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 go.: w. wood,

TAVISTOCK STREET ; BAILLIERE, REGENT STREET, AND PARIS :

LIZARS, AND MACLACHLAN AND STEWART, EDINBURGH :

CURRY, DUBLIN : AND ASHER, BERLIN.

1841.

" Omnes res creatae sunt divinse sapientise et potentiae testes, divitise felicitatis
humanse : ex harum usiu honitas Creatoris ; ex pulchritudine sapientia Domini ; ex
ceconomia in conservatione, proportione, 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. VII.

NUMBER XLI.

Page

I. Considerations respecting Spur-shaped Nectaries, and those of the
Aquilegia vulgaris in particular. By M. Ch. Morren, Professor in
ordinary at the University of Li^ge, Member of the Royal Academy of
Brussels, &c. (With a Plate.) 1

II. On the Fungi of the Neighbourhood of Bristol. By Mr. H. O.
Stephens 17

III. Description of Four Bats taken in Cuba. By Dr. Grundlach 19

IV. Horae Zoologicas. By Sir W. Jardine, Bart. : —

Remarks on the Structure and Habits of Lepidosiren annec-
tens V 21

V. Commentary on Mr. G. R. Gray's ' Genera of Birds,' 1840. By

H. E. Strickland, Esq., M.A., F.G.S., &c 26

VI. Mr. Shuckard on his falsely alleged participation in Mr. Swain-
son's views of Natural Arrangement 41

VII. Excerpta Botanical 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.

On the Anther of Chara vulgaris and Chara hispida, and the
Animalcules contained in it. By M. Gustavus Thuret... 44

VIII. Notes on Saxifraga umbrosa : By Charles C. Babington,
M.A., F.L.S., F.G.S., &c. ; and by the Reviewer of Raines's 'York-
shire Flora' 47

IX. Notes on Birds. By T. C. Eyton, Esq., F.L.S.: — Menura
Lyra 48

New Books : — An Introduction to the modern Classification of Insects,
founded on the Natural Habits and corresponding Organization
of the different Families, by J. O. Westwood, F.L.S., &c. — Otia
Hispanica, Auctore P. B. Webb, No. 2 53 — 58

Proceedings of the Zoological Society ; Geological Society ; Microsco-
pical Society 58 — 74

Absorption of Liquid Solutions by the Sap-vessels of Plants ; Congr^
Scientifique de P'rance ; Mr. Thompson on Eels killed by the late
Frost ; Obituary — Francis Bauer, Esq. ; Mr. Paget on Halichcerm
Grgphus ; Meteorological Observations and Table 74 — 80

IV CONTENTS.

Page
NUMBER XLII.

X. Contributions to British Actinology. By Edward Forbes,
M.W.S., For. Sec. B.S., &c. (With a Plate.) , 81

XI. Description of some new Species and four new Genera of Rep-
tiles from Western Australia, discovered by John Gould, Esq. By J.

E. Gray, Esq., F.R.S., &c. 8G

XII. Description of some new Species of Madeiran Fishes, with ad-
ditional information relating to those already described. By the Rev.

R. T. Lowe, M.A 92

XIII. On the Species of Stickleback {Gasterosteus, Linn.) found in
Ireland. By Wm. Thompson, Vice- Pres. Nat. Hist. Society of Belfast 95

XIV. Notice of Plants and Animals found in the Sulphureous
Waters of Harrowgate and Askern, Yorkshire. By E. Lankester,
M.D., F.L.S., &c 105

XV. Remarks upon the Recent and Fossil Cycadeae. By J. Morris,
Esq 110

XVI. Carahideous Insects collected by Charles Darwin, Esq., during
the Voyage of Her Majesty's Ship Beagle. By G. R. Waterhouse,
Esq 120

XVII. Observations on a Keratose Sponge from Australia. By J.

S. Bowerbank, Esq, F.G.S. (With a Plate.) 129

XVIII. Notices of European Herbaria, particularly those most in-
teresting to the North American Botanist 132

New Books : — Monographic des Libellulidees d'Europe, par Edm. De

Selys Longchamps, Membre de plusieurs Societes savantes 141

Proceedings of the Entomological Society ; Zoological Society ; Royal
Botanical Society of Edinburgh ; Wernerian Natural History So-
ciety of Edinburgh 143—159

Mr. Gray's ' Genera of Birds ;' Birds of Kent ; Meteorological Observa-
tions and Table 159—160

NUMBER XLIII.

XIX. On the Alteration which the Atmosphere undergoes during
the Development of Heat in the Spadix of Colocasia odora. By Pro-
fessors G. Vrolik and W. H. De Vriese 161

XX. Note on the Occurrence of the Genus Diphya on the Coast of
Ireland. By G. C. Hyndman, Esq., Member of the Natural History
Society of Belfast 164

XXI. 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 166

XXII. Notes on Birds. By T. C. Eyton, Esq., F.L.S 177

XXIII. Notices of European Herbaria, particularly those most in-
teresting to the North American Botanist 179

CONTENTS. V

Page

XXIV. 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.

On the Development of the Reproductive Organs of the Mis-
seltoe (Fiscum album, Linn.). By M. Decaisne 185

XXV. On the Origin of some of the Lower Forms of Vegetation.

By Mr. Henry Oxley Stephens 190

XXVL An Amended List of the Species of the Genus Ovis. By

Edward Blyth, Esq 195

XXVIL Addenda to the Flora of Norfolk. By Mr. S. P. Woodward 201

XXVIII. On the Formation of the Stomata. By Hugo Mohl.

(With a Plate.) 206

New Books: — The Natural History of South Devon, by J. C. Bellamy,

Esq. — Memorie della Reale Accademia delle Scienze di To-
rino 209 — 211

Proceedings of the Microscopical Society ; Botanical Society of Edin-
burgh ; Linnaean Society ; Geological Society ; Zoological So-
ciety 211—234

Zoological Observations at Tenby, by Dr. Davis (with a Plate) j Mr.
Jennings on Eels killed by Frost; On the Occurrence of Anemone
ranunculoides, by the Rev. W. Hincks ; On the Irish localities for
Dianthus plumarius, by W. T. Alexander, Esq. ; Suicidal Powers
of Luidla; Meteorological Observations and Table 234 — 240

NUMBER XLIV.

XXIX. On the Anatomy of Nautilus. By M. Valenciennes 241

XXX. Remarks on Red and Green Snow. By the late Prof. Meyen 245

XXXI. An Amended List of the Species of the Genus Ovis, By
Edward Blyth, Esq 248

XXXII. Notes on some of the smaller British Mammalia, including
the Description of a New Species of Arvicola, found in Scotland. By

the Rev. Leonard Jenyns, M.A., F.L.S., &c 261

XXXIII. Supplement to a Catalogue of Irish Zoophytes. By
Arthur Hill Hassall, Esq. Read before the Natural History So-
ciety of Dublin, November 6th, 1840 276

XXXIV. List of Phanerogamous Plants, together with the Crypto-
gamic Orders Filices, Equisetaceee, and Lycopodiacece^ observed in the
Shetland Islands. By Thomas Edmondston, Jun., Esq 287

XXXV. On the Composition of Chalk Rocks and Chalk Marl by in-
visible Organic Bodies : from the Observations of Dr. Ehrenberg. By
Thomas Weaver, Esq., F.R.S., F.G.S., M.R.I.A., &c. &c 296

XXXVI. Description of a South American Wasp which collects
Honey. By Mr. Adam White, M.E.S., Assistant in the Zoological
Department of the British Museum. (With a Plate.) 315

VI CONTENTS.

Page

XXXVII. iTiformation respecting Zoological and Botanical Tra-
vellers : — Mr. Sclioniburgk. — Letter from Messrs. Forbes and Thomp-
son, with Captain Graves, in the Archipelago 348

New Books : — The Principles of Botany, by W. Hughes Willshire,
M.D. — Arcana Entomologica, or Illustrations of new, rare, and
interesting Exotic Insects, by J. O. Westwood, F.L.S., &c. ; Na-
turhistorisk Tidskrift : edited by Henrik Kroyer, Copenhagen. —
Tijdschrift voor Natuurlijke Geschiedenis en Physiologie, by Pro-
fessors Van der Hoeven and De Vriese. Part VI. Leyden . 322 — 326

Proceedings of the Geological Society ; Zoological Society ; Werne-

rian Society; Royal Society of Edinburgh , 326 — 348

Mr. Yarrell on Motacilla alba of Linnaeus ; Mr. Johnson on ChcRtura

ruftcollis ; Meteorological Observations and Table 350 — 352

NUMBER XLV.

XXXVIII. On the Existence of Branchiae in the young Ccecilics ;
and on a Modification and Extension of the Branchial Classification of
the Jmphibia. By John Hogg, Esq., M.A., F.R.S., &c 353

XXXIX. Supplement to a Catalogue of Irish Zoophytes. By
Arthur Hill Hassall, Esq. Read before the Natural History So-
ciety of Dublin, November 6th, 1840. (With Plates) 363

XL. On the Composition of Chalk Rocks and Chalk Marl by invi-
sible Organic Bodies : from the Observations of Dr. Ehrenberg. By
Thomas Weaver, Esq., F.R.S., F.G.S., M.R.I. A., &c. &c 374

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 399

XLII. On the Urari, the Arrow Poison of the Indians of Guiana ;
with a description of the Plant from which it is extracted. By Robert
H. ScHOMBURGK, Esq 407

XLI 1 1. A List of the Fossil Shells found in a Fluvio-Marine Deposit
at Clacton in Essex. By John Brown, Esq., F.G.S 427

New Books : — On the Relation between the Holy Scriptures and some
parts of Geological Science, by J. Pye Smith, D.D. — The Cer-
tainties of Geology, by W. Sidney Gibson, F.G.S. — Linnaea, ein
Journal fiir die Botanik, &c. — Icones Fungorum hucusque cogni-
torum 429—434

Proceedings of the Entomological Society ; Linnaean Society ... 434 — 444

Third Meeting of the Men of Science of Italy ; Dr. Lush on the Madi,
or Chili Oil-seed, Madia sativa ; Diurnea Noveinhris, or Novem-
ber Dagger; Meteorological Observations and Table 445 — 418

CONTENTS. Vll

Page
NUMBER XLVI.

XLIV. On Gloionema paradoxum. By the Rev. M. J. Berkeley,
M.A., F.L.S 449

XLV. Supplement to descriptions of Exotic Fungi in * Annals of
Nat. Hist.,' vol. iii. pp. 322 and 375. By the Rev. M. J. Berkeley,
M.A., F.L.S 451

XLVI. A List of Plants collected by Charles Fellows, Esq., during
his Tour in Lycia and Caria ; with descriptions of the New Species.
By David Don, Esq., Prof. Bot. King's College 454

XLVI I. 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 460

XLVIII. Descriptions of new or little known Arachnida. By Mr.
Adam White, Assistant in the Zoological Department of the British
Museum , 471

XLIX. Additions to the Fauna of Ireland. By Wm. Thompson,
Esq., Vice-Pres. Natural History Society of Belfast 477

L. Description of two new Genera of Irish Zoophytes. By Arthur
Hill H ass all, Esq., Corresponding Member of the Natural History
Society of Dublin 483

LL Notes on Birds. By T. C. Eyton, Esq., F.L.S 486

LII. A Catalogue of Fossil Fish in the Collections of the Earl of
Enniskillen, F.G.S., &c., and Sir Philip Grey Egerton, Bart.,
F.R.S., &c 487

LI II. Information respecting Zoological and Botanical Travellers : —
Mr. Forbes and Mr. Thompson. — Mr. Schomburgk. — Mr. W. S. Mac-
Leay 520

New Boohs : — Natural History as a Branch of General Education,

by Robert Patterson, Esq 498

Proceedings of the Zoological Society ; Geological Society 503 — 519

New Genus of Mexican Glirine Mammalia ; On a new European Ge-
nus of Freshwater Fish, by F. Heckel ; Forbes's Starfishes, Echi-
nus lividus; Speaking Canary Bird; Birds of Kent; Emberiza
Hortulana; Diluvial [Glacial}^ Scratches on Rocks in America;
Mr. Shuckard on the Proceedings of the Entomological Society ;
Obituary — C. S. Rafinesque; Meteorological Observations and
Table 521—528

NUMBER XLVII, SUPPLEMENT.
Proceedings of the Royal Society ; Linnaean Society ; Entomological

Society; Zoological Society 529 — 578

Index , 579

-a

O
O

PLATES IN VOL. VIL

Plate I. British Actiniadae.

{Development of Stomata in Hyacinthus orientalis.
Fig. 1, 2, 3. Cyanea coccinea ; (from Tenby.)
Fig. 4, 5. Helix conoidea ; (fossil from Essex.)

III. Horny Sponge from Australia.

IV. Nest of Myrapetra scutellaris, a South American Wasp.
V. Horns of various species of Sheep.

VI. Flustra carnosa » ; Hermia glandulosa; Sertularia Margarita;
Sertularia pumila.
VII. Thuiaria articulata.

VIII. Plumularia frutescens ; Valkeria imbricata ; Langenella repens ?
<( Valkeria (new species) ; Hippothoa lanceolata.

IX. Cellepora bimucronata ; Lepralia ciliata, appensa, pedilostoma,

insignis, cylindrica, punctata, linearis.
X. Tubulipora lobulata; Alcyonidium hirsutumj Echinochorium

clavigerum.

XI. Metamorphoses of the Spur-shaped Nectaries of Aquilegia vul-
garis.
XII. Urari Plant, Strychnos toxifera, Schomb.
^yjj r Fruit of the Urari Plant.

' \ Gloionema paradoxum ; fig. a. (1 — 8).

* In Plate VI. this figure is by mistake given as Coryne squamata. It
is, in reality, a representation of Flustra carnosa, Johnston (see p. 369), of
which it is a correct figure, with the exception of the number of the tenta-
cula, which should have been 30.

Erratum, p, 373, line 33, for Coryne squamata read Flustra carnosa.

.M

\o].7.r

/)'/v//^// , A'///////.//?'^.

THE ANNALS

AND

MAGAZINE OF NATURAL HISTORY.

No. 41. MARCH 1841.

I. — Considerations respecting Spur-shaped Nectaries, and those
of the Aquilegia vulgaris in particular. By M. Ch. Mor-
REN, Professor in ordinary at the University of Liege,
Member of the Royal Academy of Brussels, &c.*

[With a Plate.]

1 HE Columbine, that pretty ranunculaceous flower of our
vv^oods, deserves attention, as vrell on account of its structure,
curious as it is, and, we venture to add, but little known, as
from the historical recollections which it brings to mind. To
say nothing here of the medicinal virtues which Dioscorides
attributed to his Isopyron or to his Phasiolon, — a plant which
Fabius Columna, Clusius, Dodonaeus and many other learned
botanists suppose to be no other than the Columbine itself;
and not to mention Adrian Junius, who also quotes it as a
medical plant ; or Francois Rapard, a celebrated physician of
Bruges, who addressed to Clusius a letter upon its uses in
difficult labours ; ought we not to remark that its singular nec-
taries, compared by some to the beak and talons of an eagle,
by others to the graceful neck of the pigeon, by some to
rams'-horns, and by others to capuchins' hoods, had so gained
the attention of the painters of the middle ages, that it be-
came one of the favourite flowers, placed in great profusion in
the illuminations of missals and manuscripts of the time ? The
' ancoiles' or the ' ancolyes' were there intermixed with the
leaves, flowers, or fruit of the strawberry or of the campanula ;
and Memling was most particularly attached to it. When
Dodoens wrote his ^^ CtU^tlt-25otk,^^ the name Aquileia or
Aquilina was still a novelty ^w^/ introduced, he says, by the
latest phytographers of his own time. The name Aquilegia

* Translated from the original communicated by the Author.
Ann. ^ Mag. N. Hist. Vol. vii. B

2 M. Morren on the Spur-shaped Nectaries

which he gives it calls to mind the comparison already men-
tioned, of the beak and talons of an eagle; but since that time
that of Columbine prevailed in England and in Holland, where
they were fonder of likening the spurred petal of this flower
to the stately neck of a pigeon. When one of these flowers
is turned upside-down, says an English author *, we might
fancy we saw a group of young eagles, or, if we like better, a
ilest of pigeons. It is evident that these spur-shaped necta-
ries had considerable influence on the mind of Dodoens, since
on their account he places his Akeleyen ^ancolies^ columbines,)
between the Cypripedium Calceolus, a monocotyledon ous
plant, and his Orant or Antirrhinum majus, — an alUance
which would not at all square with our present ideas of classi-
fication by families. By a singular chance, the Cypripedium,
which in our mythological language we call the Venues foot,
was at - that period of religious struggles called Our Lady''s
shoe {Calceolus Maria), and the Columbine was named in its
turn the Virgin's glove : thus we see that shoes and gloves
shook hands in our Lady's toilet.

Chief ornament of the gardens of the middle ages, and even
of those of the sixteenth century, the Aquilegia, carefully and
almost universally cultivated, produced those varieties which
modern botanists have pointed out in this species. Joost van
Ravelingen, the commentator of Dodoens, and L'Obelf, men-
tion the varieties in colour and those of form to be met with
in their time : blue, red, flesh-coloured, blue and white, white
and variegated. The garden of a gentleman of Leyden, Jean
van Hogelande, produced an Aquilegia plenoflore roseo, ^^ hirh
Clusius described and illustrated. The same botanist had also
recorded a variety truly monstrous [Aquilegia degener), in
that the petals, being reduced to their primitive type of leaves,
had remained green ; only Van Ravelingen did not think that
such monstrosities were worth the pains of describing. No^\-
a-days we should be eager to do it, and not without reason ;
for the organography of such a flower is very interesting to
know, in relation to the subject which will occupy us further
on.

The varieties of structure known under the name of Aqui-
legia vulgaris corniculata, in which Biria % and DeCandoUe §
discovered that the cornets are deviations of the anther,

* Burnett's Outlines of Botany, p. 840.

t Generally written Lobel ; but the true name of the author of the Stir-
pium Historia was Matthias De L*Obel, as appears from his lettei-s and tiie
portrait engraved during his life-time.

J Biria. Monographie des Renonculacees. Montpellier, 1811.

§ DeCandolle. Organographie, torn. i. p. 496.

of the Aquilegia vulgaris. 3

and those which bear the name of Aquilegia vulgaris ecal-
carata or stellata, in which^ according to these authors, the
petals proceed from modified staminal filaments without an-
thers— these varieties had been already described by Clusius,
Dodoens and L^Obel*. Moreover, these authors, besides
the simple, semi-double and double varieties of these two
principal forms (true sub- varieties which we still possess),
also mention Columbines w^ith inverted flowers [Aquileia flora
inverso variegato). We might suppose, from the Dodonaean
context, that it was hereby understood that the flowers, in-
stead of being pendent, were upright "Dlt IXlZt til t)0t-

0ct)illea tan tie antier tian Dat tie bloemen atievectit^

0taen.'^ But we know that in this variety, the bases of the
spurs being twisted, the spur itself has an upward direction.

We cannot but take an interest in observing the pleasures
of the horticulturists of those times. Now-a-days these Co-
lumbines are treated with disregard, and dismissed as fit only
for the garden of the cottager or village Cure, or, at most,
are only permitted to grow in the shade of some forgotten nook
of our villas ; but let us not say too much : fashion, which revives
all antiquated things, may some day assert its claim upon
these Columbines of the Castels. Already in the Botanic Gar-
den at Brussels, we have seen pretty borders entirely filled
with this plant of the middle ages.

The Columbine is really a very interesting flower, on ac-
count of its nectaries ; and their genesis not being known, at
least so far as w^e are aware, we have taken them as the prin-
cipal subject of our researches : our object has been to study
them comparatively in the different varieties of the common
species, and in some other species which we had at hand ; se-
condly, to observe the monstrous structures ; thirdly, to take
them at their different degrees of evolution, in order to esta-
blish their true genesis ; and, lastly, to examine their histo-
logy, so as to ascertain how in their forms so varied the in-
terior tissues were affected.

So long as the laws of metamorphoses had not acquired
the right of citizenship in the domains of science, calcariform
nectaries had to be considered as special pieces, born ad hoc,
and being such by their proper nature, without an anterior
nature, without a type from which they were derived. Although
Linnaeus had said, ^'Si nectarium a petalis distinctum, com-
muniter ludit;^' he also said, '^ distincta esse nect aria a corolla
constat exemplis : Aconitum, Aquilegia,'^ hc.\. — They Avere,
then, the floral pieces whose secretion of honey determined

* Dodoens. Cruydt-Boek, 1644, p. 274.
t Linnaei Philosopliia Botanica : Fructificatio i. 110.
B2

4 M. Morren on the Spur-shaped Nectaries

their character, and that character raised them to the rank of
organs sui generis, not proceeding from any other : — they
were, because they were.

They were, however, not nectaries, because by their nature
they were stamens : here is that truth which science had not
then become possessed of.

But when, at the end of the last century, Goethe, following
the example of WolflP, established his celebrated theory of the
metamorphosis of plants, the nectaries at once lost their auto-
chthonous nature ; they were no longer aboriginal organs. On
the contrary, in this new theory the nectaries became essen-
tially organs of transition, mere forms of anterior organs ; they
were, in short, intermediary organs of passage between the pe-
tals and the stamens^. In the spirit of this philosophic me-
thod, it was necessary to understand, that in order for the
petal to become a stamen, in an ascending metamorphosis, it
must previously pass through the form of a nectary. More-
over, Goethe, who took precisely the Columbine as the exam-
ple of one of the most remarkable and most striking trans-
formations, considered, as he says, the cuculliform nectaries of
this flower as a derivation from the petalsf. We shall see, on the
contrary, that the progress of nature is a descending metamor-
phosis ; that is to say, that the nectary is, in its genesis, a sta-
men, and subsidiarily, that a stamen being developed as such,
it may afterwards turn into a nectary.

The theory of Goethe had made too little impression in
France to admit of the supposition, that in 1815 Mirbel set
out from it when he regarded the nectaries of the Columbine,
as well as all organs of the same kind, as anomalous forms of
the parts of the perianthium. The spur-shaped cornets of the
Aquilegia were also, in his eyes, forms of petals ; but the ano-
maly attacking all the petals at once, the flower remained re-
gular X' It was one of the successive alterations of types,
and in the Columbine particularly this alteration was created
in order to become an organ of secretion. A glandular lamina
existed for this purpose at the bottom of the cornet-shaped
petals §. The petal was the type.

This lamina we have never found ; and in the Aquilegia glan-
dulosa, the Aquilegia atrata, &c., we have seen that there only
exist one, or two, or three cornets without the regularity of
the flow^er being perverted, as is the case in the Nasturtium,

* Goethe. CEuvres d'Histoire Naturelle. Edition de Martius et Turpin.
Paris, 1837, p. 22G.

t Ibid, p. 228, chap. 56.

X Mirbeh Elemens de Physiologie, vol. i. p. 269.

§ Goethe. CEuvres d'Histoire Naturelle. Edition de Martius.

of the Aquilegia vulgaris. 5

Trop(Rolum, or the Lark^s-spur. The great German poet's
notions had not indeed at first all possible success in this
country. Willdenow always asserted that the spur {calcar)
was more an organ intended to preserve the nectar than to
prepare it, and that it was furthermore a sacciform elongation
of the corolline corona*. The first of these facts is evidently
erroneous. The second was also admitted by Jacquin.

Sprengel, when opposing Vaillant, who had also himself
declared that the nectary was always a production of the
corolla, placed the spurs of the Columbine in his class of Nee-
tarothecce, and characterized by the presence of the secreting
gland at the bottom of the cornet. Moreover, it never occurred
to his mind to investigate the anterior nature of this appara-
tus in the Passiflorece, in the Aconites, and a multitude of
other plants ; he sees only peculiar little machines, more or

less ornamented : machinulce peculiares eleganter co^

lorat(B-\,

DeCandolle, in 1819, adopts this view of the subject; but
the spur, according to him, is of a very different nature, —
an elongation, one while of the calyx, one while of the corolla,
one while of the perigonium ; but the stamens are still ex-
cluded from the floral organs which may produce this nec-
tary J. However, a year before, the celebrated botanist of Ge-
neva had positively declared that, in the AquilegicB corniculat(B,
without regard to species, the supplementary spurs arose from
a modification of the anthers which lengthened downwards ;
moreover, he recognises the origin of the stellated varieties
from the abortion of the anthers, and from the hypertrophy
of the filaments ; and lastly, that the scales which are situated
between the carpels and the stamens are stamens without
anthers, and with dilated and membranous filament8§. Biria
had made known the former facts ||. In 1827 these ideas were
again brought forward in the Organographie vegetate^. They
are, undeniably, the most accordant to the real state of
things.

Among the most recent authors we may mention Kurr,
who places the spurs of the Columbine with his nectarostig-
mata. A very curious remark of this accurate writer is, that
the greenish glands which secrete the nectar at the bottom of

* Willdenow. Grundriss der Krauterkunde, cap. 86-88. (Terminologie.)
t Linnsei Phil. Bot. edit. Sprengel (notes). Fructificatio 110.
X DeCandolle. Tlieorie 61ementaire, p. 406, § 395.
§ DeCandolle. Systema Regni Vegetabilis, vol. i. p. 333.
II Biria. Histoirenaturelle etmedicale desRenoncules, 1 fasc. Montpellier,
1811.

^ DeCandolle. Organographie, vol. i. pp. 484 — 496.

€ M. Morren on the Spur-shaped Nectaries

the spurred cornet, do not begin to afford this sugared liquid
until precisely when the first anther blows. The secretion
lasts only as long as the stamens are capable of performing
their functions, and at the end of three or four days the
flower leaves off this ejection of fluid and of pollen, and
drops the organs which produced both the one and the other*.
This curious remark is quite correct; we have verified it.
From this we might be led to suppose that the secretion of
the nectar, which is here so intimately connected with the
functions of the stamens, becomes necessary to the action of
the sexes ; but from ten unblown flowers, where there had
been neither dehiscence of the anthers, nor secretion of nectar
by the spurs, Kurr cut away those organs : the further de-
velopment took place without any difference, and these flowers
bore as many and as large fruits as they ordinarily do ; the
seeds germinated as usual f. This experiment gives great
support to those who consider the nectar as being only a true
excretion, comparable to our urine, and which is of no use,
at least in the great majority of cases, in the process of fecun-
dation, as was generally supposed. Kurr, however, does not
give his opinion as to the proper nature of the spurs.

Lindley, in his new edition of the ' Introduction to Botany,^
(1839) no longer gives (to the great regret of the friends of deep
scientific research) the interesting and useful part on mor-
phology; but this judicious author, in his edition of 1832 J,
had published some very curious details upon the Aquilegia
vulgaris. " The petals of this plant,^* says he, " consist of a
long, sessile, purple horn or bag. with a spreading margin,
while the stamens consist of a slender filament, bearing a
small, oblong, 2- celled, yellow anther. In single and regularly-
formed flowers, nothing can be more unlike than the petals and
stamens; but in double flowers the transition is complete.
The petals which first begin to change, provide themselves
with slender ungues : the next contract their margin, and
acquire a still longer unguis : in the next the purple margin
disappears entirely; two yellow lobes like the cells of the
anther take its place, and the horn, diminished in size, no
longer proceeds from the base, as in the genuine petal, but
from the apex of the now filiform unguis : in the last transi-
tion the lobes of the anther are more fully formed, and the
horn is almost contracted within the dimensions of the con-
nective, retaining, however, its purple colour : the next stage

* Kurr. Untersuchungen iiber die Bedeutung, &c. Stutgard, 1833.

t Ibid, p. 128.

: Lindley. Introduction to Botany (1832), p. 515.— [Ed. 1835, p. 536.]

of the Aquilegia vulgaris. 7

is the perfect stamen. No further evidence/' says our author,
" can, I think, be required of the formation of stamens out of
petals.^^

We see that Lindley had here followed the impulse given
by Goethe, and that he looked upon the cuculliform petals
(Richard) as proceeding towards the formation of the stamina
by an ascending metamorphosis. At present the spur is no
longer in his view anything but a modified petal*. A dis-
covery which we cannot dispute with him, since the germ of it
appears in his words, is that the horn of the Columbine is
really a lengthened connective, — a thing which we shall also
establish by direct proofs hereafter.

Although G. W. Bischoff, Professor of Botany at Heidel-
berg, does not give this morphological genesis of the spur in
the Aquilegia^ still this author helps to lead us to believe that
this is really the means which nature employs, in what he
has remarked respecting the metamorphosis of the nectar -
bearing horns of the Helleborus foetidus into normal stamensf.
Link sees nothing in the spur but a continuation of the
petal, characterized by the presence, at the end of its cavity,
of a cellular gland, but of which the cellules have walls
thicker than ordinar}^, — a thing which we take the liberty
of not admitting!. After M. Vogel of Bonn had sent me
his elegant memoir on the development of the parts of the
flower in the Leguminosae§, the study of the formation of
calcariform or cuculliform nectaries, according to the glosso-
logy of Richard II, became still more interesting. Indeed,
Schleiden and Vogel having proved, by their labours, that it is
not merely in idea, as a mental abstraction, that we are to
see in the floral organs nothing but the axis of the plant and
its leaves, but that this axis and its green leaves are really
and substantially found, placed regularly in the very small
buds, we thought that the investigation of the genesis of the
nectaries in the Columbine could not be without scientific
interest. DeCandoUe came to consider these horn-shaped
nectaries as anthers, by comparison; Lindley came to the
same conclusion by the observation of teratological cases ; it
was become therefore curious to test these views a priori
and a posteriori by organogenic proofs : and this is what we
have proposed to ourselves.

* Lindley. Introduction to Botany (1839), p. 169.

t Gottlob Wilhelm BisehofF. Lehrbuch der Botanik, vol. i. p. 404. (1833.)
% Link. Elementa Philosophise Botanicse, vol. ii. p. 130.
§ Schleiden und Vogel. Beitrage ziir Entwickelungsgeschichte der Blii-
mentheile bei den Leguminosen. (Act. Nat. Curios, vol. xix. p. 1.)
II Richard. Nouv. El^mens de Botanique, 1838, p. 333.

8 M. Morren on the Spur-shaped Nectaries

Let us see, first, what takes place in a flower of Aquilegia
vulgaris calcarata.

1. Metamorphosis of the stamen into a spur-shaped nectary.

The stamen of the Columbine has a thread-shaped filament
slender, flexible and yellow, and a two-celled anther with pa-
rallel cells, slightly swelled, opening with a slit and united by
a narrow connective, the whole yellow. The connective is
even hardly visible (Plate XL fig. 1).

In many flowers, we find along the spire which leads in-
sensibly from the androeceum to the corolla, stamens which
turn into nectaries. To bring this about, the filament en-
larges at its base; the connective is, at the opposite pole,
the other organ which becomes modified, and it is even the
most active of all in this transformation. It enlarges above,
by separating the two loculi of the anther, and it grows to a
point. This is not slow in becoming bifurcate, so that the
connective is soon bilobate. (Figs. 2 and 7«)

To this modification, which up to this period does not at-
tack the regularity of the organ, two ways of transformation
succeed. In the one, one of the loculi of the anther disap-
pears, in the other it remains visible with its fellow. The
first of these modifications might induce a belief that the spur
is a sac formed by one half of an anther or by a loculus, but
this genesis is but a deceitful appearance. The second way
of transformation proves that the spur is a sac-shaped con-
nective, and that the two lobes of its limb represent the two
loculi of the anther originally united by this same connective.

If such a spur-shaped nectary can be obtained, as from its
nectar-secreting gland is truly a nectary, and that in it the
two lobes of its limb exist as an elongation of the two an-
ther-cells, still visible enough to attest their presence, it is
clear that this second way of transformation should be ad-
mitted. Now this is precisely what experience confirms. In
the Columbine we find this form, not so frequently as the
first, it is true ; but it is found, and that is all that is neces-
sarj^ This case we have delineated (Plate VII. fig. 6). On a
stamen thus modified, besides a well-formed filament [c h),
we find the tw^o loculi of the anther, still bearing pollen, but
which open more widely [a b), separated by a small connec-
tival eminence (c). Each of the swellings which represent the
anther-cells produces an elongation in form of a thick margin
{e), which, reaching from the inside to the outside, goes to
form the circumference of the two lobes of the cornet {d g),
separated by a slit {f). Each lobe corresponds to a cell, and
originates from it ; it is only indeed that same cell length-

of the Aquilegia vulgaris. 9

ened. Lastly, i represents the belly of the cornet, and at k we
find the gland which, for its part, secretes whilst the pollen
no longer issues from the loculi, and little by little its struc-
ture is annihilated.

This case of metamorphosis not only proves, as we said
above, that the two lobes of the cornet of the Columbine are
derivations from the cells of the anther, but it puts out of
doubt that the tube of the cornet is the lengthened connective.
A circumstance which we must not lose sight of in this phi-
losophic study of a metamorphosed flower, is that the nectar-
bearing gland, an organ of emission, and which rids the
flower of its excess of carbon, is found at the opposite pole
to the pollen-bearing loculi, other organs of emission which
also excrete from the individual, but in this case for the pre-
servation of the species, a substance eminently charged with
carbon. At the two poles then the same function exists,
but the one does not begin till the other ceases ; that is to say,
the nectarial gland does not exist or become developed until
the pollen apparatus wastes away and becomes obsolete.
This subject certainly merits a reflection ; even should I be
accused of seeing, in Botany, more than my own eyes can
see, and especially should I be accused of allowing to myself,
in a science of observation, some stretch of imagination. For
my part, I could never comprehend how inquiry into the truths
of nature should put aside the understanding, and reduce
it to a state of inaction which would render it useless. Be-
hind and above facts I always conceive something superior
and anterior; for facts are effects, and it is to the know-
ledge of causes that we ought to endeavour to come. Now
here, in the particular problem which occupies us, I see a
verification of the law of organic compensation and a realiza-
tion of the unity of composition. Thus, the nectaries are one
with the stamens, the stamens one with the leaves, the leaves
ONE with themselves, as autochthonous organs. So much
for the law of unity. Moreover, the gland is at the end of the
nectary, because, by its nature a stamen, the pollen is at
the other end; there is a change in the product, but not a
change of nature, and by the side of this law of polarity there
is that of compensation ; for, in proportion as the anther-cell
closes to render the pollen abortive, there is a development of
the gland which begins to secrete the nectar; the evolution of
the gland brings on the atrophy of the cell, but, fundamentally,
there always remains an apparatus of emission.

Let us return to the Columbine : we have said that one
way of transformation, and it is the most common one, would
lead to a belief that the nectar-bearing sac may be in some
instances the representative of a loculus of the anther. From

10 M. Morren on the Spur-shaped Nectaries

a slight examination we should in fact conchide so. As a
proof of this, see the states deUneated figures 3, 4, 5 and 6.
We often see a stamen, with a filament dilated at its base,
take two horns above {c d), whilst one loculus of the anther,
inflated, no longer yields pollen ; and the other, being atro-
phized to such a degree as no longer to appear except as a
yellow gland {b), seems to have produced a rounded sac (e).
This sac, the commencement of the cornet, should w-e not
suppose it to be a modified anther-cell? and yet w^e have
just seen that the tendency of the cells is to produce the
lobes of the limb of the cornet, and not its tube. There
is a mistake, indeed, as to the true signification of this en-
largement, which is nothing but the middle of the connective
itself. The connective extends itself outwards, and its hy-
pertrophy brings with it the atrophy of the cells or of one
cell of the anther; it signifies little whence substance comes
to it, so that it only come. This is why the production of
the spur does not always cause the whole anther to be meta-
morphosed all at once.

The better-formed cornets, and which even possess all the
essential parts, — expanded limb, apex with two lobes and a slit,
dilated faux, lengthened tube and terminal gland ; these cornets,
1 say, sometimes still exhibit a trace of their old and primi-
tive nature in the anther-cell, hardly visible, but distinguished
by its yellow colour, whilst all the rest is white and blue, and,
above all, distinguished by the grains of pollen that it still
encloses in its bosom (fig. 4).

The conditions (figs. 5 and 6) are tendencies towards a re-
gularized form of well-constituted nectaries. The condition
(fig. 6) is that found in the common Aquilegice, Nothing here
w^ould lead to the supposition of an antherine nature, had not
this strange metamorphosis been followed step by step.
. It is evident, that aU these cornets being hollow, and de-
veloped one above the other in several spirals (fig. 16), all like-
wise enter one into another (fig. 8), but it is inexact to say
that then the glands no longer secrete. This is a mistake :
the secretion continues, and, indeed, the tubes never com-
pletely close those into which they have entered.

Let us now examine in what manner the cornets are gene-
rated in a flower of Aquilegia taken at its first periods of de-
velopment.

2. Organogeny of the spur-shaped nectaries.

To ascertain this organogeny, w^e have followed the method
employed by Schleiden and Vogel. Taking a very young
bud, which had hardly attained the length of a millimeter and

of the Aquilegia vulgaris. 1 1

a half (fig. 10), we took off its calyx in water and with very fine
needles. The central part then showed itself as a little sphere,
whereon the stamina, having just quitted their form of green
foliary gibbosities, now assumed that of two parallel protu-
berances (figs. 11 and 12). Upon these the connective is pro-
portionally more developed than at a later period (fig. 12) ;
the filament is dilated and very small; the anther is pro-
portionally much larger, but it is still discoid, so that it is
easier to discover in it the form of the blade of a leaf.

We were very curious to ascertain what the petals then were.
The specimen which we dissected was one which would have
had two rows of cornets. Now one of these rows (the exte-
rior one) was formed by small circular laminae, barely provided
with a support, but these laminae exhibited the same consti-
tution as the anthers of the stamens described above (fig. 14) :
in fact, two gibbosities, representing the anther-cells (a, c) ;
a very broad connective (b) ; and around all this a disc {d), of
which, moreover, the trace also exists on the anther of a sta-
men proceeding in its development as such.

Here it is impossible to mistake the primitive stamina! na-
ture of the organ which at a later period is to become a hood-
shaped petal, that is to say, a cornet-shaped nectary. It is
evident that, after the first condition of the flower, — that in
which all the parts were still cellular tubercles, similar to the
primitive condition of a leaf, — the nectarial petal, before be-
coming such, was similar to a stamen. This is what caused
us to say above, that the spur-shaped nectaries of the Columbine
did not produce stamens by ascending metamorphosis, but that
they were, on the contrary, stamens modified by a descending
metamorphosis. In short, before being petals, they are rather
stamens, or at least anthers, than anything else.

The row of small scales, which also become hood-shaped
petals, but placed higher, exhibits at this age of the flower a
more complete disappearance of the anther-like form. The
anther betrays itself there only by the dilatation of the blade
and its attenuated border (fig. 13 b), but there is but one com-
mon gibbosity in the place of the two parts which represented
the loculi.

We took a bud three millimeters long (fig. 15), and stripped
it of its calycinal envelopes. The stamens in this were better
constituted, the filaments lengthened, the connective propor-
tionally more contracted, and the loculi very distinct (fig. .17).
The petaloid blades, on the contrary, were very broad, hardly
pedicelled ; but in the middle there is still the trace of the con-
nective (^5 fig. 19), and on the sides two protuberances, not so
large, but prominent enough to discover in them the anther-

12 M. Morren on the Spur-shaped Nectaries

cells (fig. 19, a) ; traces or waves which incline us to suppose
that there is a lateral extension of these cells to produce the
petaloid lamina (fig. 19, c). It is evident that this is the
anther flattening and dilating itself in order to become the
petaloid lamina ; and hardly does a bud attain the length of
five millimeters before the laminae are hollowed into tubes ;
and the spur-shaped nectaries^ already making a projection
outwards between the sepals of the calyx^ are all formed (figs.
20 and 21).

This examination proves that_, in the genesis of the spur-
shaped nectaries, Nature first forms a leaf then a stamen, and
that she converts the anther of this into a petal, at first flat
and then hood-shaped.

The nectary is then always a derivation from the stamen
— a descending metamorphosis of the stamen.

This is precisely one of the facts which we have stated
above. If it be to the detriment of the anthers that these
singular spurs are produced in the Columbine, it was also a
matter of interest for us to inquire if the laminae noticed by
DeCandolle between the carpels and the stamens are in reality
abortive stamens. It is known that this author was in doubt
concerning the nature of these organs. " One might say/^ he
writes, in his ^ Organography */ " that they are either abor-
tive stamens or interior petals.^^ The latter opinion would be
contrary to all the laws of Morphology previously established,
for the coroUine apparatus is exterior to the androeceum.
However, to ascertain the true nature of these lamellae, we have
had recourse to an organogenic examination.

In a bud three millimeters long, we found these lamellae
composed (fig. 18) of a distinct base and summit. The sum-
mit is formed of two lateral swellings [a b, fig. 18), between
which is a projecting lamella {c, fig. 18), The base is lamelloid
and winged, with a nervure in the middle [d, fig. 18). There
is here evidently a staminal structure : the sw ellings are the
loculi of the anther, the projecting lamella the connective, and
the lamelloid base the filament.

Now, in a well-developed flower, nothing remains of this
summit, which becomes a true continuation of the lamella of
the base. Thus the filament suffers hypertrophy, especially
in breadth, and the anther, on the contrary, suffers atrophy.
The base carries away the summit ; the one pole as it dilates
diminishes the other.

The lamell(B of the Columbine are then really stamens mo-
dified by the annihilation of the pollen-bearing apparatus, and
by the super-development of the filament.
* Vol. i. p. 484.

o/* //ie Aquilegia vulgaris. 13

It now became interesting, after these researches, to study
what takes place in the tissues when the anther becomes a
nectary. Our observations upon this we comprise in the fol-
lowing third chapter.

3. Histology of the nectary.

The anther is, as appears from the observations of Purkinje,
Mirbel, &c., an apparatus characterized by a peculiar form of
tissue. The endotheca, formed by fibro-cellular cells (inen-
chyme), hence affords a valuable means of distinguishing the
part which the tissulary elements perform in metamorphoses.
We were, for our part, greatly desirous of ascertaining this,
after observation had convinced us that one stamen will
change its nature and become a petal, and notwithstanding,
will show in its interior tissue its first destination ; whilst
another stamen will modify its tissues along with its exterior
form. We shall instance here, for the first of these cases,
what we have seen in the Reseda odorata, mediterranean lu-
tea, luteola, &c. Our readers no doubt remember the inter-
esting discussion on the nature of this flower between Dr.
Lindley on one side, Mr. Robert Brown and Mr. Henslow
on the other. Now in these flowers it is evident that the white
filaments, which we have discovered to be the only organs of
odour in this fragrant flower, are but modified stamens*. In-
deed, we find in their interior, and especially at the upper end,
an inenchymatous tissue, formed of fibre-bearing cells similar
to those of the endotheca of an anther of the same plant, — in-
deed, identical with them. Now we do not think that a petal,
properly so called, contains a similar tissue, excepting in some
genera of Orchidece, as the Catasetum. The staminal nature
becomes quite evident by means of this entirely endothecal
anatomy. In other plants, as for example in the PcBonia offi-
cinalis, where the stamen becomes a petal, nothing similar
takes place. The tissue of the modified part is decidedly either
altogether staminal (inenchymatous), or altogether corolline
(cellular).

Purkinje had already made known the form of the inenchy-
matous cells of the endotheca of the Aquilegia Gleberif. The
fibres are radiated, oblique, and unite at the centre in a plate.
The endothecal cells of the Aquilegia vulgaris (Plate XI. fig. 22)

* There is often a monstrosity in the Reseda which causes atrophy in the
white filaments or the fringes of the petals. Then the flower is without
any scent. No sooner are these fringes developed than the perfume be-
gins to be perceptible. White colour in plants is often the indication of an
agreeable scent. Here it is the stamens that grow white, in order to send
forth a perfume.

f De Cellulis Antherarum fibrosis, p. 55. tab. xv. fig. 15.

14 M. Morren on the Spvr-shaped Nectaries

are the same. They are stars, viith diverging rays, to the
number of eight or ten, which, seen from above, resemble the
actinenchyme of Hayne. The junction of the radiating fibres
takes place on a large plate (fig. 22, b).

What becomes of this inenchymatous tissue in the meta-
morphosis of the anther into a spur ? Does it continue with
its form, as in the Reseda, or does it disappear, as in the Pee-
onia ? With respect to this, observation shows, that the fibri-
ferous cells lose their fibres at the same time that they change
their form : from having been sphaerenchyme this tissue be-
comes pinenchyme (fig. 22, A and B) ; and whilst the cell,
from being spherical as it had been, becomes tubuliform, the
fibre is resolved and disappears ; its colour changes from yel-
low to blue, and instead of a star, only a blue liquid is seen
there, without granules. I did not observe that the cytoblast,
although my attention was especially fixed upon it, acted the
least part in this histological metamorphosis.

When the spur is formed, the nectar-bearing gland appears
like a mass of rounded cells (fig. 23 b), smaller and rounder
than those of the derm (fig. 23 a).

The vascular system of the connective, on the contrary, per-
forms an important part in this succession of changes of form,
structure and function. Restricted at first, constituted by
few fibres, in which we see fine tracheae, hard to be unrolled,
and pleurenchyme, this system soon divaricates its anasto-
moses, and fibres may be perceived in various directions, which,
united, form an apparatus much larger than the primitive
state.

It is evident from these researches, that the metamorphosis
of the anther into a spur, that the change of the pollen-bearing
apparatus into the nectar-bearing apparatus, attack the deep-
est tissues, and that if a morphological metamorphosis takes
place, an histological metamorphosis takes place also. If the
functions change, there is, as we see, a phaenomenal transla-
tion of this change by that which exists most intimately in
the organization — the tissular constitution. Cases of meta-
morphosis, indeed, only become interesting to the physiolo-
gist, when he comes to know what at the same time is pass-
ing in the tissues. We may therefore say here, that if, in the
Columbine, the connective forms the nectar-bearing spur, this
change leads to the metamorphosis of the inenchyme of the
anther-cells into parenchyme, and that the metamorphosis at-
tacks in as great a degree the entire organism as the tissues
which compose it.

We have now to add a few words relative to the varieties of
Aquilegice called stellated. DeCandolle attributes the peta-

.^^/2 dMa^.A^6tt.MsfXo\^ .PI XT

C?f,.2lIorren cie7..

^^z/ilefg^ v/v/^a.ri?.

^JJ.C.Sowerihy sc7/lp,

of the Aquilcgia vulgaris. 1 5

loid form of the petals of these varieties to their being formed
only by the filaments of modified stamens in which the an-
thers are abortive. This would be an hypertrophy of the sta-
minal filaments. We would not venture to say that this is
exact : on the contrary, we think that the petaloid and not
cuculliform laminae of the stellated Columbines are also in
reality only modified connectives, and we rest this opinion
on the fact that the genesis of these laminae presents in the
young flowers the same primary forms as the cornets : these
are at first stamens without filaments, but with enlarged
anthers. This point alone is decisive ; but upon the Aqui-
legia atrata we have often found flowers where the laminae
form their spur by slow degrees. This spur, at first a cavity,
afterwards a canal, then a tube, then at last a cornet, ori-
ginates at the base of the laminae, so that the greater part of
these represent the two lobes of the cornets of the Aquilegia
vulgaris calcarata, which lobes we have shown to be nothing
but the extensions of the two anther-cells. We think, there-
fore, that it is to the anther also that the petaloid lamina is
owing. On a flower of the Aquilegia atrata we have seen a
well-formed lamina without a trace of spur ; the following one
had a simple protuberance, the third a tube, the fourth a half-
spur, and the fifth an entire spur. All this was the result of
a simple elongation of the base of the lamina: now, if this
were not an anther in its nature, it would be difficult to ad-
mit that the filament could produce the same organs as the
anther, and the more so as the facts previously established
prove that the gland represents, as to function, the pollen-
bearing loculus, and the nectar the pollen, whilst the cornet
is really the connective. The filament, when it suffers hyper-
trophy, as is the case in the white lamellae near the carpels,
gives birth to no product ; whilst, on the contrary, the peta-
loid laminae produce a nectary, and subsequently nectar. Or-
ganogeny, morphology, and the metamorphoses, unite then in
leading us to think, that in the stellated Columbine the spurless
petals are modified anthers and not filaments, and capable, as
such, of elongating themselves directly into spur-shaped nec-
taries under many circumstances.

EXPLANATION OF PLATE XL

Fig. 1 — 8. Metamorphoses of the stamen into a spur-shaped nectary.
Fig. 8 only is of the natural size ; the others are magnified three
times in diameter.

Fig. 2. Stamen at its first period of metamorphosis.
a. Lengthened connective. c. Anther-cells.

h. Bifid point of the connective. d. Filament.

16 M. Morren on the Nectaries q/* Aquilegia.

Fig. 3. Stamen still more metamorphosed.

a. A very dis-tinct anther-cell.

h. Rudiment of the second. d. Lamina of the connective.

c. Connective. e. Sac or beginning of the spur.

Fig. 4. Stamen almost entirely modified.

a. Loculus of the anther. c. Its belly.

b. Spur-shaped sac. d. Nectarial gland.
e. Lobe, and/, the other lobe of the limb.

Figs. 5. and 6. Ulterior modifications of the stamen, where the nature of the
spur is well determined.

Fig. 6. his. Spur-shaped nectary^ where the staminal nature has left all its
traces.
a. and h. Loculiof the anther.

c. Intermediary part of the connective between the two loculi.

d. Lobe of the limb of the nectary.

e. Marginal extension of the anther-cell.

/. Fissure of the limb. g. Another lobe of the limb.
h Filament or support of the nectary.
i. Spur. k. Nectarial gland.

Fig. 7. Stamen where the connectival elongation is the most evident.

Fig. 8. Insertion one within another of the spur-shaped nectaries.

Fig. 9. One of the lamellae situated between the stamens and the carpels of
the common Columbine.

Fig. 10. Bud of the natural size, in which the formation of the stamens was
observed.

Fig. 11. Androeceum of this bud, considerably magnified.
a. and b. Very young stamens ; their anther alone is visible.

Fig. 12. Stamen of this andrceceum separated, greatly magnified.

Figs. 13. and 14. Young petals of this bud (fig. 10).
a. Disc. h. Margin.
c. Prominence indicating the anther-cells.

Fig. 15. A rather larger bud.

Fig. 16. Androeceum and flower of this bud deprived of its calyx,
a, b, c. Petaloid laminaa. d. Stamens.

Fig. 17. One of these stamens considerably magnified.

Fig. 18. One of the laminae situated between the stamens and the carpels.
a, b. Traces of the anther -cells.
c. Connective. d. Filament.

Fig. 19. Young petals of this bud (fig. 15).

a. Traces of the anther-cells.

b. Connective. c. Lamellary margin magnified.

Fig. 20. A much larger bud of the natural size.

Fig. 21. The same stript of its calyx, considerably magnified.

a. Nectaries. b. Their fitting into each other. c. Stamens.

Fig, 22. Portion of the anther-cell dissected for the purpose of seeing its

, tissues.

A. Endotheca. B. Exotheca.

a. Endothecal cell. b. Its fibre.
Fig. 23. Tissues of the nectarial gland.

a. Exterior cellular tissue. b. Interior cellular tissue.

Mr. Stephens on Fungi of the neighbourhood of Bristol, 1 7

II. — On the Fungi of the Neighbourhood of Bristol By Mr.
H. O. Stephens.

To the Editors of the Magazine and Annals of Natural History.

Gentlemen,

Since the publication of my paper on the Mycology of the
neighbourhood of Bristol in the Number of the Annals of
Natural History for December, 1839, vol. iv. p. 246, I have
gathered the following species, a few of which have not been,
I believe, as yet mentioned as British :

Agaricus Clypeolarius, Bull. Flax ; Bourton Coomb, Somerset.

Ag. olivaceo-albus, Fries. Leigh Wood.

Ag. 'pachyphyllus. Berk. Under oak trees, Leigh Wood.

Ag. imhricatus. Fries. Fir plantations, Bourton Coomb.

Ag. blandus, Berk. About way-sides, and in ditches among leaves,
Stapleton, &c. ; not an uncommon species.

Ag. inamoenus. Fries. Bourton Coomb.

Ag. murinaceus. Bull. Leigh Wood.

Ag. butyracews. Bull. Bourton Coomb.

Ag. confluens, Pers. Woods, common.

Ag. undatus. Berk., Ag. insititius. Fries, Epicrisis Syst. Mycolog,
vol. i. p. 386, No. 48. Leigh Wood, on the ground in mossy
places.

Ag. ulmarius, Bull. Rather general on elms in the autumn of 1840.
Brunswick Square, Bristol. Redland.

Ag. palmatus. Bull. On a decaying tree, Leigh Wood, growing in
great numbers, tiled one above another, on the upper branches of
the tree. Agreeing with Withering's description of Agaricus fee-
tidus.

Ag, validus. Berk. Stapleton Wood.

Ag. cinnamomeus, Linn. Leigh Wood, not abundant.

Ag. cinnamomeus, Bolton, tab. 22. This Agaric, though known to
Purton and Withering, seems to be quite a puzzle to our best mo-
dern mycologists. Greville and Berkeley consider it to be a state
of Ag. fastibilis. Having found a few plants under oak trees
in Leigh Wood this autumn, I am enabled to say positively it is
not a state of the last-mentioned plant. I do not draw up a
character at present, because the plants were old. Bolton says
it abounds about Halifax, but I suppose it must be a local spe-
cies, or it would be better discriminated. It must bear the name
of Ag. pseudo-cinnamomeus, given by Nees ab Esenbeck in his
Commentary on Bolton's Fungusses appended to Willdenow's
translation of that work.

Ag. bombycinus, SchsefF. On an old hawthorn tree, Ashley.

Ag. stipatus, Pers. Ditches, Stapleton, Leigh Wood, not uncommon.

Ag. Candollianus, Fries. In dense clusters where trees had been
felled, Stapleton.
Ann. §• Mag. N. Hist. Vol, vii. C

1 8 Mr. Stephens on Fungi of the neighbourhood of Bristol,

Ag, papilionaceus, Bull. On dung, Stapleton, &c., not uncommon.

Ag. Boltoni. On cow-dung, Stapleton Wood.

Ag. radicatus, Bolt. On flower-pots in green-houses.

Polyporus armeniacus, Schseff. On decaying branches, Leigh Wood.

Boletus viscidus, Linn. Pileus pulvinate, scrobiculate, dirty yellow-
ish white, copiously covered with slime. Stem scrobiculate
below the ring, above the ring reticulated, the reticulations
formed by imperfect tubes covered with slime, and of the same
colour as the pileus. Flesh dingy white, with a tinge of dirty
yellow ; when bruised turning verdigris-green, hence B. eerugi-
nascens, Secretan fide Fries. Pores large, adnate, angular,
compound, clay-coloured. The veil is permanent, as in Boletus
Grevillei ; but a portion frequently remains round the edge of the
pileus, forming a shiny web as in the division Limaceum of
Agarics. A species not before detected in Britain.

Hydnum membranaceum. Bull. On sticks, Leigh Wood. Hyd. fim-
briatum, Pers. Ditto.

Hydnum fusco-atrum, Fries, Epicris. Syst. Mycolog. vol. i. p. 515,
No. 66. On decaying wood, Leigh Wood.

Clavariafusiformis, Sow. Leigh Wood, &c. Not very rare.

Leotia lubrica. Scop. Stapleton Grove. Abundant last autumn.

Peziza granulosa, Schum. Pers. Mycolog. Europ. vol. i. p. 225,
No. 14. On the naked earth in a beech wood, Stapleton, sum-
mer. Not before detected in England.

Pez. echinophila, Bull. Pers. Synop. p. 661, No. 97. On decaying
pericarps of the Castanea vesca, Cunnegar, near Dunster, So-
merset. I have likewise received it from Mr. Berkeley.

Pez. claro'fiava, Grev. On a stick, Stapleton Wood.

Pez. furfur acea. Roth. On hazel stumps, Leigh Wood.

Phallus caninus, Hudson. My plants were not inodorous, as stated
by Withering, but detestably foetid. The uteri are frequently
found empty. Leigh Wood.

Nidularia crucibulum and striata. Leigh Wood.

Sphceria lateritia. Fries. On the gills of Ag. Necator, Leigh Wood,
this autumn. At first glueing the gills of the Agaric together
with a white substance, in which state it is with difliculty dis-
criminated. The contents of the perithecia, which are white,
ooze out as in its congener Sph. aurantia, giving the plant the
frosted appearance mentioned by Fries. The juiciness and de-
composition of the parent plant depends upon the original na-
ture of the matrix, for in my specimens the Agaric is dry and
shrivelled.

Sph. fibrosa. On blackthorn, common. Sph. Trifolii, Fers. Ditto.
Sph. aquila, Fries. On rotten sticks, Stapleton. Sph. ovina,
Pers. On decaying stumps, Leigh Wood.

Sph. pulveracea, Ehr. On dry wood, Leigh Wood. Doubtful.

Sph. vagans, var. Rumicis. Everywhere. Sph. (Depazea) Antir-
rhini. Kingsdown.

Phoma circinans. Berk. Species nova, on Yucca gloriosa. Abun-
dant in gardens. This plant was determined by Mr. Berkeley,

Dr. Grundlach on Bats from Cuba. 19

to whom I sent it with an erroneous name. An analogous spe-
cies occurred on Dracaena fragrans.
Phacidium Patellte, Tode. On stems of Conium maculatum. Unex-

panded.
Cenococcum geophilum, Fr. Underground, amongst the roots of
Bryum hornum, Stapleton, I have received it from Mr. Berke-
ley.
Stilbum tomentosum, Schrad. On Trichia clavata, Leigh Wood.
Puccinia Glechomatis, DeCand. On ground-ivy, Durdham Down.
Puc. variabilis, Grev. On Leontodon Taraxacum, Minehead.
Puc. Lychnidearum, Link. On Lychnis diurna, Stapleton.
Uredo caricina, Schleich. Epidermis ruptured on Luzula sylva-
tica, Stapleton. Uredo Caryophyllacearum, Johnst. On SteU
laria graminea, Minehead, accompanied by a dark brown Puc-
cinia.
Omitted. — Thelejyhora arida. Fries. On the bark of oak trees,
Leigh Wood ; it is not confined to the bark, but spreads over
the interior of hollow trunks in wide patches.
Since my first catalogue was published, I have been indebted to
the politeness of Mr. J. E. Gray, of the British Museum, for the use
of the System of Fries, and Sowerby's Figures, and to Mr. Berkeley
for some corrections. I therefore take this opportunity to rectify
some errors in the former Catalogue : — Cantharellus confluens is a
small, densely crowded variety of Canth. sinuosus, Fries, Helvetia flo-
riformis, Sowerby. Thelephora amorpha is doubtful. Sph6sria in-
cana, mihi, is Sph. coprophila, Fries, Syst. Mycolog. vol. ii. p. 340,
No. 37. It had not previously been detected in England, and there-
fore was not described by any British author.

Henry Oxley Stephens,
Terrell Street, Bristol, Oct. 15, 1841.

III. — Description of Four Bats taken in Cuba. By
Dr. Grundlach*.

Vespertilio barlatus, Grundlach. Pale, chestnut-brown, tips of
hair on the upper side darker. Near the muzzle provided with very
short hairs, and defined by a curve of longer hairs extending from
one angle of the mouth to the other, and which at the mouth angle
form a kind of beard. Between the nose and this curve of hairs
there is still a smaller interrupted one on the nasal bridge. Ears
somewhat prolonged to an obtuse point. Tragus at the base narrow,
then expanding, its inner angle curving in a point.

Entire length 2" 3'". Length from the tip of the nose to the com-
mencement of the tail 1" 3'", consequently, length of tail 1". Spur
3'". Breadth 6'". Thumbs 1'" long.

Found in buildings of the Cafetal St. Antonio el Fundador.

* Communicated and translated by Mr. W. Francis, A.L.S., from Wieg-
mann's Arcliiv. 1810. Part IV.

C2

io Dr. Grundlach on Bats from Cuba.

Nos. 2 and 3 form a new genus*, which I propose to call

LoBOSTOMA. Lohed-mouthed. The characters are :
Above and below 4 incisors, the upper ones are of unequal size ; viz,
in the centre are two large double, and at the sides a small simple
tooth ; and molars not yet examined, as I did not wish to destroy the
only specimen I have as yet taken. Upper margin of the muzzle
very prominent, and forms, with two membranaceous folds at the side
of the nose, a surface directed obliquely downwards, in which the
nostrils are likewise situated. Inferior lip, besides the true lip, has
two membranaceous folds one behind the other : the anterior one
furnished with warts, and the posterior one consisting partly of one
piece, partly divided in the middle. Ears separated. Tail for the
greatest part hidden in the interfemoral membrane, the apex free be-
yond the produced membrane.

LoBOSTOMA cinnamomeum, Grundlach. Above dark, beneath a
light cinnamon-brown. The base of the hairs everywhere fainter.
Face with blacker hairs. Ears short, wide, rounded, at the inferior
margin fringed with hairs, which are likewise perceptible on the
folds in the ears. Tragus short, on the inner side with an incisure.
Nasal ridge bald. Upper lip furnished towards the angles of the
mouth with longer cinnamon-brown hairs, with silky lustre. Ante-
rior lip-leaf somewhat elongate, 4-angular, posteriorly bipartite, each
part with an indentation in the centre. The nose, leaves of the
lower lip, margins of the ear and wings, are blackish brown. The
hairs form a cavity above the nose and beneath the chin.

liCngth of the entire body 3" 5'". Length of body from the point
of the nose to the commencement of the tail 1" 10'". The tail is,
down to where it becomes free, lOi'", the free portion is 2'" in length.
The interfemoral membrane extends from where it becomes free 8^'"
further. Spur 81'" long. Breadth lOJ".

The only specimen was taken flying about in the evening in the
room of the Cafetal St. Antonio el Fundador.

LoBOSTOMA quadridens, Grundlach. Colour of fur pale brown-
ish gray, the tips of the hairs on the upper side darker. About
the throat the colour passes more into yellow. Ear-aperture wide.
Upper margin much elongated to an obtuse point. Above, at the
posterior margin, it is somewhat waved. The lower half of the front
margin is expanded ; the expansion itself forms four little teeth. The
front lip-leaf extends to the angle of the mouth, the hind one is un-
divided and but little shorter than the front one, on which its margin
rests. The warts of the front one are only present in the centre. The
membranaceous folds on the sides of the nose projecting at their
upper margin to a point. Nose above naked. Wings, nose, lip-leaves
and margins of ears blackish brown.

Length of the entire body 1" 6^"', of the tail in the membrane

* The genus appears to be the same with Gray's Chilonycteris (Ann.
Nat. Hist. iv. p. 4) ; but the species are undescribed, and differ from Chi,
MacLeayii, Or., which was Hkewise found in Cuba. — Wiegmann.

Sir W. Jardine on the /fa5e^5 o/* Lepidosiren annectens. 21

6^"', without it 3^'", of the interfemoral membrane from the be-
coming free of the tail 7^'". Of the spur 7i"'. Expanseofwings8"3"'.

Hub. same as the former.

4. Rhinopoma CarGlinense, GeofFr. As, from want of a good
description, I am not certain with regard to the determination, I will
communicate the description of the animal in my possession.

Fur brownish gray. Above darker than beneath. Base of the hairs
whitish. Ears wide, naked, only haired outwardly at the cohesion,
and inwardly in front where the concavity commences. 6 — 7 warts
on the front margin of the ear. Furnished with longer bristle-hairs
on the nasal bridge, at the toes of the hind feet, and at the anus and
sexual orifice. Lip large, projecting far beyond the inferior lip.
Wings blackish brown. The membrane between the anterior and
posterior legs is, in the vicinity of the body, beset with small tufts of
hairs. The margin of the interfemoral membrane has, in the neigh-
bourhood of the tail, two tooth-like projections, of which the exte-
rior one originates from the end of the spur. Tragus 4-angular,
at its inner margin somewhat sloped. Length of the entire animal
4", of the body from the tip of the nose to the commencement of
the tail 1" 11"', of the tail 2" 1"'. Usually the tail is inclosed 8'",
and free 5"'. Spur 9'" long. Breadth Qf".

Hub. During daytime, beneath the roofs at Fundador.

IV. — Horcs Zoologies, By Sir W. Jardine, Bart.,
F.R.S.E. & F.L.S., &c.
No. IV. Remarks on the Structure and Habits of Lepidosiren
annectens.

As stated at the commencement of these * Horae/ and im-
plied by our motto*, we consider them intended to convey
whatever information, whether partial or complete, may come
in our way, and tend to illustrate zoology. The appearance
of Professor Owen^s important and carefully wrought paper
upon Lepidosiren annectens, printed in the last volume of the
Transactions of the Linnaean Societyf^ had been some time
looked for, and the interest which its perusal excited was still
further heightened by the loan of the other specimens of the
remarkable animal which Mr. Weir discovered on the Gambia,
and which have been kindly trusted for some time in our pos-
session by the sister of that gentleman, now residing in Edin-
burgh. Upon examination of these specimens, some of the
external parts appeared to vary from the figure and descrip-
tion given by Mr. Owen ; and as every observation relating to
the structure of an animal so curious must draw out some in-
ference associating with those around it, we shall describe
them minutely. But for the sake of those who may not have
access to the valuable Transactions alluded to, which, through
the various changes incident to scientific societies, especially
* See Annals, vol. iv. p. 160. t Vol. xviii. part 3. p. 327.

22 Sir W. Jardine on the Habits of Lepidosiren annectens.

to such as are now becoming venerable from long duration,
have maintained their standard excellence both in illustra-
tions and in the high character of communications^ and also
for the sake of our correspondents in distant countries, it may-
be right, first, shortly to run over the history of this singular
genus, and the results at which Mr. Owen has arrived in his
recent examinations.

The genus Lepidosiren was formed by Professor Natterer,
from an animal discovered in the rivers, or rather in the
swamps of South America. Two specimens only were ob-
tained; the one was found in a swamp on the left bank of the
river Amazon, the other was taken in a pond near Borba, on
the river Madeira, and they were described in the ^ Annals of
the Museum of Vienna,^ under the generic title above named.
In 1837, specimens of a remarkable animal were brought from
another continent, the vicinity of the river Gambia, in West-
ern Africa, by Thomas C. B. Weir, Esq. ; and one of them
being presented to the Royal College of Surgeons in London,
has served Mr. Owen for the account which has just now
been published*.

In its skeleton the Gambia species is partly osseous, partly
cartilaginous; the bodies of the vertebrae, for instance, are
not ossified. The articular surface of the lower jaw pre-
sents a more complicated structure than is usually ^observed in
Fishes and Reptiles. The ribs are thirty-six pairs, all simple,
slightly curved slender styles. The tentacles or rudimentary
fins are many-jointed ; the colour of the bones is green, and
altogether it offers a most singular and interesting combina-
tion of the cartilaginous and osseous types. The muscles of
the trunk present all the simplicity and uniformity charac-
teristic of the class of Fishes. There are no pancreatic caeca.
The intestine is traversed throughout by a spiral valve. The
branchiae resemble in form those of the Siren, consisting of
separate elongated filaments, attached only by one extremity
to the branchial arch ; but these extremities are fixed directly
to the branchial arch, and not to a common pedicle extended
therefrom, as in the Siren. Viewed with a moderate lens, the
tripinnatifid structure is beautifully seen in each branchial
filament. Thus, although these organs correspond in all es-
sential points with those of the true Fishes, yet the gills ap-
proximate, in their filamentary form, to those of the Perenni-
branchiate Reptiles. The female organs of generation present

* When making out the elaborate Catalogue for the learned body to
which he belongs, the generic name of Protopteriis suggested itself, but the
perusal of Dr. Natterer*s paper led him to believe that it was generically
identical.

Sir W. Jardine on the Habits of Lepidosiren annectens. 23

a grade as high as that which characterizes the Plagiostomous
Fishes ; while the elongated form of the ovaria and the con-
voluted disposition of the oviduct resemble more the same
parts in the Aocolotl, Amphiuma and Siren,

In all its organs^ with a single exception, it is considered
as almost intermediate in structure ; that exception exists in
the organ of smell, a character ^^ which is absolute in refer-
ence to the distinction of Fishes from Reptiles. In every fish
it is a shut sac, communicating only with the external surface ;
in every reptile it is a canal, with both an external and in-
ternal opening/^

Further, Mr. Owen considers the Lepidosiren as typical of
a new family, and forming a link to connect the higher Car-
tilaginous Fishes with the Sauroid genera Polypterus and Le-
pidosteus ; at the same time, it makes the nearest approach in
the class, to the Perennibranchiate Reptiles.

The specimen which we have examined was in total length
8|^ inches, and the body was more thickly and decidedly
spotted than that represented in the Linnaean Transactions.
The spots extend as far forward as the origin of the upper fin,
but are continued still further in indistinct cloudings; they take
the form of irregular blotches, and are largest, most distinct,
and in greatest numbers near the caudal extremity ; this may
be a variation incident to the animal, in the same way that the
spottings on various other fishes seldom agree. The caudal
fin or membrane arises gradually from the body, and the
scaUng is continued apparently as far as the rays reach ; above
this it becomes like a thin membrane, delicate and trans-
parent, and terminates in a minute and fine point. The whole
appearance in fact of this part is more like that of the mem-
brane which is produced at certain seasons upon some species
of Triton,

The extremities, or fins if they may be so termed, present
some differences when compared with Professor Owen's figure
and description. They are each regularly barred with brown,
or probably, in a living state, with dark olive. In the descrip-
tion alluded to, ^^ the pectoral tentacles'^ are said to be " some-
what shorter and more slender than the ventral ones ; the
former are two inches, the latter two inches four lines in
length*." In our specimen it is just the reverse : the princi-
pal ray of the pectoral tentacle is attenuated to a thread-like
point, and is 2 inches long ; the posterior is only l|^ths inch in
length. They also present another discrepancy : the principal
pectoral tentacle is accompanied above by two short and still
more rudimentary members, which do not seem to have been

« P. 3ao.

24 Sir W. Jardine on the Habits o/* Lepidosiren annectens.

present in Mr. Owen's specimen. They are of equal length,
about fths of an inch, and are barred as in the other ; but not

being permitted to make any dissection, it has been impossible
to determine whether they were also supported by cartilagi-
nous rays ; it is probable that they may not, or that they are
very slight, but their presence seems important, as presenting
a passage even more modified from the true fin composed of
several rays, to the state of a single tentacle destitute of any
palmation or approach to the structure of a more perfect ex-
tremity. The posterior tentacle is single, but is much more
strongly formed than the long ray of the anterior ; it presented
no other differences except in comparative length. Can the
additional pectoral tentacles be a sexual difference ?

The pores and ducts upon the head are disposed nearly as
we have endeavoured to represent them in the woodcut.
They are very large, and supply a large quantity of mucus ne-
cessary for, or at least assisting in, the preservation of the ani-
mal when it has retired from, or is deprived of, its native ele-
ment. Above and in front of the eye they are tortuous and
apparently continuous canals, and run backwards to com-
mence the lateral line ; and there is an angular one above
where each nostril is situate, the place of which can easily be
detected by looking with a magnifier at the snout, placed be-
tween the observer and the light.

The progressive motions of this creature we should conceive
to be performed entirely by the caudal or posterior half of the
body, their direction being regulated by the tentacles. We can
fancy them to be very nearly similar to those of the Tritons,

Sir W. Jardine on the Habits of Lepidosiren annectens. 25

which advance by a wriggling or sculling motion of the tail,
and direct themselves by their small anterior members, which
also are used to assist in raising themselves in the water upon
any body or plant, and we should scarcely consider these mem-
bers at all applied or used as organs of touch.

If the structure of this animal is remarkable, so also are some
habits in its oeconomical history, but we have to regret that
our information on these points is still very imperfect. Miss
Weir, in allowing us to examine the specimens of the fish, ac-
companied them with the following note, and a piece of the
hard clay alluded to in the Transactions of the Linnaean So-
ciety *, bearing the impression of the animal as if it had lain for
some time imbedded in it, and with the earth in such a state as
to allow" the form of the cast to be retained : "Fish taken in the
summer of 1835, on the shore of Macarthy's Island, about 350
miles up the river Gambia. They were found about eighteen
inches below the surface of the ground, which, during nine
months of the year, is perfectly dry and hard, the remaining
three months it is under water. When dug out of the ground

and put into water, the fish immediately unfold themselves
and commence swimming about." They are dug up with
sharp stakes and are used for food ; the accompanying wood-
cut represents the manner in which they are folded up at the
time they are procured ; it is drawn of the natural size, from
a second specimen preserved in spirits, which seemed to have
been rolled up in dried leaves, or in the leaves which might
have accumulated at the bottom of the water of the inundated
ground ; several adhered to it, and were kept in their place by
means of a large supply of mucus which still invested the
specimen, and may serve as a provision to assist in preser-
ving life during the torpidity or hybernation of the animal.

Note, — Since writing the above observations, we have per-
used the important paper by M. BischofFfrom the translation
pubhshed in a late number of the ^ Annales des Sciences Na-
* Note in vol. xviii. part 3. p. 328.

26 Mr. Strickland^s Commentary

turelles/ The South American species which is there treated
of seems to be in several points even more nearly allied to the
Cartilaginous Fishes than that from Africa, particularly in
the structure of its almost cartilaginous skeleton, and in the
spiral intestinal valve, which, from additional observations
made by MM. Bibron and Milne Edwards, appeared to be
still more developed than in the L, annectens. But it has
been found to differ from the last, and from Fishes, in an im-
portant particular, that of the heart possessing a double auri-
cle ; and also in the rays of the tentacles being of one piece,
and not jointed. The structure of the nostril we consider as
entirely analogous to that of the organ in Fishes : it is not a
respiratory organ in L, paradoa^a, the double opening is only
similar to the valvular separation of the sac in Fishes, and,
from the structure of the muscles, would seem to act some-
what similarly, and they will cause the passage to resist or pro-
mote the flow of the water through it. The position of the
opening to the lungs or air-bladder is also of importance in
the consideration of this question, and is in favour of its reptile
alliance ; but all the modifications of form must be balanced
with each other, and additional dissections are required of L,
annectens, which it may even yet be found necessary to sepa-
rate and place in Mr. Owen's proposed genus Frotopterus,

V. — Commentary on Mr. G. R. Gray's ^ Genera of Birds'
1840. By H. E. Strickland, Esq., M.A., F.G.S., &c.

[Continued from vol. vi. p. 423.]

P. 26. The date of Thunberg's genus Brachyurus (1743) seems to
be a misprint ; but not knowing in what work it is defined, I am un-
able to rectify it.

Myiophonus ought, I think, to be placed among the Turdina near
Petrocossyphus.

The Rock Thrushes were first defined by Boie in 1822, under the
name of Monticola, and afterwards altered by him in 1826 to Petro-
cossyphus. The former name ought therefore to stand, as authors
ought no more to alter their own generic names when once pub-
lished than those of others. But should there be any insuperable
objection to the name Monticola (of which I am not aware), then the
name Petrocincla, Vig., 1825, has the next claim. Bonaparte di-
vides the Rock Thrushes into two genera, Petrocincla (P. saxatilis)
and Petrocossyphus (P. cyaneus) . There seems not to be sufficient
ground for this separation ; but if adopted, a new name should be
given to P. cyaneus, because the name Petrocossyphus, Boie, is a
mere synonym of Petrocincla, Vig., and should therefore be can-
celled.

P. 27. Tardus novce-hollandice, Gm., is quoted by Mr. Gray as

on Mr. G. R. Gray^s ^ Genera of Birds,' 2J

the type both of Oreocincla and of Aplonis (p. 40). I cannot at the
moment ascertain to which of these genera this bird really belongs,
having no specimen of it at hand.

The genus Cichla, Wagl., belongs to the Troglodytince, near iWerM-
laxis, and its specific name, atricapilla, Lin., should be used instead
of longirostra, Gm.

The name Aipunemia, Sw. {cu-kvs and Kviifirj) should be written
JEpycnemia.

The genus Malacocercus (not Malacocircus) belongs to the Stur-
nincd rather than the Crater opodincd. The form and colour of the
bill and legs show a close affinity to Acridotheres. Is not Timalia
Somervillei, Frankl., a synonym of Malacocercus striatus ?

P. 28. It is not easy to say where the genus Icteria should be
classed, but it is clearly out of place among the Crateropodince, which,
when reduced within their natural limits, seem confined exclusively
to the old world.

Tanagra capensis, Sparm., seems to be a synonym of Corvinella
corvina, Shaw (which in that case should be called C. capensis,
Sparm.). It is certainly not a synonym of Keropia crassirostris.

Mr. Gray seems to have omitted the genus Stenorhynchus, Gould.
(Proc. Zool. Soc. pt.iii. p. 186.)

The genus Mimeta, Vig., cannot, I think, be separated from Orio-
lus. Several modern authors have reunited the two genera.

P. 29. The name Criniger,Tem., 1820, should be used instead of
Trichophorus, Tem., which is a later alteration.

The name i/item«?orm5, Sw., 1831, ought not to supersede the
prior name Ixos, Tem. Mr. Swainson, in his ' Classif. Birds,* vol. ii.
p. 24, discards the genus Ixos, Tem., because it is artificial, i.e. it
contains species not naturally allied. This is a reason why it should
be restricted, but not why it should be cancelled-, for if this principle
were admitted, we must discard nearly every generic name of Lin-
naeus. If then the name Ixos be used for this restricted group, the
word Hcematornis may be retained for the genus of Falconida so
called by Vigors in December 1831 (Spilornis, Gray).

After a careful study of the genera Querula and Lipangus, I feel
satisfied that this sub-family Querulime should merge into that of
Pyroderince, Gray {Coracince, Sw.), and secondly, that the Pyroderina
should be placed under the family Ampelidee instead of Corvida.
Notwithstanding what Mr. Swainson says (Flycatchers, p. 73) as to
Coracina {Pyroderus, Gray) being merely the representative among
the Crows of Querula among the Flycatchers, yet the proportion of
parts and total structure of these two birds are so nearly identical, that
it is almost a question whether they should be even generically se-
parated. Further, on comparing these birds and Lipangus with the
Ampelidce, and taking also their geographical range into consideration,
it will, I think, be evident to the untheoretical naturalist that the
family Ampelidce is their proper abode. The rictal bristles at first
sight form an objection, but of these we see traces in several genera
of the Ampelince.

28 Mr. Strickland^s Commentary

It is very doubtful whether Lanius nengeta, Lin., can be quoted as
synonymous with Xolmis polyglotta (Spix), mihi. On comparing a
specimen of the latter with Brisson's description of his Cotinga ci-
nerea (the foundation of Linnseus's Lanius nengeta), taken from Marc-
grave, I find neither the black eye-streak nor the white tail-covers
which are mentioned by Brisson. That author, moreover, omits to
mention the black streak on each side of the chin, and the white ba-
sal spot on the remiges of X. polyglotta.

P. 30. Knipolegus should be written Cnipolegus (A; not being used
in Latin).

Vieillot's name climazura being of the same date with Spix's name
mystacea (not mystax), and the former word being dog-Latin, it is
better to call the bird Fluvicola mystacea, Spix.

The Gubernetes forficatus, Sw., is the Muscicapa yiperu of Lich-
tenstein, not his M. vetula, which last bird is the Milvulus longi-
pennis, Sw., and Muscicapa pullata, Bon., figured in Spix, vol. ii. pi,
18. The type of Gubernetes should therefore be called G. yiperu
(Licht.), unless Vieillot may have given it an earlier name in quoting
Azara.

The generic name Fitangus, Sw., 1827, should be used instead of
Saurophagus, Sw., 1831.

Mr. Gray has transposed the specific names attached to the ge-
nera Saurophagus and Scaphorhynchus. The type of the former ge-
nus is the Lanius sulphuratus, Lin., and of the latter, Lanius pitan-
gua, Lin., both of which are accurately described and figured by
Brisson. Scaphorhynchus pitangua (Lin.) is the Megastoma 7'uficeps
of Swainson, not his M. flaviceps, as is proved by the words aurantia
BXidfulva, applied by Briss. and Lin. to the coronal spot.

The name Tyrannus was first used generically by Lac%>^de in
1799.

It does not appear why Mr. Gray has changed to Myiobius the
name Tyrannula, defined by Mr. Swainson in 1827, and typified by
the Muscicapa barbata, Gm.

P. 31. Mr. Gray seems to be justified in imposing his name Pa-
chyrhamphus on the restricted genus Pachyrhynchus of Spix, the lat-
ter name being justly cancelled as a mere synonym of Tityra,
Vieill.

The genuine Lanius cayanus of Lin. and Briss. is not the Psaris
cayanensis of Swainson, but his P. guianensis, distinguished by the
naked lores, and by having two-thirds of the beak red. I can find
no description of Swainson's P. cayanensis, but I infer that he means
the species with plumed lores, the beak wholly black, and a small
black spot on the chin {Lanius inquisitor, Olfers, and Licht. Verz.,
p. 50).

For Platysteira write Platystira (the ei in Greek being made i in
Latin).

P. 32. For Leucocirca write Leucocerca.

The genera Culicivora and Setophaga would be more naturally
placed among the Sylvicolince, as is done by Mr. Swainson, * Classif.

on Mr. G. R. Gray's ' Genera of Birds. ^ 29

Birds,' vol. ii. p. 58. The lengtli of the legs, the absence of a spu-
rious quill, and the geographical range of these genera show that
they do not belong to the Muscicapina.

The Cryptolopha poiocepliala should be called C. ceylonensis, Sw.,
as it had been known as the Platyrhynchus ceylonensis of Sw. ' Zool.
111.' nearly twenty years before Mr. Swainson changed its name to
poiocephala.

I cannot but think it injudicious in Mr. Gray to transpose the
names Butalis and Muscicapa, after Boie and Brehm had referred
M. grisola to the former and M. atricapilla to the latter genus, an
arrangement sanctioned by the high authority of Bonaparte.

P. 33. For Leiothrix write Liothrix.

The name Pteruthius of Swainson, to be consistent with etymo-
logy, should be written Ptererythrius (from Trrepov and epvdpos) ; but
should it be thought that this is taking too great a liberty with the
original name, we may, at least, venture to write it Pterythrius.

The name Laniisoma, Sw., 1831, should be used instead of Pti-
lochloris, Sw., 1837. Authors should not be encouraged in chan-
ging names, even of their own composition. A father may give his
son what name he pleases at baptism ; but once given, the law very
wisely pronounces that name unalterable.

For Phoenicircus write Phoenicercus.

For Pipraeidea write Piproidea.

P. 34. Mr. Gray has correctly disentangled a difficulty by re-
storing the name Procnias of Hoffmansegg to the Averanos (Chasma-
rhynchus, Tem.). The fact is, that Vieillot having in 1816 given
the name Tersa to a part of the old genus Procnias, this name ought
to be retained for the remainder (the Averanos) ; whereas Tem-
minck in 1 820 restricted the name Procnias to Vieillot's genus, and
gave a name of his own to the Averanos.

I may remark in passing, that the genus Tersa appears to connect
the Ampelid(S directly with the Tanagrida.

The name Bomby cilia was first used generically by Vieillot, not by
Brisson.

Ptiliogonys, Sw., should be written Ptilogonys.

Cuvier, in his ' Reg. An.' vol. i. p. 363, states that the name Cam-
pephaga, Vieill., was subsequent to his name Ceblepyris, but I am not
aware in what work the latter name was first published. Indeed, I
cannot learn whether Cuvier published any new genera of birds be-
tween 1802, when the first volume of his * Comparative Anatomy'
came out, and 1817, when the ' R^gne Animal' was published. I
should be obliged by any information on this point.

The groups Campephagincd and Dicrurince seem to belong more
naturally to the Laniadce than to the Ampelida:.

Lanius ferrugineus, Gm., seems to be incorrectly quoted under
Oxynotus ferrugineus , Sw. Latham's description of L. ferrugineus
exactly agrees with a bird in my collection which is clearly a Dryo-
Scopus, Boie ; and instead of the dorsal feathers being " very rigid"
as in Oxynotus, they are very soft and downy.

30 Mr. Strickland's Commentary

The permanent specific name of the Malabar Edolius should be
paradiseus, Lin., not malabaricus, Gm. It is the Cuculus paradiseus,
Lin., well figured by Brisson, except that one of the fore toes is re-
versed in the figure which led to its being considered a Cuculus.

Mr. Gray has judiciously restored Irena to its place among the
Dicrurin(B, whereas Mr. Swainson had made it a sub-genus of Oriolus.

The earliest specific name of Corvinella is (Tanagra) capensis,
Sparm. This bird has also received the names of Lanius cissoides,
Vieill., L. flavirostris, Sw., and L. xanthorhynchus of the Munich
Museum.

Collurio not being defined as a genus by Brisson, and the name
moreover having been applied by Vigors to a ditFerent genus, it is
better to retain the name Enneoctonus of Boie, who was the first to
separate this group generically from the true Shrikes.

P. 36. Cyclarhis should be written Cy dor his (kvkXos and pis).

The type of Telophonus should be called T. senegalus (Lin.). It
is the Lanius senegalus, Lin., and the L. erythropterus of Shaw, not
of Linnaeus.

Nilaus capensis should be called N. bruhru. Lath., 1801.

Vanga was first used as a Latin generic name by Vieillot, not by
BufFon.

P. 37. The genus Cracticus, Vieill. (restr.), ought certainly to
enter into the sub-family of Gymnorhinince ; for though the hooked
beak shows an afiftnity to the Shrikes, yet the majority of its cha-
racters and the geographical range show a strong preponderance in
favour of its alliance with Gymnorhina, Gray.

Pica colliei, as described by Vigors in the ' Zool. Journ.* vol. iv., can
hardly be the same as Cyanurus bullockii. Mr. Vigors's bird has the
throat black instead of white, and its dimensions differ from those
given to C. bullockii by Wagler. Mr. Gray must also be wrong in
quoting Garrulus ultramarinus , Bon., under Cyanurus bullockii, as
Bonaparte, in his Osservazioni suUa 2^^ ed. Cuv. Reg. An. p. 84,
says that it is synonymous with Pica sieberi, Wagl., and Garrulus
sordidus, Sw.

Is not the name Dysornithia, Sw., prior to Perisoreus, Bon. }

P. 38. For Crypsirina write Crypsirhina. To the synonyms of
C. varians add Colius viridis, Lath.

P. 39. Gymnoderus nudus, Gm., is the Gracula fcetida, Lin., and
the latter specific name therefore has the priority.

Is not BufFon's PI. Enl. 268. the smaller species of Gracula (Eu-
labes indicus, Cuv.), and not the G. religiosa, as Mr. Gray makes it ?

I should prefer placing the Graculince among the Sturnidce, near
Pastor, to which group they seem much allied in structure.

The genus Pyrrhocorax was first defined by Vieillot, not by Bris-
son.

To the synonyms of Corcorax add <: Pyrrhocorax, Tem.

P. 40. Megalopterus, Smith, must be changed, the name being
pre-occupied by Boie for a genus of Sternince.

If the Acridotheres roseus be generically separated from the rest of

on Mr. G. R. Gray's ^ Genera of Birds: 31

that genus, it should bear the name of Psaroides of Vieillot, who
was the first to point out the distinction, and Temminck's name
Pastor should be cancelled, being a mere synonym of Acridotheres.

P. 41. The genus Creadion surely belongs to the Meliphagid<B. Is
it not identical with Neomorpha, Gould ?

The name Sturnella ludoviciana, Lin., is preferable to S. magna,
Lin., the latter name being comparative, and only correct when
the bird was classed as an Alauda. Besides, the name ludoviciana is
adopted by Latham, Richardson, Bonaparte, &c.

The genera Sturnella and Amblyrhamphus (not Amblyrhynchus) , if
carefully examined, will be found to belong to the Icterince rather
than to the Sturnina. When thus arranged, the whole of the Stur-
nincB will be confined to the old world, and the Icterince to the new,
thus adding to the numerous instances in which geographical distri-
bution coincides with natural affinities. In the same way I believe it
will be found that the characters of Astrapia refer it to the oriental
group Lamprotornince, rather than to the American one Quiscalina,
in which Mr. Gray places it.

Is not Vieillot's name Quiscalus versicolor, prior to that of Q. pur-
pur eus, Licht. ?

Lesson quotes Corvus mexicanus, Gm. (and not Oriolus, as Mr.
Gray has it,) as the type of his genus Cassidios.

The confusion which overhangs several of the black Icterine birds
of America is very great, but this is not the place to discuss the en-
tire question. I will therefore merely state that, as far as my inves-
tigations go, the Cassidix mexicanus. Less, (which, however, is not
the Corvus mexicanus, Gm.) is identical with the Scaphidura barita,
Sw. If so, the names Cassidix and Scaphidura being of equal date,
we may be allowed to retain the latter, and expunge the mongrel
word Cassidix. To the Scaphidura barita, Sw., I also refer Cassicus
niger, Vieill., Gal. Ois. 89. (which, however, is not the Oriolus ni-
ger, Gm.). Also note that Scaphidura barita, Sw., is neither Gra-
cula barita, Lin., nor Gracula barita. Lath., Syn. pi. 18, Gen. Hist,
pi. 44. The Corvus mexicanus, Gm., is, I have no doubt, synonymous
with Quiscalus macrurus, Sw. (See Fernandez's description of his
Hocitzanatl quoted by Ray and Brisson.) The Oriolus niger of
Gmelin, described by Brisson to be under ten inches in length, is a
distinct species found in the West Indies, and called Quiscalus ba-
ritus by Bonaparte. It is, perhaps, the same as Quiscalus crassi-
rostris, Sw. The Gracula barita of Linnaeus (excluding his quota-
tion of Brisson) seems to be known only from his description, and
is not the same with Oriolus niger, Gm. The Gracula barita of La-
tham, Syn. pi. 18, Gen. Hist. pi. 44, is stated by Bonaparte in his
* American Ornithology' to be identical with Quiscalus versicolor, an
opinion in which I concur.

Cassicus and Xanthomus were first used as genera, not by Brisson,
but by Lac^pede in 1799.

P. 42. The genus Euplectes was first defined by Swainson in 1830
(Zool. 111. ser. 2.), with E. orix, Lin., for its type. Is not this
prior to the name Pyromelana, Bon. ?

32 Mr. Strickland's Commentary

Should not the name Philetarus socius, Lath., be used instead of
P. lepidus, Smith ?

The restricted genus Ploceus, Cuv., \i Loxia philippina, Gfm., be
considered its type, will contain the greater part of the genus Eu~
plectes, Sw.

P. 43. The genus Symplectes, Sw., seems to have a fair claim to
generic distinction, a conclusion to which Sir W. Jardine arrived in-
dependently of Mr. Swainson, when he gave it the name of Eupodes.
Mr. Swainson's name, however, was published first, and must there-
fore be retained.

It appears to me that the genera Spermospiza, Pyrenestes, Vidua,
Estrelda, Amadina, Spermestes, and Erythrura, ought all to be in-
cluded in the sub-family Ploceina. Though the varying development
of their beak presents analogies to the CoccothraustirKS and FringiU
lince, yet their true affinity to PloceirKE is indicated by their pecu-
liarly elevated culmen extending backwards on the forehead, their
naked nostrils, their geographical extent, and especially by the spu-
riousness of their first primary quill, a character often of great va-
lue as an index of affinity. Moreover, the genus Vidua is directly
united to Ploceus by means of V. chrysoptera, Vieill., and Ploceus
capensis, Lin.

The Tanagrina would be better placed at the end of Fringillidce, so
as not to separate the Coccothraustince from the Fringillince.

There is much confusion in the synonyms of Tanagra episcopus,
but Mr. Gray is probably right in quoting PI. Enl. 178. The ori-
ginal T. episcopus of Linnseus and Brisson seems to be the T. seri-
coptera of Swainson and the T. ccelestis of Spix. It is probably also
the Gracula glauca of Sparrman, though that bird is said to be seven
inches long. The T. episcopus of Swainson's Birds of Brazil, pi. 39,
seems (judging from the figure) to be only the young of his T. cana,
pi. 37. The T, ccelestis, Sw., Birds Braz. pi. 41, is very different
from T. ccelestis, Spix, as the wing-covers are green. It is possibly
the female of T. cana, Sw.

There is no doubt that Tanagrella multicolor, Sw., is the Motacilla
velia, Lin., and the latter specific name should therefore be used.

P. 45. On comparing a specimen of Leucopygia ruficollis with
Lesson's very short description of his Cypsnagra hirundinacea, there
can be no doubt of their belonging to the same genus ; but as Lesson
describes his bird as i/we-black above, and says nothing of the white
on the rump and wing-covers, I think they cannot be specifically
synonymous. I would fain for once break through the law of pri-
ority in order to get rid of the intolerable name of Cypsnagra, Less.,
a word compounded more Gallico out of Cypselus and Tanagra !

Is not Emberiza quadricolor, Gm., an earlier synonym of Ery-
thrura prasina (Sparm.) ?

Mr. Gray seems to have omitted the genus Pytelia, Sw., type,
P. elegans, Gm., Vieill. Gal. pi. 64.

P. 46. I do not think it advisable to change the name Pyrgita,
Cuv., to that of Passer, *• Ray." Ray does not define Passer as a
genus, but merely applies it to designate the House Sparrow in com-

on Mr. G. R. Gray's ^ Genera of Birds.^ 33

mon with many other birds to which it has no affinity. The Spar-
rows were first defined as a genus by Cuvier, who gave them the name
by which the ancient Greeks designated them.

To the synonymes of Montifringilla add Chionospiza, Kaup.

Ammodramus should be written Ammodromus.

P. 47. It does not appear why the name Melophus cristata (Vig.)
is changed to M. lathami, Gray. I see no objection to cristata, but
if there be any, Sir W. Jardine's name erythropterus should be
adopted.

The name Cynchramus was first used generically, I believe, by Bo-
naparte.

P. 48. Agrodroma rufescens, Tem., should be called -4. campestris,
Bechst.

P. 49. The fdiimlj Musophagidce, as here constituted, is a very arti-
ficial group. The genus Phytotoma should certainly be placed next
to, if not in, the sub-family Tanagrince. Its beak approaches in form
near that of Spindalis, Jard., and the dentations of the margin,
though very peculiar, have a distant counterpart in the beak of
Euphone. Its South American habitat also favours this view of ar-
rangement.

The Coliince certainly seem to form a caput mortuum, which no
analysis has yet been able to bring within the limits of any other
family of Conirostres. They may therefore be raised to the rank of
a family with the title of Coliidce.

The sub-family Musophagince ought, I conceive, to be placed in the
family CucuUdce. It decidedly belongs to the Scansores, for live spe-
cimens of Turaco invariably perch with two toes behind the branch.
In the structure of their beak and legs they show considerable affinity
to the CuculidiB, especially to the genera Phoenicophaus and Croto-
phaga. It will be recollected too that the Cuculide genus Sauro-
thera has the bill dentated.

Mr. Gray is quite correct in quoting Edwards, pi. 7, under Turaco
persa (Lin.). The descriptions of Cuculus persa given by Linnaeus
and Brisson are taken from Edwards, and are based on the very rare
species with a green crest margined with red (C huffoni of Swainson,
but not of Vieillot nor of Jardine, which is the purpureus, Less , and
senegalensis, Sw.). There is a specimen of the true T. persa in Lord
Derby's collection. The name persa is commonly but erroneously
given to the species with a green crest margined with white. This
species has never received a distinct appellation, and I therefore re-
commend that it be called T. alhocristatus. Stephens's name afri-
canus cannot be correctly used for it, for his description is inappli-
cable to any known species, and is a melange of the descriptions of
T. alhocristatus and T. persa.

P. 50. According to the laws of Latinity, Tockus should be written
Toccus, and Ramphastos, Rhamphastos.

The genus Scythrops, though it reminds us at first sight of the
Rhamphastidce, yet is much more nearly allied to the CucuUdce, as
shown by the position of the nostrils, the red space round the eyes,
the form of the wings and feet, and the geographical habitat. Phce-

Ann, §• Mag. N, Hist, Vol. vii. D

34 Mr. Strickland^s Commentary

nicophaus forms its nearest affinity, but in the pointed wings and co-
lour of the plumage it approaches Cuculus.

P. 51. The group Psittacara, as defined by Vigors in the Zool.
Journ. vol. ii., seems sufficiently distinguishable from Conurus, Kuhl,
to be retained as a genus.

For Centrourus write Centrums. Mr. Gray has mistaken the type
of this genus as defined by Swainson, which is the Nestor meridio-
nalis (Gm.) (iV". hypopolius, Wagl., Psittacus australis, Shaw,
Mus. Lev. 87) ; consequently Centrourus, Sw., merges into a syno-
nyme of Nestor, Wagl. The Psittacus australis of Latham (P. con-
cinnus, Shaw) is hardly to be distinguished generically from Tricho-
glossus, but if made distinct, will require a new name.

P. 52. The specific name of Psittacodis should be paraguanus,
Gm., not par agua, Marcgrave, the latter name being antecedent to
the system of binomial nomenclature.

For Poiocephalus write Pyocephalus, the oi in Greek becoming <k
in Latin and e in English. (Hence the term poikilitic, lately intro-
duced in Geology, should be written pecilitic, as we write economy
and not oikonomy.)

Mr. Gray seems to have omitted a genus of Loriin^ which wants
a name. It is the Psittaculus of Swainson, and is typified by P. ver-
nalis, galgulus, and rubrifrons.

P. 53. Mr. Gray very properly restores the name Agapornis,
Selby, to its true type, from which Mr. Swainson had removed it
and applied it to the American group Psittacula.

The name Psittacula should be quoted on the authority of Brisson,
not of Kuhl. Brisson divides the genus Psittacus into six subgenera,
which, being based on definitions, may be retained on Brisson's au-
thority. These are Ara, Cacatua, Lorius, Psittacus, Psittaca, and
Psittacula. The name Psittaca, however, being too near in sound
to Psittacus, is not retained.

PI. Enl. 455. f. 1, quoted by Mr. Gray under Psittacula passerina,
is the basis of P. capensis, Gm., so named from a mistake in the
habitat. This bircf is named guianensis by Mr. Swainson, who con-
siders it distinct from passerinus, lAn.. which he calls cyanopterus.
The chief distinction is that the guianensis, Sw. (capensis, Gm.), has
the rump green, while in the passerinus, Lin. {cyanopterus, Sw.), it
is blue.

The bird figured in Phillips, Voy. Bot. Bay, p. 267, pi. 40, is not
the Calyptorhynchus banksii (Lath.), but the C. cookii (Tem.).

The name Corydon, Wagl., cannot stand, as it was pre-occupied in
1828 by Lesson (Man. Orn. vol. i. p. 177). A new name will
therefore be wanted for Corydon, Wagl.

Psittacus nestor was, I believe, never published by Forster under
the name of hypopolius, consequently the name meridionalis, Gm.,
has the priority.

The sub-families composing the family Picidce, as arranged by Mr.
Gray, are not of equivalent value. The Bucconince, Picumnince and
Yuncince form three groups apparently of equal value, and the Wood-
peckers form a fourth ; but the Picince, Dryocopina, Celeina and Co-

on Mr. G. R. Gray's ^ Genera of Birds. ^ 35

laptince are only subdivisions of the group Woodpeckers. These last
should therefore bei unted into one sub-family Picinee, or, if divided,
they should form groups of a lower denomination than a sub-family.

P. 54. Mr. Gray is quite right in keeping the name Picumnus,
Tem., for the American group (Asthenurus, Sw.), because Tem-
minck evidently regarded this as the type of his genus, making it
the first division, and giving the name abnormis to the Asiatic group
(Picumnvs, Sw., Microcolaptes, Gray).

Mr. Gray quotes Rich. Faun. Bor. Am. pi. 56. for Picoides tri-
dactylus (Cfm.), but Richardson's bird is the P. hirsutus (Vieill.),
which Bonaparte considers as distinct from the European P. tridac-
tylvs.

Hemicircus should be written Hemicercus.

It does not appear why a new name is given to the genus Dendro-
copus, proposed by Boie and sanctioned by Bonaparte, the name Den-
drocopus, Vieill., being superseded by Dendrocolaptes.

The name Dendromus is pre-occupied for a genus of Mammalia by
Dr. Smith in Zool. Journ. vol, iv. p. 438.

Mr. Gray seems to unite the American Dryotomi of Swainson
with the European group Dryocopus, Boie (D. martius), and indeed
they can hardly be distinguished in structure, though Bonaparte
keeps them separate.

P. 55. The name Tiga, Kaup., 1836 (Thierreich, vol. ii. p. 37),
must supersede Chrysonotus, Sw., 1837. The species will then stand
as Tiga tridactyla (Sw.).

After the Green Woodpeckers have been distinguished as Gecinus,
Boie, Swainson's genus Brachylophus still includes two well-marked
groups : first, the Short-thumbed Woodpeckers closely allied to Tiga,
containing 1. P. aurantius, Lin. {P.hengalensis, Gm.); 2. P. goeri'
sis, Gm. ; 3. P. philippinarum. Lath. ; 4. P. hcematribon, Wagl.,
and 5. P. erythronotus, Vieill. To this group I would propose the
name Brachypternus. The remaining group contains the Crimson
Woodpeckers, P. miniatus and puniceus. I am not aware whether
Boie includes these species in his genus Gecinus ; but if not, they may
retain the restricted name Brachylophus, Sw., which in that case,
not being precisely equivalent to Gecinus, Boie, would escape obli-
teration as a synonyme.

It is not easy to decide which of the specific names of Geococcyx
has the priority. Mr. Swainson states (Classif. Birds, vol. ii. pp.
140, 3'25), that he named it longicauda in the Catalogue of Bullock's
Mexican Museum in 1824. If, however, it was merely named at that
time and not described, the name cannot be considered to have ac-
quired a right of priority, as the slovenly practice of merely reciting
the names of new species without defining their characters (for many
examples of which see Lesson's Traite d'Ornithologie) cannot be
too much discouraged, as it only tends to choke up the science with
synonymes. It does not appear whether Blainville ever published
this species under the name of Saurothera bottce, and therefore the
name calif orniana used by Lesson in his Supplement to BufFon some

D2

36 Mr. Strickland's Commentary

time previously to 1831, will probably turn out to have the prior
claim to all others.

P. 56. The Centropus cegyptius (Gm.) seems to be the same a»
C. senegalensis (Lin.), which latter name will therefore prevail.

The name Coua, Levaill., was, I believe, never used as a Latin
word, tod therefore ought not to supersede Serisomus, Sw.

The Cuculus guira, Gm., distinguished by having only eight
feathers in the tail, ought surely to be generically separated from the
" four- winged Cuckoos" (Diplopterus, Boie). The former constitutes
the group Guira, Less., 1831, of which Octopteryx, Kaup., 1836, and
Ptiloleptus, Sw., 1837, are synonymes. The type will stand as
Guira piriragua (VieilL), Cuculus guira, Gm., Ptiloleptus cristatus,
Sw.

P. 57. Should not Ptilonopus be written Ptilopus} (from tttiKov
and TTovs).

Is Treron, Vieill., prior to Vinago, Cuv. ? Cuvier says of the latter
name, " Vieillot has changed it to Treron."

P. 58. Turtur was first used as a generic name by Mr. Selby in
1835.

The name of the first genus of Gourincd should be altered from
Peristera, Sw., to Phaps, Selby, and the second from Leptoptila,
Sw., to Peristera, Sw. In 1827 Mr. Swainson defined an American
group as Peristera, and in 1 835 Mr. Selby defined an Australian
group as Phaps. So far all was well; but in 1837 Mr. Swainson
thought proper to transfer his name Peristera to the Phaps of Selby,
and to give anew name, Leptoptila (misspelt Leptotila), to the genus
which he had previously called Peristera. It behoves the advocates
of the priority principle to discountenance such wanton changes by
bringing back these genera to their original designations.

The specific name jamaicensis, Lin., should supersede ruf axilla,
Wagl.

P. 59. I see no reason why the name Geophilus, Selby (restr.),
should not be retained for the Columba nicobarica, as Dr. Fleming
did not include it in his genus Verrulia, and consequently Geophilus
is not the precise equivalent of Verrulia.

To the synonymes of Goura, Flem., add Megapelia, Kaup.

Chamapetes should be written Chamcepetes .

If Mitu be retained as a generic name, it should be Latinized into
Mitua. Lesson is, I believe, the first author who attached the name
of Mitu to a genus, and it should therefore be quoted on his autho-
rity, not on Marcgrave's.

P. 60. Syrmaticus reevesi ought to bear the name of S. superbus
(Lin.). There can be no doubt that this is the species intended by
Linnaeus, though his description of his Phasianus superbus, taken from
Chinese documents, is by no means accurate. We have the autho-
rity of Temminck and Sir W. Jardine for this identification.

To the synonymes of Euplocomus add Spicifer, Kaup., 1836.

The Impeyan Pheasant is the true type of Lophophorus, Tem.,
4813, and this name should therefore supersede Monaulus, Vieill.

on Mr. G. R. Gray's ' Genera of Birds.' 37

The Phasianus leucomelas, Lath., if generically distinct, must have a
new generic name.

It is not correct to quote Lophyrus, Steph., as a synonyme of Lo-
phophorus, the word Lophyrus being merely a mistake of the artist
who engraved Stephens's plate 36, vol. xiv.

/*. 61. Francolinus was first defined as a genus by Stephens,
1819.

It is to be regretted that the legitimate name Arhoricola had not
occun-ed to Mr. Hodgson instead of the hybrid word Arborophila,
but it is too late to change it.

Coturnix was first used generically by Cuvier about 1802.

For Ptilophachus write Ptilopachys.

The name Crypt onyx, Tem., 1815, is prior to Lip onyx, Vieill.,
1816.

P. 62. Brisson does not use Bonasa to designate a genus, and the
name Bonasia, Bon., may therefore be retained.

P. 63. The Turnicince would range more naturally among the Te-
traonidce than among the Tinamidce.

For Rhyncotus read Rhynchotus.

P. 64. The family CharadriadcE ought to be in contact with Sco-
lopacida, although most modern authors interpose the Ardeidce be-
tween them.

It is very doubtful whether (Edicnemus magnirostris, Tem., PI.
Col. 387, can be correctly quoted as the type of Burhinus, 111. La-
tham described a bird under the name of Charadrius magnirostris,
" the size of the Golden Plover, bill stout and very broad, resembling
the Tody genus." From this description lUiger founded his genus
Burhinus. Wagler, in his monograph of Charadrius, quotes Latham's
description, and places it among his " species a me non visee."

He also describes as a distinct species the (Edicnemus magnirostris,
Tem., under the name of Charadrius magnirostris. This bird is de-
scribed as from 17 to 20 inches long, with the beak much longer,
stronger and more compressed than the other CEdicnemi, and it seems
therefore quite distinct from C. magnirostris. Lath. Lesson, however,
unites the two in his genus Burhinus, and in order to admit Tem-
minck's bird he greatly modifies the original definition of that genus ;
for instead of the " Rostrum latum, depressum" of lUiger, we find in
Lesson " bee tr^s comprime sur les cotes." It would seem then that
the true Burhinus of Illiger, if such a bird really exists, has yet to
be discovered, and that a new generic name is wanted for the (Edic-
nemus magnirostris of Temminck.

To the synonymes of Ortygodes, Vieill., add Ortyxelos, Vieill.
The Hemipodius nivosus, Sw., has the neck and breast ferruginous
with white spots, and is therefore perhaps distinct from Ortygodes
meiffreni.

The earliest specific name of Pluvianus melanocephalus (Gm.), is
P. (egyptius (Lin.).

P. 65. The specific name of Squatarola, viz. cinerea, Ray, ought

not (for reasons above given) to supersede Linnseus's name helvetica.

Lesson, in his Traite d'Ornithologie, has made it almost certain

38 Mr. Strickland^s Commentary

that the Conira italica, Gm., is the Dromas ardeola, Paykull ; but as
long as any doubt remains, it is better to retain the latter name as
Mr. Gray has done.

P. QQ. The four genera, Egretta, Ardeola, Botaurus and Nyctico-
rax, originated, not with Brisson, but the two first with Bonaparte,
and the two last with Stephens.

For Tigrisoma lineata read T. Uneaium. (All words ending with
soma, stoma, &c., are neuter.)

Ought not the genus Herodias, Boi6, as restricted by Bonaparte,
to be kept distinct from Egretta ?

P. 67. For Leptoptilos write Leptoptilus. (The terminal as in
Greek is always made us in correct Latin.)

The specific name argala is Latham's, not Gmelin's; but as Gmelin's
name duhia, though prior, implies an erroneous proposition, for the
species is not dubious, Latham's name may be allowed to stand.

The genus Ibis was founded, not by Brisson, but by Lacepede.

The genus Falcinellus, attributed to " Ray," is, I believe, now first
established by Mr. Gray. If retained, a new specific name will be
wanted for the European bird, as Colonel Sykes is of opinion (Proc.
Com. Zool. Soc. pt. ii. p. 161) that the Tantalus igneus, Gm., is
distinct from T. falcinellus, Lin. It would, however, be far better
to give a new name to this genus, if a genus it be, the name Falci-
nellus being pre-occupied by Cuvier, who asserts that Vieillot changed
it to Erolia.

P. 68. The genus Numenius, " Ray," was founded by Latham.

Limosa, " Briss.," was first used generically, I believe, by Leisler,
and Tetanus, " Ray," by Cuvier, 1802.

The name Guinetta, " Briss.," is now first used generically by Mr.
Gray, and therefore should not supersede Actitis, III., as restricted
by Boie.

P. 69. For Macroramphus write Macrorhamphus.

P. 70. I have been quite unable to reduce the synonymes of the
genus Rhynchcea into order, and Mr. Gray would do a good work if
he would publish a monograph of this genus with all the synonymes
at full length, and with the distinctive characters of the species.

Mr. Gray must be in error when he unites the Scolopax paludosa,
Gm. (S. undulata, Bodd.) with S. sahini, Vig. Bonaparte, in his
elaborate monograpli of the genus Scolopax, in the ' Osserv. Cuv.
Rfeg. An.' p. 123, describes S. paludosa, Gm., as having the beak
3| inches long, and the lateral rectrices " angustissimi, acuminati,"
characters which do not apply to S. sabini, which Bonaparte there
calls (after Vieillot) S, sakhalina.

I cannot approve of separating Scolopax gallinula, Lin., generi-
cally from the other Snipes ; but those who do so should retain the
name Gallinago (founded by Stephens) for the true Snipes, and call
the S. gallinula, Philolimnus, Boi6. At any rate, the specific name
gallinula, Lin., should not be superseded by a term used previously
to the binomial System.

The specific name lobatus, Wils,, should not be given to Stegano-
pus, because it was used by Wilson under the erroneous impression

on Mr. G. R. Gray's ^ Genera of Birds' 3&

that this bird was the Tringa lobata, Gm. The specific name wil-
soni, Sab., seems to be next in priority, and should therefore stand.

Is Steganopus, VieilL, prior to Holopodius, Bon. ?

The family PalamedeidcE will probably require to be remodelled.
Although not prepared to go into details at present, I think it pro-
bable that the Parrince and Palamedeince would be better arranged
under Rallidce, and Megapodinoe divided between the 7lMrc?/c?ie and the
Cracidce.

P. 1\. The earliest specific name of Menura, is superha, given by
Davies in the Linnean Transactions in 1800.

The term Ortygometra, or " Mother of the Quails," was an old
name applied by Aristotle, Aldrovandus, Ray and Brisson to the
Corn Crake ; therefore, when Bechstein divided these short-beaked
Rails from the rest of the genus Rallus, no term could have been
more appropriate; but unfortunately he neglected to use it, and
preferred the term Crex. Now as Bechstein was the first to define
the genus, the name Crex must be retained, and Ortygometra can-
celled, since it would not be correct to retain the latter (as Bona-
parte does) for the remaining group (^Porzana, Vieill.), in which the
Corn Crake is not included.

The name Ocydromus australis (Sparm.) has the priority of pub-
lication over 0. troglodytes, Gm.

P. 72. The genus Gallinula was founded by Latham.

The HeliornincB would, I think, enter more naturally among the
Colymbid(£ than among the Rallidm, though they certainly connect the
two groups.

The PhosnicopterincB ought not to be included in the Anatidce.
They surely form too marked a group to be placed on a par with the
subdivisions of Linnseus's genus Anas. They should rather be made
into a distinct family, and be placed near the Ardeada, to some
of which (^Platalea and Ibis) they show an aflinity in the scarlet
plumage, a colour wholly unknown among the Anatidce.

P. 73. Chloephaga should be written Chloephaga.

The genus Bernicla, " Briss.," was founded by Stephens, 1824,
and Cygnus, ** Briss.," by Vieillot, 1816.

P. 74. Querquedula owes its foundation as a genus to Stephens,
1826.

To the synonymes of Micropterus cinereus add Oidemiapatachonica,
King.

Oidemia should be written (Edemia. Add to its synonymes Ma-
ceranas. Less.

To the synonymes of Somateria add Platypus, Brehm.

The genera FuUgula and Harelda were first published by Ste-
phens, 1824.

For Kamptorhynchus write Camptorhynchus.

P. 76. The Mergidce should not be regarded as a distinct family
from the AnatidcB ; they are only narrow-beaked Ducks, forming a
subfamily allied to Fuligulince.

For PodicepsinfE write Podicipince.

It surely savours of hypercriticism to divide the Little Grebes
(Sylbeocyclus, Bon.) from Podiceps.

40 Mr. Strickland on Gray's Genera of Birds.

P. 77. The generic name Catarrhactes, Briss., should be used in-
stead of Eudyptes, Vieill., and the specific name demersus, Lin., in-
stead of chrysocome, Forst. This genus Catarrhactes of Brisson is
prior in date to Brunnich's genus, which he called Catarrhacta
(^Lestris, 111. restr.).

The genus Mergulus was first defined by Vieillot, 1816.

An h should be inserted after the r in Synthliboramphus and Pty-
choramphus.

P. 78. Wagellus, " Ray," is now first introduced as a genus by
Mr. Gray, and therefore should not supersede Fulmarus, Leach.

The name Catarrhacta, Brunn., being too near Catarrhactes, Briss.,
should give way to Lestris, 111.

P. 79. Chroicocephalus should be written Chrcecocephalus .

The name Gygis alba (Sparr.) is prior in date of publication to G.
Candida (Forst.).

The true type of Viralva, Leach, as exhibited by Stephens, is the
Black Tern (Sterna nigra, Lin.). Therefore Boie's name Gelocheli-
don should be retained for the genus which contains Sterna an-
glica, Mont., and the name Viralva (first published in 1825) sinks
into a synonyme oi Hydrochelidon, Boie, 1822, which is typified by
S. nigra, Lin. Also note that Anous, Leach, is synonymous with
Megalopterus, Boi^, and not with Hydrochelidon, Boi^, and that
Anous niger. Leach, is synonymous, not with Sterna nigra, Lin., but
with Megalopterus stolidus (Lin.), Boi^.

The genera Thalasseus, Boi6, Gygis, Wagl., Sternula, Boie, and
Hydrochelidon, Boie, appear not to possess structural characters suf-
ficient to entitle them to generic separation from Sterna.

P. 80. The genera Sula and Fregata were first raised to that rank
by Lacep^de in 1799.

In concluding this Commentary an apology is due for the length
to which it has extended, but I felt it impossible to do justice to Mr.
Gray's book without going into considerable detail. I should be
sorry if any person should be led by the number of these criticisms
to form an unfavourable idea of the general accuracy of the work.
A large proportion of the above remarks rest on questions of opinion,
in which Mr. Gray is perhaps as likely to be right as I am ; and
even where I have detected errors, they are only such as are un-
avoidable in the first edition of a work in which so much labour and
research is compressed into so small a compass. I conclude there-
fore with most heartily recommending the * Genera of Birds' to the
favourable notice of zoologists.

PosTCRiPT. — 1 beg to add one or two remarks which have oc-
curred to me since this Commentary went to press.

Page 1 of Mr. Gray's book. In my remarks on the Vulturince I
had not noticed that Temminck has proved the jEgypius of Savigny
to be only the young of the Vultur auricularis, Daud. (See Tem.
Man. Orn. part iv. p. 586.) Therefore the generic name uEgypius
should be given to the group containing V. auricularis and pondice-
rianus.

P. 4. Asturina cinerea, Vieill., is said by Cuvier to be the same as
Falco nitidus, Tem., PI. Col. 87. If this be the case, Asturina might

On Mr. Svvainson's Views of Natural Arrangement. 41

stand as a distinct genus, being quite different from Cymindis. (N.B.
Temminck's PI. Col. 87. can hardly be the F. nitidus of Latham,
whose expression " legs long," agrees better with the F. hemidacty-
lus, Tem. PI. Col. 3.)

The genus Asturwas founded by Lacepede in 1799, and is there-
fore clearly prior to Dcedalion, Sav.

VI. — Mb. Shuckard on his falsely alleged participation in
Mr. Swainson^s views of Natural Arrangement,

To the Editors of the Annals and Magazine of Natural History.

Gentlemen,

I APPEAL to you to do me justice against the impression that
may be made by what professes to be an ^^ Analytical notice
of the 129th volume of Lardner's Cabinet Cyclopaedia, enti-
tled, ' On the History and Natural Arrangement of Insects,^
by William Swainson, F.R.S., &c., and JV. E. Shuckard,
Libr. R.S., &c., published in the 3rd Number of ' The Ento-
mologist,' written by Mr. Newman.^'

In an advertisement prefixed to this volume of Lardner,
dated from my residence, and of course emanating from me,
I said, " Those paragraphs in this volume with the initials
'' IV. E. Sh. are written by Mr. Shuckard, and where several
" of these follow each other they are affixed to the last only ;
" but the system of classification is exclusively Mr. Swain-
" son's.'^ Now, notwithstanding this, which it will be seen
below that the ^Analyst' was aware of, he says in the first
page of his notice*, " I will now endeavour to show the views
" entertained by Messrs. Swainson and Shuckard on the sub-
"ject:" thus clearly identifying me with the whole scheme,
for following this is given the dry systematic frame of the
work. He then says, "A glance at this arrangement will
" convince the reader that no charge of plagiarism can possi-
" bly be brought against its authors :" thus confirming my
identification with the system : and a line or two beneath this
he again says, " If the views of Messrs. Swainson and Shuckard
" display the slightest approach to nature, then are those of
'^ Mr. Macleay the most distorted, wild and unnatural : there
" is no point of similarity between the systems, except the
" frequent recurrence of the number Five. The bold altera-
'' tion made by the authors in separating the Diptera from
^' winged insects, is* the most striking feature in the new ar-
"rangement; it proves them to be profound and original
'^ thinkers, and not only this, it displays an indifference to the

* The Entomologist, No. 111. p. 38.

42 Mr. Shuckard on the Views of' Arrangement

" opinions of others, which must be the result of the mens
^^ conscia recta" /

Would you think it possible, gentlemen, that this repetition
of my assumed identity with the system of Mr. Swainson
could be made in the face of this Latin phrase, and of the
prefixed advertisement? and you will scarcely believe me
when I tell you that their writer, at the end of the article,
says, very coolly, at the bottom of this same page*, ^' I have
'^ been led from its title to assign the merits of this volume
^^ conjointly to Messrs. Swainson and Shuckard, and have
'' been treating them like the Siamese twins, as inseparable
'^ in fame ; but fairness compels me to add that the system
^^ of classification is entirely Mr, Swainson^s, Mr. Shuckard
" has most ingenuously disavowed any share in this, the great
'^ feature of the work, and I am compelled to place the
" chaplet of laurel on the brows of Mr, Swainson alone, —
^' palmam qui meruit fer at !"

One would have supposed, if '^ fairness^' was to have any
influence in the matter, that the writer being fully aware, as
he here shows himself to have been, that I had no participation
whatever in Mr. Swainson's system of classification, it would
have " compelled" him to abstain from carrying on through
the whole of his article these imputations, which he with such
amusing naivete confesses he all the while knew to be un-
founded : and is it not rather surprising that, having been
driven thus to strangle these his unfortunate offspring from
despair of being able to maintain them, he should not at once
have quietly buried them out of the way, rather than leave
their remains exposed to testify against their parent and their
executioner ? It would be superfluous for me to make any re-
mark ; his own statement is sufficient to give your readers an
idea of \]\e fairness to be expected in such ' analytical notices.*

No man has a right to complain of his own scientific views
being fairly discussed, but every man has a right to repulse
the attribution of views which he does not hold. My own
ideas of 'system' must be known to many entomologists;
for what I formerly said in my ' Essay on the Fossorial Hy-
menopterat/ and subsequently repeated in this journal as

* Tlie Entomologist, p. 40.

f Page 11. I conceive that when all the created species are fully ascer-
tained, the true system will be found to be neither circular, square, nor
oval, neither dichotomous, quinary, nor septenary, but a uniform meshwork
of organization, spread like a net over the universe. But what gaps remain
to be filled ! We are truly as yet scarcely upcm the threshold of the great
temple, and consequently still remote from the adytum where the veiled
statue reposes. We have not yet learnt our alphabet, for species are the
letters whereby the book of Nature must be read. London, 1 835.

of Mr. Swainson and Mr. Newman. 43

lately as July last *, ought to secure me from the suspicion
of being wedded to any of these dictatorial systems, which
conveniently contrive that where gaps occur in their hypo-
theses the creatures are yet to be found that must fill them,
and where inconvenient redundancies exist in Nature, these
are made to merge in groups to which they have no osten-
sible affinity. To such systems may be applied the judicious
observations of the reviewer of Goethe's ' Theory of Colours f :'
they *^ intentionally obscure what they cannot illustrate, and
" affect to be profound when they are only disguising their ig-
^^ norance.'' I have not even faith in the Septenary system J,
although that is illuminated by the seven golden candlesticks §
of Solomon's temple ||, and has found in the sabbath an hebdo-
madal repose from the labours of such crude concoctions^,
but of which Burmeister said, " what is good in it is not new,
and what is new is not good,'' and this has since been re-
peated here by a very courteous friend** of the author of
the system. Trusting that this appeal to your candour and
sense of justice will not be in vain, I subscribe myself, gen-
tlemen.

Your very obedient servant,

W. E. Shuckard.

31 Robert Street, Chelsea, Feb. 4, 1841.

* At the conckision of the * Monograph of the Dorylidae,' where I said,
"The object I have pursued in studying Natural History has been to ascer-
tain facts, or in their absence the closest possible approximation to them ; for
I am sure, to use the words of our great bard,

* Nature is made better by no mean.
But Nature makes that mean.'
And she is too protean in her disguises to be fitted by any boddice we may
choose to invest her with."

t Edin. Review, Oct. 1840, p. 141.

I Sphinx vespiformis, hy Edward 'Newman. London. 8vo. 1832.

§ Were I disposed to cavil at such a display as the adduction of these
numbers, made evidently in good earnest, and not sportively, for really it
v/ould have been too profane to have cited Scriptm-e in jest, I might ob-
ject to the incorrectness of the Se{)tenary's attribution of seve^i candlesticks
to Solomon's temple ; for they consisted of ten, five being placed on the right
side and five on the left of the oracle (an argument in favour of the quina-
rians!), and Moses's single candlestick had but six branches, although, it is
true, seven lamps were suspended from it; but seven candlesticks occur only
in the vision of St. John at Patmos, which shows what a fantastical affair
a system founded upon these seven candlesticks must be. I trust that when
the * Septenary dreams again, his revelation will be more pertinent than it
is in the present instance.

II Sphinx vesp/formis, by Edward Newman. London. 8vo. 1832. Page 15.
^ Wiogmann's Archiv. vol. i. No. 4.

** Westwood's Introduction to the Classification of Insects, vol. i. p. 20.

44 Excerpta Botanica,

VII. — 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. 5. On the Anther of Chara vulgaris and Chara hispida,
and the Animalcules contained in it. By M. Gustavus
. Thurbt. (Ann. des Sc. Nat. vol. xiv. p. 65.)

In the axillae of the branches of Chara, immediately below
the carpels, are globular sessile bodies, of a vivid red colour,
which, entirely disappearing on the approaching maturity of
the carpels, are conjectured to perform the functions of sta-
mens, although in other respects they possess no analogy of
organization with the male organs of Phanerogamae. The
outer covering of these consists of a membrane formed of
transparent cellules, which produce the appearance of a white
ring encircling the anther. Under this membrane are irregu-
lar oval cellules arranged into triangular valves, each valve
being composed of from twelve to twenty cellules radiating
from a common centre, and enclosing the red granules which
produce the brilliant colour of the anther. On the full deve-
lopment of the anther these valves disunite, and permit the bo-
dies enclosed in their interiors to expand in the water. Those
anthers most remote from the central axis always open first,
and those on the lower whorls before those on the upper ones.
The interior of the anther is filled with flexuose, transparent,
chambered {cloisonnees) filaments, of unequal length, ema-
nating chiefly from a central cellular base, from which also
radiate a few ovoid utricules, containing orange-coloured gra-
nules. Each of these utricules adheres to the cellular base
by its narrowest extremity, and is fixed perpendicularly by
its largest extremity to the centre of one of the triangular
valves. The contained granules are oval, orange-coloured,
and arranged in a linear series ; whilst, on the contrary, in the
cellules of the valves the granules are round, red, scattered
without order, and distant from the walls of the cellules.

In these chambered filaments the animalcules are produced.
These filaments, when examined in a very young state, appear
only as oval utricules enclosing a granular matter, some of them
being detached, but the greater number adherent to the cel-
lular base before mentioned. A little later these utricules be-
come chambered, a nucleus appearing in each chamber or di-
vision. The introduction of the water through the walls of
the filaments seems to conduce towards the formation of the
nucleus, at least such is my conjecture, from having frequently

Excerpta Botanica. 45

observed the rapid formation of the nucleus in filaments which
previously possessed no traces of it. These nuclei have a slight
green tinge, probably owing to an optical illusion, and become
brown by iodine. They are always affixed [adosses) to the
partitions {cloisons). Gradually they become effaced, and the
animalcules begin to be distinguished ; indeed, they are fre-
quently observable at one extremity, whilst the nuclei remain
at the other, even in the same anther and filament. On the
complete formation of the animalcules, the partitions of the
chambers are indistinguishable, from the confusion arising
from the great number of the curves. At each curvature of
the animalcule a swelling (black or brilliant, according to the
increase or diminution of focal distance) is perceived, doubt-
less owing to the optical illusion produced by the greater
thickness of the body at these points of flexion.

The animalcules are at first motionless, and remain for a
greater or lesser time in the water before they begin to move
and struggle to release themselves from their prison. In this
they do not always succeed, although their twisted position
attests the eiforts made for disengagement. Those which do
succeed escape laterally by a sudden motion, similar to the
elasticity of a slackened spring. After this great effort they
remain for some time motionless, or if the temperature and
season be unfavourable, their motions are slow and soon
cease. On the contrary, the animalcules observed at the end
of June and beginning of July agitated themselves with ex-
treme vivacity, and in such a manner as to leave no doubt of
their animality. They rapidly traversed the field of the mi-
croscope in different directions, crossing and meeting each
other, and deviating from their route, and after employing the
greater portion of the day in observation, they were left in si-
milar and unrelaxed motions.

The portion of their body most apparent appeared like a
spirally-rolled thread of three to five curves [un fil roule en
tirebouchon, formant de S a 5 tours de spire.) They were
slightly tinged with green similar to the nuclei, and like them
turned brown with iodine ; their two extremities becoming
more or less coloured (according to the quantity of iodine
employed) than the rest of the body, thus indicating a differ-
ence of nature in these portions. At a little distance behind
one extremity proceed two bristles or tentacula of excessive
tenuity, which the animalcule incessantly agitates with great
rapidity. These are probably organs of locomotion similar
to the filiform prolongation found in the Infusoria without
ciliae. Indeed, the part thus furnished with tentacula moves

46 Excerpta Botanica,

foremost, drawing after it the rest of the body, which turns
about in the water, but always preserves its turriculate form.
The incessant agitation of these tentacula and their extreme
tenuity rendered it impossible to observe them in the living
animal ; recourse was therefore had to the evaporation of the
water or to the application of a shght tincture of iodine, when
the animalcules ceased their motions, became contracted, and
their spiral unrolled, when the tentacula were rendered very
distinct, from their brown colour. These tentacula were fre-
quently obsen^ed to be soldered together from one-half to one-
third of their length upwards, but others were also noticed to
be entirely separated down to their bases. A swelling similar
to that in the flexure of the body 'was perceived in their
curves.

Ammonia arrested their motions and contracted the body
gradually into a small oval mass, but did not produce the
phsenomenon of decomposition by solution {diffiuence) so re-
markable in the Infusoria. A very weak solution of chlor-
hydric acid in water violently contracted them into a shape-
less mass.

In escaping from the filaments a portion only of the body
of the animalcule was sometimes disengaged, and fruitless ef-
forts were made by it to extricate the rest. In such cases it
was noticed that the portion bearing the tentacula invariably
remained within the tube of the filament. On the filaments
becoming empty, their divisions reappeared very distinctly.
No traces of the passage of the animalcule were observed, un-
less the brilliant points sometimes seen on each division of
the filament be regarded as such.

The ovoid utricules accompanying the filaments are sphe-
roidal in the young anthers, but subsequently take the form of
an egg truncated at both ends, or nearly that of a parallelo-
gram, having one of its ends narrower than the other. Their
wall or paries is transparent, the orange granules contained
in them being of an elongated form, and lying in longitudinal
lines in the direction of the currents of circulation, their upper
extremity alone being destitute of them.

In the interior of the utricules is frequently an oval globule,
generally motionless, but sometimes circulating wuth greater
or less rapidity along the walls. Besides this globule, which
is apparently formed of a granular fluid, are seen the rapid
currents ascending and descending longitudinally. These two
circulations, which are doubtless different appearances of the
same phaenomenon, occur either together or separately in the
same utricule. In some utricules the globule was motionless.

Mr. Babington on Saxifraga umbrosa. 47

whilst three round and thick orange-coloured granules ascend-
ed and descended together rapidly along the same line of cir-
culation, and continued visible from one extremity to the
other.

After long immersion of the utricules in water, the arrange-
ment of the orange-coloured granules apparently proved the
existence of a double sac in which the granules were contained.
The circulation in this case was similar to that described by
Mr. Slack in hairs of Tradescantia (Trans. Soc. Arts, vol.
xlix. p. 41). '^Each articulation appeared to consist of an
exterior glassy tube. Between this and the colouring matter
was the circulating fluid with its molecules. The coloured
fluid of the hair appeared to be enclosed in a membranous
sac, which formed an axis around w^hich the fluid circulated. ^^

On crushing the anther there w^ere observed some purple
hairs formed of an immense quantity of granules of extreme
minuteness, endowed with a very quick molecular motion.

Iodine rendered the orange granules green. Alcohol did
not dissolve them. The latter did not arrest the circulation
of the nucleus in the ovoid utricules, although it instantane-
ously killed the animalcules.

VIII. — Notes on Saxifraga umbrosai By Charles C. Ba-
bington, M.A., F.L.S., F.G.S., &c. ; and by the Reviewer
of Baines's ^ Yorkshire Flora.'

In the 39th Number of these Annals (vol. vi. p. 401), the Rev.
W. T. Bree expresses his doubt if the Saxifraga umbrosa is
'' in fact a genuine native of Britain ;'' and if he had said Great
Britain, I should have been inclined to say that it has all the
appearance of having been introduced, and that much more
evidence is requisite before we ought to admit it to have been
a genuine native. Concerning Ireland, however, I must ex-
press quite the contrary opinion, being convinced that there
is no plant that has a more decided claim to be considered as
certainly indigenous. I have myself seen it in the greatest
plenty upon the wild mountains of Connamara and Joice's
county, but certainly did not notice it in the neighbourhood
of Killarney, where S. Geum is peculiarly abundant.

It is worthy of notice, that the plant found in Connamara
diflers as a variety from the Pyrenaean plant, by having its
leaves dentate, crenate, and not simply and bluntly crenate,
as in the plant from the Pyrenees. The figure given in Eng.
Bot. (t. 663), which was taken from a specimen gathered at
Throp Arch woods, in Yorkshire, approaches much more

48 Mr. T. C. Eyton's Notes on Birds,

nearly to the foreign than to the Irish plant ; and I have reason
to believe that all the ' London Pride' found ^^ wild'' in Great
Britain v^dll prove to be the blunt crenate-leaved plant, and to
have escaped from cultivation, or been intentionally planted.
St. John's Coll., Cambridge, Feb. 8, 1841.

On Saxifraga umbrosa.

The writer of the notice of Baines's ^Yorkshire Flora' begs to
state, in reference to Mr. Bree's paper, that he mentioned Sax-
ifraga umbrosa as abundant in the west and south of Ireland,
in consequence of having seen it himself in great quantity in
the west of the county of Cork during a botanical tour made
in the year 1811, and having heard from friends whom he
considered as good judges, that it is equally common in Con-
naught. He considered himself as knowing >S^. hirsuta and
S. Geum at the time he made the tour referred to ; and he is
confirmed in the belief that he did not commit an error, by
having now before him a MS. journal of a rather more ex-
tended tour through the same district in 1809 by Mr. James
Drummond, then curator of the Cork Botanic Garden, from
which it appears that Mr. Drummond found S. umbrosa
abundantly in the county of Cork, and also met with both
Geum and hirsuta in the mountains between Cork and Kerry.
The station of S. umbrosa at Thorpe Arch would be very
suspicious, had it not been noticed before the grounds were
ornamented as they are at present, and by such an accurate
botanist as, for example, the late Rev. W. Wood of Leeds.
Respecting the other Yorkshire stations the writer can give
no opinion.

IX.— 'Notes on Birds, By T. C. Eyton, Esq., F.L.S.

No. L

I PROPOSE in the following series of papers to give from time
to time such extracts from my note-book relating to Birds as I
think likely to prove interesting to my readers ; the first por-
tions will be principally occupied with anatomical notes on
some Australian Birds received from Mr. Gould, and on some
received from Malacca. With regard to the former birds, it
is not my intention to go minutely into detail, or fiirther than
what I believe to be necessary to show the position of each
in a natural arrangement. I take this course, as I understand
that eminent anatomist, Mr. Owen, has undertaken to fur-
nish Mr. Gould, for his work on the ^ Birds of Australia,' with
a more detailed account.

Mr, T. C. Eyton's Notes on Birds. 49

Menura Lyra, Sliaw. Male.

Tongue tapering towards the tip, which is slightly bifid, blunt,
and furnished with a fringe of bristles ; the centre concave, and fur-
nished posteriorly with two strong spines on each side at the base,
between which is a row of smaller ones.

Trachea of nearly uniform diameter throughout the rings, broad
as far as its entrance into the thorax, afterwards rounded and nar-
row, with a large membranous space between them ; they are ar-
ranged somewhat obliquely, as in the bulb found on the trachea of
Clangula vulgaris. Bone of divarication Y-shaped. Upper bones of
the bronchise are semicircular, the uppermost largest, the next being
inclosed in its arc ; the fourth is much flattened, thickest and broad-
est anteriorly, and with a prominent knob on its anterior extremity,
from which it gradually tapers towards the posterior end, where it
is somewhat falciform and suddenly narrowed to a point. The next,
or fifth bone, is also much flattened, and straight for two-thirds of its
length, when it also becomes suddenly falciform, with the point of the
hook turned downwards.

In addition to the usual sterno-tracheal muscles, this curious bird
has two other pair, both of which have their origin on the rings of
the trachea on each side, at the point where it enters the cavity of
the thorax. The anterior pair is inserted on the knobs at the extre-
mities of the fourth bones of the bronchise ; the posterior pair are
also inserted on the bronchise, but on the three uppermost rings, and
on the posterior extremity of the fifth. Besides these muscles, which
are very strong, additional support is given to the portion of the
trachea over which they extend, by a tendon arising at the same
point with the last-mentioned pair of muscles, but between them,
and extending to the eleventh, twelfth and thirteenth rings of the
bronchiae, on each of which it is partially inserted : this arrangement
gives the bird a great power of shortening or lengthening that por-
tion of the trachea over which the muscles extend.

The oesophagus is small at the upper extremity, slightly enlarged
in the middle and towards the proventriculus, the coats of which are
not much thicker than the oesophagus itself ; nor is it contracted at its
entrance into the stomach. The stomach is of moderate size, mus-
cular, and has a large internal cavity, which was filled with seeds,
the remains of insects and small pebbles. The epithelium, or mem-
brane lining the stomach, hardened and rugose, particularly on the
grinding surfaces ; it measures If inch in length, and 1 inch in
breadth.

The total length of the intestinal canal, measuring from the py-
lorus to the cloaca, is about 3 feet 10 inches, that of the rectum 3f
inches ; the diameter of the duodenum is equal to that of the rec-
tum, that of both being f of an inch ; the cseca are scarcely more than
rudimentary, measuring only | an inch in length ; the cloaca is of
moderate size, and ^situated about 1 foot 7 inches above it, and at-
tached to the small intestine is found the remains of the vitelline
duct {ductus vitello-intestinalis) .

Ann. ^ Mag. N. Hist. Vol. vii. E

50 Mr. T. C. Eyton's Notes on Birds,

The skeleton at first sight is chiefly remarkable for the large size
and length of the bones of the legs and feet. The sternum is long
and narrow, measuring from the anterior extremity of the manubrial
process 3 inches, and transversely, just behind the junction of the co-
racoids, where it is narrowest, T%ths of an inch ; its posterior margin
is indented by two slight lateral fissures, between which it is much
rounded and projects posteriorly ; the lateral margins are slightly
curved inwards ; the broadest part of the sternum is near its poste-
rior extremity, where it measures 1 inch and 4 tenths. The inden-
tation in which the lesser pectoral muscle lies is very deep, rises
into a ridge on the lateral margin, and is continued from the junc-
tion of the coracoids about half-way along the sternum ; the ante-
rior edge of the keel is slightly curved backwards, the inferior edge
is a little rounded and continued to the posterior margin of the ster-
num ; the manubrial process is very long and bifurcate at its extre-
mity ; the coracoids are of moderate length and strength. ITie os
furcatum is light, slightly flattened, arched, and with only a very
small process at its sternal extremity. The scapula is slightly falci-
form, of moderate length and size, reaching backwards to the third
true rib. The wing- bones are short, but strong.

The bones composing the pelvis are precisely what might be ex-
pected to be found in a bird possessing such a large tail ; it measures
2 inches and y%ths in length, and l^ths in breadth ; the iliac bones
are broad, but form a lengthened process on each side of the caudal
vertebrae for the attachment of the levator muscles of the tail. The
ischium is also broad, and placed nearly perpendicularly to the plane
of the ilium. The ischiadic foramina are large and rounded ; the
sides of the pelvis are much compressed from the point at which
they penetrate to the posterior margin, the bones of the ilium being
expanded beyond, and overshadowing, as it were, those of the
ischium ; the os pubis is narrow and curved upwards beyond its se-
cond junction with the ischium. The obturator foramen is of mo-
derate size and oval ; the cotyloid cavity for the reception of the
head of the femur is deep, and has the hinder portion of its upper
edge very protuberant. The ribs are eight in number, five true and
three false : two of the false ones are placed anteriorly and one pos-
teriorly ; the latter has a sternal rib attached, but it does not arti-
culate with the sternum ; the upper portions of the ribs next the ver-
tebrae are much flattened, but they become thicker and narrower
as they approach the appendage on their posterior margin, which is
slightly turned upwards, and of moderate strength.

The numbering of the vertebrae, as near as could be ascertained
from a natural skeleton, is*, Cer. 12 ; Dor. 6 ; Sac. 12 ? Caud. 9. The

* I have followed the same plan in the enumeration of the vertebras here
as I did in the ' Monograph on the Anatidae,' viz. by considering all those
which are anterior to the ribs and have no attachment to them, cervical ;
those anterior to the pelvinal bones and having ribs attached to them, dor-
sal ; those which are anchylosed together immediately succeeding the dorsal,
sacral; to some these rib's are sometimes attached : and those immediately
succeeding these, and not anchylosed to them, caudal.

Mr. T. C. Eyton's Notes on Birds. 51

lateral processes of the caudal vertebrae are much prolonged, parti-
cularly those of the last four but one ; the terminal one is without
any lateral process, and nearly triangular.

Remarks. — The extraordinary and doubtful structure of
this bird is at once shown by the different places in which it
has been arranged by authors ; by Cuvier it is placed among
the Passeres^ by Lesson and Swainson among the Gallina-
ceous birds, and by Gray among the Grallatores. The large
and powerful legs which Menura possesses in such an eminent
degree, has been doubtless the principal reason w by it has
been classed by the authors above-mentioned among Rasores
and Grallatores ; but on minute examination the scutellations
of the tarsi will be found to differ from any of the typical
birds in either of these orders, and to agree with that of the
true Insessores. Another very striking point in the external
structure consists in the great length of the claws, their great
strength, and in their being rounded and blunt at the points,
and attached to toes of moderate size*. Some of the Ral-
lidce possess lengthened claws, but they are sharp, in general
weak and attached to long thin toes, therefore differing from
Menura. The Alaudidce have the hind toe lengthened, but
it is also weak and sharp ; some of the Cuculidce also have this
structure, as the genus Pelophilus, in which the claws are not
so much sharpened as in any of the preceding instances. The
genus Pteroptochosf has precisely the same form of claw as
in Menura, and agrees with that genus in many anatomical
peculiarities, nearly the only difference being that it has four
fissures on the posterior margin of the sternum instead of
two. Menura appears to be nearly connected with Megapo-
dius, and perhaps with Alecthelia, judging merely from exter-
nal characters; but differs from Talegalla, Chauna, Palamedea,
Dlcholophus, Psophia, Crax, Ourax, Ortalida, Penelope and
Lophocerus, with all of which it has been associated in the
same family J, in presenting an almost total difference in the
structure of the tarsi and feet as well as in the form of the
bill, which any one who has an opportunity of examining
them, or even some of the best plates, will at once perceive.

In the structure of the soft parts and digestive organs, Me-
nura agrees with that of Insessores ; and wdth many of them,

♦ On comparing the feet o^ Menura with those of lusessorial birds, they
will not be found, exclusive of the claw, to be of a larger proportion to the
size of the bird than many birds among Insessores.

t For some account of the anatomy of this genus, see * The Zoology of the
Voyage of the Beagle, — Birds.' — Appendix.

X This family appears to be a sort of refuge for the destitute.

E 2

52 Mr. T. C. Eyton's Notes on Birds,

especially with the genus Grallina of Vieillot, in the compli-
cated muscular structure of the inferior larynx.

The pelvisj as before remarked, is precisely of that form
which might be expected to be found in a bird having power-
ful legs and a large tail, and therefore presents some similar-
ity to the Rasores in this respect, but differs from that order
in those portions of it not immediately connected with those
parts ; thus the obturator foramen in Menura is large, while
in Rasores it is small or altogether obliterated ; the extremity
of the OS pubis is turned upward, while in Rasores it is turned
downward ; in the former of these particulars it agrees with
Insessores and Scansores, but in the latter with most of the
Insessores.

The structure of the sternum agrees with Insessores in
having only two fissures on its posterior margin, but differs
essentially from any birds I am acquainted with in that order
in being much prolonged backwards and rounded between
them. The only approach to this structure that I am aware
of is among the Psittacidce, some of the Australian Ground-
Parrots having nearly the same structure as Pezoporus Jbr-
mosus on the posterior margin, with this exception, that fora-
mina take the place of fissures*.

The OS furcatum is slight, and destitute of any terminal pro-
cess at its sternal extremity, in which respects it agrees with
Scansores.

The structure of the ribs, in being much broader above the
posterior process, coincides both with many Insessores and
Scansores ; but this character is most marked in the latter
order.

Such is the mixed and doubtful character which Menura
shows, but by far the strongest affinity is shown to Insessores ;
in which order this genus may form a family with Pteropto-
chos, and perhaps -^ith Alecthelia and Megapodiusf, bearing
an affinity to Scansores. Although a full account of the
habits of this bird may be shortly expected from the pen of
Mr. Gould, I shall here remark, that what has hitherto been
considered fabulous, namely, that this bird has the power of
song, is far from improbable, considering the structure of its

* These birds feave also the claws and tarsi considerably lengthened. Some
resemblance to the posterior margin of the sternum of Menura is also found
among the ScolopacidcB, in the Common Woodcock for instance ; but the
remainder of the skeleton is so totally unlike, that I cannot for a moment
suppose that any degree of affinity exists.

t I venture this opinion with very great doubt ; nothing but an anato-
mical examination can decide the point ; the habit appears to be different.
See Freycinet's Voyage, Zoologie, p. 124.

Bibliographical Notices. 53

trachea and muscles. Its affinity to Scansores is also^ I think,
explained by the great facility with which it scrambles or
climbs over rocks and stumps*.

I have considered Scansores as distinct from Insessores
throughout this paper; and think that ornithologists will,
until more is known of the anatomy of birds than at pre-
sent, find it convenient to class Birds in the following Orders,
which may be distinguished in general by their skeletons : —
Raptores,.Volitores (containing the Fissirostral groups),
Scansores, Insessores, Rasores, Cursores, Gralla-
TORES and Natatores. Perhaps the Pigeons also with ad-
vantage may be divided from the other Rasores.

BIBLIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES.

An Introduction to the modern Classification of Insects, founded on the
Natural Habits and Corresponding Organization of the different
Families. By J. O. Westwood, F.L.S., &c. 2 vols. 8vo, with
Figures. London : Longman and Co.

No branch of natural science has made such extraordinary and
rapid strides within the last few years in this country as the study
of insects. The contrast which it exhibits at the present day, com-
pared with its state thirty years ago, is most striking. Then, at the
period when we commenced our entomological career, the literature
of the science was most meagre and marrowless ; we had, it is true,
for our guides Stewart's * Elements,' Marsham's * Coleoptera,' Ha-
worth's * Lepidoptera,' and the picture-books of Doudran, estimable
works enough in their way, but from which the inquirer who wished
to obtain more than a knowledge of the mere name of his species would
not derive a particle of philosophy. The minute investigations of
the anatomist, the principles of natural classification founded upon
the various relations of the different tribes and the variations in the
metamorphoses of all insects, save the Lepidoptera, were subjects
scarcely dreamt of ; and, in truth, the entomologist merited no other
name than that of a collector, his only aim being the getting toge-
ther of as great a number of species as possible, and storing them up
in his cabinets.

The appearance of the first two volumes of the * Introduction* of
Messrs. Kirby and Spence placed the science on a far different foot-
ing, showing the inquirer, in a most engaging manner, that it pos-
sessed far higher claims to his attention. In these delightful vo-
lumes the natural history and ceconomy of the insect tribes were
proved to be as interesting and worthy of observation as those of the
highest animals. The subsequent appearance of the third and fourth
volumes of the same work opened the wide field of insect anatomy
and the principles of entomological classification ; thus forming,

* See CoUhis's Account of New South Wales.

54 BihliograpMcal Notices,

with the preceding volumes, the most complete general ' Introduc-
tion' to the study hitherto published. These were shortly followed
by the appearance of Mr. Curtis's beautiful work on the ' Genera of
British Insects,' recently noticed in our pages, and by the * Systematic
Catalogue and Illustrations ' of Mr. Stephens, the latter consisting of
detailed descriptions of all the British species.

Besides these, a very considerable number of minor treatises
have been produced by authors who have in a great measure been
instigated to the pursuit by the establishment of the various ento-
mological societies, and whose works are scattered through the pages
of numberless English and Foreign Transactions and other similar
works. During this period also the principles of natural classifica-
tion have been greatly investigated both at home and abroad, but in
no work have these principles being applied throughout to the nu-
merous families of insects.

The object of the present work may be best shown by the follow-
ing passages from the preface to the first volume. After noticing
the distinction between the general nature of Introductions to Ento-
mology and the generic and specijic nature of the works of Curtis,
Stephens, etc., the author observes that the student has hitherto
been "led at once from the general views he had gained on the sub-
ject to the minute technical details of genera and species, there being
no work which he could take up to serve as a guide to the develop-
ment of the principles of modern classification in the distribution of
the orders and families. For years this deficiency has strikingly
manifested itself to me, and it is long since I announced my present
undertaking, in which I had proposed to myself to show the appli-
cation of the modern views which have been entertained relative to
the natural relations of animals in the arrangement of the entire
groups of winged insects ; illustrating the subject by details of the
natural habits, transformations, and structure of the diflferent fami-
lies."

The work opens with a series of general observations upon the
class of Insects, their general structure and transformations, and the
various systems of Swammerdam, Linnaeus, Fabricius, Latreille and
MacLeay, the respective authors of the metamorphotic, alary, ciba-
rian. eclectic, and representative systems. The arrangement adopted
by the author nearly corresponds with that of MacLeay, the orders
of Hexapod, Metamorphotic Insects (which are alone treated upon
in this work), being divided into two parallel sub- classes. Each order
with its sections is then passed in review, ample details being given
of the characters, structures, habits, transformations, and general dis-
tribution and relation of the different families, with an illustration
of their characteristic anatomical details and preparatory states. It
is thus that the author has endeavoured to make his work a fitting
' Sequel' to the 'Introduction' of Kirby and Spence, whilst at the
same time it will be found equally, if not still more, useful to the
student who would extend his inquiries beyond the details of genera
"and species : in this respect it forms an equally fitting precursor to
the works of Curtis, Stephens, etc. A few extracts, however, will

Bibliographical Notices, &5

more satisfactorily show the manner in which the author has treated
the subject in its various bearings ; we will therefore take the distri-
bution of the Coleoptera, which has lately been the subject of much
discussion, as an example of the manner in which the natural classi-
fication of insects is treated. After reviewing the arrangements of
Linnaeus, Latreille, MacLeay, etc. (that of the last-named author
being founded upon the analogical relations of the preparatory
states and the asserted inaccuracy of the tarsal system), the author
observes, in addition to our ignorance of the larvae of many import-
ant groups, " that Mr. MacLeay himself admits the existence of a
variation in the tarsal structure concurrent with the variation in the
form of the larvae, a circumstance dependent, as it seems to me,
upon the principle that modifications of the preparatory states of an
insect ought merely to be regarded as indications of corresponding
peculiarities in the final state, the former modifications being subor-
dinate to those observed in the imago, and having, in fact, been un-
dergone with a direct view to the perfection of the insect. We might
indeed carry the subject still further. Thus, whilst the intimate
connexion existing throughout the whole of the Tetramerous Beetles
cannot be denied, yet Cerambyx has a subvermiform and Chryso-
mela an anopluriform larva ; whilst the latter and Coccinella (Mr.
MacLeay's two examples of the Anopluriform Stirps), although
agreeing in the larvae, are totally diflferent in the habits and in the
structure of the tarsi of the imago." After some further observa-
tions, he adds, that " The Coleoptera are therefore divisible into the
four following sections : 1. Pentamera, in which all the tarsi are 5-
jointed, the fourth being of ordinary size ; 2. Heteromera, in which
the four anterior tarsi are 5-jointed, and the two posterior 4-jointed ;
3. Pseudotetramera (or Subpentamera, Tetramera, Latreille, Crypto-
pentamera, Burm.), in which the tarsi are 5-jointed, but the fourth
joint is exceedingly diminutive, and concealed between the lobes
of the preceding; 4. Pseudotrimera (or Subtetramera, Tetramera,
Latr., Cryptotetramera, Burm.), in which the tarsi are 4-jointed, the
third joint being very diminutive, and concealed between the lobes
of the preceding."

As a specimen of the structural details, the following account of
the structure of the mouth of the preparatory states of the May-fly
{Ephemera vulgata) may be quoted : — ** Considering the rudimental
nature of the mouth of the imago, it is surprising that no one has
hitherto described the real structure of the mouth in the preparatory
states. Reaumur has attempted it, but his figures are so rude and in-
sufficient, that no idea can be gleaned as to their true structure ;
Swammerdam also passes them over undescribed. In the pupa
of E. vulgata the upper lip is of moderate size, with the anterior
angles rounded off and ciliated ; it is flat and quite membranous : the
mandibles are horny, armed with several teeth within, near the base,
which is dilated into a flattened molary plate, whilst the upper angle
of the mandible is produced into a long curved horn. The maxillae
are small, membranous, curved, pointed at the tip and internally se-
tose : the maxillary palpi do not extend beyond the front of the head ;

56 Bibliographical Notices.

they are 4-jointed, the basal joint being very short : the lower lip is
very large and membranous, covering the under side of the mouth ;
it is quadrilobed and furnished within with a broad tongue, of which
the anterior angles are produced and pilose ; the labial palpi are
broad and 3-jointed."

The account of the proceedings of the Ant-lion may be taken as
an example of the manner in which the natural history of the various
families is treated : —

" It is in very fine sand that the larva makes its pitfall. When
placed upon the surface, it bends down the extremity of the body,
and then pushing, or rather dragging, itself backwards by the assist-
ance of its hind legs, but more particularly of the deflexed extremity
of its body, it gradually insinuates itself into and beneath the sand,
constantly throwing off the particles which fall upon, or which it
shovels, with its jaws or legs upon its head, by suddenly jerking
them backwards,

' Ossaque post tergum magnge jactata parentis/

" Proceeding in this manner, in a spiral direction, it gradually di-
minishes the diameter of its path, and by degrees throws so much of
the sand away, as to form a conical pit, at the bottom of which it
then conceals itself, its mandibles, widely extended, being the only
parts that appear above the surface ; with these, any luckless insect
that may happen to fall down the hole is immediately seized and
killed. When the fluids of the victim are exhausted, the Ant-lion,
by a sudden jerk, throws the dry carcass out of the hole ; should,
however, the insect by chance escape the murderous jaws of its
enemy, the latter immediately commences throwing up the sand,
whereby not only is the hole made deeper and its sides steeper, but
the escaping insect is probably hit, and again brought down to the
bottom of the pit. It is chiefly upon ants and other soft-bodied in-
sects that these larvae feed. They are, however, capable of under-
going long fasts, for one of my larvae remained from October till
March without food. It has been supposed that, as the food of these
larvae consists entirely of juices, and as they appear to be destitute
of anal aperture, the whole of their food is assimilated. M. L. Du-
four has, however, traced the intestinal canal terminating in an anus,
which fs, indeed, very difficult to discover. (Ann. Soc. Ent. de
France, tom. ii. p. 67. App.) Latreille states that these larvae are
produced in the summer or autumn, and become pupae in the follow-
ing spring. I found the larvae of all sizes in July, one of which
became a pupa, and assumed the perfect state ; whilst another, of
equal size, remained through the winter in the larva state. Previous
to assuming the pupa state, the larva forms a globular cocoon of less
than half an inch in diameter of fine sand, glued with silken threads
spun from a slender telescopic-like spinneret placed at the extremity
of its body, and lined with fine silk. The pupa is small, not being
half an inch long, inactive, and with all its limbs laid at rest upon
the breast. When ready to assume the perfect state it uses its man-
dibles, which are quite unlike those of the larva and imago, and

Bibliographical Notices. 5 J

which have not been before described, to gnaw a hole through the
cocoon, and pushes itself partly through the aperture, in which it
leaves the pupa skin."

The work is illustrated with a coloured plate, containing examples
of most of the orders, and by nearly 2500 figures representing the
types of the different families, with their preparatory states and struc-
tural peculiarities, there being not fewer than 340 figures of perfect
insects, and more than 420 of larvae and pupae. Another important
feature in the work, and one which we can well believe must have
cost the author very great labour, is the bibliographical references
to each of the families. These cannot fail to be of infinite service to
the student, as they contain notices of every paper or detached me-
moir of the least value published on the subject up to the date of the
work. At the same time, in order to render it still more useful, a com-
plete synopsis of the British genera, brought down to the present
time, is added, and in which are included the characters, synonyms, and
authorities of the genera, the number of British species, and name of
the type, with a reference to a figure of the genus. Having thus
given our readers an insight into the comprehensive nature of the
work before us, we must observe, that the discussion of the relations
of the different families, and of the views entertained thereof by pre-
ceding writers, appears too much detailed. The great extent of the
subject, however, and the comparatively slight grounds existing to-
wards a perfect classification of the very numerous tribes of insects,
have necessarily involved many of their relations in doubt, and of
which the discussion cannot fail to be productive of advantage. We
also notice a few typographical errors, some of which, however, are
corrected in the Appendix. In conclusion, as this work has the rare
merit of interfering with no other hitherto published, we cordially
recommend it as one rendered necessary by the progress of the
science, and as the result of the most laborious research, and conse-
quently as deserving, both from its nature and execution, of be-
coming a standard work of reference in every zoological library.

Otia Hispanica. Auctore P. B.Webb. Pentas 2, 1839.

The present number of this valuable work, which has only recently
reached us, is occupied by figures and descriptions of five species of
Algae, by C. Montague, M.D., and as they are all either new or but
little known, we cannot do better than transcribe their specific cha-
racters ; we must, however, previously state that each of the species
is fully illustrated by magnified dissections, and by a detailed de-
scription and copious observations.

1. Griffithsia fiahellata (Montag.), filis setaceis virgatis, ramis al-
ternis pinnatis, pinnis tandem divaricato-recurvis, pinnulis sub-
secundis erectis, articulis diametro quintuplo-duplo longioribus,
capsulis maximis involucratis. — Ceramium et Callithamnion
flexuosum, Agardh.
Agardh appears never to have seen the fruit of this plant, and

58 Zoological Society.

therefore referred it to Callithamnion, to which genus it is closely al-
lied in general appearance. Its fruit is that of a Griffithsia,

2. Griffithsia Schousboei (Mout-dg.), repens, intricata, filis dichotomis

articulato-constrictis, articulis elliptico-sphsericis e geniculis
radicellas hyalinas emittentibus.
" The absence of fructification causes me to doubt if this is not an
abnormal state or a rampant variety of G. corallina (Ag.)."

3. Gigartina conferta (Schousb.), fronde cartilaginea, filiformi, vage

ramosa, ramis fasciculatis confertis, ramulos abbreviatos patentes
apice incrassato-ovoideos undique emittentibus.

4. Gigartina gaditana (Montag.), fronde cartilaginea, filiformi, di-

chotoma, aculeis simplicibus brevissimis subsecundis utrinque
attenuatis obsita.
Probably closely allied to the Sphcerococcus armatus (Agardh).

5. Delesseria interrupta (Ag.), fronde membranacea tenerrima, in-

terrupte costata, lineari, dichotoma, apice furcatarotundataque.

This second number fully supports the high character which had
been obtained by its predecessor, and we trust that the work will
receive that support which it deserves from the botanists of Britain.

PROCEEDINGS OF LEARNED SOCIETIES.

ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY.

June 23, 1840.— William Yarrell, Esq., V.P., in the Chair.
The Rev. F. W. Hope read a paper entitled " Observations on
the Stenochoridce of New Holland, with descriptions of new species."
Of this paper the following is an extract : —

Fam. Stenochorid^, Leach.
Type of the family Stenochorus semipunctatus, Fab.

Section 1. Armigeri.

Antennis thoraceque spinosis, apicibus elytrorum bidentatis.

Sp. 1. Stenochorus gigas. Sten. ater thorace spinoso inaquali,
elytris hast nigro flavoque variegatis.

Antennae corpore fere duplo long lores, articulis ternis primis nigri-
cantibus, reliquisfusco-ferrugineis, articulis intermediis apice spi-
nosis. Caput atrum antice rufo-ciliatum palpis ferrugineis. Tho-
rax utrinque spinosus spinis brevibus, tuber culatus, rugosus et ater.
Elytra bidentata, basi nigro flavoque variegata, varioloso-punctata.
Corpus infra nigrum abdomine postice piceo, femoribus atris,
tibiis tarsisque fusco-brunneis et tomentosis.

Long. lin. 18^; lat. lin. 5^.

Hab. In interiori parte Novae HoUandiae.

This magnificent species, the largest of the genus, was given to
Captain Roe, when engaged on his survey of the Australian coast ;
it was labelled as coming from the inner country.

In Museo Dom. Hope.

Sp. 2. Stenochorus latus. Sten.fusco-brunneus, thorace cinereo-

Zoological Society. 59

inmentoso, elytris fiavo brunneoque variegatis. Caput cinereum.
AntenncB lonyitudini corporis vix cequales. Thorax utrinque spi-
nosus, spinis acutis, tomentosus et rugosus, antice binis tuberculis
rubro-piceis insignitus. Elytra flavo-brunnea maculisque nigris
variegata, macula suturali magna lunulata, ad apicem posita, corpus
infra nigrum, pectore pedibus brunneo-piceis, tarsisque aurico-
matis.

Long. lin. 15 ; lat. lin. 4.

Hab, In Nova HoUandia circa Flumen Cygneum.

In Mus. Dom. Hope.

Sp. 3. Stenochorus longipennis, Sten. atro-brunneus, thorace
cinereo, elytris antice flavo variegatis, postice, piceo-brunneis.
Antenna longitudine corporis, fusco-flavce et tomentosce. Thorax
utrinque spinosus spinis acutis, ad humeros elytrorum curvatus,
rugosus, tuberculo nigro et glabro in medio disci posito. Elytra
elongata ad apicem parum attenuata, antice brunnea, lineis flavis
longitudinalibus variegata, postice reliqua parte disci atro-brunnea.
Corpus infra fusco-brunneum, femoribus tibiis pallidioribus et to-
mentosis, tarsisque auricomatis.

Long. lin. 13 ; lat. lin. 3 J.

Hab. Van Diemen's Land.

Sp. 4. Stenochorus Mitchelli. Sten. straminicolor, caput ni-
grum antennis flavis, thorace atro-cinereo, elytrisque flavo brun-
neoque variegatis. Caput atrum thorace bispinoso, spinis utrinque
minutis, disco rugoso atro-cinereo. Elytra pallide flava sutura
brunneisque maculis variegata. Corpus infra rubro-brunneum an-
nulis abdominis aurato-tomentosis, femoribus et tibiis concoloribus
tarsisque aurato-spongiosis.

Long. lin. 12; lat. lin. 3^.

Hab. In Nova HoUandia.

This singularly marked insect I have named in honour of Sir T.
Livingston Mitchell, the author of one of the most interesting works
which has yet appeared respecting Australia.

Sp. 5. Stenochorus TRTMACuLATus. Sten. pallide flavus, antennis
pedibus luteis thorace cinereo elytrisque nigro maculatis. Caput
piceo-brunneum. Antennis flavis sparsimque tomentosis. Thorax
utrinque spinosus, spinis brevibus, rugoso-tuberculatus et argenteo-
cinereus, scutellum flavum. Elytra ad basin nigra, macula magna
ovali pallide flava, ante apicem in singula posita. Corpus infra
rubro-fuscum et argenteo-tomentosum. Pedibus luteis.

This elegant species I received from Captain Roe ; it was captured
at the Swan River Settlement.

Sp. 6. Stenochorus obscurus, Donovan. Sten. thorace rugoso
spinoso, fuscus elytris antice punctato-rugosis , postice Icevibus ni-
tidis apice bidentatis.
Long. lin. 11 ; lat. lin. 3.

This species appears to be of rare occurrence. I have seen only
three specimens ; all of them were from Van Diemen's Land.

60 Zoological Society,

Sp. 7. Stenochorus PUNCTATUS, Dowovaw. Stcn. thorace spinoso,
fuscus, elytris punctatis antice suhrugosis, apice hidentatis maculis
tribus flavis .
Long, lin. 1 1 ; lat. lin. 2^.

This species I obtained at the sale of the late Mr. Donovan's in-
sects ; it was labelled as received from Van Diemen's Land. The
colour of this species in Donovan's plate is not dark enough ; the
variety with the basal and medial spots united on the elytra, is by
no means uncommon ; the species is also liable to vary considerably
in size ; a small specimen measured only 81 lines long and 2 in
width.

Sp. 8. Stenochorus semipunctatus, Fabricius. Sten. thorace
spinoso, fuscus, elytris antice punctata -rug osis, flavo-fasciatis,
postice lavibus, apice bidentatis macula Jlava. Vid. Oliv. 4 —
67. p. 37, 48; Stenoch. 69. tab. 2. f. 19 ; Enc. Meth. 5. p.
303, 56 ; Schonherr. Syn. Ins. vol. i. part 3. p. 404. species 9.
Long. lin. 11 ; lat. lin. 3.

The localities of * Brasilia' and * Nova HoUandia' are mentioned by
the latter author ; there cannot exist a doubt that the former locality
is erroneous. The species is subject to great variation. I mention
some of the most particular.
Var. a. Elytris (long. lin. 8 ; lat. lin. IJ) mediis trimaculatis, maculis

binis antice parvis, postica triplo major i.
Var. fj. Elytris (long. lin. 7 ; lat. lin. 1^) late flavo-fasciatis maculis

nigris aspersis.
Var. y. Elytris (long. lin. 11 ; lat. lin. 3) late flavo-fasciatis nigris
binis maculis notatis, apice late flavo, spinisque concoloribtis, an-
tennis pedibusque pallidis.
This is probably an immature specimen. It is by no means un-
common.

Sp. 9. Stenochorus angustatus, DeJean. Sten. valde elongatus,
parallelus, pubescens, fusco-cinereus, thorace subplicato, conico,
lineis duabus albidis. Elytris macula laterali antica, elongata,
fusca.
Long. lin. 10; tot. 15.
In Museo M. M. DeJean et Gory.

The above description is taken from the Voyage De TAstrolabe,
by Mons. Boisduval, vide part 2. p. 475.

Sp. 10. Stenochorus undulatus. Sten. nigro-brunneus, an^
tennis aurato-tomentosis thorace supra tuberculato et concolori,
medio disci macula elevata rubro-picea et polita. Scutellum au-
reo-tomentosum. Elytra fusco-brunnea, fasciis binis mediis un-
dulatis pallide flavis upicibus concoloribus . Corpus infra rubro-
piceum pedibus aureo-tomentosis.
Long. lin. 10 ; lat. lin. 2^.

This species inhabits New Holland, and was sent me by Captain
Roe from the New English Settlement at the Swan River in Au-
stralia. I must remark that in this species the spines at the apex
of the elytra appear unusually short, those at the suture are scarcely

Zoological Society, 61

perceptible. I imagine therefore, as the insect is unique and much
damaged, that probably they have been broken off.

Sp. 11. Stenochorus assimilis. Sten. affinis prcecedenii, rufo-
brunneuSf antennis concoloribus et tomentosis. Thorax-rufo'
piceus, supra tuherculatus tuberculis quinque elevatis majori-
bus ita dispositis :|: reliquis minoribus. Elytra rufo-briinnea ,
fascia elongata irregulari undulata etjlava apicibusflavo-macu-
latis. Corpus infra rufum femor'ibus et tibiis concoloribus et
sub' tomentosis tarsisque auricomatis.

Long. lin. lOj ; lat. lin. 2^.

I received this insect from Van Diemen's Land.

Sp. 12. Stenochorus ACANTHOCERUs, MacLeay. Sien.fusco-fer-
rugineus capite punctato ; antennis rubris, articulo 3^'°, 4*°, 5*°
et 6^^ apice spinosis ; ore rubro ; maxillis elongatis^ apice ciliatis
membranaceis ; palpis securiformibus ; tfiorace obscuro utrinque
iinispinoso margine antico tuberculisque dorsalibus utrinque pos-
ticoque semicirculari rubris ; scutello rubro ; elytris rubris fas-
cits tribus nigris undatis, ad basin inter tineas elevatas subcre-
natis, apicemque versus punctatis, apice bidentatis ; corpore sub-
tus nigro nitido tomentoso pedibus rubris.

In Mus. Dom. MacLeay,

Sp. 13. Stenochorus DORSALis, MacLeay. Sten. fulvo-piceus ca-
pite angusto labro palpisque testaceis ; vertice canaliculato ; tho-
race incequaliter rugoso eminentia media ovali glabra tribusque
aliis utrinque inconspicuis ; elytris bidentatis subelevatis inter-
stitiisque punctatis macula media suturali testacea antice sub-
emarginata ; antennis subtus villosisy articulis apice haud spinosis ;
corpore pedibusque piceis ; femoribus incrassatis.

In Mus. Dom. MacLeay.

Hab. In Nova Hollandia.

Section 2. Tubericolles.

Antennis spinosis, thorace tuberculato haud spinoso, apicibus
elytrorum bidentatis femoribusque incrassatis.

Sp. 14. Stenochorus uNiGUTTATus, MacLeay. Sten. fuscus capite
cum antennis villosis, thorace incequali rugoso, tuberculato. Ely-
tris depressis crebrissime punctulatis, in singulo macula quadrato-
elongata, et luteafere in medio disci posita. Corpus infra rubro-
fuscum tomentosum femoribus incrassatis et concoloribus, tarsis
infra flavo-spongiosis.

This species I received from the Swan River : it is subject to great
variation in size. A specimen similar to Mr. MacLeay's Uniguttatus
measures in length, lin. lOj ; lat. lin. 2. It seems likely that Sten.
elongatus of DeJean is the same as the above species.

Sp. 15. Stenochorus rhombifer. Sten. affinis 2ircecedenti at
multo minor. Fuscus, antennis et corpore sparsim flavo-tomento-
sis, capite haud villoso, rubro. Thorax incequalis et tuberculatus.
Elytra depressa bidentata, macula quadrato-elongata luteafere

62 Zoological Society.

in medio disci posita. Corpus infra rubro-piceum nitidum, hints
ultimis segmentis pallidiorilms. Pedes ruhro-fusci femoribus pa-
rum incrassatis tarsisque infra aureo-tomentosis.

Long. lin. 7.; lat. lin. 1^.

I received this species in a box of insects from Mr. Charles Dar-
win. Its true locality is either Sidney or Van Diemen's Land.

1 consider it quite distinct from Mr. Sharpe MacLeay's Stenocho-
rus uniguttatus.

In Mus. Dom. Hope.

Sp. 16, Stenochorus TUNicATUs, MacLeay. Sten.flavus antenna-
rum articulis duohus primis nigris quinto apice septimo nonoque
nigris ; thorace subcylindrico utrinque unidentato, supra quadri-
tuherculato tuberculis anticis majoribus ; elytris apice flavis uni-
dentatis, parte basalt ultra medium subviolaceo-fiava linea obliqua
terminata ; corpore pedibusque flavo-testaceis.

In Mus. Dom. MacLeay.

Sp. 17. Stenochorus rubripes, Boisduval. Sten. e long atus par al-
lelus ; antennis pedibusque rufis ; thorace angustiori, cylindricOf
tuberculato, coleopteris dilute fuscis ; apice spinosisj j^unctis cre-
hris impressis, macula communi maxima irregularis nigra notata,
altera postica, scuielloque Jlavis.

Long. lin. 10^ ; lat. lin. 2^.

Described from Mons. Boisduval's ' Voyage de I'Astrolabe/ vid.
part ii. page 479. I had given the name of Undulatus to the species,
and had figured it before I was aware of its being described : the
sexes apparently differ considerably in size.

Sp. 18. Stenochorus Roei. Sten. rubro-fuscus ; antennis pal-

lidioribus ; thorace tuberculato, elytrisque macula irregulari

Jlava notatis, alteraque apicali lutea, spinis apice brevibus, ex-

terno longiori. Corpus infra rubro'piqeum nitidum pedibus con-

coloribus et tomentosis.

Long. lin. Gj^ ; lat. lin. 1^.

This species was sent to me from the Swan River by Captain Roe ;
it is named after that indefatigable and enterprising officer.

Section 3. Fissipennes.
Antennis spinosis, thorace insequali tuberculato sen denticulate,
apicibus elytrorum transverse truncatis, baud spinosis.

Gen. CoPTOCERCus*, Hope, Nov. Gen.

Caput antice rugosum, antennis spinoso-tomentosis. Thorax fere
cylindricus, tuberculatus. Elytra parallela thorace latiora ad
apicem parum contracta, transverse fissa, baud spinosa. Cor-
pus infra convexum, antennis pedibusque fere ut in Sten. Roei
conformatis.

Type of the Genus, Stenochorus biguttatus of Donovan.

Sp. 1. Coptocercus biguttatus, Donovan, vid. pi. 2. fig. 7.
* Koptocercus, from KOTrra, scindo, and KtpKOi cauda.

Zoological Society, M

Ccypt. biguttatus, thorace mutico,ferrugmeuSj elytris antice punc-
tato-rugosis, tesiaceo-maculatis, bidentatis macula Jlava,
Long. lin. 8 ; lat. lin. 2.

I received this insect from Mr. Donovan, and therefore have no
doubt respecting the individual species. The elytra, according to the
above description, can scarcely be considered as bidentate ; they
appear as if they were abruptly broken off at their apex. 'I'he sexes
vary very much in size.

Sp.2. CoPTocERCus sEXMACULATiTs.Cop/.wig'er; antennis brunneis ;
thorace tuberculato et rugoso ; elytris 6 maculis luteis notatis,
pedibus rufescentibus. Caput atrum antennis brunneis. Thorax
utrinque denticulatuSj incequalis, rugosus, tuberculatus, macula
media elevata et glabra. Elytra nigra antice varioloso-jnmctataf
postice punctis minoribus. Sex-maculata, macula 1™* lutea paullo
infra basin, 2^* fere media sen melius fasciata, S*** apicali pal-
lidiore. Corjous infra cinereo-piceum ; pedibus rufo-brunneis.
Long. lin. 7 ; lat. lin. 1|.

ITiis species, which appears to have escaped the notice of ento-
mologists, is abundant. I suspect that the male sex will have the
denticulation on each side of the thorax more marked than in the
female described.

Sp. 3. CoPTocERCus UNIFASCIATUS. Copt. atcr thorace incequali
tuberculatOj ehjiris nigris punctatis, et flavofasciatisy punctis
ternis, maculisque minutis in singulo, inter basin et medialem
fasciam positis. Corpus infra rubro-piceum ; pedibus concolori-
bus, aureo-tomentosis ; abdornine nigra, et nitido.

Long. lin. 6 ; lat. lin. 1^.

The above insect I received from Captain Roe, of the Swan River
Settlement in New Holland.

Section 4. DenticoUes.
Antennis tomentosis, thorace utrinque spinoso ; dorso dentate ;
elytris apice obtusis.

Gen. Trachelorachys*, Nov. Gen.
Type of the Genus, Stenochorus fumicolor.

Caput exsertum, oculis prominentibus, antennis corpore breviori-
bus. Palpi maxillares mandibulis longiores. Antennee 11-ar-
ticulatse, 1™° cylindrico parum deformi ad basim tenuiori et
externe crassiore, 2^° brevi subcyathiformi, reliquis fere sequa-
libus, at extimo minori, apice attenuate. Thorax convexus
utrinque spinosus, disco spinis armato. Elytra thorace quad-
ruple longiora, depressa, ad apicem obtuse rotundata et inermia.
Pedes simplices, femoribus baud incrassatis.

Hab. In Nova HoUandia.

Trachelorachys fumicolor. Trach. fusco niger ; thorace utrin-
que sjmtoso, disco spinis quatuor fere in medio armato. Elytra
parallela marginibus undique elevatis ad basim crebre granu-

* The above word is formed of Tg«>i»j?iof, collum, and Qec^tg, a spine.

64 Zoological Society,

lattti granulis nd apicem e medio elytrorum magnitudhie dccrcs-
cent'ibus. Corjms infra piceo-nigrum, pedibus pallidiorihus et
tomentosis, plantisque aurato-tomentosis.
Long. lin. lOj ; lat. lin. 2\.

This insect was obtained from a collection made in the vicinity of
Sydney.

Trachelorachys pustulatus. Track. Jlavo-fuscus antennis to-
mentosis ; thorace concolori utrinqiie spinoso ; spinis binis fere in
medio armatis. Elytra marginata ; pustulis nigris in lineis
sparsim dispositis. Corpus infra fusco-rubrum ; pedibus subio-
mentosis.
Long. lin. 8 ; lat. lin. 1^.

The above insect was purchased out of a New Holland box,
along with various nondescripts ; most likely they were from Hobart
Town.

Section 5. Femorales.

Antennis tomentosis ; thorace utrinque spinoso, dorso dentato ;
elytris transverse sectis ; femoribus incrassatis.

Gen. Meropachys*.

Caput exsertum, antennis tomentosis articulis undecim articulatis ;
]^ino fgj.g ^^ ]^ Track, fumicolori, at externe crassiori et ovato ;
2do iji-evi et globose ; 3^^^ triplo longiori ; 4*^ pauUo breviori, re-
liquis gradatim increscentibus, extimo apice subacuto. Thorax
antice et postice contractus, utrinque in medio spinosus; dorso
dentato. Elytra depressa ; thorace latiora postice latiora trans-
verse fissa. Totum corpus supra et infra argenteo sericie asper-
sum. Femoribus valde incrassatis in medio fortiter globosis.

Meropachys MacLeaii. Merop. fusco-flava antennis flavis to-
mentosis, tkorace concolori, utrinque spinoso, maculis binis atris,
antice et postice signato. Elytra aurato sericie aspersa, ad hu-
meros tuberculata, fascia nigricanti ante apicem p)osita. Corpus
infra rubrum nigro et argenteo variegatum. Pedes flavescentes ,
femoribus globosis, nigro-maculatis ; tibiis quatuor posticis medio
atratis ; tarsisque pallidis binis anticis fere omnino nigris sub-
tusque auri-comatis .
Long. lin. 8 ; lat. lin. 1^.

This beautifully sericeous insect is named in honour of William
Sharpe MacLeay, Esq., from whom we may shortly expect some
valuable communications relating to the entomology of Australia.

This genus appears to differ chiefly from Trachelorachys in having
both the sexes remarkably characterized by their incrassated femora ;
and it is probable that, as in other New Holland Stenochoridous ge-
nera, the length of the antennae will vary in the sexes.

Meropachys tristis. Merop. Jlavo-fuscus antennis tomentosis,
tkorace aurato lanugine obsito. Elytra depressa, minulis pustu-
lis lineari serie insignitis. Corpus infra rubro-piceum sericie

* Meropachys is from (/.rifioi;, femur, and 'Ko.yjuz, crmaiiies.

Zoological Society. 65

nurato teclum. Femora valde incrassata ; tibiis rubro-testaceis ;
tarsisque infra auri-comatis.
Long. lin. 9^ ; lat. lin. 2.

The above species was sent to me by Captain Roe from the vici-
nity of the Swan River settlement. There were also other species
allied to the present, but they arrived in too mutilated a state to
describe.

CONICOLLES.

Scolecobrotus Westivoodii. This species was described at p. 109
in the first volume of the Zoological Transactions, and is admirably
figured at Plate XV. w. 5. It is remarkable for the joints of the
antennae, all excepting the first three appearing as if they were eaten
by worms. I have lately obtained from Mr. Fortnum the other sex
of this singular insect, and now briefly describe it. The antennae
are of a light coral-red colour, which may partly be occasioned by
abrasion. The joints of the antennae do not appear serrated as in
the former sex, excepting under a high magnifying power, and even
then it is scarcely perceptible. The spines at the apex of the elytra
are wider apart than in the specimen previously described ; in other
respects the insects accord almost entirely. I have reason to think
that both the above specimens are from the Swan River settlement,
and am not aware that any others are to be found in our metropoli-
tan, or even in the French collections.

Ur acanthus, Hope. For the description of this genus, vide the de-
tails published at page 108 of the ' Zoological Transactions,' where
only one species was described ; two more are now added.

Uracanthus fallens. Uracan. qffinis prcecedenti at multo minor,
C ervino-brunneus thorace conico et albo-lineato ; elytris palli-
dioribus apicibus bidentatis.
Caput f route forte canaliculata pubescenti-albida tectum. Tho-
rax alba linea utrinque notatus^ binisque tuberculis ad latera sub-
armatus, rugisque transversis constrictus. Elytra cervino-brunnea ^
sericea, triangulis in singulo colore saiuratiore inquinatis. Cor-
pus infra brunneo-sericeum^femoribusparumcompressis.
Long. lin. 10 ; lat. lin. 2.

I had originally given the name of sericeus to this species, which,
as it seems common to all that are now known, I change it at pre-
sent to pallens. It was received from Van Diemen's Land in 1839.

Uracanthus marginellus. Uracan. fusco-brunneus thorace albo-
lineato, elytrisque brunneo marginatis.

Totutn corpus supra tomentosum, capite porrecto et inter oculos
parum sub-canaliculato. Thorax rugis constrictus, tubercvlo
utrinque posito. Elytra albo-pubescentia margimbus brunneis
apicibus abrupte truncatis, spinis parum prominentibus. Corpua
infra concolor, femoribus compressis.

Long. lin. 9 ; lat. lin. IJ.

I received this insect from Captain Roe, of the Swan River. In
form it approaches a singular genus named Stephanops by Mr. Shuck-

Ann, ^ Mag, N, Hist, Vol. vii. F

66 Zoological Society,

hard ; it is however decidedly an Uracanthus, and there can be little
doubt that Stephanops Nasutus of the above author belongs to my
section of the cone-necked-shaped Stenochoridce,

Section Conicolles, Hope.
Genus Strongylurus, Hope.

Type of the Genus Sten. scutellatus, Hope.
Vide Zool. Trans., vol. i. p. 107.
Caput porrectum, oculis prominentibus. Antennce undecim articu-
latse ; articulus 1°*"^ crassus antice latior quam ad basim ; '2^^
brevi, reliquis gradatim increscentibus, compressis. Thorax
coniformis antice et transverse truncatus. Elytra thorace la-
tiora, parallela apicibus rotundatis. Femora in utroque sexu
subincrassata, et parum compressa.

Sp. 1. Strongylurus scutellatus. Strong. fuscus et tomentosus,
thorace Jlavo-ochraceo colore utrinque lineato medio disci nigri-
cante. Scutellum valde distinctum flavum. Elytra fasco-hrunnea,
fasciisque undulatis parum distinctis notata. Corpus infra sor-
didefuscum, abdomine ruhro-piceo,pedibus concoloribus et tomen^
tosis.
Long. lin. 12^; lat. lin. 3.

The above insect I have received from various parts of New Hol-
land ; as it is accurately figured, I have not given very full generic
details. I must remark, however, that in the sexes of this genus
the antennae vary very considerably, in one instance exceeding the
length of the body, whilst in the other sex they are shorter than
the elytra. These Longicorn beetles also vary much in size,
which is a remark that appears to apply to most of the Ceramhycidce
of New Holland. Can the long drought which sometimes prevails
in this country be regarded as the cause of dwarfishness, which is
certainly one of the striking features of the Coleoptera of Au-
stralia ?

Sp. 2. Strongylurus* vARicoRNis. Strong, testaceo-fuscus,

antennis jlavo-nigroque variegatis. Thorace tomentoso utrinque,

dentibus atris armato. Scutellum distinctum et album. Elytra

fusco-testacea fasciis binis undatis parum distinctis. Corpus

infra concolor, pedibus tomentosis.

Long. lin. 5^; lat. lin. 1^.

There are in our English collections two other species belonging
to this genus ; as however I have them not at hand, I must leave
others to describe them.

Genus Coptopterus, Hope.

Type of the Genus Stenochorus Cretifer, Hope.
Vide Zool. Trans., vol. i. p. 107.

Caput porrectum inter oculos canaliculatum. Antennce compresscc,
et fere ut in Strongyluro. Thorax obconico-truncatus, lateribus
rotundatis. Elytra thorace latiora parallela ; apicibus sub-ob-

Geological Society. 6j

lique truncatis, seu abrupte sectis. Femora sub-incrassata et
parum compressa; tibiis subincurvis.

CoPTOPTERus CRETIFER. Cojjt. Jusco-brunncuSf capite alhida
fnacula inter oculos pos'ita. Thorax nigro-cinereus variis ma-
cults cretaceis notatus. Elytra brunnea macuUs nigris aspersa,
in quibusdam speciminibus maculce conjunctce fascias exJiibent.
Corpus infra fusco-rubrum maculisque variis albidis obsitum.
Pedes rubro-picei et tomeniosi.
Long. lin. lOJ; lat. lin. 3.

This insect appears to be abundant at Sydney : there are also
other aUied species undescribed, and from the vicinity of the Swan
River.

Genus Piesarthrius, Hope.

Type of the Genus Stenochorus marginellus.
Vide Zool. Trans., p. 112. Genus 12.

C«pw^ exsertum. ^w^eww<:e valde compressae, 1 l-articulatse. Thorax
fere tetragonus angulis anticis parum rotundatis. Elytra tho-
race paullo latiora parallela, interne spinosa, angulis externis
rotundatis. Femora antica quatuor vix incrassata, posteriora
minora ; tibiis subincurvis.

Hab, In Nova Hollandia.

Piesarthrius marginellus. Piesar. Jlavo-fuscus antennis com-
pressis, tomentosis et pallidis. Thorax niger^ lateribus Jlavo-
ochraceis. Scutellum disiinctum etjlavum. Elytra testaceo-Jlava
marginibus interne et exlerne rubro-piceis. Corpus infra brunneo-
piceum lateribus pectoris annulisque abdominis utrinque flavo'
maculatiSf pedibus pallidioribus.
Long. lin. 10 ; lat. lin. 2 J.

This insect I received from Captain Roe of the Swan River, and
it is, I believe, unique in our London cabinets. I have seen a second
species, but have not been able to obtain permission to describe it.

GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY.

April 29, 1840. — A paper was read, entitled, "Description of the
mains of a Bird, Tortoise, and Lacertian Saurian, from the chalk ;"
by Richard Owen, Esq., F.G.S.

Sird. — The three portions of Ornitholite were obtained by Lord
Enniskillen from the chalk near Maidstone, and were recognised by
him and Dr. Buckland as belonging to some large bird. One of
the bones is nine inches in length, and has one extremity nearly en-
tire, though mutilated, but the other is completely broken off. The
extremity, partially preserved, is expanded. The rest of the shaft
of the bone has a pretty uniform size, but is irregularly three-sided,
with the sides flat and the angles rounded : its circumference is two
inches and a quarter. The whole bone is slightly bent. The spe-
cimen differs from the femur of any known bird, in the proportion
of its length to its breadth ; and from the tibia or metatarsal bone,

F2

68 Geological Society,

in its triedral figure, and the flatness of the sides, none of which are
longitudinally grooved. It resembles most the humerus of the Al-
batross in its form, proportions and size, but it differs in the more
marked angles bounding the three sides. The expanded extremity
likewise resembles the distal end of the humerus of the Albatross,
but it is too mutilated to allow the exact amount of similarity to be
determined.

On the supposition that this fragment is really a part of the hu-
merus, Mr. C)wen says, its length and comparative straightness would
prove it to have belonged to a longipennate natatorial bird, equalling
in size the Albatross.

The two other portions of bone have been crushed, but Mr. Owen
states that they belong to the distal end of the tibia, the peculiar
strongly-marked trochlear extremity of which is well preserved.
Their relative size to the preceding bone, supposing that specimen
to be part of a humerus, is nearly the same as in the skeleton of tne
Albatross. There is no bird now known north of the Equator with
which the fossils can be compared.

Tortoise. — The remains of the Chelonian Reptile consist of four
marginal plates of the carapace, and some small fragments of the
expanded ribs. The marginal plates are united by the usual finely-
indented sutures, and each is impressed along the middle of its up-
per surface with a line corresponding to the margin of the horny
plate which originally defended it. The external edge of each plate
is slightly emarginated in the middle. These plates are narrower
in proportion to their length than in any of the existing marine Che-
Ionia ; and they deviate still more in the character of their internal
articular margin, from the corresponding plates of terrestrial Che-
Ionia ; but they sufficiently agree with the marginal plates of the
carapace of the Emydes, to render it most probable that these cre-
taceous remains are referable to that family of Chelonia, which live
in fresh water or estuaries.

Lacertian Saurian. — This fossil belongs to the collection of Sir
Philip Egerton ; and it consists of a chain of small vertebrae in their
natural relative position, with fragments of ribs and portions of an
ischium and a pubis.

The bodies of the vertebrae are united by ball and socket-joints,
the socket being on the anterior and the ball on the posterior part
of the vertebra ; and they are further proved to belong to the Sau-
rian class of reptiles by the presence of many long and slender ribs,
as well as by the conversion of two vertebrae into a sacrum, in con-
sequence of the length and strength of their transverse processes.
The remains of the ischium and the pubis are connected with the
left side of the sacrum, proving incontestably that this reptile had
hinder extremities as well developed as in the generality of Sau-
rians. Of these extremities, as well as of the anterior and of the
head, there are no traces.

Mr. Owen then proceeds to determine to which division of Sau-
rians, having ball and socket vertebral joints, the fossil should be
referred. In the crocodilian or Loricate group, the transverse costi-

Geological Society. 69

gerous processes are elongated, and three, four, or five of the verte-
bras which precede the sacrum are ribless, and consequently reck-
oned as lumbar vertebrae : in the lacertian Sauriae there are never
more than two lumbar vertebrae, and those which have ribs support
them on short convex processes or tubercles.

In the fossil from the chalk, the ribs are articulated with short
processes of the kind just mentioned, resembling tubercles, and they
are attached to the sides of the anterior part of all the vertebrae,
except the one immediately preceding the sacrum. These charac-
ters, Mr. Owen says, in conjunction with the slenderness and uni-
form length of the ribs, and the degree of convexity in the articular
ball of the vertebrae, prove incontestably, that the fossil is part of a
Saurian, appertaining to the inferior or lacertian group.

The under surface of the vertebrae is smooth, concave in the axis
of the spine, and convex transversely. As there are twenty-one
eostal vertebrae anterior to the sacrum, including the single lumbar,
the fossil, Mr. Owen observes, cannot be referred to the genera
StelliOy Leiolepis, Basiliscus, Agama, Lgriocephalus^ Anolis, or Cha-
mceleon, but that a comparison may be instituted between it and the
Monitors, Iguanas, and Scinks. In conclusion, he states, that in the
absence of the cranium, teeth, and extremities, any further approxi-
mation of the fossil would be hazardous, and too conjectural to yield
any good scientific result.

June 10, 1840. — A memoir descriptive of a " Series of Coloured
Sections of the Cuttings on the Birmingham and Gloucester Rail-
way," by Hugh Edwin Strickland, Esq., F.G.S.

The author commences by expressing his regret at the irre-
coverable loss, which science has experienced, in full advantage not
having been taken of the valuable geological information, which has
been exposed by the railway cuttings in different parts of England
during the last ten years ; and he suggests the propriety of each
line of railway being systematically surveyed by a competent ob-
server, while the cuttings are in progress.

Anxious to contribute towards so desirable an end, Mr. Strickland
gladly yielded to a request made to him by Captain Moorsom, the
chief engineer of the Birmingham and Gloucester Railway, to un-
dertake a geological survey of the line ; and he expresses his obliga-
tions to that gentleman and to Captain J. Vetch for the valuable as-
sistance they afforded him. The line was originally surveyed by
Mr. Burr, when only the trial shafts had been sunk, and before the
cuttings were commenced ; but Mr. Strickland bears testimony to
the accuracy of the account which Mr. Burr laid before this So-
ciety.— (Geol. Proceedings, vol. ii. p. 593.

The direction of the railway ranges nearly parallel to the strike
of the strata, and therefore intersects only the new red sandstone
and red marl, the lias, and superficial detritus.

New red sandstone and red marl. — The lowest rock exposed be-
longs to the new red or bunter sandstone, resting on the anticlinal

70 Geological Society.

axis of the Lickey, ten miles south-south-west of Birmingham, and
one mile south of the termination of the altered rock, or Lickey
Quartz*. The sandstone is there thick-bedded, soft, and red, and
dips on the western flank about 5° west-south-west, and on the
eastern 5° east-south-east. In Grovely Hill, on the north-east of
the Lickey, it passes occasionally into a hard quartzose conglome-
rate with a calcareous paste f ; and at Finstal, on the south-west of
the Lickey ridge, the upper portion of the sandstone is light- coloured,
and contains obscure vegetable impressions, being a prolongation of
the stratum, with similar impressions, at Breakback Hill, on the
west of Bromsgrove X .

On each side of the Lickey, the sandstone is conformably overlaid
by red marl, which extends on the north-east to Birmingham^, and on
the south-west to Stoke Prior and the neighbourhood of Hadnor,
where the railway intersects a ridge of lias. On the north side the
marl is there cut off by a fault, but on the south, at Dunhamstead,
the following juncture section is exposed : —

(«.) Lias clay with contorted beds of lias limestone.

(h.) White micaceous sandstone, with numerous speci-
mens of a smooth oval bivalve ..... 2 Feet.

(c. ) Lias clay 6

(d.) Grey marl 35

(e. ) Red marl

Dip of the beds 5° north-north-east.

In the hill south of Dunhainstead, the grey marl (rf) abuts against
the red marl (e) in consequence of a fault. For the next five miles
the railway traverses a valley of red marl, between the escarpment
of the lias and a ridge of Keuper sandstone. On the south-east of
Spetchley the strike of that sandstone is altered by a fault from
south by east to south-west, and a projecting angle has been pro-
duced which is intersected by the railway. This stratum is a feeble
representative of the Keuper sandstone of Burg Hill, &c.|[, con-
sisting chiefly of greenish marl with thin laminae of white sand-
stone, about twenty feet thick, with red marl above and below.
At Norton the railway ascends the lias escarpment, and cuts through
a section exactly analogous to the one given above. A mile
further south the lias clay contains many calcareous concretions
abounding with fossils, including Plagiostoma giganteum, Modiola

* See Mr. Murchison's Silurian System, p. 492.

t Similar conglomerates occur in Worcestershire, Staffordshire, and
Warwickshire. — Silur. Syst., p. 42. Geol. Trans., 2nd Series, vol. v. 347.

I Geol. Trans., 2nd Series, vol. v. p. 341 ; Proceedings, vol. ii. p. 564,
§ The red marl extends from Birmingham along the London railway as

far as Berkswell, forming the basin, in which occurs the lias outlier of
Knowle south-west of Berkswell. The true boundary of the sandstone and
marl in this district has been only recently ascertained ; it ranges from
Hewell Grange, nearly north, by Cofton Racket to Northfield, and thence
north-east to the south suburbs of Birmingham.

II Proceedings, vol. ii. p. 503. Geol. Trans., 2nd Series, vol. v. p. 332.

Geological Society. f I

minima, and a coral. At Abbot's Wood the fissile sandstone at the
base of the lias is again exposed, having been brought up by a fault.
At DefFord and Eckington the lias clay encloses numerous speci-
mens of Pachyodon Listeri (Stuchbury), or Unio Listeri of Sowerby,
and Ammonites Turneri. At Bredon a higher portion of the lias
series was reached, and a different suite of fossils found, the most
marked being Pleurotomaria Anglica, Hippopodium ponderosum, Gry-
phcea incurva. Nautilus striatus, and several species of Ammonites.
Between Cheltenham and Gloucester the lias has yielded great
abundance of organic remains, a considerable number of which are
considered to be new, and with the exception of Hippopodium ponderO'
sum, Gryphcea incurva, and one or two others, they are distinct from
the fossils of Bredon Hill ; and at Hewlitt's, east of Cheltenham, the
lias near the base of the marlstone presents another series of distinct
fossils. The lower lias, therefore, Mr. Strickland observes, affords
evidences of at least four well-marked successions of molluscous
faunae, in a vertical height of 400 or 500 feet, and unaccompanied
by any change in the mineral character of the deposits.

Superficial detritus. —The author then proceeds to describe the
deposits of superficial detritus, and he states, that they entirely con-
firm the views which he had previously entertained, respecting the
distinction between the ancient terrestrial alluvia in which bones of
mammalia occur, and the submarine drift which covers most parts
of the island*.

He divides the detritus into fluviatile and marine, and the latter,
according to its origin, into local and erratic, and this, according to
its composition, into gravel with flints and without flints.

Marine erratic gravel without flint s\. — Commencing his details with
the Birmingham end of the line, Mr. Strickland shows, that these
accumulations occur extensively on all sides of that town, and at in-
tervals along the line of the railway till it approaches the valley of
the Avon. Mammalian remains appear to be totally wanting.
Chalk flints are so extremely rare in it around Birmingham as to
prove that the materials were transported from the north. At
Mosely it is upwards of 80 feet thick, and consists of rolled pebbles,
rarely exceeding 4 inches in diameter, of various granitic and
quartzose rocks and altered sandstones, imbedded in a clean ferru-
ginous sand ; and a bed of sand 30 feet thick, without pebbles,
occurs in the middle of the gravel. Between Cotteridge and Wytch-
all is an erratic boulder, or shapeless mass of porphyritic trap,
about 5 feet by 4, with the angles slightly rounded. At the Lickey,
gravel analogous to that near Birmingham, but with a large pro-
portion of slate rocks, attains, on the line of the railway, a height of
387 feet, and at the Lickey Beacon of more than 900 feet. Sugar's
Brook is the next locality noticed by Mr. Strickland, but from that
point no gravel occurs for sixteen miles. Near Abbot's Wood is
another extensive deposit of quartzose gravel and ferruginous sand,
devoid of flints and resting upon lias.

* See Reports of the British Association, vol. vi.. Sessional Meetings,
p. 61.
t Northern drift of Mr. Murchison, Silur. Syst., p. 523.

72 Microscopical Society,

Marine erratic gravel with flints. — These accumulations commence
immediately south of the Avon. The village of Bredon stands on a
platform, seventy feet above the ordinary level of the Avon, com-
posed of lias with an uneven surface, and capped with 10 to 15
feet of this gravel. It contains no mammalian remains.

Fluviatile gravel. — The only example of this drift, on the line of
the railway, occupies the two opposite flanks of the Avon at DefFord
and Eckington, north of Bredon. At these localities the surface is
a tabular platform which does not exceed forty-five feet above the
Avon, including a capping of ten feet of gravel precisely similar to
the flinty gravel of Bredon, but containing abundance of mammalian
remains. They were chiefly found in the cutting north of Ecking-
ton, at the lower part of the deposit, and often on the surface of
the lias clay ; and are referrible to Elephas primigenius, Hippopotamus
major. Bos Urus, and Cervus giganteus } On the north, or Defibrd
side of the Avon, the remains of Elephas primigenius and Rhinoceros
trichorhinus have been obtained. Associated with these bones are
numerous freshwater shells, agreeing with those found at Crop-
thorne *; the most abundant species being Cyclas amnica and C.
cornea. In endeavouring to account for the presence of these re-
mains at only one point in the line of the railway, Mr. Strickland
states that he can off^er no other explanation than that previously
proposed by him f, namely, that after the beds of marine gravel had
been deposited and laid dry by the elevation of the land, a large
river or chain of lakes extended down the valley of the Avon, at a
height varying from twenty to fifty feet above its present course ;
and that the gravel previously accumulated by marine currents, was
remodified by the river, and mixed up with remains of mammalia
which tenanted its banks, or of moUusca which inhabited its waters.

Local gravel — This species of detritus occurs abundantly at Chel-
tenham, and consists exclusively of detritus from the oolites and lias
of the vicinity. No bones or terrestrial remains have been found in
it ; and, therefore, the author assigns to it, in the absence of other
evidence, a marine origin.

Modern alluvia. — The only deposits of this nature mentioned in
the paper, are the peaty accumulations on the banks of the Avoi^
and its tributaries.

The memoir was accompanied by a copy of the Railway Section,
and of the Tewkesbury branch, and the junction branch from the
main line to the London and Birmingham Railway, presented by
Capt. Moorsom, but coloured geologically by Mr. Strickland.

MICROSCOPICAL SOCIETY.

Jan. 27, 1841. — Richard Owen, Esq., President, in the Chair.
A paper was read by Mr. Bowerbank, " On the Keratose or Horny
Sponges of Commerce."

The author, after noticing the labours of Dr. Grant and Dr. Fle-

* Silur. Syst., p. 555 ; and Proceedings, vol. ii. pp. 6 and 95.
t Reports of British Association, vol. vi. Sections, p. 64.

Microscopical Society. 7^

ming, who have described these bodies to be animals which are
" porous, with skeletons consisting of cartilaginous tubes destitute
of earthy spicula," proceeds to state that he was induced to investi-
gate this division of the Sponges in consequence of having received
from Rupert Kirk, Esq., of Sydney, numerous specimens of Sponges,
among which were many exhibiting every appearance of being true
Keratose sponges, but which, upon a close examination with a high
microscopic power, were discovered to be abundantly furnished with
siliceous spicula. The existence of spicula in these specimens led
the author to suspect their presence in the keratose sponges of
commerce. Upon examining these sponges, there were found to be
two well-marked species from the Mediterranean, and a third which
is obtained from the West India Islands. The first and commonest
species of Mediterranean sponge, is the Spongia officinalis of Lamarck.
When examined, before it has been cleaned and bleached by the
dealers, with a power of five hundred linear, the fibre from the exte-
rior presents the appearance of a smooth, light, amber-coloured thread;
but when taken from the interior it is seen to be coated with a thin
and somewhat rugose film, containing minute granules, which the
author believes to be the incipient gemmules of the sponge, by which
the sponge is propagated, after the manner described by Dr. Grant
as occurring in other divisions of this class. The greater part of the
fibres consist of cylindrical transparent threads, frequently anasto-
mosing and varying considerably in their size. This portion of the
tissue is destitute of spicula ; but there frequently occur, dispersed
amid this form of tissue, large flattened fibres running in a straight
direction, and it is in these that spicula are found imbedded in the
centre of the tissue. The spicula vary considerably in their size and
form, and are best obtained for examination by burning small pieces of
the sponge to a white ash, and washing this with dilute muriatic acid.
In the other sponges of commerce, spicula are found in equal abun-
dance. All the writers who have treated of Spongia officinalis have
described it as consisting of horny tubes ; but the author states this
to be an error, and proves the thread in all the species of the sponges
of commerce to be a solid homy fibre. The second species of Me-
diterranean sponge is described as being very similar in its external
characters, and in the size, form and arrangement of its fibres, to S,
officinalis, but is distinguished from it by the possession of a beauti-
ful vascular tissue, which surrounds in great abundance nearly every
fibre of its structure, frequently anastomosing and running in every
possible direction over its surface. This tissue is not imbedded in
the horny mass of the fibre, but is contained in a sheath, which closely
embraces it. In one of these vessels the author observed numerous
minute globules, exhibiting every appearance of being globules of
circulation analogous to those found in the blood of the higher classes
of animals. These molecules were extremely minute, the largest
being but the 16,666th of an inch in diameter, and the smallest the
50,000th of an inch in diameter. A similar vascular tissue is stated
to exist in a considerable number of the keratose sponges of Au-
stralia. The author concludes by some observations on the nature

74 Miscellaneous,

and structure of the spicula of sponges in general, and endeavours
to prove that they bear no relation to the raphides of vegetable
bodies, but are truly of animal origin, having their internal surfaces
lined with an animal membrane, which becomes converted into a
thin film of carbon when the spicula are exposed to the action of the
blow-pipe.

The author illustrated his paper by numerous drawings of the tis-
sues described, and exhibited the specimens from which they were
delineated.

Mr. Owen exhibited the specimens of the teeth of the Labyrintho-
don, described by him at the last Meeting of the Geological Society,
and he explained the peculiarities of the dental structure in that
extinct species of Reptiles.

Mr. Varley called the attention of the Society to a new form of
Microscope, which he had constructed with a view to facilitate the
examination of minute living objects.

MISCELLANEOUS.

Absorption of Liquid Solutions hj the Sap-vessels of Plants. — M.
Dumas reported to the Academy of Sciences on the 30th November,
1840, that by the absorption of various fluids. Dr. Boucherie had dis-
covered a method of rendering wood more durable, of increasing its
tenacity and hardness without impairing its elasticity, and of im-
parting to it various permanent colours and odours.

Dr. Boucherie found that the attractive power of the vegetable
tissue was suflicient to carry from the base of the trunk to the leaves
all the fluids he wished to introduce, provided they were kept within
certain limits of concentration. He cut a tree near the base when
in full sap, and plunged it into a tub containing the fluid he wished
to introduce, and in a few days he found that it had risen even to the
most elevated leaves, and had penetrated all the tissue except the
heart of the tree. The same result followed whether the trunk was
in an erect or inclined position. It was not even necessary to divide
the trunk completely, for a cavity hollowed out at its base, or a
groove made with a saw over a considerable part of the circumfe-
rence, was sufficient, when the cut part was brought into contact with
the fluid, to allow a rapid absorption to take place.

Dr. Boucherie ascertained that the absorption of a solution of
pyrolignite of iron containing some creosote augmented the hard-
ness of wood and prevented its decay, while the penetration of the
wood with solutions of the earthy chlorides and various saline mat-
ters rendered it less combustible.

Various colours were given to wood by causing diiFerent substances
to be absorbed in succession. Pyrolignite of iron by itself gave the
wood a beautiful brown colour; when it was followed by an astringent
fluid containing tannin, a blue, black, or gray colour ensued ; and
when succeeded by ferrocyanate of potash, a deep Prussian blue re-

Miscellaneous, 7^

suited. In the same way the absorption of acetate of lead and of
chromate of potass imparted a yellow colour, and by the mixture of
several of these substances a still greater variety of shades was pro-
duced.

Different odours were in a similar manner given to various kinds
of wood.

The Highland Society of Scotland have offered a gold medal or
thirty sovereigns as a premium for the best account of a series of
similar experiments.

Congres Scientifique de France. — The Ninth Meeting of this Asso-
ciation, which in its plan and objects resembles the British Associa-
tion for the Advancement of Science, will be held at Lyons, and will
occupy twelve days. The Session will open on Wednesday, Sep-
tember 1st, 1841, in the great hall of the Palais des Terreaux. The
Association will be particularly gratified by the attendance of men
attached to science, literature and the arts, from the British Isles.

Eels killed by the late Frost. — Although it is well known to natural-
ists that the Eel, otherwise tenacious of life, cannot bear excessive cold,
I conceive that the following facts upon the subject, though by no
means so satisfactory as could be wished, are worthy of being placed
on record. On the 6th, 7th, and Sth of the present month (Febru-
ary, 1841) great quantities of this fish in a dead state floated down
the river Lagan to the quays at Belfast. Here upon these days, and
along the course of the river within the tide-way, collecting dead
eels was quite an occupation at low water, and to the numerous
loiterers about the quays proved in some cases more productive for
the time than the "chance jobs" by which they gain a livelihood. One
individual earned his two shillings for nearly a bushel-full*, and
another, selling them at the same rate, gained five shillings for what
he collected at the fall of a tide. Three examples sent me by my
friend Edmund Getty, Esq., were the common Eel {Anguilla acuti-
rostris, Yarr.), in excellent condition, and in all respects of ordinary
appearance ; one was about a foot, the others were two feet in length.
They were found dead of all sizes up to the largest.

The only experiment I heard of being made on these Eels was,
that four of them, of gradations in size from a foot to two feet in
length, were placed in water warmed to a high summer tempera-
ture, to see if they would revive ; but, as may be anticipated of such
a proceeding, none of them exhibited any signs of life. A highly
interesting fact connected with this fatality among the Eels is, that
on the three days on which they perished from the cold, the ther-
mometer was nearly ten degrees higher than it had been for three
days successively in the preceding month, when none were known
to have suffered from it. At that time the wind was south-west and
moderate. When they were killed there was a gale from the east,
accompanied by hard frost : to the human body the cold was at this

* The price of Eels in our market is three-pence or four-pence per pound.

76 Miscellaneous,

time extreme and piercing, though at the period mentioned in
January it was not disagreeable. At low water a great extent of mud-
banks is uncovered at the part of the river where the Eels were killed,
and at this season these fishes are believed to be imbedded in the
mud; they would seem to have suffered from the intense cold arising
from the rapid evaporation produced by the piercing east wind.

Since January 1814, such a sensation of extreme cold has not
been experienced at Belfast, and at that time, as I am informed by
Mr. Hyndman, great quantities of Eels met with a similar fate in the
river Lagan. They were seen by him floating down the stream dead,
at the Long Bridge in this town. It is most probably in reference
to 1814 that Mr. Templeton has remarked in his ' Catalogue of Irish
Vertebrate Animals,' that "great numbers of eels inhabiting the
shallow watery mud on the shore of Belfast Lough were killed during
a severe winter*." It is worthy of remark, that at the time just
mentioned the wind was also easterly. In the Meteorological Report
for January 1814, published in the ' Belfast Magazine,' it is ob-
served, " The continuance of the wind in the east for a longer time
than usual has produced such a degree of cold as the oldest person
in Ireland now alive cannot remember. Notwithstanding the rise of
the tide, a sheet of ice has covered the bay of Belfast, strong enough
to enable people to walk about with perfect safety over the channel,
and full half a mile from the quays. Lough Neagh has also been so
much frozen as to allow people on horseback to ride into Ram's
Island, situated two miles from the shore." I have been credibly in-
formed that at the same period laden carts were taken over the ice to
the island, and that some sportsmen of the neighbourhood had a drag
or trail hunt upon the lake, and followed the hounds on horseback.

A lighter, when coming to Belfast on the 6th or 7th of the present
month, on breaking the ice at a part of the river where the banks
are not uncovered to the same extent at low water as where the eels
were chiefly killed, exposed a number of them, which, though not
dead, were so weak as to be unable to ofi'er any resistance, and were
lifted into the vessel. On the days which proved fatal to the eels
here great numbers were likewise found dead in the bay at Dun-
dalk.

The minimum thermometer at the Belfast Library indicated on the
morning of

o //

18''iO I Wind south-west ; mode-

January 7, 1841

8,

9,

February 6,

18-50 ' '■^^^•

rtM.Mr I Wind very high from the

27-75

27-50 / ^^'^' ^^y-

Wm. Thompson.
JDonegal Square, Belfast, Feb. 18 n.

* Mag. Nat. Hist., vol. i. New series.

Miscellaneous, 77

OBITUARY : FRANCIS BAUER, ESQ.

Mr. Bauer was born at Feldsberg, in Austria, on the 4th of Octo-
ber, 1758, and died at Kew on the 11th of December, 1840. He
lost his father (himself an artist) at an early age, and was initiated;
with his brothers, in the ready use of the pencil, under the guidance
of an excellent mother. He came to England in the year 1 788, with
the intention to proceed to Paris, where, notwithstanding the pro-
gress of the Revolution, artists and scientific men were allowed to
follow their pursuits without molestation. His brother Ferdinand,
scarcely less skilful in the art of delineating botanical subjects, and
who subsequently accompanied Mr. Robert Brown as draughtsman on
Flinders's voyage, had already been with Sibthorpe in Greece, and was
then at Oxford, busy in completing the * Flora Grieca.' Sir Joseph
Banks soon appreciated Mr. Bauer's rare talents, as well as his singu-
lar sagacity in botanical physiology, and prevailed on him to remain
in England. Sir Joseph, in fact, settled on him 300/. per annum for
life, on condition that he should reside at Kew, as botanical painter
to the Royal Gardens, which were then rapidly advancing to a high
state of perfection. The munificence of Sir Joseph enabled Mr.
Bauer to pursue the bent of his genius independent of the public and
of booksellers ; and numberless beautiful illustrations of the rare
plants introduced in rapid succession at Kew, by the many travellers
and navigators of the reign of George the Third, were the result —
works now deposited with Sir Joseph Banks's library at the British
Museum, and which all who have examined must acknowledge to be,
for accuracy of delineation and colouring, elegance of execution, as
well as for physiological and anatomical truth, unexampled at that
period. Mr. Bauer was also appointed drawing-master to the Princess
Elizabeth ; but he was a better philosopher than courtier, and his
services, which were given gratuitously, were soon dispensed with.
At that time he was occupied on the Heath tribe, then in course of
introduction, chiefly from the Cape, by Menzies. Engravings were
made from these drawings, and Queen Charlotte and the Princess
used to colour them under his superintendence. These were after-
wards sold by public auction, with other of Her Majesty's effects !

Towards the end of the last century, Mr. Bauer commenced his
illustrations of Orchideous plants, since published by Dr. Lindley.
He subsequently turned his attention to the diseases in corn, in which,
from his skill in the use of the microscope, he made discoveries of
great importance to agriculture, and therefore to mankind ; and
we may here state, that the only money which he received during his
long life, beyond the above-mentioned income, was fifteen guineas,
which the editor of one of the cheap publications of the present day
sent to him for some short papers on the smut in wheat.

In 1816, the late Sir Everard Home, being engaged in some re-
searches respecting the anatomical structure of the foot of the com-
mon house-fly, communicated the difiiculties he experienced to Sir
Joseph Banks, who immediately introduced him to Mr. Bauer. This
led to an intimacy of the most lasting and most useful kind. Mr.
Bauer solved every diflEiculty, and, at the suggestion of Sir Everard,
entered on a number of other anatomical inquiries, the results of which

?S 'Miscellaneous.

were published by Sir Everard in the Transactions of the Royal So-
ciety. The most remarkable of these were his dissections and draw-
ings of the common red earthworm, the lampreys, conger-eel, Mexi-
can Proteus, metamorphosis of the tadpole, generations of oysters
and muscles, process of incubation from the Qgg to the perfect
chicken, the eye, structure of brain, nerves, blood, lungs, urethra,
and muscular fibre — some of which labours have led to great improve-
ments in the treatment of diseases, and consequent alleviation of hu-
man suffering ; and all display an unrivalled degree of skill, perse-
verance, and philosophical acumen, sufficient to have conferred on
him the highest fame, had such been his aim. At the suggestion of
Sir Everard Home, George the Fourth resolved to establish a Bota-
nical Museum at Kew, which was to be entrusted to Mr. Bauer.
The house now belonging to the King of Hanover was purchased for
this purpose — the shelves were prepared — all the botanical books in
the King's library were to be removed there, and some had, in fact,
been sent down, when, unfortunately, a dispute arose respecting the
land, to which the Commission of Woods and Forests laid claim ;
and some artillery waggons driving off with the book-cases gave
Mr. Bauer the first intimation that the plan had been abandoned.

About this period Mr. Bauer made his superb drawings of the
Rafflesia Arnoldii (the plant of which a model in wax is preserved at
the rooms of the Horticultural Society). He still continued his de-
lineations of Kew plants, and latterly, more especially of the ferns
published by Sir Wilham Hooker. He, at the same time, directed
his attention to many microscojjical researches — such as the struc-
ture of cotton, flax, and wool, the hairs of the various races of men,
as well as of many animals, the red snow of Sir John Ross ; and,
though little known to the public, he had so well established his re-
putation amongst the select in every walk of science, that rarely in-
deed would any man of science or any traveller of eminence pass
through London without visiting him, and no one returned otherwise
than gratified and instructed. Of Mr. Bauer, indeed, it has been
truly said, " that nothing prevented his acquiring an extraordinary
degree of fame, except his remarkably unobtrusive modesty — he
worked rather for the credit of others than for his own."

Mr. Bauer continued, up to a late period, his microscopic researches
and drawings ; but, unwilling to risk the chance of leaving any work
unfinished, he at last determined to rest, and to attempt no more.
Seated near his microscope, which long use had made almost essen-
tial to his happiness, he spent his hours in re-examining what his
pencil had so admirably perpetuated, and reviewed, in the monuments
of his labour, the history of his life. His was, indeed, a life of in-
cessant activity and usefulness. The motives which stimulate com-
mon men never influenced him ! Vatiity, selfishness and illiberality
were wholly foreign to his disposition ; and that his innocent labours
had spared him from all self-reproach and remorse, his serenity, his
cheerful resolve to abide his time in peace, and his final departure
from this world under circumstances the most consolatory, full of
resignation, faith and hope, and free from suflferings, save the in-
creasing debilities of old age, sufficiently prove. — AthencEum, No. 687.

I

Meteorological Observations, 79

To the Editors of the Annals and Magazine of Natural History.
Gentlemen,
In the Cambridge Anatomical Museum there are two skeletons of
Seals, which possess the characters of the Halichcerus Gryphus, given
in Bell's ' British Quadrupeds.' One of them was formerly in the
Museum of Dr. Macartney at Dublin, and was probably taken off
the eastern coast of Ireland ; the other, of large size, and of ad-
vanced age, if we may judge from the state of its teeth, was cap-
tured in fishing nets off the Essex coast, a few years ago.
I have the honour to be, gentlemen.

Your obedient servant,
Cains College, Cambridge, Feb. 8, 1841. L. E. Paget.

METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS FOR JAN. 1841.

Chiswick. — Jan. 1. Hazy: fine with clouds. 2. Rain: clear and fine: hurri-
canes at night. 3. Thunder-storm about 7 a.m., accompanied with large and
vivid flashes of lightning, rain, hail and sleet, and high wind, which soon after
subsided into a perfect calm. 4, Sharp frost : slight fall of snow : clear at night.

5. Densely overcast : snow : large lunar halo in the evening. 6. Hazy. 7. In-
tense frost. 8. Dense fog : severe frost, 9. Intense frost. 10. Overcast :
slight haze: rain at night. 11. Overcast. 12. Cloudy: clear. 13. Foggy:
rain: fall of snow. 14. Cold haze: rain: sleet and snow. 15. Rain. 16.
Thawing rapidly : occasioning inundations, the frozen crust preventing the.water
from sinking into the earth. 17. Continued thaw. 18. Rain. 19. Overcast.
20. Cloudy and cold : sharp frost at night. 21. Frosty : fine. 22. Frosty : rain
at night. 23. Clear. 24. Boisterous : cold and dry. 25. Clear and frosty.
26. Overcast and fine. 27. Very fine. 28. Cloudy. 29. Fine. 30. Hazy.
31. Foggy: rain.

Previously to the thaw, in the beginning of the month, the frost had penetrated
in some soils to a depth of 12 inches.

Boston. — Jan. 1. Cloudy. 2. Fine. 3. Cloudy : stormy with lightning and
rain early a.m. 4. Cloudy : snow early a.m. : stormy with rain p.m. 5. Stormy.

6, 7. Fine. 8. Fine : thermometer 17°'0 three o'clock p.m. 9. Fine : thermo-
meter 28°*0 three o'clock p.m. 10. Cloudy: large fall of snow early a.m. 11.
Cloudy: snow early A.M. 12. Cloudy. 13. Fine: rain p.m. 14,15. Cloudy.
16. Cloudy : snow early A.M. : rain P.M. 17. Fine. 18. Cloudy. 19. Cloudy:
rain early a.m. 20. Snow : snow p.m. 21. Cloudy : snow early a.m. 22, 23.
Fine. 24. Stormy : heavy snow-storm p.m. 25, 26. Fine. 27. Fine : beautiful
morning. 28. Cloudy. 29. Fine. 30. Cloudy. 31. Rain: rain early a.m. :
snow-storm p.m. N.B. The 8th of this month was the coldest day since Jan. 1, 1820.

Applegarth Manse, Dumfties-shire. — Jan. 1. Slight showers. 2. Slight show-
ers : frost in the morning. 3. Snow-storm. 4. Snow-storm and frost. 5. Snow-
storm. 6. Fair: snow lying. 7. Snow-fall: frost very keen. 8. Snow-fall
slightly : frost keen. 9. Thaw, with slight snow. 10. Snow and frost again.
II. Fair: snow lying: thaw p.m. 12. Fair: but freezing hard. 13. Fair:
freezing. 14, 15. Fair. 16. Storm of snow, sleet and rain. 17. Thaw: heavy
rain P.M. 18. Frost again : clear. 19. PVost again. 20. Frost again: Aurora
borealis. 21. Thaw: drizzling rain. 22. Wet and boisterous. 23. Wet and
boisterous: slight snow-fall. 24. Fair : frosty : slight snow-fall. 25. Frost a.m. :
drizzle P.M. 26. Thaw and thick fog. 27. Shower in afternoon. 28. Fair and
fine: snow melting. 29. Drizzling. 30. Thick fog all day. 31. Clear and
cold : moist p.m.

Sun shone out 25 days. Rain fell 10 days. Snow 8 days. Frost 16 days.
Fog 2.

Wind north 2 days. North-east 5^ days. East 2 days. East-south-east 3^
days. South-east 1^ day. South-west 4 days. West-south-west 1 day. West
4 days. West-north-west 2^ days. North-west 3 days. North-north-west 2 days.

Calm 8 days. Moderate 8 days. Brisk 3 days. Strong breeze 7 days.
Boisterous 4 days. Stormy 1 day.

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THE ANNALS

AND

I MAGAZINE OF NATURAL HISTORY,

No. 42. APRIL 1841.

X. — Contributions to British Actinology. By Edward
Forbes, M.W.S., For. Sec. B.S., &c.

1. On Kapnea, a new Helianthoid Polype^,

In August 1840, I dredged on the east coast of the Isle of
Man, about a mile from Douglas Head, a very remarkable
and beautiful Zoophyte, of the family Actiniada. It came
from a depth of 18 fathoms, and the sea-bottom at the place
where it was taken is chiefly Millepora. To a fragment of
that coral it was adhering by its expanded base, and when
taken its tentacula were retracted. The body presented the
appearance of a lengthened cylinder arising from a broad-
spreading inflated base, and terminating in a round tentacu-
liferous disc, in the centre of which is a circular mouth. The
tentacula are very short, and have the aspect of squared tu-
bercles. They are arranged in three circles, sixteen in each
circle, those of the outermost or marginal row largest. Below
the tentacula and surrounding the disc is a granulated caly-
cine circle or belt; and a little below it, extending downwards
over a portion of the base, the body is invested by a woolly,
brown epidermis, which is eight-cleft or lobed at its upper
part. The base is somewhat lobed, and usually swelled out
with sea-water. The body and base are of a vivid vermilion
colour, the latter with darker longitudinal stripes. The ten-
tacula are somewhat paler and inclined to orange. They can
be drawn within the body, the upper part of which can be
retracted as low as the commencement of the epidermis.
When fully expanded, this animal was an inch in height by
one-fourth of an inch broad at the disc. It is rather an ac-
tive creature, changing its form often, but always presenting
more or less of a tubular shape, like a chimney-crock or steam-
boat funnel.

The shape of the tentacula and the presence of a regular
epidermis are the most remarkable features of this Actinea,

* Communicated to the Wernerian Society, Jamiary 23, 1841.
Ann. ^ Mag. iV. Hist, Vol, vii. G

82 Mr. E. Forbes^s Contributions

and distinguish it at once from all its tribe. Its general form
and calycine rim approach to the Actinea bellis and some other
species appertaining to the genus Actinocereus of Blainville.
The epidermis and the imperforate tentacula separate it from
Ehrenberg's restricted genus Actinea, and the absence of
dermal pores from his Cribrina ; neither of which divisions, as
defined by that naturalist, I am inclined to admit, and therein
agree with my friend Dr. Johnston. It is more nearly re-
lated to the ZoanthidcE than any known species of its family,
and presents a most interesting transition from the typical
Actiniadce to that tribe. The regular form of the singular
epidermis would lead us to consider that appendage as an im-
perfect tube, and some curious analogies might result from
such a view. Both the number of the tentacula and of the
clefts or lobes of the epidermis being multiples of four, is im-
portant, as supporting the notion that four is the typical or
dominant number of the Actiniadce, perhaps of all Zoophytes.

On account of the above characters, I have thought it right
to constitute a separate genus for its reception under the
name of Capnea (from /cairvr], a chimney), and define it thus :

Body cylindric, invested in part by a lobed epidermis, and
adhering by a broad base. Tentacula simple, very short, re-
tractile, surrounding the mouth in concentric series.

Sp, Capnea sanguinea, Forbes.

Tentacula arranged in three series, sixteen in each. Body

and disc scarlet. Epidermis brown.
Hab. Deep water, Irish Sea ; among Millepora, PI. I. fig.

1, a, b, c, d.

II. A British Hippocrene.

The genus Hippocrene was constituted by Brandt for a very
curious and beautiful little Medusa observed by Martens in
Behring^s Straits, and which had been previously described
by Lesson, who had it from the Malanine Isles, under the
name of Cyancea Bugainvillii. Lesson afterwards re-named
it Bugainvillia macloviana, but Brandt^s generic name takes
precedence by right of priority. The generic character de-
pends on the production of the mouth into a sort of trunk,
which has wing-like appendages at its sides, and terminates
in four branching tentacular arms. From each of the appen-
dages runs a canal to the margin, where we find the tentacula
collected in fascicuh, and not surrounding the edge, or sepa-
rate, as in most allied Medusae.

When naturalizing on the north coast of Ireland with Mr.
Smith, of Jordan Hill, in 1839, I took a number of Medusae

to British Actinology. 83

of this genus by the towiiig-net, in Ballycastle Bay and at
Port Rush, and afterwards, during the same summer, found it
on the other side of Britain, at the mouth of the Frith of
Forth. My animal is larger, and differs in several particu-
lars from that described by Brandt and by Lesson, and I
regard it as a new species. In form it is almost globular, and
it measures an inch in length. The central cavity is oblongo-
quadrate, and occupies about one-half of the globular um-
brella. At its summit interiorly are seen four stomachal ap-
pendages, placed at right angles to each other so as to form a
cross. They are equal in size, of a yellow colour, squared
above, rounded below, and oblong. At their low^r or oral
extremity are seen four slender white arms, which dichoto-
mously divide into numerous tentacula with globular tips.
These arms are very extensile, but are never sent from out the
cavity. From each of the four oral appendages or alee runs
a translucent canal to one of the four fascicles of the ten-
tacula, one of which is seen at each angle of the quadrate
cavitary opening. These tentacula are very curious. They
are highly contractile, and spring from little arches of a glan-
dular appearance and a red colour, which form the bases of
the fascicles, and into which the four canals run. On mag-
nifying one of these arches, we find it to consist of two parts,
one (the upper) red, the lower white, and each of these to
consist of a great number of tubercles, which form the roots
of the tentacula. On each tubercle is a minute black ocular
dot. The tentacula are not all extended at the same time ;
very often one, two or three only are sent out, but there ap-
pear to be more than a dozen pairs of tubercles in each arch.
Between the arches the margins of the cavity are straight, and
furnished with a semicircular lip or valve. The outer surface
of the body is smooth, and the appearance of the creature is
that of a crystal bubble, with four red dots round a square
opening, and a central yellow nucleus, having branched threads
suspended from it.

Sars, in his ^ Beskrivelser,^ &c. has figured and described a
minute Medusa under the name of '^ Cytceis ? octopunctata''
which evidently belongs to the same group with the above.
The known species of Hippocrene may be summed up as fol-
lows : —

H. Bugainvillii, Brandt. (See figure in Petersburgh Trans-
actions for 1838.) Stomachal appendages as long as the
proboscis, eight, the four larger ones oblong, yellow, with
red centres. Tentaculiferous glands four, red and yel-
low, with pink tentacula. Umbrella in part pilose.
North Pacific.

G2

84 Mr. E. Forbes's Contributions

H. brittanica, Forbes. Stomachal appendages as long as
the proboscis, four, equal, yellow. Tentaculiferous glands
four, red and white, with white tentacula. Umbrella
smooth. North of Ireland and East of Scotland.

H, octopunctata, Sars. (Beskr. og Jagt. p. 28. t. 6. f. 14.)
Stomachal appendages shorter than proboscis, four, un-
equal. Tentaculiferous glands eight, black. Umbrella
smooth. Coast of Norway.
Plate I. fig. 2 a, Hippocrene brittanica, of the natural size ;
2 b, its stomachal appendages and oral arms ; 2 c, a tentacu-
liferous gland and tentacula.

III. New Species o/'Thaumantias.

The Medusas of this very natural genus, established by
Eschscholtz, have a simple stomachal cavity, from which pro-
ceed four simple canals ; no arms, but a proboscidiform
mouth, which cannot be prolonged beyond the general cavity,
and a margin surrounded by tentacula, which are usually
bulbous at their bases, and are highly extensile. The species
of Thaumantias are small animals, and probably numerous in
the northern seas. Hitherto they appear to have been mostly
confounded under the Medusa fKBmisphcerica of Muller, which
is a prettily coloured species, already recorded as a native of
the British seas. I have never met with an example which I
could refer to Muller^s animal, but have found four very well
marked species which have hitherto been unrecorded.

1. Thaumantias pileata, nov, sp. Umbrella cap-shaped.
Oral peduncle and clubs of the vessels pink. Proboscis
four-cleft at the mouth, lobes acute. Eyes large, black
and yellow, on the bulbous origins of the twenty tenta-
cula.

This pretty species, the shape of which resembles that of a
Chinese hat, measured about an inch across. The clubs of its
vessels are small and narrow. Ft was taken at Port Rush,
on the north coast of Ireland, in June 1839.

PI. I. fig. 3 « & 6, Thaumantias pileata ; 3 c, its oral pe-
duncle.

2. Thaumantias Thompsoni, nov. sp. Umbrella hemi-
spherical, very convex. Proboscis four-cleft, lobes tri-
angular. Clubs of the vessels, proboscis and bases of
tentacula yellow. Eyes minute, black, on the triangular
bases of the sixteen tentacula.

PL I. fig. 4 « & 6, Thaumantias Thompsoni ; 4 c, one of the
tentacula.

to British Actinology. 85

Taken abundantly in Clifden Bay^ Cunnemara, by Mr.
Thompson^ Mr. Ball, and myself, in July 1840. A small
species, one-fourth of an inch across ; clubs of the vessels
short and broad.

3. Thaumantias punctata, nov. sp. Umbrella hemisphe-
rical. Clubs and proboscis pink. Proboscis four-cleft,
lobes sub-acute. Eyes large, black, on the bulbous bases
of the thirty- two tentacula.

PI. I. fig. b a b, Thaumantias punctata ; 5 c, one of its ten-
tacula.

This species, measuring near an inch across, was taken
plentifully in July 1839, in the Frith of Forth, near the Isle
of May.

4. Thaumantias sarnica, nov. sp. Umbrella hemispherical.
Clubs and proboscis bluish. Proboscis four-cleft, lobes
acute. Eyes ? Tentacula twenty.

Measured half an inch across. Taken in the Channel, be-
tween Guernsey and Herm, August 1839.
PL I. fig. 6 a b, T, sarnica; 6 c, its proboscis.

These additional species double the number of members of
this genus. The four previously recorded were, 1. T. cymbal-
lo'idea {Medusa cymballaroides, Slabber, DiancBa, Lamarck,
see fig. in Encyc. Meth. pi. 93. fig. 2 — 4). 2. T, hemisphcB-
7'ica (see fig. in Zool. Dan. t. y.)^ recorded as English by Dr.
Macartney, as Irish by Mr. Thompson. 3. T, multicirrhata
(Sars, Jagt. ogBeskr. p. 26. t. 5. fig. 12.). 4. T. plana (Sars,
p. 28. t. 5. f. 13.), both natives of the Norwegian seas, and to
be looked for in our own. The former of Sars's species is
easily recognised by its numerous tentacula, above 200, and
the elongated clubs of the cross-vessels ; the latter by its
being quite flat, and also having numerous tentacula.

In observing species of Thaumantias, of which many more
may occur in our and in other seas, the points especially to be
noted are, 1st, the number of tentacula (always a multiple of
four) ; 2nd, the presence, absence, size and colour of eyes at
their bases ; 3rd, the colour of the cross-vessels and proboscis ;
4th, the shape of the umbrella ; 5th, the shape of the clubs
of the vessels ; and 6th, the form and lobation of the oral pro-
boscis or peduncle. I have mentioned these sources of cha-
racter in what I conceive to be the order of their respective
importance, but all should if possible be noted.

86 Mr. Gray on new Reptiles from Australia,

XL — Description of some new Species and four new Genera
of Reptiles from Western Australia, discovered by John
Gould, Esq. By J. E. Gray, Esq., F.R.S., &c.

To the Editors of the Annals and Magazine of Natural History.

Gentlemen,
Mr. Gould having kindly placed in my hands the collection
of Reptiles which he made during his visit to New Holland
to gather materials for his ^ History of the Birds of Australia,^
I have sent you the description of the following species, which
appear to be new to science. The two r.ew genera are very in-
teresting ; the one, Ronia, being exactly intermediate in orga-
nization between the two-legged and the four-legged Seines ;
and the other, Moloch, for its extraordinary appearance and
grotesque forms.

I may remark, this collection contains two specimens of
Soridia lineata, Gray, which MM. Dumeril and Bibron have
accused me of erroneously describing as an Australian animal.
(See ^ Erpetologie Generale,' v. 787-) I believe that this has
arisen from M. Bibron supposing all the Reptiles that he saw
at the Chatham Museum to be from the Cape of Good Hope ;
whereas that collection is very rich in Australasian Reptiles.
Chelomeles of MM. Dumeril and Bibron appears to be very
nearly allied to Soridia, and should most probably be arranged
with it in the family of Rhodonidce.

Mr. Gould's specimens of Delma having enabled me to ex-
amine more minutely the characters of that genus, I am now
convinced that it should be referred to the family PygopidiS. It
chiefly differs from the genus Pygopus in the small size of the
rudimentary feet and in the absence of the pre-anal glands.

The genus Lialis, which heretofore has been placed with
Pygopus, appears to be the type of a new family. It, Delma
and Pygopus are all found in Western Australia, as is also the
genus Aprasia, which ought, in my Catalogue of Slender-
tongued Saurians (Ann. Nat. Hist. vol. i. and ii.), to have been
arranged with the Apodal Seines. On examining Mr. Gould's
better-preserved specimen, I am inclined to consider it also
as the type of a family characterized by the shields of the head
and the position of the nostrils, to which, most probably, MM.
Dumeril and Bibron's genus Brachymeles will also have to be
referred. These genera will then range thus : —

Fam. LiALisiD^ : — Lialis.

Fam. PYGOPiDiE : — Pygopus, Dehna.

Fam. Rhodonid^ : — Rhodona, Soridia, Chelomeles.

Fam. Aprasiad^ : — Aprasia, Brachymeles.

Mr. Gray on new Reptiles from Australia. 87

RoNiA, Gray. Fam. Scincidse.

Head rather shelving, shielded with one transverse frontal and two
large vertebral plates, the hinder largest ; the rostral plates large,
with two unequal superciliary plates. The nasal plate trian-
gular, interposed between the rostral plate and the frontal ones,
with the nostrils in its centre ; loreal plates two, square ; labial
plates large ; ears none, only a very indistinct sunk dot in their
place. Body cylindrical; tail conical, tapering. Scales smooth,
ovate, imbricate, of the belly 6- sided. The front limbs very
small, rudimentary, undivided ; the hinder limbs moderately de-
veloped, ending in two very unequal toes, with distinct claws.

Ronia catenulata. Gray. Back with eight series of small black
dots, one dot on the centre of each scale ; cheeks black, speck-
led ; sides and beneath whitish.

Body 31, tail 2i inches.

Inhab. Western Australia. Mr. J. Gould.

The scales under the tail are rather larger, and the spots on the
tail are rather larger than those on the back.

Grammaiophora cristata. Nape with a crest of distinct, rather
short, curved, compressed, spinose scales ; back and tail with a
series of compressed scales forming a slight keel ; occiput with
separate short strong conical spines ; sides of the neck and back
with folds crowned with series of short compressed scales ; base
of the tail with some scattered larger scales. In spirits, dull
olive ; crown black with large white spots, beneath black ;
middle of the belly and under sides of the base of the tail white ;
tail with black rings at the ends ; feet whitish.
Inhab. Western Australia. Mr. J. Gould.

"^rhe underside is coloured somewhat like G. maculatus (G. Gai-
fnardii, Dum. and Bibron), but the sides of the head near the ears
are spinose, and the nape is distinctly crested. But as MM. Dumeril
and Bibron's species is only described from a single specimen, which
is in a bad state, and has lost its epidermis, and as the description
itself, though long, refers chiefly to parts which do not differ in the
species of the genus, this species may prove to be identical with it.

These authors, in giving the character of Grammaiophora Gaimardii
and G. Decresii, appear to place great reliance on the one having
tubular and the other non-tubular femoral pores, which is a fact en-
tirely dependent on the state in which the animal might be at the
time when it was put into the spirits, as I have verified by com-
paring numerous specimens of different reptiles furnished with these
pores.

But in this genus the size of the pores is apparently of less im-
portance than in many others, for they appear to be quite invisible
in some states of the animal : thus out of many specimens of G. mu-
ricata brought by Mr. Gould from Van Diemen's Land and Western
Australia, eight specimens have no visible pores; these specimens differ
from the others ;n being of a rather paler colour beneath. This state

88 Mr. Gray on new Reptiles from Australia,

of the pores may entirely depend on the manner in which they were
.preserved, for all these specimens had a slit made into their abdo-
men to admit the spirits ; while in all specimens in which this care
had not been taken the pores are distinctly seen, sometimes mode-
rately sized, and sometimes tubularly produced.

Grammatophora Decresii, Dumeril and Bibron, Erp. Gen. iv. 472. ?
Tail conical, with nearly regular scales ; the base rather swollen,
without any series of spines on the side ; back with small sub-
equal scales and a few larger ones in cross series ; the nape and
back with a series of rather larger, low, compressed scales ; side
of the head near the ears and side of neck with two or three
ridges crowned with short conical spines. In spirits black, yel-
low spotted and varied, beneath gray, vermiculated with black-
ish ; tail black-ringed.
Inhab. Western Australia.

This species is so much smaller than G. muricata, that I might
have considered them as young animals if one of them had not had
the body filled with well-formed eggs ; and the tail is much shorter
than in the young of that species.

The specimens agree in most points with the description given by
MM. Dumeril and Bibron, but not in the colour and the size of the
tail. The specimens in this collection greatly differ in their colour,
but are all very different from any other species.

Grammatophora muricata, Cuvier. The young animals have a
series of small spines on each side of the base of the tail, and a
series of spots on each side of the back.

Mr. Gould has brought home two very distinct local varieties.

Var. 1. Diemensis. Young dark- coloured, with vermiculated marks
on the chin, chest, and abdomen. The adult dark, beneath gray,
varied with black spots placed in irregular lines.

Inhab. Van Diemen's Land. ^

Var. 2. Adelaidensis . Young pale above and beneath, with three
broad diverging black lines on the chin, leaving an oblong spot
in the centre of the throat, with a broad streak on the chest
separated into three lines on the abdomen, which unite together
again on the pubis. The adult gray, with a few spots beneath.

Inhab. Adelaide, Western Australia.

Moloch, Gray. Fam. Agamidse.

Body depressed, covered with irregular, unequal, small, granular
plates, each furnished with a more or less prominent central
spine, and with a series of large, conical, convex, acute spines ;
head and limbs covered with similar scales and spines ; head
small, with very large spines over each of the eyebrows ; tail
with irregular rings of large acute spines ; femoral and subanal
pores none; teeth small, subequal; toes 5* 5, short, covered above
and below with keeled scales ; claws long, acute.
The external appearance of this Lizard is the most ferocious of any
that I know, the horn of the head and the numerous spines on the

Mr. Gray on new Reptiles from Australia. 89

body giving it a most formidable aspect. The scales of the back are
small and unequal ; they gradually increase in size as they approach
the base of the conical spines, which is surrounded with a ring of
larger scales with longer spines : the large spines are conical ; rather
compressed, spinulose below, smooth and acute at the tip, and are
usually furnished with a sharp toothed ridge on the front edge, and
sometimes on the hinder one. These spines only consist of a horny
sheath placed on a fleshy process of the very same form and appear-
ance as the spines they bear. The scales of the under side of the
body are of the same form, and are furnished with similar but smaller
and less produced spines than those of the back. The back of the
neck of the only two specimens I have seen is furnished with a large
rounded protuberance like a cherry, covered with large granular spi-
nous scales, and armed on each side with a large conical spine ; but
I do not know if this is common to the species or merely accidental
in these individuals ; at any rate it adds considerably to the singu-
larity of their appearance.

I have named this genus, from its appearance, after " Moloch, hor-
rid king,"

Moloch horridus. Pale yellow, marked with dark brown regular
spots ; sides and beneath black-edged, dark red similar spots.

Inhab. Western Australia. Captain George Grey, Mr. J. Gould.

The marks on the body are very definite, but from the irregularity
of their form they are not easily described. The lij)s are dark brown,
with two streaks up to the small spines on the forehead ; there is a
dark cross-band from the base of the two large horns over the eye-
brows, running behind and then dividing into two broad streaks, one
along each side of the centre of the back of the neck to between the
shoulders, crossing the nuchal swelling. In the middle of the back
there is a very large black patch nearly extending from side to side,
and over the loins are two oblong longitudinal black spots; the
dark lines commencing from the lower angle of each eye extend
to the legs, along the upper part of each side to the upper part of the
groin. On the front of the fore- and hind-legs and the sides are
marked similar dark bands. A dark band commences from the
hinder part of the lower lip, merging in the throat, and expanding
out so as to be united together at the back part of the chin. There
is a large, rather oblong spot in the centre of the chest and the
hinder part of the abdomen, separated from each by a large, some-
what triangular spot on each side of the middle of the abdomen ;
body 4\ inches.

This is the Spinous Lizard exhibited by Mr. Gould at the meeting
of the Zoological Society, on the 25th day of August, 1840.

Breviceps Gouldii. Smooth, with a few scattered low tubercles ;
gray-brown, yellowish beneath.

Inhab. Western Australia.

This animal has all the external appearance and character, as far
as they are given in MM. Dumeril and Bibron's work, of the Breviceps
gibbosus of the Cape of Good Hope, except that it has not the yel-

90 Mr. Gray on new Reptiles from Australia,

low dorsal band, and the back is scarcely to be designated as granu-
lar. It is the second species of the genus, and only the second Toad
found in Australia, the other being Phreniscus australis, which I de-
scribed in the 'Proceedings of the Zoological Society' under the name
of Bombinator australis.

Uperoleia, Gray. Fam. Ranidse.

Head large; palate quite toothless; upper jaw with small close

teeth ; the tympanum hid under the skin ; the toes of the fore-

and hind-feet elongate, slender, quite free ; the ankle with a

roundish external and a small conical inner tubercle : the tongue

small, oblong, roundish, and entire behind.

This genus is most nearly allied to Leiuperus of MM. Dumeril and

Bibron, with which it agrees in having no teeth on the palate, but it

diiFers from it in the tympanum being quite hid.

The internal nostrils are some distance in front of the cross-ridge
on which the palatine teeth are generally placed.

Uperoleia marmorata. Black and green marbled, leaving a trian-
gular greenish spot on the forehead, beneath lead-colour.

Tnhab. Western Australia.

Dr. Tschudi has formed a genus under the name of Crinia, which
appears by his characters to be nearly related to the above ; but
MM. Dumeril and Bibron (Erp. Gen. viii. 416) observed that the
specimens he described have two very small groups of teeth on the
vomer.

Hyla bioculata, Gray. Slender ; fore-toes quite free ; hinder
toes webbed to the last joint (in spirits). Grayish white, with
a series of very small, indistinct, oblong tubercles, with a dark
streak from the nostrils to the shoulder, enclosing the eyes, and
a white streak below it from the under side of the eye ; sides
purplish, with small white spots ; back of the thighs purple,
with two yellow spots ; belly and under side of thighs whitish,
granular.

Var. 1. Back of thighs with one or two additional yellow spots.

Var. 2. Back bluish gray; back of the thighs with six or seven
small subequal yellow spots.

Inhab. Western Australia.

Hyla Adelaidensis, Gray. Slender ; fore-toes quite free, hinder
toes webbed to the last joint ; (in spirits) gray-blue, with a
series of small oblong tubercles ; the sides purple-brown, with a
white streak from the under side of the eyes to the shoulders ;
sides of the belly and region of the vent purplish, with small
white spots ; the hinder side of the thighs purple-brown, with
three large oblong white spots ; belly and under side of thighs
granular ; chin white, brownish dotted ; palatine teeth in two
roundish groups between the internal nostrils.

Inhab. Western Australia.

Mr. Gray on new Reptiles from Australia, 91

Heleioporus, Gray. Fam. Ranidse.

Head short, swollen ; eyes large, convex ; palatine teeth in a
straight interrupted ridge between the two internal nostrils ;
teeth very small ; body swollen ; skin of the back minutely
granular, of the belly smooth; legs rather short; toes 4'5,
short, warty beneath, quite free ; the hind wrist with a large,
oblong, compressed, internal tubercle; the base of the inner
finger with a conical wart, ending in a small acute bony pro-
cess ; tongue large, entire behind.
This genus has many of the characters of Cystignathus, but differs

from it in being warty and swollen, and in having short toes like a

Toad.

Heleioporus albo-punctatus. Lead-coloured (in spirits), with white
spots ; beneath dirty white, with some small white warts at the
anglp of the mouth ; legs smooth.

Inhab. Western Australia.

Cystignathus dorsalis. The palatine teeth in a single large straight
line, just behind the inner nostrils ; tongue large, slightly nicked
behind ; the tympanum nearly hid under the skin, gray-brown
(in spirits), marbled with dark irregular spots, with a white
streak down the middle of the forehead and front of the back ;
sides pure white, spotted and marbled with black, beneath
white ; toes elongate, slender, tapering ; back part of thighs
brown, white speckled.
Inhab. Western Australia. J. Gould.

This species is very distinct from C. Peronii and C. Gcorgianus,
the two Australian species described by MM. Dumeril and Bibron.
It agrees wath the former in the disposition of the palatine teeth.

Elaps Gouldii, Gray. Pale yellowish ; the scales of the back small,
six-sided, with a dark anterior margin, giving the back a netted
appearance ; top of the head and nape black, with a yellow spot
on the rostral scale on each side just before the eyes ; head
small ; the occipital plates large, elongate ; the nasal plate tri-
angular ; one moderate anterior, and two subequal posterior
ocular shields; six upper and lower labial shields, the fourth
under the eyes ; eyes small, pupil round.
There is an indistinct small yellow spot behind the upper part of
the eye ; but this may be an accidental variety, as the spots on the
two sides are not equally defined.
Inhab. Western Australia.

This species resembles Calamaria Diadema, which is also found in
Western Australia; but it is larger, and the head is larger in compa-
rison with the body, and in this species it is the base of the scales,
while in the latter it is the outer margin that is dark.

92 The Rev. R. T. Lowe on the Fishes of Madeira.

XII. — Description of some new species of Madeiran Fishes,
with additional information relating to those already de-
scribed. By the Rev. R. T. Lowe, M.A.*

[Continued from vol. iv. p. 424.]

Family Triglid^.
ScoRP^NA usTULATA. <S\ minor, laciniis nullis, rubra, pallido va-
riegata nigroque punctata ; genis operculisque granulato-pustulosis ,
macula fusca notatis : pinnce dorsalis medio unimaculatce spina
quarta ceteris longiore : capite s. rostro abbreviato, obtuso ; max-
illis cBqualibus : squamis majusculis, scabriusculis.

D. 12 + 9; A. 3 + 5; P. I+VII.+ IO; V. 1 + 5; C. ^±;^.

Rariss.

Occasionally taken with the common sort {Sc. scrofa, L.), with
which it agrees in general colouring, resembling rather the Rocaz
{Sebastus maderensis, nob.) in shape. It appears undescribed, and
is very distinct in its characters, being a true Scorpana, notwith-
standing the absence of laciniae, having the whole head naked or
scaleless. It scarcely attains half the size of Sc. scrofa, L.

Fam. ScoMBRiD^.

Nauclerus abbreviatus, Cuv. et Val. Hist. IX. 251.

Two individuals have occurred of this pretty little fish, answering
so well to the species above referred to, that it were unreasonable to
doubt their identity, although its describers have omitted mentioning
a strong superscapulary spine, and a fourth smaller tooth or spinule
along the lower border of the preopercle, anterior to the three which
arm its angle Alive, and in a glass of sea- water, the activity and
lovely colours of these little fishes rendered them most interesting
objects. They were taken following a piece of floating timber;
and until close examination after death, could scarcely be distin-
guished from the young of Naucrates ductor, Cuv., but for the abs-
ence of the caudal keels.

Tetrapturus Georgii. — " Peito."

Having at length, through Mr. Leacock's kind exertions, obtained
a fine example of the Peito in perfect condition, I am enabled to
state that it forms a new and very distinct species of Tetrapturus,
Rafin. ; differing from T. belone, Raf., as described by MM. Cuvier
and Valenciennes, especially in having the pectoral fins proportion-
ally twice as long, and the body clothed with large scales of a pe-
culiar shape and nature. I only forbear to draw up its specific cha-
racter till I have checked my notes and observations by examination
of more examples ; but I hope to be allowed the privilege at once of
commemorating by its specific name the valuable assistance rendered
to the cause of Ichthyology by Mr. George Butler Leacock, of this
island generally, as well as in the present instance.

* Read before the Zoological Society, June 9, 1840.

The Rev. R. T. Lowe on the Fishes of Madeira, 93

Fam. CoRYPH^NIDiE.

Asteroderma coryphcenoides (Bon.) ; Astrodermus coryphienoides,
Cuv. et Val. IX. 353. t. 270. — Diana semilunata, Risso, Hist. iii.
267./. 14.

A single small example only has occurred.

Fam. Labrid^.

Ctenolahrus iris, Cuv. et Val. XIII. 236. Rariss.
A most elegant and well-marked little species.

JuLis UNiMACULATA. — '^ Peixe vcvde." — /. elliptico -oblong a, gra-
ciliuscula : corpore aurato-viridi, lateribus medio fascia longitu-
dinali ohscura : squamis magnis, litura rufa perpendiculate notatis :
capite rosaceo-rufo, strigis fasciisve flexuosis cceruleis picto :
pinna dorsali medio unimaculata analique basi squamatis : oper-
culo postice biangulato : cauda lunata, lobis abbreviatis.

D. 8 + 13; A. 3+11; P. 2 + 13; V. 1+5; C. |^;|^.

Var. a. tceniata : corpore 5-6-fasciato : fasciis angustis viridibus, im-

maculatis. Vulgatiss.
Var. /3. lineolata -. corpore efasciato, toto lituris rufis creberrimis ad

perpendiculum ductis sequaliter picto. Vulg.

Blended apparently by Valenciennes (Hist. XIII. 377.) with the
blue-collared J. turcica, M'lsso, under the name of /. pavo ; as for-
merly by me considered merely a variety of /. turcica. Long- con-
tinued observations have, however, established its claim to rank as a
species, which is composed of two varieties, precisely corresponding
with the two of which the true /. turcica consists.

Fam. Gadid^.

Merlucius ambiguus. — " Morc^go do mar.''

Having only obtained a single individual, I forbear attempting a
specific character of this little Hake, which, in the production into a
filament of the second ray of the ventral fins and grooved nape, re-
sembles a Motella ; wanting, on the other hand, the beards, and
having no trace of any fin within the nuchal groove. From Mer-
lucius Maraldi, Risso, Hist. iii. 220. it differs in the colouring ; and
though the upper jaw closes over the under, it scarcely can be called
" longer." In Risso's fish the nape is grooved (sillonnee), but he
says nothing of any peculiarity about the ventral fins.

The Madeiran Hake, or " Pescada," Merlucius vulgaris of my
Synopsis, p. 189, proves, upon better acquaintance, distinct from the
common British Hake, M. vulgaris, Cuv., Yarr., &c. (Gadus Merluc-
cius, L.). Instead of being even, the dorsal and anal fins are each
produced at their hinder end into a rounded lobe ; the jaws are
nearly equal in length ; the teeth are large and numerous ; the scales
small. I do not name it, for I believe it has already been called by
Mr. Swainson M. sinuatus ; and I am doubtful whether it may not
also be the M. escnlentus of Risso, iii. 220, though in his synonyms

94 The Rev. R. T. Lowe on the Fishes of Madeira.

he has confounded it with the true Northern Hake. I believe
it to be the fish imperfectly figured long ago by Salviana, p. 73,
copied by Willoughby, t. L. membr. 2. w. 1, which has usually been
referred to also for the Northern Hake.

Fam. EsociD^.

Cypselurus pulchellus.

From want of materials for comparison, I am unable to give cor-
rectly the specific characters of this most elegant little Flying-fish,
which is remarkably characterized by two or three bright rose-
coloured horse-shoe- shaped marks on each side of the belly, one be-
hind the other. The ventral fins are placed a little behind the
middle of the body, not reckoning the caudal fin, and their tips
reach to the base of the latter. The tips of the pectoral fins reach
only to the end of the base of the dorsal fin, which is large, high,
and produced. The anal fin is small and low, but a little produced
backwards. The cirrate appendage to the lower jaw is like a
leathern flap or apron, torn irregularly at the bottom into strips or
thongs. I willingly abandon my own MS. name of Cheilopogon for
this genus, distinguished from Exocatus by the variously-appendaged
lower jaw, in favour of the designation which I find this group of
fishes has received from Mr. Swainson whilst this paper has been
going through the press.

Fam. DioDONTiDJE.

Diodon Hystrix, a. Linn. — Z). punctatus, Cuv, — Histrix piscis
Clusii, &c., Will. t. I. 5.

A single example only has occurred.

Fam. Squalid^.

Carcharias microps. — " Tubarao."

The Tubarao of Madeira proves to be a genuine species of Car-
charius, as defined by MM. Miiller and Henle in the Magazine of
Natural History for the year 1838, p. 35. It is remarkable for the
smallness of the eye ; and the teeth, as reported previously by the
fishermen, are really feeble in proportion to its bulk ; they are in
only two rows, and precisely similar in both jaws. The tail is very
large and powerful. The individual examined measured eight feet
five or six inches in length. I name it only provisionally, and abs-
tain again from attempting a specific character, — deferring, in both
points, to the expected publication of MM. Miiller and Henle,
amongst whose indicated " twenty species" it will probably be found.

Alopecias stjperciliosus.

At once distinguished from the only other known species of the
genus, Carcharias vulpes, Cuv., by the enormous eye and its promi-
nent brow. I have at present only seen a single young example.

Mr. Thompson on the Sticklebacks of Ireland. 95

XIII. — On the species of Stickleback (Gasterosteus, Linn,)
found in Ireland. By Wm. Thompson^ Vice-Pres. Nat.
Hist. Society of Belfast.

In the ^Histoire des Poissons' of Cuvier and Valenciennes,
the Gasterosteus acideatus of Linnaeus is divided into several
species. The viev^^s there adopted are followed in Great Bri-
tain * by Mr. Yarrell and Dr. Parnell in their respective works ;
but in Mr. Jenyns's ^ Manual/ four of these species — all that
have been recognised as British — are, after a close comparison
of examples from the same pond, and of these again with
others from different waters, reduced to one species f. Having
myself compared specimens of the fish in question from still
more numerous localities than the last-named author, I arrive
at the same conclusion in so far as it extends ; but go still
further, and venture to consider six or seven of the species of
the ^ Hist, des Poiss.^ as in reality but one, assuming so many
different appearances. To allude to the extreme accuracy of
description characteristic of that truly great work — the ^ Hist.
des Poiss.' — would be most superfluous. On anotlier point
altogether the different view adopted in the present paper
turns ; namely, on the permanency of characters there attri-
buted to the 3-spined Gasterosteus.

In this genus, Ireland possesses all the forms which are in-
cluded in the British catalogue. An additional one — G. semi-
loricatus, Cuv. and Val. — will be particularly treated of, and
come first under notice, as one of the two varieties which are
protected with scaly plates throughout the sides.

G. trachurus, Cuv. and Val., t. iv. p. 481.

G. semiloricatus, Cuv. and Val., t. iv. p. 494.

March 20, 1835. — On examination of a number of 3-spined
Sticklebacks from the island of Rathlin, (sent by Mrs. Gage

* Nilsson, in his ' Prodromus Ichtliyologiae Scandinavica?,' published in
1832, thus describes varieties of Gasf. aculeaius, Linn. : —

'* u.) Capite, a latere inspecto, magis acuto ; spinis dorsalibus longioribus,
media longitudinem capitis dimidiam sequante et dimidiam corporis altitu-
dinem superante.

" /3.) Capite, a latere inspecto, magis obtuso ; spinis dorsalibus breviori-
bus; media multo breviore quam ^ capitis et dimid. corpor. altit." — p. 86.

This author makes G. trachurus synonymous with G. aculeatus, Linn. —
he does not offer any opinion on the species of Gasterosteus in the ' Hist,
des Poiss.'

t In a note to p. 350, Mr. Jenyns observes with reference to G. hrachy-
centrus, that " it is more than probable that some of the other foreign Gas-
terostei described by Cuvier are mere varieties of this species" — G. acii-
IcatuSy Linn.

96 Mr. Thompson on the species of Stickleback

to Dr. J. D. Marshall, who submitted them to my inspection,)
I find that in some the lateral plates extend throughout the
entire sides, as in G. trachurus ; in others, so far only as in
G. semiarmatMS ; and in some again no further than in G.
lieurus. No other difference can be perceived in these speci-
mens, which are all of a small size, from an inch to an inch
and a half in length. From between tide-marks in Larne
Lough (Mrs. Patterson) ; from oozy and rocky pools over
which the tide regularly flows, situated near the edge of Bel-
fast Bay (Richard Langtry, Esq. — W. T.) ; also from a deep
pool in the middle of it (Mr. James Nichol) — and from the
harbour of Donaghadee (Capt. Fayrer, R.N.)., 1 possess ex-
amples of the full-armed Stickleback of various sizes up to 3
inches.

In addition to these Irish examples of the full-armed Stickle-
back, some 2 inches in length from the Thames, communicated
in 1 834 by Mr. Yarrell, are before me for comparison, and se-
veral from 1^ to 1} inch, which I obtained in a marine rock-
pool at Ballantrae, Ayrshire, in August 1839.

In June 1836, Lieut. Davis, R.N., sent to the Belfast Mu-
seum, from the neighbourhood of Donaghadee, some gigantic
specimens, two of which are 3|^ inches in length and 10 lines
in depth ; a third is 3 inches 4 lines long and 9 lines deep ;
the number of fin-rays is the same in all, viz.

D. Ill + 12 ; A. I + 9 ; P. 10 ; V. I + 1 5 C. 12.

These three individuals have each 23 plates on the side of the
body to the origin of the caudal keel, and thus agree w ith the
G. semiloricatus. Colour as usual in female specimens, no red
appearing anywhere. With the above were tw o others of or-
dinary size ; one of which was red on the lower portion of
the body. Lieut. Davis stated in a note respecting them,
that they " were found in a pool of brackish water access-
ible to the sea, at the Foreland rocks near Donaghadee.^^
The example, 2^ inches in length, from deep water in Belfast
Bay, differs very much from the large individuals just noticed,
in the free margins of the lateral plates ; these, in the latter are
finely, regularly, and very minutely serrated, w^hile in the former
they are distinctly toothed, the denticles becoming larger on the
plates as these latter approach the tail. The number of these
plates to the origin of the caudal keel is about 23, as in the large
examples — this number likewise appears in the Thames speci-
men of G. trachurus. With the exception of a ray less in the
anal fin, the number of fin-rays is the same in that under
consideration as in the large fish. The example, 2 inches in
length, from Donaghadee harbour, has likewise about 23

found in Ireland. 9 7

plates on the side to the origin of the caudal keel : the serra-
tion on the free margin of these plates is intermediate be-
tween that exhibited in the specimens from the Foreland Point
and the one just noticed from Belfast Bay.

In the full-armed Sticklebacks from the localities generally,
which have been enumerated, great differences are observable,
as — considering for the present adult fish only — in the com-
parative length of the dorsal and ventral spines, and in the
lateral plates. In some individuals these do not occupy more
than the central portion of the sides, in others the whole sides,
and again are intermediate.

In the absence either of a specimen for comparison, or a
figure to refer to, it may perhaps be considered that certainty
cannot be arrived at respecting G. semiloricatus. This fish is
stated to differ from G. trachur us in having only 22 or 23
plates on each side to the origin of the caudal keel instead of
its 25 or 26, and in the shoulder-plate (plaque de I'epaule)
being larger. It has been seen that some of my specimens,
and of these, some of the largest size, possess only the number
of lateral plates attributed to G. semiloricatus. In examples
of equal length, and from the same as well as from different
localities, I find the size of the shoulder-plate to vary like
other characters. Hence I am disposed to regard some of the
examples under consideration as this fish.

In the ^ Hist, des Poiss.^ it is remarked of G. semiloricatus,
^' Nous n'avons pu trouver aux environs de Paris que des epi-
noches a queue nue ; il nous en est venu de pareilles des de-
partemens de la Somme et de POise, de la Rochelle et de
quelques autres lieux : nous avons observe celle a queue cuiras-
see dans les ruisseaux des c6tes de Normandie, et encore re-
cemment M. Deslongchamps nous I'a envoyee de Caen, et M.
Baillon en a pris dans le Hable-d'Ault, lac saumatre de Pem-
bouchure de la Somme, pres du Treport. C^est la seule qui
se trouve dans les etangs des environs de Berlin, et elle y est
en quantite innombrable. Peut-^tre est-ce I'espece qui habite
plus frequemment pres des bords de la mer, et qui pent entrer
dans I'eau salee. Des observations ulterieures nous appren-
dront sans doute bientot ce qui en est.^^ — t. iv. p. 494.

This accords generally with my own observation, as in
seven out of the nine localities whence my specimens mailed
throughout the sides were derived — whether they be called
G. trachurus or G. semiloricatus — they were taken either in
the sea or estuary. The exceptions are the largest speci-
mens, which were procured in a " pool of brackish water ac-
cessible to the sea -" and those from Rathlin, obtained in

Ann. ^ Mag. N, Hist. Vol.vii. H

98 Mr. Thompson on the species of Stickleback

fresh water. From the passage just quoted, we learn that the
G, semiloricatus inhabits the pools about Berlin. It has
always seemed to me not improbable, that in the sea, where
the enemies of this diminutive fish are more numerous than
in the fresh water, the protecting hand of Nature had as a
defence armed its body with these lateral plates. That some
fishes have the power of accommodating their colour to that of
the ground or bottom of the water they frequent, and are thus
rendered comparatively inconspicuous to their enemies, is well
estabhshed.

A third species of 3-spined Stickleback, armed throughout
the sides like those here treated of, is the G. Noveboracensis,
which, as its name denotes, is found at New York. Judging
from the description and figure of this fish in the ^ Hist, des
Poiss.,^ I should not consider it distinct from G. trachurus or
G. semiloricatus. The specimens which have come under my
examination differ much in the few characters which are said
to distinguish this fish from G. trachurus. The high position
of the lateral line is the chief character of G. Noveboracensis —
in some specimens before me this line is so near the back, that
three-fourths of the body of the fish are below it. Our G.
Pungitius is admitted as an American species by Dr. Storer
in his interesting work on the ^ Fishes, &c. of Massachusetts^
(p. 32), and for a copy of which I am indebted to his kind-
ness.

The descriptions and figures of the G. obolarius, Cuv. and
Val. — a 3-spined Stickleback armed throughout the sides,
and found in the North Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of Kam-
tschatka, — are said in the 'Hist, des Poiss.^ to be insufficient to
mark it with certainty as a species distinct from the full-armed
Gasterosteus of Europe or America (p. 500).

Dr. Parnell, in his ' Fishes of the Frith of Forth' (p. 34),
after stating that he agrees with Cuvier and Yarrell in consi-
dering the G. trachurus as " a constant and well-marked
species,'^ observes that the " square taiP' does not exist in
the other Sticklebacks. According to my observation, it is
certainly less developed in them, and generally (but not
invariably) corresponds with the protecting side-plates, pre-
senting a greater or less developement accordingly as the ar-
mature of the body is of a heavier or lighter cast. Dr. Par-
nell further remarks, as corroborative of G. trachurus being
a distinct species, that he has '^ examined carefully several
hundred from half an inch to two inches and a half in length,
and in all the specimens the lateral plates were constant.^' In
particular localities I have met with the same result on ex-

found in Ireland. 99

amining specimens of all sizes of G. trachurus and of the other
varieties also*, but in some places again the different va-
rieties are found together and of every sizef. Mr. Yarrell has
so noticed three of them in the Thames at Woolwich ; and
in Rathlin, as before mentioned, they occur together — in the
former locality in brackish, in the latter, in fresh water.

G. semiarmatus, Cuv. and Val., t. iv. p. 493, appears to be
the rarest of the 3-spined Sticklebacks in Ireland. 1 pos-
sess specimens from the island of Rathlin, as before men-
tioned, and from Wolfhill, in the neighbourhood of Belfast.
One example only occurred in the latter locality, Avhere it was
taken in 1832 with a number of G. brachycentrus, the Stickle-
back of that district — it is indeed this variety in every respect,
except in having the lateral plates extending along the sides
so far as in G. semiarmatus ; the other characters assigned to
this supposed species in the ^ Hist, des Poiss.^ are very va-
riable. From the half-armed species I turn to the

G. lieurus, Cuv. and Val., t. iv. p. 487? in which the lateral
plates do not extend beyond the pectoral region. In every
respect but this, it is considered in the ^ Hist, des Poiss.^ so
similar to G. trachurus, that the one description is given as
equally applicable to both. The G. lieurus would seem to be
the most covarcion freshwater Stickleback in Ireland J.

The localities whence specimens of this fish are now before
me, are — the island of Rathlin ; — the neighbourhood of Bel-
fast ( W. T.) ;— river Bann at Toome ( W. T.) ;— Portaferry and
Newcastle, county Down (W. T.) ; — Lough Melvin, county
Fermanagh (W. T.) ; — neighbourhood of Dublin (Mr. R.
Ball) ; — Glendalough, county Wicklow (Mr. G. C. Hynd-
man); — Portarlington, Queen^s-county (Rev. B. J. Clarke) ;—
some of the examples from this locality are very handsomely
marked, being along the back of a rich brown colour, w^hich

* The partial exception to this is in G. hrachycentrus^ in which the dorsal
spines are comparatively longer in young than in adult individuals, and
hence the young in this respect accord with G. lieurus. I here speak of
localities in which all the full-grown fish are G. hrachycentrus.

f From the many small examples of all the varieties about nine lines in
length that have come under my observation, I should think the number of
lateral plates they are to possess throvigh life is then as decided as the num-
ber of fin-rays ; i. e. provided they would have remained in the locality
whence they were taken. Whether such a change of habitation, as from
fresh water to the sea, would cause the smooth-sided at any age to put on
the lateral armour, may remain a question.

X From drains which are occasionally replenished by the tide I have also
taken it.

H2

loo Mr. Thompson on the species of Stickleback

is continued down the sides in the form of regular transverse
bands upon a yellow ground; — river Shannon, at Killaloe
(Rev. C. Mayne) ;— Youghal, county Cork (Mr. R. Ball).

From Scotland I have specimens obtained in the neigh-
bourhood of Portpatrick by Capt. Fayrer, R.N. Examples
from the Thames have been favoured me by Mr. Yarrell ; and
in the river Leam, at Leamington, Warwickshire, the G. lieu-
rus has occurred to myself. Next to this variety naturally
comes the

G. brachycentrus, Cuv. and Val., t. iv. p. 499, which like it,
is smooth along the sides from the pectoral region, but diflfers
in the shortness of the dorsal and ventral spines. From the
comparative length of these spines alone do I distinguish the
two varieties, the other characters attributed to G. brachy-
centrus being ever varying. The Irish localities whence I
have this fish, are the neighbourhood of Belfast, and pools
along the margin of Lough Neagh (W. T.), Dublin, Youghal,
and Portarlington — supplied from these three localities by the
friends before mentioned.

The largest example which has come under my observa-
tion was one taken by myself in England, at Stow Pool,
Lichfield, in July 1836, and which was noticed in the ^ Pro-
ceedings of the Zoological Society' for the next year. This is
the only allusion I have seen to the G. brachycentrus in Great
Britain.

This variety, which from the shortness of its spines is the
most defenceless of the 3-spined Sticklebacks, we should,
a priori, — i. e. if the suggestion respecting the full-armed va-
riety be correct — expect to find where it has fewest enemies,
and such, according to my very limited observation, is the
case. This would seem to be the variety more peculiar to still
water, in which it often attains a very large size. The only
continental notice of this fish known to me is that in the
^ Hist, des Poiss.,' where it is stated to have been obtained by
M. Savigny in the brooks of Tuscany.

The following comparison between G. brachycentrus from
the neighbourhood of Belfast, and specimens of G. lieurus, &c.
from the Thames, favoured me by Mr. Yarrell, was drawn up
early in 1834:—

In form of outline the Irish fish generally differs much from the
G. lieurus, the latter being from the centre of the back alike grace-
fully sloped on either side to the head and tail, giving that part a
handsome and finely-arched appearance ; the under side of the body
also exhibits more of this form than that of its congener. The back
of the Irish species, instead of thus sloping gradually to the centre.

found in Ireland. 101

is at that part rather flat, and is at least as high where the dorsal fin
originates as elsewhere. The Irish fish is in proportion to its depth
longer than the G. lieurus, as specimens of the latter under 2^ inches
in length, when compared with Irish specimens 3 inches long, proved
of equal dimensions (8 lines) at the deepest part. The difference is
also strongly marked in the relative breadth of the two species, the
Irish maintaining considerable breadth throughout, even to the ori-
gin of the caudal fin. The teeth in the lower jaw of the Irish spe-
cies consist in the centre of about four rows irregularly disposed,
but become gradually less numerous towards the back of the mouth,
where they terminate in a single line : the upper jaw contains three
rows in front, the outer and inner being regular in distribution.
In number, the G. lieurus which I examined does not possess so
many teeth as that species, but in their arrangement there is little
difference. On reckoning the vertebrae in a specimen of the G. lieurus
and in one of the Irish Sticklebacks of similar length, I find that
the number in the latter exceeds that in the former species, and
that they are throughout more regularly equidistant than in the
G. lieurus.

In the three English Sticklebacks, G. trachurus, G. semiarmatus
and G. lieurus, the bony plate covering the head is much stronger
than in the Irish fish — the outline of the lower jaw more angular —
the lips smaller and less fleshy — the number of rays in the fins dif-
ferent, consisting generally, in the Irish specimens, of twelve in the
dorsal, ten in the pectoral, eight in the anal, and twelve in the cau-
dal. In the three English Gasterostei, also, the ventral spine is longer,
but not so broad as in the Irish fish — the dorsal spines considerably
longer, and the plates whence they spring proportionately larger.
The following is the measurement of the spines in the four species :

Total length offish. First dorsal spine. Second, Ventral.

G. trachurus ...... 2 in. l^lin. 2^1in. 2J lin. 41in.

G. semiarmatus ..26 2J 3 4J

G. lieurus 2 6 2^ 3 4^

Irish species, 1 3 o U H H

G. brachycentrus J 244

In the last species* the membrane extends to the extremities of all
the spines.

About Belfast I have taken the smooth-sided Sticklebacks
— G. lieurus and G. brachycentrus — from ditches in the low
grounds^ from clear mountain-streams at an elevation of 600
feet above the level of the sea, from the muddy rivers Black-
water and Lagan, and from water which was partially salt
(here G. lieurus only), when, contrary to what might be ex-

* Agreeably to the view taken in the ' Hist, des Poiss.,' the term "species"
was here applied to G. brachycentrus. I was disposed at the time (1834)
to regard it as a local variety, but had not the means, which have since been
afforded by a comparison of specimens from numerous localities, to arrive at
a certain conclusion on the subject.

102 Mr. Thompson on the species of Stickleback

pected, the largest were invariably found where the tempera-
ture was lowest, specimens there (G. brachycentrus) not un-
commonly attaining the length of three inches, and perfectly
free from the pearl-like tumours, which, adhering to the body,
infest those inhabiting the comparatively warm waters of the
lower grounds. This short-spined Stickleback here exhibits,
in all respects, the same colours as the most common of the
English varieties ; of many of the larger individuals captured
in the month of September, about the one-half were red on the
under parts. In large shoals too 1 have remarked fully this
proportion to have assumed the scarlet, and in the early sum-
mer months have observed that full-grown fishes, in which the
most intense shade of this colour prevailed, never appeared to
be with spawn*, very few in that state being so much as
faintly tinged with it. This Gasterosteus and the Trout (Salmo
Fario) seem not to co-exist in some of our smaller rivers, or
do so very partially. In the stream whence the largest of these
were taken, trout {Salmo Fario) were a dozen years ago very
common, and the Stickleback unknown, and it is only since
the almost total disappearance of the Trout that this fish has
been established in its waters. In a similar stream issuing
from the same mountain-range at about four miles distance,
the Trout yet maintains its place, and in the parts of the river
frequented by it I have in vain looked for the Stickleback.

The figure of G. brachycentrus in the ^ Hist, des Poiss.^ re-
sembles the Irish fish when in spawn, and not its usual ap-
pearance.

In addition to that fish, there is another 3-spined Stickle-
back, brought by M. Savigny from the brooks of Tuscany,
described as new in the ' Hist, des Poiss.^ — from its brilliant
operculum, it is named G. argyropomus. In this and the other
characters assigned to it, Irish specimens in my possession
fully accord. It is suggested, indeed, with reference to the
characters attributed to this and the two other Gasterostei —
G. brachycentrus and G. tetr acanthus — brought by M. Sa-
vigny from Tuscany — " Nous allons les indiquer, pour en-
gager les observateurs a s'assurer de leur constance,^^ p. 498.
In the next page it is however remarked of G. brachycentrus,
that there is no doubt of its being a true species f.

Four-spined Stickleback, G. spinulosus, Yarr. and Jenyns.
Among specimens of Gasterostei kindly procured for me at

* So late as the 19th Sept. 1832, I remarked one large with spawn.

t The different varieties of the 3-spined Stickleback ai*e commonly known
in the North of Ireland by the name ofSpricklebag — evidently a corruption
of the proper term — Pinkeen is applied to them in the South ; and from the
Shannon they have been sent me under the name of Thornback.

found in Ireland, 103

LaBergerie, near Portarlingtori^ Queen^s-oounty, by the Rev.
B. J. Clarke, is an individual with four spines. It is 1^ inch
long; the first and second spines are of ordinary length; the
third spine is short, but exceeding the fourth. In no other
character than that of having four spines, does this fish differ
from the 3-spined examples taken with it, and consequently
I cannot look upon it otherwise than merely an accidental va-
riety of G. aculeatus, Linn. It was among a parcel, consist-
ing of G, lieurus, G. brachycentrus and G. Pungitius, taken in
a pond and in some neighbouring drains. The " ascending
plate from the base of the ventrals ^' (see Jenyns's Manual,
p. 350), I find subject to variety of form like other parts.

That the fish under consideration is the G. spinulosus, seems
to me not to admit of doubt*.

Ten-spined Stickleback, G. Pungitius, Linn.

This diminutive fish is ^^ rare '' — as has already been noticed
by Templeton t — in Ireland, comparatively with the 3-spined
species. The localities whence I possess it are very few in
number, viz. — pits excavated in brick-making on the banks of
the Blackstaff river, near Belfast ; a marsh in the neighbour-
hood of Portaferry, county Down (W. T.) ; and La Bergerie,
Queen^s-county (Rev. B. J. Clarke) — from this locality a con-
siderable number were sent, and among them the largest na-
tive specimens I have seen, a few being 1| inch in length, and
one having attained to 2\ inches.

From the neighbourhood of Portpatrick, Scotland, this spe-
cies has been sent me by Capt. Fayrer, R.N. For examples
from the Thames I am indebted to Mr. Yarrell ; and in the
river Leam, near Leamington, Warwickshire, it has occurred
to myself.

In most of the above localities the 3-spined species was
taken with the G. Pungitius. All of the latter, whether from
brackish or fresh water, are smooth throughout the sides (G.
Icevis, Cuv. ^Regne AnimaV 2nd ed.J)? and but a very few in-
dividuals present any appearance of a keel on the sides of the
tail. The dorsal spines vary from nine to eleven in number,
and do so in examples of equal size from the same place.

* Since the above was written, I have been gratified to find that my friend
Dr. Johnston, in a ' List of the Fishes of Berwickshire, exclusive of the Sal-
mones,' considers the G. spinulosus a variety only of the 3-spined species —
of these he notices the " Rough-tailed, Half-armed, and Smooth-tailed
Sticklebacks" of Yarrell, as varieties only of one species. (See Report of the
Berwickshire Naturalists' Club for 1838, p. 171.)

t Mag. Nat. Hist. vol. i. New Series.

I See also Hist, des I'oiss. t. iv. p. 507.

104 Mr. Thompson on the Sticklebacks of Ireland.

Fifteen-spined Stickleback*^ G, Spinachia, Linn.

This species, differing from O. aculeatus and G. Pungitius
in being strictly a marine fish, is found around the coast of
Ireland. I possess examples obtained at Rathlin, in the north
(by Dr. J. D. Marshall) ; Bundoran, in the west (W. T.) ;
Youghal, in the south (by Mr. R. Ball), and on the coasts of
Down (W. T.) ; and Antrim (by Mrs. Patterson), in the north-
east.

On the southern coast, where sprat-fishing is regularly prac-
tised, the G. Spinachia is taken in greater quantity than in
the north. Mr. R. Ball on one occasion knew as many to be
captured with the Sprat [Clupea Sprattus), at Youghal, as
would " fill a busheV^ and at Glendore and the south-west
coast of Cork generally, Mr. G. J. Allman informs me that
it is often taken at the same time with this fish. On the coast
of Down full-grown specimens have occasionally occurred to
me when dredging, and likewise under stones between tide-
marks, and one or two individuals may sometimes be seen in
the fish-market at Belfast, whither they are brought with
quantities of the Atherine [Atherina Presbyter) from Porta-
ferry, in the winter and early spring. In the rock-pools, on
different parts of the coast, the fry of G. Spinachia may be
observed in the month of June about three-quarters of an
inch in length ; and in such places I have at Bangor (county
Down), in the middle of September, captured them of twice
that size, where in winter neither young nor adult examples
ever occurred to me.

Both the G. aculeatus and G, Pungitius were included in
Dr. Patrick Brown^s ' Catalogue of the Fishes of Ireland,'
published in Exshaw^s Magazine for 1774 — the former species
was noticed two years before in Rutty's ^ Natural History of
the County of Dublin.' In M'Skimmin's ^ History of Car-
rickfergus,' and in Mr. Templeton's ^Catalogue,' the G. Spina-
chia has a place.

In one respect the foregoing pages may be considered
rather as exhibiting a retrogression than an advancement of
the subject, as in them an attempt is made to restore what
have latterly been considered as several species simply into
the three described by Linnaeus as Gast, aculeatus, G. Punr
gitius and G. Spinachia.

* Horu-eel is a common name for this species in the North.

Plants and Animals in Harrowgate Watei^s, 105

XIV. — Notice of Plants and Animals found in the Sulplmreous
Waters of Harrowgate and Askern, Yorkshire, By E. Lan-
KESTER, M.p., F.L.S.^ he.

In the distribution of organized beings over the surface of the
earth, we generally find an adaptation of the former to the
various conditions of the latter.

In many marked cases this adaptation is so great, that or-
ganized beings cannot exist but in the peculiar circumstances
in which they are first engendered. From this law arises the
great variety of organized beings which we find adapted to oc-
cupy almost every existing condition of matter. There are,
however, some conditions of the inorganic kingdom in which
organic beings have not been detected, as excessive cold or
heat, the absence of oxygen or the presence of injurious gases,
&c. The extent, however, of these exceptions is continually
on the decrease, and animated beings or their remains are
now found in circumstances which but a few years since would
have been thought quite impossible. For an increasing know-
ledge on this point we are in a great measure indebted to the
use of the microscope. By its agency both animal and vege-
table productions can be detected in almost all conditions of
matter, so that it is difficult to say, with the exceptions of the
extremes of heat and cold, under what combination of agencies
we might not expect to find a plant or an animal. This ex-
tensive adaptation of the one kingdom to the other can now
be demonstrated to be essential to the welfare of the whole, as
in many instances the lower organic beings derive existence
from, and convert into their ow^n substance, those elements
which would be destructive of the existence of beings higher
in the scale of life. Hence the investigation of this depart-
ment of science becomes interesting to the physiologist.

Among those conditions of matter which, from their powerful
influence on man, might be supposed to be destructive of all
animal life, are some varieties of those waters which, from the
nature of their contents, are called mineral. Some of these
have a temperature exceeding greatly that of the human
body, yet many of them contain both plants and animals ; in
fact, wherever the former are found we may anticipate the
existence of the latter.

On the present state of our knowledge with regard to the
composition of mineral and thermal waters a report has al-
ready appeared, drawn up by Dr. Daubeny at the request of
the British Association for the Advancement of Science ; in
this report reference is made to the existence of both animal
and vegetable matter in many cold and thermal springs.

10^ Dr. Lankester on Plants and Animals

Amongst the substances found in sulphureous springs is one
called ylairine, which has for a long time been recognised by
continental chemists, and was carefully investigated by Pro-
fessor Anglada, who thought it resulted from the chemical
action of some of the constituents of the water in which it was
found. Dr. Daubeny has also investigated this substance, and,
in opposition to the opinion of Anglada, believes it to arise en-
tirely from organic matters in the waters in which it occurs.
This notice first induced me to ascertain if this substance was
present in the sulphureous waters of Askern and subsequently
in those of Harrowgate, and the result has been the detection
of forms of animal and vegetable life in circumstances in
which I had not previously suspected them.

Previously to Dr. Daubeny's investigation. Dr. Willan had
announced the presence of a peculiar organic substance in the
waters of Croft in Yorkshire, which Dillwyn named Conferva
nivea ; and many French and German chemists had described
organic matters in mineral waters, as resin of sulphur, humus,
extractive, Baregine, zoogene, &c., &;c.

As great medicinal virtues have been attributed to these
substances, they have in certain quarters attracted consider-
able notice ; but not having visited any of the mineral waters
of the continent with the view of investigating them, I am
not able to say how far those which I have found at Harrow-
gate and Askern may resemble those described on the con-
tinent, and shall only endeavour in this place to point out the
nature of certain substances in these waters, which appear
to resemble those spoken of by continental writers.

Throughout the whole district in which Askern is situated,
the soil in many places, and the mud in the ditches and pools,
when tested, gives very decided proof of the existence of sul-
phuretted hydrogen. At certain seasons of the year many of
these spots are covered with a whitish-looking Conferva, which
1 have supposed to be the Conferva nivea of Dillwyn. The
specimens obtained from off the sulphuretted mud of waters
which contain no sulphuretted hydrogen, present a greenish
fibre, surrounded by verticilli of numerous smaller fibres.
This appears to be the plant in a mature stage of growth. If
however a small portion of the mineral water be put aside, it
will in the course of a little time present on the sides of the
vessel in which it is contained a whitish-looking substance,
which, on being examined by the microscope, exhibits a mass
of very delicate fibres. The same fibres are found to consti-
tute the white substance which collects around the sides of
the sulphur \ veils, as well as at the bottoms of the cisterns
and the pipes through which the water is drawn.

found in the Waters of Harrowgate and Askern. 107

In places where this substance has been allowed to collect
for some time^ a layer of darker fibres will be found to have
formed, which present all the characters of the fibres collected
from the sulphuretted mud of the running streams. From
this circumstance I have been led to suspect that the two are
but different forms of the same plant. If this white substance
be kept in a warm room it decomposes and gives out a sul-
phurous smell,, which is stronger and more disagreeable tlian
that of sulphuretted hydrogen, A film also collects upon the
surface of the water, and in this state it corresponds very
closely to Anglada^s description oi glairine. In one instance
I observed this substance to form in a glass-stopped bottle of
sulphur water, from which the atmospheric air was excluded^
with the exception of a small globule which existed in the
neck of the bottle. It forms, however, most rapidly when ex-
posed to the atmosphere ; and so quickly does this process go
on, that the stone vessels into which the water runs over at
the Bath-houses, if cleaned in the morning, will be found co-
vered in many places by night. When exposed to the air the
sulphur water is constantly depositing small portions of the
salts which it holds in solution, which, in places where it is
undisturbed, mix with the vegetable fibres and present them-
selves in the form of crystals mixed with the fibres. In this
state, when collected and dried and submitted to heat, it gives
out sulphurous acid gas. Some of the sulphur of this com-
pound may be precipitated from the water ; but from the smell
of the fibres in decomposing, I am inclined to think that they
themselves contain sulphur, and that this is the agent which
determines their existence and peculiar form.

Being at Harrowgate during the past summer, I was de-
sirous of confirming the existence of this substance in the sul-
phur water there. In most of the wells I found on their sides
deposits varying in colour and appearance. The different-co-
loured deposits were arranged in layers, so that on examining
a portion it presented several layers one above the other. The
principal layers are green, white and red. On examining the
green layers I found them to consist of simple fibres of a dark
green colour, with transverse bands of a darker shade, re-
sembling some of the species of OscUlatoria, The white I
found to consist of opake masses of a crystallized character,
which were probably salts deposited from the waters by eva-
poration and the escape of carbonic acid. The red I shall
have occasion to mention presently, only observing now that
Anglada mentions having observed glairine sometimes of a
red colour.

l08 Dr. Lankester on Plants and Animals

In the specimens I brought with me from Harrowgate I
could not find the Conferva nivea, but in Hooker's ' British
Flora' it is stated to have been found at this place.

All the substances which have been enumerated have been
referred to very different sources for their origin. Thus An-
glada supposed glairine to be of chemical origin, whilst others
referred it to the vegetable kingdom, and a third class of ob-
servers have referred a similar compound to the animal king-
dom, calling it zoogene, &c. The different states, in which
these substances are presented by nature, would undoubtedly
add to these various conclusions. I am not however aware
that those who have referred this substance to the animal
kingdom have observed living animals in the waters from
which it has been taken. Dr. Daubeny remarks in a note,
that Turpin had found in the substance called Baregine the
remains of Infusoria ; but no writer that I am aware has re-
corded the fact of the existence of living animals in waters
iinpregnated with sulphuretted hydrogen.

I have however met with several species of animalcules in
these waters, two of which I have more particularly examined,
and will now describe. In an analysis of the waters of Askern,
published in 1817? the author observes, "Nearly allied to the
vegetable kingdom is a singular substance found in a pond at
the south corner of the pool. This substance is a powder of
a pink or rose colour, which forms a thin covering on the
sand and mud at the bottom of the pond.^' — [Breioerton.)

On reading this, I immediately had recourse to the spot,
and found the substance lying on the mud of the ditches near
Askern, which are strongly impregnated with sulphuretted hy-
drogen. I at first thought it to be of vegetable origin, and
sent some to Mr. Berkeley for the purpose of ascertaining his
opinion. From the state in which I sent it he supposed it
might be a species of Protococcus, at the same time putting
to me the query whether it might not be of animal origin.
At that time I had seen nothing to lead me to suspect this,
unless it might have been the excretion or ova of a beau-
tiful rotiferous animalcule resembling the Philodina roseola
of Ehrenberg, which is very abundant in the waters of the
pool at Askern. After having kept some specimens of the
red substance in water exposed to the air, I observed the
water one morning of a deep rose colour, and on examining
it found it to contain an immense number of very minute ani-
malcules. I now had a clue to the origin of the red substance,
and from subsequent examinations found that the red colour
of the water and the deposits depended on this animalcule ; in

found in the Waters of Harrowgate and Askern. 109

the same manner as water is found of a green colour and ha-
ving green deposits, from the presence of the Cer carta viridis,
the green matter of Priestley.

From this time I looked out more particularly for this red
substance, and soon found that it occurred very extensively in
the ditches and pools at and near Askern. Its appearance is
however very fluctuating, sometimes covering a large surface
of the bottom of the pool w ith the appearance of red velvet,
at other times not a spot is to be seen. At first I did not
suspect at all the connection of this animalcule with the sul-
phur springs, until I observed it most abundant in the water-
courses that received the overflowings of the pumps and wells
used for drinking and bathing. This induced me to examine
the w ater or mud in which I afterwards found it to occur, and
I invariably found, on dipping in a piece of silver coin, that it
presented the usual action of sulphuretted hydrogen. So con-
stantly has this been the case, that by this means I* have de-
tected sulphuretted hydrogen in spots where I should not have
thought it existed. In the red colour before alluded to of the
deposits around the sides of the wells at Harrowgate, I recog-
nised the same substance as existed at Askern. Whilst at
Knaresborough, I observed this rose-coloured matter in the
mud of the w^ater before it passes into the rock which forms
the dropping-well ; and on plunging a shilling into the mud,
it came out presenting the usual discoloration from sulphu-
retted hydrogen.

The animalcule is very minute, not more than the ten
thousandth of an inch in diameter. Its form is oblong, fre-
quently presenting a contraction in the middle of its body,
and presenting from two to ten or twelve stomachs. Its line
of movement is straight, with a somewhat serpentine move-
ment of the body.

On looking over Ehrenberg^s great work on Infusoria, I
have not been able to refer it to any of the genera there given,
although from its size and the circumstance of its producing
a red deposit, it w^ould seem to be his Astasia hamatodes. I
cannot, however, distinguish in it a tail, w^hich is a generic
character of Astasia. The A. haematodes was discovered by
Ehrenberg at the bottom of a lake in the steppe of Platow in
Siberia.

I have frequently found another animalcule with this and
sometimes alone, forming a deposit of a much lighter colour,
having a whitish red or brickdust colour. It is a much longer
animal, and has the motions of a Vibrio, but not its bead-like
form. It possesses from ten to twelve stomachs.

Both these animalcules live in water artifically impregnated

110 Mr. J. Morris on recent and fossil Cycadece,

with sulphuretted hydrogen ; whilst I have found that other
kinds are effectually destroyed by such treatment.

Besides the vegetable and animal forms above mentioned,
the sulphur waters during their decomposition afford others,
especially under the films that collect on the surface of the
water.

XV. — Remarks upon the Recent and Fossil Cycadece, By
J. Morris, Esq.

The Cycadeae, originally placed by Linnaeus and Jussieu
among the Ferns, are an interesting family of plants, from their
appearing to form an intermediate place between the Palms,
Ferns and Coniferae ; resembling the first in their external
habit, the second in the gyrate vernation of their leaves (a
character not belonging to the whole family), and related to
Coniferae in the ovula being uncovered, or not furnished with
any seed-vessel. The affinities of these families, although pre-
viously mentioned by C. Richard*, were, in this latter re-
spect, finally determined by Mr. R. Brown in his researches
into the structure of their reproductive organs, inserted in the
Appendix of Capt. King's ^ Voyage to Australia.'

The stems or trunks of Cycadeae are generally simple, al-
though some species of Zamia appear capable of dividing into
two or three terminal buds. In Cycas the internal structure
consists of a central pith surrounded by two or more circles
of laminated vascular and cellular tissue alternating ; in En-
cephalartos the central cellular tissue is divided from the ex-
ternal by only one circle of woody fibre f. ^^ The stems are en-
closed in no true bark, but have a thick case composed of the
persistent scales which have formed the bases of fallen leaves ;
these, together with other abortive scales, constitute a com-
pact covering that supplies the place of bark." — [BucklandX-)

* * Mem. sur les Coniferes et Cycad^es,' 1826, p. 183. " II n'est aucune
famille de plantes qui ait plus de rapports et de ressemblance avec les Coni-
feres que celle des Cycadees. Ces rapports nous semblent si grands, que nous
pensons qu'il est impossible de distinguer ces deux families, ni par des ca-
racteres tires de leursfleurs, ni par des caracteres puises dans I'organisation
de leurs fruits. . Les sevds signes distinctifs qui existent reellement entr' elles
consistent uniquement dans leur port et la structure anatomique de leur
tige, qui en efFet est fort differente dans I'un et I'autre groupe."

M. Richard, however, appears to have been unaware of the internal
sti'ucture of Cycas being stratified ; but describes it as similar to that of
Palms : " C. circinalis, Arbor . . . ., ligno albicanti, moUiuti in arboribus mo-
nocotyledonibus disposito."

f In a specimen of E. spiralis, for which I am indebted to the Messrs.
Lee of Hammersmith, the external circle of cellular tissue is wanting.

J Some interesting observations on the structure of the tissues of Cycadeae
have appeared by D. Don, Esq., Libr. L.S. Mr. Don remarks, that *' the

Mr. J. Morris on recent and fossil Cycadecs. Ill

The family is dioecious. The inflorescence consists of a stro-
biliform spike, from the under surface of the scales of which
the polleniferous thecoe proceed ; in Zamia these thecae are
separated into two distinct masses, -while in Encephalartos
and Cycas they form a confluent mass.

The female inflorescence of Zamia and Encephalartos is
similar to the male cones in form, having thick scales, each
bearing on the superior surface two naked ovula ; while in
Cycas the naked ovula are seated in depressions on the edges
of a frond but little altered from the ordinary structure.

The foliation of this family consists of pinnate fronds, the
circinnate vernation of which, in a young state, has generally
been considered a character belonging to all the genera ; but
a series of observations on the development of the frond which
I have had an opportunity of making in several species of the
three existing genera, have led me to an opposite conclusion,
from which it is evident that even in Cycas itself the rachis is
constantly straight in the early state 5 when however tw^elve
or more fronds rise together, the outer ones become incurved
at their extremities, apparently for the purpose of affording
some protection to the more delicate fronds within, w^hich re-
main perfectly straight : the only parts to which the term cir-
cinnate can be strictly applied, are the young segments or
pinnae. In the evolution of the fronds the development pro-
ceeds from the base upwards, each pair of pinnae becoming
unrolled as soon as that part of the rachis has attained its full
degree of extension and size.

A correct figure of the young frond of C. circinalis is given
in Rheede's ^ Hortus Malabaricus,^ vol. iii. 1. 15. f. 2, 3, 4 ; and
one of C revoluta is figured in plate xi. fig. 4, 5, ^ Mag. Nat.
Hist.^ 1840, from a specimen obtained from Mr. Anderson, of
the Chelsea Botanic Garden.

The prefoliation of Zamia and Encephalartos presents but
little difference from each other ; the young rachis is slightly
recurved at the apex, the two series of pinnae being regularly
imbricated, and applied to, or in contact with, each other by

great peculiarity of the Coniferae, and which distinguishes them as well from
Cycadese as from every other family^ is the remarkahle uniformity of their
woody tissue, which consists of slender tubes, furnished on the sides parallel
to the medullary rays with one or more rows of circular or angular dots ;
but in Cycadeae no such uniformity is observable, their tissue, as in other
phsenogamous plants, consisting of two kinds of vessels, namely, of slender
transparent tubes, without dots or markings, and of dotted, reticulated and
spiral vessels, which are capable of being unrolled. The former are iden-
tical with the fibrous or woody tissue ; whilst the latter, which form a part of
each bundle, can only be compared to the strictly vascular tissue of other
plants."— (Proc. Linn. Soc. Feb. 4, .1840.)

112 Mr. J. Morris on recent and fossil Cycadea.

their anterior surface. See E. horrida, pi. 11. f. 2. and Z. pyg-
mma and pumila, f. 1, 3. ' Mag. Nat. Hist.' April 1840. I had
made these observations on the prefoliation of this family,
when examining the extensive collection of species belonging
to the Messrs. Loddiges of Hackney (who kindly furnished
me with any specimens I required), previously to my atten-
tion being called by Prof. D. Don to some remarks by M.
Miquel on this subject ; and as they appear to differ from my
own, owing probably to the period at which the young frond
was examined in both instances, 1 shall insert an abstract
from M. Miquel's memoir, with a view of calling the atten-
tion of botanists to a further investigation of this subject.

" In Encephalartos affinis, Lehman, a bud is composed of
young leaves foreshortened (raccourcis), the tops of which
converge at the summit ; and the pinnae on each side of the
rachis, in consequence of this foreshortening, are imbricated
and placed in contact one with another by the anterior sur-
face. The same curious fact is observable in E. Altensteinii
and horridus, Lehm. In species of this genus the terminal
bud generally develops itself at an interval of two or even
more years ; and in young plants or the lateral buds of large
stems it is often only developed by a single frond, or by a very
limited number at one time. The increase of the young fronds
is produced by the extension of the rachis and pinna. E, spi-
ralis, Lehm., presents exactly the same character. In the
Zamia, Lehm., the fronds are developed in a totally different
manner. In Z. pumila and media, in the bud, the young rachis
is rolled into the form of a crozier ; but the two series of pinnae
are imbricated on each side, and are joined one with another
in such a manner that their tops are directed downwards, oc-
casioned by the circinnate disposition of the rachis. In the
young fronds of Cycas circinalis and revoluta, Thun., the
rachis as well as the pinna are rolled in the form of a crozier ;
each having a peculiar line or axis of circinnation, the same as
in Ferns*.''

The remains of fronds supposed to belong to this family
being rather numerous in a fossil state, and as the structural
characters vary in the three recent genera, I shall give a slight
description of the pinnae and their mode of attachment, il-
lustrated by a woodcut of each type.

Cycas. — Pinnae linear, lanceolate, entire acute, having a single thick
midrib t attached to the rachis by their whole base, the lower
part of which is slightly decurrent.

* Bulletin des Sciences Physiques de Neerlande, t. i. p. 129.
t In carefully examining the cellular substance of the pinnse, small veins
may be seen passing between the midrib and the margin.

Mr. J. Morris on recent and fossil Cycadece, 113

Zamia. — Pinnse ovate, lanceolate, attenuate, entire or dentate, ha-
ving numerous fine equal veins parallel or slightly divergent,
simple or sometimes forked. Pinnae contracted towards the
base, and articulated to the rachis by a whitish callosity.

Encephalartos. — Pinnae varying in form, opposite or alternate, ha-
ving simple or forked veins (thicker than in Zamia), and fre-
quently terminating in spines or serrations towards the apex,
attached by their whole base to the rachis.

The genera of this family differ in their geographical distri-
bution. The five species of Cycas, viz. C, circinalis, revoluta,
Ann. S^ Mag, N, Hist, Vol, vii. I

114 Mr. J. Morris on recent and fossil Cycadeae.

squamosa, glauca, and angulata, are natives of China, India,
Japan, the Molucca Islands and New Holland.

The nine species of Zamia, viz. Z. angustifolia, tenuis, me-
dia, debilis, integrifolia, pygmcBa, furfuracea, muricata and
pumila, are confined to the new world ; their native habitats
being the West Indies and the tropical regions of continental
America.

The fifteen species of Encephalartos, viz. E, pungens, cyca-
difolia, tridentata, longifolia, Caffra, lanuginosa, Lehmannis^
Cy cadis, horrida, latifolia, spiralis, prunifera, repanda, Frede-
rici Gulielmi and Altensteinii, belong to Southern Africa, only-
one species being found in New Holland*.

Fossil Cycade^.

Dr. Buckland, in the ^ Geological Transactions/ first called
the attention of geologists to the fossil stems of this family
from the Isle of Portland, the analogy of which was pointed
out by Mr. Brown ; remains of the fronds had however been
previously described by Count Sternberg in his ^ Flora der
Vorwelt,^ and Ad. Brongniart also noticed them as occurring
at Hoer in Swedenf; the most abundant locality at the pre-
sent time are the shales belonging to the oolitic series of York-
shire : whether all the remains usually associated with this
family really belong to it, may be difficult to decide, as many
of them present characters very different from the existing
species, which do not at the same time assimilate them to any
other living genera. Ad. Brongniart, an authority on these
subjects, has considered most of the simple pinnate fronds
with parallel venation to belong to Cycadeae ; but it is much to
be regretted, that the portion of his work (^ Hist.desVeg. Foss/)
which would comprehend this family is not yet published, so
that we might have the full benefit of a continuation of the
same masterly observations which have thrown so much light
on the fossil Cryptogamia.

The classification in the following catalogue will be nearly
the same as that adopted by most authors on this subject.

* The following observations are extracted from Lindley and Hutton
(' Fossil Flora/ ii. p. 122), respecting the geographical position oi Encepha-
lartos. " They are not met with at Cape Town, where they would be ex-
posed to the cold winds from the southern polar regions, but first appear far
in the interior of the country, in the land of the CafFers, where the common
Cape Flora of Proteas and Heaths is replaced by strikingly different races
of plants. They prefer mountainous and wooded or bushy country, follow-
ing the ranges of hills, but not straggling into the plains. They are generally
met with in rocky places, almost 2000 feet above the level of the sea, higher
than the region of Mimosas, and surrounded by bushes, arborescent succu-
lent plants, Rhamnese, Celastrinese, and shrubby Leguminous species.'*

t Ann. des Sc. Nat. tom. iv.

Mr. J. Morris on recent and fossil Cycadece. 115

Cycadeacites, Presl.

Cycadites, Brown.

Trunks exhibiting the usual structure of Cycadece.
Fronds pinnate ; pinnae linear, entire, adnate at the base, traversed
by a single thick midrib.

Stems.

C. columnaris, Presl, Sternberg, Flora der Vorwelt, part 7, 8. t. 47.

f. 1 — 6. Near Radnitz, Bohemia.
C. involutus, Presl, /. c. t. 51.
C Bucklandi, Presl, /. c. p. 194. Conites Buckl., Sternb,, part 3,

p. 39. t. 30. Oolite, Stonesfield.
C. cylindricas Mantellia, Brong. Prod., pp. 93 and Q6. Lias, Lune-

ville, Strasburg.
C. cyprinopholis, Mem. Agric. Soc. Lyons, ii. p. 129. t. 3. f. 1 — 5.

C. M. Mines de Rive-de-Gier.

Fronds.
C. salicifolius, Presl, I. c. t. 40. f. 1, 2. Lignite, Altsattel, Bohemia.
C angustifolius, Presl, I. c. t. 44. Lignite, Altsattel, Bohemia.
C. ? Nilssonii'^, Spadix of, Hisinger, Let. Suec, t. 33. f. 4.
C. ? Nilssonii, Phillips, Geol. of Yorkshire, t. 7. f. 24. Oolite, York-
shire.

Zamites, Brong., Presl, &c.

Fruit strobiliform, oval, pedunculate, with large imbricated scales
spirally arranged. (Presl.)

Stems cylindrical or nearly spheroidal, without a distinct axis,
covered by rhomboidal cicatrices. (Brong.)

Fronds pinnate ; pinnae sessile, distichous, entire or dentate,
pointed ; sometimes contracted, sometimes enlarged at the base.

Stems. — Cycadeoidea, Buckland, Mantellia, Brong.

Z. Cordm, Presl, Sternb. Flor., part 7, 8. p. 196. t. 55.
Radnitz, Bohemia.

C. M.

* The portion of a frond figured by Hisinger under this name appears to
belong to a Fucus with a central rib, by the club-shaped termination of which
it may have been attached. I do not know how any worn or broken Cycas
leaf could assume this form.

12

116 Mr. J. Morris on recent and fossil Cycadece.

Z. megdlophyllus^ y Presl, /. c. p. 196. Cyc. meg., Buckl., Mantellia

nidiformis, Brong. Prod. p. 96. Oolite, Isle of Portland.
Z, microphyllus, Presl, I. c. p. 196. Ci/c. micro., Buckl. Oolite,

Isle of Portland.
Z. pygm(Eus, Cycadites, Lindl. and Hutt., 2. t. 143. Lias, Lyme

Regis.
Z. ? Brongniarti, Presl, /. c, p. 196. Endogenites echinatus, Brong.,

Class. Veg. Foss., p. 43. t. 5. f. 2. Soissons.

Strobiles.
Z. crassa, Lindl. and Hutt., 2. t. 136. Wealden, Isle of Wight.
Z. macrocephala, L. and H., 2. t. 125. Greensand, near Deal.
Z. ovata, L. and H., 3. t. 226 a. Greensand.? Feversham.

Fronds.
Pinnie contracted at the base.
Z. distans, Presl, I. c. p. 196. t. 41. f. 1. Keuper, Bamberg.
Z. lanceolatus, L. and H., 3. t. 194. Low. Ool. Shale, Haiburn

Wyke, Yorkshire.
Z. undulatus, Presl, /. c. p. 197. Odontop. undulatus, Sternb., pt. 5.
and 6. p. 78. t. 28. f. 1.

Pinnse broad at the base.
Z. gigas, Lindl. and Hutt., 3. t. 165. Ool. Shale, Scarborough.
Z. ? giganteus. Hist. Let. Suec, t. 33. f. 5.

Z. ? Schlotheimii, Presl, /. c. p. 200. Cyc. zamiafolius, Sternb., pt. 4.
p. 33. t. 43. f. 2. C. M. Mannebach. Poacites zeeeformis,
Schloth. Pet. t. 26. f. 1, 2.
Z. palmatus, Cycadites, Sternb., pt. 1 — 4. t. 40. f. 1.
Z. longifoUus, Brong. Prod. p. 94. Cycadites sulcicaulis, PhiUips,
Geol. Yorkshire, pt. 1. t. 7. f. 21. Ctenis falcata, Lindl. and
Hutt., 2. t. 103. Ool. Sh., Gristhorpe Bay.
Presl considers this to be a Fern.

Ptilophyllum.

Stem ? Fronds pinnate ; pinnse linear, closely approximated,

more or less elongate ; base variable in form, oblique, round, imbri-
cate, sometimes auricled in the upper and sometimes in the lower
part. Veins slender, equal, parallel f.

* Presl has placed these fossil stems with Zamites, to which they appear
to have a greater affinity than to Cycadites, more especially since the inter-
esting discovery by Mr. R. Brown of the existence of scalariform vessels with-
out discs in the trunk of Z. microphyllus, a character in which they agree
with the American portion of the recent order. Mr. Brown remarks, " that
the order Cycadeae presents but one genus in America, namely, the Zamia,
on which this genus was originally founded, and to which it has been re-
cently restricted ; and that the coincidence in the structure of the scalari-
form vessels in the trunk of this Zamia of the new world, with that of the
fossil Cycadites of Europe, is very remarkable." (Buckl. B. T. Sup. Notes.)

\ I am indebted to Mr. Lonsdale, of the Geological Society, for first
pointing out to me some fossils from Cutch, belonging to Col. Grant, in

Mr. J. Morris on recent and fossil CycadecB. 117

This section has been proposed to include those species of fronds
hitherto classed with Zamites, but from which they differ in the va-
riable form of the base of the pinnae
and their imbricated character. Ad.
Brongniart appears to have been
aware of this structure (Prod. p. .91)
and has referred them to Zamites,
but this name ought to be restricted
to those fossils agreeing more closely
with the recent genus. The oblique attachment and auricled base
are characters not well marked in any recent species ; and whether
attached by the whole or only a portion of the base, may be difficult
to decide from the compressed state of the specimens, — an opinion
that might be formed from inspecting casts obtained from pressed
leaves of some of the Coniferae (Cunning hamia lanceolata), in which
the broad basal attachment (in the cast) would be very deceptive.

No specimens of this section have yet been found with the verna-
tion of the young fronds, although, I believe. Ad. Brongniart consi-
ders he has discovered unequivocal evidence of the gyrate vernation
of Nilssonia. This section is readily distinguished from Pterophyllum
by the pinnae being narrow and of nearly equal breadth throughout,
a character in which they agree somewhat with the young state of
Encephalartos spiralis and E. cy cadis, and the broader ones resemble
other forms of that genus ; but it would be preferable to retain them
here, although their affinity to Zamites is very evident, if the con-
cave basal attachment of Z. gigas may be considered an intermediate
form.

Pinnae narrow.
P. acutifolium, Geol. Trans., 2nd series, vol. v. t. 21. f. 1, 2, 3. OoL,

Cutch.
P. Cutchense, Geol. Trans., 2nd series, vol. v. t. 21 . f. 4. Ool., Cutch.
P. Bucklandi, Z. Bnckl., Presl, /. c. pt. 7, 8. p. 198.
P. eequale, Pterophyllum dubium, Ad. Brong. Prod. p. 95 ; Hist. Let.

Suec, t. 33. f. 8. Nilssonia cequalis, Brong., Ann. des Sc. Nat.

4.t. 12. f, 6. Lias? Hoer, Sweden.
P.pecten, Pterophyllum pecten, Lindl. and Hutt., 2. t. 102. Cycadites

pecten, Phillips, Geol. Yorks., t. 7. f. 22. Gr. Ool., Gristhorpe Bay.
P. Jcegeri, Pterophyllum Jcegeri, Brong. Prod. p. 95. Osmundites pec-

tinatus, Jaeger. Keuper ?
P. dubium, Cycadites plumula, Presl, /. c. pt. 7, 8. p. 195. Filicites

dubius, Sternb., pt. 1 — 4. t. 33. f. 1. Oolite, Yorkshire.
This may only be a variety of the next species.
P. pectinatum, Zamia, Brong. Prod., p. 94. Lindl. and Hutt., 3. 1. 172.

Filicites scolopendrioides, Lindl. and Hutt., 3. t. 229. (excl.

synon.) Stonesfield slate. Ool. shale"^, Saltwick, Yorkshire.

which these characters are well exhibited ; they are figured in the 2nd part
of vol. V. of the ' Geol. Trans.*

* Mr. WilUamson, in a memoir published in the Geol. Trans, vol. v., con-
siders most of the Yorkshire plants as belonging to the great ooUte.

118 Mr. J. Morris on recent and fossil Cycadece,

The Filicites scolopendrioides of Lindley (not of Brongniart, from
which it is very distinct, Brongniart's figure representing merely the
fructification of an entire leaf, Lindley's figure that of true pinnae)
has been placed as a synonym of Z. pectinata, although it differs in
having the pinnse wider apart and more obtuse at the apex, not im-
portant specific characters.

P. taxinum, Zamia taxina, Lindl. and Hutt., 3. t. 1 75. Stonesfield
slate.

I am informed, from a recent communication of Prof. Phillips, that
the fossils figured in his 'Geology of Yorkshire,' under the names of
Cycadites lanceolatus (Zamia Manielii, Br.), C. gramineus (Z. elegans,
Br.), and C. latifolms (Z. Youngii, Br.), ought to be placed in the
Otopteroid division of Ferns, the veins losing themselves in the upper
margin. Seven or eight other species are named in Ad. Brong.
' Prodromus,' the characters of which are not given, viz. Z. Feneonis,
acuta, patens, Icevis, Goldicei, Buchanani, pennceformis.

Pinnse broad.

P.falcatum, Zamites, Presl, /. c. pt. 7, 8. p. 197. Odontopteris fal-

catus, Sternb., pt. 5. and 6. p. 78. t. 23. f. 1. Inf. Ool., Whitby.

P. Schmeidelii, Presl, /. c. p. 197. Odon. Schmeidelii, Sternb., pt. 5.

and 6. p. 78. t. 25. f. 2. Hornstone, Baruth.
P. lanceolatum, Geol. Yorksh., Young and Bird, t. 3. f. 2. "The
leaf with long lanceolate striated leaflets." Oolite, Yorkshire.
The peculiar character which distinguishes this section from Za-
mites may be easily remarked by comparing the attachment of the
pinnse in any of the above species with that of Z. lanceolatus, ' Foss.
Flor.' 3. t. 194.

Pterophyllum, Brong.

Fronds pinnate ; pinnse sublinear, inserted by their whole base ;
apex truncate, sometimes acute ; veins fine, equal, slender, parallel,
but little marked.

Apex truncate.

P. majus, Brong., Ann. des Sc. Nat., 4. p. 219.
t. 12. f. 7 ; Hist. Let. Suec, t. 33. f. 6.

P. minus, Brong., Ann. des Sc. Nat., 4. p. 219.
1. 1 2. f. 8 ; Hist. Let. Suec, t.33. f. 7 ; Lindl.
and Hutt., t. 67. f. 2. Oolite, near Scarbo-
rough.

P. comptum, Lindl. and Hutt., t. 66. Cyca-
dites comptusy Phillips, t. 7. f. 20. Oolite,
near Scarborough.

P. Munsteri, Presl, /. c. p. 198. t. 43. f. 1.
Keuper, Bamberg.

P. truncatum, Presl, /. c. p. 198. Aspleniopieris Nilssoni, Sternb.
pt. 4. t. 43. f. 3—5. Hoer, Sweden.

P. Nilssoni, Lindl. and Hutt, 2. t. 67. f. 1. Aspleniopteris Nilssoni,
Phillips, Geol. Yorksh., t. 8. f. 4. Oolite, Scarborough.

Mr. J. Morris on recent and fossil Cycadece, 119

P.filiciformis, Zamites filiciformis, Presl, I. c. pt. 7. and 8. p. 198.

Filicites dubius, Sternb., pt. 4. p. 23. t. 47. f. 1.
P, ohtusum, Odontopteris obtusa, Brong. Hist. Veg. Foss., t. 78. f. 4.
P, latifolius, O. latifolius, Sternb., pt. 5. and 6. p. 79. Taniopteris

latifoUus, Brong., t. 82. f. 6.

Apex acute.

P, acuminatum, Zamites, Presl, /. c, p. 198. t. 43. f. 2. Keuper, Bam-
berg.

P. Brongniarti, Cycadites, Mantell, Geol. S.E. England, p. 238.
Wealden, Sussex.

P. heterophyllus, Zamites, Presl, p. 199. t. 43. f. 4, 5. Keuper, Bam-
berg.

P. tenuicaulis, Cycadites, Phillips, pt. 1. t. 7. f. 19. Gr. Ool., Gris-
thorpe Bay.

P. difformis, Zamites, Presl, I. c. pt. 7, 8, p. 198. Aspleniopteris dif-
formis, Sternb., pt. 4. p. 21 ; pt. 2. t. 24. f. 1. Bohemia.

The following species I have not seen : —
P. longifoUum, Brong. Prod., p. 95. Algacites filicoides, Schloth.

Nachtr., p. 46. t. 4. f. 2. Lias.
P. Meriani, Brong. Prod., p. 95. Lias.
P. Williamsonis, Brong. Prod., p. 95. Inf. Ool., Whitby.
P. enerve, Brong. Prod., p. 95. Variegated marl.

NiLssoNiA, Brong.

Fronds pinnate ; pinnae approximate, oblong, more or less elongate,
apex rotundate, adhering by their whole base ; veins unequal, pa-
rallel.
N. brevis, Brong., Ann. des Sc. Nat. 4. p. 218. t. 12. f. 4 ; Hist. Let.

Suae. Hoer, Sweden.
N, elongata, Brong., I. c. 1. 12. f. 3. Zamites, Presl, /. e. p. 198. Hoer,

Sweden.
N, proxima, Cycadites Nilssonii, Sternb., pt. 1 — 4. t. 47. f. 1.

The above is an outline of some of the characters in the recent
and fossil Cycadeae, the geological position of which is equally in-
teresting with their recent affinities. A few species are found in the
carboniferous beds of Bohemia and in the new red sandstone of Ger-
many, and some have also been met with in the cretaceous series of
Denmark and Sweden ; but their great development appears to have
been during the Jurassic period, thirty species occurring in the
oolitic formation of England, and three in that of India. Thus they
seem to have formed the characteristic vegetation of that age, inter-
mediate between the abundant Cryptogamic tribes of the carboni-
ferous sera and the dicotyledonous flora of the tertiary series.

The great number of fossil species supposed to belong to this fa-

120 Mr. Waterhouse on Carabideous Insects,

mily has probably suggested the remark by Prof, Don, that the re-
cent species ** constitute the remains of a class of plants which be-
longed to a former vegetation."

The interesting specimens of fossil fructification, apparently fur-
nished with a stem, belonging to this family, which exist in the col-
lections of the British Museum, Mr. Bean of Scarborough and Mr.
SauU of London, etc., have not been alluded to in this paper ; they
probably constitute a new genus from being generally associated
with fronds having a peculiar character, first pointed out to me by
M. Konig ; and I shall reserve any remarks on this subject until I
have completed some observations on the internal structure of the
stem and its affinity to Zamites.

XVI. — Carabideous Insects collected by Charles Darwin,
Esq., during the Voyage of Her Majesty's Ship Beagle, By
G. R. Waterhouse, Esq.

[Continued from vol. vi. p. 355.]

Genus Feronia.

Sp. 1. Feronia Corinthia, Dejean, Species general des Coleopteres,
tom. iii. p. 304.

Molops Corinthia, Germ. Col. sp. nov. p. 21.

Of this species Mr. Darwin obtained many specimens at Maldo-
nado. La Plata, and two specimens are labelled ' Monte Video.' It
is the Carabus striatulus of Fabricius, the original specimen of which
is contained in the Banksian collection. I speak without hesitation,
having compared Mr. Darwin's specimens with the original, with
Dej can's description, and also with three specimens sent from the
continent by different parties, all bearing the same specific name.

The Feronia Corinthia is readily distinguished from all the Feronice
of the southern portions of South America hitherto discovered, by
its large size, and the elytra being deeply striated towards the suture
and almost smooth externally. The Feronia chalcea of Dejean is
closely allied to the present species, having very nearly the same
general form and similar sculpturing to the elytra ; but in size it is
much inferior, F. Corinthia being 8 lines in length, whilst F. chalcea
is only 5 J to 6 lines in length ; the former is brassy black, and the
latter is of a brassy colour inclining to aeneous.

Sp. 2. Feronia chalcea, Dejean, Sp. general des Coleop. tom. iii.
p. 308.

Four specimens of this species were brought from Maldonado, La
Plata, by Mr. Darwin.

Sp. 3. Feronia cordicollis, Dejean, Species general des Coleop.
tom. iii. p. 306.

Seven specimens of this species occur in Mr. Darwin's collection,
five of which are from Monte Video, and two from Maldonado, La

Mr. Waterhouse on Carabideous Insects. 121

Plata. It is easily distinguished from other Patagonian Feronia
hitherto discovered by its comparatively depressed form, the small
size of its head, cordiform thorax, black colouring, and the want of
wings. By candle-light the elytra display a beautiful iridescence
(steel-blue being the prevailing colour), as in the Pterostichus
brunnipes or iridipennis of Stephens ; in size it very nearly agrees
with that insect ; but the F. cordicollis has a much smaller head and
thorax, and the latter is more attenuated behind.

A specimen of this species has been sent to Mr. Hope with the
specific name of obsidianus, but I have not yet found it described
under that name.

Sp. 4. Feronia Dejeanii,

Fer. alata, nigra, nitida ; thorace cordato, postic^ foveis duabus
impressis ; elytris elongatis subparallelis, distincte striatis, in-
terspatiis aliquant^ convexis.

Long. Corp. 7^ lin. ; lat. 2^ lin.

Hab. Monte Video.

This species resembles the Feronia Corinthia of authors, but is a
trifle less than that insect ; the thorax is less convex, and although
considerably contracted behind, is less suddenly so than in F. Corin-
thia ; the posterior foveae are large and shallow, instead of being in
the form of a deep longitudinal groove ; the elytra are distinctly
striated throughout, and not, as in the species last mentioned, obli-
terated on the outer portion of each elytron. The present insect,
moreover, differs in being of a black colour — there is perhaps a slight
trace of the aeneous tint.

From Feronia cordicollis, which is found in the same locality, and
which, in the somewhat depressed form of the thorax, it resembles,
the F. Dejeanii may be at once distinguished by the comparatively
large size of its head, its possessing wings, the thorax being rather
less contracted behind, the posterior fovese being broad, the elytra
more elongate and of a more parallel form, the striae impunctate,
and the antennae stouter ; its size rather exceeds that of F. cordi-
collis, and consequently that of F. chalcea, F. assimilis, and F,
simplex of Dejean.

Description. — Head large, but slightly narrower than the thorax;
the eyes rather prominent ; two longitudinal deep grooves are
situated on the forepart of the head. Thorax truncated behind, the
widest part very near the anterior angles, the sides not very much
rounded, and the hinder part much narrower than the opposite ex-
tremity ; the dorsal channel distinct, but not extending either to
the anterior or posterior margins ; the posterior fovea large, shallow,
and impunctate, or at least very nearly so — some very minute punc-
tures being discernible under a strong lens ; these foveae extend to the
posterior angles, and occupy nearly two-thirds of the space between
them and the dorsal channel. Elytra elongate, the sides nearly
parallel, being very indistinctly dilated in the middle; the striae
are rather deep and impunctate, and the interspaces are slightly
convex : two impressed points are observable on the second stria
from the suture situated on the hinder half of the elytron, and there

122 Mr. Waterhouse on Carabideous Insects.

is an impression on the third stria situated on the anterior half of
the elytra. This insect is of a glossy black colour throughout — on
the upper parts there is a very indistinct metallic gloss.
Mr. Darwin found but one specimen of this insect.

Sp. 5. Feronia suhmetallica.

Fer. alata, nigra, supra nigro-senea; thorace sub-cordato, posticfe
foveis duabus punctulisque impresso ; elytris paulo elongatis,
subparallelis, distinct^ striatis, interspatiis leviter convexis.

Long. Corp. 6^ lin. ; lat. 2^ lin.

Hah. Maldonado, La Plata.

This species is about equal in size to the F. cordicollis of the same
country, and rather larger than the F. macer of Europe. In many
respects it is intermediate between the F. Corinthia (or striata) and
the F. cordicollis ; the head is proportionately rather larger than in
the latter, but considerably less than in the former species ; in the
sculpturing of the elytra it greatly resembles the F. Dejeanii, and
differs from F. cordicollis in having the strise impunctate, and from
F. Corinthia in having these striae distinctly continued throughout
the surface of the elytra. The thorax is less attenuated behind than
in either of these species, being veri/ nearly of equal width in front
and behind.

Description. — Head triangular in front of the eyes (which are
tolerably prominent), suddenly contracted, and cylindrical behind
the eyes, with two longitudinal irregular impressions in front:
thorax rounded at the sides, and but slightly attenuated and trun-
cated behind, the dorsal channel distinct ; the anterior and posterior
transverse impressions indistinct, and the posterior fovese in the
form of longitudinal grooves*, rather short and deep and minutely
punctured. Elytra moderately long, and but slightly broader in the
middle than near the extremities ; the striae moderately deep and
impunctate, and the interspaces are slightly convex ; two abbreviated
striae near the scutellum ; on the second stria from the suture are
two impressed points, situated on the hinder half of each elytron,
and onthe third are one or two similar impressions. The general
colour of the upper surface of the body is brassy black ; the under
parts of the body, as well as the legs, antennae and palpi, are black.

But two specimens of this species were brought home by Mr.
Darwin ; one is from Maldonado, La Plata, and the other from
Monte Video.

Sp. 6. Feronia assimilis, Dejean, Sp. gen. des Coleop., Suppl.,
tom. V. p. 773.

A Feronia, agreeing well with Dejean's description of the above-
mentioned species, was found by Mr. Darwin at Monte Video. It
is about the same size as the Feronia macer, and, like F. cordicollis,

* None of the South American Feronies which I have seen, have more
than one fovea on each side at the base of the thorax, and in this respect
they differ from those European forms (such as F. melanaria) in which
there are two channels on each side.

Mr. Waterhouse on Carabideous Insects. 123

is of a black colour, but may be distinguished from that species by
its smaller size, the thorax being almost as broad behind as before,
and the palpi, basal joint of the antennae and the tarsi being pitchy
red.

Sp. 7. Feronia (Pterostichus) Bonellii.

Fer. aptera, atra ; thorace cordato, postice utrinque bistriato ;
elytris elongato-ovatis, striatis, striis obsolete striatis ; antennis
ad basin piceis ; palpis tarsisque rufo-piceis.

Long. corp. b\ — 5f lin. ; lat. l^^y — 2 lin.

Hab. Ynche Island, Chonos Archipelago; Valdivia, andE. Chiloe.

This species is about the same size as the Feronia oblong o -punctata,
and it also approaches that insect in form ; the head is rather nar-
rower, the thorax is narrower, longer, and more attenuated behind ;
the elytra are of the same ovate form, but a trifle more elongated ;
the antennae are also longer. It has the general form and appear-
ance of the species of Bonelli's genus Pterostichus.

The eyes are moderately prominent, and the frontal sulci are short
and rather deep ; the thorax is rather depressed, as long as broad,
considerably attenuated behind, and the posterior angles are right
angles ; there is sometimes a slightly impressed transverse groove
in front, and there is also, in some individuals, a transverse groove
behind ; the dorsal channel is not very distinct ; the posterior fovea,
on each side, is in the form of a narrow long groove, and is impunc-
tate; the elytra are elongate-ovate, distinctly striated, and the
striae are generally faintly punctured, especially those nearest the
suture and towards the base of the elytra ; but this is not constant,
in some specimens the striae being impunctate ; the elytra are slightly
sinuated at the apex and have some distinct impressed points on
this part ; there are also one or two impressions on the third stria
from the suture ; the palpi and tarsi are pitchy red, and the three
basal joints of the antennae are pitchy.

The specimens from Ynche Island have the elytra more deeply
striated than those from Valdivia ; one of the Valdivia specimens is
considerably broader than the others, and the elytra have a purplish
hue.

Sp. 8. Feronia cerettf Dejean, Spe. gen. des Col^op. torn. iii. p. 279.

This appears to be a common species in the neighbourhood of
Valparaiso. I have seen many specimens from that locality, — Mr.
Darwin's collection contains five. It is very nearly equal in size
to the F. Corinthia, and of the same brassy black colour ; it differs
however in having the thorax less convex, rather longer, not so
narrow behind, and less suddenly contracted at this part ; the elytra
are rather deeply striated throughout and are impunctate.

The Omaseus marginalis of Curtis (Linn. Trans, vol. xviii. p. 191)
I have compared, and found to agree with these specimens ; they
however appear to me to agree with Dejean*s description of F. (Rrea,
and in Mr. Hope's cabinet there is a similar insect bearing the same

124 Mr. Waterhouse on Carabideous Insects,

Sp. 9. Feronia Nebrio'ides, Omaseus Nebrio'ides, Curtis, Linn. Trans,
vol. xviii. p. 191.

In Mr. Darwin's collection are four specimens of this species, two
of which are from E. Chiloe, one is from Valparaiso, and the fourth
is from Concepcion.

F. Nebrio'ides greatly resembles F. eerea in colour, form, and scul-
pturing, but is not more than half its size. The Feronia erratica of
Guerin (Mag. de Zooi. pi. 226. fig. 3.) agrees very nearly with this
species, but there is no mention of the brassy tint of the upper parts
which is observable in the F. Nebrio'ides ; in the figure there .is an
admixture of green in the colouring.

Sp. 10. Feronia lucidus . Pterostichus lucidus, Curtis, Linn. Trans,
vol. xviii. p. 192.

This species greatly resembles the F. chalcea of Dejean ; but in
that insect the sides and apical portion of the elytra are almost
smooth, the striae being obliterated on those parts as in F. Corinthia,
whilst in F, lucidus the striae are distinct throughout the elytra.

Sp. IL Feronia meticulosa, Dejean, Spe. general des Coleopt^res,
Suppl. tom. V. p. 762.

Three specimens of this species occur in Mr. Darwin's collection ;
they are from Valparaiso. This insect, no doubt, is allied to that
division of Feronia called Steropus, but is remarkable for having the
second, third, fourth and fifth striae of the elytra less distinct than
the sutural stria, and those on the outer margin ; in one of the three
specimens the intermediate striae are almost obliterated, but in the
others they are more distinctly marked.

Sp. 1.2. Feronia (Steropus) marginata.

This is a new species closely allied to the last, having the inter-
mediate striae of the elytra almost obliterated ; those on the margin
of the elytra are remarkably distinct, and give to the insect a pecu-
liar appearance ; it is less than half the size of F, meticulosa, which
is about equal to the F. octopunctatus. In both species the elytra
appear to be soldered together.

Fer. picea, vel nigra ; antennis pedibusque rufo-piceis ; thorace
subquadrato, angulis posticis rotundatis ; elytris oblongo-ovatis,
striatis, striis intermediis obsoletis.

Long. Corp. 3| — 4 lin. ; lat. 1^ — 1 J.

Hab. Chile.

This species bears a considerable resemblance to the Taphria
vivalis. The head is somewhat rounded in front, and the eyes are
but little prominent ; the frontal grooves are scarcely discernible.
The thorax is about one-third broader than the head, about equal
in length and breadth, somewhat convex, a little broader before
than behind, and the anterior and posterior angles are rounded ; the
dorsal channel and posterior foveae are indistinct. The elytra are
of an oblong-ovate form, not very much broader than the thorax,
and slightly sinuated at the apex ; the sutural stria is distinct but
not deep, and impunctate ; the four following striae are almost

Mr. Waterhouse on Carabideous Insects. 125

obliterated, and on the second of these, or the third from the suture,
are two distinct, impressed points, the foremost situated towards
the base of the elytra, and the other near the middle ; on the outer
margin of each elytron are three distinct striae ; that nearest the mar-
gin has numerous impressed points, and these impressions become
more near to each other as they approach the apex of the elytra.
The antennae are rather shorter than the head and thorax taken
together, testaceous red at the base, and becoming paler towards
the tip, and the palpi are of the same colour ; the legs are pitchy-
red, and the thighs are pitchy ; the outer margins of the elytra are
pitchy beneath.

Mr. Darwin found numerous specimens of this species both at
Valparaiso and Concepcion ; they vary a little in the form of the
thorax ; most of the Valparaiso specimens are a trifle smaller, and
have the thorax rather narrower than those from Concepcion ; but
there are others from Valparaiso, which perfectly agree with the
Concepcion specimens, and some which are intermediate.

Sp. 13. Feronia (Pcecillus) Peruviana, Dejean, Sp6. gen. des
Coleop., torn. iii. p. 233.

The collection contains several specimens from Callao.

Sp. 14. Feronia (Pcecillus) Chaudoirii, Gu^rin, Mag. de Zool. pi.
227. fig. 3. .?

An insect brought by Mr. Darwin agrees very well with Guerin*s
description of F. Chaudoirii ; it is closely allied to the F. unistriatus
of Dejean, but, judging from his description (for I unfortunately
have no specimens for comparison), it differs in having the frontsJ.
sulci well marked, the mandibles pitchy red, and in being rather
larger, viz. 5^^ lin. etc. ; but upon turning to Gu^rin's fig. 3. of
pi. 227, I find an insect represented which does not at all agree
with the description of Chaudoirii. I should imagine the figure to
be that of some other genus ; it is very like a species of Melanotus :
there must be some mistake.

Sp. 15. Feronia (Pcecillus) Guerinii.

Fer. nigra, nitida ; thorace subquadrato, sulco dorsali mediocri
impresso, nee non postic^ foveis duabus, punctulisque ; elytris
distinct^ striatis, striis subpunctatis ; antennis, palpis tarsisque
piceis.

Long. Corp. 5 lin. ; lat. 2 lin.

Hah. Patagonia ?

But one specimen of this species was found by Mr. Darwin, at
sea, about sixty miles from the nearest land (but much further in the
direction of the wind), Rio de la Plata. In size it is intermediate
between the F. Peruviana and the F. unistriata, and it is easily distin-
guished from both these species by its elytra being distinctly striated
throughout, the striae being punctured, axid there being small scat-
tered punctures on the hinder portion of the thorax, between the
posterior foveae ; compared with Pcecillus cupreus, it presents the
following differences : size a trifle smaller, general form rather nar-

126 Mr. Waterhouse on Carabid^ous Insects.

rower, head and thorax decidedly narrower, the latter with the pos-
terior fovese more marked, and the elytra rather more distinctly
striated.

Head narrow, eyes moderately prominent, frontal sulci not deep ;
thorax subquadrate, the sides slightly rounded ; dorsal channel di-
stinct ; posterior fovese in the form of narrow grooves, and rather
deep ; the space between these foveae is punctured, but the punctures
are not very numerous, and the space between the fovese and the
outer angles of the thorax is impunctate : elytra oblong-ovate, di-
stinctly striated ; the striae punctate, but the punctures are not very
distinct : antennae with the three basal joints blackish in the middle,
but with the extremities red ; the remaining joints brown : palpi
pitchy red : legs pitchy black ; the tarsi pitchy red. The upper
parts of this insect are black, but I fancy I can trace some slight
shades of blue, and think it probable it is a dark variety of a species
having metallic colouring like the F. unistriatus.

I have named this species after M. Guerin-M6neville, whose
works have done much towards the elucidation of the various
branches of Natural History, and more especially the entomological
department.

Sp. 16. Feronia (Pcecillus) depressa.

Fer. subdepressa, nigra, suprk cupreavel aeneo-cuprea; thorace sub-
quadrato, postic^ utrinque striato ; elytris elongatis, subparal-
lelis, distincte striatis ; antennis palpisque fuscis, his atque illis
ad basin rufescentibus ; pedibus nigris, tibiis piceo-rubris.

Long. Corp. 5^ — 5f ; lat. Ij — 2 lin.

Hab, Monte Video.

This species is a trifle less than Pmcillus lepidus, and of a more
depressed form, and the striae on the elytra are not quite so deep.

Head rather large and obtuse in front ; eyes very prominent, the
frontal sulci very deep ; thorax but slightly convex, nearly square,
the sides but slightly rounded, and the fore part somewhat con-
tracted ; both anterior and posterior angles rather obtuse ; dorsal
channel tolerably distinct ; posterior foveae in the form of narrow
and tolerably long impunctate grooves, and situated about midway
between the dorsal channel and the outer margin of the thorax :
elytra somewhat depressed, and having the sides nearly parallel ;
distinctly striated thoughout, the striae impunctate ; an impressed
point on the second stria from the suture towards the base of the
elytra, and two similar impressions on the stria situated on the
hinder half of the elytra : antennae shorter than the head and thorax,
and rather thick ; the three basal joints testaceous, and the remain-
der brown : palpi testaceous, the apical joints somewhat pitchy :
legs black ; anterior tibiae pitchy red ; tarsi and posterior tibiae pitchy.

The above description is drawn up from three specimens from
Monte Video.

The following species belong to the sub-genus Argutor : —

Sp. 17. Feronia {Argutor) Patagonica.

Fer. alata, nigra ; thorace subquadrato, sulco dorsali mediocri.

Mr. Waterhouse on Carabideons Insects. 127

foveisque duabus, impresso ; elytris piceo-nigris, distinct^ stria-
tis, striis impunctatis ; antennis, palpis, pedibusque piceo-
rubris ; abdomine ad apicem rufescente.

Long. Corp. 3^ lin. ; lat. 1^ lin.

Hab. Maldonado, Monte Video, S** Fe, etc.

This species may possibly be the F. oblita, or perhaps the F. Bo-
nariensis of Dejean ; but that author has not described those insects
with his usual care, and after much trouble I have been unable to
satisfy myself on this point. In all the specimens before me (eleven)
the elytra are more or less pitchy, the margin is distinctly pitchy
red beneath, and the terminal segment of the abdomen is of the
same colour, as well as the legs, palpi and antennae. In Dejean's
account of the two species above-mentioned, they are described as
black, with pitchy red legs.

Fer. Patagonica is about the same size, or a trifle less than Argu-
tor vernalis, but the head and thorax are narrower, and the latter is
more contracted behind ; the elytra are rather more ovate, and the
frontal sulci are more distinct.

Eyes moderately prominent, frontal sulci short and moderately
deep; thorax about equal in length and breadth, rather narrower
behind than before ; the sides form a gentle and even curve from
the anterior, almost to the posterior angle, and the outer margin
meets the posterior margin so as to form nearly a right, or slightly
obtuse, angle ; the dorsal channel is distinct, and the posterior
fovese (one on each side) are in the form of narrow grooves ; there
are no punctures on the thorax : elytra considerably broader than
the thorax, and of an oblong-ovate form ; the striae moderately deep
and impunctate ; a short rudimentary stria is observable on each
side near the scutellum.

In some of the specimens the body and thorax are red beneath,
but most commonly these parts are of a pitch colour ; the terminal
segment of the abdomen is always paler than the other parts. The
specimens, moreover, vary somewhat in the form of the thorax, the
posterior angles being sometimes almost acute, and in one or two
of the specimens there is a distinct transverse impression on the
hinder part of the thorax ; a specimen from Monte Video has no
wings. Notwithstanding these differences, I am convinced, after a
careful examination, that they are all the same species.

Sp. 18. Feronia (Argutor) Brullei.

Fer. alata, piceo-nigra ; thorace subquadrato, postic^ striis punc-
tulisque impresso ; elytris subparallelis, profundi punctato-stria-
tis ; antennis palpisque testaceis ; pedibus piceo-rubris.

Long. corp. 3^ lin ; lat. 1 j lin.

Hab. S*^ Fe, Buenos Ayres.

This species very nearly agrees in size with the Argutor vernalis,
but is of a narrower form, and the antennae are proportionately
longer, reaching, when extended backwards, considerably beyond
the base of the thorax. The general colour of the upper parts or
the body is black, slightly inclining to pitchy ; the suture of the

128 Mr, Waterhouse on Carabideous Insects,

elytra and outer margins are suffused with pitchy red ; the under
parts of the body are pitchy black ; the mandibles and legs pitchy
red, and the thighs assume a deeper hue in the middle ; the antennae
and palpi are testaceous. Eyes moderately prominent, frontal sulci
small and not deep ; thorax subquadrate, slightly attenuated be-
hind, the lateral and posterior margins forming a right angle on
each side at their junction ; dorsal channel moderately distinct, the
posterior fovea on each side in the form of a long narrow groove,
which extends to the posterior margin ; the space between these
fovese is punctured, but the punctures are not very numerous : elytra
considerably broader than the thorax, and with the lateral margins
nearly parallel, deeply punctate-striated — no abbreviated striae near
the scutellum.

But one specimen of this insect was brought home by Mr. Darwin ;
it is easily distinguished from the preceding species by its distinctly
punctate striae. I have named it in honour of one of the authors of
the ' Histoire Naturelle des Insectes' now in course of publication.

Sp. 19. Feronia (Argutor) Audouini.

Fer. alata, nigra ; thorace subquadrato, angulis posticis subrotun-
datis, linea transversa striisque duabus impresso ; elytris paulo
elongatis, profunde striatis, striis impunctatis ; antennis pal-
pisque testaceis ; pedibus rufo -piceis.

Long. Corp. 4 lin. ; lat. 1 J lin.

Hab. S** F^, Buenos Ay res.

This species is rather larger than Argutor vernalis ; the antennae
are proportionately longer and more slender ; the thorax is almost
precisely the same form, excepting that the posterior angles are
somewhat rounder ; the elytra are considerably longer. Eyes but
moderately prominent, and having two rounded and somewhat deep
foveae between them : thorax broader than long, the anterior and
posterior parts of equal width, and with the anterior and posterior
angles slightly rounded ; dorsal channel distinct, and extending from
the anterior to the posterior margins ; posterior foveae in the form
of long narrow grooves, which extend to the base of the thorax,
and are connected by a tolerably distinct transverse groove ; there
are no punctures on the thorax : elytra elongated, and rather deeply
striated ; the striae impunctate.

Sp. 20. Feronia {Argutor) apicalis.

Fer. alata, nigra ; thorace subquadrato postice angustiore, angu-
lis posticis obtusis, striisque duabus impresso ; elytris nigris vel
piceo-nigris ad apicem et marginem externum piceo-rubris ;
antennis palpisque testaceis ; pedibus rufo-piceis.
Long. Corp. 4^ — 4; lat. If— 1^ lin.
Hah. Maldonado, La Plata.

Three specimens of this species, from the locality just mentioned,

are contained in the collection ; they all have a distinct pitchy red

patch at the tip of the elytra, a character which suggested the name.

Head ovate, eyes but little prominent, two foveae in front joined

by a transverse impression ; thorax nearly equal in length and

Mr. J. S. Bowerbank on the Structure of Sponges, 1 29

breadth, rather narrower behind than before, the posterior angles
obtuse ; dorsal channel indistinct, the posterior fovea on each side
in the form of a long narrow groove, which extends to the hinder
margin ; no punctures on the thorax : elytra elongate, striated, the
striae impunctate, those nearest the suture the most deep, the others
rather faint : antennae scarcely reaching beyond the hinder margin
of the thorax, and of a red colour, as well as the palpi ; legs pitchy
red ; mandibles pitchy. In one specimen, the thorax is pitchy
black, and the elytra pitchy ; in the other two specimens, the thorax,
as well as the head, is black ; in all the specimens the outer mar-
gins of the elytra are pitchy, and the reflected portion is pitchy
red.

This species is considerably larger than either of the preceding,
being equal in size to the Calathus piceus.

Sp. 21. Feronia (Argutor) Chilensis, Dejean, Spe. gen. des Co-
leop., torn. iii. p. 251.

Of this species there are three specimens, two of which are from
Valparaiso, and the third is from S. Chiloe.

[To be continued.]

XVII. — Observations on a Keratose Sponge from Australia.
By J. S. Bowerbank, Esq., F.G.S.

To the Editors of the Annals and Magazine of Natural History.

Gentlemen,

I AM not aware that modern naturalists have published the
results of any examination of the structure of the Keratose or
Horny Sponges while in that state of perfect preservation,
such as they would be if alive, or immediately after their re-
moval from their native element. The skeletons of these cu-
rious animals are familiarly known to every naturalist, but in
this state they have undergone decomposition of the softer
parts of their substance ; and the descriptions handed down to
us by former w^'iters, based upon the examination of such
specimens, have unavoidably led to the propagation of erro-
neous ideas of their true nature and structure. In a paper
read before the Microscopical Society, January the 27th, 1841,
I have shown that even in this state they possess a much
higher and more complex form of organization than they had
hitherto been supposed to exhibit, and that, contrary to re-
ceived opinions, they are furnished with siliceous spicula, which
are imbedded in considerable abundance in some of the larger
fibres of their solid horny skeletons.

Since the publication of these facts, I have had the oppor-
tunity afforded me by the kindness of Mr. J. E. Gray, of
examining a specimen of this class of Sponges which was

Ann. ^ Mag. N. Hist. Vol. vii. K

130 Mr. J. S, Bowerbank on the Structure of Sponges »

brought home from the Swan River, AustraUa, by that inde-
fatigable naturalist Mr. Gould, preserved in spirit immediately
after it was taken from the sea. It is a young specimen of a
well-known Australian species, of which I have several spe-
cimens, and is represented of its natural size at fig. I. PI. III.
It is elevated on a short foot- stalk, which, like the body of the
sponge, is of a compressed form. In the specimen figured,
the greatest breadth of the body of the sponge is but little
more than equal to its height ; but in the other specimens in
my possession it has attained a much greater height, and in
one case rather exceeds thirteen inches, including the foot-
stalk, which is about two inches long. The height of the body
in this adult specimen is to the breadth as three to one.

When removed from the spirit, the sponge has a dense,
opake and fleshy appearance, and feels weighty and solid to
the touch. Upon taking some very thin slices from about the
centre of one of the broadest surfaces of the sponge, and ex-
amining them with a power of 120 linear as transparent ob-
jects, they presented a highly interesting view of the struc-
ture. The horny fibre of the sponge, agreeing exactly in ap-
pearance with that of the specimens in my own possession, was
seen ramifying in every direction in the form of an amber-
coloured network, the interstices of which were filled up with
a fleshy substance very similar to that which occurs in such
abundance in the freshwater Spongilla and in many other si-
milarly constructed marine sponges, which are inhabitants of
the seas of the western and northern coasts of England ; and
throughout the whole of this fleshy structure siliceous spicula
were dispersed in great abundance, as represented in fig. 2.
Plate III.

In Spongilla and in the marine sponges of Dr. Fleming's
genus Halichondria, the spicula are united systematically into
bundles so as to form a framework or skeleton, upon which
the softer parts of the animal are supported ; but in this Au-
stralian species they do not appear to assume any definite ar-
rangement, but are dispersed in all directions through the
substance of this cellular or fleshy part of the animal. The
spicula are transparent and hollow, like those of Halichondria,
but vary extremely both in size and form. Some of them ter-
minate by a regular bifurcation, fig. 3. Plate III., and thus as-
sume the character of the triradiate calcareous spicula of Dr.
Fleming's genus Grantia ; while in others the bifurcated ter-
minations recurve and assume the form of an anchor with
short flukes, without palms, as represented in fig. 4. Plate III. ;
others assume very much the appearance of the prevailing
form of spiculum that is to be seen in many species of Hah-

Mr. J. S. Bowerbank on the Structure of Sponges. 131

chondria, the curved, double-pointed, needle-formed spicu-
lum, fig. 5. Plate III. The variation in their diameters is ex-
ceedingly great, one of the smallest measuring but the seven
thousand one hundred and sixtieth of an inch, while the frag-
ment of a large one imbedded near it (fig. 6. Plate III.) was
the seven hundredth of an inch in diameter. There are nume-
rous grains of sand and other extraneous matters imbedded
in the fleshy substance along with the spicula.

Upon examining with a power of five hundred linear the
outer surface of the small portions of the sponge which I
had removed from the specimen, I observed patches of a
very fine reticulated structure, which is beautifully and faith-
fully represented by the artist Mr. Aldous, at fig. 7. PI* HI*
It is composed of a very minute fibre, imbedded in a trans-
parent membrane. The interstices are somewhat irregular
hexagons in the piece represented in the figure ; but in an-
other part of the same small piece of sponge, which did not
exceed the eighth of an inch in length, some of them w ere
nearly square, while others were elongated to such an extent
as to assume the form of nearly regular oblong areas. The fibre
of this cuticular network has every appearance of being solid ;
it is extremely minute, not exceeding the ten thousandth
part of an inch in diameter. The average diameter of the in^
terstices of the reticulations figured is the two thousandth of
an inch, while the fibre of the mass of the sponge varies
from the three hundredth to the three thousandth of an inch
in diameter; and the smallest spiculum I could find was, as
before stated, the seven thousand one hundred and sixtieth of
an inch at its greatest diameter. From the whole of these cir-
cumstances, there is little doubt that this delicate reticulated
membrane is the true cuticle of the sponge. Upon examining
a small slice from near the base of the body of the sponge, I
had the satisfaction of observing the groupof gemmules,or eggs
of the sponge, represented by fig. 8. PI. III. ; but I could not,
from the cutting in my possession, satisfactorily determine
whether they were attached to the fleshy substance of the
sponge, or to the fibrous skeleton ; although in several of
them, which had apparently been disturbed by the removal of
the thin slice from the sponge, the point of attachment of the
gemmule was very apparent when viewed with a power of five
hundred linear. The diameters of the gemmules varied consi-
derably ; the largest I could find measured the three hundred
and fifty- fifth part of an inch, and the smallest the one thou-
sand one hundred and forty-third of an inch in diameter.

Upon examining another species of keratose sponge in a
similar state of preservation, which is in the collection at the

K2

132 Notices of European Herbaria.

British Museum, I found precisely the same mode of struc-
ture to prevail. The horny fibres were completely enclosed
in a fleshy or cellular structure,, in which numerous slender
siliceous spicula were imbedded.

From the nature of the structures exhibited in both of
these keratose* sponges, and the prevalence of siliceous spicula
in such abundance in the fleshy or cellular structure which
surrounds the horny fibres, there is very strong reason to
suspect that the fibre of the sponges of commerce w ill prove,
in its natural state, to be surrounded by a similar fleshy mat-
ter, and that spicula will be found in a like manner to those
I have described as existing in the two species mentioned in
this paper.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PLATE.

Fig. 1. The sponge of its natural size.

Fig. 2. The interior of the sponge, as seen with a power of 120 linear ; a,

the horny fibre, surrounded by the fleshy substance ; b, b, spicula

imbedded in the fleshy substance.
Figs. 3, 4, 5 and 6. Various forms of spicula found imbedded in the fleshy

substance of the sponge.
Fig. 7. A view of the cuticle of the sponge, as seen with a power of 120

linear.
Fig. 8, A view of the interior of the sponge, with the gemmules imbedded

in the fleshy substance, seen with a power of 120 linear.

XVIII. — Notices of European Herbaria, particularly those
most interesting to the North American Botanist f.

The vegetable productions of North America, in common with those
of most other parts of the world, have generally been first described
by European botanists, either from the collections of travellers or
from specimens communicated by residents of the country, who, in-
duced by an" enlightened curiosity, the love of flowers, or in some in-
stances, by no inconsiderable scientific acquirements, have thus
sought to contribute, according to their opportunities, to the promo-
tion of botanical knowledge. From the great increase in the number
of known plants, it very frequently happens that the brief descrip-
tions, and even the figures, of older authors are found quite insuffi-
cient for the satisfactory determination of the particular species they
had in view ; and hence it becomes necessary to refer to the herba-
ria where the original specimens are preserved. In this respect, the
collections of the early authors possess an importance far exceeding

[* The term keratose seems objectionable, though sanctioned by authori-
ty ; since ose is not a proper termination for adjectives from the Greek ;
and analogy would require the k in k&^cis to be expressed by a c, as in cen-
taur, not kentaur, &c. Would not ceratine, or corneous, be better? — Ed.]

\ Communicated to Silliman's American Journal by the Author, pro-
bably Dr. Gray.

J.-mv& Mcuj Jfcub- Ms7>. Tol 7. Ft. ni:

"-^*

-M

Zi r

- ^k^:m^

5*lsr

'yU

'£yZms Miicrus, frcrwi, Ztyvc ^

Dajf*Safiha)Xtffir/-ia tke-QitA

Notices of European Herbaria. 133

their intrinsic value, since they are seldom large, and the specimens
often imperfect.

With the introduction of the Linnsean nomenclature, a rule abso-
lutely essential to the perpetuation of its advantages was also esta-
blished, viz. that the name under which a genus or species is first
published shall be retained, except in certain cases of obvious and
paramount necessity. An accurate determination of the Linnaean
species is therefore of the first importance ; and this, in numerous
instances, is only to be attained with certainty by the inspection of
the herbaria of Linnaeus and those authors upon whose descriptive
phrases or figures he established many of his species. Our brief no-
tices will therefore naturally commence with the herbarium of the im-
mortal Linnseus, the father of that system of nomenclature, to which
botany, no less than natural history in general, is so greatly indebted.

This collection, it is well known, after the death of the younger
Linnaeus, found its way to England, from whence it is not probable
that it will ever be removed. The late Sir James Edward Smith, then
a young medical student, and a botanist of much promise, was one
morning informed by Sir Joseph Banks, that the heirs of the younger
Linnaeus had just offered him the herbarium, with the other collec-
tions and library of the father, for the sum of 1000 guineas. Sir
Joseph Banks, not being disposed to make the purchase, recom-
mended it to Mr. Smith ; the latter, it appears, immediately decided
to risk the expectation of a moderate independence, and to secure,
if possible, these treasures for himself and his country ; and before
the day closed had actually written to Upsal, desiring a full cata-
logue of the collection, and offering to become the purchaser at the
price fixed, in case it answered his expectations*. His success, as

* The next day Mr. Smith wrote as follows to his father, informing him
of the step he had taken, and entreating his assistance : —

" Honoured Sir : You may have heard that the young Linnaeus is lately
dead : his father's collections and library, and his own, are now to be sold ;
the whole consists of an immense hortus siccus, with duplicates, insects,
shells, corals, materia medica, fossils, a very fine library, all the unpublished
manuscripts ; in short, everything they were possessed of relating to natural
history and physic : the whole has just been offered to Sir Joseph Banks for
1000 guineas, and he has declined buying it. The offer was made to him
by my friend Dr. Engelhart, at the desire of a Dr. Acrel of Upsal, who has
charge of the collection. Now, I am so ambitious as to wish to possess this
treasure, with a view to settle as a physician in London, and read lectures
on natural history. Sir Joseph Banks, and all my friends to whom I have
entrusted my intention, approve of it highly. I have written to Dr. Acrel,
to whom Dr. Engelhart has recommended me, for particulars and the re-
fusal, telling him if it was what I expected, I would give him a very good
price for it. I hope, my dear sir, you and my good mother will look on this
scheme in as favourable a light as my friends here do. There is no time to
be lost, for the affair is now talked of in all companies, and a number of
people wish to be purchasers. The Empress of Russia is said to have
thoughts of it. The manuscripts, letters, &c. must be invaluable, and there
is, no doubt, a complete collection of all the inaugural dissertations which
have been published at Upsal, a small part of which has been repub-
lished under the title of ' Amoenitates Academicae,' a very celebrated and
scarce work. All these dissertations were written by Linnaeus, and must

134 Notices of European Herbay^a,

soon appeared, was entirely owing to his promptitude, for other and
very pressing appHcations were almost immediately made for the
collection ; but the upright Dr. Acrel, having given Mr. Smith the
refusal, declined to entertain any other proposals while this nego-
tiation was pending. The purchase was finally made for 900 guineas,
excluding the separate herbarium of the younger Linnaeus, collected
before his father's death, and said to contain nothing that did not
also exist in the original herbarium ; this was assigned to Baron
Alstroemer, in satisfaction of a small debt. The ship which conveyed
these treasures to London had scarcely sailed, when the king of
Sweden, who had been absent in France, returned home and des-
patched, it is said, an armed vessel in pursuit. This story, though
mentioned in the Memoir and Correspondence of Sir J. E. Smith,
and generally received, has, we believe, been recently controverted.
However this may be, no doubt the king and the men of science in
Sweden were, greatly offended, as indeed they had reason to be, at
the conduct of the executors, in allowing these collections to leave
the country ; but the disgrace should perhaps more justly fall upon
the Swedish government * itself and the University of Upsal, which
derived its reputation almost entirely from the name of Linnaeus. It
was however fortunate for science that they were transferred from
such a remote situation to the commercial metropolis of the world,
where they are certainly more generally accessible. The late Pro-
fessor Schultes, in a very amusing journal of a botanical visit to
England in the year 1824, laments indeed that they have fallen to
the lot of the " toto disjunctos orbe Britannos ;" yet a journey even
from Landshut to London may perhaps be more readily performed
than to Upsal.

After the death of Sir James Edward Smith, the herbarium and
other collections, and library of Linnaeus, as well as his own, were
purchased by the Linnaean Society. The herbarium still occupies
the cases which contained it at Upsal, and is scrupulously preserved
in its original state, except that, for more effectual protection from
the black and penetrating dust of London, it is divided into parcels
of convenient size, which are closely wrapped in covers of strong
paper lined with muslin. The genera and covers are numbered to
correspond with a complete manuscript catalogue, and the collec-
tion, which is by no means large in comparison with modern her-
baria, may be consulted with great facility.

In the negotiation with Smith, Dr. Acrel stated the number of
species at 8000, which probably is not too low an estimate. The

be of prodigious value. In short, the more I think of this affair the more
sanguine I am, and earnestly hope for your concurrence. I wish I could
have one half hour's conversation with you, but that is impossible." — Cor-
respondence of Sir James Edward Smith, edited by Lady Smith, vol, i. p. 93.

The appeal to his father was not in vain ; and did our limits allow, we
should be glad to copy, from the work above cited, the entire correspond-
ence upon this subject.

[* Equal disgrace attaches to the British Government, which on the death
of Sir J. E. Smith refused to contribute anything towards the purchase of
the collection, which might thus have been lost to the country had it not
been bought by the Linnaean Society. — Ed.]

Notices of European Herbaria, 135

specimens, which are mostly small, but in excellent preservation, are
attached to half- sheets of very ordinary paper, of the foolscap size*
(which is now considered too small), and those of each genus co-
vered by a double sheet in the ordinary manner. The names are
usually written upon the sheet itself, with a mark or abbreviation
to indicate the source from which the specimen was derived. Thus
those from the Upsal garden are marked H. U., those given by
Kalm, K., those received from Gronovius, Gron., etc. The labels
are all in the handwriting of Linnaeus himself, except a few later
ones by the son, and occasional notes by Smith, which are readily
distinguished, and indeed are usually designated by his initials. By
far the greater part of the North American plants which are found
in the Linnsean herbarium were received from Kalm, or raised from
seeds collected by him. Under the patronage of the Swedish
government, this enterprising pupil of Linnseus remained three
years in this country, travelling throughout New York, New Jersey,
Pennsylvania and Lower Canada : hence his plants are almost exclu-
sively those of the Northern Statesf.

Governor Golden, to whom Kalm brought letters of introduction
from Linnseus, was then well known as a botanist by his correspond-
ence with Peter CoUinson and Gronovius, and also by his account
of the plants growing around Coldenham, New York, which was
sent to the latter, who transmitted it to Linnseus for publication in
the 'Acta Upsalensia.' At an early period he attempted a direct
correspondence with Linnseus, but the ship by which his specimens
and notes were sent was plundered by pirates X ; and in a letter
sent by Kalm, on the return of the latter to Sweden, he informs
Linnseus that this traveller had been such an industrious collector,
as to leave him little hopes of being himself further useful. It is
not probable therefore that Linnseus received any plants from Col-
den, nor does his herbarium- afford any such indication §. From

* Upon this subject, Dr. Acrel, giving an account of the Linnaean collec-
tions, thus writes to Smith : — " Ut vero vir illustrissimus, dum vixit, nihil
ad ostentationem habuit, omnia vero sua in usum accommodata ; ita etiam
in hoc herbario, quod per XL. annos sedulo collegit, frustra quaesiveris
papyri insignia ornamenta, margines inauratas, et cet. quae ostentationis
gratia in omnibus fere herbariis nunc vulgaria sunt."

t Ex his Kalmium, naturae eximium scrutatorem, itinere suo per Penn-
sylvaniam. Novum Eboracum, et Canadani, regiones Americas ad septen-
trionem vergentes, trium annorum decursu dexti-e confecto, in patriam inde
nuper reducem laeti recipimus : ingentem enim ah istis terris reportavit
thesaurum, non conchyliorum solum, insectorum, et amphibiorum, sed her-
barum etiam diversi generis ac usus, quas, tarn siccas quam vivas, allatis
etiam seminibus eorum recentibus et incorruptis, adduxit. — Linn. Amoen.
Acad., vol. iii. p. 4.

X Vid. Letter of Linnaeus to Haller, Sept. 24, 1746.

§ The Holosteum succulentum of Linnaeus (Alsine foliis elUpticis carnosis
of Colden) is however marked in Linnaeus's own copy of the * Species Plan-
tarum' with the sign employed to designate the species he at that time pos-
sessed ; but no corresponding specimen is to be found in his herbarium.
This plant has long bocn a puzzle to American botanists ; but it is clear
from Colden'a description, that Dr. Torrey has correctly referred it, in his

136 Notices of European Herbaria,

Gronovius Linnseus had received a very small number of Clayton's
plants, previous to the publication of the * Species Plantarum ;' but
most of the species of the * Flora Virginica' were adopted or referred
to other plants on the authority of the descriptions alone.

Linnaeus had another American correspondent in Dr. John
Mitchell*, who lived several years in Virginia, where he collected
extensively ; but the ship in which he returned to England having
been taken by pirates, his own collections, as well as those of Go-
vernor Golden, were mostly destroyed. Linnaeus however had pre-
viously received a few specimens, as, for instance, those on which
Proserpinaca, Polypremum, Galax, and some other genera, were
founded.

There were two other American botanists of this period, from
whom Linnaeus derived, either directly or indirectly, much informa-
tion respecting the plants of this country, viz. John Bartram and
Dr. Alexander Garden, of Charleston, South Carolina. The former
collected seeds and living plants for Peter CoUinson during more
than twenty years, and even at that early day extended his labori-
ous researches from the frontiers of Canada to Southern Florida,
and to the Mississippi. All his collections were sent to his patron
CoUinson t, until the death of that amiable and simple-hearted man

' Flora of the Northern and Middle States' (1824), to Stellaria media, the
common Chickweed. Governor Golden 's daughter seems fully to have
deserved the praise which CoUinson, Ellis, and others have bestowed upon
her. The latter, in a letter to Linnaeus (April 1758), says : " Mr. Golden
of New York has sent Dr. Fothergill a new plant, described by his daugh-
ter. It is called Fihraurea, gold-thread. It is a small creeping plant,
growing on bogs ; the roots are used in a decoction by the country people
for sore mouths and sore throats. The root and leaves are very bitter, etc.
I shall send you the characters as near as I can translate them." Then
follows Miss Golden's detailed generic character, prepared in a manner
which would not be discreditable to a botanist of the present day. It is a
pity that Linn?eus did not adopt the genus with Miss Colden's name, which
is better than Salisbury's Coptis. " This young lady merits your esteem,
and does honour to your system. She has drawn and described 400 plants
in your method : she uses only English terms. Her father has a plant
called after him Coldenia ; suppose you should call this (alluding to a new
genus of which he added the characters) Coldenella, or any other name that
might distinguish her among your genera." — Ellis, Letter to Litinaiis, I. c.

* To him the pretty Mitchella repens was dedicated. Dr. Mitchell had
Bent to Gollinson, perhaps as early as in the year 1740, a paper in which
thirty new genera of Virginian plants were proposed. This Gollinson sent
to Trew at Nuremberg, who published it in the ' Ephemerides Acad.
Naturae Guriosorum' for 1748 ; but in the mean time most of the genera
had been already published, with other names, by Linnaeus or Gronovius.
Among Mitchell's new genera was one which he called Chamcedaphne :
this Linnaeus referred to Lonicera ; but the elder (Bernard) Jussieu, in a
letter dated Feb. 19, 1751, having shown him that it was very distinct both
from Lonicera and Linncea, and in fact belonged to a different natural order,
he afterwards named it Mitchella.

t Mr. Gollinson kept up a correspondence with all the lovers of plants
in this country, among whom were Governor Golden, Bartram, Mitchell,
Clayton, and Dr. Garden, by whose means he procured the introduction of

Notices of European Herbaria. 137

in 1768; and by him many seeds, living plants, and interesting
observations were communicated to Linnaeus, but few, if any, dried
specimens. Dr. Garden, who was a native of Scotland, resided at
Charleston, South Carolina, from about 174.5 to the commencement
of the American Revolution, devoting all the time he could redeem
from an extensive medical practice to the zealous pursuit of botany
and zoology. His chief correspondent was Ellis at London, but
through Ellis he commenced a correspondence with Linnseus ; and
to both he sent manuscript descriptions of new plants and animals,
with many excellent critical observations. None of his specimens
addressed to the latter reached their destination, the ships by which
they were sent having been intercepted by French cruisers ; and Lin-
nseus complained that he was often unable to make out many of
Dr. Garden's genera for want of the plants themselves. Ellis was

great numbers of North American plants into the English gardens. " Your
system," he writes to Linnsens, *' 1 can tell you obtains much in America.
Mr. Clayton, and Dr. Golden at Albany, on Hudson's River, in New York,
are complete professors, as is Dr. Mitchell at Urbana, on Rapahanock River,
in Virginia. It is he that has made many and great discoveries in the vege-
table world." ..." 1 am glad you have the correspondence of Dr. Golden and
Mr. Bartram. They are both very indefatigable, ingenious men. Your
system is much admired in North America." Again : " 1 have but lately
heard from Mr. Golden. He is well ; but what is marvellous, his daughter
is perhaps the first lady that has so perfectly studied your system. She
deserves to be celebrated." ..." In the second volume of ' Edinburgh Essays'
is published a Latin botanic dissertation by Miss Golden ; perhaps the only
lady that makes profession of the Linnasan system, of which you may be
proud." From all this, botany appears to have flourished in the North
American colonies. But Dr. Garden, about this time, writes thus to his
friend ElHs : " Ever since I have been in Carolina, I have never been able
to set my eye upon one who had barely a regard for botany. Indeed 1 have
often wondered how there should be one place abounding with so many
marks of the divine wisdom and power, and not one rational eye to contem-
plate them ; or that there should be a country abounding with almost every
sort of plant, and almost every species of the luiimal kind, and yet that it
should not have pleased God to raise up one botanist. Strange indeed that
this creature should be so rare!" But to return to Gollinson, the most amu-
sing portion of whose correspondence consists of his letters to Linnaeus
shortly after the publication of the ' Species Plantarum,' in which (with all
kindness and sincerity) he reproves the great Swedish naturalist for his in-
novations, employing the same arguments which a strenuous Ziww^aw might
be supposed to advance against a botanist of these latter days. " I have had
the pleasure," Gollinson writes, "of reading your 'Species Plantarum,' a
very useful and laborious work. But, my dear friend, we that admire you are
much concerned that you should perplex the delightful science of botany
with changing names that have been well received, and adding new names
quite unknown to us. Thus botany, which was a pleasant study, and attain-
able by most men, is now become, by alterations and new names, the study
of a man's life, and none now but real professors can pretend to attain it.
As I love you, I tell you our sentiments." — Letter of April 20, 1754. " You
have begun by your 'Species Plantarum'; but if you will be for ever making
new names, and altering old and good ones, for such hard names that con-
vey no idea of the plant, it will be impossible to attain to a perfect know-
ledge in the science of botany." — Letter of Ajml ]Oth, 1755; from Smith's
Selection of the Correspondence of LinncBus, Sfc.

138 Notices of European Herbaria,

sometimes more fortunate ; but as he seems usually to have con-
tented himself with the transmission of descriptions alone, we find
no authentic specimens from Garden in the Linnsean herbarium.

We have now probably mentioned all the North American cor-
respondents of Linnaeus ; for Dr. Kuhn, who appears only to have
brought him living specimens of the plant which bears his name, and
Catesby, who shortly before his death sent a few living plants which
his friend Lawson had collected in Carolina, can scarcely be reckoned
among the number*.

The Linnsean Society also possesses the proper herbarium of its
founder and first president. Sir James E. Smith, which is a beautiful
collection, and in excellent preservation. The specimens are at-
tached to fine and strong paper, after the method now common in
England. In North American botanj'^, the chief contributors are
Menzies, for the plants of California and the north-west coast ;
and Muhlenberg, Bigelow, Torrey and Boott, for those of the United
States. Here also we find the cryptogamic collections of Acharius,
containing the authentic specimens described in his works on the
Lichens, and the magnificent East Indian herbarium of Wallich, pre-
sented some years since by the East India Company.

The collections preserved at the British Museum are scarcely in-
ferior in importance to the Linnsean herbarium itself, in aiding the
determination of the species of Linnseus and other early authors.
Here we meet with the authentic herbarium of the ' Hortus Cliffor-
tianus,' one of the earliest works of Linnseus, which comprises some
plants that are not to be found in his own proper herbarium. Here
also is the herbarium of Plukenet, which consists of a great number
of small specimens crowded, without apparent order, upon the pages
of a dozen large folio volumes. With due attention, the originals of
many figures in the ' Almagestum' and * Amaltheum Botanicum,' &c.,
may be recognized, and many Linnsean species thereby authenticated.
The herbarium of Sloane, also, is not without interest to the North
American botanist, since many plants described in the ' Voyage to
Jamaica,' &c., and the * Catalogue of the Plants of Jamaica,' were
united by Linnaeus, in almost every instance incorrectly, with spe-
cies peculiar to the United States and Canada. But still more im-
portant is the herbarium of Clayton, from whose notes and speci-
mens Gronovius edited the * Flora Virginicaf/ Many Linnseanspe-

• In a letter to Haller, dated Leyden, Jan. 23, 1738, Linnseus writes:
** You would scarcely believe how many of the vegetable productions of Vir-
ginia are the same as our European ones. There are Alps in the country
of New York, for the snow remains all summer long on the mountains there.
I am now giving instructions to a medical student here, who is a native of
that country, and will return thither in the course of a year, that he may
visit those mountains, and let me know whether the same alpine plants are
found there as in Europe." Who can this American student have been ?
Kuhn did not visit Linnaeus until more than fifteen years after the date of
this letter.

f * Flora Virginica, exhibens plantas quas J. Clayton in Virginia collegit,'
Lugd. Bat. 8vo, 1743. — Ed. 2. 4to, 1762. The first edition is cited in the
' Species Plantarum' of Linnaeus ; the second, again, quotes the specific
phrases of Linnseus.

Notices of European Herbaria. 139

cies are founded on the plants here described, for which this herba-
rium is alone authentic ; for Linnaeus, as we have already remarked,
possessed very few of Clayton's plants. The collection is nearly
complete, but the specimens were not well prepared, and are there-
fore not always in perfect preservation. A collection of Catesby's
plants exists also in the British Museum, but probably the larger
portion remains at Oxford. There is besides, among the separate
collections, a small but very interesting parcel, selected by the elder
Bartram from his collections made in Georgia and Florida almost
a century ago, and presented to Queen Charlotte with a letter of •
touching simplicity. At the time this fasciculus was prepared,
nearly all the plants it comprised were undescribed, and many were
of entirely new genera ; several, indeed, have only been published
very recently, and a few are not yet recorded as natives of North
America. Among the latter we may mention Petiveria alliacea and
Ximinea Americana, which last has again recently been collected in
the same region. This small parcel contains the Elliottia, Muhl.,
Polypteris, Nutt., Baldwinia, Nutt., Macranthera, Torr., Glottidium,
Mayaca, Chaptalia, Be/aria, Eriogonum tomentosum, Polygonum jwly-
gamum. Vent., Gardoquia Hookeri, Benth., Satureia (^Pycno thymus)
rigida, Cliftonia, Hypericum aureum, Galactia Elliot tii, Krameria
lanceolata, Torn, Waldsteinia (Comaropsis) lobata, Torr. and Gr.,
the Dolichos ? multijlorus, Torr. and Gr., the Chapmannia, Torr. and
Gr., Psoralea Lupinellus, and others of almost equal interest or
rarity, which it is much to be regretted were not long ago made
known from Bartram's discoveries.

The herbarium of Sir Joseph Banks, now in the British Museum,
is probably the oldest one prepared in the manner commonly adopted
in England, of which, therefore, it may serve as a specimen. The
plants are glued fast to half- sheets of very thick and firm white
paper of excellent quality (similar to that employed for merchants'
ledgers, etc.), all carefully cut to the same size, which is usually
161 inches by lOj, and the name of the species is written on the
lower right-hand corner. All the species of a genus, if they be ^qw
in number, or any convenient subdivision of a larger genus, are
enclosed in a whole sheet of the same quality, and labelled at the
lower left-hand corner. These parcels, properly arranged, are pre-
served in cases or closets, with folding doors made to shut as closely
as possible, being laid horizontally into compartments just wide
enough to receive them, and of any convenient depth. In the
Banksian herbarium, the shelves are also made to draw out like a
case of drawers. This method is unrivalled for elegance, and the
facility with which the specimens may be found and inspected,
which to a working botanist with a large collection is a matter of
the greatest consequence. The only objection is the expense,
which becomes very considerable when paper worth at least ten
dollars per ream is employed for the purpose, which is the case
with the principal herbaria in England ; but a cheaper paper, if it
be only sufficiently thick and firm, will answer nearly as well. The
Banksian herbarium contains authentic specimens of nearly all the
plants of Aiton's * Hortus Kewensis,' in which many North American

140 Notices of European Herbaria.

species were early established. It is hardly proper, indeed, that
either the elder or younger Aiton should be quoted for these species,
since the first edition was prepared by Solander, and the second
revised by Dryander, as to vols. i. and ii., and the remainder by
Mr. Brown. Many American plants from the Physic Garden at
Chelsea, named by Miller, are here preserved, as also from the gar-
dens of CoUinson, Dr. Fothergill (who was Bartram's correspondent
after Collinson's death). Dr. Pitcairne, etc. There are likewise
many contributions of indigenous plants of the United States, from
Bartram, Dr. Mitchell, Dr. Garden, Fraser, Marshall, and other
early cultivators of botany in this country. The herbarium also
comprises many plants from Labrador and Newfoundland, a portion
of which were collected by Sir Joseph Banks himself; and in the
plants of the northern and arctic regions, it is enriched by the col-
lections of Parry, Ross, and Dr. Richardson. Two sets of the
plants collected by the venerable Me.nzies in Vancouver's voyage
are preserved at the British Museum, the one incorporated with the
Banksian herbarium, the other forming a separate collection. Those
of this country are from the north-west coast, the mouth of the
Oregon river, and from California. Many of Pursh's species were
described from specimens preserved in this herbarium, especially
the Oregon plants of Menzies, and those of Bartram and others
from the more southern United States, which Pursh had never
visited, although he often adds the mark v. v. (vidi vivam) to species
which are only to be met with south of Virginia.

The herbarium of Walter still remains in the possession of the
Fraser family, and in the same condition as when consulted by
Pursh. It is a small collection, occupying a single large volume.
The specimens, which are commonly mere fragments, often serve
to identify the species of the * Flora Caroliniana,' although they are
not always labelled in accordance with that work.

The collections of Pursh, which served as the basis of his * Flora
Americse Septentrionalis,' are in the possession of Mr. Lambert, and
form a part of his immense herbarium. These, with a few speci-
mens T^rought by Lewis and Clark from Oregon and the Rocky
Mountains, a set of Nuttall's collections on the Missouri, and also
of Bradbury's, so far as they are extant, with a small number from
Fraser, Lyon, etc., compose the most important portion of this her-
barium, so far as North American botany is concerned. There is
also a small Canadian collection, made by Pursh subsequently to
the publication of his Flora, a considerable number of Menzies's
plants, and other minor contributions. To the general botanist,
probably the fine herbarium of Pallas, and the splendid collection of
Ruiz and Pavon (both acquired by Mr. Lambert at a great expense),
are of the highest interest ; and they are by no means unimportant
in their relations to North American botany, since the former com-
prises several species from the north-west coast, and numerous
allied Siberian forms ; while our Californian plants require, in some
instances, to be compared with the Chilian and Peruvian plants of
the latter.

£To be continued.]

Bibliographical Notices. 141

BIBLIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES.

Monographie des LihelluUdees d' Europe. Par Edm. De Selys Long-
champs, Membre de plusieurs Societ^s savantes.

We do not know a more noble tribe of Insects than the Dragon-
flies — the wonderful oeconomy, perfect organization, exquisite struc-
ture, beautiful colouring and unusual magnitude of these Insect-
hawks combine to render them worthy the attention of the philoso-
pher as well as of the naturalist. In the earlier stages of their
existence they live as larvae and nymphse, entirely in the water,
where they are actively engaged in entrapping other insects to
satisfy their cruel appetites, possessing, contrary to the greater por-
tion of this class of animals, the power of locomotion in their pupa
state, and being furnished with a remarkable mask, which is pro-
jected at will to seize their victim. When they emerge from their
aquatic habitation and assume the perfect state, to soar along the
banks, or skim over the surface of a stream, in search of insect prey,
the evolutions of the larger species are very remarkable ; they dart
forward, halt or wheel with the most perfect precision, whether it
be in sportive play or in the pursuit of other insects, which they cap-
ture and devour in their flight, not sparing their kindred species of
equal size.

On examining living specimens of the larger kinds, the volume of
their compound eyes will be found to exceed that of any other in-
sect, and the beauty and perfection of these organs is scarcely to be
equalled : their powers of vision must be wonderful-, for they can, no
doubt, take in the whole surrounding field of vision at once, and in
all probability to a very great distance : their exquisite wings rival
the most beautiful lace -work, and their bodies are generally painted
with Nature's liveliest colours, which unfortunately fade after death ;
otherwise nothing could be more beautiful than a, collection of Li-
bellulidae arranged in a cabinet ; this misfortune is however in a
measure mitigated by emptying and stuffing the thorax and bodies
as soon as they are killed. Their enormous mouths and powerful
organs of manducation are well adapted to their predatory habits ; and
such is their ferocity, that when under restraint they have been
known to satisfy their inordinate appetites by devouring their own
bodies ! From some unknown causes, the Dragon-flies, like various
other insects, occasionally increase to excess, when they migrate
in clouds like the Locust, travelling hundreds of miles in search of
food, their route being guided by the nearest stream, and following
the current they pursue their course in countless myriads.

Greatly as naturalists and scientific men are indebted to DeGeer
and Roesel for their valuable researches relating to these insects,
volumes might still be written in the investigation of their oeconomy
without entering upon their specific distinctions ; it is not therefore
surprising that so interesting a subject should have engaged the at-
tention of many authors who have lately undertaken to characterize
the genera and identify the species. It is to be regretted that the

142 Bibliographical Notices,

value of such labours is not duly appreciated in this country ; yet it
is an incontrovertible fact, that until differences are accurately de-
fined we cannot record even facts with certainty ; and unless we
submit to a careful investigation at least of the external anatomy,
the greatest errors may be committed. But until Natural History is
considered worthy to form a class in our schools, it is to be feared
that little attention will be paid to Entomology, although it is one of
the most important branches of Zoology.

Amongst the authors alluded to is Vander Linden, who in 1825
published at Brussels his ' Monographia Libellulinarum Europsearum
Specimen,' which, although a limited production, was very acceptable ;
in the same year the ' Horse Entomologicae ' of Toussaint de Char-
pentier put us in possession of a more extensive Monograph of the
Libellulidae of Europe, with a 4to plate exhibiting specific characters
from the structure of the anal appendages, and this led to the pro-
duction of the best work that has yet appeared upon the family, the
* Monographic des Libellulidees d'Europe,' par M. De Selys Long-
champs, which was preceded in 1837 by a ' Tableau des Libellulines
de la Belgique,' containing a systematic list of the species with their
localities, and the characters of two new ones, Petalura flavipes and
Agrion aurantiaca.

The ' Monograph' exhibits a general view of the external anatomy
of the Dragon-flies, in order to refer correctly to the relative position
of the various members ; but one of the most useful parts is the se-
ries of Synoptic Tables : the first gives the genera, comprising Li-
bellula, Libella, Cordulia, Lindenia, Gomphus, Cor duleg aster, ^schna,
Anax, Calepteryx, Lestes, Sympecma and Agrion, of which the three
following are not generally known.

Libella, De Selys, distinguished from Cordulia by the anal border
of the inferior wings being rounded in both sexes.

Lindenia, De Haan, is characterized by an elevated tubercle be-
fore the eyes, which are globose, whereas in Gomphus the space is
flat and the eyes compressed.

Sympecma, Charp., is separated from Lestes by its wings being
elevated in repose, and from Agrion by its elongated parastigma.

There are also three synoptic tables exhibiting the essential cha-
racters of all the species, amounting to 61, of which there are like-
wise more ample descriptions, with the synonyms, localities, etc.

The dimensions of all the species of the Libellulidae in a tabular
form is also a novel feature, and adds to the facility of identifying a
form, as this family varies less in the size of the sexes and of indi-
viduals of the same species than most others.

A disquisition follows upon the discoidal triangular cells in the
wings, which vary in the different groups ; they were first noticed
by M. Vander Hoeven, and this section embraces some exotic ge-
nera.

The * Conspectus Specierum,' in which Charpenlier's genus Pla-
tycnemis is characterized, to receive the species platypoda, is drawn
up with great care, and completes M. De Selys's work ; and there are

Entomological Society. 143

four plates in which the genera are illustrated by magnified figures
of the terminal segments of the abdomen with the anal appendages.

The zeal with which M. De Selys has prosecuted his studies, by
inspecting the collections of France and England, as well as by his
researches in Germany, Switzerland and Italy, leads us to hope that
he may be induced to extend his labours to the fine exotic species of
this family, which are very numerous, (being distributed over every
portion of the globe) and offer an almost untrodden field of investi-
gation.

In perusing the memoir, two or three things presented themselves
connected with the works of British authors ; and although not very
important, it will be as well to rectify them, othewise they may lead
to incorrect impressions.

P. 56. Libellula ruhicunda is not noticed by Mr. Stephens ; indeed
this Linnsean species was not known in England until Mr. Curtis
described and figured it in his * British Entomology.'

P. 69. It was Mr. Dale who /rs^ discovered Cor^M^ea Curtisii, and
his friend Mr. Curtis subsequently captured it. Mr. Stephens never
saw it alive, but is indebted to Mr. Dale for his specimens.

P. 84. Mr. Stephens took only one specimen of Gomphus pulchellus ,
which was most probably transported from the opposite coast.

P. 108. Dr. Shaw published a figure and description of ^. varia
in 1806.

P. 114. ^. rufescens is exceedingly rare in England, and wsis Jirst
discovered by Mr. Dale, after whom Dr. Leach named it, but unfor-
tunately neglected to publish his description.

P. 160. Mr. Stephens published a description of A. xanthopterum
in his ' Illustrations' in 1836, which Mr. Curtis seems to have over-
looked when he described it in the 16th volume of 'British Ento-
mology,* under the name of Agrion rubella.

It is with pleasure we notice the honourable and gentlemanly
feeling which has guided M. De Selys through his labours : instead
of being influenced by a narrow and pernicious principle of super-
seding the names by which species are already known, he has en-
deavoured to do justice to his predecessors by adopting names ac-
cording to their right of priority ; an honest example, which we hope,
for the welfare of science, to see followed by all our other conti-
nental neighbours.

PROCEEDINGS OF LEARNED SOCIETIES.

ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY.

May 4th, 1 840.— The Rev. F. W. Hope, President, in the Chair.

Mr. Yarrell exhibited some larvce of Tipula oleracea, which had
proved very destructive to the grass in Golden Square, London.
Mr. Hope stated that lime-water, as well as water from the gas ma-
nufactories, was very beneficial in destroying them.

Mr. Newport exhibited the specimen of Geophilus mentioned by

144 Entomological Society.

him at the last meeting, and which was nearly two inches long.
The same gentleman exhibited a specimen of the pupa of Sphinx Li-
gustri, the head-case of which he had repeatedly disturbed during
its change from the larva to the pupa state, and in consequence of
which, as it appeared to him, the tongue-case was not developed, so
that the pupa resembled that of a Smerinthus instead of Sphinx.

Mr. Hope exhibited a new species of Phyllium from the Neilgher-
ries, which he proposed to name P. Rohertsonii after Mr. Robertson,
who had presented a large collection of insects from that country to
the Society at the last meeting.

Mr. Shuckard having read some extracts from his memoir on the
f2iva.\\yDorylid(B, since published in the Annals of Natural History, Mr.
W. W. Saunders stated that one of his specimens of Dorylus orientalis
had been captured in the sunshine, but that the other had entered a
lighted room in the evening. Mr. Westwood also objected to several
of the views entertained by Mr. Shuckard. (See his Memoir on
Typhlopone, since published in the Annals of Natural History.)

Mr. Westwood also read some " Notes on African Entomology,"
amongst which the almost complete absence oiHomopterous insects on
that continent, and the general uniformity of the insects throughout
the entire continent, and the resemblance of many of them to In-
dian forms, were especially dwelt upon. The Rev. F. W. Hope also
entered into a detail of the reasons which had induced him to reject
the plans which had been proposed for the geographical distribution
of insects, and to consider the subject as primarily divisible accord-
ing to the respective hemispheres. He however considered that the
northern parts of America and of the old world formed but one en-
tomo-geographical region, which he would call Boreal. The other
parts of each hemisphere exhibit a secondary division. The ento-
mology of Africa was well characterized by its uniform character,
although that of North Africa resembled that of South Europe, and
that of South East Africa that of Asia. Mr. Waterhouse also made
a variety of observations on the same subject, considering the two
hemispheres as primarily distinct.

June 1st.— The Rev. W. Kirby, M.A., F.R.S., Honorary
President, in the Chair.

Mr. Samuel Stevens exhibited a new British genus of Carahideous
Coleoptera allied to Pterostichus, captured by Mr. Leplastrier near
Dover.

Mr. Ingpen, A.L.S., exhibited a mass of minute cylindrical cocoons
arranged close together like a piece of honey- comb in miniature,
being formed by a small species of Ichneumonid(E {Hemiteles — ?), the
upper end of many of which had an aperture, whilst in others the
aperture was at the opposite end. They were found on the surface
of the ground in his garden at Chelsea.

The Rev. F. W. Hope exhibited several new and rare Coleoptera
and Dipt era from New Holland.

Mr. W. Saunders exhibited the larva of a species of Oiketicus from
the East Indies.

Entomological Society. - 145

Mr. Frederick Smith exhibited the sexes of six species of Andrena,
which he had observed in copuld, thus proving the specific identity of
the different sexes in these species of this troublesome genus ;
amongst them was Andrena fulva, which was proved to be the fe-
male of Andrena arrnata, and A. Clerckella.

Mr. Westwood exhibited a specimen of Myrmecocystus mexicanns,
Wesm., a species of ant, some of the neuters of which are of the
ordinary form, whilst in others the abdomen is immensely swollen
and globular : these latter individuals are described as never quitting
the nest, and as making a kind of honey. He also observed upon
the different kinds or degrees of development noticed among Hyme-
nopterous insects, especially the several kinds of neuters of the hive-
bees, called by Huber, &c. black-bees, nurser-bees, wax- workers, &c.
Messrs. Waterhouse and Newport doubted however whether there
were any real distinctions between these kinds of individuals, as they
had never been able to discover any specimens according with such
descriptions. Mr. Shuckard also stated his opinion that there was
never more than one kind of neuter among the ants. Mr. F. Smith
on the contrary stated that he had constantly found two kinds of
neuters in the nest of the Formica sanguinea.

The following memoir was read.

Description of a subgenus of Coleopterous insects closely allied to
Carabus. . By G. R. Waterhouse, Esq.

The insect here described agrees in the majority of its characters
with Carabus, but differs in having the thorax smooth and convex,
without reflected margins, and fovece at the posterior angles, the
antennae incrassated in the middle, with the 3rd joint long, the
head large and nearly as broad as the thorax, the elytra depressed
and the legs long ; although destitute of the velvet-like soles to the
fore tarsi which distinguish the male Carabi, the anterior tarsi are
not dilated. The name proposed for this insect is

Aplo thorax Burchellii, W. Niger, thorace cordiformi antice et
postice truncato, angulisque anticis et posticis rotundatis, suprci
IcEvi et convexo ; elytris punctato-striatis, striis punctisque crebris
at non profundis ; inter strias 3 et 4 et 7 et 8 punciis majoribus
cum illis striis confluentibus . Long. corp. lin. 15|. Inhabits St.
Helena. W. Burchell, Esq. In Mus. D. Hope.

July 6th. — The Rev. F. W. Hope, President, in the Chair.

The President exhibited part of a splendid collection of Coleoptera
received by him from Mexico.

Mr. Westwood exhibited portions of the branches of an apple
tree bored into by the larva of Zeuzera ^sculi, communicated by
Dr. Lindley.

Mr. Raddon exhibited a beautiful Lamia from the Gold Coast of
Africa, as well as a species of Noctua and Cerura which he had ob-
tained from Mr. Bradford, of Bewdley, and which he believed to be
new to the British lists of insects. He also stated that Lamia textor
had recently been taken at Walham Green.

Mr. Marshall stated that Mr. Doubleday had informed him that
Ann. ^ Mag. N. Hist. Vol. vii. L

14(5 Entomological Society.

Sesia Bomhyliiformis on emerging from the pupa has the transpa-
rent part of the wings entirely clothed with scales.

A paper was read by Mr, Westwood consisting of suggestions for
making collections of insects abroad, especially with reference to
their physiological and ceconomical peculiarities, which led to an
extended discussion, in which Messrs. Hope, Waterhouse, Marshall,
Raddon, and others, took part, and by whom the following sugges-
tions were made.

In packing insects captured abroad, where there might not be
convenience for pinning them, it is preferable to use thin layers of
linen rag instead of cotton wool, the latter catching the ungues of the
insects, and requiring very great care in unpacking. Sand in bottles
is also objectionable, for if the bottles were not quite full, or any
holes were accidentally made in the cork, whereby the sand j)artially
escaped, the remainder by shaking about would damage the insects.
Moss or bits of paper were also a good substitute for cotton wool.
Camphor, or pej)per as its substitute, should be placed in the bottles
or boxes of dried insects. Such hard insects as beetles, &c., should
be killed by being placed in a bottle and immersed in boiling water,
which preserves their colours much better than by placing them in
spirits. The leaves of laurel, or some other plant of the same nature,
when bruised and placed in a box of insects, would also immediately
kill them, but this process hardened the muscles. Lepidopterous
insects may safely be preserved by folding their wings together, with
the antennae turned back between them, and then lapped up in a
piece of paper folded flat in the shape of a triangle. Considerable
collections had been received in this manner. The spines of the
Acacia were a good substitute for pins. Tin canisters should be
used instead of wooden boxes where practicable, in order to prevent
the attacks of the white ants and cock roaches : when filled, the tops
should be resined down. Soda-water bottles were found to be of a
much more commodious form than square spirit bottles. Rum and
arrack, on account of their saccharine qualities, ought not to be used.
It was also better to place layers of tow between the insects in
spirits, and to put but few of the latter together, as when much
shaken they easily broke to pieces.

August 3rd. — The Rev. F. W. Hope, President, in the Chair.

The President exhibited various new exotic Coleoptera, including
a new species of Trochoideus and one of Chiasognathus, both from
New Granada.

Mr. A. White exhibited several interesting insects from S**^ Fe
de Bogota, including new species of Labidus, Pelecinus, &c.

Mr. Westwood stated that he had recently observed a great num-
ber of the empty cocoons of the small garden ant sticking upon the
leaves of a nectarine tree trained against a wall, at a considerable
height from the ground, there being nests of the same species at the
foot of the wall.

The following memoirs were read : —

Observations on the genus Typhlopone, and descriptions of several

Entomological Society , 147

other genera of ants. By J. O. Westwood, F.L.S., since published

in the Annals of Natural History.

On a new species oiDynastes^n^ other Coleoptera. By the Rev.

F. W. Hope.

Dynastes Jupiter, H. Scutellatus, thoracis cornu medio maximo et
incurvo subtus barhato, cornubus duobus lateralibus thoracis lon-
gitudine, rectis ; thoracis dorso in cornu longissimo absque dente
in medio producto, cornu capitis porrecto recurvo, dimidio antico
supra multidentato . Long. corp. unc. 4. lin. 10. Inhabits New
Granada. Allied to D. Neptunus, Sch.

Hexaphyllum Westwoodii, H. Nigrum, antennarum clava hrunnea,
thorace profunde rugoso-sulcato, elytris carinatis interstitiis reti-
culatis. Long. corp. lin. Q^. Inhabits New Granada.

Pelidnota Victorina, H. Flavo-viridis, thorace fusco-aurantio,
suturd scutelloque concoloribus ; elytris pallid^ viridibus maculis
fusco-aurantiis aspersis, corporesubtils saturatiore,sterno trochan-
teribus geniculis tarsisque nigro-bronzeis. Long. corp. lin. 10.
Inhabits Mexico.

Pelidnota Adelaida, H. Viridis, scutello aurato nitido, elytris fusco-
bronzeis, lineis viridi-auratis alternantibus , colore bronzeo-ochraceo
inquinatis. Long. corp. lin. 14. Inhabits Mexico.

Pelidnota auripes, H. Tota prasina, pedibus auratis. Long. corp.
lin. 12. Inhabits Mexico.

A Letter was read from Alexander Burn, Esq., dated Kaiva, Gu-
jerat, December 6th, 1839, addressed to the president of the Ento-
mological Society, accompanying a box containing two Indian species
of blister-flies which abound at Gujerat, and which he had found to
be equal as vesicants to the Spanish fly : indeed when used fresh a
liquor Lyttcc of greater strength and activity can be obtained from
them. The writer had called the attention of the Bombay Govern-
ment to these insects as objects indigenous to India, which might
be worthy of attention as articles of commerce. The first, Lytta
gigas, Fab., appears early in the season of the monsoon (August and
September), creeping along the ground, seldom using its wings,
and feeding on the young tender shoots of grasses. The other
species, Mylabris pustulata, Blbg. flies about all day and feeds on the
flowers of various plants, especially the esculent Cucurbitacece and
Hibiscus esculentus and cannabinus, abounding in some seasons to
such an extent as to prove extremely destructive to the plants,
hardly a single blossom escaping them. To the market gardeners
they are therefore a great nuisance, and as the objection to destroy
animal life is extremely rank in this part of India, the only plan
adopted to get rid of them is picking them with the hand from the
plants into large earthern vessels, and sending them tf» a distance of
a mile or two to be set free in any wild or uncultivated spot.

In reference to the above letter Mr. G. Newport stated that he
had ascertained that Melo'e Proscarabteus, the common English species,
was highly diuretic, and it was suggested that as the two species of

L2

148 Entomological Socieftf.

Indian Cantkaridts possessed very powerful medicinal properties and
were extremely abundant, it would be advisable that they should
be collected in quantities and imported into England, so as to su-
persede the use of the common blister-fly.

September 7th, — Thomas Marshall, Esq., in the Chair.

In addition to the donations of entomological works, a collection
of insects from New South Wales was presented to the Society by
J. S. Bowerbank, Esq.

Mr. Smith exhibited specimens of Miscus campestris and Am-
mophila vulgaris, which had been taken in copuld, and whence he
was led to consider the former only as a variety of the latter species.
He also exhibited a new British species of Nomada, and various rare
British Andrence.

Mr. Walton exhibited three new British species of the Curculio-
nideous genus Magdalis.

October 5th.— J. Walton, Esq., V.P. in the Chair.

Mr. Sells exhibited a number of illustrations of the natural history
of various species of insects, including nests of the Osmia coerulescenSy
numerous kinds of galls formed by Cecidomyice, &c., with their pa-
rasites ; CMorops pumilionis, in various states, the larvae of which had
proved very destructive this year near Kingston, and had entirely
destroyed several acres of rye.

Mr. Westwood exhibited a remarkable gall brought from Manilla
by Mr. Cuming, the outer covering of which consisted of exceedingly
fine filaments, which crumbled to powder on being touched, and the
inhabitant of which was a species of Cynips ; also a cocoon made
by a large Saturnia, the chrysalis of which was still inclosed and
filled with eggs, although the antennae-cases were so broad as to
lead to the supposition that the specimen was a male.

Mr. Ingpen exhibited the cocoon of Cetania aurata, the larva of
which he had then recently found at the root of a tree, containing a
living imago ; likewise another mass of the cocoons of the Hemiteles
sp. ? found attached to a lilac branch.

Mr. Smith exhibited various species of British ants of the differ-
ent sexes, showing the two distinct kinds of neuters of Formica san-
guinea, in the nest of which he had also found Formica fusca, F. cu-
nicularia, and Myrmica rubra : also a piece of the stump of an oak
tree burrowed into in all directions and inhabited by Formica rufa.
Mr. Stephens mentioned a remarkable instance of the occurrence
of the autumnal disease of flies, having observed that a great number
of the blades of a tall grass {Sesleria coerulea) growing at the sides
of the path leading through Ongar Park Wood in Essex, for about
fifty yards were covered with hundreds of dead specimens of Chei-
losia gracilis, many of which he exhibited still attached to the stems
of the grass : he also observed one of the flies fly languidly down,
settle on the grass, and die.

Mr. Westwood exhibited drawings of the veins of the wings of
various genera of British butterflies, commenting upon the modifica-

Entomological Society. 149

tions to which they are subject, and which he had found to afford a
very satisfactory character for determining the limits of several of
the genera, not only in these insects, but also among the Homo-
ptera, in which order they had not hitherto been employed.

The commencement of a paper by J. O.Westwood, F.L.S., entitled
"* Observations on the Linnaean species of StaphylinidcB" was read.

In this memoir the author reviews the opinions which have been
expressed by the various writers upon this family of beetles relative
to the different species of rove-beetles described by Linna?us, and
also, guided by the Linnsean Collection itself in the possession of the
Linnsean Society, determines the modern genera to which the species
respectively belong, and corrects their synonyms. The following
is an abstract of the latter part of these observations : —

Sp. 1. Staphylinus hirtus is the Emus Mrtiis, Leach.

Sp. 2. St. muriwus is Staphylinus {Trichoderma, Steph.) nebulosus,
Fabr., Steph., &c.

Sp. 3. St. maxillosus. Under this name Linnaeus united Creo^
philus mcurillosus, K. and Goerius olens. Leach.

Sp. 4. St. erythropterus is the St. erythropterus, Fabr. (ccesareus,
Cederh, and Erichs.), not the St. castanopterus, Grav.

Sp. 5. St. politus. Several species confounded together, but the
typical specimen is the Staph, ceneus, Grav., Gyll.

Sp. 6. St. rufus is Oxyporus rufus, Fabr.

Sp. 7. St. lunulatus is Bolitobius lunulatus of Panzer and Zetter-
stedt (B. atricapillus, Fabr., &c.).

Sp. 8. St. riparius is P^ederu^ riparius. Fab.

Sp. 9. St. ohtusus is a Tachyporus specifically identical with T,
analis. Fab., which is a variety of it.

Sp. 10. St. lignorum is a Tachinus of the size of T. subterraneus.

Sp. 11. St. Silphoides is identical with Tachinus suturalis, Grav.

Sp. 12. St. subterraneus is Tachinus subterranneus, Grav.

Sp. 13. St. flavescens. No specimen of this doubtful species
exists in the Linnaean cabinet.

Sp. 14. St. elongatus is identical with Lathrobium elongatum,
Erichs.

Sp. 15. St. biguttatus is a small Stenus.

Sp. 16. St. bipustulatus. No specimen of this evident species of
Stenus exists in the Linnsean cabinet.

Sp. 17. St, cantharellus. Ditto. Probably a ikfa/Mmw^.

Sp. 18. St. littoreus is identical with Oxyporus {Conurus, Steph.)
cellaris, Fab.

Sp. 19. St. sanguineus is an Aleochara closely allied to A.fuscipes,

Sp. 20. St. caraboides is Lesteva caraboides^ Grav. (testaceus, Bdv.
and Lacord.)

Sp. 21. St. chrysomelinus is Tachyporus chrysomelinus, Auct.

Sp. 22. St. flavipes is Tachyporus hypnorum. Fab.

Sp. 23. St.fuscipes is identical with Gyrohypnus lentus, Grav.

Sp. 24. St. rufipes is identical with Tachinus puUus, Grav.

Sp. 25. St. piceus is Oxytelus piceus, Gyll. ■

Sp. 26. St. boleti is Gyrophcena minima, Erichs.

150 Entomological Society.

November 2nd. — J. Walton, Esq., V.P. in the Chair.

Mr. Westwood gave an account of several recent observations
made by him relative to the development of the Myriapoda, exhibit-
ing specimens and drawings of some minute individuals of Lithohius
forcipaius, which diiOfered from each other in the number of limbs,
one having only eight pairs of feet, another ten, another eleven,
whilst one, which was a quarter of an inch long, had gained fifteen
pairs. In the former individuals there were several pairs of ex-
tremely minute appendages arising at the sides of the rudimental
terminal segments of the body ; but in the last-mentioned specimen
the terminal segment of the long hind pair of feet were fully de-
veloped. He also exhibited a full grown Lithohius, one of the pe-
nultimate legs of which was very short, and which he considered
was the result of an arrest of development, and not the reproduction
of the limb. He would also explain in the same manner the cause of
the minute size of one of the feet of several specimens oi Scolopendra
which had been exhibited at former meetings of the Society, in all
which it was one or other of the hind feet which was of a diminished
size. He also exhibited a small slender white wingless insect, one
sixth of an inch long, captured running on the ground, possessing six
feet and two very long anal filaments, thus resembling the larva of
a Staphylinus, but having multiarticulate antennae, and broad 4-den-
tate mandibles ; the abdominal segments were also furnished at the
sides beneath with very minute short filaments. Hence as this
insect would not accord with the larvaj of any known group of in-
sects, he deemed it possible that it might constitute a new genus of
Myriapoda in an undeveloped state.

The following memoirs were read.

Notice of a simple method of entrapping and destroying Wasps.
By the Rev. F. W. Hope. This plan, which is veiy serviceable in
protecting wall fruit, consists in placing pieces of the fruit or bits
of meat under a hand glass raised an inch or two above the ground,
having one of the top panes taken out or a small hole made at top,
•with another hand glass placed on the top of the lower one ; the
insects being attracted to the food fly upwards into the upper glass,
and are easily destroyed by introducing a fcM' lighted matches into the
upper glass. This plan is mentioned by Mr. Ingpen in his instruc-
tions for collecting, and Mr. Marshall stated that he had also known
it used for collecting nocturnal Lepidoptera, a light being used under
the glass to entrap the moths. Mr. Bainbridge also mentioned that
by hanging dead birds or pieces of flesh in front of wall-fruit trees
the fruit would be left untouched.

The continuation of Mr. Westwood's memoir on the' Linnsean
StaphylinidcB was also read.

December 7th.— The Rev. F. W. Hope, President, in the Chair.

Mr. Evans exhibited a specimen of Paussus Burmeisteri, and a
new species of Chiron, which he had recently received from South
Africa.

Entomological Society. 151

Dr. Calvert presented some living larvae of one of the species of
Noctuid(e, which he had found exceedingly destructive to his wheat
crops in the north of Yorkshire, the larvae ascending the stems and
devouring the grain at the end of September. The land upon which
the crops attacked were sown was reclaimed moor land, and it was
considered that it was owing to the lateness of the ripening of the
crop that it was subject to these attacks, earlier crops in more south-
ern parts of the country escaping. It was further suggested that it
would be desirable to plough up the soil several times to a consider-
able depth, whereby the larvse or chrysalides in the winter or spring
would become exposed, and would be greedily devoured either by
the rooks or by ducks, which might be turned into the fields for that
purpose.

The following memoirs were read.

Observations on the Migrations of certain Butterflies in British
Guiana. By Robert Schomburgk, Esq., Corr. Memb. E.S., &c.

In this memoir the author notices that several species of Callidryas
are often observed in the months of September and October, settling
in prodigious numbers on the wet sand banks, and which, when
alarmed, presented a brilliant spectacle in the display of the differ-
ent shades from deep orange to the palest sulphur colours. The
Indians, when they observed a number hovering over a particular
spot, said that they were come to celebrate a marriage dance,
whilst such as were settled with their long spiral tongues unrolled,
and resting on the moist sand bank, were compared to paiwori drink-
ers. On the morning of the 10th October 1838, while ascending
the river Essequibo, he observed myriads of these butterflies coming
from the south-west and flying to the north-east, always crossing
the river in that direction, flying over the tops of the forest trees,
but descending nearly to the surface of the river when they had to
cross it : the distance which the boat had travelled during the day
was nine miles, and the butterflies continued an uninterrupted column
from 8 o'clock a.m. till half-past 5 p.m., so that their numbers must
have been incredible. It was supposed that they came from the
extensive savannahs along the Pacaraima mountains, and were flying
toward those which extend between the rivers Berbice and Corentyn.
The Accawai Indians at the upper river Demerara sometimes collect
large numbers of caterpillars, which they use as food : indeed their
numbers are so great that whole baskets-full are gathered, after which
they are roasted and mixed with the flour prepared from the root of
the cassava {Jatropha manihat), and baked into cakes ; the cater-
pillars are also sometimes mixed with turtle eggs, which constitutes
a great delicacy. The Accawai Indians in Mr. Schomburgk's com-
pany asserted that the butterflies there seen deposited their eggs in
the plants from which the caterpillars used as food are collected.

Mr. Gould also stated that he had observed a species of caterpillar
in vast profusion in the interior of New South Wales, distinct from
the bugong, upon which the natives fed, and which was also de-
voured by a species of hawk and the ibis.

There was also read a memoir by J. O. West wood, F.L.S., con-

152 Zoological Society.

sisting of descriptions of the following exotic Hymenopterous insects
belonging to the family SphegidcE : —

Trirogma W. Antennce ^ ,fere corporis longitudine jiliformes.
Caput tuberculo frontali. Mandibulce mediocres dente interno latis-
simo. Labrum minimum. Metathorax utrinque anyulariter pro-
ductus. Abdomen ^-annulatum,^. Tarsi simplices. Ungues bifidi.
Dolichuro affinis.

Trirogma caerulea, W. Tota ccerulea, punctata, griseo-villosa, an-
tennis tibiis tarsisque nigris, alis hyalinis. Expans. alar. lin. 9^.
Inhabits Northern India. Mus. W. W. Saunders, F.L.S.

Aphelotoma, W. Caput latum, anticeparum productum. Mandi-
bulcB crassa dente interno acuto. Thorax antice et jwstice valde
attenuatus. Ala breves. Cellula marginalis 1, haud appendicu-
lata ; 4 submarginales, l*"" appendiculata. Pedes inermes. Tarsi
simplices ? . Ampulici affinis.

Aphelotoma Tasmanica, W. Nigra, pedibus rufis, alis fuscis,
anticis fascid medid albd. Expans. alar. lin. 6. Inhabits Van
Diemen's Land. D. Ewing. Mus. Westwood.

Chlorion (Latr. Ampulex, Jur.) cyanipes, W. ISigro-ccerulea,
rude punctata, mesothoracis dorso in medio haud longitudinaliter
impresso, pedibus cyaneis, alis fuscescenti-hyalinis, nubild sub-
apicali obscuriori. Expans. alar. lin. 5^. Inhabits the Capeo
Good Hope. Mus. Westwood.

ZOOLOGICAL. SOCIETY.

July 14, 1840. — William Yarrell, Esq., Vice-President, in the Chair.
A letter from Sir Robert Heron, Bart., dated July 8, 1840, was
read. It related to a young Kangaroo, which had crawled out of
the pouch of the parent long before the proper time, and was conse-
quently unable to return; its body was marked all over by the
mother in her attempts to get it back into the pouch. In a second
letter Sir R. Heron states that this young Kangaroo was quite naked,
and unable to move. It was some hours before he could find the
keeper, and when he arrived the little animal was scarcely alive.
The keeper took it home, gave it milk, and by careful treatment it
quite revived, and was restored to the pouch of the mother, where it
has remained for five days, appears to be perfectly well, and fre-
quently protrudes its nose. The mother never left it, and was evi-
dently under great anxiety.

Some specimens, displaying the different stages of the Rana Para-
doxa, were also exhibited. These specimens were brought from
Demerara by Capt. Warren, who presented them to the Society.

Mr. Eraser exhibited and pointed out the characters of the follow-
ing new species of birds from the collection of the Earl of Derby :

TuRDUs GiGAS. T. nigrcscenti-oUvaceus ; subtus fuscescenti-cine-
reus ; hSc colore apud gulam crissumque obscuriore, caudd et capite
fuliginosis ; gutturis plumis strigd obscurd et oblongd notatis ;
rostro, pedibusque flavis.

Zoological Society. 153

Long. tot. 14 unc. ; rostri, IJ ; alee, 6 J ; caudte, 6| ; tarsi, l^.
Hab. S*^. Fe de Bogota.

This bird may at once be distinguished from any other American
species with which I am acquainted by its much greater size.

PsiTTACUS CHALCOPTERUS. P. nigricans, nitore suhmetallico ; plu-
' mis capitis, coeruleo, et nee non viridi lavatis ; illis dorsi suh-fuli-
ginosis, tinctura viridi ; illis corporis subtus cceruleo sufusis ;
alarum tectricibus eeneo-viridibus, hie et illic ochreo tinctis ; pri-
mariis, uropygio, cauddque intense cwruleis ; tectricibus caudce
paululUm virescentibus, crisso rubro ; plumis femorum gutturisque
rubra variegatis ; alis subtus virescenti-cosruleis, tectricibus infe-
rioribus intense coeruleis ; rostro flavo.
Long. tot. llj unc; rostri, 1 ; alee, 8| ; caudce, 3 J ; tarsi, \.
Hab. S^a. Fe de Bogota.

Very closely approximates to the Psittacus purpureus, Gmel., but
may at once be distinguished by its beak being entirely yellow ; the
absence of the red spot in front of the eye ; its blue rump ; the
feathers on the legs, throat and chest being variegated with red ;
the darker colour of the abdomen, and also in the colouring of the
upper and under surfaces of the wings.

Pious elegans. P. coccineus, fascid per genas excurrente, et ab-
domine^ flavis ; mento, guttureque nigro fiavidoque variegatis;
plumis pectoris et uropygii rubello, jlavido, et nigro fasciatis -,
caudd nigrd, primariis fuscescenti-nigris, eoctus olivaceis.

Foem. diffcrt gutture, capiteque superne nigris.

Long. tot. 12 unc. ; rostri, 1^ ; alee, 5| ; caudce, 4^; tarsi, |.

Hab. S*^. Fe de Bogota.

Head, neck, back, wings, and moustache, blood-red; a stripe,
commencing at the nostril, passing through the eye, and extending
on to the ear- coverts, together with the abdomen, under surface of
the tail, and wing- coverts, yellow ; chin black, each feather having
a narrow bar of yellow, which becomes more distinct on the throat
and chest, which are tinged with red ; the feathers of the rump and
upper tail- coverts are similarly marked with those on the chest, but
more obscurely ; primaries olive ; tail, beak and feet black.

The female only differs from the male in having the upper surface
of the head and moustache black ; all the colours are less brilliant.

This bird appears nearly related to Colaptes campestris (Picus
campestris, Licht.).

The three species above described are from the collection of the
Earl of Derby.

Mr. Fraser also exhibited some specimens of the true Pteroglos^
sus Azarce of Wagler and Vieillot, and pointed out the differences
between that species and the bird figured by Mr. Gould, in his Mo-
nograph of the family of Toucans, under that name.

" This bird differs from the Azarce of Gould, in having the broad
dusky dash along the upper mandible (having seen about twenty
specimens of this species, of all ages and sexes, I can safely say that
it is not a sign of immaturity, or caused by decomposition, as Mr.
Gould was led to suppose, but really a specific difference), the very

151 Zoological Society,

broad black belt, and the very narrow band of scarlet across the ab-
domen, as may be seen by a comparison of the figure given by
Gould in his Monograph, and the one by Vieillot in his Galerie des
Oiseaux, tom. ii.

"The specimen now before me, of the Azarf^ of Wagler, was brought
from British GuianaJ^y R. H. Schomburgk, Esq., Corr. Memb. Zool.
Soc, and presented by hiiA to this Society. In the Earl of Derby's
collection there is a specimen of the bird figured by Gould, for which
I propose the name of Pteroglossus fiavirostris , from the uniform
colouring of its beak. M. Natterer informs me the latter species is
from Rio Janeiro."

July 28. — Professor Owen in the Chair.
Mr. Cuming exhibited some specimens of Quadrupeds, which he
had procured during his stay at Malacca ; they consisted of two spe-
cimens of Semnopithecus obscurus, which species, Mr. Cuming states,
is subject to great variation in its colouring, one specimen of Felts
marmorata, and one of Rhizomys Sinensis.

Mr. Cuming's notes relating to the last-mentioned animal state
that the specimen was a male, and before it was skinned afforded the
following dimensions : length from the tip of the nose to the root of
the tail, 15 inches; of tail, 6 inches; girth behind the shoulders, 8
inches. The animal lives on the roots of bamboos, under which it
burrows ; the eyes are very small, and of a black colour.

Mr. Blyth read a paper entitled " An Amended List of the Species
of the genus Ovis*,"

The paper was illustrated by numerous drawings ; and the horns
of the Rass of Pamir, from the Museum of the Royal Asiatic Society,
and two pairs of those of the Shd, of Little Thibet, and one of the
Nahoor Sheep, or Sna of Great Thibet, brought by G. T. Vigne,
Esq., were exhibited.

Mr. Blyth also exhibited various other coloured drawings and spe-
cimens collected chiefly in Little Thibet by Mr. Vigne, among the
former of which were several figures of the Yak (Bos grunniens), a
highly-finished portrait of the Jharalf of Mr. Hodgson, another of
the Ovis Vignii, some sketches of the Ursus isabellinus, (or Syriacus
of Ehrenberg ?) and of Buff*aloes of the same breed as that of Italy

* The paper will be given in a future number.

f " This animal is mostly known as the Tehr, Thaar, or Thar, to the
westward of Nepal, a name applied by Mr. Hodgson to a very different
animal, which is usually called Surow, or Surrow. The first of these nan\es.
as suggested to me by Col. H. Smith, is clearly a modification of the Teuton
Thur, ramifying into Thier, Deer, &c. &c. &c. Surow, or Surroiv, again
passes into various other names, applied to different Himalayan Ruminants;
as Jerow or Jerrow for the Cervus Aristotelis, Serow and Chirew (pronounced
with a soft * Ch') for the Panthalops chiru, Hodgson, &c. Then we have
Jharal, Goral, Goorul, Rural, Boorul, Burrhel, Boorhoor, Nmjoor, Nahoor,
and even the Persian Moral may be derived from the same root. These
names, too, are all severally applied to different animals, whence it often re-
quires much caution in (endeavouring to ascertain what species is intended."
— E. B.

Zoological Society. 155

and Hungary, with the long tail, &c., that were drawn from life at
Hurriana. This race was more esteemed for the quantity of milk it
yields than the ordinary Indian Buffalo, with long horns, a shorter
tail, &c., and is doubtless the same, in the opinion of Mr. Blyth, as
the Guzurat race indicated in Dr. Buchanan's * Journey through
Mysore,' &c., which that author, however, observed at Seringapa-
tam. It appears to be scantily diffused throughout India, becoming
rarer to the eastward.

Among the specimens was the horn of a Stag, from Kashmir,
which Mr. Blyth suspected would prove to be the C WaUichii of
Duvaucel, or a closely allied species, a description of which may be
expected from Dr. Falconer. The specimen exhibited was 44 inches
long, and 8 inches round above burr : it had a brow, a bez, and
royal antlers, the bez a foot in length, and longest of the three, and
it terminated in a bifurcating crown, precisely as in the Cervus Elaphus
of the Sal forest of Nepal, figured by Mr. Hodgson, and supposed
by Mr. Ogilby to be C. WaUichii, an opinion in which Mr. Blyth
coincided. The general character of this horn was intermediate to
that of the Wapiti and European Stag, but agreeing more nearly
with the latter in its kind of granulated surface.

There were also three pairs of horns of the Markhur of Kabul, or
Rawacki of Little Thibet, a race of feral common Goats (in the opinion
of Mr. Blyth), remarkable for their large size, and also that of the
horns, which last are more or less twisted, varying from the curva-
ture of those of the Koodoo, only in an opposite direction, to the
tense spiral of the Caffrarian Impoof 's horns, as shown by the speci-
mens then exhibited. It was remarkable that no tame Goats ob-
served by Mr. Vigne in the same countries at all approached this
feral race in stature, nor was it known to occur in Persia, or in Ne-
pal. From the circumstance of the twist alone of the horns of this
animal, Mr. Blyth argued that it was not an aboriginal species ; for
whereas an inward spirature, or at least a tendency to it at the tips,
w^as all but invariably observable throughout the endlessly diversified
races of domestic Goats, neither the wild Copra JSgagrus, nor any
other of the numerous distinct species of wild Capr^e known to Mr.
Blyth, exhibited this spirature in the least degree ; besides which, it
appeared to be alike in no two specimens of the Markbur. This animal,
however, as he was informed, did not vary in colour, which resem-
bles that of an ordinary brown domestic Goat. A description and
figure of it have been published in Mr. Vigne's narrative of his tra-
vels in Kabul.

Finally, were exhibited the skull and horns of a magnificent spe-
cimen of the Himalayan Ibex, being the second skull and third pair of
horns of this species examined by Mr. Blyth, all of which accorded
with each other in the several particulars in which they differed from
the Swiss Ibex. The animal is very closely allied to the latter, having
a similar rudimental beard, and colouring, so far as he could learn ;
but the horns are much longer, considerably less divergent (a constant
distinction in both species), and resemble those of the Egyptian Ibex
in curvature : excepting towards the base, they are less massive than
the horns of the Swiss Ibex, the middle part being narrower ; and

156 Zoological Society.

the tips, which incline more abruptly somewhat forward and inward,
are much more attenuated, or drawn out. The splendid pair ex-
hibited, which were in their twelfth year of growth, and all but fully
developed, measured 4 J feet over the curvature, and 10 J inches round
at base ; diverging to 23 inches asunder, measuring outside, at nearly
three-fourths of their length from the base, and the tips returning
to 16 inches apart, at a distance of 20 inches from the base inside.
They are 4 inches deep at base, 2^ inches broad anteriorly, and 2
inches at a foot distance from the base, bearing 26 prominences, and
numbering, as before remarked, 12 years of growth, which success-
ively give 16, 7, 5, 4, 5, 4, 3|, 2^, 2, 1^, and the last (incomplete)
\, inches. The extreme length of skull is 12 inches, or 18 j inches
over the curves, from tip of intermaxillary to occipital foramen ;
breadth across of orbits posteriorly 7 inches, and total length of bony
palate 6^ inches. The dimensions of the largest pair of horns of
the Swiss Ibex examined by Mr. Blyth, and which were of the same
age as the preceding, are given as follows. Length 3|^ feet over the
arch, having a span of 2 feet from base to tip inside ; the points 2J
feet asunder, and basal circumference 10^ inches ; number of promi-
nences above 20, several being comprised within the first 8 inches.
They diverge quite regularly, and somewhat spirally, more outward
to the tip.

" The Himalayan Ibex," continues Mr. Blyth, " is the Skyn or Sheen ^
Sakeen or Sikeen (as variously written) of different parts of its range,
and is numerous, according to Mr. Vigne, in Little Thibet, where it is
designated Skyn. In Kashmir it bears the name of Kyi. Mr. Moor-
croft informs us that in Ladakh the male is termed Skyn, and the
female /' Danma * : he describes it to inhabit the most inaccessible
crags of the mountains ; and other authors notice its habits as en-
tirely resembling those of its Alpine congener f. In Kashmir, as I
am informed by Mr. Vigne, its poshm (or under-fleece of delicate
silky wool), which in all the true massive-horned Ibices is amazingly
copious in winter, is highly prized, ' that of one large Ibex being equal
to the produce of three Shawl Goats, besides being softer and finer.
I have some beautiful cloth,' continues that gentleman, * made from
the poshm of the Ibex. The animal is of a sepia-brown colour.'
It may be further noticed, that in the ' Journal-of the Asiatic Society
of Bengal,' vol. v. p. 242, it is stated that Major Kennedy had a
pair of these animals, stuffed, at Suhatu, in Kunawar. A skull and
horns which I saw at Mr. Leadbeater's was received from Nepal,
where, however, the species does not yet appear to have been noticed
by Mr. Hodgson. Dr. Falconer has probably named it.

" Himalaya Ibew. Capra Ibici Helvetico simillima, sed comibus
magis prolongatis, semper minus divergentibus, apicibus attenuati-
oribus et ad antrorsum abruptiori-curvatis, — sic ut in plurimis spe-
ciebus hujus generis, at vix in Caprd Ibice vera."

* Travels, i. .'311.

t Vide • Journal of a Trip tlirougli Kunawar,' published in the 'Journal
of the Asiatic Society of Bengal' for 1839, p. 928.

Roijal Botanical Society of Edinburgh. 157

ROYAL BOTANICAL SOCIETY OF EDINBURGH.

The Society met on Thursday evening (March 11th) in the
Royal Institution, Dr. Greville in the chair.

Mr. Edward Forbes read a communication on the specific value
of the appendages of the anthers in the genus Viola.

Mr. Forbes commenced by stating, that in some plants a particu-
lar form of the leaf or other appendage might be the same in all the
species, while in other plants this form might only be similar in a
few species. In the case of the genus Viola, the antherine append-
ages or nectaries have generally been regarded as of generic im-
portance only. By comparing the nectary of a Pansey with that of
a Dog-violet, a difference will be observed of specific, or at least
sectional importance. In order to ascertain the value of this cha-
racter, he had examined above seventy species of Violets, chiefly
from the herbarium of Dr. Greville. He found three diflferent forms
of nectaries. The most common is lancet-shaped, which prevails
among the allies of Viola canina and Viola odorata. The next is of
a linear form, and prevails chiefly amongst the Pansies, V. lutea,
etc. The third is rotund, a rare form, but which may be seen in
the Viola palustris. These nectaries are to be found in the spur of the
flower, which varies in form according to the shape of the nectary.
When the nectary is lancet-shaped, the spur is generally thick in
proportion to its length, and very blunt, being shortest in those
species which have the nectaries broadest. The rotund nectary is
generally associated with a short round spur, and the linear with a
slender spur, often of great comparative length. The colours of
Violets have also some relation to the forms of the nectaries. In
this genus, blue, yellow, purple and white are the colours seen.
The blue may again be divided into purple-blue and sky-blue, each
passing into white. The purple may also pass into white, but the
sky-blue never does. These distinctions are of importance in the
investigation of nearly allied species, such as Viola canina and Viola
montana. In the one case the yellow passes into pink, and in the
other into purple. White is rarely the normal colour of a Violet.
The lancet-shaped nectary is chiefly associated with blue flowers,
sometimes with the yellow passing into white ; but never with the
yellow passing into purple, they having always linear nectaries.
The Violets which are normally white derived from blue have always
lanceolate or rounded appendages. Mr. Forbes also pointed out the
relation of the nectary to the leaf, to the bractea or stipula, and
also to the stem. By considering these, along with the colour and
geographical distribution, he thought a very natural arrangement of
this extensive genus might be made, and which would greatly facili-
tate the distinction of species.

The next paper was upon the botanical characters of the British
Oaks, by Dr. Greville. The author stated that he had paid great
attention to the distinctive characters of the oaks for the last three
years, and his investigations had led him to believe that the usual
specific distinctions were not correct. Thus he found that the
Quercus sessilifiora in one situation might have a very short flower-
stalk, and in another a very long one ; and the same was the case

158 Wernerian Natural History Society of Edinburgh.

with other species, so that the distinction here indicated by the
name is incorrect. The difference between Quercus Robnr and
sessiliflora could not be ascertained by the botanical characters,
but it was well known that a great difference existed between the
wood of these two species. The former was called the white oak,
and the latter the red, and in some districts the white was consi-
dered of double the value of the red as a timber. He offered these
observations merely to draw the attention of botanists to this genus,
and to endeavour to find some new characters by which they might
be distinguished. It was of great value to this country that the best
oak should always be planted, and he hoped that some characters
would be ascertained by which to distinguish them. Dr. Greville
had not examined specimens from any district south of Cumber-
land and Westmoreland. The terms "red and white oak" have
been applied evidently by various authors, sometimes to one, some-
times to the other; and the redness described by some writers is
evidently a disease, not a specific difference, in the timber. The
whole subject requires a careful and strict examination.

Communications were also read from Mr. George Gardner, dated
Rio de Janeiro, December 3rJ, 1840.- with some account of his re-
cent collections in Brazil ; and a notice of Lecanora rubra (of which
specimens were presented), found near Richmond, Yorkshire, by Mr.
James Ward.

Thursday being the night of the anniversary, a large number of
the members and their friends sat down to supper in the Hopetoun
Rooms, Professor Graham in the chair, and Dr. Neill acting as
croupier for Dr. Christison, who was absent from indisposition.

WERNERIAN NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY OF EDINBURGH.

At the meeting of this Society, held on the 20th ult.. Professor
Traill read a Memoir of the Life and Writings of the Rev. George
Low, minister of Birsay, in Orkney, author of * Fauna Orcadensis,'
and the friend and correspondent of Sir Joseph Banks and Mr.
Pennant. This memoir will appear in the next part of the Society's
Transactions.

At the same meeting, Mr. Goodsir described a new species of
Gymnorhynchus, and exhibited specimens and drawings of the
animal. The most interesting circumstance in the history of this
Entozoon is the manner in which it is enclosed in a firm cyst, al-
though armed with powerful toothed jaws.

At the meeting held on the 6th of March, a paper was read by Mr.
Torrie, on the recent 'Travels in Turkey' of Dr. Boue, the geologist ;
in which a summary was given of the observations and discoveries
made by him during the last four years in the geography, geology,
botany and zoology of the more remote portions of that compara-
tively little-known country.

At the same meeting, a communication was read by the Secretary
from Professor Fleming, of King's College, Aberdeen, on a new
species of the Ray family, or Skate tribe, discovered by him last
summer on the coast of Aberdeen, and which he proposes to place

Meteorological Observations, 159

under a new generic title by the name of Cheiroptera ahredonensis.
Illustrative drawings of the fish were exhibited. This skate was
taken in July last, and was about eighteen inches in length. From
the drawings it appeared to belong to the genus Cephaloptera ; but
we hope the Professor will lose no time in publishing a figure and
description of this interesting fish.

MISCELLANEOUS.

Mr. Gray's ' Genera of Birds.' — In my review of Mr. Gray's work
I accidentally omitted to state that the various errors in the ortho-
graphy of the generic names there pointed out are not attributable
to Mr. Gray, but to the respective authors from whose works he
adopted those names. — H. E. Strickland.

Birds of Kent. — Our correspondent Mr. Stephen Mummery, of
Bath road, Margate, informs us of the capture in a wood near Can-
terbury of a species of Cuckoo, of which he hus sent a description,
which we must examine more at leisure. He is engaged in pre-
paring a list of birds found in Kent, arranged under heads, as Resi-
dents, Periodical Visitants and Stragglers, with their times of arrival
and departure, and places where found.

METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS FOR FEB. 1841.

Chiswick. — Feb. 1. Snowing. 2. Snow-showers. 3. Frosty : dry and cold :
very severe frost at night. 4. Frosty : overcast. 5. Dry cold haze : windy at
night. 6. Boisterous. 7. Boisterous: hazy and cold. 8 — 11. Hazy and cold.
12. Dense fog : very fine : rain. 13. Overcast : rain. 14. Rain: cloudy. 15.
Cloudy : slight rain. 16, 17, Hazy. 18. Fine. 19. Rain: cloudy and fine.
20. Cloudy and fine: rain. 21. Overcast and fine. 22. Dense fog. 23. Hazy :
rain. 24. Hazy and cold. 25. Cloudy and cold : rain. 26. Rain. 27. Cloudy:
rain. 28. Very clear : cloudy and fine.

Boston. — Feb. 1. Cloudy: snow a.m. and p.m. 2. Fine: snow early a.m. :
snow P.M. 3. Cloudy : snow early a.m. and p.m. 4, 5. Cloudy. 6, 7. Stormy.
8. Cloudy: snow p.m. 9, 10. Cloudy. 11 — 13. Cloudy : rain p.m. 14. Cloudy.
15. Cloudy: rain p.m. 16. Cloudy. 17. Rain. LS, 19. Cloudy. 20,21.
Fine. 22,23. Foggy. 24. Rain. 25. Cloudy : rain p.m. 26. Rain: rain p.m.
27. Rain. 28. Fine.

Applegarth Manser Dumfries-shire. — Feb. 1, 2. Sprinkling of snow : frost p.m.
3. Snow-showers : frost. 4. Frost : fair but cloudy. 5. Frost : sprinkling of
snow. 6. Frost: occasional snow-showers. 7. Frost: severe and cold. 8, 9.
Frost: cold and withering. 10. Frost, but giving way. 11. Thaw and heavy
rain : sleet. 12. Fog: rain: fine thaw. 13. Rain all day. 14. Rain in the
evening ; mild. \5. Rain all day. 16,17. Fair but cloudy. 18. Wet all day.
19. Clear and cold. 20. Fine. 21, 22. Fine, but cloudy. 23. Rain a.m :
moist p.m. 24. Clear and cold. 25. Cloudy and threatening rain. 26. Cloudy
with high wind. 27. Frost in the morning. 28. Frost in the morning with
snow on the hills.

Sun shone out 19 days. Rain fell 8 days. Frost 1 1 days. Snow 6 days.

Wind north 1 day. North-east 8 days. East north-east 2 days. East 2 days.
East-south-east 1 day. South-east 4 days. South 4 days. South-west 2 days.
West 1 day. North-west 1 day. North-north-west 2 days.

Calm 6 days. Moderate 11 days. Brisk 4 days. Strong breeze 4 days.
Boisterous 3 days.

Mean temperature of the month 36°*50

Mean temperature of February 1840 36 "78

Mean temperature of spring -water 42 -60

Mean temperature of spring- water, Feb. 1840 44 '16

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THE ANNALS

AND

MAGAZINE OF NATURAL HISTORY,

No. 43. MAY 1841.

XIX. — On the Alteration which the Atmosphere undergoes

during the Development of Heat in the Spadix q/Colocasia

odora. By Professors G. Vrolik and W. H. De Vbiese.

[Communicated by the Authors.] •

Having communicated last year to the first class of the Royal

Institute of the Netherlands our experiments regarding the

influence of the spadix of Colocasia odora on the surrounding

atmosphere, we have, in repeating the experiments, constantly

obtained the same results with the flowers of this species.

Thus convinced that our researches have risen in scientific

value, we now subjoin the final result of them.

We used for this experiment the apparatus already de-
scribed and delineated*, but we did not employ water for
closing the gas jar, but mercury, as was also the case with
the experiments communicated last year.

We placed the flowers in this apparatus, having previously
cut away the greatest part of the spatha, and having varnished
the remaining part in such a manner that all evaporation or
absorption was prevented, and the green surface could not
thus exercise any influence.

We determined the degree of heat in the usual way, but we
have not kept our notes on this as fully as before ; it not
being now so much the object to make this known, as to con-
sider the development of heat, in connexion wdth the alter-
ation, which, during it, the atmosphere undergoes. For the
same reason no account has been given of all the experiments
which we have made.

July 9th, 1839. — Experiment with a plant planted in the
open ground in a hot- house. An idea can scarcely be formed
of the vigorous development of the plant treated in this way.
Most of the leaves had a petiole of 1*60 Dutch ell (metre) in
length. From the union of the petiole with the stem to the
apex of the middle nerve, the length was 0*66— 0*80 D. ell ;

♦ Tijdschrift voor Nat. Gesch. en Phys. Deel V., p. Ki9, pi. V. — Ann. des
Sc. Nat., 2nde Ser., Fevr. 1839.

Ann, ^ Mag, N, Hist, Vol, vii. M

162 MM. Vrolik and De Vriese on the Alteration

the breadth at the longest diameter was 0*68. The spadix
was nearly as large again as usual.

We must avail ourselves of this opportunity to observe,
that we have already (in 1835) declared our opinion regard-
ing the identity of Colocasia odora with Arunfi cordifolium,
briefly described by Bory de St. Vincent*. This learned gen-
tleman has confirmed in every respect the opinion which we
gave in 1835, in our first treatise on the elevated temperature
of Colocasia odora. Our opinions on that subject were fully
given in the French translation of the treatise, which was
sent to the Editors of the ^ Annales des Sciences Naturelles.'
If thus une faute d' erudition hotanique has taken place, by
whomever it may have been, it has not been committed by usf.
In Froriep's ' Notizen^ of 1836, our treatise was inserted from
the ^Tijdschrift voor Natuurlijke Geschiedenis ;' and there
also the conviction may be obtained, that we had not from
the beginning any doubt of the identity of Colocasia odora
with Arum cordifolium. Perhaps at some future period we
shall revert to this subject.

After this short digression, we now subjoin the table of our
observations on the 9th of July, 1839: —

Hour of Observation.
A.M. 9f

Temperature of the

18° C. .

Spadix.

Temperature of Gas Jar,

18° C.

11

21

181

lU

2

HI

P.M. 12J ..

2U .

5

22

n

ii

24

234 .

23 J .

18

3

22

21

4

On that day the development of heat gradually decreased,
and even on the following day at noon it was scarcely observ-
able for half an hour. The air in the jar was then chemically
analysed ; oxygen was not found in it, but it was proved that
this gas had been replaced by carbonic acid gas.

It is a most remarkable phaenomenon, that while the increase
of heat had generally been observable for three days, it now
nearly ceased on the first day. In our opinion, the disappear-

* Voyage dans lesquatres grandes ilesde la mer d'Afiique, fait en 1802,
II. Paris, 1804, p. 66.

t Vid. I'Institut, Mai 30, 1839, No. 283, p. 184; Sept. 5, 1839, No. 297,
p. 312.

produced in the Atmosphere by Colocasia odora. 163

ance of oxygen, and its being replaced by carbonic acid gas, was
the cause of this ; the quantity of oxygen gas in the jar being
once absorbed, the development of heat, losing the stimulus
which is indispensably requisite for its existence, must neces-
sarily discontinue.

Judging that by this experiment we have nearly arrived at
the right explanation, we think that our former experiments,
especially the one of 1838*, concerning the influence of ni-
trogen on the spadix of the species here alluded to, must be
brought into connexion with it. There was then no develop-
ment of heat whatever, the oxygen gas being wanting ; here
it had entirely ceased after a few hours, because all the oxygen
gas was absorbed from the atmosphere. On considering this
phaenomenon, the question readily presents itself, — does the
oxygen liberating caloric combine with the carbon contained in
the plant to form carbonic acid, and is thus the development
of heat, combustion ? We are inclined to think so ; for when
the development of heat has reached its maximum, which is
the case in the middle of the day, then also the alteration which
the enclosed air undergoes is greatest, as was proved by an
experiment we purposely made on the 27th of last June.
With this view, we placed at that time in the apparatus, in
which a spadix was enclosed, some potash, in order to ab-
sorb the carbonic acid in the same ratio in which it was pro-
duced. During the time the absorption was taking place, we
saw the mercury rise several inches within the space of one
hour.

As yet we had made these experiments with the same sort
of thermometer we had previously used ; but we wished to re-
peat them with a thermo-electrical apparatus : for this pur-
pose we procured one of M. Becker, philosophical instrument
maker in Groningen, who last year, after the flowering of our
Colocasias, constructed a most excellent and delicate instru-
,ment of this description, with the physiological needles of
Becquerel appended to it.

On making these and other experiments, we found, that al-
though the increase of temperature was not quite impercep-
tible on the second day, yet it was too trifling to attach any
particular value to it. On this ground we think we may state,
that on the first day all the oxygen gas had not been com-
pletely absorbed.

The experiments with the thermo-electrical apparatus, and
also all the former ones, were taken in a room of nearly an
equal temperature. Either in the dark or in the light the

* Vid. Tijdsclir. voor Nat. Gesch. en Physiologie, Deel V., p. 222.

.M 2

164 Mr. G. C. Hyndman on the Occurrence of

results presented scarcely any remarkable difference. The
physiological needle was stuck in the spadix to the depth of
one millimetre, which for this purpose was introduced through
a copper ball fixed at an opening made in the jar^ and move-
able in all directions ; which apparatus was made with the
utmost accuracy by M. E. Wenkebach, philosophical instru-
ment maker at Amsterdam.

The analysis of the atmosphere produced the same results
as in the former experiments, viz. the replacing of oxygen gas
by carbonic acid gas.

As soon as an opportunity presents itself for the repetition
of these experiments, we shall endeavour to maintain the usual
proportion of the gases from the atmosphere in the jar, by sup-
plying oxygen gas in the same ratio as it will be found to be
absorbed from the enclosed air, and by removing the newly-
formed carbonic acid gas.

We do not doubt, that by this mode of proceeding, the ele-
vation of temperature in the spadix of Colocasia odor a can be
kept up the second and third day, and perhaps even to a
longer period.

Amsterdam, August 13th, 1840.

XX. — Note on the Occurrence of the Genus Diphya on the
Coast of Ireland. By G. C. Hyndman, Esq., Member of
the Natural History Society of Belfast.

Whilst dredging in Belfast Bay on the 6th October, 1838,
I had the pleasure of taking in a small towing-net, along with
a number of Beroes, a specimen of the remarkable genus
Diphya, Cuv., the occurrence of which in the British seas is
hitherto unrecorded.

With Cuvier's definition of the genus the specimen exactly
agreed, as it did with that of Blainville, except that there were^
no teeth round the aperture of the swimming cavity, as de-
scribed by the latter author. This appearance instead arose
from the extension of the acute ridges by which the body of
the animal is formed, and which is indeed shown by the
figures in PI. V. of his ^ Actinologie.^ Referring for the spe-
cies to this work, to Eschscholtz^s ' System der Acalephen,'
to Comte^s and to Guerin^s ^ Illustrations of Cuvier's Regne
Animal,' and to Jones's ^ Outlines of the Animal Kingdom,'
the only works in which I have had the opportunity of seeing
the genus represented, 1 find that my specimen differs in
species from all in its more elongated form ; I should therefore
propose to name it

the Genus Diphya off Ireland, 165

DiPHYA ELONGATA.

Spec, Char, Both portions of similar form and nearly equal
size ; the swimming cavity of each likewise similar, and,
as well as the nutritive organ, extending the whole length
of the body.

The animal or animals when first taken were united, as
shown in the sketch, the whole body being of a most beau-
tiful transparency ; so much so, that it was extremely difficult
to distinguish it in the clear sea-water. The only coloured
part was the long tentacular appendage, which w^as of a light
reddish colour, and only to be seen in the larger individual.
The motion of the Diphya through the water was caused by
the contraction of an elongated cavity having an open round
aperture fringed with what had the appearance of a soft mem-
brane without any ciliae, by which contraction the animal was
rapidly propelled through the water with the pointed end
foremost in a series of jerks, agreeing with the motion attri-
buted to the genus by Eschscholtz. At other times, when lying
undisturbed, there was no appearance of animation except a
very slight movement of the tentacula, nor was the circula-
tion perceptible under a strong lens ; but on examination
under a powerful microscope, a circulation was discovered
commencing in the canal which originates at the base of the
tentacular appendage, and continuing throughout the nutritive
organ.

In removing the Diphya for examination in the microscope
the two bodies separated, when each appeared quite a distinct
animal, capable of precisely similar motions ; the only differ-
ence between them being, that the smaller one was destitute
of the tentacular appendage, and the pointed end was fur-
nished with a lamina, as in sketch.

Of the nature of the connexion between the two indivi-
duals, or of the functions of the tentacular appendage, I was
unable to satisfy myself during the short period allowed me
for their examination ; the smaller one having died the day
after its separation, and the larger one having remained in a
languid state, with its tentacula contracted, until the third day
after its capture, before which time I had not the means of
examining it under a good microscope.

I have delayed this communication so long in the hope of
being able to procure further specimens, but as yet I have
been unsuccessful ; although the probability is, that the ani-
mal may not unfrequently be met with on this coast, as Mr.
Thompson lately pointed out to me a dried specimen of an-
other individual of the same species, which I had picked up

166 Meyen's Report for 1839 on Physiological Botany.

on the coast near the Giant^s Causeway in July 18373 and
not being able to determine, had handed over for his investi-
gation.

Fig.l.

Fig. 2.

^m^'

Fig. 3.

Fig. 1. A highly magnified view of the base of the tentacular appendage
and part of the nutritive organ, b, h. Groups of opake particles in
motion at these places, the circulation going on throughout the divisions
of the oblong vessel c.

Fig. 2. The two animals united, as first taken.

Fig. 3. The larger individual with the tentacular appendage.

Fig. 4. The smaller individual.

When viewed under a lens, the ridges of the body are seen to be serrated
along the edge.

XXI. — 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. vi. p. 429.]

M. Unger, in a treatise on the organs of fructification of
Riccia glauca-\, has made a few but very important remarks
on the present question concerning the sexuality of Phanero-

* Translated from the German, and communicated by Henry Croft, Esq.
t Linnaea von 1839, pp. 15-17.

Meyen's Report for 1839 on Physiological Botany. 167

gamous plants. His researches on the stigma are by no
means favourable to the theory of M. Endlicher, according
to which the moisture of the stigma is the fertilizing sub-
stance; and he moreover states, that there is just as little
foundation for the theory of M. Schleiden, according to
which the embryo-sac effects the fertilization. M. Unger
gives the question quite another direction, and one which, as
he believes, corresponds better with the nature of the sub-
ject. He says : What important objection could be made to
the supposition, that the pollen grains, when they arrive on
the stigma, are already fecundated ? Does not analogy lead
us to suppose that their formation is a work of fertilization ?
In this case, the male organs of plants must be sought in the
anthers or the neighbouring parts, etc. M. Bernhardi^
has expressed new doubts concerning the general idea, that
the formation of the seed, in Phanerogamic plants, depends
solely and alone upon sexual contact ; he brings forward
observations which are unfavourable both to the old and the
new theory of fecundation. Bernhardi calls the followers of
the old theory the Animalculists, and those of the new, who
seek the germ of the future plant in the contents of the
pollen, the Pollenists. Against the doctrines of the Pollen-
ists he brings forward the observations of Gaertner, namely,
that many seed-bearing hybrids, by being continually grown
from seeds, return into the primitive form ; for this can-
not be otherwise explained than by the assumption that in
this case the female parent had a greater share in the for-
mation of the embryo than the male. The only means of
escape left for the Pollenists, is to ask whether these observa-
tions are quite correct or not. The most important part of
M. Bernhardi's work, however, treats of the observations,
according to which seeds perfectly capable of germinating
have been formed in the ovaries of several plants without
previous contact wdth pollen ; in this case, therefore, the
female alone was sufficient for the formation of the seeds :
the observations of different botanists are here mentioned, and
moreover, in order to render such a production less incredi-
ble, many statements — according to which animals, as insects,
salamanders, etc., have produced young without previous
fecundation — are brought forward. The numerous experi-
ments which M. Bernhardi has made with all possible care
with the hemp plants, and their results, are circumstantially
described. In April 1811 he sowed thirty seeds, and ob-
tained twenty-one plants, nine male, twelve female. From

* Ueber Biltlung von Saumen ohne vorhergegangne Befruchtung. —
Oito's und Dietrich's Allgemeine Gartenzeitung 1839, No. 41, 42.

168 Meyen's Report for 1839 on Physiological Botany,

two female plants which were allowed to stand he obtained
twenty-eight seeds, which, sowed in 1812, produced twenty
plants, ten male and ten female. Two of these females pro-
duced twenty seeds, and from these were obtained, in 1813,
fifteen plants, eight male, seven female. From these, thirty
seeds were produced, which gave, in 1814, nineteen plants,
twelve male, seven female; and thirty-two seeds from these pro-
duced, in 1815, twenty- one plants, sixteen male, five female ;
only two of these females were allowed to stand, from which
were obtained twenty-five seeds, which produced, in 1816,
fifteen male and two female plants. In these experiments the
male plants were destroyed in a very early stage, w^hile they had
perfectly undeveloped anthers ; only two females were allowed
to remain, in order that it might be easier seen w^hether some
male flowers had not been produced between the female ones.
The most curious result of these observations is, the formation
of mature seeds without fecundation, for this could not be ob-
served ; and moreover it is very remarkable, that the propor-
tion of male plants to the female ones increased regularly :
the plants were cultivated on a rather poor soil. As far
as concerns the first result, I consider that it is by no means
proved by these new observations, that in the case of the hemp
plant, or other Phanerogams, seeds are produced wdthout
fecundation ; it may be asked whether these experiments are
perfectly correct. However, observations made by such
trustworthy men as M. Bernhardi cannot be put aside with-
out sufficient reasons, and it is therefore advisable that these
experiments be repeated next summer with all the care which
such a subject requires. I have observed the formation of
pollen in such very unusual places in other plants, that some-
thing similar might perhaps be supposed to take place in the
cases above mentioned.

Mr. J. Smith* made a communication to the Linnaean
Society concerning a new plant from New Holland, which
had been sent to England by Cunningham in 1 829, and had
flow^ered every year in the garden at Kew, and borne ripe
fruits, although the flowers were all females ; no trace of
polliniferous organs could be seen. The plant forms a new
genus of the Euphorbiaceae.

I have also been obliged to publish a small workf, in which
are discussed the phaenomena I have observed during the

« Annals of Natural History, September 1839, p. 68.

t Meyeii, Noch einige Worte iiber den Befrucbtnngsakt nnd die Poly-
einbryonie bei den boheren Pflanzen. Mit 2 Steintafeln in quarto, Berlin,
1840. — [A translation of tbis work will appear in tbe forthcoming Part of
Taylor's Scientific Memoirs.T-^Eo.]

Meyen's Report for 1839 on Physiological Botany, 169

actual fecundation, namely, on the conjunction of the pollen-
tube with the embryo-sac, and at the entrance of the pollen-
tube into the cavity of the nucleus. The greater part of these
observations is already published in the third part of my
^ Physiology/ but here all the facts vrhich have reference to
this subject are arranged together, and indeed more clearly
than at first, for many points have become more evident to
me by continued observation. An eminent physiologist has
stated, that it appeared from my experiments that the embryo
w^as produced by the injection of the fovilla, or fertilizing
substance of the pollen-tube, into the embryo-sac, but 1
never had such a view of the act of fecundation of plants ;
and in the above-mentioned treatise the meaning of the
observations is explained more clearly. In some species of
Mesembryanthemum I have been able to observe the union
of the pollen-tube with the embryo-sac much more accurately
than before, particularly the curious lateral junction of the
apex of the pollen-tube with the side of the summit of the
embryo-sac in the case of M. pomeridianum.

In consequence of this junction, in which the act of fecun-
dation consists, there is formed at the summit of the embiyo-
sac, directly under the point of junction, a little bladder, the
so-called germinal vesicle (Keimblaschen), from which the
suspensor and the embryo-bladder are produced, which is
described and delineated. I never saw a larger embryo-sac
than in this Mesembryanthemum, in which the ovulum is
half curved, and is twisted back by a bend in the umbilical
cord. In the case of M, linguceforme, the junction of the
pollen-tube with the embryo-sac takes place exactly at the
extremity ; and after the germ-bladder is formed, the end of
the pollen-tube enlarges considerably, and remains so for a
very long time ; while in perfectly similar species the pollen-
tube disappears directly after fertilization, etc.

M. Decaisne* has laid before the Academy of Paris a very
interesting research on the development and structure of the
flowers of Viscum album, and MM. Mirbel, Jussieu, and Ad.
Brongniart have given a report of the results, of which we
can here mention only the most important.

The cells of the anthers and of the calyx-leaves, with
which the former are grown together, do not exhibit in their
form any difference, except that the latter are filled with a
green substance, whereas the former are colourless. Five

* Devclopeinent du pollen clans le Oui ; changemens que pr^sentent ses
ovules ct ceux du Thesiuni. — Coniptes Rcndus do 1839, 11 Fevrier, p. 201.
— [Translated in the Annals of Natural History for May 1841, p. 185. — Ed.]

170 Meyen's Report for 1839 on Physiological Botany.

months before blossoming the cellular tissue of the anthers is
uniform, and is divided into small cavities with green sides
or walls. These cavities increase, and their cellular contents
vanish in order to make room for other cells of large size,
which are called " les utricules polliniques " (so-called pri-
mitive or mother-cells, Mutterzellen), and for one or two
nuclei mixed with an infinite number of very small globules ;
the nuclei are the commencement of the pollen-grains ;
these '^ utricules '^ thicken, become opake, and exhibit con-
centric, more or less regular, layers in their circumference ;
and finally in each tube (Mutterzelle ! M.) there are enclosed
four yellowish nuclei, which are more or less rounded, and
have in the centre a bright spot. Afterwards, the substance
which caused the thickening of the " utricules polliniques "
deposits itself between each of the four nuclei which wei*e
contained therein, and produces cavities having the form of
the nuclei (this is the formation of the special primitive cells,
Specialmutterzellen,M.) ; and finally this substance disappears,
and the pollen-grains are found lying free in the cavity of
the anther. In this matured state they exhibit small papillae
on their surface ; and when the nucleus which they previously
contained has disappeared, an inner membrane is also to be
seen. The anthers of Viscum album do not possess those
retiform cells which are seen in so many other plants.

From the first appearance of the flower, the ovarium, as
well as the anthers, coheres with the calyx, and it consists
of a green, uniform, cellular mass, in which no cavities
are to be distinguished. Some time after the blossoming
one observes two small holes, which are formed in the cir-
cumference of the ovarium, and in the centre of the cellular
tissue. After fertilization these cavities increase, and on
their junction they represent the cavity of the endocarpium.
In Paris the Misseltoe blossoms in March or April, and the
ovulum appears at the end of May or in the beginning of
June. About this time it makes its appearance as a pulpy
wart, fastened to the base of the endocarpium ; it is gene-
rally accompanied by two fine filaments, which are the rudi-
ments of two abortive ovula.

■ As no ovulum-tunics (eyhiillen) were observed, M. De-
caisne concludes that the ovulum is here in its simplest form,
and consists solely of a nucleus ; but from observations I
have made, it is evident that the embryo-sac, with the con-
tained albuminous body and the embryo, were mistaken for
the naked ovulum or simple nucleus : the following state-
ments are therefore to be corrected ; the proofs of the above
will appear hereafter in a research by myself. The report

Meyen's Report for 1 839 on Phijsiologkal Botany, 171

proceeds thus : When the seeds of Viscum contain more than
one embryo, it is to be explained by the development or co-
hesion of two ovula, of which one is generally abortive, etc.
The green vascular covering which is seen on the ripe seed,
constitutes, according to M. Decaisne, a part of the fruit, and
is the endocarp. This will however be seen to be incorrect.

M. Schleiden* has published some remarks on the flowers
of the Loranthaceae, and particularly of Viscum album ; he
draws attention to the fact that this form of flower is proba-
bly the simplest w^hich can exist, for it consists of two pairs
of leaves placed in a circle, which in the male flowers are
metamorphosed into anthers, and in the females have more
the nature of a calyx. Between these sits the straight, naked
nucleus, and the embryo-sac is said to be formed in the pith
of the stalk (pedunculus). The grains of pollen appear on
the top of the nucleus, enter into it several together, and
thus produce the Polyembryony. M. Schleiden considers
the berry to be the pedunculus, which has become succulent,
and whose tissue is metamorphosed into that harder and
firmer kind which forms the skins of the seeds. The regu-
lar form of the anthers of Viscum album is usually bilocular
and four-celled, but each cell is divided into several compart-
ments by partitions, and regular anthers seldom occur on
account of monstrosity. In Viscum verticillatum the spike
consists of three pairs of bracts ; the upper pair has only one
flower, and each of the others three, which afterwards form
a " Verticil lus spurius," while the end flower is wanting. In
Loranthus the point of the naked nucleus is lengthened so as
to assume the appearance of a style. At the end M. Schleidan
observes, that the Loranthaceae, in a parasitic form, represent
the intervening step between the Coniferae and the higher
families.

I have also published some observations on the formation
of the seeds of Viscum albumf. The Polyembryony so often
observed in the seeds of this plant is caused by the appear-
ance of several embryo-sacs together, only one of which,
however, usually becomes fully developed, while the others
are abortive ; I could not observe anything confirmatory of
the statement of M. Decaisne, viz. that the embryo in this
plant consists of several single embryos grown together. It
is by no means seldom that several embryo-sacs contained
in the same nucleus are fertilized, but six or eight weeks
afterwards only one of them comes to perfect development ;

* Botanische Notizen. In Wiegmann's Archiv, etc. v. 1839, i. 211-214.
t Noch einige Worte, etc. etc., pp. 39-50.

172 Meyen's Report for 1839 on Phtjsiological Botany,

and therefore the doubling or trebling of the radicular end
of the embryo of Viscum cannot be explained as owing to
the cohesion of several embryos.

The structure of the female flower of Viscum is very simple ;
it consists of a single bottle-shaped nucleus, which is sur-
rounded by a calyx-like organ, from which, at a later period,
the white fleshy and gummy matter is produced which en-
closes the seeds and represents the pericarpium. In this
calyx are inserted the leaves which may be held for petals ; in
the male flowers they are metamorphosed into anthers. In
Viscum the nucleus is always situated on the apex of the
principal or collateral axis ; the end of it receives the pollen,
and therefore takes the place of the micropyle ; but in the base
of the nucleus is formed the embryo-sac, which grows up-
wards into the cavity which has been formed in the nucleus ;
and therefore the embryo-sac is not developed in the point of
the stalk, as M. Schleiden has stated, but just as usual, in the
interior of the nucleus. I could never observe the fecunda-
tion by means of pollen-tubes ; but directly after fecundation
the embryo-sac becomes divided by means of partitions into
a number of large cells, in which, at a later period, the albu-
minous body is formed. The embryo remains four or five
weeks in the first stage of development in form of a small
vesicle in the top cell of the embryo-sac, and when almost
all the cells have produced albumen, it increases with great
rapidity, and breaks through all the partitions of the embryo-
sac from the top downwards. A series of drawings is an-
nexed to the Memoir, and will give the requisite explana-
tion.

Towards the end of the year I was fortunate enough to find
a specimen of misseltoe which had two embryos in almost
every one of the numerous seeds, which germinated very well
when laid on the moist window-frame. There were the same
number of rootlets as of perfect embryos in the seed, and the
embryos were generally a little conjoined at their cotyledon
end, but a complete cohesion never took place. The curious
position which the embryos in the misseltoe seeds assume
when there are several together, may be explained by the
growing together of the albuminous bodies and by their pe-
culiar form. Each embryo is formed in the axis of its own
albuminous body, which at the micropyle end becomes ten or
fifteen times thicker than at the lower end; and therefore,
when their edges grow together, their axes must form an
angle with each other, which varies from 40° to 60°.

I have also made some remarks on the different circum-
stances under which Polyembryony appears.

Meyen's Report for 1839 on Physiological Botany, 173

^ M. Horkel* read a treatise in the Academy of Sciences of
Berlin concerning the Polyembryony of the Coniferae; his
own researches on this subject agreed perfectly with those of
Robert Brown. In 1819 he had observed the small cavities
which appear in the end of the albumen oi Abies excelsa ; and
in the seed of Pinus Cembra he observed, together with the
embryo, two abortive rudiments. In Abies excelsa M. Horkel
observed the rudiments of the ovula assume that form in
which Robert Brown has called them '^ Funiculi ;^^ they lay
in the middle of the great cavities of the albumen, ])arallel to
each other, generally three together, seldom four ; but M.
Schleiden has observed six rudiments in Pinus echinata,^ In
Taxus baccata M. H. never saw fewer than two rudiments,
but generally three ; but sometimes there is only one cavity in
the apex of the albumen. In the Cupressineae M. Horkel
always found only one cavity for the formation of the embryo,
lying in the axis of the albumen, but always two or four pollen-
tubes entered the cavity ; the Polyembryony of these plants
may therefore be ranked with that of Citrus ; it is, how^ever,
not so accidental, but belongs more to their nature.

M. Decaisnet has published some interesting researches on
the structure and fecundation of the ovulum of " Thesium,^^
which confirm the opinion I gave of Griffiths's description of
the structure of the seeds of Santalum album (former Report,
p. 33). A short time after fecundation has taken place a tube
(Schlauch) is seen to proceed out of the ovulum ; this tube
connects itself with another very fine one which descends
into the cavity of the ovulum from above. After the combi-
nation of these tw^o has taken place, the tube swells and as-
sumes the form of a bladder, the lower part becomes filled
with cells. This tube is the embryo-sac, in the top part of
which the embryo is formed in shape of a small round bladder ;
and what is most remarkable is, that it is quite naked, and
therefore lies outside the nucleus (we have already shown that
this is also the case with Leguminosae, where however the
embryo-sac is enclosed in tunics (Eyhiillen, M.)) ; and that
the seed is also naked, only covered by the thin membrane
of the embryo-sac. During this formation of the embryo
one observes that a simple tube is formed, which is digitate
at the bottom and swollen at the apex ; the column pierces
this bag, in the centre of which it is enclosed, towards the
point of insertion of the impregnated ovulum, and places

» Berichte iiber die Verhandlungen der Academie der Wissenschaften zu
Berlin, aus dem Jahre 1839, p. 92.

t De Tovule du Thesiuni.— Compt. Rend. 1839, No. 0, p. 203.

174 Meyen^s Report for 1839 oh Physiological Botany.

itself with its swollen end (in the form of a retort) over one
of the apices of the sac of the neighbouring embryo. M. De-
caisne considers this peculiar tube to be a nutritive vessel,
which replaces at the same time the chalaza ; and I myself
believe (although 1 have not examined the subject) that this
tube is either directly produced out of the end of the pollen-
tube, as in the case of Mesembryanthemum linguarforme, or
that it is a peculiar formation of the embryo-supporter, as in
Ceratophyllum, etc.

M. Emil Kratzmann*, in his inaugural dissertation, has
treated of the seeds of plants ; and although he remarks in the
introduction, that his work is only a compilation and does not
pretend to originality, still I cannot but recommend this care-
fully compiled and complete paper to all those who have not
access to the larger botanical w^orks. The treatise is divided
into five parts ; namely, of the praeformation-stadium of the
seed, of its production and formation, its evolution (ripening),
then of the structure of the rip& seed, etc., and lastly of the
circumstances under which the germination of the seed takes
place.

M. Adrien de Jussieuf has published a very interesting
research on the embryos of the Monocotyledons : after an hi-
storical introduction he gives the general characters of the mo-
nocotyledonous embryos, and then proceeds to the enumera-
tion of the peculiarities exhibited by the embryos of the differ-
ent genera. The most common form of the monocotyledonous
embryo is either that of a cylinder with rounded ends, or
of a more or less lengthened ellipsoid. Sometimes the coty-
ledon end is broader ; sometimes, and indeed more frequently,
the radicular end is enlarged ; often the small blunt point on
the radicular end, at which the suspensor terminates, remains,
but before the ripening of the embryo it always projects.
The position of the bud (Knospchen) is determined by that
of the rootlet ; it appears as a small prominence at one side
of the circumference ; this projection is seen in the cotyledonar
fissure. In rare cases this cleft is opened its whole length, and
its sides allow the first leaflets of the bud to be visible through-
out their whole length, as in the case of Ouvirandra, In other
cases the sides of the clefts touch in the middle, and separate
both upwards and downwards ; and in this case the apex of

* Die Lehre vom Saamen der Pflanzen. Mit 4 lithographeiten Tafeln.
Prag. 1839. 8.

f Sur les Embryons monocotyledoncs. — Lu a I'Academie des Sciences
dans le seance du 1 Juillet 1839 ; Ann. des Sciences Naturelles, Part. Bot.
1839, i. 341—361.

Meyen's Report for 1839 on Physiological Botany. 175

the blossom comes out through one of the openings (the up-
per one) 5 as in Aponogeton distachys, etc., or as in Sparganium
ramosuniy Commelina tuber osa, etc., where no trace of it is seen.
In most cases the sides of the cleft are connected the whole
length, and the cleft appears then as a line, which is either
straight or curved ; a transverse section then shows the posi-
tion of the edges of the cleft. All these cases are fully ex-
plained by a series of beautiful delineations. The little bud
appears in the form of a small wart at the bottom of a circular,
oval or lozenge-shaped frame (Einfassung) ; m Amaryllis carnea
the edges of the cleft are open only above, and the rest of
their length they are grown together. The cleft appears ho-
rizontal \Veratrum), and when the edges become lengthened
it acquires the appearance of a divided or even of a simple
ligula, according as the inner edges are more or less perfectly
connated. In Rajania hastata and Tamus communis the inner
edges remain free. Finally, says M. de Jussieu, the destruc-
tion of the continuity in the cotyledon end of the embryo can
sink to a mere point, as is very frequently the case in the
Gramineae and Cyperaceae, or this point may entirely escape
observation ; however, all these modifications are only different
degrees of the same organization. As one may draw a con-
clusion concerning the position of the bud from the position
of the cleft, one soon observes the relation existing between
the cotyledon and the radicle end ; the former is often much
larger than the latter.

M. de Jussieu then proceeds to the examination of Lind-
ley's theory, according to which the monocotyledonous embryo
may be considered as a dicotyledonous, from which one coty-
ledon has disappeared, and the other has wound itself round
the plumula and grown together at the edges. M. de Jussieu
brings forward a number of interesting observations in oppo-
sition to this theory, and arrives at the result that the mono-
cotyledonous embryo, as far as regards its cotyledon part, may
be perfectly compared to a bud. Finally, the variable forms
which the monocotyledonous embryos assume are considered ;
and the author concludes, that the stem of some monocotyle-
donous embryos has a disproportionate excrescence on one
side, which has to a certain extent the appearance of a cotyle-
don, and performs its functions, particularly in such cases
where the true cotyledon is imperfect, and reduced to the state
of a mere case or sheath. It is to be expected, that this sub-
ject, treated of by M. de Jussieu, will shortly receive its perfect
solution ; it is however a gigantic work to examine the genesis
of all the above-mentioned monocotyledonous embryos, par-
ticularly as it appears that the formation of the cotyledon is

176 Meyen^^ Report for 1839 on Physiological Botany.

different in various families. I here refer to what I have ob-
served of its formation in Mais,

In the Botanical Society of Edinburgh* Mr. Giraud read
a treatise on the structure and function of the pollen, from
which it appears that he has arrived at the same results as
have been published in the modern German works on this sub-
ject. In Crocus vernus Mr. Giraud saw three pollen tunics;
and on the surface of the pollen grains of Polemonium coeru-
leum he found small opake particles, which exhibited a pecu-
liar motion as soon as put into water. The grooves which are
found on some spherical and ellipsoidal pollen grains do not
appear to Mr. Giraud to be clefts in the outer membrane.
The chemical examination of pollen showed the presence of
potash in the pollen of Antirrhinum majus, as also of acicular
crystals of phosphate of lime, etc., etc. Mr. Giraud found also
that warmth assists the formation of the pollen-tubes.

In the ^Botanical Register^ t is a note on the appearance of
amylum on the surface of the pollen grains of Polemonium
coeruleum, the formation of which is derived from the primi-
tive cells (Mutterzellen). [The presence of amylum, if it be
really true, can only be considered as an exception to the rule
and as unimportant, for it is by no means general. — Meyen.']

At the meeting of Naturalists at Freiburg M. A. Braun J
made known his observations on the arrangement in the burst-
ing of the anthers; he proved that the order in which the an-
thers open agrees only in few cases with the genetic succes-
sion of the stamina, indeed is sometimes just the contrary;
but in most cases where a real succession takes place, it
stands in no relation to the genesis. From a great number of
observations M. Braun draws the following cases, in which
the order of the opening of the anthers appears : —

I. Simultaneous opening of all the anthers. II. Cyclous-
successive opening, and either in centripetal or centrifugal
succession. III. One after the other (gliederweisej successive
opening; this takes place, 1. in spiral succession, {a.) centri-
petal or progressive, {b.) centrifugal or regressive, (c.) from the
central region, passing either forwards or backwards, and {d.)
in a determinate spiral, etc., or, 2. the opening does not take
place in spiral succession. Here it passes regularly from one
side of the flower to the other, or in an apparently irregular
but still constant succession.

By a communication in M. MussehPs ^ Praktischem Woch-

♦ Annals of Natural History, April 1839, p. 127.

t 1839, p. 52. J Flora von 1839, p. 302.

Mr. T. C. Eyton's Notes on Birds. 177

enblatte des Neuesten und Wissenswurdigsten fur Landwirth-
schaft,' etc., 1839, No. 41, my attention was drawn to an ar-
ticle in M. Uiecke's Journal, on "Twofold Ennobling" of
fruit-trees. Under this name is understood the ennobling
of stems or twigs which have been produced from already
ennobled stocks, by which means the excellence of the fruit
is said to be greatly increased.

TrefFz is said to have made known several instances of this
" twofold ennobling '^ in the ' Taschenbuch fiir Natur- und
Gartenfreunde^ for 1803, from which it appeared that apple-
trees which had been twice ennobled were distinguished from
trees of the same kind by the excellence of their fruit. Cur-
rants and gooseberries gave excellent fruit after the first, but
more especially after the third and fourth ennobling. More
striking is the effect of such an ennobling in the case of the
apricot and quince : the apricot, which has a dry flesh, was
planted on a green Reineclaude ; the quince, which in its raw
state is not eatable, was put on an excellent autumnal bergamot
pear. TrefFz relates of the apricot, that the branch, on account
of its excessive luxuriance, only bore fruit in the fifth year ;
but one as juicy as the Reineclaude, of a more reddish yellow
colour and more delicate taste. The quince bore fruit in the
third year, which became ripe in the beginning of September,
and whose flesh, even in this first double ennobling, was much
more tender, and free from hard parts.

I hereby bring this subject forward, and hope that more ex-
periments may be instituted, and that those that have been
already made may become more generally known. The above
observations do not prove the usefulness of the double en-
nobling, but appear to prove that the nature of the graft is
changed by the subject ; for bad fruits were grafted on good
ones (which is not generally the case), and better fruit was
obtained.

[To be continued.]

XXll,— Notes on Birds, By T. C. Eyton, Esq., F.L.S., &c.

No. 2.

Bizeura lobata, Shaw.

Integuments very thick and strong. Tongue large, broad and
thick, with an appendage at the tip, such as is generally found in
Ducks ; a deep groove down the centre, and two others placed so
that their points meet towards the tip, and diverge as they continue
backwards, forming a chevron ; a lunate groove placed transversely
near the middle of the tongue ; the horus turned backwards. The
Ann. ^ Mag. N. Hist. Vol. vii. N

178 Mr. T. C. Ey ton's Notes on Birds,

whole length of the lateral margins furnished with feeble bristles
intermixed with a few small spines ; a little posterior to the centre
is a row of strong spines placed transversely. The region of the
glottis and upper part of the oesophagus are also studded with
spines.

Trachea of large and nearly uniform diameter throughout, slightly
contracted immediately above the inferior larynx ; rings forming it
large and strong, furnished with the usual sterno-tracheal muscles,
which are rather strong : a second pair branch from them to the
last ring of the trachea, between which and the upper ring of the
bronchise is stretched a membrane, which these muscles give the
bird the power of rendering tense : bronchiae of moderate length ;
lungs very large.

Esophagus smallest at the upper extremity and gradually ex-
panding to the proventriculus, where it is double the diameter of
the upper end : proventriculus scarcely perceptible : stomach of mo-
derate size ; the epithelium presents a hard and granulated appear-
ance ; a few fragments of shells mixed with pebbles were found in
the stomach.

The intestinal canal is of moderate size and length, and has its
exit from the stomach very near the cesophagus. The cseca are
long, largest and rounded at the extremities ; cloaca small ; liver
bilobed ; gall-bladder large.

ft. in.

Length of intestine, from stomach to cloaca 5 10

Length of caeca 0 6

Length of rectum 0 5

Length of stomach 0 2

Breadth of stomach 0 1^

Greatest diameter of oesophagus near the proventriculus 0 1
Least diameter of oesophagus at the upper extremity . . 0 0^

Skeleton very strong and heavy, particularly the bones of the
head. Sternum of moderate size, very convex on its lower surface ;
the posterior margin indented by two moderate-sized lateral fissures ;
the processes forming their exterior margins continued backwards
beyond the central portion of sternum, which has a slight indentation
opposite to the extremity of the keel. The keel shallow, not con-
tinued : the posterior margin of the sternum, the inferior edge
slightly arched, anterior edge scolloped ; the inferior extremity,
to which the os furcatum is attached, slightly produced forwards be-
yond the other portions of the sternum.

Coracoids of moderate length, strongly articulated with the ster-
num.

Os furcatum arched anteriorly, the rami much flattened trans-
versely.

Pelvis long, narrow, broadest posteriorly. Dorsal line nearly
straight. The posterior extremities of the os pubis turned abruptly
downwards from their junction with the ischium and bent slightly
towards each other. Obturator and ischiadic foramina very large
and oval, the former the longest and narrowest.

Notices of European Herbaria. 179

Ribs strong, broad, continued far backwards, seven true and three
false ; one false one placed anteriorly, the other two posteriorly.

Vertebrae short, strong, the lateral processes of the caudal ones
much lengthened.

Cer. 15. Dor. 6. Sac. 19 .? Caud. 9.

The three anterior sacral vertebrae have ribs attached ; the pos-
terior caudal one is pointed at the extremity*

Remarks. — The anatomy of the above bird, as might have been
expected from its external appearance, presents a strong resemblance
to the Toti-palmate division of Water-birds. The trachea is precisely
that of a Cormorant, and is also furnished with the same muscles of
voice.

The tongue and digestive organs resemble those of the sea- or
shell-feeding Ducks of the genera Clangula, Melanitta, and Nyroca,
I suspect, however, that they will be found to come more nearly to
Micropterus, King, than any other genus ; but there at present being
no published account of the anatomy of this bird, of course it is
merely conjecture.

The skeleton may be said generally to resemble the Cormorants
and Gannets, with the exception of the head, which approaches very
nearly in form to that of Clangula.

The posterior margin of the sternum resembles that of Sula ; but
in being much broader posteriorly than anteriorly, it resembles the
Fuligulince. The remainder of this bone resembles very closely that
of the Common Cormorant ; nearly the only distinction being, that
the anterior edge of the keel is not much produced forwards, as in
that bird, in which respect it agrees with Melanitta.

The pelvis, vidth the exception of its being rather broader poste-
riorly in proportion to its length, is precisely that of a Toti-palmate
bird.

The coracoids, in not being so long as among the Cormorants, the
OS furcatum, the wings and leg-bones, resemble in every particular
those of the Sea-ducks.

XXIII. — Notices of European Herbaria, particularly those
most interesting to the North American Botanist^,
[Concluded from p. 140.]
Besides the herbaria already mentioned, there are two others in
London of more recent formation, which possess the highest interest
as well to the general as to the American botanist, viz. that of Pro-
fessor Lindley, and of Mr. Bentham. Both comprise very complete
sets of the plants collected by Douglas in Oregon, California, and
the Rocky Mountains, as well as those raised from seeds or bulljs,
which he transmitted to England, of which a large portion have,
from time to time, been pubhshed by these authors. Mr. Bentham's
herbarium is, probably, the richest and most authentic collection in

* Communicated to Silliman's American Journal by the Author, Dr. Asa
Gray.

N2

180 Notices of European Herbaria.

the world for Labiatse, and is perhaps nearly unrivalled for Legumi-
nosse, Scrophularineae, and the other tribes to which he has devoted
especial attention : it is also particularly full and authentic in Euro-
pean plants. Professor Lindley's herbarium, which is very complete
in every department, is wholly unrivalled in Orchidaceous plants.
The genus-covers are made of strong and smooth hardware paper,
the names being written on a slip of white paper pasted on the lower
comer. This is an excellent plan, as covers of white paper in the
herbarium of an active botanist are apt to be soiled by frequent use.
The paper employed by Dr. Lindley is 1 8^ inches in length, and 1 l-J
inches wide, which, as he. has himself remarked, is rather larger than
is necessary, and much too expensive for general use.

The herbarium of Sir William J. Hooker, at Glasgow, is not only
the largest and most valuable collection in the world, in the posses-
sion of a private individual, but it also comprises the richest collec-
tion of North American plants in Europe. Here we find nearly
complete sets of the plants collected in the Arctic voyages of dis-
covery, the overland journeys of Franklin to the polar sea, the collec-
tions of Drummond and Douglas in the Rocky Mountains, Oregon,
and CaHfomia, as well as those of Professor Scouler, Mr. Tolmie,
Dr. Gairdner, and numerous officers of the Hudson's Bay Company,
from almost every part of the vast territory embraced in their opera-
tions, from one side of the continent to the other. By an active and
prolonged correspondence with nearly all the botanists and lovers of
plants in the United States and Canada, as well as by the collections
of travellers, this herbarium is rendered unusually rich in the botany
of this country ; while Drummond' s Texan collections, and many
contributions from Mr. Nuttall and others, very fully represent the
flora of our southern and western confines. That these valuable
materials have not been buried, nor suffered to accumulate to no
purpose or advantage to science, the pages of the * Flora Boreali-
Americana,' the * Botanical Magazine,' the * Botanical Miscellany,'
the ' Journal of Botany,' the ' Icones Plantarum,' and other works
of this industrious botanist, abundantly testify ; and no single herba-
rium will afford the student of North American botany such exten-
sive aid as that of Sir William Hooker.

The herbarium of Dr. Arnott of Arlary, although more especially
rich and authentic in East Indian plants, is also interesting to the
North American botanist, as well for the plants of the * Botany of
Captain Beechey's Voyage,' etc., published by Hooker and himself,
as the collections of Drummond and others, all of which have been
carefully studied by this sagacious botanist.

The most important botanical collection in Paris, and indeed per-
haps the largest in the world, is that of the Royal Museum, at the
Jardin des Plantes or Jardin du Roi. We cannot now devote even
a passing notice to the garden and magnificent new conservatories of
this noble institution, much less to the menagerie, the celebrated
museum of zoology and anatomy, or the cabinet of mineralogy, geo-
logy and fossil remains, which, newly arranged in a building recently
erected for its reception, has just been thrown open to the public.

Notices of European Herbaria. 181

The botanical collections occupy a portion of this new building. A
large room on the first floor, handsomely fitted up with glass cases,
contains the cabinet of fruits, seeds, sections of stems, and curious
examples of vegetable structure from every part of the known world.
Among them we find an interesting suite of specimens of the wood,
and another comprising the fruits or nuts of nearly all the trees of
this country, both collected and prepared by the younger Michaux.
The herbaria now occupy a large room or hall, immediately over the
former, perhaps 80 feet long and 30 feet wide above the galleries, and
very conveniently lighted from the roof. Beneath the galleries are
four or five small rooms on each side, lighted from the exterior, used
as cabinets for study and for separate herbaria ; and above them the
same number of smaller rooms or closets, occupied by duplicate and
unarranged collections. The cases which contain the herbaria oc-
cupy the walls of the large hall and of the side rooms. Their plan
may serve as a specimen of that generally adopted in France. The
shelves are divided into compartments in the usual manner ; but in-
stead of doors, the cabinet is closed by a curtain of thick and coarse
brown linen, kept extended by a heavy bar attached to the bottom,
which is counterpoised by concealed weights,* and the curtain is.
raised or dropt by a pulley. Paper of a very ordinary quality is gene-
rally used, and the specimens are attached, either to half sheets or
to double sheets, by slips of gummed paper, or by pins, or some-
times the specimen itself is glued to the paper. Genera or other
divisions are separated by interposed sheets, having the name written
on a projecting slip.

According to the excellent plan adopted in the arrangement of
these collections, which is due to Desfontaines, three kinds of her-
baria have been instituted; viz. 1. The general herbarium. *2. The
herbaria of particular works or celebrated authors, which are kept
distinct, the duplicates alone being distributed in the general collec-
tion. 3. Separate herbaria of different countries, which are com-
posed of the duplicates taken from the general herbarium. To these,
new accessions from different countries are added, which from time
to time are assorted and examined, and those required for the gene-
ral herbarium are removed to that collection. The ancient herba-
rium of Vaillant forms the basis of the general collection : the speci-
mens, which are all labelled by his own hand, are in excellent preserva-
tion, and among them plants derived from Cornuti or Dr. Sarrasin,
may occasionally be met with. This collection, augmented to many
times its original extent by the plants of Commerson, Dombey, Poi-
teau, Leschenault, etc., and by the duplicates from the special her-
baria, probably contains at this time thirty or forty thousand species.
Of the separate herbaria, the most interesting to us is that made in
this country by the elder Michaux, from whose specimens and notes
the learned Richard prepared the ' Flora Boreali- Americana.'

Michaux himself, although an excellent and industrious collector
and observer, was by no means qualified for authorship ; and it is to
L. C. Richard that the sagacious observations, and the elegant, terse,
and highly characteristic specific phrases of this work are entirely due,

182 Notices of Ewopean Herbaria.

There is also the very complete Newfoundland collection of La Pylaie,
comprising about 300 species, and a set of Berlandier's Texan and
Mexican plants, as well as numerous herbaria less directly connected
with North American botany, which we have not room to enumerate.
Here, however, we do not find the herbaria of several authors, which
we should have expected. That of Lamarck, for instance, is in the
possession of Professor Roeper at Rostock, on the shores of the Baltic ;
that of Poiret belongs to Moquin-Tandon of Toulouse ; that of Bosc,
to Professor Moretti of Pavia ; and the proper herbarium of the late
Desfontaines, which, however, still remains at Paris, now forms a
part of the very large and valuable collections of Mr. Webb. The
herbarium of Mr. Webb, although of recent establishment, is only
second to that of Baron Delessert ; the two being by far the largest
private collections in France, and comprising not only many older
herbaria, but also, as far as possible, full sets of the plants of recent
collectors. The former contains many of Michaux's plants (derived
from the herbarium of Desfontaines), a North American collection,
sent by Nuttall to the late Mr. Mercier of Geneva, a full set of Drum-
mond's collections in the United States and Texas, etc. I'he latter
also comprises many plants of Michaux, derived from Ventenat's
herbarium, complete sets of Drummond's collections, etc. But a
more important, because original and perhaps complete set of the
plants of Michaux, is found in the herbarium of the late Richard,
now in the possession of his son. Professor Achille Richard, which
even contains a few species that do not exist in the herbaxium at
the Royal Museum. The herbarium of the celebrated Jussieu, a
fine collection, which is scrupulously preserved in its original state,
by his worthy son and successor. Professor Adrien Jussieu, com-
prises many North American plants of the older collectors, of which
several are authentic for species of Lamarck, Poiret, Cassini, etc.

The herbarium of DeCandolle at Geneva, accumulated through-
out the long and active career of this justly celebrated botanist, and
enriched by a great number of correspondents, is surpassed by few
others in size, and by none in importance. In order that it may re-
main as authentic as possible for his published works, especially the
* Prodromus,' no subsequent accessions to families already published
are admitted into the general herbarium, but these are arranged in a
separate collection. The proper herbarium, therefore, accurately
exhibits the materials employed in the preparation of the * Prodro-
mus,' at least so far as these were in Professor DeCandolle's owti
possession. As almost twenty years have elapsed since the com-
mencement of this herculean undertaking, the authentic herbarium
is of course much less rich in the earlier than in the later orders.
The Compositse, to which seven years of unremitted labour have
been devoted, form themselves an herbarium of no inconsiderable
size. It is unnecessary to enumerate the contributors to this collec-
tion (which indeed would form an extended list), since the author,
at least in the later volumes of the ' Prodromus,' carefully indicates,
as fully as the work permits, the sources whence his materials have
been derived, llie paper employed is of an ordinary kind, some-

Notices of European Herbaria, 183

what smaller than the English size, perhaps about fifteen inches by-
ten ; and the specimens are attached to half- sheets by loops or slips
of paper fastened by pins, so that they may readily be detached, if
necessary, for particular examination. Several specimens from dif-
ferent sources or localities, or exhibiting the different varieties of a
species, are retained when practicable ; and each species has a sepa-
rate cover, with a label affixed to the comer, containing the name,
and a reference to the volume and page of the ' Prodromus' where it
is described. The limits of genera, sections, tribes, etc. are marked
by interposed sheets, with the name written on projecting slii3S. The
parcels which occupy each compartment of the well-filled shelves are
protected by pieces of binder's board, and secured by a cord, which
is the more necessary as the cases are not closed by doors or
curtains.

The royal Bavarian herbarium at Munich is chiefly valuable for its
Brazilian plants, with which it has been enriched by the laborious
and learned Martins. The North American botanist will, however,
be interested in the herbarium of Schreber, which is here preserved,
and comprises the authentic specimens described or figured in his
work on the Grasses ; the American specimens mostly communicated
by Muhlenberg. The Graminese of this and the general herbarium
have been revised by Nees von Esenbeck, and still later by Trinius. ,
It was here that the latter, who for many years had devoted himself
to the exclusive study of this tribe of plants, and had nearly finished
the examination of the chief herbaria of the Continent, preparatory
to the publication of a new ' Agrostographia,' was suddenly struck
with a paralysis, which has probably brought his scientific labours
to a close.

The imperial herbarium at Vienna, under the superintendence of
the accomplished Endlicher, assisted by Dr. Fenzl, is rapidly becom-
ing one of the most valuable and extensive collections in Europe.
The various herbaria of which it is composed have recently been in-
corporated into one, which is prepared nearly after the English me-
thod. It however possesses few North American plants, except a
collection made by Enslin (a collector sent to this country by Prince
Lichtenstein, from whom Pursh obtained many specimens from the
Southern States), and some recent contributions by Hooker, etc.
There is also an imperfect set of the plants collected by Haenke (a
portion of which are from Oregon and California), so far as they are
yet published in the ' Reliquiae Hsenkeanae' of Presl, in whose cus-
tody, as curator of the Bohemian museum at Prague, the original
collection remains.

The herbarium of the late Professor Sprengel still remains in the
possession of his son. Dr. Anthony Sprengel, at Halle, but is offered
for sale. It comprises many North American plants, communicated
by Muhlenberg and Torrey. The herbarium of Schkuhr was be-
queathed to the University of Wittemberg, and at the union of this
university with that of Halle was transferred to the latter, where it
remains under the care of Professor Von Schlechtendal. It contains
a large portion of the Carices described and figured in Schkuhr's

184 Notices of European Herbaria.

work, and is therefore interesting to the lovers of that large and
difficult genus. The American specimens were mostly derived from
Willdenow, who obtained the greater portion from Muhlenberg.

The royal Prussian herbarium is deposited at Schoneberg (a little
village in the environs of Berlin), opposite the royal botanic garden,
and in the garden of the Horticultural Society. It occupies a very
convenient building erected for its reception, and is under the super-
intendence of Dr. Klotzsch, a very zealous and promising botanist.
It comprises three separate herbaria, viz. the general herbarium, the
herbarium of Willdenow, and the Brazilian herbarium of Sello. The
principal contributions of the plants of this country to the general
herbarium, garden specimens excepted, consist of the collections of
the late Mr. Beyrich, who died in Western Arkansas while accom-
panying Col. Dodge's dragoon expedition, and a collection of the
plants of Missouri and Arkansas, by Dr. Engelmann, now of St.
Louis ; to which a fine selection of North American plants, recently
presented by Sir William Hooker, has been added. The botanical
collections made by Chamisso, who accompanied RomanzofF in his
voyage round the world, also enrich this herbarium ; many are from
the coast of Russian America and from California ; and they have
mostly been published conjointly by the late Von Chamisso and Pro-
fessor Schlechtendal in the * Linnsea,' edited by the latter.

The late Professor Willdenow enjoyed for many years the corre-
spondence of Muhlenberg, from whom he received the greater part of
his North American specimens, a considerable portion of which are
authentic for the North American plants of his edition of the * Species
Plantarum.' In addition to these, we find in his herbarium many
of Michaux's plants, communicated by Desfontaines, several from
the German collector Kinn, and perhaps all the American species
described by Willdenow from the Berlin garden. It also comprises
a portion of the herbarium of Pallas, the Siberian plants of Stephen,
and a tolerable set of Humboldt's plants. This herbarium is in good
preservation, and is kept in perfect order and extreme neatness. As
left by Willdenow, the specimens were loose in the covers, into which
additional specimens had sometimes been thrown, and the labels
often mixed ; so that much caution is requisite to ascertain which are
|-eally authentic for the Willdenovian species. To prevent further
sources of error, and to secure the collection from injury, it was care-
fully revised by Professor Schlechtendal while under his manage-
ment, and the specimens attached by slips of paper to single sheets ;
and all those that Willdenow had left under one cover, as the same
species, are enclosed in a double sheet of neat blue paper. These
covers are numbered continuously throughout the herbarium, and
the individual sheets or specimens in each are also numbered, so that
any plant may be referred to by quoting the number of the cover and
that of the sheet to which it is attached. The arrangement of the
herbarium is unchanged, and it precisely accords with this author's
edition of the * Species Plantarum.' Like the general herbarium, it
is kept in neat portfolios, the back of which consists of three pieces
of bjroad tape, which, passing through slits near each edge of the

Euccerpta Botanica. 185

covers, are tied in front ; by this arrangement their thickness may
be varied at pleasure, which, though of no consequence in a station-
ary herbarium, is a great convenience in a growing collection. The
portfolios are placed vertically on shelves protected by glass doors,
and the contents of each are marked on a slip of paper fastened to
the back. The herbaria occupy a suite of small rooms distinct from
the working rooms, which are kept perfectly free from dust.

Another important herbarium at Berlin is that of Professor Kunth,
which is scarcely inferior in extent to the royal collection at Schone-
berg, but it is not rich or authentic in the plants of this country. It
comprises the most extensive and authentic set of Humboldt's plants,
and a considerable number of Michaux's, which were received from
the younger Richard. As the new * Enumeratio Plantarum ' of this
industrious botanist proceeds, this herbarium will become still more
important.

For a detailed account of the Russian botanical collections and
collectors, we may refer to a historical sketch of the progress of
botany in Russia, etc. by Mr. Bongard, the superintendent of the
Imperial Academy's herbarium at St. Petersburgh, published in the

* Recueil des Actes' of this institution for 1834. An English trans-
lation of this memoir is published in the first volume of Hooker's

* Companion to the Botanical Magazine.' A. G.

XXIV. — 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. 6. On the Development of the Reproductive Organs of
the Misseltoe (Viscuni album, Linn.). By M. Decaisne.
(Aim. des Sci. Nat. n. s. xiii. p. 292.)*

The male flower of the Misseltoe begins to be visible for
nearly a year before its expansion. The anther is then not
distinguishable from the green calyx by which it is embraced,
except by the absence of colour, being formed of cellular
tissue, the meshes of which are of similar form and dimen-
sions. Somewhat later, in this interior and colourless por-
tion, are formed many lacunae, which apparently result from
the destruction of the cellular tissue over these points, and
which become filled with a mucilaginous fluid. A little
later still, this mucilage is observed to be composed of utri-
cules, w ith soft, very thin and transparent walls, consider-
ably larger than the utricules of the adjacent parts, and con-
nected solely by a viscous fluid. At this time the anther
is constituted of three kinds of cellules ; viz. the primi-

* [Prof. Meycn's remarks on this paper will be found at p. 169 of the pre-
sent Nvuiiber. — Ed.]

186 Excerpt a Botanica.

live. colourless cellules, which still form the greater portion
of the mass ; other cellules, of a grey or yellow colour, in
the vicinity of the lacunae, of which they constitute the walls,
and chiefly remarkable by the presence of a central nucleus ;
and those larger cellules which fill the lacunae, and which
are identical with the utricules termed polliniferous by
Mirbel.

These transparent utricules soon become obscured by the
presence of numerous granules, in the midst of which are
observed one or two bodies, likewise granular, but consider-
ably larger, which we shall term nuclei [noyaux). These
granules become gradually collected into a single mass in the
centre of the utricule, which is thus rendered more opake
in the centre, though still transparent through the increased
thickness of its circumference. This mass may with care be
abstracted entire from the cavity in which it is enclosed,
when the nuclei will be found united, and at the end of some
days four may be distinguished.

After the lapse of some time we perceive nothing more than
these nuclei, the absorbed granules having disappeared. The
nuclei are only separated by matter which at first is fluid, but
subsequently becomes solidified, and their form is that of so
many separate cells. During this same time, this matter be-
comes equally solidified on the interior walls of the utricule, so
as to form a thickening, which is apparently the result of many
successive layers, and its transparence becomes altered. Such
is the state of the anther about four months after the appear-
ance of the bud, when it exhibits on its internal face a consi-
derable number of small cells, which are merely closed by
the epidermis which extends over their apertures. In each
of these cells are poUinic utricules, with thick succulent walls,
marked with concentric zones, their internal cavity divided
by thinner walls into four still smaller cavities, containing as
many granular nuclei, which, on the rupture of their envelope
under water, escape.

These latter nuclei continue to grow, become round and
invested with a yellow papillose integument, and with their
growth the walls and divisions of the utricules gradually
diminish and finally disappear, when the nuclei of the dif-
ferent utricules are found all free together in the common
cavity previously occupied by the polliniferous utricules ; in
short, they become so many grains of pollen in one of the
cells of the anther. From this time these grains assume that
external appearance which they ever afterwards retain, al-
though not yet arrived at their complete development, which
still goes forward in their interior. If by a slight pressure
we burst one of them, the nucleus issues forth, together with

Reproductive Organs of the Misseltoe. 187

numerous scattered granules, from the external envelope,
which is bristled over with minute asperities. When the
grain is completely matured, a similar pressure causes the
protrusion, from the same envelope, of a vesicle, which, on
being itself burst, emits a multitude of granules ; but there is
no appearance of a nucleus.

On reviewing the above series of changes, we perceive that
the formation seems generally to proceed from the exterior
towards the interior, seeing that the vesicles are organized
and filled with granules, in the midst of which are observed
many centres [moules), which, to the number of four, associate
or absorb the rest of the granules ; that these vesicles become
thickened by the formation of successive layers more and
more internal, and are divided by their interposition between
the granular centres ; that these centres are invested with a
primary envelope, which is finally lined on the inside by a
final membrane, which immediately encloses the granules.
These different parts are not co-existent, the older ones dis-
appearing first, and probably furnishing the materials for the
more recent, of which, in other respects, they do not consti-
tute a part.

These observations accord both with those which are con-
sidered the most complete and certain on the formation of
tissues, as well as with those which relate more particularly
to the formation of pollen. To this latter phaenomenon they
contribute many new facts: such as the presence of these
nuclei, the primary germs of the pollinic grains ; the deposi-
tion of many successive layers on the walls of the mother
utricule, and the instantaneous formation of divisions to
which they themselves conduce ; the origin of the proper
envelope of the pollen.

In most other plants, when pollen arrives at maturity,
some peculiar change takes place in the cellules constituting
the internal walls of the cell, whose zones become thickened,
and are finally divided into elastic filaments, whose play de-
termines the dehiscence of the anther. Nothing similar to
this takes place in the Misseltoe, whose anther can be scarcely
said to be dehiscent, inasmuch as its cells are externally open.
Moreover, the cellules composing its wall continue in the
state above described, their component membrane being per-
sistent, and of uniform thickness.

Nearly at the same time when the pollen has attained per-
fect maturity, the female flower is expanded, and the pollinic
action is then for the first time able to take effect upon the
newly-disclosed stigma. Nevertheless, the most delicate ob-
servation has failed to detect the ovulum either at this period

188 Excerpta Botanica.

or for a long time after ; in the minute flower, the tissue of
the calyx, and that of the ovary in the centre agglutinated
to it, being only visible, and a little later, in the interior of
this ovary, at first plain, two small lacunae are seen, which
finally enlarge, unite, and form one cell with contiguous walls.

It is not until more than three months later that there is
perceived at the bottom of this compressed cavity a very
small, cone-shaped, pulpy body, accompanied by one or two
still smaller club-shaped filaments. These are so many erect
ovula, in two of which there is generally the commencement
of abortion. They are composed of utricules superposed in
circles, which in the ovulum to be developed are few in num-
ber, and in the abortive ovula are even reduced to a single
one. In these utricules are a nucleus, and very numerous
and minute grains of fecula.

The ovulum, on its appearance, increases rapidly, and after
some days a small spot is detected towards its summit, which
indicates the embryo. The development of this embryo,
from its first appearance to maturity, has been observed by
M. Decaisne, and is similar to that of other Dicotyledons.

It is different, however, with the body surrounding the
ovulum. In general, as is well known, the ovulum is formed of
many envelopes, enclosed one within the other, one or two
of those most exterior being open at their summits, and the
two innermost perfectly closed.

But M. Decaisne has been unable to discover in the ovulum
of the Misseltoe any corresponding opening at the summit,
and he has been led to conclude that the exterior envelopes
(primine and secundine) are absent, and that the ovulum is
a naked nucleus. He has moreover ascertained this nut to
be composed of a homogeneous tissue throughout its whole
thickness, which immediately embraces the embryo, and
hence deduces the non-existence of a quintine or embryo-
nic sac. It is in reality an ovulum reduced to its simplest
expression, a sac enclosing the embryo. This sac thickens
and solidifies as it grows, and forms a perisperm, the colour
of which, being green, is unique among the families of plants.
M. Decaisne has followed the progress of this colouring,
which extends progressively from the base to the summit ;
he has seen, in the cellules of the nut, besides the nucleus
and the grains of fecula by w hich at first it was exclusively
filled, numerous green granules, which mingle with, but do
not cover, the others ; and he has thus observed this to be
the process of the green tint in the vegetable tissues.

Another anomaly in the seed of Misseltoe is the plurality
of embryos. This plurality is not rare in a great many

Reproductive Organs of the Misseltoe. 189

plants, being accidental in the greater number, though always
constant in some. Ordinarily it occurs in seeds destitute of
perisperm ; but when this perisperm is also present, the em-
bryos are pressed together at the same height, or at slightly
different heights. This, however, is not so in the Misseltoe ;
for the embryos, two, or more rarely three in number, all
touch each other by their lower extremities, and diverge at
their upper or radicular extremities, which are distant, and
separated by a portion of the perisperm, from which they
slightly project.

M. Decaisne's discovery of many ovula in the bottom of
each ovary leads to the most natural explanation of this
phaenomenon. In a great number of cases, two of these
ovula are abortive, and then a single embryo only is found
in the mature seed ; but in other instances, two, or even three
ovula, being fertilized, are developed and united by their
bases, and then we have so 'many embryos diverging at their
summits.

The results of this theory are, that it reduces the many
apparent anomalies of the Misseltoe to a single real one, the
unity of the ovular envelope, and thus restores the develop-
ment of its seeds to known laws. It also effaces in part the
difference between the ovular covering in the European Mis-
seltoe and that of the Indian species noticed by Mr. Griffith,
and in which three ovula are detected in each cell on a cen-
tral support. Our Misseltoe thus forms a transition between
them and Loranthus, in which the ovulum is really single and
erect.

M. Decaisne has added to his memoir an examination of
the anatomical structure of the stem. A young branch ex-
hibits in its centre a green pith, surrounded by a case formed
of woody bundles, generally eight in number. In these
bundles we find no tracheae ; but nearly in the situation which
they should occupy, only annular vessels. These, together
with the elongated and pointed, or reticulated cellules, and
the fibres analogous to those of the liber, constitute the whole
vascular system of the plant, which is besides composed of
utricules, in which abound, together with granules of starch,
granules of green matter. Outside, and opposite to the
woody bundles, are as many smaller ones, formed exclusively
of fibres of liber, and which may therefore be termed cortical.
The woody bundles are continued from one branch into an-
other, whilst the cortical bundles are interrupted, after being
attenuated, at each joint, whence results the facility with
which the branches are disarticulated.

190 Mr. H. O. Stephens on the Origin

XXV. — On the Origin of some of the Lower Forms of Vege-
tation. By Mr. Henry Oxley Stephens.

To the Editors of the Annals and Magazine of Natural History.
Gentlemen,
No one ever directed his attention to the oeconomy of the
lower forms of vegetation without soon arriving at the highly
interesting but perplexing problem of their origin and repro-
duction. No question in vegetable physiology is of higher
moment than this, none surrounded by greater difficulties,
and in none is the inquirer more prone to error than in at-
tempting conclusions from the negative facts (if the term is
admissible) with which he has to deal. The obscurity in
which, from its very nature, the subject is involved, is so
dense, that many physiologists avoid it altogether as hope-
less, considering it to be beyond human intelligence ; whilst,
on the other hand, some rash speculators, drawing inferences
which the doubtful premises cannot warrant, descend at once
into the profound of materialism *, and do not hesitate to in-
trude with unholy footsteps within the sacred precincts of for-
bidden ground. Nevertheless, the origin of the lower tribes
of Fungi (for it is to these alone this paper refers) is a ques-
tion as open to discussion, and as fit for investigation, as any
other point of Natural History. There is no perfect Fungus
which is not furnished in some part with an apparatus which
bears certain minute bodies called sporidia, having some de-
gree of resemblance to the reproductive bodies (sporules) of
Ferns, Mosses and Hepaticae, which last are well known to
produce their like kinds by a process analogous to the ger-
mination of seeds. It has been assumed (and indeed generally
admitted, though I am not aware directly proved) that these
sporidia are the seeds of Fungi, producing by cryptogamic ger-
mination the same species as the parent plant ; whilst other
physiologists, admitting the sporidia to be capable of continu-
ing the species, do not consider this to be the only method,
or as indeed at all adequate to account for the production of
Fungi in certain situations.

This is the question we are about to discuss. It is argued
in behalf of propagation by spores, that these bodies, which
are produced in such numbers as to be beyond all estimate,
must have a definite office to perform, and that from their
peculiar lightness, they are, as soon as shed from the hyme-
nian of the parent plant, wafted through the air, and thus

* [It does not seem clear in what sense onr Correspondent emplo3's this
term. — Ed.]

of lower forms of Vegetation, 191

distributed to almost any distance. Whilst I admit the
spores to be the reproductive bodies, I dissent from the
latter conclusion, which seems very doubtful, as far as obser-
vation will carry us in this difficult subject. I am inclined to
think the spores of Agarics at least are not generally dissemi-
nated far from the spot on which the plant which produced
them grew.

I have always found Agarics which bear spores of a colour
easily seen, the Leucosporidia for instance, shed them under-
neath the pileus ; and that the grass, &c. is covered with the
spores only immediately around and beneath the plant, to
which they adhere, and are not blown away as soon as shed.
It W'ill be said this must necessarily depend upon the atmo-
sphere, whether the air is still or not ; but the generality of
Agarics lie very close to the ground, and the expansion of
the pileus, extended like an umbrella, must, I think, even in
W'indy weather, prevent any great current of air from passing
under it. Perhaps this will be thought over-refined reason-
ing, but the following facts seem to countenance it. Particu-
lar species appear annually on the same spot of ground, and
do not wander away from it ; thus Ag, nebularis, Batsch, grows
every autumn at one corner of Leigh Down, and does not
spread from this locality. Ag, personatus, Fries, I have seen
every autumn in the same situation for several years. Ag,
oreades grow-s in eccentric circles, one circle exteriorly to that
of last season, w^hich would scarcely be the case if the sporules
of this species were scattered about by the wind ; but single
individuals do occasionally occur : no doubt Ag. oreades is
propagated in these circles by underground mycelia, but this
circumstance does not affect the argument. The stump of a
tree immediately under a plant of Polyporus igniarius wall be
seen densely dusted with sporules, showing that these fall near
the spot occupied by the parent plant. It would be easy to
multiply instances of the regularity with which Fungi appear
in the same spot, but these are enough ; and from them I
infer that the dissemination of the spores of Fungi through
the medium of the atmosphere has been greatly over-esti-
mated. Taking into account the number of species of Fungi,
and the great quantity of sporidia w^hich each plant gives
out, it seems to me the atmosphere must contain so many,
that they would certainly be detected in it before this time,
and yet none have ever been observed. The method of
making what is called mushroom-spawn is too well known to
need description, and every exhausted hot-bed will produce
plants of Ag, campestris : how did the germs of these plants
get there ? It is answ^ered, through the air : this has been con-
sidered before ; besides, the mycelia will be found in the com-

192 Mr. H. O. Stephens on the Origin

post, several feet below the surface. But the spores were in-
troduced with the horse-dung ; true, but this is produced by-
stabled horses fed on hay, and the Ag. campestris does not
grow in mowing grass, nor in the hay-making season, and
the hay could scarcely contain such abundance of spores ;
besides, is it probable such minute and delicate bodies would
pass through the digestive process of the animals' intestines
entirely unaltered ? It may be answered, oats frequently do ;
but the two cases are not alike. There is every reason for
believing Fungi are produced from spores : the circumstance
of exotic species appearing in foreign mould, e. g. Aseroe
rubra, La Billardiere, in earth from New Holland, seems to
prove this ; but to conclude they are invariably so produced,
appears to me to be assuming much more than we really
know, and that in the face of circumstances which render
the reverse very probable.

In support of the hypothesis of the invariable origin of
Fungi from spores, it is stated that wheat selected from spe-
cimens infected with Uredo caries, when sown, produces a
bunty crop. This is scarcely a satisfactory argument, for
such wheat may possess the tendency to this disease without
being actually impregnated with the spores, just as we know
the finest samples of wheat from hot climates produce mil-
dewy crops when sown in our more cold and changeable lati-
tude ; besides, the experiments of Sir J. Banks with wheat
sprung from sources infected with Puccinia graminis led to
an opposite conclusion. It may be advanced, that wheat
growing near Barberry bushes is rendered mildewy by infec-
tion from the parasitic Fungus frequently abounding on
those trees ; but the Barberry parasite is an JEcidium, whilst
the plagues of wheat are always Puccinice or Uredines. The
greatest difficulty is in the erumpent Fungi ; how could they
reach the situations in which they vegetate ? It may be said
precisely the same question arises in Zoology, and the argu-
ments which apply to Entophytes will apply to Entozoa ; this
is only advancing a counter-difficulty, and the solution of one
problem would probably explain the other. Entophytes must
have their origin in one of the following methods : their
spores must be introduced into the parent plant, and there,
finding a suitable nidus and circumstances favourable for their
growth, commence their proper vegetation ; or the structures
in which they grow must, under favourable conditions, have
the power or quality of originating them out of their own
organization.

There are difficulties in the way of both these theories.
Of the first, the question arises, how are they introduced in-
to the parent plant ? There appears to be only two ways.

of lower forms of Vegetation. 193

either by the spongioles of the roots, or through the stomates
of the leaves. As far as our knowledge of the physiology of
the spongioles extends, it seems improbable that they have the
power of absorbing solids (for earths, etc., as silica, are ab-
sorbed in a state of solution), even when as minute as spo-
ridia ; nor does our imperfect acquaintance with the course of
the sap enable us to say, that along with it innumerable
spores can pass the long journey from the roots of an oak or
pine tree to the leaves ; this would be altogether an unproved
assumption.

Besides, if these sporidia passed through the vascular
tissue of plants, of late years these structures have been ex-
amined with such scrupulous and scrutinizing care through
the most powerful microscopes, I should have conceived a
stray spore must have been observed before this time, and
yet none have ever been seen, simply, I presume, because there
are none there to see. But they may be absorbed through
the stomates into the leaves, and carried down along with
the woody fibres, which, according to the theory of Du Petit
Thouars, the leaves annually form. It is first necessary to
prove the openings of the stomates are large enough to allow
the sporidia to pass through them. If a sporidium of TJredo
or Puccinia is a single plant reduced to the most simple con-
dition, and not admitting of further subdivision, it is too
large to find access to the external structure of the leaf
through the orifices of the stomates ; but it may be said the
grumous contents of the sporidia of Puccinia and Uredines are
prolific, and can pass through the stomata. In our present
state of ignorance on this obscure subject, we can neither
prove nor disprove this point, and I would wish to state every
argument as fairly as I am able. Evergreens, which have
thick coriaceous leaves and a horny cuticle, are well known
to be very scantily supplied with stomates, and yet such
leaves are prolific of entophytous Fungi, e. g. the leaves of
Lauro cerasus, holly and ivy; this is a negative argument
against the introduction of spores through the exhalent
orifices.

It is easy to produce some erumpent Fungi ; you have only
to break a living twig of oak so as to cause it to wither and
die, leaving it attached to the tree, and Cenangium quercinum
will appear beneath the bark. Now if this Fungus arises
from spores already contained in the tree, and only waiting
for the death of the twig to assume an active state of vegeta-
tion, the whole of the branches of the tree must be impreg-
nated with countless multitudes of the spores oi Cenangium
(not to say of many other Fungi), which is an assumption

4nn.^ Mag. ISI, Hist, Vol.\\\. O

194- Mr. H. O. Stephens on the lower forms of Vegetation.

for which we have not the slightest shadow of evidence.
There is scarcely a stick that died in the autumn, which is not,
on the approach of winter, densely covered with Tubercularia
vulgaris ; there is no proof, when the stick was living, that
the spores of this plant remained dormant within its cellular
tissue.

It must be recollected that, admitting the hypothesis of
the absorption of spores, the earth or air must be impreg-
nated with them in countless myriads, and these most deli-
cate globes or cells must possess a most extraordinary power
of resisting putrefaction ; and in the case of Cenangium pre-
serve their vitality through an incredible space of time when
imprisoned in the solid structure of the oak-tree ; and yet
the origin of Fungi, which are parasitic upon Fungi, accord-
ing to the theoiy of their invariable production from spores,
is still more inexplicable. The elegant little Ag. Loveanus,
Berk., has its origin within the substance of the pileus of Ag.
nehularis, Batsch, and bursts through the cuticle of the pileus
of the latter plant. Now the parent plant is altogether cellu-
lar, having neither vessels or tubes of any kind through
which we can suppose the spore, which gave origin to the
Ag. Loveanus, could be transmitted.

I do not know how this can be explained according to the
theory of absorption of spores contained in the earth.

The other theory is, that the structures which contain erum-
pent Fungi must, under certain favourable circumstances,
have the power or quality of originating these plants out of
their own organization. Inclined as I am to suppose some
of the lower forms of vegetation may obtain their existence
out of the ruins of the higher, according to certain definite
laws imposed by the great Author of all things, which
laws are to us altogether unknown, I should be sorry to be
thought to be an advocate of the doctrine of what is called
spontaneous generation; in plain language, things making
themselves ; it is too absurd to need disproof; or of equivocal
generation, for nature emerged too perfect from the hands of
her Creator to have anything doubtful or equivocal in any of
her processes. These processes may seem doubtful or equi-
vocal to us, simply because they are beyond our comprehen-
sion. Of the truth of the last theory of production of imper-
fect plants, it must be admitted there is no direct proof; it
must rather be inferred from the difficulties and objections
which have been advanced against the former. It is generally
assumed by those who accept the latter theory, that out of
the departing vitality of some higher organized vegetable (for
I have considered the question throughout as referring to

Mr. Blyth on the Genus Gvis. 195

vegetable life only) a lower degree of life and organization
may arise, like the fabled Phoenix, from ashes, and thus the
simpler forms of vegetation may derive their origin from the
upper ; but it must be admitted there are objections to this
assumption, and those not of theory and speculation, but
of fact and experience. Many erumpent Fungi have not
their origin in dying vegetable matter, but in substances
which have long lost all vitality, and therefore can part with
none to the parasites which infest them ; — Sphaeria entypa, for
example, which grows within the substance of wrought wood,
such as posts and rails, the origin of which cannot be ex-
plained satisfactorily according to the latter theory of the
production of imperfect vegetables. The whole subject is as
interesting as obscure ; and it is possible that an observer
who had time and leisure for tracing, with the assistance of
a microscope of sufficient power, the growth of some Fungus
of the lowest organization, such as Tubercularia, might arrive
at the ultimate point of its origin, and be enabled to decide
whether it had its being from a metamorphosis of the or-
ganized structure of the parent plant, or sprung from a spore,
and derived its nutriment only from the material in which
the germ of the parasite was previously deposited.

Henry Oxley Stephens.

Terrell Street, Bristol, March 12, 1841.

XXVI. — An Amended List of the Species of the Genus Ovis.
By Edward Blyth, Esq.*

The arrival of various spoils of different species of wild sheep,
since my memoir upon this genus of animals was read before the
Society, enables me now to clear up several points wliich I formerly
left as doubtful, as well as to include some additional species in the
catalogue, and to indicate still more as probably distinct, and there-
fore desiderata to which the attention of travellers and others should
be directed.

1. Ovis Polii, nobis (the Pamir Sheep). In the narrative of
the celebrated Venetian traveller, Marco Polo, we read (in Mars-
den's edition, p. 142) that upon the elevated plain of Pamir, east-
ward of Bokhara, and which is 1 6,000 feet above the sea-level, " wild
animals are met with in great numbers, particularly sheep of a large
size, having horns three, four, and even six palms in length. The
shepherds form ladles and vessels of them for holding their victuals.

* Read before the Zoological Society, July 28, 1810. The notes, bring-
ing the subject up to the present state of information, are now added by the
author for publication in this work.

02

196 Mr. Blyth on the Genus Ovis.

They also construct fences for enclosing their cattle, and securing
them against the wolves, with which they say the country is infested,
and which likewise destroy many of the wild sheep or goats (mou-
toni V. becchi or 'boucs')." More recently, an animal called the
Rasse was indicated, from report, in Sir Alexander Burnes's ' Tra-
vels in Bokhara,' ii. 208, and its horns have since been transmitted
to the Royal Asiatic Society by Lieut. Wood, of Sir A. Burnes's
party, through the medium of G. T. Vigne, Esq.* In this magnifi-
cent specimen of a frontlet I recognize (though with some hesitation)
the Ovis sculptorum, formerly described by me from a horn in the
Museum of the Royal College of Surgeons ; but as the characters
of that specimen, as originally drawn up by me, have not hitherto
been published ; as its flexure, too, which suggested the appellation
of sculptorum, would appear to form a less extended spiral than is

* This pair of horns was labelled " Rass, or Roosh ;" and Sir A. Barnes
writes — *' I beard of an animal called Rasse by the Kirghizes, and Kooshgar
by the itdiabitants of the low countries;" but Lieutenant Wood (in the nar-
rative of his * Journey to the Source of the Oxus/ p. 368) distinguishes be-
tween the " Rass '* and " Kutch-gar ;'* the former " having straight spiral
horns, and its dun colour being of a reddish tinge." Mr. Vigne is of opinion
that this animal is no other than the Markbur (p. 155), which he tells me
is found upon the hills of Budukshan, and which I consider to be a feral
race of domestic Goats of remarkably large size, but otherwise not essen-
tially differing from the Shawl Goat of the same countries. Of a spe-
cimen of the " Kutch-gar, or Wild Sheep," Lieut. Wood remarks — " It
was a noble animal, standing as high as a two-year old colt [Kirghiz
Pony?], with a venerable beard and two splendid curling horns, which, with
the head, wei'e so heavy as to require a considerable exertion to lift them.
Though in poor condition, the carcass, divested of its offal, was a load for a
baggage-pony. Its flesh was tough and ill-tasted ; but we were told that in
autumn, when the animal is in prime condition, no venison is better flavour-
ed. The Kutch-gar is gregarious, associating iti herds of several hundreds.
They are of a dun colour, the skin more resembling the hide of a cow than
the fleece of a [tame] sheep. A skeleton of this animal, and several com-
plete crania, were deposited, I believe, at Indiana." This traveller confii-ms
the statement of Marco Polo, mentioning that — " We saw numbers of horns
strewed about in every direction, the spoils of the Kirghiz hunter. Some of
these were of an astonishingly large size * * *. The ends of these horns, pro-
jecting above the snow, often indicated the direction of the road ; and when-
ever they were heaped up in large quantities, there our escort recognized
the site of a Kirghiz summer encampment." This was at 14,400 feet above
sea- level. It is curious that the Kirghizes shoe tlieir horses with, and make
stirrups from, the horns of this animal. " The shoes are nothing more than
a semicircular piece of. horn placed on the fore part of the hoof. When the
horse is in constant work, it requires renewal at least once a week." Burnes
" was told that the Rasse is larger than a cow and less than a horse; of a
•white colour, with pendent hair under the chin * * *. The flesh is much
prized by the Kirghizes, who hunt and shoot the animal with arrows. It is
said to delight in the coldest climates, and a common-sized specimen will
require two horses [Kirghiz Ponies] to bear its flesh from the field." The
appellation Rasse, it may be remarked, is likewise bestowed on a small
species of Civet, the Viverra Rasse, Horsfield, or V. Indica, Is. Geoff., but
not of British authors. — E. B,

Mr. Blyth on the Genus Ovis. 19?

probably normal, and the habitat also proves to be different from that
anticipated, — namely, the Taurus, which I have still reason to sus-
pect contains a large undescribed species of this genus ; — I here pro-
pose to dedicate the present splendid animal to the illustrious Vene-
tian traveller of the thirteenth century, by the name of Ovis Polii.

As compared vrith the Rocky Mountain Sheep of North America,
the Rass or Roosk of Pamir differs in having the horns considerably
'less massive, but more prolonged, approaching more in character to
those of the domestic O. Aries, but differing again from the latter, not
only in their very superior size, but in having their two front angles
about equally developed. As in the Rocky Mountain species, and I
believe also the 0. Aries normally, the pair at first diverge back-
ward, and then descend and gyre round at a parallel with the axis
of the body, inclining, as they again spire backwards, more outward
to the tip. The horns described were in their seventh year of
growth, and measure 4 feet 8 inches in length, following the
curvature, and 14|^ inches round at base, having the tips, which are
continued round till they point obliquely backwards, 45 inches apart.
The width of their upper plane is 3 J inches at base, 2J inches at the
distance of one foot from the base, and 2^ inches at 2 feet distance
from the base ; the depth of the base inside is 5 inches, and distance
apart of the pair, measured outside, where they gyre forward at a
parallel, 21 inches. The years of growth are successively 15 J, 10§,
13, 8, 5, 3, and the last (incomplete) I, inches. The College of
Surgeons' specimen, a single horn, was in its eighth year of growth,
but measures only 4 feet 4 inches round the curvature ; its depth
towards the base is 6 inches, and greatest width, about the middle,
2|- inches. The successive annual growths are 12^, 9, 8, 8, 7, 5,
3 J, and the incipient eighth 1, inches. It is curved in a spiral in-
volution, and scarcely outwards for three-fifths of a circle, when it
gradually inclines more so to the tip, the horn describing one circle
and about a third. When upon the head, it must accordingly have
gyred considerably inward, instead of descending at a parallel with
the other, as indeed is almost invariably the case with the domestic
O. Aries. Both specimens are of a pale colour, and indented with
rugged transverse striae, in general half an inch apart. Of the
animal nothing further is yet known. Considering, indeed, the dif-
ferences of the two specimens, it is by no means improbable that
they will yet prove to be of allied rather than of the same species,
in which case my former name of 0. sculptorum might be retained
for that to which it was applied.

2, 3, and 4. The museums of Western Europe do not, that I
can learn, contain any portion of the Siberian Argali, Ovis Ammon of
Pallas, that might serve for comparison with the Rocky Mountain
Sheep of North America, 0. montana of Desmarest; but as the Kam-
tschatka Argali is described as a distinct species, O. nivicola, by M.
Eschscholtz in his * Zoologischer Atlas,' (differing from the two pre-
ceding in its inferior size, and in wanting, it would appear, the pale
disc surrounding the tail, so conspicuous in both the others,) the
probability is thus enhanced, that the Siberian and Rocky Mountain

1^8 Mr. Blyth on the Genus Ovis.

species are not the same, however closely they may resemble. The
descriptions of O. Ammon would seem to apply in every particular to
the O. montana, though it is still probable that actual comparison of
specimens would lead to the detection of some discrepancies, as ge-
nerally, but not always, happens in like cases. I may notice, that
while Mr. Drummond affirms that the horns of old rams of O. mon-
tana " attain a size so enormous, and curve so much forwards and
downwards, that they effectually prevent the animal from feeding
on level ground*," the same had previously been remarked by Strah-
lenberg of the Argalis of Siberia t, and no doubt is equally obser-
vable in the Rass of Pamir. The finest specimen of a head of the
Rocky Mountain animal, of seven heads of adult males examined,
is in the collection of this Society, and gives the following admea-
surements : horns 3 feet 5 inches over the front ridge, and 17;^ inches
round at base, where the front angles are 4J inches apart. They
number nine years of growth, which successively give 9, 7 j, 6^, 5,
4i, 4, 2^, \\, and 1, inches. They are nearly equilaterally tri-
angular, but bulge a little between the angles, having the inner or
front angle obtusely prominent, the posterior double, or forming a
second plane at a slight angle with the superior one, and the infe-
rior angle (if such it can be called) much rounded off : the greatest
depth of the horn is about 6 inches ; from base of front angle to tip
they measure 11 inches; and the tips apart 26 inches. They are
everywhere strongly furrowed across, more particularly in front, the
intervals between the grooves swelling out considerably ; and they
gradually become, as in all the rest of the genus, more compressed
to the extremity.

Of the O. nivicola of M. Eschscholtz, that naturalist writes :
" The specimen described is a male in winter garb, measuring 5 feet
(French ?) in total length, and 2 feet 5 inches high. Its outer coat
is of a yellowish grey colour, brighter on the under parts, and in-
clining to straw-yellow on the head and neck; the markings in front
of the limbs are of a rust-colour«: horns equilaterally triangular, 3
inches thick at base, and gyring outwards to form one complete
spiral tjircle, 10 inches in diameter, and having their points directed
outwards and forwards ; the upper and posterior portions of the horn
are level, and marked with deep annual indentations, which success-
ively measure 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 2, and 1^, inches, making eight years
of total growth ; besides which, there are numerous minor indenta-
tions or ordinary cross-strise, but no protuberant intervals." From
the figure they would seem not to bulge between the angles, as is
usual, though not invariably the case, with the Rocky Mountain
species ; as also to be somewhat more tensely spiral, as if pulled a
little outward. The appearance both described and figured at the
base of the fore-limbs externally, I suspect to be nothing more than
the axilla, that had been twisted outwards in the mounting of the
specimen. M. Eschscholtz describes this animal to be very nume-

* Fauna Americana-borealis.

t Description of the northern parts of Europe and Asia. — Eng. Transl.,
p. 332.

Mr. Blyth on the Genus Ovis. 199

rous on the mountains of Kamtschatka, residing upon the snow-clad
heights in summer, and descending to the lower regions in winter.
A notice of its chamois-like agility occurs in the narrative of Kotze-
bue's Voyage from 1823 to 1826.

In the 18th volume of the 'Asiatic Researches,' part ii., Mr.
Hodgson, of Nepal, gives a figure of a horned female of the Nahoor
Sheep, and also of the skull and horns of a young ram, which he
erroneously refers to that species, as since described by him. He
also mentions having once possessed a pair of the horns, which he
** could only lift from the ground with a considerable effort ;" but it
is necessary to observe, that the description which he gives in the
volume adverted to, of the mutilated skin of a young wild ram, pro-
cured in mid winter, refers evidently to the Nahoor, and not to the
species with horns having a triangular section, which is the subject
of the present notice. According to Mr. Hodgson, the horns of
this young specimen are " equilaterally triangular," as the figure
likewise represents ; whereas the Rocky Mountain species would at
the same age have much compressed horns, far from attaining to an
equilateral triangle. Should a true species be here indicated, as is
not improbable, distinct from 0. Ammon, 1 propose that it be dedi-
cated to that assiduous investigator of Nepalese zoology, and be ac-
cordingly termed 0. Hodgsonii.

5. O. Calif orniana, Douglas. The Jesuit missionary Venegos
observed in California " a kind of wild sheep, the size of a calf of
one or two years old, with extraordinarily thick horns, resembling
those of a common ram, and tail shorter than that of a stag," whence
it would appear that the Rocky Mountain species, or a near ally, is
here alluded to. Mr. Douglas describes the Californian Argali to
have a tail 18 inches long (vide Zoological Journal, iv. 332). Its
length, he observes, from nose to base of tail, is 5 feet 10 inches;
height of the shoulder 2 feet 8 inches ; girth behind the shoulders 6
feet : head 1 6 inches long, 7 [to] between the eyes, and 9 [to] between
the horns : ears erect, 1 J inch [4 J inches .''] long, obtuse. The horns
deposited in the museum of this Society bear a general resemblance
to those of the Rocky Mountain species, but are smoother, and form
a much more open spiral : the terminal third is very much com-
pressed ; the medial intermediate, and the basal very thick and tri-
angular : they were only in their fifth year of growth, and would
doubtless have attained to much greater dimensions. Their length
is 32 inches, measured over the front ridge, and girth at base 14^
inches, having a span of 12^ inches from base to tip inside: from
the tip to first annual depression they measure 12| inches, and then
successively 6^, 5|^, 4^, and the incipient fifth year's growth 2 inches.
They do not bulge between the angles, which are rather obtuse, and,
as usual, are transversely striated. Approximate distance of the
tips apart 33 inches.

" From the testimony of the Indian tribes about the Great Falls
of the Columbia River," writes Mr. Douglas, " this species appears
to inhabit the subalpine regions of Mounts Wood, St. Helen's, and
Vancouver, but is more numerous in the mountainous districts of the
interior of California. The only good skin that ever came under

200 Mr. Blyth on the Genus Ovis.

my observation was in lat. 46° 14' 55", and long. 121° 17' 0"."
Forbes, in his recent work on California, appears to allude to it by
the name of Berindo, which in Mexico is applied to the Antilocapra
furcifera. He quotes, however, the description by Venegos, inclu-
ding the statement that it has a short tail, and remarks, that " they
still abound in the plains at the foot of the mountains, and are
always found in large herds." It does not, from the context, appear
to me that the prong-horned animal is intended.

From these we might proceed, through the domestic Aries, to
the species generally typified by the Moufflon of Corsica ; but I shall
interpolate a small group from the Himalaya, and apparently Cau-
casus, distinguished by having smooth and sub -cylindrical horns,
that form a bold arc outwards at nearly right angles with the axis
of the body, and have the tip turned backward. Such is

6. 0. Nahoor, Hodgson ; the Nahoor or Nervati, and Sna (not
Sha) of Thibet. Size of the larger breeds of tame sheep, with pale
horns, and general colour dull brownish grey in old animals, with
the ordinary dark markings on the face, breast, and limbs, more or
less developed. Younger specimens, more particularly, have their
coat, when renovated, tipped with a light fulvous tint, deeper along
the middle of the back ; the tail is bushy, and conspicuously white,
its medial portion generally dark. Length, as given by Mr. Hodg-
son, 4 feet from nose to base of tail, and height of the back 32
inches. A female was 3 feet 4 inches from nose to tail, and stood
29 inches high at the shoulder. From nose to between the horns
a male measured 8| inches ; the ears 4^ inches ; and tail 4 inches,
or 7 inches to the end of the hair. A pair of horns in the museum
of this Society, which are far from having attained their full growth,
measure 12 inches in circumference at base, and 20|^ inches long
over the curvature, having their tips 27 inches asunder : their suc-
cessive annual growths were respectively 6|, 4, 3, 2J, 2J, and 1|,
inches. Mr. Hodgson mentions a pair that were each 32 inches
long. Those of a very old female in the British Museum have pre-
cisely the same curvature as in the male, only that the tips do not
turn so much backwards ; they are, however, much compressed, and
measure 9 J inches long, 4 J inches round, with the tips 14 inches
apart. Another female, in the collection of this Society, is entirely
destitute of horns. The latter, and a young male which I formerly
examined at Mr. Leadbeater's, accorded perfectly with the descrip-
tion of Mr. Hodgson, having pale slaty-blue hairs, deeper on the
back, and tipped with a rufous tint, more particularly on the back,
which caused the animal to appear of a pale fulvous or isabelline
hue. An old male in the museum of the Linnsean Society*, and the
aged female in the British Museum, together with another skin
which I have seen, have not only no trace of this colour in their
present state of pelage, but I doubt whether they showed much of
it when their coat was new : the colour of all three is a dingy grey-
brown, not easy to express in words.

* Mistaken for Ovis Ammon in the * Fauna Americana-borealis,' vol. i.
p. 274, and for a second specimen of 0. Burrhel in Part 6, p. 79, for July
10th, 1838, of these 'Proceedings,'

Mr. S. P. Woodward on the Flora of Central Norfolk. 201

The horns of the Nahoor differ but little in flexure from those
of the next species, but may nevertheless be distinguished by many
differences, in general strongly pronounced : as their superior size ;
the greater proportional thickness of the basal half, beyond which
they narrow somewhat abruptly ; the flatness of their dorsal aspect,
with a much more acutely raised ridge along its middle ; and by the
comparative sharpness of all the angles, together with the existence,
generally, of some traces of cross striae, more particularly towards their
compressed tips ; whereas the horns of the Burrh el Sheep are much less
angular, of a deep rufous-brown colour, and quite smooth. Those of
the female Nahoor described were entirely destitute of cross furrows,
but all have the marks of annual growth conspicuously indented.

This species, according to Mr. Hodgson, ** inhabits the Kachar
region of Nepal, northward of the habitat of the Jharal Goat, amid
the glaciers of the Himalaya, and both on the Indian and Thibetan
sides of that range." Mr. Vigne informs me that it is plentiful in
Great, but not in Little Thibet. I suspect that it is never found at
so considerable an altitude as the next species.

[To be continued.]

XXVII.— F/or« of Central Norfolk, By S. P. Wood-
ward^ Esq.

Addenda to Mr, Mann's List of Norwich Plants.

Upon comparing the list of Norwich Plants given by Mr. R.
J. Mann, in the August number of the ^ Magazine of Natural
History^ (vol. iv. p. 390), with my own, I found many inter-
esting plants and localities had been omitted ; and as it is not
to be expected that one observer should, in a few years' inves-
tigation, discover all his district contains, I cannot but regret
that Mr. M. did not avail himself more extensively of the in-
formation of other collectors. For the omitted localities there
is no remedy, and for the plants time only allows me to give
what are recorded on my lists in addition to those just pub-
lished. Mr. Wigham, of Norwich, could, I believe, supply
many others which his long residence has made him familiar
with. In the Mosses and Hepaticae much remains to be done
ere our list will vie with that of Yarmouth, published by Mr.
Paget ; the freshwater Algae of this district have been entirely
neglected ; and the Lichens, no one, that I am aware of, could
catalogue. Mr. Paget's list, which gives the result of the la-
bours of Mr. Dawson Turner and other indefatigable bota-
nists, must represent all that is known at present of the dis-
tribution in Norfolk of these extensive and intricate classes.
Mr. Stock of Bungay, who has for some years collected the mi-
nute parasitic Fungi with great perseverance and success, will,
it is to be hoped, some day publish a detailed list ; in the other

202 Mr. S. P. Woodward on the Flora of Central Norfolk.

classes the Norfolk Flora is probably as extensive and varied,
and as well investigated, as that of any English county.

I have ventured to introduce — in brackets — some plants
which are a few miles beyond the ten mile circuit, because I
believe they may be found within it ; and a few which are con-
siderably beyond, because they are either omitted in the pub-
lished floras, or their recent occurrence in the spots indicated
is not well known.

Of those plants for which I have given authorities, I have,
with few exceptions, received specimens ; those in Roman are
generally considered only varieties.

EXOGEN^.

Clematis Vitalba. Hedges and thickets, Eaton, Long Stratton, Brooke,

Hockering.
Ranunculus arvensis. Corn-fields, Stoke Holy Cross, Armeringhall.

auricomus. Lakenham Hall Wood.

parviflorus. Armeringhall.

panto thrix, circinnatus. Ditches : common.

Adonis autumnalis . Waste ground, Lakenham.

Papaver hyhridum. Lanes and borders of fields, Lakenham.

dubium. Ditto : abundant.

Corydalis lutea. Old walls : frequent.
Lepidium Smithii*. Lanes, Eaton and Lakenham.
Thlaspi arvense. Lakenham, near the Hall Farm.
Nasturtium amphibium. Lakenham Marshes.
Brassica Napus. Fields and waste places.
Viola flavicornis. Mosswold.

arvensis. Fields : frequent.

suavis. Thorpe, Horstead.

Helianthemum vulgare. Westfields, Eaton.

Sagina apetala. Banks : frequent : St. Faith's, &c.

Cerastium aquaticum. Lakenham Marshes.

semidecandrum. Borders of Drummond's Grove

Sedum rupestre. Bracondale Hall Wood.

(album. Walls, Dereham.)

Chrysosplenium oppositifolium. Stoke Holy Cross.

alternifolium. Ditto, Poringland.

JJlex nanus. St. Faith's Heath.

Vicia angustifolia. Lanes and chalk-pits.

Lathy rus sylvestris. Brundall.

Lotus tenuis. Dry chalky pastures.

Trifolium ochroleucum. Poringland, Long Stratton.

. fragiferum. St. Faith's ; near Dereham ; in Acle.

-procumbens. Fields and hedges.

Rubus Kcehleri. Hedges and woods : frequent.
Rosa tomentosa. St. Faith's Wood.
Pyrus torminalis. Lakenham Hall Wood.
Aria. Woods and plantations.

* L. campestre I have not seen nearer Norwich than Dereham or Bungay.

Mr. S. P. Woodward on the Flora of Central Norfolk, 203

Circ€ea lutetiana. Armeringhall Wood.

Ribes Grossulnria, Lakenham Hall Wood.

Sison Amomum. Chalky pastures towards Dereham, Long Stratton,
Bungay-road.

Silaus pratensis. Long Stratton, &c.

Peucedanum palustre. Horning.

Galium parisiense. Carhoe Abbey.

Campanula Rapunculus. Lakenham, Brooke.

hybrida. Corn-fields : abundant : Eaton, &c.

Dipsacus pilosus. Loddon ; near Dereham.

Scabiosa columbaria. Hedges and copses, Lakenham, Keswick, &c.

Lactuca virosa. Carhoe Abbey, Whitlingham (St. Benedict's Abbey).

Bidens tripartita. St. Faith's, &c. : frequent.

Onopordum Acanthium. Borders of fields : frequent.

Carlina vulgaris. Bramerton Heath.

Conyza squarrosa. Strumpshaw, &c., Mr. Wigham.

Cnicus acaulis. Homing (Neatherd Moor and Scarning Fen, Dere-
ham).

Myosotis ccespitosa. Lakenham, St. Faith's.

Lithospermum arvense. Postwic Crag-pits.

Cuscuta europcea. (Burston near Diss, C. B. Prentice ; Cromer.)

Oxyococcus palustris. Stoke Holy Cross) Mr. Bayfield ; Horning.

(Pyrola rotundifolia. Bogs by Upton Broad, 1840, S. P. W.)

Chlora perfoliata. Armeringhall, Mr. Wigham.

Gentiana campestris"^. St. Faith's Common, 1837, J. W. E. and
S. P. W.

(amarella. Scarning Fen, Dereham.)

Vinca minor. Thickets and copses.

Verbascum Lychnitis. Borders of fields and waste ground.

nigrum. Lanes, Lakenham, Bungay-road.

Datura Stramonium. Waste ground and chalk-pits.

(Atropa Belladonna. Toft trees near Fakenham.)

Utricularia minor, vulgaris. St. Faith's Bogs, B. B. W. (Roydon near

Diss.)
Digitalis purpurea. Plantations and woods, Keswick, Sprowston.
Melampyrum arvense. Costessy.
(Linaria minor. Near Dereham, B. B. W.)
Orobanche minor. Lakenham, &c. : frequent.
(Scrophularia vernalis. Langham, 1840, Mr. G. Clowes.)
Mentha sylvestris. Meadows near Harford Bridges.
Acinos vulgaris. Keswick Hall grounds, Eaton.
Galeopsis versicolor, Hethersett.
Stachys arvensis. Fields and lanes, Lakenham.
Aristolochia Clematitis. Carhoe Abbey.
Rumex palustris. Felthorpe, &c.
aquaticus. Marshes : abundant.

sanguineus, (3. Armeringhall.

Polygonum Bistort a. Lakenham, Brooke, Sizeland.
Euphorbia Lathy ris. Road- sides and waste places.

* G. amarella of Mr. Mann ?

204 Mr. S. P. Woodward on the Flora of Central Norfolk.

Salix Caprea, cinerea, stipularis. Ozier-holts and woods : frequent.
Populus canescens. Banks of the Yare and Tees.
Castanea vulgaris. Woods and plantations.
Taxus haccata. Hockering : small trees frequent.
Pinus sylvestris. Keswick Hall ; small trees frequent.

Endogenje.

(Stratiotes aloides. Ditches, Acle, Barton Broad, &c.)

Sparganium Jluitans. Ponds on St. Faith's Common.

Potamogeton pusillus. Yare, by Lakenham.

gramineus. Yare, Norwich.

(pralongus. Waveney, by Bungay, Mr. Stock and Mr.

C. Babington.)

Iris fcetidissima. Armeringhall Wood. (Bath Hills, Biingay.)

{Gymnadenia conopsea. Scarning Fen, Dereham.)

{viridis. Fields near Bungay.)

Habenaria chlorantha. Armeringhall Wood.

(bifolia. } St. Faith's, see Mr. Mann's list ; Upton, near

the Broad.)

Ophrys muscifera. Stoke Holy Cross.

Listera Nidus avis. Armeringhall Wood, Mr. J. W. Ewing.

Liparis Lceselii. St. Faith's Bogs.

Convallaria multifiora. Lakenham Hall Wood.

Ornithogalum umbellatum. PostwicChurchyard(St. Benedict's Abbey).

Tulipa sylvestris. Bracondale, Mr. Bayfield ; Trowse, Kirby Bedon,
fields and chalk-pits ; rare.

Scilla nutans. Woods : everywhere.

Muscari racemosum. City walls.

Paris quadrifolia. Bunwell Wood, Mr. G. E. Bolingbroke : Costessy.

Acorus Calamus. Moat, Cringleford Hall (St. Benedict's Abbey) :

flowering freely, 1840.
Luzula pilosa. Armeringhall Wood.
Scirpus setaceus. St. Faith's Bogs.
Rhyncospora alba. Felthorpe.
Eleocharis multicaulis. St. Faith's Bogs.
Carex divulsa. Bixley, Lakenham Hall Wood.

remota. Armeringhall, ditches and M^oods.

stellulata. Lord Roseberry's grounds, Bixley.

{divisa. Meadow by Acle Bridge, 1836, S. P.W.)

fulva. Lakenham Marshes.

(Ederi. Poringland.

filiformis. Surlingham, near the Broad.

pulicaris. Cringleford Marshes.

teretiuscula. St. Faith's Bogs.

(pendula. Scarning Fen, Dereham, B. B.W.)

(dioica. Scarning Fen, B. B.W., EUingham Fen.)

Aira flexuosa. St. Faith's Bogs.

Poa bulbosa^. Old walls, Horsefair, Norwich.

■ nemoralis. Lakenham Hall Wood.

Calamagrostis lanceolata. Lakenham Marshes.

* Mr. D. Turner has seen this : it was found by Mr. Mann.

Mr. S. P. Woodward on the Flora of Central Norfolk, 205

Hordeum pratense. Meadows : frequent.
Avena fatua. Corn-fields.

(pubescens. Fields, Dereham.)

Bromus asper. Borders of fields : frequent.

secalinus. Wheat-fields, Lakenham (Smalburgh) .

racemosus. Pastures : frequent.

T- giganteus. Woods ; frequent.

CELLULARES.

FiLICES.

Cystopteris fragilis. Old wall, Norwich, 1835.

Polystichum lobatum. Lakenham, Long Stratton (Dereham).

angular e. Brundall (Fakenham, Mundesley).

{aculeatum. Near Fakenham.)

Lastrcsa dilatata. Drummond's Grove, Thorpe ; Stoke Holy Cross,
Cringleford.

{spinulosa. Holt Heath, Fritton Heath, Bawsey.)

(cristata. Edgefield Heath, near Holt ; Fritton Heath, near

Yarmouth ; Bawsey, near Lynn ; Mr. J. W. Ewing, 1840.)

Thelypteris. St. Faith's, Felthope (Seaming, Filby, Upton).

(Oreopteris. Near Cromer, Mr. J\ W. Ewing, 1840.)

Athyrium Filixfoemina. Horning (Scarning, Filby, Fritton, Belton,

Upton).
Asplenium Rut a muraria. Lakenham and Eaton Bridges (Dereham

and Hasboro' Churches).
Trichomanes. Aylsham, Eaton, Lakenham (Fakenham

Churchyard) ; old walls, tombs, lanes, &c.
(Ceterach qfficinarum. Heydon Church, Mr. Stock.)
Ophioglossum vulgatum. Lakenham Hall Wood, Whitlingham Wood,

Armeringhall Wood, Homing (Upton, Ellingham).
Botrychium lunaria. Stratton Strawless.

Musci.

Phascum cuspidatum. Clayey banks, Lakenham.

crispum . Clayey banks, Bixley .

rectum. Clayey banks near Harford Bridges.

axillare. Moist ground, Lakenham.

(muticum. Belton, near Yarmouth, hedge-banks.)

Sphagnum squarrosum. St. Faith's Bogs, &c.
Bartramia fontana. Bramerton. (Scarning, B. B. W.)
Gymnostomum truncatulum, fasciculare, pyriforme. Shady banks,

Bixley, Lakenham.
Splachnum ampullaceum. (Barren.) Upon animal excrement in bogs :

not unfrequent.
Weissia lanceolata. Hedges, Lakenham.

Didymodon purpureus. Moss wold, &c., dry banks : abundant.
Dicranum scoparium. Mosswold, &c., dry banks : abundant.

adiantoides. St. Faith's, boggy ground : frequent,

taxifolium. Bixley Church Lane.

-glaucum. St. Faith's, &c. : abundant in bogs.

Tortula unguiculata. Lakenham and Bixley, on hedges.

206 H. Mohl on the Formation of the Stomata.

Polytrichwn juniper inum. St. Faith's Heath (Seaming Fen).

{urnxgerum . GiUingham . )

Orthotrichum cupulatum. Trees, Lakenham.

" (Hutchinsia. Ruins of the Garianonum, near Yarmouth.)

Anomodon viticulosum. Armeringhall Wood.

{curtipendulum. Fakenham Heath.)

Bryurn, argenteum. Walls and moist ground everywhere.

nutans. Hedge-banks : rather rare.

roseum. Moss wold, Bramerton.

hornum. Drummond's Grove, Thorpe, Lakenham.

cuspidatum. Drummond's Grove, moist lanes : frequent.

Buxhaumia aphylla._ Sprowston, Sir W. J. Hooker.
Leucodon sciuroides. Lakenham, on trees and walls.
Daltonia heteromalla. Lakenham, on trees.
Fontinalis antipyretica. The Yare and Wensum.
Hypnum complanatum. Hawthorn fences.

lutescens. Bramerton.

.^ albicans. Moss wold.

alopecu7'um. Armeringhall.

proliferum. Armeringhall, Lakenham Hall Wood.

stellatum. Bogs and marshes.

triquetrum. Heaths and woods : abundant.

squarrosum. Lanes and woods : frequent.

palustre. Marshes.

scorpioides. Marshes and bogs.

moUuscum. Markshall, hedge-banks.

(dendroides. Fakenham.)

Hepatice.

Riccia crystalUna. Banks at Bixley and Armeringhall, turnip- and

clover-fields : frequent.
Sphcerocarpus terrestris. Banks at Bixley and Armeringhall, turnip-

and clover-fields : frequent.
Marchantia polymorpha, conica, hemisph^erica. Walls and banks,

river-side, &c. : frequent.
Jungermannia bicuspidata. Damp lanes and woods : frequent.

complanata, dilatata. Trees: frequent.

connivens. Bogs, among Bryums.

pinguis. Ditches and bogs : frequent.

{asplenioides , tamarisci. Ruins of the Garianonum, near

Yarmouth.)

XXVIIL — On the Formation of the Stomata, By Hugo
Mohl. (Linnaea, 1838, p. 544, with a Plate.)*

M. MiRBEL is the only person, so far as I know, who, in
his memoir on Marchantia pqlymorpha, has published any

* From the translation in the Annales des Sciences Natnrclles, April
1810, p. 222.

.^^/A^.,irJ/a-^^,M^tMl.s'tNo\.7 . V\ .

Jy^evelr?/?^^^te^'^J of' Siio^/z/:/.^.

H. Mohl on the Formation of the Stomata.. 207

researches on the development of stomata. He has shown
that they are developed in two different modes. First, there
is found, in the epidermis, at the period of formation of
a stoma, a little cavity, the bottom of which is occupied by
an epidermal cell, which is surrounded by four other cells.
By the absorption of this central cell the opening of the
stoma is produced. This is the usual mode of development
on the foliaceous expansions of the Marchantia. Upon the
floral peduncles, on the contrary, the development generally
takes place in an entirely different manner. The bottom of
the cavity is formed by from three to five wedge-shaped cells,
which touch each other at the centre, and which at a later
period separate in such a manner as to show an opening in
the form of a star. The cells always contract more towards
the exterior, being transformed into an obturator ring, whilst
the epidermal cells placed around form the margin of the
stoma.

There is evidently a defect in this explanation of the de-
velopment of the stomata, as it is not explained how the same
form of stomata can originate in two such different ways.
Indeed, in the first case, we cannot conceive how the porous
cells, which constitutes what Mirbel calls the anneau obtu-
rateur, are formed. If the stoma is formed in consequence
of the absorption of the epidermal cell, and the surround-
ing epidermal layers form the margin, the stoma would be
formed only of a simple opening. This however is not met
with in nature ; for inwardly, at the margin, two or more
cells (porous cells) are seen, which enclose the stoma itself.
The origin of these porous cells is explained by the second
manner of development described by Mirbel, but it is not in
the first case.

I have endeavoured to solve the question by examining the
Marchantia polymorpha, but I have not been successful,
because in this plant the examination of the epidermis in its
youngest state presents very great difficulties, as it can only
be taken off by means of a scalpel, and does not therefore
admit of being separated free from the subjacent parenchyma.
In this way some of the subjacent parenchymatous cells are
always removed with the epidermis, and prevent our recogni-
zing with the necessary precision the slight changes which
take place in the stomata at the moment of their production.

Respecting these researches, I shall confine myself there-
fore to merely stating, that I have seen the stomata originate
on the frond of the Marchantia in the second mode pointed
out by Mirbel, but I have not succeeded in seeing any sto-
mata originate from the absorption of a cell.

208 H. Mohl on the Formation of the Stomata.

To make amends, I think that I have observed with suffi-
cient precision the formation of the stomata on the leaves of
the Hyacinthus orientalis. I chose these leaves, not only be-
cause their stomata are of considerable size, but because by
their growth from above downwards, it is easy to observe, on
the same leaf, all the series of facts which the stomata pre-
sent in their development. These organs, indeed, are already
perfectly developed on the higher and oldest part of the leaf;
whilst, in the lower part, newly formed and still enclosed in
the bulb, they do not yet exist.

It is in this lower part of the leaves and between the epi-
dermal cells that smaller quadrangular cells may be observed,
the transverse diameter of which is a little longer than the
longitudinal. (PI. II. fig. 1, «, a.) These cells, as well as
those of the epidermis, are colourless. Sometimes they con-
tain nothing, and sometimes they enclose a slightly granular
mass.

Higher up, towards the apex of the leaf, this granular sub-
stance is met with collected in a round mass, which frequently
however is not clearly defined. At the same time a partition
forms in the middle of the cell and in the longitudinal direc-
tion of the leaf. At the beginning this partition is but slightly
indicated (PI. II. fig. 1, A) ; but soon the lines that limit them
are as clearly drawn as those which mark the lateral walls of
the cells (fig. 2, «).

This partition now begins to double ; thus the first trace
of a stoma establishes itself, and the cell, originally simple,
divides and forms the two cells of the pores.

In the course of the development, the cells which surround
the pore enlarge, and the central slit enlarges in a still greater
proportion. The grumous mass is always found accumulated
on the inner walls of these cells, and communicates with the
other walls of the cells by means of filiform processes (fig. 3.)*,

Lastly, in the perfectly developed stoma (fig. 4.), the gru-
mous mass contained in the cells which form the border of
the pore is equally distributed in their interior, where the
grains of chlorophylle are likewise formed.

The development which I have just described takes place
very regularly in each stoma, but the same part of the leaf
does not always exhibit stomata at the same stage of deve-
lopment. Certain stomata frequently outstrip others close
beside them.

* These threads, which unite a mucous mass situated in the cellulai* cavity
with the celhilar partitions, are met with not only here, but they are often
found elsewhere; for example, in the hairs of the young stalks of Gourds,
find in the articulations of Zygnema,

Bibliographical Notices. 209

1 have not yet made observations with a view to decide if
the above description of the development of the stomata agree
with all cases, or whether in other plants it presents essential
modifications in the process of this operation ; but it is pro-
bable enough that the first method of development indicated
by Mirbel in no case presents itself in an isolated manner,
but that it is only the commencement of the second mode ;
that there is no absorption of the central cell ; and that this,
in the Marchantia, divides into four, as it separates into two
in the Hyacinthus orientalis.

BIBLIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES.

The Natural History of South Devon. By J. C. Bellamy, Surgeon.
Plymouth, 1839. 8vo. pp. 456.

It is only by collecting diligently facts from every part of a country,
that we can expect to arrive at those general principles which regu-
late the distribution of plants and animals over its surface. In this
respect every work that contributes to the information we already
possess ought to be hailed as the omen of progress in our knowledge
of the natural history of the earth. We have already had many able
attempts at giving complete views of the distribution of animals and
plants in many districts of our own island, and we have now to add
another to the list. Mr. Bellamy has produced an interesting volume
with regard to the dehghtful county in which he dwells, which will
not only be read with pleasure by those who reside on the spot, but
will be welcomed by the naturalist as an accession to British natural
history.

Mr. Bellamy's work is divided into three parts. The first part is
divided into five chapters, and treats of the geological character of
South Devon and the nature of its climate. The structure of the
strata in this district is minutely described, and several new and in-
teresting fossils are described and figured. The second part is occu-
pied with lists of the vertebrate and invertebrate animals of the di-
strict, with the exception of the insects, and with various observations
of the author on the animals of South Devon. The third part is de-
voted to " Remarks on numerous subjects of Natural History, but
more particularly on Birds." A great number of these remarks are
original, and are made in such a manner as cannot fail to interest the
general reader.

In this volume Mr. Bellamy has introduced to our notice four ad-
ditions to the British Fauna. These are respectively named Arvicola
hirta, Mus intermedins, Sylvia neglecta and Helix subvirescens . We
cannot however pronounce upon the accuracy of the descriptions, nor
the value that ought to be attached to them, because we have not
the specimens before us. We hope, however, that the approaching
meeting of the British Association will enable some of our eminent

Ann. ^ Mag. N. Hist. Vol. vii. P

2id Bibliographical Notices.

zoologists to examine Mr. Bellamy's specimens, and report upon their
title to be recorded as new species.

The name of the volume might lead some of our readers to sup-
pose that every branch of the natural history of South Devon was
treated on ; but we think it only right to state, that the author has
not given any lists of the plants or insects of the district. In a se-
cond edition we should advise that this hiatus be filled up ; and we
think that the author, on reconsidering some parts of the work, would
find that this might be done without at all increasing the size of the
volume.

Memorie della Reale Accademia delle Scienze di Torhio. Second
Series. Vol. I. 1839.

The following are the papers relating to Natural History in the
last two volumes of the Turin Transactions : —

Programma di Botanica, — with Prize offered for the best Mono-
graph of a tribe of Italian Cryptogamous Plants. — Geological and
Mineralogical Observations on the Mountains lying between the
Valleys of Aosta and Susa in Piedmont ; by Prof. A. Sismonda. — ■
De quibusdam Insectis Sardinise no vis aut minus cognitis : Fasc. II. ;
auctore Jos. Gen^. — Notices of two Fossils found in the Hills of St.
Stefano Roero ; by Prof. A. Sismonda. — Memoir on six new Species
of Cephalopods found in the Mediterranean at Nice ; by J. B. Ve-
rant. — On the structure and position of the organs of Hearing and
Sight in the principal Genera of Mammifera ; by C. F. Bellingeri,
M.D. — Description of a new Cetacous Fossil ; by G. D. Bruno, of
the Zoological Museum of the University. — Investigations respect-
ing some variations observable in univalve freshwater and land Mol-
lusca ; by C. Porro.- — Synopsis Reptilium Sardinise indigenorum ;
auctore J. Gen^.— Primitiee Hepaticologise Italicse ; auctore Jos. De
Notaris. — Essay on the employment of Animal Charcoal for the
extraction of the Bitter Principle of the Camepiteos, and on the ac-
tion of the same upon the Sulphate of Quinine and of Cinchonina ;
by V. Griseri.

Vol. II.

On the Earthquakes felt in the province of Maurienne from Dec.
1838 to March 1840 ; by Monseigneur Al. Billiet. — Mineralogical
and Geological Observations made with a view to the formation of a
Geological Map of Piedmont ; by Prof. A. Sismonda. — Description
of a new Sardinian Falcon, Falco Eleonor^e"^ ; by Prof. G. Gene. —
Observations by Dr. P. Savi on the Structure and Existence of the
Stomata in certain Plants, in a letter to Prof. Amici. — Florula Ca-
prarise, sive Enumeratio Plantarum in insula Capraria vel sponte

* So called in honour of Queen Eleonora, by whom was promulgated the
very ancient code for the preservation of the Falcons for which Sardinia
was celebrated, from which the following extract is given ; — " Constituimus
et ordinamus qui nexiunu homine non depiat bogare Astore neu Falcone dae
nidu, et icussu qui lu det bogare siat obligadu lu Curadore de sa Curadoria
(an officer of justice) d' unde det essere su homine, de tenerlu et batirelu a
nois, cum pena de pagare su Curadore libras quimbe. "— Carta de logu, c. 88.

Microscopical Society. 211

nascentium vel ad utilitatem latius excultarura ; auct. Jos. Moris
et Jos. De Notaris. — Amphibia Europsea ad Sy sterna nostrum Ver-
tebratorium ordinata; auct. Car. L. Bonaparte, Muxiniani Principe.
— Microscopic Observations on the Movements of Vegetable Glo-
bules suspended in a Menstruum ; by Prof. J. D. Botto.

PROCEEDINGS OF LEARNED SOCIETIES.

MICROSCOPICAL SOCIETY.

Feb. 17. — A paper was read by Mr. Owen, " On the Microscopic
Structure of certain Fossil Teeth from the Old Red Sandstone near
Elgin."

The fossils were from the lAiddle or comstone division of that for-
mation, and are interesting from the extreme rarity of organic remains
referrible to vertebrated animals in such formation. The microscopic
structure of these teeth, which Mr. Owen described in detail, is quite
peculiar and characteristic of the teeth in question, so as to justify
the indication of a distinct genus of animals, for which the name of
Dendrodus was proposed.

Four species of these teeth were described, viz. Dend. hifurcatus,
D. strigatus, D. hastatus and D. sigmoideus, and the modifications of
the Dendritic structure pointed out in each.

Upon the whole, the characters of the microscopic structure resem-
ble those of the teeth of certain fishes, as the Shark, Sphyraena, etc.,
but with modifications that approximate it to the peculiar structure
of the teeth of the extinct Batrachian genus Labyrinthodon, from the
new red sandstone.

Mr. Owen concludes, therefore, that the Dendrodus was a fish, but
that it might have approached more nearly than the rest of the class
to the Labyrinthodont group of Batrachia. The teeth resemble in
external form and longitudinal striation those of the Labyrinthodon ;
and should other remains raise the Dendrodus to that order, it will
be the first vertebrate animal higher than fish that has been found in
the old red sandstone.

Sections of the teeth described and diagrams were exhibited in il-
lustration of the paper.

Mr. Owen next proceeded to give an account of his examination
of the microscopic structure of the teeth of the Lepidosiren annectens.

Although almost the whole organization of this species is known,
there is as much doubt in the minds of many naturalists respecting
the class of Vertebrata to which it really belongs, as may be enter-
tained regarding the Dendrodus, of which only the teeth have been
examined.

Mr. Owen referred to the grounds on which he had concluded the
Lepidosiren to be essentially a fish (Linnaean Trans., xviii. p. 350),
and to the subsequent anatomical description of the animal by Dr.
BischofF, who considers it to be a reptile ; and he then proceeded to
describe the microscopic structure of the teeth of the species from
the Gambia, and to show, according to this additional test of its affi-

P2

212 Botanical Society of Edinburgh,

nities, that it must be regarded as a true fish. The body of the tooth
consists of a coarse dentine traversed by numerous large anastomosing
medullary canals, without any trace of Purkinjian corpuscles : this
is coated by a thin layer of dense dentine, traversed by fine calcige-
rous tubes continued from the peripheral loops of the medullary
canal.

This structure agrees with that modification which is most charac-
teristic of the class of Fishes, and has not been found in the teeth of
any of the Perennibranchiate Reptiles. The cumulative evidence of
this fact, with the ichthyic type of the microscopic structure of the
ossified parts of the skeleton ; the disposition of these parts, forming
double superior and inferior spinous processes, a pre-opercular bone,
and their green colour ; the gelatino-cartilaginous vertebral style ; the
many -jointed ray of the rudimentary fin ; large cycloid scales ; the in-
testinal spiral valve ; six pairs of branchial arches, with gills concealed
and protected by an operculum ; the blind nasal plicated sacs : these,
receiving the additional evidence from the intimate structure, as be-
fore from the form, number and attachment of the teeth, must out-
weigh the argument for its amphibious character, which is supported
only by the lung-like structure of its divided air-bladder, — a structure
which some Medacopterygious Sauroid fishes possess in common with
the Lepidosiren.

Professor Ehrenberg of Berlin, and Professor Purkinje of Breslau,
were elected Honorary Members, and Daniel Cooper, Esq., an Ordi-
nary Member of the Society.

March 17. — George Loddiges, Esq., in the Chair.

A paper was read by George Busk, Esq., of the hospital-ship
Dreadnought, " On the Anatomy of Tricocephalus dispar" in which
the author directs attention to certain points in the anatomy of that
Entozoon, upon which all helminthologists appear to have erred.

The author, after describing minutely the structure and arrange-
ment of the digestive and generative systems, arrives at the following
conclusions ; — 1st. That the Tricocephalus has a distinct vulva, and
that the generative and digestive tubes do not communicate at a
cloaca, nor terminate at a common orifice, as described by all writers
on the subject. 2nd. That in the presence and situation of the vulva
this Entozoon obviously very closely resembles the Strongylus and
most other nemgitoid worms, and thus an apparently great anomaly
in the arrangement of this class is removed. 3rd. That the ali-
mentary canal is not so simple as is commonly supposed. 4th. That
the Tricocephalus is in all probability simply oviparous, and that the
ova become perfectly formed only a short distance from the orifice,
perhaps from being there only within reach of the male fluid.

BOTANICAL. SOCIETY OF EDINBURGH.

March 25, 1841. — Dr. James Macaulay in the Chair.
The following communications were read : —
1. Notice oi Cai^um bulbocastanum, Koch, from two English lo-
calities, by Mr. Isaac Brown, Hitchin, Herts. Mr. Brown pointed

Botanical Society of Edinburgh, 213

out the chief differences between this plant and Bunium flexuosuniy
Sra. {denudatum, DeC), with which it appears, by English authors,
to have been confounded. Specimens gathered in July last, be-
tween Dunstable and Barton, and others from near Baldock, were
exhibited,

2. Notes on Physospermum cornubiense, and an account of its dis-
covery near Tavistock, in Devonshire, by the Rev. W. S, Hore,
Stoke, Devonport. Mr. Hore, in collecting this plant at Bodmin,
in Cornwall, its original and only known English locality, observed,
that it was chiefly in oak coppices that it seemed to be found. In
August last he noticed a single specimen of it in a hedge-row be-
tween Newbridge and Tavistock, and being induced to enter a neigh-
bouring oak coppice in search of it, he there found it in consider-
able abundance. The root, he observes, fits it admirably to contend
with the brambles and brushwood amongst which it grows.

3. Notice of a curious variety of Scolopendrium vulgar e, found
near Arbroath, by Mr. W. C. Trevelyan. Specimens were pre-
sented having the midrib prolonged in a remarkable manner nearly
an inch beyond the termination of the frond,

4. An attempt to ascertain the true Hypericum quadrangulum of
Linnaeus, by Mr. Charles C. Babington. Mr. Babington was led
to make the present inquiry in consequence of specimens collected
by the Rev. T. B. Bell, in Arran, having been distributed by the
Botanical Society, named Hypericum dubium, which appeared differ-
ent from the English plant so called. Much confusion has arisen
regarding this species, from its appearing from the Linnaean Her-
barium that two species have been included by Linnaeus under the
name of quadrangulum, viz. H. dubium of Leers, and H. quadrangu-
lum of Smith. Mr. Babington, after a careful examination of speci-
mens and reference to numerous authorities, proposed that the fol-
lowing names should be adopted: — 1. H. quadrangulum, Linn.
(Hort. Cliff.); English Bot., tab. 370, &c., being the plant named
H. tetrapterum by Mr. Babington in his Primitice FlorcB SarnioB,
and in Leighton's Flora of Shropshire. 2. H. dubium. Leers ; En-
glish Bot., tab. 296, &c., being the plant from Arran before alluded
to. 3. W. maculatum, Crantz (Flora Austr. ed. alt.), being the H.
delphinense of Villar'a Fl. Delph. ; H. quadrangulum of Leighton's
Flora of Shropshire, and the plant usually considered //. dubium by
English botanists.

5. On the Geographical Distribution of British Ferns, by Mr.
Hewett Cottrell Watson. In the outset of this paper Mr. Watson
remarks that, " excepting some spots of small extent, whence they
are banished by local peculiarities of surface, Ferns may be said
to range over the whole of Britain, from south to north, from east
to west, and from the shores of the sea almost to the summits of
the loftiest mountains ; from which latter situation they are proba-
bly absent rather in consequence of the bleak exposure to wind,
than of the diminished temperature incidental to the height of
any of our mountains." Assuming 40 as the medium number of
the species of British Ferns, and 1400 as that of the Flowering
Plants, it appears that 1 to 35 is the proportion which the former

214 Linncean Society,

bear to the latter. Then follows a table showing the proportions
which they hold in several neighbouring islands and continental di-
stricts, ranging from 1 to 25 to 1 to 67. A similar comparison is in-
stituted with regard to 20 of our most complete Local Floras, showing
nearly the same results. A subsequent table exhibits the frequency
of occurrence of each of the British species of Ferns throughout the
20 Local Floras above mentioned, and 24 local lists communicated
by correspondents in various parts of England and Scotland and the
adjacent islands.

Several donations were presented, amongst which may be noticed
— 1. An old Herbarium, which, from the handwriting, and the
references to Parkinson's Herbal, appears to have been made in
England during the latter part of the seventeenth century ; from
David Laing, of the Writers to the Signets' Library. 2. A Cata-
logue of 235 species of Flowering Plants, found in the Shetland
Islands, by Mr. Thomas Edmondston, Jun. 3. A Catalogue of
Plants found near Audley End, Essex, by the Rev. J. E. Leefe.

LINNiEAN SOCIETY.

December 15, 1840.— Mr. Forster, V.P., in the Chair.
Read, an " Account of two new Genera of Plants, allied to Ola-
cineee." By George Bentham, Esq., F.L.S.

The two new genera on which this paper is founded are Pogope-
talum, Benth., collected by Mr. Schomburgk in British Guiana ; and
Apodytes, named but not described by Prof. Ernst Meyer, among
the South African plants collected by Drege. A third genus, Lere-
tia of Vellozo, figured in the ' Flora Fluminensis,' is also character-
ized for the first time.

After noticing the opinions of various authors as to the affinities
of Olacineie, and enumerating the genera hitherto referred to that
family, Mr. Bentham enters into a detailed examination of its cha-
racters and of their modifications in the different genera, tlie most
important of which he condenses into the following character of the
Order.

Ord. OLAClNEiE.
Cali/x parvus, liber v. basi adnatus, truncatus v. denticulatus, fructifer
persistens immutatus v. auctus. Coroll(s petala 4, 5, v. 6 hypogyna v.
subperigyna, subcoriacea, asstivatione valvata, libera v. per paria con-
nexa v. basi in tubum coalita. Stamina definita, cum petalis inserta,
iis coalita v. libera, numero petalorum dupla v. sequalia fertilia rarius
asymmetrica, alterna saepe sterilia difFormia. Antherce introrsae, bilo-
culares, loculis rima longitudinali dehiscentibus. Ovarium toro nunc
parvo, nunc incrassato et interdum cum calyce concrete insidens, l-lo-
culare (nunc spurie et incomplete 3 — 4-loculare) v. rarius excentriceS-
loculare. Ovula in loculo 2, 3 v. 4 collateralia, rarius solitaria, ab apice
placentae liberae v. ovario v. dissepimentis spuriis connatae pendula,ana-
tropa. Stylus erectus, simplex, stigmate nunc truncate tenui, nunc
incrassato 2 — 3 — 4-lobo. Drupa calyce immutato stipata v. ampliato
cincta, velata v. adnata, pericarpio tenui cavnoso v. exsucco, putamine
crustaceo v. osseo, abortu 1-spermo, rarius 2 — 3-spermo. Semen in-
versum, v. saepius placenta cum illo a basi concreta spuria erectum,
umbilico lato basilari affixum. Embryo in axi albuminis copiosi carnosi,
rectus, apici fructus proximus, nunc brevissimuS; rarius dimidio albu-

Linncean Society, 215

minis longior. radicula apicem fructus spectante brevissima, cotyledo-
nibus semiteretibus, plumula inconspicua. Arhores v. frutices erecti
V. interdum scandentes, inermes v. ramis axiilaribus spinescentibus ar-
mati, glabriv. parce pubescentes. i^o/ia alterna, simplicia, integerrima,
exstipulata, glandulosa. Flores hermapbroditi, v. abortu polygami,
nunc axillares distincte v. irregulariter racemosi, spicati v. cymosi, nunc
tenninales cymoso-paniculati, rarius solitarii laterales v. axillares. Brae-
tecB squamaeformes, ssepius minutse, rarius juniores imbricatse. Brac-
teolce parvae in cupulam cpnnatae v. nullae.

Mr. Bentham distinguishes three tribes characterized as follows :
Trib. I. OLACEiE. Ovarium basi dissepimentis spuriis (rarius evanidis)
3 — 4-loculare, apice 1-loculare, placenta centrali dissepimentis spuriis
basi adliserente superne libera. Ovula tot quot loculi spurii ex apice
placentae pendula. Semen erectum. Inflorescentia axillaris, racemosa,
racemis rariiis ad florem unicum reductis.

Trib. II. OpiLiEiE. Ovarium a basi 1-loculare. Ovulum (saltern per an-
thesin) unicum, minimum, ab apice placentae liberae centralis pendu-
lum. Stylus centricus. Semen erectum. Inflorescentia axillaris, ra-
cemosa.

Trib. III. IcAciNE.E. Ovarium a basi 1-loculare, v. excentrice et complete
3-loculare. Ovula in quoque loculo duo, ab apice placentae bine ovario
adnatae collateraliter affixa, pendula, in loculo superposita, placenta al-
tera elongata. Stylus excentricus. Semen pendulum. Inflorescentia
cymosa, axillaris v. terminalis.

To the first tribe Mr. Bentham refers Heisteria, L., Ximenia, L.,
Olax, L. (including Spermaxyrum, LabilL, and Fissilia, Comm.), and
Schoepfia, L. ; to the second, Opilia, Roxb. (including Groutia, Guill.),
and Cansjera, Lam. ; and to the third, Gomphandra, Wall., Icacina,
A. Juss., Apodytes, Leretia and Pogopetalum.

He considers Schoepfla to be far removed from Loranthacece by the
structure of its ovary, while it differs from Symplocos in the Estiva-
tion of its corolla and the incomplete division of its ovary, — two
points in which it agrees remarkably with Olax and Ximenia. He
describes the greater part of its ovary as well as the margin of its
calyx as free, and states that an adherence almost as complete exists
in some species of Olax. The gamopetalous corolla he regards as a
character of little consequence in orders where the aestivation is val-
vate, and as existing to a considerable degree in Olax itself. In
Schoepfla the stamens are more closely adherent to the corolla, but
the filaments are filiform and prominent from the base of the latter,
and are not confounded with its substance.

He states Cansjera to differ from Thymelecs, to which it is usually
referred, in the nature of the floral envelopes, in the position of the
stamens, and in the structure of the ovary and of the fruit ; and adds,
that in all these points it agrees with Opilia, from which it differs
only in the adherence of its petals.

The genera Apodytes, Leretia and Pogopetalum are characterized
as follows :

APODYTES.

Flores hermapbroditi. Calyx parvus, immutatus. Petala 4, 5. Stamina
totidem, iis alterna, sterilia nulla. Ovarium 1-loculare. Fructus ovato-

216 Linnaan Society,

reniformis, siibcompressus, hinc appendice carnosa auctus. Inflores-
centia terminalis.

LERETIA.

Flores liermapliroditi, v. abortu masculi. Calyx parvus, immutatus. Pe-
tala 5, intus villosa. Stamina totidem, iis alterna, sterilia nulla. Ova-
rium I -loculare. Fructus (ex icone Fl. Fium.) depresso-globosus. Injlo-
rescentia axillaris, laxa.

POGOPETALUM.

Flores bermapbroditi. Caljix parvus (fructifer parum auctus ?). Petala
4, 5, intiis villosa. Stamitia totidem, iis alterna, sterilia nulla. Ova-
rium 3-loculare. Fructus depresso-globosus ? Inflorescentia axillaris,
densa.

Of the latter genus two spebies are characterized :

P. orbiculatum, foliis ovato-orbiculatis obtusissimis subtus ramulisque in-
canis, ovario hispido. — A shrub ten or twelve feet in height, found in
dry Savannahs on the Padawire River, Schomhurgk.

P. acuminatum^ foliis ovatis oblongisve acuminatis subtus vix pallidioribus,
ovario glabro. — A tree of about thirty feet high, growing on the high
banks of the Rio Negro, Schomhurgk, n. 970.

Mr. Bentham suggests that the three tribes above characterized
may perhaps, when better known, be considered as distinct orders.
He thinks, however, that the species of Olax in which the dissepi-
ments of the ovary are almost entirely obliterated form a transition
to OpiliecE ; that Gomphandra connects Opiliete with IcacinerB ; and
that Pogopetalum is in many respects equally allied to OlacecB and to
Icacineae. He states that Olacea approach most nearly to the poly-
petalous orders with which Olacinem have been compared ; but he
cannot admit of the supposed affinity between them and Aurantiaceee.
Humiriacea axe, he thinks, among Dichlamydeous plants, those which
come nearest to Olacinece ; and he considers Stijracecc (including
Symplocem and Halesiacece of Don) to be very near both to Humi-
riacecB and Olacinece. Cornece and some other albuminous orders
have also, in his opinion, some relation to them, but much more
distant.

He considers the nearest approach to Santalacem to occur in the
tribe Opiliece, where the calyx is reduced to little more than a dila-
tation of the torus ; and if it be admitted that there are true Santa-
laceous genera with a superior ovary, and if he is right in supposing
that, in the young buds of Opilia and Cansjera, there is more than one
ovule, these two genera become so nearly intermediate, in his opi-
nion, between Olacece and Santalaceee, as to have nearly as much
claim to be associated with the latter as with the former.

Lastly, he states that Icacinecs recede from the two other tribes in
the adherence of the placenta to one angle of the ovarium, and in
the seed being consequently pendulous and not erect; a circumstance
which would have led him to propose it as a distinct order, were it
not for the remaikable resemblance in the floral parts to some true
Olacineous genera, and the absence of any other distinctive character
of importance.

Linnaan Society, 217

In the notes to the paper Mr. Bentham characterizes several un-
described species of Olax in the following terms :

O. nana (Wall, Cat. Herb. Ind. n. 6783.) siiffniticosa ? glabriuscula, ra-
mis erectis parce ramosis, foliis subsessihbus oblongis lanceolatisve ob-
tusis vix mucronulatis, pedicellis axillaribus solitariis 1-floris, calyce
libero, staminibus sterilibus bifidis. — Napalia ? Wallich.

O. acuminata (Wall. /. c. n. 6781.), fruticosa scandens? glabra, ramis an-
gulatis, foliis ovato-lanceolatis acuminatis, racemis brevibus distichis
paucifloris, calyce toro incrassato basi breviter adnato, staminibus ste-
rilibus bifidis. — Sillet, Wallich.

O. macrophylla, glaberrima, foliis ovato-lanceolatis acuminatis inaequila-
teris, racemis axillaribus brevibus distichis, calycibus glabris ovarii
basi adnatis : margine libero truncato, staminibus sterilibus integris v.
vix emarginatis, ovario glabro. — In Monte Padawan Guianae Anglicse,
Schomhurgk.

O. pauciflora, foliis ovatis junioribus ramulis pedicellisque puberulis, pe-
dunculis axillaribus 1 — 3-floris, calycibus molliter pubescentibus ovarii
basi adnatis : margine libero brevissimo truncato, staminibus sterilibus
longe bifidis, ovario villoso. — Serra Acurua Provincire Bahiensis Bra-
silise ; Blanchet, n. 2795. — An hue Dulacia singularis, Veil. Fl. Flum. ?

January 19, 1841. — Mr. Forster, V.P., in the Chair.
Mr. Mann, F.L.S., exhibited a specimen of Sedum Telephium,
which had been preserved for two years in his Herbarium, and still
continued to send forth buds.

Mr. Babington, F.L.S., exhibited some Fir-cones taken from be-
neath about ten feet of solid peat at Burrishoole, near Newport, co.
Mayo, where they were accompanied by nuts of Corylus Avellana.
He stated that the trees in that part of Ireland had all been de-
stroyed for about 200 years, and that no individuals of either species
now occur within very many miles, except a few planted of late
years and far from this locality. Professor Don remarked, that the
Cones differed from either of the varieties of Pinus sylvestris at pre-
sent found in Scotland ; and that they so entirely resembled those of
the alpine form of that species, figured by Jacquin under the name of
Pinus Mughus, as to leave but little doubt of their identity. He
added, that he regarded Pinus Pumilio as only another form of the
same species.

Read, ** A Description of a new genus of Linece." By Charles
Cardale Babington, Esq., M.A., F.L.S.

This genus, which Mr. Babington regards as assisting to establish
more fully the relationship of LinetB to Malvacece, is stated to diflPer
from the usual structure of Linece by its imbricated and not contorted
petals, which are also not unguiculate, although slightly attenuated
below, and by the remarkably thick coats of its one-seeded, perfectly
closed carpels. Its essential character is given as follows :

CLIOCOCCA.

Sepala 5, Integra. Petala 5, in aestivatione imbricata. Stamina 5. Cap-
sula 1 0-locularis ; Zocm/^s clausis indehiscentibus.

The plant on which the genus is founded was raised in the Cam-
bridge Botanic Garden from seeds gathered in the interior of New

218 Linncean Society,

South Wales by Mr. Melluish, and has flowered there during three
successive years.

Read also, " Extracts of Letters from Wm. Griffith, Esq., F.L.S.,
to R. H. Solly, Esq., F.L.S."

In the first of these letters, dated from Olipore, April 8th, 1840,
Mr. Griffith states that he had recently examined two species of
Ephedra, and had no doubt that the ovulum is, as described by
Mr. Brown, naked. The first of these species has a very siliceous
stem, without stomata, unless certain discs blocked up with some
hard matter (silex }) are to be so considered ; which he believes to
be the correct view, inasmuch as the other species, which has no
siliceous deposit, has stomata of the ordinary structure arranged in
a similar manner.

He had also examined the ovaria of some Orchideous plants, in
which he found, in conformity with Mr. Brown's observations, that
the cords sent down to the placentae and subdividing into branches,
one of which passes on each side of each placenta, do not exist before
impregnation. He adds, that the size of the cords is certainly in
proportion to the degree of solution of the pollinia by the stigmatic
action.

In another letter, dated April 23rd, Mr. Griffith describes the
ovule of the outer cell of Callipeltis ? (that of the inner being always
abortive) as deriving its membranous covering from the inner layer
of the ovarium. The ovulum itself he states to be reduced to its
nucleus, but otherwise exactly to resemble those ovula which have
their foramen near the hilum. The same structure, he adds, exists in
the two species of Galium found in the neighbourhood ; the seed
having no proper covering except the albumen and embryonary sac,
its proper coat adhering intimately with the free inner layer of the
ovary, and this again adhering slightly with the calycine layer of that
organ.

In another letter, dated from Cabul, July 23rd, 1840, Mr. Griffith
alludes to the mode of attachment of Cuscuta and Orohanche. Cuscuta,
he says, differs in this respect but little from Loranthus : the suckers
stop at the first completely-formed wood, and never penetrate
further, and both the cortical and ligneous systems pass into the
stock. In Orohanche, which, however, he has only slightly examined,
the attachment seems to him to be made only by a bundle of ducts
derived from the outer part of the central system, which spread out
into a disc over the surface of the first completely-formed wood they
meet. He states the Cuscuta examined to be a gigantic species in
extent, infesting willows, poplars, a species of Elceagnus and the
Alhagi Maurorum. It also preys, he says, extensively on itself; and
one of its intricate masses, half covering a willow- tree twenty or
thirty feet high, presents a remarkable spectacle.

February 2. — Mr. Forster, V.P., in the Chair.

Read a paper " On a peculiar kind of Organs existing in the
Pitcher of Nepenthes distillatoria." By Prof. Don, Libr. L.S.

These organs, named by Prof. Don ' clathrophores,' occupy the
lower half of the inside of the pitcher, and have been described by

Linncean Society. 219

Treviranus, Meyen and Korthals. Doubts still exist as to their
precise function ; but it appears to him probable either that they are
the mouths by which the fluid is poured out into the pitcher, or that
they are connected with the function of respiration.

He thinks with M. Morren that the pitcher originates from the
lamina of the leaf, the margins of which become united at an early
period ; while he regards the operculum as formed upon the plan of
the cucuUate sepal and petals oi Aconitum, and derived from the apex
of the leaf. He regards the pitchers of Sarracenia as formed upon
the same principle ; but compares those of Cephalotua to the labellum
of Cypripedium, the modified leaf being produced anteriorly into a
pouch, and the operculum being posterior, and not anterior, as in
Nepenthes.

The cuticle of the upper surface of the expanded part of the pe-
tiole of Nepenthes distillatoria is described as destitute of stomata;
that of the under surface as being furnished with numerous oval, or
nearly orbicular stomata, composed of two semicircular cellules with
rectilinear faces. That of the outer surface of the pitcher is also
without stomata, but covered, especially in the young state, with
long subulate hairs, frequently dichotomous, or furnished with a spur-
like process at their base. The outer surface of the ojierculum is
sparingly furnished with stomata, and clothed with hairs which are
frequently branched and fasciculate ; the inner has no stomata, but
is furnished with clathrophores and clothed with hairs, which are
often fasciculate, but mostly simple.

In Sarracenia purpurea the cuticle of the pitchers is described as
consisting of sinuously-lobed and somewhat steliiform cellules, with
numerous small, oval, closed stomata. The fibrous bundles are
stated to be composed entirely of long pleurenchyma, the paren-
chyma adjacent to which consists of beautiful spiral cellules. The
hairs of the inner surface of the operculum are simple, hollow, re-
flexed, subulate, and marked with numerous longitudinal parallel
lines or striae; they proceed from a somewhat elevated base. In the
pitchers of Cephalotus the stomata are large, oval and closed ; the
spiral vessels smaller than in Nepenthes, and containing only a single
fibre ; and the hairs which form the fringed border are simple, ob-
tuse and transparent.

Read also " A Descriptive Catalogue of the Graminete and Ci/pe-
raceme contained in the Indian Herbarium of Dr. Royle." By C. G,
Nees von Esenbeck, M.D., F.M.L.S., President of the Imperial
Leopoldino- Caroline Academy Naturae Curiosorum.

The following are the characters of the new genera described in
this paper.

Trib. SACCHARIN EiE.
Leptathekum, Nees.
Spiculce in rachi ad articulos bavba cincta geminae, homogamse, heniio-
logamse, altera sessiH, altera pedicellata, utraque setigcra. Glumes duae,
herbaceo-membranaceae, acutie ; inferior dorso canaliculata, quadri-
nervis ; superior carinata trinervis. Flosculi univalves membranacei ;
inferior neuter, muticus ; superior linearis, canaliculatus, apice trans-

220 Linnman Society,

iens in setam longam capillarem apice subcirrhosam iion genuflexam.
Lodiculee 2, obconicae, plicatae, truncatae, ovario breviores, membra-
nacese. Stamina 3, filamentis capillaribus. Slt/U basi conjuncti, gra-
ciles ; stigmata villosa. Caryopsis libera, lanceolata, acuta. Injlores-
cenlia : Spiae, rachi continua, triangulari, glabra, solis spicularum in-
sertionibus barbulatis, fasciculatae, laxae. — Herba, habitu Panici Sec-
tionis Digitariarum. Culmus racemosus, adscendens. Vagince longae.
Folia lanceolata, acuta, plana, Iset^ viridia, nervo albo. Ligula nulla.
L, Boyleanum, Nees.

Batratherum, Nees.

Spicules in rachi articulata geminatae, heterogamse, altera sessili hemi-
gama, altera pedicellata neutra. Glunup spiculcc perfectae 2, subaequales,
herbaceo-chartaceae, acutae, apiceve acute bidentatas, in aliis superior
apice setacea ; inferior plana, 2 — 6-nervis ; superior carinata, compli-
cata, 1 — 3-nervis, a dorso plicata, canalem struens, in quo seta flosculi
continetur, margine tenui simpliciter connivente. Flosculi membra-
nacei, glumis breviores, nunquam saltern longiores ; inferior neuter,
1-valvis, muticus ; superior bivalvis : valvula inferiori acuminata apice
minute bidentata prope a basi emittente setam in medio geniculatam
infern^ tortam ; superiori exigu^ lineari-subulata bidentat& quandoque
nulla. LodiculcB latae, membranacese, truncatae, dentata3, plicatae, in
semicirculo singulae singulum floris latus ambientes. Stamina 3. Stig-
mata villosa. Styli discreti. Spicula pedicellata angustior, subuniglu-
mis. Gluma plana acuta nervosa, margine subtilius serrulata ; superior
gluma et flosculi rudimentum minuta, rotundata, squamiformia. Injlo-
rescentia : Spica parce dichotoma, ad genicula magis minusve barbata.
Pedicelli spicularum sterilium ciliati. — Gramina repentia, ramosa, foliis
brevibus amplexicaulibus. Stipules membranaceae, exsertae.

B. micans, Nees.

APOCOPIS, Nees.

Spicules in rachi angusta barbulata subgeminae muticae, altera rudimen-
tali pedicellari, altera polygama sessili. Glumes truncatae ; inferior
lata, plana, obovato-conica, coriaceo-chartacea, 8 — 9-nervis, laevis, apice
minute bidentata et inter denticulos subciliolata, basin versus firmior
et colorata ; superior ovata, apice angustior denticulataque, chartacea,
marginibus inflexa, lasvis, quinquenervis. Flosculi 2, membranacei,
bivalves, mutici ; inferior masculus valvulis aequalibus, apice truncatis
denticulatis, dentibus aliquot magis distantibus. Stamina 3, antheris
angustis, fulvis. Lodiculcs exilissimae, quandoque omnino nullae quan-
doque denticuliformes acutae. Flosculus superior hermaphroditus, vel
potiiis hermaphrodito-femineus. Valvula inferior paulo firmior reliquis
et colorata, apice truncato-bi-tri-denticulato ; superior brevior, latiiis
truncata, ciliolato-denticulata. Lodiculcs nullae, aut forsan, ut in mas-
culo, exilissimje. Stamina 3, eo tempore quo flosculi masculi stamina
antheris perfectissimis filamentisque nondum elongatis intra valvulas
adhuc latent, ^'am maxime extenuatis filamentis antheris autem nuUis
residuis extra valvulas prominentibus, conspicua. Ovarium lanceola-
tum, in stylum simplicem, mox bifidum, transiens. Stigmata longa,
linearia, brevi-villosa. Spicules neutrius vestigia produntur pedicello,
spiculae fertili adjecto, ciliato, mutilo. Injlorescentia : Spica bifida aut
geminata ; articulis trigonis ciliato-hirsutis ad genicula longius barbu-
latis.— Gramen tenerum, gracile, ramosum. Nodi glabri. Vagines
arctae. Folia plana, lineari- acuta,

A. Royleanus, Nees.

Linnaan Society, 221

Trib. STIPEiE.

Orthorapihum, Nees.

Spicules uniflorae. Glumce duse convexae, chartaceo-membranaceae, plu-
rinerves. Flosculus collo barbato hinc depresso-plano insertus, bival-
vis, chartaceus. Valvula inferior plurinervis, convoluta, apice attenuata
in subulam continuam non articiilatam neque contortam ; superior
brevior, binervis, dorso convexa. Lodiculce 3, membranacese ; duae
anteriores lanceolatae, ovarium aequantes, basi callo insertae ; posterior
lanceolate -linearis, ovario dupld longior. Stamina 3, antherae flavae,
apice barbatae aut nudae. Ovarium sessile, apice calloso-incrassatum.
Styli breves, basi contigui. Stigmata plumosa. Caryopsis libera. Tn~
forescentia : Panicula angusta, ramis paucifloris. — Gramina foliis an-
gustis rigidis, caud& aristseformi spicularum mediocri rigidula scabr^.

0. Roylei, Nees.

Trib. CHLORIDES.
Melanocenchris, Nees.

Spiculce sesquiflorae aut subtriflorae, flosculo extremo rudimentali, in
rachi propria brevi alternas quidem, sed adeo approximatae ut capitu-
lum involucratum exhibeant ; superiores rachillae imperfectae. Glumes
in infimis duae, aequales, in superioribus quandoque in omnibus una
(supera), bracteaeformes, subulatae, rigidae, hirsutae, flosculis longiores,
basi membranaceo-marginatse. Flosculi perfecti duo, ubi gluma sin-
gula residet quasi axillares in angulo glumae et rachillae ; quorum alter
rachillae propior, hermaphroditus, perfectus, sessilis ; alter masculus vel
neuter pedicellatus ; tertius, ubi adest, rudimentalis, clavatus, nudo
pedicello sen rachillae apice indicatus. Fahults duae, membranaceo-
herbaceae ; inferior trinervis, apice bifida, laciniis aequalibus lineari-subu-
latis, vel bifida cum seta interjecta; superior aequ^ longa, plana, biner-
vis, apice bifida. Flosculus superior conformis, sed minor. LodicuI<e
breves, subquadratae, bidentatae, glabrae. Stamina 3. Anthers luteae.
Ovarium oblongum, compressum, Iseve, truncatulum. Styli longi, late
discreti, filiformes. Stigmata angusta, dissite brevi-puberula. Caryop-
sis libera. Injlorescentia : Spices partiales, forma involucrorum Cen-
chri aut Penniseti, in rachi communi flexuosa alternae, secundae, paucte,
nutantes racemulum exhibent. — Gramina perennia, parva, polyphylla,
ramosa. Folia brevia, rigidula. Ligula nulla. Racemus exsertus,
gracilis, secundus, laxus. Setcs flosculorum coloratae.

1. M. Eoyleana, Nees.

2. M. Rothiana, Nees.
Pomereulla monoica, Roth.

Trib. FESTUCEiE.

PLAGIOLYTRUM, Nees.

Spicula multiflora. Glumce duae, spicula breviores ; inferior minor am-
plectens, oblique acutata, altero latere subpraemorsa ; superior biden-
tata, et inter dentes brevi-subulata, subula denies aequante, e nervi
dorsalis geminati apice unito orta. Flosculi in axi gracili ad genicula
barbulata imbricati, bivalves. Valvula inferior ovata, lateribus incur-
va, herbacea, trinervis, apice bilaciniata laciniis muticis, setis tribus
strictis, e nervo medio duobusque lateralibus proficiscentibus interjectis ;
superior oblonga, magis membranacea, sursum plana, in apice obtusi-
usculo bifida, inferiiis convoluta, referens flosculum ligulatum Synan-

^iOQ fJnnaean Society,

thereae, subquadrinervis, nervis duobus marginibus proximis distinctis,
mediis obsoletis. Lodiculce 2, coloratae, conicae, truncatae, glabrae,
angustae. Stamina 2 (?). Filamenta capillaria. Ovarium cylindricum,
glabrum. Styli filiformes, distantes. Stigmata laxe villosa. Caryopsis
elongato-cylindrica, compressiuscula, truncato-bidenticulata. Injlo-
rescentia : Spica simplex, disticho-subsecunda. — Gramina erecta, foliis
angustis, ligula brevi.

1. P. calycinum, Nees.
Dineba calycina, Hb. Wight.

2. P.fiiiforme, Nees.

t3. P. unidentatum, Nees.

Many new species belonging to genera previously established are
also characterized and described.

February 16. — The Bishop of Norwich, President, in the Chair.

Read "Observations on some new or little -known species of
Polyparia, found in the supercretaceous strata of Italy." By Signor
Giovanni Michelotti of Turin.

March 2.— -Mr. Forster, V.P., in the Chair.

Read a " Description of a new genus of Plants from Brazil." By
John Miers, Esq., F.L.S.

The following are the characters of the new genus described : —

TRIURIS.

Flores dioici. Perianthii foliola 3, obovata, infra apicem processu longo
iiistructa. ^ Antherce 3? sessiles, lociilis disjunctis, imo androphoro
magno carnoso central! insertae. $ Pistilla numerosissima, aggregata,
supera. Styli siniplices, subulati. Fructus ignotus. — Planta pnsilla
hyalina, foliis paucis bractei/ormibus.

T. hyalina.

Ilab. in humidis Serra dos Orgaos Provinciae Rio de Janeiro.

Mr. Miers observed this minute plant only in a single locality, and
was unable to find ripe fruit. He perceived, however, in each pistil-
lum what appeared to him to be a solitary ovule, but so minute and
indistinct as to be evident only by the appearance of a darker oval
form in the centre. He has consequently no positive evidence
whether it is Monocotyledonous or Dicotyledonous ; but is induced
by various considerations to refer it to the former class. He notices
the points in which it appears to him to bear some resemblance to
different Monocotyledonous families, and suggests that, as it cannot
be distinctly referred to any of them, it may probably be taken as
the type of a distinct order, holding a place between BurmanniacecB
and Fluviales.

The processes which are noticed in the character as arising from
below the apices of the divisions of the perianthium, are described
as capillary tubes three times as long as the segments, within which
they are coiled up during aestivation, their apices exhibiting at the
apex of the bud three minute pore-like apertures open externally.

Geological Bociely. 223

GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY.

March 11, 1840. — A paper was read, "On the Siliceous Bodies of
the Chalk, Greensand and Oolites ;" by Mr. Bowerbank, F.G.S.

The author commences by stating, that naturalists and geologists
have long considered the form of tuberous masses of flint found in
the upper chalk to be due to alcyonia or sponges, but that he is not
aware of this opinion having been proved to be correct. It was
Professor Ehrenberg's observations on siliceous bodies which first
induced him to obtain thin slices of flint with the intention of pro-
curing specimens of Xanthidium. In the examination of these slices,
he was struck with the frequent occurrence of patches of brown, re-
ticulated tissue, spicula and Foraminifera, and he was induced to
infer, that the patches of tissue were the remains of the organized
body, possibly a sponge, to which the flint owed its form. With this
belief, he commenced his inquiries by examining thin slices of flints
obtained from various localities, and he found in all of them a per-
fect accordance in the structure and proportion of reticulated tissue,
in the number of spicula, and in the occurrence of Xanthidia and
Foraminifera. The following are the general appearances which the
slices of flint exhibit when mounted upon glass.

With a power of about 120 linear, the slice presents the appear-
ance of a stratum of a turbid solution of decomposed vegetable or
animal matter containing Foraminifera, spicula, Xanthidia, and fre-
quently fragments of the brown tissue. In a specimen from North-
fleet the mass of the spongeous portion exhibited numerous cylin-
drical contorted canals, which from their uniformity and minuteness
of diameter, Mr. Bowerbank considered to be the incurrent canals of
the sponge ; and other orifices of greater diameter to be the excur-
rent. Very frequently, when little of the reticulated substance of the
sponge remains, its former presence, the author says, is indicated by the
siliceous matter resembling a congeries of gelatinous globules, mould-
ed by the tissue amid which it was deposited ; and the globules, when
traced to the edges of the patches of spongeous texture, were found
to agree in size and form with the orifices of the supposed incurrent
canals. In cases where no traces of the sponge can be detected, Mr.
Bowerbank thinks, that the mode in which the spicula, Foraminifera
and other extraneous matters are dispersed equally in all parts, and
not precipitated to one portion of the flint, indicates that the organ-
ized tissue in which they were entangled, retained its form and tex-
ture sufficiently long to allow of the fossilization of these remains in
their original places ; and that the nature and position of these bodies
strongly indicated the former spongeous nature of the flint.

When the chalk is carefully washed from the exterior of a flint,
and a portion examined as an opake object with a power of about
fifty linear, it exhibits a peculiar saccharine appearance, with deep
circular excavations, having fragments of extraneous matters partly
imbedded or adhering to them. If the surface be further cleansed by
immersion in diluted muriatic acid, till effervescence ceases, spicula
may be detected on the sides of the deep circular cavities ; and if,

224 Geological Society,

again, a piece a quarter of an inch in diameter, presenting the rough-
est aspect, be examined under a power of 120 linear, illuminated by a
Lieberkuhn, the surface, under favourable circumstances, will pre-
sent a complex mass of small, contorted tubuli, occasionally fur-
nished at the apex with a minute perforation.

The structure and other characters of the tabular flints are stated
to accord perfectly with those of the nodular masses, except that the
under surface has a still more marked spongeous aspect, and that spi-
cula and Foraminifera are more abundant. The absence of any ap-
parent base or point of attachment in the great mass of nodular chalk
flints, the author says (considering them undoubtedly of spongeous
origin), may be accounted for by supposing that the gemmule was
originally attached to some minute fragment of a shell or other sub-
stance, and that its further development took place while recumbent
on the mud or silt.

The perpendicular and oblique veins of flint between Brighton
and Rottingdean, are reported to present exactly the same internal
characters as the tabular and nodular flints, and to agree externally
with the former. The occasional existence of a fissure filled with
chalk, in the centre of the vertical layers, Mr. Bowerbank conceives,
may indicate that the sponge had grown from the two sides of the
crevices, but had not in all places been able to unite. The sides of
these flint veins are not studded with Foraminifera in a manner simi-
lar to that of the tabular horizontal layers.

Mr. Bowerbank next examined the flint with which Echinites and
shells of the chalk are often entirely or partially filled and enveloped,
and he states, that the results were the same, both with reference to
the exterior and the interior of the flint. In those cases in which
the Echinite is only partially filled, he infers that the portion so occu-
pied was originally a sponge, because its surface is uneven ; for had
the flint been deposited in an empty shell or Echinite, it would pre-
sent an uniformly flat surface. Again, he states, that the projecting
of the flint through the two openings of the Echinite, with an ex-
tension to a greater or less distance, is owing to the sponge having
grown outwards through these orifices ; and the envelopment of an
organic body by a tabular mass of flint, he explains by reference to
the habit of recent sponges to invest testacea or other marine bodies.
In some cases, he has found minute but deep depressions on the
surface of flints filling Galerites, and immediately opposite to the
ambulacral pores ; and he ascribes the origin of the depressions to
streams of water drawn in through the orifices to supply the wants
of the living sponge.

Mr. Bowerbank was afterwards induced to extend his examination
to the flints which invest the zoophytic bodies of the Wiltshire chalk.
By carefully cleaning the interior of some of these flints, he discover-
ed spicula projecting from all parts, however different the character
of the inclosed body ; and the spicula appeared to have no reference
to it, none of them being found on its surface. Under the micro-
scope, the investing flint presented in every respect the same appear-
ance as that exhibited on the lower surface of the tabular flints, ha-

Geological Society. ' 225

ving fragments of minute corals and small shells attached to the in-
ner surface. A thin slice exhibited the usual organic contents of the
common flint. He, therefore, infers that the tabular flint which in-
closes the zoophytes, owed its origin also to a sponge which invested
the organic nucleus.

A comparison of the characters presented by the spongeous re-
mains of the flint, with a collection of recent sponges, has induced
Mr. Bowerbank to conclude that the fossils cannot be referred to any
of the established divisions of existing sponges.

On examining the cherts of the greensand of Fovant in Wilt-
shire in the same manner, he found that the only differences between
them and chalk flints, existed in the coarser texture of the spongeous
fibre, the greater size of the interstices of the network, and the larger
dimensions of the imbedded extraneous bodies. The cherty nodules
of the upper greensand of Shaftesbury afforded similar appearances.
A black, semi-transparent nodule, with an outer coat resembling ag-
glutinated sand, was found under the microscope to contain nume-
rous contorted canals of various sizes, and a considerable number of
beautiful green spicula. Two chert casts of Spatangi from Shaftes-
bury afforded results analogous to those obtained from chalk Echi-
nites.

Slices from a great variety of the greensand cherts of Lyme Regis
presented characters which agreed with the cherts of Fovant. A
specimen of flint from the Portland stone of Tisbury, and another
from Portland, gave a greater quantity of cellular structure than any
of the previously noticed cases, and the texture bore a greater affi-
nity to that of the freshwater sponge, than is exhibited in the flints
of the chalk or the cherts of the green sand.

With respect to the causes of the deposition of the flint, Mr.Bower-
bank objects to the supposition, that it was influenced by the silice-
ous spicula of the sponges, because the flint is in no case limited or
determined by their immediate presence, but is, in all instances, bound-
ed by the extent of the animal matter of the sponge. He has fre-
quently observed that the large excurrent canals in the chalk-flint
spongites are not filled with silex, and that the spicula projecting into
them have not the slightest incrustation of siliceous matter upon
their surface ; while on the contrary, wherever a single tube or
a thin layer of tubes has been projected from the mass into the
chalk, the silex has been attracted to it. He conceives also, that the
retention of the spicula and extraneous matters in all parts of the
flint, may be accounted for, by supposing that the animal matter was
the attractive agent, acting equally throughout the whole body of
the sponge. In support of his argument he adduces the siliceous
shells of Blackdown, and the siliceous corals of the Tisbury oolite
and the mountain limestone, which contain no spicula, and in which
it cannot be supposed that previously existing siliceous matter was
the attractive agent. Lastly, the pyritous fossils of the Loridon,
Kimmeridge, Oxford and other clays, are also mentioned as exam-
ples of animal and vegetable substances having exercised an attract-
ive influence.

Ann. §• Mag. N. Hist. Vol. vii. Q

226 * Zoological Sooiety,

ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY.

August 11, 1840.— R. C. Griffith, Esq., in the Chair.

A paper entitled ** Description of Shells collected and brought to
this country by Hugh Cuming, Esq.," by W. J. Broderip, Esq.,
F.R.S., etc., was read.

*' Mr. Cuming," observes the author, *' the fruits of whose western
voyage are so well known, left England on the 26th of February,
1836 : he proceeded to the Philippine Islands, by the permission of
the Queen Regent of Spain, and aided by powerful recommendations
from her government, which opened to him the interior of the islands,
and caused him to be received with a noble hospitality, equalled only
by the warm interest which facihtated his pursuits wherever he ar-
rived and made himself known.

" Mr. Cuming visited the whole group. His longest stay was in
the island of Luzon, fifteen provinces of which were well ransacked
by him. In the islands Mindoro, Negros, Panay, Siquijod, Zebu,
Bohol, Camiguing, Mindanao, Leyte, Samar, Capul, Ticao, Masbate,
Burias, Temple, Marinduque, Maracavan, and Ramblon, he reaped
a fine harvest. He left the Philippines in November, 1 839, proceeded
thence to Sincapore and Malacca, and returned to England in June,
1840, bringing with him, besides the living animals which he has
liberally presented to this Society, a grand collection of zoological
and botanical specimens, including more than three thousand species
and varieties of shells, the greater part of which appear to be new
to science, and among them are several new genera. The smaller
islands were particularly rich in the pulmoniferous mollusca, which
were found by Mr. Cuming principally in deep forests. We com-
mence a notice of the labours of this active and zealous collector,
with an attempt to describe a few of these terrestrial species. Mr.
G. B. Sowerby, who liberally gives up his valuable time to assist in
laying before the public the novelties of this part of the collection,
will also begin his share of the task, by describing another branch of
the same numerous family ; and it is intended to submit descriptions
to the Society from time to time till the whole of Mr. Cuming's
stores are exhausted.

** Before, however, we commence our task, I must, in justice to
him who has placed the materials in our hands, observe, that, to say
nothing of the variety of new forms which he has been the means of
bringing to light, those who cultivate this branch of zoolog}^ so
highly interesting to the geologist, as well as the physiologist, owe
him a large debt of gratitude, for information on a point of no small
zoological importance. It is not very long since, that the localities
ascribed to shells could in very few instances be depended upon.
The cupidity of dealers, some years ago, not unfrequently prompted
them wilfully to deceive those who gave extravagant prices for new
shells on this point, and carelessness was generally the order of the
day. Mr. Cuming, by his accurate notes, and the open publication
of the places where every one of the multitudinous species and va-
rieties collected by him was found, has mainly assisted in making a

Zoological Society, 227

complete revolution in this department of the science, and has done
more towards giving us data for the geographical distribution of the
testaceous mollusca than any person who has yet lived.

"Helicid^.
" When we consider what the genus Helix was when Linnaeus
wrote, and what it now is, we must be struck with the flood of new
species which has been poured in upon us of late years. Already
the vocabulary has been so drawn upon, that the mere finding
names for the new species is attended with no small embarrass-
ment, whilst the limits of each species are daily more difficult to fix.
When a few forms only in a great natural group are known, they
are easily defined. It is where multitudes are placed before the
zoologist, marked with every variation that food and temperature
and locality can impress upon them, that it becomes no longer easy
to solve the problem, * Which is a species and which is a variety?'
Then it is that the pregnant question * What is a species .'' ' comes
home to the mind. But our business now is to define, as well as
we can, those forms which have been laid before us, and which, to
us at least, are new. When the whole of the additions to this great
tribe existing in Mr. Cuming's collection have been studied, we shall
perhaps have materials for something like a complete natural ar-
rangement of the group."

Genus Bulinus*.
BuLiNus MiNDOROENsis. Bul. tcstd ovutd, ventHcosd, subprond,
anfractibus sex, ultimo longe maximo, lineis incrementi obliquk
striatd, aperturd subrotundd, columelld latd, labio expanso.
Var. a. valde ventricosa, sordid e brunnea strigis irregularibus longi-

tudinalibus varia ; aperturd subalbidd ; labio nigro-brunnescente.
Hab. ad Puerto Galero in insula Philippine Mindoro dicta.
Legit H. Cuming in sylvis.

Var. b. Pallidior, coloribus distinctioribus , fascid suturali brunned
interruptd ; anfractu ultimo fascid brunned strigis longitudinali'
bus interruptd cincto ; labii margine castaneo-rufescente.
Hab. ad Mansilai in insuld Mindoro.
Legit H. Cuming in sylvis.

Var. c. Gracilior, longitudinaliter brunneo et jiavo sordido striata.
This comes very near in colouring, and approaches somewhat in
the shape of the aperture, to the two first varieties of Bvl. chrysali-
diformis. The markings of the young shell remind the observer of
the eggs of some of the Plovers, and the shape assists the delusion.
Hab. ad Puerto Galero in insula Mindoro.
Legit H. Cuming in sylvis.
Var. d. Sordide flavescens creberrime longitudinaliter corrugata et

strigata.
* " I have elsewhere (Zoological Journal, vol. iv. p. 222) given my
reasons for writing Buli/nis instead of Bulimus. Adanson's Bul'm was a
Physa, and the word, however written, is very inapplicable to the forms to
which Bruguiere> Lamarck and authors generally have applied it."

Q2

228 Zoological Society.

A brilliant chatoyant reflection, like Labradorite, is to be observed
on the polished surface of the dark brown reflected part of the outer
lip in fresh specimens.

Var. e. Subnana, gracilior, strigis et colorihus distinctiorihus, clari-
oribus.

Hab. ad Puerto Galero.

Legit H. Cuming in sylvis.

This variety was the most abundant, and Mr. Cuming informs me
that he detected it in the act of depositing its eggs on the leaves of
trees in the forest where it was feeding. The eggs, which are white,
oblong, and covered with a hard, granular shell, were attached to
the leaves by a gummy substance. They are half an inch long, and
nearly four-twelfths across in their widest part.

Var./. Anfractu ultimo nigrescente, antice jiavo subsordido stri-
gata vel maculata,fascid nigrescente basali.

Hab. ad Puerto Galero.

Legit H. Cuming in sylvis.

In this variety, the abrupt termination of the yellowish markings
toward the basal portion of the body-whorl leaves the dark colour
almost uninterrupted, in the shape of a dark band.

Var. g. Strigis distantibus, anfractu basali erg a basin cincturd

moniliformi, interruptd, albidd vel flavescente ornato.
Hab. ad Mansalai in insula Mindoro.
Legit H. Cuming in sylvis.

Var. h. Pallida, strigis latis, anfractu ultimo fascid pallidiori sub-

basali cincto.
Hab. ad Mansalai.
Legit H. Cuming in sylvis.

Var. i. Strigis irregularibus, angulatis^frequentibus tota picta.
Hab. ad Mansalai. ^ *

Legit H. Cuming in sylvis.

Var. k. Cinereo-subvirescens, strigis pallidis angulatis, distantibus,
brunneo-marginatis obscure ornata, anfractu basali fascid brunneo-
rufescente subbasali cincto.

Hab. ad Puerto Galero.

Legit H. Cuming in sylvis.

Near the umbilicus, the epidermis, in those specimens of var. k.
which I have seen, is worn off, exposing the rich red -brown ground
colour of the shell. Indeed in all the varieties the dark colour ge-
nerally appears to reside in the shell itself, and the lighter-coloured
markings, with few'i if any exceptions, in the epidermis. In the
largest variety (a) here described, the effect of the detrition of the
epidermis is well shown. Var. k. comes very close upon var. c. of
Bulinus chrysalidiformis. The length of this species is 6 inches and
under, and the breadth from about 1 to l^th of an inch.

Bulinus chrysalidiformis. Bui. testd valde productd, subpupi-
formi, subcylindricd, lineis incrementi oblique rugosd ; aperturd
subauriculiformi, distortd ,- columelld subrectd, ampld, complanatd;

Zoological Society. 22&

perisiomate interrupto ; labio interno expanso, labio externa ex-
panso, subrecm'vo, scepius suhconstricto ; umhilico subohsoleto.
Var. a. Subgracilis, anfractibus 7 subventricosis, ultimo vix subven-
tricosiori ; pallide castanea vel brunnescens strigis longitudinali-
bus, irregularibus sordide jlavis picta ; aperturd intus subalbidd ;
labio nigrO'purpurascente,

This variety ,is curiously marked. In the young shells the co-
lours are more pure and distinct, but as the animal becomes aged
they are more confused, and run into each other. In both states
the upper whorls are transparent, and the two last opaque.

Var. b. Pallidior, labio hand constricto, ex albido dilute purpu-

rascente.
Hab. ad Puerto Galero.
Legit H. Cuming in sylvis.

The distortion and a shade of the constriction may be traced in
the mouth of this variety.

Var. a. et b. habitant ad Puerto Galero.
Legit H. Cuming in sylvis.

Var. c. subjlava, anfractibus ventricpsioribus,fascid suturali albidd
et subpurpured tessellatd ; aperturd ampld, albd, labii margine
castaneo-purpurascente.

The shells of this variety are much less thick than those of the
two first, and are nearly transparent throughout ; but it must be re-
membered that all which I have seen of this variety appear to be
younger shells : the body- whorl is also much more ventricose in pro*
portion.

Var. d. Tota flavescens, labio albo.

This variety, as well as the last, when held against the light,
shows shadings of the loif^tudinal stripes.

Var. c. et d. habitant ad Mansalai.

Legit H. Cuming in sylvis.

*5^* Bulinus chrysalidiformis of G. B. Sowerby (Zool. Proc. 1833,
p. 37) is a faded shell of var. c. or d. It is without epidermis, and
entirely white, except the margin of the lip, which is brownish. The
length of this species varies from 2|ths inches to 2§ths, and the
breadth from l|ths to l^th.

** The shells which I have here attempted to describe were collect-
ed by Mr. Cuming in deep and dark forests of thick foliage, some
upon, and others beneath, the leaves of trees. There were no palms
in these forests.

" I cannot quit this group without acknowledging that I am not
without doubts as to the specific difference of Bui. chrysalidiformis
and Bui. Mindoroensis . If the shells at the greater intervals be
taken, they appear to be distinct, but there are gradations in these
numerous and motley Mindoro snails, that at least closely approx-
imate the two sections into which I have divided them." — W. J. B.

Mr. Cuming exhibited the various species and varieties of shells
described in the foregoing paper, and also a series to illustrate the

230 Zoological Society,

memoir of G. B. Sowerby, Esq., which was next read : it is entitled
" Descriptions of new species of the family of Helicida, collected by
Mr. H. Cuming in the Philippine Islands."

Helix (Cochlogena De F.) polychroa. Hel. testa obovatd, te-
nui, nitidd, anfractibus quinque, primis prcesertim, ventricosis,
obliqu^ lineis incrementi, striatis, ultimo majori, cceteris duplb
longiori, fascia diversicolore, plerumque albd, prope suturam :
aperturd suborbiculari, peristomate plerumque albo, extus reflexo ;
columella albd, rectiusculd, antice subcallosd, subsinuatd. Long.
1-9, lat. 1-3 poll.
H. virido-striata, Lea secund. Jay.

Hab. in foliis arborum ad insulam Temple dictam Philip pinarum.
One of the most beautiful, as well as one of the most variable spe-
cies in colour. In its general form it is very near var. b. of Lamarck's
Helix galactites {H. mirabilis, De F. Hist. Nat. Gen. et Part, des
Mollusques terr. et fluv. t. 31 . f. 4 to 6), which has been called H.Phi-
lippinarum, but from which it may easily be distinguished by atten-
tion to the above characters. The following seven varieties in colour
have been brought by Mr. Cuming: viz. var. a. bright green, with
darker, longitudinal, oblique, slightly undulated lines and bands,
and a white band at the suture : var. b. the same, with the addition
of a narrow, very darkly coloured brown band immediately below
the white sutural band, and a broad spiral dark brown basal band :
var. c. the same, with two additional dark brown bands on the last
volution : var. d. bright light brown, with green, slightly undulated
oblique longitudinal bands, and a white sutural band : var. e. the
same as var. a., but having the sutural band of a light and dark brown
colour varied : var./. of chestnut brown, with a white sutural band :
var. y. of a dark chestnut brown, with a light orange brown sutural
band.

This species is Helix virido-striata of Lea, according to Dr. Jay ;
I know not if that name be published or not. I hope not, because
it cannot be adopted, neither being consonant with the rules of no-
menclature, nor with classic purity.

Helix (Cochlogena DeF.) Florida. Hel. testd obovatd, tenui-
usculd, haud nitente, anfractibus quinque ventricosis, tenuissime
oblique striatis, ultimo majori, ceteris fere duplb longiori ; suturd
minutissime crenulatd, albd ; aperturd suborbiculari peristomate
latiusculo, reflexo, rotundato, albo ; columelld albd, subincurvd.
Long. 1-6, lat. M poll.
Hab. in foliis arborum prope Munsolai ad insulam Mindoro Phi-
lippinarum.

This, like the last, is a very beautiful species, and it is also sub-
ject to much variation in colour ; its varieties, nevertheless, are not
so numerous. It is principally remarkable for its surface being dull
like the bloom upon green plums or grapes. The following varieties
are exhibited by Mr. Cuming : viz. var. a. of an uniform green, be-
coming paler toward the apex, where it is white : var. b. green, with
ia brown band close to the white sutural band, and the apex of a

Zoological Society. 231

reddish brown : var. c. green, with a dark brown band near the su-
tural band, and a dark brown spiral band close to the columella : var.
d. the same, with two intermediate brown bands, both of which,
however, are not continuous : var. e. brown, with a dark brown band
next to the sutural white band, and the dark brown spiral band sur-
rounding the columella. In all these varieties the narrow white
sutural band is constant, and the anterior part of the last volution
within the aperture is yellower than the outer surface.

Helix (Cochlogena De F.) hydrophana. Hel. testd obovatd,
tenuiusculd, nitiduhU anfractihus quinque ventricosis, oblique te-
nerrime striatis, ultimo majori, cceteris duplo longiori, omnibus
plhs minusve epidermide hydrophand indutis ; aperturd suborbicu-
lari, peristomate albo, rotundato, reflexo ; columelld subarcuatd,
antice in tuberculam indistinctam productd. Long. 1*35, lat.
1-05 poll.
Hub. prope Puerto Galero ad insulam Mindoro Philippinarum.
The ground colour of this extraordinary species is brownish yel-
low, and it has two, three, or four broader or narrower very dark
brown spiral bands. A rather thinner variety, with three bands, is
found in the island of Corregidor, in the Bay of Manilla. The most
remarkable circumstance in its natural history is that it is more or
less covered with a very thin, opaque, white epidermis , which becomes
transparent on being wetted ; the dark brown bands are then seen
brilliantly contrasted with the yellowish brown general colour of the
shell.

Helix (Helicostyla De F.) cepoides. Hel. testd suborbiculari,
tenui, spird subdepresso-conicd ; anfractibus senis, ventricosis,
postice depressiusculis, lineis incrementi striatis ; suturd distinctd ;
aperturd semilunari, peristomate postice tenui, subrejlexo, tilm
crassiori, reflexo ; columelld in dentem obtusum producto. Long,
1-8, lat. 2-2 poll.
H. cepoides. Lea, M.S. secund. Jay.
Hab. ad insulam Luban Philippinarum.

This species most nearly resembles H. unidentata. Lam. Anim.
sans Vert. VL pt. 2, p. 74, from which it may easily be known by
its more ventricose volutions, and its much narrower aperture. It
differs also in colour, the unidentata being usually of a dark chestnut
brown, while in the Dolium the spire and more than the upper half
of the last volution are of a light brown, and the remainder lighter
coloured still, and between the darker and lighter colour is a band
of nearly white. The epidermis in this species is very thin and pale-
coloured, and it has alternating darker marks close to the suture.
A variety occurs of a nearly uniform pale brownish yellow colour,
though in other respects similar.

I gladly adopt Lea's manuscript name of cepoides.

Helix (Helicostyla ? De F.) arata. Hel. testd ovatd, subcy-
lindricd, crassiusculd, rufo-fuscescente,fascid antemediand albidd ;
anfractibus senis, subventricosis, oblique exaratis, subrugosis ;
suturd distinctd, crenulatd ,• aperturd fere circulari, intus albd.

232 Zoological Society,

peritrcmate expanse, subreflexo,fusco ; columelld albd -, umbilico
mediocri. Long. \'1 , lat. I'l poll.
Hab. ad insulam Tablas Philippinarum.

Variat testd omninb pallide lutescente, aperturd peritremateque albis.
The two varieties of this remarkable species differ so much in
colour that they might at first sight be regarded as distinct species ;
I do not, however, discover any real difference in their conformation,
and therefore am compelled to unite them as varieties. The ridges
between the furrows vary greatly in their distance from each other ;
they appear to be more and more frequent as the shell increases in
age.

Helix (Helicostyla ? De F.) adusta. Hel. testd oblongd, sub-
cylindricd, castaned, Icevigatd, tenuissime lineis incrementi striatd,
fascid antemediand pallidiori ; anfractibus senis subventricosis ;
suturd distinct d ; aperturd fere circulari, intiis albicante ; peritre-
mate leviter expanso, reflexo,fusco ; columelld pallidd ; umbilico
parvo. Long. 1*8, lat. 1* poll.
Hab. ad insulam Tablas Philippinarum.

This species resembles the last in form as well as colour ; it differs,
however, in its general proportions, as well as in being entirely free
from the numerous and deep oblique grooves so remarkable in that
species ; its umbilicus also is smaller.

Helix (Helicostyla ? De F.) brachyodon. Hel. testd ovato-
ir... subcylindricd, tenui, cast aned, fascid anticd pallescente ; anfracti-
^ bus quinque ad sex subventricosis, lineis incrementi tenuiter ob-
lique striatis ; suturd distinctd, leviter crenulatd ; aperturd sub-
orbiculari, intixs albicante ; dente obtuso, antico, albo ; peritremate
subincrassato, rejlexo, subexpanso, interne inter columellam den-
temque sinuato ; columelld albd, obtusd ; umbilico parvo. Long.
1-95, lat. 1-3 poll.
Hab. in foliis arborum prope Puerto Galero ad insulam Mindoro
Philippinarum.

Variat testd breviori, colore saturatiori, striisque fortioribus. Long.
1-35, lat. 1-2 poll.

I have named this species Brachyodon, from a short white tooth
placed at the inner and anterior part of the lip, and which appears
to be constant, I do not hesitate to regard the shorter specimens as
merely a variety, though they differ greatly in their proportions from
the typical variety. A single nearly colourless specimen is inter-
mediate in its proportions.

Helix (Cochlogena De F.) pulcherrima. Hel. testd orbicularis
subglobosd, tenuiusculd, haud nitente, spirdplerumque subdepressd,
anfractibus 41, ventricosis, Icevibus, striis solum incrementi tenu-
issimis insculptis, coloribus pulcherrime ornatis, ultimo maximo,
aeteris quadruplh longiori ; suturd distincte impressd ; aperturd
rotundato-semilunari, intus albd, peristomate latiusculo, rotundato,
rejlexo, exttis ad basin columellcd subsinuato ; columelld dilatatd,
; subplanulatd. Long. 1'5, lat. 2* poll.

Hab. prope St. Jaun in provincia Cagayan insulse Lu^on Phi-
lippinarum.

Zoological Society. 233

Tlie usual ground colour of this very pretty shell varies from a
pale yellowish brown, through orange brown, to dark chestnut brown ;
some of its varieties are of a nearly uniform colour, others are very
elegantly varied, with narrower or broader, and more or less nume-
rous interrupted bands of opaque white epidermis (which are trans-
parent when wetted), and which gives them a very brilliant and
captivating appearance, to which it is indeed impossible in words to
do justice.

This species is usually about the same size as Helix Pomatia, dif-
fering from that, however, very greatly in form and proportions, and
varying, moreover, greatly in size. It is nearly orbicular, somewhat
globose, with a slightly depressed obtuse spire. It is of a thin sub-
stance, and its surface is dull. Its volutions are four and a half, of
which the first is rounded, and the last is very large, being four times
as long as the rest, and very ventricose ; they are smooth, being
closely covered with the very slender lines of growth ; the suture is
very distinct, inasmuch as that the posterior part of the next volution
is nearly horizontal, and the anterior part of the last volution nearly
perpendicular to it. The aperture is large (not so large in propor-
tion as Deshayes's Helix Cailliaudi, Mag. de Zool., 1839, * Mol-
lusques,' PI. 5.), of a rounded semilunar form, and white within :
the peristome is rather broad and thick, rounded and reflected ; in
some varieties it is quite white, in others it is delicately coloured of
a rose tint, and sometimes of a brownish red : the columella is dilated
and rather flattened, usually quite white, though occasionally tinged
with rose.

The following are the twelve principal varieties which have oc-
curred to Mr. Cuming, viz.

Var. a. General colour dark chestnut brown ; apex brownish scar-
let; edge of the peristome purplish crimson ; body covered with
broader and narrower white interrupted bands, set nearly close to-
gether.

Var. b. The same, only not having so many of the white bands,
the ground colour is seen in broader bands.

Var. c. General colour dark chestnut brown, with numerous in-
terrupted bands of light brown epidermis ; apex brownish scarlet ;
edge of the peristome purplish brown.

Var. d. Ground colour orange brown, with numerous white inter-
rupted bands ; peristome white.

Var. e. Dark chestnut brown, with only three or four light-
coloured interrupted bands, so that the dark brown ground colour
appears in broad bands.

Var. /. Light yellowish brown, with the apex red, and the edge
of the peristome rose colour ; numerous close-set, interrupted, nearly
white bands ornament this variety.

Var. g. The same ground colour as the last, with a light buff^-
coloured edge to peristome, and a singie white scarcely interrupted
band, forming the circumference of the shell.

Var. h. With a chestnut brown ground colour, a red apex, and
orange-coloured edge to the peristome, and one white band, forming
the circumference.

234 Miscellaneous,

Var. i. With a chestnut brown ground, a red apex, and an orange-
coloured edge to the outside of the pink- edged peristome, and with-
out any white band but a slender white sutural line.

Var. k. With a yellowish brown ground colour, the apex and the
back of the peristome bright orange-red ; peristome and columella
rose-coloured ; without a band, but with a slender white suture line.

Var. I. Of an uniform yellowish brown, with white peristome.

Var. m. Of an uniform pale brownish yellow, with white peristome.

The most beautiful varieties are most abundant on the leaves of
bushes and young trees at St. Jaun, where also all the other varieties
are found. Some of the lesser painted varieties are also found at
Abulug in the same province. The species has not been found in
any other part of the Philippine Islands.

Since this paper was read two other varieties have been found by
Mr. Cuming in his packages ; they are

Var. n. Of a very rich dark chestnut brown, with a scarlet apex,
four very narrow interrupted white bands of epidermis, a white suture,
and orange-coloured outer edge to the white peristome.

Var. 0. Of a rich light brown colour, with a yellowish band form-
ing the circumference of the shell, and another band of the same
yellowish colour in front, near the columella ; peristome white, its
edge pink, and back of the lip orange-yellow.

MISCELLANEOUS.

ZOOLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS MADE IN THE NEIGHBOURHOOD OF TENBY.
BY J. F. DAVIS, M.D. WITH A PLATE.

To the Editors of the Annals and Magazine of Natural History.

Bath, Oct. 23rd, 1 840.

Gentlemen, — During a temporary sojourn at Tenby in August
last, I was induced to see a large fish in the possession of a publican
and fisherman named Cadwallader, which he had taken in Tenby Bay
the preceding autumn, while employed in the capture of herrings. It
had been tolerably well-preserved and was kept for exhibition, being
by no means destitute of attraction. It measures ten feet in length
and six feet in girth, between the eyes two feet and a half, and has
the appearance of belonging to the Sharks ; but its most remarkable
feature is the head, which, as Cuvier remarks of the Hammer-headed
Shark, is unlike to anything in the whole animal kingdom besides.
It is a female, and when opened was found to contain a considerable
number of young ones about eighteen inches long, one of which is
stuffed and exhibited with the mother. Upon my return to Bath in
September I had an opportunity of referring to Mr. Yarrell's late
work on British Fishes, where there is the following notice of this
animal as an occasional visitant of our coasts. " The genus of Sharks
next in order, according to Cuvier's arrangement in the ' Regne
Animale,' is that of Zygcena or Hammer-headed Sharks, of which a
single specimen is recorded by Messrs. C. and J. Paget, in their
* Sketch of the Natural History of Yarmouth,' p. 17, to have been
taken there in October 1829, the head of which is now preserved in

Miscellaneous. 235

the Norwich Museum." He adds in a note, " the specific name of the
example taken and here referred to has not, I believe, been deter-
mined. A reference to a paper by M. Valenciennes in the ninth
volume of the * Memoires du Museum', which supplies detailed
descriptions of four species of the genus, would probably settle this
point. A representation of the most common species, Zygcena mal-
leus, Val., is here given as a vignette to draw the attention of ob-
servers to the subject." Upon inspection of the vignette the Tenby
specimen was instantly recognized*, and its identity with Zygcena
malleus, Val., completely established by a subsequent reference to
the ' Memoires.' The owner of the fish would be very glad to dispose
of it.

Amongst the variety of animals which we had opportunities of
seeing during our stay at this charming marine watering-place, none
afforded greater interest than a small Medusa belonging to the ge-
nus Cyancea, Cuv. It cannot, I think, be referred to any known spe-
cies f, for it differs from all the figures of the smaller Medusse in the
' Zoologia Danica,' the * Tableau Encyclopedique,' and ' Regne
Animale,' and likewise from those illustrative of Dr. Macartney's
paper in vol. c. of the * Philosophical Transactions,' chiefly in the
depth of the bell or disc and length of the tentacula.

Having been discovered by Mrs. Davis, who had likewise the best
opportunity of watching its motions during several weeks that she
kept it in a glass of sea-water at Tenby and afterwards here, whi-
ther it was conveyed in a phial of the same, and lived three weeks
after its arrival, I will state the history of this " thing of light and
life" in her own words : " One morning, while pouring some sea-
water into the vessels containing my Actiniae, I observed two small
objects, which I took for the young of these animals, and as quickly
as possible raised them in a spoon out of the basin and placed them
in a tumbler of clean sea-water. They resembled tiny bell-glasses.
Four transverse rays were perceptible on their sides, and a minute
red body, with four white arms forming a cross, was suspended in the
water. Around the edge of the bell or disc appeared a delicate white
fringe, which was lengthened or shortened at the pleasure of the
animal. The contraction was sometimes so great as to give to the
fringe the appearance of being knotted up to the edge of the bell or
disc. It was highly interesting to watch their movements in the
water as they ascended from the bottom, the bell or disc contracting
and dilating alternately until the animal arrived near the surface of the
water. This motion was particularly conspicuous at the edge of the
disc, and the fringe or tentacula became shortened as the animals rose
in the water; but when they descended again the tentacula lengthened,
sometimes to a great degree, after which the animals sunk gradually,
and without any visible effort. At the end of a fortnight one of my
pets turned itself inside outwards, and remained in this state for
some time, when it died and left only a few flocculent particles at

* See also Suppl. to British Fishes, Part II. p. 61 .

-f" Perhaps it may be a species of Oceania, allied to O. cacwninala of
Eschscholtz, and which has not before been noted as British. — Ed.

236 Miscellaneous,

the bottom of the vessel. The other lived more than two months
longer, and even bore a voyage to Bath in a closed phial of sea- water,
and remained active and vigorous during the space of three weeks,
when it likewise shrunk, died and disappeared like the former, but
without the previous eversion. As a species it may perhaps be thus
characterized : Cyancea coccinea, minute, campanulate, translucent,
with four faint rays. In the centre a red ball with four white arms
forming a cross ; at the margin of the disc numerous tentacula, being
sometimes as long as the disc, at others shortened, as if knotted up
to the margin of the disc."

See PL II. fig. 1, natural size, as it appeared in sea-water; fig. 2.
magnified, with tentacula expanded ; fig. 3. ditto, with tentacula con-
tracted.

" During our stay at Tenby the sea w^as often very luminous ; and
whenever this happened, the sea- water brought in daily for some Ac-
tiniae and other marine animals which I kept alive in basins, exhi-
bited the phsenomenon when in motion, but never while at rest. Even
breathing upon it when viewing the animals which it contained was
sufiicient to excite its luminous appearance. Being anxious to ascer-
tain the cause of the luminosity, I night after night examined care-
fully the water, taking up sometimes what seemed to be sparks of
fire in a spoon or glass, without discovering anything more than
small bubbles, which instantly burst and vanished. Could these be
the Medusa scintillans of Macartney, * Phil. Trans.' vol. c. } I had no
opportunity of examining them with glasses of high power. The
weather was hottest at the time when the sea was most luminous,
and it was the opinion of persons on the spot who made use of the
water, that it was Salter when luminous than at other times. Dr.
Macartney, in his ' Observations upon Luminous Animals,' in the
* Phil. Trans.,* mentions Pholas Dactylus amongst others as exhibit-
ing the phsenomenon ; but that animal never appeared luminous to
me, although I kept it alive and in a vigorous state many weeks.
In the course of my observations I saw no reason to attribute the
luminosity of the sea to any animal."

I am. Sir, your most obedient servant,

J. F. Davis, M.D., F.L.S.

MR F. M. JENNINGS ON EELS KILLED BY FKOST, IN A LETTER TO
W. THOMPSON, ESQ.

Cork, March 18th, 1841.
Dear Sir, — I send you the following account of a phaenomenon
which took place in the river Lee, about six miles below Cork, in
some respects similar to that which occurred in the river Lagan
(see p. 75 of the present volume). I much regret not having heard
of the circumstance until nearly a month after it had occurred,
and then I was not able to glean any information except from the
boatmen in the vicinity ; the remembrance was however fresh in the
minds of all, and the testimony of those I consulted agreeing in
every particular, I am confident that the following account must
be true.

Miscellaneous, 237

During the 5 th, 6th and 7th of February, the ground being co-
vered with snow and the weather intensely cold, the boatmen in the
vicinity of Passage, Monkstown and Carrigaloe captured consider-
able numbers of the Conger Eel {Anguilla Conger, Linn.), of all
sizes, varying from a foot to five and six feet in length. Many of
them were left on the strand as the tide receded, some dead, but the
greater number alive ; others were followed in boats as they swam
near the surface of the water and killed with sticks, whilst many
committed suicide by swimming up on the strand. In a similar way
they were caught from Hop Island to Ringaskiddy, a distance of five
miles on the west side of the Lee, and from Smith Barry's Bay to
the limekiln opposite Monkstown (about three miles) on the east
side ; those which were taken on Hop Island seem to have been
washed up by the tide, as they were dead.

It appears strange, that a fish like the eel, usually found at the bot-
tom of the river, should be affected by the cold, when one reflects,
that the depth of the river varies in some of these places from forty
to sixty feet — the water here, though not quite so salt as the sea, is
yet very salt.

One individual caiight as many as thirty-seven ; but it would be
impossible to form any idea of the numbers taken, as immense quan-
tities were picked up by the boatmen and others as they walked
along the strand. As such a long time elapsed before I heard of the
circupastance, I had no opportunity of seeing any of them, but there
can be no doubt that they were the Conger Eel.

Dr. Scott of Cove was kind enough to give me, from his meteoro^
logical journal, the temperature and the direction of the wind about
and during the time of the event.

Feb. 1841.

Max.

Min.

Wind at 9 am.

3.

29

27

Snowy.

East.

4.

28

25

Snowy.

East.

5.

30

27

Snowy.

East-south-east.

6.

31

28

Snow-gale.

East.

7.

30

27

Snowy.

East.

8.

38

34

No snow-falls.

East.

9. 40 33 No snow-falls. North-east.

Believe me. Sir, yours truly,

Francis M. Jennings.
William Thompson, Esq., Belfast.

ON THE OCCURRENCE OF ANEMONE RANVN CULQIDES,
BY THE REV. W. HINCKS, M.A., F.L.S.

To the Editors of the Annals and Magazine of Natural History.

Gentlemen, — Wishing to add to my herbarium a truly wild spe-
cimen of the very rare Anemone ranunculoides, I lately devoted a day
to an excursion with a friend to the neighbourhood, where alone, I
believe, in these islands, it is now reported to be found wild.

Hudson gives the station " near King's Langley, Herts ;" Mr. Geo,

238 Miscellaneous.

Anderson, " near Abbot's Langley." Proceeding by the Birming-
ham railroad to the King's Langley station, I first examined the
neighbourhood of that village and made some fruitless inquiries. I
then proceeded to Abbot's Langley, examining carefully some woods
on the way. At length, in passing through the village of Abbot's
Langley, I observed the plant growing under a tree on the lawn be-
fore a house not far from the church. Having found out the gardener,
I learned from him that it is reputed wild in this situation ; that it
has never been known to be planted, and comes up yearly, sometimes
in one spot, sometimes in another, in considerable abundance ; but he
does not believe that it grows in other places in the neighbourhood.
He obliged me with several specimens, which I presume are as wild as
any found in England, and I have little doubt of this being the very
station referred to both by Mr. Hudson and Mr. Geo. Anderson ;
though if it be true that the plant is found nowhere else in the sur-
rounding country, its being entirely within the enclosure of one gen-
tleman's grounds must lead to a suspicion that it has at some time
been introduced.

Believe me to be, dear Sirs, very truly yours,

William Hincks.
Torrington Square, April 20, 1 841 .

On the Irish localities for Dianthus plumarius. — The Dianthus
plumarius has no claim to a place in the Irish Flora, being evidently
an outcast from gardens where it has been found; as, for example,
at Blackrock, which abounds in gardens, and on the cliffs of Hop
Island, immediately over which there is a flower-garden; it was
also said to have been found on an old castle near Kinsale, since
pulled down. I have searched all these places in vain for the plant.

The only Dianthus found near Cork is Dianthus deltoides, which
occurs very sparingly in a dry hilly pasture near Dunscomb Wood.
I met with it in June 1836, and specimens from that locality are in
the possession of J. T. Mackay, Esq. — Wm. T. Alexander.

Naval Hospital, Plymouth, March 11, 1841.

[The Dianthus plumarius and Caryophyllus have as little claim to
a place in the English Flora, for they are scarcely ever naturalized
in the stations recorded for them. — Edit.]

Suicidal powers of Luidia. — " The wonderful power which [the
Luidia possesses, not merely of casting away its arms entire, but of
breaking them voluntarily into little pieces with great rapidity, ap-
proximates it to the Ophiurse. This faculty renders the preservation
of a perfect specimen a very diflicult matter. The first time I ever
took one of these creatures I succeeded in getting it into the boat
entire. Never having seen one before, and quite unconscious of its
suicidal powers, I spread it on a rowing-bench, the better to admire
its form and colours. On attempting to remove it for preservation,
to my horror and disappointment I found only an assemblage of re-
jected members. My conservative endeavours were all neutralized
by its destructive exertions, and it is now badly represented in my
cabinet by an armless disc and a discless arm. Next time I went

Meteorological Observations. 239

to dredge on the same spot, determined not to be cheated out of a
specimen in such a way a second time, I brought with me a bucket
of cold fresh water, to which article Starfishes have a great antipathy.
As I expected, a Luidia came up in the dredge, a most gorgeous
specimen. As it does not generally break up before it is raised
above the surface of the sea, cautiously and anxiously I sunk my
bucket to a level with the dredge's mouth, and proceeded in the
most gentle manner to introduce Luidia to the purer element.
Whether the cold air was too much for him, or the sight of the
bucket too terrific, I know not, but in a moment he proceeded to
dissolve his corporation, and at every mesh of the dredge his frag-
ments were seen escaping. In despair I grasped at the largest, and
brought up the extremity of an arm with its terminating eye, the
spinous eyelid of which opened and closed with something exceed-
ingly like a wink of derision. Young specimens are by no means
so fragile as those full-grown ; and the five- armed variety seems less
brittle than that with seven arms. Like other Starfishes, it has the
power of reproducing its arms." — From Mr. Forbes's interesting and
beautiful work on the ' British Starfishes,' p. 138.

METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS FOR MARCH 1841.

Chiswick. — March 1. Cloudy. 2. Frosty : rain. 3. Fine: cloudy. 4. Clear
and fine : rain. 5. Overcast : slight rain. 6. Clear and very fine. 7, 8. Very
fine. 9—12. Foggy in the morning : very fine throughout the day : evening
clear. 13. Slight haze: foggy. 14. Foggy: very fine : dense fog at night.
15, 16. Foggy: very fine. 17. Cloudy and showery. 18. Cloudy. 19. Over-
cast: showery. 20. Fine: stormy with rain. 21. Very fine : slight rain at
night. 22. Rain : fin«. 23. Fine. 24 — 26. Very fine. 27. Showery : clear.
28 — 30. Cloudy and fine. 31. Clear : fine but windy : rain at night.

Boston. — March 1. Cloudy: rain p.m. 2. PMne : rain r.M. 3,4. Fine. 5.
Fine : rain A.M. and P.M. 6. Fine. 7. Fine : beautiful morning. 8. Foggy. 9 — 13.
Fine. 14. Cloudy. 15. Fine : three o'clock p.m. thermometer 65°. 16. Fine:
two o'clock*?. M. thermometer 65°. 17. Cloudy. 18 — 21. Windy, 22. Rain:
23. Windy. 24, 25. Fine. 26. Fine: rain p.m. 27. Cloudy. 28. Fine.
29. Cloudy: rain early a.m. : rain p.m. 30. Fine: rain p.m. 31. Fine.

N.B. This is the warmest month of March since March 1830.

Applegarth Manse, Dumfries-shire. — March 1. Cold and clear: snow on hills

melting. 2. Rain all day. 3. Slight frost. 4. Frost harder : snow. 5. Heavy

rain: snow gone. 6. Fine a.m. : rain p.m. 7. Fine throughout. • 8. Fine

spring day : rain a.m. 9. Fine spring day : fair. . 10. Growing day: fog p.m.

11. Beautiful day. 12. Fine a.m. : raw fog p.m. 13, 14. Fine throughout.

15. Fog A.M. : cleared up. 16. Fine throughout. 17, 18. Fine a.m. : rain p.m.

19. Rain and hail. 20. Heavy showers. 21,22. Rain p.m. 23. Cloudy and

threatening. 24, 25. Showery and foggy. 26. Showers a.m. : cleared and fine.

27. Showers a.m. 28, 29. Showers p.m. 30. Fair a.m. : rain and wind p.m.

31. Boisterous and wet.

Sun shone out 23 days. Rain fell 1 8 days. Frost 2 days. Snow 1 day. Fog

8 days.

Wind East 1 day. South-east 4 days. South -south-east 1 day. South 4 days.

South-south-west 1 day. South-west 13 days. West-south-west 2 days. West

3 days. North-north-west 1 day.

Variable 1 day. Calm 1 1 days. Moderate 8 days. Brisk 5 days. Strong

breeze 5 days. Boisterous 2 days.

Mean temperature of the month 44°*07

Mean temperature of March 1 840 39 '35

Mean temperature of spring-water 45*60

Mean temperatureof spring- water, March 1840 42 -60

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THE ANNALS

AND

MAGAZINE OF NATURAL HISTORY,

No. 44. JUNE 1841.

XXIX. — The Anatomy o/Nautilus. By M.Valenciennes*.

Baron von Humboldt gave the Academy an account of
the examination of the animal of Nautilus Pompilius, the third
animal of this species which has been seen by naturalists,
which has been made by M. Valenciennes in Paris, and by
whom it had been communicated to him in a letter. ^^ M.
Meder, a merchant in Java," says M. Valenciennes, "has sent
me the animal of the Nautilus Pompilius, already described
by Owen, which was fished up between Timor and New
Guinea. I think that the drawings which I have made of
this animal will be somewhat more distinct than those by Mr.
Owen. I have discovered an organ which had escaped the
celebrated English anatomist, namely, a conical hollow tube
clothed with papillae, which contains in its interior a folded
membrane, having the greatest resemblance to that in the
nostrils of Fishes ; I do not doubt, therefore, that it is an organ
of smell. Mr. Owen supposed this organ to be in another
place, at the base of the inner tentacula ; yet it must have
quite another destination, since there are also two other en-
tirely similar organs at the base of the outer tentacula, w^hich
Mr. Owen has not seenf. I am inclined to consider them as
membranes which belong to the organ of taste. I was not
able to find any inward ear, nor could I discover any cephalic

* From Reports of the Royal Academy of Berlin for Jan. 28, 1841.

t [They are described as follows in Mr. Owen's Memoir on the Pearly
Nautilus : " Although the external configuration of the oral sheath is thus
varied, its internal surface is uniform and smooth, except at the lower part
near the anterior margin, where there are two clusters of soft conical pa-
pillae, and on each side of these a group of lamince disposed longitudinally. "
(p. 14.) The oral sheath is formed by the confluence of the bases of the outer
tentacula : the single group of laminae at the base of the inner tentacula was
conjectured by Mr. Owen to be the analogue of the lamellated olfactory or-
gan in fish, on account of its rich supply of nerves and its position imme-
diately anterior to the mouth. The organs conjectured to be those of smell
by M. Valenciennes are two hollow tentacula, situated on the outside of the
head, one beneath each eye ; there is a remnant of one of these tentacula
beneath the remaining eye in the wounded, and, at this part, mutilated spe-
cimen, described by Mr. Owen. — Ed.]

Ann. ^ Mag, N, Hist. Vol. vii. R

242 M. Valenciennes on the Anatomy of Nautilus.

cartilage. The pericardium has a most remarkable arrange-
ment. It is folded in such a manner as to form six pockets
or sacs about the heart, three on each side, each of which
opens at the base of the gills, two at the hinder gills. Through
these openings the pericardium has a free connexion with the
great respiratory cavity of the animal. Upon these sacs are
situated the spongy elevations, similar to those which Cuvier
discovered in Octopus, Owen has also delineated them, but
not plainly enough. Lastly, the examination of the head has
shown me that this is surrounded by eight arms, as in Octopus.
The two upper arms are broad and flat, and capable of ex-
pansion. They surround the shell on the side of the raised part
of the spirally- wound cone (the convexity of the last convolu-
tion but one), so that the black part on the mouth of the shell,
not far from the spire, supports the basis of the broader arms ;
when they spread over the shell they deposit upon it the
outer layer streaked with yellow, nearly in the same way as
the margins of the foot of the CyprecB form a layer which is
coloured different to that which the neck-band of the animal
deposits*. 1 consider the divisions which project on the arms
as organs similar to the suckers of the Octopus. The outer
arms have seventeen divisions [gaines), from which proceed
as many feelers (cirrhes). The two great and broad arms
have each only two divisions. The two arms nearest to the
mouth possess, the one thirteen, the other twelve suckers
{ventouses) or divisions. The animal is fastened to the shell
by two strong muscles, which are continued into the interior,
in order to support the funnel which is formed by the reverted
fold, which contains in the interior the tongue-shaped organ,
through which the entrance of the water into the respiratory
cavity is prevented when the animal moves about quickly in
the water. The Octopus needs no such provision, as it swims
backwards ; Sepia, which moves in an oblique direction, pos-
sesses only a rudiment. According to this, the Nautilus has as
many arms as an Octopus ; but they are differently shaped,
very short, and furnished with contractile feelers, which come
forth from divisions which take the place of the suckers, and
which have even been considered as arms. The tube, which
descends into the sipho, continues through all the convolu-
tions, even to the very innermost. It is fleshy and surrounded
by a calcareo-gelatinous membrane, which is excreted from the
tube itself. This tube cannot therefore enter into connexion
with, the interior of the cavities of the chambers ; these cavi-

* [From this description it is evident that M. Valenciennes accedes to
Mr. Owen's view of the relative position of the animal of the Nautilus Pom-
pilius to its shell, which had been opposed by Mr. Gray and M. De Blain-
ville. — Ed.]

M. Valenciennes on the Anatomy 0/ Nautilus. 243

ties, which must be empty, cannot therefore be at all con-
nected with each other. Of the function of this sipho, in
which, as Rumphius and Owen have observed, vessels are dis-
tributed *, I, at present, have formed no opinion.

"The animals examined by Owen and myself cannot, in
my opinion, belong to the same species. Owen says that the
beak of his animal is calcareous at the summit and serrated ;
mine has a corneous beak as far as the summit, and is per-
fectly smooth at the margin. Owen's Nautilus was fished
up near Erromanga, one of the Hebrides ; mine in the New
Guinea Sea, therefore at a distance of 1000 or 1200 miles from
the former.

" I can now conceive how a Nautilus moves : it effects this
by its long and thick arms, which are combined to a kind
of foot ; thus they are able to push themselves along under
the surface of the ocean, as our Limnecs and Planorbes do
in marshes ; yet with this difference, that these are then in
an inverted position, so that the brain lies under the oeso-
phagus when they move upon the water ; instead of which the
Nautilus remains in its natural position upon the water, the
brain above the oesophagus. If it can creep along at the
bottom of the sea, as Rumphius asserts, this must certainly
take place in an inverted position. The Nautilus is therefore
formed entirely after the structure of the Cephalopoda, and
has nothing in common with the Gasteropodaf; nor has it any-
thing in common with Spirula. Of this I possess fragments,
w^hich sufficiently prove their resemblance to the Sepia or
Loligo by the form of their mantle, and by having only two
branchiae. Belemnites are nothing but straight, not convo-
luted, spirulae. The aspect of the Nautilus shows moreover
that it can possess no operculum, and that the Aptychus, as
M. Voltz supposes, cannot be looked upon as an operculum.
If the Aptychus is part of an Ammonite, as is highly proba-
ble, then this part must either be sought for near the mouth
or in the pharynx.^'

Remarks of Professor J\ MUller,
Essential differences do not occur between Owen and Va-
lenciennes in the number of tentacula, but only in the expla-
nation of these in reference to the organs in the Sepice. Owen
looks upon his digitations or tentacular tubes as the arms, and
adopts indeed only the nineteen digitations on each side,

* [The entire siphon was termed an artery by Rumphius, but he nowhere
alludes to the small vessels of the siphon, injected and described by Mr,
Owen. — Ed.]

t [The Nautilus possesses, in common with the Gasteropods, the single
systemic heart, without the two separate branchial hearts which charac-
terize the higher Cephalopoda. — Ed.]

R2

244 M.Valenciennes on the Anatomy q/* Nautilus.

whilst he designates the groups of tentacula placed about the
mouth as four appendices labiates tentaculiferce, Valenciennes
regards the flaps, from which proceed the tentacular tubes, as
arms. His two upper arms is Owen's hood. As this, accord-
ing to Owen, sends off two tentacula, he regards it as two
digitations of a similar kind as the remainder, united in the
middle. The flaps on each side, on which the seventeen tubes
with tentacula are situated, are called by Valenciennes the
second or outer arm ; the tentacula are considered by him as
analogous to the suckers of the Sepia, Owen calls the sin-
gle tentacular tubes arms, of which he reckons nineteen on
each side; Rumphius has twenty*. Valenciennes gets the third
(upper inward) and fourth (under inward) arm on each side
out of the front and hinder appendices labiates tentaculiferce
of Owen, each of which, according to him, has twelve ten-
tacula ; according to Valenciennes one has thirteen, the other
twelve ; according to Rumphius each has sixteen. Owen com-
pares the under appendices labiates to the pedunculated arms
of the Calmars, the upper ones as a further development of
the outer lip of the same.

Valenciennes' view has much in its favour, inasmuch as the
genus of Cephalopods, Cirrotheuthis of Eschricht, has arms,
which are not furnished with suckers, but with delicate fili-
form tentacula. Valenciennes mentions two tentacula on each
of the upper arms, together therefore four ; Owen has only
two tentacula altogether upon his hood. Valenciennes has also
indicated the tentacula before and behind the eye. Their pre-
sence is an objection to his view; their structure, however,
differs from that of the other tentacula.

The foliaceous organs, which Owen takes for the organ of
smell, are in Valenciennes' descriptions doubled ; for he has
an organ which Owen wants, in the vicinity of the eye, a tube
with a folded membrane in the interior, which he considers as
the organ of smell, because it is formed as in Fishes. Very pro-
bable. That the cephalic cartilage, which Owen has described,
is said to be wanting, seems to me somewhat suspicious.

What has been communicated about the pericardium is
interesting, and differs from Owen's description in the num-
ber of the apertures t. And, lastly, what has been communi-
cated concerning the sipho is important, as is the confirma-

* [Rumphius includes the two that are combined to form the hood, in
his series of twenty, which thus corresponds with Mr. Owen's enumeration.
—Ed.]

■ f [Mr. Owen's words, in reference to the apertures here alluded to, are :
*• and on each side, at the roots of the branchiae, there is a small mammil-
lary eminence with a transverse slit, which conducts from the branchial
cavity to the pericardium." Loc. cit. p. 27. — Ed.]

Prof. Meyen on Red and Green Snow, 245

tion of the muscular annection of the animal to the shell.
The animal observed by Valenciennes may very possibly be
a different species, as the non-serrated margin of the snout and
its perfectly corneous state would lead us to believe.

XXX. — On Red and Green Snow, By the late Prof. Meyen*.

M. Ch. Martius, who twice accompanied the French expe-
dition to Spitzbergen, has given us some interesting observa-
tions on coloured kinds of snow, which throw quite a new
light on this subject. On the occasion of speaking of the
structure and development of the cells of plants in his treatise,
^ Du microscope, et de son application a I'etude des ^tres or-
ganises, et en particulier a celle de Futricule vegetale et des
globules du sang,^ Paris, 1839, 4to, p. 19, he brings forward
the several simple orders of Algae the individuals of which
consist of solitary vesicles, and there Protococcus viridis and
nivalis are mentioned as the simplest plants ; and the descrip-
tion of a green field of snow is given, which was seen on the
coast of Spitzbergen on the 25th of July, 1838, by MM. Mar-
tins and Bravais. The surface of the snow w^as white, but a
few centimetres below it was as deeply coloured as if it had
been sprinkled with a decoction of spinage. In another in-
stance M. Martins found this green substance scattered like
dust over the surface of a snow-field, the greater part of which
was covered with an immense mass of Protococcus nivalis ;
below the surface and on the edges of the field the snow was
also coloured green.

The microscopical examination was made in Paris, and it
was found that the snow-water was filled with an amorphous
green matter, among which were spherical Protococcus cells ;
some were red and much larger than the green ones, and
others were rose-coloured, and as far as size goes stood between
both. Later researches showed that the snow was composed
of globules, which varied much in size and colour; some ap-
peared to be simple, green or pale rose-coloured, and 0*01 to
0*05 millimetres in diameter ; others, which were however
scarcer, were blood-red and 0*02 mill, in diameter. Other
globules appeared to be compound, for they appeared like a
case in which other globules were enclosed ; their diameter
was 0*05 to 0*055 mill. : in one globule there were 5 red small
ones, and M. Martins never saw green ones enclosed in this way.

From many observations M. Martins came to the conclusion,
that the red globules of the green snow are identical with
those of the red snow, and that the green snow {Protococcus

* From Wiegmann's Archiv, Heft i. 1840, p. 166, communicated by H.
Croft, Esq.

246 Prof. Meyen on Red and Green Snow.

viridis) and the red [Protococcus nivalis) are one and the
same plant, only in different stages of development, but that
it is difficult to say which of these states is the original.

Moreover in the red snow there were some red moniliform
filaments, which appeared to belong to the order Torula,

To these observations on the colouring of snow by so-called
Protococci, the following addenda may be made. There is
now no doubt that the species of Protococcus are true Infu-
soria*, and indeed Protococcus viridis and nivalis are nothing
more than Enchelis sanguinea and Ench, Pulvisculus [Euglena
sanguinea and Eug. viridis, Ehrenberg) : the appearance of a
red dot near the base of the rostrum, which is considered
an eye, makes it possible, by means of the present magnifying
powers, to judge of this point with certainty.

The long and rapidly-moving Enchelides were not formerly
considered as species of Protococcus; but the above-men-
tioned species exhibit at times a perfectly motionless state, in
which they appear spherical, and thus they have been de-
scribed as Protococci. In this passive state they have been
observed by Miiller and Ehrenberg. The former thought
them dead ; and the latter says of Enchelis Pulvisculus (^ Die
Infusionsthierchen, p. 120), that it often becomes suddenly
pyriform or spherical without unfolding itself; and that this
appears to be the result of uneasiness caused by a che-
mical change in the water, which kills it. This explanation is
however evidently incorrect : moreover the animalcules are by
no means dead when motionless and spherical, but are in a
state of development ; they become gradually larger, indeed
sometimes fourfold. In such enlarged individuals several
small ones are formed, and it is not uncommon to see three,
four, five or six, or even more therein ; in Enchelis Pulvisculus
these young globules are coloured a beautiful green, and the
containing integument consists of a fine and colourless skin,
which afterwards disappears. One often sees the red dot on
these young globules, and this is a good character to distinguish
these formations from small Nostochineae. M. Martins, it is
true, never saw small globules appear on the large green ones
of the snow; but he came to the same result, viz. that the green
and red snow are formed by one and the same plant (which
he holds the vesicles to be), in different states of development.

It is these spherical, reposing animalcules which often ap-

* Agardh's Order Protococcus consisted not oi Enchelides only; with
Protococcus viridis was also placed that small green plant which is found in
infinite numbers among the so-called Oscillatoria muralis, and which covers
barks of trees with a green coating. It is this plant which I have described
and depicted as Protococcus viridis (Linnsea of 1827, p. 403. tab. vii. fig.
A,l — 4) J it has often been held to be the original cells of Lichens, and Tur-
pin, in 1828, called it Heterocarpella quadrijuga. — Mey.

Prof. Meyen on Red and Green Snow, 247

pear in almost incredible numbers, and, surrounded with a
kind of slime, form more or less thick skins, which often
cover the bottoms of shallow standing waters, particularly of
ditches, etc. Such green skins will sometimes remain several
months, not only in the natural state, but also in a room, and
only occasionally do some of the green globules pass into the
active state ; they stretch themselves, exhibit the rostrum, etc»
In comparison to the immense mass of young and old indivi-
duals, very few only pass out of this to all appearance vegetable
mass into free moving animalcules. M. Agardh, in 1823,
saw in red snow that the globules generally considered as ve-
getables sometimes pass into animalcules ; and the behaviour
of the Enchelides in the passive and active state is the reason
why so many philosophers have spoken of a metamorphosis of
Infusoria into plants. One would be obUged in fact to hold
these spherical, inactive Enchelides as plants if solitary ones
did not occasionally begin to move, and if one had not ob-
served their origin. When the animalcules contract them-
selves, the rostrum, is laid along the side, but only in the first
stages is it observable. However, there still remains some-
thing mysterious in this passive state of the Enchelides and in
their rare increase : by repeated observations it may perhaps
be explained. It is still a question whether Enchelis Pulvis-
culus and En, sanguinea, which colour the snow now green,
now red, are really one and the same animalcule. M.
Ehrenberg has, it is true, characterized each, both by de-
scriptions and by delineation, as different species : in the red
ones he saw several grain-like balls in the interior ; but from
the drawing it is evident that these are the same as the young
globules observed by myself in the green animalcules. M.
Ehrenberg erroneously regards them as coloured eggs, which
are first green, then become red and are enclosed in the
gastric cells. He saw that the red animalcules were larger
than the green ones ; but M. Martins observed that the red
bladders in snow varied much in size ; and I myself have often
found individuals of Ench. Pulvisculus, which were consider-
ably larger than the usual red animalcules, and quite as large
as they occasionally are, on which account the size cannot be
taken as a distinguishing character.

M. Ehrenberg relates of the red Enchelides that several
are still quite green, while others appear spotted, half red and
half green ; and this might perhaps be taken as the best proof
that these so diiferently coloured Infusoria belong to one and
the same species. I myself could never distinguish a red from
a green one when individuals of equal size were compared
together. It is true we have as yet no explanation, how red
can be changed into green, or vice versa-, but we know that

ti4B Mr. Blyth on the Genus Ovis.

this frequently occurs with the Algae without the species being
changed, though there have been botanists who have described
Confervae in the red and green states as different species.

M. Turpin also, in a new treatise, has derived the green and
red colour of water, snow, earth, wood, marble statues, etc. etc.
from green and red Protococcus globules, which, according to
.his idea, are true plants ; but he has evidently observed them
only in the passive state. (^ Quelques observations nouvelles
sur les Protococcus, qui colorent en rouge les eaux des marais
salants.^ — Comptes Rendus de 18 Nov., p. 626.)

XXXI. — An Amended List of the Species of the Genus Ovis.
By Edward Blyth, Esq. [With a Plate.]

[Concluded from p. 201.]

7. 0. Burrhel, nobis. Smaller and more robust than the Na-
hoor, with shorter ears, and very dark horns ; having no white upon
it ; and general colour dark and rich chestnut-brown, with the ordi-
nary black markings upon the face, chest, and front of the limbs
very distinct ; tail apparently minute.

This handsome species bears pretty much the same relationship
in appearance to the Nahoor, which the English breed of South
Down domestic sheep bears to the Leicester breed, except that there
is not so much difference in size. Length of the unique stuffed spe-
cimen in the museum of this Society, from nose to tail, 54 inches,
but a foot less would probably give the dimensions of the recent
animal, as the skin is evidently much stretched ; height of the back
32 inches, from which also about 2 inches might be deducted ; from
muzzle to base of horn 8 inches, and ears 3J inches. The horns
measure 20 inches over the uppermost ridge, and 10 round at base,
having their tips 25 inches apart ; but those of a specimen noticed
in the 'Bengal Sporting Magazine' (for 1839, p. 295) were 25|
inches long, with a girth of llj inches; and a horn of this same
species, which I examined at Mr. Leadbeater's, had attained a length
of 2 feet, and circumference of 1 1 inches at base, having a span of
14 inches from base to tip inside, and numbering at least ten indi-
cations of annual growth, and probably at least one more towards
the tip, which could not be made out with certainty. The respective
lengths of these were successively lOj, 2^, 2^, 1|, 1:|:, Ij, 1, 1, |,
and the basal ^, inches. The coat of the Burrhel Sheep is rather long,
and harsher than that of the Nahoor, having less wool concealed
beneath it than in the Moufflon and Rocky Mountain species. The
female is undescribed, and I have met with no other specimens than
are here mentioned.

In the description of the jjreceding species, the principal differ-
ences are stated which distinguish the horns of that animal from those
of the present one. The Burrhel's horns have all the ridges rounded
off, though still sufficiently distinct, and the marks of annual growth
are deeply indented, the horn buiging a little between them. Upon
a front view, the backward curvature of the tips disappears altogether.

Ann ^.Ma.^.Ara.1. //i^sl Yol 7 YIY.

Oris J^oUr .

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Mr. Blyth on the Genus Ovis. 249

and the animal has an imposing appearance, finer than that of the
Nahoor. Its colour is much darker than that of the Moufflon.

The Burrhel would seem to inhabit a much loftier region of the
Himalaya than the Nahoor, where it bounds lightly over the en-
crusted snow, at an altitude where its human pursuers find it difficult
to breathe. It has the bleat of the domestic species, as indeed they
all have, and is very shy and difficult of approach. Flocks of from
ten to twenty have been observed, conducted by an old male, which
make for the snowy peaks upon alarm, while their leader scrambles
up some crag to reconnoitre, and if shot at and missed, bounds off
a few paces further, and again stops to gaze. They pasture in the
deep hollows and grassy glens. The Society's specimen was met
with near the Boorendo Pass, at an altitude estimated to have been
from 15,000 to 17,000 feet. The notice in the * Bengal Sporting
Magazine' refers to the same locality ; and another notice most pro-
bably alludes to this species, in Lieut. Mutton's * Journal of a Trip
through Kunawar,' published in the * Journal of the Bengal Asiatic
Society' for 1839, p. 994*. Finally, Mr. Leadbeater informed me that
the horn described as having been in his possession was brought
from Nepal, together with specimens of the Nahoor and Musk, and
the skull and horns of a Himalaya Ibex, which I also examined.

8. 0. cylindricornis , nobis (the Caucasian Argali). Col. Ha-
milton Smith notices this animal in his description of 0. Ammon
(published in Griffiths's English Edition of the * Regne Animal,' vol.
iv. p. 317), and writes me word that an individual died on landing
it at Toulon, whither it had been brought by a French consul, who
did not preserve the skull or skin, but set up the horns, which were
quite fresh when he saw them. " Each horn was about 3 feet long,
arcuated, round, as thick at the top as at the base, of a brown co-
lour, nearly smooth, and about 15 inches in circumference. They
were so heavy and unmanageable," writes Col. Smith, " that I could
not lift both together from the ground, nor place them in that kind
of juxta-position which would have given me an idea of their appear-
ance on the head. I could not well determine which was the right
or which the left horn. Circumstances prevented my taking a
second view of them, as they arrived only the day before I left Paris,
and they are now doubtless in the museum of that capital." In my
former paper I alluded to this animal as probably distinct, and ap-
parently allied to the Burrhel : the foregoing details confirm me in
that opinion, and remove all doubt of its distinctness, as there is no
other species to which they will at all apply. The sketch which
Col. Smith has favoured me with represents a sheep-horn, apparently

* In the continuation of this 'Journal/ ibid, for 1840, p. 568, Lieut.
Hutton identifies the "Burul" of the Boorendo with Mr. Hodgson's Nahoor:
it is likely that both species are found there ; but there can be no doubt
whatever of their distinctness, as a comparison of the horns alone will sufiice
to show. " Of the Ovis Ammon,'' Lieut. Hutton observes, " I could learn
nothing, save that an animal apparently answering to the description is
found in Chinese Tartary, and I saw an enormous pair of its horns, nailed
among other kinds, to a tree as an offering to Devi," These, however, may
have belonged to 0. Polii. — E. B.

250 Mr. Blyth on the Genus Ovis.

of the same general form as those of the Burrhel and Nahoor ; but
the dimensions specified are very superior to those attained in the
instance of either of the two Himalayan species adverted to, and I
can only suppose that the (reverted ?) tips had been broken off, and
the truncated extremity w^orn smooth. The wild sheep of Caucasus
and Taurus are at present little known, nor does any notice of this
genus occur in the catalogue of Caucasian animals published by M,
Men^tries ; though it is nevertheless certain, from the vague inci-
dental notices of various travellers, that some, and not unlikely se-
veral, exist. At Azaz, by the foot of Taurus, Mr. Ainsworth men-
tions having seen an animal which he designates Ovis Ammon {vide
'Travels in Assyria, Babylonia, and Chaldea,' p. 42).

9. O. Gmelini, nobis (the Armenian Sheep). This species
belongs to the Moufflon group, but is yet very different from the
Moufflon Sheep of Corsica. It is described and rudely figured in the
Reise durch Russland (vol. iii. p. 486, and tab. Iv.) of the younger
Gmelin ; and the skull and horns, forwarded by that naturalist to St.
Petersburgh, have been figured and described by Pallas in his Spi-
cilegia (Fasc. xii. p. 15, and tab. v. fig. I.). Messrs. Brandt and
Ratzeburg erroneously identified it, at the suggestion of M. Licht-
enstein, with the wild Cyprian species, the horns of which have a
nearly similar flexure. Fine specimens of the male, female, and
young, lately received by this Society from Erzeroom, enable me to
give the following description ;

Size of an ordinary tame sheep, with a remarkably short coat,
of a lively chestnut-fulvous colour, deepest upon the back ; the limbs
and under parts whitish, with few traces of dark markings, except a
finely contrasting black line of more lengthened hair down the front
of the neck of the male only, widening to a large patch on the breast ;
and in both sexes a strip of somewhat lengthened mixed black and
white hairs above the mid joint of the fore-limbs anteriorly, which
corresponds to the tuft of 0. Tragelaphus ; tail small, and very slen-
der : horns of the male subtrigonal, compressed, and very deep, with
strongly marked angles and cross -striae, diverging backwards, with a
slight arcuation to near the tips, which incline inwards. As regards
the flexure alone, but not the character of the horn, which is allied
to that of the Common Ram, this handsome species links the Moufflon
group with the Nahoor and Burrhel group. See Plate V.

Length nearly 5 feet from nose to tail ; the tail 4 inches ; from
nose to base of horn 8 inches, and ears 3^ inches. Horns (about
full-grown, or nearly so,) 20 inches over the curvature, 10 round at
base, 4 deep at base inside, their widest portion 2 feet apart, and
tips 21 inches, with a span of 13 J inches from base to tip inside;
their colour pale. Around the eye and muzzle this species is whi-
tish ; the chaffron and front of the limbs are more or less tinged with
dusky, and its coat is rather harsh, and fades considerably in bright-
ness before it is shed. Female generally similar, but smaller, with
no black down the front of the neck, and in the observed instances
hornless. The lengthened black hair of the male is only 1 inch long,
and that composing the tuft on the fore-limbs is so disposed that
the latter is white in the centre, flanked with blackish.

Mr. Blyth on the Genus Ovis. 251

According to M. Gmelin, this species is found only on the high-
est mountains of Persia. Its rutting season takes place in Sep-
tember, and lasts a month ; and the female yeans in March, pro-
ducing two or three lambs at a time : the males, he informs us, are
very quarrelsome amongst each other, insomuch that he had been at
one place where the ground was completely strewed with horns that
had been knocked off in their contests ; so that if any variation in
the flexure of these horns had been observable, this industrious na-
turalist would doubtless have remarked it. Sir John McNeill in-
formed me that " it appears to be the common species of the moun-
tains of Armenia; occurring likewise on the north-west of Persia;"
but the wild sheep of the central parts of Persia is evidently distinct,
** having horns much more resembling those of the domestic Ram,
being spiral, and completing more than one spiral circle. I think I
am not mistaken in supposing," continues Sir John, *' that I have also
had females of this species brought to me by the huntsmen with
small horns, resembling those of the ewes of some of our domestic
sheep ; but, on reflection, I find that I cannot assert this positively,
though I retain the general impression." It is highly probable that
a wild type of O. Jries is here adverted to, which would thus in-
habit the same ranges of mountains as the wild common Goat (C
JEgagrus) ; and with respect to the circumstance of horns in the female
sex, I may here remark that this character is very apt to be incon-
stant throughout the present group. It has already been noticed in.
the instance of 0. Nahoor ; and the elder Gmelin states that the fe-
males of 0. Ammon are sometimes hornless, while those of the Cor-
sican O. Musimon are generally so. The same likewise happens in
different species of wild Goats, in the Goral of India, and in the
prong-horned animal of North America ; and even in the Gazelles,
and other ovine-nosed species of what are commonly confused toge-
ther under the name of Antelope, there have been instances of horn-
less males as well as females. A male Springbok of this description,
as I am informed by Col. Hamilton Smith, was long in the possession
of the Empress Josephine ; and the specimen of Ixalus Probaton,
Ogilby, in the museum of this Society, doubtless affords another ex-
ample of the same phsenomenon.

10. O. Vignei, nobis: the Sha (not Sna) of Little Thibet, and
Koch* of the Sulimani range between India and Khorassan. This
fine species is closely allied to the Corsican Moufilon, but is much
larger, with proportionally longer limbs, and a conspicuous fringe
of lengthened blackish hair down the front of the neck, and not
lying close, as in the Mouflftonf. Its size, I am informed by Mr.
Vigne, is that of a large Fallow Deer ; and from the general appear-
ance of these animals, their length of leg, and swiftness on the

* Koch appears to be generic for Sheep, and the same word as Kutch
in ^^ Kutch-gar,'" or Koosh in '* Koosh-gar** applied to O. Polii. — E. B.

'f* At least, as in the Moufflon in summer garb ; for, in winter, it hangs
out loosely also in the latter species, but is much more copious than appa-
rently in 0. Vignei, and also resembles less the pendent hair of the same
part in O. Tragelajihus. — E. B.

252 Mr. Blyth on the Genus Ovis.

mountains, " they reminded me," remarks that gentleman, " of Deer
rather than Sheep."

The general colour of this animal, to judge from an elaborately
finished painting, taken from a living individual in its native country
by Mr. Vigne, to whom we are indebted for all we know concerning
the species, is a rufous brown, apparently not so deep as in the
Moufflon ; the face livid, or devoid of the rufous tinge of the body,
and not terminated by a white muzzle, as in the Moufflon Sheep :
the belly is white, separated by a black lateral band ; and the limbs
are brown, not mottled, as in the Moufflon, but with a whitish ring
immediately above each hoof, then a dark ring, and above this a
little white posteriorly, as in the Nylghau. The fringe in front of
the neck is doubtless peculiar to the male, and the hairs of it would
appear to be 4 or 5 inches long, and hang loosely. Tail about 6
inches long, and slender, apparently resembling that of the Armenian
species rather than the Moufflon's.

A full-grown pair of horns measure 32^ inches over the curva-
ture, and 1 1 inches round at base ; their widest portion apart, mea-
sured outside, is 2 feet, the tips converging to 8 inches, and span
from base to tip also 8 inches : they are subtriangular, much com-
pressed laterally, the anterior surface 2 j inches broad at base, with
its side- angles about equally developed, and the posterior part of the
section tapers rather suddenly to a somewhat acute angle ; eight
years of growth are very perceptible, which successively give 12, 7,
4, 3, 3, 1^, 1^, and \, inches ; they bear considerable resemblance to
those of the Moufflon Sheep, but diff'er in being very much larger,
and in the circumstance of the outer front-angle being as much de-
veloped as the inner one ; and they have not the slightest tendency
to spire, but, describing three-fourths of a circle, and originally di-
verging as in a common Ram, they point towards the back of the
neck, somewhat as in 0. Tragelaphus. Another and younger speci-
men, however, has a decided spiral flexure outward, more especially
towards the tip, and has also the outer angle much less developed
than in the corresponding terminal portion of the former. This
pair had^rown to 11 inches long, with the tips 14^ inches apart;
only one year's growth, and that apparently incomplete, is how-
ever exhibited, and the curvature is likewise less than in the older
specimen. The portion of skull attached is also so much smaller,
that I think it prudent to hesitate in identifying it as specifically the
same. The posterior margins of the orbits are but 4^ inches apart,
whereas in the other they are 5^ inches. There are no materials
for extending the comparison, but a few more dimensions may be
given of the smaller one. The greatest width of this skull, at the
posterior portion of the zygoma, is 5 inches, and the orbits are 3^
inches distant where most approximated : the series of 5 developed
molars occupied 2 J inches ; wddth of second true molars apart, pos-
teriorly and externally, 2^ inches ; of anterior false molars, measured
outside and before, IJ inch ; greatest width of palate 1 J inch, and from
front of first false molar to anterior portion of occipital /oramew, 5|
inches. Mr. Vigne, indeed, assures me that the adult has only five
grinders on each side of both jaws, as in the Chirew, which, if nor-

Mr. Blyth on the Genus Ovis. 253

mal, would make an important distinction, as the smaller specimen
would undoubtedly have developed a third true molar, and possesses
three false ones ; whereas it is in one of the latter that the Chirew
is deficient. I am inclined, however, to regard the two specimens
as belonging to the same species, since I have observed analogous
differences in the mere flexure of the horn in different Corsican
Moufflons ; but it was at all events proper to indicate the dispa-
rity.

" Vast numbers of this species/* relates Mr. Vigne, " are driven
down by the snow in winter to the branches of the Indus, near
Astor, at the southern extremity of Little Thibet, where the river
breaks through the chain of the Himalaya. I once saw a young
one, apparently of this species, in Persia, but took no memorandum
of it at the time ; it was dirty and draggled, but, I think, was covered
with short wool." I have great pleasure in dedicating this species
to that gentleman*.

11. O. Musimon, Linnaeus : the Moufflon Sheep of Corsica and
Sardinia, but not, there is reason to suspect, of the Levantine coun-
tries. It is unnecessary to give a detailed description of this beau-
tiful little species, though I may mention that the fine living male
in the Gardens measures 39 inches from nose to tail, the tail 5
inches ; from nose to base of horn 7 inches ; ears 4 inches ; neck,
from posterior base of horn to the abrupt angle of its insertion, 8
inches, and thence to base of tail 21 inches ; height at the shoulder
2|^ feet. The horns of this individual are remarkable for not spiring
in the least degree, whence they point towards the back of the neck :
they measure 21 inches over their curvature, and 8^ inches round at
base, being in their fifth year of growth ; their widest portion apart

* The Wild Sheep of the Parapomisan range, or Hindu Koosh mountains,
described in ' Journ. As. Soc. Beng.' for 1840, p. 440, has been identified
by Mr. Vigne as, " without doubt," the same as the above O, Vignei, not-
withstanding certain apparent discrepancies. " Adult male 3 feet 4 inches
at shoulder, and 5 feet 4 inches from nose to base of tail. Girth of body,
measured behind shoulder, 4 feet : head 1 foot : horns 2| feet round the cur-
vature, and 12 inches in circumference at base, turning spirally backwards
and downwards, with the points inclining forwards. A large beard from
the cheeks and under-jaw, divided into two lobes. Neck ponderous, 14 inches
long and 24 inches in circumference : it has no mane above. General co-
lour pale rufous, inclining to gray, and fading off to white beneath. Muzzle
white ; beard on either lobe white, connected to a streak of long black flow-
ing hair, reaching to the chest. Legs covered with white short hair ; belly
white ; tail small, short, and together with the buttocks white. The female
is inferior in size, and not so much of a rufous colour, with small horns, in-
clining backwards and outwards, about 6 inches in length. The lambs,
which are produced in May and June, are the colour of the female, but have
a dark stripe down the back, and in front of the fore-legs." •' I have now,"
writes Capt. Hay, " three lambs of this species in my room, perfectly domes-
ticated ; but such places as they attempt to climb, show the nature of the
mountains they inhabit. What think you of a couple of them setting to work
to cHmb my chimney, nearly perpendicular, but with projecting bricks here
and there ?" It is noticed that this animal has the usual number of molars,
six on each side of both jaws ; and I understand that there is a stuffed spe-
cimen in the Paris Museum. — E. B.

254 Mr. Blyth on the Genus Ovis.

is 15 inches, and at the tips 6 inches; but another pair, upon the
stuffed specimen in the museum, which show the more usual slight
spirature, are 26 inches long, having the widest portion 14 inches
apart, and the tips as much as 1 2 inches : this pair shows seven years
of growth, and their development was evidently completed, though
they are only 7 inches in girth at base. The female has seldom any
horns, which, when they exist, are ordinarily about 2 inches long.

The character of the horn of the Moufflon is nearly the same as
that of the domestic Ram, only that it is never so much prolonged,
nor indeed to more than two-thirds of a circle : the inner front edge is
acute to near the base, where the outer one approaches to an equality
with it ; the first half being thus unequally triangular, and the re-
mainder much compressed, with strongly marked ruga, and having
the inner surface of the horn concave. It has always appeared to
me, however, that the specifical distinctness of the Moufflon is very
obvious, and 1 doubt whether it has contributed at all to the origin
of any tame race. That it interbreeds freely with the latter, under
circumstances of restraint, is well known ; but we have no informa-
tion of hybrids, or Umbri, as they are called, being ever raised from
wild Moufflons, though the flocks of the latter will occasionally graze
in the same pasture with domestic sheep, and all but mingle among
them. The male of this animal is denominated in Corsica Mufro, and
the female Mufra, from which BufFon, as is well known, formed the
word Moufflon : and in Sardinia the male is called Murvoni, and the
female Murva, though it is not unusual to hear the peasants style
both indiscriminately Mufion, which (as Mr. Smyth remarks in his
description of that island,) is a palpable corruption of the Greek
Ophion. It is sometimes stated, but I do not know upon what au-
thority, that a few of these animals are still found upon the moun-
tains of Murcia.

12. The Cyprian Moufflon, figured and described by Messrs.
Brandt and Ratzeburg from a specimen in the Berlin Museum, and
contrasted by them with M. F. Cuvier's figure of the Corsican animal,
is probably a distinct species, intermediate to O. Musimon and 0.
Gmelini : its horns have more the curvature of those of the latter
species, but are not so robust, and curve round gradually backward
from the base, instead of at first diverging straightly, as in 0. Gmelini ;
but the colour of the coat would appear to resemble that of the Cor-
sican Moufflon, only without the rufous cast, and the specimen
figured wants also the saddle-like triangular white patch, which is
seldom* absent in the Moufflon of Sardinia and Corsica. The Tra-

* Indeed never, as I now suspect, from observing that the hair composing
this triangular white patch in the Moufflon, though even with the rest of the
coat in summer, is in winter very much lengthened beyond the rest, form-
ing a sort of whorl, and imparting a singular aspect to the animal when
viewed otherwise than laterally. At the same season, the Moufflon has a
considerable standing mane of lengthened black hair on the nape and fore-
quarters, and that on the front of the neck is very copious and projecting,
being directed forwards from the lower part, and downwards from the upper
portion of the fore-neck. It is remarkable that the same lateral whorl of
lengthened white hairs occurs in certain breeds of domestic sheep. There is
now, for instance, in the Zoological Gardens, Regent's Park, a pair of sheep

Mr. Blyth on the Genus Ovis. 255

gelaphus of Belon, it is true, observed by that author in Candia and
in Turkey, is described by him to have "horns similar to those of
Goats, but sometimes gyrated like those of a Ram" ; yet the fact of
a nearly similar flexure of horn to that represented by Messrs. Brandt
and Ratzeburg, proving to be of normal occurrence in the allied Ar-
menian wild Sheep, confers additional probability on the supposition
that the Beriin specimen of the Cyprian Moufflon has also normally
curved horns, M^hich alone v^ould go far to establish its claim to rank
as a species, in w^hich case it might bear the appellation of O. Ophion.

13. 0. : Ixalus Probaton, Ogilby. I stated in my former

paper an opinion, to which I am still disposed to adhere, that this
animal is no other than a genuine sheep, but specifically distinct
from any at present known : the specimen had long lived in cap-
tivity, as is obvious from the manner in which its hoofs had grown
out ; but whereas I formerly sought to account for its absence of
horns, by ascribing this to probable castration at an early age, I am
now inclined to consider that this abnormity — for such there is every
reason to suppose it — was individually congenital, as in other rare
cases before alluded to. The Armenian wild Sheep approaches more
nearly to this species than any other as yet discovered ; so much so,
that before actually comparing them I thought that they would prove
to be the same ; but they are nevertheless distinct, as is particularly
shown by the longer and less slender tail of the present animal, and
the very different texture of its coat : the absence of dark markings
on its face and limbs may prove to be an individual peculiarity. The
specimen is of the size of a large tame Sheep, and entirely of a
chestnut fulvous colour, dull white beneath and within the limbs,
as also on the lips, chin, lower part of the cheeks, and at the tip of
the tail. From nose to base of tail it measures about 50 inches, —
the tail half a foot, and height of the back 2 J feet. From nose to
rudiment of horn 9 inches, and ears 4 inches : the vestiges of horns,
which exactly resemble those found upon many breeds of tame Sheep,
are 2 inches apart. Upon the minutest examination of the specimen,
I can perceive no character whatever to separate it from the genuine
Sheep, nor any distinction more remarkable than the trivial cir-
cumstance of its chaffron not being bombed, as usual, which how-
ever is equally the case with O. Tragelaphus. I have been favoured,
however, by Col. Hamilton Smith with a drawing of an animal ob-
served by himself on the banks of the Rio St. Juan in Venezuela,
which appears to accord so nearly with Ixalus Probaton, except in
the particular of bearing horns similar to those of the Rocky Moun-

from the West Indies, which, during tlie winter, have been clad with a co-
pious fleece of a rufous brown colour, through which these long white hairs
projected and were very conspicuous, contrasting with the rest : at the ap-
proach of spring the woolly fleece was shed, and succeeded by a coat of hair
like that of the various wild species. These sheep are hornless, and have the
usual long body of the domestic races; their tail is rather short, but more
than twice as long as the Moufflon's, and the chaffron is much bombed.
From tliese facts I infer the near affinity, rather than the identity, of the
latter with the domestic species, the aboriginal type of which would cer-
tainly also exhibit much long hair pendent from the front of the neck, as
retained in the Icelandic and some other breeds. — E. B.

256 Mr. Blyth on the Genus Ovis.

tain Goat, that its absolute identity is probable, in which case it
would be curious that a species so very nearly allied to the genus
Ovis should yet differ from it so considerably in the character speci-
fied. The South American animal adverted to is the Aploceros
Mazama of Col. Smith, and is probably congenerous with the Pudu
of the Chilian Andes mentioned by Molina, (the existence of which
would appear to have been lately re^ascertained by M. Gay,) and
also with the fossil Antilope Mariquensis of Dr. Lund : there would
indeed appear to be other living species of this type, more or less
distinctly indicated by different authors.

14. 0. Aries, Linnaeus : the Domestic Sheep. Assuming that dif-
ferent species have commingled to produce this animal, as appears
to be very evident in the instance of the Dog, it is still remarkable
that we have certainly not yet discovered the principal wild type, or
indeed any species with so long a tail as in many of the domestic
breeds, which I cannot doubt existed also in their aboriginal pro-
genitors : nothing analogous is observable among the endlessly di-
versified races of the domestic Goat, which all appear to have been
derived exclusively from the Caucasian C. JEgagrus ; and as in my
former paper I suggested the probability that a wild Sheep more
nearly resembling the domestic races than any hitherto discovered
would yet occur somewhere in the vicinity of the Caucasus, it now
appears that such an animal does exist in central Persia, as noticed
in my description of 0. Gmelini : nor should it be forgotten that
Hector Boetius mentions a wild breed in the island of St. Kilda,
larger than the biggest Goat, with tail hanging to the ground, and
horns longer and as bulky as those of an Ox'''. Pennant remarks
upon this subject, that such an animal is figured on a bas-relief,
taken out of the wall of Antoninus, near Glasgow.

Of all the wild species of true Ovis that have been here described,
the Rass [Kutch-gar] of Pamir approaches nearest to O. Aries in the
character of its horns, though differing in one particular, besides
size, that has been pointed out ; namely, that the two front angles
are about equally developed ; whereas in O. Aries, as in the Moufflon,
the inner angle is more acute to near the base. Some experience in the
deduction of the specific characters of sheep-horns enables me to state
with confidence, that the normal character of the long-tailed domes-
tic breeds of Europe, and also of most other breeds, is intermediate
to that of the Rass and that of the Moufflon, combining the flexure
and the prolongation of the former with the section of the latter,
but becoming proportionally broader at the base than in either ; more
as in the Argalis of Siberia, Kamtschatka, and North America.
That O. Aries is totally distinct from all, I have been long perfectly
satisfied, and examination of the Rass in particular has strongly
confirmed me in this opinion. I think it likely, however, that more
than one wild species have commingled to form the numerous do-
mestic races, though certainly not any that have been described in
this paper. It is not very long since the question was habitually

* Two crania of sheep, apparently male and female, from the Irish peat,
in the possession of the Earl of Enniskillen, and exhibited some time ago
at a meeting of the Geological Society, are probably of this race.

Mr. Blyth ow the Genus Ovis. 257;

discussed, whether the tame Sheep had descended from the Argali
of Siberia or the Moufflon of Corsica ; and now that so many more
indisputably distinct wild species have been added to the catalogue of
this genus, it is probable that we are still very far from having as-
certained the complete existing number, but that several more yet
remain to be discovered upon the lofty table-lands and snowy moun-
tains of middle Asia, from the Caucasus and Taurus to the Altai,
and among them, it is very probable, some much more nearly allied
to the domestic races than any at present known.

The M^hole of the foregoing animals appertain to my subgeneric
group Ovis, as distinguished from Ammotragus, which latter is cha-
racterized by the absence of suborbital sinuses, like the Goats, but
differs from the latter by possessing interdigital /o5.s«, as in other
Sheep. This difference between the Goats and Sheep appears to
have been first noticed by Pallas, and has since been descanted upon
by Prof. Gene in vol. xxxvii. of the Memorie della Reale Accademia
delle Scienze di Torino. The fact of such a diversity in genera
so nearly allied in habitat as the Goats and Sheep, renders the pro-
blem of the utility of the structure in question somewhat difficult of
solution. T\\Q species upon which I found the subgenus Ammotra-
gus, has decidedly an Ovine, rather than a Caprine aspect, when
viewed alive : the male emits no stench, as in the Goats ; the bleat
is precisely that of Ovis, and the animal butts like a Ram, and not
like a Goat. Unlike the other species of admitted wild Sheep, as
well as the long-horned or true wild Goats, it has a concave chaf-
fron, and no markings on the face and limbs : its tail is rather long,
which is the case in no species of Capra, and is also remarkable for
being tufted at the extremity. The indigenous habitat. North
Africa, is a further peculiarity in the genus in which it is here
placed, though two species of wild Goats respectively inhabit Upper
Egypt and the snowy heights of Abyssinia.

15. O. Tragelaphus, Pallas : the African Goat- Sheep. This
animal appears to vary considerably in size, some exceeding a Fallow
Deer in stature, while others are much smaller. It has no beard
on the chin, like the true Goats, but is remarkable for the quantity
of long hanging hair in front of the neck, and on the upper part of
the fore-limbs, the former attaining in fine males to about a foot in
length, and the latter to 9 inches ; there is also some lengthened
hair at the setting on of the head, and a dense nuchal mane, the
hairs of which are 3 inches long, continued over the withers till lost
about the middle of the back. General colour tawny or yellow-brown.
Horns moderately stout, turning outwards, backwards, and so in-
wards, with the tips inclining towards each other.

The splendid male in the British Museum measures 5 feet from
nose to tail, and tail 9 inches, or with its terminal tuft of hair 13
inches ; height of the back 3^ feet, but the living animal would not
have stood so high by several inches ; from muzzle to base of horn
II inches, and ears 5 inches. The finest pair of horns which I have
seen are in the same collection, and measure 25 inches over the cur-
vature, I0| round at base, with an antero-posterior diameter of 2^

Ann. §• Mag, N. Hist, Vol. vii. S

258 Mr. Blyth on the Genus Ovis.

inches inside; they diverge to 23 inches apart, measuring outside, at
a distance of 6 inches from the tips, which latter return to 15 inches
asunder; their span from base to tip inside is 13 inches; at base
they are closely approximated, but not quite in contact. General
form subquadrangular for nearly a foot, then gradually more com-
pressed to the end, and having a very deep longitudinal furrow for
the greater portion of their length outside, above which the horn
bulges : there is a mark of annual growth at 1^ inch from the base,
another 1^ inch further, and a third after an interval of 3 inches ;
but the rest are too indistinct to be made out with certainty among
the wrinkles of the horn. A large pair of female horns were 16
inches long ; 7 J round at base ; their widest portion apart, near the
tips, 19 inches ; and the tips 17|^ inches : their surface is marked with
broad transverse indentations, which in the males ordinarily become
more or less effaced with age. The female of this species is a third
smaller than the other sex ; and a lamb in the collection of this So-
ciety is extremely kid-like, with the spinal mane upon the neck and
shoulders very conspicuous, but no lengthened hair on the fore-neck
and limbs : in the half-grown male, the latter especially is still not
much developed.

This species is well known as the Aoudad of the Moors, and the
Kebsh of the Egyptians ; it is also, according to Riippell, the Tedal of
the inhabitants of Nubia, which is doubtless the same as Teytal, applied
by Burckhardt to the wild Goat of that region, in addition to the word
Beden, which (in common with Riippell and others) he also assigns to
the latter. Sir Gardner Wilkinson, however, confirms Burckhardt,
by informing us that the Goat referred to is called in Arabic Beddan,
or Taytal, the former appellation referring to the male only. This
author adds, that the present species " is found in the eastern desert,
principally in the ranges of primitive mountains, which, commencing
about lat. 28° 40', extend thence into Ethiopia and Abyssinia."
According to M. Riippell, " it is found in all North Africa above 18°
in small families, and always upon the rocky hills ;" frequenting the
steepest and most inaccessible crags amid the woods and forests
of the Atlas, and descending only to drink. It is a wonderfully agile
leaper, even more so than the wild Sheep and Goats generally, and
is remarkable for always browsing, in preference to grazing. The
Ovis ornattty figured by M. GeofFroy in the great French work on
Egypt, would appear to be merely a small- sized individual*.

* The " Wild Sheep" of Tenasserim, mentioned by Captain Low (in Jouni.
Roy. As. Soc. for 1836, p. 50) as abundant in that region, is most probably
the Kemas kylocrius of Mr. Ogilby, or Warry-a-too of the Chatgaon hills,
which is also more or less common throughout the Malabar, Coromandel and
Vindhayan ranges of Peninsular India, where it is known as the " Jungle
Sheep" to British sportsmen, having precisely the bleat of this genus. Vide
Bevan's ' Thirty Years in India,' ii. 267. This author remarks its being
very common in Wynaud. A female represented (though very indiffer-
ently) in one of Gen. Hardwicke's unpublished drawings in the British Mu-
seum, from a specimen killed in Chatgaon, is clearly identical in species
with the male specimen in the Zoological Society's Museum, which was
received from the Neelghierries. Mr. Ogilby has rightly classed this ani-

Mr. Blyth on the Genus Ovis. 259

The following may serve for definitions of the various ascertained
species of wild Sheep that have been here described : —

1. 0. Polii, Blyth. O. cornibus maximis triquetris, angustis
altissimisque ; angulis anterioribus sequalibus : extrorsiim spiraliter
gyratis, et tarn prolongatis quam sunt cornua Arietum domesti-
corum longissima : sulcis transversim indentatis ; colore pallido.
Animal non cognitum est, sed 0. Ammoni magnitudine saltem baud
inferius. Habitat apud planitiem elevatam Pamir dictam, in Asia
centrali.

2. O. montana, Desmarest. O. cornibus maximis triquetris,
crassissimis, et ssepe inter angulos tumidis, ad apicem compressi-
oribus ; sulcis transversim indentatis ; deorsiim et antrorsum gyratis
ad parallelum, apicibus extrorsiim eductis : colore pallido, sed ssepe
rufo-brunneo suffuso. Animal ad magnitudinem Cervi Elaphi appro-
l)inquans, sed artubus brevioribus ; pilis griseo-fulvis pallidis, maculis
genericis super facie, pectore, artubusque fuscis ; Cauda brevissima,
et disco albescente circundata. Habitat apud Americae Septentri-
onalis montes, occidentalem versus.

3. 0. Ammon, Pallas. Diversitas hujus speciei ab praecedente

mal with the Jharal of Mr. Hodgson (which is decidedly the Capra Jemlaica
of Col. H. Smith) and the Goral of Gen. Hardwicke ; which two latter
species, if not the first also (as is most probable), are very remarkable for
having constantly four mammae, wherein they differ from all the allied
forms. It is necessary, however, to remark here, that I do not consider
tlie Siirow, or Thar of Mr. Hodgson, and its congener the Camhing-outang
of Sumatra, to be nearly allied to the Goats and Sheep. The members of
the subdivision Kemas, Ogilbj'^ (from which I exclude the Chamois), are
besides distinguished from the true Goats, as a subgenus of which generic
group I prefer to rank them, by having short horns, nearly as large in the fe-
male as in the male, always cylindrical at the tips, and forming a prolongation
of the plane of the visage ; no beard on the chin ; comparatively long limbs ;
and by having the chafFron straight, or even concave, in lieu of being bombed.
The K. hylocrius, which has never been described, is rather smaller than
the Jharal, with a very short, coarse, and somewhat crisp coat, of a grizzled
purplish chocolate colour, inclining to olive on the face : the horns diverge
much less, having more the direction of those of K. Goral, but are mode-
rately thick at base, and very sheep-like, bulging externally more than in
K. Jemlaicus, with even an indistinct trace of an outer front-angle ; they
are indented with numerous cross-channels, and have little more than a ten-
dency to exhibit the pendent knobs in front, conspicuous in those of the
Jharal ; their colour is dull black ; at base they are 1 inch apart, diverging to
9^ inches at the tips, with a length of 9 inches over the slight curvature.
The animal stands above 2^ feet at the back, and measures about 4 feet
from nose to tail ; the tail 3 inches, or 5 inches to the end of the hair ; from
nose to base of horn 9 inches, and ears 5 inches. There is a raised dorsal
line, darker along the nape and fore-quarters ; and the hairs of the coat, which
are very slightly crumpled, and lie roughly, from each hair having a stiff
curvature, are grizzled chocolate and yellow-gray, the former colour much
predominating ; there is some dull white in front of the neck, lower parts,
and inside of the limbs ; and the feet are blackish anteriorly, with a black
patch also a little above the callous space on the fore-knees : tail the same
colour as the back. The female would appear to differ only in having the
horns not quite so thick and large. — E. B.

S2

26Q Mr. Blyth on the Genus Ovis.

Aon cognoscenda est, quamvis patria differt, h^c in Siberia Ori-
entali habitante ; tertia alia species ambobus distincta regione inter-
media Kamtschatkse invenitur, itidem simillima, tamen (apparenter)
facillime dignoscenda ; viz.

4. O. nivicola, Eschscholtz. O. cornibus triquetris, et inter
comua Polii et Montana Ovium apparenter intermediis ; apicibus
raagis prolongatis quam in 0. montand, sed ad basin crassioribus ;
potius quam in O, Polii prolongatis^ sed cornibus utriusque minori-
bus. Magnitudo liujus animalis inferior est, et pilorum color flaves-
cens, sine disco caudali. Habitat apud montes Kamtschatkse.

5. 0. Californiana,. Douglas. O. cornibus crassis triquetris, ad
apicem compressioribus ; sulcis transversim indentatis \- curvamine
aperto extrorsum (non antrorsum) gyrantibus, apicibus plurimum,
extrorsum ductis ; colore pallido, aut rufo-brunneo paulum sufFuso,
Magnitudo Ammonis, vel pauliim inferior ; cauda elongata, et non (?)
disco pallido circundata. Habitat apud Californiam.

6. O. Nahoor, Hodgson. O. cornibus crassis subcylindraceis,.
supra magis planiusculis, culmine abruptiore medio,, dimidio-distali
compressiori, et extrorsum arcuatis, apicibus retortis ; sulcis trans-
versis obsoletis ; colore pallido. Magnitudo Arietis grandis ; pilis
griseis, vel in junioribus adultis fulvo terminatis, maculis genericis-
fuscis ; cauda brevi et floccos^. Habitat apud regiones medias mon-
tium Himalaicorum, et in Tibeta Magna.

7. 0. Bur rhel, Blyth. O. cornibus crassis subcylindraceis, supra
convexioribus, culmine longitudinali minus abrupto, et aliis angulis-
mintis prominentioribus quam in specie prsecedente, subsequalioribus ^
in arcu extrorsiim curvatis, apicibus retrorsis ; sulcis transversis ob-
soletis ; colore nigrescenti-rubido. Magnitudo inferior est Nahoori,
sed forma robustior ; pilis castaneo-brunneis intensis; maculis gene-
ricis nigris et distinctis ; cauda minima (?) et non floccosa. Habitat
apud montium Himalaicorum regiones summas.

8. 0. cylindricornis, Blyth. O. cornibus maximis cylindraceis,
in arcu extrorsum (?) sine diminutione curvatis, apicibus non cogni-
tis; sulcis transversis obsoletis i colore nigrescenti-rubido. Habitat
apud Caucasum,

9. 0. Gmelini, Blyth. O. cornibus triquetris et robustis, altis,
et transversim sulcatissimis ; in arcu retrorstim divergentibus, api-
cibus introrsiim ductis : colore pallido. Magnitudo Arietis ; pilis
brevissimis, et castaneo-fulvis splendid^ coloratis ; maculis genericis
subdistinctis, sed linea pilorum longiorum nigra infra coUum in mare
solo excipienda, apud pectus se expandente, et in utroque sexu
csesarie rudimenta brachiis, sicut in Ove Tragelapho : cauda brevi et
gracillima. Habitat apud Armeniam et provincias Occidentales Per-
sise Septentrionalis.

10. O. Vignei, Blyth. O. Musimoni simillima, sed magnitudi-
ne Cervi DamcB grandis, artubusque longissimis : cornibus robustis„
compressis, et subtriquetris, angulis anterioribus sequalibus ; lunatim
non spiraliter gyratis ; et sulcis transversim indentatis : colore pallido.
Corporis pilis rufo-brunneis ; facie artubusque lividis ; ventre, et an-
nulis supra ungulas albis ; linea laterali nigra ; pedibus annulo se-

Rev. L. Jenyns on British Mammalia. 261

cundo nigro postic^ albo super- marginato notatis ; apice caudae
(brevis et gracilis,) et linea pilorum paulo pendentiura infra coUum
ad pectus tendente, nigris. Habitat apud Tibetam Minorem. Va-
rietas dubia minor, cornibus extrorsiim gyratis, cum angulo interiori
prominentiori.

11. 0. Musimon, Linnaeus. O. cornibus compressis, ad basin tri-
quetrioribus, angulo interiori prominentiori ; lunatim gyratis, et
sulcis transversim indentatis : colore pallido. Magnitude Arietis
parvi, Cauda brevi et magis villosa qukm in specie prsecedente : pilis
rufo-brunneis; facie livida, cum capistro albo; ventre, clunibus, di-
midiisque artuum inferioribus, albis ; et linea laterali, cauda, pectore,
€t membrorum plerumque dimidiis superioribus, nigris : macula tri-
angulari alba utroque lumbo ssepe {semper ?) conspicua. Habitat
sapud insulas Corsicse et Sardiniee, et forsan provinciam Murcise in
Hispania.

12. O. Ophion, Blyth. O. Musimoni simillima, sed cornibus
retrorsis, apicibus accurvatis : pilisque brunneis, et non rufescenti-
i)us (?). Habitat apud Cyprum, et forsan regiones alias Levantinas

13. O. Aries, Linnaeus.

14. 0. ? Ixalus Probaton, Ogilby. Magnitude Arietum

maximorum, cauda paulum elongata : cornibus in specimine solo cog-
nito abnormaliter (?) rudimentalibus. Pilis castaneo-fulvis, et infra
albescentibus.

15. 'O. {Ammotragus) Tragelaphus. O. cornibus magnis subqua-
•drangularibus, moderate crassis, ad apicem compressioribus, sulcis
transversim indentatis ; divergentibus et retrorstim curvatis, sed
prope basin rectis, apicibus acclinatis ; colore pallido. Magnitude
€ervi Dama superior, pilis flavescenti-brunneis ; coUo jubato, et infrll
•cum pectore brachiisque capillato, cauda elongata extremitate vil-
losa ; facie non convexa — ut in omnibus speciebus aliis, sinibusque
suborbitalibus nullis. Fcemina semper (?) cornuta, cornibusque for-
tioribus quam in foeminis specierum cseterarum hujus generis, quae
ssepe non cornutae sunt, sed plurimae cornua parva, tenuissima, et
compressiora ferunt, quae in maribus junioribus aut curvata sunt,
aut ssepe rectiora. Habitat apud Africae Septentrionalis montes
rupestre-.

EXPLANATION OF PLATE V.
Fig, 1. Ovis Polii; 2. Do, side view; 3. 0. sculptorum; 4. Do. side view;
5. 0. californiana ; 6. 0. Nahoor ; 7. 0, Burrhel ; 8. 0. Gmelini ;
9. O. Vignei.

XXXIL — Notes on some of the smaller British Mammalia,
including the Description of a New Species of Arvicola,
found in Scotland, By the Rev. Leonard Jenyns,
M.A., F.L.S., &c.

The following notes contain the results of some inquiries
and observations respecting our smaller Mammalia, made
since the publication of my ' Manual,' and my several papers

262 Rev. L. Jenyns on some of

on the British Shrews^ etc., in former vohimes of this Maga-
zine.

(1.) Vesper tilio Pipistrellus, and V. my st acinus,— M., de
Selys-Longchamps has favoured me with continental speci-
mens of both these species, which prove identical with ours.
I deem the circumstance worth mentioning, because, at the
time of publishing my paper in the Linnoean Transactions on
the common Bat of this country, it was thought by some
persons that the proof of its identity with the Pipistrelle of
the Continent, obtained from an actual comparison of speci-
mens, was still wanting ; and I am not aware of such com-
parison having been yet made until now.

(2.) Vespertilio Daubentonii. — I am quite aware of the
error that I committed in my ^ Manual,^ in confounding this
species with the V, emarginaius of Geoffroy ; and 1 have not
the slightest doubt of the correctness of Mr. Bell in referring
the bat which I described under this last name to the V, Dau-
bentonii.

(3.) Vespertilio (Bdilis (Ann. of Nat. Hist., vol. iii. p. 73). —
MM. Keyserling and Blasius have given it as their opinion,
that the bat which I described as new under the above name,
is a mere variety of the V, Daubentonii"^ . I myself alluded
in my original paper to the possibility of this being the case ;
and I have now scarcely- any doubt of the fact, as well from
what the above authors have stated, more particularly with
respect to the incision at the apex of the tragus occasionally
varying in the two ears of one and the same individual, — as
from the recent examination of a bat, undoubtedly referable
to the F. Daubentonii, in which there was a slight approach
to the form of tragus observable in the specimen on which I
founded the above species. This last bat was taken in Ireland,
and was kindly submitted to my examination by Mr. Thomp-
son of Belfast.

I still think, however, that, though I committed an error,
my paper will have been of use in calling the attention of
British naturalists to the fact of the tragus occasionally
varying in form in this manner, of which I do not apprehend
they were generally aware any more than myself.

(4.) Martes Foina. — Mr. Bennett and Mr. Bell have both
expressed doubts as to whether the common Martin be di-
stinct from the Pine Martin t^ though the latter gentleman
has for the present kept them separate in his ^British
Quadrupeds.^ Mr. Eyton, in a paper recently printed in

• See No. 29 of this Journal, p. 149.

+ See Mr. Bennett's remarks on this subject in the ' Gardens and
Menagerie of the Zoological Society,' vol. i. p. 230.

the smaller British Mammalia. 26S

this Magazine*, seems decidedly inclined to consider them
as but one species ; and until lately I was myself strongly
disposed to embrace the same opinion. In the early part,
however, of the summer of 1840, Mr. Henderson, of Milton
Park, in Northamptonshire, was kind enough to send me
two specimens of the common Martin, killed in that neigh-
bourhood, both of which were young animals, and had pro-
bably been bred that year, as the milk-teeth had not yet been
supplanted by the permanent set, and the bones of the head
were very loosely united : nevertheless these individuals had
the cranium larger and heavier than that of an adult specimen
of the Pine Martin in Mr. YarrelPs collection, who also showed
me several other crania of both species, of different ages, and
satisfied me that they were distinct. At the same time it is
evident, from the united observations of several naturalists,
that the colour of the breast is no distinguishing character,
and probably dependent upon either age or season. Mr.
Eyton is of opinion that the breast is yellow in the young
and white in the adult ; and this would be confirmed by the
specimens above alluded to, in both which this part was bright
yellow tinged with orange.

These individuals w^ere of the same size, and measured 1?
inches in length, exclusive of the tail, which was not quite 9.
The length of the cranium was 3 inches 4 lines ; its breadth
across the zygomatic arches 1 inch 10 lines; its weight 4
drachms 38 grains.

(5.) SoreoQ rusticus, and B, Hibernicus, — Since the pub-
lication of my paper on the British Shrews f, in which I
■first noticed the S. rusticus, and the Irish variety which I
provisionally termed S. Hibernicus, I have been favoured by
Mr. W. Thompson of Belfast with the opportunity of exa-
mining a large number of specimens of this last kind obtained
in Ireland, and am quite satisfied as to its being a distinct
species from the S, tetragonurus, but not from the >Si. rusticus^
which I had previously obtained in this country, and of which
I have since procured other specimens. In future, therefore,
these two species, the S, rusticus and the S. Hibernicus, must
be considered as the same ; and I should have continued the
former name in preference to the latter, as being, on the whole,
more ehgible, but for the circumstance of several specimens
of this shrew having been transmitted to naturaUsts, abroad
as well as at home, under the title of S, Hibernicus, and the
probability that, if it be now changed to that of rusticics^
it may entail some confusion. I have to request, therefore,
that the name Hibernicus be hereafter adopted for this species,
which, though not confined to Ireland, seems to be the com-
* No. 33, Dec. 1840, p. 290. t Ann. of Nat. Hist., vol. i. p. 417.

264 Rev. L. Jenyns on some of

mon species in that country^ and much more abundant there
than in England, where it gives place in a great measure to
the S. tetragonurus. It has also been observed in very dif-
ferent localities in Ireland ; and one specimen sent to me by
Mr. Thompson was stated to have been taken in the county
of Antrim, at an elevation of 1200 feet above the sea.

Everything that I have stated in the paper above alluded
to, with respect to the characters of the S. rusticus, and the
distinguishing marks by which it may be known from the
S. tetragonurus, is applicable to the Irish Shrew, excepting as
regards the cranium (p. 420) ; and I must beg, that w^hat I
have said on that point be considered as erased, having since
ascertained that I w^as led into an error by the examination
of a specimen, the cranium of which did not exhibit its true
form from the manner in which it had been prepared.
Moreover, it was this error which partly led me to regard
the English and Irish specimens of S. Hibernicus as distinct.
In fact, the cranium of the species just named does not differ •
from that of the S. tetragonurus, except in being much smaller.
The following are their respective dimensions : —

Length. Breadth. Height. -
lines. lines. lines.
Cranium of a middle-sized S. tetragonurus 9^ 4^ 2f
of an old full-grown S. Hibernicus 7§ 3^ 2

The dimensions indeed, generally, of this last species are so
much less than those of the former, that it is hardly possible
to mistake them, especially if attention be paid to the feet,
and also to the tail and attenuation of the snout. Perhaps I
have rather over-stated the average dimensions of the S.
Hibernicus in my former memoir (called there S. rusticus),
when I set them at " hardly 2^ inches "; but I had not then
seen so many individuals. None of those submitted to my
examination by Mr. Thompson exceeded 2 inches and 2^
lines ; and I doubt whether in general the species much
exceeds that size. The specimen to which I alluded as
being 2 inches and 8 lines, I am now inclined to think must
have been a >S^. tetragonurus, which often reaches 3 inches.

In respect to the internal structure of these two species,
which I have examined and compared, I see no very import-
ant differences between them. The stomach is of a very
peculiar form in both, having its pyloric portion so extra-
ordinarily elongated, that it might easily be mistaken for a
portion of the intestine itself. This, indeed, as well as other
points in the anatomy of these animals, w ould deserve further
notice, but for the circumstance of M. Duvernoy^s memoir*,

* Mem. de la Soc. du Mus. d'Hist. Nat. de Strasbourg, torn. ii. mem. 2.

the smaller British Mammalia. 265

so often alluded to in my former paper^^ in which they have
been treated of in detail^ and to which I must refer those who
are interested in the subject. I may, however, make one or
two remarks, as supplemental to his.

M. Duvernoy states the length of the intestinal canal in the
S. tetragonurus, compared with the length of the body, to be
as three to one, and rather more. In most of the specimens
which I have examined, I have found it nearly as four to
one, and in some instances even bearing a higher ratio than
this ; whilst the ratio of three to one more nearly accords
with the case of the S. Hibernicus. The relative, however,
as well as the absolute length of the intestinal canal, varies a
little in both species, according to the size of the individual.
I shall here annex the actual measurement of this, and one
or two other parts, such as were observed, first, in a medium-
sized specimen of the S. tetragonurus, and then in an old
full-grown S. Hibernicus,

S. TETRAGONURUS. inches, lines.

Length of the head and body 2 7

of the tail 1 9

Greatest diameter of the distended stomach 0 7

Distance from the cardiac orifice to the pylorus, being "1 ^ ,^

the length of the pyloric gut J

Entire length of the intestinal canal, from the pylorus \ i^

to the anus J

S. Hibernicus. . , ,.

mches. hues.
Length of the head and body 2 2^

of the tail 1 5

Greatest diameter of the distended stomach 0 6|

Distance from the cardiac orifice to the pylorus 0 9

Entire length of intestinal canal, as before 7 0

The number of ribs, which is not mentioned by Duvernoy,

1 find to be 14 in both species, of which 7 are true and 7

false.

The number of vertebrae was also found to be the same in

the case of a single individual of each species, and may be

estimated as follows : —

Cervical 7

Dorsal 14

Lumbar 6

Sacral 2

Caudal 15

Total 44 .

266 Rev. L. Jenyns on some of

In a second specimen, however, of the S, tetragonurus the
number of caudal vertebrae was as many as 16, whilst in a
second of the B, Hibernicus it was only 14 ; thus showing
that in each species it is subject to some variation.

In the above table I have estimated the number of sacral
vertebrae as 2, according to Duvernoy, who, though he has
not given the entire number in the column, has noticed the
very peculiar and elongated form of these two, having a sharp
ridge on their upper surface, much developed, and common
to them both. It is evident, however, on a close inspection,
that the first of these two vertebrae, which he speaks of as
being the most elongated, is resolvable into 4, which are
more or less consolidated together, according to the age of
the individual. In some instances the lines of separation
between them are so distinct, that they might be counted
separately ; in which case the entire number of vertebrae in
the S. tetragonurus would stand at 47 or 48, and in the S.
Hibernicus at 46 or 47.

I have deemed it of importance to mention these facts with
respect to the vertebrae, from the circumstance of M. de
Selys-Longchamps having found it a valuable character in
distinguishing some closely allied species of Arvicola, and
observed to me that he thought it might prove of equal ser-
vice in helping to discriminate those of the genus Sorex. It
appears, however, from what has been stated, that the exact
number in the tail, in this instance, cannot be relied on.

(6.) Sorex castaneus (Ann. Nat. Hist., vol. ii. p. 43). —
I have not been able to obtain any more specimens of this
species*, and can therefore say nothing further as to its being
really distinct from the S, tetragonurus, M. de Selys-Long-
champs, who has paid so much attention to this genus, and
to whom it was shown during his visit to London in 1839,
declined giving any decided opinion about it; at the same
time, he observed that he had never seen any individuals of
the S, tetragonurus of so rufous a tint. I conceive, however,
that the fact of a male and female having been found together,
the latter of which was big with young when taken, rather
tends to support the idea of its being distinct. Also, in-
dependently of its colour, and one or two other external
peculiarities, there is a slight difference observable in the
cranium, as already pointed out in a former paper f.

* The original specimens were not obtained in my own immediate neigh-
bourhood, nor by myself, but in a fen distant some miles from me, and by a
person who has since left the district; and I am ignorant of the exact locality
in which he met with them.

t Ann. N. H., vol. i. p. 424.

the smaller British Mammalia. 267

I regret that, when I dissected one of the above specimens,
soon after its capture, I did not notice the number of ribs
and vertebrae, which might have helped to determine the
question. This is a point to which attention should be paid
by any naturalist who may be fortunate enough to meet with
others. The viscera resembled those of the S. tetragonurus ;
the intestinal canal, however, being relatively a trifle longer
than in that species, and measuring 10 inches 4 lines, the
length of the body being 2 inches 4^ lines,

1 may just observe, before quitting this species, that the
shrew which Mr. Thompson obtained from Ballantrae, and
considered as referable to the S. castaneus^, has been kindly
submitted to my examination, and proves to be only a pale
variety of the S. tetragonurus ; and it is at his own request that
I mention this circumstance. In both my specimens of the
Chestnut Shrew, the rufous tint, in the recently killed animal,
was quite as bright and decided as in the harvest-mouse or
squirrel.

(7.) SoreoD fodiens. — The peculiar form of stomach noticed
above in the case of the S. tetragonurus and the S. Hibernicus,
is probably to be found in all those shrews having the same
type of dentition as those species, and belonging to Duvernoy's
subgenus Amphisorea^f. In the ^. fodiens, which has a di-
stinct dental formula, and constitutes the subgenus Hydro-
soreos of Duvernoy [Crossopus of Wagler), the stomach is of
a somewhat globular form, and without any elongation of the
pyloric portion whatever.

In a female specimen of this species, 2 inches 1 1 lines in
length, exclusive of the tail, the following internal measure-
ments were observed : —

inches, lines.
Diameter of the distended stomach 0 11

Distance from the cardiac orifice to pyh)rus 0 3^

Length of the intestinal canal 15 0

In another female, exactly of the same length, the intestinal
canal was found to be only 12 inches 9 lines, showing that
this part is subject to considerable variation in respect to
extent. Neither in this, nor in any other species of this
genus, is there any caecum, or much distinction between the
small and great intestines, the diameter of the canal being
nearly everywhere the same.

The number of ribs in the S. fodiens is 13, 1 less than in
the S. tetragonurus ; whereof 7 are true and 6 false.

* Charlesworth's Mag. of Nat. Hist., vol. iii. p. 585.
f Supplement to his first memoir, 1838.

268 Rev. L. Jenyns on some of

, There are 6 lumbar vertebrae and 1 7 caudal, there being 1
more of these last than in any specimen of the S. tetragonurus
yet examined; and the entire number of vertebrae will stand
at 45 or 48, according as the sacral are reckoned at 2 or 5 as
before. This estimate was obtained from an examination of
three specimens.

(8.) Soreoo ciliatus. — I have seen so many intermediate
specimens, in point of colour, between this and the last
species, that I consider it extremely doubtful whether they
be distinct. Nevertheless, it deserves to be mentioned, that
in one very dark-coloured individual of the S, fodiens, and
which was sent to me as the S. ciliatus, though it was
not quite so uniformly black as my original specimen of this
latter, or so bulky for its length, I found 18 caudal vertebrae,
being 1 more than in any of the three individuals of the
S.fodiens above-mentioned. This must not be considered
as conclusive in favour of the S, ciliatus being a species, as
we have already seen the number of caudal vertebrae varying
by 1, in the case of the S. tetragonurus ; yet it should serve
to stimulate to further inquiry. I regret that I have not
myself had an opportunity of examining into the value of
this character in more specimens.

I once thought that there were other anatomical pecu-
liarities by which this species might be distinguished from
the >S. fodiens, to which M. de Selys-Longchamps has made
some allusion* ; but having since had reason to suspect that
they are not to be relied upon, I forbear dwelling on them.

(9.) Mus sylvaticus ? — I have two or three times had sub-
mitted to my examination specimens of a mouse found on the
tops of the Irish mountains, either belonging to this species
or very closely allied to it; but those which I have seen have
been in too bad condition (merely dried skins) to enable me
to decide this point. One of these was taken in the county
of Kerry, at an elevation of 2500 feet above the sea-level.
The only respects in which they appear to differ from the
M. sylvaticus are, in being of a darker colour, smaller, and
with some of the relative proportions rather less ; but it must
be left for those who have an opportunity of examining a large
number in the recent state, to say whether there are any real
grounds for believing them to be distinct. On the whole, I
am inclined to think that they are only a small variety of that
species, somewhat modified in its characters from the peculiar
locality which they inhabit.

(10.) Arvicola amphibius, — Not long since I obtained a
small Water Vole, which I consider exactly intermediate
* Microniammalogie, p. 29.

the smaller British Mammalia. 269

Between the A. amphibius and the A. ater of MacGillivray.
The following is a correct description of the colours :

Extreme tip of the snout dusky ; cheeks and upper part
of the head very deep brown, with a slight reddish tinge, the
tips of the hairs being of this colour ; back, from between the
ears to the root of the tail, wholly black, the short pile as
well as the long hairs being of one uniform tint throughout ;
sides very deep brown, slightly tinged with reddish ; belly
deep ash-grey, with a tinge of reddish like the sides ; chin
ash-grey, without the reddish tinge, which is deepest just
beyond the contour of the chin, and between the fore-legs ;
all the feet covered with very short black hairs above, smooth
and naked and paler underneath ; tail black, and of one colour
throughout.

The length of this individual was 5 inches 3 lines, exclusive
of the tail, which was 3 inches 3 lines. I have observed, like
Mr. MacGillivray^, that the black variety of this species is
generally much smaller than the brown. Yet I have known
a few instances to the contrary ; and one individual, which
was the most uniformly deep-coloured one I ever saw, was
also the largest. I regret, however, that the note which I
made of its exact dimensions has been lost.

(11.) Arvicola arvalis. — This species, like the last, appears
subject to some variation of character, particularly as regards
colour ; so much so, as at one time to have led myself, as well
as others, to suspect there might be two species confounded
under one name.

Two individuals which I have had by me in spirits several
years, have the feet and tail yellowish, as described by De
Selys-Longchampsfj the latter being entirely of one colour;
the fur above reddish brown, with the ears appearing out of
it ; the hair on the under parts of the body rather short and
thin, and greyish white, the basal portion of each hair being
ash-colour. The larger of these individuals was a female
taken in the breeding season, measuring 4 inches 1 line in
length, exclusive of the tail, which was 1 inch S^ lines. The
upper parts in this specimen were quite as red as in the A,
rubidus of De Selys.

I have since, at different times, obtained many other in-
dividuals, in which the snout, feet and tail were deep ash-
grey, approaching to dusky instead of yellowish; the tail
also exhibiting an appearance of two colours, as in the A,
rubidus and A. subterraneus of the above author. Some of
these had the fur as described above ; but in others it was

* Naturalist's Library, vol. vii. (Brit. Quad.) p. 264.
t Micromammalogie, p. 1 00.

270 Rev. L. Jenyns on some of

rather longer, reducing the ears to nearly its own length ; and
the hair on the under parts was not only longer and thicker,
but darker at the roots, a considerable portion from the base
upwards being dusky.

Similar to these last described are several individuals in
the Museum of the Zoological Society, which, being shown
to M. de Selys-Longchamps during his visit to London in
1839, he was at first inclined to think different from the
A. anmlis of his work. HoM^ever, in a subsequent commu-
nication by letter to this country, he writes word that he has,
since the pubhcation of his ^ Etudes de Micromammalogie,^
obtained information with respect to the Mus agrestis of
Linnaeus, found in Sweden ; and he says that it appears to
be the same as his Arvalis, only the colour of the Swedish
individuals is rather darker, and the upper part of the tail
darker than the under. He then adds, that he had observed
a similar local variety in the collection of the Zoological
Society, and that he does not think that it is specifically
distinct from the common Arvalis,

That this opinion is correct I have but little doubt ; and I
conceive that the variation in the length and colour of the
fur is probably dependent upon season, though the difference
of colour in the feet and tail in some specimens can be traced
to no particular cause.

(12.) Arvicola neglecta, Thompson. — For some time I was
inclined to consider also as a mere variety of the A. arvalis
some specimens from Scotland, the 'first of which I received
from Mr. Thompson so long back as the spring of 1839. To
the kindneiss and liberality, however, of this gentleman I have
lately been indebted for permission to examine a much larger
number of the same kind of Arvicola collected last autumn at
my request, and after a close comparison of both sexes of dif-
ferent sizes with English individuals, I am inclined to think
that they deserve to rank as a distinct species. I should say
that Mr. Thompson had been previously led to form this opi-
nion, and that it was also the opinion of M. Agassiz, to whom
he showed specimens, on the occasion of that naturalist's visit
to Scotland last summer. I have accordingly adopted Mr.
Thompson's own name neglecta for this species, of which he
is the discoverer, and which he has merely put into my hands
to describe.

Mr. Thompson informs me that this new Arvicola is com-
mon on moors in two localities in the district around Megar-
nie Castle in Perthshire, where he first observed it himself,
whilst shooting, in 1829. He has also received it from some
sporting friends at Aberarder in Inverness-shire. At this last

the smaller British Mammalia, 2*J\

place it was taken in traps set for vermin on broken rocky
ground at the base of the glens : it was also caught by the
dogs^ and knocked on the head by the shooters^ in the heathy
tracts up to the summits of the mountains ; and he adds,
which is worthy of remark, that, from want of speed, it was
much more easily killed than the common mouse or rat.

The most striking peculiarity in this new species is its large
size compared with that of the A, arvalis. Both males and
females occur measuring five inches in the body without the
tail ; and it is said that they are sometimes met with five and
a half inches long, or even exceeding this. The following are
the relative proportions of a male specimen of medium size,
according to Mr. Thompson : —

in. lin.

Head and body 5 0

Tail to end of bone 1 3

Tail to end of hair 16

Head 1 7J

Ears 0 5

Whiskers 1 0

Forefoot 0 5|

Hind-foot 0 10

A female of the same size preserved the same relative mea-
surements, excepting that the hind foot was shorter by half
a line. I observe, amongst the specimens he has sent myself,
that the males have generally the feet and tail somewhat
larger and stouter than the females. The same thing, how-
ever, occurs to a less degree in the A, arvalis.

As regards external form, including the characters of the
snout, eyes, ears, feet, toes, and tubercles on the soles, it is
similar to the common species. In each also there is the
same' number of mammae, four pectoral and four inguinal*.

The general colour of the upper parts is also the same ; but
the fur is everywhere considerably longer, so as to cause the
ears to be entirely concealed ; and its greater length, as well
as the greater quantity of it, is especially obvious on the under
parts, where it is also darker at the roots, and of a rather
purer white at the tips of the hairs. Some specimens are
more rufous above than others ; but the brightness of the tint
appears to have no constant connexion with the sex or size of
the individual. The colour of the feet and tail, in all cases, is
dusky ; the latter somewhat darker above than below, as in the

* This is of importance to be noted, since in the A. suhterraneus of De
Selys, a closely allied species found in Belgivim and France, and possibly to
be met with in this country, the number of mammae is only sixj all of which
are inguinal.

272 Rev. L. Jenyns on some of

dark-coloured variety of the A. arvalis noticed under the head
of that species.

With a view to inquire still further into the characters of
the A. neglect a, by permission of Mr. Thompson I dissected
several specimens, and compared their internal structure with
that of the A, arvalis ; but, excepting in the cranium to be
hereafter noticed, no very obvious differences presented them-
selves. There are a few points, however, in relation to this
subject, which may be worth stating.

The length of the intestinal canal, as well as the relative
length of its different portions, both in the A. neglect a and
the A. arvalis, varies much in different individuals, and even
in individuals of the same size and sex. Mr. Yarrell* and
Mr. MacGillivrayt have both given measurements of these
parts in the A. arvalis, which are very different from each
other, but which, as the latter gentleman has not mentioned
the size of the individual from which they were taken, do not
admit of direct comparison. I shall annex the results which
I obtained in three different instances of the A, neglecta, and
one of the A, arvalis.

No.

in.
Small intestines ... 13

CsBcum 6

Large intestines ... 12

No. 1. was a male neglect a, measuring four inches in length,
exclusively of the tail. No 2. was a female of the same spe-
cies, and exactly of the same size. No. 3. was a young male
of the same species, measuring three inches. No. 4. was a
male arvalis, exactly of the same size as No. 3. It will be ob-
served, that Nos. 3. and 4, which are different species, do not
differ more in this respect than Nos. 1. and 2, which are sexes
of the same.

Another part w^hich I found varying in different individuals
was the gall-bladder. It is observed in anatomical works that
this organ is found wanting in many of the Roderitia, parti-
cularly ^among the Rats J. Mr. Yarrell observes, that both the
field and bank Campagnol are equally devoid of it. If it be
really the fact, that it is never present in the former of these
two species, this circumstance will tend to the confirmation
of the A, neglecta being distinct, in which I have observed it
in the only three cases I have examined, though of such dif-
ferent degree of development as to lead to the suspicion that

* Lond. Mag. Nat. Hist, vol. v. p. 600. f Brit. Quad., p. 267.

X Blnm. Man. Comp. Anat., by Lawr. (2nd edit.), p. 128.

1.

lin.
3

No. 2.
in. lin.
14 9

No. 3.

in. lin.

9 9

No. 4.
in. lin.
10 3

0

7 9

4 0

3 9

6

15 0

9 0

7 0

the smaller British Mammalia, 273

it may sometimes be wanting here also. In one individual it
was of considerable size, attaining to the margin of the liver;
in a second it was less ; in a third it was very small, but still
obvious. I have not observed it, any more than Mr. Yarrell,
in the true A. arvalis.

The A. neglecta and the A. arvalis agree in the number of
vertebrae. M. de Selys-Longchamps has given the entire
number in the latter as forty-six, which accords with the num-
ber given by Mr. Yarrell, as well as with that observed by
myself in several individuals of each of the above species, un-
less a very minute rudimentary one at the extremity of the
tail be included, in which case the entire number must be set
at forty-seven. In one instance, however, of the A. neglecta,
a female, I found an additional caudal vertebra, making the
entire number forty-seven without the rudimentary one. This
affords another proof of the caution that is required in draw-
ing any conclusion as to the number of vertebrae from the ex-
amination of single specimens.

The number of ribs was in all cases the same for both spe-
cies, seven true and six false ; being also the number given to
the A. arvalis by De Selys.

The only part of importance remaining to be mentioned is
the cranium. I have examined that of three individuals of the
A, neglecta, and, though in general form the same, I find it
decidedly larger, broader across the zygomatic arches, and
with the bones of the zygoma itself stronger, than that of the
arvalis, comparing two individuals of the same size in other
respects. In the adult animal, the strength and bend of the
zygomatic bones become very considerable, indicating great
niuscular powers in biting and masticating its food. The fol-
lowing are the relative measurements of the crania of a large
and small A. neglecta, and also of that of the A, arvalis for
comparison.

No. 1. No. 2. No. 3.

in. lin. lin. lin.

Entire length 1 0 11 10|

Breadth across zyg. arches 0 7 barely. 6 exceeding. 5|

Breadth behind the zyg. arches 0 5^ 4| 4|

No. 1. is that of an individual of the A. neglecta, measuring
four inches in length, tail excluded. No. 2. is that of another
individual of the same species, measuring three inches. No. 3.
is that of an individual of the A, arvalis, exactly of the same
size as the last.

Having entered above, in some detail, into the characters
of the A. neglecta, and the grounds on which I venture to
confirm Mr. Thompson's opinion, as to its being distinct from

Ann. ^ Mag. N. Hist. Vol. vii. T

274 Rev. L. Jenyns on some of

the A* arvaliSf it may be useful just to place side by side the
essential differences between these two species, which after
all are not very great^ and on the true value of which I do not
pretend to speak positively.

A. arvalis. — Body 4 inches : ears projecting out of the fur :
colour of the fur above reddish brown ; beneath greyish
white, the hair sometimes dusky at the roots.
A. neglecta. — Body 5 or b\ inches : fur long, entirely con-
cealing the ears : colour of the fur above reddish brown,
beneath whitish, with a large portion of the hair from the
root upwards dusky.
To these differences may be added the absence of a gall-
bladder in the A. arvalis, and its presence in the A. neglecta,
if further observation prove the constancy of this character ;
also the differences in the cranium above pointed out.

(13.) Anncola rubidus, De Selys? [A. riparia, Yarr.) — I
cannot but feel some doubts as to the identity of the A, ri-
paria of Mr. Yarrell and the A. rubidus of De Selys. notwith-
standing the opinion of this last author, from the striking dif-
ference observable in the cranium of our English specimens,
as compared with the figure and description of this part in
the A. rubidus, given in the ^ Micromammalogie.' M. de
Selys says of this last, '^ crane plus allonge que chez les autres;^^
and again, ^^ orbit es moy ens, allonges, ^troits en arri^re, les ar-
cades zygomatiques etant peu arquees.'^ His figure is accord-
ing to this description, and represents the length of the cra-
nium as rather more than twice its breadth across the zygomatic
arches. But neither will agree with a cranium in my posses-
sion, which is not more elongated than that of the A. neglecta,
spoken of above, and in which the orbits are as broad, and
the zygomatic arches as much bent, as in that species, the
breadth across being considerably more than half the entire
length. This cranium belongs to an Arvicola, which was ob-
tained by Mr. Thompson from Aberarder, where it was taken
in company with the A. neglecta, and along with which it was
kindly forwarded to me in 1839. Neither he nor myself had
any doubts of its being the A. riparia of Yarrell, though in
size it rather exceeded any specimens I had seen previously.
The following were its measurements : —

in. lin.
Head and body 3 9

Head 1 0|

Tail 2 0

Ears 0 4^

Hind-foot 0 8

Fore-foot 0 4^

tlie smaller British Mammalia. 275

It will be seen that the tail was more than half the length
of the body : it was also of two colours, as in the A, riparia,
dusky above, whitish beneath. The ears were apparent out
of the fur ; and the general colours were those of the species
just mentioned.

I will now annex the exact relative measurements of the
cranium : —

lines.

Entire length 11

Breadth across zygomatic arches 6^

behind the zygomatic arches ... r)^

Length of the nasal bones 3 rather exceeding.

Breadth of the nasal bones 1^

of space between orbits If

Length of the orbit 4 nearly.

Breadth of the orbit 2^

Though much bent, the bones of the zygomatic arches are
very slight compared with those of the A. neglecta, or even the
A, arvalis. The incisors also are shorter and slenderer. All the
molars above and below are deeply stained with a purplish
ebony colour, pervading nearly the whole exposed portions of
the teeth, except their grinding surfaces. There is only a faint
stain of this colour on the molars of the A. neglecta and the
A. arvalis.

Though this cranium appears so dissimilar to that of the
A, rubidus of De Selys, as represented in his work, it closely
resembles his figure of that of the A. duodecimcostatus ; a spe-
cies, however, to which it cannot be referred, inasmuch as the
specimen described above had the same number of ribs as the
A. arvalis.

The number of vertebrae I am not able to state, as previous
to my having an opportunity of examining its internal struc-
ture, the specimen had been deprived of a portion of its tail*.

I may, however, add" the measurements of the intestinal
canal : —

in. lin.

Small intestines 14 9

Caecum 4 9

Large intestines 8 6

These measurements will be found very different from those
given by Mr. Yarrell ; but as we have already seen how liable
to variation these parts are in relative length, and as Mr. Yar-

* I may just state in explanation, that after examining its external cha-
racters in 1889, the specimen was returned to Mr. Thompson, who had it
skinned, I imagine, for mounting. The body was afterwards forwarded to
me in spirits for dissection, in a mutilated state.

T2

276 Mr. A. H. Hassall's Catalogue of Irish Zoophytes,

rell's specimen was much smaller than mine, too much stress
must not be laid on this circumstance. It deserves to be no-
ticed, however, that this specimen had a gall-bladder like the
A. neylecta, small yet quite distinct, which Mr. Yarrell's had
not. Hence this organ is certainly sometimes present, and at
other times absent, in the same species, unless we imagine,
which I conceive very improbable, that the one here described
was different from his.

The stomach was of the same form as in the A. arvalis and
A. neglecta. The liver consisted of seven distinct lobes, five
large and two smaller ones.

I have already stated that this specimen was taken at Abe-
rarder, in Inverness-shire ; and Mr. Thompson informs me,
that, supposing it to be the A. riparia of Mr. Yarrell, he be-
lieves it to be the most northern British habitat for this spe-
cies.

SwafFham Bulbeck, April 26, 1841.

XXXIII. —Supplement to a Catalogue of Irish Zoophytes. By
Arthur Hill Hassall, Esq. Read before the Natural
History Society of Dublin, November 6th, 1 840.

[With Five Engravings.]

Mr. Chairman and Gentleman,

As to many of my hearers the subject of the present commu-
nication, entitled a ' Supplement to a Catalogue of Irish Zoo-
phytes,' published in the November Number of the ^ Annals
and Magazine of Natural History,' may be altogether new, I
propose, before entering upon the consideration of it, to make
some observations on Zoophytes generally. This course will,
I hope, serve both to interest my audience, as well as to re-
lieve, in some measure, the tediousness of a mere enumeration
or technical description of species, which, however valuable to
science itself, possesses but little to attract or engage the at-
tention. The most careless wanderer on the sea-shore must
often have noticed the beauty and delicacy of the conforma-
tion of these interesting productions, rivalling in their purity
and freshness the element which they inhabit and adorn, and
have been struck with wonder and admiration at the evidence
of designing care which they so remarkably exhibit even in
their general appearance. Nor is the beauty and elegance so
observable in their outward form diminished by a closer in-
spection. If the power of a microscope be applied to them,
and their more intimate structure be disclosed, new beauties

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Mr. A. H. HassalPs Catalogue of Irish Zoophytes. 277

and wonders are made manifest to the admiring gaze. In this
particular all natural productions differ from those of man and
art, in whose works a minute examination renders apparent
dejfects, rudeness and deformity.

But little more than a century has elapsed since the true
nature of the productions about to occupy our attention w^as
first discovered : prior to that period various opinions were
entertained respecting them. By one class of persons, and
these were by far the most numerous, they were regarded as
the undoubted subjects of the vegetable kingdom, and were
so arranged and classified in the various systems of the most
learned botanists of that day. Nor is this to be wondered at,
when we consider the striking resemblances which these ob-
jects bear to vegetables, both in form and habits ; some of
them being eminently arborescent in their mode of growth,
and being fixed by roots, either imbedded in the sand, or at-
tached to rocks, stones and other substances, in the same
manner as sea-weed, and consequently being incapable of lo-
comotion, a character at that time considered essential to con-
stitute an animal, being possessed in common by all the ani^
mals then known.

By a second set of persons, at the head of whom stands the
name of the illustrious Linnaeus, all the horny and flexible
Zoophyta were considered to hold a station intermediate be-
tween the animal and vegetable kingdoms, partaking of the
nature of both. The Lithophy ta were, however, arranged by
him in the animal kingdom, on the supposition that lime was
always an animal product. " The animalcules of the Litho-
phyta, like the testaceous tribes,'^ he said, ^^ fabricated their
own calcareous polypidom, forming the whole mass into tubes,
each ending on the surface in pores or cells, where alone the
animal seems to dwell ; but the polypes of the proper Zoo-
phyta, so far from constructing their plant like polypidoms,
were, on the contrary, the productions or efflorescences of it;
just as the flowers do not make the herb or tree, but are the
results of the vegetative life proceeding to perfection. Polypes,
according to this fancy, bore the same relation to their poly-
pidom that flowers do to the trunks and branches of a tree ;
both grew by vegetation : but while the one evolved from the
extremities blossoms, which shrunk not under external irrita-
tion, and were therefore properly flowers, the other put forth
flowers, which, because they exhibited every sign of animality,
were therefore, with reason, considered animals.^^ In a letter
to Ellis he remarks, alluding to the Zoophytes, "they are,
therefore, vegetables, with flowers like small animals.^' In his
' Diary' he further observes, that they are " vegetables with re-

278 Mr. A. H. HassalFs Catalogue of Irish Zoophytes,

spect to their stems, and animals with respect to their flo-
rescence."

By a third party Zoophytes were deemed to be of a mineral
origin. This theory was particularly advocated by Henry
Baker : ^' The rocks in the sea on which these corals are pro-
duced/^ he says, " are undoubtedly replete with mineral salts,
some whereof, near their surface, being dissolved by the sea-
water, must consequently saturate with their saline particles
the water round them to a small distance, where, blending with
the stony matter wdth which the sea-water always abounds,
little masses will be constituted here and there and affixed to
the rocks. Such adhering masses may be termed roots, which
roots, attracting the saline and stony particles, according to
certain laws in nature, may produce branched or other figures,
and increase gradually by an apposition of particles becoming
thicker near the bottom, w'here the saline matter is more
abounding, but tapering or diminishing towards the extremi-
ties, where the mineral salts must be fewer in proportion to
their distance from the rock whence they originally proceed ;
and the different proportions of mineral saline particles of the
stony or other matter wherewith they are blended, and of
marine salt, which must have a considerable share in such
formations, may occasion all the variety we see. Nor dees it
seem more difficult to imagine that the radiated, starry, or cel-
lular figures along the sides of these corals, or at the extre-
mities of their branches, may derive their production from
salts incorporated with the stony matter, than that the curious
delineations and appearances of minute shrubs and mosses on
slates, stones, etc., are owing to the shootings of salts inter-
mixed with mineral particles ; and yet these are generally al-
lowed to be the work of mineral steams or exhalations." It
is scarcely necessary to observe, that the whole of the theories
of which I have given but a very short outline, highly inge-
nious and interesting as they are, are yet untenable : the
beautiful and poetic hypothesis of Linnaeus is, however, the
nearest approximation to the truth. We learn from Dr. John-
ston's excellent ' Introduction to his British Zoophytes', from
which I have had occasion to quote largely, when speaking of
the opinions of Linnaeus, and to which I must again refer
when mentioning those of Ellis, that Ferrante Imperato, an
apothecary in Naples, was the first naturalist, according to
M. de Blainville, distinctly to publish as the result of his pro-
per observations the animality of corals and madrepores ; and
he is said to have accompanied the description of the species
which fell under his notice with illustrative figures of consi-
derable accuracy. His ' Historia Naturale' was printed at

Mr. A. H. Hassall^s Catalogue of Irish Zoophytes, 279

Naples in 1599; but although again reprinted in 1672, the
book and the knowledge it contained had sunk into such ob-
livion, that when Peysonnel, in the year 1727? communicated
the same discovery to the Academy of Sciences in Paris, it
was received by the members of that learned body in a man-
ner which is sufficient to convince us that it was entirely new
to them, and exposed the author to the obloquy and censure
which are the usual portions of an original discoverer.

To John Ellis, however, a merchant in London, is to be
accorded the honour of having placed the fact of the animality
of Zoophytes beyond all doubt or controversy. The inquiries
entered into by this individual were prosecuted with an ardour
and a diligence worthy of the subject, and affording a bright
and refreshing example for others to imitate ; and it is pleasing
to notice, that the zeal he displayed and the labour he bestowed
were amply recompensed by the importance of the results to
which his investigations led. " There was nothing unformed
or mystical in Ellis^s opinion. Certain marine productions,
which, under the names of Lithophyta and Ceratophyta, had
been arranged among vegetables, and were still very generally
believed to be so, he maintained and proved, with a most satis-
factory fulness of evidence, to be entirely of an animal nature,
the tenements and products of animals similar in many re-
spects to the naked freshwater polype. By examining them
in a living state, through an ordinary microscope, he saw these
polypes in the denticles or cells of the zoophyte; he wit-
nessed them display their tentacula for the capture of their
prey ; their varied actions and sensibility to external impres-
sions and their mode of propagation ; he saw further that
these little creatures were organically connected with the cells,
and could not remove from them, and that although each cell
was appropriated to a single individual, yet was this united by
a tender thready line to the fleshy part that occupies the mid-
dle of the whole coralline, and in this manner connected with
all the individuals of that coralline. The conclusion was irre-
sistible : the presumed plant was the skin or covering of a sort
of miniature hydra, — a conclusion which Ellis strengthened by
an examination of their covering separately, which he said was
as much an animal structure as the nails or horns of beasts, or
the shell of the tortoise : for it differs from sea-plants in texture
as well as hardness, and likewise in their chemical produc-
tion ; for sea-plants, properly so called, such as the Algae,
Fuci, etc., afford in distillation little or no traces of a volatile
salt; whereas the corallines aflbrd a considerable quantity,
and in burning yield a smell somewhat resembling that of
burnt horn and other animal substances, which of itself is a

280 Mr. A. H. HassalFs Catalogue of Irish Zoophytes.

proof that this class of bodies, though it has the vegetable
form, yet is not entirely of a vegetable nature."

Among the many recent cultivators of this interesting de-
partment of natural history, the name of Dr. Johnston of Ber-
wick stands pre-eminent, whose excellent work on the Bri-
tish Zoophytes has done much to exalt the subject, and to
diffuse a more general taste for its cultivation. I trust that
ere long we shall be favoured with a second volume on the
Zoophytes of Great Britain by that gentleman.

The term Zoophyte is applied to all those productions
w hich, bearing a strong resemblance to vegetables in form and
some other particulars, are yet of an animal nature. The more
arborescent of them are often called coraUines, a name which
is peculiarly appropriate, being a derivative of the word coral,
to which they are intimately allied, and by means of which
such gigantic changes are daily being effected. Islands, and
I might almost say, without incurring the charge of exagge-
ration, continents are being raised from the deep abysses of the
ocean, to be, perchance, at some future period clothed with
vegetation, and peopled like unto our own fair land — to be
the arena on which many eventful scenes in the world's his-
tory are to be performed; and these mighty results are to be
brought about by the agency of insects scarcely perceptible
to our unaided sight, but whose operations, though slow, silent
and invisible, are yet certain and unceasing : —

" Unconscious, not unworthy, instruments,

By which a hand invisible was rearing

A new creation in the secret deep.

Omnipotence wrought in them, with them, by them j

Hence, what Omnipotence alone could do

Worms did. 1 saw the hving pile ascend,

'J'he mausoleum of its architects,
_ Still dying upwards as their labours closed :

Slime the material, but the slime was turn'd

To adamant by their petrific touch ;

Frail were their frames, ephemeral their lives —

'J'heir masonry imperishable."

In nothing is God's infinity and man's littleness more stri-
kingly exhibited and contrasted than in the operations of na-
ture upon a grand scale, and this is particularly evident in the
instance of the formation of coral islands to which I have re-
ferred. The extreme simplicity of the means employed for
the attainment of such vast ends cannot but be a subject of
astonishment and admiration to every reflecting mind, and
this simplicity is apparent in all the ways and workings of
nature. How different is it with man's designs ; how compli-

Mr. A. H. Hassall's Catalogue of Irish Zoophytes, 281

cated are the means which he employs for the attainment of
his projects ; and often how inefficient are they for the fulfil-
ment of the end proposed, and how easily are they overturned
and annihilated by the intervention of some natural cause —
his greatest labours and most cherished hopes frequently
being dashed to the ground or buried in the deep by some
earthquake or storm !

"Zoophytes/^ to adopt the language of Dr. Johnston, " pre-
sent to the physiologist the simplest independent structures
compatible with the existence of animal life, enabling him to
examine some of its phaenomena in isolation, and free from
the obscurity which greater complexity of anatomy entails.
The means of their propagation and increase are the first of a
series of facts on which a theory of generation must arise ;
the existence of vibratile cilia on the surface of the membrane,
which has since been shown to be so general and influential
among animals, was first discovered in their study, and in them
is first detected the traces of a circulation carried on inde-
pendently of a heart and vessels. The close adhesion of life
to a low organization ; its marvellous capacity of redintegra-
tion ; the organic junction of hundreds and thousands of in-
dividuals in one body, the possibility of which fiction had
scarcely ventured to paint in its vagaries, have all in this class
their most remarkable illustration."

I have ascertained that all the more transparent Zoophytes
possess highly luminous properties. This fact I first disco-
vered in a specimen of Laomedia gelatinosa, and subsequently
in a great variety of other species. If a portion of it, adhering
to the sea- weed to which it is attached, be taken from the
water and agitated, a great number of bright phosphorescent
sparks will be emitted ; these sparks proceed from each of the
denticles of the coralline containing polypi, and the phaeno-
menon is equally apparent, whether the specimen be in or out
of water. The imagination could scarcely conceive a more
beautiful spectacle than would be furnished by the shining of
countless myriads of these tiny lamps, lighting up the dark
recesses and caves of the ocean. I lately had an opportunity
of beholding this novel and interesting sight of the phospho-
rescence of Zoophytes to great advantage, when on board one
of the Devonshire trawling-boats which frequent this coast.
The trawl was raised at midnight, and great quantities of coral-
lines were entangled in the meshes of the network, all shining
like myriads of the brightest diamonds. 1 would advise any
person wishing to witness this beautiful spectacle on a large
scale, to sally forth some dark night to the sea- shore, and dis-
turb, either with a stick or the foot, the sea-wrack left by the

282 Mr. A. H. Hassall's Catalogue of Irish Zoophytes,

receding tide, among which numerous corallines will be im-
bedded, particularly if a high wind have prevailed during the
day. Although I have not as yet had an opportunity of car-
rying into effect what I here recommend, I am convinced that
any individual who would be at the trouble and possessed
sufficient resolution to leave a warm fire at this uninviting
season, and encounter the rough, but refreshing sea-breeze,
would meet with an ample reward for the labour bestowed and
self-denial exercised. The fact of the phosphorescence of one
species of Sertularia, S. pumila, was, I have lately learned,
discovered by Stewart some time since ; but the announce-
ment of it did not, it appears, lead to further inquiries into
this interesting subject.

An important distinctive character between Ascidian Zoo-
phytes and those of other classes, may be derived from the
arrangement of the tentacula. In the Ascidian type of Zoo-
phytes the tentacula are arranged in a determinate order, be-
ing disposed either in a crescent, as in some freshwater species,
or in the form of a bell, as in the marine orders of this class ;
whereas in the Hydroid, Helianthoid and Asteroid classes
they do not describe any regular figure, but are irregularly
disposed around the mouths of the polypi. An Ascidian
zoophyte, therefore, may at once be distinguished from all
others by observing the arrangement of the tentacula, and
without reference to internal organization. It is difficult to
conceive anything more strikingly beautiful, on a small scale,
than one of these Ascidian Zoophytes viewed under the field
of a microscope : the regular and elegant cup-like form de-
scribed by the tentacula ; the ceaseless and rapid action of
the cilia ; the uniform direction of the current w^hich flows
over these, carrying with it numberless revolving particles,
some whereof are destined for the little creatures^ sustenance ;
and all these, if seen through a strong light, clothed in the
brightest prismatic colours, cannot fail to elicit the admiration
of the beholder. Should the slightest motion occur to disturb
it, the polype instantly withdraws itself within the shelter of
its little habitation, at once its home and its grave, and is con-
cealed from sight ; its beauties are however again displayed as
soon as the agitation of the surrounding water ceases. It is
difficult, I say, to conceive a more beautiful or interesting spec-
tacle than is furnished by a single polype when thus view ed ;
but what must be the appearance formed by the countless
thousands of these animals which daily thus display them-
selves, peopling cave, rock and pool ! and yet nearly six thou-
sand years have elapsed since their first creation before the
eye of man rested on them.

Mr. A. H. Hassall's Catalogue of Irish Zoophytes, 283

Not amongst the least pleasurable of the emotions which
we experience in the study and contemplation of these beau-
tiful productions, is that feeling of health and vigour which
attends us in our excursions in search of them. At one time
wandering upon the smooth and golden strand, exploring
among the tangled sea-wrack left by the receding tide for
these minute treasures of creation ; now diving into some deep
and dark caverns, in which the waves roar and dash against
the rocks with terrific violence, but still producing an effect
upon the mind pleasing and enchaining ; at another stretching
oneself at full length beside some clear and liquid pool, in
which the most beautiful and diversified landscapes may be
described — rocks, trees, shrubs and flowers in miniature, all
are palpable to the least imaginative mind, the colours of the
sea-weed rivalling the brightest and most varied tints of an
autumnal forest.

How superior, in the purity and satisfaction resulting from
their pursuit, are the pleasures which we derive from the con-
templation of the works of God, as manifested in the crea-
tion, to those sought after, by so many, and with such eager-
ness, in crowded and bustling cities !

^* I care not, Fortune, what you me deny ;
You cannot rob me of free nature's grace ;
You cannot shut the windows of the sky
Through which Aurora shows her bright'ning face ;
You cannot bar my constant feet to trace
The lonely shore at dewy morn and eve.
Let health my nerves and finer fibres brace,
And I their toys to the great children leave :
Of nature, feeling, virtue,' nought can me bereave."

Among the uses of these minims of creation, one of the high-
est appears to me to be, that of exciting in the mind of man a
spirit of inquiry, calculated to detach his thoughts from the
sordid selfishness of worldly occupation, and to raise them
with feelings of admiration and love to that Omnipotent
Being, who at the first formation of things pronounced all
his works " very good.^^

Entreating the attention of the Society for a short time
longer, I shall at once proceed to the consideration of the
matter of the ' Supplement^ itself.

The species are enumerated in the order in which they oc-
cur in Dr. Johnston's ^Zoophytes.'

Coryne squamata. Found growing upon Fucus siliquosus, opposite
Sea-point, south side of Dublin Bay, above low-water mark.

Hermia glandulosa. This species sometimes attains a height of
three inches. The glandular heads of the ten taenia appear to be

284 Mr. A. H. Plassall's Catalogue of Irish Zoophytes,

furnished with minute cups, similar to those of the Cuttle-fish, by
means of which the polypi are enabled to. hold their prey ; and not,
as stated by Mr. Lister, covered with ** short projections, like blunt
hairs." The reproductive gemmules are supported on a short foot-
stalk, and are fewer in number and several times larger than those
of the preceding species.

Dublin Bay, on various Fuci; not common.

Tubularia larynx. Both varieties of this species are trawled up
in great abundance off Howth and Lambay. They are also found
attached to the under surface of stones, on the east side of Kings-
town Harbour.

Thoa muricata. — Giant's Causeway.

Sertularia Margareta. Polypidom branched, branches alternate ;
rachis straight ; cells nearly opposite, ovato-tubular, contracted on
the outer side ; vesicles 4-sided, armed with 8 long teeth.

This species, in the absence of its remarkable vesicles, requires a
very careful examination to distinguish it from S. abietina. There
are, however, well-marked differences between them. The stem in
this species is straight, whereas in S. abietina it is flexuose ; the cells
are more nearly opposite, and are contracted on the outer side ; aper-
tures plain. The branches are alternate ; there are three cells on
the rachis in the interval between each branch. Vesicles 4-sided,
very large, increasing in size at the distal end, and armed near the
summit with 8 stout spines, two placed at each angle.

To this new and interesting species I have assigned the Christian
name of a lady, distinguished not only for an ardent love of the
works of nature, but as a zealous collector in various branches of
natural history on these shores. See Plate VI. fig. 3, 4.

A Sertularia is figured and described in Ellis's and Solander's
' Zoophytes ' under the name of S. pinaster, which bears a consi-
derable resemblance to the above. I do not, however, believe them
to be of the same species, as the vesicles in this are furnished with
but four spines.

Dredged up off Howth sparingly ; also found near the Giant's
Causeway.

S. pumlla. The number of tentacula in this species is not very
constant, but usually about 16 : they are not disposed in any de-
terminate order, as they always are in the Ascidian type of Zoophytes,
but are variously arranged.

Sertularia filicula. This species was incorrectly enumerated as
among those found in Dublin Bay in my Catalogue. It is not met
with upon that coast ; I have, however, obtained a few specimens in
the neighbourhood of the Giant's Causeway.

Thuiaria articulata. The stem in the specimens found in Dublin
Bay is not naked on the lower half, as it is generally described, but
is clothed with pinnae to near its base, giving the polypidom a very
beautiful appearance. See Plate VII. fig. 1, 2. The specimen figured
in this plate is the finest I ever saw, and I could not resist the temp-
tation of giving a drawing of it.

Not unfrequently obtained by trawling ojQf Howth,

Mr. A. H. Hassall's Catalogue of Irish Zoophytes, 285

Plumularia pinnata. Is generally found growing on a long fila-
mentous sea-weed, up the stem of which it creeps often for more
than a foot in extent, and round which the root-iibres form a com-
plete sheath. The specimens thrown up by the sea are usually de-
nuded of the short branches which proceed from the pinnae. The
vesicles are produced in great abundance, pyriform, blunt and plain
above : each vesicle contains 3 or 4 dark- coloured ova. Dr. John-
ston, in a letter I lately received from him, remarks, " I long ago
discovered the error of giving toothed vesicles to PI. pinnata : they
are only toothed from laceration, after the ova have escaped. It is
curious that the ova should be produced in such numbers from the
root-fibres; but such is a common occurrence with this pretty species."

Tolerably abundant in various parts of Dublin Bay.

PI. setacea. The upper part of the vesicles of this species is pro-
longed into a short tube, affording an additional distinctive charac-
ter between it and PI. pinnata, which it so closely resembles.

1 rawled up off Howth, very rare.

PI. Catharina. Frequently trawled up off Howth and Lambay,
in deep water, and but rarely cast upon the shore.

PL cristata. I have examined a specimen of this species, ob-
tained by my friend G. J. AUman, Esq., near Cork, having plumes
nearly three inches in length, and in which the ovarian vesicles are
produced only from the main stalks or midribs, giving to the whole
polypidom a very beautiful and unique appearance.

PI. myriophyllum . Not common : obtained only by trawling off
Howth and Lambay,

PI. frutescens. I have met with but one specimen of this species,
consisting of a single plume elegantly tapering to a point above.
See Plate VIll. fig. 1.

Alcyonidium rubrum, Miiller. Dr. Johnston considers this to be
but a mere variety of Alcyonidium digit atum, or that species in its
" primary crustaceous condition." That it is not Alcyonidium digi-
tatum in its primary crustaceous condition, I am convinced, from
the circumstance of having frequently met with it of a very large
size, as large as the ordinary species ever occurred to me, nor do I
consider it to be a variety ; for although no difference exists in the
number of the tentacula or in the form of the spiculse, it yet, in my
opinion, must be regarded as a distinct species, as I have always
met with it of the same uniform deep red colour ; neither have I
been able to detect any gradations of colour between it and the
common kind, as might be expected were it but a variety. I have
occasionally, too, obtained both growing upon the same shell, each
possessing its own peculiar colour ; and this is a strong fact in fa-
vour of their distinctness, as the great difference in colour could
not be accounted for by a reference to any external causes, both
specimens being subjected to the same influences.

Actinia mesembryanthemum. Everywhere common off the coast
of Dublin.

A. Bellis. " Body elongated ; the lower part narrow, smooth, the

286 Mr. A. H. HassalPs Catalogue of Irish Zoophytes.

upper enlarged and glandularly warty : oral disc expanded, lobed :
tentacula in several rows, variegated." — Gartner.

This beautiful species is certainly no variety of Actinia gemmacea,
as has been supposed by some from the perusal of Gaertner's de-
scription of it. It inhabits the fissures of rocks, in which the whole
of the body of the polypus is concealed, the expanded cup-like head
alone being visible above the margin of the fissure. The body is
often lengthened to the extent of two inches ; its basis is contracted,
but gradually widens upwards towards the calyx ; the lower portion
of it is nearly colourless, higher up it becomes of a flesh colour,
this changing into a greenish brown, of which it continues up as
far as the feelers. The upper half of the body is covered with nu-
merous small white glands, which possess great powers of suction.
The diameter of the calyx, which is somewhat cupped, in the larger
specimens often exceeds two inches ; its margin does not describe a
perfect circle, but is variously festooned. The colour of the disc is
dark brown, ornamented with broad bands of opaque white, and
finely streaked and dotted with light yellow. The feelers are very
small, placed on the edge of the calyx in several rows, to the depth
of ^rd of an inch ; those nearest the disc, also, are about ^rd of an
inch in length, and are the longest, the outermost tentacula being
but little more than papillae ; they are of a lighter brown than the
disc, and are variegated with transverse bands and spots of white.
The shades of brown in the different parts of each Actinia vary con-
siderably with the specimens.

Found in a clear pool, opposite Dalkey Island, but little below
high-water mark, the only locality in which I have ever met M'ith it ;
and what is not a little peculiar is, that it is confined to that one
pool, although there are others in its immediate vicinity apparently
equally suitable for it.

A. gemmacea. Everywhere common on the coast of Dublin.

A. dianthus. Frequently trawled up off Howth and Lambay.

A. maculata. The tentacula of this species are not contractile :
in this particular it resembles the genus Anthea of Johnston.

A single specimen, trawled up oiF Howth.

Anthea cereus. Although this species has not the power of short-
ening its feelers in the same way as the Actinias, yet, if specimens
be kept for some time in sea-water, their length becomes dimi-
nished, not by contraction, but by a process of invagination.

The three varieties of this species, described by Gsertner, are
found in Sandy-cove, near Dublin ; the green one but sparingly.
They usually adhere to Fuci, generally to Fucus serratus, and but
rarely to stones. Below low- water mark.

Valkeria cuscuta. Branches opposite ; cells in clusters, oval.

The above is the correct definition of this species, which it was
long ere I could identify by Ellis's description of it. He described
the cells as being " in pairs, usually opposite," whereas they are
really in clusters. Ellis's description is only applicable to the species
in an imperfect and injured state. Valkeria cuscuta is readily di-

Mr. T. Edmondston's List of Shetland Plants. 28?

stinguishable from V. imhricata, with which it was at first con-
founded by me, first, by the more delicate texture of the whole
polypidom ; secondly, by the smaller size and oval shape of the
cells. In Valkeria imbricata the cells are cylindrical ; the clusters
of cells in it, too, are more nearly approximated, and the number of
cells in each cluster is more numerous than in V. cuscuta.
Abundant, Sandy-cove, near Dublin.

[To be continued.]

XXXIV. — List of Phanerogamous Plants, together with the
Cryptogamic Orders Filices^ Equisetaceae, and Lycopodi-
aceas^ observed in the Shetland Islands, By Thomas Ed-
MONDSTON^ Jun., Esq.

MONANDRIA MONOGYNIA.

1. Hippur is vulgaris. Deep muddy streams. Common.

2. Salicornia herbacea. Salt marshes. Frequent.

MoNANDRIA DiGYNIA.

3. Callitriche verna. Pools and marshes. Common.

DiANDRIA MONOGYNIA.

4. Veronica officinalis. Not very common. Chiefly in dry stony

places. — Var. /3. rigida. Common in aU waste grounds : stem
erect; vefy rigid leaves, not serrated ; all the plant glabrous ; cap-
sule very distinctly winged.

montana. Rare. Ollaberr}^ ; Northmavin.

Beccabunga. Rare. Near Tingwall.

Anagallis. Rare. Brook near Laxfirth Mainland.

5. Pinguicula vulgaris. Uncultivated grounds. Everywhere abundant.

DiANDRIA DiGYNIA.

6. Anthoxanthum odoratum. Common.

Triandria Monogynia.

7. Iris Pseudacorus. Common in all damp places.

8. Schoenus nigricans. Damp heaths. Abundant.
albus. Marshy places. Rare. Moola Unst.

9. Scirpus ccespitosus. Heaths. Very abundant.

lacustris. Rare. Loch of Lund, L^nst : probably not in-
digenous.

palustris. Salt marshes chiefly. Common.

10. Eriophorum vaginatum. On the more elevated heaths, as Her-

maness, Unst. Most common.
polystachion. All marshy places. Common.

11. Nardus stricta. Heathy grounds. Common.

Triandria Digynia.

12. Phalaris arundinacea. Common.

13. Phleum pratense. On the richer grounds abundant.

288 Mr* T. Edmondston^s List of Shetland Plants,

14. Alopecurus geniculatus . Wet places. Common.

15. Agrostis vulgaris. Common.

alba. Wet places. Abundant.

16. Aira caspitosa. Waste places. Not common.
flexuosa. Heaths. Frequent.

prtBcox. Cultivated grounds. Common.

17. Holcus lanatus. Waste and cultivated ground. Common.

18. Melica coerulea. Heaths, &c. Common.

19. Poa trivialis. Pastures, &c. Common.

— praiensis. Meadows and pastures. Abundant.

— annua. Waste grounds. Common.

20. Gdyceriafluitans. Streams and ditches. Abundant.

21. Briza media. Rare. Unst.

22. Dactylis glomerata. Pastures, &c. Common.

23. Cynosurus cristatus. Meadows and pastures.

24. Festuca ovina. Dry pastures. Common.

vivipara. Elevated heaths. Common.

duriuscula. Common.

elatior. Sides of lakes. and streams. Rare.

25. Bromus mollis. Fields and waste grounds. Common.
arvensis. Fields. Rare.

26. Avenafatua. Not common. Shetland name Hug-aits.

27. Arundo Phragmites. Rare. Loch near Ronas-hill.

Calamagrostis . Very rare. Loch near Faedaland, North -

mavin.

28. Lolium perenne. Meadows and pastures.

29. Elymus arenarius. Sandy sea-shores. Common.

30. Triticum repens. Everywhere common. Shetland name Whigga.

Tetrandria Monogynia.

31. Scabiosa succisa. All damp humid soils.

32. Asperula odorata. Dry banks. Rare. Bardister, Northmavin.

33. Galium saxatile. Heaths. Abundant.

verum. Dry banks. Frequent.

boreale. Sides of lakes. Not common.

"■ — Aparine. Sea-shores. Common.

34. Plantago major and lanceolata. Waste places. Common.
media. Not common.

maritima and Coronopus. Sea-shore. Common.

35. Alchemilla vulgaris. Fallow lands. Rare. Near OUaberry.
alpina. Rare. Ronas-hill.

Tetrandria Tetragynia.

36. Potamogeton natans. Shallow pools. Common.

. ^ — heterophyllus . Deeper ditches. Abundant.

37. Sagina procumbens. Waste grounds. Common.

Pentandria Monogynia.

38. Myosotis arvensis. Fields, &c. Common.
ccespitosa. Brooks and pools. Abundant.

Mr. T. Edmondston's List of Shetland Plants. 289

39. Pulmonaria fnaritima. Gravelly sea-shores. Not common.

40. Lycopsis arvensis. Fields. Common.

41. Primula vulgaris. Dry pastures. Common.

42. Menyanthes trifoliata. Deep ditches. Common.

43. Anagallis tenella. Bogs. Not common.

44. Azalea procumbens. Hare, llonas Hill, Northmavin.

45. Jasione montana. Dry banks. Common.

46. Viola canina. Common.

tricolor. Everywhere abundant.

47. Lonicera Periclymenum. Cliffs, &c. Not common.

48. Hedera Helix. Rare. Pictishburgh. Walls.

Pentandria Digynia.

49. Gentiana amarella. On limestone. Not common.
campestris. Pastures. Common.

50. Daucus Carota. Waste ground. Abundant.

51. Chcerophyllum sylvestre. Waste places. Common.

52. Angelica sylvestris. Damp situations. Abundant.

53. Ligusticum scoticum. Rocky or sandy sea-shores.

54. Carum Carui. Damp meadows. Rare. Near Refirth, Island

of Yell : probably not indigenous.

55. Hydrocotyle vulgaris. Marshy places. Common.

56. Heracleum Sphondylium. Dry pastures. Abundant.

57. Conium maculatum. Shady situations. Not common.

58. Pastinaca sativa. Waste ground. Not common.

Pentandria Tetragynia.

59. Parnassia palustris. Wet meadows. Not common.

Pentandria Pentagynia.

60. Statics Armeria. Sea-shores. Abundant.
Limonium. Rare. Knab, near Lerwick.

61. Linum catharticum. Dry heaths. Common.

Pentandria Hexagynia.

62. Drosera longifolia. Rare. Lamhoga, Island of Fetlar..
rotundifolia. Mossy hills. Rare. Yell and Northmavin.

Hexandria Monogynia.

63. Scilla verna. Common everjrwhere.

nutans. Rare. Probably not indigenous.

64. Narthecium ossifragum. Turfy heaths. Abundant.

65. Juncus effusus. Turfy bogs. Common. Shetland name. Floss.
trifidus. Elevated bogs. Not common.

squarrosus. Boggy heaths. Common.

uliginosus. Moist places. Common.

triglumis. Rare. Ronas Hill.

66. Luciola sylvatica. Shady glens. Abundant.
campestris. Barren pastures. Common.

Hexandria Trigynia.

67. Rumex crispus. Very common

. tiumex crispus. very common.

Ann, ^Ma^.N. Hist. Fo^ vii. U

290 Mr. T. Edmondston's List of Shetland Plants*

Rumex Acetosa and Acetosella. Abundant everywhere.

68. Triglochin palustre. Muddy situations. Common.

Heptandria Monogynia.

69. Trientalis europeea. Mountain heaths. Rare. Hermaness,Unst.

OcTANDRiA Monogynia.

70. Epilobium angustifoUum. Cliffs. Not common.

montanum. Rare. Near Snarravoe, Unst.

palustre. Wet places. Abundant.

71. Vaccinium Myrtillus. Dry heaths. Common.

72. Erica vulgaris (Calluna). Common.
cinerea. Common.

Tetralix. Abundant.

OcTANDRIA TrIGYNIA.

73. Polygonum Persicaria. Abundant. Wet places.

. Bistorta. Rare. Broo, Dunrossness.

aviculare. Cultivated grounds. Common.

Decandria Monogynia.

74. Arbutus Uva-ursi. Not common.
alpina. Rare. Ronas Hill.

Decandria Digynia.

75. Saxifraga oppositifolia. Rare. Fitful Head.

Decandria Trigynia.

76. Silene maritima. Stony sea-shores. Abundant.
acaulis. Dry hills and stony places. Frequent.

77. Stellaria media. Waste and cultivated ground. Common.

78. Arenaria peploides. Sea-shores. Common.
marina. Sea-coast. Not rare.

norvegica. This interesting addition to the British Flora

is confined, so far as I know, to the serpentine formation around
the Bay of Baltasound in this island. Its specific description is
as follows : — Root fibrous, long ; stems numerous, branched,
procumbent, sometimes more or less erect ; leaves small, ovate,
fleshy, glabrous, somewhat imbricate ; flowers terminal, solitary,
white, rather large ; petals generally six, sometimes five, broadly
ovate ; calyx- sepals five, fleshy, glabrous as the leaves. Very
abundant on the gravelly barren hills to the north of the bay,
growing nearly on a level with the sea, along with Cerastium
latifolium and Cardamine hastulata, which, with the exception of
Statice Armeria and Plant ago maritima, are almost the only
plants to be found in its vicinity.

I first discovered this plant in May 1837 : I was then only
commencing the study of botany, and though I knew its genus,
and so marked it in my herbarium, I could not make out its
species.

In the end of July, the same year. Dr. Gilbert Macnab came
to Unst, in the course of a botanical tour he was making through

Mr. T. Edmondston's List of Shetland Plants, 291

Shetland ; I met him at some distance from Baltasound, and ac-
companied him thither ; on the way, as he was questioning me
on the botany of the island, I mentioned two plants to him as
being (as I thought) rare or peculiar, — the one turned out to be
the Pisum maritimum of Linnaeus {Lathyrus pisiformis. Hook.
'Br. Fl.'), the other was this species of Arenaria; I named to
him the genera to which the two plants belonged, but wished
to have his opinion on the species. Next day, in looking over
my little collection, we found the specimens of the two plants :
Dr. Macnab thought they were new to the British Flora, and
he had not seen them before ; he was also of the same opinion
as myself as to their genera. I guided him to the localities
where I first found the two plants, and we procured abundance
of specimens. A few days after, when Dr. Macnab left Unst,
I gave him a number of specimens for the opinions of Drs.
Hooker and Graham. Dr. Graham at first pronounced it to be
nondescript, but was soon induced to change his opinion from
seeing a plant in Prof. Hooker's herbarium (gathered by Sir
George Mackenzie in Iceland) labelled as Arenaria norvegica,
which he thought agreed with the Unst plant.

I have since botanically examined almost the whole of my
native islands, but I have not been able to find a single plant of
this species, except in the locality where it was first found by
me. I have only further to add, that I have endeavoured to
cultivate it by transplanting to a garden ; I have not, however,
succeeded, although plants of Cardamine hastulata and Ceras-
tium latifolium, under the same circumstances, grew and took
root. I have, however, not had an opportunity of trying to
raise it from the seed.

79. Cherleria sedoides. Rare. Hill of Klibberswick, Unst.

Decandria Pentagynia.

80. Sedum TelepJdum. Rocks by the sea-side. Rare.

81. Agrostemma Githago. Scarcely indigenous.

82. Lychnis Flos-cuculi. Meadows and pastures. Common.
sylvatica (L. dioica). Fields, &c. Common. — /3. ves-
per tina. Rare.

83. Cerastium vulgatum. Fields and waste grounds. Common.
viscosum. Common.

tetrandrum. Sand. Rare. Balta Island.

latifolium. Rare. Near Baltasound only.

84. Spergnla arvensis. Abundant. Shetland name, Meldy.

IcosANDRiA Pentagynia.

85. Cratcegus Oxyacantlia. Rare. Near Tingwall.

86. Sorbus Aucuparia. Precipices and cliflFs. Not common.

87. Spircea Ulmaria. Swampy meadows. Common.

IcOSANDRIA POLYGYNIA.

88. Rosa foment osa. Dry banks, &c. Abundant.

U2

292 Mr. T. Edmondston's List of Shetland Plants,

89. Potentilla anserina. Waste grounds. Common. Roots sweet

and nutritious, and occasionally eaten under the name of * Mur-
raks.*

90. Tormentilla officinalis. Dry heaths and pastures. Common.
• reptans. Dry heaths. Rare.

91. Comarum palustre. Wet boggy ground. Common.

POLYANDRIA MoNOGYNIA.

92. Papaver Rheeas. Corn-fields. Not common.
dubium. Common.

PoLYANDRIA PoLYGYNIA.

93. Thalictrum alpimtm. Moist heaths. Abundant.

94. Ranunculus Flammula. Watery places. Common.

repens. Dry barren pastures. Abundant.

acris. Abundant everywhere.

95. Ficaria ranunculoides. Meadows and pastures. Frequent.

96. Caltha palustris. Marshy places. Common.

DiDYXAMIA GtNOSPERMIA.

97. Ajuga reptans. Common.

98. Lamium purpureum. Waste and cultivated grounds. Common,

intermedium. Not common.

99. Galeopsis TetraUt. Cultivated grounds. Common.

100. Stachys palustris. Moist meadows. Common.
ambigua. Not common. Tingwall.

101. Thymus Serpy Hum. Dry heaths. Common.

102. Prunella vulgaris. Meadows and pastures. Common.

DiDYNAMIA AnGIOSPERMIA.

103. Euphrasin officinalis. Dry pastures. Abundant.

104. Pedicularis sylvatica. Moist heaths. Abundant.
palustris. Boggy pastures. Common.

Tetradynamia Siliculosa.

105. Draba incana. Rare. Unst and Fetlar.

106. Thlaspi Bursa-pastoris. Waste and cultivated ground.

107. Cochlearia officinalis. Sea- shore and inland. Common.

108. Bunias Cakile. Sandy sea-shore. Common.

Tetradynamia Siliquosa.

109. Cardamine pratensis. Moist meadows. Common.
hastulata {Arabis petreea). Near Baltasound, Unst.

Rare.

110. Sinapis arvensis. Corn-fields. Common. Shetland name

Runjy.

111. Raphanus Raphanistrum, Fields. Common.

MONADELPHIA DeCANDRIA.

112. Geranium ph(Bum. Rare. Island of Fetlar.
molle. Meadows and pastures. Common.

Mr. T. Edmondston's List of Shetland Plants, 293

DiADELPHIA HeXANDRIA.

113. Fumaria parviflora. Sandy fields. Abundant.

DiADELPHIA OCTANDRIA.

114. Poly gala vulgaris. Dry heaths. . Common.

DiADELPHIA DeCANDRIA.

115. XJlex europ^ms. Dry heaths. Not common. Hill of Wormie-

dale.

\\Q. Anthy His Vulner aria. Dry pastures. Abundant.

117. Pisum maritimum (vdiT.). Very rare. Sandy down. Burraforth,
Unst, only. Root very long, creeping to a great extent, send-
ing up stems at intervals ; stem procumbent, angular ; sti-
pulas sagittate ; tendrils with 3 — 5 pair of lanceolate, glaucous,
dark green leaflets ; racemes terminal, on long peduncles ;
flowers shortly pedicellate, moderately large; wings very
beautiful, bright purple, with darker veins ; standard and keel
whitish. This plant was first added to the * Flora Scotica' by
myself in June 1837.

lis. Lathy rus pratensis. Fields and way- sides. Common.

119. Vicia Cracca. Meadows and pastures. Common.

1 20. Trifolium repens. Meadows and pastures. Common.
pratense. Dry meadows, &c. Abundant.

121. Lotus corniculatus. Pastures. Common.

POLYADELPHIA PoLYANDRIA.

122. Hypericum pulchrum. Dry heaths. Frequent.

Syngenesia ^Equalis.

123. Sonchus arvensis. Corn-fields. Common.

oleraceus. Waste or cultivated ground. Frequent.

124. Leontodon Taraxacum. Meadows and pastures. Not common.
autumnale. Common.

125. Hieraceum sylvaticum. Dry banks. Frequent.
maculatum. Abundant.

126. Arctium lappa. Sandy soils. Rare. Dunrossness.

127. Carduus lanceolatus. Waste and cultivated ground. Common.
arvensis. Corn-fields. Common.

128. Onopordum Acanthium. Gravelly soils. Not common.

Syngenesia Superflua.

129. Tanacetum vulgare. Road-sides, &c. Abundant.

130. Artemisia vulgaris. Waste ground. Common.

131. Gnaphalium dioicum. Heaths and dry pastures. Common.

132. Serratula alpina (Saussurea alpind). Rare. Ronas Hill.

133. Tussilago Farfara. Clayey soils. Not common.

Petasites. Humid meadows. Not uncommon.

] 34. Senecio vulgaris. Cultivated grounds. Common.

— — — • Jacobcea. Meadows and pastures. Common.

294 Mr. T. Edmondston's List of Shetland Plants.

135. Solidago Virgaurea. Dry heaths and pastures. Common.

136. Bellis perennis. Meadows and pastures. Common.

137. Pyrethrum inodorum. Waste grounds. Common.

138. Chrysanthemum Leucanthemum. Meadows and pastures. Fre-

quent.

139. Achillcea Millefolium. Dry meadows. Common.
Ptarmica. Humid meadows. Common.

Gynandria Monandria.

140. Orchis mascula. Meadows and pastures. Frequent.
latifolia. Wet situations. Abundant.

141. Satyrium viride (Habenaria virid.). Heaths. Common.

142. Zostera marina. Sea-shore. Abundant.

Mon(ecia Monandria.

143. Euphorbia helioscopia. Cultivated grounds. Common.

MONCECIA TrIANDRIA.

144. Car ex dioica. Marshes. Abundant.
ovalis. Heaths. Not common.

arenaria. Sandy sea- shores. Common.

recurva. Dry heaths. Common.

binervis. Moist heaths. Frequent.

ampullacea. Watery situations.

M0N(ECIA TeTRANDRIA.

145. Sparganium nutans. Lakes. Abundant.
simplex. Common.

146. Littorella lacustris (Plantago uniflora). Common.

147. Urtica dioica. Roads and way-sides. Common.

148. Myriophyllum spicaium. Ditches and pools. Frequent.

149. Betula alba. Shady banks. Not common.

DiOECIA DiANDRIA.

150. Salix fusca. Dry heaths. Common.

aurita. Banks of lakes, &c. Abundant.

aquatica. Watery places. Not common.

herbacea. Rare. Ronas Hill.

DicEciA Triandria.

151. Empetrum nigrum. Heaths. Common. Berries greedily de-

voured by Lestris parasiticus.

DiCECIA OCTANDRIA.

152. Rhodiola rosea. Rocks and cUffs. Common.

DiCECIA MONADELPHIA.

153. Juniperus communis. Rare. Cliffs, Koningsburgh.

Mr. T. Edmondston's List of Shetland Plants. 295

POLYGAMIA MONOECIA.

154. Atriplex laciniata. Sea-coast. Common.
patula. Cultivated and waste ground.

Cryptogamia Filices.

155. Poly podium vulgare. Walls and shady banks. Common.

156. Aspidium Filix-mas. Common.

Filix-foemina. Common.

157. Scolopendrium vulgare. Moist shady places. Rare.

158. Osmunda regalis. Very rare. Near Sandwick, Unst.

Lunaria. HiUy pastures. Common.

159. Ophioglossum vulgatum. Very rare. Bum of Sundybanks,

near Scalloway, Mainland.

Cryptogamia LYCoponiACEiE.

160. Lycopodium clavatum. Rare. Ronas Hill.

Selaginoides. Moist heaths. Common.

Selago. Also abundant.

Cryptogamia EauisETACEiE.

161. Equisetum sylvaticum. Shady banks. Not common.

fluviatile. Wet places. Rare. Loch of Cliff.

palustre. Marshes. Common.

' arvense. Moist fields. Abundant.

EXTINCT SPECIES.
Pinus Picea.

An old man told me that he found a fir tree, about six feet below
the surface of the ground, when digging peat at the east side of Unst.
It was about forty feet in length, and about six feet in circum-
ference. It was much decayed on the outside, but quite sound in the
heart.

The cones of the Silver Fir (according to Dr. Neill) have been
found in the peat moors in Orkney, although I am not aware of their
being observed in Shetland ; and as this species seems, when planted,
to succeed the best of all its tribe, it may be supposed that the tree
in question was of this species.

Corylus Avellana,

The nuts and trunks of this tree have also at different times been
dug up in the peat moors.

296 Mr. Weaver's View o/" Ehrenberg's Observations

XXXV. — On the Composition of Chalk Rocks and Chalk Marl
by invisible Organic Bodies : from the Observations of Dr.
Ehrenberg^, By Thomas Weaver, Esq., F.R.S., F.G.S.,
M.R.I.A., &c. &c.t

The remarkable discoveries effected, and the new light
thrown on geology by the indefatigable researches of Dr.
Ehrenberg, during several years past, through the medium of
the microscope, particularly in respect of the Infusoria and
Polythalamia tribes, highly instructive and interesting as they
must be to all naturalists, are especially so to the geologist,
since they open to him a large field of inquiry, eminently de-
serving of cultivatio!!. To draw attention to this subject, which
involves no less than an investigation as to what extent minute
organic bodies, invisible to the naked eye, may have contri-
buted to the production of all limestone formations, whether
of an origin posterior or anterior to the epoch of the chalk,
descending thus in the series to the primary limestones, it ap-
peared to me that a sketch taken from a portion of the labours
of Dr. Ehrenberg might be not only useful, but especially ac-
ceptable to such geologists as may not be conversant with the
language of th'e original. I propose then, in the first instance,
to advert briefly to the earlier researches of Dr. Ehrenberg
concerning the Coral tribes in general, and those of the Red
Sea in particular J; and in the second, to present such extracts
from the Memoir, the title of which stands at the head of this
paper§, as may answer the purpose of a general view.

At the instigation of the Royal Academy of Sciences of Ber-
lin II, Dr. Ehrenberg and his friend, the late Dr. Hemprich,

* Communicated by the Author.

t With an Appendix touching the researches of M. Alcide d'Orbigny.
X See in the Abhand. der Konig. Acad. d. Wissenschaften zu Berlin for
the year 1832:—

1. Contributions to the physiological knowledge of the Coral animals in
general, and in particular of those of the Red Sea, with an attempt to clas-
sify them according to their physiological distinctions ; read 3rd March,
1831, with additions printed 1st Dec. 1833, pp. 225-380.

2. On the Nature and Structure of the Coral Banks of the Red Sea, read
22nd March 1832; revised and printed in Feb. 1834, pp. 381-432.

§ Ueber die Bildimg der Kreidefelsen und des Kreidcmergels durch un-
sichtbare Organismen, in the Transactions of the Royal Academy of Sciences
of Berlin, for the year 1838, read 20th Dec. 1838, and 18th Feb. 1839,
pp. 59-149.

II See the Report read to the Academy by M. Air. von Humboldt on the
Travels of Doctors Ehrenberg and Hemprich through Egypt,Dongola, Syria,
Arabia, and the Eastern declivity of the highlands of Abyssinia, in the years
1820-1825, conveying a clear idea of the arduous and extraordinary la-
bours of those gentlemen in all branches of Natural History: Berlin, 1826.
Dr. Hemprich fell a sacrifice to his exertions in Abyssinia, on the 30th of
June, 1825.

on the Organic Composition of Chalk and Chalk Marl, 297

visited the Red Sea during a period of eighteen months, name-
ly, nine months from the year 1823 to 1824, and an equal
number in 1825, having been nearly twelve months of the time
on board ship, in which interval they passed over nearly the
whole extent of that sea, saw many of its islands and coral
banks, and landed with a view to special examination on forty-
eight different points of the two coasts ; but the whole number
of islands and special points of the coast seen by them amounts
to about 150, independently of the long coast of Sinai in Ara-
bia, which they examined in continuity. In these laborious
efforts, attended with extreme danger, they collected 110 spe-
cies of Coral animals, being nearly three times as many as had
been found or described by all former observers, namely, by
Shaw, Forskal and Savigny, and later by Riippel.

To determine the subjects of that collection with the greater
precision, it became necessary to undertake a review of the
whole class of the Coral animals, and the more so as Dr.
Ehrenberg found that his own observations were frequently
in collision with the systematic distinctions that have prevailed
up to the present time. In this review the author has espe-
cially compared the four most recent extensive systems, name-
ly, of Schweigger in 1820, Rapp in 1829, Cuvier in 1830, and
Blainville likewise in 1830, which may be said to embody the
judgment of the present generation upon the labours of earlier
periods, and to comprise the sum of existing knowledge in
this department of natural history. He has in particular
turned his attention to the work of Blainville *, since it con-
tains the greatest number of new details, having been enriched
by the latest manuscript observations and drawings of Quoy
and Gaimard, the result of their second voyage round the
world with Capt. D'Urville. In these newer works, the la-
bours of Lamarck having been critically employed, the author
was relieved from the necessity of noticing them in a special
manner.

The attempt to reconcile the observed discrepancies led the
author to separate the Coral animals into two organic natural
groups, which are well marked and distinct from each other,
and which he named Anthozoa (Flower-animals) and Bryozoa
(Moss-animals). In the course of these researches the author
found that the whole group of the Anthozoa, which consist of
the proper (single-mouthed) coral animals, and which had
been gradually distributed under more than 158 generic names,
including even heterogeneous animals and plants, might, ac-
cording to his own observations of their correspondence in

* Dictionnaire des Sciences NaturelleSy 1 830.

298 Mr. Weaver's View of Ehrenherg*s Observations

affinity and relations of structure and development, be reduced
to eighty-six genera, but which number might perhaps be still
further diminished, as a few genera might be classed as sub-
genera. The Anthozoa he has divided into two orders, Zoo-
coralUa (Animal-corals) and Phytocorallia (Plant-corals). In
the Memoir is given a systematic description of the Orders,
Tribes, Families, Genera and Species of the Anthozoa, while
further details are reserved for the author's work, entitled,
Symholce Physiccc, The subjoined Table will show the general
arrangement, extending to the genera.

Anthozoa.

Ore ventriculoque distinctis, tubo cibario anoqiie discrete nullis, corpore
intus radiatim lamelloso. (Vibratio nulla, gemmae et spontanea divisio
frequentissimae.)

OrDO I. — ZOOCORALLIA.

Corpore aut omnino molli, aut Cephalopodum more intus lapidem gene-
rante (secernente nee excernente) hinc saepe omnino libera et, praeter for-
mam, animalium cliaracteres omnes perfectius servantia.

Species.

Fossil
Genera.

Genera.

.

Of the Red Sea.

do

c

1

II
52

' 2

1
>>

.2 '

■ Farailia I. Actinina.
Genera 9.
Species living . 50,
In the Red Sea 23.

Fam. II. ZOANTHINA.

Genera 4. Fossil 2.
Species living . 12.
In the Red Sea 7.

Fam. III. FuNGiNA.
Genera 6. Fossil 5.
Species living . 12.
In the Red Sea 3.

1?

1

1

16

1
1

"l

1
1
1

2

...
1
2

1
1

29

1

1?
10
3

1
1
3
3
2
4
3

3
5
3

F.'

F.
F.

F.'
F.
F.
F.

1. Actinia.

2. Metridium.

3. Megalactis.

4. Thalassianthus.

5. Cribrina.

6. Actinodendron.

7. Epicladia.

8. Heterodactyla.

9. Lucernaria.

10. Hughea.

11. Zoanthus.

12. Mammillifera.

13. Palythoa.
Siphonia.
Lymnorea.

14. Fungia.

15. Haliglossa.

16. Polyphyllia.

17. Cyclolithas.

18. Turbinalia.

19. Trochopsis.
Diploctenium.

on the Organic Composition of Chalk and Chalk Marl, 290

1

Species.

OftheRedSea.

1

II

1

>

3

Fossil
Genera.

Genera.

c

o

u

^

H

Fam. IV. Xenina.

"-

3

3

20.

Xenia.

Genera 3.

3

3

21.

Anthelia.

Species living . 7.

I

22.

Rhizoxenia.

In the Red Sea 6.

...

Fam. V. TuBiPORiNA.

■

/- .

Genus 1.

Species living . 3.

...

1

3

...

23.

Tubipora.

r

2

In the Red Sea 1.

!s

-

1

1

...

24.

Halcyonium.

>-5

CS

Fam. VI. Halcyonina.

...

5

12

...

25.

Lobularia.

Vi

1

.2 '

Genera 6.

Species living 28.

:::

2
2

2
4

...

26.

27.

Ammothea.
Nephthya.

ai

In the Red Sea 13.

...

3

8

...

28.

Sympodium.

H

o

...

...

1

...

29.

Cliona.

Fam. VII. Pennatulina.

5-

4

30.

Veretillum.

N

(a) Halisceptha.
Genera 4.

...

...

1
1

31.
32.

Pavonaria.
Umbellularia.

Species living . 7.
In the Red Sea 0.

■'•

...

1

...

33.

Scirpearia.

(/3) Halipteria.
Genera 3. Fossil 1.
Species living . 10.

...

2
3
5

F.*?

34.
35.
36.

ReniUa,

Virgularia.

Pennatula.

In the Red Sea 0.

...

...

"Fam. VIII. Hydrina.

'

' <a

Genera 2.

...

...

4

...

37.

Hydra.

"5

Species living . 6.

...

...

2

...

38.

Coryna.

■+3

In the Red Sea 0.

s

.1

Fam. IX. Tubularina.

' ...

...

4 .

...

39.

Syncoryna.

M

-O ,

Genera 4.

...

...

3

...

40.

Tubularia.

.2

Species living . 12.

...

...

4

...

41.

Eudendrium.

Oj

^

In the Red Sea 0.

...

...

1

...

42.

Pennaria.

H

Fam. X. Sertularina.

"

o

Genus 1.

. 1?

...

4

43.

Sertularia.

N

Species living . 4.

In the Red Sea 1.

-

Zoocorallia...

5

49

151

8

300 Mr. Weaver's View of Fihrenberg^s Observations

Ordo IL — Phytocorallia.
Corpore aut lapideam aut corneam materiam adglutinantem secernente,
ac clorso (solea) excernente ejusque ope semper adnato (Ostreariim more).

Species.

Fossil
Genera.

Genera.

OftheRedSea.

1

>

1

p. <o

s S

s

a

^2

o

&

o

H

...

i

2
3

1
3

F.
F.

44. Desmophyllum.

45. Cyathina.

46. Stephanocora.

47. Monomyces.

...

1

9

F.

48. Oculina.

'Familia XL Ocellina.

...

4

F.

49. Turbinaria.

Genera 14. Fossil 12.

...

3

8

F.

50. Explanaria.

Species living 41.

...

...

6

F.

51. Cladocora.

In the Red Sea 7.

...

...

F.

52. Columnaria.

...

1

1

F.
F.

53. Strombodes.

54. Cyathophyllum.

...

...

F.

55. Pterorrhiza.

>

';lc^

...

1

4

F.

56. Anthophyllum.

"g 'S

...

...

F.

57. Stylina.

II-

Fam. XII. DiEDALiNA.

(a) ASTK^INA.

Genera 4. Fossil 3.

=•

2

4
8

7

7

14

F.
F.

58. Caryophyllia.

59. Favia.

60. Astraea.

Species living 28.
In the Red Sea 15.

...

F.

61. Favosites.

!

2

7

F.

62. Maeandrina.

(ft) MiEANDRINA.

Genera 7. Fossil 6.

...

2
1

12

1
4

F.
F.

63. Manicina.

64. Merulina.

65. Pavonia.

Species living 28.
. In the Red Sea , 5.

...

2
2

F.
F.

66. Agaricia.

67. Polyastra.

1

...

...

F.

68. Monticularia.

j-Fatn. XIII. Madreporina.

...

7

21

...

69. Heteropora.

«S 5^

Genera 3. Fossil 3.

...

17

20

F.

70. Madrepora.

>

l!s

Species living 41.

...

...

F.

71. Catenipora.

w

o "

In the Red Sea 24.

...

...

...

...

Pleurodictyum.

n

§ g^

Fam. XIV. Milleporina.

...

...

...

F.

72. Calamopora.

«

-^ 0)

Genera 4. Fossil 2.

...

4

6

73. Seriatopora.

H

Species living 23.
In the Red Sea 11.

1

2

7

F.

74. Millepora.

...

3

10

...

75. Pocillopora.

' Fam. XV. Isidea.

' ...

...

1

...

76. Corallium.

Genera 4.

...

...

4

...

77. Melitaea.

.

eS

Species living 10.

...

"i

3

...

78. Mopsea.

>

S «

In the Red Sea 1.

...

...

2

...

79. Isis.

05

g'S

'l?

...

3

...

80. Prymnoa.

2 "*

ll'

Fam. XVI. Gorgonina.

1?

...

10

...

81. Muricea.

c2

^^

Genera 6. Fossil 1.

...

...

23

...

82. Eunicea.

H

£^

Species living 63.

' 1?

...

4

...

83. Plexaura.

*-

In the Red Sea 3.

...

...

12
11

F.?

84. Gorgonia.

85. Pterogorgia.

«

r-2.-

Fam. XVII. Alloporina.

■

>

"g "c

Genus 1.

...

1

...

86. Allopora.

3 ■■

§1'

Species living 1.

«

I,.2P

In the Red Sea 0.

5

X rt

Phytocorallia

5

61

235

27

Zoocorallia

5

49

151

8

Anthozoa

10

110

386

35

Of the Red Sea

V. J

120

on the Organic Composition of Chalk and Chalk Marl, 301

In the preceding Table we see that of the forty-three genera
of Zoocorallia, there are eight which are found fossil; the
living species amount to 151, of which fifty-four exist in the
Red Sea, and forty-nine of these have been observed by the
author, five remaining unproved. Of the forty-three genera
of Phytocorallia there are twenty-seven which are found fos-
sil; the living species amount to 235, of which sixty-six exist
in the Red Sea, and sixty-one of these have been observed by
the author, five remaining unproved. The general result is,
that out of eighty-six genera of Anthozoa, thirty-five occur in
the fossil state; and that of 386 known living species of An-
thozoa, 120 exist in the Red Sea, of which 110 species were
observed by the author. The same Table also shows that of
the seventeen families of known Coral animals, thirteen exist
in the Red Sea, while four are wholly wanting, namely, those
of Pennatulina, Hydrina, Tubularina and Alloporina. The
total number of known living species com.prised in each family
is also given, as well as the relative number actually existing
in the Red Sea,

The 120 species of Anthozoa existing in the Red Sea thus
constitute nearly one third of the whole number of living spe-
cies, and being comprised in forty-four genera, the latter rather
exceed one half of the number of known living genera.

Of the known living Corals there are eight genera peculiar
to the Red Sea, namely, Megalactis, Thalassianthusl ^ Epi~
cladia, Heterodactylai Anthelia, Ammothea^ Stephanocora and
Strombodes. It appears also that eighty-eight species are pecu-
liar to it, not having been hitherto observed anywhere else.

Among the genera of the Red Sea that o^ Strombodes excites
peculiar interest, having previously been found only in the fos-
sil state. It affords a key to the structure of the remarkable
Cyathophylla, diflfering from the view hitherto entertained,
and rendering it quite clear that the internal central star of
the encased forms is not a young one, but the oldest or mo-
ther star, which is often surrounded by broad radiated mantle-
folds productive of buds.

It appears probable that the Red Sea and the part of the
Mediterranean so nearly adjoining on the Libyan coast, pos-
sess only two forms out of the 120 species in common, namely,
Acti?iia Tapeium and A. Mesembryanthemum,

Of the Bryozoa group. Dr. Ehrenberg gave in the same
memoir, contained in the volume of the Transactions for 1832,
only the more general results of his investigations, without en-
tering into detail ; but the subject is resumed in his later me-
moir, inserted in the volume for 1838, in which he has pre-
sented a tabular view of the Bryozoa, distributed into Orders,

302 Mr. Weaver's View o/'Ehrenberg's Observations

Families and Genera, with their characteristics. According to
this view the Bryozoa comprise four Orders, Polythalamia,
Gymnocorce^ Thallopodia and Scleropodia; the Polythalamia
being divided into Monosomatia (single-bodied), consisting of
fifty-six genera, ondPolysomatia (many-bodied or polyparian),
composed of twenty-two genera, forming altogether seventy-
eight genera of Polythalamia. The following Table exhibits
the general arrangement.

Bryozoa.
Animalia asphycta, tube cibario simplici, sacciformi aut tubuliformi, vera
corporis articulatione nulla aut sensim nunjerosiore, corporis forma
gemmis aut novis articulis accedentibus sensim aucta, hinc indefmita,
nunquam sponte dividua, omnia et singula verisimiliter periodice ovi-
para, ideoque hermaphrodita.

Qrdo I. — Polythalamia.
Libere vagantia et loricata.

Monosoviatia.
Familia I.

Familia II.

Familia III.

Familia IV.

Familia V.

Familia VI.

Poly Somalia.
Familia VII.

Familia VIII.
Familia IX.

Familia X.

MiLIOLINA.

Genera 2. ? Miliola, ? Gromia.

NODOSARINA.

Gen. 11. Glandulina, Mucronina, Nodosaria, Ortho-
cerina, Dentalina, Lingulina, Frondicularia,
Rimulina, Vaginulina, Planularia, Marginu-
lina.
Textularina.

Gen. 6, Bigenerina, ? Dimorphina, Textularia, Gram-
mostomum ( Vulvularid), Polymorphina, Vir-
gulina.

UVELLINA.

Gen. 11. Guttulina (et Globulina)^ Uvigerina, Bulimi-
na, Valvulina, Rosalina, Clavulina, Globige-
rina, Pyrulina, Sphgeroidina.

ROTALINA.

Gen. 22. Operculina, Soldania, Planorbulina, Rotalia,
Trochulina, PSpirulina, Calcarina, Pleuro-
trema, Planulina, Discorbis,Omphalophacus,
PGyroidina, Truncatulina, Lenticulina, No-
nionina, Cristellaria, Siderolina, Dendritina,
Robulina, Anomalina, Saracenaria, Cassidu-
lina.
Plicatilia.
Gen. 6. Bilocnlina, SpirolocuHna, Triloculina, Arti-
culina, Quinqueloculina, Adelosina.

Asterodiscina.

Gen. 5. Asterodiscus, Lunulites, Oibitulites, Cupu-
laria, Flustrella.
Soritina.

Gen. 2. Sorites, Ampliisorus.
Frumentarina.

Gen. 3. ? Dactylopora, POvulites, ? Poly tripe.
Helicosorina.

Gen. 5. Peneroplis, Pavonina, Vertebralina, Orbicu-
lina, ? Heterostegina.

on the Organic Composition of Chalk and Chalk Marl, 303

Familia XL Helicotiiociiina*.

Gen. 3. Polystomella, ? Amphistegina, ? Geoponus.
Familia XII. Alveounea.

Gen. 2. Melonia, Alveolina.
Familia XIII. Fabulaiuna.

Gen. 2. Fabularia, Coscinospira.

Ordo II. — Gymnocoii^.

Libere vagantes, nudae.

Familia I. Cristatellina.

Gen. 2. Cristatella, Zoobotryon.

Ordo III. — Thallopodia.

Stolonibus thallove membranaceo affixa, incrustantia
nee adnata, sed loricata.

Familia I. Halcyonellea.

Gen. 8. Halcyonella, Vesicularia, Bowerbankia, Far-
rella (= Lagenella) *, Valkeria, Stephani-
dium, n. G., Dynamene, Halodactylus (=

Alcyonidium).

Familia

II.

CORNULARINA.

Gen. 1. PCornularia.

Familia

III.

ESCHARINA.

Gen. 5. Eschara, Melicertina ( = Melicerita) f ,
Crisia, Acamarchis, Notamia.

Familia

IV.

Celleporina.
Gen. 5. Cellepora, Flustra, Membranipora, Briolo-
phus, n. G., Apsendesia.

Familia

V.

AuLOPORINA.

Gen. 1. Tubulipora.

Ordo IV. — Scleropodia.

Stolonibus destituta, excreto fulcro axique anorganicis
firmiter affixa eisque fruticulosa.

Familia I. Myrioporina.

Gen. 9. Hornera, Idmonea, Retipora, Distichopora,
Myriopora, Tilesia, Cricopora, Ceriopora,
Spiropora.
Familia II. ? Antipathina.

Gen. 1. Antipatbes.

" The two last orders, the Thallopodia and Scleropodia,"
the author observes, " are considerably richer in forms, and
it would be very easy by an uncritical compilation to enlarge
greatly the number of names ; but such confusion has been
produced in names by Lamouroux and later writers, the same
body being often designated by many new names, that I shall
not venture to extend my judgment further at present. What

* The name Lagenella was appropriated to an infusorial form in 1832.

t Melicerta is already employed among the Radiaria, Melicertuvi with
the Acalepha, Melicerita is not correct in language.

Perhaps hereafter it may be advisable to substitute Textilaria for Tex-
tularia, Po/i/stqinatium for Polystomella, Cyclodiscus for Discorbis, &c.

304 Mr, Weaver*s View of Ehrenherg's Observations

has been advanced will suffice to show clearly tlie position of the
Polythalamia, such as it appears to me, in the animal kingdom."

On Chalk and Chalk Marl.

The memoir on the chalk and chalk marl is distributed
under the following heads : —

1. Historical Introduction, pp. 59 — 68.

2. New method of observing, pp. 68 — 70.

3. On calcareous-shelled organisms, invisible to the naked
eye, as the principal constituents of writing chalk, pp. 70 — 74.

4. On Chalk Marl and its relations to Chalk, and to the
Flints of the Chalk, pp. 74—87.

5. On the compact limestone of Upper Egypt and Arabia,
as formed by the Polythalamian calcareous animalcules of the
White Chalk of Europe, pp. 87 — 90.

6. On the principal organic calcareous forms which con-
stitute all chalk, and the local differences, pp. 90 — 95.

7. Preliminary view of new researches respecting living
Polythalamia, and their relation to the formation of the sand
of Sea Downs, pp. 96—106.

8. Application of the preceding observations to the system-
atic distinctions of Polythalamia, with a tabular view of the
Bryozoa, according to their orders, families and genera, with
their characteristics, pp. 107 — 121.

(N.B. Of this tabular view I have given a transcript above.)

9. On the geographical distribution of living Polythalamia
on the African and Asiatic coasts of the Mediterranean, and
in the Red Sea, with a tabular view of the genera and species,
pp. 121—127.

10. A concise Diagnosis of the new families, genera and
species,

1. Of the siliceous Infusoria of the chalk marl, con-

taining thirty-one new species, of which seventeen
species belong to five new genera, and fourteen
species to five former-known genera, pp. 128 — 130.

2. Of the calcareous-shelled Polythalamian animalcules

of the chalk and sea sand, sixty-seven new species,
beside two new species from the Jura (Oolite) lime-
stone, pp. 130—135.

11. A summary view of the conclusions drawn from the
preceding expositions, pp. 135 — 139.

12. Explanation of the Plates, pp. 140 — 147.

13. A tabular view of the organic bodies invisible to the
naked eye, which form the chief constituents of chalk, chalk
marl, the compact limestone of Egypt and Arabia, and the
nummulitic limestone of the Pyramids of Geza or Gyzeh.

on the Organic Composition of Chalk and Chalk Marl. 305

The reader being thus put in possession of the general scope
of the work, I now proceed to exhibit in full the conclusions
to which the author has been led (as indicated under the head
of No. 1 1), to which 1 shall subjoin further extracts taken from
different portions of the Memoir, for the purpose of general
illustration.

Conclusions,

1. Many, and probably all. White Chalk Rocks are the pro-
duce of microscopic coral-animalcules, which are mostly quite
invisible to the naked eye, possessing calcareous shells of J^
to -^^-Q line in magnitude, and of v^hich much more than one
million are well preserved in each cubic inch, that is, much
more than ten millions in one pound of chalk*.

2. The Chalk Marls of the Mediterranean Basin are the
produce of microscopic Infusoria possessing siliceous shells or
cases, mostly quite invisible to the naked eye, intermingled
with a small proportion of the calcareous animalcules of the
chalk.

3. The peculiar state of aggregation in White Chalk does
not arise from a precipitate of lime previously held in solution
in the water of the sea, nor is it the result of the accumulation
of the small animalcules, but it proceeds from a disintegration
of the assembled microscopic organisms into much minuter
inorganic calcareous particles ; the reunion of which into re-
gular, elliptical, granular laminae, is caused by a peculiar cry-
stalloid process, which may be compared to crystallization, but
is of a coarser nature, and essentially different from it. The
best writing chalk is that in which this process has been deve-
loped to the greatest extent.

4. The compact limestone rocks also which bound the Nile
in the whole of Upper Egypt and extend far into the Sahara
or Desert, being neither white nor of a staining quality, as
well as the West Asiatic compact limestone rocks in the north
of Arabia, are, in the mass, composed of the coral animalcules
of the European chalk. This affords a new insight into the
ancient history of the formation of Libya from Syene to the

* It is to be understood that I speak only of such Polythalamia as are
well preserved, wholly disregarding their fragments. Of the well-preserved
there are contained in one fourth part of a cubic line, or in one twelfth of
a grain of chalk, frequently 150 to 200 in number, equal to 600-800 in
each cubic line, or 1800-2400 in each grain, and from 1,036,000 to
1,382,400 in each cubic inch ; and hence in one pound of chalk the num-
ber far exceeds ten millions.

The larger Polythalamia and Bryozoa of the chalk are best obtained from
the sediment produced by brushing the chalk under water ; the entirely
microscopic forms remain long suspended in tvater.
Ann. ^ Mag. N. Hist. Vol. vii. X

306 Mr, WesLver^s View of Ehrenherg^s Observations

Atlas, and of Arabia from Sinai to Lebanon, thus opening a
large field to organic distribution.

5. Many of the chalk-like formations bordering on the Me-
diterranean in Sicily, Barbary and Greece, really belong to
the period of the European chalk formation, as proved by
their organic contents, although commonly held to be differ-
ent from the chalk, and considered as tertiary *,

6. The chalk beds of the South of Europe, around the ba-
sin of the Mediterranean, are distinguished from those of the
north and east of Europe by numerous well-preserved chalk
animalcules, and less numerous inorganic laminae; while in
the north and east of Europe these relations are reversed f.

7. In the South of Europe the beds of marl which alternate
with the chalk consist of siliceous shells of Infusoria, and flints
are wanting ; while in the North of Europe beds of flint al-
ternate with the chalk, and marls with Infusoria are wanting.
This exchange of character tends to explain the peculiar re-
lation of flint to chalk, indicating that the pulverulent sili-
ceous particles of Infusoria have been converted into compact
nodules of flint.

8. It has been lately remarked that the chalk which con-
tains flints is deficient in numerous siliceous Infusoria, when
compared with the Bilin slaty Tripel or polishing slate {Po-
lirschiefer) containing semi- opal ; but this deficiency now dis-
appears, and a rich substitute takes its place, the Infusoria in
the North of Europe having been employed in the formation
of flints; while in the south, remaining unchanged, they are
preserved in the Infusoria marls.

9. The chalk animalcules resemble most those of the sea-
sand and the Miliolites, which, up to the present day, have
been ranged among the Mollusks with the Cephalopods ; but
neither of these are either Cephalopods or Mollusks, nor even
Infusoria (as asserted by a late observer) ; but they are Bry-
ozoa, animals of Moss-corals, which are most nearly related
to Flustra and Eschara.

10. The sea downs of some, and probably of most coasts,
are still in course of formation by living Bryozoa, which,
though very small, resembling grains of sand, are yet, for the
most part, larger than the chalk animalcules, and a large pro-

* In Sicily, however, there occur many breccias of chalk, which have
suflfered a subsequent change, and may be referred to the tertiary epoch.

t Thus in the white and yellow soft writing chalk of the North of Europe
the inorganic crystalloid portions sometimes equal or rather exceed in mass
the organic remains; but in the South of Europe, in Sicily, these organisms
with their fragments are greatly predominant, consisting, as it appears, ex-
clusively of well-preeerved Polythalamia.

071 the Organic Composition of Chalk and Chalk Marl, 307

portion of the sand of the Libyan Desert has been proved to
consist of such grains. It is only in Nubia above Syene that
the desert sand becomes a pure detritus of granite*.

1 1. In the variouscountriesof the earth in which occur white
and earthy, as well as coloured and compact rocks, composed
of microscopic calcareous animalcules, the genera and species
of these animalcules present so striking an agreement with
those of the white chalk ot Riigen, that they may well be
deemed characteristic of one and the same period of geolo-
gical formation. It cannot be asserted for a certainty that
the same forms have been observed an}' where elsef.

12. In the beds subjacent to and more ancient than the
chalk, namely, in those of the Oolite or Jura limestone for-
mation, we have also clear evidence of the existence of other
microscopic Polythalamia. These, however, are such as have
not hitherto been found anywhere in the chalk,

18. The early assertion that all limestone was the produce
of animals:]:, though resting on no sufficient foundation, and
therefore justly held in slight regard by modern geologists,
yet now deserves every attention, since it clearly appears that
a limestone formation widely extended on the surface of the
earth is composed of microscopic animals, visibly converted
in a gradual manner into inorganic chalk and compact lime-
stone. If similar phaenomena appear also in the Jura lime-
stone formation, and should become still further confirmed,
these considerations (combined with the long-known existence
of coarser corals and shells in both formations) tend to show
how necessary it is, when examining the composition of any con-
siderable portion of the solid mass of the earth, to strengthen
our natural senses by artificial means, in order to obtain a di-
stinct knowledge of the extent to which organic life may have
contributed to its production.

I'l-. The extreme minuteness of the chalk animalcules is stri-
kingly proved by this, that even in the finest levigated whiting
multitudes of them are still present, and may be applied with-
out suffering change to the most varied technical purposes.
Thus in the chalk coating given to painted chambers, paper,
or even glazed visiting-cards (when not coated with white lead

* On these very interesting and not easily developed relations, I hope,
at a future day, to be able to make a more special communication.

t If I have applied the same name in some cases both to animalcules of
the chalk and to forms existing in the present sea-sand, or in recent fossil
beds, it has arisen partly from my being unacquainted with the original forms
of the latter, and partly from my desire not to create unnecessary perplex-
ity by the adoption of new names. It should be observed that they are di-
stinguished by marks of interrogation. All those which I could really com-
pare were different.

X By Linnaeus in 1745 and 1748, and Buffon in 1749.

X2

308 Mr. Weaver's View of Ehrenberg*s Observations

alone), may be seen a pretly mosaic of well-preserved, moss-
coral animalcules, but which are invisible to the naked eye.
And thus our natural vision receives from such a surface the
impression of the purest white, litde. deeming that it contains
the bodies of millions of self-existing beings, of varied and?
beautiful forms, more or less closely crowded together (as in*
Plate IV., where the subjects are magnified 300 times).

Explanation of the Plates and Tabular View.

The Memoir is accompanied by four Plates*, presented with
the view of facilitating a comparison between the organic re-
lations of minute fossil bodies invisible to the naked eye, and
those of still living bodies visible to the naked eye.

Thus the first three Plates exhibit recent small bodies natu-
rally visible, with which the naturally invisible forms of the
fourth Plate may be readily associated.

The first three Plates serve also to elucidate the true nature
of the Polythalamia (hitherto mistaken), showing their greater
affinity to the Bryozoa (Fiustra) than to all other animal-
forms, and in particular the great difference there is between
them and Cephalopods and Infusoria. They represent partly
the unfolded, soft, external parts of living subjects, and partly
dead, naked bodies, artificially divested of their calcareous
shell, and not hitherto figured.

Lastly, these first three Plates serve to convey a view, ac-
cording to some of their principal divisions, of the structure
of the whole group of forms occurring in Polythalamia, and
in particular to illustrate their frequent assemblage in families,
or Polyparies, as they are termed. Plate I. contains simple
forms; Plates II. and III. composite or family forms, Poly-
paries; of which Plate II. contains family forms assembled in
single rows, and Plate III. family forms arranged in many rows.

If, as already observed, we examine a wall or paper whitened
with finely levigated chalk, or a glazed visiting-card not coated
with white lead alone, but also with chalk, they would appear,
when magnified 300 times, more or less rich in subjects, as
represented in Plate IV.

Plate I. contains simple recent Polythalamia from the sea-
sand of Rimini. Fig. 1. Rotalia Beccarii; the shell only was
known, but the figures show also the form of the animal when
deprived of its shell by an acid, the form of both being the
same. Fig. 2, Marginulina Rapha?ius [Nodosaria Raphanus^
Nautilus llaphanus priorum)^ also very common at Rimini
and other Italian coasts, and which had hitherto been errone-
ously ranked with Orthocera.

Plate II. contains Polyparies of recent Polythalamia assem-

* These plates do not accompany Mr. Weaver*s paper.

mi the Organic Composition of Chalk and Chalk Marl, 309

bled in single rows, from the Red Sea and the Mediterranean.
The two subjects represented in this Plate were collected by
me in the year 1823, and it is peculiarly interesting, through
my newly-discovered method of observing*, to have been
able to see in several divisions of the internal body the
remains of the siliceous Infusoria, of which they had made a
repast fifteen years before. Fig. 1. P^iieroplis planatus, d'Or-
bigny, Nautilus planatus of Fichtel and Moll, from the Red
Sea. The shells of this animalcule were hitherto only known,
but the soft organic animal form which they inclose is liere also
represented. Fig. 2. Coscinospira Hemprichii, a form from
the Red Sea, also found in the Libyan part of the Mediter-
ranean, and which was formerly erroneously placed adjoining
the Spirula of the Cephalopods, and more recently as con-
nected, through Litiiolites nautiloides, with Spirolina,

Plate III. contains Polyparies of recent Polythalamia assem-
bled iti many rows. This Plate contains the only living ani-
malcule of the Polythalamia group, hitherto so far observed
as to admit of its classification. The three forms given in
this Plate, constructed of many rows of animalcules, may be
distinctly associated with the Flustra and Eschara of the
Bryozoa, to which, through the well-known Lunulites and
Orbitulites (hitherto ranked with coral animals), they approxi-
mate in a convincing manner. Fig. 1. Orbiculus mcmismalis,
from the sea-sand of the Antilles Isles. Fig. 2. Sorites or-
bictdus = Nautilus orbiculus, Forskal, Nummuli7ia {Assilina)
nitida, d'Orbigny, ? from the Red Sea. The same species
lives also in the Mediterranean. In a part magnified 300
limes we see the animalcule with eight feelers protruding from
its cell. In some of the cells may be seen distinct shells of
siliceous Infusoria; in others appear oviform globules. Fig. 3.
Amphisorus Hemprichii closely resembles the Sorites; but it
has cells on both sides bearing single animalcules, and hence

* The new method of observing is the following: — Place a drop of water
upon a lamina of mica, and put into it of scraped chalk as much as will
cover the fine point of a knife, spreading it out and leaving it to rest a few-
seconds ; then withdraw the finest particles which are suspended in the
water, together with most of the water, and let the remainder become per-
fectly dry. Cover this remainder so spread out with Canadian balsam, the
turpentine of the Pinus {Abies) balsamea, and hold it over a lamp until it
l)ecomes slightly fluid without froth, A preparation thus made seldom
fails, and when magnified 300 tinies in diameter we see that the mass of
the chalk is chiefly composed of minute well-preserved organisms. In this
preparation ail the cells of the Polythalamia appear at first black with a
white central spot, which is caused by the air contained in the cells, which,
as is well known, appear und^^r water as annular black bodies; but by de-
grees the balsam penetrates into all the single cells, the black rings of the
air vesicles disappear, and we recognize all the small cells of the Polytha-
l^niian animals, often presenting a very pretty appearance.

310 Mr. Weaver's View o/'Ehrenberg's Observations

the discs are twice as thick as in Sorites. If we compare So-
rites with Flustra^ we may place Amphisonis by the side of
Eschara, but, being both free moving bodies, they are different
from them.

Plate IV. contains the invisible a?iimalcules of the chalk
and chalk marl, displayed in twelve specimens of rock ; 1 to 9
being portions from the chalk, and 10 to 12 from the chalk
marl, magnified 300 times. In these specimens the calcare-
ous Polythalamia amount to sixteen species, and the siliceous
Infusoria to twelve species, with siliceous spicula of sponges.
The twelve localities from which these specimens of the rock
masses were derived are the following: — ^No. 1 to 5, writing
chalk', namely, 1. from Puszkary, in Poland, opposite Grod-
no, from the shore of the Memel; 2. from Jiitland, in Den-
mark; 3. from the island of Riigen in Pomerania; 4. from
Gravesend, on the Thames; 5. from Meudon, near Paris;
^firmer writing chalk. No. 6, from Cattolica in Sicily; com^
pact, not writing chalk, No. 7, from the Mokattuni hills near
Cairo; and No. 8, from the Catacombs of Thebes in Upper
Egypt; compact gray limestone. No. 9, from the mountain
mass of Hamam Faraun in Sinai, Arabia; chalk marl. No.
10, from Gran in Africa; No. 11, from Caltasinetta in Sicily;
No. 12, from Greece.

In \\\^ general table indicated above, under the head of No.
13 of the contents of the memoir, a list is given of the princi-
pal forms of the invisible organic bodies which constitute
the rocks from which the twelve above-mentioned specimens
were taken, as well as the chalk of Brighton, the chalk marl
of Zanle in the Ionian Islands, and the nummulite limestone
of the Pyramids of Geza in Egypt. From this it results that
the principal forms in these rocks consist of twenty-five spe-
cies of calcareous-shelled Polythalamia, thirty-nine species of
siliceous-shelled Infusoria, seven species of soft-shelled Infu-
soria of the flints, and five species of siliceous plants.

The twenty- five species of calcareous-shelled Polythalamia,
belonging to eight genera, are the following: —

Flustrella concentrica\ Globigerina bulloidesl, G. helicinal\
Planulina sicula, P. '^turgida-, l^ohuWuo. cretacea; Rosalina
yhveolata, ^. globular i si, ^. Hcevigata, 'R.pertusa; Rotalia
^globulosa, R. ocellata, R. ornata, R. perforata, R. scabra,
R. stigma ; Textularia acicidata ?, T. '*aspera, T. brevis, T.
^dilatata, T. -^globulosa, T. perforata, T. spinosa, T. * striata ;
Turbinulina italica'l Quinqueloculina? from Benisuef, is
doubtful. N.B. Textularia globidosa, when in fragments, is
not easily distinguished from Rotalia globulosa ; and in like
manner the fragments of Textidaria perforata may be con-
founded with Rotalia perforata.

on the Organic Composition of Chalk and Chalk Marl, 311

The thirty-nine species of siliceous-shelled Infusoria belong
to fourteen genera, and are as follow : —

Actinocyclus ternariuSi A. ^quaternarius^ A. ^quinarius, A,
senarins, A. septenarius, A. octonarius, A. denarius; Coccone-
ma CretcB\ Cornutella clathrata\ Coscinodiscus Argus, C.
centralis, C. lineatus, C. '^mino?-, C. *Patina; Denticella i^ra-
gilaria, D. tridens ; Dictyocha Fibula, D. Navicida, D. poly-
actis, D. specidum, D. stella, D. triangtda ; Eunotia zebra ;
Fragilaria rhabdosoma, F. striolata?; GaWioneWa aurichalca?,
G. sulcata; Haliomma Medusa, H. crenatum; Lithocampe
lineata, L. Radicida, L. solitaria ; Navicula africana, N. iBa-
cillum, N. eurysoma, N. ventricosa, N. 5/cw/« ; Pyxidicula
prisca ; Synedra 2//w«.

The seven species of soft-shelled Infusoria of the flints be-
long to three genera, and are the following: — Chaetophyta
Pyrites; Peridinium pyrophorumf; Xanthidium bulbosum, X.
furcatum, X. hirsutum, X. ramosum, X. tubiferum.

The five species of siliceous plants belong to two genera,
namely, Spongia {Tethya?) aciculosa, S. cancellata, S. ^Cri-
brum, S. binodis; Spongilla {Tethya?) lacustrisX,

Of these principal forms the before-mentioned rocks partake
in the proportions as stated below : namely.

The Chalk of

Puszkary contains ..

Riigen

Jutland

Gravesend

Brighton

Meiidon

Cattoh'ca

The Chalk Marl of

Caltasinetta

Oran

Zante

Greece

The Compact Chalk of

Egypt

Arabia

The Nummulite Limestone of
The Pyramids of Geza

Species of

Calcareous

Polythalamia.

Species of InfUsoria.

Siliceous, Soft-shelled
in Cfaalk, in Flints.

Siliceous Infusoria.

27
18

8

9

Species of
Siliceous
Plants.

Containing 4 species of Num-
mulite, the largest of which
is one inch in diameter.

t Peridinium delitiense has hitherto been found only in flint pebbles
near Delitzsch, yet accompanied with forms that are common in the flints
of the chalk.

X In the preceding lists, the species which are marked with an asterisk *
are those which most frequently occur, forming the masses of the rocks.
The Rotalia globulosa occurs in all the localities.

312 Mr. Weaver's View o/ Ehrenberg*s Observations

On the Chalk Marl^ and its relations to the Chalk and its

Flints,

The whole coast of Oran in Africa appears to belong to
the chalk formation, composing the plain east of the town,
and extending thence to the Atlas. The marl brought from
thence as tertiary by M. Rozet in great quantities I had an
opportunity of examining in Paris, and 1 found not only Po-
lirschiefer and an Infusoria conglomerate, but calcareous ani-
malcules of the same species as occur in the chalk of Poland,
Riigen, Denmark, and Paris, and which there mainly contri-
bute to its mass. It thus appeared that the so-called tertiary
formation of the coast of Barbary might, without much hazard,
be brought into a nearer connexion with the chalk. In his
description of this tract, M. Rozet states*, " The tertiary
formation is extensively developed in Oran, forming the soil
of the large plain on the east of the town, and on the south
to the Atlas. It forms also the sea-coast to an extent of 3000
metres between Mers el Kebir and Cape Falcon, and the
whole soil of the adjacent plain. The lower bed is a blue
marl, like that which we found at Algiers and within the Atl^s.
It appears destitute of organic remains. The second or upper
deposit consists of marly and calcareous beds in alternation,
forming a thickness of 30 to 40 metres. In the plain these
beds are apparently horizontal, as well as in the elevated plain
of the Rammra hill; but in the hills south-west of the town
of Kasba they are, on an extent of two hours march, inclined
to the north, at an angle sometimes exceeding 30°. The beds
of limestone are white and chalk-like, yellowish and coarse
granular, usually forming the lower part, succeeded by others
alternating with yellow marls, which are often slaty and
charged with sand, and between them are found layers of
oistreae and other shells. Among them two beds are distin-
guished, each one metre in thickness, composed of very white
finely-laminated marl, containing numerous well-preserved
impressions of fishes, so that in a cubic mass of one foot we
seldom fail to find three or four fishes. In these beds of marl
thus enclosing the fishes, other organic remains do not appear 5
but in the calcareous and sandy beds which intervene, occur
layers of large oysters mingled with grypheas.. The upper
part of this deposit is composed of a calcareous breccia, which
is exhibited at the surface in the soil of the whole plain on
the south-west of Oran."

This exact description of the position and thickness of the
white marl with impressions of fishes, has a reference to the

* Rozet, Voyage dans la Rencncc d\I/ger, Paris, 1833, tome 1. chap, v,
pp. 56, 63.

on the Organic Composition ofChaU and Chalk Marl, 313

Infusoria conglomerate of Oran, to which I have already ad-
verted. It is probably what formed the Tripel of the earlier
periods of Italy. When M. Uozet speaks (at p. 28-30) of
the great extent of the tertiary tract near Algiers as similar
in its relations to those of Oran, I cannot agree with him. On
the contrary, forming my judgment by the organic remains,
I consider the desert tract near Algiers as really composed of
a tertiary formation, which reposes on chalk. This opinion
is founded on my observation, that the tract in Libya, extend-
ing from Alexandria to Siwa, is composed of tertiary beds,
while from Cairo to Geza the chalk formation occurs, which
terminates at the granite of Syene, but is far spread into the
Desert. The valley of Siwa appears to form the northern
boundary of the chalk in Eastern Libya.

In the South of Italy, at Caltasinetta and its neighbourhood,
the relations had been correctly seized by our late friend
Frederick Hoffmann, from whose diary I have been favoured
with an extract by M. von Dechen. He represents the series
of strata which occupy the greater part of Sicily as composed
of limestones, sandstones, clays, and marls; the lower mem-
bers being probably referable to the Jura formation, suc-
ceeded by such as clearly belong to the chalk, and many beds
of which perfectly resemble the hard chalk of the north-west
of Germany (Teutoburger Wald). Among the marls are
white chalk-like thinly laminated masses, analogous to Tri-
pel, designated by Hoffmann as white chalk marl, and which
especially occur in the southern part of the island. The beds
of the chalk formation usually dip 20° to 30°, while the strike
is nearly constant, from ] 5° to 45° S. of E. and N. of W.,
parallel to the south coast. The tertiary beds which succeed
the chalk are composed of loose sand, friable sandstone, tes-
taceous breccias, clays and limestones. They cover the chalk
unconformably, resting on the truncated edges of the latter.
The chalk beds are upon the whole poor in organic remains,
and these are seldom distinct ; there occur Hippurites, Num-
mulites, Lenticulites, and in a few places indistinct Ammo-
nites and Belemnites, while the tertiary beds are quite filled
with innumerable MoUusks, of which nine-tenths are still li-
ving in the Mediterranean. This distinction is so striking that
it scarcely required the difference of relative position in order
to draw a correct line between the two formations. Even had
so circumspect a geologist as Frederick Hoffmann not cor-
rectly seized and pronounced with decision on these local
relations, the numerous microscopic siliceous Infusoria with
calcareous Polythalaniia which I have found in the chalk
marl would have led to the same conclusion.

3 1.4 Ehrenberg on the Organic Composition of Chalk.

If we compare Hoffmann's description of this portion of
Sicily with that given by Rozet of the coast near Oran, we
cannot avoid recognizing a similarity of relations ; and the
thinly laminated marly beds with impressions of fishes,
between Caltasinetta and Castrogiovanni, which Hoffmann
refers with certainty to the chalk formation, correspond to the
similar beds which occur near Oran, but which were said to
be tertiary. And the parallel is confirmed by the micro-
scopic siliceous Infusoria and calcareous animalcules which I
have discovered in both.

The genera and species of the siliceous Infusoria in Sicily
are so similar to those of Oran and Zante, that of thirty-six
species, four occur in all the three countries, three in Cal-
tasinetta and Zante, seven in Caltasinetta and Oran, while in
all of them the Coscinodiscus Patina is greatly predominant.
Of all these siliceous animals, not a single species has been
found in the chalk of the North of Europe, nor even in the
flints. On the other hand, the calcareous-shelled animalcules,
which in the South of Europe accompany the siliceous ani-
mals, comprise about one half of the same species that are
found in the North, yet exceeding them in quantity.

From the examination of the organic constituents of the
chalk marl we learn the hitherto unknown fact, that nume-
rous swarms of microscopic Infusoria were in existence within
the period of the secondary formation of the earth's surface,
chiefly belonging to such as possess siliceous cases or shells,
and which for the greater part are members of such sections
of the Bacillaria family as had previously appeared to be con-
fined to the tertiary or newest formations.

Of the thirty- nine or forty species of siliceous Infusoria
occurring in the chalk formation, thirty-four or thirty-five
have* not hitherto been found in the recent state; but it is re-
markable that the remaining five or six species so closely
resemble existing species of the present day, that they present
no peculiar character by which they could be distinguished
from them, and hence the application of new names appeared
inadmissible. They are, Eunotia zebra^ Fragilaria rhah-
dosoma, F, striolata r', Galliouella aurichalca, Navicula veniri-
cosa, Synedra ulna*'.

In the chalk itself only four out of the thirty-nine or fort}^

* The indiflference shown to climate by Infusoria, and the peculiarity of
their organic development, seem to render it possible that they might be
more readily preserved through many catastrophes of the earth than other
forms. By the faculty which they possess of spontaneous division, a single
individual can, under very favourable circumstances, be multiplied in the
course of a few hours to the extent of millions.

^%ri/ii^''^\r^'

Ari^v.&Muj^ Mut.m.it.'VoLT . PI. IV.

^^:,^^.M...^i^?

X^T^

Mr. A. White's Description of a South A?nericun IVasj), 315

species of siliceous Infusoria have hitherto been met with,
namely, Fragilaria rhabdosoma^ Fragilaria striolata F, Gallio-
nella aici'ichalca, and Fyxidicula j^rhca. They are very rare,
and found only in the vicinity of the beds of flint.

[To be contimied.]

XXXVI. — Description of a South American Wasp which col-
lects Honey. By Mr. Adam White, M.E.S.; an Assistant
in the Zoological Department of the British Museum.

[With a Plate.]

Some of the Wasp tribe of the New World form their nests of
a solid and rather thick pasteboard. Such structures have
been met with in Pennsylvania*^ while they occur frequently
in the more tropical parts of South America as far as Buenos
Ayres f? and very probably much to the south of that point :
in the description of the Isthmus of Darien J, Wafer mentions
^^ the bird's nest bee^ the hives of which are black and hard,
hanging from the trees like birds' nests."

The best known is that of the Chartergus nidulans^, which
is formed "of a beautifully polished white and solid pasteboard,
impenetrable by the weather ||." It has been fully described
by Reaumur in the sixth volume of his ^ Memoires ' : in the
British Museum there are two specimens of this nest. They
are securely attached to the branch of a tree by their upper end,
and vary much in length, from a few inches, as in the Museum
specimens, to two feet or even more. In the former case they
are more or less round and have but four or five combs, while
in the latter they are of a long cylindrical shape, and have a

* Rymsdyk, Miis. Britannicum, tab. J. f, 2.

f Mr. Cuming tells me he has seen specimens there, at least four feet
long : in a deserted one a swallow had built her nest.

j" Voyage and Description of the Isthmus of America (1704), p. 214.

§ The Vespa nididans, Fab., is figured by Coquebert (111. Icon. tab. 6.
fig. 3.), and Guerin (Iconogr. pi. 72. fig. 7.). In Saint Fargeau's * Hist. Nat.
des Hymenopt.' i. p. 546, it constitutes, along with another black species,
the genus C/iartergus ; I believe it is the type of Latreille's Epipone. Cuvier
(Bull, des Sc.) seems to have first pointed out, in 1797, the error into which
Reaumur fell, of considering a Chalcididous parasite found in these nests as
being the constructors of them. He regarded it as the Chalcis amiulata of
Fabricius, an insect found in the pupae of nocturnal Lepidoptera