the ditch prawn {Palcemon variabilis) and common shrimp (Crangon vulgaris), which I shall be obliged by your laying before the Association. I last year, through Mr. MacLeay, presented drawings of the larva of the ditch prawn, exhibiting the appearance it pre- sented from the time of its first exclusion from the egg till the end of the third day, when my specimens died. I have not this year been able again to obtain the larva of the prawn di- rect from the egg ; but the ditch which is the locality of this particular species, having supplied me with the larva in great abundance, I have been enabled very satisfactorily to trace the various changes it is subject to in the progress towards its adult state. These changes, as shown in the accompanying drawings, are four in number ; the three last may however, I think, rather be considered as a gradual and progressive development * This important letter arrived at Newcastle too late to be read at the Section of Zoology and Botany. — Edit. 'Jtrw,. Mi. Msb. Vol . II .T1.7I , larva, of Ike Pitch, Frowns r&laemoii -va.riabile. Atvk.M Vol JIT1.YH. '< I of /•/ r Pi t i ■/•' // 'CI It 7/ i. 9 I ! I ' IT L C I ■ 71 Larva.' of the Common. Shrvm,p. C rvmfi V. rang on vulgaris. ./*Vc/™ /»AA Capt. DuCanc on the Metamorphosis of Crustacea. 1 79 of the parts of the adult animal than an actual metamor- phosis. The drawings Nos. 1 and 2 represent the appearance of the larva on its first exclusion from the egg, and excepting in being more accurately drawn, I am happy to find that they do not differ materially from the hasty sketches I had an op- portunity of making last year at the end of the third day. No. 1. shows the animal as it appears in motion in the water ; No. 2. as viewed when lying on its back, in which position the rudiments of the true legs are visible, doubled up under the thorax. No. 3. is the larva in its second stage, ascertained by ob- serving the moult of the former. It has now one serrature on the dorsum of the cephalothorax : the eyes have become pe- dunculate. It has five pairs of natatory legs ; and its proper legs, both walking and prehensile, are developed : the rudi- ments of subabdominal fins are becoming visible, but the tail continues spatulate as before. No. 4. is its third stage, also ascertained by witnessing the moult. The larva has now two serratures or spines on the cephalothorax, the legs are the same as in the second stage ; but the subabdominal fins are more developed, and the tail has acquired two leaflets on each side, one of them being de- licately fringed, the other still only in a rudimental state. Nos. 5. and 6. represent the larva in its fourth or last stage, as it appears swimming in the water and lying on its side. I have however not had an opportunity of observing the moult in this case. It is evidently the same animal as is drawn by Mr. Thompson in Jameson's < Edinburgh Journal 5 for July 1836. The larva has now three serratures, six pairs of false or natatory legs, and the true legs resemble those of the full-grown or perfect prawn; the subabdominal fins are still further deve- loped, and the tail also approaches nearly to that of the adult animal, which I had the satisfaction of observing in the con- dition its next moult brings it to. It then becomes a true P«- Icemon. It is a curious and interesting circumstance in tracing the changes of this larva to observe, that through all its conditions its movements are retrograde ; but no sooner has it divested N 2 180 Capt. DuCane en the Metamorphosis of Crustacea. itself of this last envelope and got rid of its natatory legs, than the subabdominal fins, which have hitherto been un- formed and useless, come out ornamented with a delicate hair- like fringe, and become the organs by which the prawn ad- vances in the water, and which are kept constantly in the same rapid motion that the natatory legs were kept in whilst the ani- mal was in its larva state. The animal henceforth also ceases to move backwards, excepting for the purpose of avoiding danger. Nos. J. and 8. are drawings of the larva of the common shrimp (Crangon vulgaris) ; the larvae were kept seven days from the time of their exclusion from the egg, and were then destroyed in consequence of my leaving home; they had at that period undergone no change. The general character is the same as the larva of the prawn, but they have in this stage only three pairs of natatory legs; and it is remarkable, that their movements, instead of being retrograde like the larvae of the prawn, are constantly rotatory, excepting when they come in contact with each other : they then dart suddenly off in a la- teral direction ; the rudiments of the true legs were visible, but too minute to be enumerated. The above particulars, following up as they do the pro- gressive changes in the prawn, and confirming the valuable observations of Mr. Thompson as to the fact of the macrourous decapods being subject to metamorphosis, will I trust be ac- ceptable to the Association, and excuse my troubling you in such detail. I have the honour to be, Sir, Your very obedient Servant, Rev. Leonard Jenyns, C. DuCane. tyc. fyc. fyc. Extract from a Letter on the same subject from Capt. DuCane, R.N., to W. S. MacLeay, Esq. The larvae mentioned in the paper, unfortunately sent too late to the British Association, were taken from a salt-water ditch in this neighbourhood. I have since hatched the ova of some ditch prawns in pure fresh water, although I had previously kept them upwards of a month. The larva on quitting the egg corresponded precisely with my drawings Nos. 1. and 2. Mr. T. Paine on the Hairy -armed Bat. 181 which I have given as representations of the first stage. On the third day after exclusion they had undergone no change ; but on the fifth (I had no opportunity of examining them on the fourth) several of them had moulted ; and on the sixth I had the satisfaction to observe two of them in the very act of shaking off their first envelope. The abdominal section was cast in one piece, the cephalothorax in a second, and the ani- mals were struggling to divest themselves of their antennae and legs. I looked at this interesting operation for a consi- derable time, and even made some attempts to assist them in their endeavours, but they appeared to be exhausted by their struggles, and in fact the following morning I found them dead. I thus lost the whole of them before they underwent their se- cond change ; however I was glad to find that these larvae after their first metamorphosis had only one spine on the back of the cephalothorax, as is represented in fig. 3. I have recently been making some observations upon Thompson's "opossum shrimp" [My sis Fabricii, Leach). It is certainly a very interesting animal, but I rarely find one with a pouch, and only in one case have I yet found this pouch to contain the young. I did intend, had I been able to go down to Newcastle, to take with me my specimens of different woods as they have been eaten by the Limnoria terebrans. I hope now to be able to show them to the naturalists at Birmingham. We are repairing our pier by substituting new piles covered with iron nails for those that have been destroyed by the ravages of that animal. XXI. — Notes on the Hairy-armed Bat (Vespertilio Leisleri), and on its occurrence in the Eastern part of Norfolk, By Thomas Paine, Jun., Esq. [With a Plate.] When in Norwich a short time since I observed at a bird stuffer's shop in St. Giles some specimens of a bat which was unknown to me. Having procured one, it was found on ex- amination to be the hairy-armed bat ( Vespertilio Leisleri) of which a description and figure are given by Mr. Bell in his c History of British Quadrupeds/ There were eight others 182 Mr. T. Paine on the Hairy-armed Bat. with it in the shop, all of the same species, and the informa- tion given respecting them was, that there were fourteen taken from an old hollow tree in a village in the vicinity of Norwich. The specimen described was the largest among them. The Vespertilio Leisleri is smaller than the Noctule, and the membrane rather deeper in proportion to the size of the ani- mal than in that species; the upper jaw projects considerably beyond the under, and rather more than appears in Mr. BelPs figure ; the ears are hairy within, the tragus rounded, scarcely half the length of the ear ; the tail is exserted very little, if any, beyond the interfemoral membrane. The muzzle is naked and dusky; the ears horn-colour, edged with dusky. The head, neck, shoulders, and all the upper parts of the body are bright chestnut brown ; the lower jaw nearly black, the throat of a dusky brown, and all the lower parts of a dusky yellowish brown ; a ridge of hair runs all round the body of the bat both above and below on the inter- femoral membrane, varying from two to six lines in width ; along the fore-arm on the inner surface of the interfemoral membrane is a quantity of reddish brown hair, rather thinly scattered in the middle, but more close near the wrist, and nearly half an inch in width. The membrane is dusky, nearly approaching to black. inch. line. Length of head 10 of head and body 2 11 of ear 5^ of tragus l£ of fore-arm 2 from the knee to the extremity of the toes 1 2 of the tail 1 8 Extent of the flying membrane 12 2 From these measurements it appears that the present speci- men is considerably larger than that described by Mr. Bell, which was said to be the only English occurrence of this spe- cies. His animal was probably a young one, as the colour of the under parts as given in the * British Quadrupeds 5 is much darker than in this specimen. It is said by Mr. Bell to frequent hollow trees, where it congregates in vast numbers unaccompanied by any other species. Mr. A. H. Haliday on new British Insects, 183 As Mr. BelPs figure represents the front view of the animal, and as no coloured representation of it of which I am aware has yet appeared, the dorsal aspect has been chosen for the present figure, Plate X.*, which shows the bat of half the na- tural size. By way of conclusion to this short notice I have only to ob- serve, that the various species of bats are (in this neighbourhood at least) not sufficiently studied, and there is no doubt that by diligent research many of those species which are now consi- dered rare would be found to be comparatively common, and to have been mistaken for those well-known species to which the greater part of them are closely allied. Great Yarmouth, June, 1838. XXII. — New British Insects indicated in Mr. Curtis' s Guide. By A. H. Haliday. [Continued from p. 121.] DlPTERA. Culex detritus, C. 13 37. 9 b .— Ent. Mag. i. 151. This seems to be the original C. pipiens of Linnaeus. The insect described by Meigen under that name is a very differ- ent species and not uncommon. Bibio nigriventris, C. 1179. 4 b . — Ent. Mag. i. 157. I have now ascertained that this is the other sex of B, al- bipennis. Cordylafulveola, C. 1174. 2. This is the other sex of C.fasciata. The sexes in this ge- nus differ both in the form of their antennae and the num- ber of joints, which also varies according to the species. There are two minute ocelli in all that I have examined, but they are easily distinguished from the Mycetophilce by the en- larged basal joint of the palpi, on account of which Macquart has called the genus Platy palpus f. * It being our intention, as will be seen in the notice on our wrapper, to give a supplement of plates at the end of our volume, we must reserve the present one for that opportunity. — Edit. t The genus Platypalpus is separated from Tachidromia by Macquart, ' Dipteres du Nord de la France.' Platy p. Dolichop. &c. p. 92. — E. Newman. 184 Mr. A. H. Haliday on new British Insects, Leia nasuta (Mycctophila id., C. 1173. 17 b ). L. fusca abdomine albido-piloso ; antennis basi pedibusque flavis ; trochanter ibus nigris, m.f. Long. 2-^—3 lin. Not uncommon about rivulets at Holy wood. Add. Wings as in Mycetophila, fig. 21. (Meig. 1. pi. ix.) The face of the male is usually armed with a deflected horn or spine. There are three ocelli nearly in a line on the vertex, which determines its place in the genus Leia. Mycetophila flauipes of Macquart (S. a B. i. 130) seems nearly allied. Limnobia Aegle, C. 1157. 37 c . This is identical with Idioptera pulchella {Limnobia id, Meig. vi. 275. Idioptera maculata, Macq. S. a B. i. 94). Spania Fallenii, C. 1203 b . 2.— Ent. Mag. i. 162. Notwithstanding the different form of the antennas I am led to consider this as the female of Sp, nigra, which occurs more frequently in the same marshes in the month of June. The proboscis is longer in the females and the palpi not exactly linear. I have no longer any doubt as to the place of this ge- nus among the Leptidce, Medeterus ruficornis, C. 1256. 5. App. 279. M, obscure seneus, fronte thoraceque olivaceis ; antennis brevis- simis rufis margine apicis fusco ; palpis pedibusque pallidis, tarsis fuscis ; nervo transverso ordinario ab alae margine remoto, m.f. ; hypopygio recondito, m. Long. I4 lin. Tarbert, July. Dolichopus sabinus, C. 1258. 9 b . App. 279. D. ciliis genarum albidis ; viridi-seneus antennis basi subtus runs ; pedibus pallidis, tarsis nigris basi pallidis ; alarum costa ex- teriore infuscata, m. f. ; tibiis posticis basi variolosis, femoribus imberbibus, lamellis albidis, m. Long. 2 lin. Killarney and Tarbert. Dolichopus signifer, C. 1258. 9 C App. 279. D. ciliis genarum albis; viridi-seneus femoribus apice tibiisque pallidis posticis apice nigris; alarum apice nigricante ; m.f. femoribus posticis subtus fusco- ciliatis, lamellis albidis, m. Long. 2 lin. On a sandy islet in Roundstone Bay. Platypeza infumata, C. 1248. 14. P. csesia halteribus pedibusque fuscis, tarsis basi pallidis ; thoracis macula tridentata atra ; abdominis fasciis atris, duabus anterio- ribus confluentibus, /. Long. -I lin. Mr. A. H. Haliday on new British Insects. 185 Holywood. I saw but lost a second specimen at Roe Park, county Derry. Add. Wings pure hyaline, 5 th nerve scarcely abbreviate, cross nerve near the margin. Hind tarsi much dilated at the base. The one I possess wants the head, and is otherwise injured, having probably been the prey of a spider. Musca Morellia importuna, C. 1286. 21 b ."l hortcrum, C. 1286. 21. j Having been enabled by the kindness of Mr. F. Walker to consult Fallen's original description, I would rectify the di- stinction of these species. 1°. M. hortorum. To this belong Fallen's description, and my description of M. importuna (Ent. Mag. iv. 149), and probably all the Morellice described by Desvoidy. 2°. M. importuna. This is M. hortorum of Meigen and of my description in the Entomological Magazine. Anthomyia monilis, C. 1287. 100 b App. 279. A. Homalomyia atra abdomine glauco-micante linea dorsali et incisuris atris ; calyptris fumigatis ; tibiis anticis basi pallidis, apice fasciculatis ; tarsorum anticorum articulo ultimo orbicu- lato, m. Long. 2 — 2j lin. Very like A. manicata, but only half the size, and of a deeper black. Wings darker, calyptra smoky brown. Middle tibiae scarcely incrassate at the tip ; thighs of the same pair bearded throughout on the under side, and scarcely contracted before the tip. The tarsi are shorter, and the terminal joint in the fore pair round. Not common at Holywood. Anthomyia cilipes (A. 12-punctata, C. 1287. 139 b . App. 279). A. Azelia nigra oculis fulgidis, thorace postice cinereo, abdomine cinereo linea dorsali interrupta et punctis 2 in singulo seg- mento atris ; alis fuliginosis ; tibiis posticis extus longe villosis, m. ; cinerea alis hyalinis, abdominis punctis paribus nigris, f. Long. 2^ lin. Twice the size of A. triquetra, and very like it; but distin- guishable by the darker wings, and still more by the hairy hind tibiae of the male. Very common about putrescent fungi. Gen. Scatophaga. Subg. Halithea, C. App. 279. Arista subnuda. Alse unguiculatse. Tarsi graciliores. Femora postica maris basi tuberculo villoso. 186 Mr. A. H. Haliday on new British Insects. 1. Scatophagafucorum, C. 1*293. 11. — Fallen Scatom. 5. 5. S. H. obscure cinerea thorace lineato, antennis palpisque nigris. 2. Scatophaga maritima, C. 1293. ll b . App. — Sc. fucorum, var. Fallen, ibid. S. H. obscure cinerea thorace lineato ; margine frontis palporum basi tibiisque testaceis. Both species are found on the sea coast, but not usually as- sociated. The first is more rare or local. Gen. Ccelopa, C. 1320. This group will admit of subdivision, and the nomenclature of the species has been somewhat confused. * Arista glabra. Facies et tibiae densissime villosse. Ccelopa. 1°. C. pilipes. C.frigida, Meig. vi. 8, — id. Macq. S. a B. ii. 502. ** Arista glabra. Facies et tibiae setis aspersse. Fucomyia, C. App. 280. 2°. C.frigida. Musca id. F. S. Antl. 307. 116. Copromyza id., Fallen. Heterom. 6. 1. Ccelopa gravis, Ent. Mag. i. 167. 3°. C. simplex, Ent. Mag. ibid. 4°. C. parvula, Ent. Mag. ibid. *** Arista villosa. Epistoma acute porrecta. Malacomyza, C. App. 280. 4°. C. sciomyzina, Ent. Mag. ibid. Saltella sellata, C. 1297. 19. S. nigra scutello aterrimo, antennis fuscis, coxis pallidis,/. Long. Hlin. Holy wood. Perhaps a variety of S. scutellaris, fern. Sepsis duplicata, C. 1297. 4 d . App. 280. S. nigra antennis pedibusque fusco-ferrugineis, alarum macula api- cali obsoletiore, nervis 2° et 3° nervulo transverso connexis. Long, -f- lin. Kent. The extraordinary cross nerve is in a line with the ordinary one closing the discoidal cell. Tephritis spoliata, C. 1300. 15 c . App. 280. T. Urophora nigella thoracis dorso cinereo, linea ante alas scutel- loque flavis ; capite genubus tarsorum basi ferrugineis ; alis hy- alinis puncto stigmaticali fusco, m. Long. Lj- lin. Isle of Wight, June ; F. Walker. Remarkable for the absence of the bands general in the wings of this subgenus. Tephritis Asteris, C. 1300. 35 b . Resembles T, sonchi, and may prove a variety of that spe- Mr. A. H. Haliday on new British bisects* 187 cies, with the sides of the thorax and the scutel yellow, the stigma of the wings lutescent, the costal margin without dusky streaks. Bred from puparia found among the seeds of Aster Tripolium. Tephritis pini, C. 1300. 25 b . T. Acinia cinerea capite pedibus et segmentorum anteriorum marginibus ferrugineis ; alis fusco-reticulatis, maculis 2 costa- libus saturatioribus. Long. 2 lin. I find this upon pines, but have no knowledge of the larva. It may be a variety of T. flavicauda. Oscinis capreolus, C. 1345. 41 b . App. 282. 0. nigra nitida, fronte opaca triangulo nitido ; alis fuliginosis ; hal- teribus fuscanis ; arista crassa dense plumata. Resembles O. laevigata, but the arista as in O cornuta. England; F.Walker. Oscinis rapta, C. 1345. 41 d . App. 282. Resembles 0. pallidiventris, but the discoidal cell of the wings is open by the absence of the ordinary cross nerve. England ; F. Walker. Gen. Helomyza. Subg. JEcothea, C. App. 280. Antennae articulo tertio orbiculato, arista gracillima longa nuda. Tibiae mediae spinosae. Alae costa distincte serrata, areola media- stina minuta. H, fenestralis is the only British species. Helomyza arenaria, C. 1328. 34, is the same as Opomyzamaculata, Macq. Sciomyza virgata, C. 1321. 1. bis. App. 280. S. Melina thorace cinerascente ; fronte antennisque ferrugineis ; pedibus pallidis, anticis apice fuscis, m. f. ; abdomine pallido vitta dorsali interrupta cinerea, m; abdomine fusco incisuris pallidis,/. Long. 2 — 2-^- lin. Obs. The naked arista of this species should be particularly observed. South of Ireland, July. Gen. Sciomyza. Subg. Anticheta, C. App. 280. Arista plumata. Tibiae cilio praeapicali gemino. The type of this group is Tetanocera vittata, Ent. Mag. i. 168. Ochthiphila fiavipalpis, C. 1336. 6. App. 281. 0. elongata cana antennis subtus palpis tibiis tarsisque 11a vis, m.f. ; metatarso postico subincrassato, /. Long. \\ — 1-| lin. 188 Mr. A. H. Haliday on new British Insects, On sandhills along the east coast of Ireland, among the stems of the sea reed ; May — August. Ochthiphila geniculata, C. No. 5. ibid. 0. cana antennis palpis pedibus nigris, genubus flavis, m.f. ; ab- domine qudrifariam nigro-punctato, /. ; bifariam obsoletius punctato, m. Long. 1' 3 lin. On grassy slopes of the Sugar-loaf mountain, county Wicklow, May. Gen. Heteroneura. Subj. Clusia (Cleora, C. App. 282.) Tibiae cilio praeapicali nullo. Alarum nervi transversi subremoti. Sp. 1. H.flava Heteromyzaflava,Meig.\i.46. Heteroneura spurca t Ent. Mag. i. 171. Gen. Opomyza. Subg. Tethina, C. App. 281. Facies impressa, epistomate prominulo nudo. Peristoma elonga- tum. Labium cylindricum bigeniculatum. Antennae brevissimae articulo 3° suborbiculato arista gracili subnuda. Alee apice rotun- datae : nervus transversus ordinarius ab alae margine distans. Opomyza illota, C. 1338. 27. App. 281. 0. Tethina canescens fronte antennisque ferrugineis, facie palpis tarsis halteribus albidis, alis albis, m.f Long. $ — 1 lin. Somewhat like Oscinis (Siphonella) albipalpis. In the flowers of Cakile maritima and Convolvulus soldanella ; Kil- liney Bay, county Dublin ; June. Gen. Di ast ata. Subg. Camilla, C. 1337 b . App. 281. Tibiae cilio praeapicali nullo. Antennae decumbentes facie bre- viores, articulo 3° oblongo, arista pectinata. Labium incrassa- tum. D. glabra. Drosophila id. Fall., Geom. 8. 12. Diastata cerata, C. App. 281. Blarney, in July ; also in England ; F. Walker. Obs. This species, though arranged under Drosophila by Fallen and Meigen, wants the most prominent characteristics of that genus, viz. the hirsute eyes and serrate caudal plates. I have therefore referred it to Diastata, Spheerocera scabricula, C. 1350. 3 b . Ent. Mag. iii. 320. Having lately met with this species in abundance, I find that the specimens from which my description was drawn were pale-coloured from immaturity ; but the form of the head and hind tarsi, the wings and the white arista will characterize the species beyond mistake. Mr. A. H. Haliday on new British Insects, 189 Limosina arcuata, Macq. C. 1350, 23 c . Previously described by Fallen under the name fontinalis, Suppl. 16. The new species of the Hydromyzidce indicated in the Guide will be noticed in a more general memoir on that tribe. Hemiptera. Atheroides, C. 1046 b . Corpus apterum lineare deplanatum, abdominis segmentis inter- mediis connatis, spiraculis penultimi simplicibus . Antennae dimidio corpore breviores, 6-articulatse, articulo ultimo capillaceo attenuato. Promuscis thorace brevior, mesosterni sulco incumbens. Femina vivipara. Atheroides serrulatus, C. 1046 b . 1. A. rugulosus subglaber, capitis et segmenti ultimi marginibus denticulatis setosis, m.f. Long. 1 lin. On grasses ; common in autumn on the sea -coast at Holy wood. Atheroides hirtellus, C. 1046 b . 2. A. nitidus dorso undique hispidus, antennis pedibusque vage pilo- sis,/. Long. 1 lin. On Juncus articulatus, Holywood. Eriosoma pallida, C. App. 279. This species, like E. ulmi-gallarum, inhabits the leaves of the mountain elm ; its follicles are more solid and imbedded in the leaves near the base of the midrib, not elevated on a foot-stalk. The apterous female is white. The follicles burst about the beginning of August. The society is then very nu- merous, and the farinose secretion more abundant than in the former species. The winged insects are glossy bluish black, with the legs rather paler : collar dirty yellow, with a dusky transverse line : a row of lateral dots on the abdomen and its underside are greenish yellow, as also the promuscis. The nervures of the upper wings nearly as in E. uhni-gallarum, but the lower have two nervures (in place of one) springing from the subcostal. The joints of the antennae are of differ- ent proportions, the sixth being rather longer than the fifth. Obs. The genus Eriosoma of Leach was made up of very different forms. Several groups have been already distin- guished, viz. 1°. Phylloxera, Fonsc. If the minute species with incumbent wings which occurs on the oak (noticed by Walker, Ent. Mag. iii. 407) he the Phylloxera roboris, the de- 190 Dr. Meyen on the Formation of the Tubes of the Liber, scription and figures of that species in the Annals of the Ent. Soc. Paris, are very inaccurate. 2°. Myzoxyle, Blot. 3°. Adelges, Vallot. Of this we have two species, A, Laricis, Vallot, and A.gallarum abietis, DeG. ; at least I have found no cause for generic distinction in the structure, notwithstanding the difference of their habitation. IfEriosoma Fagi be assumed as the type of this genus, it will be necessary to separate those species which inhabit closed follicles on the leaves and shoots of plants. In that case 1 would propose the generic name Byrsocrypta for these last. XXIII. — On the Formation of the Fibre-formed Cells (Fibrous Cells) or Tubes of the Liber in Plants. By Dr. J. Meyen*. While engaged last winter with Prof. Mitscherlich in making a series of observations on the chemical composition of various vegetable substances, the following curious fact attracted our notice : that the purified fibres of flax, and also old linen, when boiled in muriatic acid, decomposed more or less sud- denly into very minute shining particles, which soon settled at the bottom of the fluid. On examining them with the mi- croscope, these particles appeared to be nearly of the same length, and to be formed by a regular decomposition of the flax fibres, so that each particle consisted of a small portion of the cylindrical or prismatical tubes of the flax fibre. Some portions were at times considerably longer ; but then it was more or less evident that these also were composed of several small ones, which were similar in length to the former. At times, how- ever, even the various layers of the thick membrane of which flax fibre is composed were separated from each other by the action of the boiling muriatic acid. The examination of a thin unsized linen paper, which had been reduced, by continual boiling in water, to a pulpy mass, exhibited in like manner a manifold division of the single flax fibres into smaller particles, and of their walls into distinct layers : but this subdivision, on which the fabrication of paper evidently depends, was far from being comparable with the * Translated from Wiegmann's Archiv, Part IV., 1838. Rev. J. B. Reade on Organic Remains in Flints. 191 above-described perfect, and almost regular subdivision pro- duced by the action of boiling muriatic acid. Recent examinations into the development of buds have shown me that that cellular layer which is subsequently deve- loped into tubes of the liber and so-called ligneous fibre, and extends as an uncoloured zone from above the medullary cone to the nucleus or rudiment of the bud, consists of extremely delicate, rather extended, prismatic, generally 4-, 5-, or 6-sided parenchymatous cells, which stand with their ends accurately one above the other, and are gradually converted by the ab- sorption of their septa into the long fibrous cells or tubes of the liber. The regular abrupt cylindrical tubes into which the fibres of flax were decomposed by boiling in muriatic acid, are almost exactly of the same length as these tender paren- chymatous cells in their fully developed state ; and that the latter originate from the delicate cells of the medullary sub- stance by gradual extension, may easily be observed in the ter- minal buds of the horse-chestnut and of the ash. On the absorption of the septa of those cejlls, the superposed edges grow so intimately together that their union has not hitherto been observed, and the tube thus originated forms the first or fundamental layer of the membrane of the fibrous cell, the thickening of which follows as usual by deposition of new layers on the inner surface. I am induced to pub- lish these short notices at present, as they may afford some indications tending to explain the origin of the fibres of the muscles and nerves of animals; at the same time I would re- commend a careful attention to the spiral formations which muscular fibre exhibits often quite as plainly as the tubes of the liber. It also appears to me that distinct layers are per- ceptible in the membrane of the muscular fibre of fish. XXIV.— On some new Organic Remains in the Flint of Chalk. By the Rev. J. B. Reade, M.A., F.R.S. With Plates VIII. and IX. It is now very generally admitted that a geologist is as much in need of a microscope as of a hammer. Instruments of the latter class may indeed be sufficient for the exhumation of the 192 Rev. J. B. Reade on Organic Remains gigantic remains of Tilgate Forest ; but accurately to follow out the workings of an Omnipotent agent, and to explore what may be justly termed the secret things in the kingdom of na- ture, puts into requisition the talent of our ablest opticians. Were any proof of this assertion necessary, it would more than suffice to refer, on the one hand, to the thousands of mi- croscopic bodies which Mr. Lonsdale has discovered in chalk, or to the infinitely greater number of far more minute forms which Prof. Ehrenberg has discovered in the siliceous earths ; and, on the other hand, to bear in mind that the results of the latter distinguished philosopher have set at rest the many unsatisfactory theories respecting the formation of the siliceous nodules of the chalk, and have naturally led to the conjecture, that, ff as the formless cement in the semiopal of Bilin has been derived from the decomposition of animal remains, so also even those parts of chalk flints in which no organic struc- ture can be recognised may nevertheless have constituted a part of microscopic animalcules." A series of microscopic observations upon the ashes of plants which were commenced in the spring of 1837> led me, by steps heretofore stated in a communication to the British Associa- tion*, to examine into the condition of silica generally ; and I not only can bear testimony to the accuracy of Prof. Ehren- berg's conclusion, that to a very great extent the organic re- mains of Infusoria swell the amount of solid matter of the crust of the earth, but I am able also to prove by careful ex- periments, that in plants certainly, and therefore probably in animals, the living principle is endowed with the power of ela- borating out of their proper nutriment the solid materials or frame-work of their support. And hence the origin, and in the present day the increase both of silica and lime. With respect to the agency of animalcules secreting carbo- nate of lime, it may be observed, that a thin transparent sec- tion of the Sussex marble shows in the most satisfactory man- ner, that the mouths of the Paludincs, instead of being filled up with indurated marl, as was once supposed, abound with the remains of Cyprides, and that, in point of fact, the entire mass of the marble is nothing more than an aggregation of these * Seventh Report. Transactions of the Sections, p. 103. hut- Nai (Jut. Vol 1 1 /■:• Atm.jfaf-Ku Tot. //. yy rx . SCALES of EXISTING FISHES INFUSORIA UN FLINT. / XktUkidium fure6Jbum>.—2,X crajsip&f •._ 5D voj:^ 3.X. ktmUum-. — d l> { . in Flints of the Chalk. 193 infusoria interspersed with the larger univalve. That the ap- parently inorganised particles are derived from the decompo- sition of the Cypris will scarcely be doubted, and to what ex- tent each individual is capable of yielding a supply of calca- reous matter is easily ascertained by incinerating recent ex- amples. For it thus appears, that not only is there an inde- structible though slender shell covering the body properly so called, but the delicate branches of the rami or arms inserted on each side of the head, as well as the arms themselves, are equally supplied with a frame-work of solid matter. But my present object is to allude more particularly to some of the fossil contents of flint pebbles and of the flint no- dules of chalk. It is now well known that flint of every kind is rich in organic remains, and few persons who use the mi- croscope at all, have neglected the examination of these minute forms which had their little moment of life and enjoyment in ages of the most remote antiquity. Perhaps, however, it is not so generally understood, that in the hands of a skilful geologist a promiscuous series of flint pebbles would be as- signed, with the utmost precision, and by means of their fossil contents alone, to their proper periods and strata. Yet such is the fact, and I have had the pleasure of seeing it verified by my friend Mr. Bowerbank, who lately took advantage of a geological tour to establish this curious result. I had, indeed, myself suspected that the flint of different strata had not a common origin, in consequence of the absence of the Xanthi- dium from many of the pebbles of the Brighton beach*. This highly interesting animalcule, of which several species occur in the flint of Kent and Surrey, I discovered first of all about a year ago in the flint of the Sydenham gravel ; and this spe- cimen was compared and identified with a French one, then but just imported at an expense exceeding 20 francs. I learnt on that occasion that Prof. Ehrenberg had already named and described this new fossil genus, and to him I am indebted for the names of the species which accompany this paper. Of the beauty of the drawings it is unnecessary to speak, and their * One of these pebbles abounds with remarkably fine examples of Pyxi- dicula, and its crystalline state, by no means common to flint nodules, is de- cidedly proved by its action on polarized light. Ann. Nat. Hist. Vol. 2. No. 9. Nov. 1838. o 194 Rev. J. B. Reade on Organic Remains accuracy is secured by the image of the objects having been thrown on paper by means of a Camera eye-piece, and then carefully traced. At the same time I cannot but observe that a magnifying power of 1000 linear, together with Ross's fine adjustment, gives a reality which no drawing can impart. We can trace our way down the arms, and penetrate what, com- paratively speaking, appears to be a vast sphere, since it is no exaggeration to say that it would require nearly a thousand million individuals to fill up the image thus presented to the mind. As to the manipulation of the flint, in order to prepare it for the stage of the microscope, the readiest method by far is to break a large nodule in half, and from the flat faces to chip ofTthin fragments, which may be attached by means of Canada balsam to slips of glass of the usual form, and then coated on their outer surface with hard spirit varnish. A hundred spe- cimens maybe thus cut,mounted, and polished, without trouble or expense, and in less time than an expert lapidary could pre- pare a single slice with the diamond-mill and polishing tool. It is the received opinion among geologists, that the nature of the strata of the chalk, and the organic remains which they inclose, prove that the chalk was deposited in the tranquil depths of an extensive and profound ocean. This conclusion is rendered probable by the chambered Nautili and micro- scopic Foraminifera of flint, and it will derive additional force from a recent very interesting discovery of scales of fossil fishes, of great variety of form and in a state of most delicate preservation, throughout the entire series of the flint nodules both of the chalk and gravel, from Gravesend to Rochester and Gillingham*. A few r w r eeks ago a single scale was disco- vered by Mr. Darker upon a fragment of flint which he had selected for a supply of the Xanthidium, but as he was igno- rant of its locality he made no further search for similar re- mains : shortly afterwards a pebble was brought to me for my usual mode of examination, and upon its surface, I acci- dentally discovered the second scale, and had the advantage of knowing that I could apply to an inexhaustible store. * The rolled flints of the Norfolk gravel-beds also abound with fossil scales. in Flints of the Chalk. 195 These two specimens were exhibited to Prof. Ehrenberg during his visit in London, to whom, as to other observers, they were previously unknown. That they should so long have escaped our notice is to me a marvel, and I can only ac- count for it, by making what I feel to be the very extravagant supposition, that the flints hitherto examined did not contain them. They are not like the infusoria, requiring great ampli- fication to be rendered visible at all, but possess, in many cases, all the brightness, and more than half the magnitude, of a silver penny ; and I am even tempted to ask how our geological sportsmen can have overlooked them ; for" of the only half dozen gun-flints which have ever been in my possession, I find a brilliant scale sparkling upon the surface of one of them. However, it is now a matter of certainty that we shall all find them, and in great numbers. The value of this discovery in a geological point of view cannot be better stated than in the following extract from Prof. Phillips's ( Treatise on Geology**: " M. Agassiz has proved the importance of the indications afforded by the na- ture of the dermal covering, and applied it to the classification of fishes with peculiar success. Instead of the divisions usu- ally adopted from the nature of the skeleton, — cartilaginous and osseous fishes, — he distinguishes four great orders of fishes from the nature of their scales, and finds that with these differences of scales other great and important distinctions harmonize ; but that the possession of a bony or cartilaginous skeleton is a question of comparative unimportance. The abundance and perfection of scales of fishes in a fossil state render this view, valuable as it is in recent zoology, absolutely essential to a study of the fossil kingdom ; for thus a few scales remaining, may lead to a knowledge of the species or ge- nera belonging to each epoch, and as portions of fishes are found in every one system of strata, from the ancient silurian to the most recent of lacustrine deposits, we are presented with a second scale of organization nearly as complete and as distinctly related to time, higher in the ranks of creation, and therefore m,ore sensibly dependent on physical conditions than * Cabinet Cyclopaedia. Phillips on Geology, p. 88. o2 196 Rev. J. B. Reade on Organic Remains the well-known and justly valued series of remains of mol- lusca. " The orders of fishes, according to their scaly coverings, are four ; viz. ei 1st. Scales enamelled. ec Placoid fishes, whose skin is irregularly covered with large or small plates, or points of enamel, as the rays and sharks* (Etym. ir\a%, a broad plate) occur recent, and nu- merous in the fossil state, being found in nearly all the systems of strata, though the genera are mostly peculiar in each system. " Ganoid fishes are regularly covered with annular thick scales, composed internally of bone, and externally of enamel, generally smooth and bright (Etym. ryavos, splen- dour). Occur recent, but more abundantly in the fossil kingdom, in which fifty extinct genera have been recog- nized. j. Fem. — Far. B. similis : mesofemora fulva; metatibiae fuscae. June, September ; near London, Isle of Wight, Wales, Scotland. On oaks, Tullymore Park, Ireland, Mr. Haliday. Sp. 30. Cirr. Metra, Fem. Ochraceus, antenna? fuscce, abdomen eeneo- nigrum, pedes fulvi) alee Umpidce. Ochraceus : caput postice et ad ocellos nigro-piceum : oculi et ocelli rufi : antennae fuscae ; articuli l us et 2 US fulvi, hie basi et ille apice fusci : thoracis suturae piceae : mesothoracis scutum antice nigro-piceum, scutellum piceo bivittatum : metathorax piceus: petiolus ferrugineus : abdomen aeneo-ni- grum, basi ferrugineum : pedes pallide fulvi ; genua flava ; ungues et pul- villi fusci : alae limpidae ; squamulae pallide flavae ; nervi concolores. (Corp. long. lin. 1 ; alar. lin. \§.) August ; near London. Fem. Corpus longum, sublineare, nitens, sublaeve, parce hirtum : caput parvum, transversum, subquadratum, punctatum, parum nitens, thorace paullo angustius ; vertex sat latus ; frons impressa, abrupte declivis : an- tennae graciles, clavatae, thorace paullo longiores; articulus l us sublinearis; 2 US longicyathiformis ; 3 US brevissimus ; 4 US fusiformis, longus ; 5 US et 6 US breviores ; clava fusiformis, acuminata, articulo G° multo longior : thorax longiovatus, convexus : prothorax transversus, conspicuus, angustus, postice inem'vus : mesothoracis scutum magnum, latitudine longius ; parapsidum suturae conspicuae, postice mutuo accedentes ; paraptera et epimera bene determinata ; scutellum subrotundum : metascutellum parvum, fere semi- circulum fingens : metathorax conspicuus : abdomen longiovatum, thorace longius, supra planum, subtus carinatum, apice acuminatum et attenuatum, segmenta transversa, parallela, subaequalia : petiolus crassus, brevissimus : pedes graciles, simplices, recti, sat longi ; tarsis articuli 1° ad 3 um subaequales, 4 US 3° longior ; ungues et pulvilli mediocres : alae breviter ciliatae ; nervus ulnaris humerali non brevior, radialis vix ullus, cubitalis in alaa discum de- clivis apice stigma fingens fere integrum. 202 Mr. Walker on the British Chalcidites. Sp. 31. Cirr. Eurytus, Fern. Viridis flavo-varius, antenna nigra, pedes flavi, alee limpidce. Laete viridis : caput antice et subtus flavum : oculi et ocelli rufi : an- tennae nigrae ; articulus l us basi et subtus fulvus ; 2 US apicefulvus : thoracis discus cupreo-varius : mesothoracis scutum utrinque et postice flavo margi- natum, paraptera et epimera flavo partim marginata, scutellum et postscu- tellum flava, illi macula ad basin trigona viridis : abdomen cyaneo-viride : pedes flavi ; coxae virides ; ungues et pulvilli pallide fusci ; protarsi fulvi : alae limpidae ; squamulae fulvae, antice virides, nervi fulvi. (Corp. long. lin. 1 ; alar. lin. l£.) Found near London. Fern. Corpus angustum, sublineare, nitens, scitissime squameum, parce hirtum : caput transversum, breve, convexum, juxta thoraci latum ; vertex sat latus ; frons abrupte declivis, vix impressa : oculi mediocres, subrotundi, extantes : ocelli vertice triangulum fingentes : antennae graciles, extrorsum crassiores, corporis dimidio longiores ; articulus l us fusiformis, 2 US longiob- conicus ; 3 US et sequentes lineares, ad 5 um curtantes ; clava fusiformis, acu- minata, articulo 5° fere duplo longior : thorax ovatus, convexus : protborax transversus, brevissimus, supra vix conspicuus : mesothoracis scutum lati- tudine longius ; parapsides remotae, suturae bene determinatae ; scutellum obconicum ; paraptera et epimera conspicua : metathorax mediocris : petio- lus brevissimus : abdomen fusiforme, planum, acuminatum, thorace longius vix angustius ; segmenta parallela, l um magnum, 2 um et sequentia breviora subeequalia: pedes graciles, sat longi, subaequales; tarsis articuli l us et 3 US breviores, 2 US et 4 * longiores ; ungues et pulvilli parvi : alas angustee, ciliatae ; nervus ulnaris humerali longior, radialis nullus, cubitalis in alae discum de- clivis stigma fingens parvum fere bimucronatum. Sp.' 32. Cirr. Mandanis, Fern. Viridis cupreo-varius, abdomen basi fer- rugineum, antenna picece, pedes flavi, alee sublimpidce. Laete viridis, cupreo-varius : oculi et ocelli rufi : antennas piceae ; articuli jus e t 2 US fulvi, hie supra et ille apice fusci: abdomen viridi-cupreum, basi ferrugineum : pedes laete flavi ; coxao virides ; tarsi apice fusci ; protarsi fulvi, apice picei : alae sublimpidae; squamulae fulvae ; nervi fulvi. (Corp. long. lin. 4— i; alar. lin. | — !%.) July ; near London, Scotland. Mas. Corpus nitens, laeve, parce hirtum : caput parvum, transversum, brevissimum, convexum, thorace angustius ; vertex angustus ; frons im- pressa, abrupte declivis : oculi sat magni, subrotundi, extantes : ocelli ver- tice triangulum fingentes : antennas subsetaceae, graciles, pilis longioribus vestitse, corpore multo breviores; articulus l us sublinearis, gracilis ; 2 us lon- gicyathiformis ; 3 US brevis ; 4 US et sequentes ad 7 um lineares, subaequales ; 8 US et 9 US sensim angustiores ; 10" s minutus, acuminatus : thorax ovatus, supra planus : prothorax transversus, brevissimus, antice angustior, supra conspicuus : mesothoracis scutum longitudine vix latius ; parapsidum su- turoe remotae, conspicuae ; scutellum brevi obconicum ; paraptera et epimera sat bene determinata : metathorax mediocris : petiolus brevis, gracilis : ab- Mr. Walker on the British Chalcidites. 203 domen sublineare, depressum, fere glabrum, apice paullo latius, thorace an- gustius non longius ; segmenta transversa, parallela, subaequalia: pedes gra- ciles, simplices, subaequales; tarsis articuli l us et3 us breviores, 2 US et 4 us lon- giores ; ungues et pulvilli minuti : alae ciliatas : proalse latae ; nervus ulnaris humerali paullo longior, radialis nullus, cubitalis longus in alse discum de- clivis apice stigma fingens minutum fere integrum. Fern. Antennas 8-articulatae, extrorsum crassiores, corporis dimidio lon- giores ; articuli 3 U % 4 US et 5 US lineares, subaequales ; clava fusiformis, atte- nuata, acuminata, articulo 5° fere duplo longior : abdomen ovatum, acumi- natum, subtus carinatum, thoraci fere quoad longum et latum. Sp. 33. Cirr. Anysis, Mas et Fern. Ater, abdomen antice Jlavum, an- tennce fulvcs, pedes flavi, alee limpidce. Mas. Ater : caput flavum ; vertex piceus : oculi et ocelli rufi : antennae pallide fulvae ; articulus l us flavus, supra fulvo-vittatus ; 2 US flavus, basi fuscus : abdomen piceum, ante medium flavo-fasciatum ; segmentum l um fuscum : sexualia fulva : pedes laete flavi ; coxae basi fulvae ; ungues et pul- villi fulvi : alae limpidae ; squamulae flavae, antice fuscae ; nervi flavi. Fern. iEneo-ater: antennis articulus l us flavus ; 2 US pallide fulvus, basi fuscus : abdomen nigro-piceum ; discus antice flavus ; segmentum l nm basi fuscum : coxae basi piceae : alae minime flavescentes. (Corp. long. lin. -\ — \ ; alar. lin. f — 1 . Far.'jS. Mas. — Antennis articulus 2 US basi fulvus: squamulae antice fulvae. Far. y. Mas. — Abdomen nigro-piceum, basi piceum, medium ante fulvo fasciatum : alis nervi fulvi. Far. I. Fern. — Abdominis dimidium anticum flavum ; segmentum l um basi fulvum : alis nervi fulvi. Far. e. Fem. — Antennis articulus l u9 fulvus, apice flavus. Far. £. Fem. — Antennis articuli l us et 2 US obscure fulvi : abdomen cupreo- piceum, ante medium flavo-fasciatum : alis nervi fulvi. Found near London. Mas. Corpus nitens, laeve, parce hirtum : caput parvum, transversum, brevissimum, convexum, thorace angustius; vertex angustus; frons im- pressa, abrupte declivis : oculi sat magni, subrotundi, extantes : ocelli ver- tice triangulum fingentes: antennae filiformes, graciles, pilis longioribus vestitae, corpore multo breviores; articulus l us sublinearis, gracilis; 2 us lon- gicyathiformis ; 3 US brevis ; 4 US et sequentes ad 7 um lineares, subaequales ; 8 U8 et 9 US sensim angustiores ; 10 US minutus, acuminatus : thorax ovatus, supra planus : prothorax transversus, brevissimus, antice angustior, supra conspicuus : mesothoracis scutum longitudine vix latius ; parapsidum su- turae remotae, conspicuae ; scutellum brevi-obconicum ; paraptera et epimera sat bene determinata : metathorax mediocris : petiolus brevis, gracilis : ab- domen depressum, fere glabrum, sublineare, apice paullo latius, thorace an- gustius non longius ; segmenta subsequalia : pedes graciles, simplices, sub- cequales ; tarsis articuli l us et 3 us breviores, 2 US et 4 US longiores : alas ci- liatas ; proalae latae ; nervus ulnaris humerali paullo longior, radialis nullus, cubitalis in alas discum declivis stigma minutum fingens. 204 Mr. Walker on the British Chalcidites. Fern. Antennae extrorsnm crassiores, corporis dimidio longiores ; articuli 3° ad 5 um curtantes ; clava fusiformis, attennata, acuminata, articulo 5° du- plo longior : abdomen ovatum, acuminatum, subtus carinatum, tboraci fere quoad longum et latum ; segmentum l um magnum, 2 um etsequentia brevia, subaequalia. Sp. 34. Cirr. Ecus, Mas et Fem. Viridis, abdomen cupreum basi scepe flavum, antennae fulvce, pedes Jlavi, alee limpida?. Fem. Laete viridis : oculi et ocelli run : antennas obscure fulvae ; arti- culi l us et 2 l,s fusci, ille basi flavus : abdomen cupreum, basi fulvescens, apice viride : pedes laete flavi ; ungues, pulvilli et protarsi fulvi : alae lim- pidae ; squamulae flavae, antice fulvo variae ; nervi flavi. Mas. JEneo-viridis : antenna? pallide fulvae ; articuli l us et 2 US fusci, hie apice fulvus: abdomen cupreum, basi flavescens, apice viridi-varium. (Corp. long. lin. -^ — | ; alar. lin. •§- — 1.) Far. /3. Fem. — Thorax cyaneo-viridis : abdomen medium ante flavo fasciatum: alis nervi flavi. Far. y. Fem. — Antennis articuli l us et 2 US pallide fusci, hie apice fulvus, ille basi flavus : abdomen antice flavum, postice cupreum. Far. 5. Fem. — Mesothoracis scutellum viridi-cyaneum : abdomen cu- preum, apice viride. Far. s. Fem. — Metathorax seneo-viridis : abdomen cupreum ; segmenta apice viridia : alis nervi fulvi. Far. £. Fem. — Far. y. similis : antennis articulus l us flavus, apice supra pallide fuscus. July, October, near London. Mas. Corpus sublineare, nitens, scitissime squameum, parce hirtum : caput transversum, breve, convexum, thorace latius : antennae clavatae, pilis longis vestitae, corporis dimidio longiores ; articulus lus latus, longiovatus ; 2 us lon- gicyathiformis ; 3 US et sequentes ad 6 um breves, approximati, sublineares ; clava longiovata, articulo 6° plus duplo longior et multo latior : thorax ova- tus, convexus : prothorax brevissimus, supra vix conspicuus : mesothoracis scutum latitudine longius ; parapsidum suturae bene determinatae ; scutellum breviconicum : metathorax transversus, mediocris : petiolus brevissimus : abdomen sublineare, planum, thorace brevius et angustius : pedes graciles : alisnervus ulnaris humerali longior, radialis vix ullus, cubitalis sat longus. Sp. 35. Cirr. Euedochus, Mas. Firidis, abdomen cupreum, antenna? flava? apice fulvae, pedes Jlavi, femora nonnunquam obscuriora, ahe limpida?. Obscure viridis aeneo-varius : oculi et ocelli rufi : antennae laete flavae ; clava fulva, basi flava : abdomen cupreum : pedes laete flavi ; coxae virides, apice flavae; meso- et metatarsi apice fulvi; protarsi supra pallide fulvi : alae limpidae ; squamulae flavae, supra fusco notatae ; nervi flavi. (Corp. long. lin. 4 — f j alar. lin. ± — 1.) Far. (3.— Antennis articulus l us cupreus; 4 US , 5 us et 6 US supra pallide fulvi; clava obscurior : coxae virides ; trochanteres fulvi; pro- et mesofemora basi fusca ; metafemora viridia, apice flava. Specimen of the Botany of New Zealand. 205 On the hazel, Holywood, near Belfast, Ireland, Mr. Haliday. Found near London. Fern. Corpus longum, angustum, sublineare, nitens, scitissime squameum, parce hirtum : caput transversum, breve, thorace paullo latius ; vertex la- tus; frons abrupte declivis: oculi mediocres : antennae capitatge, thorace paullo breviores ; articulus l us gracilis, fusiformis; 2 US longicyathiformis ; 3 ,,s , 4 US et 5 Us sublineares, sequales ; clava ovata, articulo 5° multo latior et plus duplo longior : thorax longiovatus, parum convexus : prothorax conspicuus, lati- tudine longior, antice angustus : mesothoracis scutum depression, latitudine longius ; parapsidum suturse non bene determinate ; seutellum obconicum : metathorax mediocris : petiolus brevissimus : abdomen longiovatum, de- pression, apice acuminatum, thorace paullo latius vix longius ; segmentum l um magnum, 2 um et sequentia brevia : pedes graciles, simplices, subaequales ; tarsis articulus l us brevis, 4 US longus; ungues et pulvilli minuti : alis nervus ulnaris humerali longior, cubitalis sat longior, stigma parvum subfurcatum fingens j radialis brevissimus. [To be continued.] XXVI. — Florae Insularum Novce Zelandice Precursor; or a Specimen of the Botany of the Islands of Neiv Zealand. By Allan Cunningham, Esq. [Continued from p. 132.] RUBIACE^E, {Juss). (Operculars, A. Rich.) 1. Opercularia, Gcertn., A. Rich. 466. 0. diphylla, foliis , capitulis ex dichotomia ramorum stipitatis sphsericis involucris setoso-hispidis in capitulo pluribus 3 — 4 floris, corollis tetrandris. DC. Prodr. iv. p. 616. Gcertn. Ro?m. et Sch. Syst. Veg. iii. p. 337. — Rubioides diphylla. Soland. Ms. in Bill. Banks. New Zealand.— 1769, Sir Jos. Banks. 467. O. aspera, foliis oblongis scabris venosis, floribus capitatis pedun- culis axillaribus. DC. Prodr. iv. p. 616. Spreng. Syst. Veg. i. p. 385. Gcertn. Roejn. et Sch. Syst. Veg. iii. p. 334. — Rubioides aspera. Sol. Ms. in Bill. Banks. 2. Galium, L. Juss. 468. G. tenuicaule, annuum, caule debili valde attenuato tetragono re- trorsum aspero, foliis quaternis spathulato-oblongis acutis basi angustatis aculeato-scabris, pedunculis axillaribus subtrifloris, folium subaequantibus, fructibus globoso-didymis glabris. New Zealand (Northern Island). Damp woods on the Keri-Keri and Wangaroa rivers. — 1834, R. Cunningham. 469. G. propinquum, annuum, caule attenuato debili decumbente tetra- gono glabro membranaceo, foliis quaternis (4 lineas longis) ellipticis acutis petiolatis margine aculeato-hispidis, pedunculis axillaribus solitariis folio vix longioribus, fructibus glabris globoso-didymis minutim tuberculatis. New Zealand (Northern Island). Shaded woods, Wangaroa. — 1833, R. Cunningham. 206 Specimen of the Botany of New Zealand. Obs. This species approaches very near to G. humile {Cham, et Schlecht. in Linncea, 1825, p. 226.) a native of South America, the fruit of which is, however, described as being pubescent. DC. Prodr. iv. p. 604. Quid Galium umbrosum, Sol. Ms. in Forst. Prodr. n. 500, absque descr. ? ex Nova Zelandia. 3. Coprosma, Forst. (Pelaphia, Banks et Sol.) 470. C. lucida; foliis ovatis utrinque acuminatis, pedunculis axillaribus compositis, floribus subcapitals, antheris exsertis. DC. Prodr. iv. p. 578. Forst. Prodr. n. 138. Poem. etSch. Syst. Veg.xi.p. 210. A. Rich. Fl. Nov. Zel.p. 262. Endl. Prodr. Fl. Norf. p. 60. New Zealand (Northern Island).— 1773, G. Forster. (Middle Island), Bay of Islands, on the banks of rivers. — 1826, A. Cunningham. Obs. An species plures hie confusse sunt ? 471. C. fcetidissima, foliis ovato-oblongis angustis confertis glabris, flori- bus solitariis terminalibus sessilibus (inter folia conferta) antheris exsertis. Forst. Prodr. n. 138. A.Rich. Fl. Nov. Zel.p. 261. DC. Prodr. iv.p. 578. Rcem. et Sch. Syst. Veg. vi. p. 210.— C conferta. A. C. Mss. 1826. New Zealand (Middle Island). Queen Charlotte's Sound. — 1773, G. Forster. (Northern Island,) Alluvial banks of rivers, Bay of Islands. — 1826, A. Cunningham. 472. C. propinqua, foliis lanceolato-oblongis obtusissimis glabris, floribus solitariis paucis ad apicem ramulorum subsessilibus, ramis brachiatis virgatis strictis. New Zealand (Northern Island). In shaded woods, Wangaroa. — 1833, A. Cunningham. Obs. Closely allied to the preceding, but the flowers are less crowded, and its leaves are smaller. 473. C. rotundifolia, foliis obovato-subrotundis obtusis subacuminatisve petiolatis subtus ramulisque virgatis pilosis, floribus axillaribus aggregatis pedicellatis. New Zealand (Northern Island). In dry woods at Wangaroa, bearing "red drupne." — Dec. 1833, R. Cunningham. 474. C. rhamnoides, foliis (parvis) obovato-rotundatis obtusis petiolatis glabris margine revolutis tenuissime ciliatis, petiolis ramulisque villosis, flo- ribus axillaribus solitariis, ramis brachiatis rigidis patentibus dependentibus deflexis. New Zealand (Northern Island). Banks of the Keri-Keri river. — 1834, R. Cunningham. 475. C. gracilis, foliis (parvis) ovato-oblongis petiolatis obtusiusculis mar- gine revolutis utrinque glabris, floribus axillaribus solitariis pedicellatis, ra- mulis erectis gracilibus villosis. New Zealand (Middle Island). — 1773, G. Forster (fide examplar absque fructificatione in Herbario Banks, conservatur). (Northern Island,) a slender shrub, in alluvial soil on the banks of the Keri-Keri river, &c, Bay of Islands, — 1834, R. Cunningham, bearing red berries in December. Specimen of the Botany of New Zealand. 207 476. C. divarkata, foliis obovato-oblongis obtusis petiolatis glabris, flori- bus axillaribus solitariis breviter pedunculatis, ramis divaricatis rigidis, ra- in ul is tomentosis. New Zealand (Northern Island). Dry woods at Wangaroa. — 1826, A. Cunningham. — 1833, R. Cunningham. 477. C. acerosa, foliis linearibus acerosis obtusis, fasciculatis laevibus mar- gine revolutis floribus masculis axillaribus solitariis sessilibus tetrandris, ra- mulis strictis brevi tomentosis. — Pelaphia acerosa. Sol. Ms. in Bill. Banks. New Zealand (Northern Island). — 1769, Sir Jos. Banks. Sandy rocks on the Hokianga, near the immediate shore. — 1826, A. Cunningham. Sea coast, on the east side, opposite the Cavallos Isles. — 1834, R. Cunning- ham. Obs. Flores declives dioici. Masculi tetrandri. Fceminei, stylus bifidus, elongatus. 478. C. repens, (Rich.) caule frutescente prostrato, foliis obovalibus ob- tusis margine subsinuatis, pedunculis simplicibus axillaribus brevibus apice 3 — 5 floris, fructibus obcordatis. A. Rich. Fl. Nov. Zel. p. 264. — C. pusilla, Sol. Forst, Prodr. n. 513. absq. descr. New Zealand (Middle Island). Cook's Strait and Astrolabe Harbour. — 1827, D'Urville. Obs. Frutex repens, prostratus. Folia opposita, obovalia, integra, gla- berrima 2 — 3 pollicaria, margine subsinuosa basi sensim in petiolum vixpol- licarem desinentia. Pedunculi axillares, solitarii. Fructus apice peduncu- lorum, 2 — 5, carnosi, binuculati, nucibus 1-locularibus, 1-spermis. 479. C. spathulata erecta, virgata, glabra, foliis subrotundis obtusis vel emarginatis, basi sensim in petiolum attenuatis, floribus solitariis, sty] is lon- gissimis. New Zealand (Northern Island). Shady rocks, Wangaroa, &c. — 1826, A. Cunningham. — 1834, R. Cunningham. 4. Ronabea, Aubl., A. Rich. Mem. Soc. Paris, v. p. 270. Calyx tubus ovatus, limbus minimus 5-dentatus. Corolla oblonga subin- fundibuliformis, lobis 5-petulis acutis, fauce nuda. Antherce 5, ob- longse, inclusae. Stigma bilamellatum. Bacca ovata umbilicata, foeta nucibus duabus 1-spermis hinc planis inde convexis. DC. 480. R. 1 australis, foliolis obovalibus obtusis basi sensim in petiolum at- tenuatis, pedunculis axillaribus trifurcatis, floribus sessilibus subcapitatis. A. Rich. Fl. Nov. Zel. p. 265. New Zealand (Middle Island). Astrolabe Harbour. — 1827, D'Urville. Patete, incol., D'Urville. Obs. Arbor sat grandis, dumosa, ramis teretibus, glabris. Folia opposita, subcoriacea, glaberrima, supra viridia, subtus pallidiora, 4 — 5 pollices longa, 2 — 3 lata. Flores 3 — 8 ad apicem pedicellorum sessiles congesti. Fructus distincti, ovoidei, pisiformes, subcarnosi, apice brevissime umbilicati, binu- culati, nucibus 1-spermis. " D'ailleurs le Ron. australis a de l'analogie avec une autre espece nouvelle que nous avons designee, dans notre travail sur les Rubiacees, sous le nom de Ronabea morindoides. Cependant le limbe du calice, 208 Specimen of the Botany of New Zealand. entier dans son bord, est un caractere qui ne s'est offert a nous dans aucune autre espece du genre. Peutetre que si nous avions pu etudier l'organisation des diverses parties de la fleur, nous eussions ete porte a faire de notre plante un genre nouveau." A. Rich. Affinis Psychotrice, sed bacca non costata. 5. Nertera, Banks in Gcertn. Fr. Juss. 481. N. depressa. DC. iv. p. 451. Forst. Prodr. n. 501. Smith lc. hied. ii. t. 28. — Gomozia granadensis. Mutis in Linn. Suppl. p. 29. 6. Geophila, Don, Prodr. FL Nep. 136. {Psychotrice, Sp. L.) Calyx 5-partitus, laciniis linearibus patenti-recurvis. Corolla tubulosa, fauces pilosse lobis 5 ovatis subrecurvis. Antherce 5 inclusae. Stigma bifidum. Bacca ovoidea costato-angulata calyce coronata bilocularis disperma. 482. G.I dichondrce folia, hispido-pilosa, foliis (semiuncialibus) latissime ellipticis subreniformibusve cordatis acuminatis petiolum sequantibus, flori- bus fructibus subsessilibus solitariis terminalibus. New Zealand (Northern Island). In dry woods on the shores of the Bay of Islands, at Waimate, Hokianga, &c. — 1834, R. Cunningham. "Bearing orange-coloured berries" in December. I have been induced to refer this plant (clearly, I conceive,) of Rubiace<£ to Geophila of Don, as much from its habit, as from the struc- ture of its fruit, reported to be an orange-coloured bacca. 7. Viscum, L. 483. V. antarcticum, ramis compresso-teretibus, ramulis ancipitibus, foliis oblongo-ovatis basi attenuatis petiolatis obtusis undulatis, enerviis, racemis, ramis axillaribus terminal ibusve patentibus articulatis. Forst. Prodr. n. 370. A. Rich. Fl. Nov. Zel.p.269. DC. Prodr. iv. p. 285.— Tupeia antarctica. Schlechtend. in Linneea, ii. p. 203. New Zealand (Middle Island). — 1773, G. Forster. (Northern Island,) parasitical on Avicennia tomentosa, Br., on the banks of the Kana-Kana river. — 1834, R. Cunningham. 484. V. pubigerum, ramis teretibus laevibus dichotomis, foliis elliptico- rhomboideis obtusis basi attenuatis venosis margine asperis, nervo medio ramu- lisque pubescentibus, floribus terminalibus lateralibusve umbellato-racemosis. Tiran-riki, incol., R. Cunn. New Zealand (Northern Island). Upon several trees on river banks, at the Bay of Islands. A. Cunningham. 485. V. salicornoides, aphyllum, ramosissimum, ramis teretibus articulatis, vaginis dilatatis. New Zealand (Northern Island). Parasitical on Leptospermam scoparium, the Kahihitra of the natives, Keri-Keri river, Bay of Islands. — 1834, R, Cunningham. 8. Loranthus, L. 486. L. telrapetalus, L. Forst. Prodr. n. 156. Schult. Syst. Veg. y\\.p. 60. DC. Prodr. iv..p. 295. A. Rich. Fl. Nov. Zel. p. 268. Specimen of the Botany of New Zealand. 209 New Zealand (Middle Island). Queen Charlotte's Sound. — 1773, G. Forster. (Northern Island.) Parasitical on Metrosideros tomentosa, or Pokntu-Kana of the natives; is also occasionally on the branches of Vitcx lit- ioralis, their Puriri, in the forests of Wangaroa. — 1826, A. Cunningham, — 1834, R. Cunningham. Folia suhpetiolata, opposita, ovalia, obtusa, erecto-patentia. Flores ex axillis vel cicatricibus foliorum oriuntur, pedunculati, ssepe solitarii, ssepe etiam bini, terni, quaterni, in singulo fasciculo, aurantio-coccinei. 9. Genus Corneis affine. Alseuosmia. Calycis tubus ovario adnatus, limbo supero 4 — 5-fido, deciduo, laciniis ovatis sestivatione valvata. Corolla infundibuliformis, tubo elongato calyce multoties longior, fauce imberbi-limbus 5-partitus regularis, la- ciniis ovatis acutiusculis, margine divisis sinuato-repandis peraestiva- tione valvata. Stamina 5, fequalia, brevia, ori tubi inserta et cum la- ciniis alterna. Discus epigynus. AnthercB ultra faucem exsertae, bi- loculares, longitudinaliter dehiscentes : ovarium biloculare, loculis 2 — 5 ovulatis vel indefinitis. Stylus elongatus, filiformis, glaber, longitudine staminum. Stigma depresso-capitatum indivisum. Bacca turbinata, obovata, glabra, infera, 1-locularis, polysperma, aut interdum abortu oligosperma. Semina obovata, curvata, obtusa, latere exteriore con- vexa, interiore angulata, medio interiore umbilico instructa. Testa brunnea, lcevis, crassa, rugulosa, pulchre reticulata. Albumen copiosum, carnosum. .Embryo minutus, rectus, albumine 4 — 5 ies brevior, dicoty- ledoneus, juxta basin albuminis. Cotyledones subfoliacei, sibi incum- bentes. Radicula brevis, crassa, obtusa, ab umbilico remota. Plumula inconspicua. Frutices erecti, sempervirentes, 2 — 3 pedales. Folia al- terna, exstipulata, petiolata, oblonga t subintegra seu lobata. Petioli basi dilatata. Flores odoratissimi, pedicellati, bracteati, laterales seu termi- nales, solitarii aut fasciculati, subracemosi. Flores harum plantarum in sylvis natalibus suis, gratissimum late spirant odorem, unde nomen Generis, ex a\s * & * in Z, ** ►, tf3 •* * fe & p - U3 CO U> i »• £ io jjj * i rf ij i g 4 * * <■ • W W «3 55 P * "d 'cs P P P 55 "rt 13 c3 c« "3 "3 "3 "3 W cj P ce "3 13 P'es'S'eij'rt'oS'sij'iS U U U U U V o W O « O CJ o cj soT^y s ► * - i i* *• 5 if; * * U I i - i i i i i i * *ii* « * "" i i i i ± i i a P > I <" * P I I oi 55 P J iioioiomioioinmio ■nrt??g uojsojj 6 © cv V© VO lO< lO^OiOCOCOCOCO'^'^LorO^'OirjiOCOCO tt ■>* ^ 'vf m lo rf ©ooooo97t , 9^^9^^^9qpco^ovocoqpi^9^coc^9»pTj' -^tir^cocio^dbr^oi ^vbioi^AHeq<^©ioc-c^»ovbvb u^io9©©©^©©u^Lo©o©9c^t^op^^opoi(ot^cpcpcor^oci 6>cocoo^^c^^ob^6^^©^^^^t^i^6dbco©6covbioob^— 6> ©cnowo(ooioinif)vovoo*ocooi ^-1 — 00 ni^- 6> »h om^ ^t t>- © co i^-** — do 01 ovb r- vo <© vo *o vo 10 vo 10 10 >o -^ in 10 vo if)iflLnioio>Avoioi.nvnifl'*mTrio»n co >'o VO vo (Mr>-o>©co-H©©ooc^co--r--t^(Mco©vo o% 91 91 op ipoi '"5^^ ^T^^T 9 1 9 9 T 1 T 1 T^ 1 ? ? ? ^9 °P 9P 9P 9^ 9" 9 T 1 ^CTsO^c^iO^cyiO^O^O © © © © O^ © © © © 0>0 > >0\0 N idiC^O>0>v7lv7iO © OIC*0*0*0*0*0*0*COCOCOCOCOOcyi-^'»rj©o > iTi<©covooooc>oo TtipLp-^t , 9vpop7'V09i9 o^^y^^»p»pvpc^cpcoipo«'rt , co«p7t , 7i < 6> 00 do 6*1 6> 6^ © c^6>o>6^^6^^6^©>6^o > i6>c^<^o>o>'^i0^c7s C^0*OIC*V^C*C*0*0*O*CO0*C^0*C*0*e*0*0*O*C^C*0*CJCNCt^i-inQOiOv7\t^t^t>l>iOiO'*(r5VOO'*in-'VO , *l> i^cn o> co r-» it- — 1 9^9voco<^covo i9'7< ©©66>aNO>6>c^©©©©©©©©©©6>d^v^6>6>6><^6>c>c^©© COCOCOC^CNC>IOI(NCOCOCOCOCOCOCOCOCOCOC^(NC^C^C^Cc^d>c^<^©©© )C^CIC^C^COCOCOCOCOCOCOOCOCOCOC^CI(NCOO«OirN(NCNCOCOCO ooo©oooi©-<*©©vooo©oovoooooc<>vooooo©ooooo©oo < ^ , ©vo© ©■rfO>o>— ■o > »'^f , ^t , CNio^c©oto©— <— 'Oioovoo— 1© r-. ,-i —> o^voc^covpo>qp0^oo99^^6^©©©©©©©©©66>6^v^©6^c^6>6><3>©©© cocococ^c^oic^c^cococococococococoooc^c^c^coc^oicaoj«Ncococo ^".a : ^ : llii J,m.Ml.Uut, Vol.11. PIX Feathers of Fa.lco Islandicus and Landicus A. Tact -feather of loung FoZco Islandiciis. 3.Jrima*y of Mature d/ d/ J). Lesser wing covert reafker of OS df J:.Tri/nary of Mature Ta-tco 6ragnZa?tdicus F. Tail feather of Young aY dt Cr. Covert feathers of Mature d: df ft TJorsat vcew of Vespertine L< ./ /:.i. ;[■/•(!. ?M ANNALS OF NATURAL HISTORY. XXVII. — Remarks on the Greenland and Iceland Falcons, showing that they are distinct Species, By John Han- cock*. [With a Plate f.] J HE Grey or Iceland Falcon (Falco Islandicus, Lath.) and the White Gyr [Falco Gyrfalco, Linn.) are at present considered^ I believe, by most English authors as one species. Continental writers however disagree much on the subject ; some assert that they are perfectly distinct; whilst others contend that they are the same species, varying only in con- sequence of age, sex, or climate. It seems strange that any difference of opinion should exist respecting species so cha- racteristically marked as are those two birds. Our English na- turalists, it is true, have had few specimens to examine, or at all events our public collections contain very few individuals ; and judging from the scarcity of the species, it is not likely that many specimens have found their way into private cabi- nets. This is not the case with continental writers ; they have been more fortunate in having numerous specimens before them, but by assuming that these birds go on changing their plumages year after year for a long period, they have been led into much confusion, and have not yet arrived at any sa- tisfactory conclusion. This being the state of the question, and having recently had many opportunities of examining in- dividuals of both the Iceland and the Greenland birds, I wish to lay before this meeting the result of such examination, more particularly as I feel a strong conviction that these birds are perfectly distinct. That my reasons for so considering them may be as clearly understood as possible, I shall, in the first place, detail what led me to this conviction. I shall then make some remarks by way of elucidation, and afterwards de- * Read in the Natural History Section of the Meeting of the British Association, Newcastle, and communicated by the author. t This plate will be given in the Supplement to the present volume. — Edit. Ann.Nat.Hist.Yol.2. No. 10. Dec. 1838. r 242 Mr. J. Hancock on the scribe the two species in their various plumages. My atten- tion was first drawn to the subject so far back as 1833 by two specimens brought from Iceland by Mr. Geo. C. Atkinson as the young of the Greenland or white species ; one of those is now in my possession, and I am satisfied is a mature female of the true Iceland bird. At the time I was convinced that this was not an immature bird ; the cordated markings on the breast and the transverse bars on the flanks were sufficient to prove this fact, and it was impossible for a moment to sup- pose that a bird so symmetrically and characteristically marked should be a mere variety of the Greenland or white falcon. I believed it to be a distinct species, and subsequent observa- tions have confirmed me in this belief. I was afterwards for- tunate enough, through the kindness of my friend Mr.Warham, of the Lord Gambier whaler from this port, to possess a bird from Davis' Straits, which is undoubtedly the young of the white bird ; in fact it has already got a quill feather of the mature dress. This individual has longitudinal dashes or blotches on the under parts ; a character indicative of youth in the Falconidce, and which in this instance is perfectly analogous to the markings of the young of the peregrine falcon, a species most nearly allied. Afterwards I became possessed of another young bird which was shot in York- shire, March 1837. This has also the longitudinal markings on the under parts, and as might be expected, from the time it was taken, has commenced to shed its feathers, and has al- ready got several new ones on different parts of the body. The fresh feathers are precisely similar to those of the bird from Iceland which I considered to be mature. This then was cer- tainly the young of the Iceland bird. It differs from the young of the white bird in one striking particular, viz. that in having the bars on the two middle feathers of the tail non-continuous, or not opposing each other, whilst they are continuous in the young of the latter. (PL X. figs. A. and F.) All that was now wanting was to discriminate the sexes. I was enabled to do this through the kindness of Mr. W. Proctor, Curator of the Durham Museum, who visited Iceland last year for the pur- pose of procuring birds, and the other natural productions of that island. After the most indefatigable exertions he ob- tained five individuals of the true Iceland falcon. He shot them Greenland and Iceland Falcons. 243 all on the same crags. They are a brood with their two pa- rents ; there can be no doubt of this, for he saw the old birds bring food to the young ones, and he afterwards found in the same cliffs, and close to the spot where the birds were killed, an old nest which contained in the bottom of it a rotten egg buried in dung. Four of these birds were shot on the same day, the fifth was killed on the following : it was perched near to the nest. I had no difficulty in separating the old from the young, or of naming the sexes. Mr. Proctor's notes taken in Iceland afterwards proved that I was correct. The old female agrees exactly with the individual brought by Mr. Geo. C. Atkinson from Iceland. The male is similar to the female, only that he is a little brighter in colour, and like the rest of the falcons, is considerably smaller. The young are of course in the nest plumage (they were shot on the 3rd of August) and agree most accurately with the individual taken in York- shire, except that the plumage of the latter is a little faded on account of its greater age. It had undergone six months or upwards extra bleaching. The fading of the plumage is com- mon to all birds. I possess a young peregrine which was shot previous to its moulting, and it is bleached down from the deep brown of the nest plumage to the colour of brown paper. All the young have the bars of the tail non-continuous, and another immature bird which Mr. Proctor also procured in Iceland has the same character. This peculiarity has like- wise been observed by Benwicke, who says, in describing a young bird from Iceland, that " the bars of the tail are non- continuous." I had now before me male, female, and five young of the Iceland or grey species, and on examining these with the male, female, and young of the white or Greenland species, no doubt could exist, and the conclusion was easily arrived at, that the difference of these two birds is not at least the effect of sex or age, unless we adopt the theory common amongst ornithologists, that these birds go on varying in plumage for a series of years, even after they have attained their nuptial dress. This however I shall afterwards show is not the case. Faber, who resided some time in Iceland, and who is apparently well acquainted with the species of that island, can find no other way of escaping the necessity of ac- knowledging it to be a species, than by supposing that the r 2 244 Mr. J. Hancock on the white or Greenland bird is " either an Iceland falcon in a very advanced age, or what" he is " much rather disposed to be- lieve, an albino variety P With regard to the former part of his supposition, there is nothing that I am aware of in the hi- story of the Falconida to warrant such an assumption. They do not, like most birds, shed the nest plumage in autumn, but retain it until the following spring, when they get the mature dress, and I know of no instance of any subsequent change of importance. This is the case with the peregrine falcon, which is very closely allied to the Iceland species. This fact is well known to falconers, though I believe doubted by many orni- thologists. Capt. Bonham of the 10th Hussars, who has for many years kept a number of peregrines, showed me an indi- vidual which had got its mature plumage, and it was then only a year old. It had retained its nest plumage until the spring, when it moulted and at once assumed the mature dress, and he assured me this was always the case. This also takes place with the kestrel [Falco Tinnunculus, Linn.), and I believe with all the true falcons : occasionally the plumage may afterwards become a little brighter, but never any material change takes place ; the markings retain their characters, and though the bird may be considered a finer and more distinctly marked individual, yet the plumage is identically the same in all es- sential points. We possess, however, the strongest proof that this is the case with the Iceland species. The Yorkshire spe- cimen, though in the nest plumage, has, as before remarked, got several new feathers which are exactly like those of the adult, breeding individuals from Iceland ; thus we have a proof that this species gets the mature plumage immediately on shed- ding the nest feathers ; and in the two old birds we have evi- dence of the strongest nature that their plumage undergoes no further change, for it fortunately happens that they are also in the process of casting their feathers, and those that are coming are perfectly similar to the feathers of the previous year. No- thing can be more decisive. It needs no comment. The Ice- land species then does not change after it has attained the breeding dress. Faber also remarks, that the Iceland bird is not mature, that is, it does not breed until it has got yellow legs : this is probably the fact ; then if he be correct in sup- posing that the white or Greenland species is only an Iceland Greenland and Iceland Falcons. 245 bird in a very advanced age, how does it happen that white birds are found with blue legs ? This very commonly occurs, and is characteristic of youth. The truth is, that these spe- cimens with blue legs are birds of the previous spring and have just cast their grey or nest plumage, and have not yet attained the mature colouring of the feet ; I have several spe- cimens in this state, some of which are already changing to yellow. The want of this colour on the feet is one proof that the individual is young, and the spots on the breast of such specimens are generally more numerous and larger. The young of both species have the feet blue at first', they after- wards become of a full bright yellow in the Iceland bird, though it remains grey. This is not the case with the Green- land species, it becomes white before the legs are yellow, and they never attain the bright colour of the former, but continue of a pale livid yellow. The latter part of Faber's supposition needs scarcely any remark. It seems absurd to imagine a bird so symmetrically marked as the Greenland species, to be a mere variety. It is as characteristic in its appearance and varies as little as any of its congeners. There is no analogy whatever between this bird and those with which he compares it. The albino varieties of those birds to which he alludes occur perhaps one in a hundred. The Greenland or white bird, on the contrary, is more plentiful than the Iceland or grey. The exception, therefore, would be more numerous than the rule, an anomaly of no very common occurrence j and again, albino varieties are either entirely white or are entirely white in irregular patches, but the Greenland falcon is sym- metrically marked, as before mentioned, and never becomes entirely white, and it varies from the Iceland bird not only in being whiter, but also in the markings of the plumage. In the former the feathers on the upper parts are white with ar- row-shaped spots of dark, in the latter the upper plumage is slate colour or grey with lighter spots and bars. (PI. X. figs. D. C. and G.) Perhaps it might be asked, is there not a white variety of the Iceland bird as well as a Greenland spe- cies ? I believe not. I have a white individual from Iceland, and there is no perceptible difference between it and the many specimens I have seen and possess from Davis 5 Straits. In 246 Mr. J. Hancock on the fact there can be little or no doubt that the white one never breeds in Iceland, and that the individuals shot there are driven from their more northern haunts by the severity of the climate during the winter months. This view of the case is corroborated by a remark of Faber, who says, " I only met with white birds in winter, and these on the northern parts of the island (speaking of Iceland)"; and again, "The white va- riety is rather rare ; I have met with it only in the winter months." And Mr. Proctor when there made frequent in- quiries about the white gyr, and always received for answer that they were extremely rare. He at length, however, pro- cured a skin from one of the natives, who said the bird was shot during the winter season. It appears to be doubtful whether or not the Iceland species inhabits Greenland. Fa- bricius and others, it is true, described grey birds as belonging to these regions, but it is difficult to say whether these are the young of the white gyr or are the Iceland species. From what I can learn I am very much inclined to think that this which I suppose to be a species is not a resident of those more northern countries, or at least is not common there. Messrs. Warham and Taylor, Captains of Davis 5 Straits whalers from this port, inform me that they see only white birds during the early part of the season, and it is not until the latter end of the year that grey ones make their appearance. This is just what might be expected, w T hen we recollect that this bird, like its congeners, undoubtedly gets its mature dress or breeding plumage at the first moult : the nestlings of the previous sea- son get the white plumage before the whalers arrive, and as they do not leave the fishing grounds until autumn, they then meet with the young of the year in the grey or nest plumage. Brehm, who attempted to divide the two species, was unfor- tunate in possessing only young birds ; this is apparent from his describing the Iceland bird as having blue legs, whilst its legs in a mature state are full yellow. He could never have met with the old bird or he could not have fallen into this error. Benwicke appears also to have laboured under the same mistake at the time he believed there were two species, for he described the one with yellow legs and dark spots on a white ground, the other with white spots on a dark ground Greenland and Iceland Falcons. 24 7 and blue legs, evidently considering the mature Greenland falcon as the one species and the young either of this or the Iceland bird as the other. He afterwards, however, united them, and believed he had obtained a thorough knowledge of the subject. He continues nevertheless in error. He de- scribes the nest plumage no less than three times over as dif- ferent ages. The first is from Iceland, and has the bars on the tail non-continuous, like the individuals I possess from that island. The other two are from Greenland, and vary very slightly, one having only a little more white than the other. This is of no importance whatever ; all species are liable to vary in this way, and the young birds from the same nest brought by Mr. Proctor from Iceland vary as much or more than do those two which he has described as birds of different years. He afterwards described the mature Greenland falcon, but never mentions the mature Iceland : from this it is probable he had never seen it. Temminck, however, is acquainted with both species, but describes the mature Iceland falcon as the female of the Greenland bird. In this he is most certainly wrong, for I possess both the sexes of the mature Greenland bird, and the only difference perceptible is that the male is perhaps a little whiter. The markings are perfectly of the same cha- racter ; and as we have before us male and female of the Ice- land species, nothing more need be said on this head; and in fact Faber has settled this point of the question, for he has shown that the plumage of the Greenland bird is not occa- sioned by sex. Before I conclude I have to acknowledge my obligations to Dr. Charlton of Hesleyside for extracts from various German works and for the loan of others. I shall now close this paper by describing the two species in their various plumages. I have retained Latham's name of Islandicus for the true Iceland species, as the most appro- priate, it being, as far as I am aware, peculiar to that island, though I am much inclined to believe that the birds Audubon figures and describes as the Iceland or ger falcon is the young of this species, and the other species cannot perhaps be better named than after the country from which it is most abundantly procured. I therefore continue Linnaeus' name of Grmn- landicus, which he gave the young bird. Falco Islandicus. Ground of the upper plumage a dark 248 Mr. J. Hancock on the lead or mouse colour, barred and spotted with cream colour ; under parts the ground is buff, marked with streaks, heart- shaped spots, and bars of dark mouse colour. Wings reach- ing to within about 1| in. of the end of the tail. Iceland falcon. Pen. Arc. Zool., Addenda C, vol. i. p. 252. Greenland falcon. Pen. Arc. Zool., Addenda D, vol. i. p. 257. Collard falcon, Pen. Arc. Zool, vol. i. p. 158. Falco gyrfalco, Tar. Linn., vol. i. p. 158. Iceland falcon. Lath. No. 50. Dimensions. Adult male, length 1 ft. 9 in. ; extent of wings 3 ft. 10 in. Description. Bill lead colour, gradually darker towards the tip, with two processes in the upper mandible ; irides dark brown ; cere, orbits and feet bright yellow ; crown, occiput, and cheeks cream colour, streaked with dark grey or mouse colour. The feathers of the upper parts dark slate colour, with two or more transverse cream-coloured bars sprinkled with ash, the bars increasing in number as the feathers in- crease in size, each feather with a narrow edging of the same ; primaries several shades darker, with fourteen cream-coloured bars on the inner w T ebs, with a few less conspicuous and broken bars on the outer webs. Tail rounded, consisting of twelve feathers of a dark grey, crossed with twelve or thir- teen bars of cream colour mottled with ash ; throat nearly white ; breast and belly cream colour or buff, the former streaked and the latter marked with heart-shaped spots of the ground colour of the back ; the flanks and under tail coverts transversely barred as in the peregrine, but the bars less nu- merous. Dimensions. Adult female, length 1 foot 11 in. \ extent of wings 4 feet 2 in. Desc. In every respect like the male, excepting that she is considerably darker. Young or nest plumage : bill, cere and legs dark blue; crown of the head and occiput cream colour, streaked with dark brown ; the whole of the upper plumage the same, edged with cream colour, with a few spots of the same on the lower parts of the scapulars and greater wing coverts ; under parts cream colour, marked longitudinally with closely set dark brown blotches, increasing in size on the vent and flanks ; Greenland and Iceland Falcons. 249 thighs streaked with the same ; tail dark, with about ten ash- coloured bars (in some specimens these bars are cream colour), the bars on the two middle feathers non-continuous. Falco Grcenlandicus. Ground of the plumage pure white ; upper parts elegantly marked with arrow-shaped spots of a dark grey ; under parts and head streaked with the same ; wings reaching to within 2 inches of the end of the tail ; se- cond primary the longest. Gyr falcon. Pen. Arc. ZooL, vol. i. p. 232. Falco Greenland icus. Tur. Linn, (this i3 the young), vol. i. p. 147. Falco islandicus. Tur. Linn., vol. i. p. 155. Falco candicans. Tur. Linn., vol. i. p. 158. Iceland falcon, var. Lath., p. 71. Spotted Iceland falcon, var. Lath., p. 71. Dimensions. Adult male, length, 1 foot 9 in. Des(\ Bill light horn colour, inclining to yellow, with the tip darker and a large process in the upper mandible ; cere, orbits, and feet pale yellow (in some specimens the upper parts of the toes are blue) ; ground of the whole plumage pure white ; crown streaked with narrow lines of dark ash ; on the occiput the streaks are a little larger, forming an obscure patch of darker. The feathers on the back scapulars and lesser wing coverts are deeply margined with white, the centre being dark ash ; in some the dark occupies the whole of the centre, in others (especially towards the lower parts) it is broken up into bars, sometimes on the outer web and sometimes on the inner ; the markings are arrow-shaped at the tip ; wing coverts, se- condaries and primaries barred, the bars increasing in number in proportion as the feathers increase in size ; towards the tip of each of the primaries the dark bar is considerably larger, forming a spot at the tip of the wing ; this is very conspicuous when the bird is flying : the tail is rounded at the end, and consists of twelve feathers, which are white, except that the two middle ones are barred a little on each side of the shaft ; in some specimens all the feathers are barred, and in others they are all white ; all the under parts pure white, excepting a few dashes of dark ash on the flanks. Dimensions. — Adult female, length, 1 foot 11 in. ; extent of wings, 3 feet 10 in. Desc. In every respect like the male, except that the dark 250 Mr. Forbes on the Land and Freshwater is a little more in proportion to the white, and in some indi- viduals the bill is furnished with* two processes in the upper mandible, like the young of the preceding species, except that the bars on the two middle feathers in the tail are continuous. Note. — The day after the above paper was read, two mature specimens were received from Iceland ; they are male and female, and have just come through the moult, and cor- respond exactly in the markings with the breeding individuals brought by Mr. Proctor ; they are, however, a little brighter in colour, occasioned principally by the freshness of the plu- mage, and certainly do not vary more than might be expected from the difference in the young from the same nest. I may also observe that all the mature specimens I have seen from Iceland, amounting to seven in number, have the upper man- dible furnished with two processes ; whilst in the many Green- land specimens I have examined, only two have had the dou- ble process, and these were apparently very old individuals. EXPLANATION OF THE PLATE. A. Tail-feather of young Falco Islandicus. B. Primary of mature ditto. D. Lesser wing-covert feather of ditto. E. Primary of mature Falco Grcenlandicus. F. Tail-feather of young ditto. G. Covert feathers of mature ditto. XXVIII. — On the Land and Freshwater Mollusca of Algiers and Bougia. By Edward Forbes, [With Plates*.] During a visit to the regency of Algiers in May 1837* I ob- tained forty-five species of land and freshwater Mollusca, chiefly collected in the neighbourhoood of the city of Algiers and of the town of Bougia (in the province of Constantine). M. Mi- chaud, a distinguished French naturalist, published the year before a pamphlet entitled, i Catalogue des Testaces vivans envoyes d 5 Alger, par M. Rozet/ in which he enumerates twenty-five species of land and freshwater shells ; but a great part of these are not correctly speaking from Algiers, but from Oran (near Morocco), where the Fauna of Barbary assumes a different aspect, approximating to that of the Canaries on the one hand, and to that of Spain on the other. * These plates will form part of the Supplement. Ann . Nat. Hut. Vol . II . PI . XI . Fuj.3. Sm Fig.2. Fig.l / L'.HCitlwina. S.H.Roseo-tina Mollusca of Algiers and Bougia, 251 Of the shells enumerated in M. MichaucPs Catalogue, I be- lieve the following do not occur either in the province of Titerie (Algiers) or in that of Constantine. Helix cariosula, soluta, alabastrites, and Hieroglyphicula (all new species of M. Michaud), Helix vermiculata, Carthusiana, albella, zaphi- rina, and conspurcata. Bulimus radiatus, Cyclostoma Voltzi- anum (new) an&ferrugineum (new). Among the forty-five species collected by myself, there are several which I have reason, after careful research, to believe undescribed, and have accordingly given them names except in the case of two species of Limax. LlMAX. 1. Limax cinereus. Gardens near Algiers. 2. Limax , with the body rounded, head and tentacula purple-grey, the back with two dark parallel stripes. Shield yellowish-grey, with two dark longitudinal stripes, not conti- nuous with those of the body. Length, an inch and a half. At Bougia and on the hill of Budjaria near Algiers. 3. Limax , with the back sharply carinate, grey ; ten- tacula dusky; shield brownish- white, with grey markings. Length, one inch. At Bougia, rare. Helix, 4. Helix aspersa, Mull. Common at Algiers and Bougia. The colouring of the shell generally more vivid than in the European specimens and the size greater. 5. Helix melanostoma, Drap. Algiers, rare. 6. Helix nalicoides, Drap. Not common at Algiers. Fre- quent at Bougia, where it abounds on nettles, coming out from its retreat after a shower of rain. Grows to a larger size than in Europe. 7. Helix lactea. Mull. Thickets about Algiers ; common. 8. Helix Constantina, nov. sp. PL XI. fig. 1. H. testa subglobosa, imperforata, alba, rufo-fasciata ; fauce alba : labro expanso, margine reflexo ; columella gibba. Animal purplish-grey; foot yellowish- white ; tentacula long, slender. In waste places among nettles at Bougia. 9. Helix candidissima, Drap. On the hill of Budjaria near Algiers, abundant. 252 Mr. Forbes on the Land and Freshwater 10. Helix Otthiana, nov. sp. PI. XI. fig. 2. Helix orbiculato-depressa, alba, longitudinaliter striata, profunde umbilicata : anfractibus quinque, ultimo carinato marginato ; apertura angulata, peristomate subreflexo ; columella reflexa. Breadth 1 inch ; height \. Animal very dark grey ; tentacula short, obtuse. On rocks at Bougia, abundant. I have named this very distinct species after my friend and companion in travel Dr. Otth of Berne. 11. Helix Terverii, Michaud. Animal blueish-grey above with four darker longitudinal stripes ; tentacula blueish-grey. On the Chamcerops humilis at Algiers and Bougia in great abundance. 12. Helix ccespitum, Drap. Algiers, frequent. 13. Helix pisana, Mull. Algiers, abundant on the aloes near the sea-shore. 14. Helix variabilis, Drap. Algiers and Bougia, common. 15. Helix pyramidata, Drap. On Mount Budjaria near Algiers, and at Bougia, plentiful. 16. Helix conoides, Drap. On the aloes at Algiers. 17. Helix conica, Drap. Sandy places by the sea at Algiers. 18. Helix elegans, Drap. At Bougia, abundant. 19. Helix Rozetti, Michaud. Animal yellowish- white, with four grey longitudinal stripes ; tentacula grey. Under stones on Mount Budjaria. 20. Helix lenticula, Ferr. Under stones at Algiers and Bougia. 21. Helix lucida, Drap. Two specimens from the rejecta- menta of the river Haresh, near Algiers. 22. Helix cellarea, Mull. On old walls at Bougia, a re- markably flattened form. 23. Helix apicina, Lam. Under stones by the sea at Al- giers. This species is sometimes hairy. 24. Helix roseo-tincta, nov. sp. PI. XI. fig. 3. Helix orbiculato-convexa, depressiuscula, pallide cornea, pellucida, perforata, pilosa, pilis per series longitudinaliter dispositis ; apertura subrotunda, labro interne marginato, roseo-tincto, pe- ristomate simplici ; apice glabro, papillato. Br. \ inch ; height T %. Var. j3. laevis. Mollusca of Algiers and Bougia, 253 Animal (of both varieties) slender, yellowish-grey ; upper tentacula slender, dark towards the apex; lower tentacula grey ; tail acute. On rocks near Algiers, and on walls at Bougia. Bulimus. 25. Bulimus decollatus,Dmp. Not rare at Algiers. Com- mon at Bougia ; at Monkey mountain near Bougia the cre- vices of the rocks are often filled with broken shells of this spe- cies and Achatina Poireti, perhaps collected by the monkeys for food. The Bulimus decollatus grows to a much larger size in North Africa than in Europe. I have specimens an inch and a half long. 26. Bulimus acutus, Drap. Common at Algiers and Bougia. 27. Bulimus ventricosus, Drap. In moist places on the plain of the Metidja, but not so frequent as the last species. 28. Bulimus pupa, Farr. Common at Algiers. The ani- mal is of a uniform dark grey colour. 29. Bulimus Terverii, Dupotet, PI. XII. fig. 1. MSS. A very distinct and interesting species discovered near Bougia by Capt. Dupotet, and named by him after M. Terver of Lyons. In form it connects Bulimus acutus with Bulimus obscurus and montanus. Its colour is corneous with white irregular longitudinal stripes. I have taken it from the sur- face of rocks at Mount Goriah near Bougia. Achatina. 30. Achatina Poireti, Ferr. (A. algira, Philippi ; Bulimus algirus, Brugibre.) Rare at Algiers ; more frequent at Bou- gia. The animal is of a bright orange colour. 31. Achatina acicula, Lam. Among the rejectamenta of the river Haresh. 32. Achatina follicula, Lam. Frequent at Algiers, under stones, in dry places. Animal yellow with the upper ten- tacula and two longitudinal stripes on the back dark grey. 33. Achatina nitidissima, nov. sp. PL XII. fig. 2. Achatina testa cylindracea, pellucida, lEevissima, nitidissima, cor- neo-lutescente : apertura oblonga ; anfractibus quinis, ultimo majore : apice obtuso. Length \. 254 On the Mollusca of Algiers and Bougia. Animal yellow with the back and tentacula grey. Allied to Achatina folliculus, but very distinct. The young shell not nearly so ventricose, and the adult much more attenuate. In mossy places and among leaves at Algiers and Bougia. Succinea. 34. Succinea amphibea, Drap. I found dead specimens of this species among the rejectamenta of a rivulet near Algiers. Pupa. 35. Pupa umbilicata, Drap. Among the rejectamenta of the river Haresh. It probably inhabits the mountains of the Lesser Atlas. 36. Pupa granum, Drap.? Under stones on Mount Bud- jaria near Algiers, rare. Cyclostoma. 37. Cyclostoma sulcatum, Drap. Common at Bougia. Paludina. 38. Paludina acuta, Drap. In rivulets near Algiers, rare. 39. Paludina Dupotetiana, nov. sp. PL XII. fig. 3. P. testa minima ovato-conoidea, ventricosa perforata, fusca ; an- fractibus quinis teretibus : apertura ovato-rotunda; spiraobtusa. Lon g- tV 5 lat. T V . Animal black. The shell is generally encrusted with mud ; the operculum is corneous and striated. In muddy rivulets near the sea at Algiers and Bougia. I have named this little species after Captain Dupotet of the 2nd African Legion, to whose kindness I owe many interesting species, and whose researches will doubtless throw much light on the zoology of French Africa. Ancylus. 40. Ancylus fluviatilis, Drap. Common in rivulets both at Algiers and Bougia. Physa. 41. Physa contorta, Michaud. In a fountain on the Metidja. Planorbis. 42. Planorbis Metidgensis, nov. sp. PL XII. fig. 5. P. testa albido- cornea, pellucida, irregulariter striata, supra pro- funde umbilicata, subtus plana, anfractibus tribus. Apertura ro- tundato-lunata, obliqua, subpatula. Breadth T % inch. Aiav.Nab.Eist. Vol. II. PL2T1 * I « < 7 Bulimus TervervC . 2 Achatina rutidissiiruv . 3 PaluAirta Dupotetuvrvct, 4 fisidzuTTt Licrnstenianzcrrv 5 Planorbis Metidjensis. 6 -Pupa aramarv ? Metamorphosis of Sv nan a thus lumbriciformis . Mr. R. Schomburgk on the King of the Vultures. 255 Easily distinguished from Planorbis corneus by the very large size of the first whorl (which is wrinkled as well as striated), by the number of whorls, and by the great size of the aperture. It holds a place intermediate between Planorbis corneus and some American allied species, such as Planorbis trivolvis. I obtained this fine shell during a hurried and dangerous visit to the eastern part of the plain of Metidja, where I found it in a fountain along with Physa contorta. 43. Planorbis marginatus, Drap. (An Planorbis marmo- ratus, Michaud, Test. Alg. ?) Ditches at Boufarik. Melanopsis. 44. Melanopsis buccinoidea, Ferr. On stones in the stream at Boufarik. Pisidium. 45. Pisidium Lumstenianum, nov. sp. PI. XII. fig. 4. P. testa ovata, oblique trigona, tumida, insequilatera, transversim striata, natibus prominentibus, roseo-corneis. Br. ^ ; length y 1 ^ inch. Fountains in the Metidja. XXIX. — On the Habits of the King of the Vultures (Sarcor- rhamphus papa). By Robert H. Schomburgk, CM. B.G.S., Lyceum of Natural History in New York, Hono- rary Member of the Bristol Institution, &c. The most beautiful of the deformed family of the vultures is doubtless the Sarcorrhamphus papa, upon which in conse- quence the royal title has been bestowed. It is an inhabitant of South America, and appears to be abundant in Guiana, where it has come under my notice from the coast regions to the equator. I might compare it in size, without going to actual admeasurement, to a full-grown turkey cock. Its bill is two inches in length, and its depth amounts almost to the same measure, being 1*9 inch. The upper mandible is covered by the cere, and straight in the beginning, but bent at its point to a hook ; the lower mandible is straight, rounded, and scarcely inflected. The nostrils, which are within the cere, are lateral and situated close to the ridge of the upper man- dibles ; they open obliquely towards the point of the beak : 250 Mr. R. Schomburgk on the King of the Vultures. the cere is of a bright orange colour, and continues towards the cheeks, where it takes a blueish hue. The beak is from the margin of the cere for the extent of a few lines of a deep black colour, and from thence it is red to its point. The ridge of the upper mandible is surmounted by a fleshy caruncle of red colour, which the bird can elevate at will or allow to hang over the beak. From the base of the lower mandible arises a naked skin of orange colour, which stretches towards the lower part of the throat, surrounding likewise the fore and hinder part of the head, the cheeks and ears, appearing as a wrinkled skin which might be almost called warty, and which is covered with black hairs. These are much thicker from the regions of the eyes towards the sinciput, and continue along the cervix to the nape, where there is a raised integument ; as the crown is almost bare, the head might be compared to the tonsure of a monk. The wrinkled skin possesses a blueish hue, and contrasts strongly with the bright orange of the neck. The eyes are surrounded by a red skin ; the iris is of a pearly white, which is still more set off by the jet black pu- pil. Below the nape, the neck is encircled by a ruff of long soft feathers of a deep ash colour, which partly covers the breast, and as one half of the feathers are directed upwards and the other towards the shoulders and breast, the down of these feathers becomes visible and forms a white ring in the centre of the ruff. The interscapular regions, the scapulars, and coverts are cream colour with a roseate hue ; the other wing feathers, the rump, and the tail are deep black; the breast, belly, and thighs white. The wings reach nearly to the end of the tail ; the second and third quill are the longest ; the tail is rounded at its extremity. The legs are robust ; the tarsus reticulated, with three toes before and one behind ; warty beneath ; the talons bent and an inch long. The mid- dle toe is the longest and united to the extreme one at the base. The female is somewhat larger than the male, and of a uni- form black, with the exception of the feathers under the wing, which are white. The caruncle is of less size than that of the male, and not of that intense black as the feathers ; this is likewise the case with the naked skin about the neck. In appearance the king of the vultures is one of the most Mr. R. Schomburgk on the King of the Vultures. 257 magnificent birds among the feathered tribe ; however its character corresponds little with its showy vesture ; it is vo- racious, unclean, and indolent. Their sense of smelling is un- commonly sharp, but it is only used to scent the carrion ; and while the eagle devours nothing but what his talons and beak have deprived of life, and does not stoop to feed on carcasses, the odour of putrefaction possesses every allurement for the vulture ; and it gorges itself to such a degree, that after a full meal it cannot rise upon its wings for a considerable time. The bird has then a most disagreeable smell, which becomes almost insupportable, if it be skinned ; at other periods, and when it has been pressed hard for food, it does not emit that unpleasant odour. The females appear to be more numerous than the males ; but their number has been much exaggerated, they having been frequently confounded with the common carrion-crow {Cathartes aura), with whom they feed ; indeed the latter may be considered their scouts ; and the common report is well founded, that the carrion-crow does not touch the carcass until their majesties and spouses, of which there are frequently se- veral present at the entertainment, have satisfied themselves to repletion : during that time they are silent and covetous spectators, and keep a proper distance, but scarcely have the others done when they fall to with voracious appetite. Their skill in preparing skeletons is astonishing : they not only scrape off the flesh with the greatest nicety, but likewise the ligaments and periosteums, without subjecting them pre- viously to maceration ; indeed they are perfect masters in their art, and vie with the best Anatomical Instructor. When we ascended the river Berbice, a cayman was shot and dragged on shore to leave to the vultures and carrion-crows the trouble of cleaning the bones. On our return a month after, they had performed the operation to our entire satisfaction, and we con- cluded from the whiteness and dryness of the bones that a fortnight might have elapsed since they finished. The ske- leton was subsequently unfortunately lost at the Christmas Cataracts by the upsetting of the corial*. At a later period * A corial is a boat made solely of the trunk of a tree ; they are from 20 to 40 feet long, and often 4 to 6 feet wide. Ann. Nat. Hist. Vol. 2. No. 10. Dec. 1838. s 258 Mr. R. Schomburgk on the King of the Vultures, I ascertained the fact, that the carrion-crows do not touch the carcass until the vultures have satisfied themselves. I was at a Mr. Sander's at the upper river Berbice. On the opposite shore, the carcass of a cow which died the previous day had attracted a numerous assembly of carrion-crows ; they were perched on the dry branches of some trees which commanded a view of the carcass ; there they sat, silent and mournful, their attitude not upright but stooping ; their wings partly hanging down, and their vesture being black, it appeared they had assembled to bewail the fate of the departed. There they remained the whole morning ; none touched the carcass, nor did they change their position. In the afternoon our atten- tion was attracted by the cry of the negroes, ie They come, they come \" We went out, and looking towards the opposite shore, we observed four male vultures and several females flying in circles over the place where the cow was lying ; the circles be- came narrower and narrower, and at last they lighted upon some trees in the neighbourhood ; this circumstance was hailed by the sable crew, they extended their wings and became un- ruly, but the former silence was soon restored. The vultures did not immediately attack the dead animal ; they withdrew their neck in the ruff, and remained ogling it for some time. " Tern be the judshes, and tern sit in court now to hold judshement o'er em," observed the negroes who were standing around us ; and the remark was so adapted and striking, that we could not help smiling at it. After half an hour had elapsed, one of the male vultures commenced the entertain- ment, and his example was soon followed by the others. Towards evening the former had satisfied their appetite, and the carrion-crows commenced their feast, where harmony how- ever did not appear to be presiding, and scuffles and quarrels took place when it concerned a favourite morsel. They soar uncommonly high and possess great powers of flight. Like the eagle, they hover over one and the same spot for a length of time, poise their wings, and please themselves in aerial evolutions, until their sharp scent and sight combine to show them the direction where their appetite may be satis- fied, when they descend in gyratory motions. They do not decline animal food of any description, provided it does not Mr, R. Schomburgk on the King of the Vultures. 259 possess life, as they are not known to kill. It is a cowardly- bird, and does not oppose in single combat an animal from which it expects resistance. They rise with heavy wings and with great noise. I have not been able to ascertain where they build their nests, very likely in the most retired places. The carrion-crow (Cathartes aura) constructs it near the coast in the sugar fields on the ground. The young males of the king of the vultures are in their first year black ; they be- come black and white-spotted during the second, and are only in full plumage during the third year. While we camped in Curassawaka, a Carib settlement at the river Rupunoony, the Indians brought us three males and a female alive. One of the former had been caught in a snare ; the others had been shot with the Sarbacan or blowpipe, the arrow poisoned with diluted ourari, so that it only stupified without killing. One of them died, and the other managed to get away ; however one of the males and the female we had for several weeks. The female became much sooner reconciled to her fate than the male, and allowed herself to be approached; but unfortunately she got loose, and as we did not wish to give her up on easy terms, a Maconsi Indian w T as desired to shoot her with a poisoned arrow ; the poison was not diluted, and she fell a few minutes after from the tree, and all our endea- vours to save her by giving her sugar and water, which the Indians say is an antidote, proved in vain. A fine and full- grown male bird was therefore only left of the four. He w r as indolent while with us, and at the last moment, when he was sent to Demerara, he was not tamer than when we received him. When we approached, or a dog came near him, he would fly up or stretch his neck forth, and attempt to pick with the beak, making at the same time a noise like a goose when irri- tated or when defending its young. He was generally fed upon fish, and never declined when well to eat them fresh ; for that purpose he kept his food with his talons and spread his wings, picking the flesh from the bones, if the fish was large, but swallowed it entire if of a small size. In his vora- city he frequently miscalculated the size of his gullet, and the fish remained often for some time in it before it was entirely s 2 260 Mr. C. Babington on the British Species of Lotus. swallowed. He was not partial to entrails, and when they were thrown before him, he would put his feet upon them and relax immediately to his former stooping position. Before he commenced attacking his food, he would turn his head and look at it in a squinting way. His eyes were beautiful ; in- deed I do not know an animal which could vie with those of the king of the vultures ; the purest pearl is not whiter than his iris. During rainy weather, and during a few days when he was sick, he withdrew his neck completely in the ruff; it even covered partly the head, leaving only the forehead and the beak out. He could not endure the full heat of the sun ; he panted and showed every sign of being uncomfortable. They are easily tamed if taken young. Mr. Glen in Deme- rara had a female bird which was so tame that it would lay itself before its master's feet ; and its power of recognition was so great, that if it happened to be on the roof of the highest house when Mr. Glen walked by in the street, it would de- scend rapidly as an arrow, and lie down before his feet, as it had been accustomed to do. I saw a full-grown male bird which was brought from Surinam to Demerara ; it was per- fectly tame, and was ultimately sold to the master of an En- glish merchantman for the enormous price of twenty pounds sterling. The Indians when we travelled with them never failed to attract our attention to this bird when they discovered one soaring in the air. The Maconsis call it Cassana, the Wape- shanas Panaourou, the Warrows Wouraerepo. XXX. — On the British Species of Lotus. By Charles C. Babington, M.A., F.L.S., F.G.S., &c. The British species of Lotus have now been the subject of controversy for many years, some most eminent botanists con- sidering all our plants to be referable to only two (cornicu- latus and angustissimus), others supposing that they constitute four, if not five distinct species ; but after a careful examina- tion of numerous individuals, in their native localities, I have come to the conclusion that we possess four quite distinct Mr. C. Babington on the British Species of Lotus. 261 specific forms, namely, L. corniculatus, major, angustissimus, and hispidus. L. tenuis of e Eng. Bot. Suppl.' (L. decumbens, Forst.) I am induced to refer as a variety to L. comiculatus, not having been able to discover any permanent characters, by which it may be distinguished from that plant. The form and structure of the pod appear to be amongst the most valuable characters in this genus, and the direction of the calycine seg- ments, more particularly in the two first species, is deserving of great attention. The form of the leaves and the quantity of pubescence can only be considered as distinguishing va- rieties. The specific characters which I have given may appear longer than is desirable, but I have found it impossible to condense them into a shorter form without omitting some characteristic points of the respective species. I have thought it unnecessary to load this paper with synonyms, since I do not believe that there is any confusion in that part of the sub- ject. Lotus, Linn, 1. L. comiculatus, Linn. (Sp. PI. 1092.) Vexilli ungue obovato transversim camerato, calycis apicibus ante anthesin conniventi- bus, laciniis e basi triangulari subulatis tubum suum subsequan- tibus et corolla multo brevioribus 2 superioribus apicibus con- vergentibus, leguminibus ex apice medio rostratis, capitulis 5— 10-floris. a. vulgaris (Koch.) glabriusculus vel sparse pilosus, caulibus ascendentibus, foliolis obovatis, stipulis ovatis insequalibus. Eng. Bot. t. 2090. /3. villosus (Ser.) caulibus foliisque villosis. L. villosus, Thuill. y. crassifolius (Pers.) pilosus, caulibus humilibus stoloniferis, fo- liolis obovatis crassis, stipulis ovatis insequalibus. B. tenuis, glaber vel sparse pilosus, caulibus nliformibus elongatis procumbentibus ascendentibusve, foliolis linearibus vel lineari-obo- vatis, stipulis semi-ovatis (calycis laciniis brevibus). Eng. Bot. t. 2615. Root strong, slightly woody, perennial, in loose sandy soil, stoloniferous. Stems spreading, procumbent or ascending, hairy or glabrous, varying much in length, solid. Leaflets obovate, in 8 linear or linear- obovate, glabrous or slightly hairy, 262 Mr. C. Babington on the British Species of Lotus. in (3 clothed with long spreading hairs, strongly ciliated and fleshy in 7. Stipules ovate, slightly unequal, in h semi-ovate. Peduncles long. Bracteas obovate, slightly unequal. Pedicels very short, 5 — 10 together. Calyx segments about as long as their own tube, shorter in 7, equalling or slightly shorter than that of the corolla, their tips not diverging in the bud, the points of the two upper ones turned towards each other when the flower has expanded, the interstices between the segments rounded. Flowers yellow, claw of the standard much dilated and vaulted transversely. Pods linear, terete, straight, with a long setaceous deflexed rostrum springing exactly from the middle of the apex. Seeds numerous, oval, compressed, smooth. Common throughout the British Islands, in fields, on hedge banks, and dry places. Fig. 1. L. corniculatus. Fig. 2. L. major. . .. § «f.l. rf.2. rf.3. d.4. d.5. d.6. d.l. d.2. d.3. var. «. var. 5. Fig. 1. a. Legume, b. Unopened bud, to show the direction of the tips of the calyx, c. The two upper segments of the calyx, to show the rounded space between them and their converging tips. d.l. K lateral leaflet of var. ». d. 2. The central leaflet of var. «,. d. 3. A stipule of var. a. d. 4., d. 5., d. 6. The same parts respectively of var. I. Fig. 2. The letters represent the corresponding parts, and all the draw- ings are about the natural size. My friend Mr. Borrer, who has had frequent opportunities of studying L. tenuis in a living state, continues fully convinced that it is a truly distinct species, founding its characters upon the much shorter segments of the calyx and the elongated procumbent habit of the plant. I am sorry to be obliged to Mr. C. Babington on the British Species of Lotus. 263 differ from so excellent a botanist, but am of opinion that those are not sufficient differences upon which to found a species in this genus. The plant is more slender in all its parts, but I have not been able to detect any differences in structure except those mentioned in the description. 2. L. major, Scop. (Cam. 2. 86.) Vexilli ungue lineari, calycis apicibus ante anthesin in stella dispositis, laciniis e basi trian- gulari subulatis tubum suum subsequantibus et corolla multo brevioribus 2 superioribus divergentibus, leguminibus e sutura superiori rostratis, capitulis 8 — 12-iloris, foliolis obovatis, sti- pulis ovato-rotundatis insequalibus. a. vulgaris, pilosus, caulibus erectiusculis. Eng. Bot. t. 2091. (3. glabrius cuius, glaber, foliolorum stipularum bractearum sepalo- rumque marginibus et nervis exceptis quse longe ciliatae sunt, caulibus erectis vel procumbentibus. Root strong, perennial. Stems erect or ascending 1 — 3 feet high, clothed with long spreading hairs, in ft glabrous, hollow. Leaflets obovate, obtuse, or pointed, covered both above and below with long scattered hairs, in /3 the hairs are confined to the margins and nerves. Stipules orbicular or short ovate, very minutely serrated, hairy like the leaves. Peduncles very long. Bractea ovate, the lateral one slightly unequal. Pedi- cels very short, 8 — 12 together. Calyx segments about as long as their own tube, longer than that of the corolla, acute, their tips spreading like a star before the expansion of the bud, the tips of the two upper ones never converging, their interstice forming an acute angle. Flowers yellow, claw of the standard linear and longitudinally vaulted. Pods linear, terete, straight, having a long setaceous straight rostrum springing from the upper suture. Seeds numerous, minute. Frequent in damper places than the last, but sometimes found in very dry places. The Rev. Dr. Beche, late Dean of Bristol, was I believe the first botanist who noticed the valuable character drawn from the stellate tips of the calyx, by which this species may at all times be distinguished from L. corniculatus. From laying too much stress upon the presence or absence of hairs as a specific distinction between these plants, several botanists 264 Mr. C. Babington on the British Species of Lotus. have been induced to consider the characters given above as variable, but there is nothing more uncertain in this genus than the quantity of the pubescence, unless it is the direction of the stems. The same species may be found glabrous, hairy, or even woolly, and its stems procumbent or erect. I need scarcely add, that the field is the right place for examining these plants, many of their most permanent differences va- nishing when the plant has been pressed and dried for the Herbarium. 3. L. angustissimus, Linn. (Sp. PI. 1090.) Vexilli ungue lineari calycibus ante anthesin rectis, laciniis subulatis tubum suum subsequantibus petalis brevioribus, legu minibus e sutura supe- riore recte rostratis calyce sextuplo longioribus linearibus. a. Linnceanus. Pedunculo florigero folium subsequante, fructifero duplo longiori, foliolis stipulisque ovato-lanceolatis acutis, caulibus procumbentibus. — L. angustissimus, Linn. Herb. L. diffusus, Ser. in DC. Prod. 2. 213. L. angustissimus /3 diffusus, Bot. Gall. 1. 138. (3. Seringianus. Pedunculo semper folium subsequante, foliolis obovato-oblongis stipulisque ovatis acutis, caulibus ascendentibus, — L. angustissimus, Ser. in DC. Prod. 2. 213. Bot. Gall. 1. 137. Fig. 3. L. angustissimus. var. a. var. /3. d.\. d.2. d.3. d.4. d.5. d.6. Root strong, annual. Stems procumbent or ascending, numerous, branched, filiform, covered with long hairs. Leaf- lets ovate-lanceolate in var. a, obovate oblong in /3, pointed. Stipules oblique ovate-lanceolate and acute in a, ovate, slightly attenuated, and less acute in /3. Peduncles about as long as the leaves, in a much lengthened when bearing fruit. Bracteas lanceolate, usually 3, equalling or shorter than the calyx. Pedicels very short, usually solitary. Calyx segments about as long as their tube, but shorter than the corolla. Flowers yellow, small. Pods five or six times as long as the calyx^ Mr. C. Babington on the British Species of Lotus. 265 slender, slightly uneven, subterete, glabrous, having a long setaceous straight rostrum springing from the superior suture. Seeds minute, orbicular, compressed, pale. Hab. var. a. Cornwall, Dr. Jacob. Lanes in Jersey. South coast of Alderney, Jethon and Guernsey. Banks of the Volga. Ch. de Steven in Sm. Herb. Var. /3. Near Hastings, Mr. Dickson. Devon- shire, Dr. Beche. In Jersey. 4. L. hispidus, Desf. (Cat. Jar. Par. 190.) Vexilli ungue subu- lato, calycibus ante anthesin rectis, laciniis subulatis tubo suo longioribus petalis brevioribus, leguminibus calyce duplo lon- gioribus rugosis teretibus cum rostro elongato setaceo defracto in apice medio locato, pedunculo folio semper longiore, foliolis obovato-lanceolatis, stipulis semicordatis, caulibus procumbenti- bus. DC. Prod. ii. 212. Bot. Gall. 137. Lois.Fl. Gall. 1. 16. Fig. 4. L. hispidus. Root strong, fibrous, annual. Stems procumbent, nume- rous, nearly simple, filiform, covered, as well as the leaves and calyx, with long hairs. Leaflets obovate, with a minute point. Stipules oblique, semicordate. Bracteas ovate, often solitary, about as long as the calyx. Peduncles always longer than the leaves. Pedicels very short, solitary, or 2 — 3 in each head. Calyx segments longer than their tube, but shorter than the corolla. Flowers, yellow, small. Pods about twice as long as the calyx, thick, slightly uneven, terete, glabrous, having along setaceous rostrum which springs from exactly the middle of the point and is immediately bent down at a right angle. Seeds minute, orbicular, compressed, pale, often with nume- rous very small dark spots. Hah. Near Penzance, Cornwall, Mr. H. C. Watson. Dartmouth, Mr. Woods. Guernsey and Alderney, very common. The much shorter pod of this species is the most convenient distinguishing mark between it and L. angustissimus ; its habit also is different, and both of them differ remarkably in ap- pearance from the two first species. The great rarity of these 266 Mr. W. Thompson on a new British Fish, plants in England has no doubt caused them to be misunder- stood by most of our native botanists, and I feel great plea- sure in being able to give the result of my study of the living plants in the Channel Islands, where they occur in profusion. It appears to me that no two plants can be more truly distinct than this species and its predecessor. St. John's College, Cambridge, Oct. 27, 1838. XXXI. — On Fishes ; containing a notice of one Species new to the British, and of others to the Irish Fauna. By William Thompson, Esq., Vice-President of the Natural History Society of Belfast. Coregonus clupeoides, Nillson.? Cunn. — In a letter from the Rev. T. Knox, of Toomavara, dated Jan. 29, 1838, and ac- companying a specimen of a fish procured at my request, was the following observation : (i We have at last been able to get the little fish mentioned by the fishermen as being found in the Shannon in winter — it was sent from Killaloe. I believe it goes down the river with the eels every winter ; it takes no bait/' The Rev. C. Mayne of Killaloe — by whose kind at- tention the specimen was secured — informs me, in reply to some queries, ci that it is called a Cunn by the fishermen of that place, who state that it is never taken but in the eel-nets about Christmas, when the 'run of eels 9 is nearly over, and that they never saw more than seven or eight caught in a year, seldom indeed so many." Killaloe, it should perhaps be stated, is not less than eighty miles from the mouth of the Shannon. In the hope of ascertaining the occurrence of this fish at Portumna, about twenty miles higher up the river, I wrote to a correspondent there, at the same time describing the species, and on the 24th of March last received the fol- lowing reply. iC I think it very uncertain whether there is such a fish in the Shannon, but still some old fishermen say there is, and that they are a little smaller than the common herring, but exactly the same shape and colour ;" and he again observes — " after making every inquiry, I learn that about half a dozen white fish like herrings were got in Lough Derg [a mere expansion of the river Shannon] very near this, about Mr. W. Thompson on a new British Fish, 267 four years ago in the eel-nets, but none since, at least in this quarter." So far only is the history of the species known to me : that the white fish were this Coregonus, I think hardly admits of doubt. On examining the specimen, the nearest approximation I find to it is the Salmo clupeoides of Pallas*, and Cor, clupeoides of Nillsonfj who with a query marked Pallas's as synonymous with his species. Although there is a tolerable general agreement, yet a want of accordance in some characters between my specimen and the description in the c Zoographia* renders it doubtful whe- ther they be the same fish. Between it and Nillson's C, clu- peoides I perceive no specific (though a considerable indivi- dual) difference, and consider them identical, if the phrase "tereti-compresso," applied to the body in his specific charac- ters, be taken singly, and be translated, roundly compressed ; but if " tenue %" applied again to the body in the detailed de- scription, mean that it is thin or compressed, the species cannot be the same, the individual under consideration being very thick for one of the Coregoni. Nillson is altogether silent on the history of this species, stating merely that it was sent him with other fishes from lake Wettern. As this lake communicates with the Baltic, it is to be regretted that we are not informed whether the Coregonus be stationary in it, or migrate to the sea as the Shannon species is believed to do. Desc. — General form, gracefully elongated, sloping equally from the centre of back to the head and tail, the anterior and posterior portions of the ventral profile also corresponding to each other, but rather more convex than the dorsal ; rounded in the back (like Atherina Presbyter) ; considerable thickness maintained throughout §. Length 4^ inches; depth where * Zoographia Russo-Asiatica, iii. pp. 410, 411. To this work I have not had access, but am indebted to my friend Mr. Ogilby for transcribing from it the full description, and sending it me from London. f Prodromus Ichthyologise Scandinavicse, p. 18. X The commencement of the specific characters is " C. corpore elongato, tereti-compresso ;" the detailed description " Corpus elongatum, tenue." § It is so formed, especially the anterior half, that like the Coregonus qua- drilateralis of the ' Fauna Boreali-Americana,' (pi. 89. fig. 1.) it might be called "four-sided with the angles rounded off." 268 Mr. W. Thompson on a new British Fish. greatest, at origin of dorsal fin, 9 lines, or compared with the entire length as 1 to 5^ ; thickness more than half the depth, just behind the head 5 lines, the same at the middle, and \ of an inch before the base of the caudal fin 2 lines ; lateral line for J of an inch from its origin sloping downwards, thence to its termination straight, and except at the tail, where it is equidistant from each, placed rather nearer the dorsal than the ventral profile ; head 1 1 lines long, or about as 1 to 3J in the entire length ; eye large, placed at the distance of its own diameter from the snout, and occupying £ the length of head; upper jaw truncated, lower roundish-oval, and when the mouth is closed projecting \ a line beyond the snout, (in this respect exceeding that of the vendace, Cor, Willoughbigii, Jard.) The only teeth apparent with the aid of a lens are a few placed regularly on both upper and under jaws, none apparent on the tongue or the vomer ; pre-opercle nearly describing the segment of a circle, opercle from the posterior base gradually narrowing upwards. Fins ; dorsal originating half-way be- tween extremity of lower jaw and base of caudal ; pectorals pointed, nearly | the length of head, these and the ventrals of about equal length ; the latter commencing in a line with the first quarter of dorsal ; when laid close to the body, the dorsal approaches the tail more nearly than the ventral ; anal distant its own length from the first short ray of caudal ; adipose ending nearly on the same line as the anal. D. 15 (1st very short); P. 15*; V. 1 + 11 ; A. 16 or 17; C. 20 if = Br. J. Scales (judging merely from their impressions, they having been rubbed off) about 85 on the lateral line, 10 ? from it to the origin of the dorsal fin; and 12? from it to the ventral profile : the scales not being always precisely defined, the num- bers cannot be accurately determined. Colour (in spirits), bluish black along the back, thence olive to the lateral line, where it becomes somewhat silvery, and beneath it of a bright silver to near the base, where a gloss appears as if when recent it had been tinged with pink ; belly opake white, slightly tinged with silver anteriorly, oper- * This number appears in both fins, which are somewhat injured. Mr. W. Thompson on a new British Fish. 269 cula bright silver, irides silvery, bounded by a blackish line above and beneath. Although the expression of " common" be at variance with what I could learn of the history of this species, it is probably in allusion to it that Sir Wm. Jardine remarked in a letter to me in November 1836, that he had heard of a fish called the " freshwater herring" being common in Lough Derg. All the Coregoni hitherto recorded as British are lacustrine species, thus rendering the addition to the Fauna of the pre- sent one, which frequents the river Shannon, more than or- dinarily interesting. That it migrates to the sea, as do others of the genus, both in this and the western hemisphere, is by no means improbable ; but as yet, instead of proof of the fact, we have simply the conjecture of fishermen, who would not be unlikely to draw such an inference from the mere circumstance of capturing it at the same time with eels, which they know to be on their migration seawards*. Salmo ferox, Jard. and Selby. — As in the instance of the last species, I in announcing the Lake Trout to be found in Ire- * Coregonus Pollan, Thomp. A few observations on the pollan, the only other species of Coregonus yet detected in Ireland, will not be out of place here. When my paper on this fish was published (Mag. Zool. and Bot., vol. i.) I had seen specimens only from Lough Neagh, but from Harris's History of the County of Down it was quoted, " that Lough Earn in the county of Fermanagh has the same sort of fish, though not in so great plenty [as L. Neagh]." This I am now enabled to verify. That the pollan is not " in so great plenty " there, I became well satisfied during a visit — which was indeed a very hurried one — to the lake in the autumn of 1837, w r hen by inquiry from many persons I could not learn anything of such a fish. But by the kind attention of Viscount Cole, who resides within a few miles of Lough Erne, I have been lately favoured with examples of the C. Pollan from that locality. On the 22nd of October last, I received a specimen which was taken two days before, and was stated to have been the first caught this season. On the 29th of the same month, I was obligingly supplied with more examples; and in a letter dated from Florence Court the preceding day, Lord Cole remarked, in reference to the species, " I have now procured in all about ten or twelve. I cannot make out that they are ever caught in any numbers in Lough Earn ; indeed they are never sought after — those which I have got were taken in eel-nets in the upper lough. I have heard that three or four were caught in the lower lough this year in a drag-net. This is all I at present know about them." Since my account of the pollan appeared, I have been favoured by Dr. Parnell with a specimen of the Coregonus of Loch Lomond (see his paper on this subject in the Annals of Natural History, vol. i. p. 161.) and by Sir Wm. Jardine with one of the Ullswater species ; both of which are distinct from the Cor. Pollan, this having not as yet been found in any of the lakes of Great Britain. 270 Mr. W. Thompson on Fishes new to Ireland. land (see Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London, 1835, p. 81) could with certainty speak of it only as an inha- bitant of Lough Neagh. Since that period I have ascertained that it frequents Lough Corrib, in the county of Galway ; the head of a specimen there taken having been submitted to my examination by Mr. R. Ball. More recently, Lord Cole has kindly transmitted me a fine example, of about 1 1 lbs. weight, from Lough Erne, thus proving it to be an inhabitant of the three largest lakes in Ireland. From all that I have heard and read, I doubt not that it is found in several other of our lakes, perhaps in all of considerable extent throughout the country. Anguilla latirostris, Yarr. — In my last paper on fishes (see Annals, p. 21 of the present volume) this species is stated to be called ie Culloch," — by my having adapted the orthography to the sound of the word, — at Lough Neagh. It should rather have been collach, as by reference to OReilly's Irish Dic- tionary, I have since ascertained this word to imply " wicked," and hence doubtless the origin of the name, the species being characterized as most voracious and as subsisting chiefly on other fish. The person who described it to me by the name of collach gave a direful account of this propensity, by stating that (i it drinks the young fry in." The provincial names of Gorb and Glut Eel have obviously been bestowed upon it for a similar reason. Fishes new to Ireland. Exoccetus ? Flying-fish. — I am informed by Mr. Ball, that according to the testimony of several intelligent fishermen at Youghal, flying fishes have in different years been seen by them in summer near the southern coast of Ire- land : — the accurate manner in which they describe the u flight," &c. leaves no doubt on my mind that the fishes al- luded to must have been some species of Exoccetus. Raniceps trifurcatus, Flem. Tadpole Fish. — To Capt. Fayrer, R.N. I am indebted for a specimen of this fish, picked up on the 21st September 1837? as it lay floating upon the sea offDonaghadee harbour — it was received in a recent state. Its agreement with Dr. Johnston's description (YarrelFs Brit. Mr. W. Thompson on Fishes new to Ireland. 271 Fish. vol. ii. p. 206.) is so complete, that any except the few following notes on the individual seem to be unnecessary. Its length is 10J inches ; in number the fin rays are D. 3—63 ; A. (somewhat injured) 57 ? P. 23 ; V. 6 ; C. 36. Second ray of the first dorsal fin thrice the length of the other rays ; second ray of the ventral fins considerably the longest ; no tubercles on sides sensible either to sight or touch; no lateral line apparent ; *body all over " smooth and even ;" cirrus 4^ lines long. In colour it is entirely of a lilac brown except the belly> which is dirty white very faintly tinged with lilac ; folding of the lips china- white ; fins all of an uniform lilac black, except the ventrals, of which a portion is paler than the rest ; inside of mouth pure white ; irides of a yellowish-brown colour. Pleuronectes punctatus, Bloch. Blocks Top-knot. — One of these very rare fishes, of which two British speci- mens only are on record (the first obtained at Zetland and the other at Weymouth), was taken on the 16th of June last, by Dr. J. L. Drummond, when dredging within the entrance of Belfast bay. Together with the other fishes at the same time captured, comprising specimens of Solea Lingula and S. va- riegata, it was with kind consideration promptly sent to me. The following notes were made from the recent specimen : length 4| inches ; number of fin-rays D. 72 and,3 ; A. 56 and 5 ; P. 10 * ; V. 6 ; C. 16 in all. Compared with a specimen of P. hirtus, Mull. (6J inches in length, and likewise taken on the coast of Downf), the ridge between the eyes is much more elevated, the difference being strikingly conspicuous when the two species are placed * The dorsal fin, strictly considered, has but seventy-two rays, and the finlet connected with it extending under the tail three rays; of these the two first divide near the base, and each division becomes forked ; the third ray divides into three near the base, each division likewise becoming forked. The anal fin has, independently of a similar finlet, fifty-six rays ; finlet with five rays, the three last dividing each into two near the base, which divisions again, as in the opposite one, become forked. This explanation will perhaps account for the less number of D. and A. fin-rays set down to the present specimen than is generally attributed to the species. The divisions here mentioned have probably been reckoned as distinct rays. Pectoral fin larger on the upper than on the under side ; ten rays in each. f See Proceedings Zool. Soc, 1837, p. GO. 272 Mr. W. Thompson on Fishes new to Ireland. together ; lateral line on both sides much arched within the range of the pectoral fins, thence straight to the tail. The upper side presents as a ground colour a mixture of various shades of light brown, with a round dark spot, 3 lines in diameter, commencing an inch from the tail ; it is likewise marked with a very few smaller inconspicuous round dark-co- loured spots, and blotched irregularly with very dark rich brown. The fins do not exhibit any round spots as shown in Dr. Fleming's figure (Phil, of Zool., vol. i. pi. 3), but are all irregularly marked on the upper side with many different shades of brown ; irides reddish-golden ; under side of body white, with a very pale reddish tinge. In all characters not mentioned here this specimen accords with Mr. Jenyns's de- scription (p. 462). With Mr. Yarrell I agree in considering the Rhombus uni- maculatus of Risso (Hist. Nat. l'Eur. Mer. t.iii. p. 252, f. 35) identical with this species. In the number of rays in the fins, individuals appear to differ considerably, but perhaps not more so than might be expected when so great is their number. Mustelus Icevis and Hinnulus, — I embrace this opportunity of offering a few remarks on the identity of the Squalus Mus- telus, Linn. (Mustelus Icevis, Will.), and Sq. Hinnulus, Blain.* (Must, stellatus, Risso). As some authors are agreed on this subject, it may perhaps be considered unnecessary to treat further of it, but I do so in reference to the place S. Hinnulus occupies in Mr. Jenyns's excellent e Manual', p. 503. Here a short description is given of a fish taken at Weymouth, of which it is said that it " appears to be identical with the S. Hinnulus of Blainville;" afterwards the remark is made, "that it is a great question whether this last be anything more than a variety of S. Mustelus." The following observations are on a specimen taken in Bel- fast bay on the 16th of July last, and received by me before life was extinct. This individual combined in colour Mr. Je- nyns's descriptions of S. Icevis and S. Hinnulus, having, as the former is described, the " upper parts of a uniform pearl gray," and being " paler or almost white beneath ;" at the same time * Faune Francaise, p. 83, pi. 20, f. 2. Mr. W. Thompson on Fishes new to Ireland. 273 presenting with the S. Hinnulus * " a row of small whitish spots from the eye towards the first of the branchial openings ; lateral line indistinctly ? spotted with white ; also a moderate number of small scattered white spots between the lateral line and the dorsal ridge." The lateral line is in my specimen closely spotted with white, of a silvery lustre, from its origin to the extremity of the second dorsal fin, where this marking termi- nates; but a row of similar spots appears throughout the entire tail, beginning at the origin of the caudal fin on the upper side, and placed between its margin and the lateral line; "a moderate number" of white spots, as described above this line, as far as the extremity of the second dorsal fin ; these are larger than those on the line and have the same silvery lustre ; the short space intervening between the end of the second dorsal and the origin of the caudal fin is spotless. No spots on the body below the lateral line, nor on any of the fins, which are pearl grey ; the pectorals varied with a whitish tinge along the mar- gin, and the first dorsal with a dusky tip. Pupil of the eye black ; irides silvery, with iridescent hues ; eye 10 lines in length f, oblong-oval in form. This individual agrees in every character with the M. stellatus as described by Risso J, e Hist. Nat. F Eur. Mend.', t. hi. p. 126. Mr. YarrelPs figure of M. Icevis (vol. ii. p. 393) is a very good representation of this fish. The present individual differs from it in having a close row of spots along the lateral line, and both lobes at the base of the caudal fin conspicuously displayed, the anterior one nearly as much so as in the preceding figure of Galeus vulgaris in the same work. The specimen under description is a female. The stomach was filled with brachyurous Crustacea, including a perfect and full-grown Corystes Cassivelaunus. Other specimens of Mustelus Icevis that I have examined, and which were about the same size as the one described, were similar in the characters above given ; this is mentioned as showing that the white spots above the lateral line are not pe- culiar to the young fish. See Yarrell, B. F., vol. ii. p. 391. * " Brownish-ash" is given as the general colour by Mr. Jenyns ; Risso describes the M. stellatus to be " d'un gris de perle en dessus." ■[ The Squalus Canicula is so different in this respect, as from the small- ness of its eyes to be commonly called blind dog-fish in the north of Ireland. % The figure of S. Hinnulus in the ' Faune Franchise' shows the identity. Ann. Nat. Hist, Vol, 2. No. 1 0, Dec. 1838. t 2 74 Mr. L. Hindmarsh on the XXXII.— On the Wild Cattle of Chillingham Park. By L. Hindmarsh, Esq., of Alnwick*. The history of every country is one of change. This applies not only to man and his social relations, but to everything animate and inanimate. In some localities the sea has become dry land ; in others, the soil which once flourished with vegetation has become the bed of the ocean. Sterile wastes have been transmuted into fertile plains, and dense forests into culti- vated fields ; and many of those animals which once roamed through them in ferocious independence are swept away, and are only found in those historic records which nature has pre- served in her great museum of fossil remains. The rapid pro- gress of population and culture has accelerated the depopula- tion of wild animals, and within a period not very remote, has rid this country of many of its ferocious inhabitants. Bears, which formerly infested this island^ were extirpated at a com- paratively early period ; yet there is evidence of their existence in Scotland so late as the year 1057, when a Gordon, in reward for his prowess in killing one, was directed by the king to carry three bears' heads upon his banner. After them the wild boar and wolf were finally exterminated. Of the latter, one was however destroyed in Scotland so late as 1680, and in Ireland some were found even so far down as 1710. Of the wild ox it is probable that one remnant at least survives in the wild cattle of Chillingham Park, Northumberland, the pro- perty of the Earl of Tankerville. Their origin, character, and habits form the subject of the present inquiry. In promotion of this object we have been most obligingly favoured by their present noble and accomplished proprietor with the following very interesting account of them, which needs no further preface to its introduction in this place. The following is an exact copy. „ gj r " Grosvenor Square, June 8, 1838. "Some time since I promised to put down upon paper whatever I knew as to the origin, or thought most deserving of notice in respect to the habits and peculiarities of the wild cattle at Chillingham. I now proceed to redeem my promise, begging your pardon for the delay. * Read before the late Meeting of the British Association at Newcastle, and communicated by the Author, Wild Cattle of Chillingham Park. 275 " In the first place I must premise that our information as to their origin is very scanty. All that we know or believe in respect to it rests in great measure on conjecture, supported, however, by certain facts and reasonings which lead us to believe in their ancient origin, not so much from any direct evidence, as from the improbability of any hypothesis ascribing to them a more recent date. I remember an old gardener of the name of Moscrop, who died many years ago, at the age of perhaps 80 or more, who used to tell of what his father had told him as happening to him when a boy, relative to these wild cattle, which were then spoken of as wild cattle, and with the same sort of curiosity as exists with respect to them at the present day. M In my father and grandfather's time we know that the same ob- scurity as to their origin prevailed ; and if we suppose (as no doubt was the case) that there were old persons in their time capable of carrying back their recollections to the generation still antecedent to them, this enables us at once to look back to a pretty considerable period, during which no greater knowledge existed as to their origin than at the present time. It is fair, however, to say, that I know of no document in which they are mentioned at any early period. Any reasoning, however, that might be built on their not being so no- ticed would equally apply to the want of evidence of that which 'would be more easily remembered or recollected, — the fact of their recent introduction. " The probability is that they were the ancient breed of the island, inclosed long since within the boundary of the park. n Sir Walter Scott, rather poetically, supposes that they are the descendants of those which inhabited the great Caledonian forest extending from the Tweed to Glasgow, at the two extremities of which, namely at Chillingham and Hamilton, they are found. Hia lines in the ballad ' Cadyon Castle/ describe them pretty accurately at the present day : 1 Mightiest of all the beasts of chase, That roam in woody Caledon, Crushing the forest in his race, The mountain bull conies thundering on, * Fierce on the hunter's quiver'd band He rolls his eye of swarthy glow, Spurns with black hoof and horns the sand, And tosses high his mane of snow.' I must observe, however, that those of Hamilton, if ever they were of the same breed, have much degenerated. " The park of Chillingham is a very ancient one. By a copy of T 2 276 Mr. L. Hindmarsh on the the endowment of the vicarage extracted from the records at Dur- ham, and referring to a period certainly as early as the reign of King John, about which time, viz. 1220 or thereabouts, the church of Chillingham was built, the vicar of Chillingham was, by an agree- ment with Robert De Muschamp, to be allowed as much timber as he wanted for repairs, of the best oak, out of the Great Wood (Magno Bosco) of Chillingham, the remains of which were extant in the time of my grandfather. The more ancient part of the castle also appears to have been built in the next reign, that of Henry III., since which it has been held without interruption by the family of Grey. At what period or by what process the park became inclosed, it is impossible to say ; but as it was closely bounded by the domains of the Percies on the one side and by the Hibburnes on the other (the latter of whom had been seated there since the time of King John) ; and as the chief branch of the Greys always made Chillingham their principal residence until it passed into"the hands of Lord Ossulston, by his marriage with the daughter and heiress of Ford Lord Grey, it is reasonable to suppose, that in order to secure their cattle, wild and tame, they had recourse to an inclosure, probably at an early pe- riod. *' It is said that there are some other places in which a similar breed is found, — Lynn Park, in Cheshire ; Hamilton (as I before mentioned); and Chartley Park (Lord Ferrers). " The first I have not seen, but they are described as of a different colour, and different in every respect. Those at Hamilton, or rather Chatelherault, I have seen, and they in no degree resemble those at Chillingham. They have no beauty, no marks of high breeding, no wild habits, being kept, when I saw them, in a sort of paddock ; and I could hear no history or tradition about them which entitled them to be called wild cattle. Those at Chartley park, on the contrary, closely resemble ours in every particular, in their colour, — with some small difference in the colour of their ears, — their size, general ap- pearance, and, as well as I could collect, in their habits. This was a very ancient park, belonging formerly to Devereux Earl of Essex, who built the bridge over the Trent, to communicate with his chace at Cannock and Beaudesert, then belonging to him ; and the belief is, that these cattle had been there from time immemorial. " With respect to their habits, it is probable that you will learn more from Cole, who has been park-keeper at Chillingham for many years, than from any information that I can give. I can mention, however, some particulars. They have, in the first place, pre-emi- nently all the characteristics of wild animals, with some peculiarities Wild Cattle of CMllingham Park. 277 that are sometimes very curious and amusing. They hide their young, feed in the night, basking or sleeping during the day ; they are fierce when pressed, but, generally speaking, very timorous, moving off on the appearance of any one, even at a great distance. Yet this varies very much in different seasons of the year, and accord- ing to the manner in which they are approached. In summer I have been for several weeks at a time without getting a sight of them, they, on the slightest appearance of any one, retiring into a wood, which serves them as a sanctuary. On the other hand, in winter, when coming down for food into the inner park, and being in con- stant contact with people, they will let you almost come among them, particularly if on horseback. But then they have also a thousand pecu- liarities. They will be feeding sometimes quietly, when if any one appears suddenly near them, particularly coming down the wind, they will be struck with a sudden panic and gallop off, running one over the other, and never stopping till they get into their sanctuary. It is observable of them, as of red deer, that they have a peculiar faculty of taking advantage of the irregularities of the ground, so that on being disturbed, they may traverse the whole park and yet you hardly get a sight of them. Their usual mode of retreat is, to get up slowly, set off in a walk, then a trot, and seldom begin to gallop till they have put the ground between you and them in the manner that I have described. " In form they are beautifully shaped, short legs, straight back, horns of a very fine texture, thin skin, so that some of the bulls ap- pear of a cream -colour, and they have a peculiar cry, more like that of a wild beast than that of ordinary cattle. With all the marks of high breeding, they have also some of its defects : they are bad breeders, and are much subject to the rash, a complaint common to animals bred in and in, which is unquestionably the case with these as long as we have any record of them. " When they come down into the lower part of the park, which they do at stated hours, they move like a regiment of cavalry, in single files, the bulls leading the van, as, in retreat, it is the bulls that bring up the rear. " Lord Ossulston was witness to a curious way in which they took possession as it were of some new pasture recently laid open to them. It was in the evening about sunset. They began by lining the front of a small wood, which seemed quite alive with them, when all of a sudden they made a dash forward altogether in a line, and charging close by him across the plain, they then spread out, and after a little time began feeding. 278 Mr. L. Hindmarsh on the " Of their tenacity of life the following is an instance : — " An old bull being to be killed, one of the keepers had proceeded to separate him from the rest of the herd, which were feeding in the outer park. This the bull resenting, and having been frustrated in several attempts to join them by the keeper interposing (the latter doing it incautiously), the bull made a rush at him and got him down ; he then tossed him three several times, and afterwards knelt down upon him and broke in several of his ribs. There being no other person present but a boy, the only assistance that could be given him was by letting loose a deer-hound, belonging to Lord Ossulston, who immediately attacked the bull, and, by biting his heels, drew him off the man, and eventually saved his life. The bull, however, never left the keeper, but kept continually watching and returning to him, giving him a toss from time to time. In this state of things, and while the dog, with singular sagacity and courage, was holding the bull at bay, a messenger came up to the castle, when all the gentlemen came out with their rifles and commenced a fire upon the bull, principally by a steady good marksman from behind a fence, at the distance of 25 yards ; but it was not till six or seven balls had actually entered the head of the animal (one of them passing in at the eye) that he at last fell. During the whole time he never flinched nor changed his ground, merely shaking his head as he received the several shots. " Many more stories might be told of hair-breadth escapes, acci- dents of sundry kinds, and an endless variety of peculiar habits obser- vable in these animals, as more or less in all animals existing in a wild state ; but I think I have recapitulated nearly all that my memory suggests to me as most deserving of notice, and will only add that if you continue in the intention of preparing a paper to be read before the approaching scientific assemblage at Newcastle on this subject, you are welcome to append this letter to it as containing all the in- formation which I am able to give. " I have the pleasure, &c. &c, - To L. Hindmarsh, Esq." " Tankerville." To this very interesting and graphic description little need be added, except a few particulars gathered from Mr. Cole, who has been park-keeper upwards of 30 years. At present there are about 80 in the herd, comprising 25 bulls, 40 cows, and 15 steers, of various ages ; and no sight can be more beau- tiful than they were in the month of June last, when we saw them retreating in regular order into their forest sanctuary. Wild Cattle of Chillingham Park. 2 79 Their perfect symmetry, pure white colour, and fine crescent horns, render them, when moving in a body, a very imposing object. The eyes, eye-lashes, and tips of the horns alone are black; the muzzle is brown, the inside of the ears red or brown, and all the rest of the animal white. Even the bulls have no manes, but only a little coarse hair upon the neck ; and they fight for supremacy until a few of the most powerful subdue the others, who afterwards submit to the rule of superior phy- sical strength. If, by accident, a bull gets separated from the herd for a day or two, his settled relation seems to be forgotten 5 for on his rejoining it a fight ensues, and the conflict continues until the previous amicable understanding is re-established. The cows generally commence breeding at three, and continue to breed for a few years. When they calve, they hide their young for a week or ten days, and repair to the place of con- cealment two or three times a day for the purpose of suckling them. Should any person happen to approach their hiding- place the calves clap their heads close to the ground and lie in form like a hare. The cows suckle their calves nine months. The late Mr. Baily of Chillingham relates that he chanced to find a hidden calf two days old, very lean and weak; but on stroking its head, it got up, pawed two or three times like an old bull, and bellowing loudly, retired a few steps, and then bolted at him with all its force. The attack was repeated ; but Mr. Baily, aware of its intention, moved aside, and it missed him and fell with such force as to prevent its rising. Its cries had however alarmed the whole herd, which came to its rescue, and forced him to retreat. This fact affords a strong indica- tion of the wildness of this breed being natural, and not the superinduced result of solitude and seclusion. They bear the winter well, but in severe weather will come into a fold to eat hay, although they will not taste turnips. They are seldom allowed to live more than 8 or 9 years, at which period they begin to go back. When slaughtered the steers are usually 6 years old and weigh about 5 cwts. The beef is finely marbled, but in taste scarcely distinguishable from that of the domestic ox when fed on grass. By taking the calves at a very early age and treating them gently, the present keeper succeeded in domesticating an ox and a cow. They became 280 Mr. L. Hindmarsh on the as tame as domestic animals, and the ox fed as rapidly as a short-horned steer. He lived 18 years, and when at his best was computed at 8 cwts. qrs. 14 lbs. The cow only lived 5 or 6 years. She gave little milk, but the quality was rich. She was crossed by a country bull ; but her progeny very closely resembled herself, being entirely white, excepting the ears, which were brown, and the legs, which were mottled. In their wild state few die from disease, and in the present keeper's time only two from calving. Mr. Baily states that when any one happens to be wounded or has become weak and feeble through age or sickness, the rest of the herd set upon it and gore it to death. This characteristic is an addi- tional and strong proof of their native wildness. It is remarkable that during the 33 years Mr. Cole has been keeper he has perceived no alteration in their size or habits from in-breeding, and that at the present time they are equal in every point to what they were when he first knew them. About half a dozen, within that period, have had small brown or blue spots upon the cheeks and necks ; but these, with any defective ones, were always destroyed. Although Chartley appears to be the only place where wild cattle similar to those of Chillingham are now to be found, down to the middle and latter end of last century, there were some at Burton Constable in Yorkshire, and at Drumlanrig in Dumfries-shire, which corresponded to them in almost every respect. Those of Burton Constable (which were swept off by a distemper) alone differed from them in having the ears, muzzles, and tips of the tails black, whilst in their habits and native wildness they were exactly similar. Those of Drum- lanrig are described in the following extract from a letter ad- dressed by the clergyman of the place to the writer of this paper, under date of the 10th July of the present year. He says, " In what year the wild cattle came to Drumlanrig I have not been able to ascertain. The breed are described as being all white, with the exception of the ears and muzzle (which were black) and without manes. They went under the appellation of the wild Caledonian cattle." They were driven away about the year 17S0. Of the high antiquity of the Chillingham breed of wild cattle, Wild Cattle of Chillinyham Park, 281 the facts and reasonings contained in the Earl of Tankerville's letter are sufficient proof. The testimony of the two Moscrops, connected with the contemporaries of the first Moscrop, would almost carry us back a period of 200 years, when their origin seemed to be veiled in the same obscurity as at present exists respecting it. To this must be added the negative proof de- rivable from the absence of all record of their introduction into the park ; for had they been brought there in times in any degree modern, a circumstance so remarkable was almost sure to have been recorded and handed down in a place that has so long been the principal residence of a noble family. On the contrary supposition that they are the native inhabit- ants of the park ; no such record was to be expected ; for suc- ceeding generations growing up with this familiar knowledge, were no more likely to register the circumstance than that the sun had risen and set every day during their lives. Their antiquity is unquestionable ; and when we connect this fact with their natural wildness and characteristic purity, we can scarcely doubt that they are the genuine remains of the ab- original cattle of the north of England or of Scotland. Of the ancient cattle of this district no historic record can be found sufficient to mark their character and peculiarities; but of the Caledonian wild cattle we find a very particular and curious account in Boethius, who was born in 1470, and published his ( Historia Scotorum' at Paris in 1526. From the edition of 1574, fol. 6, line 63, we extract the following passage : — " Adjacet Argadiae ac Lennos in mediterraneis ager Stir- lingi et Monteth, inde haud procul ejusdem nominis oppidum Stirlingum cum fortissimo Castello, cui olim nomen fuit Monti doloroso. Hie initia olim fuere Calidoniae sylvae, manentibus videlicet veteribus adhuc nominibus Callendar et Caldar. Ex- currens per Monteth et Erneuallem longo tractu ad Atholiam et Loquhabriam usque, gignere solet ea sylva boves cancli- dissimos in formam leonis jubam ferentes, caetera mansuetis simillimos, verum adeo feros indomitosque atque humanum refugientes consortium, ttt quas herbas, arboresque, aut fru- tices humana contrectatas manu senserint plurimos deinceps dies fugiant : capti autem arte quapiam (quod difficillimum est) mox paulo prae mcestitia moriantur. Quum vero sese peti 282 Mr. L. Hindmarsh on the senserint, in obvium quencunque magno impetu irruentes eum prosternunt, non canes, non venabula, nee ferrum ullum metuunt." And after narrating the wonderful deliverance of Robert Bruce from one of these wild bulls by the courage and prowess of a man who was, in grateful commemoration of the circumstance, afterwards named by the king Turnbull, he adds, (( Caeterum quum tota olim sylva nasci ea solerent ; in una tantum nunc ejus parte reperiuntur, quae Cummernald appellatur, aliis gula humana ad internecionem redactis." This description is confirmed by Bishop Leslie in his * De Origine, Moribus, et Rebus Gestis Scotorum/ published at Rome in 15 78, 52 years after the work of Boethius. At page 18 of the edition of 1675, he says, — " In Calidonia olim frequens erat sylvestris quidem bos, nunc vero rarior, qui colore candidissimo, jubam densam, ac demissam instar leonis gestat, truculentus, ac ferus ab humano genere abhorrens, ut quaecunque homines vel manibus con- trectarint, vel halitu perflaverint, ab iis multos post dies om- nino abstinuerint .... Ejus carnes cartilaginosae, sed saporis suavissimi. Erat is olim per illam vastissimam Calidonias sylvam frequens, sed humana ingluvie jam assumptus, tribus tantum locis est reliquus, Strivilingi, Cummernaldiae, et Kin- carniae." These passages are most important, not only for their very minute description of the wild Caledonian cattle, but for the light which they throw upon the cause of their almost total extermination. Even in the time of Boethius they had been reduced by an almost universal slaughter to a small remnant ; and it has been stated that upon the dissolution of the mo- nastic establishments of Scotland the few that remained were transferred to Drumlanrig. On comparing the descriptions of the wild Caledonian cattle given by Boethius and Leslie with the previous account of the Chillingham breed at the present day, we cannot but be struck with their generally close correspondence. Bating a little hy- perbole in the style of the old historians, the resemblance is complete in almost every point, excepting that the Chilling- ham cattle want the lion-like manes ascribed to the Caledo- nian race. This point alone seems to offer any difficulty in Wild Cattle of Chillingham Park 283 the way of their complete identification ; and whether com- parative confinement and in-breeding are sufficient to account for this difference in the Chillingham cattle must be matter of opinion. In other animals they are undoubtedly powerful agents of change and modification, and possibly they may in some measure have lessened the ruggedness of this species. Besides, without questioning the general accuracy of Boethius or Leslie, the characteristic style of the passages would seem fairly to lead us to interpret the statement respecting their leonic manes more by the rule of poetic than of exact zoological description. But if Ave admit (what can scarcely be doubted) that the wild cattle of Drumlanrig were the descendants of the ancient Caledonian breed, this sole obstacle vanishes ; for they had no manes, and their general resemblance to the Chilling- ham race is complete. It is true that in the colour of the ears there is a trifling difference, but this appears to be an oc- casional variety in the species ; for Bewick states that about 40 years ago some of those at Chillingham had black ears, that the keeper destroyed them, and that since that period this variation has not recurred. The identity of the Drum- lanrig cattle with those described by Boethius being granted, that of the Chillingham breed can scarcely be denied. Upon the whole, we are inclined to believe that the same species of wild cattle prevalent in Scotland had extended to the northern districts of England ; that in proportion as popu- lation and culture advanced, they became here, as in Scotland, the subjects of almost universal slaughter; and that a few of those that escaped had found sanctuary in the great wood of Chil- lingham (as well as in some other ancient forests), where they escaped the fury of their destroyers. The only other tenable hypothesis is, that after the inclosure of the park at Chilling- ham, they had been brought from Scotland and located there as a relic of the ancient Caledonian cattle j but the absence of all tradition and record upon the subject, and the circumstance of a similar breed having been found in places far removed from the Borders, render this supposition less probable than the former. In speculations of this nature, when the data are so scanty, we can scarcely expect to arrive at absolute certainty, but suf- 284 Mr. J. E. Gray on some new ficient has we think been advanced to justify the hypothesis that these are the genuine remains of the ancient cattle of the country, and too much praise cannot be given to the public spirit of their present noble proprietor for his zealous care to preserve, pure and untainted, this interesting relic of the zoology of former times. Alnwick, August 18, 1838. Note. — The Earl of Tankerville, in writing to Mr. Chil- dren that he would most kindly send a skin and skull of the wild oxen of Chillingham to the British Museum collec- tion, communicated the following interesting particulars, which we have taken the liberty of adding to Mr. Hindmarsh's paper : — "I forgot to mention in my letter to Mr. Hindmarsh a cu- rious circumstance with respect to the continuation of the breed of the wild cattle. Several years since, during the early part of the lifetime of my father, the bulls in the herd had been reduced to three ; two of them fought and killed each other, and the third was discovered to be impotent ; so that the means of preserving the breed depended on the accident of some of the cows producing a bull calf." — J. E. Gray. XXXIII. — On some new or little known Mammalia. By John Edward Gray, F.R.S., Senior Assistant of the Zoological Department jof the British Museum. [With two Plates.] Captain Clapperton and Colonel Denham, when they re- turned from their expedition in Northern and Central Africa, brought with them two heads of a species of ox, covered with their skins. These heads are the specimens which are mentioned in Messrs. Children and Vigors 3 accounts of the animals collected in the expedition, as belonging to the buffalo, Bos Bubalus, and they are stated to be called Zamouse by the natives ; but, as no particular locality is given for the head, this name is probably the one applied to the common buffalo, which is found in most parts of North Africa. Having some years ago compared these heads with the skull A % Mi 1 ^~w** or little known Mammalia, 285 of the common buffalo, Bos Bubalus, and satisfied myself from the difference in the form and position of the horns that they were a distinct species, in the e Magazine of Natural History' for 1837 (new series, vol. i. p. 589), I indicated them as a new species, under the name of Bos brachyceros. In the course of this summer, Mr. Cross, of the Surrey Zo- ological Gardens, received from Sierra Leone, under the name of the Bush Cow, a specimen which serves more fully to esta- blish the species. It differs from the buffalo and all the other oxen in several important characters, especially in the large size and peculiar bearding of the ears, and in being totally de- ficient of any dewlap. It also differs from the buffalo in its forehead being flatter and quite destitute of the convex form which is so striking in all the varieties of that animal. Mr. Cross's cow is, like the head in the Museum, of a nearly uniform pale chestnut colour. The hair is rather scattered, and nearly perpendicular to the surface of the body. The legs about the knees and hocks are rather darker. The ears are very large, with two rows of very long hairs on the inner side and a tuft of long hairs at the tips. The body is short and barrel- shaped, and the tail reaches to the hocks, rather thin and tapering, with a tuft of long hairs at the tip. The chest is rounded and rather dependent, but without the least appearance of a dew- lap, and the horns nearly resemble those of the Museum spe- cimen, but are less developed, from the sex and evidently greater youth of the animal. The Rev. Mr. Morgan informs me that the animal is not rare in the bush near Sierra Leone. In the size of the ears this species has some resemblance to the (£ Pegasse of Angola, Bos Pegasus 1 ' of Colonel Hamilton Smith, indicated and figured in Griffiths' ' Animal Kingdom,' from a figure which this industrious zoologist found in a col- lection of drawings formerly the property of Prince Maurice of Nassau, now in the Berlin Library, which Colonel Smith thinks was probably intended to represent the Pegasses of Congo, mentioned by the Jesuits, and said to have "ears half a yard in length." But our animal differs from that figure in the ears being nearly erect, and in the horn being of quite a different form and direction. I ^ave added a slight sketch of Mr. Cross's animal (Plate XIII.), which I hope will en- 286 Mr. J. E. Gray on sdme neio Mammalia, able any person to distinguish this very distinct and interest- ing addition to the species of this useful genus. In the same paper in which I described the preceding species there is the description of a new genus of otter from Demerara, "^vhich is intermediate between the Lutra and Eriliydra" differ- ing from both in the side of the tail being expanded into a slight fin and in the large size of the fore and hind feet. In a late number of Professor Wiegmann's Archiv, Part IV. 1838, he has expressed a doubt if the genus is distinct from Enhydris, I have therefore added to this paper a copy of a sketch (PL XIV.) of the animal, which Mr. Gould was so kind as to make for me from the original specimen at the meeting of the British Association at Liverpool. I think that it will at once dispel M. Wiegmann's doubt, for the tail is much longer (though it is represented in the sketch rather too short for my measurement, taken from the animal) and more slender, and the fore feet are much larger, and the hind ones smaller than in the sea otter, which induced me in the original description to observe, that the hind feet are " intermediate in size between those of the otter and the fin-shaped feet of the Enhydrce" In the Proceedings of the Zoological Society and in the paper above referred to, I described an animal from the is- land of the Indian Archipelago, from two specimens, one of which was in Sir Stamford Raffles' collection, and one pur- chased by the British Museum. Some time after this descrip- tion, M. Blainville, in a paper in the e Annales des Sciences Naturelles/ figured the skull of this animal under the name of Viverra Carc7iarias; and more recently Dr. S. Muller has published a description of it in his account of the animals which he discovered in Borneo, and has formed for it a new genus, which he calls Potamophilus barbatus. He says that it is called Mampalon by the natives of Borneo, and that the genus had not before been described. The name must how- ever be changed, as it has already been used in zoology. While referring to the animals in the Surrey Zoological Garden, I may remark, that on examining the eyes of Her- pestes Smitkii, described in the paper above referred to, which was lately in that collection, but which Mr. Cross, with the desire which he has always shown of making his collection as -\ A \ w X Ps / ■'• > Mr. J. E. Gray on the Slender-tongued Saarians. 287 useful as he can to the purposes of science, most liberally on its death presented to the National Collection, I was struck with observing that the pupils of its eyes are oblong and hori- zontal like those of the herbivorous quadrupeds, instead of being vertical like some of the Feline tribes ; for in the Pro- ceedings of the Zoological Society I observed that the pupils of the eyes of most of the Feline animals are round, and not elliptical and vertical as they are generally described. We have lately received from M. Wahlberg a specimen of the water shrew from North Bothnia, which he considers as a Sorex fodiens. It is quite different in the length of the tail from our English species, which in the Proceedings of the Zoological Society I have called Amphisorex Pennantii, and I therefore propose to call it A. Linneana. They may be thus described : — Amphisorex Pe?mantii. Blackish-brown, upper lip and beneath white, legs blackish, feet grey, tail rather more than half the length of the body and head. Var. With a white spot near the ears. Body and head 39 to 42; tail 21 to 23 lines. Inhab. England. Amphisorex Linneana. Black, upper lip and beneath white, legs black, feet grey, tail two-thirds the length of the body and head. — Var. With a white spot behind each eye. — Body and head 47 ; tail 33 lines. Inhab. North Bothnia. XXXIV.— Catalogue of the Slender-tongued Saurians, ivith Descriptions of many new Genera and Species. By John Edward Gray, Esq., F.R.S., Senior Assistant in the Zoological Department of the British Museum, &c. [Continued from vol. i. p. 394.] E. (Antarchoglossce). Tongue contractile ; head shielded ; scales imbricate. Fam. IX. Scincid^;. Tongue contractile ; head shielded ; rostral shield small ; eye-lid distinct; belly and sides (and generally the back) covered with smooth uniform imbricate scales j vent transverse, linear, with scales in front, 288 Mr. J. E. Gray on the Slender-tongued Saurians. * Muzzle produced, subacute, body fusiform, flat beneath, subangular on the sides (Scincidse verse). Scincus. Ears small with scales in front ; toes short, fringed on the sides. Scincus officinalis, Schn. Savig. Rept. Egypt, t. 2. f. 8. Egypt. Brit. Mus. SpHiENOPS, Wagler. Ears none ; toes subcylindrical. Sphcenops sepsoides, Reuse. Scincus sepsoides, Geoff. Sphsenops capistratus, Wagler. Scincus brachypus, &cAw. Savig. Rep. Egypt. t. 2. f. 9—10. Egypt. Brit. Mus. ** Muzzle rounded ; body fusiform, rounded beneath ; limbs 4, mode- rate; toes 5 — 5. Celestus. Head with two pair of supernasal scales before the frontals ; ears large ; femoral pores none ; scales finely radiately grooved ; ears distinct. Celestus striatus. Silvery. Hab. ? Brit. Mus. TachydosaupvUs, Gray. Brachydactylus, A. Smith. Head shields normal, (with one pair of supernasal shields) thick, convex and hard ; scales hard, bony ; femoral pores none ; ears distinct. Tachydosaurus rug osus, Wagler, Amph. Scincus pachyurus, Peron. Young. — Pale brown, yellow varied. Brachydactylus typicus, A. Smith. New Holland. Brit. Mus. Egernia, Gray. Head shields normal, rugulose, subsquamose; scales of back and limbs three-keeled, of tail spinose, verticillate ; femoral pores none ; ears distinct. Egernia Cunninghami, Gray. Tiliqua Cunninghami, Gray, Proc. Zool. Soc. New Holland. Brit. Mus. Tiliqua, Gray. Head shields normal, regular ; scales thin, three- keeled or smooth ; femoral pores none ; ears distinct. a. Front of ears with 3 or 4 scales. * Scales smooth, ear-scales rather large. Tiliqua Whitii, Gray. Lacerta scincoides, Shaw, Zool. t. 81. New Holland. Brit. Mus. Tiliqua elegans, n. s. Pale; spots on the back, streak on sides of the neck and body whitish (brown ?) in spirits ; scales thin, smooth, in 8 series on the nape. ^ Hab. Brit. Mus. Mr. J. E. Gray on the Slender-tongued Saurians. 289 Scincus multiseriatus, Cuv. Scincus cyprinus, Cuv., and Tiliqua trivittata, Illust. Ind. Zool. t. appear to belong to this section. ** Scales smooth ; ear-scales small. Tiliqua cyanura. Scincus cyanurus, Lesson. New Guinea. Tiliqua chinensis, n.s. Silvery, olive, polished ; lateral scales brown edged ; beneath white ; hind toes unequal, white ; tail longer than the body. China. Brit. Mus. Tiliqua taniolata. Lacerta tamiolata, Shaiv, White's Journ. t. 32. f. I . Scincus undecim-striatus, KuhL - N. Holland. Brit. Mus. Tiliqua Labillardii. Scincus Labillardii, Cocteau. Hab. . Brit. Mus. Tiliqua vanicoriensis. Seine, vanicoriensis, Lesson. Vanicoro. Brit. Mus. *** Scales three-keeled ; ear-scales small. Tiliqua bistrigata, Gray, Griff. Anim. Kingd. Madagascar. Brit. Mus. Tiliqua punctata, n. s. Brown olive, whitish speckled, beneath silvery, scales brown edged ; head pale, brown spotted ; tail much longer than the body and slender ; toes slender. Fernando de Noronha. Brit. Mus. Tiliqua maculata. Olive brown, white spotted ; tail elongate, ta- pering ; toes thick. Demerara. Brit. Mus. Tiliqua fasciata, Gray, Griff. Anim. Kingd. Euprepis fasciatus. Reuse, Mus. Senkenb. t. 3. f. 2. Brazils. Mus, Frankfort. Tiliqua carinata, Gray, Zool. Journ. Scincus carinatus, Schn. Sc. rufescens, Cuv. Reg. Anim. Sc. bilineatus and Lacerta lateralis, Kuhl. ? Var. Backhanded. Scincus nigrofasciatus and Sc.multicarinatus, Kuhl. India. China. Tiliqua subrufa, n. s. Pale whitish, with 6 rather interrupted brown streaks and a pale lateral streak ; hind toes very unequal, elongate, slender. Hab. Brit. Mus. Tiliqua affinis, n. s. Pale brown, beneath paler; dorsal scales Ann. Nat. Hist. Vol. 2. No. 10. Dec. 1838. u 290 Mr. J. E. Gray on the Slender -tongued Saurians. three-keeled, ends truncated, three-toothed; hind toes unequal, elongated, rather slender. Hab. Brit. Mus. Tiliqua quinquestriata. Pale olive with broad longitudinal streaks, beneath pale; sides of neck behind the ears black varied, chin brown, white spotted. Hab. . Brit. Mus. Tiliqua Napoleonis. Scincus Napoleonis, Cuv. Brown with three pale dorsal streaks ; ear-scales four, large ; scales three-toothed be- hind, three-keeled. New Holland. Tiliqua punctata. Pale brown, pale yellow beneath, sides of the neck and outside of limbs with small yellow spots ; tail rather long, tapering ; toes rather short, strong. Hab. . United Service Museum. **** Scales 5 or 6- keeled, ear-scales large. Tiliqua nigrolutea. Scincus nigroluteus, Quoy. Jun. — Seine, erucotis, Peron, MSS. New Holland. Brit. Mus. Tiliqua Kingii, Gray. Seine. Nicitensis, Cocteau, MSS. Dark brown with small pale spots at the tip of the scales, beneath pale, brown spotted ; scales 4 or 5 ridged. New Holland. Brit. Mus. Tiliqua Bibronii. Seine. Bibronii, Cocteau. Grey ; nape with a black edged white line ; sides of head and body with a whitish edged blackish streak ; scales with 5 sharp keels. Hab. . Mus. Paris. Tiliqua capensis, Gray, Griff. Anim. Kingd. Seine, trivittatus, Cuv. Reg. Anim. not Gray. Brown with three longitudinal paler streaks, with a series of black spots between the lines. Cape of Good Hope. b. Ears nearly hidden by the series of scales in their front being produced and pressed down on them, but without any distinct series for the purpose. * Scales 3 -keeled. Tiliqua Ascensionis. Pale brown with dark transverse oblong spots, and 3 or 5 longitudinal streaks, the central streak broad, the others narrower ; toes short, rather thick. Island of Ascension. Brit. Mus. Mr. J. E. Gray on the Slender-tongued Saurians. 291 ** Scales smooth. Tiliqua tenuis, Gray, Griff. Anim. Kingd. 71. Seine, erucotis, Pe- ron, MSS. New Holland. Brit. Mus. Tiliqua Stoddartii. Scales smooth ; pale olive, scales darker edged ; upper part of sides, side of head, and base of the tail with broad black bands ; upper lip, sides, throat, and beneath white ; lips black spotted ; limbs darker varied ; toes unequal. New Holland, Mr. Stoddart. Mus. Chatham. Tiliqua Vachellii. Black with 3 longitudinal brown streaks, the middle one becoming wider behind, and marked with a row of small spots between the upper bands, and 2 rows of spots on each side, the lower ones largest ; sides brown banded ; head and lips pale, orbits and face shields black varied ; beneath pale ; tail pale, base slightly- black spotted. New Holland. Mus. Chatham. Tiliqua leucopsis. Ears deep, with 3 (rarely 4) unequal distinct white scales in front ; scales smooth, olive, black varied ; back with 2 black streaks interrupted with brown spots ; edge of eyelids and scales in front of the ears pure opake white, beneath silvery ; toes elongate, unequal ; tail elongate, olive, the upper part of the base black spotted. New Holland. Brit. Mus. Tiliqua australis. Ears deep, with 4 unequal rather large white scales in front ; scales smooth, brown edged ; above olive with 4 blackish brown longitudinal streaks ; the central streak silvery edged, and the two lateral ones only separated by a lateral silvery streak ; the side brownish white dotted, beneath silvery ; tail olive with two brown- edged silvery streaks on each side of its base. New Holland. Brit. Mus. Tiliqua Buchananii, Gray. Ears shallow, overlapped by 2 or 3 whitish superficial scales;' scales smooth, olive, black lined; above black and olive varied ; back with a broad black-edged silvery streak on each side ; limbs, tail, and sides olive and black dotted, beneath silvery. New Holland. Brit. Mus. Tiliqua trilineata. Ears deep ; scales hexangular, olive, darker edged, with 3 black longitudinal grooves ; above olive, with narrow black lines between the scales ; with a silvery, and below it a broad black, line along each side ; beneath silvery ; tail elongate, compressed ; toes unequal, slender. New Holland. Brit, Mus. v2 292 Mr. J. E. Gray on the Slender-tongued Saurians. c. Ear holes large, deep, not fringed in front. * Scales smooth. Tiliqua occidua. Lacerta occidua, Shaw, Zool. iii. 288. ; Shane, Jam. ii. t.273. f. 9. Jamaica. Brit. Mus. Tiliqua similis, Gray. Hab. . Brit. Mus. Tiliqua Bellii, n. s. Scincus Telfairii, Cocteau, MSS. Pale brown, mottled with darker brown and with pale oblique cross bands ; beneath silvery ; head uniform ; toes short, thick ; tail rather compressed; scales rather small in many series at the nape. Madagascar. Brit. Mus. Tiliqua erythrocephala. Seine, erythrocephalus, Gilliams, Jour. Acad.N. S.P.t. 18. f. 2. North America. Brit. Mus. Tiliqua ocellata. Seine, ocellatus and Seine, variegatus, Schn. Seine. Tiliqua, Daud. iv. f. 56. Lac. ocellata, Linn. Geoff. Rep- Egypt, t. 5. f. 2. Europe, Sicily, Egypt. Brit. Mus. Tiliqua Richardi. Scincus Richardi, Cocteau MSS. Bronze; head and neck with 4 black streaks. St. Thomas. Mus. Paris. Tiliqua Duperreyi. Seine. Duperreyi, Cocteau MSS. Scales with 5 white lines like those of Gymnophthalmus . Kangaroo Island. Mus. Paris. Tiliqua Entrecasteaux. Seine. Entrecasteaux. Van Diemen's Land. Mus. Paris. Tiliqua microcephala, n. s. Olive, varied with black scales, marked «with a narrow central streak and with an indistinct pale streak on each side of the back ; beneath whitish ; legs short ; toes short, stout. Shores of Mediterranean. Brit. Mus. Tiliqua cenea, Gray, Griff. Anim, Kingd. 70. Seine, mabouya, Cocteau. West Indies. Brit. Mus. Tiliqua albolabris, n. s. Golden-green with a brown streak on each side the head and body (inclosing the eyes and ears) edged above and below with a pale streak ; lips white ; tail elongate. Hab. . . Brit. Mus. Tiliqua Reevesii, n. s. Golden green with a pale spotted black Bibliographical Notices. 293 streak on each side of the head, body, and tail ; beneath silvery ; tail very long, slender ; feet moderate. China. Brit. Mus. Tiliqua Sloanii, Gray, Griff. Anim. Kingd. (non Syn.) Hab. . Brit. Mus. ** Scales not keeled ; finely closely striated. Tiliqua striata. Brown ; darker varied, sides with slight irregular dark edged white cross bands ; ears large, open, round ; limbs and tail brown varied. Jamaica. Mus. Chatham. *** Scales with a central keel and finely longitudinally striated. Tiliqua Jamaicensis. Back pale brown ; neck with 2, back with 8 dark edged pale cross bands ; palms and soles with large tubercles ; ears large, round. Jamaica. Mus. Chatham. **** Scales strongly S-keeled. Tiliqua Fernandi, Burton, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1837. Pale brown; sides of body brown varied and white spotted, of tail brown, white spotted ; beneath white, throat brown streaked ; toes short, thick, strong. Fernando Po. Brit. Mus. Tiliqua interrupto-punctata. Back olive brown, varied with two narrow pale streaks on each side ; sides black, with three continued white streaks, the lower one broadest and most indistinct, the two upper ones continued on the base of the tail ; beneath white ; tail brown. Africa, Sierra Leone. [To be continued.] BIBLIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES. The Honey-Bee, its Natural History, Physiology, and Management. By Edward Bevan, M.D. Van Voorst, 1838. 12mo. We are glad to see a new edition of this excellent work. The subject is one of never-failing interest; and if we may judge from the numerous treatises on bees yearly issuing from the press, both in separate volumes and as articles in scientific periodicals, the in- terest felt in these wonder-working insects appears to be on the in- crease. Dr. Bevan's ' Honey-Bee' has contributed materially to produce this effect, for since the publication of Huber's ' Nouvelles 294 Bibliographical Notices* Observations surles Abeilles' in an English dress in 1806, we know of no treatise on the subject equal to the ' Honey-Bee' for accuracy of information in respect to the natural history of the insect and minute- ness of practical detail. The work is divided into two parts, of the first of which nearly 50 pages are occupied with a general view of the history and physiology of the bee, as far as relates to the personal description of the three essential members of the bee community, viz. the queen, the worker, and the male or drone, particularly as respects the impregnation of the queen, the effects of its retardation, and the laying and hatching of the eggs. The author then proceeds to give detailed instructions for the practical management of the bee, comprehending descriptions of the ceconomy of the apiary, of the best form of hives, of the mode of proceeding during the season of swarming, of feeding, protecting, and transporting the bees at the proper periods, and of the manipu- lation of honey and wax. In Part II. Dr. Bevan gives an account of the anatomy of the bee ; enters into a more enlarged detail of its physiology than had been given in Part I., and discusses at considerable length, and with great per- spicuity, the senses, instincts, and the wonders of its architecture. The work is distinguished by sound philosophical views, and is written in a style of classical elegance and simplicity. The author professes not to offer much in the way of original discovery, but to give a popular view of the present state of apiarian knowledge, hi- storical, physiological, and practical ; and that he has succeeded in his object, the well- deserved popularity of his book, and the conse- quent call for a new edition, furnish abundant evidence. The first edition was deficient in point of arrangement ; this has been satis- factorily remedied : many particulars connected with the natural hi- story of the insect, formerly stated but briefly, have been enlarged or modified conformably with the more advanced state of the science, and some additional directions have been given as to practical ma- nagement, which well deserve the attention of the bee-master. Plantce Javanicce Rariores, descriptor iconibusque illustrate, quas in Insula Java, annis 1802 — 1818, legit et investigavit T. Horsfield, M.D. e siccis descriptions et characteres plurimarum elaboravit J. J. Bennett ; observationes structuram et affinitates prcesertim respi- cientes passim adjecit R. Brown. Part I. — Allen and Co., Leaden- hall Street, 1838. [Continued from p. 222.] The twelfth article relates to Conocephalus suaveolens,B\., a genus referrible to Mr. Brown's family of ArtocarpeG, and nearly related Bibliographical Notices, 295 to the Coussapoa of Aublet. With this genus Mr. Bennett com- pares it, as also with Cecropia and Musanga, a genus indicated by Mr. Brown in the Appendix to Captain Tuckey's Narrative ; and after noticing the characters common to all the genera named, pro- ceeds to give their generic distinctions, all of them except Cecropia being but little known, and one of them (Musanga) not having been previously described. He adds also the characters of the male flowers of the genus Myrianthus of Palisot de Beauvais, with the double view of affording materials for comparison with those of Musanga, (to which Mr. Brown long since pointed out their resemblance), and of introducing a correction in those given by M. de Beauvais. He re- fers to M. Gaudichaud's classification of Urticeae, in which Conocc- phalus is widely misplaced ; and incidentally observes that the He- dycarya of Forster, referred by M. Gaudichaud to Artocarpece, " is much more nearly related to that very distinct division of the class (as Urticece are now, in accordance with Mr. Brown's views, gene- rally considered) which was long since separated by Jussieu under the name of Monimiece." The thirteenth article contains a long historical notice of the An- tiaris toxicaria, Lesch., the celebrated Upas or Poison-tree of Java, on the subject of which so many marvellous tales have long passed current. Mr. Bennett traces the history of this poison through a long succession of writers, from De Bry's ' India Orientalis/ down to the most recent times, including among many other of the older names, those of Herbert, Bontius, Tavernier, Nieuhof, Spielman, Kamel, Ksempfer, Valentyn, and Rumphius ; all of whom relate, either from their own observation or on the testimony of natives of Macassar, Java, Lucon and the Moluccas, various particulars concerning it. In these accounts much of truth and no little falsehood are min- gled together ; " quis enim," as Kaempfer observes, " quicquam ex Asiaticorum ore referat, quod figmentis non implicetur ?" In all these cases, indeed the falsehood may fairly be traced to the ex- travagant assertions of ignorant or interested natives, and implies in the authors named no greater blame than that of a credulity com- mon to the age in which they lived. Not so in the narrative of Fsersch, by which the fabulous history of the tree has been most widely spread, and which has since been demonstrated to be, from beginning to end, a tissue of inventions, founded on the absurd and marvellous stories current among the natives, and scarcely relieved by a single particle of truth, except the fact (then for the first time stated, but long afterwards considered doubtful) that the tree grows in the island of Java. The inquiries of travellers were, however, 296 Bibliographical Notices, stimulated by the sensation produced by this impudent fabrication, but their researches remained for some time fruitless ; and it was re- served for M. Deschamps, M. Leschenault, Dr. Horsfield, and more recently Dr. Blume, to supply us with authentic information on the subject. An abstract of the information thus obtained (with the ex- ception of that contained in Dr. Blume's valuable dissertation, which did not appear until some time after this article was written) ; and a notice of some of the experiments made with the poison by Sir Benjamin Brodie and others, and of its chemical analysis by MM. Pelletier and Caventou, complete the history of the Antiar as here given by Mr. Bennett. A few words are added on the subject of the botanical affinities of the genus, together with some remarks on the distinctive characters of the two species which are known to be- long to it. Pouzolzia pentandra, described by Mr. Bennett in the succeeding article, belongs to one of the generic (or probably rather subgeneric) divisions of Parietaria, distinguished by M. Gaudichaud, in his sketch of a classification of Urticece. The species of Pouzolzia, which are numerous, are again capable of subdivision into two very distinct and natural sections, dependent on the development or non- development of wings on the fructiferous calyx. Of the species of the winged section known to him, which are nine in number, Mr. Bennett gives a synopsis, and offers some observations on those of the sulcated and wingless group, and on the species indicated by M. Gaudichaud. He refers to the terms employed by M. Gaudi- chaud in characterizing his sections of true Urticece as indicative of the belief of that author in the existence of a second point of attach- ment of the ovulum at its apex ; and states that " the supposed su- perior point of attachment of the ovulum has always proved, on a close examination, to be merely a membranous and somewhat tubular elongation of the margin of the testa surrounding the aperture, which is thus placed in close and immediate contact with the base of the style," and in which he has " never been able to perceive the slightest trace of a vascular connexion." He also notices an oversight of Pro- fessor Lindley in describing the entire family of Urticece, as having the " radicle always pointing to the hilum," the contrary structure being well known to exist in the great majority of the genera ; and concludes by pointing out some analogical resemblances between Pouzolzia, and certain genera of Polygonece and Chenopodece. In the article which follows, on Gunnera macrophylla, BL, Mr. Bennett gives a history of the genus, and adverts to the singular va- riety of errors to which it has at various times given rise, as regards Bibliographical Notices, 297 its structure and classification, both in the Linnsean and natural system. " The description of Gunnera macrophylla and the accom- panying figure," he observes, " abundantly prove that the affinities of the genus have been altogether misunderstood, and that it bears at most: but a distant relation to Urticete, from which it differs in almost every important feature except its solitary seed. It seems indeed surprising that a genus known to possess * germen inferum,' should have been so long referred to an order in which, even where a partial adhesion takes place of the calyces inter se, as in Artocarpus, not the smallest tendency exists to their adhesion with the ovaria. But when to this we add the presence of distinct petals, the removal of the genus not only from the order, but also from the class to which that order is referred, is clearly indicated." On the subject of its real affinities, Mr. Bennett adds that Mr. Brown communicated to him in 1835 some highly curious and interesting views, into the detail of which he was precluded from entering by Mr. Brown's absence from England while this article was passing through the press ; and expresses a hope that he will himself hereafter make them fully known. A synopsis of the known species of Gunnera completes the account of this interesting plant. A curious Piperaceous genus, to which Dr. Blume has given the name of Zippelia, chiefly remarkable on account of the glochidiate prickles with which its berries are muricated throughout, forms the subject of the sixteenth article. In it Mr. Bennett makes some ob- servations on the question, now no longer doubtful, of the monoco- tyledonous or dicotyledonous character of the embryo of the genus Piper ; and notices some of the obscure genera which have been de- scribed as belonging to this restricted family. Tetrameles nudifiora, the only known species of a genus named and characterized by Mr. Brown in the Appendix to Denham's Nar- rative, forms the subject of the succeeding article. Along with Datisca it constitutes " an order very different from any other yet established," to which Mr. Brown has given the name of Datiscece. The difference between the two genera in habit and in some minor points of structure is considerable ; but in ail essential particulars they are most intimately allied. Mr. Bennett incidentally observes that the supposed second species of Datisca, described by Linnaeus under the name of Datisca hirta, belongs unquestionably to the genus Rhus, the specimen in the Linnsean Herbarium being most probably only a contracted specimen of the common Rhus typhina. In the next article, under the head of He/icia Javanica, Mr. Ben- nett illustrates the history and characters of a Proteaceous genus, 298 Bibliographical Notices, established by Loureiro, and now consisting of eleven species, of which a synopsis is here given. It comprehends all the Asiatic Pro- tectees at present known. The nineteenth and twentieth articles relate to two species of Rhododendrum, of which Dr. Blume had formed a genus under the name of Vireya. Mr. Bennett states, however, that they do not differ in any respect from the former genus. The first described, Rhod. Javanicum, is intimately related to Rhod. Ponticum, but has larger and more showy flowers ; its flowers indeed are the largest in the genus. The second, Rhod. retusum, belongs to the same division of the genus with Rhod. ferrugineum. In describing them Mr. Ben- nett speaks of " what is usually regarded as a capitate stigma as an indusium surrounding the true stigmata, which are distinct from each other, equal in number to the cells of the ovarium, partially or wholly adherent to the inner surface of the indusium, sometimes slightly projecting beyond it, and generally a little capitate ;" and states that Mr. Brown long since showed him " that a similar organization, more or less obvious, occurs very generally in the family, demon- strating it more particularly in Salaxis, and such of the other Heaths as are commonly described as having a large peltate stigma." This structure he regards as bearing an obvious relation to the more strongly marked indusium of Goodenoviece. In the next article Mr. Bennett characterizes a new genus of Ascle- piadece, nearly related to Hoy a, but differing from it in some striking, if not very essential, characters. To this genus he gives the name of Cyrtoceras, and derives its principal distinctive character " from the great comparative elongation of the whole of its sexual apparatus, which in Hoya is as remarkably depressed." We may add that it is the Centrostemma of M. Decaisne, since published in the ■ Annales des Sciences Naturelles,' Nouv. Serie, torn. ix. p. 271. In the twenty- second article Mr. Bennett describes a species of the genus Argostemma of Dr. Wallich, which M. De Candolle has placed in immediate apposition with Ophiorhiza, but which Mr. Ben- nett considers, in accordance with a suggestion of Mr. Brown, to be much more closely related to Hoffmannia. He enters into a de- tailed examination of the more remarkable characters of the genus, and gives a synopsis of the species at present known, twenty-one in number, of which thirteen are here characterized for the first time. The twenty-third article offers a striking instance of one of those fortunate recoveries of lost plants, which sometimes reward the labours of the botanist far more agreeably than the discovery of new. It relates to the Linnsean genus Lerchca, which having entirely escaped Bibliographical Notices. 299 the observation of later writers, has been recently discarded even from the lists of genera published by Dr. Bartling and Professor Lindley. Notwithstanding some curious errors in the Linnsean cha- racter, one of which led to a singular misplacement of it in the Lin- nsean system, Mr. Brown satisfied himself of the identity of Dr. Hors- field's plant, with that described by Linnaeus, long before he found the latter in the Linncean Herbarium, in which no specimen existed in its proper place or under its published name. He afterwards dis- covered, however, among the unarranged plants of that collection two several specimens, one of them accompanied by a MS. generic character under the name of Codaria ; and both in all respects iden- tical with the plant here figured and described. To the rediscovery of the plant must be added that of its true place in the natural system, which had never even been suspected, the errors of the Linnsean cha- racter offering an apparently fatal objection to its position among Rubiacece, where it will henceforward take its place in the neighbour- hood of Wendlandia. With this genus, and with the Xanthophytum of Dr. Blume, Mr. Bennett compares it, and states that he is strongly inclined to regard it as identical with a species originally referred by that author to Chiococca, but since transferred by him to Xanthophy- tum. He describes its most remarkable peculiarity as consisting " in the large size and occasional cohesions of its epigynous disk. This disk, which in the early stage forms merely a thickened fleshy ring surrounding the base of the style, and free from any adhesion to the corolla, gradually enlarges in most cases so as completely to fill the lower half of the tube of the corolla, with the thickened and nar- rowed part of which it at length occasionally coheres below the point of insertion of the anthers, and even sometimes becomes ad- herent with the latter at their base, as well as with the portion of the style which it surrounds. More commonly these adhesions do not take place ; and the fleshy disk is sometimes little or not at all developed beyond its original size." In the twenty-fourth article Mr. Brown describes, under the name of Loxotis obliqua, an elegant little plant of the tribe of Cyrtandracece, found by himself in the Island of Timor near Coepang in the year 1803, and since collected by Dr. Horsfield and probably also by Dr. Blume in many parts of Java. To the genus Mr. Brown had ori- ginally given in his MSS. the name now adopted, but afterwards changed it, on the request of Mr. Ferdinand Bauer (whose drawing, made on the spot, furnishes the materials for a most beautiful plate) for that of Antonia, under which it was introduced by Mr. Bauer into a celebrated flower-piece, painted in honour of the late Baron 300 Zoological Society. Jacquin. But the latter name, although well known to the Vienna botanists, having been since applied by Pohl to a South American genus, it has become necessary to recur to that originally given, which may also possibly be set aside if (as there is reason to suspect) the genus should prove to be identical with the Rhincoglossum of Dr. Blume. '* With regard to the genus itself," Mr. Brown ob- serves, " it may be doubted whether Loxotis and Glossanthus ought to be generically distinguished merely or chiefly on account of the difference in the number of their antheriferous stamina, especially as they entirely agree in habit, in which there is something peculiar. It is not a little remarkable, that in some of the more minute and less important differences between them, the intermediate structure or connecting link should be found in a species sent by Dr. Schiede from Mexico (Glossanthus Mexicana, Br. ined.)and that this should be the only plant belonging to Cyrtandraceai hitherto observed in any part of America." The twenty-fifth plate, the last of the present part, represents another plant cf the same tribe, Loxonia acuminata, the letter-press relating to which is postponed to the succeeding part. Under the head of each plant, Dr. Horsfield has furnished valuable information as to its habit, growth and uses ; the precise localities in which it was found by him, particularly noting the height above the level of the ocean ; its native name, and such other particulars as his long residence in Java enabled him to collect. PROCEEDINGS OF LEARNED SOCIETIES. ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY. March 27th, 1838.— William Yarrell, Esq., in the Chair. A Dugong preserved in spirit having been presented to the Mu- seum by Alexander John Kerr, Esq., of Penang, Mr. Owen com- municated to the meeting some notes descriptive of the principal viscera in this remarkable aquatic mammal, and a statement of the relative proportions exhibited by its several parts, in comparison with the dimensions of a Dugong published by Sir Stamford Raffles in the Phil. Trans., 1820, and of two other specimens which Mr. Owen had on previous occasions examined in the Society's collection. From these notes, as given in No. 63 of the Society's ' Proceedings,' the following are extracts. Mr. Owen remarks, that "The external form of the Dugong is not so well calculated for moving rapidly through the water as that Zoological Society, 301 of the Dolphin and other carnivorous Cetacea, which subsist by a per- petual pursuit of living animals. In these the snout is conical, and peculiarly elongated, and in some, as the Delphinus Gangeticus, the jaws are produced to an extreme length, so as to give them every advantage in seizing their swift and slippery prey ; whilst, in the herbivorous Dugong, the snout is as remarkable for its obtuse, trun- cate character ; — a form, however, which is equally advantageous to it, and well adapted to its habits of browzing upon the alga and fuci which grow upon the submarine rocks of the Indian seas. " As, from the fixed nature of the Dugong's food, the motions of the animal during the time of feeding must relate more imme- diately to the necessity of coming to the surface to respire, its tail, the principal locomotive organ of ascent and descent, is propor- tionally greater than in the true Cetacea, its breadth being rather more than one -third the length of the whole body. " But the most important external differences are seen in the presence of the membrana niciitans, in the anterior position of the nostrils, and in the situation of the mammce, which are pectoral, or rather axillary, being situated just behind the roots of the flippers; in the female specimen examined their base was about the size of a shilling, and they projected about half an inch from the surface. " A considerable ridge extends along the middle of the upper sur- face of the posterior part of the back, which is continued upon and terminates in the tail. " The mouth and tongue corresponded with the descriptions already published of these remarkable structures. The opening of the larynx is chiefly defended, during the submarine mastication of the vege- table matters constituting the food of the Dugong, by the extreme contraction of the faucial aperture, which resembles that of the Ca- pybara. It is not traversed by a pyramidal larynx, as in the true Cetacea. " The stomach of this singular animal presents, as Sir Everard Home has justly observed, some of the peculiarities met with in the Whale tribe, the Peccari and Hippopotamus, and the Beaver : like the first, it is divided into distinct compartments ; like the second and third, it has pouches superadded to and communicating with it ; and, like the last, it is provided with a remarkable glandular ap- paratus near the cardia. " To the left of the cardia there projects into the stomach a rounded mammilloid eminence, whose base is 2 inches in diameter, and whose apex presents an oblique crescentic orifice about 3 lines in diameter ; on drawing aside the margins of this orifice, I found that, instead of its 302 Zoological Society. being the outlet of a simple mass of follicular glands, it led to a wide, flattened, winding sinus, and that its circumference was formed by the termination of a membrane spirally disposed in about eight or ten turns, and increasing in breadth at each gyration, having both sur- faces covered with the orifices of numerous glandular follicles, and the interspaces filled with a cream-like secretion. This structure, which adds another peculiarity to the stomach of the Dugong, and one met with in the ccccum only in a few other Mammalia, viz. that of having its blind end occupied by a spiral membrane, I have found in all the specimens dissected at the Society ; and in each case the gland was infested by Ascarides, hereafter to be described, which left impressions upon the spiral membrane. " The orifice leading to the pyloric cavity of the stomach is pro- vided with a circular and valvular production of the inner membrane of the stomach. Immediately beyond this valve are the orifices of the two caecal appendages, situated 1£ inch apart at the upper and rather towards the posterior side of the cavity ; these orifices were about an inch in diameter, but the inferior orifice was the larger of the two. Small quantities of comminuted sea weeds were found in both these receptacles. " From the complexity of the stomach, the great extent of the alimentary canal, its vast muscular power, and glandular appendages, the digestive functions must be extremely vigorous in this animal. The vigour of the digestive functions obviously relates, in the herbivorous section of Cetacea, to the low organized indigestible character of their nutriment ; but the complicated stomach and long intestinal canal of the carnivorous Cetacea must have other relations than to the kind of food. These modifications of the digestive system, for example, cannot be so explained in the Grampus, which preys on the highly organized Mammalia of its own class. It is not to the nature of the food, but to the quantity of nutriment that is required to be obtained from it, that I conceive the peculiarities of the digestive system in the carnivorous Cetacea to relate. In no other Carnivora is the same quantity of blood, the same mass of fat to be eliminated from the raw material of the food : the digestive system is, there- fore, perfected in these warm-blooded carnivorous Mammalia to meet the contingencies of their aquatic life. " The omentum is continued from the great curvature both of the cardiac and pyloric divisions of the stomach ; though short, it is much more distinctly developed than in the carnivorous Cetacea ; it contains no adipose matter." Having described various other particulars connected with the chy* Zoological Society. 303 lopoietic viscera, and the individual differences which they presented in the three specimens dissected, Mr. Owen proceeded to observe as follows : — " The views taken by Cuvier of the natural affinities of the Du- gong and other herbivorous Cetacea, as expressed in his latest clas- sification, in which they form part of the same order as the carnivo- rous Cetacea, are undoubtedly questionable, and have been dissented from by De Blainville and other eminent authorities in zoology. If, indeed, the object of every good classification be, what Cuvier states it to be, to enable the naturalist to express in general propositions structures "and attributes common to each given group, the conjunc- tion of the Dugong with the Dolphin fails in this respect in regard to almost all the important points of internal organization. " In proceeding with our investigation of the abdominal viscera, we find, with respect to the biliary organs, that the Dugong deviates in a marked degree from the ordinary Cetacea in the presence of a well- developed gall-bladder. Daubenton found a gall-bladder in the Manatee ; but the presence of this organ is not constant in the her- bivorous Cetacea, for in the Northern Manatee (Stellerus borealis, Cuv.), according to Steller*, the gall-bladder is wanting, and its absence seems to be compensated by the enormous width of the duc- tus communis choledochus, which would admit the five fingers united. "All the three specimens presented the same remarkable extent of separation of the two ventricles of the heart which Raffles and Home have described in the individuals dissected by them, and which Rup- pell f observed in the Dugong of the Red Sea (Halicore Tabernaculi, R.). This condition of the heart was first noticed by Daubenton in the fcetus of the Manatee ; and is also described by the unfortunate Steller in the genus worthily consecrated to his name, in which, how- ever, the apical cleft of the heart extended upwards only one third of the way towards the base. In the Dugong it reaches half-way towards the base. The carnivorous Cetacea do not participate with the herbivorous section in this interesting structure. " In the smoothness and evenness of their exterior, and their general form, the auricles of the Dugong resemble those of the Turtle (Che- lone): the appendix can hardly be said to exist in either. There is one superior cava only, not two as in the elephant. " The peculiar form, structure, and position of the lungs have been so accurately described and figured by Raffles, Home, and Riippel, * See Novi Commeniarii Acad. Scient. Petrop. t. u. 17M. f Beschreibung des im Rothm Meere vorkommenden Dugong. 4to. Frank* furt, 1833, p. 106, 304 Zoological Society. that I have only to observe the close agreement with these accounts which the structure of the parts presented in the three Dugongs dis- sected by me ; Daubenton* and Humboldt f describe and figure a precisely similar condition of the respiratory apparatus in the Ma- natee. Steller describes the same extension of the lungs along the dorsal aspect in the Stellerus, which he aptly compares to the posi- tion of the lungs in the bird, but without their fixation to the pari- ties of the chest, so characteristic of that class. The Chelonian reptiles, perhaps, offer a closer resemblance % to the herbivorous Ce- tacea in this respect ; and it is worthy of remark that the air-cells of the lungs are larger in the Dugong than in any other Mammals. In the carnivorous Cetacea the air-cells are remarkably minute, and the lungs more compactly shaped and lodged in a shorter thorax. " There are but three true tracheal rings anterior to the bifurcation of the air-tube : the first of these is remarkable for its superior size, which forms an intermediate transition between the cricoid and the second tracheal ring. The tube is somewhat flattened from be- fore backwards ; its circumference is 5 inches ; its antero-posterior diameter 1 inch. In the Bal&nidcs the tracheal rings are deficient at the anterior part of their circumference. The spiral disposition of the cartilages of the air-tubes, of which Home has given a figure, in the Dugong, is described with more detail by Steller in the Northern Manatee. It is a structure which best facilitates the lengthening and shortening of the lungs, whose change of bulk in respiration, owing to their peculiar form and position, probably takes place chiefly in that direction. " Amongst the true Cetacea we have observed that it is those which subsist on the lowest organized animal substance, as the Baleenidce, which approach the nearest to the herbivorous species, in having the additional complexity of the ccecum colli ; and it is interesting to find that the same affinity is manifested in the structure of the larynx. The epiglottis and arytenoid cartilages, for example, are relatively shorter in the Balcenoptera than in Delphinus ; and, as Mr. Hunter has observed, they are connected together by the membranes of the larynx only at their base ; and not wrapped together or surrounded by that membrane as far as their apices, as in the Dolphins. In the Balcenoptera also, the apices of these cartilages are not expanded, as * Buffon, vol. xiii. f Wiegmann's Arcltiv fur Naturgeschichte, 1838, pi. ii. fig. 5. X This resemblance is further exemplified in the shortness of the trachea, the completeness of its cartilaginous rings, the length of the bronchial tubes, and the extension of their cartilaginous structure far into the substance of the lungs in the Dugong. Zoological Society. 305 in the Dolphins, but diminish to an obtuse extremity. These points of resemblance to the condition of the larynx in the Dugong and Manatee are carried still further in the Mysticete Whale, at least in the foetus dissected by me, and in which both the epiglottis and ary- tenoid cartilages were relatively much shorter, and the thyroid car- tilage larger and more convex than in the Piked Whale (Balanoptera) . The thyroid cartilage is, however, a single piece in both genera of Baleenidae, though deeply notched above and below ; and the larynx presents several interesting individual peculiarities, which, however, the minute and accurate descriptions and illustrations of this organ in both the Balanoptera and Balance, published by Prof. G. Sandi- fort*, preclude the necessity of further dwelling upon. " The generative organs being those which are most remotely re- lated to the habits and food of an animal, I have always regarded as affording very clear indications of its true affinities. We are the least likely, in the modifications of these organs, to mistake a merely adaptive for an essential character. The true Cetacea, as is well known, have no trace of vesicula seminales ; but I found these bags present and of large size in the male specimen of our Dugongs. " The bones are chiefly remarkable, as in the Manatee, for their dense texture, and the non-development of medullary cavities in them : this reptile-like condition of the skeleton is further exem- plified in the loose connexion of the bones of the head. The bones are not loaded with oil, as in the Cetacea. All the specimens pre- sented 7 cervical and 19 costal vertebra, corresponding to the 19 pairs of ribs ; but the number of the remaining vertebra exceeded that ascribed to the Dugong by Home and Cuvier, there being at least 30, making in all 55. The affinity of the Dugong to the Pa- chydermata is thus again illustrated by the great number of the ribs. The lower jaw is articulated to the cranium by a true synovial cap- sule, reflected over cartilaginous surfaces, and not, as in the carni- vorous Cetacea, by a coarse and oily ligamentous substance. ** It has been suggested that the use of the projecting tusks in the Dugcng is to detach fuel from the rocks to which they adhere : one can hardly, however, assign any important function in relation to nutrition to parts which are limited to the male sex ; but it must be remembered that the function was assigned by a physiologist who supposed that the tusks in question were specific and not sexual characters, and that the imperfect tusks, which are peculiar to the female, were the predecessors of the projecting tusks, and, in fact, * Nieuwe Verhan deling en der Koninklik, Niederlandishe Instituut, Deel. iii.p. 224, pi. I.— V. Ann. Nat. Hist. Vol. 2. No. 10. Dec. 1838. x 306 Zoological Society. deciduous teeth. This opinion of Sir Everard Home was first called in question by Dr. Knox*, who, having detected the supposed de- ciduous tusks in the head of a nearly full-grown Dugong, rejected with great justice the opinion of Home, that they are deciduous teeth ; and he truly observes, that no evidence had been given to prove the existence of deciduous tusks at all in the Dugongf. " I need hardly observe that the tusks of the Dugong, being im- planted in the intermaxillary bones, are to be regarded, like the tusks of the Elephant, as incisors. Now both sexes of the Dugong, as of the Elephant, do, in fact, possess deciduous or milk-tusks, but they are much smaller than the female permanent tusks or supposed de- ciduous teeth of Home. y In the skull of a male Dugong which had molar es ~, the sock- ets of the deciduous incisors were obliterated, and the points of the permanent ones projected from their sockets. In only one out of seven crania of the Dugong which I have examined, have I found incisors in the lower jaw ; they were two in number, one in the cor- responding socket of each ramus, which sockets were much deeper than the rest. These teeth were smaller and more bent than the deciduous incisors of the upper jaw. They are obviously analogous to the rudimental teeth which have been described in the jaws of the foetal Whale. " The short and thick neck, fin-like fore-legs, want of hind-legs, caudal tegumentary fin, smooth, naked, and almost hairless integu- ment, are all modifications of external form, by which the Dugongs and Manatees are adapted to play their part in the waters : but the kind of part which they are to play in that element depends on or- ganic characters which mainly if not exclusively reveal their true affinities. Now we have seen that the whole of the internal struc- ture in the herbivorous Cetacea differs as widely from that of the carnivorous Cetacea, as do their habits : that the amount of varia- tion is as great as well could be in animals of the same class, exist- ing in the same great deep. The junction of the Dugongs and Manatees with the true Whales cannot therefore be admitted in a distribution of animals according to their organization. With much superficial resemblance they have little real or organic resemblance to the Walrus, which exhibits an extreme modification of the am- * Edinb. Phil. Trans, xi. p. 389. f " The milk-tusks of the Dugong have never been seen by any one ; that is, I have not heard of the existence of any preparation showing the germs of the milk or permanent teeth, together or in succession." — Dr. Knox, loc. cit. p. 398. Miscellaneous. 307 phibious carnivorous type. I conclude, therefore, that -the Dugong and its congeners must either form a group apart, or be joined, as in the classification of M. De Blainville, with the Pachyderms, with which the herbivorous Cetacea have the nearest affinities, and to which they seem to have been more immediately linked by the now lost genus Deinotherium." Some prepared specimens belonging to the genera Siphunculus and Asterias, collected by Mr. Harvey upon the Devonshire coast, and presented to the Society, were upon the table, to which Mr. Owen drew the attention of the Meeting. The Chairman read an extract of a letter from the former gentleman, in which he stated that a con- siderable number of the Red-band Fish (Cepola rubescens) had been picked up on the beach near Teignmouth. One of these specimens sent by Mr. Harvey was exhibited by Mr. Yarrell, who observed that these fish are rarely captured, owing to their keeping very near the bottom, and their shape allowing them to pass through the meshes of the fishermen's nets. In severe storms, however, shoals of this Cepola are sometimes killed by being driven against the bot- tom, or dashed against the rocks, and are then thrown on shore dead. Mr. Yarrell remarked that he had heard of two or three instances of this kind recently occurring on the British coast. MISCELLANEOUS. THE NEW HOLLAND GERBOA RAT (HAPALOTIS ALBIPES, LICHT.) BY JOHN EDWARD GRAY, F.R.S., &C. The Trustees of the Museum have recently purchased of Dr. John Lhotsky a perfect specimen of the Hapalotis albipes, described by Professor Lichtenstein in 1827, ' Darstellung der Saugethiere,' t. 29, from a specimen sent to Berlin in 1 824 by Dr. Sieber ; and a second which was sent to Berlin by Dr. Lhotsky was put up for sale there on the 6th of April 1837, and bought by the Royal Museum. Our specimen differs from that described by Prof. Lichtenstein in having the tail as long as the body, and the tip of it, which was most probably wanting in the Berlin specimen, is covered with long ex- panding hairs ; the upper side of the tail is dark-brown, and the under side and the pencil of long hairs at the tip is white. Dr. Licht- enstein in his description says the tail is only one third the length of the body, but in his figure represents it as half the length of the body and head. The ears of our specimen are covered externally with short appressed hairs, those of the front half being brown, and x2 308 Miscellaneous, the hinder half white. M. Lichtenstein describes them as nearly naked and thin. The thumbs of the fore feet are furnished with small blunt rudi- mentary claws ; the hair of the back is thickly interspersed with long taper-pointed black hairs. The cutting teeth are yellow, rounded, and without any grooves in front and shelving at the point within; the grinders are ^;the crown of the front upper is oblong longitudinal, and furnished with three oblong transverse ridges, and three small rounded tubercles on the inner side j one opposite the inner edge of each of the larger ridges ; the second upper has two oblong transverse ridges on the outer side and three small tubercles on the inner ; the hinder upper has two oblong transverse ridges extending over the whole width of the tooth behind, and a small row of tubercles at the front inner angle. The front lower grinder is formed of three, rather folded, oblong, transverse ridges, the second and third tooth are each formed of only two similar ridges, the ridges of the hinder tooth and espe- cially the hinder ridge being the smallest. This description nearly agrees with that given by Lichtenstein, but he supposes that one of the inner rounded tubercles of the upper middle tooth belongs to the anterior one. Notwithstanding these discrepancies between the description of the Berlin animal and the one in our collection, I have no doubt that they are intended for the same species, especially as Dr. Lhotsky informs me that the one we have purchased is similar to that he sent to Berlin, which was named Hapalotis albipes by Lichtenstein himself in the sale catalogue p. v. lot 3. There is a specimen called a native rabbit in Mr. Caley's collection in the Museum of the Linnaean Society, which exactly agrees with our animal in all particulars, except that its ears are naked and semitrans- parent as they are described by Professor Lichtenstein ; but from their appearance I am inclined to believe that they have been accidentally denuded, which is very probable, as the scarf skin on the ears of our specimen appears to be very easily deciduous. The specimen in the Linnsean Society's collection has been recently described by Mr. Ogilby under the name of Conilurus constructor, Linn. Trans, xviii. 125, where that gentleman has given an interesting account of its habits, extracted from the notes of Major Mitchell. The general appearance of the animal so much resembles a Gerboa, that if it were not for the great difference in size given in Major Mitchell's sketch, I should be inclined to believe that it is the animal which this enterprising traveller has figured in his work as a species of Miscellaneous. 309 that genus. This animal is interesting as being the third genus of true Glirine mammals found on the Australian continent,, viz. Hydromys, Hapalotis, and Pseudomys. Indeed the number of non- marsupial mammalia appears to be rapidly increasing as we become better acquainted with the animals of Australia. Thus I now know of three species of insectivorous bats inhabiting that continent, one belonging to a peculiar genus Nyctophilus, and two to Molossus. NEW ANOMALOUS REPTILE. Dr. John Natterer, the industrious collector, who has lately re- turned to Vienna from South America with his large collections, has published in the 'Annals of the Vienna Museum' (ii.p. 167.) under the name of Lepidosiren paradoxa, a new anomalous reptile, which has much the appearance of an eel, but is covered with large netted scales, and the body is furnished with four simple elongated taper- ing legs ; the front pair being placed on the back edge of the upper part of the spiracles, and the hinder pair on the under side of the hinder part of the body. The jaws are furnished with strong trun- cated teeth, and the vent, which is circular and plaited, is placed on the left of the centre of the under side of the body, just behind the base of the left hind leg. It was discovered in the Brazils near the river Amazon, and grows to three feet. They had two speci- mens in the Vienna Museum ; one of them has been put into the hands of Professor Th. Bischofffor the purpose of being dissected.— J. E. Gray. ON THE FUR SEAL OF COMMERCE. In one of your last numbers there is an interesting paper, by Mr. Hamilton, on the fur seal of commerce, illustrated by a figure, which the author supposes will " enable any one at once to recognise the animal." Unfortunately, this is not the case, as from the want of details of the teeth, of a more minute description of the whiskers, ears, and various other parts which form the specific characters of these very intricate animals, we gain nothing from the paper but that the fur-seal is an Otaria or Eared Seal, for the colour can scarcely be considered of any importance when we know the great changes it undergoes during growth in the other species of the genus. I am induced to make these remarks in the hope of inducing Mr. Hamilton to extend his description, as I am very desirous of ascertaining if his seal is the same as that which I described some time ago in the * Magazine of Natural History' (1837), under the name Leptonyx Wedellii, from two specimens which were collected by the Hon. Capt. Fitzroy, and by him presented to the British Museum. — J. E. Gray, 310 Miscellaneous, HABITS OF SNAILS OR BLACK SLUGS (aRION ATVR.). Several instances have been adduced of the land Helices eating meat and other extraordinary substances, and I have often observed the garden snails (Helix aspersa) eating the paper of the posting bills from the walls of the environs of London after a shower, but I was not aware until the other day, when I was near Newcastle, that they would eat inorganic matter. But having met with a black slug, (Arion ater,) and for safetyjplaced it in a box with some sea-sand, just taken from the sea for the purpose of examining the fragments of animal matter which renders it luminous when trodden on in the dark, I was surprised on opening it to observe that the slug had been eating the sand, until its feces, which were first of a green vege- table colour, were entirely composed of pure sand, united together into their usual form by a little mucus. When first the slug was placed in the box, the irritation of the salt caused it to emit a quantity of mucus, but it very shortly became reconciled to its abode, and lived in it for several days, though the box was open ; but at length escaped. — J.E. Gray. REGULUS MODESTUS, GOULD, A BRITISH BIRD. I beg to hand you a notice of a very scarce and interesting species of Regulus, which I shot on the banks near Hartley, on the coast of Northumberland, on the 26th of last September ; it corresponds ex- actly with Gould's Regulus modestus, a species so extremely rare, that he considers the individual from which he described as unique in the continental collections. The description of my bird, which will now entitle this species to a place in the British Fauna, is as fol- lows : Length, 4 T L in. ; breadth, 6J in. ; length from the carpus to the end of the wing, 2^ in. ; tail, IX in. ; the bill from the gape to the tip nearly T 7 ^- in., and from the tips of the feathers, which extend to the extremity of the nostrils, J in. The whole of the upper plumage a greenish yellow; on the centre of the crown of the head is a streak of paler ; a light lemon-coloured streak extends over the eye from the base of the bill to the occiput ; a short streak of the same colour passes beneath the eye, and a nar- row band of dusky passes through the eye and reaches the termina- tion of the auriculars. The under parts pale yellow ; the ridge of the wing bright lemon colour ; wing feathers dusky, edged with pale yellow, becoming broader on the secondaries ; two conspicuous bands of lemon colour cross the coverts ; the wings reach to within J in. of Meteorological Observations, 311 the end of the tail. Bill brown, with the under mandible paler at the base ; mouth yellow; legs and toes brown with the under surface of the toes inclining to yellow; claws brown. Its manners, as far as I had an opportunity of observing them, were so like those of the golden- crested wren, that at first I mistook it for that species. It was continually in motion, flitting from place to place in search of insects on umbelliferous plants, and such other herbage as the bleak banks of the Northumberland coast affords: such a situation could not be at all suited to the habits of this species, and there can be little doubt that it had arrived at the coast previous to or immediately after its autumnal migrations. — J. Hancock, Newcastle- on-Tyne. Note. — When Mr. Gould's figure appeared in the ' Birds of Eu- rope,' we expressed an opinion that this might only prove a young bird of some of the other species, and we rejoice that an opportu- nity has now occurred of clearing this doubt. Mr. Hancock has stated to Mr. Selby that the covering of the nostrils in his specimen consists of various feathers and not of a single plumulet as in the other Reguli : this will afford a distinguishing mark, and will more- over destroy the importance of the structure as a generic character. We would recommend, however, that the nestling or first plumage of the Regulus aurocapillus and ignicapillus should still be examined. — Edit. METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS FOR OCTOBER 1838. Chiswick. — Oct. 1. Hazy. 2. Cloudy : fine. 3. Fine. 4. Very fine. 5. Hazy: fine. 6,7. Overcast. 8,9. Bleak and cold. 10. Cloudy. II. Cloudy and fine. 12. Clear and cold : slight snow. 13. Clear: showery : frosty at night. 14. Overcast : showery : frosty at night. 15, 16. Cloudy. 17, 18. p'ine. 19. (/vercast: clear and fine. 20- Rain: overcast. 21 — 24. Cloudy and fine. 25. Foggy : clear at night. 26. Fine. 27. Cloudy : stormy and wet at night. 28. Hazy : heavy rain : violent hurricane from s.w. during the night, 29. Clear and windy. 30. Fine. 31. Heavy rain. Boston.— Oct. 1. Cloudy. 2, 3. Fine. 4. Cloudy. 5. Fine. 6, 7. Cloudy. 8. Cloudy: rain p.m. 9-11. Cloudy. 12. Stormy: snow p.m. 13. Fine: ice this morning one eighth of an inch thick. 14. Cloudy: rain p.m. 15. Cloudy. 16. Cloudy: stormy p.m. 17,18. Fine: stormy p.m. 19 — 21. Fine. 22,23. Cloudy. 24, Cloudy: rain early a.m. 25. Cloudy. 26. Cloudy : rain early a.m. 27. Fine: stormy with rain p.m. 28. Fine: rain p.m. 29. Stormy: rain early am. 30. Fine. 31. Cloudy. Applegarth Manse, Dumfriesshire.— Oct. 1,2. Fine harvest days. S. Ditto, but cloudy : frosty p.m. 4. 5. Very warm : frost rime. 6. Warm : not a breath of wind. 7. Mild day, hut cloudy. 8. Fine harvest day. 9. Ditto, but threatening rain. 10. Still lowering and threatening rain. 11. High wind : slight shower. 12. Dry and cold. 13. Ditto: snow showers passing. 14. Wet all day. 15. Moist and stormy. 16. Wet all day. 17. Drying day. 18. Wet all day. 19. Drying again. 20. Clear and drying. 21,22. Moist: showers p.m. 23. Fair a.m. : came on rain. 24. Showeiy. 25. Very wet p.m. 26. Rivers in flood : drying p.m. 27. Showeiy all day : flood again. 28. Hoar frost a.m. : fine p.m. 29. Partial showers. 30. Fine day : slight rains. 31. 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All bear the stamp of the loftiness of conception and profoundness of view which are characteristic of genius ; they treat of the most im- portant, but also sometimes of the most disputed points of or- ganization ; we would therefore confine ourselves to the part which we can best appreciate, and chiefly point out the ser- vices he has rendered to comparative anatomy. But pre- viously, and in order to explain how and to what extent Goethe was an anatomist, it is indispensable to take a slight view of his life and the epoch of his labours. Born and reared at Frankfort on the Maine, Goethe directed his first studies, as he himself tells us, to the knowledge of ancient and modern languages. His literary taste displayed itself early, and some poetical essays completed these first la- bours. No circumstance had ever as yet led him to study nature, and at most a vague desire of acquiring a knowledge of her laws now and then crossed his mind. * Here and there in my poetical essays," says he in the sketch which in 1831 he gave of his botanical studies, u are to be perceived some traces of a passionate love for the country, and of an earnest desire to penetrate the great secret of the constant creation and an- nihilation of beings ; but this desire evaporated in vain and useless contemplations ." It was at Strasbourg, in 1770* that he first set about the study of the natural sciences. Having come to this city to take the degree of doctor of laws, he gave to this pursuit so much time only as was strictly necessary, and followed with ardour courses of chemistry, anatomy, medicine, and even of * Translated from the Bibliotheque Universelle de Geneve, vol. xv. p. 338. Ann, Nat, Hist, Vol. 2, No. 11. Jan, 1839. y 314 M. Pictet on the Writings of Goethe midwifery. He returned to Germany with a very decided taste for these sciences, a taste which his abode at Weimar still continued to cherish. Living much in the country in the midst of a society of learned men, making frequent botanical excursions, and availing himself of every opportunity of im- proving and exercising his talent for observation, he made himself acquainted with the principal phenomena of vegeta- tion, and from this epoch is to be dated the origination of his principal ideas of botanical organography. He describes himself afterwards as working at Jena with ardour at the collections of comparative anatomy, the import- ance of which for instruction was more and more felt ; the col- lections of that city still contain several preparations from his hands. By this means he acquired an exact and detailed knowledge of animal forms, and laid up for himself important materials for his subsequent labours. " I sawed," said he, (i and cleaved bones and sculls in every direction, in order to obtain foreseen or unforeseen lights on the structure of bones." And indeed osteology was the department of zoology with which afterwards he was principally occupied. At this period he became the rival and friend of the anatomist Loder, and from that time he hardly ever ceased working at comparative anatomy, either to learn what had been done before him, or to extend the boundaries of the science and suggest improved methods. Fourteen memoirs or notices, composed from 1786 to 1832, bear witness to his continued interest for this study. His memoirs, however, did not always meet with an encoura- ging reception. Thus, when he had drawn up an account of his discovery of the intermaxillary bone in man, he sent it to Camper, who praised him for the composition, gave him ad- vice about the drawings, but did not admit the results. Blu- menbach also refused to admit its truth. In spite of the formidable disapprobation of two of the most celebrated ana- tomists of Germany, Goethe w r as not discouraged ; but it was not till forty years afterwards that his ideas on the intermax- illary bone were adopted by all naturalists. This is unfortu- nately the history of most of the discoveries which swerve from the track of generally received ideas. Goethe was very tenacious of his reputation as a naturalist, relative to Natural History, 315 and was particularly desirous that the results to which he had come should not be attributed to a brilliant imagination, but that they should be regarded as the fruits of long and earnest labours. He concludes the history of his botanical studies with these words : u For half a century and more I have been known as a poet in my own country and even to foreigners, and no one dreams of denying me this talent. But what is not so generally known, what has not been sufficiently taken into consideration, is that I have worked earnestly and for a long time at the physical and physiological phsenomena of nature, that I have observed in silence with the perseverance which devotion alone can give. Also when my Essay on the know- ledge of the Laws of development of the Plant, printed in German forty years ago, excited attention, first in Switzerland, then in France, people knew not how to express their asto- nishment, that a poet, usually occupied with intellectual phe- nomena, which are from the fountain of sentiment and ima- gination, turning an instant from his course, had by the way made so important a discovery. It is to controvert this mis- taken notion that this preface has been written. It is intended to show that I have devoted a great part of my life to the study of natural history, to which I was drawn by a passionate taste. It was not by the sudden and unexpected inspiration of a genius endowed with extraordinary faculties, it was by continued studies, that I arrived at this result." Thus then we may look upon Goethe as a true naturalist, who, if he had not had so great a reputation as a poet, would long since have been quoted amongst the men of science, for whom Germany is illustrious. He advanced science, and well understood its requirements. He studied with ardour the facts upon which it rests, and, as he himself tells us, he arrived at general laws by a comparison of details. Assuredly we do not wish to deny the share which the strength of his imagi- nation may have had ; this noble gift has in general been the endowment of all those who have advanced science by new conceptions and felicitous theories. But we no longer live in an age, when theories, which are but the produce of this faculty, brilliant as it may be, can be regarded as a progress. The imagination is to be admitted only when it generalizes facts, y2 316 M. Pictet on the Writings of Goethe when it deduces consequences from them, and by these means throws a vivid light upon a subject which without its aid would have remained inert and obscure. It was this species of imagination that directed the labours of Goethe. It is the glory inherent in its results that he lays claim to ; a glory which we shall justify by an inquiry into the services which he has rendered this science, and into the manner in which he has viewed some of the important questions which have been debated in these latter years. It was natural for Goethe, a German and a poet, to set out from the principle of the unity of organic composition in its widest acceptation ; and in fact, the greater part of his labours were directed to the demonstration of this law, which tends every day more and more to become the basis of comparative anatomy. In this respect he preceded all the naturalists of his age ; he has indeed been outstripped since, and some Ger- man anatomists have gone much further in this path, at that time new. Time will show whether they have proceeded in it with as much success. Goethe quickly perceived that ana- tomical determinations were tainted with a diversity opposed to the progress of the science ; he felt that a rallying point was wanting for these conclusions, that they must be uni- form in all animals, and that, without this principle, confusion and the want of a rule must necessarily make the study of comparative anatomy difficult and even impossible. He was not slow in observing that this rallying point was the principle of unity of organic composition, and that the discovery of this law must alter the face of the science, by giving it for a basis the unity which reigns in nature. It was he, it seems, who if he did not catch the first glimpse, at least, who first clearly comprehended this important fact. But he did not imme- diately publish his ideas upon this subject, so that the con- stant progress of science led to its being discovered in the in- terval, in France, by Geoffroy St. Hilaire. The regeneration of comparative anatomy set out then at the same time from these two countries ; and if these discoveries have brought on such animated debates, we should, I think, only attribute them to the too great promptitude which the innovators have been desirous of displaying, for the principle of unity of or- relative to Natural History. 317 ganic composition can no longer be denied within certain limits : the labours of those even who have opposed it when it was put forth in all its generality, are grounded upon this principle in a more confined view. All discussion at the pre- sent day can have for its object only the fixing these limits, and we do not think that the state of the science will admit of this being done with any security. Setting out from these principles, the illustrious author, of whose works we are giving an analysis, published some me- moirs which may be referred to two classes. The first relates to the method which should serve as a guide in the researches of comparative anatomy. The second is the discovery of some particular facts having a relation to the demonstration of the principle. In the first class we shall principally quote the memoir entitled, On the necessity of the establishment of a Type in order to facilitate the study of Comparative Anatomy. The ancient method, which consists in comparing man with animals and these with one another, is lengthy, destitute of fixed principles, and has only led to incomplete results. It is necessary w r ith regard to each species to note the differences and resemblances to others; and although the natural methods have greatly facilitated these comparisons by diminishing the number of beings to compare, still one may say with Goethe, that comparative anatomy, viewed in this manner, is " a work impossible, infinite, which, if by a miracle it should one day be accomplished, would be without results as without limits." The notion of an ideal type, created, by abstraction, from the assemblage of the parts common to all animals, supposes a philosophical survey of organization as a whole, puts in evi- dence, at the outset, the prominent points, allows all descrip- tions to be reduced to the comparison of the species to the type, by this very means makes it possible to compare all these descriptions with one another, and thus the labour becomes easier and more philosophical. The possibility of creating this type flows from the law of unity of organic composition ; and the idea of the type is nothing else than the perfect conception of this law ; for if we suppose the organs analogous and si- milarly arranged, this state and this arrangement in com- mon, considered as an abstraction made from individual forms 318 M. Pictet on the Writings of Goethe and variations, naturally constitute the type, which accord- ingly cannot be confounded with any species more than the whole can be confounded with a part. It may be conceived how much such a method is preferable to that; so frequently employed, of taking man as a type, when his very perfection makes him, in most cases, very unfit for this purpose. The creation of the type necessarily varies according to the objects of comparison. If we wish to study a particular class, the type may be more defined, the characters in common being more numerous. The type the most difficult to esta- blish will be the animal type, for to seize it perfectly, it will be necessary to have a perfect idea of the parts common to all animals, or in other words, to have exhausted the study of analogies. Thus the establishment of types will be a feeling our w r ay, and the perfect type the result of the science at its zenith, as the imperfect type will be the amount of this sci- ence at some certain period, and the basis upon which it will lean in order to continue its progress. The type being once created, Goethe applies himself to its comparison with individual forms, and, in this analysis, sets out from the principle that diversity has no other origin than this ; that, in the development, one part becomes predominant at the expense of some other, and vice versa. He admits with respect hereto the influence of surrounding media and of exterior causes generally, by the force of which the nutritive matter is directed in superabundance and under certain forms to particular parts, so as to produce there a hypertrophy, always followed by an atrophy in some other part of the same being, because the nutritive matter is diverted from it to the gain of the former. He supposes that a certain formative or plastic force is given to every being, and that if it be directed to one point the con- sequence must necessarily be inverse modifications with re- gard to the others *. " The general total/' says he, " in the * To make this idea intelligible to those who are little accustomed to these theories, I shall cite the instance of the reptiles, in which we see the plastic force sometimes direct itself upon the vertebra?, sometimes upon the feet. Starting from the lizard, as a mean point, we come on one side to the frog, in which the feet, by an excessive development, subject the ribs to atrophy ; and on the other side we find the serpent, in which the develop- relative to Natural History, 319 budget of nature is fixed ; but she is free to dispose of parti- cular sums by any appropriation that may please her. In order to spend on one side, she is forced to ceconomize on the other, and nature can therefore never run in debt nor become bankrupt." It is easy here to recognise the principle put forth by M. Geoffroy Saint Hilaire under the name of the balance of organs. These considerations may be applied in two ways ; either in the comparing of beings with one another, and the result of this observation is to show the general type modified by the above law according to the part which the species acts in nature and the medium in which it dwells ; or in comparing with each other the different parts of the same being, a study in which the same balance is perceived, and which leads to generaliza- tions of a more difficult character and included generally under the name of the law of homology. We shall here leave these discussions concerning the type, and shall not follow the author in the applications he makes of them when he pro- duces the model of an osteological type for the Mammiferae, and analyses the variations of the bones and the characters by which they may be known ; an analysis of high importance from its applications, but which would carry us beyond our intended limits. Under the second head, that of special labours, we always discover the same drift and the same philosophical views. One of the most generally known is the discovery of the in- termaxillary bone in man. It is known that most of the Mam- miferae have both sides of the upper jaw formed of two bones, the one external and largest, which contains the molary and canine teeth, and which is the maxillary properly so called; the other internal, smaller, which contains the incisors, and which has received the name of the incisive or intermaxillary bone. These two bones are not separate in man at the adult age. The naturalists of the past century had eagerly laid hold of ment of the ribs brings with it the disappearance of the feet. This latter exam- ple has even this remarkable circumstance, that all the transitions are to be seen, at first in the Scincidce, which have more ribs than the lizards and smaller feet ; then in the Sepsidcs, which have almost the ribs of serpents and the rudiments of feet ; and lastly in Anguis, which comes still nearer to the serpents, and whose limbs are not externally visible. 320 M. Pictet on the Writings of Goethe this fact as tending to establish that man and the animals have not a common structure. Feeling what an immense di- stance separates man from the rest of the creation, they sought with care for all the differences of organization by which this distance could be increased ; not perceiving that these details of structure are nothing in comparison with dif- ferences of a higher order, which alone can establish an im- passable barrier. Goethe understood and demonstrated that in this particular, as in others, the organic materials which con- stitute the body of man are the same as those which compose that of animals. He proved that man, at every age, *shoAvs traces of the bipartiteness of the bones of the jaw, and that it is possible by certain criteria to find, in the adult, in a portion of the maxillary, the true incisive bone of the Mammiferae. He confirmed this view of the matter by proving that in the child at its birth the two bones are separate and distinct, and that the only difference that can be pointed out in regard to this is, that in man they are consolidated very early by the ope- ration of life, whilst in the greater part of the Mammiferae they unite late, and in some not at all. This discovery of Goethe, although bearing upon a detail which may appear minute, has been of importance, inasmuch as his inquiry was one of the first conceived in this spirit of establishing analo- gies, an idea which has been so fertile in beautiful results. We have said already how long a time was necessary for the adoption of this opinion. The principle of the head being composed of vertebrae, that remarkable application of the law of homology, had also struck Goethe before the time when first it was submitted to the ex- amination of anatomists ; but he did not publish his ideas re- specting it, and consequently he cannot be considered as its author. We know that the bones of the skull, formerly con- sidered as special formations, have subsequently to the be- ginning of this century been viewed in a different light by some naturalists. As the brain is the prolongation of the spinal marrow, so the skull is, according to these anatomists, the prolongation of the spinal column. The brain differs from the spinal marrow by its expansion ; the skull differs from the vertebrae by a greater development of the superposed laminae relative to Natural History. 321 of the nervous system. In accordance with these considerations the skull has been decomposed into three vertebrae, and the face into three others, placed relatively to each other like the vertebra? of the body, but much more developed in the parts which envelop the brain, because this organ is much more de- veloped than the spinal marrow. Thus these bones are no longer a special formation, but a repetition of the preceding formations. M. Martius relates, in one of the notes which he has added to his translation, that the poet, as he walked in the cemetery of the Jews at Lido, near Venice, picked up on the sand the head of a ram, the skull of which was split longitudinally, and that whilst looking at it the idea instantly struck him that the face was composed of vertebrae ; the transition from the an- terior sphenoide to the ethmoide seemed evident to him at the first glance. This was in 1791> and at this time he did not make known his idea. Sixteen years later it was laid down by Oken that the head was composed of six vertebrae. Ac- cording to Carus, this discovery may have been the result of an inspiration altogether resembling in its circumstances that of Goethe. Being in one of the ancient forests of the Brocken, Oken saw at his feet a stag's head perfectly bleached ; he picked it up, turned it, examined it, and cried out, * 'Tis a ver- tebral column ! " M. Dumeril at the same time in France, from considerations entirely different, announced to the Institute the analogy of the head and the vertebrae, — an idea which was at this period received with astonishment and even with disapprobation. We may moreover notice among the special labours of Goethe, his observations on the researches of Dr. Jaegger upon the subject of the fossil bulls found in the neighbour- hood of Stuttgarcl. Goethe seeks to prove in this article, that the differences which exist between fossil and recent bulls may be looked upon as the result of the perfecting of the spe- cies during the centuries which separate the two periods. His argument affords interest ; but it seems to us that the poet plays almost as leading a part in it as the naturalist. Goethe took great interest in the famous discussion raised in 1830 in the Academy of Sciences of Paris, upon the prin- 322 M. Pictct on the Writinys of Goethe. ciple which we have stated above. Every one remembers, that in these debates, perhaps the most remarkable that ever took place in a learned assembly upon a question relating to na- tural history, M. Cuvier, strong in his power of observation, his immense labours, and the rigour of his zoological method, denied to the unity of organic composition the right of being erected into a general law. He acknowledged it within certain limits, but would not admit of any other analogies than those which were rigorously demonstrated, and rejected all general- ization conceived a priori and not yet proved by facts. M. Geoffroy St. Hilaire on his part, also attended by a numerous train of remarkable labours and important researches, gave himself up to his fancy, to predetermine the general laws of organization, which he conceived were revealed to him by those which are known. He required that the unity of organic com- position should be recognised a priori, leaving to the progress of the science the business of demonstrating it in its details in succeeding ages. We have said enough to show that Goethe, with almost the entire body of German philosophers, rendering justice to the science and talents of the two illus- trious champions, were sharers in Geoffrey's views of the sub- ject. He has given his countrymen a history of this great struggle between analysis and synthesis; for he felt that it was a European question, and that it was agitated for Germany as well as for France. These two countries, ordained to march at the head of comparative anatomy* had till then but little understood each other, and Goethe saw well that this discus- sion was the beginning of a new aera, in which the synthetical ideas of the Germans would be more and more appreciated in France. The school at the head of which Geoffroy St. Hilaire placed himself was destined to bring about this union, in which the development of the science is so deeply interested. Goethe was happy in seeing this school appreciate the valu- able labours of his countrymen and himself, and with the me- moirs of this change his literary course terminated. The ana- lysis of which we speak is the last work which came from the pen of this great writer. * " Faits pour marcher a la tete," so says our author. — Tiiansl. Rev. L. Jenyns on some German Shrews. 323 XXXVI. — Notes on some Shrews brought from Germany by W. Ogilby, Esq., including the description of an apparently New Species. By the Rev. Leonard Jenyns, M.A., F.L.S., &c. Mr. Ogilby, on his return from Germany in the autumn of 1837 5 brought with him a small collection of shrews, which had been all obtained in the neighbourhood of Francfort-upon- Mayne. These he very obligingly submitted to my inspec- tion, allowing me to compare them with our British -species, and to describe any amongst them which might appear new. The collection consists of fourteen individuals, referrible to at least five distinct species, one of which is either undescribed, or not described with sufficient accuracy to be recognised. It has appeared to me that it would be advantageous to science to publish the characters of this new species, as well as any notes relating to the others which might serve to make them better known to the naturalists of this country. I shall take them in the order in which they arrange themselves according to Duvernoy's views adverted to in my former memoirs, pre- mising only, that all the specimens, with the exception of two or three duplicates which I was kindly permitted to retain, have been deposited in the museum of the Zoological Society. I. Sorex, Duv. (1.) S. Araneus, Geoff. — The dentition of this species fur- nishes the type of Duvernoy^s first subdivision of the genus Sorex. That of the specimen examined accords accurately with the description of that author, excepting that the upper mid- dle incisors are not in contact at their extremities. The snout is of the same form as that of the S.tetragonurus of this country, and attenuated to about the same degree ; but it is more de- cidedly emarginatc at the tip between the nostrils. It is also somewhat broader between the eyes, in consequence of their being placed further back than in the species last men- tioned. The distance between the eyes is contained very nearly, but not quite, twice in the distance from the eye to the end of the snout. The ears are much more developed and stand more out of the fur than in any of the British shrews, 324 Rev. L. Jenyns on some German Shrews, and the same character may be observed in all the species be- longing to this section. The feet are of moderate size, of about the same length as in the S, tetragonurus, but not altogether so strong ; the claws especially are shorter and weaker, and apparently not so well calculated for digging. The disposition of the tubercles, which varies but little in the species of this genus, is also similar ; but the tubercles themselves are larger, those in particular beneath the last phalanges of the toes on the fore feet. The tail is of about the same length, but of a very different form, being nearly round or free from angles, and decidedly stouter at the root than at the tip, towards which it gradually tapers. It is also furnished with long conspicu- ous whitish hairs*, scattered here and there among the other shorter ones. There is little or no pencil at the extremity, but possibly it may have been worn from age. The colour of the upper parts and sides of the body is brown tinged with reddish, that of the under parts yellowish grey : the lips and feet appear to have been flesh-colour. Dimensions. In. Lin. Length of the head and body 2 9$ of the tail 1 6 of the hind foot (from the heel to the extremity of the claws) 6 of the fore foot (from the wrist in like manner) 4 â–  of the ears (measured from behind) 2 From ear to eye 2% to the end of the snout 8-f There is a second specimen in the collection which appears referrible to the above species, but which nevertheless differs in a few particulars. The snout is longer, especially that por- tion of it between the ear and the eye. The tail is shorter, and not quite so stout at the base, though still tapering at the tip : the long scattered hairs are not quite so numerous. The dentition, feet, and colours are similar. The entire length of this specimen is 2 inches 7^ lines. The length of the tail 1 inch 3^ lines. * Mr.Waterhouse first drew my attention to these long interspersed hairs, which appear to be found iu all the species belonging to Duvernoy's first section. with the description of a new Species. 325 (2.) S. Leucodon, Herm. — The collection contains two adult and four immature individuals of this species. In the adult the upper middle incisors are rather less curved than those of the S. Araneus last described, and with the spur behind less developed. They are quite separate throughout their whole length in one of the specimens, but in contact at their tips in the other. The second and third lateral incisors above are also smaller in relation to the first. The lower middle incisors are long and slightly recurved. The snout is of the same form as in the last species, but its proportions a little different, the distance from the ear to the eye being one-third less. This is in consequence of the upper margin of the auricle being brought rather more forward. The head does not appear so full or large, the crown between the ears being more depressed. The feet are similar, but the tubercles on the soles somewhat smaller. The tail is shorter, and less tapering at the extre- mity ; the long scattered hairs more numerous. The colours are considerably darker above and paler beneath ; that of the upper parts is very deep reddish brown, that of the under pure silvery grey ; the two are separated on the sides by a tolerably well-marked line. In the young individuals of this species the teeth are not all apparent, the lateral incisors being still invested with the skin of the periosteum. The middle incisors are much shorter than in the adult *. The snout also is more obtuse, and in three of the specimens the distance from the ear to the eye is rela- tively greater. In the fourth, however, the proportion of this part is the same as in the adult, showing that too great stress must not be laid upon this character. The colours are ex- actly similar. Dimensions of the two adult specimens. (i.) In. Lin. Length of the head and body 3 I of the tail 1 2 of the hind foot G â–  of the fore foot 4 of the ears l£ From ear to eye 2 to the end of the snout 8 In. Lin. 2 9 1 3^ 6i 4 1A 74 * I have already noticed the peculiarities of the teeth in these youno- spe- cimens in a former memoir, See Ann. of Nat. Hist., vol. i. p t 427, 326 Rev. L. Jenyns on some German Shreivs, The length of the young specimens, exclusive of the tail, varies from 2 inches 4 lines to 2 inches 7 lines. Duvernoy at one time seems to have entertained a doubt as to this species being distinct from the S. Araneus, but in my opinion there cannot be a question about it. II. Amphisorex, Duv. (3.) S. tetragonurus, Herm. — Two specimens in the collec- tion, to one of which I found the name of tetragonurus at- tached, accord so exactly with the square-tailed shrew of this country, described in a former paper (Ann. Nat. Hist., vol. ii. p. 43), as to leave not a doubt in my mind of their identity, or of our English species being the true tetragonurus of the continent. In fact there is not the slightest difference in any one of their characters. The larger of the specimens mea- sures 2 inches 11 lines, with a tail of 1 inch 5 J lines. The smaller measures 2 inches 7 J lines, with a tail of 1 inch 6 lines. The former is evidently a very old individual, the teeth being much worn, and the tail nearly naked and almost quite square. A third specimen seems also referrible to this species, but differs from both those just alluded to in being less bulky for its length, with the head not so broad, and the snout more atte- nuated. The dentition is nearly similar, but the fifth lateral incisor above is rather more obvious from without, and the first four do not diminish in size quite so rapidly. The feet are similar. The tail also is of the same form, as well as thick- ness, but better clothed with hairs, the hairs being longer, especially the pencil at the extremity, and standing more out. The colour of the under parts is somew T hat darker, or of a more dirty ash-grey, and blends more gradually at the sides with, that of the upper. The length of this specimen is 2 inches 5 lines. Its proportions, with the exception above alluded to, are not materially different from those observed in the other individuals. (4.) S. labiosus, Nob. — By this name I propose to designate a species which, though very nearly allied to the S. tetragonurus^ offers, I think, sufficient peculiarities to be considered distinct. If it had been already noticed by any author, it has not been described in such a manner as to admit of its being identified, with the description of a new Species. 327 or possibly it may have been confounded with the one just mentioned. In many of its characters it approaches the S. cunicularius of Bechstein, which, in a former paper, I consi- dered, though perhaps erroneously, as synonymous with the square-tailed shrew of this country. There are two specimens of this new species in the collection, precisely similar, except- ing that one is a trifle larger than the other. Both, how- ever, have the appearance of being young, and I suspect that in the adult state they would exceed the ordinary dimensions of the species last noticed. They are of different sexes, and the female, which is the smaller of the two, does not appear, from the contracted state of the uterus and its appendages, to have been ever impregnated. In its general form, this species, as already observed, resem- bles the S. tetragonurus, so much so indeed as to render a de- tailed description unnecessary. It chiefly differs in the snout being broader before the eyes, more swollen about the lips, and more obtuse at the extremity. The head also appears longer, the distance being greater from the ear to the eye. The cra- nium, however, when extracted from the investing integuments, is precisely similar both in size and form. The dentition is the same. The feet are decidedly broader and stronger ; the claws long, and well formed for digging. The tail is rather better clothed with hair, and the hairs not so appressed. The colours are for the most part similar, but somewhat darker on the under parts. Dimensions. (Male.) In. Lin. Length of the head and body 2 G^- of the head fH of the tail 1 8 of the hind foot 6± of the fore foot 4^ of the ears If From ear to eye 4f to the end of the snout 10 (Female.) In. Lin. 2 4* 1 G H 4 o "u 4* 9 I have termed this species labiosus or full-lipped, in refer- ence to its most distinguishing peculiarity. This character, however, is only noticeable when compared with that of the other species in the same section. The lips are not more 328 Rev. L. Jenyns on some German Shrews. tumid, or the snout broader, than in the water-shrew, though nearly as much so as in that species. (5.) S.pygmaus, Pall. A single individual of this species, first discovered by Pallas, and within these few years so well described and represented by Gloger*, exists in the collection. The species is remarkably distinguished from every other I am acquainted with by its small size, slender form, long nar- row head, with the snout very much produced and attenuated. The distance between the eyes is contained more than two and a half times between the eye and the extremity of the snout. The whiskers are very long. The dentition is for the most part similar to that of the 8. rusticus described in a former paper. The fifth lateral incisor above is visible from without, and not out of the line. The ears are slightly larger than in the S. tetragonurus, and somewhat less concealed by the hair. The feet are much more slender than in the spe- cies last mentioned, but rather stronger than in the S. rus- ticus : the toes very bristly, the bristles projecting further beyond the roots of the nails than in either of the two species just alluded to : the claws sharp and curved. The tail is rather thick, roundish, and well clothed with longish hairs, which stand out at the sides, and form at the extremity a mo- derately long pencil projecting two lines or more beyond the bone. The colour of the upper parts is reddish brown or rusty ; that of the lower greyish white, tinged with red. The lips and feet are white, tinged with reddish. The tail bright fulvous above, paler beneath. Dimensions. In. Lin. Length of the head and body 2 2-j- of the head 91 -of the tail 1 4 — of the hind foot 5 of the fore foot 2$ of the ears l 3 f From ear to eye 3-| From ear to the end of the snout 8-J- This species appears to have been formerly involved in some obscurity ; but its history has been well cleared up by Gloger, * Nov. Act. Leop. torn. xiii. 2. p. 481. pi. 25. inn. A at. Hist, Vol. IT. FL XV. PL urotludlis ari statu . font. \h(,Hist, Vol.ILPl.IYJZ S tells folios a, Sir W. J. Hooker on two new Orchideous Plants, 329 to whose paper I beg to refer the naturalists of this country, as containing a most detailed account of all its characters. It is the S. exilis of Gmelin. P.S. Since the above notes were written I have seen Na- thusius's paper on the European shrews, alluded to by the editor in a former number of this journal*. He does not ap- pear to admit of more than two species belonging to the group termed by Duvernoy Amphisorex. Of course, therefore, that which I have above named S. labiosus is either unknown to him, or, what is perhaps more probable, would pass as a mere variety of the S. tetragonurus. And I am far from saying that this last opinion might not ultimately prove correct. Never- theless, as I have seen two specimens exactly similar, I feel induced for the present to consider it as distinct. I may also state, that since it clearly appears now that the S. tetragonurus of Hermann was known to Linnaeus, and the very species originally described by him in the first edition of the e Fauna Suecica/ under the name of S. vulgaris f, it will be proper, in accordance with Nathusius, to adopt the name last mentioned for this species, and to allow that of tetragonurus to sink as a synonym. It will also be advisable to transfer the English name of common shrew from the S. rusticus to this species, which is far more abundant in this country, and seems to be the species most universally distributed throughout Europe. Those naturalists who wish to have an English name for everything might call the former the rustic shrew. Swaffham Bulbeck, Nov. 28, 1838. XXXVII. — Description of two new Orchideous Plants, from the Collection of C. S. Parker, Esq. By Sir W. J. Hooker, L.L.D., Reg. Prof. Bot. Glasgow, F.R.S., L.S. [With Plates.] 1. Pleurothallis aristata. Nana, foliis petiolatis spathulatis, raceme- paucifloro, sepalis sequalibus lanceolatis aristato-acuminatissimis maculatis 3-nervibus 2 lateralibus basi connatis, petalis sextuplo minoribus oblongo-acuminatis longe ci • * Vol. i. p. 427, note. f In the second edition of that work the name is changed to Araneus. Ann. Nat. Hist. Vol. 2. No. 11. Jan. 1839. z 330 Sir W. J. Hooker on two new Orchideous Plants. liatis uninervibus, labello trilobo, lobo medio elliptico pubescenti-velu- tino. (Plate XV.) Hab. British Guiana. Cultivated in the stove of C. S. Parker, Esq., of Liverpool, having been received with many other rarities from Deme- rara. Whole plant scarcely 3 inches high. Leaves 3, in our specimen spathulate, acute, an inch or an inch and a half long, including the slender petiole into which it gradually tapers. Scape very slender, twice as long as the leaves, bear- ing a raceme of 3 — 4 flowers half an inch long. Perianth erect. Sepals equal, lanceolate, 3-nerved, concave, dingy yellow, spotted with purple, much acuminated, so as to be al- most aristate at the extremity, the two lateral ones united at their base. Petals about one third the length, and about one third the breadth of the sepals, oblong, 1-nerved, acuminate, almost aristate, and strongly ciliated at the margin. Lip as long as the petals, fleshy, contracted a little above the base, narrow, oblong, 3-lobed, the side lobes obtuse, incurved, the middle one elliptical, clothed on the upper side with velvety down. Column wingless, slender, shorter than the petals. Anther conical, oblique. The two lateral sepals are but slightly combined, and though not serrate they are concave below, so that this plant seems almost to combine the characters of Specklinia with Pleurothallis. Plate XV. A. Pleurothallis aristafa, nat. size. Fig. 1, flower; fig. 2, the same laid open ; fig. 3, petal ; fig. 4, labellum ; fig. 5, column and an- ther, magnified. 2. Stelis foliosa. Nana, foliis subtribus lineari-oblongis, scapo foliis breviore, spica sub- compacta, floribus subcernuis, petalis lingulatis sepala subaDquantibus, labello trilobo, medio dense glanduloso. (Plate XVII.) Hab. British Guiana ; whence it was introduced in a living state by C. S. Parker, Esq. Root small, fibrous. Leaves 3 — 4, of which 2 are nearly equal in length, 2 — 3 inches long, linear oblong, rather waved, below there are one or two smaller ones. Scape shorter than the foliage, bearing a short and rather compact spike of 12 — 14 flowers, throughout of this same uniform pale greenish colour, slightly drooping, each subtended by a small Mr. J. E. Gray on the Slender-tongued Saurians. 331 acute bractea. Sepals equal, broadly oval or nearly orbicular, very concave. Petals Ungulate, obtuse, slightly concave. Lip equal in length with the petals, divided to the middle into three obtuse segments, of which the middle one is the largest and broadest : the centre of the lip is clothed with a broad line of dense glandular down, reaching from the base almost to the apex. Column much shorter than the perianth, thick, fleshy, rhomboid. Anther hemispherical. Plate XVII.* A. Stelis foliosa, nat. size ; fig. 1, flower-bud ; fig. 2, flower expanded, in its natural position ; fig. 3, the same inverted and more expanded ; fig. 4, column ; fig. 5, petals ; fig. 6, labellum ; fig. 7, side view of the labellum ; fig. 8, pollen masses, magnified. XXXVIII. — Catalogue of the Slender-tongued Saurians, with Descriptions of many new Genera and Species, By John Edward Gray, Esq., F.R.S., Senior Assistant in the Zoological Department of the British Museum, &c. [Continued from p. 293.] Dasia. Toes 5 — 5, short, lower joint rather thick, with transverse plaits beneath, upper ones compressed and slightly arched; the index and middle finger equal, the next finger a little shorter, thumb large ; ears closed over by the scales, not apparent (nor apparently fringed) ; muzzle short, rounded ; tail tapering. Dasia olivacea. Olive, back of the head- shield black ; the back with 1 2 cross series of scales with a central white spot and a black spot on the sides ; the band sometimes interrupted ; scales 3 or 5 keeled, 3 or 5 toothed behind, the 2 lateral keels close together ; hinder part of the sides, and sides of the tail with 2 broad white streaks ; chin and beneath green, not spotted. Prince of Wales's Island. Mus. Chatham. Aprasia. Head small, with 2 pairs of rather large frontal shields, which also cover the cheeks ; a large 6 -sided elongate vertebral, and a pair of small superciliary, shields ; labial shields rather larger, few ; eyes large, round, eyelids rudimentary, pupil round ; nostrils small, in the suture between the top of the first labial and anterior frontal plate ; muzzle rounded, rather produced. Ears none ; body cylin- drical elongate, covered with uniform hexangular smooth scales; * This plate will form part of the Supplement. z2 332 Mr. J. E. Gray on the Slender-tongued Saurians. tail as long as the body, rather tapering, covered with scales like the body, those on the under side being rather the largest. Aprasia pulchella. Pale olive ; head brown lined ; scales pale edged, those of the back and sides with 1 or 3 oblong longitudinal spots forming interrupted lines ; beneath pale greyish, scales darker edged ; tail brown lined and beneath whitish. Length of body 2 J, of tail If inches. The scales of the occiput are rather larger than the rest, and the front of the vent is covered with scales like the rest of the body. New Holland. Brit. Mus. Herinia. Ears none; otherwise like Tiliqua, toes 5 — 5; scales smooth, thick. Herinia capensis. Pale olive ; back darker varied, with a silvery streak on each side; sides dark brown ; beneath silvery white. Cape of Good Hope. *** Muzzle rounded ; body subcylindrical, elongate ; limbs 4, far apart. Riopa, Gray. Toes 5 — 5, unequal; ears distinct; head shields normal ; front toes much longer, the two inner more slender than the rest. Riop a punctata, Seba, ii. t. 12. f. 16. Seps scincoides, Cuv. Ly- gosoma punctata, Gray, Anim. Kingd. Scincus Cuvieri, Cocteau. Bengal. Brit. Mus. Riopa Ruppellii, Seps scincoides, Mus. Francfort, not Cuv. Pale olive, silvery, very finely punctuated, with a whitish streak on each side, edged beneath with a dark line ; beneath whitish. Arabia Petrea ? Mus. Francfort. Riopa Brougainvillii, Scincus Brougainvillii, Cocteau MSS. Bronze olive ; back with two or four interrupted series of black spots with a broad dark brown stripe from the eyes over the legs on each side ; belly and lower parts of the sides pale and black spotted ; tail brown, sides dark varied, the front toes rather longer than in the former. New Holland. Lygosoma, Gray. Toes 5 — 5 ; ears distinct ; head shields ? Lygosoma abdominalis, Lacerta abdominalis, Thunb. L. serpens, Gray, Zool. Journ. not Synon. India, Java. Brit. Mus. Lygosoma australis, n. s. Back dark golden brown, darker varied, with a broad pale golden streak down each side ; sides grey, closely black dotted. New Holland. Mus. Chatham. Chiamela, n. g. Toes 4—4; ear3 very small ? or none ? head like Mr. J. E. Gray on the Slender-tongued Saurians. 333 Tiliqua, but with the vertebral shields placed one before the other, and no anterior occipital one. Chiamela lineata. Golden brown, with longitudinal black lines, one placed in the centre of each series of scales ; head brown ; shields pale-edged. India. Brit. Mus. Chiamela Duvaucellii, Scincus Duvaucellii, Cocteau ? Pale with a series of minute black specks ; sides dark, white-spotted. N. Holland, King George's Sound. Mus. Paris. Exactly like Scincus Duvaucellii in colour and form, but toes 4 — 4 thicker, shorter and of different proportional length. Tetradactylus, Cuv. Toes 4 — 4 ; ears none ; head with one rostral, one anterior, and one posterior frontal, separated by two small shields ; two vertebral, three occipital and four or five super- ciliary shields. Tetradactylus decresiensis , Cuv. Pale brown, with three dark brown dorsal streaks, the central streak broadest and interrupted. N. Holland. Mus. Paris. Ristella. Toes 4 — 5, short; ears distinct; head shields ? Ristella Rurkii. Crown and back pale brown, shining ; scales 6- rowed, each of four central rows with a blackish central spot, forming four longitudinal series of spots ; sides white-dotted ; chin and belly white. North India, Dr. Rurk. Mus. Chatham. Hagria. Toes 5 — 4, rudimentary, nearly equal, compressed, clawed ; head shielded ; ears small, dot-like ; scales smooth, equal, with white netted lines. Hagria Vosmaerii, Scincus Vosmaerii, Cocteau. Brown, minutely black dotted, beneath pale. Java. Mus. Paris. Tridactyltjs, Cuv. Toes 3 — 3 ; ears ? head shields ? Tridactylus decresiensis, Cuv. Pale brown with dark longitudinal lines, beneath whitish, brown netted. New Holland. Mus. Paris. Seps, Men*. Zygnis, Fitz. Toes 3 — 3 ; ears distinct, deep ; head shields like Tiliqua, but rostral scales longer ; nasals very small, and no anterior occipital shield. Seps tridactylus, Rapp. Seps Chalcidica, Risso. Sepsvittata, Leuckart, Breves, 1818. Seps multivirgatus, Boie. Mus. Leyden. SiAmos, Gray. Perameles, Wiegm. Toes 3 — 3 ; ears none ; eyelid distinct ; head shields like Tiliqua, but without any posterior 334 Mr. J. E. Gray on the Slender-tongued Saurians. frontal shields, the anterior frontal being large and placed in front of the vertebral, and the anterior occipital plates rather large. Siaphosaqualis, Gray, Griff. A. K. Peromeles sequalis, Wieg. Seps sequalis, Gray, Ann. Phil. 1828. Hab. ? Brit. Mus. **** Muzzle rounded ; body sub cylindrical ; legs two, posterior, placed on the side of the vent ending in one or two acute toes. Ophiodes, Wagler. Feet tapering, acute, undivided ; ears none ; eyelid distinct. Ophiodes striatus, Pygopus striatus, Spin. Braz. Seps fragilis, Raddi. Pseudopus Olfersii, Lichst. Mus. Paris. Jun. — Pygopus Caryococca, Spix. Braz. Brazils. Brit. Mus. ***** Muzzle rounded ; body sub cylindrical ; legs none. Anguis. Ears hid ; eyelids distinct. A. fragilis, Linn. Brit. Mus. Siguana, Gray. Otophis, Fitz. ? Ears exposed. Siguana Ottonis, Gray, Griff. Anim. Kingd. ; Otoph. Eryx, Fitz. ? Europe. Mus. Breslau. Stenostoma, Fitz. Ears none ? eyelids none. Stenostoma ? Tortrix melanostriata from Russel, Ind. Rept. i. 148. appears to form a new genus of this division. Dorfia. Ears hid ; head with three vertebral plates, the frontal pair between the small first vertebral and the larger second one, the third between the oblique occipital ones ; eyebrows and cheeks co- vered with small scales ; ventral scales not larger than the rest. Dorfia punctata. Crown and back white; nape with a central black streak ending in a line of black spots ; cheek, sides, and be- neath black ; lower lip white-dotted. Cape of Good Hope. Mus. Chatham. GymnophthalmidjE. Tongue contractile, head shielded, rostral shields small rounded ; eyelid none ; back, belly, and sides covered with smooth uniform imbricate scales ; vent transverse linear, with scales in front. Microlepis, n. g. Toes 5 — 5 ; ears large ; head depressed; scales moderately grooved ; head with five vertebral plates. Microlepis undulata. Tiliqua microlepis, Gray, Griff. Anim. Kingd. 71. Silvery, back with brown wavy bands. Hab. ? Brit. Mus. Ablepharus. Toes 5 — 5 ; ears distinct ; front of vent shielded ; Mr. J. E. Gray on the Slender-tongued Saurians, 335 scales six-sided, divided by a central transverse white line, with six or eight longitudinal lines on each side. A. panonicus, Fitz. Berol. Mag. 1824. t. 14. A. cupreus, n. s. Golden green, brown mottled, with a narrow pale green sinuous streak on sides of the back. Hab. ? Brit. Mus. Gymnophthalmus. Toes 4 — 5, " Wagler." Ears ? G. lineata, Lacerta lineata and L. 4-lineata, Gmel. G. 4-lineata, Neuwied, Br ax. Hab. ? Mus. Berlin. Cryptoblepharus, Wiegmann. Petia, MSS. Gray. Toes 5 — 6 ; ears ? front of vent scaly ; scales ? Crypt. Leschenaultii, Wiegmann. Ablepharus Leschenaultii, Cocteau Mag. Zool. 1. 1. Crypt, poecilopleurus, Wiegmann, Act. Acad. Nat. Cur. xvii. 1. 18. f. 1. Lerista, Bell. Toes 2 — 3 ; ears none. Lerista lineata, Bell, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1. 99. Australasia. Mus. Bell. Rhodona (Rhodonidce). Rostral plate rather produced, large de- pressed, with a rather sharp edge; feet rudimentary ; nostrils supe- rior in the centre of an oblique triangular scale, occupying the back edge of the rostral plate ; vertebral plates three, one behind the other, the middle largest, hinder triangular ; superciliary plates moderate ; ears very small, nearly hid ? eyes small, with only rudimentary eye- lids. Body elongate, subcylindrical, covered with uniform small im- bricate scales ; feet four, far apart, the front ones rudimentary, short, small, conical, undivided, ending in a simple claw, hinder small, weak, with a distinct knee, and ending in two very unequal clawed toes ; tail elongate, cylindrical, tapering. Rhodona punctata. Grey brown, back with rows of small black spots, those of the middle of the back and tail largest ; labial scales brown-edged. Body four, tail three inches. Eyes small. New Holland. The genus Rhodona appears to form a distinct family, (characterized by the form of the rostral shield, the position of the nostrils, and the number of the vertebral shields,) which I propose to call Rhodonidce. Probably the genus Lerista of Bell may belong to the same group, but the form and number of the head shields of that genus has not been described. Soridia., Gray (Rhodonida ?). Head small, rostral plate rather pro- 336 Mr. J. E. Gray on the Slender-tongued Saurians. duced, large, with a rather sharp edge, lower one similar, but smaller ; nostrils subsuperior in the centre of an oblique triangular nasal scale occupying the under edge of the rostral ; vertebral plates three, one behind the other, the middle one largest, the hinder triangular ; eyes small with only rudimentary eyelids ; ears none. Body elongate, subcylindrical, covered with uniform smooth imbricate scales ; feet two, rudimentary, simple, tapering, ending in a single claw placed on each side of the two prseanal shields; tail elongate, cylindrical, tapering, with a central series of similar scales beneath. Soridia lineata. Silvery, with distant rows of minute black specks and a broad black streak down each side. Length of body 1-J; of tail 1-1- inch. Hab. Australasia. Acontiace. Head shielded, rostral shield large, cup-shaped, in- closing the end of the muzzle ; nostril dot-like in the middle of the sides of the rostral shield, with a posterior groove to its hinder edge ; chin shield like the rostral, but smaller. Body subcylindrical, covered with smooth imbricate scales; feet rudimentary, some- times wanting ; tongue short, like the Scincidce ; scales with a transverse central line, and close parallel longitudinal white internal lines. Nessia, n. g. Body cylindrical, head shielded; ears distinct, dot- like ; feet very short, rudimentary, divided into three very short sub- equal toes ; claws sharp, central rather the longest ; eyes distinct ; eyelids ? Tail thick, elongate, cylindrical. Nessia Burtonii. Pale brown, centre of scales darker, beneath pale. Hab. ? Mus. Chatham. Named after Dr. Burton of Chatham. Evesia, n. g. Head shielded, with three vertebral shields, two first large and transverse, four- sided, 3rd triangular, and several oblique occipital shields, loreal shield long ; body and tail subcy- lindrical, covered with equal smooth six-sided scales ; feet four, simple, thin, weak, rudimentary, far apart, covered with scales, end undivided, ragged. Evesia monodactylus, Bell. Pale brown, scales smooth, dark edged ; tail darker. Hab. ? Mus. Bell. Bipes. Body subcylindrical ; legs two, posterior, on the sides of the vent, feet unequally 2-lobed ; ears none. Bipes anguineus, Merrem. Anguis bipes, Linn. Seba, i. t. 86. f. 3. Mr. W. Thompson on the Breeding of the Woodcock. 337 Lacerta bipes, Gmelin. Seps lineata, Harlan, Journal Acad. Philad. iv. t. 18. f. 2. Cape of Good Hope. Brit. Mus. Bipes Gronovii. Pygodactylus Gronovii. Mus. Leyden. Acontias. Body cylindrical, apodal ; eyes distinct, oblong, large, surrounded with a series of scales ; scales with parallel white longi- tudinal internal lines, which are divided into two series by a central cross line (best seen in the white scales). Acontias meleagris. White with the hinder edges of the upper scales dark brown. Cape of Good Hope. Mus. Chatham. Var. Above brown, beneath white. Cape of Good Hope. Mus. Chatham. XXXIX. — On the Breeding of the Woodcock (Scolopax rus- ticola, Linn.), in Ireland. By Wm. Thompson, Esq., Vice- President of the Natural History Society of Belfast. In the 1st volume of the c Annals of Natural History/ (p. 158.) I alluded to the circumstance of woodcocks having bred within the last few years in some of the northern, central, and south- ern counties ; at the same time stating it to be my intention to reserve a detailed notice of the fact, until the species should in due order come to be treated of in my intended series of papers on the birds of Ireland. The subject being however interesting in more than a mere ornithological point of view, it is considered better now to publish my notes upon it, leaving the general history of the bird, independently of this part of its ceconomy, for the place just mentioned. Of the occasional breeding of the woodcock in England, in- stances have been recorded in the chief works on ornithology published in that country within the last seventy years. Thus Pennant informs us, that " in Case-wood, near Tunbridge, a few breed almost annually ; the young having been shot there in the beginning of August*." He adds, " I do not recollect that any have been discovered to have bred in North Britain," p. 367. Latham states that " a brace of them were shot in Chellenden Wood by the gamekeeper to Horace Mann, Esq., * Brit. Zool. vol. ii. p. 3C6. ed. 1776. 338 Mr. W. Thompson on the Breeding of May 1, 1769, and another brace the day before; they were sitting on their young*." This author gives one other in- stance, in which a friend of his met with a woodcock on its nest, in a wood near Farningham, Kent. In his Ornithological Dictionary-]-, Montagu mentions his having received eggs of this bird from near Battel in Sussex; and in the Supplement to the same work, relates, on the authority of Mr. Foljambe, that in May 1802, a half-fledged woodcock was taken in Brodsworth Wood, near Doncaster, in Yorkshire; and that on the 5th of April 1805, a brood of four was hatched at Shireoaks, near Worksop, Nottinghamshire. Mr. Selby nar- rates, that " in Northumberland, the woodcock has been known to breed in the woods about Netherwitton," and adds, " I have now in my collection eggs taken from a nest in Pig- don Wood, not far from Morpeth J. " Within the last few years we learn from the c Proceedings of the Zoological So- ciety of London/ and the periodicals devoted to Natural Hi- story^ that the number of woodcocks nestling in England and Scotland is greatly on the increase ; and, as may be inferred, the number of these birds occurring during summer in Ire- land has likewise been increasing within the same period. Of the woodcock's actual breeding in this country I have not seen any record, and of its presence here in summer only the following notice, which appeared first in a newspaper — the Belfast Commercial Chronicle — and subsequently in a more abiding place, having been transferred to the pages of the Magazine of Natural History, ff On the 8th of August 1828, a fine woodcock was shot in Florida demesne, county of Down ; as it was seen in the course of the spring, it is supposed to have remained in the country since last winter," vol. ii. p. 87. By the late T. F. Neligan, Esq., of Tralee, a young and ardent naturalist (whose recent death is much to be deplored), I was informed that a woodcock had been seen in the county of Kerry in the month of July 1832 1|. In the county of Antrim, * Gen. Syn. of Birds, vol. iii. parti, p. 130. 1785. f Published in 1802; the Supp. in 1813 : see article Woodcock. J Illus. Brit. Orn. vol. ii. p. 108. 1833. § See Magazine of Natural History, vol. i. p. 83 ; vol. ii. p. 8G ; vol. v. p. 570 ; vol. viii p. 612; vol. ix. p. 513. — New Series, vol. i. p. 52, 121, 337, 439. || It is thought proper to notice odd birds seen at this season, as thev can the Woodcock in Ireland. 339 at the opposite extremity of Ireland from that of Kerry, a pair of these birds bred at Claggan, the property of Earl O'Neil in 1834. My informant, the gamekeeper, states that in the month of April in that year, a nest was found containing four eggs, all of which were successfully incubated ; it was placed in a slight depression of the ground under a hazel, and had a little grass and moss in the bottom for the reception of the eggs : the bird was very tame when on the nest, and permitted the approach of my informant within a yard of her*. This same year (1834), I saw a young woodcock in the shop of Mr. Glennon, bird preserver, &c. Dublin, who "set it up"; he informed me that it was shot at Wilton in the county of Wex- ford, and was received by him in a recent state on the 8th or 9th of May : he at the same time stated, that in the preceding summer of 1833, a young bird of this species, shot in company with one of its parents at the seat of Lord de Vesci in Queen's county, was sent him to be preserved, and was likewise for- warded when recent. By Thomas Walker, Esq. of Belmont, near Wexford, I have been favoured with the following par- ticulars under date of May 19, 1837. " As to the breeding of woodcocks in this country, I was in the second week of May sent a couple of young ones half-fledged f, that were taken out of a nest at Wilton in this county, the seat of Mr. Alcock. The nest was on the ground among brushwood, and the cry of the young birds like the sound produced by a child's whistle. At the time I received the young birds, there was at Ballyarthur, county of Wicklow, the seat of Mr. Bailey, a nest with four eggs in it ; this is the third year they have bred at Wilton." Mr. Walker on another occasion mentioned the woodcock as frequenting for a similar purpose the covers of Killoughrim Wood in the county of Wexford, and remarked upon the young indigenous specimens he had examined, that " although fully as large as old birds, they had not got the strong feathers in the tail, but instead a soft curly down." In hardly be presumed in every instance to have been solitary individuals, though their mates may have escaped notice. * The tameness of the woodcock in its nest is mentioned by Pennant and Latham, and from the observation of many persons who have witnessed it, seems to be universal. t For one of these I am indebted to Mr. Walker. 340 Mr. W. Thompson on the Breeding of the month of June or July 1836, a woodcock was shot, and another seen about the same time at Springvale, county of Down, the residence of Major Matthews. On the 4th of June 1837, an old female bird was killed at the vale of O voca, county Wicklow. In May 1838, a woodcock was captured at Stor- mont near Belfast. At Tullamore Park in the county of Down (the seat of Lord Roden), beautifully situated at the base of the mountains of Mourne, and possessing considerable variety of surface, abundance of wood of various size, and occasional moist and open glades, which even in the driest summer would afford food to the woodcock, this bird has bred of late years. From the intelligent gamekeeper I have learnt the following inter- esting particulars. In 1835 he first (though living here since 1828) became acquainted with their continuing throughout the summer in the park. The first nest he saw, which had just the appearance of a partridge's or pheasant's, was situated on damp ground in a young plantation, and at the root of a young larch fir. It contained four eggs, on which the old bird sat so close as to allow him and other persons to approach within a foot, but when they came near she was always ob- served to hide her bill to its base in the grass or withered ferns about the nest ; the eggs were all productive, and were he thinks incubated for three weeks. The young left the nest just after birth, and were not again seen until able to use their wings, when they frequently appeared about the place : the male bird remained about a dozen paces from the nest during the incubation of his partner. From having seen other wood- cocks in the park this summer, it was believed that they must also have nests, but this one only was discovered ; eventually however, a second pair of woodcocks was sprung along with five young ones, the old birds taking first to flight : the young — completely feathered except on the head and neck, where down was still displayed — were now able to fly over the trees, whilst those produced in the nest first mentioned, were but three days u out." In the summer of 1836, my informant saw in one day five old woodcocks in the park; and though he had not any of their nests this year, he on one occasion saw three young birds. the Woodcock in Ireland. 341 He is of opinion that woodcocks pair before leaving this country in the spring for more northern climates, and re- marks, that in their evening flight at this season they " twist" amazingly, the hinder one following the foremost through every curve or sinuosity of its course, which is extremely rapid. Their call may now be expressed by the word hisp, and by the accurate repetition of which he has brought them back when flying past him ; during the breeding season they, in addition to this, have calls which sound like waap-waap — weep-weep, succeeding each other, and repeated as here set down : both sexes are considered to make use of the two calls. At the season of incubation, they call at early dawn, and at this period their flight is very different from that in the month of March, being now slow or with the wings scarcely moving ; but occasionally they may be seen circling about " as if in play," at all events, describing such a course as evinces that they cannot be in search of food. In winter, my informant believes woodcocks to have a regular line of flight from the covers to their feeding-ground, and acting upon his belief, has, by taking his stand at particular spots, shot many in flying over them. In 1837 three nests were found at Tullamore, the first early in the month of April, when it was surrounded with snow ; they were all sheltered by young trees, and one of them within twenty yards of where a nest had been the preceding year : in each were four eggs, all of which were productive, the young appearing in April. The nests here have in every in- stance been in slight hollows of the ground, with a little grass or dead leaves in the bottom for lining. To withdraw atten- tion from one of these nests when containing young, the pa- rent tumbled about as if wounded, thus feigning to a greater extent than the gamekeeper had ever before witnessed in any species of bird ; and at the same time she gave utterance to a note distinct from those before mentioned, or as expressed to me, " screaching with rage*." The young birds are said to be beautiful in the down, being mottled with black where their parents are so, and cream-coloured where they are brown. * When disturbed during incubation, they merely fluttered off the eggs, and alighted at a short distance. 342 Mr. W. Thompson on the Breeding of About the second week of June, a fourth brood was seen, of which the nest was not found. In 1838, one nest containing four eggs (which may be con- sidered the ordinary number) was observed in the park ; the young appeared in April : by the middle of this month they have generally come out here*. Long after the general de- parture of the woodcocks for the north this year, the game- keeper saw what he believed to be five distinct brace of these birds in one portion of the park, and considers that they were more numerous than in any previous summer. The nests were not discovered as usual, in consequence of boys, by whom they were all found on former occasions, not having been em- ployed in the young plantations. Daily throughout the year, the gamekeeper now either sees or hears woodcocks without going out of his way or attending to them ; indeed they fly very much about his cottage, situated in a beautiful open glade, and from about its door may be seen on wing every evening. I obtained this information when at Tullamore Park in the month of August 1836, and in June lastf. On the 28th of this month 1 visited the park in the hope of seeing some of these birds, but the evening was so fine and light that they did not commence flying until it was very late, and then dark- ness suddenly came on. At half-past nine o'clock the first * In the 9th volume of the ' Magazine of Natural History' (p. 543) it is stated of three nests found in a wood near Derby, that the young were hatched in the month of April. In vol. i. (New Series) of this same work, it is remarked, in a notice of its breeding in Ross-shire, that the woodcock " hatches early, often at the latter end of March, but generally by the first week of April." On the 10th of this latter month, the writer of the commu- nication to the Magazine, saw woodcocks sitting on their nests, one of which contained eggs. f Some few points on which naturalists are agreed have perhaps been unnecessarily introduced, but coming from an intelligent man who has had ample means for observation, it was considered better to include them. In proof of Tullamore Park and its vicinity being a favourite resort of the wood- cock, it may be stated, that the gamekeeper has with a brace of pointers killed eight brace of these birds during a forenoon in the heath skirting the plantations, and with the aid of one dog and a boy to beat the covers, has shot ten brace within a similar time in the park. In the severe snow storm of 1827, three gentleman on a visit here, and not going out before noon, killed and bagged seventy-five brace in three days ; and giving themselves no trouble in looking after wounded birds, many more which had fallen by their guns were afterwards picked up. During the month of January 1838, about 100 brace were obtained by occasional shooting. The gamekeeper considers that he has seen so many as eighty brace in one day. the Woodcock in Ireland. 343 were heard, when a pair swept past within about thirty yards, uttering the two calls before described, and in the order in which they have been set down. From this time, and until half an hour had elapsed — when it was in vain to attempt seeing them — several were heard, and all, I think, single birds, which gave utterance only to the other call stated to resemble in sound the word hisp quickly uttered. The description of the habits of these birds about the period of incubation, given by the gamekeeper at Tullamore Park, strongly reminded me of the first good account I had read of them, which is contained in a highly interesting notice of the breeding of woodcocks in Ross-shire, communicated by Sir F. Mackenzie to the Zoological Society of London*. The manner of flight is so different after the birds are paired, from what the sportsman is accustomed to witness at other periods, that I am induced to call attention to the similarity of testi- mony in the two cases. " Than the flight of the woodcock before and after incubation, Sir F. Mackenzie states that he knows nothing more rapid, as for an hour or two about dusk he (probably the male, though two have been seen pursuing each other) flies in large circles over the tops of the trees." To a sportsman, at least, words could not better convey an idea of the velocity of its flight than those of my informant, who, an experienced " shot," describes it to be such on these occasions that he cannot " get his gun upon them," or in other words, if the uninitiated require explanation, a velocity so great as to prevent his taking aim. In a communication made by my friend Mr. Selby to the ' Magazine of Zoology and Botany/ on " the woodcock breeding in Scotland/ 5 it is asked, " What reason is to be as- signed for this change in their habits ? Is it to be attributed to a change in our seasons, or are we to look for it in the great increase of woods or plantations so general over all the island, affording these birds additional and secure retreats, as well as an abundant and constant supply of food?" vol. i. p. 201 . Although it is not for me to attempt an explanation of that, respecting which Mr. Selby appears dubious, it may perhaps be allowed me to offer a few observations on the most * Proceedings of Zool. Society, 1832, Part II. p. 133. 344 Mr. W. Thompson on the Breeding of interesting points in connexion with the subject, or, to speak more particularly, on the causes which have influenced these birds to remain through the summer with us. In the first place, it must not be overlooked, that during the last few years, the number of woodcocks stated to have continued throughout the year has increased so much in England and Scotland, that, during the same time, there has been greater attention bestowed on such facts than at any former period, and in consequence, there have been periodical publications — the Magazine of Natural History leading the van — in which any isolated instance of the kind might be re- corded, that would hitherto have been unpublished. But even taking this circumstance into consideration, there cannot I think be the least doubt that there has been an increase in those countries ; and in Ireland there unquestionably has been*. That this originated from wounded birds unable to under- take the vernal migration seems the most untenable of all reasons which have been assigned for it, inasmuch as the same cause existed previously. Why should the number of wounded birds have been greater over the British Islands ge- nerally within the last few years than at any former period ? Did our sportsmen become at once more numerous, and is their aim less sure ? Of what avail are all the " appliances and means" of modern ie warfare," as the patent cartridge, patent wadding, and percussion caps, if more wounded and unbagged birds are left behind than formerly ? The spread of plantations over the face of the country ap- pears to be the predisposing cause, though insufficient to ac- count altogether for the circumstance. These countries cer- tainly had always abundance of places adapted to the nestling of the woodcock ; and though plantations, chiefly in tracts un- suited to cultivation, have been very much extended of late years, others again, especially in Scotland and Ireland, of na- tive growth, and from the excellent cover they afforded, admi- rably adapted to this end, have been swept away, and the * This fact appears the more singular on account of the number of wood- cocks that winter in the British Islands having diminished rather than in- creased of late years. the Woodcock in Ireland. 345 ground they occupied been converted to purposes of pasture or tillage. It may be remarked, that plantations of very dif- ferent character are selected by the woodcock for its nest : thus Sir F. Mackenzie observes, "the soil where the nests were found (at Conan, Ross-shire) is gravelly and rather dry ; the grass tolerably long, without underwood, and the trees, oak, birch, and larch, not exceeding 30 years' growth." In another instance, where three nests were found in the same wood near Derby, we learn that * the underwood was thin and of not more than from seven to ten years' growth*." Again, we are told, that of two nests at Brahan Castle, in Ross-shire, the one " was in withered grass, partially screened by spray and bram- bles," the other " amongst pruned branches at the root of a large larch treef." The nests before mentioned, in the coun- ties of Antrim and Wexford, are said to have been in thickets. The sites pointed out to me at Tullamore park were all in an extensive young plantation, consisting chiefly of larch fir, ap- parently of about eight years' growth ; here there is not much other cover, the place having originally been a heath-covered tract : it however joins a park rich in fine timber and a pro- fusion of underwood. A friend just returned from shooting in Inverness-shire informs me, that in an indigenous birch wood, on the banks of Loch Ruthven, and containing but little coppice, some pairs of woodcocks have nestled for the last few years. Our i( change of seasons," or more equable climate of late years, by reason of the milder winters, and the summers being colder and more humid, speaking in general terms, than they were even at a recent period, — although the nearer they ap- proximate, the more widely they, in this very respect, duTer from those of high northern latitudes, to which the woodcock chiefly resorts to breed, seems to have had much influence on the increased number of these birds, which at all events breed, and it may be, remain permanently in the British islands J. It appears evident too, that it was not caused by the peculiar suitability of any one, two, or three summers, as * Mag. Nat. Hist., vol. ix. p. 543. f Mag. Nat. Hist, vol. i. p. 121. New series. X It is very obvious, that warm dry summers in these countries, as for in- stance those of 1825 or 182G, would be ill adapted to the woodcock's feeding. Ann. Nat. Hist. Vol. 2. No. 11. Jan. 1839. 2 a 346 Mr. W. Thompson on the Breeding of for the last few years woodcocks have been gradually increa- sing at this season. The general augmentation cannot, I con- ceive, be attributed merely to the circumstance of the first young birds bred in the country having continued to multiply therein. That they have done so, however, may be fairly con- sidered as evinced in the annual increase of the species about its chief habitats, but is not, I think, sufficient to account for the presence of these birds in the widely distant localities in which they have occurred. Most migratory birds appear to be in some degree affected by latitude in their movements, as well as by the isotherial and isothermal lines, or those under which the mean heat of summer and of winter is the same. From them the woodcock apparently differs, in being influ- enced solely by climate in the selection of its summer haunts. In the warmest countries it frequents, this species is believed merely to ascend from the plains to the highest mountains to breed*. It is so in the extreme south of Europe, if my in- formant be correct in stating that they nestle in summer in the mountains of Albania, where in the lowlands they are abun- dant during winter. To the Alps they resort in numbers in the breeding season ; but here another question arises, which will apply to all but the most southern countries, to which al- lusion has just been made. Are the birds which breed in the mountains of the extreme south of Europe the same individuals which frequent their base in the winter, or are they from a greater distance, those from their base migrating further northwards, and is this " the order of their going" from south to north throughout Europe ? According to this view, the British Islands would be looked upon as the most northern limits of the flight of such indivi- duals as nestle here, and we may readily in such case imagine the birds to be attracted in their vernal flight by the first suit- able places, in these islands or elsewhere, that may occur, and at once take possession of them. The two following state- ments, although they may not go far enough to establish this point, yet seem to favour it in regard to some localities. Sir F. Mackenzie remarks, with reference to Conan in Ross-shire, " It is probable that the parent birds sought this spot for the * Latham, loc. cit. the Woodcock in Ireland, 347 purpose of breeding, as they must have arrived in the spring from other localities ; for those who shot in the covers till February declare that they did not know of a single woodcock being then left in them, and had there been two or three the keeper must have been aware of it*/ 5 In the e Magazine of Natural History 5 for 1832 (vol. v. p. 570) it is stated in con- nexion with their having bred every season for the few years preceding in the woodlands about Darnaway Castle, the seat of the Earl of Moray, " that when the winter set in, the woodcock almost entirely deserted the Darnaway forest/ 5 The following extract from an admirable memoir by M. Necker on the birds of the neighbourhood of Geneva, illustrates this further. " La Becasse (Scolopax rusticola) ouvre la marche des oiseaux voyageurs, et c'est deja vers la fin de Fevrier ou le commencement de Mars que Ton voit arriver dans les fo- r&ts au pied des montagnes, ces troupes qui viennent proba- blement de l'ltalie, de FEspagne, et du midi de la France ; ou elles ont trouve un hiver doux, une terre humide et non durcie par les gelees ; elles attendent que les neiges des mon- tagnes basses soient fondues, et nous quittent encore au mois d'Avril pour nicher dans les lieux eleves et froidst" But proof is wanted, and it would be difficult to be procured, whe- ther the woodcocks generally, that breed in the British Islands, constantly abide therein, or are of that vast number which leave the more southern countries in the spring in search of suitable climates in which to rear their broods, and where they remain during the summer only. When, however, I con- sider that the climate of Ireland of late was not unsuitable to this bird at any period of the year, and as it became the more suitable, that in localities otherwise favourable, the num- ber of woodcocks remaining during summer increased the more ; that in their chief haunts the species was always to be met with in the interval between which the young broods had strength enough to wing their way to more southern coun- * In the spring of 1836 numbers of woodcocks were met with in Tulla- more park after the ordinary time that the eggs are considered to he laid. On the 7th of April the gamekeeper killed #}, and on the 1 1th 3£ brace of these birds. In such quantity they had never been known to remain so late. t Memoires d'Histoire Naturelle, &c. de Geneve, torn. ii. part 1, p. 35. 2 a2 348 Mr. C. Babington on the Botany tries, and the great body of migratory individuals arrived from the north ; I am disposed to believe, as in the case of their ally the common snipe (Scolopax gallinago), that the small proportion of woodcocks which breed in this country are per- manent residents. I have not touched upon the subject of any change in the great breeding haunts of the woodcock in high northern lati- tudes, from my inability to learn anything satisfactory about the matter. It has been stated indeed that the eggs have been much used in Sweden of late years, but it seems impro- bable that any change in regions so far remote as the ordinary summer haunts of the woodcock can affect the question of its breeding within the British islands. XL. — On the Botany of the Channel Islands, By Charles C. Babington, M.A., F.L.S., F.G.S., &c* Having last year had the pleasure of submitting to this Section an account of my botanical observations in the islands of Guernsey and Jersey f, I should not have ventured to occupy the time of this Meeting with anything further on the subject had I not been so fortunate as to make several additions to the Channel Islands Flora during the last few weeks. I will proceed to mention the names of those plants which had not been noticed in the islands before the present year. Ranunculus ophioglossifolius. In a very wet marsh in Jersey. Orchis laxiflora. Common in wet places in Jersey and Guernsey. Linaria pelisseriana. In one place upon a dry hill side, amongst Ulex europaus, in Jersey. Myriophyllum alterniflorum. In marsh ditches in Guernsey. Polygala oxyptera. This is probably a variety of P. vulgaris, but has been distinguished by several eminent continental botanists. It is frequent in all the islands, and has been gathered by myself near Liverpool. Ononis reclinata. This plant is very common in Alderney, but has not been noticed in the other islands. It was found several years since on the coast of Galloway in Scotland, by Dr. Graham. Potamogeton plantagineus. In damp pits from which peat has been * Read before the Nat. Hist. Sec. of the British Association, at Newcastle, Aug. 20, 1838, and communicated by the Author, f Published in Mag. of Zool. and Bot., ii. 397. of the Channel Islands. 349 taken, in Guernsey. Mr. W. Wilson Sanders informs me that he has gathered it in ditches at Ham Ponds, near Sandwich, Kent. Carex punctata. In wet marshes, in Guernsey. This plant has been submitted to the inspection of Dr. Boott, from whom a mono- graph on this difficult genus is shortly expected, and he has conferred the name*. It has, I believe, been noticed in several parts of En- gland. The following additional species have been gathered in these islands, but not in Britain. Neottia cestivalis, in Jersey. Sinapis incana, in Jersey. Noticed this summsr plentifully in Alderney. Mercurialis ambigua, in Jersey. This appears to be only a variety of M. annua, but is probably the plant of the younger Linnaeus. Atriplex rosea. Jersey and Guernsey. I believe that this will be found to exist upon the south coast of England. Arthrolobium ebracteatum, in Guernsey. During the present year I have found this plant in plenty in Alderney. These five were first gathered by myself ; the following had been noticed by other botanists previously to my visit. Allium sphaerocephalon. Armeria plantaginea. Bromus maximus. Echium violaceum. Festuca sabulicola. Centaurea Isnardi. Brassica Cheiranthus. Lagurus ovatus. Scirpus pungens. Juncus capitatus. The total number of flowering plants and ferns which have been no- ticed in the islands amounts to above 760, of which 20 have not as yet been gathered in Britain. Alderney and Sark have been less care- fully examined than Jersey and Guernsey, as I was not able to de- vote more than a week to each of them, and very little has been done by other botanists. The number of plants which I observed in Alderney is about 330, and in Sark 252 ; the little island of Jethon supplied me with 115 species, and an adjoining conical rock, called Crevichon, is inhabited by 22 species, nearly the whole herbage con- sisting of Silene maritima. In conclusion I may be allowed to mention that I am about to publish an outline of the Flora of the islands, under the name of ' Primitise Florse Sarnicse,' and shall be much obliged to any bota- nist who may favour me with information on the subject. Since this paper was read at Newcastle I have learned that Ar- throlobium ebracteatum has been discovered (in April 1838) in abun- * Is there not a Carex punctata, Gaud. ? (457 Reich. Flor. Excurs.) — Edit. 350 Mr. Walker on the British Chalcidites. dance on Tresco, one of the Scilly islands, by Miss White of that place. Mr. Woods has gathered Brassica Cheiranthus on the sands near Penard Castle, near Swansea ; and Potamogeton plantagineus exists in Sir J. E. Smith's herbarium, gathered by Mr. D. Turner, at Diss, in Norfolk, and Dr. H. Thompson, in the south of Scotland. In the herbarium of Dr. Johnston, of Berwick, is a specimen ob- tained by Dr. R. D. Thompson in Ferny Rig marsh, Berwickshire, and I possess a sample of it, gathered by myself in Bottisham fen, Cam- bridgeshire. In all these cases the plant has been referred to a wrong species, but was suspected to be distinct by Dr. R. D. Thompson. I have lately gathered Atriplex rosea on the coasts of Holy Island (Lindisfarn), Berwick, and the Forth near Newhaven, and Mr. Borrer has sent it to me from the Sussex coast. St. John's College, Cambridge, Oct. 27, 1838. XLI. — Descriptions of British Chalcidites. By Francis Walker, F.L.S. [Continued from p. 205.] Sp. 36. Cirr. Cyrrhus, Fern. Cyaneus, antenna nigra, pedes cyanei, tarsi fulvi, protibice fiavcR, alee limpidce. Obscure cyaneus : oculi et ocelli rufi : antennas nigrae ; articulus l us ni- gro-cyaneus : pedes cyanei ; trochanteres fulvi ; genua flava ; tarsi fulvi, basi flavi, apice fusci ; propedum tibiae flavae extus fulvo vittatae, tarsi pallide fusci : alae limpidae ; squamulae fuscae, antice cyaneae ; nervi fusci. (Corp. long. lin. | ; alar. lin. 1 .) June, near London. Fern. Corpus gracillimum, sublineare, nitens, scitissime squameum, parce hirtum : caput transversum, breve, convexum, thorace latius : antennae graciles, extrorsum crassiores, corporis dimidio longiores ; articulus l" s gra- cilis, sublinearis ; 2 US longicyathiformis ; 4 US 3° brevior ; 5" s adhuc brevior ; clava fusiformis, acuminata, articulo 5° plus dimidio longior : thorax longi- ovatus, convexus : prothorax brevissimus, supra vix conspicuus : mesotho- racis scutum latitudine longius; parapsidum suturae bene determinatas ; scu- tellum breviconicum, metathorax transversus, mediocris : petiolus brevissi- mus: abdomen longi-fusiforme, thorace multo longius, supra planum, subtus carinatum, apice acuminatum : oviductus exertus, brevis : pedes graciles : alis nervus ulnaris humerali longior, radialis vix ullus, cubitalis sat longus. Sp. 37. Cirr. Mycerinus, Fern. Ci/preus viridi-varius, antenna fuscce, pedes fulvi ; alie limpidce. Nigro-cupreus : oculi et ocelli rufi : antennae pallide fuscag, subtus fulvae : thoracis latera viridi-varia : oviductus vaginae nigrae : pedes fulvi ; coxae Mr. Walker on the British Chalcidites. 351 nigro-cupreae; femora pallide fusca ; tarsi flavi, apicc fusci ; protarsi obscu- riores : alas limpidas ; squamulas piceae ; nervi fulvi, metalis flavi. (Corp. long. lin. 1 ; alar. lin. \\.) Found near London. Fern. Corpus longum, angustum, nitens, scitissime squameum, parce hir- tum : caput mediocre, transversum, breve, convexum, thorace vix angustius ; vertex latus ; frons abrupte declivis, parum impressa : oculi mediocres, sub- rotundi, non extantes : antennas subclavatas, corporis dimidio longiores ; ar- ticulus l" 8 longissimus, gracilis, sublinearis ; 2 US longicyathiformis ; 3 US , 4" 8 et 5 US lineares, subaequales; clava fusiformis, acuminata, articulo 5° fere duplo longior: thorax ovatus, convexus: prothorax transversus, brevissimus, supra conspicuus : mesothoracis scutum latitudine longius, dorso foveolatum ; pa- rapsides remotas, suturas bene determinates, postice mutuo accedentes; pa- raptera et epimera conspicua ; scutellum obconicum : metathorax mediocris : abdomen fusiforme, acuminatum, thorace longius et angustius, supra de- pressum, subtus carinatum ; segmenta transversa, brevia, subasqualia: pedes mediocres, simplices, subaequales; tarsis articuli l us et 3 US breviores, 2 US et 4 US longiores ; ungues et pulvilli parvi : alas mediocres, non ciliatae ; nervus ulnaris crassus, humerali fere longior, radialis vix ullus, cubitalis sat longus in alas discum declivis, apice stigma fingens, bimucronatum. Sp. 38. Cirr. Adalia, Fern. Viridi-cyaneus, antennas piceae, pedes flavi, femora viridia, alee limpidce. Laste viridis cupreo-varius : oculi et ocelli rufi: antennae nigro-piceae; articuli l us et 2 US viridi-picei : abdomen cyaneo-viride cupreo-varium : ovi- ductus vaginas fuscae : pedes flavi ; coxae virides ; femora viridia, apice flava \ tarsi apice fusci : protarsi fulvi : alas limpidae ; squamulae piceae ; nervi proalis fusci, basi flavi, metalis flavi. (Corp. long. lin. 1^; alar. lin. l£.) Var. /3. — Abdomen cyaneum, apicem versus minime cupreo-varium. Far. y. — Laete cyaneo-viridis : antennae piceae ; articuli l us et2 us virides : abdomen aeneo-varium ; protarsi fusci : proalis nervi fulvi. Var. B. — Abdomen laete cyaneum, basi viridi-aeneum. May, June ; near London, Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Scotland. Fern. Corpus angustum, nitens, scitissime squameum, parce hirtum : caput mediocre, transversum, breve, convexum, thorace fere latius, vertex latus ; frons impressa, abrupte declivis : oculi mediocres : antennas graciles, ex- trorsum crassiores, corporis dimidio longiores ; articulus l us longifusiformis, validus ; 2 US longicyathiformis ; 3 US et sequentes longi, sublineares, usque ad 5 ura paullulum curtantes et latescentes ; clava fusiformis, articulo 5° paullo latior et multo longior : thorax longiovatus, parum convexus : prothorax transversus, parvus, supra conspicuus : mesothoracis scutum latitudine lon- gius ; parapsidum suturas bene determinatas ; scutellum obconicum : meta- thorax mediocris : petiolus brevissimus : abdomen fusiforme, supra planum, subtus carinatum, apice attenuatum et acuminatum, thorace paullo longius et latius; segmentum l um magnum; 2 um et sequentia transversa, brevia: pedes graciles, simplices, subasquales ; tarsis articulus l u 2° brevior, 3 US 1» 352 Mr. Walker on the British Chalcidites. longitudine, 4 US 3° longior ; ungues et pulvilli mediocres : aire angusta? ; nervus ulnaris humerali paullo longior, radialis brevissimus, cubitalis sat longus, apice stigma fingens, parvum subfurcatum. Sp. 39. Cirr. Oritbyia, Fern. JEneo-cupreus viridi-varius, antenna pice ce, pedes flavi, alee fulvescentes. Cupreo-seneus : oculi et ocelli run* : antenna? picea? ; articulus l us nigro- a?neus, subtus et basi fulvus : abdomen viridi-cupveum : oviductus pallide rufus : pedes flavi ; coxa? virides ; tarsi apice fusci ; protarsi pallide fnsci : ala? fulvescentes; squamula? fulva? ; nervi fulvi. (Corp. long. lin. l-\ — 1£; alar. lin. 1-|— 2.) Far. /3. — Viridis : abdominis discus cupreus. Var. y. — Caput viride : thorax viridi-aeneus ; discus cupreus. June, September; near London, Isle of Wight. Near Belfast, Ireland, Mr. Haliday. Mas. Corpus robustum, nitens, pubescens, scite squameum, parce hirtum : caput transversum, breve, convexum, juxta thoraci latum : vertex latus ; frons abrupte declivis : oculi mediocres, non extantes : antenna? filiformes, hirta?, corpore breviores ; articulus l u " sublinearis : 2 US longicyathiformis ; 3 US et sequentes ad 6 um longi, lineares, subsequales ; clava fusiformis, longis- sima, acuminata, articulo6° plus duplo longior : thorax ovatus, crassus, con- vexus : prothorax transversus, brevissimus, supra conspicuus : mesothoracis scutum foveolatum, latitudine vix longius ; parapsidum sutura? bene deter- minate; scutellum obconicum, bifoveolatum ; paraptera et epimera con- spicua : metathorax mediocris : petiolus crassus brevissimus : abdomen sub- lineare, planum, thorace angustius et paullo brevius ; segmentum l um maxi- mum ; 2 um et sequentia breviora, transversa : sexualia exerta : pedes me- diocres : ala? non ciliatae ; nervus ulnaris humerali longior, radialis nullus, cubitalis longus, in alas discum declivis. Fern. Caput thorace vix angustius : antenna? extrorsum crassiores ; arti- culi 3 US et sequentes longi, lineares, ad5 ulu curtantes ; clava fusiformis, acu- minata, articulo 5° fere duplo longior : abdomen longiovatum, acuminatum, subtus carinatum, thorace fere longius non latius. Sp. 40. Cirr. Tachos, Mas et Fern. Viridis, antennce picece, pedes Jlavi, femora viridia, ala? limpidce. Mas. Cyaneo- viridis : oculi et ocelli rufi : antenna? picea? ; articuli l us et 2 US atri : abdomen cyaneo-viride ; discus purpureo-cyaneus : sexualia fulva ; pedes fulvi ; coxa? nigro-virides ; femora nigro-viridia : tarsi flavi, apice fusci ; protarsi fulvi : ala? limpida? ; squamula? virides, proalis nervi fulvi, metalis flavi. Fern. Nigro-viridis : abdomen viridi-a?neum ; discus nigro-cupreus. (Corp. long. lin. 1 — 1-t ; alar. lin. 1^— If .) Mas. Corpus robustum, nitens, pubescens, scite squameum, parce hirtum : caput transversum, breve, convexum, juxta thoraci latum; vertex latus; frons abrupte declivis : oculi mediocres, non extantes : antenna? filiformes, hirta?, corpore breviores; articulus l us sublinearis; 2 US longicyathiformis ; Mr. Walker on the British Chalcidites. 353 3" s et sequentes ad 6 um longi, lineares, subgequales ; clava fusiformis, longis- sima, acuminata, articulo 6° plus duplo longior : thorax ovatus, crassus, convexus : prothorax transversus, brevissimus, supra conspicuus : meso- thoracis scutum foveolatum, latitudine vix longius ; parapsidum suturae bene determinatse ; scutellum obconicum, bifoveolatum ; paraptera et epimera conspicua : metathorax mediocris : petiolus crassus, brevissimus : abdomen sublineare, planum, thorace angustius et paullo brevius ; segmentum l nm maximum; 2 um et sequentia breviora, transversa : sexualia exerta : pedes mediocres, subaequales ; tarsis articuli l us et 3 US breviores, 2" s et 4 US longi- ores ; ungues et pulvilli parvi : alse mediocres, non ciliatae ; nervus ulnaris humerali longior, radialis nullus, cubitalis longius in alae discum declivis, apice stigma fingens, bimucronatum. Fern. Caput thorace vix angustius : antennas extrorsum crassiores ; arti- culi 3° ad 5 um curtantes ; clava fusiformis, acuminata, articulo 5° fere duplo longior : abdomen ovatum, thorace brevius et angustius ; segment* trans- versa, l um magnum, 2 um et sequentia breviora. Sp. 41. Cirr. Attalus, Mas et Fem. Firidis mas. aut cerieus fern., abdo- men cupreum, antenna nigra, pedes Jlavi, femora nigra, tibiae fusco cincfcc, alee limpidce. Mas. Nigro-viridis : oculi et ocelli run : antennae nigrae ; articuli l us et 2 US nigro-virides : abdomen nigro-cupreum, basi cupreo-viride : sexualia fusca : pedes fulvi ; coxae virides ; femora nigra, apice flava ; tarsi flavi, apice fusci ; metatibiie basi fuscae : protarsi pallide fusci : alas limpidae : squamulae piceae ; nervi fusci. Fem. Cupreo-aeneus : caput viride cupreo-varium : antennis articuli l us et 2 US picei, hie apice et file subtus basique ferruginei : abdomen viridi-cu- preum : alis nervi fulvi, basi fusci. (Corp. long. lin. -| — 1 ; alar. lin. Far. /3. Mas. — Metatibise omnino fulvae. Far. y. Mas. — Far. /3. similis : protarsi fulvi, apice fusci. Far. §. Mas. — Mesothoracis scutellum viridi-cupreum. Far. s. Mas. — Mesotibiae pallide fuscae, apice et basi fulvae ; metatibiae fuscae. Far. £. Mas. — Abdomen basi viridi-cyaneum : protibiae obscure fuscae ; meso- et meta-tibiae piceae. Far. yi . Fem. — Antennis articuli l us et 2 US omnino nigro-virides. Far. 6. Fem. — Thorax obscure aeneo-viridis. Far. i. Fem. — Abdomen viride, basi laete viridi-cupreum. Far. x.. Fem. — Thorax viridis. Far. X. Fem. — Far. k. similis: metatibiae omnino fulvae. June ; near London, Isle of Wight. Ireland, Mr. Haliday. Sp. 42. Cirr. Agathocles, Mas et Fem. Cyaneus aut viridis, abdomen cupreum, antennae nigra aut picece, pedes nigri, tarsi jlavi, aloe lim- pidce. Mas. Cyaneo-ater : oculi et ocelli run : antennae piceae ; articuli l us et 354 Mr. Walker on the British Chalcidites. 2 US nigri : abdomen nigro-cupreum : sexualia fusca : pedes nigri ; trochan- ters picei ; genua flava ; tarsi flavi, apice fusci ; propedum tibia? piceae, apice fulvae, tarsi fulvi : alae limpidae ; squamulae piceae ; proalis nervi fusci metalis flavi. Fern. Atro-viridis : abdomen nigro-viride, cupreo-varium : pedes nigri ; trochanters picei ; genua fulva ; tibia? piceae ; tarsi flavi, apice fusci ; pro- tibiae fulvae ; protarsi fulvi: alis nervi fulvi. (Corp. long. lin. | ; alar. lin. H-) Far. /3. Mas. — Nigro-cyaneus : antennae nigrae ; articuli l us et 2 US nigro- cyanei : abdomen nigro-cupreum : pedes nigri ; trochanters fulvi ; genua fulva ; tarsi flavi, apice fusci ; protarsi fulvi. Far. y. Mas. — Protibiae fulvae ; meso- et metatibiae piceae. Far. S. Mas. — Far. y. similis: protibiae basi et apice flavae. Far. s. Fern. — Cyaneo-viridis ; antennae nigrae; articuli l u9 et 2 US atri : abdomen cupreum, viridi-varium : pedes picei ; coxae nigrae ; trochanters fulvi ; femora nigra ; genua fulva ; tarsi flavi, apice fusci ; propedum tibiae fulvae, tarsi fusci : proalis nervi flavi. Far. g. Fern. — Propedum tibiae piceae, tarsi apice fusci. July; near London. Mas. Corpus sublineare, nitens, scitissime squameum, parce hirtum : ca- put transversum, breve, convexum, juxta thoraci latum ; vertex latus ; frons abrupte declivis, non impressa : oculi mediocres, subrotundi, non extantes : antennae filiformes, non ciliatae, corpore paullo breviors ; articulus 1 U8 va- lidus, fusiformis ; 2" s longicyathiformis ; 3 l,s et sequentes ad 6 um lineares, subaequales ; clava fusiformis, acuminata, articulo 6° fere duplo longior : thorax ovatus, convexus: prothorax transversus, brevissimus, supra vixcon- spicuus : mesothoracis scutum latitudine longius, dorso foveolatum ; para- psidum suturae remotae, conspicuae ; scutellum obconicum, bifoveolatum ; pa- raptera et epimera bene determinata : metathorax mediocris : petiolus brevis, crassus : abdomen ovatum, planum, thorace angustius et brevius ; segmenta parallela, l um magnum, 2 um et sequentia breviora subaequalia : sexualia exerta : pedes mediocres, simplices, subaequales ; tarsis articuli 1 us et 3 US bre- viors, 2 US et 4 US longiores ; ungues et pulvilli parvi : proalae latae, non ci- liatae ; nervus ulnaris humerali non brevior, radialis nullus, cubitalis sat longus in alae discum declivis, apice stigma fingens, minutum bimucronatum. Fern. Antennae extrorsum crassiors, corporis dimidio longiores ; articuli 3° ad5 um curtantes; clava attenuata: abdomen breviovatum, supra planum, subtus carinatum, apice acuminatum, thorace brevius et fere latius. Sp. 43. Cirr. Julis, Mas et Fern. Cyaneus, antenna nigra, pedes cyanei, tibia pice ce aut fusees, tarsi pallidiores, alee limpidae. Mas. Cyaneus : oculi et ocelli obscure rufi : antennae nigrae ; articuli l us et 2 US nigro-cyanei : abdomen basi cyaneo-aeneum : sexualia fulva : pedes fulvi ; coxae cyaneae ; femora cyanea ; tibiae piceae ; tarsi apice fusci ; pro- pedum tibiae fulvae, tarsi fusci: alae limpidae; squamulae fulvae; proalis nervi fulvi, metalis flavi. Mr. Walker on the British Chalcidites. 355 Fern. Abdomen cyaneo-viride ; discus loete puvpureo-cyaneus. (Corp. long. lin. «. — 1^-; alar. lin. 1 — 1|.) Far. /3. Fern. — Thoracis latera cyaneo-viridia : abdominis discus cupreus: pedes cyanei ; trochanteres picei ; genua flava ; tibiae fuscae ; tarsi fusci, basi flavi ; protibiae piceae : proalis nervi fusci. May ; near London. Fern. Corpus breve, crassum, nitens, scitissime squameum, parce hirtum : caput transversum, breve, convexum, juxta thoraci latum ; vertex latus; frons abrupte declivis, non impressa : oculi mediocres : antennae sublineares, validae, corporis dimidio longiores ; articulus l" s sublinearis ; 2 US longifusi- formis ; 3 US , 4 US et 5" 8 longiovati, subaequales ; clava fusiformis, acuminata, articulo 5° fere duplo longior : thorax ovatus, valde convexus : prothorax transversus, supra vix conspicuus : mesothoracis scutum latitudine longius ; parapsidum suturae remotae, bene determinatae ; scutellum obconicum, bifo- veolatum : metathorax mediocris : petiolus brevissimus : abdomen ovatum, planum, thorace brevius, subtus carinatum, apice acuminatum ; segmentum l um magnum, 2 um et sequentia breviora, transversa : pedes validi ; tarsis articulus l us 2° brevior, 2 U8 3° longior, 4 U8 2° longior ; ungues et pulvilli parvi : alas latae ; nervus ulnaris humerali non brevior, radialis nullus, cu- bitalis sat longus. Sp. 44. Cirr. Ilithyia, Fern. Cyaneo-viridis, antenna? nigra?, pedes fusci, femora viridia, ala? sublimpidce. Obscure cyaneo-viridis: oculi et ocelli run: antennae nigrae; articuli l us et 2 US nigro-virides : abdomen laete viride, apice supra cyaneum ; pedes vi- rides ; trochanteres fusci ; genua fulva ; tibiae fuscae ; tarsi fusci, basi fulvi : alae sublimpidae ; squamulae piceo-virides ; nervi fusci. (Corp. long. lin. 1 ; alar. lin. 1-J.) Scotland. Mas. Corpus robustum, nitens, pubescens, scite squameum, parce hirtum : caput transversum, breve, convexum, juxta thoraci latum : antennae fill— formes, hirtae, corpore breviores : articulus 1 U8 fusiformis ; 2 US longicyathi- formis ; 3 US et sequentes longi, lineares, subaequales ; clava fusiformis, acu- minata, articulo G° duplo longior : thorax ovatus, crassus, convexus : pro- thorax transversus, brevissimus, supra conspicuus : mesothoracis scutum foveolatum, latitudine vix longius ; parapsidum suturae bene determinatae ; scutellum obconicum, bifoveolatum ; paraptera et epimera conspicua : me- tathorax mediocris : petiolus crassus, brevissimus : abdomen sublineare, planum, thorace angustius et paullo brevius : pedes mediocres : alae non ci- liatae ; nervus ulnaris humerali longior, radialis nullus, cubitalis longus in alae discnm declivis. [To be continued.] 356 Specimen of the Botany of New Zealand, XLII. — Florae Insularum Nova Zelandice Precursor; or a Specimen of the Botany of the Islands of Neiv Zealand, By Allan Cunningham, Esq. [Continued from p. 214.] SAXIFRAGACEiE, DC. (Escalloniece, sp. R. Br.) 1. Quintinia, Alph. De Cand. Calycis tubus ovario adhgerens, nervis 10 subnotatus : limbus 5-dentatus, persistens. Petala 5-obovata. Stamina 5, patentia, petalis alterna. Stylus columnari-filiformis. Stigma peltato-capitatum, 4 — 5-lobum. Capsula stylo calycinisque dentibus coronata, 5-locularis, dissepimentis subincompletis, loculis polyspermis. Semina parva, ovato-compressa. — Arbores 20-30 pedales. Folia alterna, petiolata, coriacea, Integra seu serrata. Flores spicati, vel paniculati, albi. 515. Q. serrata ; foliis ovato-lanceolatis lanceolatisve acuminatis undula- tis serratis supra farinoso-squamatis, subtus punctatis fuscatis, spicis axiliaribus ramosis multifloris folio brevioribus. A. C. Ms. New Zealand (Northern Island). Forests at the sources of the Kana- Kana river and elsewhere, on the shores of the Bay of Islands, flowering in November. — 1826, A. Cunningham. Obs* Arbor sempervirens, elegans, ramosa, 20-30 pedalis. Kami alterni, teretes, glabri. Folia alterna, breve petiolata, coriacea, 3 — 4 pollices longa. * The type of this genus, a native of New South Wales, may be thus cha- racterized : — Q. Sieberi (melius integrifolia), foliis ovato-acuminatis coriaceis venosis integerrimis glabris subtus discoloribus, paniculis terminalibus ramosis, ramis patentibus. Alph. De Cand. in'Monogr. Campari, (1830), p. 92. DC. Prodr. iv. p. 5. — Ericineis Campanulaceisve affinis. Sieb. PI. Sic. Nov. Holl., p. 261. Hob. In Nova Cambria Australi, in sylvis densis humidis prope littora. — 1834, R. Brown. — 1818, A. Cunningham. A remarkable tree, assuming occasionally (like some Fici) of equinoctial countries) a parasitical growth, as will appear from the following memoran- dum, made some years ago in one of its native forests. It may be premised, that in the centre of the Blue Mountain chain, directly west from Port Jackson, is a remarkable eminence, called Tomah, the height of which, above the level of the ocean, has been ascertained to exceed 3500 feet. Be- fore the axe of the colonist was carried to the base of that mountain, in the great chain, viz. prior to 1823, Tomah had its flanks and summits clothed Avith a dense vegetation, consisting of timber trees, loving shade and moisture, laden with orchideous Epiphytes, and borne down heavily by gigantic climb- ers ; and beneath them, in deep shade, flourished many a noble specimen of an arborescent fern (the Cibotium Billardieri of Kaulfuss), which was not previously known to exist in New South Wales. On the side of the mountain was then to be observed a remarkable instance of the disposition of the Quintinia to attach itself to other plants by means of cauline roots, that may be worthy notice. A large Quintinia (Sieberi, A. DC.) grew near to an aged Cibotium. full 35 feet high, and having a distinct trunk in the soil. At about 6 feet Specimen of the Botany of New Zealand. 357 2. Weinmannia, L. 516. W. betulina, foliis ternatis impari-pinnatisque : foliolis obovatis co- riaceis obtusis basi angustatis crenato-serratis venosis, rachi ramulis pedun- culisque pubescentibus, racemis terminalibus multifloris, petalis obovatis obtusis calyce paulo longioribus. New Zealand (Northern Island). Damp woods on the east coast. — 1826, A. Cunningham. Obs. Arbor (sempervirens) triginta pedalis. Foliola coriacea. Racemi 2 — 4 pollicares, confertiflori. Capsula ovata, acuminata, pube adpressa raro conspersa. Semina apice penicillata. 517. W. fuchsioides, foliis simplicibus ternatis ve ovato-oblongis acumi- natis coriaceis reticulato-venosis serratis basi attenuatis longe petiolatissubtus discoloribus, petiolis ramulisque pubescentibus, racemis terminalibus multi- floris folio duplo triplove longioribus, sepalis lanceolatis, petalis lato-ovatis obtusis calyce longioribus, ovariis villosis, stylis stamina sequantibus. New Zealand (Northern Island). Shaded forests, margins of woods, &c, Bay of Islands. — 1826, A. Cunningham.— 1834, R. Cunningham. Obs. Arbuscula ramosa. Folia sesqui v. 2-pollices longa, basi angustata, crenato-serrata, subtus rubro-venosa ut in Fuchsia. Racemi densiflori, 4 — 5 unciales. Pedunculi pubescentes. Capsules subrotundse, costatae, pilis te- nuisgimis patentibus conspersse. Semina basi apiceque barbata. 518. W. sylvicola (Sol.), foliis ternatis impari-pinnatisve : foliolis ellipticis acuminatis obtusiusculisve coriaceis petiolatis basi attenuatis crenato- serratis utrinque glabris, racemis elongatis densifloris folio plus duplo lon- gioribus, fasciculis subverticellatis 4— 6-floris, ramulis pedunculisque pubi- geris. Sol. Mss. in Bibl. Banks. New Zealand (Northern Island). — 1769, Sir Jos. Banks. Dry woods in the country intermediate to Hokianga and the Bay of Islands. — 1826, A. Cunningham. Obs. Arbuscula 15 — 20 pedalis. Foliola crassa, ovalia, obtusa, subtus from the ground, however, the roots which the former had thrown out from its stem had got hold of the fern tree, the caudex of which they enveloped by numerous folds, so as to present but one trunk of great bulk for upwards of 20 feet. Above this, however, was to be perceived the rough bark of the Quintinia on one side, and the rugged caudex of the fern on the other, the trunks of both continuing firmly united, as if grafted into each other, until near their summits, where they separated ; the Quintinia exhibiting a branching umbrageous head, while the Cibotium spread forth its noble tufts of fronds, evidently not in the slightest degree inconvenienced by the em- brace of the aerial roots of the other, throughout nearly its whole length of caudex. It may here be added, that all the specimens of Cibotium, examined at that period on the Tomah mountain, had young seedlings of the Quintinia grow- ing on their trunks, upon which, being well rooted, they assumed all the ha- bit and aspect of some kinds of wild fig in intratropical regions, that live and grow as well without earth, in the hollow branch or trunk of a tree, as they do when they happen to fall to the ground and there take root. (Memoran- dum 2nd Dec. 1823. A. C.) 358 Specimen of the Botany of New Zealand, venosa. Racemi copiosi, interdum bini, spicati, tripollicaves. Stamina ex- serta, subrequalia. Pedicelli floribus longiores. Capsula ovata, villosiuscula, costata. Discus hypogynus S-glandulosus. Seminum structura mihi ignota. 3. Leiospermum, Don. ( Weinmannice sp. L. Forst.) Calyx 4-fidus, deciduus. Petala 4. Stamina 8. Discus hypogynus planus, integer. Capsula ab apice septicido-dehiscens : loculis polyspermis. Semina minuta, oblonga, glabra. — Arbores semper virentes (Novce Ze- landice el Tahitensis). Folia simplicia, impari-pinnataque, serrata. Stipulae caduca. Flores racemosi. 519. L. racemosa, petiolis apice articulatis, racemis subsolitariis. Don. in Edinb. New Phil. Journ. {June 1830) p. 8. — Weinmannia racemosa. L. Forst. Prodr. n. 173. Willd. Sp. PI. 2. p. 438. DC. Prodr. iv. p. 8. A. Rich. Fl. Nov. Zel. p. 321. — W. speciosa. Banks and Sol. Mss. in Bibl. Panics. Towai, incol., R. C. New Zealand (Northern Island). — 1769, Sir Jos. BanJcs. In shaded woods and on the margins of running steams near the Bay of Islands. — 1826, A. Cunningham. (Middle Island). — 1773, G. Forster. Astrolabe Harbour.— 1 827, Z)' Urville. Obs. Arbor robusta, triginta vel quadriginta pedalis. Folia lato-elliptica, vel elliptico-oblonga, subtus pulchre venulosa, 2 — 3-pollicaria. Racemi ter- minates, plerumque bini, 3 — 4-unciales. In Mr. Don's monograph of this family the author gives New Zea- land as the locality of L. parviflorum, on the authority of Forster. Having, however, examined a specimen of that rare plant in the Banksian Herbarium, where Tahiti alone is marked as its native country, it appears evident that it is a mistake of this learned writer, occasioned possibly by his having just previously described the type of the genus, which both Sir Jos. Banks and Forster found in great abundance in New Zealand. Weinmannia parviflora of Forster has been found only in the forests of Tahiti. 4. Ackama. Calyx 5-partitus, persistens ; laciniis lineari-spathulatis. Petala 5, inte- gra, decidua. Stamina 10, aequalia. Discus hypogynus subcrateriformis, dentatus, seu 10-glandulosus. Capsula ab apice septicido-dehiscens, loculis polyspermis. Semina minuta, ovata, rostrata, testa spadicea : co- riacea, glabra. The name of this distinct genus has been invented by anagram - mizing that given to the tree by the natives. 520. A. roscefolia. — Weinmannia rossefolia. A. C. Mss. 1826. New Zealand (Northern Island). In shaded woods near the Hokianga river, where it usually flowers in September. — 1826, A. Cunningham. — 1834, R. Cu?mingha?n. Specimen of the Botany of Neio Zealand. 359 Maka-maka, insul. R. Cunningham. Obs. Arbor 30-pedalis. Ramuli dense cinereo-pilosi. Folia pinnata : foliola 4 — 6-juga cum impavi, sesqui vel biuncialia, elliptica, acuta, serrata (serraturis attenuatis), breve petiolata, glabra, subtus discolorata, pen- ninervia attamen pilosa. Flores terminales, paniculati, paniculis ramosis, laxis, dense lanatis, pilis stellatis. Petala lineari-spathulata, segmentis calycis oequalia. Stamina incumbentia. Styli divaricati. Ovarium copiose to- mentosum. Capsula subrotunda, ecostata, strigosa. CRASSULACEiE, DC. Tilljea, Mich. L. 521. T. verticillaris ; caule basi prostrato radicante, ramis adscendentibus, foliis oppositis oblongo-linearibus, fioribus quadrifidis ad axillas congesto- verticillatis, aliis sessilibus (immaturis ?), aliis pedicellatis. DC. Prodr. iii. p. 382. Endl. Syn. Fl. Insul. Oc. Ausir. in Ann. des Wien. Mm. Band i. p. 177.— T, muscosa. Forst. Prodr. n. 61 . A. Rich. Fl. Nov. Zel. p. 322, non Linn. conf. Endl. New Zealand (Middle Island).— 1773, G. Forster. FICOIDEiE, Juss. 1. Mesembryanthemum, L. 522. M. australe. Soland. in Hort. Kew. ed. 1. vol. ii. p. 187. Willd. Sp. PI. ii. p. 1047. Haw. Misc. Nat. p. 79. DC. Prodr. iii. p. 428. Endl. Prodr. Fl. Norf. p. 72. New Zealand (Northern Island). — 1769, Sir Jos. Bafiks, H. K. loc. cit. Obs. Caulis semiteres, glaber, prostratus. Folia triquetra, glaucescentia, punctulata, laevia, incurvantia. Pedunculus obtuse anceps, basi bibracteatus. Flores mediocres, dilute rubicundi. Calyx 5-fidus. Stigmata 5, subulata. 2. Tetragonia, L. 523. T. expansa. Soland. in Hort. Kew. ed. 1. vol. ii. p. 178. Willd. Sp. PI. ii. p. 1024. DC. Prodr. iii. p. 452. Endl. Prodr. Fl. Norf. p. 72. A. Rich. p. 320. Plant. Crass, t. 114. New Zealand (Northern Island). — 1769, Sir Jos. Banks. New Zealand Spinach. PASSIFLORE.E, Juss. Passiflora, L. {Granadilla Tournef.) 524. P.tetrandra; glabra, foliis ovali-oblongis acuminatis integerrimis eglandulosis. DC. Prodr. iii. p. 323. Banks et Sol. Mss. in Bill. Banks. Ku-papa, incol. R. C. New Zealand (Northern Island). — 1769, Sir Jos. Banks. Near the Wai- mate and on the margins of forests at the head of Kana- Kana river, Bay of Islands. — 1833, R. Cunningham. Obs. Pedunculi ramosi, triflori. Calyx 4-lobus. Stamina 4. Involucrum nullum, aut minimum. Flores parvi, virescentes. CUCURBITACE.E, Juss, Sicyos, L. 525. S. australis, foliis cordato-reniformibus angulatis denticulatis scabri- 360 Information respecting Botanical Travellers. usculis, cirrhis trifidis, pedunculis masculis corymboso-racemosis, elongatis, femineis brevibusglomerato-capitatis/fructibus ovatis, echinatis, semine ovato basi acuto, apice obtusiusculo. Endl. Prodr. Fl. Norf. p. 67. — S. angulata. Forst. Pr. n. 368. A. Rich. Fl. Nov. Zel. p. 323, non Linn. Icon Bauer hied. t.llO. Pohue, incol., R. C. New Zealand (Middle Island). — 1773, G. Forster (Northern Island). Among underwood on the sea coast, Wangaroa, &c. — 1833, Rich. Cunning- ham. [To be continued.] XLIII. — Information respecting Botanical Travellers. Unio Itineraria. Extract from Dr. Steudel's Letter, dated Aug. 24, 1838. The general accounts which we continue to receive respecting M. Schimper's travels in Abyssinia are very satisfactory, although the letters with which this naturalist favours us are mostly short and not so full of detail as we could desire. Since the announcement, given by us in January last, of M. Schim- per's proceedings, we have received tidings which bring down our information to the end of March, at which period he was in good health, and, together with the most favourable prognostications as to the ultimate success of his journey, he had already augmented his collection to the number of 50,000 dried specimens of plants, con- sisting of about 600 distinct species, many of which were new. Dif- ficulties had recently threatened to put a step to M. Schimper's pro- gress. The Abyssinian priests had succeeded by their intrigues in ob- taining an order from the reigning powers for the expulsion of the missionaries, hitherto so favourably received in that country, and this mandate was also to extend to every European. Our traveller having received due intimation of this measure, forthwith applied by a suitable memorial to Prince Ubie, whose patronage he particularly enjoyed, and earnestly petitioned for leave to remain in the country under the prince's special protection. This request, backed by the present of a handsome double-barrelled gun, produced the desired effect ; so that M. Schimper, if he be only provided with the needful pecuniary assistance, entertains no doubt of fully accomplishing the object of his journey. In his last letter he computes that he has hardly collected one tenth of the rich Flora of Abyssinia, and that two years will probably be required to complete the collection. Information respecting Botanical Travellers, 361 Dr. Steudel is of opinion that in case the specimens already ob- tained reached Eurojje in safety, the sale of them will cover all the expenses already incurred ; and as the most difficult part of the un- dertaking may be considered as overcome, the risk which subscribers might have to run is very materially diminished. In September 1838, the following additional information was printed in German and circulated among the friends of the Unio Iti- neraria. The travels of M. Schimper in Abyssinia are still prosecuted. The collections which he has made in that country, consisting chiefly of dried plants, were deposited at the date of his last letter (April 1838) in fifteen chests, and were lying at Adoa, the place of his temporary sojourn. The choice was offered him, whether to proceed to Europe/carrying his collections with him, or to remain in Abyssi- nia with the object of exploring the high mountainous country of Semea and the valleys of Schoho. In the latter case, he must leave the treasures that he had already amassed in Adoa, as the heavy charges attendant on their despatch to Massava on the Red Sea and thence to Egypt would exhaust all his funds, and forbid his prose- cuting the aforesaid researches in Abyssinia. His decision has been to pursue his way to those districts, hitherto unexplored, which lie under the special jurisdiction of Prince Ubie ; and this great chief, mollified by petitions and presents, exempts M. Schimper from the decree of banishment recently passed against all Europeans, and which hastened from Adoa the missionaries Blumhardt and Isenberg, with whom our traveller had been residing there, and who had shown him much kindness. These estimable individuals confirm to the fullest extent the statement that Schimper has sent us respect- ing the value of his collections, and also speak most highly of his exertions. Hitherto, M. Schimper's labours have been confined to the moderately elevated ground that lies about Adoa ; but if he can also investigate the high mountain ranges, a most interesting epoch will take place in the annals of botanical research with respect to Abyssinia. This consideration and the desire to perfect his labours induced M. Schimper to expose himself to new fatigues and dangers, through which we hope that his previous experience and the sound constitution that he possesses will enable him to pass unharmed. The most essential requisite is now that the traveller should be furnished with fresh remittances, so that on his return from the journey in hand, he may be enabled to incur the expense of despatch- ing his collections. The removal of these numerous packages and the permission to forward them over a considerable extent of coun- Ann. Nat. Hist. Vol. 2. No. 11. Jan, 1839. 2 b 362 Information respecting Botanical Travellers. try must be obtained by making numerous presents to Prince Ubie and his subaltern officers, petty chieftains, &c. The cost of travel- ling with goods to the Red Sea is likewise very heavy. Some little provision has been already made, according to our former request, to meet these expenses ; and here we beg to tender our thanks for the promptitude with which many of the members of the Unio have come forward, so that (including a contribution from our Govern- ment to the amount of 300 florins) we have already been enabled to devote 6000 florins to the object of this journey. About 2000 florins more will probably be required, and we therefore particularly look to those members of the Unio who have as yet contributed nothing on this occasion, or only subscribed the simple and customary sum of 30 florins, and earnestly request that they will now come forward with contributions of money. Such friends of botany and well- wishers to our cause as have not yet been connected with this insti- tution, we beg to inform that by subscriptions of 30, 60, 90, 120, and 130 Rhenish florins (65, 130, 195, 260, and 300 francs) they may look to receive (if no peculiar disaster occurs) respectively 200, 400, 600, 800 and 1200 species of dried plants from Abyssinia, or other natural productions, for details respecting which we must refer them to our printed appeal of January of this year. The many novelties that rewarded Schimper's journey in Arabia, particularly the province of Hedsches, entitle us to entertain high expectations from his labours in Abyssinia. We particularly recommend the sub- ject of Schimper's journey to the attention of the friends of natural science who are to meet this month at Fribourg, and only regret that we cannot personally attend and urge the subject. The present opportunity permits us to mention that some small collections remain unsold from the former journeys, viz. 1st. Arabian Plants, collections of 200 species at 30 florins (65 francs.) ]00 15 florins (33 francs.) 2nd. N. American Plants, (Ohio district) col. of 200 spe. at 24 fl. (50 fr.) 3rd. Georgio- Caucasian Plants, col. of 320 species at 40 florins (86 francs.) • 200 25 florins. This is the fifth delivery. Lastly, we have undertaken the commission of disposing of col- lections made from the Flora of Portugal and the Azores this summer by MM. Guthrick and Hochsteller, jun., in the environs of Lisbon, (the greater part however at the Azores,) during a journey which these naturalists made at their own expense. Purchasers may have either complete collections of 200 — 300 species at 12 florins (25 fr.), or smaller ones of 100 to 150 species at 10 to 15 florins, the latter Information respecting Botanical Travellers. 363 it must be observed containing a beautiful suite of the Lisbon Flora, and a great number of rare and novel species ; for instance, some undescribed Carices, a new Laurus, a new Vaccinium, a large-flowered new species of Euphrasia, an undescribed Frankenia and Veronica, together with several recent discoveries, the fruits of the Rev. Mr. Lowe's labours in Madeira. For these, subscriptions are received of from 10 to 36 florins (22 to 75 francs, which must be sent free of postage), and for which the collections will be transmitted early in the following year. Professor Hochstetter. Dr. Steudel. Esslingen, Sept. 10, 1S38. We learn by letters lately received from Switzerland, that Dr. Brunner of Berne has returned from the Cape de Verd Islands with a collection of from 500 to 600 species of plants, which it is his in- tention to offer, to botanists at the rate of about 2/. the hundred spe- Mr. Gardner is prosecuting his botanical researches in Brazil with unabated ardour. At p. 463 of vol. i. we mentioned his arrival at Pernambuco, and gave some account of the vegetation of that di- strict, which he had communicated in a letter dated Jan. 24, 1838. Since that period several letters have reached us from this enter- prising naturalist (the last dated in July of this year), from which we extract the following passages. "Maceio, Province of Alagoas, April 5, 1838. "lam highly gratified to hear that my collections from the Organ Mountains give so much satisfaction. After the labour bestowed on collecting and preserving them, this intelligence becomes doubly agreeable. It is peculiarly pleasant to me to know that the Cactus which I named after my noble and generous patron the Duke of Bedford is doing so well in the Glasgow Botanic Garden. It is a remarkably pretty species, and will soon, I trust, blossom with you ; the specimen which I first saw, and of which the discovery gave me more delight than I can describe, was adorned with upwards of 200 flowers. " Since I last wrote to you I have done and suffered a good deal, having been within an inch of the grave from a severe attack of dy- sentery while on a voyage up the Rio San Francisco. On the 30th of January I left Pernambuco in a canoe for this place, where I pur- 2b2 '364 Information respecting Botanical Travellers. posed to spend two months, till the rainy season should set in, and then proceed into the interior. The Rio San Francisco being so near, I determined on visiting it, knowing that in these tropical countries the margins of rivers generally afford good botanizing. After col- lecting a few plants in the vicinity of this place, I embarked in a Jan- gada for Peba, a village five leagues to the north of the mouth of the San Francisco river, the heavy surf which breaks on the bar not al- lowing small craft to approach nearer, and from thence made my way in a bullock cart to the village of Piassabussa, situated on the north bank of the river, and two leagues from its outlet. It was night when I arrived, but next morning I was highly delighted with the sight of that magnificent stream, then discharging, as usual at that season, its greatest quantity of water, and more swollen by the late rains than it has been since the year 1792. The flat country on both sides was inundated to a great extent, and hundreds of families obliged to quit their dwellings, which were either carried away or quite submerged. From Piassabussa I again embarked in a canoe for the Villa do Penedo, situated five leagues higher up, and there I spent a few days in the house of the Juiz Derita, a very excellent kind man, a lover of science and particularly fond of botany, although he attends more to the theoretical than the practical part of it. My great wish was to reach the magnificent falls, nearly 200 miles nearer the source of the river, 60 miles of which must be travelled overland. Every one dissuaded me from the attempt, particularly at this season, when the ground is so much burned up that it is im- possible to find grass and water for horses. Still I determined to proceed, and hired a canoe to convey me as far as the stream was navigable; and just as we had reached this point, 100 miles up, close to the Ilha do San Pedro, a large island in the river, a tre- mendous storm overtook us in the middle of the stream. Such a hurricane I never witnessed. Before we could reach the lee side of the river, there more than a league broad, our canoe had nearly upset, and would certainly have done so, when we must all have been drowned, but for the exertions of my black servant and myself, for the crew were so terrified as to lose all presence of mind, and they gave no assistance } and the night was dark, the river broad, and the current strong. The thunder and lightning and rain exceeded all I could imagine. Drenched to the skin we reached the shore, and remained till daybreak in our wet clothes, and the consequence to me was a severe attack of dysentery. For several days there was no prospect of my recovery, and more than once I attempted to write what I considered would be my last letters to Sir W. J. Hooker and .Bibliographical Notices, 365 another friend, when my disease took a favourable turn, and I soon recovered sufficient strength to return to the Villa do Penedo, where my kind friend the Juiz gave me a most welcome reception. His at- tentions accelerated my amendment, and I soon began to make con- siderable collections in the neighbourhood. In going up the river I had obtained many valuable things, chiefly Leguminosce and Loran- thacecc; and on the Ilha San Pedro, where I remained during my illness, there were a great variety of fine Cacti, of which, spite of my great debility, I brought away three large cases. Some of the species attain a height of nearly thirty feet, and have stems three feet in circum- ference. A beautiful Melocactus particularly attracted my attention, and I trust the plants of it that I collected will do well. Many of the Cacti are no doubt new. I only found two species of Orchidece. The island is chiefly inhabited by civilized Indians. It is my inten- tion to take these collections to Pernambuco and ship them from thence ; and I will at the same time give you # full account of my voyage and the vegetation of the country through which I passed. Since I came back I have visited the city of Alagoas, which is situated on the margin of a large lake, about six leagues from this place. I was much pleased to find there fine specimens of Mayaca fluviatilis (Aublet) and Cabomba aquatica of the same author. " Any little information which my friends can communicate respect- ing the progress of science at home will be gratefully received by me. I trust that I may be allowed to receive regularly the numbers of the • Companion to the Botanical Magazine,' fori assure you that, it is really a ' companion' to me in this lonely life, where I wander forth alone, and find no kindred eye To gaze with me on the flowery earth and the glory of the sky." [Mr. Gardner's subsequent letters will appear in our next.] BIBLIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES. A Cornish Fauna, being a compendium of the Natural History of the County. Part I. Containing the Vertebrate, Crustacean, and a portion of the Radiate Animals. By Jonathan Couch, F.L.S., &c, 8vo. Truro, 1838. This is another of those little works which are daily rendering the knowledge of our native Fauna more complete, while at the same time it serves as a guide to the collection belonging to the Scientific In- stitution of the district. Mr. Couch has long been known as an ob- serving naturalist, and as particularly conversant with the ichthyology of the Cornish coasts, and in the short Fauna now before us we have 366 Bibliographical Notices. both many interesting remarks as " occasional correction of what is believed to be an error, or an addition of something in which our native species may differ from the same kinds in other districts," with the characters of several species which the author considers new, either to our Fauna or entirely so to science. The lists of the mammalia and birds are the most scanty, and we have little doubt that further research will soon add to their enlargement. The other departments are much fuller and exhibit a rich series. The follow- ing observations suggested themselves while perusing the work. Of the bats, six species are enumerated, though it is supposed more may exist. There will also be found additions to the Sorices and Arvicola. The Cetacea show a good list ; thirteen species are enu- merated. Speaking of the porpoise it is remarked, " I have known it take a bait, though it commonly proves too strong for the line." (We have more than once proposed to an angling friend to fish for this animal with the- rod and line.) The falling motion in this and some of the others is accounted for " by the situation of the nostrils on the anterior part of the top of the head, to breathe through which, the body must be placed in somewhat of an erect posture, from which to descend, it passes through a considerable portion of a circle." Among the birds the Raptores are comparatively rare. The Noc- tua ? funerea as British, rests on the authority of a specimen taken on the Cornish coast. Of the Insessores the golden Oriole alights occasionally en the fishing boats. We regret to observe that the Cornish chough or red-legged crow is decreasing in numbers "owing to persecution from those who supply specimens to naturalists." The hoopoe is met with so frequently, "as to justify me in saying that it is not uncommon in Cornwall." Two instances of the alpine Swift having occurred are mentioned. Nat at ores : the little gull is stated to have been taken two or three times ; and a new gull is given under the title of L. Jacksonii, Couch, for the characters of which see our Miscellanea, where we have printed them, as more likely there to attract attention. Procellaria glacialis, Puffinus, An- yloritm, cinerea, pelagica, and Leachii are all given. Among the reptiles we have the Rana esculenta introduced, but with some hesitation. There have been several notices of this spe- cies occurring both in England and Scotland, but without sufficient authenticity, and the subject is worthy of more strict inquiry. Fishes. Here we have an ample list, and in it several additions and corrections to Mr. Yarrell's work, which that gentleman will doubtless use in his forthcoming siqrplement. The Serranus Couchii, Bibliographical Notices. 367 Yarr., is considered identical with Polypr ion cernuum, Cuv. and Vail. Hcemulon formosum or squirrel fish, a native of the West Indian Seas, has been once taken. Scicena Aquila has been taken twice. Cyclo- pterus coronatus, coronated Lump fish of Couch, and considered new to science — one specimen however has only been examined, of a very small size ; see our Miscellanea for characters. At the conclusion of this list there are some important remarks on the time and ceconomy of spawning of many of the fishes commercially used, together with some hints regarding the improvement of our fishing regulations. This is a much more important subject than most people are at pre- sent willing to suppose, and these remarks deserve attention. Of the Crustaceous animals, fifty-four species are enumerated ; five Lepadea, and of the Radiated animals, twenty-three. We trust the second part of this Fauna will speedily appear. British Entomology . By J. Curtis, F.L.S. Since we last noticed this work Nos. 175 to 180 have been pub- lished, which complete the 15th volume. Lampyris noctiluca (the Glow-worm), Rhagio Heyshami, Ephe- mera cognata (the May-fly), Harpocera Burmeisteri, Libellula rubi- cunda, Anthicus tibialis, Molanna angustata, Coccus Aceris, and Phy- tosus spinifer are amongst the most interesting novelties, and there is a very beautiful plate of the rare Clostera anachoreta and its cater- pillar. We would also call the attention of botanists to the faithful figures of Astragalus hypoglottis, Sagittaria sagittifolia, Arabis stricta, Osmunda regalis, Althaea officinalis, Milium effusum, Hutchinsia pe- trcea, Oxyria reniformis, Acorus Calamus, Zannichellia palustris, Me- littis grandiflora, &c. We are happy to find that Mr. Curtis is preparing for the press a Synopsis of British Insects, the orders to be published in separate volumes. This will undoubtedly be an agreeable present to all lovers of entomology, especially those who have not ready access to large libraries. Entomologists are earnestly invited to supply Mr. Curtis with du- plicate specimens of those insects which he does not possess, or to lend him such species as maybe required for describing. I cones Plant arum. By Sir W. J. Hooker. The fifth part of this work, or the first half of the third volume, has recently appeared, with fifty plates, from Tabs. CCI. to CCL. in- clusive. This portion is particularly rich in new South American plants from the collections of Mr. Gardner, Mathews, Professor W. Jameson, &c. 368 Bibliographical Notices. The same author has just completed the second part of Mr. Bauer's ' Illustrations of the Genera of Ferns '; and the seventh part of the ' Botany of Capt. Beechey's Voyage * will soon be ready. These two works, and the ' Flora Boreali- Americana,' of which Part X. is in a state of great forwardness, are published by H. G. Bohn, 4, York Street, Covent Garden. We have just received the forty-seventh number of Mr. Sowerby's • Supplement to English Botany.' It contains plates and descriptions of Polygonum laxum, Reich. andBorr. in Hook. Brit. Fl., ed. 4. nete ; Lotus hispidus, Loisel, which we have been disposed to consider as not specifically distinct from L. angustissimus, and it occurs in Jersey with that species ; Char a pulchella, Wallr., "principally di- stinguished from C. Hedwigii by its more flexible stems and oblong nucules;" and Tetraspora lubrica, Agardh, and Hook, in E. Fl. 5. p. 313. Tijdschrift voor Natuurlijke Geschiedenis en Physiologie ; edited by Prof. J. Van derHoeven and Prof. W. H. de Vriese, Leiden, 1837. Part I and II. I hese contain the following original articles, besides reviews and notices. Some remarks on the northern Whale, Balanoptera rostrata. By W. Vrolik.— On the Sargasso or Gulf-weed. By F. A. W. Miquel. — Some remarks on the origin of the green colour and changes of form in the stem of plants. By Dr. J. Wttewaall.— Researches re- specting the motion of leaves which do not originate from swellings. By M. Dassen. — [The principal results contained in this memoir have been noticed at p. 223. of this Journal.]— Additions to our knowledge of the simple eyes of articulated animals. By A. Brants. — Experiments on the action of poisons on plants. By F. A. W. Miquel. — On the cause of the brand in Physalia. By P. W. Korthals. — Some notices of G. R. Treviranus. By J. Van der Hoeven. Part III. and IV. 1838. Hints on the origin of monstrous births, and on the doctrine of misformations. By W. Vrolik. — Contributions to the natural history of man. By J. Van der Hoeven. — The vegetation of the Northern Nertherlands compared with that of the Prussian Rhine Provinces. By F. A.W. Miquel. — Contributions to the solution of the question, whether Lemna arrhiza, auct. be a permanent distinct species, or merely a development form of some other species of the same genus. "By J. F. Hoffmann. — On the periodical secretion of blood from the generative organs in some domestic animals, especially in the cow, Bibliographical Notices. 369 and remarks on this phenomenon in reference to the human kind. By A. Numan. — Geological and mineralogical notices on the Island of Borneo. By L. Horner. — On the covering of the stigma in the Scce- volacece and Goodeniacca. By P. W. Korthals. — Remarks on the gi- gantic Salamander of Japan. By J. Van der Hoeven. [Noticed at p. 413.] — The biforines of Turpin, a new discovery in the crystallo- graphy of the vegetable kingdom. By W. H. De Vries. — On Lepi- dosiren paradoxa. By J. Van der Hoeven. [A notice of this reptile was inserted in our last number at p. 309.] — Novae species Cy cade- arum Africae Australis, quas descriptionibus et figuris illustravit W. H. De Vries. Works in the Press. Dr. Robert Wight, Surgeon H. E. I. C. service, is preparing for publication an ' Icones Plantarum Indiae Orientalis,' or Figures of Indian Plants described in Wight and Arnott's ' Prodromus Florae Peninsulae Ind. Or./ and in Wight's • Illustrations of Indian Botany,' now in the course of publication in India. This is to appear at Madras in monthly numbers, each containing ten lithographed un- coloured quarto plates, for one rupee or about one shilling and nine- pence sterling. The grand object of this work may be summed up in a few words : — To give to India (so far as the limited resources of a private individual will permit) that which England has so long enjoyed in Smith's English Botany, a standard botanical work of re- ference, by the publication of correct figures of as many Indian plants as the author can accomplish, and in the shortest possible time. To reduce the price and increase the rapidity of publication, there will be no letter-press descriptions, but a simple reference to the * Prodromus ' by numbering the plates uniform with the run- ning numbers of that work, except when new plants are introduced ; and for the descriptions then necessary no additional charge will be made. The first number was expected to appear on the 1st of July. A History of the Fishes of Madeira. By the Rev. R. T. Lowe. With original figures from nature of all the species, by the Hon. C. E. C. Norton and Miss Young. The materials for this undertaking are the result of several years' patient investigation and continued revisal on the spot. Several of the genera, and of the species more than one fourth part, are either new or have been hitherto imperfectly described. The figures will be all engraved and coloured by the same hands which, in co-ope- ration with the author, have originally drawn them, a combination much in favour of their accuracy and correctness. 370 Royal Society. PROCEEDINGS OF LEARNED SOCIETIES. royal society. June 21, 1838. " On the action of light upon the colour of the River Sponge." By John Hogg, M.A., F.L.S., C.P.S., &c, Fellow of St. Peter's Col- lege, Cambridge. Communicated by Thomas Bell, Esq., F.R.S. The author found that the green colour of the Spongilla fluviatilis, or river sponge, is acquired solely through the agency of light, and is lost when the sponge is removed from its influence. As this does not appear to be the case with Actinice, the Hydra viridis, or any other Polype, the author is disposed to consider this production as being nearer allied to the Algae or Fungi, than to any tribe belonging to the animal kingdom*. % " On the Geometrical Forms of Turbinated and Discoid Shells." By the Rev. H. Moseley, Professor of Natural Philosophy and As- tronomy in King's College, London. Communicated by Thomas Bell, Esq., F.R.S. This paper is occupied by an investigation of certain mathemati- cal principles which the author considers as governing the formation of turbinated and discoid shells. According to these views, all such shells may be conceived to be generated by the revolution about a fixed axis of the perimeter of a geometrical figure, which, remaining always similar to itself, increases continually its dimensions. The spiral lines which are observable on the opercula of certain classes of shells, taken in connexion with the well-known properties of the logarithmic or equiangular spiral, appear to have suggested the idea, that not only the boundary of the operculum, which measures the sectional expansion of a shell, but also the spiral lines, which in general are well marked both externally and internally in the shell itself, are curves of this nature. From an examination of the spirals marked on opercula, it appears that the increase of their substance takes place on one margin only; the other margin still retaining the spiral form, and acquiring an in- crease of length by successive additions in the direction of the curve. As in the logarithmic spiral the distances of successive spires, mea- sured on the same radius vector produced from the pole, from each other, are respectively in geometrical progression, if similar distances between the successive whorls on the opercula of shells be found to observe the same law, it will follow that these whorls must have a similar form; and that such is the case, the author shows by a * [Mr. Gray arrived at the same conclusion, but on physiological grounds, some years since. See Zoological Journal, vol. i. p. 50.— Edit.] Royal Society. 371 variety of numerical results obtained by careful measurements on three different opercula of shells of the order Turbo. That such is the law of nature in the formation of this class of shells is rendered probable by the instances adduced by the author, in which a con- formity to this law is found to exist. From the known properties of the logarithmic spiral the author concludes that the law of the geometrical description of turbinated shells is, that they are generated by the revolution about a fixed axis, (namely, the axis of the shell,) of a curve, which continually varies its dimensions according to the law, that each linear incre- ment shall vary as the existing dimensions of the line of which it is the increment. If such be the law of nature, the whorls of the shell, as well as the spires on the operculum, must have the form of the logarithmic spiral ; and that this is likewise the case is shown by the almost perfect accordance of numerical results, deduced from the property of that curve, with those deduced from a great variety of careful measurements made of the distances between successive whorls on radii vectores drawn on shells of the Turbo duplicatus, Turbo phasianus, Buccinum subulatum, and in a fine section of a Nautilus pompilius. The author further states that, besides the results given in the paper, a great number of measurements were similarly made upon other shells of the genera Trochus, Strombus, and Murex, all confirmatory of the law in question. One of the interesting deductions which the author has derived from the prevalence of this law in the generation of the shells of a large class of mollusca, is that a distinction may be expected to arise with regard to the growth of land and of aquatic shells, the latter serving both as a habitation and as a float to the animal which forms it ; and that, although the facility of varying its position at every period of its growth may remain the same, it is necessary that the enlargement of the capacity of the float should bear a constant ratio to the corresponding increment of its body ; a ratio which always assigns a greater amount to the increment of the capacity of the shell than to the corresponding increment of the bulk of the animal. Another conclusion deducible from the law of formation here con- sidered is, that the growth of the animal corresponding to a given increment in the angle of the generating curve, will always be pro- portional to the bulk it has then attained ; and if the physical vital energies of the animal be proportional to its actual bulk, its growth, in any given time, will be proportional to its growth up to that time. Hence the whole angle of revolution of the curve generating the shell will be proportional to the whole corresponding time of the 372 Linncean Society. animal's growth ; and therefore, the whole number of whorls and parts of whorls will, at any period, be proportional to its age. The form of the molluscous animal remaining always similar to itself, the surface of the organ by which it deposits its shell will vary as the square of the linear dimensions ; but as the deposition of its shell must vary as the cube of the same dimensions, there must be an increased functional activity of the organ, varying as the sim- ple linear dimensions â–º Since to each species of shell there must correspond a particular number expressing the ratio of the geometrical progression of the similar successive linear dimensions of the whorls ; and since the constant angle of the particular logarithmic spiral, which is affected by that species of shell, is deducible from this number, the author considers that, connected as the form of the shell is with the cir- cumstances of the animal's growth and the manner of its existence, this number, or the angle of the particular spiral, determinable as it is in each case by actual measurement, may be available for the purposes of classification, and may suggest relations by which, eventually, they may become linked with characteristic forms, and modes of molluscous existence. The concluding portion of the paper contains a mathematical dis- cussion of certain geometrical and mechanical elements of a con- choidal surface. These are, the extent of the surface itself; the vo-^ lume contained by it ; the centre of gravity of the surface, and also of the volume, in each case, when the generating figure revolves about a fixed axis without any other motion, and also when it has, besides this, a motion of translation in the direction of that axis ; and, lastly, the angle of the spiral. The author states that his ob- ject in this inquiry is the application of these elements to a discussion of the hydraulic theory of shells. The constant angle of the spiral, which each particular species affects, being connected by a necessary relation with the ceconomy of the material of the habitation of each, with its stability, and the condition of its buoyancy, it is therefore necessary to determine the value of this angle. LINNiEAN SOCIETY. Nov. 6, 1838.— Mr. Forster, V.P., in the Chair. Read a letter from Mr. Jonathan Couch, F.L.S., giving an account of a single specimen of Wilson's Petrel (Procellaria Wilsoni) having been found dead in a field near Polperro in Cornwall, about the middle of August last, at a time when the stormy petrel (P. pe- Liuntean Society. 373 lagica) abounded on the coast, most probably driven thither by the state of the weather at that period. Mr. Couch had therefore no difficulty in instituting a comparison between it and a specimen of the common species in nearly equal condition, and the following is the result. Weight of the stormy petrel 4 drams, 35 grains; of Wilson's petrel 5 drams, 2 scruples. Length 6 inches 7 inches. Spread of wings 14^ — 16^- — Wings extended beyond the tail ... \ — 1^- — With the legs extended, the toes ) . ,. , x1 L .. . _ .. extend short of the tail ) * llue ' ****** the tai1 * in ' 2 1,n ' The stormy petrel is feathered just to the basal joint ; but in Wilson's petrel the feathers only approach within 4 lines of it. In the former the tarsus is in length 1 line short of an inch, in the latter 1 inch 4 lines, and equally slender with the former ; and the hinder toe is so minute that it might escape any but attentive ex- amination. In the bill the markings are more strongly denned, with the terminal hook longer and sharper. The prominence of the fore- head is less than in the more common species. Colour of the head black, with a hoary tint, lighter on the throat. The back, belly, wings, and tail are ferruginous, lighter on the wing coverts ; the rump white, and a little of the same at the vent. Tarsi and feet black, with a longitudinal stripe of sulphur-yellow, more of a golden at the bor- ders or the web between each toe. The stouter configuration of this species enabling better to escape the violence of a storm may be ascribed perhaps as a reason why it is not more often found on our coasts. On examining the stomach of a stormy petrel Mr. Couch found about half an inch of a common tallow candle, of a size so dispro- portionate to the bill and gullet of the bird, that it seems wonderful how it could have been able to swallow it. Read also Observations on the Cause of Ergot. By Mr. John Smith, A.L.S. The nature and origin of the substance called ergot, which occurs in the spikes of rye and many other grasses, have been involved in much obscurity; and even that eminent Fungologist Professor Fries, appears to be entirely unacquainted with its real structure, the discovery of which is clearly due to the author of the present communication, who has shown that the ergot is a morbid condition of the albumen, occasioned by the attack of a minute parasitic fungus, the sporules of which he supposes to be conveyed to the ovulum along with the 3*4 Linnaan Society. pollen. Early one morning during the last autumn Mr. Smith's attention was attracted by observing several large drops of a brown-coloured fluid suspended from a spike of a species of Elymus, in which were several full-grown ergots, and others in a younger state. The fluid was viscid and had a saccharine flavour. On sub- jecting a portion of it to the microscope, it was found to be full of innumerable minute, oblong, transparent bodies, varying from the 3000th to the 7000th of an inch, and resembling the sporules of fungi, and slightly bent, having a somewhat indistinct spot at each end. On applying a drop of water to a full-grown ergot, multitudes of these bodies became disengaged from its surface, and issued from the cracks or longitudinal fissures which generally characterize the fully developed ergot: These bodies imparted to the water a milky ap- pearance. He observed the same bodies on ergots of all ages and sizes, and on opening the unexpanded flowers of ergot-bearing spikes, they were met with in abundance on the different organs, especially on the anthers ; for on cutting an anther and applying water, they were seen to float out along with the pollen. They were also observed on the ovarium, and in little clusters on the hairs and feathery stig- mata. These bodies are found to accompany the ergot through •all its stages, and are present even before the fecundation of the ova- rium, at least before the discharge of the pollen, and consequently before there is any appearance of an ergot, they therefore cannot be the sporules, but must be the cellules of the minute fungus itself. On examining an ergot, the surface before being moistened presents under the microscope the appearance of a thin whitish-pruinose crust, which, on the application of moisture, speedily separates into myriads of the minute transparent cellules before mentioned. On viewing the ergot in the dry state under the microscope, the pruinose appearance of the crust will be found to arise from these bodies being united together longitudinally, forming slightly elevated spiculse, but crowded underneath and forming a kind of crust. These cellules so united present the appearance of slender-jointed filaments, either simple or branched, in which state they occur likewise on the anthers. Mr. Smith regards these cellules as the articulations of a minute filamentous fungus which is developed in the early stage of the flower, and propagating itself by the separation of the joints and impregnating the soil or the perfect seeds of the grass, which on germination and subsequent development carry up some of the re- productive matter of the fungus, which again developes itself in the flower, in the manner that Mr. Francis Bauer has shown to take place in the propagation of the smut and grain-worms in wheat. Linncean Society. 3/5 The Chairman announced to the Meeting that the late Nathaniel John Winch, Esq., of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, had bequeathed to the Society his entire Herbarium, consisting of upwards of 12,000 spe- cies of plants, together with his library of Natural History. November 20. — Mr. Forster, V.P., in the Chair. Read the Description of a new Genus of Plants belonging to the Natural Family Bignoniacece. By Professor Don, Libr. L.S. The subject of this paper was collected by Capt. Sir James Ed- ward Alexander, during a journey through the interior of Southern Africa to the western coast. The plant was discovered by that en- terprising traveller in the open desert, called the Kei Kaap, in Great Namaqua Land, in 25° S. latitude and 17° E. longitude. It is a thorny bush, about six feet high, with small simple, hoary, wrinkled leaves and large white flowers. There can be no doubt that the plant belongs to the Bignoniacece, although in habit it bears a stronger resemblance to Verbenacece, especially to Duranta and Gmelina. In its spathaceous calyx and regular funnel-shaped corolla the genus comes near to Spathodea, but is abundantly distinguished from it by the cells of the anthers being parallel and connate from the middle upwards. On the specimen were two expanded flowers and a bud. The calyx in all three had six teeth, and both the expanded flowers had a six-cleft limb ; one of these had seven stamens, and the other, as well as the bud, six, so that this last may be regarded as the normal number. The following are the name and characters of this new genus. Catophractes. Calyx spathaceus, hinc fissus, inde 6-dentatus. Corolla infundibuliformis : limbo 6-lobo, patenti, sequali. Stamina 6, raro 7, subaequalia, exserta. Aatherarum loculi parallel!, e medio sursum con- nati. Ovarium abbreviating, conicum, biloculare ? Frutex (namaquensis) erectus spinosus. Folia fasciculata, simplicia, Flores laterales, subsessiles, speciosi, albi. Sp. 1. C. Alexandria There was also read an account of a new species of Lepidosperma. By Dr. John Lhotsky. This species is nearly allied to the Lepidosperma elatior of Labil- lardiere, and is remarkable for the great length of its leaves, varying from 10 to 15 and even 20 feet. A specimen exhibited to the meet- ing had the leaf upwards of 13 feet long. It was discovered by Dr. Lhotsky in Tasman's Peninsula, Van Diemen's Land, growing in a dense jungle, through which its long slender leaves contrive to penetrate. It is termed " Cutting Grass," and like the other spe- 3?6 Zoological Society, cies of this Cyperaceous genus is characterized by the sharp edges of its leaves, which inflict wounds on the unwary traveller who happens to pass the plant hastily. WERNERIAN NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY. The 32nd Session of this Society commenced last week, when the following gentlemen were elected office-bearers for 1 839 : President. Robert Jameson, Esq., F.R.SS.L. and E , Professor of Natural History in the University of Edinburgh. Vice-Presiden ts. Dr. Charles Anderson, M.R.C.S. I Dr. R. K. Greville, F.R.S.E. William Copland, Esq., F.R.S.E. | John Sligo, Esq., F.R.S.E. Secretary,— Dr. Pat. Neill, F.R.S.E. Assistant-Secretary, — T. J. Torrie, Esq., F.R.S.E. Treasurer, — A. G. Ellis, Esq. Librarian, — James Wilson, Esq., F.R.S.E. Painter, — P. Syme, Esq. Assistant, — W. H. Townsend, Esq. Council, Dr. Walter Adam, F.R.C.P. j W. A. Cadell, Esq., F.R.SS.L. & E. Dr. William Macdonald, F.R.S.E. | Dr. Robert Hamilton, F.R.S.E. Dr. Martin Barry, F.R.S.E. I Dr. Robert Graham, F.R.S.E. Rob. James Hay Cunningham, Esq. | Sir William Newbigging, F.R.S.E. The seventh volume of the Society's Memoirs has just been pub- lished by Messrs. Black, containing the Essays by Mr. R. J. H. Cun- ningham and Dr. Parnell, for which honorary premiums were lately awarded ; the former on the geology of the Lothians, illustrated by thirty-five coloured sections and a geological map, and the latter on the Ichthyology of the Forth District, illustrated by sixty-seven en- graved figures. ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY. April 10, 1838.— Rev. John Barlow in the Chair. The first communication laid before the meeting was a description by Mr. Owen of the organs of deglutition in the Giraffe, being a supplementary note to his former memoir on the anatomy of that animal*. Mr. Owen observes that since the Giraffes have been at the Gar- dens, they have not been known to utter vocal sounds, except once, at the time of coition, when the male uttered a cry like that of the Deer ; and the incapacity of the species in this respect would seem to be indicated by the structure of the glottis, the rima of which * [The abstract of the former memoir will be found at p. 227. — Edit.] Zoological Society. *77 is permanently open for the space of a line, so that the chords cannot be brought into mutual apposition. The modifications of the organs of deglutition accompanying this open condition of the fissure leading into the windpipe are very re- markable, and unlike any of the few deviations from the ordinary structures of the fauces and glottis hitherto noticed by anatomists in other animals (as in the Elephant, Camels, Cetacea and certain Rodentia, &c). On looking down the mouth into the fauces the cavity appears to be as completely closed as in the Capibara ; but instead of narrowing in an infundibular form to a small circular depression, it is termi- nated by a transverse slit through which projects a soft, rounded, valvular ridge, formed by the broad superior margin of the epiglottis, which is folded down upon itself at that part. The surface of the fauces is broken by large risings and depressions, or is coarsely corrugated. At the posterior part of the soft palate there is an oval glandular body about one inch in long diameter. The tonsils are well-developed glands communicating with the fauces by a single wide opening, or fossa, and thus exhibiting a higher type of structure than they present in the human subject, where the mucous follicles terminate by several separate apertures. They are two inches in length and one in breadth. Mr. Owen then proceeded to read the first part of a paper on the Anatomy of the Apteryx ; the body of that bird having recently been presented to the Society's Museum by the Earl of Derby. The results of the anatomical examination, communicated to the Meeting on this occasion, embrace a detailed description of the parts con- nected with the digestive apparatus. Commencing with the beak, Mr. Owen notices the general super- ficial resemblance which it bears to that of the Curlew and Ibis, though it differs essentially from this organ in the slender-billed waders, by having the perforations of the nostrils near the apex, and the base covered with a cere. The cere terminates anteriorly in a concave or lunated curve, resembling that of the Rhea. Two narrow grooves extend from the angles or cresses of the cere along each side of the mandible, the upper groove being continued to the truncated extremity of the mandible, the lower one leading into the external nostril, which forms, as it were, the dilated termination of the groove, and this occupies a position of which there is no other known example throughout the class of birds. The cere was about an inch in length, furnished at its sides with Ann, Nat. Hist. Vol. 2. No. 11. Jan. 1839. 2 c 3 7 8 Zoological Society. short stiff plumes and hairs, while at its base a number of long black bristles are given off, the presence of which, in conjunction with the extension of sensitive skin upon the beak, is considered by Mr. Owen to indicate the importance of the sense of touch to the Apte- ryx, and to correspond with the account given of its nocturnal habits. The general form of the beak is adapted for insertion into crevices and holes, in search of insects, which were found to consti- tute in part the contents of the gizzard. The tongue, as in all the struthious birds, was short and simple, yet presented nevertheless a greater relative development. It was of a compressed, narrow, elongated, triangular form, with the apex truncate and slightly notched ; the lateral and posterior margins entire ; 8 lines in length, 4 lines broad at the base, 1 line across the apex. The oesophagus at its upper extremity was half an inch in diameter, but rapidly diminished to a breadth of three lines, of which size it continued to the commencement of the proventriculus ; its position was to the right of the cervical vertebrce, and a little behind and to the right of the trachea, to which latter it was closely connected. The stomach was small, measuring less than two inches both in its longitudinal and transverse diameters : in shape it had more the character of a membranous stomach than of a gizzard, being of a regular oval-rounded form. The muscular fibres were not ar- ranged in the definite masses called digastrici and laterales, but radiated from two tendinous centres of about two-thirds of an inch in the longest diameter. Upon the inner surface of the gizzard were two protuberances, one at the lower and one at the upper end of the posterior part. The situation of the latter was such with respect to the cardiac and pyloric openings, that Mr. Owen conceives it would tend to close these openings during the forcible contraction of the fibres at the upper part of the gizzard, and thus probably in some measure regulate the passage of food into this cavity, by re- taining a portion in the proventriculus, until the gizzard should have become emptied of its previous contents. A narrow pyloric passage of about three lines in length extended from the upper extremity of the gizzard into the duodenum ; there was no sphincter present, and no pyloric pouch, as in the Ostrich, but the cuticle was continued into the duodenum about three lines beyond the pylorus. The stomach was entirely concealed by a large omental adipose process, continued from that of the peritoneum, and upon the longi- tudinal division of which so much of the stomach was expose.! as Zoological Society, 379 projected between the lobes of the liver ; its position was towards the left side of the abdomen. The small intestines had a general diameter of three lines, their size slightly diminishing on approaching the rectum. The cteca at their commencement rather exceeded in diameter that of the ilium, their capacity slightly increasing to near their blind extremities, where, having attained the diameter of about five lines, they sud- denly taper to an obtuse point. The anterior half of the rectum was contracted and the lining membrane thrown into longitudinal folds, but these gradually subsided in the second or dilated portion. The rectum communicated with the urinary dilatation by a small semilunar aperture, from which several short ruga radiated. This compartment of the cloaca was not expanded into a large receptacle as in the Ostrich, but offered the same proportional size as in the Emeu, measuring about two-thirds of an inch in length and the same in diameter. The external compartment of the cloaca con- tained a large single penis retracted spirally, and one inch and a half in length when extended. It was traversed by an urethral groove, the sides of which were not beset with papilla as in the Gander, but simply wrinkled transversely. At the back part of the cloaca there was a small bursa half an inch in length, and communicating by a wide longitudinal aperture with the external compartment. The gizzard contained a greenish yellow pulpy substance, and numerous filamentary bodies, amongst which a few slender legs of insects and portions of the down of the Apteryx were the only re- cognizable organized parts ; it also contained a few pebbles. The liver consisted of two large lobes, connected by a narrow isthmus, the right being the larger and of a subtriangular figure ; the left was more quadrangular in shape. With respect to the physiological relations of the apparatus, Mr. Owen remarks that the whole is harmoniously co-adapted to the instruments of prehension which characterize the Apteryx. A beak framed to seize and transmit to the gullet small objects, is succeeded by a simple and narrow muscular canal. The food being of an animal nature, and taken in small and successive quan- tities, is digested as fast as it is obtained, and therefore the oesophagus is not required to be modified to serve as a reservoir, either by its extreme width, or a partial dilatation. The proventriculus, in the comparative simplicity of its glands, and the gizzard, in its small size and medium strength, more forcibly bespeak structures adapted for the bruising and chymification of animal substances, presenting, as do worms and the softer orders of insects, a moderate resistance. 2 c 2 380 Zoological Society. The length of the intestines, whieh somewhat exceeds that of the slender-billed insectivorous waders, and the size of the caca, are con- sidered by Mr. Owen to indicate an intention, that this bird, which is so remarkably restricted in its locomotive powers, should have every needful or practicable advantage in extracting from its low- organized animal diet, all the nutriment that it can yield. April 24th.— R. C. Griffith, Esq., in the Chair. Some notes by Mr. Martin were read, On the visceral anatomy of the Spotted Cavy, Coelogenus subniger, taken from the examina- tion of a male specimen which had died suddenly in the Menagerie of the Society. The length of the head and body along the spine measured about 1 foot 10 inches. On opening the abdomen, the large folds of the ccecum presented themselves, occupying the whole of the umbilical and epigastric re- gions, while to the left appeared the coils of small intestine ; and a portion of the stomach was seen to emerge from below the edge of the left portion of the liver. The omentum was of very small extent, destitute of fat, and crumpled up beneath the stomach. The duodenum commenced in the form of a large pear-shaped sac, which measured in length 2J inches, when the intestine as- sumed its ordinary size, namely about half an inch in diameter. The dimension of the sac at its largest part was four inches in circum- ference. This pyriform commencement of the duodenum obtains in many Rodents, and also in some Insectivora ; among the former may be noticed the Coypus, Capromys, and Ancema : in the insectivorous animal lately described (Zool. Proc. 1838, p. 17.) under the name of Echinops Telfairi, the same structure also is remarkable. The course of the duodenum was as follows : leaving the pylorus and loosely attached by mesentery, it described an arch over the right kidney, whence it passed over the spine to the left kidney ; it then turned back to the spine, and there making several abrupt con- volutions merged into the jejunum. In the sacculated part two areolae of glandular follicles were apparent through the parietes. As in the Agouti, (Zool. Proc. 1834, p. 82.) the stomach had a con- striction between its cardiac and pyloric portion; in which point (as does the Agouti,) it differs from the Acouchi, the dissection of which will be found in the Proc. of Com. of Sci. &c, 1831, p. 75. The length of the stomach undistended, or but slightly so, was 6 inches; the cardiac portions swelled out to the extent of nearly 2 inches beyond the entrance of the oesophagus, and its pyloric ex- tremity swelled out into a process on each side, as in the Agouti. A muscular band, commencing at the entrance of the oesophagus, Miscellaneous. 381 passed longitudinally along the stomach, contracting the greater curve into sacculi, especially at the constricted portion. The length of the oesophagus within the abdomen was one inch and a quarter. The length of the small intestines was very great, the measure- ment being 21 feet 8 inches. The ccecum was large, irregularly, multitudinously , but not deeply sacculated ; in form it was gently conical, terminating in a subacute apex ; its length 2 feet 4 inches, its basal circumference about 7 inches. When blown up it formed a spiral turn and a half. The large intestines at their commencement were about 7 inches in circum- ference, the decrease being gradual. The lining membrane of the colon formed a series of regular longitudinal striae, gradually disap- pearing as the intestine narrowed, until at length they finally disap- peared. The colon in its course followed the circular sweep of the ceecum to which it was attached by a riband of mesentery 1^ inch in breadth. At about two feet from its origin the colon merges into aflat layer of circular folds, the intestine making four distinct gyrations ; from . this part to the anus the intestine measured 9 feet 3 inches. The circular fold above noticed is analogous to the long loose fold observed in the same parts of the intestine in other Rodentia, as the Coypus, and Capromys, and which is noticed in the respective accounts of the dissection of those animals in the Zoological Pro- ceedings. The lungs consisted of three right and two left lobes. The heart was round, and firm in texture, the left ventricle being very stout ; the apex exhibited a slight tendency to a bifid figure. The aorta at its arch sent off first an arteria innominata, which divided into a right subclavian, and a right and a left carotid ; then secondly, at a quarter of an inch further, a left subclavian, in an undivided condition. The generative organs agreed closely with those of the Acouchi. The tongue was 3 \ inches long, fleshy, rounded at the tip ; the upper surface villose, with fine close hairy papilla ; at its base were numerous, large, mucous follicles. MISCELLANEOUS. LARUS JACKSONII, JACKSON's GULL. Mr. Couch, in his lately published * Fauna of Cornwall,' has intro- duced a species of Larus under the above name as new to science. 382 Miscellaneous. He considers it as hitherto confounded with the herring gull, and in the plumage it agrees in every respect, except that it seems to be more glossy. They differ however materially in size, the new bird being about a pound heavier, about four inches longer, and in the expanse of the wings exceeding the herring gull by nine inches. In L. Jacksonii the bill is far stouter in proportion and much paler ; the legs of a livid flesh colour, and the membrane of the finest silky texture to feeling and sight. They seem equally common with the herring gull. In a genus so nearly allied as the gulls, this bird may have been overlooked, and we would suggest that Mr. Couch should send specimens to Mr. Selby and Mr. Yarrell for examination and comparison. — Couch, Fauna of Cornwall, p. 28. CYCLOPTERUS CORONATUS, CORONATED LUMP FISH, COUCH. Of this species, new to the British Fauna if not to science, I have examined only one specimen ; the small size of which causes me to suppose that it has hitherto been overlooked from its likeness to the young of the common lump fish. The specimen was about eight lines in length, of the same general proportions. About the centre of gravity, near the summit of the back, is a wide and moderately long fin, the extremity declining ; the second dorsal separated from the first by an interval, and placed opposite the anal. Colour, a dark green on the back, lighter on the sides, whitish below, a silvery line across the head, uniting the posterior portion of the eyes, and from this on each side a line running forward, approximating and then receding at right angles, thus resembling the Greek £1, but with a square instead of a circular summit. The specific name is from this mark. The differences between this and the common lump fish are, the entire want of tubercules, which in the latter give a grotesque appearance to the back, the want of the flat space between the termination of the ridge and the (only) dorsal fin ; and more especially in the moderately elongated first dorsal fin, which bears no resemblance to the vestige of fin described as possessed by the painted lump fish. — Couch, Fauna of Cornwall, p. 48. FRENCH EXPEDITION OF DISCOVERY TO THE SOUTH POLAR SEAS. This expedition, undertaken by the French Government, under the command of M. D'Urville, has completely failed. The vessels, Astrolabe and Zelee, were not able to penetrate beyond the 64° south, being fully 10° short of the parallel reached by Weddel. They were stopped by a compact barrier of ice, and found the whole sea in the latitude we have mentioned completely frozen. Meteorological Observations. 383 VIOLA LACTEA. A very excellent botanist and one of our most " zealous" pupils, John Nicholson, Esq., of Lincoln, has found a very remarkable state of Viola lactea, Linn., 'E. Bot.' t. 445, in the neighbourhood of that city (at Boultham Lane, on both sides of the road), in habit so un- like the figure just quoted that it might at first sight be taken for a distinct species. Except at the base the stems are quite erect, and many of the specimens from a foot to eighteen inches tall, with the leaves and peduncles very remote from each other, and many of the flowers apetalous. Reichenbach's V. lactea, * Iconogr. Bot.' t. 99» however, admirably represents this variety, only that the latter is much smaller, not above a span high. Its flowers are very pale blue, al- most milk-coloured, otherwise it is hardly to be distinguished from some states of Viola montana, L. — Sir W. J. Hooker. METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS FOR NOVEMBER 1838. Chiswick. — Nov.]. Overcast: rain : clear at night. 2,3. Fine. 4. Rain. 5. Fine. 6. Very fine. 7. Rain ; fine : windy at night. 8. Clear and fine : rain. 9. Heavy rain. 10. Clear and fine. 11. Dense fog. 12. Clear and cold. 13. Frosty: fine. 14. Frosty and foggy. 15, 16. Foggy. 17. Foggy: fine. 18, 19. Rain. 20. Cold haze. 21—23. Foggy. 24. Bleak and cold. 25, 26. Fiosty. 27. Overcast. 28. Heavy rain : hurricane at night. 29. Boisterous with heavy rain : much thunder and lightning at night. 30. Rain, fine. Boston. — Nov. I. Fine: rain early a.m. 2, 3. Fine: rain p.m. 4. Cloudy: rain p.m. 5. Cloudy. 6. Fine. 7. Cloudy : rain early a.m. 8. Fine. 9, 10. Cloudy. 11. Foggy. 12, 13. Fine. 14. Foggy. 15. Cloudy. 16, 17. Foggy. 18. Cloudy: rain a.m. and p.m. 19. Stormy. 20,21. Cloudy. 22. Cloudy: rain early a.m. 23,24. Cloudy. 25,26. Fine. 27. Stormy. 28. Cloudy: stormy with rain p.m. 29. Stormy : rain early a.m. 30. Stormy. Applegarth Manse, Dumfriesshire. — Nov. 1. Heavy showers : hail. 2. Fair but cloudy. 3. Frequent showers. 4. Fair and cloudy- 5. 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X. Vystropeta/j?7i Thomh ' . â–  fnn I ;,/.J/l s /. Vo/. //. PI, XX. \fystropt talon I h/{ niaimi. ANNALS OF NATURAL HISTORY. XLIV. — On two Species of a new South African Genus of the Natural Order Rhizanthe^e of Blume. By the Honourable W. H. Harvey. Communicated by Sir W. J. Hooker, Reg. Prof. Bot. Glasgow, F.R.S., L.S. With Plates XIX. and XX.* HAVING lately received from my valued friend Mr. Harvey the drawings here represented, and the following descriptions of two extremely interesting plants of Blume's Rhizanthece, I cannot do better than lay them before the public in the state in which I have received them, without venturing to offer any remarks of my own respecting vegetable produc- tions, whose structure, to be rightly understood, must be ex- amined in a recent state, and such an opportunity is of rare occurrence with any naturalist. Mr. Harvey indeed has not had it in his power to compare his plants with the figures and descriptions of allied genera of Richard or of Endlicher in his valuable ' Meletemata Botanica/ and hence he was led to think it possible that they might be referred to Scybalium of the latter author ; but the characters are extremely different in the two, and I have little hesitation in adopting the name suggested by Mr. Harvey, from the spoon-shaped form of the segments of the perianth, Mystropetalon. It seems to belong to the group of Balanophorece. Probably the Phelypcea san- guinea of Thunberg, which Jussieu refers to Cytinus, and of which Persoon makes the genus Hypolepis, may be one of these ; but that plant is so ill denned by its discoverer, (who appears to be the only person to whom it is known,) that we cannot possibly come to any satisfactory conclusion ; yet " si auctori aliqua fides Jiabenda," as Endlicher remarks, it must be something very different ; his being a " dioecious plant, with a 6-lobed perianth, a short style and capitate stigma." * [These Plates will be found in the Supplement published with the pre- sent Number. — Edit.] Ann. Nat. Hist, Vol.2. No. 12. Feb. 1839. 2 d * 386 W. H. Harvey on two New Species of Rhizan these. Mystropetalon, Harv. MS. Gen. Char. — Flowers monoecious, in dense spikes, the males forming the upper, the females the lower half of the spike. Bractece 3 under each flower, one {anterior) generally- free, 2 {lateral) more or less combined. Male : Perianth tripartite, the segments spathulate, un- guiculate, the two posterior combined. Stamens two, oppo- site to, and inserted on the posterior segments of the perianth, conniving, but not combined; anthers versatile, 2-celled, opening longitudinally; pollen cubical, with fluted angles ! — A very minute abortive ovary. Female : Perianth sub-globose or tubular, tridentate, su- perior, deciduous. Torus ? fleshy, cup-like, expanded round the base of the ovary, but attached to it only by a central point, finally deciduous with the ovary, to which it remains attached ! Ovary ellipsoidal, attenuated at the base, containing a fleshy mass (without distinction of ovules? !). Fruit inde- hiscent, ellipsoidal, with a very thin juicy pericarp, and crus- taceous endocarp, containing an indefinite number of minute sporules, into which the whole of the fleshy mass of the ovary appears to be dissolved. Specific characters. 1. Mystropetalon Thomii, Harv. MS. — Anterior bractece broadly ob- long, (in anthesis,) one-third longer than the lateral. Limbs of the segments of the male perianth lanceolate; female perianth sub-globose, obtusely tridentate (PI. XIX.). Hab. " About Caledon Baths." Rev. Dr. Thorn, who pointed it out to Mr. Bowie in 1818. Same locality, Ecklon, 1831. Mr. Pole- mann, 1837. Stem thick and fleshy, closely covered with linear, obtuse, smooth scales, the uppermost often bearded at or about the apex, the lowermost sometimes elongated, and sometimes all are so. Spike very dense, 3 — 4 inches long, obtuse. Males : Anterior bractea oblong, of nearly equal breadth throughout, obtuse, bearded at the apex and along the promi- nent keel, ciliated at the margins ; the beard and cilia long, orange. Lateral bracteae combined at base, sometimes nearly free, oblong, obtuse, membranous, sometimes ciliate along the W. H. Harvey on two New Species of Rhizantheae. 387 keel, more than half as long (generally f rds) as the anterior, dark purplish-red at the apex, pale below ; the anterior red with yellow margins. Perianth, segments united at base into a cup, the anterior nearly as long as the posterior, limb lanceo- late obtuse, somewhat concave, dark brown-red ; claws yel- low, flat or slightly channeled. Filaments subulate, robust ; anthers distinct ; pollen cubical, with fluted angles. Females : Anterior bractea as in the male ; lateral (in anthesis) rather longer than it, boat-shaped, acute, with a sharp ciliate keel, distinct; in fruit very much enlarged, and much longer than the anterior, yellow with red tips. Limb of the perianth subglobose or ellipsoidal, obtusely trifid or tri- crenate, red. Style much exserted, filiform. Ovary oval-ob- long, seated in a white, fleshy, cup-like torus, to whose centre it is attached by the attenuated base, dark red, minutely hispi- dulous, containing a fleshy mass, in the centre of which is a white body, of whose nature I cannot satisfy myself. In some ovaries it is very obscure. Ripe fruit deciduous, with the torus (which surrounds its base very much like the arillus of a seed) resembling the ovary, and but little enlarged, dark vinous red, slightly fleshy, with a thin but hard crustaceous endocarp. Contents, myriads of minute, white, cellular bodies, into which the fleshy mass of the ovary is dissolved. M. Thomii. A. flowering plant. B. plant in fruit, nat. size. Fig. 1. female flower (anthesis); 1*. ditto, in fruit; 2. ditto, back view ; 3. ditto, with the bractese removed ; 4. female perianth, which varies in form; 5. male bractese; 6. ditto, separated; 7. ditto, hack view; 8. male flower; 9. male perianth; 10. ditto, dissected. 2. Mystropetalon Polemanni, Harv. MS. Anterior bractea spathu- late, with a narrow claw; limbs of the segments of the male pe- rianth elliptical, very concave ; female perianth tubular, trifid (PI. XX.). Hab. At Hoouw Hoch Pass, Mrs. Denys, who communicated the only specimen yet seen to Mr. Polemann, from whom I received it. M. Polemanni, fig. 1. female flower (anthesis), front view; 2. ditto, back view; 3. ditto, the anterior bractea removed, and the lateral pulled open; 4. 5. different views of the perianth; 6. base of the ovary, showing its insertion into the torus ? 7. ovary and torus ? cut through ; 8. front view of the male bracteae ; 9. back view of ditto ; 2 d 2 388 Mr. E. Newman on the Genus Passandra, 10. and 11. male flower, different views, one more advanced than the other; 12. segments of the male flower separated ; 13. anther ; 14. pollen. [M. Polemanni agrees with M. Thomii in most particulars, except such as are noted in the figures. The colour of its flowers is however very much brighter ; that of the beards of its bracteae a bright orange, the perianth carmine. — W.H.H.] XLV. — On the Synonymy of Passandra, with Descriptions of all the old and of a few new Species, By Edward Newman, F.L.S. Class COLEOPTERA. Natural Order CUCUJITES. (Economy. — On this subject little appears to be known : from their depressed shape and their close resemblance to the true Cucuji, the Passandrce are supposed to be wood-feeding insects. Geographical Distribution. — Gambia, Cape of Good Hope, Sumatra, Java, Carolina, Cuba, Brazil. Authorities and Genera. — The genus Passandra was esta- blished by Dalman in the appendix to Schonherr's ' Synony- mia Insectorum/ in the year 1817. The only species referred to the genus was P. sexstriata, an insect nearly as large as Passalus cornutus, and inhabiting Sierra Leone and some other parts of Africa. A second species was described by Mr. G. R. Gray in the English translation of Cuvier^s c Regne Ani- mal/ A third species I described in the ' Entomological Magazine/ Closely allied to Passandra of Dalman is a genus of my own characterized in the c Entomological Magazine' under the name Hectarthrum, of which one species, H. curtipes, from Western Africa, is described. Very nearly related to Passandra and Hectarthrum is a third genus, characterized by Mr. Westwood in the ' Zoolo- gical Journal' under the name of Catogenus, and by Perty in his account of the Annulosa of Brazil, collected by Spix and Martius, under the name of Isonotus. Mr. Westwood refers to the Cucujus rufus as his type, and M. Perty describes a with Descriptions of some New Species. 389 new species. To this genus belongs the Anisocerus of Hope*. The name Catogenus has the claim to priority. Fabricius in the genus Cucujus describes four insects re- ferrible to one or other of the above genera ; but unfortunately, little anticipating the capture of several kindred species, he has not described them with sufficient accuracy to establish their identity without a comparison of specimens. Did not these subdivisions exist I should scarcely be in- clined to propose them ; however, I think it better not to undo hastily what has been done with care. I shall not hesi- tate to employ them. Genus Passandra, Dalman. Linear, depressed, and in habit somewhat resembling Pas- salus ; head porrected, of nearly the same breadth as the pro- thorax, and having a deep transverse posterior furrow ; eyes small, lateral, roundish, and but little prominent. The an- tennas are 11 -jointed, rather more than half the length of the body, and inserted near the base of the mandibles ; the 1st oint is stout and obovate, the second short and almost sphe- rical, the remainder are nearly equal, obconic, rather com- pressed, and each produced at its apex interiorly ; the last joint is larger than the rest, more compressed and obliquely truncate. The head is impressed posteriorly by a very deep transverse furrow. The tarsi are 5-jointed, but the basal joint is very short and nearly obsolete f. Sp. 1. Pass, sexstriata. (Corp. long. 1*4 unc. lat. *4 unc.) ,, Dalman, Schonherr's Syn. Ins. Appen- dix, p. 146. Head, prothorax, femora, and entire underside obscure red, the other parts black and shining. The head has a deep trans- verse furrow parallel to the anterior margin of the prothorax ; at each posterior angle of the head this is joined by a longitu- * But not Isoceras of Illiger as quoted by Mr. Westwood in the ' Zoolo- gical Journal,' and by the Count Dejean in his ' Catalogue des Coleopteres,' Isocerus being merely a synonym of Parandra. f The instrumenta cibaria of each genus have been carefully and elabo- rately described by the author who has proposed it. I do not repeat them, finding the three descriptions nearly identical, having nothing additional to offer, and considering moreover that they are by no means essential to the object of this paper. 390 Mr. E. Newman on the Genus Passandra, dinal marginal furrow which originates near the base of the antenna and passes above the eye ; anteriorly the head has three deep impressions, of which the middle one occupies the clypeus, and the lateral ones are nearly approximate to it, but rather further back towards the crown of the head. The prothorax has a posterior and marginal lateral ridge which is produced on each side the head ; dorsally, rather behind the middle, it had two obscure impressions. Each elytron has three longitudinal furrows ; the 1st is deep, near the suture, origin- ating by the side of the scutellum and extending to the apex ; the second also deep, originating dorsally near the shoulder, but ceasing considerably before the apex ; the third is vague and shallow, originating laterally considerably below the shoulder, passing round the termination of the second and ceasing near the apex. Inhabits Sierra Leone. A single specimen obligingly lent me for description is in the cabinet of the Rev. F. W. Hope. A very lengthened, minute and accurate description of this insect by Dalman will be found in the Appendix to Schonherr's Synonymia Insec- torum, p. 146. Sp. 2. Pass. Columbus. (Corp. long. 1*2 unc. ; lat '325 unc.) „ „ Newman, ' Entomological Magazine,' vol. v. p. 398. Pitchy black, shining, with an obscure longitudinal stripe of red on each elytron. The head has a deep transverse furrow nearly parallel to the anterior margin of the prothorax ; at each posterior angle of the head this is joined by a longitudinal mar- ginal furrow, which originates near the mandibles, curves out- wards to the base of the antenna, and passes ab6ve the eye ; anteriorly the head has one deep impression occupying the clypeus, and on each side of this a vague and diffuse linear impression extends from each mandible to the great transverse furrow. The prothorax has a posterior and lateral marginal ridge which is acutely produced on each side of the head ; dorsally it has two abbreviated furrows, originating almost close to the anterior margin and ceasing at about two thirds of the entire length of the prothorax ; these furrows are very distant and considerably nearer the lateral margins than the with Descriptions of some New Species. 391 centre of the prothorax!. Each elytron has two deep longitu- dinal furrow s, the first originating by the side of the scutellum and extending to the apex ; the second originating dorsally near the shoulder and terminating considerably before the apex ; exterior to this furrow are several ill- denned and in- constant linear impressions. Inhabits Brazil. A single specimen (from which the description is taken) is in the cabinet of the Entomological Club ; a second is in that of the Rev. F. W. Hope, and three others in that of Mr. Children. Sp. 3. Pass.fasciata. (Corp. long. '65 unc. lat. *2 unc.) ,, ,, G. R. Gray, Translation of the Regne Animal of Cuvier by Griffith and others, Insecta, vol. ii. p. 93. Parandra „ G. R. Gray, loc. cit. tab. lx. fig. 2. and tab. lxxv. fig. 1. anatomical detail. Deep red; extremely glabrous; antennae pitchy black ; elytra red, with a sutural and marginal black longitudinal stripe on each; tibiae black. In sculptural markings those given with the preceding species will nearly describe the present ; the impression on the clypeus is less deep ; the prothorax is more attenuated posteriorly, and the posterior angles are more pro- minently and acutely produced ; exterior to the second furrow of each elytron is a very distinct longitudinal linear impression abbreviated at each end. Inhabits the Island of Cuba. A single specimen is in the cabinet of the Rev. F. W. Hope, and two in that of Mr. Children. Genus Hectarthrum, Newman. In habit resembling Passandra, but having the antennae considerably shorter, moniliform, and more or less incrassated in the middle ; the joints separately are shorter and more ro- bust, often nearly circular, and the terminal joint is rarely larger, and in some species smaller than the rest ; it is com- pressed and truncate. In one sex the antennae are obviously incrassated in the middle, the sixth joint being the largest. The head has a deep transverse furrow, and two equally deep frontal longitudinal fuirows, which unite with the transverse one. The tarsi are 5-jointed, the basal joint being shorter than the rest. 392 Mr. E. Newman on the Genus Passandiu, Sp. 1. Hect. curtipes. (Corp. long. "65 unc. ; lat. '325 unc.) ,, ,, Newman, 'EntomologicalMagazine,' vol. v. p. 398. Black shining, the abdomen, coxae, femora, and a large oval spot near the apex of each elytron red. The head has a deep but diffuse transverse furrow posteriorly ; at each posterior angle of the head this is joined by a shallow but clearly de- fined sinuous longitudinal marginal furrow, which originates at the base of the mandible and passes by the antennae and above the eye ; the clypeus has on each side an elongate tubercular elevation ; again on each side beyond this is a vague longitu- dinal impression, which posteriorly assumes the character of a deep furrow, and these two unite with the great transverse furrow. The prothorax has an extremely slender posterior and lateral marginal ridge, also two impressed longitudinal dorsal furrows ; these originate in the anterior margin, and proceed in a direct line one to each posterior angle. Each ely- tron has two deep longitudinal furrows ; the first originates by the side of the scutellum and extends to the apex ; the second originates dorsally, near the shoulder, and ceases con- siderably before the apex. Inhabits Senegal. The specimen from which the description is taken I believe to be unique, in the cabinet of the Entomological Club. Sp. 2. Hect. gigas. Cucujus gigas, Fabricius, ' Syst. Eleu./ vol. ii. p. 92. " Body very large for the genus Cucujus, depressed, smooth, black and shining. The margin of the prothorax unarmed. Elytra glabrous, black, with two distant impressed furrows ; and between these, towards the apex, a large red spot.' 5 — Fab. " Inhabits Guinea. In the Museum of M. Sehestedt." — Fab. It is very evident that this resembles the previously described species, but the anomalous antennae and the furrows of the prothorax could scarcely have escaped the careful eye of Fabricius. Sp. 3. Hect. brevifossunr. Atra, glaberrima, abdumine pedi- busque piceis : prothoracis stria duce laterales, singuli elytri tres, fossulaque brevissima antica inter primam et secundam. (Corp. long. '7 unc. ; lat. '2 unc.) Brilliantly shining black, the abdomen and legs inclining with Descriptions of some new Species. 393 to pitchy red. The head has an extremely deep transverse furrow, parallel to the anterior margin of the prothorax ; at each extremity this is joined by a slight longitudinal marginal furrow, which passes above the antenna and eye ; the clypeus has an oval impression, and behind it on each side is a very deep longitudinal furrow; these last unite with the great transverse furrow. The prothorax has a posterior and lateral slender marginal ridge ; anteriorly this is angular, but not produced by the side of the head ; posteriorly it is incrassated in the middle, and as it were turned back over the disk of the prothorax ; on each side it has dorsally an obvious but not deep furrow, originating near the anterior margin, and termi- nating in the posterior angle. Each elytron has four furrows : the first originates by the side of the scutellum and terminates in the apical angle ; the second is very short, scarcely a sixth of the entire length of the elytron, and situated near the an- terior extremity of the third, which originates dorsally near the shoulder, and ceases considerably before reaching the api- cal angle ; the fourth is equidistant from the third and the marginal ridge of the elytron ; it is less deep than the others ; it originates laterally, considerably below the shoulder, and surpasses the third, but still does not reach the apical angle. Inhabits the island of Java. One example, from which the above description is taken, is in the cabinet of the Rev. F. W. Hope. A second is in the British Museum, but its habitat is unknown. A third, of much larger size than either of the foregoing, is in the cabinet of Mr. Children, and this last has the antennae very much incrassated in the middle. Sp. 4. Hect. trigeminum. Atra nitida, femoribus piceis i pro- thoracis stria duce laterales, singuli elytri tres, quarum interna longior, intermedia brevior, externa mediocris . (Long. corp. *75 unc. ; lat. '2 unc.) The colour is black and very shining ; there is no trace of any other hue except in the femora, which incline to pitchy black. The head has a deep transverse furrow near its pos- terior margin ; at each posterior angle of the head this is joined by a longitudinal marginal furrow, which originates near the base of the antenna, and passes above the eye ; the cly- peus has a diffuse oval impression, and on each side of this 394 Mr. E. Newman on the Genus Passandra commences a deep longitudinal furrow; these two unite with the great transverse furrow. The prothorax has a pos- terior and lateral marginal ridge ; this, in the centre of the posterior margin, is incrassated, and as it were folded back on the disk : from each posterior angle of the prothorax arises a small keel-like ridge ; this meets a longitudinal discoidal fur- row, which, after nearly touching the anterior margin, turns inwards along the margin, and nearly unites with the corre- sponding furrow of the opposite side. Each elytron has three furrows ; the first originates by the side of the scutellum and extends to the apical angle ; the second dorsal, but distant from the first ; it originates considerably below the basal mar- gin and ceases as much before the apex ; the third is near the second and extends beyond it at both ends. There are two examples of this insect in the British Museum ; from the largest of these, whose dimensions are given above, the de- scription is taken ; the second specimen agrees in every particular except that it is scarcely half the size. There is no record preserved of the habitat or donor. Sp. 5. Hect. her os. Cucujus heros, Fabricius. ' Syst. Eleu.,' vol. ii. p. 92. " In habit and size this species resembles Cucujus gigas. The antennae are short, stout, moniliform, and in one sex with the joints prominent beneath, serrated. The head has stout porrected mandibles and a bisulcated forehead ; the prothorax is flat, black, and has a furrow on each side. The elytra are black, immaculate, and unequally striated. The body is black, the femora red." — Fab. loc. cit. " Inhabits the island of Sumatra : in the museum of Mr. Lund." — Fab. This cannot, as I imagine, be identical with the preceding ; the three obvious furrows on each elytron in H. trigeminum could scarcely be described as " elytra inaequaliter striata." The femora moreover are not red. Sp. 6. Hect. bistriatum. (Corp. long. '54 unc. lat. "14 unc.) Passandra „ Castelnau, â–  Hist. Nat. des Animaux ar- ticules,' Ins. vol. ii. p. 384. Black and very shining, the abdomen and legs inclining to pitchy red. The form of this insect is linear and more cy- lindrical, the antennae are moniliform and stout. The sculp- with Descriptions of some New Species. 395 ture of the head is precisely as in H. trigeminum above de- scribed, except that the impression on the clypeus is inter- rupted posteriorly by the anterior extremity of a raised gla- brous elevation, which occurs between the two deep longitu- dinal furrows. The prothorax is precisely as in that species. Each elytron has two furrows; the first originates by the side of the scutellum and terminates in the apical angle ; the second originates dorsally near the shoulder and ceases considerably before the apical angle ; at the base of the elytra, equidistant from these striae, is a deep puncture. Inhabits the island of Java. I am indebted to the Rev. F. W. Hope and Mr. Shuckard, who possess the only examples I have seen, for the opportunity of describing this species. Sp. 7. Hect. gemelliparum. Nigra, nitida, abdomine pedibusque piceis : prothoracis stria quatuor, duos distantes laterales indi- stincta postice abbreviate, dua approximates discoidales profunda brevissima, postica ; singuli elytri striae quatuor pariter dispo- sita. (Corp. long. *6 unc. lat. *16 unc.) Black and shining, the abdomen and legs inclining to pitchy red. The form linear and subcylindrical, the antennae moni- liform, the sculpture of the head as in H. trigeminum. The prothorax has a posterior and lateral marginal ridge, the pos- terior part incrassated, reflexed, and notched in the middle ; on each side it has dorsally an obvious but not deep furrow, which reaches neither the anterior nor posterior margin : near the posterior margin, but not adjoining it, rise two deep ab- breviated furrows ; at the base they are nearly approximate, but diverge anteriorly and cease abruptly at the centre of the disk of the prothorax. Each elytron has four striae in pairs ; the first of these extends from the side of the scutellum to the apical angle ; the second, approximate to the first, is consider- ably abbreviated at both extremities ; the third distant from the second and equally abbreviated at both extremities ; the fourth approximates to the third, which it surpasses at both extremities, but reaches neither the base nor apex of the elytron. Inhabits Senegal. A single specimen above described is in the cabinet of the Rev. F. W. Hope ; a second in that of Mr. Westwood, both obligingly lent me for description. 396 Mr. E. Newman on the Genus Passandra, Sp. 8. Hect. semifuscum. Caput et prothorax f us ca, catera obscure ferruginea; linece prothoracis dualaterales, antice obsolete, discus complanatuf, punctatus ; singuli elytri stria quatuor pariter dis- positce. (Corp. long. *4 unc. lat. *08 unc.) Head and prothorax dark brown, elytra, abdomen and legs ferruginous. The head is rugose ; there is a very obvious impression on or rather behind the clypeus ; the transverse and longitudinal furrows of the head are deep and very di- stinct; the antennae are somewhat more slender, and the joints more elongate than in the others of this genus; the terminal joint is also much larger. The prothorax has a posterior and lateral marginal ridge, the posterior portion being incrassated, reflexed, and notched in the middle ; on each side a line arises from the posterior angle, and proceeding upwards towards the anterior margin ceases at about half the length of the protho- rax. Each elytron has four striae in pairs ; the first originates by the side of the scutellum and extends to the apical angle ; the second, approximate to the first, is considerably abbreviated at each end ; the third, distant from the second, is also abbre- viated at each end, but extends rather below the second ; the fourth approximates to the third, originates nearer the shoulder, and extends rather below it. Habitat unknown. There is one specimen in the cabinet of the British Museum without record of its locality. Sp. 9. Hect. rufipenne. Cucujus rufipennis, Fab., ' Syst. Eleu.' ii. 93. " Black, with the elytra alone ferruginous." — Fab, loc. cit. " Inhabits the island of Sumatra. In the museum of M. Sehestedt." The brief description of this species agrees tolerably well with H. semifuscum, but as it enters into no particulars whatever as to the sculpture, it would be inexcusable to conclude from so trivial a simi- larity as that of colour that the species were identical. Genus Catogenus, Westwood. Isonotus, Perty. Aniso- cerus, Hope. Antennae moniliform and of equal thickness throughout. Head with two deep frontal longitudinal furrows which do not reach the transverse posterior furrow. The tarsi are very di- stinctly 5 -jointed. with Descriptions of some New Species. 397 Sp. 1. Cato. carinatus. Obscure ferruginea : prothorax crebre punctatus : singuli elytri stria duce, interstitiis punctis et quadri- lineatis. (Corp. long. "45 unc. lat. '075 unc.) Entirely of a dusky ferruginous or pitchy red, not very shining. The form is depressed, linear, and very narrow. The antennae are of nearly uniform substance, each joint externally incrassated; the terminal joint is slightly longer but not thicker than the rest. The head has a deep transverse furrow near its posterior margin ; at each extremity this is joined by a la- teral marginal furrow, which originates near the insertion of the mandible, and passes above the antenna and eye : in front of the transverse furrow, but quite unconnected with it, are two deep elongate impressions, and between these is a very slightly marked line, which proceeds from the middle of the transverse furrow to the clypeus, where it terminates in a cir- cular impression. The prothorax has a very slender posterior and lateral marginal ridge. Each elytron has two furrows ; the first originating on one side of the scutellum and termi- nating in the apical angle, the second originating dorsally near the shoulder and terminating considerably before the apical angle ; the interstice between these furrows has four distinct lines, which become obliterated before the apex. The head, prothorax, and elytra are thickly punctured, the punctures on the elytra requiring a lens of high power. Inhabits the Cape of Good Hope. I am indebted to the Rev. F. W. Hope for the loan of one specimen, and to Mr. Westwood for that of another. The name of carinata, Klug, has long been attached to this species, but I am not aware of a previous description. Spe- cifically this is distinct from the following, but I can discover no cha- racters of distinction of higher importance than those of sculpture, which so obviously mark the species throughout the family. Sp. 2. Cato. castaneus. (Corp. long. 55 unc. lat. "125 unc.) Isonotus castaneus, Perty, 'Animal. Artie, of Brazil.' p. 114. tab. xxii. fig. 15. Ferruginous, shining. Form less elongate than in C. cari- natus, body scarcely so flat, and antennae not so long in pro- portion to the body; the sculpture of the head exactly as in that species. Prothorax very shining, but under a lens of moderate power very obviously punctured ; the disk is very flat 398 Mr. E. Newman on the Genus Passandra. and has two obvions impressions. Each elytron has six fur- rows, united in pairs at the base ; the fifth ceases at about half the length of the elytron ; the sixth is rudimental only. Inhabits Brazil. A single specimen is in the cabinet of the Rev. F. W. Hope, and three others in that of Mr. Children. Sp. 3. Cato. rufus. (Corp. long. "475 unc. lat. *1 unc.) ,, rufus, Westwood, 'Zoological Journal,' vol. v. p. 215 . Sup. tab. xlvi. fig. 2. Cucujus rufus, Fabricius, 'Entomologia Systematica,' Supp. p. 123. No. 2. ,, „ Fabricius, ' Systema Eleutheratorum,' vol. ii. p. 93. This species so closely corresponds with the foregoing that I have considerable hesitation in considering them distinct. The present insect is rather less in size, rather less glabrous, and scarcely so broad in proportion to its length : there is again a difference of habitat, the Cucujus rufus of Fabricius inhabiting the United States, and the Isonotus castaneus of Perty inhabiting Brazil ; and I may remark it is a circum- stance of extremely rare occurrence that the same species is common to both countries. That the present insect is the Cucujus rufus of Fabricius appears pretty evident from that author's description, which I subjoin below. There is a spe- cimen in the cabinet of the British Museum, a second in that of the Entomological Club (donor J. O. Westwood), and a third in that of Mr. Westwood, which is the identical speci- men described by him in the c Zoological JournaP as the type of his genus Catogenus, and which he has kindly placed in my hands for examination and description. It is useless to repeat the description already given with C. castaneus ; the reader must refer to that species, notice the slight variation above al- luded to, and add the following description from Fabricius in the e Entomologia Systematica/ remembering also the differ- ent locality ; a subject formerly so much neglected, that I find it a matter of difficulty to obtain the habitat of any rare spe- cies if it happen to boast of any antiquity. Description of Cucujus rufus by Fabricius, " Cucujus depressus, rufus, elytris striatis. " Habitat in Carolina Dom. Bosc. Amv NaJt, Hist.Yol . H TI.XVH1 m tC c II /'! 11 H 1L. GvrcuuuL, < 6^* '•> â–  , 'I . / - , ',< - hi '- JJasvre, On ike Strwcburv, of TcVlero . Mr. H. Giraud on the Structure of Pollen. 399 " Magnus in hoc genere. Antennae corpore paullo breviores, crassee, rufse ; articulis distinctis cylindricis. Caput rufam. Thorax planus, depressus, margine utrinque antice posticeque acutiusculo. Elytra striata. Pedes breves compressi." Sp. 4. Cato. puncticollis. Ferruginea, obscura ; prothorax ru- gose punctatus, medio late depressus, linea mediana longitudinali glabra : singuli elytri stria sex, exterior es indistinct^. (Corp. long. *4 unc. ; lat. '1 unc.) Ferruginous, with very little gloss. Form very short and stout, depressed, linear ; antennae hairy ; head sculpture al- most precisely as in the two preceding species. The protho- rax is coarsely punctured, and has a large but shallow dorsal impression more rugosely punctured than the other parts, and through the middle of this passes a raised longitudinal gla- brous line. Each elytron has six equidistant striae, the two nearest the suture are united at the base : these, as well as the third and fourth, are clearly defined ; the fifth and sixth are slight and indistinct. Inhabits North America. The Rev. F. W. Hope, to whom I am indebted for the opportunity of describing this species, has labelled it " rufus, Fab." He possessed a second specimen, very much smaller, which he considers distinct. XLVI. — On the Existence of a Third Tunic, together with certain other peculiarities in the Structure of Pollen. By Herbert Giraud, F.B.S.E., Mem. Med. Soc. Edin. [With a Plate.] In pursuing a series of observations on the structure and functions of pollen, some points of anatomical peculiarity have been presented to my notice which may not be wholly devoid of interest. The existence of two membranes or tunics in the pollen- grain has long since been satisfactorily determined by Brong- niart, Amici, and Brown, and is proved in a most decisive manner by the effects produced upon pollen by the action of sulphuric acid; for when immersed in the dilute acid, the pollen is seen to swell until suddenly a rupture takes place in the outer tunic, upon which, however, neither the fovilla 400 Mr. H. Giraud on some peculiarities in nor granules are emitted, but this outer membrane gradually removes from off the grain, which still retains its original figure, and incloses its contents as perfectly as ever. Instances of this kind of action are represented in Plate XVIII. Fig. 1. shows the pollen of Fritillaria meleagris with part of its outer tunic removed. Fig. 2. the pollen-grain wholly denuded of its outer tunic. Fig. 3. a portion of the outer tunic removed. Fig. 4. the pollen of Liliurn Mart agon, its outer tunic thin and transparent, rent and falling off. By employing this method, I have succeeded in detecting a third tunic in the pollen of Crocus vernus. When immersed in diluted sulphuric acid the pollen-grain swells (fig. 5.), its outer tunic bursts and is deciduous, as is represented at fig. 6. At this stage the next tunic, thin and transparent, may be clearly defined ; but after a short interval, it expands, exposing within it a third tunic, w 7 hich incloses the pollenic granules and fovilla (fig. 7»)» In examining the pollen of Polemonium cceruleum, immersed in water, with a power of about 500, the surface of the grains appeared studded with very minute and perfectly opake bodies, some of which left the grain, and floated in the w ater on the object-glass (fig. 8. «.). Upon looking more atten- tively at these bodies, I found that each possessed a sponta- neous and independent motion, exactly similar to that pos- sessed by the globules of the blood, or to that which Brong- niart describes as having witnessed in the granules of the pol- len of the Gourd and of the Mallow. Although I could de- tect no grains that had burst, still I supposed that these bodies might be the pollen granules, and that therefore this was merely a repetition of the observation of Brongniart. The pollen-grains being made to burst and emit their granules, an obvious distinction at once, between the latter and the minute bodies, became apparent. The true granules were larger than these bodies, from which they might also be di- stinguished by their translucency. Of the nature or uses of these bodies I have not been able to form even a conjecture ; but that their motion is independent of all external agencies I feel quite satisfied. Considerable doubt has existed as to the true nature of the longitudinal line which exists in most elliptical and spherical the Structure of Pollen. 401 pollen-grains possessing a smooth surface. It was supposed by Guillemin to be a slit in the outer tunic intended to faci- litate the admission of water into the interior of the grain s, and the emission of their fovilla. The observations which I have made in reference to this point have shown that the lon- gitudinal line has not, in any case, the appearance of a slit, as it has greater opacity, when the grain is dry, than any other part ; and were it a slit, it would not disappear under the ac- tion of water, (which is the case,) but, on the contrary, as the pollen-grain enlarged, it would become more patulous. It would therefore appear that the true nature of this linear marking is, that in the dry state the outer membrane is de- pressed and folded in, so as to form a furrow ; but that when moisture is applied the grain swells, the fold is expanded, and finally disappears. This statement is confirmed by the ap- pearances which I found to be presented by the pollen of Antirrhinum majus. In the dry state its form is cylindrical, but under the action of water it swells and becomes spherical ; the furrow, at the same time, is seen gradually to unfold and at last to disappear (fig. 9, 10, 11, 12). Moreover, in the early stages of its development, when surrounded with fluid, and being therefore in a moist condition, no furrow is per- ceptible. Besides the several proximate principles which have been shown by chemists to exist in pollen, I have succeeded in de- tecting in certain species a very marked quantity of carbo- nate of potassa. Whilst making an observation on the pollen of Antirrhinum majus immersed in dilute sulphuric acid, the field of the microscope became crowded with a quantity of acicular crystals. As the fluid gradually evaporated, the pol- len-grains were found to act as nuclei, from which the cry- stals radiated in all directions (fig. 13.). Their form appeared to be that of quadrilateral prisms with obliquely truncated extremities. The portion of this salt was of course infinitely too small to afford a sufficient quantity for analysis ; the only method therefore of determining its constitution was to dis- cover the form of its crystal, and that of other salts which might be formed by its decomposition. It was obvious that it must be a sulphate of some base; and as potassa is an Ann. Nat. Hist. Vol. 2. No. 12. Feb. 1839. 2 e 402 Mr. W. Thompson on the British Species of abundant base in some of the other vegetable tissues, it was probable that this salt was sulphate of potassa. On com- paring the form of microscopic crystals of sulphate of potassa with that of the crystals derived from the pollen, it was found that they were identical ; but in order to determine this point with greater certainty, a solution of oxalic acid was added to the pollenic crystals, which upon evaporation afforded cry- stals having the characteristic form of the binoxalate of po- tassa (fig. 14.). That the potassa existed in the state of car- bonate became probable from the fact, that the water in which the pollen had been macerated did not yield crystals upon a partial evaporation, the carbonate of potassa being deliques- cent. Note, — Although the main object of this communication has been anticipated by M. Fritzsche, of whose labours, published in the Transactions of the Petersburgh Academy, our corre- spondent seems to have had no knowledge, it will prove in- teresting to many of our readers, inasmuch as the writings of Fritzsche are little known in this country, and his views are in some degree confirmed by the observations of our corre- spondent, both agreeing in their deductions. M. Fritzsche has not only discovered a third tunic, but even a fourth, which is said to occur, among other plants, in Clarkia elegans, some species of Oenothera, and in Encharidium concinnu. — Edit. XLVII. — Observations on several British Fishes, including the description of a New Species, By William Thompson, Esq., Vice-President of the Natural History Society of Belfast*. [With a Plate.] i. On the British Species of the Genus Monochirus, Cuv, By the kindness of Dr. Parnell in supplying me with speci- mens of the Red-backed Flounder of Hanmer, c Pennant's Brit. Zool./ (v. iii. p. 313. pi. 48. ed. 1812,) and the Mon. mi- nutus, Parn., I am enabled to speak decidedly on some points which, in my previous remarks on these species, i Annals Nat. * Read before this Society December 5, 1838, and illustrated by the spe- cimens of which it treated. the Genus Monochirus. 403 Hist./ vol. ii. p. 19, could only, from a want of specimens, be treated of problematically. This I now proceed to do as sup- plementary to what appeared in the ( Annals ;' but it may be well, in the first place, to give a slight sketch of the British Monochiri, in so far as our present knowledge extends. The first British Monochirus I am aware of being noticed* is that figured under the name of Variegated Sole in ' Dono- van's British Fishes/ (pi. 117*) the individual represented having been purchased in the London market in April 1807* but where captured is not mentioned. In the edition of Pen- nant's e British Zoology' published in 1812, Mr. Hanmer figured and described a species by the appellation of Red- backed Flounder, and stated it to be " common in the spring upon the coast near Plymouth." In the sixth volume of the ( Magazine of Natural History/ p. 530, a specimen of " Solea variegata " is noticed by Dr. Scouler to have been taken at Rothsay in the isle of Bute. Mr. Jenyns, in his ' Manual of British Vertebrate Animals/ p. 468, takes his description from one procured at Weymouth ; and Mr. Yarrell, in his c History of British Fishes/ v. ii. p. 262, figures and describes an individual supplied from Cornwall by Mr. Couch, and mentions, in addition, from the MS. of Montagu, that this naturalist received a specimen 9 inches in length from Dr. Leach, who purchased it with two others in Plymouth market in August 1808. Thus far our authors, with the exception of Mr. Jenyns, (who leaves it to be proved by future investi- gation whether there be not a second species,) speak only of one Monochirus, In the first volume of the £ Magazine of Zoology and Bo- tany/ p. 526, Dr. Parnell described a Monochirus, which is taken at Brixham, under the specific name of minutus, intro- ducing it doubtfully as a new species, but with certainty as distinct from the " red-backed Sole, Mon. Lingula" and, as such, an addition to the British Fauna. Lastly, the Septem- ber number of the ( Annals ' contains observations by myself on two species of Monochirus taken on the coast of Ireland. To attempt placing the species, of which notices are here brought together, in a clearer light, is the object of the pre- sent communication ; and although this may to a certain ex- 2e2 404 Mr. W. Thompson on the British Species of tent be done, the sequel will show that it cannot be per- formed effectively. First : — the Variegated Sole as figured and described by- Donovan and Yarrell, the specimen recorded by Dr. Scouler*, and the individual noticed by myself under the name of Solea variegata, are identical. The localities in which this species has been procured, are the coasts of Cornwall in England? of the island of Bute in Scotland, and of Down in Ireland. As suggested in my previous paper on this subject, it may be worthy of investigation, whether the Mon. Pegusa of Risso, obtained from the Mediterranean, be this species, (t» iii. p. 258. f. 33. ed. 1826) f . Of the references in Mr. Yarrell's work, those relating to Rondeletius, Willughby and Cuvier apply, I conceive, to the species next to be noticed ; Duhamel I have not for consultation ; Fleming merely quotes Donovan and Pennant. Spec. char. Mon. variegatus. Pectoral fin about £ the length of head : scales on lateral line about 85 ; dorsal and anal unconnected with caudal fin. Secondly : — the SoleaLingula of Jenyns's c Manual,' (except- ing the short specific characters and colours which are copied from Hanmer,) the Mon. minutus of Parnell, and the " Solea Lingula, Rond.," (Mon. linguatulus) described by me in the 6 Annals/ are the same species; — of the identity of these two last I judge from a comparison of specimens. Being of opi- nion that Mr. Jenyns's description, so far as taken from the individual before him, related to this species ; and that, rather than describe the colours from a specimen preserved in spirits, he had copied them from Hanmer's description of the Red-backed Flounder, believing it the same, though it is in reality a distinct species ; I communicated with him on the subject, and his reply confirmed my views. The op- portunity of examining specimens of this latter fish, which Mr. Jenyns had not, but through the kindness of Dr. Parnell * As this fish is very briefly noticed in the Magazine, I wrote to Dr. Scouler respecting it, and was informed in reply that it may be considered identical with the Variegated Sole of Yarrell. f The large size of the pectoral fin, as represented in the figure, marks a Solea rather than a Monochirus ; but it is described as the latter by Risso, and the figure referred to as such by Cuvier, Reg. An., t. ii. p. 343, 2nd ed. the Genus Monochirus. 405 I have had, could alone have settled this point, the describer of it having been silent on such characters as the length of the pectoral fins, and number of scales on the lateral line, by which chiefly it is distinguished from the present species. This is, I consider, the Soleaparva siveLingula described and figured by Rondeletius, and again repeated in the works of Gesner (lib. iv. p. 669.), Aldrovandus (p. 237.) an d Willughby (p. 102. pi. F. 8. f. 1.). With reference to this, the following note on three specimens obtained since the publication of my paper in the e Annals 9 may be here given. Of these, which are from 3 to 3 J inches in length, one has the outline of Solea vul- garis ; but the other two differ much from it in being narrower, and tapering more towards the tail, thus precisely resembling, even to the turn of the caudal fin, the Solea parva sive Lingula as represented by these authors : the lateral line too approx- imates the form given in the figure of this species, but in the specimens is placed rather higher on the body ; in these it originates considerably above the middle, and for some way slopes gradually downwards, until it takes a course midway between the dorsal and ventral profile *. A figure of this fish illustrates Dr. Pamelas paper before referred to in the first volume of the ( Magazine of Zoology and Botany/ The two localities in which this species has occurred in England are southern : at Weymouth in Dorsetshire, whence the single specimen was obtained that served for Mr. Jenyns^s description ; and at Brixham on the adjoining coast of De- vonshire, where, Dr. Parnell informs us, it is taken in the trawl-nets throughout the year. In Ireland it has been pro- cured with the trawl or dredge both in the north and south ; in the month of August in the open sea off Dundrum, county of Down ; in June and October within the entrance to Bel- fast bay, and at Youghal in the county of Cork. (See Annals, loc. cit.) Of its occurrence in Scotland I have not seen any record. This is described to be a Mediterranean species. Spec. char. Mon. linguatulus. Upper pectoral fin about * These specimens may further be described as of a red lish-brown colour, minutely freckled over with a darker shade, and having the roundish spots of dark brown and of white on the lateral line and on the body some way in- wards from the base of the dorsal and anal tins, as had the individuals ob- tained in June last. See Annals, vol. ii. p. 21. 406 Mr. W. Thompson on the British Species of one-seventh the length of head ; scales on lateral line about 70 ; an occasional black ray throughout the dorsal and anal fins, this colour not spreading over the adjoining membrane. Thus far all seems clear, the British specimens recorded being allocated under the two species just treated of, with the exception of Hanmer's Red-backed Flounder obtained at Plymouth, and Montagu's specimen from the same locality. All that is wanted to fix the species of the first-mentioned is an examination of a moderate-sized Mon. variegatus. This Mr. Yarrell possesses ; and now supplying him with the spe- cimens by which I arrived at the above conclusions, I leave this point to be determined in the forthcoming Supplement to his e History of British Fishes/ As all the British Mono- chiri and Soleee are taken on the southern coast of England, it signifies little to which of the species Montagu's specimen belonged. It may not be useless to mention some of the comparative differences between Hanmer's Red-backed Flounder, (of which two specimens, procured by Dr. Parnell at Brixham*, are now before me,) the Mon. linguatulus and Mon. variegatus. From the M. linguatulus it is at once seen to be specifically different, by the greater length of its pectoral fin, (about £ that of head, whereas it is about one-seventh in the other,) by its smaller scales (about 85 in the lateral line, the other having about JO), and by the conspicuous blotches of black, of which part is on the dorsal and anal fins, and part on the body of the specimens f. With M. variegatus the Red-backed Flounder accords in the length of pectoral fins, the number of scales on the lateral line, and in general form ; in every character indeed, so far as I can judge from comparison with a specimen of M. variegatus under three inches in length, ex- cept in colour. This difference, in itself certainly not specific, is nevertheless very striking ; my specimen of M. variegatus, 2 1 inches long, Mr. Yarrell's 5 inches, and Donovan's 9 inches * It was between these or similar specimens that Dr. Parnell, calling them Mon. Lingula, clearly showed the characters in which they differed from his Mon. minutus. See Mag. of Zool. and Bot., vol. i. p. 528. f The black spots mentioned in my description of the colours of Sol. Lin- gula, Kond. (Annals, loc. cit.), differ entirely from these by appearing on the body only ; they are small roundish spots, generally about a line in dia- meter. the Genus Monochirus. 407 in length, all presenting similar variegated markings. The colour of the upper side of Hanmer's fish is described to be " a very light brown tinged with red," and is figured of a uniform colour. Such Dr. Parnell's (preserved dry) likewise are, becoming darker at the margin, over which the black blotches on the dorsal and anal fins occasionally extend for a few lines : this marking, as represented in Hanmer's figure, is characteristic of that in the specimens at present under ex- amination ; but these exhibit rather more black on the dorsal fin. Hanmer's specimen was 6| inches long, Dr. Parnell's are 7i and 8| inches. The number of denticles and form of the scales of the Mono- chiri will not prove to be a positive character, though, relatively considered, they may be of service in the elucidation of species. On examining one of my specimens of M. linguatulus as to the number of these denticles, I found that a scale taken from the lateral line had 21 ; another from the next row had 22 and 2 rudimentary points ; a third from an adjacent part of the body had likewise 22. The outline of these scales was different, the first being conspicuously contracted about the middle at one side, and straight throughout the other ; the second slightly contracted about the middle on both sides, and the third with the sides quite straight. In each of two scales taken from the lateral line of Dr. Parnell's specimen of M. minutus there are 22 large strong denticles, with rudi- mentary points between them : outline of these scales differ- ent, and as in the individual just described. In my specimen of M. variegatus, two scales which touched upon the lateral line exhibited only 10 and 13 points; but this paucity may be owing to its diminutive size. A scale from the lateral line of Dr. Parnell's smaller specimen of the Red-backed Flounder exhibited 19 denticles, one off the third row from it 18. The form of scale in all the individuals examined is much the same, being broader for its length than that of scales I took from Solea vulgaris ; they were generally, but not always, con- tracted about the middle, either at one or both sides. The scales were all examined separately under the microscope, and hence is a different result in the number of denticles from what would have appeared, had they been reckoned on the body of the fish. 408 Mr. W. Thompson on a new British Fish. ii. Description of a minute Fish allied to the Ciliata glauca, Couch, and Gadus argenteolus, Mont. Plate XVI. figs. 1,2,3. When dredging in Strangford Lough, county of Down, on the 2nd of July last, at from one to three quarters of a mile off the shore, and the water from ten to twenty fathoms in depth, I for upwards of an hour remarked some very minute fishes coming singly to the surface. They ascended in a somewhat vertical direction, remained but momentarily there, and again, generally in a similar manner, descended until lost to view. Their back appeared to be of a dark colour, but their sides presented the brilliancy of the brightest silver. Their size was rather under an inch; their motion, though somewhat wriggling, surprisingly rapid ; so much so, that al- though the boat was scarcely moving, and the sea quite calm, their continuance at the surface was so short, that the great- est activity had to be exerted to secure them. For this pur- pose a small canvas net, otherwise used in the capture of mi- nute Medusce, was available. When brought into the boat, they at first sight called to mind the Ciliata glauca and Gadus argenteolus ; but the great size of the ventral fins, which were likewise of a pitchy blackness for nearly the last third of their length, seemed opposed to their identity with these species. The boatmen who accompanied me had not observed this fish, before, nor had they heard anything of it. Desc. — General form elongate ; belly protuberant. On a close examination of all the specimens, nine in number, no cirri can with a high power of lens, or on the field of the microscope, be detected on either jaw. The largest individual, 10 j lines in length, may be characterised as having the upper jaw the longer ; strong and pointed teeth in both jaws ; head occupying rather more than ^ of the entire length : eye equal in diameter to ^rd the length of head : opercle rounded at the base, altogether forming a portion of a circle : first dorsal fin originating just over the opercle, so sunken, and its rays (which are thick and blunt) so short, as to be hardly distinguishable in the profile of the fish, not less than 25 rays ; second dorsal com- mencing close to the first, and before the end of the pectorals, of unequal height, extending to the base of the caudal, not less than 50 rays : pectoral fins rather less than £th of the entire length, of moderate size and rounded, placed very high, somewhat above the Mr. W.Thompson on a new British Fish, 409 opercle, about 20 rays ; ventrals placed high, commencing rather in advance of the pectorals, somewhat square at the end, occupying \ of the entire length, reaching to the vent, and consisting of about 6 rays : anal fin commencing at the vent, and extending to the base of the caudal, unequal in height, having at least 40 rays : caudal fin elongate, occupying J-th of the entire length (measured from last vertebra of body), somewhat rounded at the end, containing about 30 rays*: branchial rays about 7: vent midway between snout and base of caudal fin. Colour when recent — : back, rich green varied with dots of gold and black : operculum, entire sides and under surface bright silver ; pectoral, dorsal, anal and caudal fins uniformly of a pale colour, ventrals likewise so for -|rds from the base, remainder pitch black ; irides silvery. Since the above was written, I have been favoured by Mr. Yarrell with original specimens of Ciliata glauca, obtained from Mr. Couch, and from these the Strangford species differs as follows. My specimens, under 11 lines in length, do not, like the Cornwall fish — which is 1 inch 5 lines long — exhibit cirri on either jaw. The ventral fins in mine are equal to £th of the entire length, in the English specimen to about f th ; in the latter the longest rays have a fibrous termination, (to the extreme of which the length of the fin was estimated,) whereas these fins are somewhat square at the end in the Strangford specimens ; besides, they are in these of a pitchy blackness for the last third of their length, although in the other of a uniform pale colour throughout. These differences were likewise constant in Cornwall and Strangford specimens of similar length. On placing the authentic Ciliata glauca and a Motella quin- quecirrata f of equal size together, the difference is very great ; * Although the number of rays in the fins cannot be given with certainty, an approximation to it has been thought better than entire silence on the subject. f One of the two individuals which, judging from their agreement with the characters assigned to C. glauca, were noticed as such in the Annals for September last (p. 14), at which time I had not seen authentic specimens. In colour there certainly was a want of uniformity with the description ; but it was considered that this might have been changed by the preserving liquor. Compared with the figures of Couch and Yarrell, (chiefly owing to their being uncoloured,) no obvious difference appeared. By the accompa- nying coloured figures, though taken from specimens long preserved in spi- rits, 1 have endeavoured to show this difference; in such small representa- tions it is almost impossible to give more than the general aspect of the fish. 410 Mr. W. Thompson on a new British Fish. the dull hue of the latter presenting quite a contrast to the colour of the other, which is of as brilliant a silver as any of the Clupeiada. Its general organization too is much more de- licate than that of the Motella : in the form of the head they are different j in C. glauca, the separating line between the opercle and pre-opercle, both of which are silvery and some- what hard, is conspicuously marked ; in the Motella the oper- cle appears exteriorly undivided, in consequence of its soft and fleshy covering. The snout of C. glauca is shorter than that of the other, and the mouth smaller ; this is differently formed from that either of a Motella or Clupea, but possesses numerous sharp and curved teeth along both jaws. Its rictus is in a line with the first third of the eye ; that of the M. quin- quecirrata with its posterior margin. No pores are apparent within the posterior line of the opercle, as in the species just named, but a row of them surmounting the upper lip. The difference in the ventral profile is considerable, all the speci- mens of C. glauca being, from the protuberance of the belly, very convex anteriorly, — an appearance which the Motella does not present. When announcing this species in the e Magazine of Natural History/ (vol. v. p. 15) Mr. Couch founded a new genus upon it, which he called Ciliata; but subsequently, in the works of Mr. Jenyns and Mr. Yarrell, it appeared as a Motella. Although its possessing the very few characters assigned to this genus may be considered sufficient to place this fish un- der it, the comparison of specimens, of which the result has been given, induces me to think that it should constitute a new genus. It participates in the characters both of Clupea and Motella, resembling the former in its silvery brilliancy*, and in almost instantly dying on removal from the water (which the latter genus can long survive): its form, posterior to the head, is precisely that of Motella, with which it like- wise accords in possessing cirri. In selecting a generic name, that of Ciliata should, by reason of its priority, be adopted, were it not pre-engaged j\ Such being the case, I propose, • It has a metallic appearance, as if covered with silver-leaf, wholly un- like the silvery whiteness of the lower portion of the hody in some of the GadidcB, as Gad. minutus, Merlangus vulgaris, &c. f Cities, which may, I think, be considered equivalent to Ciliata, though Mr. W. Thompson on a new British Fish, 411 as a compliment well merited by Mr. Couch for his practical knowledge of fishes, that the genus be named after him, Couchia. To the Strangford species the name of minor may be given. Generic characters, — Couchia. Body elongate, compressed posteriorly : first dorsal fin, like that of Motella, very low, composed of soft rays unconnected by a membrane : pectorals and ventrals placed high : second dorsal and anal fin long : divisions of opercle well defined exteriorly. Specific characters. â