£>. I DO ^3 THE ANNALS AND MAGAZINE OF NATURAL HISTORY, INCLUDING ZOOLOGY, BOTANY, and GEOLOGY. (being a continuation of the 'magazine of botany and zoology,' and of loudon and charlesworth's 'magazine of natural history.') CONDUCTED BY Sir W. JARDINE, Bart.— P. J. SELBY, Esq., Dr. JOHNSTON, DAVID DON, Esq., Prof. Bot. King's Coll. Lond., 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 PARIS : LIZARS, AND MACLACHLAN AND STEWART, EDINBURGH.* CURRY, DUBLIN : AND ASHER, BERLIN. ** Omnes res creatae sunt divinae sapientiae et potentiae testes, divitise felicitatis humanas : ex harum usu bonitas Creatoris ; ex pulchritudine sapientia Domini ; ex ceconomia in conservatione, proportions, renovatione, potentia majestatis elucet. Earum itaque indagatio ab hominibus sibi relictis semper aestimata ; a vere eruditis et sapientibus semper exculta; male doctis et barbaris semper inimica fuit." — Linn. CONTENTS OF VOL. VIII. NUMBER XLVIII. Page I. Description of some Molar Teeth from the Eocene Sand at Kyson in Suffolk, indicative of a new species of Hyracotherium (Hyr. Cunicu- lus). By Richard Owen, Esq., F.R.S., &c 1 II. Remarks on the Horny Sponges, with proposed divisions of the Order Spongice. By John Hogg, Esq., M.A., F.R.S., F.L.S 3 III. Notes on the Zoology of the Outer Hebrides. By John Mac- Giluvray, Vice-President of the Cuvierian Nat. Hist. Society of Edin- burgh 7 IV. Researches on the Structure of Annular Vessels. By Hugo Mohl. (With a Plate.) 16 V. Preliminary Reply to Mohl's Essay on the Structure of Annular Vessels. By Dr. M. J. Schleiden , 25 VI. Report of the Results of Researches in Physiological Botany made in the year 1839. By the late F. J. Meyen, M.D., Professor of Botany in the University of Berlin. {Continued.) 27 VII. Indian Cyprinidce. By John M'Clelland, Assistant Surgeon Bengal Medical Service 35 VIII. Notes on Birds. By T. C. Eyton, Esq., F.L.S 46 New Books: — Continuation of Wiegmann's Archiv fur Naturgeschichte, by Dr. Erichson. — The Naturalist's Library : Mammalia. Vol. xi. Marsupialia, or Pouched Animals, by G. R. Waterhouse, Esq. 47 — 55 Proceedings of the Royal Society ; Geological Society ; Zoological So- ciety; Microscopical Society 55 — 74 Analogies of European and Indian Geology ; Suggestions for Experi- ments on the Conservation of Vegetative Powers in Seeds ; Mete- orological Observations and Table 74 — 80 NUMBER XLIX. IX. Observations on the Rodentia. By G. R. Waterhouse, Esq. (With a Plate.) 81 X. Observations on the Functions performed by the Hairs on the Stigma in Campanulacees, Composite?, and other Plants. By Arthur IV CONTENTS. Page Hill Hassall, M.R.C.S.L., Corresponding Member of the Dublin Natural History Society 84 XI. On some species of European Pines. By Capt. S. E. Wid- DRINGTON, R.N 87 XII. Diagnoses Algarum novarum a cl. Dre. Ferdinand Krauss in Africa^ Australi lectarum, auctore Dno. Hering, Stuttgartiensi 90 XIII. Observations on the Structure of the Pollen Granule, consi- dered principally in reference to its eligibility as a means of Classi- fication. By Arthur Hill Hassall, M.R.C.S.L., Corresponding Member of the Dublin Natural History Society 92 XIV. Indian Cyprinidce. By John McClelland, Assistant Surgeon Bengal Medical Service. {Continued.) 108 XV. Notice of a hitherto undescribed character distinctive of the Sexes in certain Lucanidte. By J. O. Westwood, F.L.S 121 XVI. Insectorum novorum Centuria, auctore J. O. Westwood 123 XVII. Notice of Migratory Birds which alighted on, or were seen from H.M.S. Beacon, Capt. Graves, on the passage from Malta to the Morea at the end of April 1841. By Wm. Thompson, Vice-Pres. Nat. Hist. Society of Belfast 125 XVIII. Report of the Results of Researches in Physiological Botany made in the year 1839. By the late F. J. Me yen, M.D., Professor of Botany in the University of Berlin. {Continued.) 130 New Books : — Naturalist's Library : — The Natural History of Dogs, vol. ii. ; The Natural History of Horses ; The Natural History of Fishes, vol. ii j 137 Proceedings of the Zoological Society; Microscopical Society... 138 — 152 Mr. Schomburgk's return to George-Town ; Mr. W. S. MacLeay ; Lieut. Tickell on the Natural History of the Hodesum (improperly called Kolehan) ; Fossil Foraminifera in the Greensand of New Jersey; A vast Stratum of Fossil Infusoria in the Tertiary Strata of Virginia ; Mr. R. C. Taylor's Model of the Southern Coal-Field of Pennsylvania ;. Meteorological Observations and Table... 153 — 160 NUMBER L. XIX. Description of some new species of Ammonites found in the Oxford Clay on the line of the Great Western Railway near Christian Malford. By Samuel Peace Pratt, Esq., F.L.S., F.G.S. (With Four Plates.) 161 XX. A List of Testaceous Mollusca collected in the Shetland Isles during a few days' residence there in the autumn of this year, and not noticed by Dr. Fleming in his « History of British Animals ' as indige- nous to that country. By J. Gwyn Jeffreys, Esq., F.R. & L.S 1 65 XXI. Brief and Practical Instructions for the Breeding of Salmon and other Fish artificially. By Sir Francis A. Mackenzie, Bart. ... 166 CONTENTS. \ Page XXII. On Epilobium angustifolium, and species which have been confounded with it. By Mr. H. O. Stephens 170 XXIII. A List of Flowering Plants found growing wild in Western Norfolk. By the Rev. George Munford, Corresponding Member of the Botanical Society of London 171 XXIV. Indian Cyprinidce. By John M'Clelland, Assistant Sur- geon Bengal Medical Service. {Continued.) 192 XXV. Insectorum novorum Centuria, auctore J. O. Westwood ... 203 XXVI. On the names Promecoderus, Cnemacanthus and Odonto- scelis, as applied to certain genera of Carabideous Insects. By G. R. Waterhouse, Esq., Curator to the Zoological Society of London 205 XXVII. On the Eel, and on the Freshwater Fish of Austria. By Capt. S. E. Widdrington, R.N 207 XXVIII. Information respecting Zoological and Botanical Travel- lers 210 New Books: — A Manual of the British Algae, by William Henry Har- vey, Esq 211 Proceedings of the Entomological Society ; Zoological Society ; Micro- scopical Society 217—228 ' Cyclostoma elegans, Lam., an Irish Shell, by W. Thompson, Esq. ; Entophytes — Cryptogamous Plants developed on the internal sur- face of the air-cells of an Eider Duck whilst alive — similar in- stance in the Flamingo ; On some Mammalia, Birds and Fishes lately observed in the neighbourhood of Aberdeen, by Mr. J. Mac- gillivray ; On the Common Hare of the Gangetic Provinces and of the Sub-Himalaya, with a slight notice of a strictly Himalayan species, by B. H. Hodgson, Esq., Resident at the Court of Nepal ; The Hoopoe, Upupa epops ; The Hoopoe ; The Arctic Gull ; Re- port on Ornithichnites, or Foot-marks of Extinct Birds ; Natural History as a Branch of Education ; Meteorological Observations and Table 228 240 NUMBER LI. XXIX. Notice of a new genus of Mammalia discovered by J. Stuart, Esq., in New South Wales. By W. S. MacLeay, Esq., F.L.S., &c. (With a Plate.) 241 XXX. On two remarkable Marine Invertebrata inhabiting the iEgean Sea. By Edward Forbes, M.W.S., For. Sec. B.S., &c. (With a Plate.) 243 XXXI. On Epilobium angustifolium, Linn., and species which have been confounded with it. By W. A. Leighton, Esq., B.A., F.B.S.E. 246 XXXII. Report of the Results of Researches in Physiological Botany made in the year 1839. By the late F. J. Meyen, M.D., Professor of Botany in the University of Berlin. (Continued.) 249 Vi CONTENTS. Page XXXIII. On the Phosphorescence of Zoophytes. By the Rev. David Landsborough, of Stevenston, in Ayrshire 257 XXXIV. Remarks on the Fruit of the Natural Order Cucurbitacece. By Robert Wight, M.D., F.L.S., &c 260 XXXV. Insectorum novorum Centuria, auctore J. O. Westwood, F.L.S., &c 272 XXXVI. The Birds of Ireland (Family Fringillidce). By Wm. Thompson, Esq., Vice-Pres. Nat. Hist. Society of Belfast. {Continued.) 273 XXXVII. Information respecting Scientific Travellers : — Dr. Can- tor's collections in the Isle of Chusan ; Mr. Murchison's second Geo- logical Survey of Russia 288 New Books : — Catalogue of British Plants (Part 1st, Flowering Plants and Ferns), by Prof. J. H. Balfour, Glasgow; C. C. Babington, Esq., F.L.S. ; and W. H. Campbell, Esq., Sec. Bot. Soc. — Arcana Entomologica, or Illustrations of new, rare, and interesting Exotic Insects, by J. O.Westwood, F.L.S., &c. — Naturhistorisk Tidskrift, Copenhagen, 1840-41 294—297 Proceedings of the Entomological Society; Geological Society... 297—313 Three new species of Monkey, with remarks on the genera Semnopi- thecus et Macacus, by B. H. Hodgson, Esq. ; Dr. E. Moore on the Pilot Fish ; Vitality of Seeds ; Little Auk ; Birds of Kent ; Durocher and Bowman on Glacial or Diluvian Phenomena ; Me- teorological Observations and Table 314 — 320 NUMBER LII. XXXVIII. On the Saxifrages of the Robertsonia or London-pride group which are found in Ireland. By Charles C. Babington, Esq., M.A., F.L.S., F.G.S., &c. (With a Plate.) 321 XXXIX. On doubts respecting the existence of Bird-catching Spi- ders. By W. S. MacLeay, Esq., F.L.S., &c 324 XL. On the degree of Cold which the principal Mammalia of hot countries are capable of enduring. By the Rev. Robert Everest, in a note to J. E. Gray, Esq., F.R.S. &c 325 XLI. Report of the Results of Researches in Physiological Botany made in the year 1839. By the late F. J. Meyen, M.D., Professor of Botany in the University of Berlin 328 XLII. Additional Particulars respecting Antechinus Stuartii, a new Marsupial Quadruped. By W. S. MacLeay, Esq., F.L.S., &c 337 XLIII. Notice of a hitherto unobserved Character distinctive of the Sexes in certain Cetoniidce. By J.-O. Westwood, Esq., F.L.S., &c... 338 XLIV. On the Phosphorescence of Zoophytes. By Arthur Hill Hassall, Esq., M.R.C.S.L., Corresponding Member of the Dublin Natural History Society 341 CONTENTS. VU Page XLV. Excerpta Botanica, or abridged Extracts translated from the Foreign Journals, illustrative of, or connected with, the Botany of Great Britain. By W. A. Leighton, Esq., B.A., F.B.S.E., &c. No. 7. Notes on the genus Corylus. By Ed. Spach 344 XLVI. The Birds of Ireland (Family Fringillidce) . By Wm. Thomp- son, Esq., Vice-Pres. Nat. Hist. Society of Belfast. {Continued.) 353 XLVII. Extracts from a Lecture by M. Dumas on the Chemical Statics of Organized Beings 360 New Books : — A List of the Genera of Birds, with their Synonyma, and an Indication of the typical Species of each Genus, by George Robert Gray 367 Proceedings of the Zoological Society; Royal Society; Geological So- ciety; Microscopical Society 376 — 394 Niger Expedition — Mr. Fraser ; Little Auk ; New Crustacean Ani- mal ; Mus agrestis ; Disappearance of the Sylvia rubecola in parts of Belgium and Germany ; Chair of Entomology ; Mr. Gould on Menura superba; Anihus Richardi; Obituary— Professor Don, J. E. Bowman, Esq.; Meteorological Observations and Table 394 — 400 NUMBER LIII. XLVIII. On Epilobium angustifolium, Linn., and species which have been confounded with it. ByW.A. Leighton, Esq., B.A.,F.B.S.E. ... 401 XLIX. Remarks on Lottia virginea. By Joshua Alder, Esq. ... 404 L. The Birds of Ireland (Family Fringillidte, Sturnidce, Corvidce). By Wm. Thompson, Esq., Vice-Pres. Nat. Hist. Society of Belfast. {Continued.) 406 LI. Descriptions, &c. of a few rare or undescribed species of British Diptera, principally from the collection of J. C. Dale, Esq., M.A., F.L.S., &c 430 LII. On Mnium annotinum of Linnaeus. By Edward Forster, Esq., V.P.L.S , 433 LIII. On Bird-catching Spiders, with remarks on the Communica- tion from W. S. MacLeay, Esq., upon that subject, in the January number of the Annals. By W. E. Shuckard, Libr. R.S 435 LIV. On a new species of Araucaria from New South Wales; and on Nuytsia floribunda. By H. Bidwill, Esq 438 LV. Information respecting Scientific Travellers : — Some account of the Natural History of the Island of Chedooba, from the Report of Edward P. Halstead, Esq., Commander of Her Majesty's Sloop Childers. — Niger Expedition : Dr. Vogel 439 — 445 New Books : — On the Structure of the Cyst-worm, by George Gul- liver, F.R.S. — Genera Plantarum secundum Ordines Naturales disposita, auctore Stephano Endlicher. — Nomenclator Botanicus, seu Synonymia Plantarum Universalis, auctore E. T. Steudel, M.D. Vlll CONTENTS. Page — Enchiridion Botanicum exhibens Classes et Ordines Plantarum ; accedit Nomenclator Generum, auctore S. Endlicber, M.D. 445 — 447 Proceedings of the Linnsean Society ; Entomological Society ; Geolo- gical Society ; Zoological Society ; Royal Irish Academy ; Impe- rial Academy of St. Petersburgh 447 — 471 Mr, Dale on the Fauna of Dorsetshire ; Mr. C. C. Babington on Ribes petraum ; Cream-coloured Courser ; Rev. D. Landsborough on the Longevity of Geese ; M. Petit on the questionable authenti- city of names given to undescribed Genera and Species ; Nests of the Hirundo riparia ; Some Notices of the late Professor Don, and of his Father, Mr. George Don, formerly Curator of the Edinburgh Botanic Garden ; Meteorological Observations and Table... 472 — 480 NUMBER LIV. SUPPLEMENT. LVI. On a new genus of Fossil Bivalve Shells. By Mr. Samuel Stutchbury, F.G.S., A.L.S., &c, Curator of the Bristol Institution. (With two Plates.) 481 LVII. The Birds of Ireland (Family Corvidce, Picidce, and Cer- thiadce). By Wm. Thompson, Esq., Vice-Pres. Nat. Hist. Society of Belfast. {Continued.) 486 Proceedings of the Royal Society ; Geological Society ; Zoological Society ; Botanical Society of Edinburgh 502 — 543 New Books ; — A History of Infusoria, living and fossil, arranged ac- cording to ' Die Infusionsthierchen ' of C. G. Ehrenberg ; con- taining coloured engravings illustrative of all the Genera, and De- scriptions of all the Species in that work, with several new ones, by Andrew Pritchard. — Supplementary remarks on Mr. G. R. Gray's ■ Genera of Birds,' by H. E. Strickland 543—545 Dr. Martin Barry on Fibre 545 Index 547 PLATES IN VOL. VIII. Plate I. Structure of Annular Vessels Seepage 26 II. Skulls, &c. of Rodentia 84 HIT v ' V Ammonites from the Oxford Clay 165 Vl'J VII. Antechinus Stuartii, from New South Wales 242 VIII. New Marine Animals described by Mr. E. Forbes 243 IX 1 x * V Pachyodon, a new genus of Fossil Bivalves 482 XI. Saxifrages of Ireland 322 XII. Infusorial Animalcules 543 Erratum, p. 278, 1. 10, for " Switzerland, to the height of 11,000 feet," read, " Switzerland, and to the." &c THE ANNALS AND MAGAZINE OF NATURAL HISTORY. No. 48. SEPTEMBER 1841. I. — Description of some Molar Teeth from the Eocene Sand at Kyson in Suffolk, indicative of a new Species of Hyra- cotherium (Hyr. Cuniculus). By Richard Owen, Esq., F.R.S., &c. IN the Eocene sand underlying the red crag at Kingston or Kyson in Suffolk, from which the remains of Quadrumana, Chiroptera, and Marsupialia have already been obtained*, Mr. Colchester, the discoverer of those mammalian remains, has recently transmitted to me through my friend Mr. Lyell a second collection of fossils, including the teeth of small mammalian animals, some of which are referable to the small Pachydermal extinct genus Hyracotherium, established on a nearly entire cranium obtained by Mr. Richardson from the London clay near Heme Bay, in 1839f. The teeth from Kyson are three true molars and one of the false molars, all belonging to the upper jaw. The crowns of the true molars present the same shortness in vertical extent, the same inequilateral, four-sided, transverse section, and nearly the same structure, as in Hyracotherium leporinum ; the grinding surface being raised into four obtuse pyramidal cusps, and surrounded by a well-developed ridge, produced at the anterior and outer angle of the crown into a fifth small cusp. These teeth are, however, of smaller size, as will be seen by the subjoined figures of a corresponding molar from the Hyrac. leporinum, fig. 1, and Hyrac. Cu- niculus, fig. 2. The true molars of these two spe- cies further differ in a point not explicable on the supposition of their having belonged to a smaller individual or variety, for the ridge which passes transversely from the inner to the outer cusp is developed * See Annals of Natural History, vol. iv. No. 23, Nov. 1839. t Geological Transactions, 2nd Series, vol. vi. p. 203. Ann. fy Mag. N. Hist. Vol. viii. B 2 Mr. Owen on some Fossil Teeth from Suffolk. midway into a small crateriform tubercle in the teeth of the Hyracotherium leporinum, but preserves its trenchant cha- racter in the Hyrac. Cuniculus, even in molars which have the larger tubercles worn down. The premolar, or false molar, in the series of detached teeth from Kyson, which is either the third or fourth, pre- sents the same complication of the crown which distinguishes the Hyracotherium from the Cheer opotamus, but with the same minor modification which distinguishes the 3 true molars of the Kyson species from those of the Hyrac. leporinum of Heme Bay ; i. e. the two ridges which converge from the two outer tubercles towards 4 ffji the internal tubercle are not developed midway into W the small excavated tubercle, as in the Hyrac. leporinum, fig. 3, but are simple, as in fig. 4. The disparity of size between the true and false molars ap- pears to be greater in the Hyrac. Cuniculus than in the Hyrac. leporinum. This discovery of a second species of the genus Hyracotherium, which, hitherto, has been found only in the London clay, tends to place beyond doubt the equivalency of the Kyson sand, underlying the red crag, with the Eocene deposits at the estuary of the Thames, and corroborates the inference deducible from the previously described mammalian, ornithic and ophidian remains of the London clay, that it was deposited in the near neighbourhood of dry land. I may add, that the collection of teeth and other small or- ganic fragments from the Kyson clay, which included the molars of the small extinct Pachyderm above described, like- wise included several vertebrae of a serpent, agreeing in every respect, save size, with those of the Palceophis toliapicus, re- cently described by me, from the Isle of Sheppey. The Ky- son serpent must have been about seven feet in length : that of Sheppey exceeded ten feet ; but I have lately had submitted to me for examination, by my friend Mr. Dixon of Worthing, vertebrae of a distinct species of Palceophis from the Eocene clay at Bracklesham, corresponding in size with those of a Boa Constrictor of upwards of twenty feet in length. Fig. 1 . Grinding surface of the crown of the last true molar, right side, up- per jaw, of Hyracotherium leporinum, from Heme Bay. Fig. 2. Ditto, of the corresponding molar of the Hyracotherium, Cuniculus, from Kyson. Fig. 3. Grinding surface of the last false molar (the fourth counting back- wards), left side, upper jaw, of Hyracotherium leporinum, from Heme Bay. Fig. 4. Ditto, of the corresponding tooth of the Hyracotherium Cuniculus, from Kyson. Fig. 5. Last true molar, left side, upper jaw, of Hyracotherium ' Cuniculus, from Kyson. Mr. J. Hogg on the Horny Sponges. 3 II. — Remarks on the Horny Sponges, with proposed divisions of the Order Spongiae. By John Hogg, Esq., M.A., F.R.S., F.L.S., &c. To the Editors of the Annals and Magazine of Natural History. Gentlemen, Mr. Bowerbank having published some very interesting c Observations on a Horny Sponge from Australia/ at p. 129 of the < Ann. and Mag. of Nat. Hist/ for April 1841, I am induced to trouble you with a few remarks upon them. The author there writes, " that, contrary to received opi- nions, they 5 ' (horny sponges) ei are furnished with siliceous spicula." This opinion, however, which seems to me to have originated from Dr. Grant's examinations of some of our Bri- tish horny sponges, and from the statement which he has made in the 'Edinburgh New Philosophical Journal' (for 1827, p. 122), where he says — "I have never observed any kind of spiculum in the horny species," is incorrect as far as it relates to all the horny, or subcorneous, sponges. Because, by re- ferring to M. Lamarck's c Hist. Nat. des Anim. sans Verteb.,' torn, ii., edit. 1836, p. 538, it will be seen that M. Milne Edwards distinctly mentions some sponges which were de- scribed by M. Savignyand figured in the plates of his superb work on Egypt, as having " la disposition du reseau come et des spicules qui constituent en quelque sorte la charpente de ces corps." Now, since M. Milne Edwards has in the preceding page (537) expressly said that iC on ne connait pas d'especes qui en presentent conjointement avec des epines calcaires et des fibres cornees," it is quite certain that the " reseau corne' et des spicules" spoken of, and which were described by M. Savigny, must signify the skeleton of a horny net-work with siliceous spicula. Thus Mr. Bowerbank, by his late investi- gations, has fortunately confirmed this fact ; and has disco- vered the presence of siliceous spicula in some other species of the horny sponges, which species were previously sup- posed to be entirely destitute of them. But as it was like- wise generally thought that the siliceous spicula seldom or never put on more than two simple forms, it is of importance to find from that author's paper that he has proved the sili- ceous spicula in the horny sponges which he examined to exist under several different forms, some of which he has re- presented in the accompanying figures, (Plate III. Vol. vii.) The next objects worth especial notice in that paper are, first, the reticulations of the transparent membrane. These, B2 4 Mr. J. Hogg on the Horny Sponges. indeed, strongly resemble those of the membrane of the Spon- gilla fluviatilis, which I have described at p. 386 of the 'Lin- naean Transactions/ vol. xviii., and the second, the fixed spo- ridia; — the actual existence of these bodies in any of our Bri- tish sea sponges I have never yet been able to witness, and which I account for from my not having examined them in their native localities at the proper season of the year. Al- though previously figured in Donates work and in the ( Zoo- logia Danica/ the fixed sporidia were first distinctly pointed out by Dr. Ehrenberg, as having been seen by him in many sponges of the Red Sea. The reticulated transparent membrane and the fixed spo- ridia, then, fully confirm the general description of the Spongiae Marina which I gave at p. 400, * Linn. Trans./ vol. xviii., in these words : — " The sea sponges are furnished with a skeleton of fibres interlacing, crossing, and anastomosing with them- selves ; generally also strengthened with those singularly crystallized particles termed spicula ; with a parenchymatous soft portion or jelly ; with a fine and transparent enveloping membrane ; with numerous minute pores ; and frequently with larger orifices or oscules, which are more sparingly and irregularly dispersed over their surfaces ; with passages or canals communicating through the pores and oscules one with another, along which tbe water finds a ready course or circu- lation, and affords nutriment to all the inner parts of the masses ; with locomotive sporules ; and in some species with fixed sporidia/' JMr. Bowerbank has however omitted to say whether these sporidia were softish or hard, and whether the parenchyma- tous portion or jelly was composed of minute globules or not ; nor has that author given us the names of the species which he has described. Next, if we examine Mr. Bowerbank's plate, we see the fixed sporidia well drawn at fig. 8 in their natural position, but he has neglected to magnify any of them separately. Fig. 7 gives a representation of the reticulated transparent membrane, which, I believe, is quite new, and has never yet been figured in any engraving of the sponges. Again, Mr. Bowerbank in the abstract of his paper, which was communicated to the Microscopic Society, and published in No. 1 (for March last) of the ' Microscopic Journal/ men- tions some of the horny sponges of commerce that were re- ceived from the Mediterranean, in which spicula were like- wise discovered ; but the vascular tissue surrounding the fibres there described, I am strongly inclined to agree with Dr. George Johnston in thinking " as of no more than specific importance/' Mr. J. Hogg on the Horny Sponges. 5 Also, it becomes me to correct the following passage from that Journal : — " Dr. Grant's observations were limited prin- cipally to the British species of sponge having siliceous or calcareous spicula ; the true horny species not having up to that period been found on our coast. Sowerby, in his ' British Miscellany/ has subsequently figured the Spongia pulchella obtained from the southern and western coasts of England." Now Dr. Grant published his observations in the ' Edin- burgh Philosophical Journal' for the years 1825, 1826, 1827, whereas Sowerby's e British Miscellany/ vol. i., was published long before— in fact, in the year 1806; in which volume, at p. 87, Sowerby described the S. pulchella as a new species, specimens of which had been sent to him by Mr. Brown from Ireland about the year 1800, and by the Rev. Hugh Davies from North Wales in 1802. I may here add, that I have found this beautiful species on the coast of Durham, where however it is rarely met with. Having already observed upon the similarity of the spicula with r aphides*, I perfectly coin- cide with Prof. Jones in accounting the crystalline needle-like particles which so abundantly occur in many sponges, as being analogous to and most resembling those crystalline se- cretions of plants ; and I must confess that I do not see any facts detailed in the papers of Mr. Bowerbank to lead me to alter my opinion respecting the vegetable nature of sponges. The objectionable word ' keratose' has, I am glad to see, called forth a just remark from the Editor. I have been in the habit of using the word e subcorneous * in my own attempted arrangement of the Spongiae, in which I have distributed many species without adopting the new generic names of Calcispongia, Grantia, Halichondria, Halispongia, Tethya, Tethium, part of Alcyonium of Lamarck, etc. ; since I thought it better to consider the whole under the new genus Spongilla, and the old genus Spongia of Linnaeus and Mon- tagu. The Order Spongia I some months ago separated for my own convenience into the following divisions : — Division I. Spongice Subcornece. The Subcorneous Sponges. — Having fibres of a somewhat horny substance without any spicula. Example of a British species : S. pulchella (Sow.). Division II. S. Subcorneo-silicea. The Subcorneo- siliceous Sponges. — Fibres composed of a somewhat horny substance with nume- rous siliceous spicula. No species hitherto discovered in Britain. Division III. S. Subcartilagineo-calcarice. The Subcartilagino-calca- * See Linn. Trans., vol. xviii. p. 398. 6 Mr. J. Hogg on the Horny Sponges, reous Sponges. — Fibres of a somewhat cartilaginous substance, with the spicula calcareous, or consisting of carbonate of lime. Examples : S. compressa, S. botryoides, &c. Division IV. S. Subcartilagineo-silicea. The Subcartilagino-siliceous Sponges. — Fibres composed of a somewhat cartilaginous sub- stance, with siliceous spicula. Examples : S. tomentosa, S. palmata, and Spongilla fluviatilis. Division V. S. Subereo-silicece. The Subereo-siliceous Sponges. — Fibres of a corky substance, with long siliceous spicula. Examples; S. verrucosa (Mont.) and S.pilosa (Mont.). At present, as far as I am aware, no sponges have been dis- covered either with horny fibres and calcareous spicula, or with corky fibres and calcareous spicula. The other parts of the sponges, such as the membrane and gelatinous portion, are of too fugacious a nature to afford any useful characters for the arranging of the Order ; the skeleton itself, consisting of fibres as well as spicula (which exist in so many sponges), clearly offers the best characters for that purpose. The pre- ceding divisions I did in part derive from M. Milne Edwards's observations in his edition of M. de Lamarck's e Hist. Nat. des Anim. s. Vert./ torn. ii. pp. 535 — 541. And, inasmuch as no better arrangement of the Spongia has yet appeared, I am in- duced to think the preceding attempt may prove of use, and assist the observer in rendering perfect a general classification of them. But this cannot be effectually accomplished until further investigations shall have been made on the Sea Sponges in their natural state ; and for the purpose of urging those who have the opportunity to do so, I will here repeat the re- marks which I have before made in a note at p. 406, vol. xviii. of the ' Linn. Trans.' : — " The difficulty of preserving sponges, even in bottles filled with rectified spirit of wine, is so great, that no one who has not the means of examining them in a fresh condition and in their native element, can ever expect to throw much light on their variously-formed structures. The dried masses of fibrous skeletons, devoid of their true natural forms and colours, without their parenchymatous jelly and enveloping membrane, &c. as exhibited in our museums, can but little assist us in obtaining a correct knowledge of their natural history." I remain, Gentlemen, yours truly, John Hogg. London, May 1st, 1841. Mr. MacGillivray on the Zoology of the Hebrides. 7 III. — Notes on the Zoology of the Outer Hebrides. By John MacGillivray, Vice-President of the Cuvierian Nat. Hist. Society of Edinburgh. The only account of the Natural History of the Outer He- brides that has yet been published is that of Professor Mac- Gillivray*, and it being now upwards of twenty years since that gentleman visited the district, I have been induced to arrange a few notes relative to the species observed during a residence there in the summer of 1840. Several additions to his list are here noticed, and a few errors corrected — errors which the state of British Zoology at the time he wrote ren- dered altogether unavoidable. Before proceeding further, it may be proper to mention that I was landed in Skye in the end of April 1840, was conveyed to North Uist, which I crossed, and established myself in Berneray, a small island in the sound of Harris. From this central point, excursions, sometimes of several days' duration, were repeatedly made to all the neighbouring islands, to Har- ris, the southern portion of which was traversed in all direc- tions, and to North Uist. On the 29th of June I left for St. Kildaf? and was absent eight days ; on my return I set off for South Uist, traversing Benbecula, and remaining upwards of a week. On my return I again visited Harris and the adja- cent isles, spent some time in North Uist, and finally crossing to Skye in the end of August, walked through the west high- lands to Edinburgh, which I reached after an absence of four months. Mammalia. The Otter, Lutra vulgaris, is sparingly distributed along the whole of the rocky coasts of the Hebrides. It is found chiefly among the loose blocks of stone by the shore, but oc- casionally frequents the inland lakes, especially in South Uist. The otters of the Hebrides belong exclusively to the dark variety, considered by Mr. Ogilby as specifically distinct, which, though said to be smaller than the other, is yet not al- ways so ; for one shot in the island of Vallay measured five feet, and another seen at Scolpig about nine inches less, being still above the average size. Phoca vitulina, Common Seal, is extremely abundant in the sound of Harris and the neigh- bouring inlets of North Uist, but less so elsewhere. The young are born about the beginning of June, and immediately follow their mother. One only is usually produced at a birth, * Edinb. Journ. of Nat. and Geograph. Science, vol. ii. pp. 161 and 321. f An account of which will appear in the October Number of the ' Edinb. New Philos. Journal.' 8 Mr. J. MacGillivray's Notes on the but in a single instance two cubs were observed following one female. During a storm I have seen them throwing them- selves forwards, half out of the water, which movement they repeated several times in succession. Two individuals of Phoca grcenlandica, Harp or Greenland Seal, were observed by Mr. D. MacLellan and myself, on a small rock in the Atlantic, off the west coast of South Uist, in the month of July. They were seen through a telescope, at a distance of not more than 300 yards, as we were watching the strange movements of a large schooner which sunk in deep water a few minutes after- wards. Being then in the habit of daily seeing numbers of seals, I could scarcely have mistaken so marked a species for either of the two others. Halichcerus griseus, Nilss., Great Seal, as determined by me from the examination of several in- dividuals, also of two crania, and numerous skins, is equally plentiful with the Common Seal, from which it differs greatly in habits. It seldom enters the shallow sounds like the Ph. vitulina, with which it never associates, but frequents the open sea, upon the western or Atlantic coasts of the islands, where alone I have observed it. It breeds in November, leaving its young one upon the rock, and suckling it at each tide. The most noted places of resort of this species are the rocky islands of Haskir, twelve miles off the west coast of North Uist, and Gaskir, at a similar distance from the Harris coast. In the beginning of November a large boat filled with men leaves North Uist under night, and generally arrives at Haskir soon after daybreak. The men land upon the island armed with long clubs and separate into two bodies, one of which attack the seals upon the shelving rocks upon which they are found lying with their cubs, while the other cut off their retreat to the water. A short but fierce struggle then takes place ; a few of the animals escape, the rest are killed by repeated blows about the root of the nose, their only vulnerable spot, and the rock is soon covered with the dying and the dead. About seventy are thus annually procured, but the number varies considerably, as many as 120 having sometimes been obtained. Many of them are of large size, one which I measured at Vall- ay being 7^ feet in length, exclusive of the head, and indivi- duals of much larger size are not unfrequently met with. Mus Musculus, Common Mouse, is of common occurrence : M. decumanus, the Brown Rat, was observed to feed on shell- fish and Crustacea in the uninhabited islands of the sound of Harris, the sea-banks of many of which I have seen perforated in all directions with their burrows. Lepus Cuniculus, the Rabbit, has been introduced into South Uist and Barray, where it has multiplied prodigiously. Zoology of the Outer Hebrides. 9 The Red Deer, Cervus Elaphus, of the Outer Hebrides is much smaller than individuals from the mainland of Scotland. By being carefully preserved, the deer are still plentiful in the forest of Harris and the interior of North Uist; in the latter situation they betake themselves to the water on being pursued, and easily find shelter among the numerous islets of the lakes. Various Cetacea were occasionally seen during my nume- rous boating excursions, both in the Minch and upon the west coast ; but the only species, besides the Porpoise, Delphinus Phoccena, that I could identify is the Grampus, D. Orca, con- spicuous by its peculiar dorsal fin. On the beach at Pabbay may be seen numerous gigantic bones, the remains of a drove of eighty grampuses which were driven ashore by the islanders about twenty-five years ago. Birds. The two species of Eagles, Aquila Chrysaetos and Haliaetus albicilla, were occasionally observed, the latter by far the most frequently. As the eyries are well known in their re- spective neighbourhoods, and a reward offered for the destruc- tion of both old and young, the number of these birds is annually diminishing. The Sea Eagle, though usually build- ing upon the maritime cliffs, in one instance was found breed- ing on a small flat islet in one of the numerous lakes of North Uist, and two eggs were procured from the locality in ques- tion. When sitting on the grass upon the summit of Ben Mhore in South Uist, a magnificent bird of this species alighted on a neighbouring pinnacle, which I had previously observed to be strewed with its down and feathers. I crawled to within a few yards of the spot, and with a telescope lei- surely examined the noble bird, as he stood erect and almost motionless, occasionally casting quick glances all around ; on being disturbed he quickly unfolded his broad wings, launched into the mist below, and was soon lost to view. It being a Sunday I had no gun with me, else I could easily have pro- cured him, but the fine sight made ample amends for my dis- appointment. The only breeding-place of the Golden Eagle visited by me, was an isolated promontory stretching far into the Atlantic, and forming the hill of Northtown. Before reaching the spot I had unfortunately scared away the eagles by firing at some cormorants upon the rocks, and had to content myself with a distant view. An uncle of mine, who for a long time resided in the neighbourhood, was in the ha- bit of occasionally descending into their eyrie by means of a rope, and in this way took many eggs and destroyed several 10 Mr. J. MacGillivray's Notes on the young birds. One of the old birds was also shot by my father from a covered pit in which he lay concealed, the bird being enticed by a hen fastened by a string at a little distance. Falco peregrinus, the Peregrine Falcon, breeds in St. Kilda, and I believe in various other localities, and was occasionally observed in several of the islands. In the end of July, while crossing the moors of North Uist on horseback along with three companions, a male Peregrine flew past us with a Lestris Richardsonii in its talons, and another, probably the mate of the murdered bird, in hot pursuit, uttering incessant cries. A splendid specimen of the Jer Falcon, F, islandicus, was shot in North Uist a few years ago by my friend D. Arbuckle, Esq., and another was seen in the adjacent island of Pabbay by Mr. Nicholson (Berneray), but was not procured. F. Tin- nunculus, Kestril, occurred not unfrequently ; F. JEsalon, the Merlin, once or twice ; and the Hen Harrier, Circus cyaneus, was rather abundant, especially among the bogs of the two Uists, where it breeds. Hirundo rustica is the only species of Swallow that I met with in the Hebrides, where it did not arrive till the end of June. About a dozen were observed at the landing-place of Pabbay on the morning of my departure for St. Kilda ; and a single individual had been caught alive in the school-house of Berneray and brought to me a few days before. That rare bird the Hoopoe, Upupa Epops, extends its occasional visits to the Hebrides ; for I was informed by my friend Dr. M'Leod of a bird previously unknown in that part of the country, which, from description, was immediately recognised as the species now mentioned. An individual was found in an ex- hausted state lying by the road- side near Balelone in North Uist, after a long-continued easterly gale, and died shortly afterwards. The Wren, Troglodytes europaus, is pretty common ; the Robin, Erythacus Rubecula, and Hedge Chanter, Accentor modularis, occurred only in the glen of Rhodil, where alone, in all the Outer Hebrides, is there wood in any quantity. Of Saxicola Rubetra, Whinchat, a solitary pair was observed at Ob in Harris, where the nest was found ; S. (Enanthe, the Wheatear, arrived in the beginning of May (in Skye about the end of April), and soon became very abundant throughout the range. I have sometimes found as many as three or four nests in the walls of a single hut. A nest of the Redwing, Turdus iliacuSf was found by Mr. Bullock many years ago in the glen of Rhodil ; but although I visited the spot repeatedly, I failed in again meeting with the bird. The Song Thrush, T. musicus, is plentiful everywhere, and identical with speci- Zoology of the Outer Hebrides, 1 1 mens from the south, although eggs brought by me from Harrris are certainly smaller and darker than usual, and the nest is different. The Common and Shore Pipits, Anthus pratensis and aquations, are both common ; the nest of the latter I have frequently found at a distance from the sea. The Raven, Corvus Corax, is generally distributed, but is nowhere numerous, unless when attracted by a stranded whale or drove of grampuses. Although it generally builds in lofty rocks overhanging the sea, from which I have taken the young, yet I know of a nest in the island of Berneray at an eleva- tion of certainly not more than fifteen feet, but still quite in- accessible from above, and nearly so from below. The owners of this nest made great havoc among the poultry in the neigh- bourhood, and I have known one of them to kill a full-grown duck and partially devour it. C. Comix was the only other species noticed, though both C. Corone and C.frugilegus are met with in Skye. The Hooded Crow is very plentiful, espe- cially in St. Kilda, and, like the Raven, approaches the huts early in the morning, searching the dunghills for offal of every kind. It lives chiefly on shell-fish and Crustacea ; but when in South Uist in the end of July, I daily observed large flocks of this bird feeding on the larvae bred in the putrid sea-weed collected into small heaps for manure. In the Hebrides it breeds in rocks, chiefly maritime ; but in the neighbouring island of Skye, I have taken the nest in a tree by the road- side, at the head of Loch Snizort. The Starling, Sturnus vul- garis, is very common, beginning to collect into large flocks in July, and remaining thus till the end of April. Fringilla domestica, the Common Sparrow, I found in only a single locality — among the ruins of Ormaclate Castle in South Uist, of old the family-seat of Clanranald ; F. codebs, the Chaffinch, occurred only in the glen of Rhodil, along with Coccothraustes Chloris, the Greenfinch. Linota Montium, the Twite, is abundant, and the only Hebridian species of the ge- nus. Emberiza Miliaria, the Corn Bunting, is plentifully di- stributed over the whole range ; E. Schozniclus, Reed Bunting, is rare, and E. Citrinella, Yellow Bunting, was seen only at Rhodil. Plectrophanes nivalis, Snow Bunting, I found so late as the middle of May, when I shot a pair on the sand-hill of Berneray. The Skylark, Alauda arvensis, is common. Cuculus canorus, the Cuckoo, was seen and heard occa- sionally, especially in North Uist, about Loch Maddy, and elsewhere. The Rock Dove, Columba Livia, breeds in great numbers in the maritime caves and fissures, and nowhere more abundantly than in the island of Pabbay. During sum- mer its food consists almost entirely of Helix ericetorum and 12 Mr. J. MacGillivray's Notes on the Bulimus acutus, shells very abundant among the sandy pas- tures. The Red Grouse, Lagopus scotticus, is abundant ; and the Ptarmigan, L. cinereus, occurs sparingly upon Ben Mhore and Hecla in South Uist, and Ronaval in Harris, but more plentifully upon the summits of the Forest Hills. A single individual was seen in St. Kilda a few winters ago by the mi- nister, who informed me of the circumstance, which seems al- most incredible, the nearest land being fifty miles distant, from which it looks a mere speck upon the ocean. Yet birds apparently less capable of enduring continued flight, as the Corncrake and Wheatear, annually visit St. Kilda. Charadrius Hiaticula, the Ringed Plover, is very plentiful, as is also C. pluvialis, Golden Plover ; the latter congregates into vast flocks about the end of July, which betake them- selves to the shore at low water ; and I have seen the " ebb " of Berneray, a curious reef of bare stones extending upwards of a mile, in many places completely covered with their dense masses. Vanillus cristatus, the Lapwing, is very abundant in several of the islands, as Ensay, Killigray, and Toroway, as well as the two Uists and Benbecula. The Oyster Catcher, Hcematopus ostralegus, is plentifully distributed, breeding in almost every maritime situation, as well as by the inland lakes ; the nest varies considerably, according to the locality. It is extremely probable that the Turnstone, Strepsilas colla- ris, breeds in the Hebrides, at least occasionally ; for I have seen it in pairs so late as the middle of June in the island of Ensay, and shot it in the end of July and beginning of Au- gust upon the reef of Berneray. Numenius arquata, the Cur- lew, is common, but I did not find it breeding ; N. Phceopus, the Whimbrel, was first seen on the 2nd of May, and had dis- appeared by the end of the month, hence the vernacular name of May-fowl. It is very plentiful, and usually met with in small flocks of about twenty or so, and on its arrival is very tame, but soon becomes more wary. It chiefly frequents the pas- tures, but occasionally resorts to the shore at low water ; none remain to breed, for I never heard of any being seen after the end of May. Tringa variabilis, the Dunlin, is very common, leaving the coast for the heaths in May, and returning in the end of July along with the young of the year. The Sander- ling, Calidris arenaria, I have observed so late as the middle of May ; hence it may possibly breed in some part of the di- strict. Totanus hypoleucos, Common Sandpiper, occurs by the margins of most of the lakes, where it breeds. T. Calidris, the Redshanks, was shot in Berneray in the end of May, and found in pairs on the island of Toroway in June, and at Vail- Zoology of the Outer Hebrides. 13 ay in August, but was not observed elsewhere, nor was the nest found. When crossing the sand fords between South Uist and Benbecula in the end of July along with Mr. D. MacGillivray, we fell in with a large flock and several smaller ones of Limosa rufa*, Bar- tailed Godwit, which allowed us to ride up sufficiently close to enable me to identify the species ; they were probably on their way southward, after breeding in high northern latitudes. Scolopax Gallinago, the Common Snipe, is abundant in all the bogs ; Rallus aquations, the Water Rail, occurred in North and South Uist ; Crex pratensis, the Land Rail, was plentiful during the summer, frequenting at first the dense patches of Iris Pseudacorus in the marshy grounds, and resorting to the corn when that is tall enough to afford shelter. Gallinula chloropus and Fulica atra, the Water Hen and Coot, are both pretty common in such of the lakes as have the margin furnished with aquatic plants. Lobipes 7iyperboreus, the Red-necked Phalarope, occurs in small num- bers about Scolpig in North Uist, and in the adjacent island of Vallay. In the latter situation it may usually be found about the drains and ditches in the neighbourhood of the Manse, where it was first observed by Mr. D. Macrae. Anser brachyrhynchus, the Pink-footed or Short-billed Goose, breeds in great numbers in the small islands of the sound of Harris, as well as those of the interior of North Uist. This bird was seen in flocks so late as the beginning of May, was observed in pairs among the islands in the sound about the middle of the month, and had the young fully fledged and strong upon wing about the end of July ; it had again col- lected into flocks by the beginning of August, for late in the night of the 8th of that month, as I was riding in great haste to overtake the ferry-boat for Berneray, while crossing the sandy margin of a shallow pool, I came suddenly upon a flock of geese amounting to several hundreds, judging from their cries, which startled my horse, and I may add, myself also. A large flock of Brent Geese, Bernicla Brenta, passed over head from the southward on the 2nd of May, while I was en- gaged collecting Crustacea on the reef at Berneray : this is the latest date of their occurrence, for I could never hear of any remaining to breed. Tadorna Vulpanser, the Shieldrake, breeds in all the islands of the sound of Harris, with the ex- ception of Berneray, Pabbay, and Shellay, and is plentiful in many parts of Benbecula and the two Uists. The eggs at first have a slight tinge of pink, which they soon loose. Anas * The supposed species L. Meyeri, Leis., is plentiful along the Frith of Forth in many places ; I shot several specimens last autumn at Mussel- burgh. 14 Mr. J. MacGillivray's Notes on the Boschus, Mallard, is not uncommon ; and the Seal, Querque- dula Crecca, has been known to breed in South Uist, but I never observed it there. The Eider Duck, Somateria mollis- sima, breeds in small numbers on some of the less frequented islets of the sound of Harris, as Skerry-vore, Shellay, and those between Killigray and Ob. The island of Haskir is the chief breeding-place of this bird, the numbers there found being represented as truly astonishing. Harelda glacialis, the Long-tailed Duck, was observed in pairs in the sound of Har- ris so late as the beginning of May, but none remained du- ring the summer. The Goosander, Mergus Castor, is pretty common, breed- ing by the larger lakes and occasionally by the sea, as near Loch Maddy in North Uist. M, Serrator, the Red-breasted Merganser, I have seldom observed inland, like the preceding ; a few remain during the summer, and I took the nest with eggs on a small island between Killigray and Ob, in the sound of Harris. The Cormorant, Phalacrocorax carbo, is rather plentiful, breeding along with the next in St. Kilda, Shellay, and Towhead. P. cristatus, the Shag, is much more plentiful than the last, and may be found in most of the maritime caves, where it is so tame that I have several times seen them killed with stones thrown from above. Among many which I shot at Northtown, beside a cave which in days of old sheltered for a time one of the fugitives from Culloden, Mr. M'Leod of Berneray has one of a light brown colour : this being in the month of June, it could not be one of the young birds of the year, which are well known to have their first plumage of that colour. The Gannet, Sula Bassana, may be seen coasting along the headlands and entering the bays with the first dawn of morning, and retiring in the evening in long strings towards St. Kilda, where alone it breeds. When gorged with fish it is sometimes scarcely able to raise itself from the water, and I have seen it taken by the hand when asleep in this state. The Common Tern, Sterna Hirundo, was first ob- served on the 14th of May, and found breeding a few days after in company with the Arctic Tern, St. arctica, which is much more plentiful. On several of the smaller and less fre- quented islands on which I landed, many hundreds of their eggs were taken in a few minutes, and in some places one could hardly move without treading upon them ; a loose cloud of terns of both species hovering about uttering incessant cries, and darting down to within a few feet of the invaders of their peaceful territory. The Laughing Gull, Xema ridibundum, is abundant in the marshes of the two Uists and Benbecula, also near Rhodil and in Berneray, breeding in all these situ- Zoology of the Outer Hebrides, 1 5 ations. Rissa tridaclyla, the Kittiwake, breeds only in Haskir and St. Kilda ; in the latter place in large colonies. Larus ma- rinus, the Great Black-backed Gull, is plentiful ; its nest was found only on the small island of Shellay, at Lowhead, and in the interior of North Uist, among the small lakes. L. fus- cus, the Lesser Black-backed Gull, is not so common as the others of the genus, but was found breeding in the same places as the preceding. Large colonies were noticed on se- veral of the islets of North Uist, upwards of a mile from the sea. L. canus and L. argentatus, the Common and Herring Gulls, were equally abundant; the latter was never found breeding in the interior as the former occasionally was. Lestris Richardsonii, Richardson's Skua, breeds in several spots in the interior of North Uist, and a few stragglers might now and then be observed upon the coasts, chacing the terns and smaller gulls. The Fulmar, Procellaria glacialis, breeds in astonishing numbers upon the terrific cliffs of St. Kilda, but was not observed elsewhere, except when at sea in very gloomy weather ; also in the evening and at daybreak, when I have seen them following in the wake of the boat, but sel- dom for any time. In St. Kilda I have taken them alive upon the rocks, but never observed them eject oil from their nostrils, as mentioned in ornithological works, though they vomit that fluid most [copiously on being wounded or roughly handled. Such as I dissected had the stomach filled with clear oil, mixed with the horny mandibles of some Sepiadce, on which, and not the "flesh of whales," as stated in books, the St. Kilda Fulmar may be presumed to subsist. Puffinus Anglo- rum, the Shearwater, was seen occasionally at sea, but on land only in St. Kilda, where it nestles in excavations formed by itself: like the next, it seems to be in great measure a noc- turnal bird. The Stormy Petrel is extremely plentiful about St. Kilda, whence it issues about an hour before sunset : as to the species I am not quite certain, as I did not procure a single specimen ; for although they sometimes came about the boat in great numbers, this happened only in very rough weather, when, as every one who has faced the Atlantic in an open boat during a heavy gale will readily imagine, shooting was rendered exceedingly difficult, and picking up the dead birds next to impossible. The Dobchick, Podiceps minor, occurred in almost all the lakes of North and South Uist. The Eared Grebe, P. au- ritus, in the latter only, chiefly about Ormaclate. The North- ern Diver, Colymbus glacialis, was plentiful until the begin- ning of June, when they all disappeared, and had not again returned when I left the country. C. septentrionalis, the Red- throated Diver, was observed on several of the lakes ; and C. 16 M. Mohl on the Structure of Annular Vessels. arcticus, Black-throated Diver, was ascertained to breed in North Uist. I did not however find the nest of the latter bird, but mention the fact upon the authority of several of my friends who did so and know the species well — among others, Lieut. Macdonald of North Uist. The Guillemot, Uria Troile, was observed with the Razor-bill in vast numbers in the end of April, while crossing the Minch in the Uist packet, and that too during the whole extent, or about thirty miles. Uria Grylle, Black Guillemot, was found on all the rocky coasts, but was nowhere very numerous. The first young bird fully fledged was shot on the 14th of August. Of the Puffin, Mor- mon arcticus, I saw countless myriads in St. Kilda*, where they far outnumber all the other species. Alca Torda, the Razor-bill, is also very plentiful in St. Kilda, and, with the Puffin, breeds also in Haskir, but in far smaller numbers. When in St. Kilda I was told by some of the fowlers, that the Great Auk, Alca impennis, is still seen occasionally, but that none had been procured for many years back. IV. — Researches on the Structure of Annular Vessels. By Hugo MoHLf. [With a Plate.] Dr. Schleiden lately published some observations on the spiral formations in the cells of plants in the { Flora 5 (see An- nals and Mag. of Nat. Hist., vol. vi. p. 35), which interested me the more by reason of my having recently directed attention to the same subject (Flora, 1839, pp. 81-142), and especially as the result of his researches coincided with my own in all es- sential points concerning the structure of the cellular mem- brane of vegetables. His opinion principally differs from mine in two points, viz. the order of development of the se- condary membranes and fibres in the woody fibre of Taxus and allied organisms, and the formation of the annular vessels. I must wait for a more favourable opportunity to examine the first point ; but, as regards the second, 1 will state the reasons which induce me to adhere to my former opinion, notwithstanding Schleiden has set forth a new theory respect- ing the development of the annular vessels. Long ago (see c Flora/ 1838, p. 378,) have I been opposed to the hypothesis, which is devoid of all foundation, although ge- nerally received even in the present day, that annular vessels owe their origin to the disruption of the spiral fibres of spiral vessels whose fragments become afterwards united in the form * Where I procured a nearly white variety of this species, t From the Flora, 18,39, p. 673. M. Mohl on the Structure of Annular Vessels. 1 7 of rings. On the contrary, I have explained the formation of annular fibres as a mere modification of spiral fibres, founded upon the fact, that the ascension of a spiral fibre, which can, on the one hand, be extended so far as to take a, longitudinal direction, may, on the other hand, be diminished to such a de- gree that its direction may transversely cross the longitudinal axis of the vessel; the consequence of which must necessarily be, rings returning into themselves instead of spiral fibres. On the contrary, Dr. Schleiden thinks that, in the secondary membranes of the utricles of plants, we can, without any exception, demonstrate a spiral disposition of the fibres ; and that annular vessels are formed by spiral vessels which have a constant tendency to unroll themselves, the coils of whose fibre become united here and there by two and two, so as to form perfect rings, which subsequently become isolated by the absorption of the interposed portion of the fibres. This development, he assures us, may be observed in an examina- tion of the annular vessels in their earliest stage. The solution of the question as to which of these two the- ories is the true one, will appear to many, in general, more simple and easy than it really is. It might be supposed that by means of a good microscope, used with the necessary skill and patience, the difficulties of research arising from the mi- nuteness and softness of the vessels in their primary develop- ment would be easily surmounted. Such is in fact the case, though, nevertheless, this is not sufficient to place the matter in a clear light ; for the principal difficulty in researches on the development of a vegetable organ arises, in the present as well as in most other cases, from the organ whose develop- ment is to be studied not presenting the same structure under all circumstances, but, on the contrary, presenting in the dif- ferent cases subjected to examination greater or less deviations from the normal type. It is this circumstance which fre- quently hinders us from deciding whether we have a normal development before us, or only an accidental though persist- ent deviation. The observer, not seeing the successive deve- lopment of an organ effected before his eyes, but having to establish his opinion on isolated facts observed at different stages of development, is often induced to consider some ac- cidental and unimportant circumstance of greater interest than it really is, and thus founds upon these exceptions, al- though accurately observed, a theory entirely false. Only by researches frequently repeated can such errors be avoided. Before passing to the examination of annular vessels, I shall offer some remarks on the fibre of spiral vessels. Ann. $ Mag. N. Hist. Vol. viii. C 18 M. Mohl on the Structure of Annular Vessels, Whoever has examined the development of spiral vessels and spiral cellules, and recognised their constant analogy with each other and with the dotted cellules, will not doubt for an instant that he sees in the fibre of spiral vessels, not a particular and independent organism, but rather the se- condary membrane of the vascular utricles, divided in a spi- ral direction into one or more parallel bands. As regards the organization of this pretended fibre, I refer therefore to my work on the organization of the cellular membrane, because all that can be said on the structure of the membrane of the spiral cellule is equally applicable to the wall of the spiral vessel. But as respects what I have to say concerning annu- lar vessels, it is necessary to examine with care some points relative to the spiral fibre. In the memoir above quoted I have detailed their striae, their great facility of tearing in a spiral direction, the hollows and furrows lying in a similar direction, and more especially the slits, which entirely penetrate the thickness of the cellular membrane, as the reasons which favour the opinion that the secondary cellular membranes possess a fibrous structure. All these phaenomena, which are so frequently seen on the parts of the cellular membrane situated between the dottings on the cells, are also observable on the fibres of the unrollable spiral vessels ; but are not so often recognised in the latter, either on account of the narrowness of the spiral fibre, or that frequently, even under the highest magnifying powers, the spiral fibre appears homogeneous. When, on the contrary, the fibre is of a considerable width, so that it rather resem- bles a flattened ribbon than a semi-rounded or quadrangular thread, it does not, in most instances, present a homogeneous aspect, but furrows more or less deep are observable in it in the direction of the fibre, either in one row or side by side, and in this last case they give to it a retiform appearance (Plate I. fig. 2. and 3, Commelina tuber osa). In other cases these fur- rows penetrate through the entire thickness of the fibre, which, at different points, is divided into two or more fibres placed side by side. These fibres either take a parallel direction, or the detached fibre at a greater or less distance reunites with the other, or else one of the fibres arising from division, leaving the other part, which continues in its primary direction, rises in a more oblique spiral direction, until it reaches the adjacent coil of the fibre into which it merges. Thus, in short, we observe, that almost all the modifications of form found in the secondary utricular layers result from the close union of all the constituent parts of the fibre, from their more or less de- M. Mohl on the Structure of Annular Vessels. 19 cided separation into isolated threads, from deviations in the course of these from that of the main-thread, or from a reticu- lated union of the isolated threads. The direction in which the spiral fibre is wound has, indeed, no direct connexion with the organization of the vessel ; never- theless I think it necessary to make some remarks on this sub- ject, because several erroneous statements, partly founded upon an imperfect knowledge of the spiral, have been advanced by some authors. I have elsewhere said that the great majority of spiral vessels were wound to the right ; that is, the volution of the fibre is such, that, to an observer placed in the axis of the cylinder around which the spiral line rises, the fibre ap- pears to mount from left to right, as shown in the vessel repre- sented at figure 5. Like most other phytotomists, Schleiden says that the spiral fibre is wound sometimes to the right, sometimes to the left ; and he thinks it possible to admit pro- visionally, as a general rule, that in spiral organizations (i co- temporaneously" developed, those which are situated imme- diately side by side in the direction of the radius have similar directions (homodromes), whilst those placed side by side in directions parallel to the periphery have different directions (heterodromes) ; and in proof of this law he relies on the con- stant crossing of the pore-like fissures in contiguous parenchy- matous and ligneous cellules when observed in sections made parallel to the medullary rays. I must confess my inability to conceive how Dr. Schleiden can allege the crossing of the porous fissures in support of the volution of the fibres in different di- rections, since it proves quite the contrary. This crossing is seen when two vessels or cellules furnished with pores are su- perposed, and the adjacent parietes wound in opposite direc- tions ; but it is evident that this last case is only possible when the winding in the two vessels is homodromous *. It is quite true that we generally see the porous fissures crossing each other in a section parallel with the medullary rays ; which proves that the different layers of cells visible in such a section and placed one under the other, are wound in a homodromous direction ; but as at the same time the cells of every such layer are homodromous with each other, it clearly follows that, generally speaking, all the cells of a plant are homodromous ; and this, in fact, will be found to be so on an examination of different sections of the same plant. Without doubt spiral vessels exist which are wound to the left; but although I have latterly found them more fre- quently than formerly, I must still persist in asserting them * [This illustration may be easily verified by applying two quills toge- ther, with equidistant homodromous or heterodromous spirals scratched upon them.— En.] C2 20 M. Mohl on the Structure of Annular Vessels?. to be much rarer than those wound to the rights and that they* should rather be considered as exceptions to the rule, since, in most plants, we find a hundred spiral vessels wound to the right for a single one wound to the left. Doubtless it is true that these proportions vary in different plants, and I cannot yet say whether the finding in them more frequently spiral vessels wound to the left be a fact peculiar to certain species or only to certain individuals : generally they are, as I have said, wound to the right. The volution to the right or to the left, in spiral vessels, is quite independent of the organization of the surrounding parts, as is proved by the fact that, in cer- tain cases, not only the fibres of two superposed utricles of the same vessel are wound in opposite directions, but some- times even in the same vascular utricle (as I have seen in the Gourd) the parts of the spiral fibre separated from each other by rings are wound in an opposite direction (Plate I. fig. 9). When we examine the fibre of the perfectly developed an- nular vessel (for which researches I have been accustomed to use the Commelina tuber osa), we find its organization per- fectly analogous to that of the spiral fibre, in the rings being composed* sometimes of an apparently homogeneous sub- stance, and* sometimes exhibiting traces of a determinate structure. In the broad fibres, as in the Commelina tufierosa, the fibre frequently exhibits a great number of shallow linear furrows or perfect fissures, forming a net-work of very narrow and elongated meshes (fig. 1, 3). More frequently still these fis- sures are found in an uninterrupted line in the medial line of the fibre, or they become confluent, and thus divide the ring into two superposed rings (fig. 4 a, a, Commelina tuberosa)* When this latter division takes place, it generally recurs on every ring of a vessel. Frequently, however, this does not occur ; but divided and undivided rings alternate in an irre- gular manner, the undivided rings being sometimes of equal size, sometimes of half the size of the divided rings, and sometimes of a size very inconsiderable in comparison with the divided rings (Plate I. fig. 1, Commelina tuber osa). The direction of this line of division is parallel to the lateral edges of the ring, so that, by this fissure, the ring is divided into two superposed rings, which sometimes touch and sometimes are placed at a little distance from each other. According to Schleiden, this line of division proceeds from the coils of the spiral fibre being more or less completely soldered together, and always in pairs. We easily perceive that, in this case, the line of partition should be directed spirally from one edge of the ring towards the other, and that it should not be parallel M. Mohl on the Structure of Annular Vessels. 21 to its edges ; but as the latter is constantly the case, we must reject this explanation of the origin of the line of partition. In the developed annular vessel, the rings are either en- tirely isolated, or two or three are joined together in different ways. It not unfrequently happens that the line of partition does not divide the ring throughout the whole of its circum- ference, but that the two superposed rings are united for a space variable in extent ; in which case the parts separated are removed to a greater or less distance from each other, and are placed obliquely to the axis of the vessel. (Plate I. fig. 6, Commelina tuberosa : the same form is often met with in the Canna indica.) In other cases, and this is the habitual organization, the rings are removed to a greater or less distance from each other, and are separated by a regular spiral fibre, which, according to the distance of the rings, describes one or more volutions, and frequently even a great number. Of this there are several modifications : very generally from a ring will proceed a spi- ral fibre of the same width as the annular fibre, the distance of whose coils is nearly equal to that of the rings in the portion of the vessel which exhibits this structure (fig. 9, of the Gourd) ; the other extremity of the fibre being similarly annexed to a complete ring, followed by rings, either isolated or again reunited by spiral fibres. Very frequently also the spiral fibre placed between two rings does not proceed to a junction with the rings, but its extremities become attenuated and terminate at some distance from the ring. In the stem of the Gourd this is nearly as frequent as the preceding case (fig. 2 a y Commelina tuberosa ; fig. 9, Gourd). Often also, from two diametrically opposite points of a ring proceed two fibres in a continuous parallel direction. Cases are sometimes met with, although rarely, where two rings are united by fibres slenderer than the annular fibre, which generally form a single coil, or at least only a small number of coils (fig. 1, 7? 8, Commelina tuberosa). This occurs in a very evident manner in the vessels whose rings are not homogeneous, but where the spiral fibre is divided by several fissures into threads united in net-work, as in the vessel represented in figure 1. The width of the fibres uniting the different rings presents no exact proportion to the width of the annular fibre, being sometimes about the half of it (fig. 8), sometimes considerably less (fig. 1). The point of union of the spiral fibre with the annular fibre is especially deserving of consideration. When examined with a sufficient magnifying power, we sometimes find (fig. 7> 8) that a part of the annular fibre separates itself to ascend in a spiral di- 22 M. Mohl on the Structure of Annular Vessels. rection ; but that, in general, at the point of junction of the two fibres the annular fibre does not become thinner, the spiral fibre being attached only to the lateral edge of the an- nular fibre, which preserves an uniform thickness throughout its entire extent (fig. 1, 9, 10). There are even instances in which this union does not take place in the direction of the spiral, but where the spiral fibre terminates in two divergent branches (fig. 10 a, Commelina tuber osa) separating right and left, and confluent with the annular fibre. An examination of the proportions above mentioned, be- tween the annular fibres and the spiral fibres which unite them, must excite doubts of the accuracy of Schleiden^s theory of the origin of annular vessels. In fact the division which takes place in many rings is, as we have seen, nothing less than a proof of the ring being composed of the two united fibres of a spiral fibre ; whilst, on the other hand, the direction of this division parallel to the edges of the rings is quite opposed to Schleiden's theory, and shows us that, in these more or less divided rings, we see a transition from the simple ring to two rings, situated at considerable distances from each other. An organization entirely analogous is also found in the spiral fibre, for there are spiral vessels traversed in the middle by a narrow fissure (fig. 4, 6, Commelina tube- rosa), by which the decomposition of the simple spiral fibre into two fibres placed at certain parallel distances is indicated. What chiefly militates against the formation of rings by the united spiral coils of a spiral vessel, is the proportion which the rings bear to the spiro'id fibres which unite them. And first, when the organization of the vessels is very regular, the rings and the fibres are generally of Jhe same width (fig. 4, 9), which could not be the case if the rings were com- posed of a double twist of the fibre. If then the spiral fibres which unite the rings are slender, the width of these fibres bears no exact proportion to the width of the rings and of the divisions perceived in them (fig. 1) ; moreover, the fibres are sometimes soldered to the rings, and sometimes separated from them. The spiral fibres, when they are united to the rings, cannot be considered in certain cases, and according to the form of the point of union, as a part of the fibrous mass which forms the ring, this part separating from the ring, and continuing in a spiral direction. I have thought it right to explain these considerations, in the first instance, upon the annular vessels in a state of com- plete development, because observations made on developed vessels are necessarily more precise and certain than those made on young vessels ; not so much on account of the larger size of the developed vessels, but because, in consequence of M. Mohl on the Structure of Annular Vessels. 23 the greater thickness of their fibres, of the greater distance of these organs from each other, and of the absence of the mu- cilage with which the young vessels are gorged, these de- veloped vessels present a much clearer contour, and the or- ganization of their fibres is more easily observed. Doubtless it is true that we ought not to infer from the structure of a developed organ the mode of its development ; but the exami- nation of this structure is nevertheless of very great importance in studying the manner of its development, since we always thence obtain the means of proving the truth of any theory propounded on the history of development, a theory which ought not to be in contradiction with the results of an exa- mination of the developed organ. Now in the present case this contradiction assuredly exists between the structure of the developed annular vessels and the theory of Schleiden. Let us now see what information the examination of the young vessels gives us of the mode of their development. At first I selected the stems of different plants, especially of Tradescantia tuherosa, because Schleiden announced that he had remarked the metamorphosis of spiral vessels into annu- lar vessels in the youngest internodes of subterranean and ascending stems. The results have not been favourable to the theory of Schleiden. For this examination it is not proper to select vessels placed at the interior angle of the vascular bundles, because these pass too rapidly through the phases of their development, and their diameter is also too small ; the coils of their fibres being moreover at first too close together to allow any observations made upon them to be considered as conclusive. The larger vessels, placed more towards the exte- rior, present less difficulties in these respects, though here also an unfavourable circumstance occurs, viz. that the rings in the course of their development, in consequence of the feeble lon- gitudinal growth of the vascular utricles, remain very close together, which may, in some cases, render the distinction of the annular and spiral formations in the fibres difficult, and which, in all cases, makes it rather hard to decide whether there does or does not exist between each pair of rings a slender spiral fibre which is subsequently absorbed. However I think I have observed with certainty, that from the begin- ning, and so soon as I could distinguish the fibres on the in- terior surface of the vascular utricle, under the form of thin, more or less narrow, diaphanous edges, they were not abso- lutely spiral ; but that, as in the developed vessels, they formed either complete isolated rings, or rings intermixed with spiral fibres ; so that, with the exception of the thinness of the fibres, and of the small distance of the rings from each other, there 24 M. Mohl on the Structure of Annular Vessels, is no essential difference observable between them and the perfectly developed vessels. The examination of the vessels of the stem not havings how- ever, furnished me with a perfectly satisfactory result, and my former researches on the roots of Palms and other mono- cotyledonous plants having shown me the greater facility of studying the development in this organ than in the trunk, I submitted the roots of Tradescantm to a very attentive exa- mination, the results of which I consider to be quite conclusive. The examination of the roots presents this great advantage over that of the stems, that in the larger vessels, placed nearer to the centre, the fibres are not developed until a sufficiently late period, when their longitudinal growth is already termi- nated. At the period when the fibres of the vascular utri- cles are developed, these utricles have not only already attained to a considerable size, but the fibres in them are also, from the beginning, arranged at greater distances from each other, and their successive development may be fol- lowed in detail step by step, from one end of the root to the other. This examination is rendered easier in consequence of the vessels being deposited in a very transparent cellular tissue. In these researches I have recognised with the great- est clearness, and with a perfect conformity to what I had previously observed in the roots of Palms, that, from the time when the fibres make their appearance, and when they are still so tender, narrow and transparent, that it is often only possible to see them with a faint light, they already present all the different modifications of form which are observed in the perfect vessels. We then find, as at a later period, the same alternation of annular and spiral and reticulated fibres ; but I have never seen the least trace of the formation in all vascular utricles of a spiral fibre whose coils would unite in pairs, and the portions of the spiral fibre serving as the means of union be absorbed ; and I consider it as perfectly impossible that this transition of spiral vessels into annular vessels, if it existed, could have escaped me, because in a great number of roots 1 have followed the vessels from the moment when the utricles presented closed cells with thin parietes_, and en- closed a nucleus. Hence it results that the development of the annular ves- sels agrees with the observations made on the perfect vessels. Researches into these two organs show that annular, spiral, and reticulated vessels afford three different forms, very inti- mately connected, and passing frequently one into the other ; but that they must not be considered as temporary degrees of metamorphosis of the same vascular utricle. It is true that ^HJi, &Jfa$ A^fJfts? Vol 8. PI I Structure ofAnsu/la-r Vefse7,s. Schleiden in reply to Mohl on Annular Vessels. 25 a spiral organization is the ordinary and normal state in the secondary layers of the vessels ; but it is not the only state to be found there. Annular organization occurs as a pri- mary formation, and presents in some degree an intermediate form between the spiral wound to the left and that wound to the right. Moreover, reticulated organization is also found primitively, sometimes more nearly resembling the pure spi- ral, and sometimes the annular form. Consequently, my researches on annular vessels afford op- posite results to those of Schleiden. Nevertheless, I am far from pretending that he has observed badly ; on the contrary, he appears in these researches as a skilful phytotomist, and as one experienced in the use of the microscope ; but I think his interpretation of what he saw to be far from exact, inas- much as he has considered accidental though persistent vari- ations of form as normal, transitory and necessary stages of the metamorphosis. V. — Preliminary Reply to MohPs Essay on the Structure of Annular Vessels. By Dr. M. J. Schleiden*. M. Mohl has answered my challenge more speedily than I could have expected, and published his remarks in opposition to my late treatise. These relate only to my views regarding the origin of annular vessels. It is to two points especially that I purpose at present to call attention. I am almost ashamed to mention the first, viz. MohPs cor- rection of my notion, that the crossing of the pore-like fis- sures depends upon the apposition of oppositely turned spi- rals. The thing is so simple, that I scarce understand what demon of thoughtlessness possessed me when I entertained the notion ; and, in spite of the mortification of being caught in so marvellous an hallucination, I thank him from my very heart for having in so friendly a way rid me of this goblin. I should scarcely deem it necessary to mention the matter at all did I not consider it the indispensable duty of every con- scientious inquirer to retract openly and expressly every known error, as the so doing is the only surety that he is in- deed anxious for truth. The other point concerns the main subject itself. The hi- story I gave of the development of annular vessels respected only the simplest case, that of rings arising from a single thread ; and I feel confident that I have not deceived myself in the cases alleged, since my researches were made on ves- * Translated from Flora, 1840, p. 1. Communicated by the Rev. M. J. Berkeley. 26 Schleiden in reply to Mohl on Annular Vessels. sels which, when mature, are purely annular ; so that I could not but believe that I had before me not mere persistent mo- difications of structure, but really stages of transition, even though I could not have regarded the observed forms as ac- tually detected in the act of development ; not to mention, among other circumstances, that the persistent ring is distin- guished by the sharpness of its outline, the firmness and clearness of its substance, from the yellowish gelatinous trans- itory portion with its eroded and defaced margin observed in the moment of dissolution. I trust now that Mohl himself will be convinced of the rectitude of my assertions in these particular instances. As regards the other forms, as they are figured by Mohl f. 1 — 6, 10 (PI. I.), they do not come under the notion of annu- lar vessels as defined by me in my treatise, but under that of reticular formations, whose reference to one or more deformed spirals is as easy or even easier than in porous organizations. But, in general, I might pronounce the conclusion as to the mode of development from the perfect form as highly im- proper, for it cannot have escaped Mohl, that, after the forma- tion of the original spiral, in many cases secondary threads are developed as members of union, which consist of quite a different substance, since they are soluble in boiling alkali, yet apparently do not differ from the spiral, and make the perfect comprehension of the fundamental spiral extremely difficult. I consider the part of MohFs figure 10 marked (a) as of this nature. The formation of such secondary threads is frequently observable in reticulate vessels and in some forms of scalariform vessels. They occur, however, in the most re- markable degree in the large purely spiral vessels of the stems of Scitaminete, as in Hedychyum coronarium, Canna, &c, when on their gradual decline they are filled with cells. Such a pe- culiar luxuriance of the threads then takes place that the ori- ginally pure spiral vessel is only distinguished from a porous vessel by the perfect regularity of the pores. Moreover what moves me especially to adhere still to my views, is the philo- sophic necessity, in a faithful investigation of nature, to limit the number of principles of interpretation so long as the im- possibility of referring a phsenomenon to an old principle does not imperatively require a new one. As such in point of fact, as respects the present state of science, must I now freely regard Mohl's discovery of the primary development of annular organisms ; and nothing now remains but to let both modes of origin stand separately by each other. I by no means, however, think that such will al- ways be the case. The conciliation of this schism will then Meyen's Report for 1839 on Physiological Botany, 27 only be effected, when the solution of a far greater puzzle, viz. the construction of the spiral and its peculiar genesis, shall be achieved ; and I would beg Mohl to direct his attention to this, as I myself have done long since. Heartily should I re- joice with him should it fall to his lot to solve this problem as he has already done in so many other cases. VI. — Report of the Results of Researches in Physiological Botany made in the year 1839. By F. J. Me yen, M.D., Professor of Botany in the University of Berlin. [Continued from vol. vii. p. 471.] 0?i the Evolution of Heat by Plants. A very beautiful series of experiments on this subject has been published by MM. G. Vrolik and W. H. de Vriese*; they have continued their researches on the evolution of heat in the spadix of Colocasia odora ; they were published at the end of 1838, but we received the journals too late to be able to in- sert them in our former Report. The above-mentioned observers express their astonishment at the explanation given by M. Raspail of the evolution of heat in the spadix of the Aroidece, but add that their new ob- servations were not made in order to disprove Raspail's view, for that is not necessary. The first observations were made with the spadix of Arum italicum ; they were made in the open air, and no rise of temperature was observed : in the in- terior of an orangery another flower exhibited a considerable increase of warmth, and also when the light was shut out and the spatha removed, still an increase of temperature took place, as was to be expected. Moreover experiments were made with the spadices of Colocasia odora under similar cir- cumstances, both when the spadix was cut away and when only turned back ; the maximum difference between the tem- perature of the air and the interior of the spadix was 19|° Fahr. Moreover interesting experiments were made on the phe- nomena exhibited by the spadices of Colocasia in different gases, for which purpose a very excellent apparatus was con- trived. The rise of temperature in two perfectly similar spa- dices which happened to be in perfection at the same time was observed, one in the common air and the other in the above instrument in an atmosphere of oxygen. The latter in * Tijdschrift voor NatuurL Geschieden. en Phys., vol. iii. pp. 190 — 230 ; also in Wiegmann's Archiv for 1839, p. 135. 28 Meyen's Report for 1839 on Physiological Botany, half an hour exhibited a temperature 4° higher than the one in the air. Oxygen was passed into the apparatus from time to time ; it was confined by means of water, which also ab- sorbed the greater part of the carbonic acid produced by the inflammation (verbrennung) of the spadix. In nitrogen no rise of temperature was observed, and it could not be seen that any gas was absorbed ; all vital activity, and even the co- lour, were lost. M. de Vriese* has also communicated some observations made by a M. C. Hasskarl, in Java, on the spadices of Colo- casia odora ; he found 22° Fahr. as the greatest difference be- tween the temperature of the spadix and that of the external air, and this in the morning at eight o'clock ; the next morn- ing there was only a difference of 10° Fahr. M. Dutrochetf observed the evolution of heat in the spadix of Arum maculatum by means of a thermo-electric instrument, which MM. van Beck and Bergsma (vide former Report, p. 83) also employed ; he found the highest temperature ex- actly at the time when the spatha opens, and this exceeded the temperature of the air by from 11° to 12° C. In another note % of the 1 1th of May, M. Dutrochet mentions, that during the night the temperature of every part of the spadix of Arum maculatum decreases, and increases again by day ; it reaches its maximum early in the day, then diminishes, and disappears altogether in the night. In the sitting of the Parisian Academy § of the 10th of June, M. Dutrochet's researches on the temperature of plants (which had been delivered in on the 1st of July, 1838) were read. He says — plants possess a peculiar warmth; but this is com- pletely absorbed by the evaporation of the sap, by the evolu- tion of oxygen by day and of carbonic acid by night. It rather seems that, in the natural state, plants possess the pro- perty of producing cold, for they almost always have a lower temperature than that of the surrounding air. If however the evaporation is prevented, it becomes easy to observe the pro- per temperature of plants ; for this purpose M. Dutrochet used a thermo-electrical apparatus. For the sake of compa- rison the experiments were made both with living and dead plants ; the latter acquired the temperature of the surrounding medium, the former the same, with the addition of that which was hindered or destroyed by the evaporation ; the latter M. Dutrochet reckons in maximo at \° Cels. ; it is often only £°, * Tijdschrift, &c, 5. iii. pp. 230—233. t Comptes Rendus de 6 Mai 1839, p. 695. J Ibid., p. 74J. § Ibid., 10 Juin 1839, pp. 907—911. Meyen's Report for 1839 on Physiological Botany. £§ or even ^ or T ^°. The proper heat of young twigs and leaves vanishes during the night, or in general in the dark, and ap- pears again under the influence of light. The higher the ex- ternal temperature, the greater is the vegetable warmth. That part of the heat of plants which is carried off by the evolution of oxygen cannot be determined quantitatively. M. Dutrochet had probably given the above researches into the safe keeping of the Academy, in order to secure to him- self the priority of the discovery ; however, the proofs that plants possess a peculiar heat resulting from their vital acti- vity have been long since published in Germany j and in the second part of my e Physiology/ published in the beginning of the year 1838, I have proved that an evolution of heat is exhibited not only by germinating seeds and by the fresh fruits of Areca Catechu when lying together, but also by leaves and herbs in general; " singly they do not exhibit any warmth on account of the evaporation, but so much the more when they lie together in masses/' It must not be believed that I state this as a simple idea or theory, for I have convinced myself of its correctness with the thermo- meter in my hand ; I have several times experimented w T ith fresh-cut grass and fresh spinach leaves*. At the same time I showed, that those botanists who wished to prove or disprove the existence of vegetable heat could not choose a worse part for their experiments than the wood. The very low degree of warmth mentioned by M. Dutrochet is not sufficient to prove the existence of vegetable heat ; for in my first Report ( Wieg- mann's Archiv, 1835) I have mentioned some experiments, ac- cording to which bad conductors, as for instance, the wood of chairs and tables in my room, exhibited an excess of heat of 2° R. above that of the air, etc. A note which M. Dutro- chet has added to the above letter on the 6th of June 1839, states that his new researches confirm the former ones. In the stem of Euphorbia lathyris he saw the vegetable heat amount to ^° C, but only so long as it was in a verdant state. He also remarked the heat in the roots, fruits, and even in the embryos. Complete exclusion of light totally prevents the rise and fall of temperature, but this does not always take place the first day; M. Dutrochet remarked the change of temperature by night and by day even on the second day of the experiment. From some remarks on the above treatise of M. Dutrochet f made by M. Becquerel, it appears that he had used the thermo- electrical apparatus for determining the heat of plants two * Is not the accession of heat in this case the result of fermentation ? — Ed., f Comptes Rendus de 17 Juin, p. 9.39. 30 Meyen's Report for 1839 on Physiological Botany. years ago. The observations were made in company with M. Mirbel in the botanical garden on the twigs of an Acacia : ob- servations on dead and living boughs gave directly the most striking differences of temperature. In the following year M. Dutrochet wished to institute similar experiments, and made use of the advice and experience of M. Becquerel*. In the sitting of the Academy of 1st of July, M. Dutrochet re- plied to the statements of M. Becquerel, and endeavoured to show that his observations by no means proved with certainty the existence of a peculiar heat in plants. MM. Bergsma and van Beckf 5 in consequence of Dutro- chet' s researches, have sent a letter to the Academy at Paris, in which they describe their new experiments on the heat of vegetables, by which it is clearly proved that the transpira- tion is the cause of the difficulty in measuring the peculiar temperature. They chose (in January 1839) a hyacinth growing in a glass for their experiments. The glass was put into another vessel containing water of a higher temperature, in order in this manner to increase the activity of the roots. The needles of the thermo-electrical apparatus were then inserted into the external parts of the flower-stalk, and in- stead of an increase of temperature, they observed a fall ; the apparatus exhibited, viz. 17*5° C, while that of the water was 28*5°. The experiment was repeated several times with like success, as also with the pedunculus of Entelea arborescens, R. Br. This phenomenon is explained by the powerful eva- poration which is caused by the increased activity promoted by the warm water. When the needles were inserted into the middle of the flower-stalk of the hyacinth, the temperature of the interior was found to be 1° higher than that of the sur- rounding air. All the above treatises of Dutrochet, Becquerel, Bergsma, and van Beck, are to be found in the August number of the e Annales des Sciences Naturelles/ On the 21st of November M. Dutrochet J communicated to the Academy some new observations which he had made during the previous summer on the heat of vegetables ; he states generally that plants possess a peculiar heat, which is principally located in the green parts. This heat exhibits a daily periodicity; it reaches its maximum towards midday, and its minimum during the night. M. Dutrochet communicated his special experiments on different plants, from which the daily variations of temperature may be recognised, e. g. in * Comptes Rendus de 1 Juillet, p. 4 7. t Ibid., 2 Septembre, p. 328. J Ibid., 18 Nov., p. 613. Meyen's Report for 1839 on Physiological Botany. 31 Euphorbia lathyris, L., which exhibits a considerable heat, which vanishes completely during the night, whilst in other plants traces of it remain. The hour at which plants reach their maximum temperature is the same for each single plant, but different for different plants ; thus for instance, Rosa ca- nina at I0 h , Allium Porrum at ll h , Borago officinalis at mid- day, Euphorbia lathyris at l h , Sambucus nigra at 2 h , and As- paragus offic. and Lactuca sativa at 3 h . The greatest heat is in the neighbourhood of the principal bud, and in woody plants often only in the green extremities. Other experiments confirm the fact, that plants growing in the dark lose their vegetable heat, but experiments on different fungi showed that these also possess a daily periodicity ; Boletus ceneus ex- hibited a heat of |° C. Finally M. Dutrochet* has published a short note on the heat of the spadix of Arum maculatum. The spadix exhibited the greatest heat in the first day of blossoming, and by its in- fluence the rapid opening of the spatha was produced ; on the second day the maximum was not so high, and was situated principally in the male flowers, by which the dispersion of the pollen was effected. What Arum maculatum here exhibits on the large scale is also seen in the young twigs of all other plants. On the Odours of Plants. The Academy of Sciences of Brussels has given as a prize- question for 1838, "The production of odours in flowers," which, as it remained unanswered, was repeated for 1839. As an answer to this question, M. Auguste Trinchinetti de Monga, formerly Professor at the University of Pavia, has sent in a memoir, which has been rewarded with the silver medal ; and M. Morren has, in the name of the Academy, delivered a cir- cumstantial report of this work, from which we shall here select the most important parts. The work is divided into two sections ; the first treats of the odours of flowers in general : the author speaks of the differ- ence between the odours of the flowers and of the other parts of plants, of the organs of flowers which exhale the odours or from which they proceed, of those in which they are prepared, of the chemical characters of these substances, of the manner of exhalation, and lastly, of the function of odours. In the second part he treats of the odours in respect to their intensity, their quantity at different periods of the development of the flower, and in respect to the hours at which they are perceptible ; he at the same time gives methods to investigate them, and speaks * Comptes Rendus de 16 Dec, p. 781. 32 Meyen's Report for 1839 on Physiological Botany. principally of intermitting odours. There is found, says M. Trinchinetti, in all the parts of plants a certain odour arising from resinous or camphorous substances, as in the Laurinece, Labiatce, Umbelliferts, and Hesperidea ; on the contrary, the odours of flowers are the effects of a particular function, by which a simple evaporation of the secreted substances is pro- duced. [This, as well as most of the other statements, which are disproved by already existing observations, have been proved incorrect by the reporter M. Morren.] In general, the principal residence of the smell is in the upper surface of the corolla ; if there is only a simple perigonium, the smell comes from its inner surface. The filaments have a smell similar to that of the corolla ; the anthers, on the contrary, have a sper- matic odour; the female organs are rarely odorous, as in saffron. The organs which evolve the odorous substances are, accord- ing to the author, always glands, which are said to have often escaped the observation of physiologists ; however, M. Morren states that the author has applied the name of glands to some formations which certainly cannot be so called, e. g. he has held the resinous globules for glands, which I first discovered in the petals of Magnolia grandifiora ; indeed M. Trinchinetti considers the papillae on the petals to be organs in which these odoriferous matters are secreted. In relation to the chemical theory of the formation of odours, the author has only given that of Fourcroy and Couerbe ; and he explains the exhalation of the odoriferous substances by a simple evaporation through organic and inorganic (?) pores, which takes place on the epi- dermis of the inner or upper surface of the flowering organs. If this upper surface be covered with wax, the result is said to become weaker ; if the under surface be covered it remains the same, and turgescence increases the exhalation. The question, " For what purpose do flowers smell ?" is an- swered by M. Trinchinetti as follows : — It may be that the smells of plants were destined as a source of pleasure for mankind, and by these they exhibit their medicinal proper- ties. However, nature strives doubtlessly to effect more than one object by these odours, — they are evidently intended to assist the sexual functions of the flowers; for M. Trinchinetti believes that the sexual organs are nourished by a sap which is prepared in the petals. The odorous exhalations of flowers exert a physical influence on the sexual organs, inasmuch as they diminish the tension of the steam which is so very inju- rious to the pollen which is burst by it, and thus fertilization cannot take place. He states that the flowers are surrounded by an odoriferous atmosphere which defends the sexual or- gans from the injurious influence of the aqueous vapours ; Meyen's Report for 1839 on Physiological Botany. 33 hence it comes, that flowers in which the sexual organs are much closed do not smell ; on the contrary, other flowers smell strongest exactly in the dampest hours of the day and night. In the second part of the treatise M. Trinchinetti considers the odours in detail ; he says, that flowers which become odo- rous towards the end of their existence, as for instance Asperula odorata, produce this smell by the commencement of decom- position, and that it is not a product of vitality ; that there are flowers which, when pressed, evolve a different smell to what they do in their natural state, e. g. Allium moschatum, Sambucus ebulus, &c. Flowers which only smell in the morning, evening, and night, lose their smell during the day by the action of the light and heat, which dissipate the odorous principle ; but to this M. Morren answers, that these plants do not even smell by day when inclosed in a damp, dark place. Finally, the author attempts to answer the question as to the cause of intermitting odours : flowers which exhibit this phaenomenon either open and shut at fixed periods, or they remain always open, and only the smell is intermittent : thus the inquiry is divided into two parts ; in the first the phaenomenon is brought in con- nexion with the cause of the opening and shutting of the flower, and in the second a peculiar physiological cause as producing it is assumed. In the first case flowers are either shut by day and open and odorous by night, or vice versa. In the second part those plants are mentioned which are always open, but possess an intermittent smell ; here are also two di- visions, the flowers smell either by day or by night. In Oes- trum diurnum the smell is much weaker by night. Coronilla glauca smells only by day, and Cacalia septentrionalis is said to lose its smell when protected from the rays of the sun. Pe- largonium triste begins to smell about five in the afternoon ; in the night the smell becomes stronger till about five in the morning, whereupon it diminishes, and disappears entirely at seven. The surfaces of these odorous petals are said to ex- hibit in the evening shining corpuscles (cells filled with sap) which are not seen in the day. If the plants were kept the whole day in the dusk, the smell made its appearance later than usual and was also much weaker. Moist air produced no smell in the plants during the day ; on the contrary, Oestrum nocturnum, kept in the dark and in a moist atmosphere, exhi- bited a slight smell. On the Formation of Colours in Plants. M. Eisner has drawn attention to the fact, that in the year 1832, in a treatise in Schweigger-Seidel's Annual of Chemistry Ann. $ Mag. N. Hist. Vol. viii. D 34 Meyen's Report for 1839 on Physiological Botany. (lxv. p. 165 — 175), he had already proved the identity of the red colouring matter in the flowers of the Iridece, Labiata, Rosacea, Ranunculacece, Geraniaceee, Cannacece, Malvaceae, Leguminosm, Papaveracem, Myrtaceae, &c. ; and that the red colour in the bracts of Melampyrum arvense, in the leaves of Caladium bicolor, in the fruit oiPrunus cerasus, Ribes rubrum, Sorbus ancuparia, is similar, and that the identity extends to the red matter which colours the leaves in autumn. From M. Morren* we have received anatomico-physiological researches on the appearance of indigo in Polygonum tincto- rium ; the work had been read to the Brussels Academy be- fore the appearance of a similar one by M. Turpin, which was mentioned in the former Report, and is therefore to be con- sidered as cotemporary with it. The views of MM. Turpin and Morren on the production of the indigo differ from each other. The former found this substance in the sap-globules of the cells which were coloured green by chlorophyll, but M. Morren believes that the indigo is produced in the inter- cellular sap (by which is meant the ordinary cell-sap). I may here state with certainty, from my own observations, that the blue colouring matter in Polygonum tmctorium is formed out of the previously green-coloured cell-sap globules. Whether however, in the colourless cell-sap of that plant, a substance is contained in solution which changes into indigo (as appears from M. Morren's statements) I cannot say, having made no decisive observations, and this is not at present the time for it. The expressed sap of the leaves ought to be perfectly fil- tered and then treated for the formation of indigo, by which the question would be settled. Indigo is formed in all parts of Polygonum, but principally in the leaves ; here it is found in the parenchym and also in the nerves, and only the " tissu fibro-vasculaire" does not contain a trace. M. Morren directs attention to the regular position of the adventitious roots in this plant, which, as is so often the case with the genus Polygonum, grow out of the nodes. M.Hunefeldfhas communicated some more of his continued researches on vegetable colours ; he has also found that there is not the same similarity between the colours of the different parts of plants, as for instance, the roots, leaves, flowers, and fruits, as would seem from outward appearances, and as some botanists have asserted. Very few changes of colour in plants are produced by the action of acid or basic substances. More- over M. Hunefeld has published a long series of experiments * Mem. de PAcad. Royale des Sc, &c, de Bruxelles, tome xii. f Beitrage zur Chemie der Pflanzenfarben. — Erdmann & Marchand's Journal fur prakt. Chemie, 1839, 1 Bd. p. 65—80. Mr. J. McClelland on Indian Cyprinidae. 35 which he made on the behaviour of vegetable colours to se- veral liquids, more especially aether, oil of turpentine, and some others, in the course of which several curious facts have been brought to light ; the conclusions which M. Hiinefeld has drawn, and which may interest us, are — the pigments of red- dish yellow, or of rco/-yellow flowers, are probably all of an extractive nature. For the examination of these colouring matters aether is a very useful solvent. The variety of colouring of a flower or leaf frequently arises from the deposition of one pigment over the other, or from their mixture. [On this subject better in- formation is to be had from the newer phytotomic works. — Mey.~\ The principal change which the colours suffer in withering, etc. appears to be, that the assimilation of carbon only ceases by suppressed vegetation, while the absorption of atmospheric oxygen becomes excessive ; for the easily oxidi- zable extractive matters, and tannin in oxidized extractive matter, become metamorphosed into gallic acid and into sub- stances approaching more and more to humic acid, which then destroy the pigments. M. Hiinefeld* has also made a series of experiments to learn whether the formation of certain colours depends on iron con- tained in the plant. Quantities (one or two ounces) of the most different-coloured flowers were reduced to ashes. Some of these flowers contained evidently iron and manganese, others only iron, and traces of copper were found in the flow- ers of Sambucus nigra, which had already been noticed. The twigs and leaves of Sambucus nigra are said to contain no copper, but a considerable quantity of iron. Traces of man- ganese were found everywhere when sufficient quantities were burnt. As these metals, says M. Hiinefeld, are found also in white flowers, and their quantities stand in no relation to the colours of the flowers, it seems that Meissner's theory is not correct. There is probably no vegetable which does not con- tain iron, and perhaps all the iron found in the human body is derived from this source. [To be continued.] VII. —Indian Cyprinidae. By John McClelland, Assist- ant Surgeon Bengal Medical Service f. Dr. Patrick Russell published in 1803 an account of 200 species of fishes found chiefly on the coast of Coromandel ; * Beitrage zur Chemie der Pflanzenfarben. — Erdmann & Marchand's Journal fur prakt. Chemie, 1839, 1 Bd. p. 84—87. f From the ' Asiatic Researches,' vol. xix. part ii. p. 217; having been presented to the Asiatic Society of Bengal on the 5th of September 1838. D2 36 Mr. J. McClelland on Indian Cyprinidae. there appears to be no copy of his work in Calcutta, nor have I been able to meet with it in India ; but his collection appears to have embraced few Cyprinida, and scarcely any of those afterwards found in Bengal by Dr. Buchanan*. The fishes of Ceylon, as well as those of the Bay of Bengal, have recently excited the attention of naturalists f? while those of the Sunderbuns and the vicinity of Calcutta have long been objects of interest to collectors for the museums of France and the other parts of the continent where alone ichthyology seems to have been cultivated as a philosophical branch of zoology. 2. Dr. Buchanan appears to be the only author who has devoted his attention to the freshwater fishes of Bengal, and his success seems to have left little for others to do in the way of discovering new species. His i Gangetic Fishes/ published in Edinburgh in 1822, contains descriptions of no fewer than eighty Cyprins, of which number he has only given figures of twenty-one. And unfortunately, Cuvier appears to have adopted such only as were figured in that work, leaving the rest as doubtful materials, which, from their extent, and the deficiency of the details connected with them, perhaps deterred him from the task of entering into, or finishing, his account of the Carps, in the hope of receiving further particulars re- garding them from India. 3. It was partly with a view, of supplying this deficiency that I devoted the time we spent on rivers, during our journey J to Assam in the winter of 1835-6, to the examination and figuring of species. The obscurity of Buchanan's specific descriptions, which with few exceptions are chiefly composed of characters of generic value, rendered the task of identifying his unfigured Cyprins most difficult and uncertain. Never- theless it appeared to me to be a desideratum that must be accomplished sooner or later by some one, and at length, after perseverance for the better part of three years, occasionally giving it up in despair, I succeeded in identifying most of the species unfigured by Buchanan, as well as in having made two series of finished drawings of them, one set for England and one for India. After all this, and after the present paper had been ready for publication in April last, my notice was, for * Afterwards Dr. Buchanan Hamilton. As most of his publications have appeared under the name of Buchanan, authors should follow the example of Cuvier in the ' ilegne Animal ' and < Histoire Naturelle des Poissons ' in referring to the author of the ' Gangetic Fishes' by the name by which he is best and will be universally known, in proportion as his vast works on Indian statistics and natural history transpire. t Mr. Bennett and my friend Dr. Cantor. \ I allude to the deputation of Dr. Wallich, Mr. Griffith, and myself to Upper Assam. Mr. J. McClelland on Indian Cyprinidae. 37 the first time, attracted by a remark of Buchanan, in conse- quence of which I thought it necessary to make inquiry for certain drawings alluded to, ' Pise. Gang/ p. 316. I had heard of drawings at the Botanic Garden, but never saw them, and always supposed them to be merely the originals of published figures ; but I confess I was quite unprepared to receive at that time a collection of drawings from Dr. Wallich, amount- ing to 150, beautifully executed, and including nearly all the unpublished species on which my painters had been so long employed, with the specific names in Buchanan's hand-wri- ting marked under the figures, so as to leave no doubt or dif- ficulty in referring them to corresponding descriptions in the ' Gangetic Fishes/ I am not prepared to state how many un- figured species this interesting collection contains, except in the particular family which is the subject of this paper. Along with these drawings I received intimation from Dr. Wallich, that two folio volumes of manuscripts and drawings on gene- ral zoological subjects, by the late Dr. Buchanan, still remain at the Garden. The descriptions alluded to may probably serve as a key to Hardwicke's e Illustrations/ into which I perceive several figures of Cyprinidce have been accurately copied, ex- cept in the colouring, from Buchanan's drawings ; and as no descriptions of the plates of Hardwicke's work have been yet to my knowledge published, the source from whence the figures in question came does not transpire, and there is no allusion to it on the plates ; at any rate it is unfair to General Hardwicke, as it is to Dr. Buchanan and to all who are en- gaged in pursuits connected with the natural history of this or any other country, to have the unpublished works of any man shut up for twenty-two years in a library that is not open to the public*. * Buchanan's Researches regarding the fishes of India commenced on his arrival in the country in 1794, and ended with the publication of the ' Gan- getic Fishes' in 1822. Anything that tended to lessen the value of a work that occupied so much of such a life is to be regretted. It is stated in a biographical notice of Buchanan in Chambers's • Lives of Scotchmen,' that on his departure from India he was deprived by the Marquis of Hastings of all his extensive drawings and papers relating to every branch of natural hi- story, particularly botany ; " although to me," quoting his own words to the Edinburgh Philosophical Society, " as an individual, they were of no va- lue, as I preserve no collections, and have no occasion to convert, them into money, but I was merely desirous of seeing them safely deposited in the India House." In deciding that Buchanan's papers should be retained in India, it may be presumed that the object was, that they should here be rendered more useful to the country than they could be in England. It could scarcely have occurred to the Marquis of Hastings that these works would be consigned to oblivion, and the author in consequence supersede.il by his successors. 38 Mr. J. McClelland on Indian Cyprinidae. The following are the names of the unpublished figures of Cyprinidm in this collection of drawings*. Cyprinus Gugani, Buck. Gorachela, id. Joya, id. Cachius, id. Loubuca, id. Phula, id. Bhola, id. . Gora, id. Borelio, id. Rerio, id. Dangila, id. Balibola, id. Bukrangi, id. Loya, id. Phulchela, id. Titius, id. Terio, id. — Sutiha, id. Phutunio, id. Gelius, id. Kanipunte, id. ' Casuatus, id. — Cursis, id. Cursa, id. ' Chola, id. Conchonius, id. Jogia, id. Shakra, id. • Barna, id. Vagra, id. Cyprinus Borila, id. Anjana, id. Bata, id. Bangana, id. Pangusia, id. — Sarana, id. Kunta, id. Tor, id. Sada, id. Lati, id. Gohama, id. Godeyava, id. Dheno, id. Jauyali, id. Paungsi, id. Bimaculatus, id. Sucatio, id. Balitora, id. Cobitis Gongota, id. Balgara, id. Cucura, id. Guntea, id. Botea, id. Pangia, id. Biltura, id. Turia, id. Scuturiginum, id. Savona, id. • Corica, id. * But although they seem to have been withheld from Buchanan himself, the following drawings from his original collection of unpublished figures of fishes have found their way from the Botanic Garden into Hardwicke's * Illustrations,' without any acknowledgement to point out from whence they were derived. Tab. 84. Hypostomus sisor, Buch. ; Sisor Rabdophorus, id., Gan. Fish., two drawings. Tab. 85. Malopterus Kazali, Buch. Two figures : name changed to ' Malopterus (J ilia) Bengalensis* Gray, in the pirated figures. Tab. 86. fig. 1. Cyprinus angra, Buch. Pirated figure disguised under bad colouring, and named ' Cyprinus Hamiltonii,' Gray. — Fig. 2. Cyprinus goha, Buch. Colouring much exaggerated. There are two figures of each species, so that this plate has been taken wholesale from Buchanan. Tab. 87. fig. 3, Cyprinus chedra, Buch. A good copy of a very beautiful drawing in Buchanan's collection. Tab. 89. fig. 1. Syngnathus carce, Buch. (Khar/ce, id., orig. draw.) Note — an error in spelling the generic name of this species, as written by Mr. J. M'Clelland on Indian Cyprinidae. 39 4. An examination of the viscera connected with the digest- ive organs, together with the form of the mouth, suggested the possibility of identifying something on which the natural arrangement of fishes might be founded. In those Carps whose mouths are constructed for the collection of vegetable food, I found, as might be expected, the greatest development of intestinal canal ; in these the mouth is invariably either horizontal or directed downwards, as in the Cirrhins : all such Buchanan on the original drawing, is preserved in the pirated copy. Fig. 4. Syngnathus deokpata, Buch. Tab. 91. fig. 1. Mystus chilol, Buch. Colouring much exaggerated in the pirated copy. Tab. 93. fig. 1. Cyprinus mosal, Buch. Two figures, and two of Cyprinus morala, id. The coloured copy of this last is so badly executed, that the characteristic marks of the species, though well depicted in the ori- ginal by the obscure transverse streaks crossing the sides, are quite omitted in the copy. Tab. 94. fig. 1 . Cyprinus tileo, Buch. Tab. 95. fig. 1. Ophisurus boro, Buch. This species is referred to Bucha- nan's manuscripts, but nothing is said to point out from whence the drawing was obtained ; but it is so accurately traced from Buchanan's original, as to remove any doubt on that score. — Fig. 2. Ophisurus ha- rancha, Buch. By mistake on the part of the plagiarists in numbering the figures, the details of the first are given to the second species. — P'ig.4. Murcena raitaborua, Buch., disguised under the names of Rataboura 1 Hardwickii,' Gray ; thus not only depriving Buchanan of the honour of figuring but also of naming a new species. As an instance of the little reliance to be placed on those who thus appropriate the works of others, it is necessary to observe, that the outline figure representing the lower parts of Murama raitaborua is transferred to Ophisurus bora, in return for that of the last having been given on the same plate to Ophisurus harancha. In other plates not numbered, forming the 19th and 20th parts, are pirated as follows : — Holocentrus? Kalkaya, B. MS., two figures, name changed to • Pterapon trivittatus.' — Coitus chaka, B. MS., name changed to • Platycephalus chacca,' marked • natural size.' — Checlodipterus Bhutibue, B. MS., name changed to ' Checlodipterus Butis,' and the species referred to ' Hamilton/ but nothing said of the source of the two figures. — Cyprinus morar, B. MS., two figures, and Cyprinus gora, B. MS., forming an entire folio plate ; the name of the latter changed to ' Cyprinus cora.' — Clupanodon chapra, B. MS. ; pirated figure called ' Alosa chapra, N. Indian Ocean:' what the latter terms mean I cannot say, as the figure is from Buchanan's unpublished drawings of Gangetic species ; like the remark ' natural size' annexed to Cottus chaka, it is certainly calculated to impress the reader with the belief that the author had seen the specimens from which the drawings were made. Neither of the remarks in question appear on the original drawings, which are characterized in Buchanan's hand-writing. Buchanan died in 1829. The work to which so much of his labour has been transferred was published in 1833 ; and although no descriptions of the plates have yet appeared, it is no excuse for having suppressed the source from whence so many of them at least were derived, especially when it was thought necessary to acknowledge the source of other figures in the same work. These circumstances induced me to visit the Botanic Garden, with 40 Mr. J. McClelland on Indian Cyprinidae. types I have included under the head of Paeonornince or herbi- vorous Carps, of which the Gudgeons and Gonorhynchs are the most remarkable. 5. In the last-mentioned genera the mouth is situated com- pletely under the head, and is constructed in the Gudgeons for bruising soft vegetable substances, such as are found in the view of ascertaining if all the other plates in Hardwicke's • Illustrations,' as well as those of fishes, were derived from the two folio volumes stated to be in the library of that institution. The following memorandum, which was made on the occasion, n ust be interesting to all who are in any way connected with zoological pursuits. "Botanic Garden, 3rd September 1838. — Having obtained the requisite permission, I inspected Buchanan's zoological MSS. for the first time; they seem to contain descriptions and figures of the following animals : — " Five species of Simla, one recently described by Dr. Harlan in the Ame- rican Phil. Transac. as Simla Hoolock. " Five species of Fellnce, one grey above and spotted beneath, a Fells- leopardus alb us, and an Ursus. " Six Cervldee ; a Cervus niger, Buch. Several species of Mus, two bear- ing Buchanan's specific names ; also an Ichneumon and a Hyslerix opelgura, Buch. ; three species of Capra bearing his specific names, as well as several species of Tortoises, two species of flying Foxes, two Lacertce, and two Pa- radoxuri. " Of birds I observed about sixty species of Falconldce, about 150 Inses- sores, and about 74 Grallte, including many rare Tantalldce, and the species of Ciconla recently described as C. crlstata, which appears to have been named nearly thirty years ago by Buchanan Ardea crlnlta ; all which, in addition to the fishes, are drawn in duplicate, thus amounting to about 900 drawings." Although Buchanan was professedly a botanist, his re- searches appear to have extended fix all branches of natural history except entomology, His volumes on Gangetie Fishes, published at his own ex- pense, under the disadvantage of being deprived of the greater part of his figures, are the only part of his zoological labours that are known, yet his inquiries in other branches of zoology were equally extensive, and equally entitled to publicity. It now appears that two quarto volumes of MSS., written with his usual erudition, have been retained in the library of the Botanic Garden since 1815 ; while every periodical that has since appeared deprived him of some portion of those claims to priority which his papers ought to have secured to him had they been placed in proper hands, or de- posited in an institution where their existence could have been known or appreciated. Had such an injury to the advancement of information resulted from an oversight in an ordinary public office, the circumstance would excite less surprise ; but that the works of a naturalist should be so treated in a public institution expressly intended for the promotion of science, is so unaccount~ able to me, that I cannot presume to express an opinion on the subject. But as the case stands, perhaps the best remedy that can now be applied, injus- tice to Buchanan as well as to others who are still engaged in scientific pur- suits, would be to give a complete edition of his labours, botanical and zoological, to the public ; at the same time it is right to say, that no atone- ment can now make amends for the injury that has been inflicted on Bu- chanan as a naturalist, or for the time that has been lost in allowing others to go over unnecessarily the ground which he investigated, instead of be- ginning where he left off. Mr. J. McClelland on Indian Cyprinidae. 41 stagnant waters ; and in the Gonorhynchs for tearing and up- rooting certain kinds of confervoid plants, which form a short slimy covering to the rocks on which they grow in clear moun- tain streams. 6. The true Cyprins (Cyp.proprius, Cuv.), together with the Barbels, Cirrhins and Labes, subsist less exclusively on a ve- getable regimen. Their mouths are invariably small, and either directed downward or situated low in the head ; and as far as my inquiries have extended, it is on such modifications of the mouth that we find the length of the intestines and the habits of the different groups to depend. 7. In the Gudgeons the mouth is formed simply for re- ceiving a kind of food that is obtained in abundance without any effort, and which requires no prehensile teeth or other organs for its collection or preparation before it is submitted at once to the process of digestion. The mouth is conse- quently small, and is opened and closed chiefly by the mus- cular structure of the snout ; the jaws are weak, and the lips hard and cartilaginous, without sensibility or muscularity, and their intestinal canal varies from eight to eleven, and even twelve lengths of the body, including the head and caudal fin : except in the Hypostomi, Lacep., among fishes, Ostrich among birds, and perhaps some of the ruminants, such de- velopment of the abdominal canal is rare, a circumstance which it will be necessary afterwards to recollect when speak- ing of types. 8. In the Gonorhynchs the muscular power of the snout is greater than in the Gudgeons ; the mouth is smaller, and si- tuated further back in the lower surface of the head ; the lips thicker, and though defended externally by a hard insensible cartilage, are formed for very powerful muscular action. In this genus the length of the intestinal canal is usually about eight lengths of the body, and exceeds that of all other Cy- prins except the Gudgeons. 9. The development of the intestinal canal in Cyprinidce differs with the habits of species, so as to afford something like a basis for true distinctions between the different genera, and is fortunately connected with such peculiarities of form and colour as to render it easily available as a guide to an improved method of classification. 10. The philosophical views of Mr. MacLeay regarding the circularity of groups, left it almost certain that the law which applied to other classes might be also applied to fishes ; and as the essence of that law consists in the tendency of the contents of natural groups to form a circle, it became highly probable, that as strictly herbivorous Carps were known, so, on the contrary, carnivorous species might be expected also to 42 Mr. J. McClelland on Indian Cyprinidae. exist*. This is exemplified by a comparison of typical with subtypical groups, as Quadrumana with Ferae in the orders of Mammalia, and Insessores with Raptor es in the orders of birds; as this is true with regard to higher groups, it should be just as applicable to the lower assemblages when they happen to be equally complete in their parts. 11. The above inference, whether its principles be just or not, has proved to be perfectly correct, notwithstanding the remark of Linnaeus, that Cyprins are perhaps the least carni- vorous of the whole class of fishes, " feeding chiefly on seeds, grass, and even mud ;" and the observation of Cuvier, " that they are the least carnivorous of all fishes/ 5 Those who have since written on the subject have for the most part adopted the views on this point of the great authorities just named. 12. A close investigation of our Indian species has led to very different results, and enabled me to form Cyprinidce into three subfamilies. First, the Paonomince, or herbivorous Cy- prins, already adverted to, which consist of species whose ha- bits accord with the views of Cuvier and Linnaeus ; and Sar- coborinae, or carnivorous Cyprins, consisting of several natural genera, and Apalopterinae, including the Cobitince or Loaches, the Pceciliance. Cyprinodons, and other genera, which in the 'Regne Animal 5 appear to have little connexion with the fa- mily, as well as some new forms peculiar to India. 13. As the peculiarities of the first subfamily, consisting in the form of their mouth and digestive organs, have been pointed out, I shall now proceed to notice the characteristics in structure and habits of the several groups of Sarcoborince, Two of the most remarkable genera of this subfamily are the Perilamps and Opsarions ; the first consisting of small insec- tivorous fishes remarkable for the brilliancy of their colours, always disposed in streaks. The second are lengthy, hand- some species, larger than the Perilamps, though still of small size, and very bright in their colours, which are however dis- posed in cross-bars ; — these are exclusively carnivorous, and remarkably voracious. 14. The Perilamps (Perilampus) form the connexion be- tween the Systoms and Leuciscs. The mouth is placed in a directly opposite position from that which it occupies in the typical forms of the Pmonomina ; the jaws are directed up- ward, and their apices are placed on a level with the back or crown ; their intestine is short, and in no instance exceeds the length of the body ; and their food consists of insects only, which they derive by springing from beneath the surface of * I here refer particularly to what Mr. MacLeay calls affinity of transul- tation, or that relation which the opposite points of a circle of affinities bear to each other. Mr. J. McClelland on Indian Cyprinidae. 43 the water, thus forming a direct contrast to the Gonorhynchs and other Pceonomince, whose food is exclusively derived from sandy, rocky, or muddy bottoms. Eleven or twelve species of this new genus are described in this paper. 15. The Opsarions (Opsarius) differ from herbivorous Cy- prins still more widely in their ceconomy and habits. The body is long, the mouth widely-cleft and horizontal, and though without teeth, the symphysis of the lower jaw is armed with a sharp hook in the more characteristic, but which is blunter and less prominent the further we pass from the most typical forms ; but this hook, more or less developed, is cha- racteristic not merely of the Opsarions, but of the subfamily (Sarcoborinae) to which they belong. It is received into a cor- responding depression in the apex of the upper jaw when the mouth is closed. The back is straight ; the dorsal is placed opposite to a long anal, both fins being situated near the cau- dal extremity, by which the power of darting or springing is rendered most perfect*. The abdominal cavity is long, and is chiefly occupied by a straight stomach of equal length, which is divided by a strangulation from a short fleshy intes- tine connecting the stomach directly with the vent, without any convolutions or elongation of the tube. 16. "The energies of nature," to use the words of Mr. Swainson, " are here concentrated as it were to the production of that form most adapted for one especial purpose," that of springing on their prey like the Felince or Cats, which they seem to represent. It is no uncommon thing to find an Op- sarion so overgorged that the tail of its prey remains protru- ding from the mouth, to be swallowed after that portion which is capable of being received into the capacious stomach is suf- ficiently digested to admit of the introduction of the re- mainder f. 17. Two other genera of this subfamily remain to be no- ticed, viz. Systomus and Leuciscus. The first is made up chiefly of small species named Pungti by the Indian fisher- men. If we were merely guided by their general appearance and the form of their fins, the only principle of division hi- * The principal instrument of progressive motion in fishes is the caudal fin ; other fins, as shown by Roget, are mere auxiliaries, serving to balance the body while it receives propulsion from the tail. Vide ' JBridgewater Treat.,' i. 286. This is correct in regard to fishes in general; but in the Opsarions and Perilamps, the dorsal and anal, from their position and size, contribute greatly to their velocity, being also situated on or near the tail ; thus increasing the caudal surface, which, as Roget justly observes, operates as an oar does in sculling. t I have seen Opsarions so often in this state, that I presume they are easier caught in it than in any other. A similar power of deglutition is re- corded of sea-gulls by Blumenbach. 44 Mr. J. M'Clelland on Indian Cyprinidae. therto adopted in this family, they might be brought into the several subgenera, Cyprinus proprius, Cirrhinus, &c. of the c Regne Animal/ Buchanan, who published his ' Gangetic Fishes * cotemporaneously with Cuvier's system, had not an opportunity of consulting its divisions, while those of Lace- pede, Bloch, and previous writers were not reconcilable to In- dian species ; Buchanan therefore formed temporary groups for his own convenience, applicable to the local features of the family in this country. The Pungti, like all his other groups, were formed according to native opinions of their habits un- shackled by artificial views, and being better marked than most genera, Buchanan^ Pungti have more or less affinity to each other. 18. The stomach and intestine of the Systoms are in none of the species I have examined more than thrice the length of the body, and the former, which is thick and fleshy, usually contains the remains of insects. The mouth is small, and when opened the intermaxillaries project so as to form a nar- row tube, — hence their generic name. It is in the Systoms we first perceive a tendency to the hook or prominence on the apex of the lower jaw after quit- ting the herbivorous genera ; and for this reason, as well as other peculiarities which appear to point them out as a typical or most perfect group, they are placed first in the list of car- nivorous genera. 19. The Leuciscs, or white fishes, succeed the Perilamps. In this genus the prominence on the lower jaw is more di- stinct, and I have restricted the genus to such as possess this character, having at the same time the dorsal and anal small — the former placed anterior to the latter. They are all carni- vorous, but not constructed for leaping above the surface like the Perilamps, nor for springing like the Opsarions ; although the shortness of the intestines, size of the stomach, and pro- minence of the tooth on the lower jaw prove them to be scarcely less rapacious, yet I am not sure as to the accuracy of separating them from one or other of the preceding genera merely on account of the size and position of the dorsal and anal fins, particularly as the dental hook is only of import- ance in distinguishing them from some of the Paeonomince. 20. After this outline of the structure of Sarcoborina, a few remarks regarding their colours will be necessary, as embra- cing another principle on which the divisions have been formed. The whole of the subfamily Pteonomince are remark- able for their uniformly plain colours, consisting of olive- green, bluish grey, or brown, extended along the back, and softened off on the sides, so as to leave the lower surface of the body an impure white, partaking more or less of the colours of Mr. J. McClelland on Indian Cyprinidae. 45 the back. The fins partake of the sober hues of the adjoining parts of the body, the pectorals and ventrals, as well as the branchial membranes and irides, usually displaying after death a slight blush of red, caused by the capillary effusion of blood in those parts. Of the species with which I am acquainted not one possesses a brilliant spot of any pure colour ; but when we approach the limits of the next group, we begin to find in the Gonorhynchs obscure dark spots on either side of the tail of some of the species, as G. bimaculatus. 21. But, on the other hand, as soon as we cross the verge of the herbivorous group and enter the carnivorous, we find such spots as those alluded to become brighter and more nu- merous, and the opercula and fins to be stained with yellow and red in deep and natural tints. To Systomus, the first ge- nus of this group, the Gold-fishes*, commonly called Golden Carp, belong. The intestinal tube of the Systoms, though only thrice the length of the body, or half the length of the abdo- minal tube in those herbivorous species in which it is short- est, is nevertheless twice the length of the same organ in any of the other Sarcoborince. As we advance in this subfamily from the Systoms towards the Opsarions, we find, as has been shown, the abdominal tube diminishing in length ; and in pro- portion as this takes place, and the habits of species become more carnivorous, we observe the brilliancy of the colours be- comes more remarkable. 22. The Perilamps, as already stated, are followed by the Leuciscs. In these the diversity of colour is not great, but is compensated for by the metallic brilliancy of the nacre, or sil- very pigment with which the scales and opercula are covered, and from which the genus has derived its name, Leuciscus, Albus, or white fishes, though not applicable to all the species ; for there is one which is marked on each side with the bright longitudinal streak of the Perilamps* and, like the blending of the markings already observed between the P&onomince and Sarcoborince, the species in question, Leuciscus lateralis^, seems to unite the white fishes with the Perilamps. 23. The Perilamps in their structure naturally follow the Systoms, and present numerous bright longitudinal lines of various colours, but particularly blue on their sides. They are all small species, of little or no direct utility to man ; nor is it possible to account for the peculiar brilliancy of their colours in any other way than as an instance of that inscrutable de- * Cyprinus auratus auctorum. f Cyp. Daniconius, Buch., which appears to me to be identical with Cyp. Anjano, id. ; but if not, the latter species, on account of certain peculiarities about the mouth which seem to be wanting in the former, must be referred to the Perilamps. 46 Mr. T. C. Eyton's Notes on Birds. sign, by which it would seem that, in pursuit of aquatic insects, on which they subsist, along the surface of waters, they be- come the better marks for Kingfishers, Skimmers, Terns, and other birds which are destined to keep the number of fishes in check, especially in deep waters beyond the reach of the Waders*. [To be continued.] VIII.— Notes on Birds. By T. C. Eyton, Esq., F.L.S. No. IV. Psophodes Crepitans, Vig. and Horsf. Tongue nearly the same as in Menura Lyra. Trachea largest at the upper extremity, but gradually contracted towards the inferior larynx ; the tube bound firmly down in the angle made by the rami of the os furcatum. The inferior larynx furnished with five pairs of muscles of voice, as among the Crows and Warblers ; the sterno-tra- cheales weak, the other pairs of muscles connected with the trachea moderately developed. (Esophagus of moderate size, largest at the upper extremity, narrowed near the middle, and again slightly swell- ing above the proventriculus, which is of moderate size. Gizzard filled with the remains of insects, muscular, and of moderate size. Intestinal canal of large diameter in proportion to the size of the bird, largest a little below the duodenum ; rectum short, about equal in diameter to the duodenum ; caeca rudimentary ; cloaca rather large. Length of intestinal canal from stomach to cloaca 9^ inches. Length of rectum 1^ inch. Sternum rather elongated, and straight on the posterior margin between the fissures, which are two in number, one situated near each lateral margin, nearly closed poste- riorly, deep, oval, and large. Keel shallow, nearly straight on its inferior edge, traversed by raised bony ridges as in Menura ; the an- terior edge of the keel and the manubrial process also resemble in shape those portions in the above-named genus. Os furcatum long, without any process at the point where it joins the sternum ; the rami rounded, and bending slightly inwards, so as to approach each other near the middle ; coracoids, pelvis, ribs, sca- pula, and caudal vertebrae also as in Menura. The numbering of the vertebrae is Cer. 11 ; Dor. 7 ; Sac. 11 ; Caud. 6 ; Ribs 8, 5 true, 3 false. Remarks. — In the structure of the soft parts and tongue Psophodes comes very near to Menura ; the trachea however differs in not having the muscles of voice so strong, and in their being disposed as among the Warblers and Thrushes. Menura and Psophodes also agree in the form and length of the coracoids, scapula, and ribs, showing in these parts an affi- nity to Scansores, though not so strongly marked as in Me- * See remarks on P. perseus in a subsequent part of this paper. Bibliographical Notices. 47 nura and Pleroptochos. The bones forming the pelvis ap- proach very nearly in form and disposition to those of Menura, differing in no particular except in their smaller size. The sternum is broader in proportion to its length than in that genus, and agrees in the # form of its posterior margin with the Thrushes and Shrikes, generally not having the portion be- tween the lateral fissures produced as in Menura. The os furcatum agrees with the last-named genus in having the rami rounded, and in being destitute of a process at the ex- tremity approaching the sternum ; but in having the rami bent laterally inwards near the middle, so as to approach each other, it agrees with the Shrikes and Thrushes. Not having been able to obtain a specimen of the South American genus Thamnophilus to dissect, it is of course merely conjecture, when I state that I believe the anatomy of that genus will be found to approach very nearly to that of Psophodes ; referring to the external characters, although the bill differs much in form, the nature of the plumage and the form of the tail and wings are very similar. Craticus Tibicen, Vieill. Trachea, muscles of voice, tongue, and oesophagus as among the Corvid; wing, 24; tail, lj; tarsi, f. Hab. ? Myzantha obscura. Myz. fronte flavescente-olivaceo ; gutture, uropygio, et corpore subtils cinereis, — plumis pectoralibus lunula apicem versus notatis, et ad apicem pallide cinereis. Forehead yellowish olive ; lores, line beneath the eye and ear- coverts black ; head and all the upper surface dull grey, with an indistinct line of brown down the centre of each feather, giving the whole a mottled appearance ; wings and tail brown, margined at the base of the external webs with wax-yellow, the tail terminating in white ; throat and under surface dull grey, becoming lighter on the lower part of the abdomen and under tail-coverts ; the feathers of the breast with a crescent-shaped mark of light brown near the extremity, and tipped with light grey; irides dark brown; bare skin round the eye, bill, and bare patch on each side of the throat, bright yellow; legs and feet dull reddish-yellow; claws dark brown. Total length, 9£ inches; bill, 1^; wing, 5 \\ tail, 4f ; tarsi, 1£. Hab. Western Australia. Ptilotis sonorus. Ptil. loris et strigd per oculos ductd, ad colli latera, nigris plumis auricularibus flavis, — et pone has, notd sor- dide alba ; — gutture et abdomine pallide flavescenti- cinereis , fusco- striatis. Crown of the head and all the upper greyish olive ; wings and tail brown, margined on their external webs with greenish yellow ; lores, space around the eye and broad line down the sides of the Zoological Society. 67 neck black ; ear-coverts pale yellow, behind which is an obscure spot of greyish white; throat and under surface pale yellowish grey striated with light brown ; irides dark brown ; bill black ; legs and feet greenish grey. The female like the male in colour, but smaller in all her dimensions. Total length, 7 J inches; bill, 1; wing, 3§; tail, 3|; tarsi, 1. Hab. South and Western Australia. Ptilotis cratitius. Ptil. vertice cinereo, — loris, strigd super ocu- lari, et plumis auricularibus nigris, — infrh et pone has, penicillo angusto, et flavo; a rictu per gulce later a duct a appendice nudo, corneo, ad marginem inferiorem libero, et belle e gilvo ccerulescente. Crown of the head grey ; all the upper surface olive-green ; wings and tail brown, margined with greenish yellow; lores, a large space surrounding the eye and the ear-coverts black, below which is a narrow line of bright yellow ; from the gape, down each side of the throat for five-eighths of an inch, a naked fleshy appendage, free at the lower end, of a beautiful lilac colour and very conspicuous in the living bird ; anterior to this is a tuft of bright yellow feathers ; throat and under surface olive-yellow ; irides and eyelash black ; bill black ; feet blackish brown tinged with olive. The female is similar to the male, but smaller. Total length, 7 inches; bill, J; wing, 2£; tail, 3^; tarsi, J. Hab. Interior of South Australia and Kangaroo Island. Glyciphila albifrons. Glyc. facie albd; gutturenigro, albo mi- nute adsperso ; vertice nigro, plumis albo anguste marginatis. Forehead, lores and a narrow ring round the eye, and a narrow line running from the angle of the lower mandible white ; crown of the head black, each feather slightly margined with white; ear- coverts silvery blackish gray, behind which an irregular line of white; all the upper surface brown, irregularly margined with white, pro- ducing a mottled appearance; wings and tails brown, the primaries margined externally with yellowish green ; chin and throat brown- ish black, the former minutely speckled with white ; under surface of the wing buff; chest and abdomen white, striped with blackish brown on the flanks ; irides dark brown ; bill black ; feet blackish brown. The female is like the male in plumage, but smaller in size. Total length, 5f inches; bill, f ; wing, 3£; tail, 2f ; tarsi, J. Hab. Western Australia. Meliphaga mystacalis. Mel. vertice et gutture nigris ; strigd superoculari angustd, albd; plumis auricularibus densis, albis, et penicillum postice acutum efficientibus. Head, chin and throat black; over the eye a narrow line of white; ears covered by a conspicuous tuft of white feathers, which are closely set and terminate in a point towards the back; upper surface brownish black, the feathers edged with white; under surface white, with a broad stripe of black down the centre of each feather; wings and tail blackish brown, conspicuously margined with bright yellow; irides brown; bill black; feet blackish brown. F 2 68 Zoological Society. Total length, 65 inches; bill, 1; wing, 3; tail, 2J; tarsi, Hab. Western Australia. Nearly allied to Meliphaga sericea. Platycercus Adelaide. Plat, vertice, pectore, abdomine medio, crissoque coccineis ; lateribus viridescenti-flavis ; uropygio sor- dide olivaceo-flavo. Fully adult male. — Crown of the head, lores, sides of the neck, breast and all the under surface scarlet, passing into pale greenish yellow on the flanks ; cheeks and wing- coverts light lazuline blue ; primaries deep blue, passing into black at the extremity ; back of the neck yellowish buff; back black, each feather broadly margined with greenish yellow, some of these marginations tinged with blue, others with scarlet ; rump and upper tail- coverts dull greenish yel- low, the latter tinged with scarlet; two centre tail-feathers greenish blue; the remainder deep blue at the base, gradually becoming lighter until almost white at the tip ; irides brown ; bill horn-colour ; feet grayish brown. Total length, 13J inches; wing, 7; tail, 8; tarsi, \. Hab. South Australia. This species is subject to great change from youth to maturity ; during the first few months it is almost wholly green, and this gra- dually gives place to scarlet on the head, rump, under surface and the margins of the back-feathers. Aquila morphnoides. Aq. capite cristd suboccipitali brevi, or- nato ; facie nigrescente : corpore subtus rufo : plumis et pectoris et abdominis strigd centrali nigrd notatis. Face, crown and throat blackish brown, tinged with rufous, giving it a striated appearance, bounded in front above the nostrils with whitish; feathers at the back of the head, which are lengthened into a short occipital crest, back of the head, back, and sides of the neck, all the under surface, thighs and under tail-coverts rufous, all but the thighs and under tail-coverts with a stripe of black down the centre of each feather ; back, rump and wings brown, the centre of the wing lighter ; primaries brownish black, becoming darker at the tip, and barred throughout with grayish buff, which is conspicu- ous on the under surface, but scarcely perceptible on the upper, except at the base of the inner webs ; under surface of the wing mottled with reddish brown and black ; tail mottled grayish brown, crossed by seven or eight distinct bars of blackish brown, the tips being lighter ; cere and bill lead-colour, passing into black at the tip ; eye reddish hazel, surrounded by a narrow blackish brown eyelash ; feet and toes very light lead- colour. Total length, 21| inches; bill, lj; wing, 15 ; tail, 9J; tarsi, 2j. This species is very robust, and although but a small bird, is in every respect a true Aquila. It is nearly allied to, but much stouter than Aquila pennata. Hab. Yarrundi on the Upper Hunter, New South Wales. Buteo melanosternon. jB. rostro grandi, et elongato : guld,pec- Zoological Society. 69 tore et abdomine nigris ; primariis ad basin subtus albis ; caudd cinered. Crown of the head, face, chin, chest and centre of the abdomen, deep black, passing into chestnut-red on the flanks, thighs and un- der tail-coverts ; back of the head chestnut-red, becoming black in the centre of each feather; shoulders whitish buff; all the upper surface deep brownish black, margined with chestnut-red ; primaries white at the base, deep black for the remainder of their length ; cere and base of the bill purplish flesh-colour, passing into black at the tip ; irides wood-brown ; feet white tinged with lilac. Total length, 22 inches; bill, 2j; wing, 19£; tail, 8j; tarsi, 2f. This species is nearly allied to the Red-tailed Hawk of North America, and the Buteo Jackal of South Africa, but from both of these it may be distinguished by the jet-black colouring and by its more lengthened bill. During flight the white at the base of the primaries is very conspicuous, and is strikingly contrasted with the black of the chest and the brown of the other part of the wings. Hah. Interior of New South Wales. Falco hypoleucos. Fal. corpore superne cinereo-fusco : singulis plumis margine dilutiore cinctis : corpore subtus albo; plumis strigd fused apud apicem in maculam latam desinente, ornatis. Head and all the upper surface grayish brown, the feathers of the head having a fine stripe of black down the centre, the remainder dark brown in the centre ; chin and all the under surface white, with a fine line of black down the centre, passing into a spatulate form near the tip ; outer webs and tips of the primaries brownish black, the extreme ends being whitish ; their inner webs whitish, crossed by numerous narrow bars, fading into a point as they approach the edge ; tail gray, obscurely barred with brown, and tipped with buff. Total length 17 inches; bill, lj; wing, 12f ; tail, 1\ ; tarsi, If. Considerably smaller, but closely allied to the Jerfalcon, Falco Islandicus. Hab. Western Australia. PODARGUS BRACHYPTERUS Or MACRORHYNCHUS. Pod. rOStrO pr.coO . O Tf . COt^ : 9 oi : 9 9 : 9 t 1 : . . CO . l> •jpiMSiqo 9 9 9 . CSCO00 — i : «P9 9 9 . o . OI OI t^^o -i . : co : 999^9 : .tNOiOd-" . ; 9 OI -* OI 9 ; : :' 1:9:? <0 •urd i jptMSiqQ si * £ i i * i * *ii**i * * » i * i i * Hi Hi b i ► -uoisog -n~ -i coioiooo(NONioioi>vnooo»i^oo\iHCTMao\i-trt h t^Hoo»ooo HH iniefrtJM ^-, ^ ^ •^in^'ntoict>.io^ooM^HHr)t^iOTt'!foo(NW(N>ovncoo(00 vo^ovovo io-* co om^oo ao ■** U0i>'^oa)ciOMio< v 5ci op 900 ON©o^i>i>(Nrp^t»p>pi>opi>-i>*ocoTt't^ci9 9 eiOinTTTtip OIOOIOIOIOIC^OIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOICOCOOIOIOIOIOIOI O00 tCO t^ 00 U0C5iOOM^CO<^«300^O iDOO O^Os CO *0 OI lO^Ooo lOCO^O OMO r-o^o>qo -oi 00 moc^h o Tt^Mntnin© o corfo iooi^o aiioiciomo oio co ^ip^cpip9cpoi7t , ^r^9i^oi7"7t , ^cico^o^7-ot-'<*c^oi noNO>o9>9>99t^9i-rfoi ip*p»p9apao9r^^t , yt , r-'9 > i9 9 9 om^-i>.i©vo © C <^^Os6^<^<^^0^^^<^^^C^OS<3 > >0 > ><^OSCS<^0 O O <3> (^ O^i 6^ <5>i COCOOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOICOCOCOOIOIOIOIOI o co^o <^Tto oi •^o>^o oi c^cooi coostooo ascoc^-^o o>o tnoi ooc«c^o^ooco^^oit^^^criOoio>cooic^cricoo^oi 9 T 1 T 1 9 l 99P c ? 5<:: iP 9>9> u o i ot^i>-r^o^9 r^.009900 Oi^- •■* o 9190 tp-90 O O O OiO O^^CsOSf^O^^^iCTN^OsO CsOsCTsOs<^<^0 O O O^iCTiONO^O^ COCOCOOICOOIC^OICTOIOIOIOIOIOIOICOOIOIOIO'OIOICOCOCOOIOIOIOIOI o 005 OJ3 . . -<(N nTClOOt^OOOiO o THE ANNALS AND MAGAZINE OF NATURAL HISTORY. No. 49. OCTOBER 1841. IX. — Observations on the Rodentia. By G. R. Waterhouse, Esq., Curator to the Zoological Society of London. [With a Plate.] [Continued from p. 600, vol. iii., N. S., of the Mag. Nat. Hist.] Family VI. Bathyergid^e. This family appears to be entirely confined to Southern Africa, and is composed of but few known species, and these consti- tute the two genera Bathyergus of Illiger and Orycterus of F. Cuvier. The situation which the Bathyergidm should occupy among the Rodents is difficult to determine. They agree with the Hystrices, Capromys, Echimys, &c. in having the descending ramus of the lower jaw thrown out from the outer side of the alveolar portion ; but in the genera just mentioned the de- scending ramus is of a triangular form, and the posterior angle is produced and pointed. They moreover always have a large ant-orbital opening, the palate is almost always deeply emarginated behind, and the malar bone is deep and com- pressed. These and other characters which I shall have to notice in my next paper, I seek for in vain in the Bathyergidce ; and on the other hand, when I turn to the Murine or Sciurine groups, I do not find a single example in which, combined with other characters peculiar to those groups, the descending ramus of the lower jaw is not thrown out from the under side of the alveolar portion. Of the Bathyergidce I am acquainted with but four species*, and of only two of these have I had an opportunity of examining the skulls, viz. Bathyergus ca- pensis and Orycterus maritimus. Their chief characters are as follows : — Dentition. — Incisors broad; molars |~ or ~^, subrooted, small, equal, or very nearly equal, in size, and the series on each side of each jaw parallel. In Bathyergus the incisors of the upper jaw are less curved than in most Rodents, and remarkable for their great length, * Bathyergus capensis, Desm., B. ccecutiens, Licht. (which is the B. Hottentotus of Lesson and Garn., and the B. Ludivigii of Dr. Smith), B. Damarensis, Ogilby, and Orycterus maritimus. Ann. §• Mag. N. Hist. Vol. viii. G 82 Mr. G. R. Waterhouse on the Rodentia. being extended backwards behind the last molars ; they are destitute of longitudinal grooves. The molars are f^f- ; the entering folds of enamel are very simple, there being but one external and one internal deep fold to each tooth. In Orycterus the upper incisors are shorter and much more curved, and are furnished with a deep longitudinal groove in front ; those of the lower jaw are destitute of grooves, are very deep from front to back, and slightly concave at the sides. The molars are |^, nearly cylindrical, but their anteropos- terior diameter is the shortest, excepting in the front molar of the lower jaw. In the skulls before me the teeth are worn, and exhibit scarcely any trace of folds of enamel entering into the body of the tooth. In both genera the enamel of the incisors is colourless, and the incisors of the lower jaw are extended backwards to the condyle. The skull of the Bathyergidce is rather broad, much con- tracted between the orbits, and (as in other Rodents which live for the most part underground*) the cranial cavity is pro- portionally small. The nasal bones are narrow and elongated. In Orycterus they are nearly of equal width throughout, whilst in Bathyergus capensis they are considerably broader behind than before. The anterior root of the zygomatic arch is formed entirely of the superior maxillary bone, and incloses a small ant-orbital opening : the lower boundary of the zygo- matic process of the maxillary is slightly concave, so that the anterior portion of the zygomatic arch is slightly thrown up from the plane of the palate. This is more decidedly the case in Bathyergus Capensis, in which the ant-orbital foramen is rather larger. The malar bone is of moderate size, and is ex- tended backwards so as to enter into the composition of the glenoid cavity. The portion of the palate situated between the molar teeth is remarkably contracted, and this part de- scends below the level of the anterior portion of the palate, and is continued some distance beyond the last molar. The incisive foramina are very small, and there are no openings in the posterior portion of the palate. The glenoid cavity of the temporal bone is very broad. In Orycterus the posterior por- tion of the malar bone forms a longitudinal ridge, which no doubt tends to restrain to a certain extent the lateral motion of the condyles of the lower jaw, but in B. capensis this ridge is wanting. The auditory bullae are of moderate size — larger in Orycterus maritimus than in B. capensis. In the former animal the upper surface of the skull forms nearly a straight * Compare the skull of the burrowing Marmots with that of their con- geners the Squirrels, and that of Spalax with the Rats. Mr. G. R. Waterhouse on the Rodentia. 83 line in the longitudinal direction, being but slightly arched, and the plane of the occiput is vertical ; whereas in B. Capensis the plane of the occiput is slightly oblique, receding from the upper part. Lower Jaw, — The lower jaw has the descending ramus (a) Plate II, thrown out from the outer side of the alveolus of the inferior incisor (b). In Bathyergus Capensis the descending ramus approaches somewhat to a semicircular form : its greatest extent is in the longitudinal direction of the jaw, and its greatest depth is be- neath the condyle ; in front it is curved suddenly upwards and inwards so as to form an obtuse angle at (c). In Orycterus maritimus the descending ramus is thrown much more boldly out from the alveolar portion of the jaw, and is of very great extent ; the lower part is curved inwards, and the posterior part is produced far beyond the line of the condyle, becoming gradually narrower towards the extremity. The coronoid process is small in these tw T o genera, and situ- ated in a line with the last molar. The condyloid process is short, and the articular surface is large and rounded. As regards the characters furnished by the skull and lower iaw, the present group is very isolated. In the structure of the molar teeth and in the contracted form of the palate be- tween them, Bathyergus approaches most nearly to Spalax?*, but in other cranial characters there is a wide difference. The skull of the animal figured by Dr. Ruppell under the name Bathyergus splendens agrees in most of its characters with that of Spalax, and in some respects links that genus with Rhizomys ; here the ant-orbital foramen is of moderate * I was induced, owing to the remarkable form of the lower jaw, to place Spalax near to Geomys, but upon re-examination I fear I have given too much weight to that character. This genus I have no doubt will prove an aberrant form of the Muridce, and I think it will be more correct to regard the Arvicolidce as constituting a subfamily of that group than as a section of equal importance. Since the publication of the former parts of this paper I have had an opportunity of examining several skulls belonging to species of these sections which I had not before seen. The skull of Rhizomys I was only acquainted with through Temminck's figure ; the skull itself I have now examined, and I am quite satisfied that the animal belongs to the family Muridce. The skull of Ascomys mexicanus I find agrees in all essential characters with that of Geomys (see fig. 71. p. 596, Mag. Nat. Hist. vol. iii. New Series). The differences between Ascomys, Geo?nys, Diplostoma (Richardson) and Pseudostoma are, it appears to me, not of sufficient im- portance to entitle them to rank as distinct genera. These genera or sub- genera form a very natural little section of the Arvicolidce, differing from the more typical species of that group in having -- ~- molars, and these small and of very simple structure, and also in the absence of any ant-orbital fo- ramen for the transmission of a portion of the masseter muscle : the very small slit foundat the root of the zygoma in these animals evidently serves only to admit the passage of the ant-orbital nerve. G 2 84 Mr. H assail on the Functions performed by the Hairs size and opens obliquely upwards, the coronoid process is long as in Spalax, the lower incisor runs backwards and out- wards, and the thin layer of bone covering its base forms a protuberance (d) on the outer side of the condyle (e), in this respect resembling both Rhizomys and Spalax. The descend- ing ramus springs from the under side of the alveolus of the inferior incisor, and not from the outer side, as in the true Bathyergidae, The posterior part of the descending ramus is not directed outwards, as in Spalax ; but is on the same plane as the horizontal ramus, as in Rhizomys. The molar teeth agree closely with those of Spalax, as well as with Ba- thyergus, being nearly cylindrical, of equal size, and having but one external and one internal fold of enamel ; the incisors are proportionally broader than in Spalax. The great difference between the skull of Bathyergus splen- dens and that of Spalax typhlus consists in the form of the occiput, it being vertical in the former, or very nearly so ; but I very much suspect that the peculiar form of occiput which we observe in Spalax typhlus (which is the only species of the genus the skull of which I have seen) does not constitute a character indicative of affinity. I think it very likely to vary in the different species of the genus. On the whole, it appears to me, that the animal called Ba- thyergus splendens by Ruppell should be removed from the genus in which he has placed it, and might be arranged either with the species of Spalax or perhaps between that genus and Rhizomys, and I think it probable Rodents may hereafter be found connecting the Bathyergidae with these genera. EXPLANATION Fig. 1. Skull of Orycterus mariti- mus. 1 a. Under side of do. 1 b. Under side of lower jaw. a, a. Descending ramus. b. Alveolus of incisor. 1 c. Lower jaw viewed from above. 1 d. Side view of do. Fig. 2. Bathyergus capensis. OF PLATE II. Fig. 2 a. Lower jaw of Bathyergus ca- pensis, viewed from beneath. 2 b. Side view of do. Fig. 3. Bathyergus splendens of Rup- pell. 3 a. Side view of skull. 3 b. Lower jaw, view from above. d. Termination of incisor. e. Condyle. X.— Observations* on the Functions performed by the Hairs on the Stigma in Campanulaceae, Composite, and other Plants. By Arthur Hill Hassall, M.R.C.S.L., Corre- sponding Member of the Dublin Natural History Society. I have read with much interest some observations by M. Adolphe Brongniart on the ! Functions of the Hairs on the * The principal of these observations were written during the summer of last year. */////.,*• J/*,/. A',//. //;.<■/ VdL&FLH. ' W*»l Iwn .ZD.C, ^werAv/ru??,. on the Stigma in Campanulaceae, fyc. 85 Stigma in the Fecundation of Campanulaceae/ contained in a recent Number of the e Annals/ and translated by W. A. Leighton, Esq. To this subject, previously to the appearance of these remarks, I had paid some attention. I do not, how- ever, concur in all the conclusions arrived at by that able in- vestigator. If the flower-bud of any of the Campanulas be examined a day or two prior to the expansion of the corolla, the sta- mens will be observed to envelope and conceal the whole sur- face of the pistil. If it be again examined, about the period of the unfolding of the blossom, the anthers may be seen to open and disclose their contents. As soon as this has oc- curred, the stamens having performed the office allotted them, begin to wither away, in consequence of the juices destined for their nourishment being now directed into a new channel. The pistil, immediately on the dehiscence of the anthers, in- creases rapidly in size, carrying with it in its upward pro- gress, (as by a brush) by means of the hairs upon its surface, the pollen granules. This increase, amounting frequently to thrice the original length of the pistil, arises, partly, from the excitation of the new action now set up in it, but mainly from the accession of the nutriment formerly sent to the stamens, but now no longer required by them. These hairs are found in all the Campanulaceae, save only the small genus Petromarula, extending from the base of the style to the apex of the stigma, externally, and arranged in lines, corresponding in number and position with the sta- mens ; they are directed horizontally and slightly curved at their extremities. Their surface is lubricated by a secretion, or perhaps, I should rather say, an exudation, serving to retain the pollen in contact with them. The office per- formed by these hairs is undoubtedly purely mechanical, acting, first, as collectors of the pollen, and subsequently, as props, to sustain it in contact with the fecundating surface — entangled amidst the hairs it is not readily scattered or dis- turbed. Adolphe Brongniart's account of the anatomy of the hairs I consider to be satisfactory ; although I do not deem his comparison of their retractile movements to that of cer- tain Annelides, or the tentacula of snails, to be at all analo- gous, the phenomenon in the latter cases being voluntary and vital, the result of complex organization ; and, in the former, merely mechanical, presenting nothing peculiar or extraor- dinary in its nature, but arising simply from the absorption or drying up of the fluid contained in the hair itself, and in the expansion at its base*. * The retraction of the hairs does not take place until some days after the application of the pollen, the greater part of which then falls offin con- 86 Mr. Hassall on the Stigma in Campanulaceae, fyc. M. Brongniart states, "that the pollen grains undergo no modification either during their application to the hairs or when drawn along with them in their retractile movement, and con- sequently no connexion exists between them and the interior of the style I* From this it follows, that fertilization can only take place through the medium of what are considered to be true stigmas, viz. the internal surfaces of the three (occasion- ally four) diverging rays on the top of the style. This state- ment is wholly opposed to the result of my investigations. The outer of the mass of pollen grains adherent to the hairs certainly suffer no material change ; but if those in contact with the style be examined, a single pollen tube of consider- able length may be observed to pass from the greater number of the granules, apparently losing itself in the tissue of the style, which I believe it to penetrate through the interspaces between the hairs. This view of the matter is further sup- ported by the following corroborative evidence. 1st. The great mass of pollen collected on these hairs, contrasted with the small quantity, or even occasional absence of it, on what is called the true stigmatic surface. 2ndly. The structure of the surface itself — it being covered with papillae resembling the hairs themselves in all save length. 3rdly. That this surface sometimes does not expand, and when it does, frequently but to a small extent, and this only when the process of fertili- zation is evidently far advanced, and the flower itself some- times even beginning to fade. From the observation of these facts, I have come to the conclusion, that not only the surface of the true stigma, but more particularly of that portion of the style itself which is covered with hairs, is essentially concerned in the fecundation of Campanulaceae. These collecting hairs are by no means peculiar to the Cam- panula?, but exist in the whole of the family Compositae, and in many genera of other orders. I have observed them in Col- lomia grandiflora, Veronica chanuedrys, Hyacinthus orientalis, Ixia maculata, Haworthia radula, Godetia rubicunda, and Epilobium hirsutum. In the Compositae they are admirably adapted to the office they are destined to perform, viz. that of harrowing up the pollen grains, being all sloped upwards and terminating in a sharp point. These hairs in Haworthia ra- dula cover the true stigmatic surface, are longest near the cir- cumference, and become mere papillae towards the centre of the stigma. In Veronica chamcedrys they also cover the stigmatic surface, but a depression is to be observed in the middle free sequence of the loss of their support. — Adolphe Brongniart speaks of this retraction of the hairs as presenting a phaenomenon unexampled in the vegetable kingdom. Capt. S. E. Widdrington on European Pines. 87 from hairs, while in Iocia they are arranged along the edges of the stigmata. It is however to the structure of the stigmata of Epilobium hirsutum and Godetia rubicunda that I would par- ticularly call attention, conceiving them to confirm in the strongest manner my opinion that the stigmatic function in the Campanulaceae is not limited to that part which is usually considered to constitute the proper stigma. These are quadri- partite, and each division of their true stigmatic surface is covered with hairs precisely resembling those of the Campa- nulaceae. I am about to try an experiment, the issue of which will determine the truth or fallacy of my deductions, as far as the Campanulaceae are concerned. As each flower of Campanula pyramidalis comes into blossom, I intend to cut away the whole of the true stigmatic branches, leaving only the lower portion of the style covered with hairs and pollen. Should perfect seeds ripen upon this plant, the question will, I think, be satisfactorily decided. August 1841. XI. — On some species of European Pines. By Capt. S. E. Widdrington*, R.N. In a paper which was read before the British Association at Newcastle (Ann. Nat. Hist., vol. ii. p. 163), the two species of P. austriaca and P. Pumilio were not fully described, nor their places in the system as to elevation assigned. This de- ficiency, which was caused by my not having seen these spe- cies growing in their natural sites, a recent tour in Austria and Upper Germany has enabled me to supply. The Pinus austriaca of the English, P. nigrescens of the German botanists, partly covers, as it no doubt once did en- tirely, the plain of Austria to the south and east of Vienna. There is an extensive remnant of it between Neustadt and the foot of the Semering range, which divides Austria and Styria. It also partly clothes the hills near Baden ; but in ascending the range it soon disappears, and is replaced by the spruce and Scotch firs. I am not aware of its being seen to the north of the localities I have mentioned, nor in the northern pro- longation of the range, there called the Wiener Wald. In Styria I never saw it to the north of the river Muhr ; but it ranges to the south of Styria, forming a sort of link between the European pine series and that of the Caucasus and of Asia. On considering the elevation and geography of these ha- * Late Cook. Read in the Section of Zoology and Botany at the meeting of the British Association, Plymouth, and communicated by the Author. See his paper on Pinus and Abies, Ann. Nat. Hist., vol. hi. p. 296. 88 Capt. S. E. Widdrington on European Pines. bitats, it must undoubtedly be placed in the zone below P. syl- vestris. At the same time there is no question that it is suffi- ciently hardy to resist any cold to which it is liable to be ex- posed in these islands. The thermometer at Vienna fell last winter to 19° of Reaumur, and in 1830 to 22°, or nearly 18° below zero of Fahrenheit, a degree I believe seldom, if ever, seen in Britain, at least in modern times. This species is very nearly connected with P. taurica or Pallasiana ; the foliage is scarcely to be distinguished ; but on comparing the cones of the two species, as grown in the Bota- nical Garden at Vienna, I was struck with a difference in the form of the scales, and had the satisfaction of being imme- diately told that the same remark had been made by Mr. Brown, who had examined them. As, however, experience has shown me the mistakes which are made by judging of pines from spe- cimens grown in gardens, and especially in nursery grounds, where the treatment sometimes entirely alters the habit of the tree, I made application for, and was promised by the en- lightened director of the botanical department, Mr. End- licher, cones of both species taken from the natural forests at the proper season, which will probably enable the question of their identity or distinctness to be decided. From the quick growth of this tree, the great beauty of its foliage, which is long, thick and tangled, and of the deepest green, as well as the great value of the timber, which the Austrian woodmen consider superior to that of P. sylvestris, it cannot be too strongly recommended to the attention of planters. It is equally fitted for the forest or the park, for use or' for ornament, and its deep tints would form an admirable contrast with the light and transparent foliage of the elegant Pinus hispanica. The country is very much indebted to Mr. Lawson of Edinburgh, who first introduced this interesting species, and it cannot be too generally used with the Laricio, a congener, as a substitute for the Pinaster, which has rather unfortunately been tried in some parts of the West of England, the timber being comparatively valueless, and in every other respect very inferior to the species we are now considering. It cannot be too strongly urged on those who have the care of making fir plantations for future utility, to plant the ever- greens, which are to remain, at the requisite distances, and to have the fillings-up entirely of larch. By adopting this method several advantages accrue. The woodmen make no mistakes in selecting, during the process of thinning, and no spaces are left too open or too close. The evergreens, which require more or less care when young, are more readily looked after, and their places supplied where necessary, in case of failure. The larch should be planted a year or two before the ever- Capt. S. E. Widdrington on European Pines. 89 greens, by which time the grass is grown, and affords a shelter and protection against the destruction of game,, &c. The tri- fling difference in the shelter between the evergreen and deci- duous species is more apparent than real, and is more than compensated by the superior value of the larch thinning and the additional fertility imparted to the soil by the fall of the spiculae. By having only a definite number of evergreens, the landlord can afford to have better sorts, and expend more care upon the rearing and looking after them. On Pinus Pumilio. I have found the difficulty of obtaining information respect- ing this curious tree so great, that if, from the inspection of the beautiful specimens at Dropmore and in some other col- lections, I had not been quite satisfied of its being a distinct species, I might have been incredulous, and in the words of the schools, asked, " Quid est Pumilio ?" or in the summary mode of writers and compilers who treat on trees they never saw in their natural forests, set it down as a u mountain va- riety" of some other species. All doubt however on the sub- ject my late tour in Upper Germany has completely enabled me to set aside, and more satisfactorily than I could possi- bly have anticipated. I first met with it, though sparingly, in Upper Styria. In the Saltzkammergut it is abundant, though high up, and above the Scotch and spruce, which form the mass of the forests in that beautiful region. By far the largest portion was met with in the Bavarian Alps, which it inhabits from the base almost to the summit, and in every sort of ground ; an extensive swamp or morass adjoining the Chiemsee, the principal lake of Bavaria, is covered with it, and the effect of its dwarf and even surface a few feet above the ground is curiously contrasted with the lofty forests of spruce and Scotch fir which surround the marsh wherever the ground is sufficiently dry to bear them. Although it flourishes in this strange locality, where no other fir or scarcely any other tree can exist, marshy ground is by no means its only or favoured habitat. In the neigh- bouring mountains, where it is extremely abundant, I found it at the base of the chain, in the dry gravelly beds of the tor- rents, and it gradually creeps up the arid limestone to the very summit of the range which separates Bavaria and the Austrian Tyrol, living above its congeners of the forest and to the very limits of arboreal vegetation. When seen in these situations from below, it could not, by the unpractised eye, be distinguished from furze or gorse. The peculiar form of this tree consists in its having no 90 M. Hering on new Alga regular leader. Immediately above the ground it divides into a number of smaller stems and branches, which either sweep along the ground, their extremities pointing upwards, or rise at once at an angle of 30° to 45°, according as the neighbours or the locality have permitted it to expand. Very rarely — amongst countless thousands I did not see above one or two examples — one tree makes an attempt to grow straight and throws up a single stem, but the failure of attaining size or elevation shows in these instances the creeping, true habit of the tree. The height attained is rarely above 5 or 6 feet, the diameter of the largest trees being from 20 to 25 feet ; though this size is rare, and the appearance is so regular, that in looking over an extensive level planted with it, it is quite as even as the surface of a gorse cover. The foliage in form and colour resembles that of P. unci- nata, but the spiculae are shorter, though -standing out in the peculiarly rigid manner of that species. The cones are small, dark-coloured, and differ from both P. sylvestris and P. un- cinates. From the localities it inhabits it must be placed very high in the series, by the side of P. Cembra and P. uncinata. I have been the more particular in describing this singular spe- cies, in order to guard those who may not have the opportu- nity of seeing it in situ from confounding it, as so many who ought to know better have done, with the stunted individuals of P. Cembra, P. sylvestris and P. uncinata, which are always found at the summit of their respective zones in the high Alps and Pyrenees, and have been called and compiled un- der the general name of Pumilio. As to the oeconomical uses of this tree, it is clear they amount to very little, its wood being only used for inlaying for furniture, such as parts of chairs and the like. To those, however, who possess extensive parks, by planting them fifteen feet apart, and taking care of them during their early growth, they would be curious and useful covers for game. XII. — Diagnoses Algarum novarum a cl, Dre. Ferdinand Krauss in Africa Australi lectarum, auctore Dno. Hering, Stuttgartiensi*. Conferva natalensis, Hering. Pilis simplicibus tenuissimis, articulis diametro sesquilongioribus, superioribus sequalibus. Conferva implexa, Dillw. proxima. Port Natal. Dasya tenella, Hg. Fronde continua, tereti, vage ramosa, ramulis bipinnatis, divaricatis. * Communicated by Mr. Daniel Cooper. collected in Africa by Dr. Krauss. 91 Frons vix uncialis, crassitie capillari, hyalina ; granula angulata, coccinea, in fronde hyalina seriatim digesta ; ad Port Natal, ste- rilis. 222*. Bryopsis setacea, Hg. Pilis setaceis, subramosis, apice phi- mosis. Fila tenacia, nitida, 2 — 3-pollicaria, setacea, simplicia vel rarius ramulo laterali instructa, apice ramentis brevibus, simplicissimis, lanceolato-pinnata. Color obscure viridis, chartse arete adhseret. Bryops. Balbisiance proxima. Hab. ad Port Natal Point, Africa? me- ridionalis, scopulis littoralibus insidens. Caulerpa filiformis, Hg. Frondibus planis, linearibus, subdichotomis, integerrimis. Surculus cylindricus, filiformis, stramineus, inferne emittens radices nbrosas, fasciculatas ; frons spithamsea, adscendens, basi cylin- drica, annulato-rugosa, deinde plana, linearis, integerrima, sub- dichotoma, lineam lata ; color gramineus, substantia membra- nacea. Synon. Amphibolis filiformis, Sch. Var. /3. Fronde latiore ligulata. Var. y. Fronde breviore palmata. Forsan distincta species Caulerpa palmata nominanda. Ad Cape Lagullas, Africa? meridionahs, in arena reperis. Alsidium ericoides, Hg. Fronde tereti, continua, filiformi, ramosa ; ramentis brevibus, subarticulatis, subulatis, dense imbricatis ves- tita. Radix callus exiguus, frons spithamsea, teres, ramosa, pyramidata, ramenta obtusiuscula, zonis obscurioribus notata. Hab. ad Port Natal. Sub Rhodomela ericoides in collectione signata. Sphcerococcus (Chondrus) scutellatus, Hg. Fronde compressa, dicho- toma, segmentis linearibus ; capsulis sphsericis in margine disoo- que ramulorum sessilibus, scutellatis. Habitus Sphceroc. crispi var. linearis ; frons cartilaginea, bipolli- caris, vix lineam lata, segmentis superioribus cuneatis, obtusis ; color exsiccati atro-purpureus. Sphcerococcus (Gigartina) nodiferus, Hg. Fronde cartilaginea, tereti, subdichotoma, segmentis irregulariter dentatis, obtusis, denti- bus apice capsuliferis. Color purpureus, frons crassiuscula. Ad Port Natal, spec, manca. Sphcerococcus (Gelidium) aculeatus, Hg. Fronde cartilagineo -cornea, ramosa, verticillato-aculeata. Radix callus exiguus, frons cartilagineo-cornea, 4 — 6-pollicaris, inferne teretiuscula, nuda, mox bi- vel trichotoma, lineam crassa, compressa, vel tri- aut quadrangularis, aculeata ; aculei oppositi, terni aut quaterni verticillati, lineam longi, basi dilatati, subu- * The numbers prefixed to the species refer to the numbers in Dr. Ki'auss's Fasciculi of Natal Specimens. A series of the species here described has been forwarded to the Herbarium of the Botanical Society of London, where they may be consulted on application. 92 Mr. Hassall on the Structure of the Pollen Granule. lati, horizontales, interstitia bilinearia. Fructus ignoti, color coccineus; exsiccatus rigidus, chartae minime adhaerens. Hob. ad Port Natal. 272. Martensia, gen. nov. Frons plana, areolata, avenia, margine fenestrata ; fructus duplex ; sphserospermia longitudinaliter in reticulo simplici serie disposita; capsular sphaericae, reticulo affixae, sporidia subglobosa foventes. M. elegans, Hg. Fronde tenuissima, lobata, segmentis cuneato-rotun- datis. Frons basi affixa, semi usque pollicaris, tenerrima, tenax, cellulis angulatis areolata, margine demum fructificante, clathrato -fene- strata. Color amcene roseus fugax. Chartae arete adhaerens. Port Natal ad lapides. In memoriam amicissimi Georgii de Martens, auctoris Florae Wiir- tembergicae, algarum maris Mediterranei scrutatoris indefessi. — Hering. 197. Nemalion Natalense, Hg. Fronde filiformi, ramosa, ramis elon- gatis, villosis, villis articulatis. Color olivaceus, chartae arete adhaerens. Hab. ad Port Natal Point, Afr. meridionalis. Fucns minimus, Hg. Fronde plana ecostata, lineari, dichotoma, in- tegerrima. Vix pollicaris, fronde semilineam lata, spiraliter torta. Port Natal. XIII. — Observations on the Structure of the Pollen Granule, considered principally in reference to its eligibility as a means of Classification. By Arthur Hill Hassall, 'M.R.C.S.L., Corresponding Member of the Dublin Na- tural History Society. It has often been a matter of surprise to me, that no one of the numerous and gifted votaries of those bright and beau- tiful creations, flowers, which are scattered with so profuse a hand over moor and mountain, on hill and through dale, should have fully investigated the structure of the pollen gra- nule in the various tribes of plants, with a view to ascertain whether it could be rendered available for the purpose of clas- sification. Much has indeed been written upon its general anatomy ; but the characters of the granules, as they occur in each ge- nus of plants, appear to have been scarcely at all considered in this country, and almost the only figures which we possess of individual pollen grains are contained in Lindley's e Introduc- tion to Botany/ and were derived from a work of Purkinje on the subject*. * These figures are but little more than mere outlines, and even in this single particular are generally very far from being correct. Mr. Hassall on the Structure of the Pollen Granule, 93 On the Continent entire works have been published upon the pollen, accompanied by numerous figures : I allude parti- cularly to Purkinje's work, c De Cellulis Antherarum fibrosis/ &c. ; to that by Fritzsche ; and to a memoir by Mohl in the e Annales des Sciences Naturelles,' all of which have appeared within, I believe, the last ten years. With the opinions contained in these works I am only acquainted in so far as they are given us by Lindley, as I wished, before consulting them, to form a separate and in- dependent opinion, so that all I shall advance in this paper is to be regarded only as the result of my own investi- gations, and rests upon my own responsibility. It is my intention to publish, from time to time, a series of papers upon the subject of the Pollen, in some of which I shall give the opinions of the authors to whom I have referred more at length ; thus my not doing so at present will be of but little consequence. Although I do not anticipate that the results of this inquiry will be very considerable in a practical point of view, I yet feel that I ought not to be deterred from the pursuit because I am not at once able to perceive any great utility attached to it ; the subject is one of much interest in itself, and may ul- timately lead to more than is at present looked for. I could have wished that an investigation of such nicety and extent had fallen to the lot of some individual of greater capability and experience in microscopical research ; but as this is merely an essay, and as I shall advance nothing but what I have fully made out, I trust that the inquiry will not suffer by reason of my comparative inefficiency for the task I have undertaken. Conceiving then that the want of an accurate knowledge of the form and structure of the pollen grain in the different ge- nera of plants constituted a desideratum in botanical science, I commenced the investigations the results of which I am about to detail early in the spring of last year, continued them throughout the greater part of the summer, and the small amount of time which I have this season been able to spare from professional pursuits has been employed in correcting and confirming the conclusions previously arrived at. I shall divide my subject into three heads. Under the first head, the pollen generally will be spoken of; under the se- cond, the individual peculiarities of the pollen granule will be noticed ; and lastly, the pollen will be considered with a view to ascertain whether it can be rendered available as a means of classification. First then, of the pollen generally : 94 Mr. H assail on the Structure of the Pollen Granule. The structure, form, and size of the pollen granule varies considerably in different tribes of plants. There are, however, certain types of structure and of form which occur more frequently than others. Of these, the cy- lindrical and elliptical are by far the most common ; and next, in frequency of occurrence, are those granules of either a tri- angular or circular form, which are met with in nearly an equal proportion. A great variety of other forms are to be noticed, which it is the object of this paper especially to describe. The term cylindrical is applied to all those grains which are more or less of an elongated form, are somewhat triangular, and taper towards each extremity, which exhibit a furrow along their upper surface, and are furnished with three pollen tubes ; while the word elliptical is used to designate those granules which agreeing somewhat with the former in their lengthened shape, having also a line upon their surface, yet possess but one pollen tube. On the application of any fluid to pollen of an elongated form, of less density than the fovilla contained in the cells, a remarkable alteration of shape takes place with great quick- ness. Each grain of pollen, prior to the contact of the liquid, lies on the object-glass of the microscope with its long diameter placed horizontally ; immediately on its touching it the position of the long diameter is changed, it becomes ver- tical, and the pollen grain, losing in length, dilates and becomes of a triangular or circular form ; and this change of form, which is here produced by the direct application of the water, occurs also naturally previous to the* emission of the pollen tubes, arising partly from the absorption of fluid from the tissue of the anther, but mainly from the imbibition of the stigmatic secretion. But if a fluid of greater density than that within the cell be applied, no such change is seen to occur, a contraction of the pollen grain and an exudation of a portion of its contents taking place. This alteration of form, in both instances, is very satisfac- torily explained by a reference to the principle of end osmosis and exosmosis, which is most beautifully exemplified in the interesting though minute subjects of the present inquiry, and all the varied phenomena of which are referred by Du- trochet to capillary attraction. Each pollen grain consists of a turbid fluid called fovilla, containing numerous active molecular particles ; and this fluid is enclosed, according to most observers, in at least two mem- branes, the outer being called extine, the inner intine, and this is of a highly extensible nature. The only exception to this, according to Mohl, is the pollen of Asclepiadaceous Mr. Hassall on the Structure of the Pollen Granule. 95 plants, which has but one envelope ; but Fritzsche has asserted, according to Lindley, that these plants have both an extine and intine. Fritzsche also states, that in Cauliniafragilis, Zan- nichellia pedunculata, Zostera marina, and Naias minor, the pollen has really nothing but the intine present. That there really are two coatings to the great majority of pollen granules does not admit of a doubt ; while a third mem- brane, intermediate between the extine and intine, has been noticed, first by Mohl and subsequently by Fritzsche, who calls it exintine. Mohl observed it in the pollen of Taxus, Juni- perus, Cupressus and Thuja ; and Fritzsche finds it not only in these plants, but also in Pinus, Cucurbita Pepo, and Tigridia Pavonia ; while Mr. Giraud* states (in the third volume of the ( Annals and Magazine of Natural History/ p. 127) that he has noticed it in the pollen of Crocus vernus. To these I may add the pollen of the different species ofBanksia and Dryandra as possessing a third membrane, as well as the following list of plants, Fuchsia fulg ens, F. cylindrica, F. thymifolia, F. gracilis, and F. coccinea, Stachytarpheta mutabilis, Tilia americana, Calothamnus villosus, Zizyphus Paliurus, and probably also Grevillea linearis; Hakia pedunculata, Erythrina laurifolia, Didiscus cceruleus, Fumaria officinalis, and all other species of Fuchsia. It is necessary to observe great caution in deciding upon the presence of a third membrane, as an appearance is frequently observed which might mislead ; it arises from the entrance of water within the sac of the intine, separating the fovilla from it, forcing it inwards, and giving it a very denned margin. At the commencement of this inquiry, I was induced to con- sider that the reticulation observable on the pollen of Pancra- tium, Armeria, Statice, Passiflora, &c. constituted the basis of a distinct membrane, and in the figures of these 'which will follow it is so represented. To this opinion I was led by no- ticing the raised appearance which it presents, especially round the circumference of the granules, as well as from the circumstance of the ends of each grain of pollen in Pancra- tium being destitute of the reticulation ; but it is more cor- rect, perhaps, to regard this reticulated appearance as pro- duced by the apposition of the cells of which the extine is formed in these instances. Fritzsche also speaks of a fourth coat, which is next the ex- tine, and which he calls intextine, as belonging to the pollen of Clarkia elegans and other Onagrarice. Of the existence * Mr. Giraud, in the same communication, mentions having seen small opake particles on the surface of the pollen grain of Polemonium cceruleum, which exhibit a peculiar motion when the granules are placed in water. 96 Mr. H assail on the Structure of the Pollen Granule. of this membrane in Clarkia I have but little doubt, and I believe that it is also present in those species of Fuchsia which I have mentioned as possessing a third tunic, as there are in the pollen of these precisely the same appearances upon which the opinion of its presence is founded in Clarkia elegans. The pollen granules of Saponaria viscida present, when viewed through the medium of oil, a very remarkable appear- ance, which I am only able to explain by supposing that it depends upon some peculiar inversion or pitting of the ex- tine. It conveys the idea of a membrane of a circular form, smaller than the extine, being placed within it, and pollen tubes to the number of ten escaping through apertures in it and extending to the margin of the outer membrane. I refer to this appearance here in the hope of directing the attention of other observers to it, who may perhaps be able to afford a more particular explanation of its nature. In the long axis of those granules to which the terms cylindrical and elliptical are here applied, as well as of many others, a line or furrow, as has been already remarked, is noticed, concerning the nature of which various conjectures have been hazarded, and none of which afford the true expla- nation of the phenomenon. Malpighi compared granules of pollen of this kind to grains of wheat, on one side of which a furrow exists ; but this does not account for the furrow being visible in every grain at the same time; Guillemin, attempt- ing to account for the constant presence of the line, says that it exists on both sides of the grain. He further supposes this furrow to be a slit intended to facilitate the admission of water into the interior of the granules, and the emission of their contents ; neither is this explanation more satisfactory. Fritzsche states it to be a thin part of the extine where the sides of the pollen grain are contracted and meet, producing the appearance of a furrow ; while Mr. Giraud regards this line as a mere furrow in the extine which disappears on the application of moisture, in which opinion Professor Graham coincides * ; but neither of these gentlemen offer any expla- nation either as to its origin or use. The true explanation of the nature of this furrow, about which there are so many opinions, is, that it is a deficiency in the external membrane of the pollen grain, intended to facilitate the egress of the pollen tubes, one of which may be distinctly seen to issue from each ; and the fact of its being seen at the same moment in every grain of pollen is accounted for by reference to the form of these granules. Those grains * See Ann. and Mag. of Nat. Hist, already referred to, and Prof. Graham's Third Annual Report, read before the Botanical Society of Edinburgh, March 1841. Mr. Hassall on the Structure of the Pollen Granule. 97 of pollen to which the term cylindrical is applied, are, as has been already noticed, more or less of a triangular or trilobate form, and at each angle, or between each lobe, a furrow exists ; so that, as each granule, from its shape, must rest upon one or other of its sides, one angle and one line will necessarily be presented to the eye of the observer. But another explanation is requisite to account for its constant presence in those granules to which the term elliptical is as- signed ; these, though of an elongated form, like the others, are rounded in their short axes, except on one side, which is slightly flattened and indented. In this indenture the single furrow possessed by these granules is placed ; hence it results that each must rest either on its flattened surface, with the furrow looking downwards, as most frequently happens, in which case it will still be apparent through the body of the granule, owing to its transparency; or it will fall on the rounded surface opposite the furrow, which now looks di- rectly upwards. Thus, in whichever way the grain rests, the furrow will still be apparent. Should it alight upon its side it will not remain in this position, but will roll over to the convex surface, which constitutes its centre of gravity*. The pollen grain of Crinum amabile is flattened and broad on two surfaces, differing in this particular from the pollen of all other Amaryllidacece which I have examined, down each of which a furrow is placed ; and from this form also it fol- lows that one line will ever be opposed to view, as the granules rest upon one of their broad surfaces. And again in Citrus aurantium, Ranunculus acris and Rubus fruticosus, the gra- nules are somewhat elongated, and consist of four lobes, be- tween which the fissures are placed ; and as they most gene- rally lie on two of the lobes, the other two, with a fissure be- tween them, will, as a matter of course, be turned upwards. Lastly, many kinds of pollen, as of 'the Polyg alee, Crucianellce, Labiatce, &c, are furnished with a number of furrows, some of which, in all postures, will be visible. A careful examination of the pollen granules of Convolvulus arvensis, Lilium longi- florum, Crinum amabile, and Ranunculus acris, will convince any one of the correctness of this explanation ; both of the nature of these lines, and of the reasons for their invariable appearance in each granule at the same moment. In most elliptical pollen, covering each of the fissures, an oval piece of membrane is to be observed, the use of which I conceive to be to prevent the pollen tubes from escaping too * Malpighi's comparison of granules of this form to grains of wheat is by no means inapt, but still without the above explanation it is incomplete, in- asmuch as it does not account for the constant appearance of the furrow. Ann. $ Mag. N. Hist. Vol. viii. H 98 Mr. H assail on the Structure of the Pollen Granule. readily from the extine, to which it does not appear to be organically united, as on the application of water it is seen to curl up and fall off the granules. It is also met with in Centaurium, Scolymus, Dipsacus, Scabiosa, and some allied genera ; in these instances it sometimes has an attachment to the extine. The extine, or protective membrane of the pollen grain, on which its shape depends, is of much greater substance than the intine, which is so fine, that rarely can any appreciable thickness of it be detected. It is seldom, if ever, a simple ho- mogeneous membrane, being most generally formed by the apposition of a number of cellules held together by " organic mucus," which give to it a reticulated appearance, very obvious in many of the Liliacea, as well as in a great variety of other plants. In most hispid pollen, where the same reticulated structure may be traced, from the centre of each cell of the net- work, either one of the numerous spines which cover this form of pollen grain may be seen to arise, or, where this is absent, an aperture for the passage of a pollen tube will be apparent. If this view of the structure of the extine be correct, then must it consist of two layers, as each cell forms a shut-sac. By some observers the external tunic of the pollen grain is said to present a granular structure. It often presents a gra- nular appearance, which is deceptive, and which I have found to arise from the circumstance of the particles in the fovilla being visible through their transparent coverings. It has been matter of doubt whether the extine be exten- sible or not ; that it really is so in some cases to a consider- able extent, is apparent from the following fact, the only one with which I am acquainted which distinctly proves it. The surface of the pollen granule of Canna indica is covered with numerous points, having their free extremities perforated. When the pollen is immersed in water the spines disappear, leaving small apertures on the surface of the now smooth ex- tine ; each granule at the same time having enlarged to about thrice its original size. This change occurs with greater ra- pidity if a dilute mineral acid be used instead of water. All kinds of pollen appear somewhat larger in water, but this de- pends upon the magnifying power of that liquid. The intine does not expand in an equal proportion with the extine ; but being pressed upon equally on all sides by the water which is imbibed by the extine, is forced inwards, and a large space filled with fluid is left between the two membranes. After diligent and repeated search, I have at last succeeded in making out the plano-convex bodies (Zunschenorpern) de- scribed by Fritzsche as being particularly visible in some Mai- Mr. Hassall on the Structure of the Pollen Granule. 99 vacete, in a species of Hibiscus, H. africanus. He represents them as existing in most hispid pollen, the apertures in which for the passage of the pollen tubes they close, being placed between the extine and intine, with their convex surfaces rest- ing upon the latter. If the pollen of the above-named species of Hibiscus be allowed to remain in water for a short time, the pollen tubes will be seen to have emerged some distance from the intine ; and upon the extremities of many of them those pieces of membrane will be noticed, which are however more frequently concavo-convex than plano-convex. Although I have not seen these bodies closing the apertures in the extine, it may be inferred with tolerable certainty that they perform the office ascribed to them, from their position at the termi- nations of the pollen tubes. Those who may wish to observe them will not experience the same difficulty that I have done, knowing the species and the manner in which to look for them. They are not present in the pollen of the Ipo- mceae. The surface of all pollen is covered with a thick tenacious matter, which, according to Mohl, is most abundant upon that which is hispid ; but it is at least as much so on the pollen of many species of Liliacece, which are not hispid, but reti- culated. If this viscid substance is to be regarded as a se- cretion, then must the extine be provided with glands, or some other peculiar organization for its formation ; for a true secretion can only result from organization of some kind or other, and, in the vegetable kingdom, may be defined to be a new product, eliminated from the sap through the instru- mentality of glands or other structural media. My own opinion is, that it is a secretion, if not formed by the external membrane of the pollen grain itself, derived from the cell in which it is originally developed. I was at first inclined to consider it as a mere exudation, consisting of the thinner parts of the fovilla ; but its appearance and consistence differ so much from this, that I believe the opinion to be scarcely tenable. This secretion fulfills an important indication in preventing the too easy dispersion of the pollen granules, which it slightly holds together, and which would be scatter- ed far and near, wide of its destined mark, by every breath of wind. Pollen granules, though usually separate, are occasionally found united. This union is either temporary, the medium which retains them in contact with each other being either a tenacious secretion, or filaments of the cellular tissue derived from the breaking up of the cells in which the granules are originally developed ; or it is permanent and organic. We H 2 100 Mr. Hassall on the Structure of the Pollen Granule. find the first mode of union in the pollen grains of the Epi- lobia*, Salpiglossis atropurpurea, and in Lechenaultia formosa? while the second is met with in all the genera of the natural order Ericaceae which I have had an opportunity of exami- ning, in the Acaciae, Mimosa, Junci, many species of Orchi- daceae, and in Oxyanthus speciosa. Some of these grains, though they usually are permanently attached, are yet ca- pable of separation ; but others of them again, as the Eri- caceae, &c, are so intimately joined, that they never become separated. The number of pollen grains thus united together is definite, being either four, or multiples of four up to sixteen, but the first number is of the most frequent occurrence; thus there are four in the Ericaceae, Epilobia, Junci, Orchidaceae, Oxyanthus speciosa, and Salpiglossis atropurpurea, Lechenaul- tia formosa and Mimosa mexicana. In Acacia rigens there are eight, disposed on the same plane ; in Acacia decipiens twelve, six being disposed on the same plane, while three are placed in the centre, on either side of the flat figure so formed j and in Acacia linearis there are sixteen, eight upon the same plane and four on either side. It is to be observed, that dark lines run between every four grains, indicating either their original separation or their tendency to become so separated. When the union of pollen grains occurs in fours, they are either disposed upon the same plane, as in the Epilobia and Le- chenaultia formosa, or they appear as if one was placed upon the other three, all the granules bearing precisely the same relations to each other, and whichever one is uppermost, the rest being similarly circumstanced in reference to it. One ex- ception occurs to the law of the union of pollen grains in fours in Epilobium roseum, where they generally unite in threes. As a rule, but one mode of arrangement prevails among the pollen grains of the same species. Pollen grains are often held together by a thready sub- stance, supposed to be derived from the rupture and breaking up of the cells in which they are primarily formed, in the meshes of which they become either entangled, or to which they are attached by the secretion which covers their surface. It appears to me that neither the origin nor use of these threads are rightly made out. They are found in great abun- dance in the pollen of the Ericaceae ; Fuchsia, (Enotherae, and other Onagrariae. The size of the pollen granule differs as materially as does its form and structure, as will be obvious from a perusal of the following table of relative sizes, although in the same * The granules in Epilobium angustifolium are not united, resembling much more those of the Clarkias than the Epilobiums. Mr. Hassall on the Structure of the Pollen Granule. 101 species and in genera of the same family it is pretty uni- form. The micrometer employed was a glass one, and divided in the ratio of 249,000 spaces to the inch. Cobaea stipularis Lavatera acerifolia Geranium sylvaticum Fuchsia fulgens . . . . Lilium tigrinum Viola tricolor Length Breadth Length Breadth Salvia patens Anagallis arvensis Length Breadth Bauera rubioides Myosotis palustris Mimosa marginata _249,000 249,000 : H 249,000 2 249,000 A 3. 249,000 f 249,000 H 249,000 3 _i 249,000 249,000 j 249,000 _i 249,000 Tff 249,000 249,000 249,000 The colour of the pollen is extremely various and often bril- liant. In Gilia achillecefolia and Petunia violacea it is of a dark blue. In Collomia rosea it is of a bright caerulean blue ; deep red in Cleome spinosa ; of a reddish brown or maho- gany colour in Lilium tigrinum ; and scarlet in Huchera americana and Verbascum Thapsus. In Papaver Rhceas and Tulipa Gesneriana nearly black. In Convolvulus sepium opake white ; and yellow, the most common colour of the pollen, in Lilium album and longiflorum, owing to the dense yellow- coloured secretion with which the granules are covered. Dr. Lindley says that the pollen occasionally assumes every co- lour except green ; it is however perfectly green in Pentstemon 102. Mr. Hassall on the Structure of the Pollen Granule. pentaphyllum, Bessera elegans and Ly thrum Salicaria ; in this last it is curious to notice, that while the pollen of the upper stamina is green, that of the lower ones is of a bright yellow. Pollen tubes are prolongations of the intine, and are filled with the fovilla, which passes into them by gravitation. They vary much in number, size, and arrangement; they issue either through fissures or apertures in the extine, and where there are three envelopes, through similar provisions in the second also. Except in some few instances, I have not been able to discover any provision in the extine for the escape of the pollen tubes. These exceptions occur in the genera Canna, Strelitzia, Roscoea and Hedychium, all of which belong to closely-allied orders, and in which the extine, which is of great thickness, forms a shut-sac. If water, and more quickly if dilute nitric acid, be applied to the pollen, the granules are seen to enlarge a little, and the extine to crack irregularly, but often separating into three unequal pieces; while the intine, having undergone no change except a slight increase of size, and still containing the fovilla, frequently disengages itself from its envelope and floats away from it. This cracking of the extine is assuredly the natural means by which the pollen tubes are afforded an outlet ; and it is not necessary that the intine should be denuded at any particular spot, for wherever it is so it possesses the power of elongation, or ra- ther growth. In one or two cases the apertures are provided with valves, as in the different species of Passiflora, as first noticed by Purkinje. Fritzsche has described one valve in the grasses, two in the nettle, four in the orange, and six in the primrose. Although I have searched with care for these valves, I have not been able to detect any trace of them, and am strongly inclined to deny their existence in any of these plants. The primary form of the pollen of the orange precludes the possibility of its being furnished with regular valves, the pollen tubes issuing through fissures and not circular aper- tures ; while had a valve been present in the grasses, I think I must have detected it in the pollen of the Zea Mays, which is of a very large size, and in which the apertures for the escape of the pollen tubes are very visible. The nettle I believe to possess three pollen tubes. The emission of the pollen tubes is produced, artificially, by the action of the mineral acids and water, and naturally, partly by the rarefaction of the contents of each pollen gra- nule by the sun's heat * (the rarefied fovilla distends the shell * The effect of heat upon the pollen has occasionally been demonstrated when I have been examining it under a strong reflected light of the sun, by the emission of the pollen tubes, and even rupture of the intine. Mr. H assail on the Structure of the Pollen Granule, 103 of the pollen grain, which produces pressure upon its contents, and assists in forcing them out in the only direction in which they can issue, namely, through the openings provided for the purpose), partly by the granules imbibing a portion of the stigmatic secretion, some of which gets between the outer and inner membranes, producing pressure upon the latter, and partly by the stimulating effect of that secretion. Pollen tubes are supposed to be elongated by means of the distension or stretching of the intine. This opinion appears to me to be erroneously entertained. It is difficult to con- ceive any membrane to be endowed with such immense powers of expansion as would be required for it to afford a covering to the whole pollen tube, lengthened as it often is to such a great extent in its passage through the style. Thus in Crinum amabile the pollen tube has to pass through a space 1875 times the diameter of the pollen grain before reaching the ovarium. In Cleome spinosa 2719 times. In Oxyanthus speciosa 4489 times the diameter of the pollen grain, and in Colchicum autumnale 9000 times. Pollen tubes are frequently met with of considerable length on parts of the flower distant from the stigma, proving that the stigmatic fluid is not essen- tial for their growth, although it doubtless favours it. I am of opinion, therefore, that pollen tubes are growths and not mere elongations of the intine ; and that as they grow a vacuum is formed within them, into which the fovilla passes. At the same time, I do not mean to deny the fact of the in- tine being extensible ; it is no doubt highly so, as proved by the great length of the pollen tubes emitted under the action of dilute nitric acid in some cases. Were pollen tubes but mere extensions of the intine, it might with reason be expected that the size of the granules and consequent extent of the intine would bear some relation to the distance which they have to travel through the stig- matic tissue before reaching the ovary, and that the greater the distance the larger would be the pollen grains ; but no such relation exists. I am at present inclined to regard the active molecular bodies in the fovilla, which have attracted so much the inter- est and attention of physiologists, as nothing more than par- ticles of that fluid which have become separated into little masses or globules. The fluid nature of these particles is proved by their great diversity of form and size, by their transparency, and by their trailing, or " tailing *," as they * " Tailing " is a term used by druggists to signify the elongation of form which the globules of impure quicksilver undergo in passing over paper. 104 Mr. H assail on the Structure of the Pollen Granule. pass along the surface of glass. Again, the internal mem- brane of the pollen grain of Strelitzia humilis, when denuded of the extine, presents a cellular appearance, which is owing to the presence of numerous globules of various sizes contain- ed in the fovilla, of which, in this instance, it appears to be entirely composed, and which are seen through its transpa- rent envelope. I could not detect any other bodies but these globules, which I regard as fluid for the reasons just given. The application of iodine to the fovilla, contrary to expecta- tion, produced no effect, and a solution of potash but little apparent results. I look forward to another opportunity of making more ex- tended observations upon the nature of these so-called mole- cules. Being anxious to ascertain whether stimuli would produce any effect upon the pollen, various solutions were applied with a view to determine this point. The results following the various applications employed were as follows : — solutions of the mineral acids, whether sulphuric, nitric or hydrochloric, all occasioned, with more or less degree of force, the protru- sion of the pollen tubes. Their mode of action is not very clear ; but it may be that they produce some astringent ef- fect upon the outer coating of the pollen grain, so as to cause the principle of endosmosis to operate with greater power. Sometimes these acids, and more particularly the dilute sul- phuric acid, rupture the inner membrane, and then the fovilla escapes from its interior ; but most frequently the pol- len tubes are emitted, covered by the intine, which remains entire, and it is to explain this protrusion of them that the above explanation is offered. The concentrated sulphuric acid almost always destroys the intine, and frequently also blackens and chars the extine. A solution of the nitric acid, in the proportion of two of the strong acid to three of water, is perhaps the best application for occasioning the emission of the pollen tubes ; but it is as well to have solutions of all the acids of various strengths, for where one fails another will often produce the desired effect. The action of the hydrochlo- ric acid is weaker than that of either of the others. Solutions of aether and sal volatile produced a marked effect. When either of these were allowed to fall from a glass on the pollen, its granules became distinctly agitated and moved about with considerable velocity, sometimes for the space of two or three minutes. A like effect, but to a much less extent, resulted from the employment of tincture of cantharides, tincture of capsicum, proof spirit, solution of nitrate of silver in proof spirit, and essence of ginger, while liquor ammoniae and po- Mr. H assail on the Structure of the Pollen Granule, 105 tassae produced no result. It is to be remarked, that all those applications which occasioned any motion of the pollen con- tained a greater or less proportion of spirit in them, and that the most volatile liquids, aether and sal volatile, gave rise to the most marked effect. This very obvious motion of the pollen granules is certainly not to be referred to any action of the irritants employed upon them, but to currents in the fluids. That this is the real explanation to be given of the phaeno- menon is satisfactorily proved by the two following facts : 1st. If a small quantity of either aether or sal volatile be al- lowed to remain for a few minutes in a watch-glass and the pollen be then added, no motion will follow, the more volatile portion of these liquids having evaporated ; and 2nd, the particles of flour will be equally affected by the applica- tion of the before- mentioned solutions. Water also will some- times cause the emission of the pollen tubes, the principle of endosmosis being called into operation. This emission of the pollen tubes is not the act of an instant, but occupies an ap- preciable time, producing the impression on the mind of some continuous force operating in occasioning it, such as that of endosmosis already referred to. The extreme care taken by nature to ensure the fertilization of the seed, a process so essential to the well-being and al- most the existence of man, is very striking, and some of the beautiful provisions by which this important effect is so con- stantly brought about, it is my intention now to notice. First, then, the lining membrane of the anther, as pointed out by Mirbel in 1808, is composed of cellular tissue of a fibrous character, which forms an innumerable quantity of little springs* which are highly elastic, and when dry contract and pull open the valves of the anther, allowing the pollen to escape. This elastic tissue is deprived of its fluid by means of the endosmosis carried on by each individual grain of pol- len, and this exhaustion of its fluid is only completed at the period of the maturity of the pollen. Thus by this unerring contrivance, not alone is the precise period of the opening of the anther, viz. at the perfection of the pollen, provided for and determined on, but it results from it also, that the pollen only should be exposed in the weather most suitable for the performance of its function, that is, in dry weather. The in- jurious effect of a continuance of rain in destroying the ferti- lizing power of the pollen is well known, and is to be ex- plained by the rupture of the granules from the great quan- tity of water imbibed by endosmosis ; and this consequence of * This peculiar arrangement of the fibres of the lining membrane of the anther is very plainly seen in the common nettle. 106 Mr. H assail on the Structure of the Pollen Granule. wet would be attended with more serious results were it not for another wise and effectual provision. The individual flow- ers composing a bunch, as well as the different bunches of a plant or shrub, come into blossom at successive intervals, the order of their expansion depending mainly, I believe, upon the position of the flower, whether it be in a more direct line or not for the accession of sap, on the size of the peduncle, as well as on the order of the development of the flower buds themselves* : thus, if the pollen at one period be destroyed, it is soon replaced by the unfolding of more blossoms and burst- ing of anthers : this constitutes the second means by which the efficiency of the pollen is ensured. We find a third in the position of the stamens in reference to the pistil, which they often surround, embrace, or overhang, so as to render the ap- plication of the pollen to the stigmatic surface a matter of certainty. Again the filaments of some anthers are furnished with elastic joints, which at a certain period, that is, when the pollen and stigma are in a fit condition, contract and start towards the pistil with a jerk, dispersing the contents of the anthers around them by the suddenness and violence of the motion. I may perhaps under this head refer to two instances of irritability, which I have never seen mentioned in books, and which are certainly not generally known. The first oc- curs in Cornus canadensis : the corolla of each flower, a num- ber of which are contained in a common involucrum, consists of four segments ; these for some time are folded over the other floral organs and meet in a common central point, where they cohere by means of some secretion. Towards their tips, on what is the upper surface, while thus closed, arises a long spine or hair. The stamina are also four in num- ber, and arise from the top of the calyx in the intervals be- tween the petals, and at about half their length are bent in- wards towards the pistil at a very acute angle, being retained in this position by the corolla which infolds them. The base of each petal, as well as the angle of inflection of each fila- ment, are furnished with an elastic joint, so that if one of the spines be slightly touched, not only does each segment of the corolla fly back, but the stamina, the restraint being removed from off them, start up, scattering the pollen of the anthers around them, some of which, it is beautiful to observe, in viewing this phenomenon under a low power of the micro- scope, invariably alights upon the stigma, and is there re- tained by means of the secretion with which it is furnished. * The cause of the irregular ripening of many kinds of fruits and seeds admits of a similar explanation. Mr. Hassall on the Structure of the Pollen Granule.. 107 If the joint of the filament be touched where it protrudes between the petals, no such effect as I have described will be produced, but the moment the hair is touched it takes place j now the presence of these hairs affords a very inter- esting instance of design. They are connected with the joint of each petal by means of a raised line of elastic tissue which runs along their centre, and which doubtless serves to convey the impression or shock, imparted to the hairs most frequently by means of insects, to the joint, causing it to contract ; the dispersion of the pollen and consequent fecundation of the ovule being thereby rendered more certain. The second instance to which I shall refer is witnessed in the common stinging nettle, Urtica dioica : the number of stamina in this plant is likewise four ; these are inclosed in a chalice or cup composed of four sepals, and the filaments are coiled inwards ; on the reflection of these sepals, or on the occurrence of any shock, the filaments disengage themselves, and not merely straighten, but turn as much outwards as they were previously coiled inwards, the pollen being scattered, as in the former case, around them. If the filament of each sta- men be examined with the microscope, one surface of it, that is, the one which formed the concavity before its disengage- ment, but after, the convexity, is observed to be ringed, in the same way as the elastic spring of the sporangia of Ferns. An analogous instance of irritability occurs in Parietaria, an al- lied genus*. The stigmata of some plants, as for example of Pavetta Caffra, the Campanula &c, extend so much beyond and above the anthers, that it is difficult to conceive in what way the pollen can reach them ; but observation affords an expla- nation of the means : at the time of the bursting of the anthers the stigma is on a level with them, and, apparently stimulated by contact with the pollen grains, subsequently rises up, carry- ing with it in its progress a quantity of the pollen. Moreover, the application of the pollen to the stigma is ren- dered more certain by a cause, which, when not rightly consi- dered, may appear trifling, but which, in its results, is far from being so. I allude to the agency of insects, and of these, especially to the Aphides, and our benefactor the Bee, that busy labourer for man, who in rifling a flower of part of its sweets, yet in doing so confers upon it the means of its per- petuity by dispersing the pollen around, some of which never fails to reach the stigma. To many insects the pollen doubt- * I now know that this second example of vegetable irritability or elasti- city of tissue is alluded to in Lindley's ! Natural Arrangement,' and also in Henslow's ' Descriptive and Physiological Botany.' 108 • Mr. J. McClelland on Indian Cyprinidae. less forms an important article of food, as does also the honeyed secretion found in so many flowers, and are both the induce- ments which bring them so many visitants. The chief use of honey in the oeconomy of a plant I conceive to be to allure insects for the purpose referred to. The last provision to which I shall advert, consists in the amazing number of pollen granules produced by most flowers. In a single blossom of Leontodon Taraxacum I counted no less than 243.600 pollen granules. A flower of Paeony fur- nishes on an average 174 stamina, each containing 21,000 granules; these multiplied together give a total of 3,654,000 ; and in an entire Rhododendron plant the pollen grains amount- ed to the wonderful number of 72,620,000. This last result was arrived at by computing the number of anthers in each flower, with the contents of one, and the number of flowers and bunches. Great as these amounts are, they sink into comparative insignificance when contrasted with the myriads produced by a single forest tree. A bulrush gave 14-4 grs. by weight of pollen. Immense as the quantity of pollen is, pro- vided for the fertilization of each flower, it is yet all necessary, so much being destroyed by various instrumentalities, to en- sure the certainty of a process, the failure of which would be attended with such calamitous results. Nature is seldom uselessly prodigal of her resources. It is interesting to observe the relation which frequently exists between the quantity of pollen and the more or less di- rect means of its application to_the stigma ; this relation, how- ever, is modified by the number of ova to be fertilized. Upon this subject I hope shortly to make some detailed observa- tions. Various particulars referred to in the foregoing pages will be exhibited in the figures which are to accompany the second portion of this communication. [To be continued.] XIV. — Indian Cyprinidae. By John McClelland, Assist- ant Surgeon Bengal Medical Service. [Continued from p. 46.] 24. The Opsarions are Cyprinida that live upon other spe- cies of their own class ; they are no less remarkable for the peculiarity of their colours than for their remarkable structure and habits. Instead of the longitudinal stripes of the Peri- lamps, they are characterized by transverse bands or spots, having a tendency to form cross bars on the sides. The ana- logy between the structure and character of the Opsarions Mr. J. McClelland on Indian Cyprinidae. 109 and Felina has already been referred to (16.). Why the former should present similar external markings to those which be- long to the most destructive types of quadrupeds and birds, cannot well be accounted for on other principles than those of symbolical representation, by which an uniformity of design appears to extend throughout all the infinite forms in the ani- mal kingdom. As an ignorant confidence in this or any other doctrine would be as absurd as a denial of anything else with which we are imperfectly acquainted, the only way in which we can evince our respect for those who have opened so vast a field for inquiry is, to imitate their industry, leaving our views to be slowly formed and matured with the progress of inquiry — the only way in which sound or useful results ever were or can be elicited in scientific pursuits*. Green appears to be the characteristic colour of the mark- ings on the sides of Opsarions, as blue or purple forms those of the Perilamps ; and those Opsarions that are not either marked with transverse green bars, or oblong spots of the same colour transversely placed with regard to the body, are covered with a silvery pigment similar to that of the Leuciscs. 25. In consequence of the important connexion between colour and structure here pointed out, I am in some doubt as to the nature of four small species described by Buchanan f, and figured in the collection of his drawings at the Botanic Garden. Two of them have been figured in the e Gangetic Fishes/ and one a second time in Hardwicke's tf Illustrations'; but in the published figures, the peculiarity of the colours to which I allude, and which seems to have been preserved in the original drawings, has been overlooked. They have the form of Cirrhins, but they are each marked with a dark spot at the end of the tail, and the colours of the back descend partially across the sides in bars as low as the situation of the lateral line. I have added the species in question to the Cirrhins as Cirrhinoids, until we know something more of them. Should they prove, from the length of the abdominal canal, to belong to Sarcoborina, as their colours indicate, they will occupy a place between the Opsarions and the Loaches. * Nothing is more easy, or more common because it is easy, than to an- nounce as discoveries the startling results of immature inquiry into obscure subjects ; yet when we consider the comparatively small amount of real dis- covery solely attributable to Newton, compared with the extent of his appli- cation, and how seldom a Newton appears, we should always receive with suspicion the supposed discoveries of persons, who, from their frequent ap- pearance in public, and the number of their occupations, argue a sad defi- ciency in all those qualities essential to the promotion of any science. f Cyp. Dero, Buch. Gang. Fis., pi. xxii. f. 78. Cyp. Morula, id., pi. xviii. f. 91. Cyp.joalius, id. op. cit. 316. Cyp. Pausius, id. loc. cit. 1 10 Mr. J. McClelland on Indian Cyprinidae. 26. The third subfamily, Apalopterinae, consists of the old Linnaean genus Cobitis, the Anableps, Pcecilia, Lebias, Fun- dulus, Molinesia and Cyprinodons, as well as two other genera, Platycara * and Psilorhynchus, to be described in a subsequent part of this paper. These fishes are all remarkable for their long cylindric bodies, covered with a slimy mucus, the absence of spines in any of the fins, and the shortness of their aliment- ary canal. Mr. Gray has recently separated the Loaches with subor- bitar spines from those that are without these singular or- gans. I have endeavoured to find further reasons to strengthen this division, a single character being insufficient to distin- guish a natural group without some more general reference to habits and structure. Not having been successful, I am obliged to resort to another arrangement, which appears to be more natural, and at the same time equally obvious, the caudal of the one subgenus (Cobitis propria) being entire, and that of the other (Schistura) bifid, or divided into two lobes, as in the ordinary Cyprins. Colour is here a no less important guide than we have found it to be in Sarcoborince. Green, disposed in bars and zones crossing the body, charac- terizes all the Schistura except a single species (Botia grandis, Gray), in which the colour is green, with oblong light yellow spots, or rather short interrupted streaks, irregularly disposed in all directions. The true Loaches (Cobitis prop.), on the contrary, are all brown, inclining in different species to red or yellow, disposed in nebulous blotches or obscure bars having a transverse tendency. 27. The structure of the digestive organs in the Loaches and Schistura does not appear to be very different ; but in the latter the intestine seems to be somewhat longer than in the former, exceeding in the one genus the length of the body, while in the other it falls short of this. In both the stomach is a small lunate sac, placed crosswise with regard to the body, with both orifices in the front, thus differing in this peculiarity from all other Cyprinida that I have examined. The mouth is small, and placed in the lower surface of the head, and surrounded by minute cirri. Besides the differ- ence in the caudal fins, length of intestine, and colour, in the two subgenera of Cobitince, the body in Schistura is often arched above and below, and compressed, the same as in Cirrhinus and the generality of Cyprins ; but in Cobitis pro- * Named by Mr. Gray as Buchanan's Balitora, which rather corresponds with my Psilorhynchus ; Psil. variegatus being Buchanan's Cyprinus Ba- litora. Mr. J. M'Clelland on Indian Cyprinidae. Ill pria, or true Loaches, it is almost cylindrical, and generally very long. Some of the Schisturce are possessed of an air- vessel, placed as usual in the upper part of the abdomen, of an oval shape, and divided into two lateral cells by a longitu- dinal septum ; but in Cobitis prop., or Loaches with entire caudal, I have not found any trace of that organ in the ordi- nary position : but in different species that I have dissected, it is placed in a small bony case over the entrance to the oeso- phagus ; this case consists of a single subglobular cell, al- though in the European species it has been found to be bilo- bate. In those Schisturce, on the other hand, which are with- out the abdominal natatory bladder, I find the organ situated over the entrance to the oesophagus, as in Cobitis prop., but formed of two small globular cells, joined together by an in- termediate tube. 28. Having thus explained the general principles on which I have subdivided the family, it may be useful to examine how far the results are likely to correspond with those laws that have been laid down as the basis of natural classification. With this view we should first of all endeavour to ascertain the denomination of the family, or its relation in point of rank to fishes in general ; but as this could only be done after ana- lysis of the whole class, we can only attempt to form an esti- mate on the subject by comparing Cyprinidce with what seem to be analogous groups in other classes, to which the philo- sophical views of Mr. MacLeay, Mr. Swain son, Mr. Vigors, and other writers on the natural system, have been extended. 29. It might be unnecessary, in a communication of this kind, to offer any remarks on the general principles of the natural method of arrangement, as these are fully expounded in po- pular introductions that ought to be universally read, as well as in several papers that have been published within these last twenty years in the Transactions of the Linnaean and other learned societies ; I may however remark, that in addition to those affinities by which animals are immediately connected, there are more remote relations, called relations of analogy, by which they typify or represent each other, " a principle which," as Swainson observes, "was in some degree perceived by Linnaeus when he compared ruminating quadrupeds to galli- naceous birds*, both of which evince the greatest intelligence, docility and contentment under the domestication of man." Appendages to the head, whether in the shape of horns, crests, or fleshy protuberances, and the property of affording whole- * Such analogies were, as Mr. MacLeay has shown, known to Aristotle, by whom, however, as well as by all subsequent writers up to the time of Mr. MacLeay himself, they were mistaken for affinities. 112 Mr. J. McClelland on Indian Cyprinidae. some and nutritious food, and otherwise contributing to the ease and support of man, are, according to Swainson, the chief attributes of the type to which the above analogy refers. 30. The Elephant, horned cattle, domestic poultry, &c, are common instances of the type alluded to ; and if we com- pare their properties in their respective circles with the Cy- prinidce in the order of abdominal Malacopterygians, we may venture perhaps to look upon that family as the equivalent in its circle to other rasorial groups in theirs. 31. The mouth of Cyp.Calbasus,Buch., is small,and directed downwards ; the anterior lip is compressed by a pendulous muscular snout, to which four short muscular cirri, different from the nervous filaments of Siluridte, are attached*, and the posterior lip is fixed to the ligamentous union of the trans- verse apophyses of the lower jaw. In the Cirrhins the lower jaw is composed of two short branches or bony limbs, ob- liquely inclined towards each other from their articulation to the blunt apex of the jaw, where they are united by ligaments instead of symphysis at the approximation of a slender apo- physis from each side. Figs. 4, 5, 20, 21, plate 54, show the under side of the right ramus of the lower jaw (natural size) of four species ; a, being the point of approximation with its fellow at the chin, and b, the articulating extremity behind. 32. This structure is evidently adapted to the habit of col- lecting fruits, seeds, and other soft substances from the muddy and sandy bottoms of indolent streams, in which loose de- tached objects of the kind are most likely to occur, and where they may be easily collected, without bodily effort, by means of these soft pendulous and prehensile organs attached to the lips. If to these characters we add the great size of the spe- cies compared with the rest of the family, and the plain dusky colour of the Cirrhins, their analogy to the proboscidian types of quadrupeds seems almost complete. But there are still other remarkable points of resemblance between the Cirrhins and rasorial forms among the quadrupeds, in the de- ficiency of teeth, and the weakness of the union of the two limbs of the lower jaw. 33. In the Elephant this jaw is only formed for grinding such substances as are introduced to the mouth by the proboscis ; * The cirri of Cyprinidce are soft, and capable of being contracted and elongated, as well as the loose muscular appendages of the snout to which they are attached, particularly in the genus Cirrhinus i Cuv. ; but in Pime- lodus aor, Buch., and most of the Siluridce, I find the cirri are flat and car- tilaginous, with a groove on either edge for the protection of a large nerve, an artery, and a vein. A cirrus so constructed is incapable of muscular ac- tion, and is strictly an organ of sense only, and not of prehension as in Cy- prinidce, and ought to be called a filament. Mr. J. McClelland on Indian Cyprinidae. 113 there are no cutting teeth, the use of these in gathering food being superseded by the trunk. In all animals possessed of such an organ, prehensile and cutting teeth appear to be less pro- minent according to the degree of its development ; of this we have instances in the Tapirs and Edentates. In the Sarco- borince the incisors and prehensile teeth are represented by a formidable knob on the symphysis of the lower jaw ; and in the Pceonomince, where even this symbol is wanting, we find such of the genera as are without strong muscular appendages to the snout, furnished with a cartilaginous rim to the mouth, which in some, as the Gonorhynchs, is confined to the edge of the lower lip, as a covering or defence when employed in detaching their peculiar food from the rocks to which it is fixed, and may for this reason be considered as the last sem- blance of a structure equivalent to cutting teeth* ; but in the Cirrhins even this is quite deficient. Nor does the analogy between these fishes and proboscidian quadrupeds end here : the presence of cutting teeth implies a strong solid union of the two bony limbs of the lower jaw at the symphysis for their insertion ; but in the Edentates and Elephants the symphysis is remarkably feeble, the two sides of the jaw being nearly separated by a deep fissure, almost detaching its limbs from each other, as actually occurs in the Cirrhins, with which I in- clude Labeos, which are also furnished with similar prehensile organs in the form of thick pendulous lips. So many corre- sponding circumstances between animals so remote from each other in the scale of affinity cannot be referred merely to co- incidence, but rather to a law of symbolical representation, by which the same type appears throughout an infinity of forms in the several classes. 34. If Cyprinidce be a rasorial group, as the above analogies of their most perfect forms with rasorial quadrupeds would seem to indicate, the same relation should appear on contrast- ing them with other classes, the corresponding points beco- ming more striking or faint in proportion as the groups with which they are compared are contiguous or remote from them ; therefore, as birds are nearer to fishes than quadrupeds, the comparison of analogous types between these classes should afford more striking results than those I have cited. * Mr. Evans pointed out to me a peculiarity, for which he could see no object, in our skeleton of an Indian Rhinoceros, consisting of two minute incisors scarcely larger than those of a Rabbit, and hardly projecting from the alveolar ; yet these teeth, so small as to be utterly unfit for any useful purpose, are found in every individual of the species. We can only regard these, and all such organs, of which the animal kingdom presents innume- rable examples, as the characters by which nature distinguishes her various types. Ann. $ Mag. N. Hist. Vol. viii. I 114 Mr. J. McClelland on Indian Cyprinidae. The most remarkable characteristic of rasorial birds is their shortness of wing, terrestrial habits, and consequent strength and size of their legs, which are formed for the principal sup- port of the body, and in some almost supersede the use of wings. It may be thought difficult to find among fishes a terrestrial type ; but as water is the natural element of this class, so the ocean is its metropolis ; and those kinds that are confined to rivers and the interior of continents may be safely looked upon as more terrestrial than the rest, and consequently so far equivalent in their habits to rasorial birds ; and while there is no instance of rasorial birds possessed of aquatic habits, or, as Swainson observes, " frequenting water or even its vici- nity */' so no species of Cyprinidce is known to belong to the sea. In India the Cyprinidce are exclusively confined to fresh water, mostly keeping beyond the influence of the tides ; thus evincing a propensity for land analogous to that of Rasores. 35. There is perhaps no point better settled in comparative anatomy, than that the pectorals of fishes represent the upper extremities of the higher classes of animals ; short pectorals may therefore be said to be equivalent to short wings in birds ; but it is a question of much interest to determine fully how this applies to the case before us, and if it is to be relied upon as a true analogy. In the Frog and several reptiles the scapula has been found by Cuvier and Geoffroy to be composed of two osseous pieces, agreeing with the two upper bones of the posterior frame or jamb of the branchial aperture in fishes ; and a third or lower bone assists in forming a girdle to which the pectoral fins are fixed in Siluridce and most fishes of the same order, with the exception of the Cyprinidae, and particularly the herbivorous section of the family (Pceonominae). These bones were found by the most satisfactory analysis to represent the humerus, or bone which gives support to the third row of quill- feathers in birds. Below this bone there is a stylet, which in Cyprins is merely rudimental. It was found by Cuvier to represent the ulna and radius, or in other words, to be equivalent to the cu- bitus or bone which sustains the secondary quills in the wings of birds. 36. Thus two bones, which in birds constitute the larger portion of the wing, may be said to be almost deficient in her- bivorous Cyprins, though they are more developed in many species of the carnivorous section of the family, and still more complete and uniform in other families of the same order, as Siluridae. 37. It is hardly necessary to enter into further analysis to * Geog. Dist. and Class, of Animals, p. 259. Mr. J. McClelland on Indian Cyprinidae. 115 prove that the pectorals of Cyprinidae in general, but particu- larly of herbivorous Cyprins, are less complete than those of neighbouring groups, for we are at once struck with the fact on observing the small size of the pectoral fins in all our Pceonomince, and the slenderness of the rays of which they are composed ; while the large clumsy rays of the ventrals, and the strength of these fins, are circumstances that cannot be overlooked, and which, when viewed in comparison with the strong and fully-developed legs of Rasores (34.), supply all that is essential in the analogies between the groups in question. 38. In the most carnivorous species of Sarcoborince, on the other hand, and especially in some of the Opsarions, as 0. polio oous and O. photic ephalus*, remarkable instances are observed of excessive development in the pectoral fins ; and this is always, as far as I have seen, attended with a pro- portionate want of size in the ventrals, which are so slen- der and small in this genus, and their structure so delicate, as to render it hardly possible to conceive that they can be of much use in aiding the movements of the body. Now the widely-cleft mouth or beak, great breadth of wings or pectorals, obsolete ventrals or feet, are common to Opsa- rions and Fissirostres, so that the first would thus appear to be a natatorial type of Sarcoborince, corresponding with that type in the order of perching-birds. To this, however, there is some objection ; for if the Sarcoborince represent the Ferce, the most carnivorous genus of the subfamily (which Opsa- rions would seem to be) ought to represent the Falconidce, in which there is only one genus (Gypaetus) remarkable for short feet and great breadth of wing ; but the cruel habits and voracious appetite of the Opsarions go to establish this last as the true analogy ; this, however, as well as many other points, must remain to be decided by further inquiry. In the mean time we may be justified in the conclusion, that the Ferce among the Mammalia, and the Falconidce among birds, have their representatives among the Cyprinidce, and that the same type in each of the three groups seems to possess cer- tain corresponding characteristics which may distinguish them from all adjoining groups, and that in describing these cha- racters the same terms are as applicable to the one as to the other, which is quite sufficient to prove their corresponding analogies. 39. It may be objected to by those who have not paid much attention to the subject, that detached comparisons of this nature are of little value ; still they are important, as the means of directing attention to characters that would other- * Tab. 47, f. 2, 3. 12 116 Mr. J. McClelland on Indian Cyprinida?. wise be liable to be passed over unobserved ; I am therefore disposed to pay little regard to such objections. The number of species and groups are now so much multiplied in every department of natural history, that detached descriptions are daily diminishing in value ; and besides, it is so easy to make a new genus if not required to show our reason for doing so, that we need not be surprised that it should now have become a regular trade, and that many acquire a temporary fame with the unthinking part of mankind by the practice. 40. The first test of a natural group is the circularity of its contents. To ascertain whether the affinities of the Cypri- nidce are circular, it is necessary to recollect that the herbivo- rous Cyprins are characterized by their plain colours and great length of intestinal canal, which varies from six to twelve lengths of the body in the different groups $ those with the shortest intestine (the Barbels) being in the centre of the sub- family, it follows that the two extremes must meet, or show a tendency to approximate or close. The herbivorous Carps are united to the Sarcoborince by means of the Gonorhynchs and Systoms, and show, like the last, a tendency to form a circle of themselves, though it is probable that the group is yet far from being complete. The Sarcoborince and the Loaches are united by two new types, the Platycara and Psi- lorhynchus; and the Schistura, in addition to approximating to the Platycara, unites, or shows a tendency to unite, both in form and habits, with the Pceonominte, the group with which we set out ; thus exemplifying the first principle of natural classification, namely, that every natural series of beings, in ifs progress from a given point, either actually returns, or evinces a tendency to return again to that point, thereby forming a circle*. 41. The second test of a natural group relates to the num- ber of its types. On this point there exists some difference of opinion among writers on the natural system, which their profound inquiries are now doing much to remove. It is a question which, to understand sufficiently for practical pur- poses, requires an extensive knowledge of natural history, and a mind somewhat more imbued with the spirit of philosophy than has hitherto been considered requisite in those who ven- tured to name new genera. It has already been said that the lower jaw of the [Labeos agrees with that of the Cirrhins, in being formed of two bones articulated behind to the anterior process of the preoperculum, and that in front a transverse apophysis is given off on either side, so as to meet nearly in the middle, where they are united by ligaments and muscles at the chin, which is square, with a fissure in the middle. * Swains. Nat. Class, and Geog. Dist. Anim., p. 224. Mr. J. McClelland on Indian Cyprinidae. 117 The lower jaw of the Barbels is composed of two longer limbs (fig. 6, plate 54) articulated behind as in the Cirrhins, but without transverse apophyses in front, where the two bones are united by symphysis, or close union, firmly ce- mented as it were with cartilage. In the Gudgeons the chin is rounded horizontally, without the depression in the middle observed in that of the Cirrhins, or the acute lengthened apex of the Barbels, and is composed of a solid bony rim, formed of a transverse process directed from each corner of the mouth to the centre, where it is firmly united to its fellow by symphysis at the chin ; at the corners of the mouth these transverse processes turn backwards at right angles (as in Cyp. bata, Buch., fig. 3, plate 54), and some- times at still greater angles, as in (fig. 2, plate 54) Cyp. mri- gala, Buch. This last process is articulated behind to the anterior process of the preoperculum, and corresponds with Cuvier's angular bone in the Perch. 42. The angular transverse processes in this last form have every appearance of being two distinct pieces (c and d, fig. 2, plate 54), consolidated in adults by a bony union at the comer of the mouth, yet formed from distinct centres of osseous de- posit. Now as these three forms are each attended with pe- culiar traits of character in regard to the nature of food and the manner of obtaining it, as well as in the structure of their digestive organs, we may be sufficiently justified in regarding them as characterizing three types, which, if we like, we may term primary. This view is further supported by the fact, that to one or other of the three forms in question, variously modified, the lower jaw of all the Cyprins of this country may be referred. In Cyprinus semiplotus (fig. 1, plate 54) the an- gular process is merged into the transverse, the first being only distinguished by the pterygoid process (c, fig. 1, plate 54), which we know, from all the other species examined, to belong to the angular limb (d, fig. 2, plate 54), and not to the transverse process on which it is in this species placed ; while the analogy to the type of the Gudgeons is preserved by an additional transverse bone being placed parallel to and in front of the first (e, e, fig. 1 and 2, plate 54). Of the positive value of these characters, I may mention that Cyprinus mrigala, Buch., is indicated by Cuvier as a Cirrhinus, but proved by this method of analysis to belong to the Gudgeons {Gobio prop., J. M.), having, as well as the peculiar affinity here pointed out, the lengthened alimentary canal of that genus. Cyprinus prop., Cuvier, I suspect will be found, according to these principles, to agree in its natural affinities either with the Barbels or Cirrhins, as the length of the dorsal and the 118 Mr. J. McClelland on Indian Cyprinidse. presence or absence of a spinous ray are scarcely sufficient distinctions even for a subgenus ; and the Catastomi and La- beos of America will, I presume, be found to arrange them- selves naturally with the Cirrhins. The lower jaw of the Gonorhynchs is composed of two limbs placed nearly parallel to each other, and, as in the Cir- rhins, not united in front, but with this peculiarity, that the os hyoides is prolonged to the chin, at which situation the ante- rior extremities of the three bones are tied together with li- gaments*. In the Opsarions, and generally throughout the Sarcobo- rince, the second form of jaw prevails, with the addition of being more acute at the symphysis ; this form also seems to prevail in the Cobitince, but in these the bones of the jaw are soft and flexible. The limbs of this organ are round and slender in Cobitis prop., but firmly united in front by means of two expanded apophyses ; while in Schistura they are flat and ob- liquely inclined to each other, so as to form, by means of their inner edges, a lengthened symphysis. 43. Thus we appear to have three primary types : the first distinguishes the Cirrhins, Labeos, and probably Catastoms ; a second is peculiar to the Barbels, Opsarions, and numerous other genera ; and a third is seen in the Gudgeons. From these three types being so prominently developed in the Pteo- nomince, while one principle chiefly seems to run through all the Sarcoborinae, it is perfectly legitimate to conclude, even from this circumstance alone, that the former should be the most perfect group of the two, and that its species should con- sequently be endowed with more diversified instincts ; hence, although a vegetable regimen is the great characteristic of the Pceonomincs, still many of the species are omnivorous, and this is to be expected, especially among the Cirrhins and the true Carps (Cyprinus prop., Cuv.). The Barbels, however, as well perhaps as the Breams, which appear to be peculiar to Europe, seem to partake more of carnivorous habits, and therefore must be held as the subtypical, while the Cirrhins are the ty- pical t; and the Gudgeons and Gonorhynchs, from their pos- sessing in the greatest perfection the single instinct for a ten- dency to which the Pceonomince are most remarkable, viz. sub- sisting exclusively on a vegetable regimen, are as unques- tionably the aberrant forms of Pceonomina : on the other hand, the rapacious habits of the Sarcoborince mark them so con- * Vide Journ. As. Soc. Beng., 1835, p. 40, where I described this struc- ture iu Gonorhynchus petrophilus. f The Cirrhins being the most perfect forms of a typical group, are strictly, in the language of Mr. Swainson, pre-eminently typical. Mr. J. M'Clelland on Indian Cyprinidae. 119 spicuously as a subtypical group, corresponding as they do with the habit of that group in devouring other animals, that it is unnecessary in this place to offer a remark in support of a fact so plain. 44. The consideration of the third or aberrant group in Cyprinidae involves some points which will not be so clear to those who have not studied the principles of natural classi- fication. This group should possess three types, and these should be so related as to form a circle of affinities among themselves. This property has suggested the following pro- position to Mr. Swainson, which tends to reconcile some di- versity of opinion that formerly prevailed as to the number of primary types : — "The primary circular divisions of every group are three actually, or five apparently '? The three aberrant types are named by Mr. Vigors (' Linn. Transac./ vol. xiv.) from the corresponding groups in ornithology, na- tatorial, suctorial, and rasorial*. The third type I find to be represented by the Loaches ; but before we enter into a consi- deration of that part of the subject, it is necessary to point out the two first types, which I have already only alluded to ; this I must do by entering into more particulars than may seem to be necessary. 45. Buchanan, in defining his ninth division of the old ge- nus Cyprinus, which is composed of Gonorhynchs, as I have already pointed out, gave them the barbarous name of Garra, and compares their habits to those of the Loaches, and ob- serves that they are called Balitora, or sand-diggers, by the natives ; a name, I may observe, which in Assam, and I pre- sume also in Bengal, is applied to Loaches only. Indeed the Gonorhynchs, or Garra of Buchanan, are peculiar to moun- tains, from whence they are driven down during floods, and do not extend beyond the rapids that skirt their base ; so that they can scarcely be said to be entitled to any Bengal name. In this group Mr. Gray detected a new genus, to which I wish he had given a more appropriate name than Balitora ; for in- dependently of the species being different from any of those described by Buchanan, and supposed by him to be the Ba- litora of the natives, Mr. Graves genus is peculiar to moun- tain-torrents, the beds of which are usually rocky rather than sandy : for this reason, as well as from the fact of the Balitora of Gray forming a new type, distinguished by a flat head and * As these terms have been applied conditionally by Mr. Swainson to Mammalia, I need make no apology for following the example of so good an authority in applying them to fishes. Indeed I have been guided en- tirely by the views of Mr. MacLeay, as exhibited in the ' Linnaean Transac- tions,' and the works of Mr. Swainson, from beginning to end of this paper. 120 Mr. J. McClelland on Indian Cyprinidse. other remarkable characters, I propose for it the generic name Platycara*. Several specimens of this genus, corre- sponding, I suspect, with the spotted species of Gray, P. macu- lata, plate 49, fig. 2 f, were brought down from Bouton by Mr. Griffith, but they were unfortunately in such a decayed state when opened that we have been unable to obtain from them a very full specific description. I have however, from these specimens, been able to satisfy myself on other points con- nected with their structure, and find not merely that they are distinct from the Gonorhynchs [Garra, Buch.), in consequence of their short fleshy abdominal tube, which does not, inclu- ding the stomach, exceed the length of the body, while that of the Gonorhynchs is equal to eight lengths of the body ; but that their broad and blunt head is more like that of a Silurus than a Cyprinus. Their character is rendered still more re- markable by the great breadth and position of the pectorals, situated almost beneath the eyes, and the fleshy pedicles or arms on which they are placed are decided analogies to nata- torial forms. If we compare the characters of the Platycara with those of the natatorial types in the other classes, we are struck with the analogy — " a blunt truncated muzzle, an ob- tuse head with strong jaws for seizing animal food." The short intestines of the Platycara prove their habits to be car- nivorous ; and though the mouth is not very large, the jaws are remarkably strong, composed, as in the Gudgeons, of two limbs soldered in the middle, but much stronger than in the instance referred to. Among birds, the Owls, the natatorial group of Raptores, and the Fissirostres in the circle of perchers, as well as most of the Natatores, are distinguished above other birds for their breadth of wing, and the blunt or flattened form of the rostrum or the head, as has been proved by the philosophical analysis of the class by Vigors and SwainsonJ. 46. For the next cr suctorial form (plate 50, fig. 1, 2) we are * From plains, broad, and kara, the head. f From the importance here givenjfc these species as forming a new type, I have transferred the two figures from Hardwicke's ' Illustrations,' in which there is no description of |hem, to plate 49. Since the above was writteX^ie collectors employed by my friend Mr. Griffith in the Kasyah mountains have obtained an additional species ; and as their liberal employer has no object to serve beyond the interest of sci- ence, he has freely permitted me to make use of this or any similar object of zoological interest contained in his collections. The species alluded to, P. nasuta, is described in Prinsep's Journal of the Asiatic Society for No- vember 1838, plate 55, fig. 2. See also plate 57, fig. 2 of this paper : in this species the pectoral pedicles are very slightly developed. \ The Pceciliance, Schn., to which I have added a subgenus Jplochelus, as well as the adjoining genera with flat heads and teeth, 1 also refer to the same type, plate 42, fig. 2, 3, plate 55, fig. 4. Mr. West wood on the Sexes in certain Lucanidae. 121 indebted to two drawings in Buchanan's collection, which are marked " Stolephorus ;'* but the Stolephore {Engraulis, Cuv.) or Anchovies belong to the Clupeidce, a. family remarkable for its narrow or compressed forms. The two figures referred to are not compressed nor sharp beneath, so that they could not belong to the genus Buchanan had in view when he named them on the drawings ; and this mistake he seems afterwards to have corrected, as the same two species appear unquestion- ably to be those described in the ( Gangetic Fishes/ p. 347-8, under the names of Cyprinus Sucatio and Cyp. Balitora*, The muzzle of these species is remarkably flattened and thin, but there is nothing remarkable about the pectoral fins ; and the eyes, instead of being placed on the upper surface of the head, as in Platycara, are situated on its edges ; the mouth is remarkably small, placed far behind the long and thin muzzle, without any appearance of cirri, as in the Loaches, to which Buchanan supposed them to bear a resemblance. This genus, which appears to be the suctorial type, I propose to name Psilorhynchusf. The peculiarities just noticed, as well as the position of the eyes, which are far back in the head, as we see in the Moles, Ant-eaters, and other analogous types among quadrupeds, together with their well-formed and fully- developed fins, are indicative of pow T ers of rapid motion, such as distinguishes the Humming-birds, Cinnyris, Waders, and other suctorial types in the same class. Unfortunately we are not acquainted with the habits of the two interesting species under consideration, further than that they were obtained by Buchanan in the northern parts of Bengal, to w T hich they have been probably swept from the mountains. The information to be derived from their intestines is however of the less im- portance as affecting their type, as they w r ould be equally suc- torial whether they derived their food from the juices of plants or from shell-fish or ova. [To be continued.] XV. — Notice of a hitherto undescribed character distinctive of the Sexes in certain Lucanidae. By J. O. Westwood, F.L.S. During the late visit of Professor Burmeister to London, he mentioned to me, whilst looking over my collection of ento- mological drawings, that a Brazilian insect therein represented, * It was probably Buchanan's descriptions of these species Mr. Gray had in view when he bestowed the name Balitora on the genus which I now call Platycara. t From psilo, thin or attenuated, and rhynchus, a snout or beak. 122 Mr. Westwood on the Sexes in certain Lucanidae. and which had been regarded by the Rev. F. W. Hope as a species of Pholidotus (Ph. irroratus, H., Trans. Zool. Soc.*), and by myself as constituting a subgenus of Pholidotus (Scor- tizus, W., in Ann. d. Sci. Nat., 2nd Ser. t. i. p. 119), was na- turally referable to the group of Lucanidce typified by Figulus, MacL. (consisting of the genera Figulus, Nigidius, Cardanus, W., and Ceratognathus,W.), being, like those genera, furnished with a corneous hook at the extremity of the mando or in- ternal lobe of the maxilla?. My drawings comprised a repre- sentation of the maxillae, and exhibited this hook ; but in the plate published in the £ Transactions of the Zoological Society ' the figure of this organ was omitted. The existence of two other Brazilian species of Lucanidce closely allied to Scortizus, but of a narrower form, approach- ing that of the Figulides, and which also possessed a similar hook, appeared to confirm Dr. Burmeister's views, although the general form of Scortizus irroratus, and especially the par- tially squamose surface of the body, seemed equally to bring it into connexion with Pholidotus, Having years ago discovered that the females of Pholidotus possess a similar hookfj although it is wanting in the males, it appeared to me that this circumstance gave a more direct clue to the solution of the question than any other that could be offered. The unique specimen, however, in Mr. Hope's collection being a female, it became necessary to examine the other sex, and fortunately the valuable collection of Brazilian insects of Mr. Miers afforded an example of both sexes ; and on dissecting the male, I found, as I had anticipated, that its liiaxillae were destitute of any corneous hook, thus proving the relationship of Scortizus and Pholidotus. Being further anxious to ascertain whether this sexual distinction might not also exist amongst the Figulideous species, the specimens of which hitherto dissected might possibly have been females alone — whilst the males hitherto undissected might have been destitute of such hook, which latter is in fact the character assigned by Mr. MacLeay to his genus Figulus in the ( Horae Entomological/ — I submitted all my exotic Lucanidce (except those of the genus Lucanus) to the test of dissection, and the result has been the discovery of the existence of a similar sex- ual distinction in the genus Lamprima ; whereas in Nigidius and Ceratognathus, W., the males of which are at once recog- nisable by the increased size of the mandibles, I found the * Lucanus maculatus, Klug, in Nova Acta. f Mr. MacLeay formed the female of this genus into the genus Casignetus in the ' Horse Entomologicas,' overlooking however this curious character, but suggesting its generic identity with Pholidotus. Mr. Westwood on new Insects. 123 maxillse in this sex furnished with the hook as well as in the females. All my specimens of Figulus and Cardanus, W., are also similarly provided with the hook, but I have not distin- guished between the sexes ; so that I cannot affirm, although I fully believe, that both sexes of those two genera are also fur- nished with a hook, and consequently that the description of Mr. MacLeay of the genus Figulus is erroneous. The genera in which I have found neither sex furnished with the hook are Ceruchus, Platycerus, Ceratognathus, W., Syndesus and Rhyssonotus. In Lepidodes, W., a new subgenus of Lucanus which exhi- bits several of the characters of Pholidotus and Rhyssonotus, I found the unique female in Mr. Melly^s collection to be de- stitute of a tooth. I also found the females of Chiasognathus and Sphenogna- thus similarly destitute of the hook, although, from their close relationship with Pholidotus, I fully expected to find that they possessed it. XVI. — Insectorum novorum Centuria, auctore J. O. Westwood, F.L.S. Decadis primce Coleopterorum Synopsis*. Carenum, Bon. ; C. Spencii. Subopacum, nigrum ; tibiis anticis valde palmatis, elytris excavationibus rotundatis numerosis tri- plici serie (in utroque elytro) ordinatis; spatiis intermediis ele- vatis. Long. corp. lin. 9. Nova Hollandia. Mus. Melly. Helota, MacL. ; H. Thibetana. ^Enea, lateribus cupreo-tinctis, valde rugosa et punctata tuberculisque oblongis distincta, elytris guttis 4-elevatis fulvis, antennis piceo-luteis, femoribus fulvis, apicibus aeneis, tibiis fulvo piceoque annulatis. Long. corp. lin. 4. Habitat Thibet. Mus. Melly. TRiPLATOMAf, Westw., in GrifF. An. K. ; T. apicalis. Nigra, lsevis, prothoracis lateribus luteis macula oblongo-ovali nigra ; elytris fascia valde angusta ante medium alteraque pone medium (in medio interrupta) et subobliqua luteis ; apicibus apiceque ab- dominis runs. Long. corp. lin. 9J. Habitat Africa tropicali. D. Raddon. Mus. nostr. Elater ccecus, Fabr., Pal. B. Col. pi. 7. f. 4. valde affinis. Sternotomis, Perch. (Sternodonta, Dej., Lap.) ; 5. amoena. Nigra, opaca, pronoto maculis duabus mediis lateribusque, scutello, maculis lateribusque elytrorum viridi-lacteis, maculis duabus in * Figures and detailed descriptions of these insects are prepared, and will be published hereafter. f Krotylidae oblongoe, palpis maxillaribus simplicibus. 124 Mr. Westwoo(Fs Century of new Insects. medio elytrorum maximis ; alterisque duabus posticis elongatis et valde angustis. Long. corp. lin. 11 — 16. Habitat Africa tropicali. D. Raddon. Mus. Melly, nostr. Saperda, Fab. ; S. carissima. Brevis, opaca, supra viridi-lactea, pronoto vittis tribus brunneo-fulvis, elytris fascia lata irregulari (in medio interrupta) ex humeris fere ad suturam ducta, macu- laque magna communi discoidali, brunneo-fulvis; his etiam ma- culis 10, nigris rotundatis ornatis. Long. corp. lin. 5. Habitat Africa tropicali. Mus. Raddon. Paristemia, Westw. (n. g. Longicorn. Lophonocero et Pteracanthae Newm. affinis). Antennae breves, crassae, caput parvum, pro tho- rax utrinque obtuse spinosus, elytra lateribus rotundato-dilatatis, apicibus simplicibus. Palpi breves. — P. platyptera. Nigra, pro - thorace rufo, utrinque striga e capite ad angulos posticos ducta nigra, elytris fascia latissima postice angulata et fere ad apicem extensa rufa. Long. corp. lin. 12§; Habitat Africa tropicali. Mus. Raddon. Lucanus, Linn. ; L. Dux. Ater, elytris nitidis, capite utrinque rugose punctato, pronoto tenuissime punctato, mandibulis longitudine capiti et thoraci aequalibus, valde curvatis, intus (dentibus tribus subapicalibus exceptis) inermibus ; capite pone oculos utrinque obtuse spinoso, prothorace utrinque bispinoso, angulis- que posticis acutis, tibiis anticis apice externo 3-dentato ; 4 pos- ticis inermibus. Long. corp. cum mandibulis unc. 4, lin. 2. Habitat Manilla. D. Cuming. In Mus. Brit. Affinis L. belli- coso, Lap., at major, et mandibulis basi intus inermibus. Vix varietas D. Alcidis. Lucanus DeHaanii. ^Eneo-rufescens, elytris pedibusque fulves- centibus, capite maximo antice latiori ; oculis vix septatis ; mandibulis elongatis, dente uno ante, alteroque pone medium tribusque subapicalibus intus armatis ; antennis valde elongatis, clava 4-phylla, l mo articulo clavae maximo ; pronoto postice angustiori, pedibus longis, tibiis anticis in medio 1-spinosis, 4 posticis inermibus. Long. corp. cum mandibulis lin. 19. Ha- bitat Borneo. Mus. Melly. Conf. L. metallicus, Bdv. Voy. Astrol. Lucanus. (S. g. nov. Lepidodes. Corpus punctatum punctis albi* do-squamosis, caput $ magnum quadratum ; mandibulis eras- sis, porrectis subrectis intus et ad apicem valde dentatis, protho- rax subrotundatus lateribus crenulatis ; oculis omnino septatis, antennarum clava 3-phylla ; tibiae anticae 5-dentatae, 4 posticae inermes. L. (Chalcodi) aerato proximus.) L. (L.) rotundicollis. Purpureo-fuscus, subnitidus, capite thoraceque dense punctatis, punctis albido-squamosis ; elytris tenuissime punctatis et squa- mosis. Corpore infra ut supra colorato et squamoso. Long, corp. lin. 10 — 14. Habitat Nova Hollandia. Mus. Curtis et Melly. Passalus, Fab. ; P. fronticornis. Niger, nitidus, subcylindricus ; clypeo in cornu longitudine capitis apice emarginato porrecto, Mr. W. Thompson on migratory Birds. 125 mandibulisque porrectis, apertis, longitudine cornu clypei, intus ad basin multi-dentatis, pronoto serie punctorum margine antico, parallela, punctisque duobus majoribus versus angulos posticos. Long. corp. 1 unc. Habitat Thibet. Mus. Melly. XVII. — Notice of migratory Birds which alighted on, or were seen from, H.M.S. Beacon, Capt. Graves, on the passage from Malta to the Morea at the end of April 1841. By Wm. Thompson, Esq., Vice-Pres. Nat. Hist. Society of Belfast. Having been favoured by my friend Capt. Graves, R.N., with an invitation to accompany him during the projected government survey of the island of Candia, I, with Mr. E. Forbes (who had received from the Admiralty the honorary appointment of Naturalist on the occasion), left Malta in H.M.S. Beacon on the 21st of April. The first port we sailed for was Navarino, for the purpose of watering the ship. The passage occupied seven days. It being just the period of the year when many species of birds which make Europe their abode only in the more genial seasons, were, after having passed the winter in Africa, crossing the Mediterranean to their summer quarters, we were often gratified by a sight of them, either passing, resting briefly on the rigging, or re- maining sometimes so long as a day or more about the ship. The following notes were made upon the subject. The prevailing wind of the day is set down : the progress noted is what we had made at sunset. April 22.— AVind W., forty miles E. of Malta. An Owl alighted on the vessel and remained a short time. I saw it very well and near, but could not be certain of its species. Looking over the collection at the British Museum and refer- ring to Gould's c Birds of Europe' since my return, have not satisfied me on the point. Other examples of the same spe- cies were seen on the passage, and afterwards in the island of Paros. It seems to be the most common of the small migra- tory owls to the south of Europe, and I have little doubt is the species noticed by Sibthorp in his papers on Greece (pub- lished in Walpole's Memoirs) as the Strix passerina. — Blue- headed Wagtail (Motacilla neglecta, Gould) : two of these birds, both females, were about the vessel all day, and very tame ; one of them flew into our cabin. It was amusing to see them fly-catching on the deck, where they appeared to great advantage, and met with considerable success. Their manner is, poking out the neck most ludicrously, opening 126 Mr. W. Thompson on migratory Birds wide the bill, and then — making the unerring dart at their victim*. Common Swallow (Hirundo rustica). Two remained some time about the ship, perching on the rigging, and hawking over the deck in pursuit of flies. April 23.— Wind S.E., 80 miles from Malta, and 50 from Cape Passaro, the nearest land. A Lesser Grey-shrike (Lanius minor), of which I had a near view several times ; a Whitethroat (Sylvia cinerea), a Willow-Wren (Sylvia Trochi- lus), and a Black-headed Buntingf (Emberiza melanocephala), flew on board. Two individuals of the Motacilla neglecta re- mained for some time in the vessel, as did a Wheatear (Sax- icola (Enanthe) all day. A House Marten (Hirundo urbicd) flew into the cabin and was found dead shortly afterwards : it had not met with any molestation on board. The officers of the Beacon have frequently known birds of different spe- cies when crossing the Mediterranean thus fly into the cabin, secrete themselves and die. A Quail (Perdix Coturnix) was captured on board, and appeared to be dying at the time. April 24. — Wind S.E., 90 miles E. of Sicily: Syracuse the nearest land. Several of the Motacilla neglecta flew on board ; one of them entered "the cabin very boldly, and enter- tained us much by its familiarity. Persons passing in and out of the room frighted it not from fly-catching, in which it succeeded by running, leaping, or taking short flights at its prey : this bird even alighted on ourselves and picked flies off our clothes. Two or three Hoopoes (Upupa Epops) came on board, tested for a short time, and proceeded on their flight ; a Tur- tle Dove (Columba Turtur) did the same. A flock consisting of twelve Ibises (Ibis falcinellus, Temm.) were seen first at a distance coming from the south-west, flew close past the vessel, and continued directly in the same course, or towards the north-east, until lost to view. April 25. — Wind N.E., 58 miles from Calabria, the near- est land : 135 miles from Mount Etna at sunset, when it was visible. A Scops- eared Owl (Strix Scops) was knocked down and captured just as he had clutched a Lesser White- throat (Sylvia Curruca), of which species two or three indi- viduals came on board. A Shrike (Lanius ), which from * When, on the 16th of April, on our passage from Marseilles to Malta, and about twenty miles southward of the most southern point of Italy, two of the Motacilla neglecta, both males, flew on board the steam-packet; they were very tame, and remained in the vessel for half an hour. t A continental species, and not the bird — Emberiza Schceniculus — known in some parts of the British Islands by this name. seen on the passage from Malta to the Morea. 127 the height it generally kept at I could not see well enough to distinguish its species, seized a Sylvia Trochilus, all of which it eat except the bill : of the latter species, one which was taken by ourselves met with better treatment, and perch- ing quietly on the finger was so carried about to feed on flies, which, when taken near to, it seized, never leaving the hand if the fly could possibly be captured from it. A female Golden Oriole {Or'iolus Galbula), a Redstart (Phcenicura ruticilla), and a Lark (Alauda ), of what species I could not be certain, came on board — the Redstart was caught. Several of the Hirundo rustica about the ship. A Wryneck {Yunx torquilla) was captured, and on being taken within reach of flies, at once picked them up*. When turning about its neck in the manner peculiar to the species, this bird was compared by some of the officers to a particular species of snake found in Greece, and which, like it, has a dark band on the head and neck. Two or three of the Upupa Epops and a Columba Turtur as yesterday flew on board, but did not remain long. a Large and small hawks" were reported to me as seen about the ship ; but the Goatsucker and Cuckoo might, from their general ap- pearance and mode of flight, be not improbably looked upon as " small hawks ." April 26. — Wind N.E., 86 miles from Zante, the nearest land : 130 miles from Navarino. A fine male Woodchat (La- nius rufus), a White-collared Flycatcher (Muscicapa albicol- lis), and one of Natterrer^s Warblers {Sylvia Natterreri) were caught on board. A Sylvia Trochilus and a ChifF-chafF {Sylvia rufa) were found dead in my cabin ; they had not been caught or in- jured in any way on board, and must, I think, have died from fatigue : want of food could hardly have caused their death, as there were plenty of flies in the cabin. A Sylvia Curruca, a Sub-alpine Warbler {Curruca leucopogon, Gould), a Saxi- cola (Enanthe, a Whinchat {Saxicola Rubetra), a Pied Wheat- ear {Saxicola leucomela), and an Alauda, of the same species as noticed yesterday, flew on board, as did two or three indi- viduals of Motacilla neglecta. Several of the Hirundo rustica about the vessel during the day, and some remained, perching on one of the boats, throughout the night. Three Bee-eaters {Merops apiaster) came from the south, and flew close past the ship without alighting. I saw four of the Columba Turtur come from the south today ; two of them singly, the other two * The birds which, in addition to the Wryneck, fed freely on flies, when taken within reach of them immediately after capture, were Sylvia Trochilus, Motacilla neglecta, Hirundo rustica, and Hirundo urbica. 128 Mr. W. Thompson on migratory Birds in company : one only alighted on the ship, and in the even- ing was caught when asleep. April 27. — Wind N., 45 miles from Zante, the nearest land, and in sight : 60 miles W. of the Morea. A Kestrel (Falco Tinnunculus) flew close past the ship, and a U much larger hawk," which did not come under my own observation, was stated to have been seen. Two females of the Oriolus Galbula which flew on board were captured. Two or three males of the Muscicapa albi- collis visited us today, and as many females either of this spe- cies or the Pied Flycatcher {Muscicapa luctuosa), but most probably the former. A Baxicola Rubetra and a Motacilla neglecta came to the ship. About a dozen of the Hirundo rustica, which rested last night on the rigging, went off this morning. Throughout the afternoon and towards evening many more arrived, and con- tinued flying about the ship in considerable numbers. A few of the Hirundo urbica appeared this morning and re- mained through the early part of the day, confining their flight to the lee-side of the ship : in the afternoon still more were seen hawking about in company with Hir. rustica ; as flies were numerous, they probably obtained plenty of food : at four o' clock p.m. all of this species were gone. In the morning a Merops apiaster z coming from the south- west, alighted for a moment on the vessel and then flew to- wards Zante or in a north-east direction : soon afterwards a flock consisting of fifteen came from the same quarter, hawked about the leeward side of the vessel for a short time, and then proceeded north-east : an hour after their departure (ten o'clock) a flock of eight appeared, and alighting on a rope astern the ship, remained there for nearly an hour ; they were perched close together, and so low down on the rope, that by its motion the lowest one was more than once ducked in the water, but nevertheless did not let go its hold or change its position for a drier one. These birds were but a few yards from the cabin- windows, and looked so extremely beautiful, that they were compared by some of the spectators to paro- quets, and on account of their gaudy plumage not very in- aptly. After these left us, others were seen throughout the day, but generally singly ; they rarely alighted : all flew in the same course*. A few Goatsuckers (Caprimulgus Europceus) appeared about the ship today and alighted ; they were all single with one ex- * When not very far to the westward of Cape Matapan on the 1st of May, a flock of twenty-nine of the Merops apiaster flew close past the ship to- wards the Morea. seen on the passage from Malta to the Morea. 129 ception, when two were seen in company. A few individuals of this species were likewise seen within the last two or three days. A couple were shot this afternoon. Throughout today the Columba Turtur was observed coming from the south, and generally singly : very few alighted. All the birds seen on migration bore right on in the course they had come, whether they rested temporarily on the vessel or otherwise. They all came from a southerly direction, either due south, S.W. or S.E. The wind was moderate, the weather fine and dry during the whole passage, so that all the species we saw were in the ordinary course of migration, and none driven to the ship by any stress of weather. Although not coming within the title of this communica- tion, inasmuch as it had already taken up its summer quar- ters, I shall here mention the Alpine Swift (Cypselus melba), which upon our entering the fine bay of Navarino on the morning of the 28th, appeared in great numbers careering high overhead. Of the Hirundines generally, it may be re- marked, that from our arrival in France on the evening of the 1st of April, we did not see any of the species until the 9th, when going down the Rhone from Lyons to Avignon. About half-way between these places several of the Cyp. melba were seen flying over the river, and likewise at all suitable places from where they first appeared until we reached Avignon, Hirundo rustica and H. urbica were likewise seen several times between Lyons and Avignon, but were nowhere nu- merous. The first I saw of these species (but which of them could not be determined from the distance) was a small flock flying northwards, evidently on migration. All indeed which were seen today were I think only temporarily here, and would, after having got sufficient rest and food, move north- wards. A very few Sand Martens {Hirundo riparia) v/ere also seen about the Rhone today. At Malta, on the 17th of April, we first met with the Common Swift (Cypselus murarius), where, together with the three species of Hirundo just men- tioned, numbers were flying low and in company, wherever we walked about the island ; the day was very fine and warm : all four species were about as numerous as in their most fa- voured haunts in the British Islands. On the 18th of April, when walking in the neighbourhood of Valetta (Malta), six Little Plovers (Charadrius minor) in a flock alighted very near us apparently to rest, and after a short time proceeded in their course, which was in a north- west direction. Ann. fy May. N. Hist. Vol. viiL K 130 Meyen's Report for 1839 on Physiological Botany, XVIII. — Report of the Results of Researches in Physiological Botany made in the year 1839. By F. J. Meyen, M.D., Professor of Botany in the University of Berlin*. [Continued from p. 35.] Anatomy of Vegetables, M. DECAiSNEf has published a short notice on the structure of the wood of the Misseltoe : he could not confirm the state- ment of M. Dutrochet, who says that the woody body is wanting in the articulation (Gliederung) between the inter- nodes, and is only connected by a cellular layer of pith, so that, properly speaking, the internodes are connected together solely by the bark. According to M. Decaisne r s observations, it is exactly in the internodes that the vessels of the bark are separated ; and he says, that on this fact the articulation of this plant depends, but not on the separation of the fibres of the wood. The wood of Viscum exhibits no vessels (hereby is meant simple spiral tubes. — Mey.), and only in the pith were seen annular tubes ; the nerves of the leaves did not possess any spirals. The number of the vascular bundles (Holzbiindel) in young twigs is regularly eight, seldom seven or nine, and each is surrounded, both inwardly and out- wardly, with a bundle of bast cells. M. Dutrochetf attempted to demonstrate to the Academy that his former statements were correct. Already in 1838 M. Morren§ had made some physiological observations on a new plant named by him Malaxis Par thorn, which, however, I have only lately seen. M. Morren indicates, that a colouring matter similar to indigo must be contained in the leaves of this plant, as in the flowers of Calanthe vera- trifolia and in the leaves of Mercurialis perennis, &c. The presence of indigo in the Orchidea was however discovered years ago by M. Marquart in Bonn. The air-rootlets which were examined by M. Morren Were covered with a quantity of very fine hairs, consisting of single transparent cells, the walls of which were very thin, and exhibited within a rotation (cyclosis). [The universal appearance of these rotating streams in the root-hairs of Phanerogams I have already proved. — Mey.~\ M. Morren observed, that in some of these hairs the glo- bules collected together in masses and formed a kind of par- tition, by which the cyclosis was prevented ; indeed he be- * Translated and communicated by Henry Croft, Esq. f De la Structure ligneuse du Gui. Comptes Rendus 1839, p. 204. j Comptes Rendus, p. 215. § Notice sur une nouvelle espece de Malaxis, &c. Bull, de l'Acad. de Sci. de Bruxelles, torn. v. No. 8. Meyen's Report for 1839 on Physiological Botany. 131 lieves that this is as it were the commencement of the forma- tion of partitions, which are observed to appear in Conferva, &c. for the increase of the cells. I cannot agree to this hy- pothesis, for these partitions are formed in quite a different manner, and the appearance of a partition by which the cy- closis within a utricle is divided into two parts is quite an accidental and rare phenomenon. I myself observed it in the Char (2 in 1825 (Linnaea, 1827, p. 66), and saw that thereby two streams were produced, which lasted until the obstruction was carried away. M. Morren observed spiral fibrous cells of various forms in the enlargements of the base of the stalk of this new Malaxis. M. Morren* has published an interesting paper e On the Discoid Pith of Plants/ which had been observed by Grew in Juglans regia, by M. Mirbel in Nyssa aquatica and Phyto- lacca decandra, as well as by DeCandolle in Jasminum offici- nale. M. Morren thinks it very probable that this structure of the pith may occur in many other plants ; he himself found it in plants belonging to the families Santalacece, Juglandece, Phytolacce®, Jasmine®, and Bignoniacece; but he remarks, that some species of a genus exhibit this formation, while others do not. The figures which accompany this treatise of M. Mor- ren were drawn from Begonia argyrostigma, Juglans regia, Jasminum fruticans ,and Phytolacca decandra; the pith in these, as in many other plants, exhibits in the earlier periods of growth a homogeneous mass of cells, in which, finally, more or fewer horizontal clefts (slits) make their appearance. These slits are placed in regular order above one another ; they in- crease gradually, and are finally separated merely by mem- branous dissepiments. M. DeCandolle believed that these ca- vities arose from a rupturing of the cellular tissue caused by the extension produced by the growth of the plant ; but M. Morren has shown that they arise from a regular separation of the cells, and are therefore to be compared to the air-passages. Mr. Patrick Keithf has made some observations on pith, in order to settle the two following questions : — 1st, Does the pith appear in any part of the root ? and 2ndly, Are the dimen- sions of pith changed after it is once fully developed ? With respect to the first question, observations made on the roots of young plants of Acer pseudoplatanus, Fagus sylvatica, and Corylus Avellana, showed him that the principal root is also furnished with pith. The second question Mr. Keith answers by the examination of a three-year-old ash stem which was * On the Discoid Pith of Plants, Ann. of Nat. Hist, Oct. 1839, p. 73-88. t Of the Pith of Plants, Ann. of Nat. Hist., Ap. 1839, p. 77. K2 132 Meyen's Report for 1839 on Physiological Botany. almost 9 feet high. The last sprout, or shoot, was §ths of an inch in diameter, and had a pith of £th of an inch in diameter in the thickest part ; the middle shoot was T 7 ^ ths of an inch thick, and had a pith of £th of an inch in diameter ; the oldest and lowest twig had £ths of an inch in diameter, and the pith was -j-^th of an inch thick. In the same twig the pith was not found to be of uniform thickness, but became thinner from the upper towards the lower extremity. Of the beautiful anatomico-botanical plates which have been published by M. Link*, we have now received a third number, in which a great many of the most various and well-chosen objects are represented. In this number we see the great advances which the artist, M. C. F. Schmidt, has made as to execution ; some of the plates, particularly tab. viii., may be said to belong to the most successful of their kind. Most of the figures show the structure of the roots of plants, and exhibit the difference therein between root and stem. On tab. viii. is found the anatomy of prickles and thorns, of which we had as yet scarcely any delineations. M. Korthalsf has communicated some remarks on the glan- duliferous hairs of Drosera, with which my own observations do not agree. These hairs are said to consist of fibres or ex- tended cells, which are covered by a scarcely developed epi- dermis, and support on the end a small red globule, which in old age falls off, but is also covered by the epidermis. The fibres of the hair extend into the cavity of the apex, but be- fore their entry are somewhat widened. In the interior of this cavity the fibres form a small, egg-shaped, projecting body, and round this columella are found a quantity of small, red, angular particles, &c. As in my paper on the organs of secretion of vegetables I have given a description and figures of the glanduliferous hairs of Drosera which are totally different from the above, it is necessary to enter very fully into the subject ; but before I attempt to interpret the statements of M. Korthals, I must state, that I do not know what he understands by u epi- dermis :" this is unfortunately the result of the change and supposed improvement of old, well-known names. In the above memoir I have shown that the hairs of Drosera have a very complicated structure ; the hair itself exhibits in its in- terior a spiral tube which penetrates deep into the apex of the gland, but there is no trace of a cavity in this so-called gland- * Ausgewahlte anatomisch-botanische Abbildungen. Berlin, 1839. f Remarques sur les poils du Drosera. Bull.des Sci. &c. en Neerlande, p. 49, Rotterdam, 1839. Meyen's Report for 1839 on Physiological Botany, 133 head. The hairs which form the stalk of the gland are not here, as in most cases, simple excrescences of the upper walls of the epidermal cells, but true excrescences of the substance of the leaf, and appear very early, and therefore one may cor- rectly say, that the whole hair and the head is covered by the epidermis. In quite young organs of this kind it may be seen very distinctly that the gland-head is nothing more than the apex of the compound hair which at a later period thickens, and then stalk and head are still covered by a uni- form epidermis. Afterwards the stalk (that is, the hair) ex- tends to a great length, and thereby all the cells obtain a lengthened form, and the outer layer does not differ from those beneath it. But with the gland-head it is quite different ; the epider- mis still retains its small cells, is generally filled with red- coloured sap, and exhibits the red angular bodies which M. Korthals mentions. With good microscopes one may see di- rectly under this small-celled epidermis ten or twelve large, elongated, columnar cells, which form the axis of the gland- head ; in their completely developed state they often exhibit in their interior very plain spiral fibres, and let the spiral tubes of the stalk run between them. Even in transverse sections there is nothing to be seen of a cavity in the gland- head, and that no\ie such is present may be better seen in those glands which are found on the edges of the leaves of Drosera rotundifolia. These gland-hairs are (I do not know whether they are similarly formed in other species of Dro- sera) much larger than the others ; the stalk is widened at the extremity like a spoon, and on the side of this spoon sits the glandular organ which effects the secretion. It is peculiar to the glanduliferous hairs of Drosera (and herein they agree with the similar organs in Nepenthes), that here and there on the stalks are found small simple glands which consist of two adjoining vesicular cells ; they are filled with green-coloured sap-globules, while the other cells of the stalk generally contain a red sap. It is as if these little glands took the place of the two semilunar cells of the cuticular glands ; sometimes one sees real single cuticular glands with stomata ; in Nepenthes, it is true, the structure of these ac- cessory organs is different. I* had the opportunity of procuring a couple of stems of Musa paradisiaca, the flower-stalks of which are (as I have already noticed, when at the Sandwich Islands) so very rich * Verhandlungen des Vereins zur Befovderung des Gartenbaues in den Preuss. Staaten. xiv. 2tes Heft. Berlin, 1839, p. 187. 134 Meyen's Report for 1839 on Physiological Botany, in unrollable spiral fibres. The fibres were extracted from the flower-stalks of the above stems with all possible care ; and this was best effected by breaking the stalk into short pieces, drawing the ends about an inch or an inch and a half asunder, and then taking away the extracted fibres with a pair of wooden pincers, and throwing them directly into water, in order to free them in the first place from the adhering mucus, and secondly, from the tannic acid, from the presence of which they acquire a brown tinge when exposed to the air. The wool obtained in the above manner is equal to the finest sheep's wool, and surpasses it in whiteness, as also in the finer and more regular curling of the single filaments. The quan- tity obtained from the two stems was so considerable, that an artisan wished to make a glove out of it ; and therefore it could not be difficult to obtain such large quantities of this material in the tropics (where every year thousands of pisang stems are cut down in some localities) as to be able to prepare va- luable stuffs ; indeed, shawls made of the fibres of the pisang could not be so expensive as the Persian ones. MM. P. Savi and G. B. Amici* have made some communi- cations concerning the stomata of plants. The observations of M. de Cesati on the stomata of Ambrosinia Bassii, which have not been confirmed by MM. Savi and Amici, were the cause of the research. M. de Cesati thought that he had ob- served a very peculiar structure in the cuticular glands and stomata of Ambrosinia Bassii ; he speaks of a glandulous matter of which the outer edge of the stoma consists, which thereby presses apart the sides of the four inclosing cells. The real cleft is destined for the evaporation alone, whilst one of the two glandulous pads or circles is destined for the sepa- ration of carbon, the other for that of oxygen, &c. M. Savi examined Ambrosinia as far as regards its stomata, and found them similar in structure to those of other plants, as is shown by the figures ; the stomata are usually formed by two semi- lunar cells, but they are covered by a second cuticula, which also exhibits a longitudinal cleft ; even in the figure of a trans- verse section through the middle of such a stoma, this cuticle is represented with its slit. M. Amici also, in his answer to M. Savi, has confirmed the above statement with respect to the structure of the stomata of Ambrosinia. Finally, M. Amici proves that the priority of the discovery of the stomata in the bottom of the deep pits on the lower surface of the leaves of Nerium belongs to him, inasmuch as he communicated this * Osservazioni sulla struttura ed esistenza degli stomi in alcune plante, &c. Mem, della R. Acad, delle Sc. di Torino, Serie ii. torn. ii. p. 49. Meyen's Report for 1839 on Physiological Botany. 135 discovery in a letter to M. Mirbel in August 1830, and this letter has been used by M. Brongniart, although the observa- tion is rejected. [The presence of stomata in the hairy pits of the Nerium leaves was first published by M. Krocker, jun. of Breslau, in his dissertation ' De Epidermide Plantarum/ 1833.— Mey.~] M. Morren* has examined anatomically several species of Hedychium, and has recorded his observations and accom- panied them with figures. We receive information concern- ing the cells and their contents both in young and old leaves, as also on the occurrence of crystals in these different ages of the species of Hedychium ; also several forms of crystals are mentioned as having been observed in these plants. On the walls of the air-cells M. Morren found peculiar cells Which were provided with green-coloured sap-globules, were of various forms, but very often corniform and hamate, some- times symmetrical, sometimes umsymmetrical ; they are said to be similar to the stelliform hairs of the Nymphace, in which however I cannot agree, for these cells are nothing else than more or less regularly formed stellar-shaped cells, as they generally occur in the Scitaminece. M. Morren also thinks that he has found that evaporation does not assist the forma- tion of crystals in plants, inasmuch as it is exactly in the dry and peripheric parts of plants that crystals are not found. The other communications only confirm that which had been here- tofore observed in Hedychium, or in other similar plants. From M. Morren f we have received a similar work on the genus Musa : in it the formation of the stellar-formed cellu- lar tissue is fully described, and some remarks are made on the acicular crystals found in the Musce and other plants. The observations on the formation of the above-mentioned tissue confirm my former statements, viz. that those cells are produced from ordinary parenchym-cells. M. Morren saw the molecular motion in several cells of Musa, and after he had observed single parts of the plant in different stages of development, he arrived at the conclusion, that substances in the interior of the stellar-shaped cells make their appearance in the following order : — first appear self-moving gum or fe- cula-globules, then motionless chlorophyll (i. e. globules co- loured by chlorophyll, Mey.), and then free globules and cry- stals : all these matters are formed successively. When considering the crystals which are found so frequently in the * Bull, de l'Acad. Royale de Bruxelles, t. vi. no. 2. t Observations sur l'Anatomie de Musa. — Bullet, de l'Acad. Roy. de Bruxelles, t. vi. no. 3. 136 M even's Report for 1839 on Physiological Botany. parenchymatic cells of Musa, M. Morren observes, that the crystal-bearing cells, which M. Turpin has called Biforines, decidedly require a peculiar name, and that in the case of Caladium rugosum, where they exhibit only one opening, they must be called Uniforines ; and that from the same reason it is necessary to call the other cells, without openings, which contain acicular crystals, by a determinate name, and he pro- poses for them destines (from /cXeios). I have shown in the former reports that there is no suffi- cient existing reason for giving these cells a distinct name as M. Turpin had done ; but I can still less approve of these new appellations Uniforine and Clestine, because, if one examines the Caladia in regard to these cells, it is soon evident, that in different parts one and the same kind of cells is found in one place as Clestines, in another as Uniforines, and in others as Biforines, and the latter appear always as simple cells when in a young state : the different names would only lead us to suppose that there was here some actual difference. The opening of the so-called Biforines is evidently a purely phy- sical phenomenon, as was proved in the former Report (p. 110). M. Morren remarks, that in the Clestines of Musa he had ob- served a gummous mass, an appearance which I myself have observed in other plants. The treatise is accompanied by good figures. M. S. F. Hoffmann * has continued his observations on the hairs in the air-passages ; he found them in all the species of Limrianthemum he examined, but without dots, and he con- vinced himself that they do not exist in Villarsia. Among the Nymphcece, the genus Euryale (ferox) exhibited such dotted hairs as are found in the air-cavities of the different organs of the genera Nymphcea and Nuphar. M. Hoffmann treats of the same subject in the last part of the Tijdschrift of v. d. Hoeven and de Vriese for 1839, p. 269- 271. In the same volume, p. 257-269, M. Hoffmann gives the results of his new researches as to Lemna arrhiza being a distinct species, as also anatomico-physiological observations on the formation of buds in the different species of Lemna : these communications are, however, only to be considered as the forerunners of a larger work which M. Hoffmann had sent to the press, and has just appeared in the first number for 1840 of Wiegmann's f Archiv fur Naturgeschichte ;' we shall therefore review it in our next Report. * Nachtragzu des Beobachtung der Luftrohrenhaare bei Limnanthemum, Gmelin, and Villarsia, V. — Limiiea, xiii. pp. 294, 296. Bibliographical Notices. 137 M. Hoffmann* examined fresh peduncles of Nelumbium lu- teum and speciosum, the air-passages of which have diaphragms composed of a stellar-formed cellular tissue, but do not con- tain any such hairs as in the Nymphcea. M. Hoffmann found however that the sides of the air-cavities of these plants were covered with groups of crystals, which during their increase tear asunder the membranes of the inclosing cells, and in this manner project into the cavities, as in Pontederia cor data and Myriophyllum, &c. [To be continued.] BIBLIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES. Naturalist's Library : — the Natural History of Dogs, vol. ii., and the Natural History of Horses. These two volumes are from the pen of Lieut. -Col. Chas. Hamilton Smith, so well known for his valuable contributions to the volumes on Mammalia of Griffiths's edition of the ' Regne Animal.' The author includes in the family Canidce, or Dog tribe, the three genera Canis, Hycena, and Proteles. The first of these genera he di- vides into numerous sections, the characters of which, in many in- stances, are far from being satisfactory. In a former volume Col. Smith treats of the Canidce which are diurnal and have round pupils to the eyes, constituting his subgenus Chaon, which includes the Wolves and Jackals ; these the author sub- divides into no less than ten sections. The present volume contains an account of the Domestic Dogs, the Foxes, the Hyaenas, and the curious genus Proteles. The Domestic Dogs Col. Smith does not consider have descended solely from a species of Wolves or Jackals, " but from genuine Wild Dogs of more than one homogeneous species." The grounds upon which this opinion is founded are discussed in the first volume. Although we suspect naturalists will not adopt Col. Smith's nu- merous new subdivisions of the Canidce, still we feel sure his volumes on the Dogs, as well as the volume on Horses, will be regarded by them as most valuable contributions to their branch of science — the great research displayed by the author in the treatment of his sub- ject has rendered them such. Col. Smith combats the opinion expressed by some authors, that the aboriginal region where the Wild Horse was first subdued was Africa ; and enters into a long argument to prove the original habi- tation of the Domestic Horse, considered as a single species, "should be sought in High Asia, about the fortieth degree of latitude, the table-land whence riding and charioteer nomads have incessantly is- sued, penetrating to the east, the south, and the west, from periods evidently anterior to historical record almost to our own times ; that from Central Asia, northward and westward, and including, to the * Tijdschrift, &c, 1839, p. 271—274. 138 Zoological Society. south, Bactria, the valley of the Oxus, Northern Asia, Chorasmia, and probably the whole of Europe, constitute the great primitive ha- bitation of the Horse. Far to the north the species has no congener, but soon the Hemionus is known to be its companion ; and further to the south, the Wild Ass extends eastward across the Indus to the Bramaputra, and west into Africa, far up the banks of the Bahar-el- Abiad and Atbara. Other congeners there are on this side the equator, but they are not sufficiently known, nor is their precise lo- cation determined." The author however inclines to the belief that the nations who first subdued horses derived each their own race from the wild stock in their vicinity, observing in the descriptions by the poets and histo- rians of antiquity, the uniformity of colours and characters recorded of the primitive breeds, such as the pied variety in the central moun- tains of Middle Asia, the dark bay southwards of the banks of the Jyhoun or Jaxartes, the dun more westward, as far as the Caspian, the white on the north shore of the Euxine, and the sooty and black in Europe. " We shall find," observes Col. Smith, " among these, races always clouded of two colours, others constantly marked with a black streak along the spine, often cross-barred on the joints, with dark or black extremities ; and again, another, where circular spots, commonly clearer than the ground-colour, occur— whether they be bay, blackish ashy, or gray ; the durability of these distinctions, not obliterated even in our time, during more than 3000 years of perpe- tual crossings of breeds, affords another and a strong argument in favour of an aboriginal difference of species in the single form of the Domestic Horse." The ' Natural History of Fishes,' vol. ii., by J. T. Bushnan, M.D., &c, forms an introduction to the other volumes, belonging to the series, on this group of animals, treating of Fishes in relation to other animals, their natural habitat, structure, locomotion, &c. — the ^economical and commercial uses and advantages arising from our fisheries are also dwelt upon. The plates are selected for illustration of these various subjects, and therefore do not follow in any order of classification, as in the volume on Perches already published. Such a volume as the present one was much wanted, and has been ably executed by Dr. Bushnan. PROCEEDINGS OF LEARNED SOCIETIES. ZOOLOGICAL, SOCIETY. December 8, 1840 — W. H. Lloyd, Esq., in the Chair. Mr. Gould completed the exhibition of his fifty new species of Australian birds, and characterized the following new species : — A newEntomyza interesting as being the second species of that form. Mr. Gould received this bird from Port Essington, and believes that it there supplies the place of E. cyanotis, which is common on the eastern coast. Its distinguishing characteristics are its rather larger size, the markings of its throat being more strongly defined and the Zoological Society. 139 basal half of the primaries being white ; for which reason he proposes to characterize it as Entomyza albipennis. Ent. corpore suprd, et alls e viridi au- reo-olivaceis ; primariis fuscis ; pogoniis internis per dimidium basale niveis. Crown of the head and back of the neck black ; lower part of the face, chin and centre of the chest slaty black ; a crescent- shaped mark at the occiput, a line from the lower mandible passing down each side of the neck and all the under surface pure white ; upper surface and wings greenish golden olive ; primaries brown, the basal half of their inner webs snow-white; tail feathers brown, tinged with golden olive, all but the two centre ones tipped with white ; bill, bare space surrounding the eye and feet in all probability the same as in E. eyanotis. Total length, 12 inches; bill, 1|; wing, 6; tail, 4f- ; tarsi, If. Hab. Port Essington on the northern coast of Australia. Nearly allied to E. eyanotis, but always distinguishable from that species by the white basal half of the primaries. A new Myzomela differing from all the other members of the genus in its pied colouring and the black band across the chest, which sug- gests the specific name of Myzomela pectoralis. Myz. gutture et corpore subtus albis, pectore fascid angustd nigrd transverslm notato. Forehead, crown of the head, the upper surface, wings, tail and a narrow band across the chest, black ; throat, upper tail-coverts and all the under surface white ; bill and feet black. Total length, 4 \ inches; bill, f ; wing, 2£; tail, If; tarsi, £. Hab. North-west coast of Australia. A second example of the genus Dasyornis, inhabiting Swan River, which I propose to call Dasyornis lOxVGirostris 1 . Das. colore ut in D. Australi; differt autem staturd corporis minore, rostro grandiore. All the upper surface brown ; wings, tail-coverts and tail rufous brown, the latter indistinctly barred with a darker tint ; under sur- face gray, gradually passing into the brown of the upper surface ; irides bright reddish brown ; bill and feet dark horn- colour. Total length, 7| inches; bill, J; wing, 2$ ; tail, 4; tarsi, J. Hab. Western Australia. This is a somewhat smaller bird, but has a longer bill than D. Australis. An entirely new form, belonging to the family Saxicolinee, and nearly allied to Petro'ica, I propose to make the type of a new genus, Dry modes, signifying a lover of woodland places : — Genus Drymodes. Characteres generici. — Rostrum rectum, ad latera apicem versus paulo compressum, fere longitudine capitis, apice leviter denticulato, basi vibrissis parce instructa. Alee mediocres, rotundatre, re- 140 Zoological Society. migum primo brevissimo, quinto longissimo. Cauda mediocriter elongata, pauld rotundata. Tarsi longi, graciles, antice superficie Integra. Digiti mediocres, externus horum quam internus paulo longior, posticus cum ungue quam digitus intermedius cum ungue brevior. Drymodes brunneopygia. Dry.fusca; primariis apud pogonia interna albo transverslm striatis ; uropygio tectricibusque caudm rufo-fuscis. Head and all the upper surface brown, passing into rufous brown on the upper tail- coverts ; wings dark brown, the coverts and pri- maries edged with dull white ; primaries and secondaries crossed near the base on their inner webs with pure white ; tail rich brown, all but the two middle feathers tipped with white ; under surface grayish brown, passing into buff on the under tail-coverts ; irides bill and feet blackish brown. Total length, 8 inches; bill, J; wing, 3J; tail, 4£; tarsi, l£. Hab. Belts of the Murray in South Australia. This bird, although of a large size and so sombre in colouring, is nearly allied to Petro'ica. The next is an extraordinary form among the Muscicapidte, differ- ing from all the other known members of that group in having the bill compressed laterally, for which reason I propose to constitute it the type of a new genus, with the following name and characters. Genus Piezorhynchus. Characteres generici. — Rostrum quam caput longius, altius plusquam latum, fere cylindraceum, lateraliter compressum, apicem versus den- ticulatum. Nares parvae, rotundatae, basales. Alee breves, remige primo mediocri, quarto longissimo. Cauda aliquanto brevis et rotun- data. Tarsi mediocriter elongati et paulo debiles. Digitus ex- ternus et medius inter se connexi usque ad articulum primum, ex- ternus longissimus. The only specimen I possess was forwarded to me by E. Dring, Esq., surgeon of H.M.S. Beagle, by whom it was procured on the north-west coast of Australia. From the glossy nature of its plu- mage I propose to name it Piezorhynchus nitidus. Piez.fulgide virescenti-niger. All the plumage, including the wings and tail, rich deep glossy greenish-black ; bill and feet black. Total length, 7J inches; bill, 1J; wing, 3£; tail, 3J; tarsi, f. Hab. North-west coast of Australia. This very curious bird belongs, I conceive, to the Muscicapidce, and is somewhat allied to Seisura. A new Praticola, common on the plains round Adelaide, and form- ing the second example of the genus, is Praticola campestris. Prat, fronte et plumis auricularibus rufis ; gutture albescente ; corpore subtus et lateribus ex arenaceo luteolis fusco striatis. Forehead rufous, passing into the reddish brown of the crown and Zoological Society, 141 upper surface, with a stripe of blackish brown down the centre of each feather ; wings sandy brown ; internal webs of the primaries dark brown ; two centre tail-feathers reddish brown, the remainder reddish brown at the base, crossed towards the extremity with a broad band of brownish black and broadly tipped with white ; over the eye a line of white ; ear- coverts mingled rufous and white; throat white, gradually passing into the buff of the under surface ; all the feathers of the under surface with a stripe of brownish black down their centre ; bill blackish, lighter at the base of the under mandible ; irides rufous brown ; feet blackish brown. Total length, 4 \ inches; bill, f ; wing, 2£; tail, 2; tarsi, J. Hab. South Australia. Closely allied to but much smaller than Calamanthus striatus. A new Acanthiza as Acanthiza inornata. Acanth. corpore suprci, alls cauddque oliva- ceo-fuscis, hdc nigrcscenti-fusco late fasciatd ; corpore subtus pal- lida luteolo. All the upper surface, wings and tail olive brown; primaries dark brown ; tail crossed by a broad band of brownish black ; all the under surface light buff; irides greenish white ; bill and feet black. Total length, 3£ inches; bill, J; wing, l£; tail, l£; tarsi, |£. Hab. Western Australia, particularly the neighbourhood of Swan River. A new species from Swan River, which, with the Muscicapa ma- croptera of Messrs. Vigors and Horsfield, I propose to erect into a new genus under the name of Microzca. Genus Microica. Characteres generici. — Rostrum quam caput brevius, depressum, ad basin latum, gonyide recto, apice incurvo et leviter denticulate Nares rotundatse, ad basin rostri vibrissis validis instructam positse. Al i n allusion to the swiftness \tf4th which it is to be presumed a bird with such wings would move. Subgenus Ocyalus. Characteres ut in Cassico, alee autem longissimce, et caudce apicem transeuntes. Cassicus (Ocyalus) Popayanus. Oc. niger, corpore purpureo relucente ; alls nitore viridi ; capite nuchdque supra castaneo tinc- tis ; caudd flavd, rectricibus quatuor intermediis in toto nigris, sic et apicibus reliquorum; rostro pallido. Long. tot. 11 unc. ; rostri, l£ ; lat. ad basin, 6j lin. ; alee, 8£ unc. ; caudce, 4. Hab. Popayan. MICROSCOPICAL SOCIETY OF LONDON. At a meeting of the Microscopical Society, held August 18th, R. H. Solly, Esq., F.R.S., in the chair, a paper was read from Dr. Thomas Williams, in continuation of that of the Rev. J. B. Reade, on the Stomata of Plants, wherein the author states, that by having recourse to the process of charring, as described by that gentleman, he satisfied himself that the stomata in plants were closed by a pel- licle ; but from other experiments he infers, that this pellicle is formed by the air contained in the intercellular spaces and cells of the stomata, carrying before it, in its dilatation, a bubble of gelati- nous mucus, with which the interior of the stomata are covered. The summit of the vesicle thus produced, when raised into contact with the heated glass, becomes carbonized, and being upon the same plane with the common surface, from the pressure of the plate of glass it appears as belonging to the epidermis, and extending from one edge of the aperture to the other. He concludes by stating, that the na- tural condition of the stomata is that of patency ; but in consequence of the inspissation of the organic mucus, under certain circumstances and in certain genera of plants, a pellicle is generated over their orifices. The Secretary, Mr. John Quekett, then read a paper by himself on the Anatomy of four species of Entozoa of the genus Strongylus 152 Microscopical Society. from the common Porpoise. The author stated, that the subjects of his paper were, with one exception, all found in the lungs of the Por- poise. Two of them had been long known, and had been described by Rudolphi and many others under the names of the Strongylus in- flexus and minor ; whilst a third, from the circumstance of its being found with the inflexus, had, by all others except Kuhn, been described as a younger specimen of that species, but by him as the Strongylus convolutus ; whilst the fourth appeared hitherto either to have escaped notice, or else to have been confounded with the last ; but his exa- minations of this Entozoon led him to consider it as a distinct spe- cies, and from the circumstance of its being inclosed in a sheath or case, he had named it the Strongylus invaginatus, at the suggestion of his friend Dr. Willis. The Strongylus inflexus was the largest of the Entozoa, and it occurred most abundantly in the bronchial tubes, and in such numbers as almost to close them up ; but many speci- mens were found in the right auricle and ventricle of the heart, and in the principal blood-vessels of the lungs as well. The average length of the male is about seven inches, whilst that of the female is nine inches. The next species was found in common with the last, being twisted together in a knot around them both in the bronchial tubes and blood-vessels ; it has been noticed as the young of the in- flexus, but, on comparison, the author finds that the difference be- tween the two is so marked as to leave no doubt of their being di- stinct species : Kuhn has named it the Strongylus convolutus. The third species is the smallest of the whole, some specimens not much exceeding an inch in length, and from this circumstance has been named the Strongylus minor. It occurred in the venous sinuses of the head and in the cavity of the tympanum, and some of them were of a reddish hue, probably owing to their living in blood. The fourth species, the Strongylus invaginatus, was found in small cysts in the lungs not connected with the blood-vessels, to the number of five or six in each cyst, which were easily extracted when the cyst was opened : the male was very much shorter than the female, and both were inclosed in a transparent sheath or case, which was in contact with the body of the worm only at the head and tail. After describing the anatomy of each species, the author then pro- ceeded to some interesting peculiarities connected with their ova, in which the gradual transition from vitelline globules to the perfect worm was beautifully seen. He then alluded to the curious fact of the Strongylus inflexus and convolutus living in blood and in air, and concluded with mentioning some other interesting points connected with these Entozoa, and the probable effects they produced in the ceconomy of the animal. The paper was accompanied with draw- ings and illustrative diagrams. Mr. Ross exhibited to the Society a new form of the Microscope, in which strength, durability, steadiness, and cheapness were com- bined ; it was capable of exhibiting the usual test-objects, and the price only 12/. Miscellaneous. 153 MISCELLANEOUS. George-Town, July 30. '• The industrious traveller, Mr. Schomburgk, arrived in town this morning from his first surveying expedition." — Guiana Times. We are glad to see a very pleasing and faithful likeness of our es- teemed friend, with a memoir of his life, in the 3rd volume on Ich- thyology in the Naturalist's Library, which we have just received. Mr. W. S. MacLeay writes from Sydney, April 28, 1841, that he is much occupied with Natural History, and making large addi- tions to his collection. He gratifies us with good accounts of the health of his excellent Father, who is always most affectionately remembered here. — R. T. Mr. W. Francis writes to us from the Tyrolese Alps, where he is collecting plants and insects. ON THE NATURAL HISTORY OF THE HODESUM (IMPROPERLY CALLED KOLEHAN). BY LIEUT. TICKELL. Singbhoom, including the Kolehan, lies between 21° 30' and 23° north latitude, and 85° and 86° east longitude; it is bounded to the north by Chota Nagpoor and Patkoom ; to the east by the Jungle Mehals and Baumunghatte ; to the south by petty states, or tuppahs, subservient to Moherbunj, and by Keonjur; and to the east by Gangpoor and Chota Nagpoor. These limits comprise a fine open tract of country, in most parts exceedingly productive, in others stony and barren, and separated from the circumjacent countries above enumerated by rocky hills and jungles. Singbhoom Proper consists of an extent of fine open arable land, to the north of the Kolehan, above 45 miles east and west, and about 18 in breadth, comprising the talooks of Khursawa, Kera, and Seryekela, also a por- tion of similar land, about 20 miles square, to the north-east, called Koochoong, attached to Seryekela, and along the west of the Kole- han, an imperfectly defined extent of mountains and jungles, inclu- ding Porahaut and Anundpoor. The Kolehan, as now constituted, comprehends a tract of open un- dulating country, averaging from sixty miles in length north and south, from thirty-five to sixty in breadth. It is divided into two departments by a step about 500 feet high, running east and west across it. The southern part is rich in soil, and beautiful in appear- ance ; but an absence of inhabitants and proper culture gives it an air of desolation. This happily is becoming fast remedied by the re- turn of large families of Bhooians, former inhabitants, who had been expelled by the Hos. The lower country north of the step is exceed- ingly populous, but in many parts stony and barren. The westerly Peers are situated among hills and vast jungles, containing a few fertile valleys ; and Sarnda, in the far south, is one mass of moun- tains, clothed in forests, where the miserable inhabitants, few and solitary, can scarce struggle for mastery with the tiger. The whole of this country is traversed by numerous streams of great beauty, but useless as water-carriage, being almost dry in the hot weather, and rapid torrents in the rains. The Sunjye, separating 154 Miscellaneous. the Kolehan from Singbhoom, rises to the north-west of Porahaut, and enters the Kurkye near the junction of that river with the Soo- bum-rekha ; the Roro, twelve miles south of the former, a narrow but deep and swift stream, and the Eeleegarra and Toorul still further south, take a like course above the step ; the Des Nye runs west- ward and falls into the Kolekaro, near its confluence with the Ko'il ; and near the southern limits of the Kolehan, the different streams take a south and west direction, falling into the Bhundun and By- turnee, which last, running through vast and lonely forests, separates the Kolehan from Jushpoor and Rorwan in Moherbunj, and Kalka- pershaud in Keonjur. There are two water-falls on the borders of the Kolehan, which I have never visited, but which, by the descrip- tion of the natives, must be well worth seeing. The Bunnye, run- ning between Sonepoor and Singbhoom, is said to roll its waters into a profound cave, from which spot it pursues its course under- ground, and is supposed to join the Kole Karo. The fall is called Paraa-ghag, and is a tiruth, but so remote from habitation and buried in such deep woods as to be seldom visited, except by the Sonepoor Koles and Bhooians of Porahaut and Bundgaon. On the confines of Baumunghattee also is a singular cascade, described to me as a single thread of water pouring down a wall-like precipice of 200 or 300 feet in height. It is called by the Baumunghattee Oorias, Muchkandnee Jhurna ; and by the Koles, Hakoo-yamdah, meaning in either lan- guage, " The fall of the weeping-fish," from some whimsical story of the fish complaining of the impossibility of scaling the cataract, to emerge from the dreary abyss, through which the stream winds below. The peculiar distribution of the hills in this country, running in parallel ranges, precludes the formation of lakes, which are unknown. These ranges are not of very great height, the loftiest, which are in Saruda, not appearing above 1000 feet above the plain. They are however intersected in parts by profound valleys, which give the hills, from that side, an appearance of great magnitude. They are chiefly quartz, in all stages of decomposition, permeated by limestone rocks ; smaller detached ranges, issuing at right angles to these, are commonly of micaceous slate. From Chyebassa, proceeding easterly into Koochoong, are low ridges perfectly parallel, about half a mile to a mile apart, gradually increasing in height till the series is closed by the Choivria hills in Koochoong. They are composed of loose rocks, resembling (if they are not) clink stone ; but the larger ridge3 are of coarse granite. The northern part of the Kolehan consists in a great measure of sterile plains, scattered with quartz boulders, stones, and pebbles, some crystallized. The beds of the nullahs are a shingle composed of jasper (of all hues), green-stone, quartz peb- bles, and flint. The bed of the Byturnee is lined with flattened peb- bles and lumps of jasper of bright yellow, red, purple, and black, disposed in parallel streaks or ribbons, as if artificially inlaid. The corundum is found in great quantities at Juggernathpoor on the up- per step of the Kolehan, and several nullahs run through beds of ar- gillaceous earth, from the brightest scarlet to pure white, which are highly in request among the natives. The whole of these streams wash down more or less gold, but the Koles know not how to eollect Miscellaneous. 155 it. In Singbhoom a tolerable quantity is gathered by Hindoos, but of a third- or fourth-rate quality, also excellent iron ; of coal I never found any traces. The open parts of the Kolehan are here and there scattered with a scrub-jungle, composed chiefly of the Polass and Assun, on which latter the tusser silk- worms are bred. The southern parts, where not cultivated, are covered by extensive plains of grass, interspersed with bushes ; entirely along the west boundary are forests of saul trees, small and meagre on the hills, but reaching in the low rich valleys to a size perfectly prodigious. In Anundpoor, towards Gangpoor, are tracts covered entirely with the wild plantain, and many of the hills are clothed densely with bamboos. In marshy spots a strong serviceable species of cane or ratan is found. The wild mango tree is also very common in these forests, yielding a fruit far preferable to the common kind found in the " topes" throughout India; it is small, round, and full of juice, as sweet as honey. The date and palm trees are not cultivated by the Koles, but are to be found near Hindoo villages in Singbhoom ; cheretta, wild indigo, and arrow-root are very common in the jungles. But to enumerate all the beautiful flowers which enrich these green retreats — the fruits and roots, to every one of which the natives attach some specific virtue or harm ; the inexhaustible variety of plants, shrubs and fungi, ferns, creepers, &c. which clothe, in all varieties of fantastic imagery, the shady dells ; or the cool banks of foliage- canopied streams, — would be a task far exceeding my powers or the limits of this memoir. The animals found in the Kolehan are the same as in other parts of Central India, but not nearly so abundant as in better- watered jungles ; besides which, the Koles and Oorias are inveterate hunters, and their attacks on game of all kinds are pursued on an extermina- ting scale. The elephant, which is numerous in parts of the Jungle Mehals, comparatively close to Medneepoor, is, strange to say, unknown among the remote and wild regions of West Singbhoom ; the gow£r is common in this latter region — two species are described by the na- tives, a red and a black kind ; the urna and smaller wild buffalo are very numerous about Anundpoor ; great varieties of deer haunt the hills, the saumur (C. rusa), neelgye (Damalis picta), spotted deer (C axis), barking deer or Muntjac (C. muntjac), chikerac or four- horned deer (C. chicquera) : all these species, though so shy when sought after as to be seldom met with, must be tolerably numerous, from the depredations they commit on the fields of gram, boot, moong, oorid, &c. which are planted near the jungles. The memina, a spe- cies of mouse deer, is also found among rocks and underwood. The antelope is confined to the wide open plains of Chynpoor in Sing- bhoom, and very limited in number. Tigers and leopards abound. Bears infest almost every clump of rocks throughout the plain ; they are all of the long-lipped species (Ursus labiatus). Hyaenas inhabit similar localities, but are rare. There are no wolves, but there ap- pear to be two distinct species of the jackal (C. aureus), one of which is much larger, stouter and ruddier than what I remember of the jackal of Bengal. The cry also is different, and is a wailing sound, 156 Miscellaneous. not much unlike, though infinitely louder than, the mewing of a cat ; at all events the Koles distinguish the two animals, calling the large kind (from its cry) Tow Koola, and the common jackal Kurmcha. The little Bengal fox or corsac (Cynalopex insectivorus) is very nu- merous, yapping all the clear nights long during the cold season. The Indian badger or ratel (Ratelus melivorus) is found in the woods, but rarely. Porcupines (Hystrix) are numerous, but being nocturnal, are seldom seen. The short-tailed marus (M. crassicaudata) is met with among rocks, but is one of the rarest animals known. There are three kinds of squirrels, the common palm- squirrel (Sciurus stri- atus), the great red squirrel {Sciurus macrourus), and a large gray flying squirrel, peculiar, I believe, to the Kolehan and the Jungle Mehals. This last is exceedingly rare, as it lives on lofty trees in profound forests, and only moves forth at night. The wild dog (Canis primcevus) , Koohia and Sona-kookoor of the Oorias, and Tan- nee of the Koles, roams through the jungles in packs, occasionally visiting the flocks and herds on the plains. Their ferocity, speed and cunning have gained them a superstitious veneration among the Koles, and dread of their retaliating on their cattle deters the vil- lagers from killing them. Of these also there are said to be two kinds ; a large dog, in shape and colour like a Scotch greyhound or lurcher, which hunts by sight ; and a smaller, red, bushy-tailed dog, which follows the other in packs of five to twenty, is less speedy and hunts by scent. The hare is larger than that of Bengal, inhabits gravelly ravines in scrub-jungle, and never takes to grass. Of monkeys there are only the two common species, the Lungoor and Makor or Bunder (Sara and Gye of the Koles) ; the former live among rocks, the latter in dense thickets. Wild hogs are very nu- merous in some parts, but so wary as to be seldom killed. The rhi- noceros is not known. Birds of all kinds are scarce and wild, especially those fit for food, on account of the keenness with which the Koles pursue, trap, hawk, and shoot them. The double- spurred partridge is found among rocks, but is one of the most difficult birds to shoot, as it seldom takes wing, but creeps into caves and fissures. The deep moist woods afford im- mense varieties to the ornithologist. Being a dry and stony country, the Kolehan is peculiarly prolific in snakes of all varieties : the covra is not so common as another species, the Siarbinja of the Oorias, and Pago jarras of the Hos (Cophias Russelii), which is supposed to be equally deadly and far more vindictive ; it is a subgenus of rattle-snake (without the rat- tle). A large and beautiful snake, coloured with black and yellow rings, the Sakom bing (Pseudoboa fasciata) , is met with in ploughed fields ; a long thin green whip-snake infests the rank grass-jungles at the bottoms of hills ; the hartoo, a slender agile species, coloured like a ribbon with yellow and coppery purple, infests trees : all these are venomous. The Python or Ujgur (Toonil bing) is found in every jungle ; it attains to dimensions which I have heard described, but which would sound too marvellous to be recorded without better proofs. Throughout Singbhoom, Chota Nagpoor, and the surround- ing countries, a belief is current of a monstrous species of snake, the Miscellaneous. 157 Garra Ung, infesting rivers swollen by torrents, which destroys both men and cattle should they venture in. I mention it, as the opinion is so general ; but it is probable that the sudden and myste- rious deaths which occur in these mountain-torrents are occasioned by what seamen call the " under tow " and " back water," caused by the violent passage of water over rocks and deep holes. The body of a person thus carried away is never seen again, at least in the neigh- bourhood, and this total disappearance naturally strengthens the idea of his having been swallowed up by some huge animal. An entomologist would find an exhaustless field of research and discovery in the jungles of this country. The decayed saul trees are tenanted by magnificent species of Prionus and Cerambyx ; the rocks contain endless beautiful varieties of Coleoptera ; the deep woods, everywhere during the rainy season brilliant with odoriferous flowers, are enlivened by Lepidoptera of the gaudiest colours, and numberless varieties of grotesque shapes in the Mantides, Phyllia and Grilli, in- fest every thicket ; while tribes of ants, bees and wasps attract at- tention by the beauty and ingenuity of their habitations and nests in the forests. Of the former, one of the commonest species is remark- able for traversing the jungles, and marching along the paths in pro- cession two or three abreast, and of prodigious extent. Scorpions and centipedes are fearfully common ; of the former, a species infests caves and fissures in rocks, and attains such an enormous size, that had I not heard the animal described by several people (of different classes), and had reason to be satisfied of the general truth of their assertions, I should have looked upon the whole as a chimaera. In dry, konkerous soils, the white ants are a scourge ; they appear, in woods, to be a kind of vegetable scavenger, reducing to powder the logs which lie on the ground in a short space of time. Fish are abundant in every largish stream, retiring in the dry season to the deep pools, which are left when the main channel has run dry ; but the Koles, by poisoning the water, destroy inordinate quantities. The mahseer, and the little fly-taking Cyprinus, mis- called " trout" in Upper India, are not found in these lower latitudes. Doubtless these running jungle- streams produce many undiscovered varieties of fish, but unfortunately, to this branch of natural history I turned no attention during my stay in the country. The climate of the Kolehan has been found to be on the whole healthy, although the station of Chyebassa, which was unfortunately selected hurriedly, and without sufficient examination and compa- rison with surrounding spots, is not a favourable sample, situated on a barren, gravelly plain, interspersed with brushwood, and near piles of bare rocks. The heat during the day is excessive, but the nights are invariably cool, and the air invigorating and exhilarating, in spite of the temperature, owing probably to its peculiar dryness. A mile only to the south-east, at the village of Tambore, the coun- try rises in undulating meadows, beautiful in appearance as an En- glish park, and infinitely cooler than Chyebassa. These advantages in forming the cantonment were either overlooked or thought of less note than the nearer vicinity of water, Chyebassa being on the banks of the Roro. The Hos are more free from disease than any other 158 Miscellaneous. people, in consequence of the precautionary measures they take — their nutritive food and drink, and the open airy positions they build in. As a guard against infection or fire, their villages are small and scattered, and on the first appearance of any epidemic they leave their houses and flee into the jungles, living apart from each other. Singbhoom, on the contrary, from the obverse manners of the Oorias, is yearly scourged by cholera, fevers and small-pox. This latter dis- ease, propagated by the Bramin inoculators, has within the last year spread with fearful havoc into the Kolehan, and most unfortunately simultaneously with the introduction of vaccine, to which the evil has alone been attributed. The rains are not heavy in the Kolehan, but the monsoon is accompanied by violent storms of wind from the north-west, with severe thunder and lightning, causing many fatal accidents. None of that sultry oppression incident to Bengal is felt at that time of year. The cold season is truly luxurious — *' a nip- ping and an eager air" without fogs or mists. March, April and May are generally the only unpleasant hot months of the year ; du- ring this period not a drop of water falls occasionally for upwards of six weeks ; the aspect of the country loses every trace of verdure, and the dried stony soil reflects with unbearable force the rays of the sun. Vegetation is vigorously restored on the commencement of the rains, and as these are not accompanied by the gloomy sky and un- ceasing torrents which fall in the plains of India, the landscape is pleasingly chequered by passing showers, and the tender foliage of the forests glistens alternately with golden breaks of sunshine or mellowed shades of green. To the south and east of Singbhoom, and in the most dreary and deserted parts of the country, are re- mains indicative of the former presence of opulent and industrious people, but so decayed by time, and engulfed in the labyrinths of untenanted forests, as to be unmarked by any record or history, save that they must have been of prior origin to the first known Bhooians of the country. — Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal, No. 19. Fossil Foraminifera in the Greensand of New Jersey. — Prof. J. W. Bailey, in a recent visit to the cretaceous formations of New Jersey, has brought to light the interesting fact, that a large portion of the calcareous rock defined by Prof. H. D. Rogers as the third formation of the upper secondary, is made up, at the localities where he exa- mined it, of great quantities of microscopic shells, belonging to the Foraminifera of D'Orbigny, which order includes those multilocular shells which compose a large part of the calcareous sands, &c. of Grignon and other localities in the tertiary deposits of Europe. Since the minute multilocular shells above alluded to were discovered, Dr. Torrey and Prof. Bailey have together examined specimens of limestone from Claiborne, Alabama, and have found in them Fora- minifera, of forms apparently identical with those occurring in New Jersey. None of this order except the genus Nummulite have here- tofore been noticed in our greensand formation. In this connexion we may also announce the interesting discovery recently made by Prof. Wm. B. Rogers, of A vast Stratum of Fossil Infusoria in the Tertiary Strata of Vir- Meteorological Observations. 159 ginia. — It occurs about twenty feet in thickness, beneath Richmond, and is found to be filled with new and highly interesting forms of marine siliceous Infusoria. — Sillimans Journal, July 1841. Mr. R. C. Taylor's Model of the Southern Coal-Field of Pennsyl- vania. — At the Second Annual Meeting of American Geologists, held in April last, Mr. Richard Cowling Taylor, F.G.S., exhibited a highly interesting model in plaster of the Dauphin and Lebanon coal region, embracing altogether an area of seven hundred and twenty square miles, showing the range of the mountain elevations, with their re- lative height and position ; also their elevation above tide level ; the dip of the rocks, the position of the coal-seams, and much other useful information. Mr. Taylor accompanied this exhibition with remarks explanatory and statistical in relation to this coal region, and made some obser- vations on the importance of this mode of exhibiting the geological features of a country, expressing the hope that the day would come when models of this kind, representing the several states, and even the whole United States, shall be constructed. He also enlarged upon the propriety of following as closely as possible the actual con- formation of the country in drawing sections, and of adopting uni- form modes of illustration by colours, &c, and the importance of an equal scale of extension and elevation as far as practicable in such sections. — From Sillimans Journal, July number, where the remarks are published entire, with a coloured section. METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS FOR AUG. 1841. Chiswick. — August 1. Slight rain : cloudy and fine. 2. Fine with clouds : rain. 3. Hazy: cloudy and mild : rain. 4. Cloudy and fine. 5. Fine: slight rain. 6, 7. Fine. 8. Rain : cloudy and fine. 9. Very fine. 10. Very fine : rain. 11. Stormy and wet. 12. Fine. 13. Cloudy. 14. Rain: showery: clear at night. 15—17. Cloudy and fine. 18. Hazy: fine. 19, 20. Very fine. 21. Cloudy. 22. Cloudy : slight rain. 23. Rain : cloudy and fine. 24. Showery: clear. 25. Drizzly. 26. Hazy and mild. 27. Heavy dew : cloudy and hot. 28 — 30. Foggy in the mornings : very fine : evenings clear. 31. Overcast and fine. Boston. — August 1. Fine: rain p.m. 2. Fine. 3. Cloudy: rain p.m. 4. Fine: rain early a.m. 5. Cloudy : rain p.m. 6. Cloudy and stormy. 7. Cloudy : rain p.m. 8,9. Cloudy. 10. Fine. 11. Cloudy: rain early a.m. : rain p.m. V2. Stormy. 13. Cloudy. 14. Cloudy: rain early a.m. 15, 16. Cloudy. 17. Fine: rain p.m. 18, 19. Fine. 20. Fine: thermometer 77° half-past two p.m. 21. Fine: rain a.m. 22. Fine. 23, 24. Fine: rain early a.m. 25. Rain: rain early a.m. 26. Cloudy : thermometer 75° three-quarters past two p.m. 27. Fine : thermometer 75° quarter .past eleven a.m. 28, 29. Fine. 30, 31. Cloudy. Applegarth Manse, Dumfries- shire. — August 1. Fair, but cool and cloudy. 2. Fair and fine. 3. Wet a.m. : cleared and was fine. 4. Fair and fine. 5. Rain all day. 6. Wet a.m. : cleared and was fine. 7. Wet, slightly. 8. Fine though showery: thunder. 9. Wet a.m. : became fine. 10. Showery. 11. Fair. 12. Showery all day. 13. Partial showers. 14. Wet a.m. : became fine. 15. Fine till p.m.: then rain. 16. Wet a.m. : cleared p.m. 17. Fair throughout. 18. Fair a.m. : wet p.m. 19. Fair and warm: air electrical. 20. Wet nearly all day : thunder. 21. Wet p.m. : flood. 22. Fine and fair. 23. Occasional slight showers. 24. Wet p.m. and evening : thunder. 25. Showery. 26. Rain early a.m. : cleared. 27. Fine : one shower a.m. 28. Wet morning : cleared. 29. Fine but cloudy. 30. Wet all day. 31. 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    ■o^90I6 6 6 om^cSo 6 6 6 o^ CI CI 1 5 CI 1 c 5 js . . 5 ti "■* bo i3 = « - d -' c^co^u^^r^Goc^o'^oifO'rr'io^dr-lGOc^o'pH O J* O « i 8 - //(#:£ May , VatMtf: Vol : 8 II JL V /-J W&Mtaty.'Ity:* 0-Jck.otftirAoy. Jtotu & .May: Mvt. HwZ: Vol 8 PI . IV WUJSaUj/ cfeCctLith, Jwi.lMag. Mtt.Msb V0I8 PI. V. tJVood. Sl&&. WMM^ihf dcLet LcCh Awi.&MagJVal Husb Vol:8. Tl.VL ?'. f htfth deLUZith THE ANNALS AND MAGAZINE OF NATURAL HISTORY, No. 50. NOVEMBER 1841. XIX. — Description of some new Species of Ammonites found in the Oxford Clay on the line of the Great Western Railway near Christian Malford. By Samuel Peace Pratt, Esq., F.L.S., F.G.S. [With Four Plates.] The cuttings for the Great Western Railway between Chip- penham and Wootton Basset having been almost entirely in the Oxford clay, and having exposed nearly the whole of that deposit, numerous fossil remains have been discovered, inclu- ding many new species. The Oxford clay, in this neighbour- hood, forms three distinct beds, viz. the upper and lower blue clays, separated by the ferruginous Kelloway rock ; and each division has its distinct fossils, although several species are common to each of the three divisions. Besides the undescribed species, many have been founcL throughout the series which had hitherto been considered as characteristic of either higher or much lower beds ; thus Ostrea deltoidea and Gryphcea vir- gula are numerous in both the upper and lower beds, though formerly considered to be {Con fined to the Kimmeridge clay ; and several shells belonAig to the inferior oolite, as Astarte modiolaris and Lima pr^bpscidea, with some others, are found in the upper beds nea^ Wootton Basset. In the neighbour- hood of Christian Malford, about four miles from Chippen- ham, the site of the Kelloway rock appears to be represented by a bed of gravel a few feet in thickness, which, besides the usual fossils of that J>ed, contains also numerous rolled spe- cimens from the neighbouring hills of coral rag and calca- reous grit. Bones of the Elephant and other mammalia hav$ also been found in it. Beyond the gravel to the N.W., in the direction of the rise of the strata, the clay assumes a slaty character, and contains numerous fossils, chiefly peculiar to the spot, such as ten or twelve species of Ammonites, more than half of which are undescribed, several species of Belem- nites, Sepise, Fishes, and numerous shells, which although much compressed are beautifully perfect. The Ammonites are remarkable for having the aperture in Ann. §• Mag. N. Hist. Vol. viii. M 162 Mr. S. P. Pratt on some new species of Ammonites. a nearly perfect condition, but from their flattened state it is often difficult to determine their distinctive characters ; this has however been attempted in the following descriptions, which have been drawn up after an inspection of several hundred specimens ; and of a few individuals, which, having fortunately been found in indurated nodules in the clay, and thus preserved from compression, exhibit characters which the usual state of the fossils do not afford. The specimens described are partly from the author's collection, and partly from that of the Bristol Institution, which possesses an ex- tensive series of fossils found in the same locality, collected by the zeal of Mr. S. Stutchbury. Some apology may seem necessary for having employed proper names so extensively in the designation of the species ; but in a genus, the general characters of which are so similar, and in which the species are so numerous, it is difficult to find characteristic distinc- tions : this genus has also, by almost general consent, been adopted to commemorate the names of individuals, who have distinguished themselves either by their discoveries in the science, or by their love and patronage of it. 1. Ammonites Elizabeths. PL III. fig. 1, 2, 3, 4. Shell angular, arising from a series of spines on each dorsal edge, and two rows of tubercles on the sides of the vo- lution, one near the middle, another smaller and com- pressed near the inner margin ; radiated, the rays varying very much in number and elevation, curved or undulated, but becoming angular near the aperture of the adult shell, which has on each side a long, narrow, spatulate projec- tion, the prolonged rays forming waves or loops on its surface ; volutions six or seven, about frds exposed ; back narrow, concave, the rays passing over it and form- ing low obtuse ridges ; siphunculus not visible. The number and length of the spines and tubercles, and the mode in which they are combined with the rays, appear to indicate several distinct species, but on closer examination it is seen that all the varieties pass into each other, the same specimen sometimes containing more than one form. The spines and rays vary from sixteen to upwards of sixty on the last volution, and they are large and elongated in pro- portion to the smallness of their number; in the simplest form, a single irregular ray, terminated on the dorsal edge by a long sharp spine, connects it with the tubercles, scarcely reaching the inner one in others ; two, three, and sometimes four rays arise from the spine and unite in the middle tu- Mr. S. P. Pratt on some new species of Ammonites. 163 bercle. The prolongation of the aperture appears to depend upon the growth of the shell, and it varies from a slight pro- jection to 1^ inch long; it is concave externally and convex internally. 2. Ammonites Comptoni. PI. IV. fig. 1. Shell discoidal, radiated, the rays alternately two short and one long ; the long rays proceeding from the dorsal to the inner margin, where they become thickened, the two short rays not passing beyond the middle of the volu- tion ; they are curved backwards near the dorsal edge : in the young shell the rays are close, sharp, and slightly elevated; when full-grown the last volution has a few obtuse undulations, but is nearly smooth ; back rounded, with a slight depression in the middle, formed by the nearly meeting rays ; the whole shell without spines or tubercles; volutions 6 or 7> frds exposed; aperture ter- minated on each side with a spatulate projection about 1^ inch long when fully grown, and of similar characters with Am, Elizabeths. 3. Ammonites Stutchburii. PI. IV. fig. 2 and 3. Shell discoidal, radiated; the rays curved, very regular, form- ing raised lines which reach from the dorsal edge to about the middle of the volution, where they meet a row of small, compressed, distant tubercles, beyond which is another row near the inner margin ; these tubercles vary much in number and relative size ; volutions frds ex- posed; aperture forming a projecting beak, with waved striae on its surface ; back narrow, marked by the rays passing over it, and terminated on each edge by a range of serrated sharp points formed by the termination of the rays; volutions exposed, showing both ranges of tu- bercles. 4. Ammonites Sedgwickii. PL V. fig. 1. Shell discoidal, nearly smooth on the last volution, but having a row of tubercles upon the inner margin ; the spaces be- tween them twice as large as the tubercles : in the young shell sharp raised lines proceed from the rounded back to about the centre of the volution, but do not reach the tubercles ; they become indistinct towards the aperture ; volutions ^th exposed, the last about half the diameter of the shell ; aperture not projecting, forming a well- defined twice-curved termination. M2 164 Mr. S. P. Pratt on some new species of Ammonites. 5. Ammonites Lonsdalii. PL V. fig. 2. Shell discoidal, radiated (when young) with numerous waved, well-defined, raised lines, which become more obtuse and fewer as the shell increases in size ; near the aperture they pass into fine striae ; the rays rise from the dorsal edges, and scarcely reach the middle of the side ; the aperture forms a regular concave termination, except on the inner edge, where it bends back like the handle of a sickle ; volutions ^rd exposed, the last more than half the diameter of the shell. 6. Ammonites fluctuosus. PL VI. fig. 1 and 2. Shell discoidal or lenticular, radiated (when young) with nu- merous sharp raised lines, which are alternately long and short ; the short combining in twos or threes with the longer ones about the middle of the side^ some remain- ing distinct : as the shell advances in age the inner half of the long rays becomes much thickened, until they form obtuse elevated ridges, with broad, concave, smooth spaces between, the short rays gradually disappearing ; volutions numerous, frds exposed ; shell reaching 6 inches in diameter, without any appearance of projecting aperture. 7. Ammonites Brightii. PL VI. fig. 3, 4. Shell discoidal, nearly smooth, but having several flat, obtuse ridges arising from the dorsal edge, which combine a little beyond the middle of the volution into a com- pressed elongated tubercle which reaches the inner mar- gin ; the tubercles are about one-third as numerous as the ridges, and meet them in a rounded right angle : in the young shell they are hardly visible, and also become obsolete near the aperture, the sides of which suddenly contracting to about one-third, again expand into a trans- verse oval projection, finely waved or striated ; the back of the shell also projects in a point, and forms with the sides a concave arch ; a sharp ridge on the back marks the siphunculus ; volutions about 7, f rds exposed. 8. Ammonites Gulielmi, Sowerby, Min. Con., pi. 311. This species differs considerably from the description given by Sowerby, although there can be no doubt of its being the same shell ; when fully grown to about 5 inches in diameter, the inner thickened rays form strong, elevated, compressed spines or tubercles. Mr. Jeffreys on the Mollusca of Shetland. 165 Ammonites sublcevis, Am. lenticularis, and Am. mutabilis, and some other indistinct species, are also found in the same locality, generally compressed. DESCRIPTION OF THE PLATES. All the figures are of the natural size, with the exception of Fig. 1. PL VI., which is about one-half. Plate III. Fig. 1, 2, 3. Am. Elizabeths. 1 . Simplest form. 2. Most usual character. 3. An uncompressed specimen. 4. Exhibits characters proving the specific identity ©f Figs. 1, 2, 3. Pxate IV. Fig. 1. Am* Compt-cmi. 2. Am. Stutchburii. 3. Part of the aperture of ditto. Plate V. Fig. 1. Am. Sedgtuickii. 2. Am. Lonsdaiiu Plate VI. Fig. 1. Am.Jtucluosus, half the natural size. 2. Ditto young. 3. Am. Brightii. 4. Ditto uncompressed. XX. — A List of Testaceous Mollusca collected in the Shet- land Isles during a few days' residence there in the autumn of this year, and not noticed by Dr. Fleming in his * History of British Animals ' as indigenous to that country. By J. Gwyn Jeffreys, Esq., F.R. & L.S., &c. 1. Helix alliacea (var.). At Lerwick, under stones near the sea- shore. 2. Rissoa purpurea (n. s.). At Scalloway. 3. Pyramidella (?) interstincta [Odostomia interstincta, Fleming']. In Lerwick Sound, among coral. 4. — (?) insculpta [Odostomia insculpta, Fleming']. With the last. 5. (?) pallida [Phasianella pallida, Fleming]. With the last. 6. Eulima Donovani [Phasianella polita, Fleming]. Lerwick Sound: not uncommon. 7. Natica Helicdides. Dr. Johnson in Trans, of Berwickshire Nat. Hist. Society. One specimen (the second which appears to have been recorded) was found by me while dredging in Lerwick Sound ; it presents some generic differences (particularly in the aperture and umbilicus) from Natica. The figure in the Transactions of the Berwickshire Natural History Society is erroneously represented as reversed, and in other respects does not give a good idea of the shell. usus albus (n. s.). In Lerwick Sound ; a single specimen, but very distinct from any of its congeners. 166 Sir F. A. Mackenzie on the Breeding 9. Trichotropis acuminatus. Jeffreys in ' Malacological and Concho- logical Magazine,' No. II. p. 36. In Lerwick Sound : not un- common. I found one specimen of the Chiton albus which was half an inch long. Pecten obsoletus, var. omnino alba. In Lerwick Sound ; only one specimen. 10. Crenella elliptica, Brown [Mytilus decussatus, Montagu] . In Lerwick Sound : not uncommon. 11. Area fusca^ In Lerwick Sound : a single valve. 12. Montacuta substriata, Turton. Lerwick, attached to the ventral spines of the Spatangus purpureus, its usual habitat. 13. ■ ferruginosa, Turton. Scalloway; a single valve. 14. Lucina lactea. At Scalloway : rare. 15. spinifera [Venus spinifera, Montagu]. In Lerwick Sound : rare. 16. Cyprina minima, Turton. In Lerwick Sound: not uncommon. 17. Astarte} triangularis [Mactra triangularis, Montagu]. In Ler- wick Sound ; one specimen only. 18. Venus Virginea and var. Sarniensis, Turton. Lerwick: not un- common. 19. Anatina prcetenuis . Lerwick and Scalloway : rare. 20. — — intermedia. Jeffreys in ' Malacological and Conchological Magazine,' No. II. p. 45. In Lerwick Sound : not uncommon. 21. Psammobia florida. In Lerwick Sound : not uncommon. Swansea, Sept. 1841. XXI. — Brief and Practical Instructions for the Breeding of Salmon and other Fish artificially. By Sir Francis A. Mackenzie, Bart. In the autumn of 1840, having chosen a brook flowing ra- pidly into the river Ewe, a hollow spot adjoining to it was selected and cleared out, of the following dimensions : length 23 yards, breadth from 12 to 18 feet; and all large stones ha- ving been taken away, the bottom was covered 1 foot thick with coarse sand and small gravel, the largest stones not ex- ceeding the size of a walnut. A stream from the brook was then led into this hollow, so as to form a pool of about 8 inches in depth at the upper and 3 feet at the lower end, thus giving it one uniform gentle current over the whole pool ; whilst the supply of water was so regulated by a sluice as to have the same depth at all times, and a strong stone wall excluded all eels or trout, so destructive both to spawn and fry. On the 13th of November, four pair of salmon, male and female, were taken by net from the Ewe, and carefully placed in the pool ; on the 18th they showed a disposition to spawn, but on the 20th the whole were carried away by some ill-dis- of Salmon and other Fish artificially, 167 posed persons, and on examining the pool, only a small quan- tity of ova appeared to have been deposited. On the 23rd of November four pair of salmon were again caught and placed in the pool, which w r ere observed to commence spawning on the day following ; — caught them carefully, — squeezed gently about 1200 ova from a female into a basin of water, and then pressed about an equal quantity of milt from a male fish over them ; stirred the two about gently, but well together, with the ringers, and after allowing them rest for an hour, the whole was deposited and spread in one of the wicker baskets re- commended by Professor Agassiz, having about 4 inches of gravel below them and 2 or 3 inches of gravel above. A si- milar quantity of ova, treated in the same way, was also de- posited in one of the copper wire bags, as used by Mr. Shaw, and both were then immediately placed under water in the pool ; a little of the ova was buried in the open gravel at about 3 inches in depth. In another basket, and also in another copper wire bag, 2 or 3 inches of gravel were placed over the bottom of each, and both basket and bag laid in the pool, covered with about 4 inches of water. The ova of a female and milt of a male were then successively squeezed from two fish on the gravel in both basket and bag, and spread over it regularly with the hand one after the other ; and after leaving them exposed, in this state, to the water for a few minutes, the whole was covered with 2 or 3 inches of gravel and left in the pooh These four pair of fish afterwards emitted volun- tarily a small quantity of spawn which had been left with them, and on the 1st of December they were all turned out into the river. On the 3rd of December, caught three pair of salmon which had already partially spawned in the Ewe; — used another basket and also another wire bag, treating the spawn in the same manner as last described ; these fish were then also allowed to deposit voluntarily the little spawn of which they had not been deprived, and afterwards turned out into the river. On the 19th of February examined the ova, and life was plainly observed in the baskets, wire bags, and unpro- tected gravel, both where placed artificially and where depo- sited by the salmon themselves. 19th of March, the fry had increased in size and went on gradually increasing, much in proportion to the temperature of the weather. 22nd, the eyes were easily visible, and a few of the ova had burst, the young fry having a small, watery, bladder-like sac attached to the throat. 18th of April, the baskets and bags were all opened; the sacs had become detached from their throats, the fry measured 168 Sir F. A. Mackenzie on the Breeding about three-quarters of an inch in length, and they swam about easily, all marked distinctly as Par. The baskets re- commended by Professor Agassiz proved superior to the wire bags of Mr. Shaw. In the latter only about 20 per cent, came to maturity, whilst in the former not above 10 per cent, proved barren, and in the baskets used 5th of December not above 5 per cent, was unproductive. It is impossible to say exactly the proportion of ova which came to life either of that artificially impregnated and deposited in the open gravel, or of what was spawned by the fish themselves naturally, but so far as could be judged, they succeeded equally well with that in the baskets. Perhaps the baskets may have a preference over the other methods tried, as affording more certain protection to the spawn during winter ; and it is proper to state, that the last-described mode of depositing the ova and milt was most successful. There can be no doubt, from the success which has attended these experiments, that the breeding of salmon or other fish in large quantities is, comparatively speaking, easy, and that millions may be produced, protected from every danger, and turned out into their natural element at the proper age, which Mr. Shaw has proved by repeated experiments on a small scale to be when they have attained about two years of age. When the par marks disappear they assume the silvery scales of their parents, and distinctly show a strong inclination to escape from confinement and proceed downwards to the sea. Professor Agassiz asserts, and I fully believe with truth, that the ova of all fish, when properly impregnated, can be con- veyed in water of a proper temperature even across the At- lantic, as safely as if it were naturally deposited by the parent fish; so that any quantity of salmon or other spawn can (after impregnation on the banks of a river) be carried to other streams, however distant, which may be favourable for hatch- ing. It may be right to observe, that as the fry are to remain two years in the artificial pools where hatched, fresh places must be used every second year for the spawn, as even one- year-old fry will destroy spawn, or their more infantile brethren, if left together ; old spent salmon are also destructive both to spawn and fry. It can only be ascertained by experience what kind or quantity of food will be required for the fry. Carrion hung at the top of the pool in which they are, would, in the opinion of Professor Agassiz and Mr. Shaw, supply them with mag- gots ; but in this there are difficulties, and when tried by me this season, a few of the fry were found dead round the carrion given to them. The droppings of cattle allowed to of Salmon and other Fish artificially, 169 rest till half dry, and occupied by worms and the ova of insects, appear to suit them best. About the 1st of September last, when on an agricultural tour of Belgium, I visited an esta- blishment belonging to King Leopold, and adjoining his new palace of Ardennes, on a much more expensive scale than that now described, where the breeding of trout had been tried for the three previous seasons, though with but little success. A very few small trout bred 1839-40 were still alive, but the ova of 1841 were a complete failure, chiefly from not properly covering the spawn with gravel, and other errors. Bread made of brown and white flour mixed was the food found best suited to the few living, who, judging from their shape as seen swimming about in a small pool, were in excellent condition. The trout-breeding establishment of Ardennes, however, proves that their spawn, if treated in the same way as that of salmon above described, will produce the same successful results, and that any one possessing a con- venient pond or stream may stock it with the best kinds of trout or other fish in one or two years, and by good feeding have them in high condition. Where trout already exists of small size and inferior quality, I would recommend wholly destroying the breed by saturating the water with quick-lime or any other mode more advisable, and procuring spawn or fry from lakes where the best kinds of trout are found, in Scotland or elsewhere. The same may be said of grayling, pike, or any other kind of fish suited to ponds or brooks and rivers as may be desired by their owners, which renders the discovery now made known of value to all, and in all quarters, as well as to salmon-fishing proprietors. In conclusion, I hope that the above brief account may not only be well under- stood, but that the ease and comparatively trifling expense at which the breeding of fry can be accomplished may induce many this season to try this novel but successful mode of in- creasing our stocks of salmon and other fish, and consequently adding largely to the wealth of our country. — F. M. Should any further information be wanted, Sir F. will gladly reply to such inquiries ; and he now expresses a hope, that those who may be successful in spring 1842, or after years, will communicate to him any account of improvement on the mode of breeding, feeding, &c. now described; as, though perfectly satisfied with the results of his own expe- riments, Sir F. is ready to acknowledge that there exists no- thing so perfect devised by man as not to admit of improve- ment. Cohan House, Ross-shire, Oct. 1st, 1841. ] 170 Mr. Stephens on Epilobium angustifolium. XXII. — On Epilobium angustifolium, and species which have been confounded with it. By Mr. H. O. Stephens. To the Editors of the Annals and Magazine of Natural History. There appears to be two species of Epilobium confounded by British botanists with E. angustifolium, Linn. ; one is proba- bly indigenous, the other certainly so. I shall endeavour to furnish discriminating characters. 1st. Epilobium angustifolium, Linn. Leaves scattered, rather broadly lanceolate, veined, smooth ; inflorescence subspicate ; petals unequal ; genitalia declined ; stigma large, club-shaped ; capsule short, turgid. Species Plantar. 493 ; Aiton, Hort. Kew., torn. ii. p. 4 ; Smith, Eng. Flor., torn. ii. 212 ; Eng. Bot., tab. 1947; Hooker, ed. iii. 182; Lindley, 108. E. spicatum, DeCan- dolle, Prodrom., pars iii. p. 40. Lysimachia speciosa, &c, Raii Synop., 310. Chamaenerion, Ger. Emac, p. 477- fig« 7« This is the common plant of the gardens, and is figured in 6 English Botany/ The leaves are of a very dark green colour, rather broadly lanceolate, distantly and faintly serrated, in general outline resembling those of Salix alba. The upper part of the stem, towards the spike of flowers, very obscurely angular ; flowers deep crimson ; capsules short and very turgid. 2nd. Epilobium macrocarpum. Leaves scattered, linear- lanceolate, veined, smooth ; inflorescence subspicate ; petals unequal ; genitalia declined ; capsule very long, linear. This plant is of a lighter and more elegant habit than the former ; the flowers are of a paler shade, inclining to rose-co- lour ; upper portion of the stem, towards the inflorescence, of a coral-red, and acutely angular. Stigma much smaller than in E. angustifolium, barely club-shaped. Leaves very pale green, narrow, lanceolate, distantly and faintly toothed, in ge- neral outline resembling those of Salix viminalis. Capsule very long, exceeding three inches in length, quite linear, with- out the least turgescence. This plant differs from Epilobium angustifolium, Linn., in the leaves being narrow-lanceolate, of a very pale green, in the smaller stigma, paler flowers and more angular stem ; but the specific difference consists in the very long linear capsule, totally unlike the short and turgid seed-vessel of E. angusti- folium, Linn. Modern British botanists deny (unnecessarily, I think,) E. angustifolium to be a native plant ; it was consi- dered as such by Gerarde and Ray; and as it abounds in Sweden in situations much like those in which it is found here, this strengthens the supposition of its nationality. How- ever this may be, there can be no doubt that the second spe- Flora of Western Norfolk. 171 eies, E. macrocarpum, is indigenous ; it cannot have escaped from cultivation, because the plant so common in gardens is E. angustifolium. Discovered by my friend Mr. G. K. Thwaites in the lower portion of Leigh Wood, Somerset, in a coppice which had been cut two years ago, a situation very distant from any ha- bitation. Henry Oxley Stephens. Bristol, 3 Terrill Street, Aug. 26, 1841. XXIII. — A List of Flowering Plants found growing wild in Western Norfolk. By the Rev. George Munford*, Cor- responding Member of the Botanical Society of London. The tract of country embraced by the hundreds of Freebridge Lynn, Freebridge Marshland, Clackclose and Smithdon, and which forms the western side of the county of Norfolk, con- tains the remarkable district called Marshland — a part of the great level of the Fens, and the higher ground bordering on the Wash, which lies between the counties of Norfolk and Lincolnshire. From the extent and variety of this field, it will easily be seen that the botanist will find in it ample space for the ex- ercise of his favourite pursuit. Local advantages, derived from a residence of almost twenty years in the principal and central town of the district, maybe supposed to enable the compiler of the following list to cor- rect, in some few instances, the errors into which others, not residing on the spot, may have fallen ; and perhaps to point out here and there a new locality for some of the rarer plants growing in the neighbourhood. It is with this view that, with the kind assistance of two or three botanical friends also residing on the spot, the attempt has been made to give, as far as possible, a correct and per- fect list of the plants that are found growing wild in Western Norfolk. As little more has been done than to collect into one place what was previously known, but scattered throughout several published works, it may appear that labour and pains have been unnecessarily expended ; but the employment itself has served to fill up, and very agreeably to amuse, many a leisure hour, and will tend to refresh the memory when the power of searching for these favourite objects of pursuit in the place of their growth shall no longer exist. * Read before the Botanical Society of London, Gth August, 1841. 1?2 The Rev. G. Munford's List of Flowering Plants The English Flora contains about 1500 vascular and 2800 cellular plants : 722 vasculars are here enumerated as grow- ing wild in the district which forms the western side of the county of Norfolk. The writer's acquaintance with the cel- lulars is too limited to admit of his attempting to give any ac- count of them in this paper. A catalogue of the plants grow- ing in the neighbourhood of Yarmouth, on the opposite side of the county, has been published by Mr. James Paget, in which are found 725 vasculars and 450 cellulars ; and the Flora of Central Norfolk, by Mr. R. J. Mann, is printed in the ( Magazine of Natural History/ New Series, vol. iv. No. 44 ; and in the 7th vol. of the ' Annals and Magazine of Natural History,' No. 43, an addenda by S. P. Woodward, Esq. These two lists contain together 708 vasculars and 121 cel- lulars. They are confined to the neighbourhood of Norwich, and embrace but a small portion of what may be called central Norfolk ; so that the greater part of the county may yet be considered as unbeaten ground. All the plants previously admitted into works of established authority as having been found wild in Western Norfolk are included in this list. To all these, and to others which I have not myself seen growing, the authority on which they are in- troduced is given ; while for every species and locality not thus marked the compiler is responsible. The arrangement made use of is that of Professor Lindley in his e Synopsis of the British Flora/ as best agreeing with the advanced state of botanical science in England ; and the nomenclature is for the most part that of Sir W. J. Hooker in his e British Flora/ which is generally acknowledged to be the best authority in the present day for determining the plant intended. The geography of plants is of much interest to the bota- nist, and every attempt to promote the knowledge of this branch of the science is worthy of observation. It is now universally admitted, that the geological character of every district exercises very great influence over its vegetation. An attempt has therefore been made to mark, as nearly as pos- sible, the substratum of soil on which the rarer plants in the following list are found. Where the place of growth is not added, the plant may generally be considered as distributed throughout the district. By a reference to Woodward's Geological Map of Norfolk, published in 1833, it will be seen that, proceeding eastward from Lynn, which is situated on the alluvium, we meet with a narrow strip of the Kimmeridge clay and oolite that runs in a direction north and south nearly the entire length of the di- found growing wild in Western Norfolk. 173 strict. This is followed by a much wider portion of the car- stone, running in the same direction; and parallel with this lies about the same quantity of chalk marl. The indentations of the eastern side of the district extend into the hard and medial chalk, but embrace only a small portion of the latter towards the north. The annexed tabular view will show, as nearly as possible, the geological character of the several habitats in which the rarer plants are found. G. M. Lynn Regis, 1840. Alluvium. Kimmeridge Clay and Oolite. Carstone. Chalk Marl. Hard Chalk. MedialChalk. Babingley. Bawsey. Bilney. Ringstead. Barton-Bendish. Berwick. Burnham. Blackburgh. Congham. E. Walton. Beechamwell. Bircham. Gaywood. Castle-Rising. Crimplesham. Boughton. Brancaster. Hard wick. Denver. Dersingham. Caldecot. Docking. Heacham. Downham. Fincham. Castle-Acre. Fring. Lynn. Fordham. Hilgay. Gayton. Stanhoe. N. Lynn. Middleton. Hillington. Hunstanton. S. Lynn. Mintlyn. Ingoldisthorpe. Leziate. W. Lynn. Roydon. Pentney. Marhara. Outwell. N. Runcton. Shouldham. Massingham. Reffley. S. Runcton. Stradsett. Narborough. Runcton-Holme. Stow. E. Winch. Narford. Setch. Thorpland. Sedgeford. Snettisham. Wallington. Shingham. Terrington. Watlington. Tilney. Wimbotsham. Titchwell. Wormegay. W. Winch. Woolferton. N. Wootton. S. Wootton. Class I. VASCULARES. Subclass I. DICOTYLEDONES. Division I. DICHLAMYDEiE. Order RanunculacejE. Thalictrum minus ; Ringstead, Marham, Shouldham, Burnham, Nar- borough : not common. > flavum ; Setch, Barton-Bendish : not common. Adonis autumnalis ; by Denver Sluice, Mrs. Plestow in Eng. Bot. No longer found : perhaps it should be erased, as it was probably thrown out from a garden : Miss Bell. Anemone nemorosa ; Castle- Rising Wood : abundant. Myosurus minimus-, Hard wick, Wimbotsham, Runcton-Holme, Bough- ton : not common. Ranunculus Flammula ; Castle-Rising, Thorpland, Denver, Wimbots- ham, Barton-Bendish, Fincham. 1 74 The Rev. G. Munford's List of Flowering Plants Ranunculus j3. reptans ; Barton-Bendish, Fincham : Mr. Dawson Tur- ner. Lingua ; N. Runcton : not common. Ficaria, sceleratus, bulbosus, hirsutus, repens, acris ; very- common. arvensis ; N. Lynn, Thorpland, Hard wick, Barton-Ben- dish, Beechamwell. parviflorus ; Gt. Bircham, Burnham, Rev. K. Trimmer. — hederaceus ; Hardwick, S. Wootton, Denver: not common. aquatilis; very common. Caltha palustris ; very common. Helleborus viridis ; plentiful in a plantation at Ingoldisthorpe : Miss Bell. fcetidus ; castle-hill, Castle- Acre. Aquilegia vulgaris ; thicket behind the Red Mount, Lynn : rare. Delphinium Consolida ; W. Winch, Docking, Barton-Bendish : rare. Berberide^e. Berberis vulgaris ; Narborough, Barton-Bendish : rare. Nymph^eace^e. Nymphaa alba ; Lynn, E. Walton, Shouldham: common. Nuphar lutea ; Lynn, E. Walton, Shouldham : common. Papaveracejs. Papaver hybridum ; Barton-Bendish, B. G. ; Burnham, Miss Bell. Argemone, dubium, Rhceas ; common. somniferum ; borders of Castle-Rising Wood. Glaucium luteum ; Heacham beach. Chelidonium majus ; Gay wood, Congham. Fumariace^. Corydalis claviculata ; Woolferton Wood, Bawsey, Blackburgh. Fumaria officinalis ; common. Crucifer.e. Cheiranthus Cheiri ; Grey Friar's Tower, Lynn : not uncommon. Nasturtium officinale ; plentiful. syJvestre ; banks of the Ouse, Stow Bridge, Downham Miss Bell. terrestre ; Middleton, Stow. amphibium ; N. Runcton. Barbarea vulgaris ; very common. Arabis thaliana; Castle-Rising, N. Runcton. hirsuta ; S. Gates, Lynn, walls at Downham. Cardamine hirsuta, pratensis ; very common. amara ; Reffley Wood, Pentney : not uncommon. Draba verna ; very common. Cochlearia anglica ; very common. Armoracia ; Outwell, on the banks of the Wisbeach canal. Thlaspi arvense ; S. Wootton, Mr. Wardall : not common. found growing wild in Western Norfolk. 1 75 Teesdalia nudicaulis ; Castle-Rising, Wimbotsham, E. Winch. Iberis amara ; E. Winch : Mr. G. Cooper in N. B. G. Cakile maritima ; abundant on Hunstanton beach. Hesperis matronalis ; Castle-Rising* E. Winch, Ingoldisthorpe : rare. Sisymbrium officinale, Sophia ; very common. Alliaria officinalis ; very common. Erysimum cheiranthoides ; Hardwick, Stow, Wimbotsham, Runcton- Holme, Downham, Denver : not uncommon. Coronopus Ruellii ; very common. Capsella Bursa Past oris ; very common. Lepidium latifolium ; found at Magdalen a few years ago : Miss Bell. ruderale; N. Lynn, S. Lynn. Isatis tinctoria ; in a field at Barton-Bendish, where it is never known to have been cultivated : B. G. Brassica Napus, Rapa, campestris ; naturalized. Sinapis arvensis, alba, nigra ; common. tenuifolia ; walls by the gas-works, Lynn. Raphanis Raphanistrum ; common. VlOLACE^E. Viola hirta ; Marham, Mr. Crowe in Eng. Ft. ; Shingham, Mr. Dawson Turner. odorata ; not uncommon. palustris ; Rev. W. Allen found it at Lynn some years ago : not now on that spot. canina, tricolor ; common. Cistine,e. Helianthemum vulgare ; Hunstanton, Grimstone, Barton-Bendish, Beechamwell. Droserace^e. Drosera rotundifolia ; Royden Fen, Dersingham, Marham Fen. longifolia ; Rising Heath, Dersingham, Barton-Bendish, Marham Fen. anglica ; Barton-Bendish, Shouldham, Roydon, and Marham Fens. Frankejstiace^e. Frankenia Icevis ; salt-marshes, Titchwell, Rev. K. Trimmer : rare. Polygale^e. Poly gala vulgaris ; Hardwick : common. Malvaceae. Malva sylvestris, rotundifolia ; common. moschata; S. Wootton, Mr. Wardall : very rare. Althaea officinalis ; Tilney, Terrington, and throughout Marshland. Hypericine^e. Hypericum quadrangulum ; Rising Wood, Mr. Wardall. perforatum; N. Runcton, Barton-Bendish : common. dubium ; not unfrequent about Stow and Wimbotsham ; Miss Bell in N. B. G. 1 76 The Rev. G. Munford's List of Flowering Plants Hypericum humifusum ; Rising, Wimbotsham, Wallington. pulchrum ; Middleton, Heacham, Mr. Wardall. elodes ; bogs on Rising Heath, Dersingham. CaRYOPHYLLEjE. Dianthus deltoides ; Swaffham Heath, near Barton-Bendish : B. G. Saponaria officinalis ; W. Bilney, Hillington : not common. Silene anglica ; Runcton- Holme, Miss Bell. inflata ; Grey Friar's Tower, Lynn : common. maritima ; Hunstanton, Brancaster. noctiflora ; near Stow, Miss Bell ; Barton-Bendish, Fincham, Mr. Dawson Turner. Otites ; between Swaffham and Narford by the old road- side, Mr. Wardall ; Barton-Bendish, B. G. Lychnis Flos Cuculi, dioica a. red, /3. white ; common. Agrostemma Githago ; common. Spergula arvensis ; common. nodosa ; Castle-Rising. Sagina procumbens, apetala ; common. Mcenchia erecta : Burnham, Miss Bell. Arenaria peploides ; Hunstanton beach. trinervis ; Wallington, N. Runcton, Miss Bell : frequent. — — serpyllifolia ; common. tenuifolia ; Barton-Bendish, B. G. rubra, marina ; common. Cerastium aquaticum ; Stow, Miss Bell ; Barton-Bendish, by the Car, Mr. Dawson Turner. vulgatum, viscosum ; common. semidecandrum ; walls at Stow, Miss Bell. arvense ; W. Winch, Magdalen, Narford. Stellaria uliginosa ; common. media ; very common. ' Holostea ; very common. graminea ; common. glauca ; S. Wootton, banks of the Ouse : common. Line^:. Linum usitatissimum ; Hunstanton, Downham. perenne ; Wisbeach, Fincham, Barton-Bendish. catharticum ; Barton-Bendish, Shouldham, Hunstanton, Wal- lington, Stow. Radiola millegrana ; Rising Heath, Runcton-Holme. Acerine^e. Acer Pseudo-platanus ; not very common. campestre; Reffley Wood, hedges : very common. Geraniace^e. Geranium sylvaticum ; Leziate, Mr. Crowe in B. G. robertianum, molle, pusillum ; very common. — — pyrenaicum; E. Winch and W. Bilney, Mr. Crowe in Eng. Fl. found growing wild in Western Norfolk, 177 Geranium dissectum ; common. columbinum ; Hunstanton, Snettisham. Erodium cicutarium ; common. OxALIDEjE. Oxalis Acetosella ; Reffley Wood, Stow. Illecebre^e. Herniaria glabra ; Caldecot, B. G ; Beechamwell, Miss Bell. PoRTULACEiE. Montia fontana ; W. Winch, Hardwick, N. Runcton, Stow Bridge. Crassulacejs. Tillcea muscosa ; Roydon, Dersingham Heath. Sedum Telephium ; N. Runcton, Wimbotsham. acre ; common. reflexum ; roofs of cottages at Setch, Rev. J. Bransby. Sempervivum tectorum ; roofs of cottages, &c, but not very common. Saxifrages. Chrysosplenium oppositifolium ; Reffley, Rising. Adoxa Moschatellina ; Middleton, Stow Wood. Parnassia palustris ; Roydon Fen, Barton Car. Saxifraga granulata ; W. Winch, N. Runcton, Wimbotsham. — — — — tridactylites ; walls and roofs, Lynn, Stow. SaLICARIjE. Peplis Portula ; N. Runcton, Wimbotsham. Lythrum Salicaria ; Babingley, Stow, Denver, Barton-Bendish. RhAMNEjE. Rhamnus catharticus ; Burnham, Miss Bell. Frangula ; Blackburgh, Miss Bell ; Barton-Bendish, Mr. Dawson Turner. Ilicines. Ilex Aquifolium ; Castle-Rising : not common. Celastrines. Euonymus europaus ; Middleton, Stow : rare. Leguminoss. Ulex europceus ; abundant. Genista tinctoria ; Stow, Miss Bell. anglica ; Stow, N. Runcton : not unfrequent. Cytisus scoparius ; common. Anthyllis vulneraria ; Hunstanton, Shouldham, Barton-Bendish : common. Ononis pro currens, spinosa ; frequent. Astragalus glycyphyllos ; old hedges by the church at Shouldham, B. G. hypoglottis ; Marham, Barton-Bendish, B. G. Ann. fy Mag. N. Hist. Vol. viii. N 178 The Rev. G. Munford's List of Flowering Plants Melilotus officinalis ; S.Lynn: not common. Trifolium repens-, abundant. 5— subterraneum ; Hardwick, Burnham : not common. ochroleucum ; Runcton-Holme, near the river, Miss Bell. pratense; abundant. maritimum ; Snettisham beach, Eng. Fl. arvense ; sandy fields : common. scabrum; Wimbotsham, S. Runcton, Miss Bell; Snettis- ham beach, Mr. Crowe in Eng. Fl. fragiferum ; salt-marshes : very common. procumbens ; not uncommon. -filiforme ; N. Runcton : common. Lotus corniculatus ; very common. major ; Stow, Denver, &c. : very common. Medicago lupulina ; N. Runcton, Stow. maculata ; salt-marshes : not uncommon. minima ; Narborough : rare. Ervum tetraspermum, hirsutum ; common. Vicia Cracca, sativa ; common. angustifolia ; Denver, and in a gravel- pit at Wimbotsham, Miss Bell. lathyroides ; Wimbotsham Mill Hill, Narborough. sepium ; Castle-Rising Wood, Mr. Wardall. Lathy rus pratensis ; common. Ornithopus perpusillus ; common. Hippocrepis comosa ; Shouldham, Mr. Dawson Turner ; Marham, Eng. Fl. Onobrychis sativa ; Heacham : rare. Rosacea. Spircea Filipendula; Castle- Acre, Westacre, Mr. Wardall; S. Runcton, Miss Bell ; Barton-Bendish, Beechamwell, Mr. Dawson Turner. Ulmaria; common. Prunus spinosa ; very common. insititia ; Burnham, Miss Bell. Cerasus ; Newbridge Wood, Snettisham, Mr. Wardall ; N. Runcton, Crimplesham, Miss Bell. Rubus suberectus (nitidus) ; Blackburgh Thicket (Mr. Mackay doubted this being R. suberectus), Miss Bell in N. B. G. fruticosus ; very common. corylifolius ; Stow, Runcton-Holme, Miss Bell. ccesius; very common, Miss Bell. idaus; S. Wootton, Barton Car, Blackburgh. Fragaria vesca \ Reffley, Castle-Rising and Wootton Woods. Poientilla anserina ; very common. ' argentea \ W. Winch, Middleton, Wimbotsham, Walling- ton, Denver, Barton-Bendish : not common. reptans; very common. fragariastrum ; Stow Wood, Miss Bell. Comarum palustre ; common in fresh marshes. found growing wild in Western Norfolk. 179 Tormentilla officinalis ; common. Geum urbanum ; very common. var. intermedium ; Stow Wood, Wallington and Woolferton Wood. rivale ; Reffley and Woolferton Woods : plentiful. Agrimonia Eupatoria ; not uncommon. Rosa rubiginosa ; S. Lynn, Middleton, N. Runcton. canina ; common. arvensis ; Stow, Miss Bell. Alchemilla arvensis ; Middleton, Mr. Wardall ; Stow, Wimbotsham, Miss Bell. Poterium Sanguisorba ; Barton-Bendish, Marham, Mr. Dawson Tur- ner ; Heacham, Mr. Wardall. Pomaces. Mespilus Oxyacantha ; very common. Pyrus Malus ; not uncommon. GrOSSULACEjE. Ribes rubrum ; Stow Wood, Miss Bell ; Castle-Rising Wood, Mr. Wardall. grossularia ; Stow Wood, Miss Bell. Onagrari^e. Epilobium hirsutum ; very common. parviflorum ; Gay wood, Mr. Wardall ; Runcton-Holme, Miss Bell. montanum ; Castle-Rising Wood, Mr. Wardall ; Stow, Miss Bell. tetragonum ; S. Lynn, Mr. Wardall ; Wallington, Denver, Miss Bell. palustre ; Stow, Miss Bell. ClRCEACEiE. Circtea lutetiana ; Refiley Wood: common. HALORAGE.E. Myriophyllum spicatum ; common. Hippuris vulgaris ; Gay wood River : common. Umbellifer^e. Daucus Carota ; common. Caucalis daucoides ; Fincham, Mr. Dawson Turner ; Marham, Mr. Crowe. Torilis Anthriscus ; common. infesta ; S. Runcton, Miss Bell. nodosa ; common, Pastinaca sativa ; Castle-Rising, banks of the Ouse. Heracleum Spondylium ; very common. Angelica sylvestris ; Stow Bridge, Miss Bell ; Castle-Rising Wood, Mr. Wardall. Silaus pratensis ; S. Lynn, Stow : rare. Fceniculum vulgare ; Hunstanton : abundant. N 2 180 The Rev. G. Munford's List of Flowering Plants JEthusa Cynapium ; not uncommon. (Enanthe fistulosa ; common. pimpinelloides ; near Lynn, B. G. peucedanifolia ; Runcton-Holme, Miss Bell. Phellandrium ; very common. Bupleurum tenuissimum ; banks of the Nar, near Lynn, Mr. Wardall. Bunium ftexuosum ; Wallington, Shingham, RefHey, Hardwick. Pimpinella saxifraga ; Barton-Bendish, Mr. Dawson Turner ; Wim- botsham, Miss Bell. Slum latifolium ; Barton-Bendish, Mr. Dawson Turner. angustifolium ; Stow, Denver : common. Helosciadium nodiflorum ; common. repens ; Stow, Denver : common. inundatum ; Watlington, Miss Bell. Carum Carui ; marshes north of Lynn. Apium graveolens ; very common. ^Egopodium Podagraria ; Barton-Bendish, Stow,Wimbotsham, Cong- ham, Horsley's Chace, Lynn. Anthriscus vulgaris ; very common. Char ophy Hum sativum ; W. Winch. sylvestris ; S. Lynn. temulum ; common. Scandix Pecten- Veneris ; common. Conium maculatum ; common. Eryngium maritimum ; Hunstanton beach . Sanicula europaa ; Reffley Wood : plentiful. Hydrbcotyle vulgaris ; Rising Heath, Barton-Bendish. Stellate. Galium cruciatum, palustre ; common. Witheringii ; Wallington, Miss Bell. saxatile; N. and S. Runcton, Miss Bell. ■ uliginosum ; common. erectum ; Middle ton. ■■ tricorne ; Barton-Bendish, B. G. ; Fincham, Mr. Dawson Turner. verum ; common. parisiense ; on a wall between Fincham and Lynn, B. G. Aparine ; very common. Mollugo ; Burnham, Miss Bell. Asperula cynanchica ; Shouldham, Ringstead Yards : rare. Sherardia arvensis ; common. Caprifoliace^. Lonicera Periclymenum ; Blackburgh, Stow, Wallington, &c. Viburnum Lantana ; Cars, E. Winch. Opulus ; E. Winch, Stradset, Wimbotsham, Barton-Ben- dish. Sambucus nigra ; common. Cornus sanguinea ; common. Hedera Helix ; common. found growing wild in Western Norfolk, 181 CUCURBITACEJE. Bryonia dioica ; common. Vaccines. Vaccinium Oxycoccos ; Roydon and Dersingham Fens, Bawsey-Bot- tom. Campanulace^e. Campanula hybrida ; Stow, Sedgeford, Fincham, Shouldham ; not common. rotundifolia ; very common. Trachelium ; W. Winch. glomerata ; Fincham, Miss Bell ; Barton-Bendish, Mr. Dawson Turner. Lobeliace^:. Jasione montana ; Castle-Rising, S. Runcton, Beechamwell. VALERIANE2E. Fedia olitoria ; Town- walls, Lynn. dentata ; Stow, Wimbotsham, Miss Bell. Valeriana dioica ; Reffley Wood, Stow. officinalis ; near the Red Mount, Lynn, Wormegay, Stow, Dipsace^e. Dipsacus sylvestris ; frequent. Scabiosa succisa ; Middleton. columbaria ; Hunstanton, Snettisham, Fincham. Knautia arvensis ; Hunstanton, Stow. Composite. Eupatorium cannabinum ; Babingley, Wormegay, Barton-Bendish. Pulicaria dysenterica ; very common. Aster Tripolium ; abundant. Erigeron acre ; Hunstanton, Barton-Bendish, Beechamwell : not common. Solidago Virgaurea ; Gay wood, Shingham : rather rare. Gnaphalium rectum ; Wimbotsham, Miss Bell ; Barton-Bendish, Mr. Dawson Turner. — — — uliginosum ; common at Stow, Wimbotsham and Denver, Miss Bell. minimum, germanicum ; common. Senecio vulgaris ; very common. tenuifolius ; Holme-near-the-sea, Rev. Mr. Sutton in Eng. Bot. Jacobtea ; very common. Tussilago Farfara ; W. Lynn, Downham, &c. Petasites vulgaris ; Wimbotsham, Miss Bell ; Fincham, Mr. Daw- son Turner. Bellis perennis ; everywhere. Chrysanthemum Leucanthemum; Reffley, Barton-Bendish, Blackburgh. segetum ; N. Runcton, Bilney, Barton-Bendish, Wor- megay, &c. : common. Pyrethrum Parthenium ; Castle- Rising. 182 The Rev. G. Munford's List of Flowering Plants Pyrethrum inodorum ; N. Runcton, Middleton. Artemisia maritima ; river-bank, Lynn, Brancaster. Absinthium ; Stow Bridge, Miss Bell. vulgaris ; common. Tanacetum vulgar e ; common. Anthemis Cotula ; common. arvensis ; Gayton, Mr. Wardall. Achillea Ptarmica ; N. Runcton, Stow, Fincham : not common. Millefolium ; very common. Bidens tripartita ; N. Runcton, Castle-Rising, Stow, Stradset, Bar - ton-Bendish. cernua ; N. Runcton, Watlington, Barton- Bendish. Onopordum Acanthium ; common. Cnicus lanceolatus ; Mr. Wardall. palustris, arvensis ; common. pratensis ; Roy don Fen, Barton-Bendish : rare. — acaulis ; Ringstead Yards, Beechamwell. Carlina vulgaris ; Shouldham, Castle- Acre, Castle- Rising : rare. Arctium Lappa ; common. Carduus marianus ; Hard wick, Wimbotsham. Centaur ea nigra, Cyanus ; common. Scabiosa ; Castle-Rising, Heacham. Calcitrapa ; Downham Bridge : rare. Carduus nutans ; common. acanthoides ; Denver : not uncommon ; Miss Bell. tenuiflorus ; road- side between Stow and Lynn, Miss Bell. Sonchus arvensis ; Mr. Wardall. oleraceus ; very common. Lactuca virosa ; Castle- Acre, Miss Bell. Prenanthes muralis ; road from Narborough. Lapsana communis ; very common. pusilla ; Wimbotsham Mill Hill, gravel- pits and corn-fields at Stow, Miss Bell. Leontodon Taraxacum ; very common. Barkhausia foztida ; Barton-Bendish and Beechamwell in several places, B. G. Crepis tectorum ; very common. Picris echioides ; common. Hieracium pilosella ; very common. ■ paludosum ; Hunstanton. umbellatum ; wall in Wimbotsham, hedge-banks between Stow and Wimbotsham, Miss Bell. Hypochceris glabra ; Mill Hill, and in a planted gravel-pit at Wim- botsham, Miss Bell. radicata ; N. Runcton, Mr. Wardall ; Stow, Runcton- Holme, Wimbotsham, Miss Bell. Tragopogon pratensis ; common. Thrincia hirta ; grass-plot, Stow, Miss Bell : common. Apargia hispida ; N. Runcton, Mr. Wardall; Stow, Miss Bell. . autumnalis ; Stow, Miss Bell. Cichorium Intybus ; Hunstanton, Barton-Bendish ; common. found growing wild in Western Norfolk. 1 83 BoRAGINEjE. Echium vulgare ; very common. Lithospermum officinale ; Babingley, Wallington, Shingham : not common. arvense ; Hunstanton : common. Symphytum officinale ; Outweil, &c. : common. Borago officinalis ; Hunstanton ; common. Lycopsis arvensis ; Castle-Rising : common. Myosotis palustris, arvensis, versicolor ; common. Cynoglossum officinale ; common. CoNVOLVULACE^E. Convolvulus arvensis, septum ; very common. Soldanella ; beach at Hunstanton. Cuscuta Epithymum ; Rising Hill; rather rare. PlANTAGINE^E. Plantago major, media, lanceolata, maritima, Coronopus ; very com- mon. Plumbagine^e. Statice Armeria, Limonium ; very common. ■ reticulata ; Holme -by-the- Sea : rather rare. spathulata ; Norfolk coast, Rev. K. Trimmer. Oleineje. Ligustrum vulgare ; N. Runcton : not common. Fraxinus excelsior ; common. EltICE.dE. Calluna vulgaris ; Rising Heath : abundant. Erica Tetralix ; Rising Heath : abundant. cinerea ; Dersingham Heath : abundant. Pyrole^. Pyrola rotundifolia ; Roydon Fen : very rare. Apocyne^s. Vinca minor, major ; Newbridge Wood, Snettisham, Mr. Wardall. Gentiane,e. Erythraa Centaurium ; Hunstanton : not uncommon. Menyanthes trifoliata ; Rising Heath, Fincham.