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MAGAZINE 


OF 


ZOOLOGY  AND  BOTANY. 

CONDUCTED  BY 

Sib  W.  JARDINE,  Babt.— P.  J.  SELBY,  Esq. 

AKD 

Db  JOHNSTON. 


**  Utrum  naiuralium  tagax  Indagator' 


VOLUME    SECOND. 


W.  H.  LIZARS,  EDINBURGH ; 

S.  HIGHLEY,  32,  FLEET  STREET,  LONDON ;  AND 

W.  CURRY,  JUN.  &  CO.,  DUBLIN. 


MDCCCXXXVin. 


AT 

3 


**  Onmes  res  create  sunt  divine  sapientite  et  potentise  testes,  divitis  felidtatis 
humans ;  ex  harum  usu  hotdtas  Creatoris ;  ex  pulcbritudine  sapientia  Domini ;  ex 
CBConomia  in  conservatione,  proportione,  renovatione,  potentia  majestatis  elucet 
Earum  itaque  indagatio  ab  hominibus  sibi  relictis  semper  aestimata;  a  ver^ 
eruditis  et  sapientibus  semper  exculta ;  male  doctis  et  barbaris  semper  inimiea 
fuit."— Linn, 


PRINTED  BY  JOHN  8TABK,  EDINIHiRGH.  ^ 


iJ 


CONTENTS. 


ORIGINAL  COMMUNICATIONS. 

No.  VII. 
I.  AecooDt  of  a  Botanical  Excursion  in  the  Alps  of  the  Canton  of  Valais, 
Switzerland,  in  August  1835 ;  and  CaUlogue  of  the  Plants  collected, 
with  occasional  Remarks.  By  R.  J.  Sbuttl,ewo|ith,  Esq.  Page  1 
II.  On  the  Dentition  and  other  Characters  of  the  British  Shrews,  with  re- 
ference to  M.  DuYeruoy*s  recent  researches  into  the  str^otu^e  of  this 
genus  of  Animals.  By  the  Rev.  Leokasd  Jeityns,  M.  A.  F.  L.  S., 
F.  Z.  S.,  &c.  -  -  .  -  24 

III.  Contributions  to  the  Natural  History  of  Ireland.     By   William 

Thompson,  Esq.  Vice-President  of  the  Belfast  Natural  History 
Society,  .....  42 

IV.  Cbeloniorum  Tabula  Analytica.    Auctoie  Cabolo  L.  Bovaparte, 

Muxiniani  Princip.  ....  53 

V.  MisceUaoea  Zoologica.     By  Geo&ge  JohkstoXi  M.  D  ,  Fellow  of 

the  Royal  College  of  SuigeoDs  of  Edinburgh,  -  -  63 

No.  VIII. 
I.  Notes  on  the  Land  and  Fresh  Water  MoUusca  of  Great  Britain,  with  a 
revised  list  of  Species.  By  Joshua  Alo£K,  Member  of  the  Natu- 
ral History  Society  pf  Newcafltle*upon-Tyne,  -  101 
II.  On  the  Botany  .of  Erris,  County  Mayo,  (tnd  ft  notice  of  femffd  addi- 
tions to  the  Flora  Hibemica.  By  Chakles  C.  Babinoton,  M.  A. 
F.  L.  8.,&c            -                .                -             .                -             119 

III.  Notes  upon  Subaqufitic  Insects,  with  the  description  of  a  New  Genus  of 

British  SUphylinide.     By  J.  O.  West  wood,  F.  L.  S.,  &c  124 

IV.  The  Natural  History  of  the  British  Entomostraca.     By   William 

Baird,  Surgeon,  H.  C.  S.     Continued,  -  -  132 

V.  Directions  for  the  preservation  of  Sea  Plants,  vith  Miscellaneous  Re- 
marks on  a  number  of  species  collected  at  Cairnlough  Bay,  on  the 
Coast  of  Antrim,  in  the  months  of  May  and  June  1836.    By  James 
S.  Drummond,  M.  D.  President  of  the  Belfast  Natural  History 
Society,  &c.  -----  -  144 

VI.  Observations  on  the  Caprimulgus  Europeus  (Night- Jar.)     By  Dr  W. 

B.  Clarke,  Ipswich,  .....  158 

VII.  On  the  advancement  of  Local  Botany  in  the  environs  of  London,  with 
remarks  relative  to  the  Dispersion  of  Plants  in  that  vicinity,  and  the 
formation  of  plans  exhibiting  the  Distribution  of  Species  over  locali. 
ties.  By  Daniel  Coopeb,  Curator  to  the  Botonical  Society  of 
Loitdon,  &c.  -  -  -  -  .163 


iv  Contents. 

VIII.  Contributions  to  the  Katural  History  of  Ireland.  By  Willtah 
Thompson,  Esq.  Vice-President  of  the  Belfast  Natural  History  So- 
ciety. Continued,  ...  Page  170 
IX.  Account  of  a  Botanical  Excursion  in  the  Alps  of  the  Canton  of  Valais, 
Switzerland,  in  August  1835 ;  and  Catalogue  of  the  Plants  collected, 
with  occasional  Remarks.  Hy  R.  J.  Suuttlewobth,  Esq.  Con- 
tinued,             ......  180 

No.  IX. 
I.  On  the  British  Species  of  the  Genus  Cerastium,  being  an  attempt  to 
elucidate  their  distinctive  diaracters.    By  Charles  C.  Babiko- 
TON,  M.A.,  F.  L.  S.,&c.  -  -  -  -  197 

II.  Characters  and  Descriptions  of  the  Dipterous  Insects  indigenous  to 

Britain.     By  James  Duncan,  M.  W.  S.,  &c.  &c.     Continued,         205 

III.  On  the  existence  of  a  second  membrane  in  the  Asd  of  FungL     By  the 

Rev.  M.  J.  Bekeelet,  M.  A.,  F.  L.  S.,  -  -  222 

IV.  Observations  on  the  Gemmse  of  Bryum  androgynum.     By  George 

Dickie,  Esq.  Surgeon,  Aberdeen,  -  -  -  226 

V.  On  a  peculiar  structure  in  Shells ;  with  some  observations  on  the  Shell 

of  Sphaerulites.     By  John  Edward  Gray,  F.  R.  S.,  &c.  228 

VI.  Localities  of  Scottish  Coleoptera.     By  the  Rev.  William  Little,    232 

No.  X. 

I.  Historical   Notice  of   Antoine   Laurent  de  Jussieu.     By   M.    Ad. 

Brongniart,  .....  293 

II.  Notes  on  the  Ornithology  of  Norway.     By  W.  C;  Hewitson,  Esq.     309 

III.  The  British  Cerastia:  a  Supplement  to  a  former  Essay.     By  C.  C. 

Babington,  F.  L.  S.,  &c.     Plate  IX.    Continued,  317 

IV.  The  Natural  History  of  British  Zoophytes.   By  George  Johnston, 

M.  D.  Fellow  of  the  Royal  College  of  Surgeons  of  Edinburgh.   (Con- 
tinued from  Vol.  i.  p.  4470  -  -  -  -  319 

V.  On  a  Confervoid  State  of  Muoor  Clavatus,  Lk.     By  the  Rev.  M.  J. 

Berkeley,  M.  A.,  F.  L.  S.,  -  -  .  340 

No.  XI. 
I.  The  Fauna  of  TwizelL     By  P.  J.  Selby,  Esq.     (Continued,)  387 

II.  A  Notice,  with  the  results,  of  a  Botanical  Expedition  to  Guernsey  and 

Jersey,  in  July  and  August  1837*     By  Charles  C.  Babington, 
M.A.,  F.L.  S.,  &c.  ....  -  397 

III.  The  Natural  History  of  the   British  Entomostraca.    No.  IV.     By 

William  Baird,  Surgeon  H.C.S.,  &C.  .  •  400 

IV.  Remarks  on  the  Mosses  found  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Aberdeen.     By 

G.  Dickie,  Esq.  .....  412 

V.  Observations  on  some  New  or  Obscure  Species  of  Plants.     No.  I.     By 

G.  A.  Walker  Arnott,  LL.  D.,  F.  L.  S.,  &c.  .  419 

VI.  Contributions  to  the   Natural   History  of  Ireland.     By  William 

Thompson,  Esq.  Vice-President  of  the   Belfast  Natural   History 
Society.  .-.-...        427 

VI I.  Dr  Robert  H.  Schomburgh*s  description  of  Victoria  Regina,  Gray. 

Plate  XIL  -  -  -  •  -  .  440 


Co7itent8.  V 

VI II.  CoDtribution  towards  a  knowledge  of  the  Crenilabri  (Cuv.)  of  IrcUndi 
ioduding  Dcecriptions  of  Species  apparently  new  to  Science.  By 
W1LI.IAM  Thompson,  Esq.  Vice-President  of  the  Natural  History 
Society  of  Belfast.     Plates  Xlli.  and  Xi  V.  .  Page  442 

No,  XII. 

I.  A  Revision  of  the  Genera  of  Bats  ( Vespertilionidie),  and  the  Description 

of  some   new  Genera  and  Species.     By  Johk   Edward  Gray, 
F.  R.  S.,  President  of  tlie  Botanical  Society  of  London,  &c.  &c  483 

II.  Account  of  a  Botanical  Excursion  in  the  Alps  of  the  Canton  of  Valais, 
Switzerland,  in  Aagust  1835  ;  and  Catalogue  of  the  Plants  collected, 
with  occasional  Remarks.  By  R.  J.  Shuttle  worth,  Esq.  (Con- 
tinued from  p.  196,)  .....  605 

III.  An  attempt  to  ascertain  the  Fauna  of  Shropshire  and  North  Wales.    By 

Thomas  C.  Eytow,  F.  Z.  S.  -  -  -  637 

IV.  Observations  on  some  New  or  Obscure  Species  of  Plants.     No.  II. 

By  G.  a.  Walker  Arkott,  LL.  D.,  F.  L.  S.,  &c     (Continued 
from  page  247,)  ....  543 

REVIEWS  AND  CRITICAL  ANALYSIS. 

No.  VIL 
I.  loones  Plantarum,  or  Figures  with  brief  descriptive  characters  and  re- 
marks of  New  or  Rare  Plants,  selected  from  the  Author's  Herbarium. 
By  Sir  W.  J.  Hooker,  K.  H.,  LL.  D.,  &c.  -  -  74 

II.  Dr  Lardner*8  Cabinet  Cydopcedia.    Natural  History.    Natural  History 

and  Classification  of  Birds.     By  W.  Swainson,  Esq.  -  75 

III.  An  Analysts  of  the  British  Ferns  and  their  Allies.     With  Copper-plate 

engravings  of  every  Species  and  Variety.    By  Geokob  W.  Framci3,     85 

PERIODICALS. 

Loudon's  Magazine  of  Natural  History,  .  .  .  ^(j 

Companion  to  Botanical  Magazine,  -  .  _  Sy 

Annales  des  Sciences  Naturelles,  ....  99 

Annalen  der  Pbysik  und  Chemie,  ...  39 

No.  IX. 
Manuel  de  Malacologie  et  de  Conchyliologie.    Par  H.  M.  Due  rota  y  de 

Blainville. 
Manuel  de  THistoire  Naturdle  des  MoUusqucs  et  de  leur  Coquilles.    Par 

M.  Sander  Ramo. 
The  Genera  of  Recent  and  Fossil  Shells ;  for  the  use  of  Students  in  Con- 

chology  and  Geology.     By  George  Brettinoham  Sowerbt. 
The  Elements  of  Modem  Conchology  ;  with  Definitions  of  all  the  Tribes, 

Families,  and  Genera,  Recent  and  FossiL    For  the  use  of  Students  and 

Travellers.     By  William  Swainson,  Esq. 
Elements  of  Conchology,  according  to  the  Lionsean  System,  illustrated  by 

28  plates  drawn  from  Nature.     By  the  Rev.  E.  I.  Burrow,  A.  M. 

F.  L.  S.  -  -  -  -  -  238 


vi  OnUenis. 

BIBLIOGBAPBICAL  MOTICCf. 

Fauoa  Japonica.  Auctore  Pfi.  Fb.  De  Siebold.— Ophidii  cUbonotibus 
C.  J.  TcMirivcK  at  H.  Sen  lege  l,  -  Page  2GG 

A  SyBoptis  of  the  Birds  of  Auatnlia  and  the  adjacent  Idaodi.  Bt  John 
GooLD,  F.  L.  S.     Part  II.  -  -  -  266 

CaUlogue  of  the  CellaUim  or  Flowerleis  Planto  ai  Great  Britain,  or  those 
inelnded  in  the  Linnean  class  Cryptogamia  ;  oompiied  from  Sir  W.  J. 
Hooker's  English  Flora,  VoL  V. ;  Sir  J.  B.  Smith's  Rngtish  Flora,  Vol. 
IV. ;  Macka7*8  Flora  Hibcmica ;  Henslow*s  Caulogue  of  British  Plants, 
and  other  sources.     By  W.  A.  Leiohtom ,  B.  A.  P.  B.  S.  Ed.,  267 

A  History  of  British  Birds,  Indigenous  and  Migratory,  including  their  organic 
zation,  habits,  and  relations,  remarks  on  Classification  and  Nomenclature  ; 
an  account  of  the  principal  Organs  of  Birds,  and  observations  rcIatiTe  to 
practical  Ornithology.  Illustrated  by  numerous  engravings.  By  William 
Macgillivkat.     Vol.  I.  -  -  -  -        267 

Report  by  MM.  De  Blainville,  Isidore  Geoffroy,  and  Dumeril,  on  M.  Perche- 
ron's  work  entitled  Bibliographic  Entomologique*  -  269 

TRANBACTIONS  AKD  PE&IOOICALS. 

Transactions  of  the  Philotophical  and  Literary  Society  of  Leeds,  consisting  of 
papers  read  before  the  Society.     Vol.  L  Part  I.  -  -  271 

Loudon's  Magazine  of  Natural  History.     New  Scries.     May  and  June  1837»  276 

Companion  to  Botanical  Magazine.  By  Sir  W.  J.  Hooker.  Professor  of  Bo- 
tany in  the  Univeisity  of  Glasgow,  ....  276 

Annales  des  Sciences  Naturelles.  Zoologie,  MM.  Audouik  et  Milne- Ed- 
wabda.     Botanique,  MM.  Ad.  Beongniabt  et  Guillemik,        -         278 

American  Journal  of  Sciences  and  Arts.  Conducted  by  Benjahik  Silli- 
MAV,  M.  D.  LL.  D.     Vol.  XXXIL  No.  1.     April  2837»        -  -        281 

NoX. 
Voyage  Scientifique  en  Morue,  ....  344 

bibliooeapuical  notices. 

A  History  of  British  Birds.  By  William  Yabeell,  P.  L.  S.,  SecreUry  to 
the  Zoological  Society.  Illustrated  by  a  Wood-cut  of  each  Species,  and 
numerous  Vignettes.     No.  1. 

The  Birds  of  Australia  and  the  adjacent  Islands.  By  John  Gould,  F.L.S. 
Part  1.  - 

Icones  Avium,  or  Figures  and  Descriptions  of  New  and  interesting  Birds  from 
various  parts  of  the  Globe.  By  John  Gould,  F.  L.  S.  Forming  a  Sup- 
plement to  his  former  works.     Part  1. 

Supplement  to  the  Flora  Mctropolitana,  or  Botanical  Rambles  within  thirty 
miles  of  London.     By  Daniel  Coo^eb,  A.  L.  S.,  .  .  358 

periodicals. 
Loudon*s   Magazine  of  Natural    History.     New  Series.     July  and  August 

1837.     Continued  from  p.  276,  ...  .  359 

Companion  to  the  Botanical  Magazine.     By  Sir  W.  J.  Hooker,  Professor  of 

Botany  in  the  University  of  Glasgow.     Continued  from  p.  276,  -  360 

Annales  des  Sciences  Naturelles.     Zoologie,  MM.  Audouin  et  Milne-Kd- 

WARDfl.     Botanique,  MM.  Ad.  Brongniart  ct  GuiLLCMiN,         -  360 

Magazin  dc  Zoolojjio,  Journal  destine  a  ctablir  unc  correspondence  cntrc  les 


Contents.  vii 

zoologistes  de  tous  les  pays,  et  a  leur  faciliter  lea  Moyens  de  publier  les  e8> 
peco  nouvelles  oo  peu  coDDues  qu'ils  possedent.  Par  P.  E.  Gueuin-Me- 
KEviLLE,  ...  .  .  Page  361 

No.  XI. 
Dr  I^ardner's  Cabinet  Cyclopadia.     Natural  History.     Natural  History 
and   Classification  of  Birds.      By   W.   Swaikson,   Esq.   A.  C.  G., 
F.  R.  &  L.,  &C.  -  -  -  -  -  -  451 

PERIODICALS. 

Loiidon*8  Magazine  of  Natural  History.  New  Series.  September  and  Oc- 
tober 1837i  -  -  -  -  -  -  462 

Annales  des  Sdenoes  Naturelles.  Zoologte,  MM.  Audouik  et  Milke-Ed- 
WARDS.     Botanique,  MM.  Ad.  Brononiart  et  Guillehin,        -  463 

The  American  Journal  of  Science  and  Arts.  Conducted  by  Benjamin  Sil- 
I.TMAN,  M.  D.  -  -  -  -  .  464 

Magazin  de  Zoologie,  Journal  destin^  k  fadliter  auz  Zoologistes  de  tous  les 
pays,  les  Moyens  de  publier  leur  Trauvaux,  et  les  esp^ces  nouvelles  on  peu 
connues  qu'ik  powedent.     Par  F.  E.  Guerin-Meneville,  -  465 

M*dller*8  Aichiv.  f  tir  Anatomie  Physiologie,  &c.  -  -  467 

Linnsea,— Bin  Journal  f  Qr  die  Botanik,  &c  -  -  .  4/0 

No.  Xll. 
Dr  Laidner's  Cabinet  Cydopsdia.     Natural  History.    Natural  History 
and   Classification  of  Birds.      By   W.   Swainson,   Esq.   A.  C.  G., 
P.  R.  S.  L.,  &c     Vol.  II.     (Continued  from  p.  461,)  -  553 

bibliographical  notices. 
Tentamen  Pteridographie,  seu  Genera  Filicaceaxum,  praesertim  juxta  venarum 

dccursum   et  distributionem  ezposita.     Auctore,  Carolo   Bor.  Presl. 

Pragse,1836.     8vo.     Pp.290,  ...  -  560 

Bryologia  Europaea,  seu  Genera  Muscorum  Europseorum  Monographice  illus- 

trata.     Auctoribus,  Brvch  et  W.  P.  Schimper.     Fasc.  I.  cmn  Tab.  zi. 

SttttCgartic,  1837.     4to,  -  -  .  560 

Encydopsdia  Britannica,  edited  by  Professor  Napier.     Article  Mammalia,   561 

INTELLIGENCE. 

No.  VII. 

Zoological,  02. — Miscellaneous  93. — Proceedings  of  Sodeties,         .  -        03 

No.  IX. 
Zoological,  283.*-BoUDical,  285.-.-Mi8cel]aneotts,  -  .  289 

No.  X. 

Zoologiad,  365. — Botanical,  366. — Miscellaneous,  370 — Report  of  the  Seventh 
Meeting  of  the  British  Association  for  the  Advancement  of  Science,  370.—. 
Obituary,  ...  -  -  386 

No.  XL 
Zwlffgical,  471—- Botanical,  472.^Miscellaneou8,  474. — Proceedings  of  So- 
cieties, 477.— Obituary,  ...  -  482 

No.  XII. 
Botanical,  -  -  -  662 


VUl 


Contents* 


PLATES. 

Plate     1.  Dentition  of  the  Britiib  Shrewi. 
If.  III.  British  Ariciads, 

IV.  Micralymma  Johnstonis. 
V.  British  Entomofitraca. 
VI.  Cerastium  pcdiinculatum. 
yj J  i  Asci  of  Sphaerias. 

*  I  Germen  of  Bryum  androgynum. 
VUL  Structure  of  Shdls. 
IX.  Cerastium  atrovirens. 
X.  British  Zoophytei. 
XI.  Mucor  Clavatus. 
XII.  Victoria  rcgalis. 
XI I L  Crenilabrus  multidentatua. 
XIV.  Crenilabrus  microstoma. 


LIST 

OF  THE 

CONTRIBUTORS  OF  ORIGINAL  ARTICLES 
TO  VOL.  I.  AND  II. 


Alder,  Joshua,  Member  of  the  Nat. 
Hist.  See.  of  Newcastle-upon-Tyne. 

Amott,  G.  A.  Walker,  LL.D.,  F.  L.S. 

Babington,  Charles  C,  M.  A.,  &c. 

Baird,  William,  Surgeon  H.  C.  S. 

Berkeley,  Rev.  M.  J.,  xM.  A. 

Bevan,  Edward,  M.  D. 

Bonaparte,  Carolo  L.,  Prince  of  Mu- 
signano. 

Clarke,  Dr  W.  B. 

Cooper,  Daniel,  Curator  to  the  Bota- 
nical Society,  London. 

Couch,  Jonathan,  F.  L.  S. 

Dickie,  George,  Esq. 

Doubleday,  Henry,  Esq. 

Drummond,  J.  S.,  M.  D. 

Duncan,  James,  M.  W.  S. 

Eyton,  P.  C, 

Forbes,  Edward, 

Gould,  F.  L.  S.,  &c. 

Gray,  John  Edward,  F.  R.  S. 


Henderson,  Mr  J., 

Henslow,  Rev.  J.  S.,  M.  A.,  Professor 
of  Botany  in  the  University  of  Cam- 
bridge. 

Hewitson,  W.  C,  Esq. 

Jenyns,  Rev.  Leonard,  M.  A. 

Johnston,  George,  M.  D. 

Littie,  Rev.  William, 

MacgillivTay, William,  A.M.  F.  R.  S.  E. 
M.  W.  S.,  &c. 

Parnell,  Richard,  M.  D. 

Selby,  P.  J.,  Esq.  F.  R.  S.  E.,  &c. 

Shuttleworth,  R.  J.,  Esq. 

Smith,  Andrew,  M.  D. 

Swainson,  William,  F  R.  and  L.  S. 

Thompson,  William,  Esq.  Vice-Presi- 
dent of  the  Nat.  Hist.  Soc.  of  Belfast 

Watson,  H.  Cotterel,  Esq. 

Westwood,  J.  O.,  F.  L.  S. 

Wilson,  James,  F.  R.  S.  E.,  &c. 


MAGAZINE 


OP 


ZOOLOGY   AND   BOTANY. 


ORIGINAL  COMMUNICATIONS. 


I. — Account  of  a  Botanical  Excursion  in  the  Alps  of  the  Canton  ofVa- 

/'       lais,  Snitzerland,  in  August  1835 ;  and  Catalogue  of  the  Plants  col" 

lected,  with  occasional  Remarks,  By  R.  J.  Shuttle worth^  Esq. 

Thb  following  account  of  a  botanical  excursion  to  one  of  the  most 
interesting  parts  of  Switzerland,  will  be  perhaps  agreeable  to  some 
of  your  readers,  and  will  give  a  fair  idea  of  the  variety  and  profu- 
sion of  our  Alpine  vegetation. 

Although  the  weather  was  on  the  whole  very  unfavourable,  and 
prevented  my  exploring  many  points  of  peculiar  interest  to  the  bo- 
tanist, the  number  of  species  I  was  enabled  to  collect  was  far 
from  inconsiderable,  and  after  my  return  home,  many  of  them  on 
examination  proved  to  be  particularly  interesting,  either  from  their 
rarity  or  novelty,  or  from  the  specimens  being  in  a  state  which  en- 
abled me  to  rectify  several  errors  contained  in  their  descriptions, 
or  to  add  remarks  on  characters  hitherto  passed  over  in  silence.  I 
have  consequently  added  a  list  of  all  the  species  I  collected,  with 
such  remarks  as  I  imagine  may  prove  useful ;  and  in  order  to  ren- 
der the  Flora  of  the  Gemmi  more  complete,  I  have  incorporated  the 
results  of  a  short  excursion  made  thither  a  fortnight  later  in  the 
season  this  year.  A  few  species  from  the  neighbourhood  of  Zermatt 
are  added,  which  were  contained  in  a  small  parcel  of  plants  pur- 
chased from  a  peasant,  and  which  I  was  prevented  from  finding  my- 
self, either  by  the  lateness  of  the  season,  or  the  unfavourable  state 
of  the  weather.  These  are  distinguished  by  an  asterisk,  and  those 
of  this  year  from  the  Gemmi  by  the  date. 

I  might  easily  have  increased  the  list  by  more  than  a  hundred 

VOL.  II.  NO.  7-  A 


2  Botanical  Excwsian  to  the 

species,  had  I  enumerated  sach  as  I  observed  growingy  but  did  not 
collect;  but  many  of  the  Alpine  species  resemble  each  other  so 
strongly,  that  I  have  rigidly  abstained  from  admitting  a  single  plant, 
which  I  did  not  bring  home  with  me  in  such  a  state  as  admitted 
of  careful  examination  and  analysis. 

I  regret  that  I  am  unable  to  enter  at  all  into  the  geographical 
distribution  of  the  Swiss  Alpine  plants,  but  the  flora  of  a  small  dis- 
trict, nowise  bounded  by  natural  limits,  or  distinguished  by  pecu* 
liar  geological  formation,  can  furnish  data  of  but  small  importance 
indiridnally;  and  I  am  firmly  impressed  with  the  oouTiction,  that  a 
thorough  knowledge  of  all  the  species  belonging  to  the  flora  of  a 
country,  as  well  as  of  the  modifications  which  many  species  undergo 
according  to  locality  and  exposure,  is  indispensable,  before  genera- 
lising the  results  of  detached  obserrations.  I  am  persuaded  that 
the  progress  of  this  branch  of  the  science  is  more  impeded  than  ad- 
Tanoed  by  the  publication  of  indigested  materials.  An  error  once 
admitted  into  our  printed  records,  often  requires  ages  before  it  can 
be  eradicated 

The  remarks  on  the  genera  and  species  examined  are  by  no  means 
brought  forward  as  infallible ;  they  are,  however,  the  result  of  a 
reiterated  and  careful  examination  :  and  I  am  fully  aware  that  many 
of  the  reductions,  as  well  as  theclaimsof  many  of  the  species  admit- 
ted, will  not  be  approved.  Some  of  the  remarks  also,  on  a  celebrated 
German  botanist,  may  perhaps  be  also  blamed ;  but  where  a  botanist 
establishes  himself  as  a  sort  of  dictator,  and  still  errs,  it  is  but  just 
that  his  dictatorial  expressions,  only  tending  to  mislead,  should  be 
quoted  with  full  force  against  himself.  In  one  or  two  genera,  as 
Hieracium  and  Aconitum,  a  few  species  are  adopted,  which  I  also 
believe  not  to  be  based  in  nature ;  but  until  these  genera  are  better 
understood,  it  is  far  preferable  to  distinguish  marked  forms  as  spe- 
cies, than  leave  them  to  be  neglected  as  accidental  varieties ;  and 
it  must  also  be  considered,  that  the  true  species  of  these  genera, 
and  of  Hieracium  in  particular,  often  appear  to  pass  by  gradual 
transition  into  each  other. 

On  the  15th  of  August  1835, 1  reached  Kandersteg,  at  the  foot 
of  the  Gemmi,  (3380"  s.  m.  Keller's  Map,  1833,)  where  the  rain 
obliged  me  to  remain  until  th^  afternoon  of  the  following  day,  when 
I  ascended  the  Gemmi  by  the  usual  path,  and  took  up  my  quarters 
at  the  Inn  of  the  Schwarrenbach,  (584(K  Kell.)  The  17th  and 
18th  were  employed  in  examining  the  rocks  and  heights  behind  the 
Inn,  and  those  above  the  left  bank  of  the  Dauben  See,  (6860' 
Kell.)  Just  below  the  Inn,  I  observed  a  few  stunted  plants  of  the  fir ; 


Alps  of  the  ValaU.  -3 

but  as  they  were  not  in  a  state  to  examine^  I  am  not  sure  whether 
they  belonged  to  the  Alpine  variety  of  Pious  sylvestris,  the  P.  Mug- 
hoe,  of  Swiss  botanists^  or  to  the  P.  uncinata  of  Ram.  The  Gem- 
mi  is  composed  chiefly  of  limestone  rocks^  but  the  presence  of  de- 
tached masses  of  granite  proves  that  the  higher  points  are  of  that 
formation.  The  view  is  one  of  the  most  dreary  ;  and  the  surface 
of  the  rocks  between  the  Lake  and  the  Daub  (7049^  Michaelis  in 
Frobel  and  Heer  Mittheilungen  aus  dem  gebiete  der  Theoretischen 
Erdkonde,  Vol.  i.  p.  231,  et  seq.)  the  highest  part  of  the  passage 
bears  evident  marks  of  having  once  been  the  bed  of  the  glacier, 
which  now  is  at  some  distance  on  the  left. 

I  was  joined  in  the  evening  by  two  young  friends,  who  accompa- 
nied me  during  the  remainder  of  my  excursion,  and  we  descended 
to  the  baths  of  Louesche,  (Leuk.  4402^  Mich.)  where  it  was  dark 
before  we  arrived.  On  the  19th  we  botanized,  passing  through 
Inden  (3580'  Kell.)  and  Varen,  (2370'  KeJl.)  among  the  vineyards 
and  waste  fields  along  the  horse  road  to  Sierre,  (Siders.  1712' 
Mich.)  situated  on  the  Rhone.  Having  sent  home  by  the  post  the 
plants  collected,  we  ascended,  on  the  20th,  the  Valais,  passing 
through  the  town  of  Lou6sch,  (2100^  Kell.)  where  Onopordum 
Acanthium  was  growing  in  immense  quantities,  to  Visp  (2010' 
Mich.)  a  small  town  built  at  the  entrance  of  the  valley  of  the  same 
name,  which  at  Stalden  (2537'  Mich.),  where  we  passed  the  night 
at  the  house  of  the  Castellan  or  chief  magistrate  of  the  small  town, 
branches  into  the  Valley  of  Saas,  and  that  of  St  Nicholas. 

At  Stalden  we  observed  the  last  vineyards,  and  at  a  short  distance 
higher  up  the  last  walnut  trees,  which  were  replaced  by  cherry  trees. 

On  the  2l8t,  we  proceeded  up  the  Valley  of  St  Nicholas,  through 
the  hamlet  of  the  same  name,  (3390^  Kell.)  Randaa  (4475'  Mich.), 
in  1819,  half-destroyed  by  an  avalanche,  and  Taesch,  (4479^  Mich.) 
beyond  which  place  the  valley  suddenly  narrows,  and  again  expands 
into  that  of  Zermatt,  at  which  village  (5040^  Mich.)  we  arrived  in 
the  evening. 

At  Zermatt  we  were  hospitably  received  by  the  parish  priest, 
who  is  here,  as  in  most  of  the  retired  parts  of  the  Valais,  the  only 
person  with  sufficient  accommodation  to  receive  travellers.  On  the 
22d,  we  started  early  in  the  morning,  with  the  intention  of  extend- 
ing our  excursion  to  the  edge  of  the  glacier  of  the  Col  de  Cervin, 
visible  from  the  curb's  house.  We  followed  the  course  of  the  Visp- 
bach  for  some  time,  and  passed  along  the  foot  of  the  Rosa  or  Zer- 
matt glacier,  where  I  was  surprised  at  finding  patches  of  rye  in  al- 
most immediate  contact  with  the  ice ;  but  we  had  hardly  reached  the 


4  Botanical  Excursion  to  the 

Schwarzseeberg,  where  the  foot  of  the  Zermatt  glacier  (6589' 
Mich.)  offered  a  rich  hairest^  when  rain  and  fog  came  on^  and  drore 
ns  back  about  twelve  o'clock.  The  glacier  of  Zermatt  appears  to  have 
considerably  advanced,  as  the  remains  of  wooden  sheds,  almost  co- 
vered by  the  Moraine,  or  wall  of  mud  and  stones  ploughed  up  by 
the  ice,  attested.  The  formation  of  this  part  of  the  Valley  of  Zer- 
matt, and  of  those  parts  we  subsequently  explored,  is  gneiss  or  gra- 
nitic, which  I  mention,  as  it  will  serve  to  account  for  the  difference 
between  the  vegetation  observed  here,  and  that  of  the  Gemmi. 

On  the  following  morning,  the  rain  still  continued,  but  about  twelve 
o'clock  the  day  became  more  promising,  and  eventually  cleared  up, 
and  we  made  an  excursion  to  the  glacier  of  Fiinelen  (or  Finel,) 
on  the  northern  not  southern  side  of  the  valley,  as  it  is  erroneously 
marked  in  Keller's  Map.  (Base  of  the  glacier,  6655'  Mich.)  The 
rarest  plants  rewarded  us,  such  as  Artemisia  mutellina,  Pedicu- 
laris  rostrata,  Senecio  unifloms,  and  incanus  in  various  forms,  &c. 
and  the  beautiful  Peltigera  crocea,  Wahl.  Fries.  I  was  particularly 
pleased  at  finding  the  Phleum  commutatum,  Gaudin,  and  the  Phleum 
alpinum,  L.  and  Auct.  Helv.  growing  together,  though  not  pro- 
miscuously ;  the  former  in  large  quantities,  on  muddy  pasture 
ground,  at  the  immediate  edge  of  the  glacier.  On  our  return  we 
passed  through  a  very  thin  and  aged  wood  of  Pinus  Cembra,  L. 
the  nut  of  which  has  an  agreeable  flavour,  and  is  much  relished : 
the  wood  is  by  far  the  most  durable  of  European  firs ;  but  the  spe- 
cies is  rare,  and  occurs  but  in  small  quantities,  and  will,  I  fear, 
s6on  be  nearly  extinct  in  most  parts  of  Switzerland,  from  the  care- 
less way  in  which  the  peasants  employ  it. 

The  weather  appearing  perfectly  cleared  up,  we  engaged  two 
guides  to  conduct  us  over  the  Glacier  of  Taesch  into  the  Valley  of 
Saas,  where,  besides  other  rare  plants,  the  Gentiana  carinthiaca  is 
indicated.  Most  part  of  the  night  was  passed  in  putting  in  paper 
the  plants  collected,  and  in  arranging  the  luggage,  which  had  con- 
siderably augmented  in  bulk,  Jn'a  more  portable  form.  The  moon 
was  up,  and  the  heavens  perfectly  clear,  affording  the  most  mag- 
nificent view  of  the  chain  of  the  Rosa,  the  Col  de  Cervin,  and 
the  Matterhorn,  (M.  Cervin,  il  Monte  Sylvio,)  by  far  the  most 
grand  and  awful  scene  I  had  ever  witnessed.  The  Matterhorn 
rises  a  perfect  pyramid  of  rock  to  the  height  of  13,854',  (Gaudin) 
with  sides  so  precipitous  as  to  be  entirely  free  from  snow. 

It  was  later  on  the  following  morning  (the  24th)  than  we  intend- 
ed, when  the  guides  made  their  appearance,  and  we  were  ready  to 
start :  They  assured  us  that  they  knew  the  passage  perfectly  well^ 


Alps  of  the  Falais.  5 

tliat  it  was  easy,  and  that  the  glacier  would  not  require  more  than 
three  hours  to  cross.  It  was  six  o'clock  before  we  were  off^  when,  re- 
tracing our  steps  for  a  short  distance^  we  crossed  the  ri^er^  and  gra- 
dually ascending  the  foot  of  the  mountains  through  magnificent  larch 
forests,  we  soon  entered  the  small  lateral  valley  of  Taesch,  at  some 
distance  above  the  hamlet  of  the  same  name.  A  few  specimens  of 
Artemisia  nana.  Gaud,  nearly  allied  to,  but  certainly  distinct  from^ 
the  Art.  campestris,  were  found  ;  and  having  partook  of  the  hospitali- 
ty of  the  inhabitants  of  a  few  chalets  at  the  entrance  of  the  valley, 
called  Alpen,  who  have  the  charge  of  the  cattle  belonging  to  the 
commune  of  Taesch,  we  followed  the  course  of  the  small  torrent 
nearly  to  the  foot  of  the  glacier ;  here  we  commenced  a  steep  ascent 
between  the  north  side  of  the  glacier,  and  a  wall  of  perpendicular 
rocks,  occasionally  enlivened  by  small  waterfalls.  On  these  rocks, 
I  gathered  the  rare  Aretia  tomentosa,  Schleich.,  and  the  Poa  Gaudini^ 
Kunth.  (the  P.  aspera,  Gaud,  but  certainly  identical  with  the  Scotch 
P.  caesia.)  llie  vegetation  was  so  luxuriant,  and  the  plants  so  rare, 
that  I  spent  much  more  time  than  was  advisable  in  filling  my  box ; 
but  such  plants  as  Trifolium  saxatile.  Campanula  cenisia,  Gentiana 
glacialis,  Juncus  Jacquini,  ^,  (apparently  hitherto  never  collected 
with  ripe  capsules,)  Senecio  uniflorus,  All.,  Phaca  lapponica,  Wahl*, 
and  Oxytropis  cyanea,  M.  B.,  were  too  powerful  attractions  to  be  re- 
sisted, and  it  was  two  o'clock  before  we  reached  the  termination  of 
the  rocks,  and  that  part  of  the  glacier  where  we  had  to  commence 
the  passage. 

Phcenogamous  vegetation  had  entirely  ceased,  but  among  the  laH 
flowering  plants  I  observed  growing  on  the  Moraine,  the  Myosotis 
nana  and  Aretia  pennina — the  brilliancy  of  the  bright  blue  of  the 
one,  and  the  softness  and  elegance  of  the  pale  rose,  violet  or  white 
flowers  of  the  other,  no  words  can  express.  The  last  flowering 
plant  was  a  small  state  of  Luzula  spicata,  forming  large  dense  tufts, 
and  which,  intermixed  with  lichens,  formed  the  whole  of  the  ve- 
getation for  some  extent.  Some  Chamois  were  seen  by  the  guides,  ^ 
but  they  had  disappeared  before  I  could  distinguish  them  firom  the 
grey  rocks  on  which  they  were  standing. 

From  the  edge  of  the  glacier  to  the  summit  of  the  pass,  the  ascent 
was  easy,  and,  excepting  one  or  two  chasms  which  occasioned  a 
short  delay,  perfectly  free  from  danger ;  but  it  was  not  without 
some  anxiety  and  misgivings,  that  my  attention  was  drawn,  by  the 
mntterings  of  the  guides,  to  a  mass  of  black  clouds,  which  had  form- 
ed on  the  summit  of  the  Matterhom. 

We  reached  the  summit  of  the  pass,  (10,947'  at  6  metres  below 


5  Botamad  Exaamm  to  the 

the  highest  psit  of  the  ridge — probahly  the  highest  pass  in  Europe, 
as  the  Col  de  Cerrin  is,  according  to  Sanssnre  10,284',  or  accord- 
ing to  Welden  9M8' ;  and  the  Col  de  O^ant,  10,598',  Michaelis. 
1.  c.) — ahoat  3  o'clock,  and  after  a  halt  of  a  few  minutes,  we  com* 
menced  a  most  rapid  descent  over  a  smooth  field  of  snow,  (at  an 
angle  of  15  degrees,  Mich.)  It  soon  hecame,  however,  more  gradual, 
and  eventually  the  descent  was  almost  imperceptible ;  but  chasm 
after  chasm  soon  broke  up  the  hitherto  smooth  surface  of  indurated 
snow,  into  the  most  ru^ed  and  dangerous  glacier.  The  clouds  had 
gradually  spread,  and  we  were  soon  enveloped  in  a  thick  and  wet 
mist.  All  our  endeavours  to  keep  dear  of  the  wider  chasms  were 
ineffectual,  and  having,  with  great  difficulty  and  much  expenditure 
of  time,  passed  several,  covered  only  with  a  thin  layer  of  snow, 
which  offered  no  resistance  to  the  passage  of  our  poles,  we  were 
obliged  to  give  up  the  direction  we  had  taken  towards  the  right  side 
of  the  glacier,  and  to  attempt  reaching  the  rocks  on  the  left.  Here 
we  found  more  difficulty  in  proceeding,  as  the  ice  did  not  reach  the 
rocks,  but  was  separated  from  them  by  large  apertures  and  deep 
wide  clefts,  of  which  the  walls  were  more  than  100  feet  high. 
Again  we  attempted  the  centre  of  the  glacier,  but  were  not  a  little 
disconcerted  at  finding  the  chasms  increase  rapidly  both  in  size  and 
number.  The  fog  was  now  so  dense  that  we  could  not  see  ten  yards 
before  us,  and  at  last  the  guides  gave  up  all  hope  of  getting  off  the 
glacier  that  night,  as  the  rocks  and  higher  points  by  which  they 
were  enabled  to  guide  their  course,  were  invisible.  The  impossi- 
bility of  either  advancing  or  returning  was  too  evident,  and  nothing 
remained  but  to  submit ;  and  excepting  a  small  piece  of  bread  in 
our  pockets,  unprovided  with  food  and  clothed  in  linen  dresses,  it 
was  not  without  considerable  doubts  whether  we  should  succeed  bet- 
ter on  the  following  day. 

On  taxing  the  guides  with  their  ignorance,  one  of  them  then  said 
for  the  first  time,  that  he  had  not  crossed  the  glacier  since  the  pre- 
ceding year,  and  that  the  whole  nature  of  the  ice  and  the  direction 
of  the  chasms  were  completely  changed.  However  true  this  may 
have  been,  it  is  the  usual  excuse  that  guides  bring  forward  on  such 
occasions. 

After  considerable  exertion,  and  several  narrow  escapes  from  be- 
ing engulfed,  we  succeeded  in  reaching  a  high  bank  of  smooth  snow 
on  the  north  side  of  the  glacier,  where  night  surprised  us,  still  hunt- 
ing out  for  the  shelter  of  a  rock.  We  were  therefore  obliged  to 
take  up  our  quarters  under  a  mass  of  broken  rock,  which  afforded 
a  sort  of  shelter  to  our  heads  and  backs,  but  not  before  we  were  so 


Alps  of  the  Valais,  7 

wet  through,  that  the  tinder  in  our  pockets  was  become  perfectly 
uaeiess,  and  after  several  vain  attempts  we  were  obliged  to  give  up 
all  hope  of  lighting  a  cigar.  Although  much  fatigued,  there  was  of 
course  no  prospect  of  sleep,  and  the  night  was  passed  half  sitting, 
half  standing,  in  keeping  each  other  awake,  and  in  stamping  with 
our  feet  to  prevent  their  becoming  quite  benumbed.  The  fog  turn- 
ed into  snow  during  the  night,  and  the  cold  was  less  intense  than 
it  would  otherwise  have  been.  The  novelty  of  the  position,  the 
intense  silence  around  us  interrupted  only  by  the  rumbling  of  a  dull 
low  thunder,  and  occasional  reports  of  masses  of  snow  or  rock  pre- 
cipitated  firom  the  heights  upon  the  ice  beneath,  together  with  occa- 
sional distant  glimpses  of  the  rocks*  and  the  bed  of  the  glacier 
below  us,  lit  up  by  flashes  of  lightning,  afforded  ample  and  not  en- 
tirely disagreeable  food  for  reflection. 

Our  guides  had  recourse  to  sleep,  to  muttering  prayers,  to  occa- 
sional grumblings  to  pass  the  time,  and  one  of  them,  who  appeared 
never  to  have  been  in  such  a  situation  before,  wished  himself  re« 
peatedly  back  with  his  four-footed  grunting  companions  in  his  snug 
chalet  in  the  vale.  At  last  they  appeared  rather  more  tranquillized, 
and  finished  by  vowing  a  mass  to  their  patron  saint  for  all  our 
souls,  provided  we  got  safe  off  the  ice. 

As  soon  as  we  could  see  on  the  following  morning,  we  sent  our 
guides  out  to  report  as  to  our  prospects,  and  as  to  what  was  to  be 
done  :  but,  having  already  undergone  so  much,  I  insisted  upon  still 
attempting  to  descend  into  the  valley  of  Saas. 

Full  two  feet  of  snow  had  fallen  during  the  night,  and  by  its 
weight  and  softness  had  rendered  the  old  snow  quite  unsafe,  and 
the  fog,  which  had  partially  cleared  off  during  the  early  part  of  the 
]n<»Tiing,  again  thickened  around  us ;  so  that  after  several  hours 
spent  in  gaining  the  opposite  or  south  side  of  the  Glacier,  we  were 
obliged  to  decide  on  retracing  our  steps,  and  returning  to  the  valley 
of  St  Nicholas  by  the  same  route  we  had  taken  the  day  before.  A 
sufliciently  extensive  view  from  the  highest  part  of  the  southern 
side  of  the  glacier,  showed  us  an  immense  extent  of  glacier,  which 
we  should  have  had  to  pass  over,  covered  with  snow,  but  proving, 
by  its  undulated  surface,  that  it  was  equally  split  up  with  chasms 
as  that  which  we  had  already  traversed. 

We  retraced  then  our  stepstothepoint  where  we  had  left  the  course 
of  the  preceding  day,  and  without  deviating  from  our  trail,  which  the 
fresh  snow  had  not  entirely  effaced,  we  commenced  our  toilsome  re- 
turn. The  chasms,  which  had  been  easily  distinguished  the  day  before, 
were  now  almost  imperceptible  to  the  unaccustomed  eye,  and  before 
each  step,  the  nature  of  the  snow  had  to  be  examined  with  our  poles. 


8  Botanical  Excursion  to  the 

Every  now  and  then  a  shout  gave  notice  that  the  snow  had  givei) 
way  beneath  one  of  the  party,  and  one  of  my  companions  had  a  very 
narrow  escape,  being  solely  saved  by  falling  with  his  pole  across  the 
chasm^  which  enabled  him  to  support  himself  until  we  could  come 
to  his  assistance.  Yet  such  is  the  indifference  to  danger  in  such 
situations,  that  his  first  exclamation  on  our  handling  him  rather  un- 
ceremoniously was^  "  Take  care  what  you  are  about,  you'll  tear  my 
trowsers."  After  great  exertion  in  bearing  up  against  a  cutting 
wind,  mixed  with  frozen  particles  of  snow,  which  blew  directly  in  our 
faces,  we  reached  the  summit  of  the  pass,  and  soon,  with  less  diffi- 
culty than  we  expected,  arrived  at  the  termination  of  the  glacier. 
It  was,  however,  past  two  o'clock  before  we  were  off  the  ice.  But 
what  a  change  had  taken  place  in  the  face  of  nature  !  for  near  300(K 
below  the  spot  where  on  the  preceding  day  we  had  been  struck  by 
the  luxuriance  of  the  vegetation,  the  ground  was  covered  with  se- 
veral inches  of  snow.  We  hurried  on  as  quick  as  possible,  and  ar- 
rived at  the  village  of  Randaa  about  seven  o'clock  in  the  evenings 
where  we  were  hospitably  received  by  the  cur6. 

A  few  minutes  in  the  warm  room  produced  a  lively  sense  of  pain 
and  burning  in  the  skin  of  the  face  and  the  eyes,  and  on  the  fol- 
lowing morning  (the  26th)  I  was  completely  blind.  By  degrees 
I  could  open  my  eyelids  for  a  minute  at  a  time,  but  we  did  not  en- 
tirely recover  from  the  effects  of  the  reflection  from  the  snow,  and 
of  the  cutting  wind,  before  a  fortnight  had  elapsed. 

Having  engaged  a  man  to  carry  our  luggage,  we  slowly  rede- 
scended  the  valley  of  St  Nicholas,  and  passing  through  Visp,  slept 
at  Brieg,  where,  with  much  suffering  from  my  eyes,  I  put  in  paper 
the  contents  of  my  box,  which  I  was  delighted  to  find  as  fresh  as 
when  they  were  gathered.  The  mosses,  however,  of  which  I  had 
collected  a  considerable  quantity,  having  been  tied  up  in  a  parcel^ 
were  entirely  spoilt. 

On  the  27th  we  walked  as  far  as  MUnster,  at  the  head  of  the 
Valaisy  and  on  the  28th,  hurried  over  the  Grimsel,  which  we  found 
covered  with  nearly  a  foot  of,  snow,  to  Meyringen,  whence  we 
took  a  char  to  Brienz^  and  returned  on  the  29th  through  Interlakea 
and  Thun  to  Berne. 

Catalogue  of  the  Plants  collected,  with  occasional  remarks. 

1.  Chara  aspera,  Willd. 

H.     In  fossis  prope  Pfyn,  inter  Siders  et  Leuk. 

2.  C.  hispida,  L.     J3  gracilis.  Hook. 
H.     Cum  prscedenti. 


Alps  of  the  ValaU.  9 

3.  Pofypodium  Phegopteris,  L. 

H.     In  ascensu  M.  Gemmi  supra  Kandersteg,  29  Aug.  1836. 

4.  Cisiopterh  dentata,  Hook.  Br.  Fl.  i.  p.  451,  a. 

H.     In  saxosis  umbrosis  inter  Randaa  et  St  Nicholas,  et  forma 
tenuior  plerumque  sterilis,  in  umbrosis  M.  Gemmi  supra  Kan- 
dersteg,  29  Aug.  1836. 
Obs.  Frons   pedalis  et  ultra,  sed  omnino  convenit  cum  char. 
Smithii  et  Hookeri,  et  cum  spec.  Valesiaois  a  Thomasio  lectis.   Sti- 
pes glabra ;  sori  generis  forsan  maximi,  in  partem  frondis  superio- 
rem  confluentes.     Pinnae  vix  alternae,  remotie ;  pinnulee  ovatae  ob- 
tuse dentatae  alternie,  (infimae  interdum  subpinnatitidae.j     Species 
Germanis  vix   cognita,  vel  cum  Asp.  Filix  Foemina  confusa,  et 
apud  Wallroth  in  Bluff  et  Fing.  Comp.  Fl.  Germ.  iii.  p.  20. 

5.  C.  fragilis,  Bernth. 

H.     In  umbrosis  M.  Gemmi  supra  Kandersteg,  et  in  fissuris  ru- 
pium  ad  lacum  Dauben,  29-31  Aug.  1836. 
6-  C.  alpina,  Desv.  • 

H.     In  saxosis  M.  Gemmi  supra  Schwarrenbach. 
7*  C  montana  ( — ?)  Polypoditkm,  All.  Hoffm.  Cyathaea,  Roth. 

H.     In  umbrosis  M.  Gemmi  supra  Kandersteg,  29  Aug.  1836. 

Obs.  Habitus  P.  calcarei,  Sm.  sed  frons  tenuissima,  triplicato- 
pinnata. 

8.  Cryplogramma  crispa,  R.  Br. 

H.     In  saxosis  M.  Grimsulaa  infra  Hospitium. 

9.  Botrychium  Lunaria,  Sw. 

H.     In  pascuis  M.  Gemmi  supra  lacum  Dauben.     In  M.  Fiine- 
len  supra  Zermatt,  et  in  Alpibus  supra  Taesch. 


10.  Lycopodium  Selago,  L. 
H.     Prope  Kandersteg. 

11.  X«.  selaginoides,  L. 

H.     In  M.  Gemmi  supra  Kandersteg. 

12.  L.  helveticum,  L. 

H.     Ad  terram  inter  muscos  inter  St  Nicholas  et  Zermatt. 


13.  Elyna  spicata,  Schrad. 

H.     Copiose  in  graminosis  M.  Gemmi  supra  Schwarrenbach,  et 

ad  lacum  Dauben.     In  M.  Schwarzseeberg  supra  Zermatt. 
Obs.  Cnlmi  biunciales  atque  fere  pedales. 

14.  Kobresia  caricina,  Willd. 

H.  Copiose  in  humidis  M.  Gemmi  ad  pedem  rupium  supra 
Schwarrenbach  usque  ad  summum  M.  Schalmette,  et  ad  lacum 
Dauben. 


10  Botanical  Excurnon  to  the 

Obt,  Culmi  bi-octuncialef»,  in  Helvetia  rarissiiDa. 
16.  Carex  {Vignea)  foetida.  All. 

H.    In  M.  Gemmi  supra  Schwarrenbach,  ad  moles  gladales,  M. 
Fiinelen. 
16.  C.  (F)  incarva,  Huds.     C.  jnncifolia.  All.  Gaud. 

H.    Rarissirae  ad  moles  glaciales  M.  Schwarzseeberg  et  Fiinelen. 

Ohs.  Non  diversa  a  planta  Sootica,  nisi  culmis  viz  incurvis. 
17*  C  {V.)  lagopina^  WahL  !   C.  approximate,  Hoppe  exs !  Gaud. 

H.     Ad  moles  glaciales  M.  Schwarsseeberg  et  Fiinelen. 

Obs.  Pales  fhictu  breviores  foliaque  marginibus  ecabra  ut  obser- 
vat  Hoppe^  contra  Oaudin. 
la  C.  (T.)  leporina,  L.     C.  oralis.  Good. 

H.    In  nliginoais  M.  Grimsnlc  supra  Obo^estelen. 

19.  C  cunrula.  All.  a.  minor,  fbliis  culmisque  vix  4-uncialibus, 
nnilateraliteJT  cunratis.  jS.  major,  culmis  erectis,  fere  pedalibus. 
Gaud. 

H.  a.  Ad  moles  glkunales  M.  Fiinelen.  6.  ad  fissuras  rupium 
M.  Gemmi  supra  Schwarrenbach,  et  ad  lacum  Dauben. 

20.  C  nigra.  All.     C.  atrata  7.  nigra,  Gaud. 

H.  In  M.  Gemmi  prope  die,  Wintereck ;  ad  lacum  inira  Schwar« 

renbacfa,  et  ad  nives  deliquescentes  supra  Schwarrenbach,  co- 

piose. 

Obs.  Caespites  densas  effidt.    C.  ustulata,  Wahl. !  (C.  atrofusca, 

Schk.)  qua  cum,  Smithio  prnunte,  nostram  plantam  infauste  oon« 

junxit  d.  Lindley,  Syn.  ed.  ii.  p  288,  omnino  diversa  est.   C.  nigra. 

All.  *'  spids  subquaternis  ovatis  oonfertis  sessilibus  rigide  erectis, 

fructuque  glabro,"  Gaudet. 

21.  C  atrata,  L.  a.  varia ;  spids  longius  pedunculatis  demum 
pendulis  fructibusque  flavis,  culmo  plerumque  elatiori  (glabro,) 
Gaud. 

H.  In  M.  Gemmi  supra  Kandersteg,  et  in  graminosis  supra 
Schwarrenbach. 

Obs,  Plante  Scotica  ex  Alp.  Clova  plerumq.  ad^^^rietetem  sequen- 
tem  pertinere  videtur.  jS.  dubia,  spica  terminali  mascula  (flosculis 
paucioribus  fcemineis  intermixtis,)  reliquis  mere  fcemineis,  fructibus 
atro-purpureis  unicoloribus,  culmo  elation,  (sub  spiculis  scabro,) 
Gaud.     C.  aterrima,  Hoppe. 

22.  C.  omithopoda,  WiUd. 

H.  In  fissuris  rupium  M.  Gemmi,  ad  moles  gladales  Lammern- 
gletscher. 

23.  C.  glauca.  Scop.  C.  recurva,  Huds.,  var.  Alpina,  spiculis  foe- 
minds  apioe  basiqoe  masculis. 


Alps  of  the  Valais.  11 

H.   Ad  rivolofl  et  in  uliginosis  M.  G^mmi  supra  Schwarrenbach. 

24.  C.  capillaris,  L.     a.  minor^  culmo  4-6  unciali.     j3.  major^  col- 
mo  pedali  et  ultnu 

H.  a.  In  M.  Gemini  ad  lacuih  infra  Schwarrenbach,etad  rapes 
supra  Schwarrenhach^  et  ad  lacum  Dauben.  j3.  in  M.  Schwar^^- 
aeeberg. 

25.  C.  bracbystachys,  Scbk. 

H.  In  graminosis  M.  Gemmi  supra  Kandersteg,  29  Aug.  1836. 

26.  C.  finna.  Host. 

H.     Ad  rapes  M.  Oemmi  stipra  Schwarrenbach. 

27.  C.  Mielicbbofen,  Schk. 

H.     In  uliginosis  M.  Gemmi  supra  Schwarrenbach. 

Obs.  Spicse  fceminece  pendulae  non  erectie  ut  apud  Lindley,  Syn. 
p.  287*  An  Planta  Scotica  ad  C.  ferragineam,  Schk.  (semperviren- 
tem,  Vill.)  referenda  ? 

28.  Blymus  compressus,  Panz.      j3.  glacialis  mihi.     Spica  tenui 
gracili  fusca. 

H.     In  uliginosis  ad  moles  glaciales  valleculs  Taesch. 
S29.  Cladium  Mariscus^  R.  Br. 

H.     In  paludosis  prope  Pfyn,  inter  Siders  et  Leuk. 
30.  Eriophorum  capitatum,  Host. 


H.     In  uliginosis  ad  mdes  glaciales  M.  Fiinelen. 

31.  Brachypodium  sylvaticum^  R.  and  S.   a.  spiculis  villosis^  Gaud. 
3.  gracile,  Rchb. 

H.     Inter  St  Nicholas  et  Zermatt 

32.  Agropyrum  glaucum^  R.  and  S.     a.  Spiculis  omnino  muticis^ 
Koch.     Triticum  intermedium  a.  Gaud. 

H.     In  anris  incultis  inter  Inden  et  Varen. 
83.  Cynodon  Dactylon,  Rich. 

H.     In  arenosis  inter  Siders  et  Leuk,  et  inter  Stalden  et  Visp. 

34.  Agrosiis  alpina.  Scop.  Kunth.     A.  rupestris,  Willd.  Gaud. 
H.    Ad  rapes  M.  Gemmi  supra  Schwarrenbach^  30  Aug.  1836. 

35.  A.  alba^  Schrad.     6.  pauciflora,  Koch.     A.  alba  patula.  Gaud. 
Rchb.  Agr.  Germ.  Tab.  25,  f.  1432. 

H.  Ad  viam  inter  Stalden  et  St  Nicholas,  et  in  glareosis  M.  Gem- 
mi supra  Schwarrenbach,  29  Aug.  1836. 

36.  Calamagrostis  tenella,  Lk.     Agrostis  pilosa,  Schleich.  Gaud. 
H.    In  consortio  Junci  Jacqnini.     jS.  in  Alpibus  supra  Tsesch. 

37.  C.  acutiflora,  DC.  Rchb.  Agr.  Germ.  Tab.  39.  f.  1442. 

H.     In  glareosis  M.  Gemmi  supra  Schwarrenbach,  cons.  Po« 
disdchophyllae.  Gaud,  et  P.  flexuose,  WahL  30  Aug.  1836. 


12  Botanical  Excursion  to  the 

Obs.  Forsan  forma  alpestris  C.  Montane^  Host.  (Deyeuxia  ya- 
ria^  Kunth.)  ut  opinantur  cl.  Koch  et  Duby ;  sed  facile  distinguen- 
da,  panicula  rigida  et  pilis  palea  acuminata  brevioribus.  cf.  Agrostis 
montana  7.  Gaud.  Helv.  i.  p.  201;  quae  differt  pilis  longioribus^  fo- 
liisque  ad  vaginae  commissuram  barbatis. 

38.  C.  Halleriana^  DC.  C.  Pseudo-phragmites^  Lk.  Rchb.  Arun- 
do  Halleriana^  Gaud. 

H.     In  uliginosis  prope  Randaa. 

Obs,  Habitus  C.  montanse.  Host,  varietatis  gracilis^  sed  differt 
pilis  omnibus  liberis,  (sine  penicello  piloso,  vel  rudimento  alterius 
flosculi)  atque  arista  paleis  breviori,  nisi  oculo  armato^  segre  distin- 
guenda. 

39.  Slipa  capillata^  L. 

H.  Ad  viam  inter  Varen  et  Siders^  et  inter  Siders  et  Leuk,  co- 
piose. 

40.  S,  pennata^  L. 

H.     Copiose  in  sylva  supra  Zermatt,  prope  moles  glaciales. 

41.  Lasiagroslls  Calamagrostis,  Lk.    Agrostis^  L.     Stipa^  Wahl. 
H.     In  glareosis  prope  Kandersteg^  et  in  apricis  inter  Inden  et 

Varen.  , 

42.  Setaria  verticillata,  P.  B. 

H.     In  arvis  et  vineis  prope  Stalden. 

43.  S,  Tiridis,  P.  B.  a.  minor^  Gaud.  Rchb.  Agr.  Germ.  Tab. 
47*  f*  1467-  b.  ^.  major^  setis  longissimis.  Gaud.  Rchb.  1.  c.  f« 
1467. 

H.     a.  In  arvis  incultis  prope  Varen.     ^.  prope  Varen. 

44.  Phleum  Boehmeri^  Schrad.  ^.  paleis  nudiusculis  (ad  carinam) 
scabris^  Gaud. 

H.     In  alpibus  supra  Tsesch,  et  prope  Randaa. 

Obs.  In  spec,  prope  Randaa  lectis,  paleie  etiam  sub  lente  viz 
scabrse ;  in  spec,  supra  Tsesch  lectis,  paleee  evidenter  scabrse^  sed 
non  ciliatsB. 

45.  P.  Michelii,  All. 

H.     Rarius  in  M.  Gemmi  supra  Schwarrenbach. 

46.  P.  alpinum,  L.     Gaud.  Helv.  i.  p.  165.     Dub.  Bot.  Gall.  i.  p. 
508.     Rchb.  Agr.  Germ.  Tab.  50.  f.  1485.     Non  Auct.  Brit. 
Phleum  radice  repenti  vix  csespitosa^  foliis  snpremis  vagina  vix 

inflata  dimidio  brevioribus ;  Ligula  suprema  oblonga  acuta,  glumis 
glabris  truncatis  palea  sublongioribus,  setisque  ciliatis. 

H.  In  graminosis  humidis  M.  Gemmi  supra  Schwarrenbach ;  in 
uliginosis  ad  moles  glaciales  M.  Fiinelen ;  in  ascensu  M.  Grim- 
sulce  supra  Obei^stelen^  (copiose  etiam  in  pascais  et  pratis  M. 


Alps  of  the  Valais.  18 

Stockhorn,   Biirglen^  et  Faulhom,  atque  in  pascuis  summis 
Jnrassi  rarius^  ^^g^O 

Obs.  In  locis  petrosis,  vel  in  graminosis  sterilioribus,  spica  ovato- 
cjlindrica  brevior  magisque  colorata  est,  foliaque  paulo  breviora :  hsec 
videtur  var.  ^.  tenne«  Kunth.  Agr.  i.  p.  29.  In  lods  crassioribus 
et  pnesertim  in  pascuis  et  graminosis  pinguioribus  circa  casas  Alpi- 
colorum,  tota  planta  laxior  crassiorque  evadit,  foliaque  latiora,  snepe 
longissima,  et  spica  cylindrica  biuncialis  minus  colorata,  foliis  su-* 
premis  brevior,  vagineeque  semi-inclusa.  Hsec  forma  habitum  Phi. 
31iclielii  satis  refert :  in  utraque  varietati>  note  e  setis  vaginisque 
sumptae  constantes  videntur,  et  species  omnino  a  P.  commutatd, 
Gaud,  diversa.  Ligula  in  forma  crassiore  saepe  fissa  occurrit. 
47*  P*  commutatum.  Gaud  !     Helv.  i.  p.  166.     Dub.  Bot.  Gall.  i. 

508.     P.  alpinum,  Auct.  Brit. !  vix  L. 

Phleum  radice  repenti,  valde  ciespitosa,  foliis  supremis  vagina 
inflata,  quatuor  parte  brevior ibus ;  Ligula  suprema  brevissima  ob- 
tusa,  glnmis  glabris  truncatis  palea  sublongioribus  ciliatis,  seta  nu- 
da,  scabra. 

H.     Copiose  in  uliginosis  ad  moles  glaciales  M.  Fiinelen,  cons, 
prsecedentis. 

06jr.  Spica  latior  robustior  quam  in  priecedenti,  bvato-oblonga ; 
spicule  fere  duplo  majores,  foliaque  glaucescentia ;  seta  scabra  nee 
ciliata  ;  varietatem  minorem  P.  alpini  pro  nostra  planta  ssepius  ac« 
cepi,  et  opinor  planta  vera  Kochio  et  Kunthio  omnino  ignota  est, 
quippe  nulla  rationead  formam  tenuem  P.  alpini  redigenda  nostra  ro- 
bustior rigidiorque  planta.  Icon  in  Eng.  Bot.  ed.  2da,  PL  80,  ha- 
bitum P.  commutati  satis  bene  refert^  sed  nee  hac  neque  ad  prsece- 
dentem  referenda  quoniam  glumse  omnino  glabrae  depictae  sunt. 
Quoad  habitum  potissimum  ad  Phleum  Gerardi,  All.  et  auct.  plan- 
tam  rarissimam,  accedit,  cujus  diagnosim  differentialem  compara- 
tionis  gratia  hinc  adjeci. 

Phleum  Gerardi,  All. !  Kunth.  Alopecurus,  Vill.     Colobachne, 
Link.  Rchb.  Agr.  Germ.  tab.  50.  f.  1480. 

P.  radice  bulbosa ;  vagina  suprema  valde  inflata,  in  folio  brevi 
latoque  attenuata,  ad  collum  vix  unquam  constricta ;  ligula  brevis- 
sima, glumis  villosis  palea  snbbrevioribus,  molliter  ciliatis,  in  setam 
brevem  scabramque  attenuatis. 

Obt.  Spica  lata  brevis,  ovata,  setaeque  flavescentes.  Mihi  vide- 
tur omnino  ad  genus  Phleum  pertinere. 

Ad  hanc  speciem  ducit  d.  Rchb.  in  Agrost.  Germ.  p.  1 8,  P.  oom- 
mutatum.  Gaud,  et  P.  capitatum.  Scop.  In  Fl.  Germ.  exc.  No. 
191,  speciem  distinctam  constituit  sub  nomine  "  Ph.  capitatum. 


14  Botanical  Excursion  to  the 

Scop."  sed  P.  capitatum,  ^p.  Cam.  i.  p.  56,  e  descriptione  d.  auo- 
toris,  "  spica  subrotunda/'  **  calycinee  glumiB  acaminatae,"  omnino 
ad  P.  Qemrdi,  AIL  pertinet. 

P.  Oerardiy  AIL  habui  ex  Herbario  AUionii !  a  cL  Balbis ;  ex 
Alp.  Delpfain ;  a  cl.  Emeric ;  et  ex  Alp.  Julio-Provincie  a  ceL  De 
Candolle ;  fin  Herb  Roemer ;)  sed  etiam  sub  hoc  nomine  P.  com- 
mutatum.  Gaud.  Roemero  misit  Balbis. 

Denique  observandum  est,  utram  speciemm  descripsit  illuat. 
Linneus  vix  exthcandum — fonan  ambas  ? — sed  minimi  momenti 
si  distinguuntur. 

48.  Festuca  alpina,  Sut.  Oaud. 

H.     Ad  rupes  M.  Oemmi  supra  Schwarrenbach  rarius. 

49.  F.  Halleri^  All.  Vill.  Gaud.  Kunth.  Agrost.  i.  p.  399,  et  ii.  p. 
322. 

Festuca  raceme  spicifbrmi  congesto  subsimplici,  infeme  rarius 
ramoso,  ramulo  biflori ;  spiculis  4-^  floris ;  aristis  paleam  pubescen- 
tern  nervosam  lequantibus ;  rachi  piiosa,  demum  sepius  glabra ; 
foliis  capillari-setaceis. 

H.    In  glareosis  M.  Fiinelen,  et  in  alpibns  supra  Tiesch. 

Obs.  Plantae  Allionii  et  Gaudini  certe  omnino  e»dem.  Citata  sola 
Allionii  in  FL  Ped.  ii.  p.  253,  No.  2245,  est  descriptio  Halleri  in 
Hist.  ii.  p.  215,  No.  1441.  Germen  maturam  lineari-oblongum» 
immatunim  lineari-obovatum,  et  stigmata  barbata  germine  mature 
breviora  vel  subequalia  observavi. 

Ab  hac  differre  videtur  planta,  quam  in  M.  Faulhorn  legi,  et 
pro  F.  Gaudini,  Kunth.  1.  c.  Syn.  excL  habeo. 

Festuca  racemo  spiciformi,  subpatenti,  superne  simplici,  infeme 
subcomposito,  ramulis  2-4  floris ;  spiculis  sub  4-floris,  aristis  palea 
glabra  dimidio  brevioribus ;  rachi  aspera,  foliis  capillari-setaceis. — 
Germen  obovatum  vel  subgloboso-pyriforme :  stigmata  dense  barbata 
germine  multo  longiora,  conspicua ;  sed  denuo  examinanda,  annon 
mere  F.  Halleri  varietas. 

60.  F.  violacea.  Gaud.  a.  vulgaris  :•—  8.  elatior,  pedalis  sesquipe- 
dalis,  panicula  coerctata. 

H.  a*  In  M.  Gemmi  supra  Schwarrenbach.    In  M •  Schwarssee- 

berg,  et  ad  moles  glaciales  summi  jugi  alpium  supra  Taesch. 

fi  ad  rupes.    M.  Gemmi  ad  moles  glaciales  Lammerngletscher. 

31  Aug.  1836. 

Obs.  Nullomodo  lusus  nature,  F.  Halleri  AIL  ut  quserit  cl.  Kunth. 

1.  c  sed  F.  nigresceuti.  Lam.  valde  affinis,  qu&  distinguitur  spiculis 

duplo  minoribus,  &c. 

61.  F.  pumila,  Vill. 


Alptofthe  Valais.  15 

H.  Ad  moles  glaeiales  summi  jugi  alpium  snpra  Taesch  ;  cnspites 
densiaaiinos  efficiens^  in  graminosis  M.  Gemmi  supra  Kander- 
st^^  et  ad  rupes  sapra  Schwarrenbach.    29-^30  Aug.  1836. 
Obs.  Spec,  ad  moles  glaeiales  lecta  minora  sunt  ac  minus  colorata 
qnam  ea  e  M.  Gemmi. 

52.  F.  varia^  Haenke.  Gaud.  F.  acuminata.  Gaud !  a.  panicula  oon- 
tractiori,  spiculis  variegatis.  Gaud. 

H.  In  M.  Schwarsseeberg  supra  Zermatt. 

Obs.  F.  zantbina  R.  6c  S. !  F.  Hostii  Scbott !  (etiam  a  Schottio 
missa  ut  F.  flavescens.  Host.)  est  omnino  eadem  ut.  F.  flavescens, 
BcUardi ! ;  et  vix  ac  ne  vix  diversa  a  F.  yariee  var.  j3  flavescenti. 
Gaud. 

53.  F.  rubra,  L.  Koch.  Rchb.  Gaud.  var.  panicula  rigida  ooarctata. 
H.    Ad  viam  prope  Zermatt. 

06s,  F.  rubra  radice  repenti  egregie  differt  a  F.  duriuscula  radice 
fibrosa — Specimina  fere  omnia  qua  e  firitannia  accepi  et  legi  pro 
F.  duriuscula  ad  formas  F.  rubr«  pertinent. 
&i.     F.  nigrescens.  Lam.  Gaud  ! 

H.   In  M.  Schwarsseeberg  supra  Zmutt : — ad  rupes  M.  Gemmi 
supra  Schwarrenbach  et  lacum  Dauben.   30, 31  Aug.  1836. 

06#.  Occurrit  folio  caulino  summo  angustissime-lineari  in  sicco  re- 
▼oluto,  et  ad  unam  lineam  lato  piano. 

55.  F.  Scheucbzeri,  Gaud.  F.  pulcbella,  Schrad.  Poa — Clairv. 

H     In  glareosis  M.  Gemmi  supra  Schwarrenbach.    30  Aug. 
1836. 

56.  Melica  dliata,  L. 

H.    Ad  rupes  prope  pagum  Stalden. 
57^     Bromus  squarrossus,  L*  a.  spiculis  glabris. 
H.    Ad  Tiam  inter  St.  Nicholas  et  Zermatt. 

58.  Poa  Eragrostis,  L. 

H.    Ad  viam  inter  St  Nicholas  et  Stalden. 

59.  P.  laxa,  Haenke. 

H.   Ad  rupes  alpium  supra  Tesch:  in  saxosis  M.  Gemmi  ad 

moles  glaeiales  Lammemgletscher  et  supra  lacam  Dauben,  co- 

piose.    31  Aug.  1836. 

Obs.  Planta  yalde  variabilis.    Culmi  4  unciales — semipedales  et 

ultra :  variat  panicula  rigidiori  vix  pendula,  spiculis  vix  constrictis, 

atque  panicula  filiformi  pendula,  spiculis  omnino  constrictis :  radix 

vix  repens  sepius  mere  fibrosa.     Forsan  et  Poam  minorem.  Gaud. 

legi,  sed  fateor,  species  mihi  vix  di versa  videtur.  cf.  Rchb.  Agr. 

germ.  Tab.  72,  f.  1623,  et  Tab.  74,  f.  1630-31. 


16  Botanical  Excuriion  to  the 

60.  P.  alpina,  L.  jS  vivipara,  Gaud.  Koch.  7.  frigida  Gaud.;Koch. 
h,  brevifolia^  Koch.  P.  alpina^  II  brevifolia^  Gaud. 

H.  j3.  in  alpibus  supra  Zermatt^  7.  in  saxosis  M.  Gemmi,  ad 
moles  glaciales  Lammerngletscher,  31  Aug.  1836.  h,  ad  moles 
glacial es  summi  jugi  alpium  supra  Taesch. 

61.  P.  distichophylla^  Gaud ! 

H.  In  glareosis  M.  Gemmi  supra  Schwarrenbach^  et  supra  la* 
cum  Dauben  ad  nives  perennes.  30^  31  Aug.  1836. 

Obs.  P.  cenisia^  All.  cujus  exemplaria  nonnulla  a  cl.  Balbis^  dia 
possessor!  Herbarii  Allionii,  missa,  habeo^  certe  diversissima,  nee 
cum  varietatibus  P.  alpinae  ulla  ratione  conjungenda.  Spec,  mea, 
nisi  locustis  paucifloris,  certissime  non  7-floris,  bene  cum  descrip- 
done  cl.  auctoris  in  Auct.  ad  Fl.  Ped.  p.  40,  No.  2209,  conveniunt. 
DifFert  a  P.  disticbophylla.  Gaud,  panicula  gracilis  pedunculis  ver- 
ticillatis,  spiculis  multo  minoribus,  et  ligulis  truncatis  subnuUis ; — 
a  P.  alpina  toto  habitu  et  radice  eximie  repenti,  stolonifera.  Me 
judici  ad  Poam  nemoralem,  L.  referenda,  et  forsan  ad  varietatem 
glaucam,  R.  et  S. !  (P.  glaucantha,  auct.  P.  nemoralis  csesia.  Gaud.) 
£x  alpibus  Tyrolensibus  a  cl.  Siebero  plan  tarn  possedeo  etiam  sub 
nomine  P.  cenisice  missam,  quie  autem  differt  radice  fibrosa,  spiculis- 
que  multo  majoribus  confertis,  et  omnino  cum  icone  Rchb.  Agr. 
Germ.  Tab.  83.  f.  1625,  et  cum  spec.  P.  badensis  H«nke,  P.  id- 
pin»  badensis.  Gaud !  convenit. 

62.  P.flexuosa,  Wahl.  Carp.  exd.  Syn.  Gaud.  Rchb.  1.  c.  Tab. 
74.  f.  1633. 

H.    In  glareosis  M.  Gemmi  copiose  cum  prscedenti.     1836. 
Ohs,  Differt  a  praecedenti  panicula  effusa,  gradli,  pedunculisque 
infeme  longe  nudis  :  planta  omnino  gracilior. 

63.  P.  Gaudini  R.  et  S.  Kunth  Agr.  L  355.  P.  aspera,  Gaud.  P. 
caesia,  Sm.  a.  panicula  coarctata,  Kunth.  1.  c  j3  panicula  diffusa^ 
Kunth  1.  c. 

H .    Ad  rupes  alpinas  supra  Taesch. 

Obs.  a.  Omnino  convenit  cum  Spec.  Plantae  Scotictt  e  Ben  Lawers, 
sed  in  H.  B.  £.  cultis  et  a  cl.  Graham  communicatis :  certe  a  Poa 
nemorali  distincta — jS.  variat  ligula  brevissima  ac  exserta  in  eodem 
individuo. 

64.  P.  nemoralis,  L.  ^.  coarctata.  Gaud. 
H.    Ad  viam  prope  Zermatt. 

65.  Koeleria  cristata,  Pers.  a  gracilis.  Rchb.  Agr.  germ.  Tab.  93. 
f.  1668.  7.  lobata.  Rchb.  L  c  f.  I67O. 


jOps  of  the  f^alais.  17 

H.  a.  In  Schwarsseeberg,  M.  Fiinelen^  et  ad  rupes  alpinas  supra 
Tsesch ;  y.  in  M.  Funelen. 

Obs.  a.  Variat  foliis  glabriusculis.  /3.  In  planta  campestre^  etiam 
valde  variabilis  panicula  minus  colorata^  magisque  ramosa^  glumn 
paieseque  £acile  duplo  majores  occurrunt. — Ab  hac  specie,  quacum 
8spe  confusa,  omnino  differt  K.  valesiaca.  Gaud.  (K.  tuberosa,  Pers. 
e  spec  Hispanicis  a  Dufour  missis,  panicula  glabra  et  etiam  valde 
pnbescenti,  videtur  omnino  eadem.  Nomen  aptissimum  forsan  res- 
tituendum.) 

Differt  nempe  panicula  spiciformi  valde  congesta,  ovato-cylin- 
drica,  foliis  glabris  glaucisque  sed  non  semper  convolutis,  et  prae-* 
sertim  culmo  foliisque  ad  collum  radicis  tunicis  filam^entosis  valde 
elongatis  tectis ;  fere  ut  in  Phleo  Bertolonii,  sed  magis  filamentosis. 
Speeiem  elegantissimam  semipedalem,  bipedalem  et  ultra,  ad  rupes 
arldas  calcareas  Jurassi  comitatu  Neocomensi  copiose  legi. 
€6.  Avena  (Trisetum)  subspicatum,  Clairv.     Aira — L.  Koeleria — 

Rchb. 

H.  In  graminosis  M.  Gemmi  supra  Scliwarrenbach  :  in  alp.  su- 
pra Zermatt,  Zmutt  et  Tsesch. 
67*  A.  (T.)  distichophylla,  Vill.  a.  genuina,  panicula  contracta,  pilis 

corollas  subaequantibus.    jS.  gracilis,  mihi,  panicula  effusa,  magis 

oomposita,  pilis  corollis  multo  brevioribus.     A.  argentea,  Willd.  ? 

Koch? 

H.  a.  In  M.  Gemmi  supra  Schwarrenbach  :  in  glareosis  M« 
Schwarzseeberg  etin  M.  Fiinelen.  /S.  in  glareosis  M.  Gemmi 
cum  var.  a.    30  Aug.  1836. 

Obs.  Var.  j3,  quse  vix  ab  exemplaribus  germanicis  A.  argenteee 
differt,  a  var.  genuina  recedit  tenuitate  omnium  partium,  culmo  al- 
biori  graciliorique,  foliis  angustioribus  multo  longioribus,  panicula 
magis  composita,  ramis  nempe  ssepius  5-6  floris,  laxius  effusa,  et  pilis 
glum  is  fere  dimidio  brevioribus  :  sed  in  utraque  varietate,  nihil  ma- 
gis variabilis  quam  foliorum,  palearumq.  longitudo.  Folia  nempe 
8'^  ad  1 6"'  et  etiam  2"  longa,  et  palese  glumis  breviores  vel  longiores. 

68.  A.  Scheuchzeri,  AU.  (1785)  A.  versicolor,  Vill.  (1787) 

H.  In  graminosis  M.  Gemmi  supra  Schwarrenbach  :  in  Alp.  su- 
pra Tssch. 

69.  Anihoxanthum  odoratum,  L.     jS.  spadicea  mihi,  spiculis  pubes- 
oentibus  spadiceis,  foliis,  nisi  ad  vagince  commissuram,  glabris. 
H.  In  graminosis  M.  Fiinelen,  prope  pagam. 

Obt,  Specimina  omnia  Helvetica,  qua  possideo,  panicula  viridi- 
flavescenti,  spiculis  glabris  punctatis,  et  foliis  pubescentibus  gau- 

VOL.  II.  NO.  7«  B 


18  Botanical  Excursion  to  the 

dent ;  sed  in  spec.  Britannicis  fere  omnibus^  spiculse  vage  longeque 
pilosee  et  folia  glabriuscula  sunt. 
70.*  Croats  vernns.  All.  var.  albiflorus. 
H.  Zermatt. 


71.  Nigrilella  angustifolia,  Rich. 

H.  In  alpibus  supra  Teach  :  in  graminosis  M.  Gemmi  supra 
Schwarrenbach.     30  August  1836. 

72.  Chamorchis  alpina^  Rich. 

H.  In  graminosis  M.  Gemmi  supra  Schwarrenbach  et  ad  lacum 
Dauben.  *  in  alpibus  supra  Zermatt. 
73.*  Habenaria  viridis,  R.  Br. 
H.   Zermatt. 
Obs.  In  alpibus  spica  s«pe  rubescit. 


74.  Luzula  campestris,  DC.  ^.  nivalis  Koch.  Deuts.  Fl.  ii.  p.  602. 
L.  campestris  jS.  latifolia  Ser.  Gaud.  L.  campestris^  jS.  alpina^  Gaud. 
Agrost.  exc.  syn.  L.  campestris  7.  nigricans^  Gaud.  Helv.  exc.  syn. 
plur.  L.  campestris  alpina  Ser .  exsic  ! 

H.  In  M.  Gemmi  in  uliginosis  summ.  M.  Schalmette. 

75.  L.  spicata^  DC.  a.  major^  caule  elation,  spica  elongata,  inter- 
dum  interrupta,  phyllis  capsulisque  atrofuscis  fere  concoloribus. 
0.  minor,  ceespitosa^  spica  subglobosa^  phyllarum  raarginibus  cap- 
sulisque pallidioribus  fere  spadiceis. 

H.  a.  in  M.  Gemmi  supra  Schwarrenbach.  j3.  ad  moles  glaciales 
summi  jugi  alpium  supra  Taesch,  ciespites  densos  efficiens,  et 
inter  Lichenes  sola  phanerogama. 

Obs,  Capsuls  a  Smithio  in  Eng.  Fl.  ed.  2da  bene  descripte  aunt. 

76.  L.  lutea,  DC. 

H.  in  graminosis  ad  moles  glaciales,  M.  Schwarsseeberg. 

77.  L.  nivea,  DC. 

H.  In  sylvis  laricinis  inter  Zermatt  et  valleculam  Tssch. 

78.  L,  Spadicea,  DC. 

H.  In  M  Gemmi  in  saxosis  supra  Schwarrenbach. 

79.  Juncus  filiformis^  L. 

H.  In  uliginosis  torfaceis  supra  Zermatt. 

80.  J.  triglumis,  L. 

H.  In  uliginosis  M.  Gemmi  supra  Schwarrenbach. 
Obs.  Occurrit  bi-quinqueflorus. 

81.  J.  Jacquini^  L.  a.  minor,  semipedalis  pedalisye.  $  maximus 
mihi,  sesquipedalis  et  ultra^  perianthiis  pallidioribtts,  fusceaoen* 
tibus. 

4 


Alps  of  the  Valais.  19 

H.  a.  In  uliginosis  M.  Oemmi  supra  Schwarrenbach  et  in  summ. 
M.  Schalmette :  in  alpibus  supra  Zermatt^  et  Tsesch.  fi»  copi- 
ose  inter  saxa  in  alp.  supra  Taesch. 

Obs,  Ima.  In  var.  a>  Capsulfe  semper  immaturie,  perianthiis  mul- 
to  breriores.  In  var.  0.  Capsulse  maturse^  perianthiis  sequales  vel 
sablongiores,  capitulaque  interdum  longiuscule  pedunculata^  curva- 
to-reflexa,  hemisphsrica  vel  subglobosa. 

Obs,  2da.  Fructus  maturus  ab  auctoribus  nondum  visus  ut  vide- 
tar  e  descriptione  cl.  Gaudioi,  qui  Hostii  verba  ita  citavit :  "  Capsa- 
Ifle  ovato-triquetrsj  angulis  superne  acutis  (in  Fl.  Helv.  ii.  p.  561^ 
'*  Alatis"  in  Agrost.  ii.  p.  233,)  obtusse,  polyspermfie."  Koch>  in 
Deuts.  Fl.  ii.  p.  593,  capsulas^  ex  observationibus  cl.  Wahlenbergii^ 
acutas  perianthiis  duplo  longiores  descripsit.  Duby  in  Bot.  Gall.  i. 
"^TT*  etiam  eapsulam  forsan  imxnaturam  male  descripsit  **  perigonii 
segmentis  lanceolatis  acuminatis  capsulam  ovoideam  obtusam  mucro- 
natam  subsuperantibus/'  ut  nonnisi  longitudine  perianthii  a.  J.  cas* 
taneo  Sm.  distinguendus^  sed  notas  optimas  omnino  neglexit  ut  e  de« 
scriptione  sequenti  patet.  Capsula,  perianthio  vix  longior^  obtusa 
profdnde  emarginata,  obtuse-triquetra^  angulis  valde  coxnpressis  ca- 
naliculatis  fere  alatis.  Stylus  longiusculus  ex  emarginatura  persis- 
tens.  Semina  parva  ovalia  tunicata,  tunica  utriusque  longe  produc- 
ta  cnrvata.  In  exempl.  M.  Gemini,  Faulhorn,  &c.  et  in  omnibus 
in  Herbario  meo  conservatis,  capsulas  semper  immaturas  inveni :  in 
var  3.  capsulsB  omnes  maturfe  sed  quoad  longitudinem  paulo  varia* 
biles  sunt. 

82.  /.  trifidus,  L.  a  major^  1 — 3  floms.     /0  minor^  uniflorus.  J.  mo- 
nanthos,  Jacq. 

H.  a  in  sylvula  ad  viam  inter  St  Nicholas  et  Zermatt.     fi.  In 
alpibus  supra  Zermatt  ad  moles  glaciales. 

83.  •/.  bufoniusj  L. 

H.  ad  viam  inter  St  Nicholas  et  Zermatt. 

84.  /.  fusoo-ater,  Scbreb  Koch.  J.  ustulatus^  Hoppe.  0.  alpinus^  pa- 
nicula  simpliciuscula.  J.  alpinus,  Vill. 

H.  In  uliginosis^  M.  Schwarzseeberg. 


85*  Tqfieldia  borealis^  Wahl !  T.  paiustris^  Hud8.et  auct.  Britan- 

nioorum  ? 

H.  In  alpibus  supra  Zermatt. 

Obs.  Omnino  oongruit  cum  planta  arctica  a  cl.  Wahlenberg  et 
Agardt  missa^  et,  ut  Anthericum  calyculatum  a  eel.  Thunberg. 
Planta  Scotica  tantum  recedit  racemo  laxiori,  multifloro^  et  perian-* 
thio  magis  obtuso  coloratoque. 


20  Botanical  Excursion  to  the 

86.  T.  calyculata,  Wahl.  oc  vulgaris^  periantbio  acutiuscalo.  fi.  gla- 
cialis.  Thorn,  exs.  T.  glacialis^  Oaud.  Helv.  ii.  p.  596,  perianthio 
obtuso,  floribus  longius  pedicellatis.  y.  ramosa.  Thorn,  exs.  T. 
glacialis,  3*  ramosa,  Graud.  1.  c.  perianthio  obtuso,  floribus  longius 
pedicellatis,  pedunculis  infimis  productis  multifloris,  bracteolato- 
squamosis. 
H.*  «.  In  alpibus  supra  Zermatt.     0  and  y  in  graminosis  humi- 

dis  M.  Gem  mi  prope  die  Wintereck.  29  August  1836. 
Obs.  In  0.  perianthium  sspius  purpurascit.  Planta  variabilis^ 
et  persuasas  sum  T.  glacialis,  Gaud,  mere  forma  alpina  nee  spe- 
cies diversa :  sed  non  confundenda  cum  T.  boreali,  Wahl.  species  dis- 
tinctissima  Europse  septentrionalis  alpiumque  excelsiorum  Helvetise 
incola. 

87.*  Colchicum  alpinum^  DC. 
H.  Zermatt. 


88.  Ornithogalum  flstulosum^  Ram.  Koch.  Gagea — Rchb.  O.  Liot« 
tardi  Sterub.  Gaud. 

H.  Rarissime  ad  nives  deliquescentes  M.  Gemmi  supra  Schwar- 
renbach. 

Obs.  O.  iistulosum^  Gaud,  e  Rchb.  fl.  germ.  exc.  No.  735  ad  O. 
arvensem^  Pers.  pertinet.  Spec,  nostra  certe  omnino  cum  descrip- 
tione  sua  O.  Liottardi  convenit. 

89.  Allium  acutangulum^  Willd.     Rchb.  Germ.  exc.  No.  767« 

PI.  Crit.  8.  Ic  977'  (sed  culmus  nimis  elatus.)    A.  acutangulum 

j8.  montanum,  Koch.    A.  angulosum  ot  petrsum.  Gaud. 
H.  In  arvis  et  incultis  ad  moles  glaciales  supra  Zermatt. 
Obs.  Perianthium  saturatius  coloratum  quam  in  spec,  e  Jnrasso. 
Filamenta  alterna  basi  dilatata^  petalaque  acutiusculo-cuspidata. 

90.  A.  vineale^  Sm.  Gaud. 
H.  cum  praRcedenti. 

Obs.  £.  sententia  Kochii  et  Rchb.  idem  cum  A.  arenario  auct. 
planta  a  cl.  Thomasio  sub  hoc  nomine  accepta  videtur  diversa ;  sed 
genus  Allium  e  sicco  fere  inextricabile. 

91.  A,  oleraceum,  L.  Gaud. 
H.  cum  prsBcedentibus. 

Obs.  Spatha  foliolis  longissimis  e  basi  ovata  dilatatis  nervosis,  at« 
tennatis ;  folia  certissime  iistulosa  staminibusque  inclusis.  Forma 
spathsB  in  spec,  meis  hujus  et  species  sequentis  differt  et  ab  icone 
Rchb.  pL  crit.  5.  ic.  601  et  602^  et  a  descriptione  Gaudini. 

92.  A.  carinatum,  L.  Gaud.— /3.  ?  umbella  mere  bulbifera. 
H.  cum  priBcedentibus. 


Jfyfs  of  the  Valau  SI 

Obt.  Spatha^  foliolis  pnelongis  insequalibus  basi  ventrioosis  ner. 
folia  e  sicco  plana  videntur ;  floribos  non  evolutis^  sed  um- 
bell«  bulbi  feri  maturi.  In  var.  /?.  ?  Bulbilli  magis  elongati  te- 
nnioresqae  sunt^  et  spatha  magis  senescens^  ut  suspicor  potius  ad 
A.  panicolatum  Auct.Hely.  referendum^  cujus  varietatem  bulbiferam 
dim  in  Jurasso  supra  Biennem  legi. 
93.  Antkericum  scroti  num,  L.    Lloydia — Rchb. 

H.  In  alpibus  supra  Tsesch. 
94.*  J.  Liliastnim^  L.     Czackia — Andrz.  Rchb* 

H.  Zermatt. 


95.  Asparagus  officinalis^  L. 

H.  In  incultis  inter  Inden  et  Varen. 


96.  Larix  Europiea^  DC. 

H.  Inter  Inden  et  Varen — etiam  in  Valesia  superiori  prope  Brieg^ 
&C.  et  in  valle  D.  Nicolai  sylvas  magnas  efficit. 
97-  Pinus  Cembra,  L. 

H.  In  M.  Fiinelen — Sylvula  unica. 
96.  Juniperus  Sabina^  L.    a  erecta^  /3.  prostrata. 

H.  a.  Inter  Visp  et  Stalden  consort.    Hippopbae  rbamnoides. 
JS.  In  alpibus  supra  Zermatt  copiose. 


99.  Betula  alba^  L.  d.  verrucosa  (Ebrh  ?)  Oaud. 

H.  copiose  ad  rivulos  et  in  glareosis  inter  St.  Nicholas  et  Zer- 
matt. 

Obs.  Differt  a  B.  albse  forma  vulgari  foliis  duplo  majoribus  dor- 
80  glandulosis,  ramis  ramulisque  glanduloso- verrucosis — An  B.  ver- 
rucosa £hrh.  cum  B.  pubescenti  a  cl.  Rchb.  conjuncta  ?  Planta  hel- 
vetica certe  non  ad  pubescentem  sed  ad  B.  albam  referenda. 

100.  J/nif J  incana,  Willd. 
H.  prope  Kandersteg. 

Obs,  Forma  monstruosa  squamis  foliaceis. 

101.  Quercus  pubescens^  Willd. 

H.  In  coUibus  apricis  prope  Siders. 

Obs,  Folia  ramorum  juniorum  nuUo  modo  basi  iniequaliter  corda- 
ta,  sed  subtruncata  vel  in  petiolum  attenuata,  sinuato-pinnatifida 
subtus  cano-pubescentia^  lobis  sinuato-incisis  acutiusculis  apiculatis 
vel  interdum  obtusis. 


102.  Salix  myrsinites^  Gaud.  Helv.  vi.  263.  S.  arbutifolia^  Ser.  Essai 
—  $  ^  •  a  latifolia,  Gaud.  1.  c.  Ser.  Sal.  exs.  R6v.  in6d  N.  32  /3 ! 


2$t  Botanical  Excursion  to  the 

— fi.  angastifolia^  Gbiud.  1.  c  S.  myrsinites,  a  arbntifoUa^  Ser.  Sal. 
6X8.  R6v.  in^d.  No.  32^  a  ! — d,  lanata^  Gaud.  1.  c.  S.  myrsinites  /• 
pilosa^  Ser.  1.  c.  No.  32,  y. 

H.  a.  et  /8.  Ad  moles  glaciales  M.  Funelen ;  fi.  in  M.  Gemini  ad 

lacum  infra  Schnarrenbach  ;  L  in  M.  Gemmi  supra  Schwarren- 

bach  (forma  pilosa)  et  ad  moles  glaciales  Lammerngletscher, 

31  August  1836,  (forma  lanata.) 

Obs.  var.  a.  fere  forma  eadem  quam  e  Scotia  ut  S.  Myrsinites  re- 

tuli.    var.  3.  variat  amentis  foemineis  brevibus  crassis«  et  elongatis 

gracilioribus,  interdum  dense  sericeis  :  foliis  maturis  glaberrimis  lu- 

cidis  vel  junioribus,  praesertim  subtus,  subsericeis.     In  var.  d.  folia 

interdum  mere  pilosa,  interdum  lana  subsericea  densa  utrinque  tecta 

sunt. 

103.  S.  serpyllifolia.  Scop  $  . 

H.  Ad  moles  glaciales  M .  Schwarzseeberg  et  M.  Fiinelen. 

104.  S.  hastata,  L.  Wabl !  $  ^  •  non  Hoppe.  S.Ludwigii  Schleich ! 
H.  Ad  moles  glaciales  supra  Zermatt. 

Obs.  Folia  basi  insequaliter  rotundata,  interdum  subattenuata. 
S.  hastata  Hoppe  exs. !  videtur  potius  S.  phylicifolise  var. 

105.  S.  Monandra,  Hoffm.  Gaud.  var.  ramis  junioribus^  fbllisque  sub- 
tus  cttsio-pruinosis. 

H.  Ad  ripas  Vispfe  prope  Zermatt. 


106.  Euphorbia  Gerardiana,  Jacq. 

H.  In  incultis  inter  Varen  et  Siders. 
107-  E.  falcata,  L. 

H.  In  arvis  incultis  prope  Siders. 


108.  Empeirum  nigrum,  L. 

H.  InM.  Fiinelen. 

Obs.  Specimina  omnia  hermaphrodita,  stamina  nempe  sub  bacca 
matura  persistentia  inveni.  In  Jurassi  M.  Creux  du  Van  specimi- 
na omnia,  et  permulta  legi,  dioica  observari :  differunt  autem  pau- 
lulo  a  planta  alpina  habitu  laxiusculo,  caulibus  nempe  multo  minus 
lignosis,  foliisque  remotioribus,  longioribus  angustioribusque.  Planta 
Suecica,  a  cl.  Thunberg  missa,  et  Hibemica,  in  torfaceis  Cunnamara 
lecta,  videntur  dieicse,  sed  specimina  mea  nimis  manca. 


J  09.  Thesium  alpinum,  L,     a.  racemis  secundis,  bracteis  (lores  su- 
perantibus.     )3.  racemis  secundis,  bracteis  floribus  brevioribus. 
H.  a.  In  M.  Funelen.  j3.  In  M.  Gemmi  ad  lacum  infra  Scbwar- 

renbach. 


Alj}s  oftlie  Vcdais.  23 

Obs.  In  Jnrasao  varietatem  racemis  non  secundis  caoleque  elation 
8«pe  legi^  quae  mihi  var  7.  floribus  sparsis. 


110.  Hippopbae  rbamnoides^  L. 

H.  Ad  Vispam  inter  Visp  et  Stalden,  oopioae. 

06«.  Plantain  prope  Aberlady  in  comitatu  Haddington  lectam 
ab  am.  Macnab  accepi^  qufe  a  nostra  Helvetica  et  ab  alteris  Britan- 
moB  recedit,  foliis  duplo  latioribus  baccisque  fiacile  duplo  majoribus. 


111.  (Xryria  reniformis^  Hook. 

H.  In  M.  Gemmi  ad  mpes  prope  nives  perennes  M.  Scbalmette. 


112.  Ckenopodium  olidum^  Curt.   C.  fcetidum^  Lam.  Gand. 
H.  In  fossis  exsiccatis  ad  viam  prope  Siders. 

113.  C  albvm,  L.  ee.  vulgare — 0.  concatenatum^  Gbtud.  foliis  an- 
gustioribus  subintegerrimis  (integerrimis  acutis  apiculatisve)  ra- 
oemis  elongatis  gracilibus^  glomerulis  globosis  subdiscretis  (re- 
motiusculis.) 

H.  a.  inarvis  supra  Zermatt.     ^.  ad  viam  inter  Stalden  et  St 

Nicholas. 
Obs.  In  var.  /0.  caules  prostrati,  viridi  et  albo  fasciati.     Hac^ 
var  0.  riparium  Bngb.  in  Rchb.  Germ.  exc.  No.  3740  ^. 

114.  C.  Botrys,  L. 

H.  In  carbonariis  ad  viam  inter.Siders  et  Leuk.     In  arenoeis  in- 
ter Stalden  et  St  Nicholas. 

115.  C  hjbridum,  L. 

H.  In  vineis  prope  Varen. 


116.  Plantago  major^  L.     y.  brachystachya^  Koch.  Deutsch.  Fl.  i. 

p  801.  T.  minima,  Thom.  exs  !  non  DC.   P.  uliginosa,  Baumg  ! 

(vix  di versa.) 

H.  In  uliginoais  ad  viam  inter  St  Nicholas  et  Zermatt. 

Obs,  Spica  pauciflora  congesta  ovato-oblouga^  scapo  folia  5~7-ner- 
via  crassa  parva  superante ;  rhizoma  crassum.  Hue  pertinere 
videtur  icon  Taberniemontani  1107y  f-  2.  Ad  var.  d.  microstachyam, 
Koch.  1.  c.  pertinet  T.  minima,  DC.  Fl.  fr.  scapo  debili  foliis  triner- 
vis  breviori,  spica  pauciflora  (vix  ultra  6-flora)  floribusque  laxis. 
Scapi  interduni  petiolis  breviores ;  radix  fibrosa  tenuis.  Hanc  va- 
rietatem tantum  ex  ulignosis  Jurassi  prope  Delemont  lectam  accepi, 
et  in  ulignosis  torfaceis  Hiberniae  prope  Renvyle  Cunnamara  legi. 
117*  P«  montana>  Lam.     P.  atrata,  Hoppe  exs. ! 

H.  In  M.  Gemmi  in  graminosis  ad  lacum  infra  Schwarrenbach. 

Obs,  Non  confundenda  cum  var.  humili  P.  lanceolate. 


24  Dentition  and  Characters 

118.  P.  holoeerioea.  Gaud,  in  Roem.  et  Schult.  Syst.  Hi.  p. 
P.  montana  fi  ?  holosericea^  Gaud.  Helv.  i.  p.  400.    T.  saxatdlia 
fi  holosericea,  Rchb.  Germ.  exc.  No.  2677  0- 

Plantago,  foliis  lineari-lanceolatis  5-7'i>enri8  subintegerrimis, 
scapis  pilis  patentibus  lanuginoao-hireutia,  spica  denta  multiflora^ 
ovato-globosa,  bracteis  latisaimis  subrotundis  nervo  viridi  valido  per- 
cursis  apice  longe  ciliatis  immarginatis.  ou  foliis  glabriusculia.  ^. 
foliis  lannginofio-hirsutis. 

H.  a  In  glareoaisM.  Gemmiad  moles  glaciales  Lammerngletscher, 
oopiose,  31  Aug.  1836.  ^  In  glareosis  M.  Gemmi  supra 
Schwarrenbach,  1835^  et  cum  var.  ol  1836. 

Obs.  A.  P.  montana.  Lam.  praster  notas  indicatas,  spica  densissi- 
ma.  multiflora,  foliis  multo  latioribus  et  longioribos  staturoque  ma- 
jori  crassiori  abunde  differt.  P.  saxatilis,  M.  Bieb  !  quacum  con- 
jungit  el.  Rchb,  primo  visu  differt,  bracteis  latissime  8<»rio80-mar- 
ginatis,  et,  nisi  fallor,  corolla  pilis  obvallata  at  indicavit  cl.  auctor. 
PI.  argenten,  Lap.  (spec,  unicum  e  Pyremeis  ab  Endressis  lectum 
possideo)  vix  varietas :  in  P.  argentea.  Lap.  folia  sunt  dense  argen- 
teo-sericea,  bracteaeque  scarioso-marginatse  vix  coloratfe.  PI.  vic- 
torialis  (an  vera  ?)  e  Oalmatia  a  Pettero  missa  etiam  differt,  spica 
ovata,  floribus  minoribus,  scapo  elation,  foliis  brevioribus  latioribus- 
que  et  habita  omnino  P.  lanceolatse. 

119.  P.  lanceolata,  L.  0.  hungarica,  Rchb.  Germ.  exc.  No.  2678  i^. 
P.  hungarica,  Walds.  et  Kit ! 

H.  In  arenosis  ad  Rhodanum  prope  Leuk. 

Obs.  Scapi  numerosi  decumbentes,  4-5  unciales;  spica  brevia 
ovata,  bracteae  acuminatSB  hyalinae,  folia  vix  duas  lineas  lata,  brevia, 
lanugine  alba  tecta  vel  glabriuscula  et  ad  coUum  radicis  lanugine 
copiosa  longa  intertexta. 

120.  P.  alpina  L.     Var.  rigida,  rhizomate  incrassato,  lignoso.     P. 
bidentata  0,  >  humilis,  Gaud  ? 

H.  In  pascuis  arid  is  inter  Zermatt  et  St  Nicholas. 
Obs.  Radix  s»pe  odorata  fere  ut  in  Gnaphalio  graveolenti. 
(  To  be  continued.) 


II.— On  the  Dentition  and  other  Characters  of  the  British  Shrews, 
with  reference  to  M.  Duvernoy's  recent  researches  into  the  struc^ 
iure  of  this  genus  of  Animals,  By  the  Rev.  Leonard  Jentns, 
M.A.,  F.L.S.,  F.Z.S.,  &c. 

In  the  preface  to  the  "  Manual  of  British  Vertebrate  Animals," 
published  in  1835,  I  alluded  to  the  Shrews  as  one  of  those  groups 
the  species  of  which  required  further  investigation.     I  was  led  to 


of  the  British  Shrews.  25 

think  80  by  the  drcumstance  of  my  having  observed  great  differen- 
ees  amongst  individuals  usually  considered  as  belonging  to  the  same 
species,  and  the  belief  that  we  had  not  attained  to  a  knowledge  of 
the  true  value  of  those  characters  with  which  such  differences  were 
connected.  I  had  not^  however^  at  the  time  the  means  of  throwing 
any  furthe?  light  on  the  subject.  I  was  afterwards  in  hopes  that 
this  might  have  been  afforded  by  Mr  Bell^  whose  accurate  work  on 
the  British  Quadrupeds,  now  in  course  of  publication,  is  proba« 
Uy  fieimiliar  to  all  who  are  interested  in  the  matter  under  consi- 
deration. M.  Duvernoy  had  also  in  the  meantime  published  a  me- 
moir on  the  structure  of  these  animals,  which  promised  to  afford 
much  assistance  in  the  inquiry.  It  does  not  appear,  however^  that 
the  gentleman  first  alluded  to  had  become  acquainted  with  M.  Du- 
vemoy's  memoir  in  time  to  avail  himself  of  any  information  therein 
contained,  before  the  publication  of  the  third  part  of  the  "  British 
Quadrupeds,"  in  which  the  indigenous  species  of  the  genus  Sorex 
are  illustrated.  The  subject  consequently  remained  where  it  was ; 
Mr  Bell  at  the  same  time  joining  in  the  belief  that  it  stood  in  need 
of  some  further  investigation,  although  not  himself  in  possession  of 
the  requisite  facts  to  enable  him  at  that  time  to  undertake  the  in- 
quiry. 

It  was  under  these  circumstances,  and  on  the  occasion  of  my  be- 
ing enabled  to  consult  the  entire  memoir  of  M.  Duvernoy,  of  which 
I  had  previously  only  seen  an  abstract,  that  I  determined  a  short 
time  since  carefully  to  examine  anew  the  characters  of  the  British 
species  of  this  genus.  I  had  also  been  fortunate  in  obtaining  a  few 
specimens  in  addition  to  those  which  I  possessed  at  the  time  of  pub- 
lishing the  Manual  above  alluded  to.  The  result  of  my  inquiries 
is  what  I  purpose  to  communicate  in  the  present  paper ;  and  if  I 
have  not  succeeded  in  establishing  any  species  which  may  be  con* 
sidered  as  new,  I  yet  trust  I  shall  be  the  means  of  drawing  the  at- 
tention of  naturalists  to  a  few  facts  respecting  the  dentition  of  those 
hitherto  met  with  in  this  country,  which,  when  considered  in  con- 
nexion with  M.  Duvernoy's  researches,  must  lead  us  to  alter  our 
opinion  respecting  their  supposed  identity  with  others  met  with  on 
the  Continent. 

I  may  commence  by  stating  that  M.  Duvernoy's  memoir^  which 
is  entitled  "  Fragmens  d'Histoire  Naturelle  syst6matique  et  phy- 
siologique  sur  les  Musaraignes,"  is  contained  in  the  second  volume 
of  the  Transactions  of  the  Natural  History  Society  of  Strasburg. 
The  memoir  bears  the  dates  of  June  and  December  1834,  although, 
I  believe,  it  was  not  published  until  the  following  year.     Its  lead- 


26  Dentition  and  C/iaraaers 

ing  object  is  to  make  known  the  existence  of  three  distinct  t^pe*  of 
denlitkm  existing  amongst  the  shrews^  and  to  direct  attention  to  the 
characters  afforded  by  the  teeth,  as  much  more  deserving  our  confi- 
dence than  some  of  those  usually  resorted  to  for  establishing  speci- 
fic differences  in  this  genus.  It  has  been  the  practice  of  naturalists, 
in  describing  these  animals,  to  dwell  too  much  on  the  colour  of  the 
fur,  and  on  the  form,  as  well  as  the  relative  length  of  the  tail.  M. 
Duvemoy  has  shown  that  these  points  afford  very  uncertain  charac- 
ters ;  and  my  own  recent  examination  of  numerous  specimens  leads 
me  to  accord  entirely  with  his  opinion.  Not  only  does  the  colour 
of  the  fiir  vary  in  its  tints  with  age,  sex,  and  season,  but  in  the 
mode  according  to  which  the  tints  are  distributed.  M.  Duvemoy 
observes,  that  in  some  individuals  of  the  S.  araneus  the  under  parts 
of  the  body  are  pale  grey,  whilst  in  others  these  parts  are  the  darkest. 
He  adds,  that  the  upper  parts  of  the  body  will  vary  in  the  same 
species  from  greyish-brown  or  black  to  a  decided  red.  My  own 
observation  has  led  me  to  remark  further,  that  the  colours  are  not 
even  constant  in  individuals  of  the  same  age ;  nor  is  there  appa- 
rently any  fixed  relation  between  the  period  of  growth  and  the  na- 
ture of  the  prevailing  tint.  In  some  instances  I  have  noticed  young 
individuals  as  dark  as,  or  even  darker  than,  full-grown  specimens 
of  the  same  species ;  in  others,  young  which  were  of  a  lighter  rufous 
than  any  adult  that  I  had  ever  met  with.  The  characters  of  the 
tail,  at  least  those  derived  from  its  form,  seem  to  depend  chiefly 
upon  age.  It  is  generally  shorter  in  proportion,  and  always  thicker, 
in  young  than  in  old  individuals.  This  last  circumstance  is  due  in 
part  to  a  copious  growth  of  elongated  bristly  hairs,  which  closely 
surround  the  tail  in  young  specimens,  at  the  same  time  standing 
rather  out,  but  which  either  fall  as  age  advances,  or  become  so  worn 
from  friction  as  finally  to  leave  this  part,  in  very  old  individuals, 
nearly  naked.  It  is  also  manifestly  due  to  a  greater  plumpness  of 
the  tail  at  this  period.  In  after  life,  the  muscular  portions,  as  well 
as  the  investing  skin,  sometimes  shrivel,  so  as  to  render  the  angles 
of  the  included  vertebras  more  apparent ;  hence  entailing  not  only 
a  diminished  thickness  of  the  tail,  but,  what  is  equally  obvious  in 
adult  specimens,  a  change  in  its  form  from  cylindrical  to  nearly 
square.  With  reference  to  this  last  point,  M.  Duvemoy  observes, 
and  I  believe  correctly,  that  the  quadrangular  form  of  this  part  is 
common  to  several  species,  but  that  it  never  appears  till  after  a  cer- 
tain age,  the  tail  in  young  subjects  being  always  round.  There  is 
also  a  stricture  sometimes  observable  at  the  base  of  the  tail,  which  it 
is  of  importance  to  notice,  because  it  was  considered  by  Hermann  as 


ofth€  British  Shrews.  27 

Uie  distinguishing  character  of  a  peculiar  species  {S,  constrictus, 
Herm.),  which,  however,  according  to  Duvernoy,  who  has  examin- 
ed the  original  specimens  still  preserved  in  the  Museum  at  Stras- 
buTg,  proves  to  be  nothing  more  than  the  young  of  S,  araneus  and 
S.  /bditus.  In  fact,  this  is  a  character  likewise  affected  by  age,  if 
not  altogether  dependent  upon  it.  The  elongated  bristly  hairs  above 
spoken  of  are  rarely  found  quite  at  the  origin  of  the  tail,  or,  if  pre* 
sent,  are  shorter  here  than  elsewhere  and  more  closely  appressed. 
Hence  at  this  point  the  tail  appears  thinner ;  but,  from  the  circum- 
stance of  the  hairs  falling  in  advanced  life,  the  difference  becomes 
less  and  less  obvious,  and  in  some  instances  at  length  ceases  to  be 
observed. 

I  now  proceed  to  notice  the  different  types  of  dentition  which  M. 
Davemoy  has  observed  in  these  animals,  after  which  I  shall  describe 
more  at  length  the  characters  of  the  teeth  as  exhibited  by  the  species 
found  in  our  own  country. 

These  types,  which  are  three  in  number,  are  regarded  by  M.  Du- 
vernoy  as  indicative  of  so  many  sub-genera,  or  at  least  well-marked 
sections  in  the  old  genus  Sorbx. 

I.  The  first,  to  which  he  continues  the  name  of  Sorbx  in  a  re- 
stricted sense,  is  distinguished  by  having  the  two  middle  incisors  in 
the  lower  jaw  tviih  an  entire  or  simple  edge,  the  two  corresponding 
(nes  in  the  upper  hooked,  or  furnished  with  a  sjnir  appearing  as  a 
point  behind;  the  three  or  Jour  small  teeth  which  follow,  in  the  up- 
per jaw,  diminishing  rapidly  in  size  from  the  first  to  the  last :  none 
of  the  teeth  coloured — To  this  type  belong,  amongst  other  species, 
the  Sorex  araneus  of  Continental  authors,  and  the  S.  leucodoti  of 
Hermann. 

II.  The  second  type  (Hyorosorex,  Duv.)  has  the  lower  middle 
incisors  with  the  edge  denticulated  ;  the  upper  ones  forked,  the  spur 
being  prolonged  into  a  hook  (en  crochet ;)  the  small  molars  above, 
which  SLteJive  in  number,  diminishing  insensibly  from  the  first  to  the 
last :  all  coloured  at  the  tips, — Of  this  group  the  S.fodiens  of  Pallas 
is  considered  as  the  typical  species.  M.  Duvernoy  includes  also  the 
S,  tctragonurus  of  Hermann. 

III.  The  third  type  possesses  characters  in  some  measure  con- 
necting it  with  each  of  the  two  former,  on  which  account  it  is  nam- 
ed by  M.  Duvernoy  Amphisobex.  It  is  distinguished  by  the  lower 
incisors  being  simple,  and  the  upper  ones  hooked,  as  in  the  first  type; 
but  the  first  two  of  the  small  intermediate  teeth  (which  Are  four  in 
nnmber)  are  equal,  the  third  somewhat  less  than  these,  the  fourth 
rudimentary :  the  tips  of  the  incisors,  as  well  as  those  of  the  molars. 


28  Dentition  and  Characters 

are  a  little  coloured.  This  type  is  characteristic  of  a  peculiar  spe* 
cies,  which  M.  Duvernojr  describes  as  new,  under  the  name  of  S, 
Hermanni. 

After  attentively  considering  the  characters  assigned  by  M .  Du- 
Ternoy  to  his  three  types  respectively,  it  was  easy  to  ascertain  to 
which  of  them  the  species  of  Sorex  hitherto  described  as  natives  of 
this  country  by  our  own  naturalists,  belonged.  The  result  of  tlie 
examination  wzA,—Jirst,  that  we  have  no  British  species^  as  yet 
identified,  possessing  the  characters  of  his  first  type,  and  that  there- 
fore the  S,  araneus  of  English  authors  is-  not  the  same  as  the  S. 
araneus  of  the  Continent ; — secondly,  that  the  species  to  which  it 
has  been  the  custom  here  to  apply  that  name,  belongs  to  his  second 
type  HYDROdOREX ; — thirdly,  that  neither  is  the  S.J'odiens  of  this 
country,  judging  from  all  the  specimens  I  had  seen,  identical  with 
the  S.fodiens  of  Pallas,  or  at  any  rate  of  Duvernoy,  but  that  it 
associates,  in  respect  to  its  dentition,  with  the  S.  Hermanni  of  the 
author  last  mentioned  under  his  third  type  Amphisorrx. 

With  the  view  of  establishing  these  points,  which  may  cause  a 
little  surprise  with  some  of  our  naturalists,  1  beg  to  direct  attention 
to  the  structure  of  the  teeth  in  each  of  the  several  species  of  the  genus 
Sorex  hitherto  met  with  in  Great  Britain. 

S,  araneus,  (Of  English  Authors.) 
That  this  was  probably  not  the  same  as  the  S.  araneus  of  the 
continent,  I  ventured  to  suggest  in  the  Manual  of  British  Verte- 
brate Animals,  from  the  circumstance  of  our  species  having  the 
teeth  coloured,  which  had  been  said  by  Geoffroy,  in  his  description 
of  the  one  found  in  France,  to  be  white,  *  Mr  Bell  thought  that 
Geoffroy's  statement  was  erroneous,  and  that  there  was  not  suffi- 
cient ground  for  the  above  opinion,  t  It  would  seem,  nevertheless, 
to  be  fully  confirmed  by  Duvernoy,  who,  moreover,  notes  this  cha- 
racter as  one  of  those  particularly  distinguishing  his  first  subgenus. 
But  were  this  not  so,  and  were  we  entirely  to  disregard  the  colour 
of  the  teeth,  their  number  and  structure  would  at  once  serve  to  se- 
parate our  own  araneus  from  the  species  bearing  the  same  name 
on  the  continent. 

The  following  description  is  that  of  the  dentition  of  our  common 
threw,  and  applies  to  every  specimen  I  have  as  yet  examined. 
The  entire  number  of  teeth  is  twenty  in  the  upper  jaw,  and  twelve 

•  See  Man,  p.  17,  Note.  f  Brit.  Quad,  p.  110. 


of  the  British  Shrews.  29 

in  the  lower.  Of  the  fonner>  the  last  four  on  each  side  are  true 
molars,  the  second  and  third  of  which  may  be  termed  perfect^  the 
two  others  imperfect.*  The  second  and  third  molars  may  be  re« 
garded  as  formed  each  of  two  triangular  prisms^  with  their  summits 
directed  inwards^  on  which  side  there  is  a  projecting  spur  or  heel 
at  the  base.  In  the  second^  the  first  prism  is  sensibly  smaller  than 
the  following  one.  In  the  thirds  the  two  prisms  are  equal.  The 
first  molar  is  of  a  somewhat  irregular  form.  Strictly  speakings  there 
is  only  the  second  prism  present,  of  which  the  posterior  side  may 
be  regarded  as  excessively  developed  at  the  expense  of  the  two  other 
sides,  as  well  as  of  the  projecting  spur  within.  The  first  prism  is 
simply  represented  by  a  small  point  or  denticle  in  advance  of  the 
second.  Viewed  in  profile,  this  tooth  presents  the  appearance  of  a 
sharp^edge  with  threepoints,  and  resembles  one  of  the  false  molars 
observable  in  many  of  the  Carnivora.  The  fourth  molar  is  small, 
and,  like  the  first,  formed  but  of  a  single  prism.  In  this  instance, 
however,  it  is  the  first  prism  which  is  present,  the  second  being  ru« 
dimentary,  and  exhibiting  but  one  side,  which  is  carried  inwards  to 
unite  with  the  projecting  spur,  which  is  itself  also  rudimentary. 

Between  the  molars  just  described  and  the  two  true  incisors  at 
the  extremity  of  the  jaw,  which  last,  from  their  peculiar  develop- 
ment,  form  a  remarkable  feature  in  the  dental  system  of  this  genus, 
are  five  small  teeth  on  each  side,  concerning  the  exact  nature  of 
which  there  has  been  much  difference  of  opinion.  Some  authors 
have  regarded  them  as  canines,  others  as  false  molars,  others  again 
as  lateral  incisors.  Without  entering  into  the  merits  of  this  ques- 
tion, which  had  already  been  discussed  by  M.  Isidore  Oeoffroy  St 
Hilaire,***  previously  to  Duvernoy's  late  memoir,  I  shall  simply  state 
that  in  the  present  paper  I  adopt  the  opinion  of  the  author  last- 
mentioned,  who  seems  most  disposed  to  regard  them  as  incisors, 
principally  from  the  circumstance  of  their  being  almost  all  implant- 
ed in  the  intermaxillary  bone.:^  ^  shall,  therefore,  continue  to  call 
them,  as  some  have  done  before  me,  lateral  incisors,  giving  the 
name  of  middle  incisors  to  the  anterior  pair  of  teeth  so  remarkably 
distinguished  from  all  others  by  their  form  and  great  development. 

*  In  describing  the  molars,  which  appear  to  be  nearly  similar  in  all  the  spe- 
cies, I  have  adopted,  in  a  great  measure,  the  language  of  Duvemoy. 

f  See  IHct.  Claa.  d'Hist.  Nat,  Tom.  ii.  p.  313. 

I  One  argument  for  not  regarding  them  as  false  molars  is  founded  by  Duver- 
noy  on  their  relative  proportions.  He  observes  that  false  molars  always  in- 
crease gradually  in  size  from  the  first  to  the  most  backward.  In  the  instance 
of  these  teeth,  on  the  contrary,  the  first  in  the  series  are  the  laigest. 


30  Dentition  and  Characters 

In  the  species  under  consideration^  the  middle  incisors  are  of  a 
compessed  conical  form,  and  very  much  produced,  at  first  taking  a 
horizontal  direction,  but  afterwards  curving  downwards  in  a  hook- 
like  manner.  Each  is  furnished  with  a  spur  or  second  point,  aris- 
ing from  the  horizontal  portion  of  the  tooth,  and  which  is  so  much 
developed  as  nearly  to  equal  the  anterior  point  in  size.  Hence  this 
tooth  appears  forked ;  and  when  viewed  in  the  recent  animal,  and 
still  covered  in  part  with  the  muscular  integuments,  the  points  of 
the  fork  might  easily  be  mistaken  for  two  distinct  teeth.  These 
middle  incisors  are  widely  separated  at  their  origin,  but,  gradually 
approaching,  touch  each  other  soon  after  bending  to  form  the  de- 
scending hook. 

The  lateral  incisors  form  a  closely  compacted  series,  the  first  re- 
posing in  part  upon  the  base  of  the  middle  incisor  just  described, 
and  each  one  in  succession  upon  that  of  the  tooth  immediately  pre- 
ceding. They  are  of  a  conical  form,  the  first  three  having  the  base 
surrounded  by  an  elevated  margin  most  conspicuous  internally. 
The  first  rather  exceeds  in  size  the  posterior  point  of  the  middle  in* 
cisor  in  advance ;  the  succeeding  ones  decrease  in  a  very  gradual 
manner,  the  last  being  small  and  not  easily  observed. 

In  the  lower  jaw  the  true  molars  amount  to  three  only  on  each 
side,  the  first  being  the  largest  and  the  last  the  smallest.  Each  is 
formed,  as  in  the  upper  jaw,  of  two  triangular  prisms,  with  the 
summits,  however,  in  this  instance,  directed  outwards.  In  the 
third  molar,  the  second  prism  is  incomplete. 

The  two  middle  incisors  in  this  jaw  present  a  remarkable  ap- 
pearance, being  very  much  produced,  and  standing  out  horizontally 
for  nearly  their  whole  length,  the  extreme  tips  only  being  slightly 
bent  upwards.  The  upper  margin,  which  forms  a  sharpish  edge, 
exhibits  three  small  denticles  behind  the  main  point,  and  when 
viewed  in  profile  has  a  festooned  or  crenated  appearance. 

Between  the  middle  incisors  and  the  first  molar  are  two  lateral 
incisors  of  nearly  the  same  form  as  those  above,  but  rather  more 
pointed  as  well  as  lengthened.  The  second,  moreover,  presents  the 
rudiment  of  a  second  point,  though  so  little  obvious  as  scarcely  to 
deserve  notice,  were  it  not  for  the  circumstance  that  in  the  next 
species  this  second  point  attains  a  considerable  development.  The 
first  of  the  lateral  incisors,  which  is  smaller  than  the  other,  rests  in 
a  great  measure  upon  the  base  of  the  middle  incisor  preceding  it. 
The  second,  in  like  manner,  rests  partly  upon  the  first. 

All  the  teeth  in  this  species  have  their  salient  portions  more  or 
less  deeply  tinged  with  brownish  red.     In  the  case  of  the  middle 


of  ike  British  Shrews.  31 

and  lateial  indsors,  it  is  more  especially  the  tips  and  the  outer  sur- 
hce  which  are  thus  coloured.  It  is  also  the  outer  surface  in  the 
lower  molars ;  but  in  the  upper  molars  it  is  principally  the  inner 
sorfaoe^  and  the  internal  elevated  ridges  which  form  the  spur.  In 
MHne  specimens  the  colouring  is  very  slight  on  the  lateral  incisors, 
bat  it  may  always  be  readily  observed  on  the  other  teeth. 

On  the  whole,  the  dental  formula  for  this  species  will  stand  thus : 
Mid.  Inc.  J  ;  lat.  Inc.  |  :  f  ;  moL  J  :  J  ;  =  f  g. 

S.Jbdiens,     (Of  English  Authors.) 

In  this  species,  the  entire  number  of  teeth  is  two  less  than  in  the 
one  last  described.  The  molars  are  the  same,  both  as  regards  num- 
ber and  form,  above  and  below ;  but  a  considerable  difference  ap- 
pears in  the  middle  and  lateral  incisors. 

The  former,  in  the  upper  jaw,  are  larger  in  relation  to  the  other 
teeth,  and  more  curved.  The  first  point  is  also  much  more  developed 
than  the  second ;  which  last  appears  only  as  a  short  though  sharp 
spur,  and  ceases  to  convey  the  impression  of  the  entire  tooth  being 
forked.  This  spur  is,  however,  itself  distinctly  furnished  with  a 
very  minute  second  point,  of  which  there  is  scarcely  a  rudiment  in 
the  last  species.  These  middle  incisors  are  less  divaricated  at  their 
origin  than  in  the  S,  araneus,  and  meet  each  other  sooner,  though 
in  some  individuals  without  actually  touching.  Their  inner  mar- 
gins exhibit  at  their  point  of  contact  a  small  process,  which  may  be 
also  observed  in  S.  araneus,  but  which  is  more  obvious  in  the  spe- 
cies under  consideration. 

The  lateral  incisors  in  this  jaw  are  only  four,  and  but  three  of 
these  are  readily  seen,  the  fourth  being  extremely  small,  and  placed 
rather  within  the  line  of  the  adjoining  teeth,  by  which  it  is  in  part 
concealed  when  viewed  from  without.  They  are  of  a  compressed 
triangular  form,  with  the  base  more  dilated  than  in  the  S.  araneus. 
The  first  two  are  of  nearly  equal  size ;  the  third  somewhat  smaller. 

In  the  lower  jaw,  the  middle  incisors  are  even  more  produced 
than  in  the  S.  araneus,  and  equally  horizontal  in  their  direction. 
The  upper  margin  is  almost  entire,  presenting  only  near  its  base 
one  obtuse  denticle,  seldom  very  conspicuous,  and  apparently  the 
less  so  as  age  advances. 

The  lateral  incisors  in  the  lower  jaw  are  two  in  number,  as  in  the 
case  of  the  last  species.  The  second  is  also  the  largest ;  but  this 
tooth,  as  already  mentioned,  differs  from  its  corresponding  one  in  the 
S,  aranetu  in  having  its  posterior  or  secondary  point  considerably 
developed. 


32  Dentition  and  Characters 

The  teeth  are  all  more  or  less  coloured  as  in  the  last  species. 
The  dental  formula  is  as  follows : 

Mid.  Inc.  i ;  lat.  Inc.  J  :  *  ;  Mol.  }  :  |;  =  ^f. 

S.  remifer,  (Of  English  Authors.) 
Of  this  species  I  have  only  been  able  to  examine  accurately  the 
dentition  of  a  single  specimen.  It  does  not  differ  materially  from 
that  of  the  S,  fodiens  last  described.  The  processes  on  the  inner 
margins  of  the  upper  middle  incisors  are  rather  more  developed, 
and  it  is  by  means  of  these  processes  only  that  the  two  teeth  ap- 
proach one  another.  The  fourth  lateral  incisor  in  the  upper  jaw  is 
also  a  trifle  larger,  and  terminates  upwards  in  a  more  decided  point* 
The  lower  middle  incisors  have  their  upper  margins  perfectly  en- 
tire^ not  exhibiting  even  the  rudiment  of  a  single  denticle.  The 
colouring  of  all  the  teeth  is  the  same>  but  in  the  specimen  examin- 
ed^ not  very  intense. 

After  the  details  above  given^  it  is  hardly  necessary  to  dwell  on 
the  essential  differences  between  the  first  two  of  our  British  species 
and  the  two  continental  ones  bearing  the  same  names.  It  will  be 
readily  seen,  on  referring  to  the  characters  of  Duvernoy's  three 
types,  that  they  differ  particularly  in  the  form  of  the  middle  inci- 
sors in  both  jaws,  and  in  the  number,  as  well  as  in  the  relative  size 
of  the  lateral  incisors  above.  The  difference  in  number  amounts,  in 
the  case  of  the  S,  araneus,  to  as  many  as  four.  It  is  in  fact  not  a 
little  singular  that  the  dental  system  of  our  arat/eus  should  be  near* 
ly  coincident  with  that  of  the  continental  yb(/ifn^ ;  while  that  of  our 
fodiens,  though  not  exactly  the  same  (in  as  much  as  it  clearly  be- 
longs to  Duvernoy's  third  type,)  should  yet  closely  approach  the  den- 
tition of  the  continental  araneus.  But  besides  the  distinctive  cha- 
racters afforded  by  the  teeth,  there  are  others  observable  in  the  form 
of  the  cranium.  Of  this  I  judge  from  a  comparison  of  Duvernoy's 
figures  of  this  part  with  the  same  part  in  our  British  specimens.  In 
the  instance  of  the  S.  araneus,  the  cranium  is  slightly  larger  in  all 
its  dimensions,  but  especially  wider  across  the  snout  and  less  atte- 
nuated, than  in  the  araneus  of  this  country.  In  the  5.  fodiens,  it 
is  decidedly  smaller,  and  the  proportions  of  the  snout  not  so  consi- 
derable. 

But  if  our  British  species  be  not  the  same  as  the  S.  araneus  and. 
fodiens  of  continental  authors,  it  will  naturally  be  asked, — ^to  what 
other  species  we  are  to  refer  them  ?  To  this  inquiry,  at  least  as  re- 
gards one  of  them,  it  is  not  so  easy  to  return  a  direct  answer,  until 


of  the  British  Shrews.  38 

all  those  BOtioed  by  different  authors  shall  have  had  their  dentitions 
Examined  with  reference  to  the  three  types  indicated  by  Duvernoy. 
Our  most  common  species^  the  so-called  S.  araneus,  which^  as  be- 
fore stated,  unquestionably  belongs  to  the  second  of  the  above  types 
{Hffdrosorex,)  I  have  little  doubt  is  synonymous  with  the  <$.  tetra^ 
gonurusj  the  only  other  noticed  by  Duvernoy  under  that  section^  be- 
sides  the  true  S,  fodiens  of  Pallas  and  himself,  from  which  it  is 
clearly  different.  M.  Duvernoy  has  given  a  description  of  this  spe- 
des^  as  well  as  a  coloured  representation  of  the  entire  animal^  and 
though  this  last  may  appear  at  first  sight  larger  than  our  araneus, 
as  well  as  slightly  different  in  some  other  respects,  yet  it  accords  ex« 
actly  with  specimens  of  a  rather  unusual  size  obtained  by  me  from 
the  fens  of  Cambridgeshire,  to  which  I  shall  have  occasion  to  refer 
prosei&tly.  His  description  is  for  the  most  part  of  a  relative  na« 
tare  serving  to  distinguish  the  S,  teiragonurus  from  the  S,  fodiens. 
Henoe  it  will  not  admit  of  direct  application  where  we  have  not  the 
laat-named  species  with  which  to  contrast  it.  But  so  far  as  it  can 
be  judged  of,  it  would  seem  to  &vour  the  opinion  I  have  above  ha- 
sarded*  Thus  he  observes  that  it  is  distinguished,  in  the  first  place, 
by  its  much  smaller  sixe ;  secondly,  by  the  form  of  the  snout,  which 
u  nanrawer  and  more  elongated  ;  thirdly,  by  the  form  of  its  feet, 
which  are  less  thick  and  less  broad  than  those  of  the  S*  fodiens* 
Lasify,  he  notices  some  slight  differences  in  the  teeth  compared  with 
those  of  the  species  just  mentioned.  One  of  these  consists  in  the 
first  denticle  on  the  margin  of  the  lower  middle  incisor  being  so 
little  removed  from  the  point  of  that  tooth  as  to  appear  but  as  a 
lobe  of  this  last,  and  to  give  in  consequence  to  the  extremity  of  the 
tooth  a  bilobated  character.  Another  difference  consists  in  the  den- 
ticle of  the  second  lateral  incisor  in  the  lower  jaw  being  less  de- 
Teloped.  With  respect  to  the  last  two  peculiarities,  of  the  former 
it  is  not  easy  to  judge  without  knowing  its  appearance  in  the  S.fi^ 
diens,  hot  I  conceive  it  will  be  hardly  thought  inapplicable  to  our 
apecieSj  in  which  I  have  already  notioed  (when  describing  its  den- 
tition) three  denticles  arranged  in  a  series  behind  the  main  point  of 
the  tooth  in  question,  to  which  last  the  first  is  sufficiently  approxi- 
mated to  convey  the  appearance  above  alluded  to  by  Duvernoy.  To 
the  latter,— the  rudimentary  state  of  the  second  point  in  the  second 
lateral  incisor  below, — I  have  in  like  manner  already  drawn  atten* 

t]<Ml. 

M.  DuTemoy  assigns  the  following  dimensions  to  the  S.  ietra* 
gonurus  : 

TOL.  II.  NO.  7*  c 


34  Dentition  and  Characters 

MUhm,        Inc.  Xm» 
Length  of  body,        ....        0,070    »    2    9^  • 

of  tail,        .  .         .  0,045    »    1     91  nearly. 

From  the  orifice  of  the  ear  to  the  end  of 

the  snout,        ....  0,021    ss    0  10,  or  more. 

Fh>m  the  eye  to  the  same  point,  .  0,010    »    0    4}  ; 

which  are  not  very  different  from  those  of  many  individuals  of  our 
common  species^  which  last  varies  very  much  in  this  respect^ — ^in 
the  relative  length  of  the  tail  and  body  especially. 

The  S.  tetragonurus  was  first  described  by  Hermann^  in  1783, 
from  specimens  found  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Strasburg  by  the  ce- 
lebrated Dr  Gall.  To  his  work^  entitled  Tabula  affinitatum  Ani" 
malium,  I  have  had  no  access.  The  species,  however,  has  been  sub- 
sequently noticed  by  several  other  authors  besides  Duvemoy,  in 
whose  descriptions  I  find  scarcely  any  thing  at  variance  with  the 
characters  of  the  S.  aranetu  of  this  country.  Geoffroy's,  indeed,  is 
almost  the  only  one  which  appears  founded  upon  original  observa- 
tion.* And  one  remark  of  his,  relating  to  the  teeth,  which  perhaps 
may  be  thought  not  strictly  applicable  to  our  species,  it  will  be  right 
to  notice.  He  states  that  all  the  canines,  (by  which  name  he  de- 
signates what  in  this  paper  are  called  lateral  incisors)  are  of  equal 
size,  fiut  it  must  be  remembered,  that  he  is  here,  as  well  as  in 
most  other  parts  of  his  description,  contrasting  the  S.  tetragonurus 
with  the  S.  araneus  of  the  continent,  in  which  last,  according  to 
Duvemoy,  the  teeth  in  question  diminish  in  size  very  rapidly. 
Hence  the  expression  must  not  be  taken  strictly,  and  according  to 
the  letter.  As  to  the  form  of  the  tail,  which  has  obtained  for  it 
its  name,  and  which  is  much  dwelt  upon  by  Geofifroy,  we  have  al- 
ready shown  that  this  is  not  in  any  case  to  be  depended  on.  The 
dimensions  given  by  him  are : 

Length  of  body  60  millimetres  =  2  inc.  44  lin.  nearly, 
tail    40  =1  inc.  7    lin. 

which  differ  from  those  of  Duvemoy,  shewing  that  in  this  respect 
the  S,  tetragonurus  is  equally  variable  as  our  British  araneus.  Its 
tendency  to  vary  in  other  respects  also,  we  may  gather  from  the  ac- 
count of  this  species  by  Isidore  Geofifroy  St  Hilaire  in  the  Diction^ 
naire  Clasnque  tVHistoire  NaturelUyf  where,  after  repeating  several 
of  the  characters  already  noticed  by  Geofi^oy,  he  states  that  he  has 
examined  many  Individuals  apparently  referrible  to  it,  in  which  he 

*  Memoire  sur  les  esp^ces  de  genre  Musaraigne. — ^lui.  du  Mu$.  Tom.  mil. 
(1811,)  p.  177,  pL  2,  f.  3. 
f  Tom.  xi.  p.  320. 


of  the  British  Shretos.  35 

tDbserved  considerable  differences  of  colour.  Both  authors  speak  of 
it  as  being  found  in  nearly  the  same  situations  as  the  S.  araneus, — 
ID  barns^  gardens^  &c.  the  latter  adding  that  it  is  not  of  unfrequent 
occurrence. 

Desniarest>  *  Fred.  Cuvier^  t  and  Fischer^  %  ^^  ^^®^'  descriptions 
of  the  S,  teiragonuruSy  add  nothing  to  what  had  been  previously 
said  by  QeoWroj. 

Although  I  have  referred  above  our  British  araneus  to  the  Sm 
teiragonums  of  Duvernoy^  I  think  it  not  impossible  it  may  still  be 
the  same  as  the  S.  aranau  of  Linnieus.  This  indeed  cannot  be  in- 
ferred from  the  brief  description  in  the  twelfth  edition  of  the  Si^s^ 
tema  Natura,  in  which  there  is  no  mention  made  of  the  teeth.  But 
in  the  Fauna  Suecica,  (edit,  l?^!,)  he  speaks  of  the  upper  middle 
iadsors  as  bi/id  and  curved,  the  lower  ones  serrated ;  the  canines 
(lateral  incisors)  in  the  upper  jaw  as  four  in  number,  and  very 
sanalL  These  characters  are  not  inapplicable  to  our  species ;  for 
although  there  are  really  fve  lateral  incisors  above,  the  fifth  is  so 
minute  as  readily  to  escape  observation.  M.  Duvernoy  was  led  by 
the  description  in  the  work  last  referred  to,  to  consider  the  Lin- 
ncan  araneus  (the  only  European  true  Sorex  known  to  the  Swe- 
dish naturalist,)  the  same  as  the  species  afterwards  called  fodiens ; 
but  this  is  explained  by  the  circumstance  of  his  (DuverikoY's)  fodiens 
having  in  fftct  the  same  dentition  as  our  araneus ;  and  he  seems  to  have 
been  moreimpressed  with  the  idea  that  it  was  distinct  from  Am  araneus 
(which  it  certainly  is)  than  with  the  possibility  of  its  being  his  te^ 
iragonurus,  with  which,  as  above  shewn,  our  araneus  ought  pro- 
bably to  be  associated. — But  however  this  may  be,  as  there  is  some 
doubt  attached  to  the  Linnaean  species,  I  should  feel  inclined  in  this, 
as  in  all  similar  cases  in  which  there  have  been  two  or  more  species 
confounded  under  the  same  name,  to  continue  thai  name  to  that  one 
in  particular  which  has  been  best  characterized  by  subsequent  authors. 
Hence,  without  any  reference  to  Linnieus,  I  should  propose  suffer- 
ing the  name  of  araneus  to  remain  with  the  species  so  well  describ- 
ed by  Daubenton,  Oeoffroy,  and  Duvernoy,  and  calling  ours  (at 
least  tiU  it  be  shewn  that  it  is  not  the  species  so  designated  by  Her- 
mann,) by  that  of  tetragonurus. 

We  must  now  proceed  to  make  some  remarks  respecting  the  S. 

fodiens  of  this  country,  which,  as  before  stated,  it  is  hardly  possible, 

in  the  present  state  of  the  subject,  to  identify  with  complete  cer- 

•  MammaL  p.  150.  f  Diet,  des  Sci,  Nat,  Tom.  zxziii.  p.  425. 

f   SjfnopM.  MammaL  p.  253. 


36  DeniUion  and  Characters 

tainty  in  the  descriptions  of  foreign  authors.  In  fact  it  is  quite 
clear  that^  in  this  instance  also,  there  have  been  at  least  two,  if  not 
more,  species  ecmfounded ;  sometimes  under  the  name  of  S.  Dan^ 
bentonii,  at  other  times  under  that  of  S.Jbdiens,  The  former  name^ 
I  believe,  originated  with  Erxleben,*  hj  whom  it  was  applied  to  the 
Musaraigne  (Teau  of  Daubenton,  t  which  is  probably  the  same  as 
the  species  described  subsequently  under  the  same  name  by  Oeof* 
froy  and  many  of  the  French  writers,  but  by  Hermann  under  that 
of  S.  carinalus,  and  by  Duvernoy,  in  his  recent  memoir,  under  that 
of  S.Jbdiens.  The  latter  fS.fodUnsJ  was  first  given  by  Pallas  to 
a  species  discovered  by  himself  near  Berlin,  of  which  he  sent  seve* 
ral  prints  to  Pennant,  who  considered  it  the  same  as  the  ivaUr 
ehrew  of  this  country,  but  of  which  the  exact  characters  had  not 
then,  and,  so  far  as  I  am  aware,  have  never  since  been  published.^; 
Hence  we  have  not  tlie  means  of  judging  what  Pallas's  species  real- 
ly was.  If  Duvernoy  is  right  in  regarding  it  to  be  the  same  as  his, 
from  which  ours  is  decidedly  different,  it  is  at  once  evident  that  the 
name  ofjbdiens  no  longer  of  right  belongs  to  the  British  species. 
Whether  ours  be  the  fodiens  of  any  other  author  subsequent  to 
Pallas,  is  a  distinct  questi<Ni ;  and  that  it  is,  there  are  strong  grounds 
for  believing,  of  Gmelin  in  particular,  whose  characters  of  the  teeth 
will  not  accord  with  those  of  Duvernoy's^^M^i^Ti^,  but  are  very  nearly 
similar  to  those  of  our  own.  It  must,  however,  be  mentioned,  that 
several  new  aquatic  species  of  Sorex  have  been  indicated  of  late 
years  by  the  continental  naturalists,  which  tends  to  make  the  in- 
quiry more  preplexing.  Brehm  has  briefly  described  three,  in  ad- 
dition to  one  which  he  considers  as  the  S.  fodiens  of  Bechstein, 
in  the  periodical  conducted  by  himself  under  the  title  of  Omis.  § 
More  recently,  a  sketch  of  a  new  arrangement  of  the  shrews  by 
Wagler||  has  been  published  in  the  Isis  of  1832.  In  this  last  essay, 
the  species  are  distributed  under  three  distinct  genera,  somewhat 
analogous  to  Duvemoy's  subgenera ;  and  judging  from  the  characters 
of  the  teeth  assigned  to  one  of  them,  {Crossopus,  W.)  in  which  he 
places  the  S,  fodiens,  I  think  it  probable  that  the  species  intended 
under  this  last  name,  (considered  by  him  as  synonymous  with  the 

*  SysUma  JUfftd  Aminudis.     CItug.  L  Mamm.  Lips.  1777.  p.  124. 

f  MAn,  de  tAcad.  dea  ScL  de  Par.  1756,  p.  211,  pi.  5.  f.  2. 

I  See  PetoL  Hist,  qf  Quad.    (Edit  179a)     Vol.  ii.  p.  225,  note. 

§  The  characters  of  these  four  species  will  be  also  found  in  BtJL  des  Sci. 
Nat.  1827.     Tom  xi.  p.  287. 

I  Said  to  have  been  found  after  his  death  amongst  his  manuscripts.  A  brief 
abstract  of  the  arrangement  is  given  by  Duvernoy  at  the  conclusion  of  his  me- 
moir, with  remarks.     There  only  have  I  seen  it 


of  the  BritiA  Shrews.  87 

fidiens  of  Brehm)  maj  be  the  sane  as  the  fodieus  of  this  country. 
fiat  it  will  be  unprofitoble  at  present  to  porsue  this  inqniry  further. 
And  until  we  have  a  more  exact  knowledge  oiF  the  characters  of 
these  specaea  to  ^ich  the  name  aijbdiens  has  been  applied  abroad, 
I  think  it  would  be4idTi8aUe  to  abstain  fiom  applying  that  name  to 
oor  own  species,  cr  at  least  considering  this  last  as  necessarily 
identical  with  any  of  the  aboye.  One  thing  is  certain  ; — that  it  is 
noi  the  S,fodiens  of  Duvemoy,  which  is  probably  synonymous  with 
the  Muuaraigne  iTtau  of  the  other  fVendi  anthors.  If  it  be  asked 
bj  what  name  we  are  to  call  the  water  shrew  of  this  country,  i 
would  propose,  (at  least  for  the  present)  restoring  to  it  that  of  bU 
color ;  a  name  originally  given  to  it  by  Shaw,  *-*^me  extremely 
applicable,  and,  so  fiur  as  I  know,  not  adopted  by  any  ftareign  author 
•8  a  name  for  any  of  the  species  met  with  on  the  continent. 

With  respect  to  the  S.  remSifsr  of  this  country,  I  have  nothing 
new  to  adduce  on  the  subject  of  its  synonymy.  In  Duvemoy's  me- 
moir there  is  not  the  slightest  mention  made  of  this  species,  by 
which  we  can  get  a  clue  to  the  dentition  of  the  one  originally  co 
named  by  G^ftoy,  or  the  section  to  which  it  belongs  in  his  own 
anangememt.  I  shall  simply  state,  that,  judging  ftom  the  slight 
differences  in  the  teeth  already  alluded  to,  added  to  its  other  charac- 
ters previously  establiriied,  I  feel  strengthened  in  the  opinion  of  its 
bdng  really  ^stinet  from  our  S.jbdiene,  to  which,  however,  it  is  at 
ilie  same  time  very  cloeely  allied. 

Having  endeavoured  in  the  preceding  pages  to  elucidate  the  cha- 
racters, and  to  rectify  the  nomenclature,  of  our  three  British  Shrews, 
I  am  anxious  now  to  direct  attention  to  two  yarieties  of  our  most 
common  species  {aranetie  of  authors,)  met  with  in  my  own  neigh- 
bourhood,  and  which,  had  they  occurred  to  persons  not  very  conver- 
aant  with  these  animals,  might  easily  haye  been  regarded  as  distinct. 
The  first  which  I  shall  notice  is  one  already  alluded  to  in  a  former 
part  of  this  paper  as  remarkable  for  its  size. 

Far,  1. — Dimensions  as  follows : — 

/nc  Lin. 
Length  of  the  head  and  body,  -  -  -  •«  3      1 

of  the  head, 0     11 

of  the  tail  (to  the  end  of  the  bone,)      ...  17 

of  the  hmd  foot  (from  the  heel  to  the  extremity  of  the  claws,)  0      61 
of  the  fore  foot  (from  the  wrist  in  like  manner,)  -  0      4 

of  the  ears,        --  -  -  -  -  0       1} 

From  the  eye  to  the  anterior  margin  of  the  orifice  of  the  ear,    -    -        0      4 
to  the  tip  of  the  snout,        -        -  -  -  0      4| 

•  NaU  Misc*  Vol.  ii.  pi.  35. 


38  Dentition  and  Character$ 

Notwithstanding  this  variety  exceeded  in  balk  and  entire  length 
any  individuals  of  its  kind  I  had  before  met  with,  it  will  be  ob- 
served that  its  head  and  tail  taken  separately  were  each  shorter 
than  in  either  of  the  specimens  of  which  the  dimensions  are  given 
by  Mr  Bell  and  myself  in  our  respective  works.  It  proved  to  be  a 
female  which  had  recently  produced  young,  the  nipples  being  dis- 
tended and  very  prominent ;  and  all  its  characters,  as  regards  size 
and  form^  clearly  shewed  that  its  peculiarities  were  due  simply  to 
age.  Its  snout  was  very  much  attenuated,  (thus  confirming  a  re- 
mark of  M,  Duvernoy^  that  this  part  is  always  thicker  in  young 
subjects)  :  the  tail  distinctly  quadrangular,  somewhat  flattened  ho- 
rizontally towards  the  tip  ;  not  nearly  so  stout  as  in  ordinary  spe- 
cimens ;  almost  naked ;  the  investing  hairs  being  worn  to  the  stumps^ 
closely  appressed,  and  not  extending  at  the  tip  more  than  f  ths  of  a 
line  beyond  the  bone.  The  teeth  in  like  manner  indicated  age : 
the  upper  middle  incisors  were  completely  ground  down  to  their 
point  of  contact,  (giving  the  appearance  of  their  being  more  than 
usually  divaricated  at  their  origin ;)  the  lower  ones  possessed  but 
two  denticles  on  their  upper  margin,  the  first  of  the  three  ordina- 
rily present  having  become  obsolete  from  use.  The  colours  (which, 
however,  in  this  instance  had  probably  nothing  to  do  with  age)  were 
also  rather  peculiar  in  this  variety.  They  were  distinctly  of  three 
kinds :  that  of  the  sides  being  separated  from  the  colour  of  the  back 
by  a  well-defined  line,  originating  at  the  hind  quarter,  thence  pas- 
sing straight  onwards  to  the  shoulder,  where  it  inclined  upwards, 
terminating  finally  at  the  ear.  The  parts  above  the  line  were  of  a 
very  dark  red-brown,  approaching  to  black,  with  a  few  cinereous 
hairs  intermixed; — the  sides  themselves  reddish  ash  ; — ^the  parts  be- 
neath cinereous,  or  dirty  white,  with  a  faint  tinge  of  yellow :  region 
of  the  anus  dusky. 

With  the  above  specimen,  which  was  procured  from  Burwell  Fen 
in  Cambridgeshire,  I  think  in  the  month  of  June,  I  received  a  se- 
cond, also  a  female,  closely  resembling  it  in  all  its  essential  charac- 
ters, but  not  quite  so  large.  The  length  of  the  head  and  body  was 
2  inc.  9  lines ;  that  of  the  tail  1  inc.  9  lines,  this  being  the  same  as 
in  the  former  instance.  The  snout  was  equally  attenuated,  and  the 
tail  equally  quadrangular  as  well  as  naked.  The  colours  were  some- 
what different ;  the  upper  parts  being  generally  paler,  and  the  sides 
darker,  the  boundary-line  visible  but  not  very  distinct :  the  back, 
however,  was  variegated  with  two  or  three  large  jet-black  patches. 
It  is  worth  adding,  that  in  both  of  the  above  specimens,  the  ears 
were  quite  as  short  as  in  common  specimens,  almost  entirely  con- 


of  the  Britisli  Shrews.  39 

cealed,  and  without  any  white  spot ;  the  feet  and  tail  not  ciliated, 
{although  met  with  in  the  heart  of  a  marshy  district  subject  to  in- 
undation ;)  nor  the  former  relatively  larger  than  in  common  spe- 
cimens. 

The  other  variety  to  which  I  would  direct  attention  was  taken 
in  the  same  fen,  and  at  the  same  time,  as  the  preceding.  Of  this 
I  likewise  obtained  two  specimens,  of  different  sexesj  however,  the 
female  being  big  with  young.  They  were  quite  similar ;  but  both, 
in  general  appearance,  extremely  different  from  those  last  described, 
as  also  from  most  others  I  had  previously  seen.  Their  chief  pecu- 
liarity consisted  in  their  bright  rufous  colour,  with  several  indica- 
tions of  their  being  young,  or  at  least  hardly  adult  individuals,  al- 
though quite  as  large  as,  or  indeed  in  some  respects  lai^er  than, 
the  specimens  of  our  common  shrew  usuaUy  met  with. 

Far.  2. — Dimensions : — 


Ine, 

Lin. 

Length  of  heed  and  body, 

2 

6 

of  head, 

0 

114 

oftail(toendofbone,) 

1 

7 

of  hind  foot,        -        -        - 

0 

6i 

of  fore  foot,        ... 

0 

4 

of  ears,          -          -        - 

0 

H 

0 

3 

to  the  tip  of  snout. 

0 

4J 

The  above  measurements  are  those  of  the  female,  which  was  the 
larger  of  the  two  specimens.  The  only  respect  in  which  they  are 
at  all  peculiar  is  in  that  of  the  hind  foot,  which,  it  will  be  observed, 
is  as  long  as  in  the  variety  first  described,  notwithstanding  the  great 
difference  in  their  general  size.  In  fact  this  part  was  decidedly 
larger  than  in  ordinary  specimens  of  the  same  entire  length.  There 
was  likewise  in  the  recent  animal  a  marked  fulness  about  the  head 
and  snout,  causing  these  parts  also  to  appear  larger  than  usual,  al- 
though not  to  be  inferred  from  the  dimensions  given  in  the  table. 
Some  of  the  other  characters,  as  already  stated,  seemed  to  indicate 
immaturity.  The  points  of  the  teeth  were  all  sharp  :  the  tail  thick, 
and  nearly  round,  the  angles  scarcely  sensible ;  well  clothed  through- 
out its  whole  circumference  with  long  hairs,  and  tipped  with  a  fine 
pencil  extending  very  nearly  three  lines  beyond  the  bone.  The  co- 
lour of  all  the  upper  parts  was  bright  chestnut,  passing  on  the  sides 
into  ash-grey,  which  last  colour  pervaded  also  the  parts  beneath : 
tail  and  feet  as  well  as  the  snout,  light  lufous. 


40  DerOition  and  Characters 

In  the  male^  the  length  of  the  head  and  body  was  2  inc.  4^  lines  $ 
that  of  the  tail  1  inc.  9  lines ;  the  rest  of  the  proportions  the  same 
as  in  the  other  sex.  The  tail  was  equally  stoat,  and  more  hairy, 
the  pencil  at  the  extremity  extending  still  further  beyond  the  bone. 
The  colours  on  the  whole  similar,  but  the  rufous  tinge  brighter  and 
more  distinct ;  the  snout,  feet,  and  tail,  testaceous  yellow. 

I  think  it  just  possible  that  the  variety  last  described  may  prove 
to  be  a  distinct  species,  but  I  dare  not  consider  it  as  such  at  pre* 
sent,  and  without  inspecting  more  specimens  from  different  locali- 
ties. With  regard  to  the  first,  as  well  as  some  others  which  I  have 
seen,  but  which  I  do  not  think  it  necessary  to  dwell  upon,  I  feel 
confident  that  they  have  no  claim  to  be  regarded  in  that  light.  I 
was,  indeed,  till  lately  strongly  inclined  to  believe,  like  Mr  Bell* 
that  under  the  name  of  common  shrew,  we  had  in  this  country  two 
or  more  species  confounded.  And  postsibly  it  may  still  be  so.  I  can 
only  say,  that  after  the  closest  examination  of  every  specimen  of 
which  I  could  get  possession,  I  have  failed  in  detecting  any  tan- 
gible characters  upon  which  a  specific  difference  could  with  certainty 
be  established.  If  any  such  difference  exist,  it  must  be  sought  for 
in  the  number  and  form  of  the  teeth,  in  the  greater  or  less  deve- 
lopment of  the  auricle,  in  the  breadth  and  size  of  the  snout  (com- 
pared in  two  individuals  of  the  same  age,)  and  perhaps  in  the  sijee 
of  the  feet  (similarly  compared,)  as  well  as  in  Uie  presence  or  ab- 
sence of  cilia  on  these  last ;  but  certainly  not  in  the  absolute  di- 
mensions, nor  in  all  the  relative  proportions,  nor  in  the  colour  of 
the  fur.  As  for  the  tail,  neither  its  length,  nor  thickness,  nor  form, 
nor  hairiness,  afford  characters  of  the  slightest  value. 

I  shall  not  conclude  without  earnestly  soliciting  from  the  readers 
of  this  Journal,  any  specimens  of  shrews  which  they  may  meet  with 
in  their  own  neighbourhood,  but  which  they  have  not  the  leisure  to 
examine  themselves,  or  not  the  opportunity  of  comparing  closely 
with  others.  Although  I  have  been  unsuccessful  hitherto  in  the 
search  after  new  British  species  of  this  genus,  it  is  far  from  impro- 
bable that  such  remain  to  be  discovered.  There  is  no  reason  why 
we  should  not  possess  the  S,  araneus  of  Duvernoy,  which  it  has 
been  one  of  the  objects  of  this  paper  to  prove  to  be  distinct  from 
ours,  nor  the  S,  fodiens  of  the  same  author,  equally  distinct  from 
the  species  so  called  by  our  own  naturalists.  It  is,  indeed,  much 
to  be  suspected,  that  either  this  last,  or  some  other  aquatic  species 
besides  those  with  which  we  are  well  acquainted,  has  been  already 
met  with  in  this  country,  though  not  identified  at  the  time  of  being 
observed.   On  comparing  the  descriptions,  extant  in  different  works. 


of  the  Britkk  Shews,  41 

of  ma  cammoM  water  threw,  it  will  be  found  that  tbey  do  not  agree 
in  all  paiticalars.  Some  of  these  yariations  may  be  due  to  aodden- 
tal  eaiuea,  ev  to  diff^enoea  of  age  or  sex  in  the  respective  cases. 
Nevertheless^  the  drcnrastanee  is  wofth  mentioning,  as  affording  a 
stimnlns  to  the  I'esearches  of  those  nataralists  who  may  be  indined 
te  torn  their  attention  to  these  animals*  * 

Reference  io  the  Figures.    Plate  I. 

In  the  annexed  plate  are  given  ref^esentations  of  the  crania,  and 
of  portions  of  the  upper  and  lower  jaw,  of  the  S.  armneus  BXidJbdietu 
of  Duvemoy,  and  of  the  similarly  named  species  of  Briti^  authors. 
The  figures  relating  to  the  continental  species  are  copied  from  Du- 
vemoy's  memoir,  and  are  inserted  for  the  purpose  of  comparison  with 
oi«r  own. 

The  species  are  severally  distinguished  by  the  Roman  numerals 
I.  II.  III.  IV.  as  explained  at  the  bottom  of  the  plate.  When  these 
numerals  are  simple,  the  objects  are  represented  of  their  natural 
size.  When  accompanied  by  a  dash  (F.  IP.  &c.)  they  are  to  be 
oonaidered  as  magnified  to  twice  their  natural  size. 

The  Figures  1>  2, 3, 4,  5,  indicatethe  numbers  of  the  several  kinds 
of  teeth. 

The  letters  refer  to  different  views  of  the  head,  and  jaws,  and  are 
the  same  for  each  species  : 

tf.  Is  the  cranium  viewed  from  above. 

b.  The  same  viewed  from  beneath. 

c.  Is  the  anterior  portion  of  the  same  viewed  in  profile. 

d.  JsA  branch  of  the  lower  jaw,  viewed  extemdly. 

e.  The  same  viewed  from  within. 

It  should  be  mentioned  that  in  the  case  ofl,  d  and  e  are  those  of 
a  young  individual. 

fl  Is  intended  to  represent  the  mode  of  union  of  the  two  upper 
middle  incisors  as  seen  from  the  above,  the  occiput  being  turned  to- 
wards the  spectator. 

f*.  Relates  to  Var.  1,  of  the  British  araneus,  in  which  these  in- 
daors  were  worn  down  to  their  point  of  contact. 

Swaffham  BMeck, 
Feb.  18, 1837. 

*  See  in  particular  a  notice  in  Loud,  Mag,  Vol.  iii.  p.  471,  of  a  shrew  taken 
near  LiTerpool,  which  the  writer  was  unable  to  identify  with  either  of  our  two 
well-kntfWn  British  species. 


42  ConiributianM  to  the 

PosUcripi. — Since  the  above  paper  was  written^  I  have  had  an 
opportunity  (through  the  kindness  of  Mr  Gray)  of  examining,  in 
company  with  Mr  Bell^  the  different  specimens  of  British  and  Con- 
tinental shrews  preserved  in  the  British  Museum.  The  result  was 
most  satisflEustory,  being  in  exact  accordance  with  what  I  had  been 
led  to  believe  from  Duvemoy's  memoir.  In  that  coUection,  there 
are  French  specimens  both  of  the  S.  araneus  and  the  S.  Dauben^ 
tonii  of  foreign  authors^  and  on  closely  comparing  them  with  indi- 
viduals of  our  own  species,  the  differences  in  the  teeth  became  im- 
mediately obvious. 

London,  Feb.  25, 1837- 


III. — Contributions  to  the  Natural  HUtory  of  Ireland,  By  Wiir- 
liiAM  Thompson,  Esq.  Vice-President  of  the  Bel£E»t  Natural 
History  Society. 

No.  2.  On  the  Birds  of  the  Order  Raptores. 
In  the  following  paper  it  will  be  observed,  that  the  catalogues  of 
birds  in  the  Statistical  Surveys  of  Ireland  are  but  rarely  quoted, 
and,  although  it  is  my  e^nest  desire  to  do  justice  to  every  one  who 
has  in  any  way  contributed  to  a  knowledge  of  the  Natural  History 
of  the  country,  I  am  unwilling  to  bring  forward  species  from  the 
mere  circumstance  of  their  names  appearing  in  a  catalc^e ;  indeed, 
in  some  instances  where  descriptions  are  given,  from  which  the  spe- 
cies can  be  identified,  they  have  evidently  been  copied  from  authors, 
instead  of  being  the  result  of  an  examination  of  actual  specimens. 
The  common  English  names,  too,  of  species  being  misapplied,  have 
led  to  errors,  in  cdhsequence  of  the  scientific  appellation  being  ap- 
pended as  if  they  were  correct :  the  county  history,  which  contains 
the  best  and  most  ample  catalogues  of  birds  and  fishes,  bears  evidence 
of  this  in  both  departments.  Having  thus  far  written  in  explana- 
tion, it  must  be  added  that  I  complain  not  of  these  catalogues,  but 
consider  that  it  would  be  most  unreasonable  to  expect  the  many  in- 
dividuals who  undertake  writing  in  the  statistics  of  a  country,  and 
who  have  not  previously  bestowed  attention  on  natural  history,  to 
furnish  us  with  zoologioed  or  botanical  catalogues  to  satisfy  the  sci- 
entific naturalist. 

GoiiDEN  Eagle — AquHa  chrysaetos.  Vigors. — The  collection  of 
my  friend,  William  Sinclaire,  Esq.  of  Belfast,  contains  a  splendid 
specimen  in  adult  plumage  of  the  golden  eagle,  which  was  trapped 


Natural  History  of  Ireland.  48 

a  few  yean  siiice  on  Muckisb  mountain^  in  the  county  of  Donegal. 
The  gamekeeper  of  Mr  Stewart  of  <'  the  Horn"*  informed  me  when 
there  in  June  1832^  accompanied  by  Richard  Langtry^  Esq.  that 
•ince  he  entered  on  his  present  occupation  in  1828^  he  had  destroy- 
ed thirteen  or  fourteen  eagles^  one  only  of  which  was  of  this  species 
— it  was  taken  on  one  of  the  inland  mountains  of  *'  the  Horn." 
When  about  the  same  time  I  visited  the  precipitous  mountain  of 
Bosheen,  near  Dun£euiaghy>  in  the  same  county^  I  was  told  that, 
previous  to  the  last  twelve  years^  a  pair  of  eagles  had  their  eyrie  in 
one  of  the  inaccessible  cliffs,  and,  as  their  young  advanced  in  growth, 
levied  such  contributions  from  the  surrounding  neighbourhood,  that 
the  country  people  finaUy  resolved  upon  their  destruction.  This 
was  effected  by  lowering  from  the  summit  of  the  precipice  a  lighted 
brand,  which  ignited  and  consumed  the  nest,  and  three  unfortunate 
eaglets  fell  scorched  and  dead  to  the  ground.  The  old  birds  from  this 
time  deserted  the  mountain.  From  the  situation  selected  for  this 
eyrie,  the  species  was  most  probably  the  golden  eagle. 

On  visiting  Achil,  off  the  coast  of  Mayo,  in  June  1834,  in  com- 
pany with  Robert  BaU,  Esq,  of  Dublin,  Lieutenant  Reynolds  of  the 
Preventive  Service,  a  keen  sportsman,  and  well  acquainted  with 
birds,  assured  us  that  one  or  two  pairs  of  golden  eagles  breed  annu- 
aUy  in  the  island.  When  subsequently  on  the  mountain  of  Groagh- 
patrick,  that  volcano-like  terminates  in  a  magnificent  cone,  and  is 
in  elevation  the  second  in  Connaught.  we  for  a  considerable  time 
observed  a  pair  of  these  eagles  towering  above  its  summit.  In  the 
county  of  Kerry  a  few  weeks  afterwards,  an  eagle,  supposed  to  be 
of  this  species,  was  seen  by  some  of  our  party  when  viewing  the 
lakes  of  Killarney  from  the  topmost  ridge  of  Mangerton.  When  on 
a  visit  to  this  same  place  the  previous  autumn,  my  friend,  Robert 
Patterson,  Esq.  of  Belfast,  made  the  following  note,  which  he  has 
kindly  permitted  me  to  use: — "  Near  to  the  little  lake  called  the 
Devil's  Punch-bowl,  we  disturbed  four  eagles  preying  on  a  full  grown 
sheep  ;  they  rose  majestically  into  the  air  as  we  approached. 
The  people  who  were  with  us  supposed  the  sheep,  being  perhaps 
sickly,  had  been  killed  by  the  eagles, — a  supposition  corroborated  by 
the  quantity  of  fleece  scattered  over  the  ground  for  some  yards  in 
one  direction.  The  flesh  of  the  neck  was  completely  removed,  al- 
though that  of  every  other  part  was  untouched.  We  were  assured 
that  two  eagles  will  occasionally  pursue  a  hare,  one  flying  low  and 

*  The  name  given  to  the  peninsula  bounding  the  western  entrance  to 
Sheephaven,  in  the  county  Donegal,  and  which  terminates  in  the  stupendous 
promontory  of  Horn  Head. 


44  ConiriMums  to  the 

^ooumng  it^akmg  the  ground,  the  other  keepix^  perpendiciilarly 
aboye^  the  terrified  animal.  When  the  lowest  eagle  tires,  they 
change  places,  and  parsue  the  same  system  of  tactics,  until  the  hare 
is  completely  wearied  out.  I  was  told  the  same  circumstance  a  €ew 
days  afterwards  near  Tralee,  and  again  near  MonastercTan  :  my  in- 
formant  in  every  instance  stated  the  fact  as  having  £dlen  under  his 
0wn  knowledge,  and  not  as  a  matter  of  hearsay." 

In  October  1833,  when  looking  ever  a  eoUedion  ef  the  Britidi 
Falconide  belonging  to  William  Sindaire,  Esq.,  in  company  with 
Mr  Adams,  lately  gamekeep^  at  Olenanu  Castle,  he  at  once  re- 
cognised a  golden  eagle  as  the  qpecies  of  which  he  had  killed  four 
individuals  in  Glenarm  Park  (Antrim.)  The  first  he  sa^  was  in 
the  month  of  March,  when  two  visited  the  park.  At  this  tkne, 
there  were  but  five  lambs  dropped,  and  on  each  of  the  two  first  two 
days  of  the  eagles'  appearance,  two  lambs  were  carried  off,  thus  leav* 
ing  only  one.  Mr  Adams  finding  that  lambs  were  in  such  request 
with  these  birds,  procured  two  of  them  to  bait  his  traps,  and  had 
thus  the  satisfiiotion  of  capturing  both  eagles.  In  November,  a 
third  individual  made  his  appearance,  and  was  seen  by  Mr  Adams 
and  several  other  persons  in  pursuit  of  a  bare.  This  poor  animal 
took  refuge  under  every  bush  that  presoited  itself,  which,  as  often 
as  she  did,  the  eagle  approached  the  budi  so  near  as  apparendy  to 
beat  the  top  of  it  with  his  wings,  and  thereby  forced  the  hare  to 
leave  her  refuge.  In  this  way  die  was  eventually  driven  to  open 
ground,  which  did  not  long  avail,  as  the  eagle  soon  came  up  with, 
and  bore  her  off  in  his  tdons ;  and  so  disappeared  from  the  specta- 
tors. Mr  Adams,  hearing  that  this  eagle  had  killed  several  of  a 
neighbour's  ducks,  lost  little  time  in  obtaining  one  for  his  trap,  and 
with  this  tempting  bait  secured  him.  The  fourth  eagle  he  came 
upon  by  diance  when  out  shooting.  This  bird  flew  over  him  at  about 
twenty  yards  distance,  when  he  was  fired  at ;  the  shot  from  the  first 
barrel  bereft  him  of  many  feathers,  but  even  after  receiving  the 
contents  of  the  second,  and  though  severely  wounded,  he  was  able  to 
fly  off.  Mr  Adams  saw  no  more  of  him  after  this,  until  inform- 
ed by  some  men  who  were  near,  that  they  had  seen  an  eagle  mob* 
bed  by  magpies,  and  he  was  eventually  discovered  by  the  great 
number  of  these  birds  cdlected  about  the  place  where  he  lay  dead 
on  the  heath  with  wings  outstretched. 

On  Oct.  14, 1835,  I  saw  an  adult  spedmen  of  the  golden  eagle,* 
which  was  trapped  the  day  before  at  Claggan  (county  Antrim.)     It 

*  Now  preserved  in  the  Belfast  Museum. 


Natural  History  of  Ireland,  45 

was  tooompanied  by  two  others^  which  were  also  attempted  to  be 
taken,  but  unBaccesafiill^. 

By  Dr  M*Doiuiell^  and  another  elderly  friend^  both  of  whom  well 
reooUect  the  drcnmstanoe^  I  have  been  told  that  the  same  plan 
adopted  by  the  Kerry  peasant  for  supporting  his  family  in  a  season 
of  scareity,*'  was  sucoessfully  resorted  to  about  thirty  years  ago  at 
Glenariffj  in  the  county  Antrim.  One  af  a  pair  of  eaglets  taken 
from  a  nest  there,  was  so  placed,  that  during  the  summer  its  parents 
supplied  it  with  rabbits  and  hares  in  such  abundance,  that  its  owner 
obtained  a  sufficiency  of  animal  food  besides  for  himself  and  family. 
The  old  birds  did  not  alight  with  their  prey,  but  circling  for  some 
time  abore  the  eaglet,  ajqmrently  until  certain  that  the  food  would 
fidl  to  the  ground  within  its  reach,  then  let  it  drop. 

A  sporting  friend  who  was  eye-witness  to  the  fact,  assures  me 
diat  when  out  hunting  among  the  Belfast  mountains  many  years 
ago,  an  eagle,  which  from  the  darkness  of  its  plumage  he  concluded 
was  the  golden,  appeared  above  his  hounds  as  they  came  to  fault  on 
the  ascent  to  Devis,  (the  highest  of  the  chain,)  after  a  good  chase. 
As  they  came  on  the  scent  again,  and  were  at  full  cry,  the  eagle  for 
a  short  time  kept  above  them,  but  at  length  advanced,  and  carried 
off  the  hare  when  at  the  distance  of  from  three  to  four  hundred  paces 
before  the  hounds. 

In  the  two  excellent  works,  "  Crardens  and  Menageries  of  the 
Zoological  Society,"  and  "  Illustrations  of  British  Ornithology,"  the 
golden  eagle  is  characterised  as  indocile :  in  the  latter,  Mr  Selby 
speaks  from  his  own  experience  of  two  individuals  which  were  kept 
l^  him  for  some  years.  But  my  friend  Richard  Langtry,  Esq.  of 
Fortwilliam,  near  Belfast,  has  at  present  a  bird  of  this  species, 
which  is  extremely  docile  and  tractable.  It  was  taken  last  summer 
from  a  nest  in  Inverness-shire,  and  came  into  his  possession  about 
the  end  of  September.  This  bird  at  once  became  attached  to  its 
owner,  who,  after  having  it  about  a  month,  ventured  to  give  it  li- 
berty, a  privilege  which  was  not  in  the  eagle's  part  abused,  as  it 
came  to  ihe  lure  whenever  called.  It  not  only  permits  itself  to  be 
handled  in  any  way,  but  seems  to  derive  pleasure  from  the  applica- 
tion of  the  hand  to  its  legs  and  plumage.  This  eagle  was  hooded 
after  the  manner  of  the  hunting  hawks  for  some  time,  but  the  prac- 
tice was  abandoned,  and  although  it  may  yet  be  requisite  if  the  bird 
be  trained  for  the  chase,  hooding  is  otherwise  unnecessary,  as  it  re- 
mains quiet  and  contented  for  any  length  of  time,  and  no  matter 

•  Smith's  Kerry,  p.  97. 


46  Cantributiont  to  the 

how  far  carried,  on  its  master's  arm.  It  is  quite  indifferent  to  the 
presence  of  any  persons  who  may  be  in  his  company^  and  is  unwil- 
ling to  leave  him  even  to  take  a  flighty  having  to  be  thrown  into  the 
air  whenever  he  wishes  it  to  do  so.  When  this  eagle  is  at  lai^, 
my  friend  has  only  to  hold  out  his  arm  towards  it^  which,  as  soon 
as  perceived,  even  from  a  distance,  it  flies  to,  and  perches  on.  I 
have  seen  it  thus  come  to  him  not  less  than  a  dozen  times  within 
half-an-hour,  without  any  food  being  offered.  It  runs  very  fast. 
When  on  the  ground,  and  the  lure  is  thrown  comparatively  near, 
it  prefers  this  mode  of  progression  to  using  its  wings.  It  is  also 
fed  from  the  ''  fist."  Live  rats  have  several  times  been  turned  out 
of  the  cage-trap  to  this  bird,  but  before  running  very  far,  they  were 
invariably  pounced  upon.  Four  full-grown  rats  have  been  taken 
at  a  meal;  an  entire  Heron,  (Ardeacinerea,)except  the  head  and  legs, 
was  also  eaten  on  one  occasion.  It  differs  somewhat  in  its  manner 
of  feeding  from  two  sea  eagles  (Hali»etus  albicilla)  which  are  kept 
along  with  it ;  when  the  head  and  neck  of  a  goose  is  offered,  the 
golden  eagle  eats  them  entire,  the  latter  take  the  flesh  off  only, 
leaving  the  harder  parts  ;  and  when  entire  birds  are  given,  the  sea 
eagle  plucks  many  more  feathers  off  than  the  golden  ;  the  latter  as- 
similating to  the  peregrine  falcon  (Falco  peregrinus)  in  this  respect. 
This  golden  eagle  is  more  partial  to  alighting  on  trees  than  the  sea 
eagles,  and  stationed  on  their  tops,  keeps  its  master  in  view,  fol- 
lowing him  about  the  demesne,  and  where  plantations  often  inter- 
vene, flying  from  one  to  another  in  the  direction  he  walks,  indo- 
lently remaining  as  long  as  possible  where  it  perches,  consistently 
with  keeping  him  in  sight. 

A  golden  eagle,  also  from  Scotland,  belonging  to  Mr  William  Sin- 
daire,  is  a  much  more  familiar  bird  than  a  sea  eagle  in  his  posses- 
sion, but  being  kept  in  town,  its  docility  has  not  been  put  to  the 
proof  as  in  Mr  Langtry's  bird. 

The  golden  eagle  is  generally  represented  as  exceeding  the  sea 
eagle  in  magnitude,  but  such  specimens  of  the  latter  as  I  have  ex- 
amined were  invariably  of  superior  size  to  the  former,  and  I  speak 
from  comparison  of  adult  individuals  of  the  same  sex. 

Sea  EAOLBd — Haliasetus  albicilla,  Selby. — The  first  Sea  Eagle  I 
had  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  in  Ireland  was  on  the  25th  of  June 
1832,  when  visiting  the  majestic  promontory  of  Horn  Head,  which 
rises  precipitously  from  the  ocean  to  an  elevation  of  nearly  600  feet. 
On  looking  over  the  cliff  on  the  eastern  side,  one  of  these  birds  rose 
from  a  platform  of  rock  about  sixty  yards  distant.     Immediately 


Natural  History  of  Ireland.  47 

after,  on  Teaching  the  northern  side,  I  perceived  another  sitting  on 
her  nest  about  a  fourth  of  the  way  from  the  summit  of  the  preci* 
pice  ;  when  she  flew  off,  two  eggs,  greenish-white  in  colour,  like 
those  of  the  swan  (Cygnus  olor)  were  exposed  to  view.  Very  near 
to  this  was  another  nest  at  a  similar  distance  firom  the  top,  but  it 
was  untenanted,  and  from  its  proximity  to  the  other,  I  should  ra- 
ther suppose  that  both  had  belonged  to  the  same  pair  of  eagles  in 
different  years,  than  that  they  were  occupied  by  two  pairs  at  the 
same  time.  But  less  than  a  furlong  distant  to  the  eastward  of  the 
Head,  there  was  a  nest  similarly  situated,  and  containing  two  eaglets. 
To  obtain  these,  we,  on  the  28th  of  June,  engaged  a  man  accustomed 
to  the  apparently  hazardous  exploit  of  descending  precipices,  and,  a 
rope  being  attached  to  his  body  for  safety,  and  a  basket  to  his  back 
for  the  reception  of  the  eaglets,  he  was  lowered  to  the  nest,  from 
which  he  brought  up  the  birds  without  injury  either  to  himself  or 
them.  The  parents  were  most  vociferous  during  the  robbing  of  their 
eyrie,  taking  hurried  flights,  evidently  in  despair,  towards  the  nest, 
but  did  not  attack  nor  even  closely  approach  the  plunderer,  nor  did 
they  come  within  fair  gun-shot  of  the  rock.  The  eaglets  were  al- 
most entirely  feathered.  The  first  layer  of  this  nest,  as  well  as  that 
of  the  other  two,  was  composed  of  strong  stems  of  heather  ;  being 
unable  to  see  the  lining,  I  had  it  brought  up,  and  found  it  to  be  the 
tender  twigs  of  heath,  and  plants  of  the  Luzula  sylvaiica,  both  of 
which  grow  on  the  summit  of  the  cliff.  About  the  nest  there  were 
mioiy  legs  of  rabbits  and  the  remains  of  puflins  (Mormon  fratercula, 
Temm.) 

On  the  following  day  I  saw  ^ye  sea  eagles  in  mature  plumage,* 
all  that  I  understood  were  then  at  "  the  Horn.'*  The  bird  we  raised 
from  the  nest  containing  eggs,  the  gamekeeper  thought  had  no  part- 
ner, as  he  killed  a  male  bird  a  few  weeks  before.  At  three  of  these 
eagles  I  gazed  a  long  time,  both  when  they  were  at  rest  and  on 
wing ;  at  first  through  a  telescope,  but  permitting  a  much  nearer 
approach  than  was  anticipated,  1  had  afterwards  an  excellent  and 
near  view  of  them.  The  head  and  neck  in  every  position,  and  I 
looked  attentively  to  this  point,  appeared  almost  as  white  as  the 
tail,t  and  was  so  distinguished  from  a  great  distance,  more  espe- 

*  Excepting  eaglets,  the  gamekeeper  has  never  seen  any  but  white-tailed  or 
adult  eagles  here  at  this  season. 

f  In  the  colour  of  the  head  and  neck  in  preserved  specimens  of  adult  birds 
(having  the  tail  pure  white)  which  I  have  examined,  there  is  considerable  dif- 
ference in  this  respect,  and,  though  none  has  this  portion  of  the  plumage  alto- 


48  dmtrUmtwM  to  the 

cially,  whtti  thrown  into  relief  by  a  dark  and  rocky  back  ground. 
2$everal  gulls  (Larus  canua?)  and  kestrels  (Falco  ^tinniincnlns) 
kept  flying  closely  aflter  one  of  these  birds,  and  occasionally  ap- 
pioached  so  near  as  apparently  to  strike  hioi>  this  a  gull  certainly 
onoe  did,  but  "  towering  in  his  pride  of  place/'  the  eagle  never  oon« 
descended  to  take  eren  a  moment^  notice  of  them. 

Under  the  head  of  Golden  Eagle^  it  has  been  mentioned,  that  of 
the  number  thirteen  or  fourteen  eagles  killed  at  ^*  the  Horn"  with* 
in  four  years,*  all  but  one  individual  were  the  HaUceetut  albiciUa. 
I  was  informed  by  a  gentleman  resident  at  Dun&naghy,  the  village 
nearest  to  Horn  Head,  that  in  winter  the  sea  eagle  is  comparatively 
numerous,  and  that  he  has  sometimes  seen  as  many  as  six  and  sevea 
in  company  on  the  strand.t  They  are  supposed  to  be  attracted 
hither  at  this  season  by  rabbits,  which  greatly  abound  at ''  the  Horn." 
In  an  article  by  John  Vandeleur  Stewart,  Esq.  on  the  Birds,  &o.  of 
Donegal,  which  appeared  in  the  Magasine  of  Natural  History  for 
1832,  (p.  678,)  the  sea  eagle  is  mentioned  as  resident  and  common. 
The  author  states  that  he  had  received  three  specimens  for  his  mu- 
seum, besides  five  living  eaglets.  Mr  William  Sinclaire,  also,  has 
a  bird  of  this  species  from  the  same  locality.  In  this  county  it 
likewise  frequents  Malin  Head,  the  extreme  noAhem  point  of  Ire- 
land. 

When  in  June  1834,  at  Achil  Head,  which  is  fondly,  but  erro- 
neously believed  by  the  inhabitants  of  the  island  to  approximate  the 
shores  of  the  western  world,  more  nearly  than  any  other  European 
land,  and  stretching  out  afar  into  the  Atlantic,  is  rendered  sublime 
less  from  altitude,  than  from  the  ntter  barrenness  of  its  desolate  and 
inaccessible  cliffs,  a  suitable  accompaniment  to  the  scene  appeaml 
in  a  sea  eagle  which  rose  startled  from  her  nest  on  the  ledge  of  an 
adjoining  precipice.  Two  of  these  birds  were  seen  by  us  the  next 
day,  soamng  above  a  lake  in  the  island,  and  we  were  informed  by 
Lieutenant  Reynolds,  that  four  pairs  of  sea  eagles  breed  in  Achil. 
With  respect  to  this  species  being  in  so  wild  a  district  comparative- 
ly fearless  of  man,  it  may  be  stated  that  on  one  occasion,  when  out 

getfaer  white,  yet  lome  are  nuuked  bo  Mnldj  with  very  pale  ash-grey,  as  to  ex- 
hibit the  appearance  of  soiled  white,  which,  contrasted  with  the  dark  hue  of  the 
back  and  wings,  gives  from  a  distance  the  appearance  thus  described. 

*  The  reward  alone  could  hardly  have  prompted  the  destruction  of  this  num- 
ber,— one  shilling  a  head  only  being  given  by  the  proprietor  of  '*  the  Horn**  for 
them. 

f  Temminck  remarks  that  this  species  is  common  in  winter  on  the  shores  of 
Denmark.     "  Man.  d*Om.  de  TEur.**  part  3,  p.  27. 


Natural  History  of  Ireland.  49 

aluMitiDg  in  Achil^  Lieut.  Reynolds  had  with  his  first  barrel  shot  a 
grouse,  which  an  eagle  stooped  to  carry  of,  and  when  just  in  the  act 
of  seising  was  brought  down  by  the  second  barrel.  By  Serjeant 
Croker  of  the  Constabulary,  a  most  intelligent  man,  we  were  assured 
tbat,  about  six  months  since,  an  eagle  carried  off  a  hen  iix>m  the  vil- 
lage of  Ballycroy,  when  a  few  yards  only  distant  from  him  and  se- 
veral other  persons.  He  was  told  that  a  similar  occurrence  had  se- 
veral times  before  taken  place.* 

At  Fairhead,  the  most  lofty  and  sublime  of  the  basaltic  headlands 
of  Antrim,  this  eagle  has  an  eyrie : — in  the  same  county  it  has  been 
taken  at  Glenarm  Park.  In  the  Belfast  mountains,  far  remote  from 
any  of  its  habitations,  I  ^vas  once  (on  October  2,  1832,)  gratified  by 
the  sight  of  an  eagle,  which  was  soaring,  attended  first  by  one,  and 
afterwards  by  a  second  kestrel.  The  snowy  whiteness  of  the  tail 
proved  it  to  be  an  adult-bird.  It  remained  in  view  for  about  a  quar- 
ter of  an  hour,  then  disappeared  in  the  direction  of  the  Cave-hill. 
In  the  deer  park  here,  the  last  eagle  I  have  heard  of  being  taken  near 
Belfast,  was  trapped  upwards  of  twenty  years  ago. 

When  in  August  last,  at  Sleive  Donard,t  the  chief  of  the  Mourne 
mountains,  in  the  county  of  Down,  a  cliff  was  pointed  out  as  the 
**  Eagle's  rock,"  so  named  in  consequence  of  having  at  one  period  been 
the  eyrie  of  this  bird.  Our  guide  informed  us,  that  eagles  had  not 
bred  here  of  late  years,  (their  place  is  supplied  by  ravens,)  but  that 
they  annuallybuild  at  less  frequented  places  amongst  these  mountains. 
Here  they  are  frequently  met  with  by  Lord  Roden's  gamekeeper, 
bot  are  seldom  seen  so  low  down  as  Tollymore  Park,  where  one  only 
has  been  taken  within  the  last  nine  years. 

Montagu  relates  an  instance  of  a  sea  eagle  being  so  much  wound- 
ed by  a  charge  of  snipe-shot,  as,  after  flying  some  distance,  to  fall 
and  be  captured.  1  saw  one  wliich  was  similarly  obtained  at  '^  the 
Horn,"  by  Mr  John  Sims  of  Dunfanaghy,  near  to  whom  it  rose  as 
he  was  returning  from  snipe-shooting,  when  his  gun  was  loaded  only 
with  this,  the  smallest  of  the  sportsman's  charges. 

Of  the  two  eagles  taken  from  the  nest  at  ^'  the  Horn,"  it  may  be 
stated,  that  Mr  R.Langtry  trained  them  so  far,  that  they  allowed  him 
to  carry  them  on  his  arm,  and  on  giving  them  liberty  in  the  morn- 
ing, they  flew  about  the  demesne  during  the  day,  generally  attend- 

*  When  reading  of  this  feat  a  short  time  before,  in  the  *'  Wild  Sports  of  the 
West,"  I  looked  upon  it  as  an  embellished  tale. 

f  Montagu  obtained  specimens  of  the  sea  eagle  firom  this  mountain.  The 
individual  firom  which  Pennant  drew  up  his  desciiption  was  taken  in  Galway- 

VOL.  II.  NO.  7-  D 


50  Cowtributiom  to  the 

ed  his  call  to  the  lure  in  the  evening,  when  they  were  put  up  for 
the  nighty  throughout  which,  however,  they  were  occasionally  at 
large.  As  food,  they  preferred  rats  to  fish.  When  not  very  hun- 
gry, they,  after  tasting  the  blackbird  (Turdus  morula),  showed  a  dis- 
like to  it,  but  that  this  did  not  arise  from  colour  was  further  evi* 
dent  from  black  chickens  being  always  as  acceptable  as  others  ;  gra^ 
crows  (Corvus  comix)  were  also  disliked,  though  magpies  (Corvus 
pica)  were  favourite  food.^  On  one  occasion  during  rainy  weather, 
they  refused  to  eat  for  a  few  days,  though  at  the  same  time  they 
never  retired  to  the  shelter  of  their  sheds,  as  buzzards  (Buteo  vul- 
garis), and  peregrine  falcons  (Falco  peregrinus),  did  which  were  kept 
along  with  them.  One  of  these,  a  male,  killed  four  pet  birds,  his  con« 
stant  companions  in  the  same  enclosure,  t  and  which  when  he  was 
tied4  either  alighted  near  him,  or  were  carelessly  fastened  within  his 
reach  ;  these  were  a  white  owl  (which  he  devoured),  a  kite,  a  buz- 
zard, and  a  peregrine  falcon.  This  last  bird,  the  eagle  had  partly 
plucked  preparatory  to  eating,  just  as  my  friend  appeared  in  view, 
when  he  instantly  sprang  from  the  falcon,  the  consciousness  of  his 
misdeed  being  further  evinced,  by  his  allowing  it  to  be  carried  off, 
though  any  food  given  in  the  ordinary  manner  he  would  not  permit 
to  be  removed.  After  having  one  of  these  birds  about  two,  and  the 
other  four  and  a  half  years,  they  were  both  lost  by  flying  to  a  dis- 
tance, where  they  were  shot.  The  latter  assumed  the  white  tail 
early  in  October  1836,  then  four  and  a  half  years  old :  it  proved  a 
male  bird  on  dissection,  and  weighed  11  lbs. 

OspBEY — Pandion  haliasetvs,  Savigny. — The  only  occasion  upon 
which  I  have  seen  the  osprey  in  Ireland  was  when  sailing  on  the  lower 
lake  of  Killamey,  on  the  13th  of  July  1834,  during  which  a  single 
bird  appeared  for  a  short  time  in  view,  displayed  its  mode  of  fishing, 
and  struck  at  some  prey  on  the  surfoce  of  the  water. 

*  The  peregrine  falcon  also  shows  distaste  and  partiality  to  birds  nearly  al> 
lied;  thus  the  blackbird  is  disliked,  whilst  thrushes  (Turdus  musicus)  are  favou. 
rite  food,  and,  though  it  will  kiU  and  eat  the  landrail  (Crex  pratensis)  when  bun- 
gry,  it  is  averse  to  it,  and  has  in  some  instances  been  observed  to  eject  it  from 
the  stomach. 

t  Lieutenant  Reynolds,  once  in  Achil  saw  a  pair  of  old  sea^eagles  attack  a 
young  bird  of  their  own  species,  which  they  killed  and  eat,  leaving  only  the  bill 
and  legs. 

t  When  the  Golden  Eagle,  Sea  Eagle,  Peregrine  Falcon,  Kite,  Buzzard,  and 
Kestrel,  all  of  which  Mr  Langtry  had  at  the  same  time,  were  at  liberty,  they  never 
molested  each  other. 


Natural  History  of  Ireland.  51 

In  the  collection  of  Dr  J.  D.  Marshall  of  BelfjEist,  there  is  a  fine 
specimen  of  the  osprey,  which  was  stated  hy  the  person  of  whom  he 
bought  it^  to  have  been  killed  in  Queen's  county. 

This  species  is  mentioned  by  Mr  Lingwood^  as  having  been  seen 
by  him  in  August  1835^  at  Oughterard,  county  Galway. — Mag.  Nat. 
Hist.  Vol.  ix.  p.  128. 

Jbr  Fai«con — Falco  Islandicus,  Latham. — The  following  note 
appears  under  the  head  "  Jer  Falcon/'  in  the  MS.  of  the  late  John 
Templeton,  FIsq. — "  In  1 803,  I  received  the  skin  of  a  bird  of  this 
species,  which  had  been  shot  near  Randalstown/'  (county,  Antrim.) 
In  a  letter  from  John  P.  Stewart,  Esq.  dated  Rockhill,  Letterkenny, 
Feb.  3,  1837^  it  is  mentioned  that  in  his  collection  there  is  a  jer 
&lcon,  which  "  was  killed  in  a  rabbit-warren  close  to  Dunfanaghy, 
when  on  the  wing."  It  is  said  to  exhibit  *'  the  mature  plumage  of 
the  male,  (which  sex  it  proved  to  be  on  dissection)  as  described  by 
Temminck,  the  only  point  of  difference  being  that  my  specimen  has 
the  blnish  cere  and  tarsi  of  his  young  bird."  The  detailed  de- 
acription  of  the  individual,  kindly  communicated  to  me  by  Mr  Stew- 
art, places  the  identity  of  its  species  beyond  a  doubt. 

Pbrbgrine  FaI/CON — Falco  peregfinus,  Linnaeus — It  may  be 
stated  in  general  terms,  that  the  peregrine  falcon  occurs  in  suitable  lo- 
calities throughout  Ireland.  In  the  four  maritime  counties  of  Ulster 
it  has  many  eyries,*  and  in  Antrim,  whose  basaltic  precipices  are 
£siToarable  for  this  purpose,  seven  at  least  might  be  enumerated — 
of  these  one  only  is  inland ;  at  the  Gobbins,  regularly  frequented  by 
a  pair,  there  were  two  nests  in  one  year  within  an  extent  of  rock 
considerably  less  than  a  mile.  This  is  the  only  instance  known  to 
me  of  80  close  an  approximation  on  the  part  of  the  peregrine  falcon. 
Even  at  "  the  Horn"  in  Donegal,  where  the  extent  of  lofty  preci- 
pices is  very  great  and  continuous,  we  met  with  but  a  pair  of  these 
birds,  and  were  informed  that  they  contain  only  one  other  eyrie. 

On  the  two  following  occasions  I  had  opportunities  of  remarking 
this  falcon  in  haunts  similar  to  those  which,  according  to  Wilson,  it 
freqnents  in  America.  On  the  8th  of  May  1832,  as  the  banks  of 
Belfast  Bay,t  at  about  a  mile  irom  the  town  on  the  northern  shore, 

*  In  rocks  onlj  have  I  known  these  in  Ireland. 

f  Several  species  of  the  Raptores  being  mentioned  as  occurring  in  Belfast 
Bay,  it  should  be  stated  that  the  tide  recedes  here  to  a  very  great  distance,  leav- 
ing a  vast  extent  of  banks  uncovered,  on  many  parts  of  which  the  grass-wrack 
(Zostera  marina)  grows  so  profusely  as  to  impart  a  greenish  tinge ;  the  whole 
at  low  water  presenting  i-omewhat  the  appearance  of  a  marsh. 


52  ContribtUions  to  the 

were  becoming  bare  from  the  ebbing  of  the  tide^  they  were  literally 
covered  with  dunlins  (Tringa  variabilis)  and  some  ringed  ploven 
(Charadrius  hiaticula)  intermixed,  all  busily  feeding  on  the  rejecta- 
menta of  the  waves.  This  flock,  consisting  of  many  hundreds,  to  my 
surprise,  suddenly,  and  without  any  apparent  cause  of  alarm,  took 
wing,  but  immediately  afterwards  I  observed  a  peregrine  falcon  bear- 
ing down  upon  them.  As  they  flew  out  to  sea  he  followed  them  only 
a  short  way  above  the  water,  and  returning  without  any  prey,  after 
a  few  bold  and  graceful  sweeps,  alighted  on  the  beach  they  had  left, 
when,  with  the  aid  of  a  pocket-telescope,  I  had  the  satisfaction  of 
identifying  his  species  with  certainty.  Again,  on  July  the  13th 
1833,  when  crossing  the  ferry  near  the  junction  of  the  river  Bann 
with  the  ocean,  I  ^vas  attracted  by  the  near  call  of  a  curlew,  and  on 
looking  round,  saw  coming  towards  us  what  at  flrst  appeared  to  be 
two  of  these  birds,  flying  close  together  just  above  the  water.  I  waa 
surprised  to  see  the  foremost  dip  in  the  river  like  a  swallow,  fly  on 
a  short  way,  and  then  alight  in  it,  when  the  other  bird,  which  proved 
to  be  a  preregrine  falcon,  gave  up  the  chase,  and,  flying  past  us, 
alighted  on  the  beach  at  some  distance.  The  curlew  now  finding 
it  was  safe,  rose  from  the  water,  and  flew  back  in  the  direction  from 
which  it  had  been  pursued. 

In  the  autumn  and  winter  I  have  in  Ireland  met  the  preregrine 
falcon  very  far  remote  from  any  of  its  native  rocks.  In  the  south 
of  Europe  it  is,  according  to  Risso,*  a  bird  of  passage,  appearing  in 
the  autumn  and  departing  in  the  spring. 

Some  of  our  northern  eyries  have,  for  about  the  last  twenty-five 
years,  been  in  requisition  annually  to  supply  different  sportsmen, 
but  chiefly  my  friend,  John  Sindaire,  Esq.  with  falcons  for  the  chase.t 
Woodcocks  have  always  afforded  the  best  flights  with  these  birds, 
and  in  this  exciting  sport  I  have  often  witnessed  that  singular  trait 
in  their  character,  of  lee^ving  their  quarry  the  moment  it  takes  to 
cover.l  In  this  way  1  recollect  what  promised  to  be  a  good  chase^ 
being  at  once  terminated  by  the  woodcock's  descent  close  to  a  pub- 
lic road,  and  as  it  could  not  be  again  sprung,  another  had  to  be 
sought  for.     When  returning  home,  however,  about  six  hours  after- 

•  Tom.  iii.  p.  26.  ed.  182G. 

f  Mr  Sinclaire  tells  me  that,  on  going  to  obtain  these  hawks,  he  has  frequently 
remarked  the  tercel  or  male  bii*d  circling  at  a  great  height  in  the  air,  from  which 
he  dropped  his  prey  to  the  female  as  she  kept  flying  about  and  screaming  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  nest,  to  which  she  bore  it 

I  Mr  Sindaire*s  best  falcon  the  first  year  pursued  woodcocks  into  dense  cover, 
so  that  it  was  difficult  to  get  her  out  with  safety  to  her  plumage.  This  his  hX- 
cons  or  female  birds  generally  did  the  first  year,  but  very  rarely  afterwards. 

4 


Natural  History  of  Ireland.  53 

wards^  a  woodcock  was  raised  from  the  base  of  a  hedge  at  the 
road-side,  where  the  bird  had  been  lost  in  the  morning,  and  was 
doubtless  the  same  individual,  as,  unless  pursued,  such  a  place  of 
refuge  would  never  have  been  chosen.  Here  this  bird  had  in  all 
probability  remained  during  the  day,  though  many  persons  must 
have  passed  on  the  footway  within  a  yard  of  it,  but  until  this  time 
it  may  not  have  recovered  from  its  fright. 

On  one  occasion,  a  woodcock,  caught  by  a  trained  falcon  of  Mr 
Sinclaire's,  was  carried  across  a  ravine,  and  a  few  minutes  had  elap- 
sed before  the  falconer  could  come  up  with  her,  but  even  then,  on 
disengaging  the  woodcock,  it  proved  so  little  the  worse  as  to  afford 
a  chase  of  average  length  to  another  falcon.*  This  is  mentionedjas 
an  extraordinary  instance,  as  is  likewise  the  following.  One  of  these 
hawks  having  caught  a  land-rail  (Crex  pratensis,)  which  it  was 
about  to  eat  on  a  house  top,  instantly  gave  chase  to  another  rail  that 
was  sprung,  and,  still  retaining  its  first  victim,  secured  the  second 
with  its  other  foot,  and  bore  both  off  together,  t 

In  the  winter  of  1820-21,  Mr  Sinclaire  lost  a  trained  ialcon, 
and  knew  nothing  of  her  for  some  months,  nor  until  a  paragraph  ap* 
peared  in  a  Scotch  newspaper,  stating  that  a  hawk,  which  had  for 
some  time  frequented  a  rookery  near  Aberdeen,  was  killed,  and  on 
the  bells  attached  to  her,  the  name  of  '^  John  Sinclaire,  Belfast,"  was 
engraved.  Another  of  this  gentleman's  falcons  once  left  him,  and 
took  up  her  abode  at  a  rookery  about  twelve  miles  distant  from  his 
place,  and  there  remained  fbr  about  six  weeks,  when  she  was  again 
recaptured.  When  flown  at  rooks  (Corvus  frugilegus,)  this  bird 
always  struck  down  several  before  alighting  to  prey  on  one.  A  per- 
son who  was  eye-witness  to  the  fact  assures  me,  that  he  once  in 
Scotland  saw  a  trained  falcon  similarly  strike  to  the  ground  five 
partridges  in  succession  out  of  a  covey  ;  but  such  occurrences  are 
rare. 

Mr  Sinclaire,  when  once  exercising  his  dc^s  on  the  Belfast  moun- 
tains, towards  the  end  of  July,  preparatory  to  grouse-shooting,  saw 
them  point,  and  on  coming  up  he  startled  a  male  peregrine  falcon 

«  The  strike  of  this  species  is  more  fatal  than  its  clutch. 

f  Upon  one  of  the  early  days  of  February  last  (1837,)  when  this  gentleman 
was  hawking  at  some  miles  distaace  from  his  place,  one  of  his  fidcons  was  lost 
in  consequence  of  a  heavy  fog  coming  on,  but  she  re-appeared  in  the  hawk-yard  a 
week  afterwards  ;  others  of  them  have  similarly  returned  after  a  much  longer 
absence.  The  first  flight  of  a  falcon  given  by  Mr  Sinclaire  to  a  gentleman  re- 
sident about  four  miles  off,  returned  to  her  old  quarters,  which  she  had  been 
taken  firom  six  months  before. 


54  Contributions  to  the 

off  a  grouse  (Tetrao  Sooticus)  just  killed  by  him^  and  very  near  tlie 
same  place  he  came  upon  the  female  bird,  also  on  a  grouse.  Al- 
though my  friend  lifted  both  the  dead  birds,  the  hawks  continued 
flying  about,  and  on  the  remainder  of  the  pack,  which  lay  near, 
being  sprung  by  the  dogs,  either  three  or  four  more  grouse  were 
struck  down  by  them,  and  thus  two  and  a  half  or  three  brace  were 
obtained  by  means  of  these  wild  birds,  being  more  than  had  ever 
been  procured  out  of  a  pack  of  grouse  by  his  trained  falcons.  * 

In  December  1832,  one  of  these  birds,  which  had  her  liberty  at 
Mr  Sinclaire's  country  place,  was  observed  to  fly  several  times  over 
'  a  pond  on  which  a  wild  golden  eye  (Anas  dangula),  in  the  beauti- 
ful plumage  of  the  adult  male,  had  just  alighted,  and  was  remarked 
to  keep  watch  on  him  during  the  day.  At  dusk,  when  wild  fowl 
betake  themselves  to  their  feeding  haunts,  this  golden  eye  departed 
from  the  pond,  and  was  perceived  by  the  falcon,  which  instantly 
commenced  pursuit,  and  after  a  short  chase,  seized  and  brought 
him  back  to  the  place  he  had  just  left,  when,  by  struggling  violently, 
he  became  disengaged  from  her  grasp,  and  took  refuge  in  a  small 
and  shallow  pond.  Here  again  he  was  persecuted  by  two  persons 
who  had  witnessed  the  above  occurrence,  and  though  his  wings  had 
not  been  in  the  least  degree  injured,  he  did  not  again  venture  to 
take  flight,  but  seeking  escape  only  by  diving,  was  eventually  cap- 
tured, thus  aflfbrding  evidence  of  the  feathered  being  more  dreaded 
than  the  human  tyrant,  f  He  was  now  pinioned,  and  compelled 
to  take  up  his  abode  with  the  other  wildfowl  in  the  aquatic  mena- 
gerie, a  place  he  had,  in  the  unlimited  freedom  of  flight,  happened 
to  visit  but  a  few  hours  before. 

In  October  1833,  a  female  peregrine  falcon  of  Mr  Sinclaire's,  a 
bird  of  that  year,  and  consequently  but  a  few  months  old,  got  loose  in 
the  hawk  yard,  and  killed  a  male  of  her  own  species  a  year  or  two 
older  than  herself,  and  which  had  the  power  of  moving  at  least  a 
yard  irom  his  block.  She  had  him  nearly  eaten  when  a  person  en> 
tered  the  yard  to  feed  them,  which  he  did  once  daily  at  a  regular 
hour.  This  female  bird  was  "  full  fed"  the  day  before,  and  had 
never  got  more  than  one  meal  in  the  day.     Montagu  relates  a  si- 

*  The  same  gentleman  has  frequently,  when  out  shooting,  obtained  a  single 
grouse,  which  had  been  thus  killed  by  wild  peregrine  falcons,  but  never  more;, 
except  in  the  above  instance. 

t  Birds  of  all  kinds,  when  put  into  cover,  by  peregrine  falcons,  generally  al- 
low themselves  to  be  captured  by  the  hand,  rather  than  again  venture  on  wing ; 
even  the  black-cock  (Tetrao  tetrix)  I  have  known  to  be  thus  taken. 


Natural  History  of  Ireland  55 

milar  occurrence  in  the  Snpplement  to  his  *'  Ornithological  Dictiona- 
ry." About  fifteen  years  ago.  Captain  Johnson  of  the  1st  battalion 
of  the  Rifle  Brigade,  then  stationed  in  the  county  Limerick,  invited 
a  lai^  party,  of  which  the  fair  sex  as  in  the  olden  time  formed  a 
portion,  to  a  day's  hawking,  but  on  going  to  the  mew  it  was  found 
that  his  per^rine  falcon,  having  obtained  her  liberty,  had  killed  and 
devoured  a  merlin  (Falco  aesalon)  her  partner  in  captivity.  The 
misfortune  on  such  an  occasion  was  not  only  the  loss  of  the  merlin, 
but  was  twofold,  as  the  feasting  on  it  prevented  the  icon's  service 
in  the  chase  for  that  day.* 

HoBBT — Falco  auhhuieo,  Linufens. — This  bird  is  mentioned  in  the 
MS.  of  the  late  Mr  Templeton,  as  having  twice  occurred  to  him  in 
summer,  in  the  mountains  of  Wicklow  and  Londonderry.  It  ap- 
pears in  Mr  Stewart's  published  catalogue  of  the  birds  of  Donegal, 
as  an  occasional  but  very  rare  visitant ;  this  gentleman,  however,  in 
a  letter  to  me  dated  Feb.  3,  1837,  expresses  doubt  about  it.  The 
specimen  alluded  to  in  his  catalogue  is  not  preserved.  I  have  never 
been  able  to  obtain  sight  of  an  Irish  Falco  subbuteo. 

OaAVGB- LEGGED  HoBBT — Falco  rufipes,  Bechstein. — To  the  fol- 
lowing record  of  this  species,  communicated  to  the  Zool(^icai  Society 
of  London,  on  June  9, 1835,  when  the  subject  of  it  was  exhibited,  I 
have  nothing  further  to  add. 

*'  An  immature  specimen  of  this  bird,  shot  in  the  county  of  Wick- 
low, in  the  summer  of  1832,  forms  part  of  the  collection  of  T,  W. 
Warren,  Esq.  of  Dublin."— Zool.  Proc.  1835,  p.  78. 

Meblin — FakoassaUm,  Gmelin. — The  merlin  is  indigenous  both 
to  the  north  and  south  of  Ireland.  For  many  years  it  has  been  known 
to  me  as  breeding  in  the  mountains  of  the  county  of  Londonderry, 
whence  I  have  in  more  than  one  summer  seen  nestlings,  which  were 
brought  toWilliam  Sinclaire,  Esq.  These  he  in  due  time  trained  to  the 
pursuit  of  larks  and  snipes.  The  intelligent  gamekeeper  at  Tolly- 
more  Park  informs  me,  that  these  birds  breed  regularly  in  the  moun- 
tains of  Mourne,  (Down,)  where  in  the  summer  of  1836,  he  had  four 
of  their  nests.  At  Claggan,  (Antrim,)  I  have  also  been  told  by  com- 

•  A£  Pennant  in  treating  of  the  Lanwa-  remarks,  "  this  species  breeds  in  Ire- 
Umd,  *  and  Bewick  repeats  the  words  without  acknowledgment,  it  is  perhaps  re- 
quisite to  state,  that  the  true  Fako  lanarius,  Linn,  has  never  to  my  knowledge 
oocnrred  in  this  country.  The  bird  called  Lanner  by  Pennant  is  now  considered 
to  be  the  peregrine  falcon  at  a  certain  age. 


56  CantrUnUians  to  the 

petent  authority,  that  the  merlin  has  bred  for  the  last  few  years. 
For  the  same  purpose  it  is  stated,  by  Mr  Robert  Davis,  Junior,  of 
Clonmel  (Tipperary)  to  resort  to  the  mountains  in  that  neighbour* 
hood,  and  Mr  R.  Ball  informs  me,  that  young  merlins  hare  been 
brought  to  him  at  Youghal,  (Cork.)  It  can  hardly  be  doubted  that 
it  similarly  frequents  many  other  mountainous  parts  of  the  country. 
The  nests  are  said,  by  all  who  have  seen  them,  to  be  invariably 
placed  on  the  ground  among  the  heath. 

At  the  approach  of  winter,  both  the  adult  aUd  immature  merlins 
descend  to  the  low  grounds,  where  they  sometimes  remain  until 
spring  is  far  advanced.  The  earliest  date  at  which  in  such  places 
they  have  occurred  to  me  *  about  Belfast,  was  the  3d  of  October, 
and  the  latest,  the  17th  of  April. 

On  March  the  9th  1832,  when  walking  on  the  shore  of  Bel* 
fast  Bay,  as  the  tide  was  flowing,  a  merlin,  which  flew  past  me, 
was  observed  for  some  time  coursing  above  the  uncovered  banks, 
the  edge  of  the  waves  being  the  limit  to  his  flight.  This  at  once 
led  me  to  believe  he  was  in  search  of  prey,  which  was  confirmed  by 
his  giving  chase  to  a  large  flock  of  dunlins  (Tringa  variabilis,)  in 
pursuit  of  which  he  disappeared.  From  the  oldest  of  the  "  shore- 
shooters"  in  Belfast  Bay,  I  have  heard  that  frequently,  but  chiefly 
in  the  autumn,  he  has  seen  hawks,  which  from  his  description  were 
considered  to  be  the  merlin,  follow  and  kill  dunlins  on  the  banks  at 
low- water:  this  the  above  circumstance,  witnessed  by  myself,  tends  to 
corroborate.  I  am  not  aware  that  the  merlins  thus  resorting  to  the 
sea  shore  have  been  before  noticed:  the  weather  was  mild  in  such 
instances. 

The  stomachs  of  several  merlins  I  have  examined  contained  the 
remains  of  birds  alone. 

Mr  William  Sinclaire  has  remarked  to  me,  that  when  his  merlins 
were  given  living  prey,  they  instantaneously  extinguished  life,  whe- 
ther or  not  they  at  the  time  began  feeding,  whilst  under  similar  cir* 
cumstances,  he  has  seen  the  peregrine  falcon  retain  a  bird  in  its 
^rasp  for  some  time,  putting  an  end  to  its  existence  only  when  urg- 
ed by  hunger,  though  like  the  merlin,  when  it  did  commence,  the 
most  vital  part  was  invariably  the  first  **  entered  upon."  His  spar- 
row-hawks, it  need  hardly  be  added,  began  feeding  indiscriminately 
on  any  part  of  the  living  objects  oflFered  them. 

*  On  October  22d,  I  have  seen  it  in  the  low  grounds  about  Megarnie  Castle, 
Perthshire. 
The  merlin  is  found  in  the  south  of  Scotland  during  the  whole  winter £d. 


Natural  History  of  Inland.  57 

Kestrbi* — Falco  tinnunculux,  Linnaeus. — This  species  is  common 
and  resident  in  Ireland,  and  is  of  more  frequent  occurrence  in  the 
north  than  any  of  the  Falconidse.  It  is  met  with  about  all  our  in- 
land and  marine  cliffs,  and  builds  within  their  fissures.  Throughout 
the  whole  range  of  noble  basaltic  precipices  in  the  north-east  of  Ire- 
land, I  have  remarked  its  presence.  In  trees,  church  towers,*  &c. 
it  also  builds  with  us.  The  kestrel  has  been  so  far  trained  by  Mr 
William  Sindaire  as,  when  given  its  liberty,  to  attend  and  soar  above 
him  like  the  peregrine  falcon,  and  fly  at  small  birds  let  off  from  the 
hand*  One  of  these  hawks,  which  was  kept  by  this  gentleman  in 
the  town  of  Belfast,  had  its  freedom,  and  flew  every  evening  to  roost 
in  an  extensive  plantation  in  the  country,  about  a  mile  distant,  in 
flying  to  and  from  which  it  was  at  first  recognized  by  the  sound  of 
the  bells  attached  to  its  legs.  This  bird  returned  regularly  to  its 
town  domicile  at  an  early  hour  in  the  morning. 

Mr  R.  Langtry  has  often  seen  a  wild  kestrel  rise  from  the  enclo- 
sure in  which  his  eagles,  &c.  are  kept,  but  never  having  observed  it 
to  carry  away  any  food,  knows  not  whether  this,  or  curiosity  (which 
we  often  see  displayed  by  birds,)  may  have  been  the  object  of  its 
visit. 

Often  as  I  have  seen  the  swallows  follow  in  the  train  of  birds 
of  prey,  I  never  but  in  the  following  instance  saw  one  of  them  be- 
come the  pursued.  On  September  the  22d  1832,  when  walking 
with  a  friend  in  the  garden  at  Wolfliill,  near  Belfast,  a  male  kes- 
trel, in  close  pursuit  of  a  swallow  (Hirundo  rustica)  appeared  in 
sight  over  the  hedge-row,  and  continuing  the  chase  with  extreme 
ferocity,  lost  not  the  least  way  by  the  swallow's  turnings,  but  kept 
within  about  a  foot  of  it  all  the  time,  at  one  moment  passing  within 
five  or  six  yards  of  our  heads.  It  is  idle  to  conjecture  how  long  the 
foray  may  have  lasted  before  we  witnessed  it,  but  immediately  on 
the  kestreFs  giving  up  the  chase,  the  swallow,  nothing  daunted,  be- 
came again,  accompanied  by  many  of  its  species,  its  pursuer  and 
tormentor,  and  so  continued  until  they  all  disappeared.  The  kes- 
trel was  probably  forced  to  this  chase  by  the  particular  annoyance 
of  the  swallows,  they  and  the  martins,  (Hirundo  urbica,)  being  more 
numerous  this  day  at  Wolfhill^  than  they  had  been  at  any  time 
during  the  season. 

(To  he  continued,) 

*  The  only  place  of  this  kind  in  the  iricinity  of  Belfast  that  1  know  to  be 
■elected  for  the  purpose  is  the  tower  of  Ballylesson  church,  which,  of  the  many 
edifices  of  this  description  in  our  populous  neighbourhood,  is  the  only  one  which 
a  set  of  musical  bells. 


58  Chehmiorum  Tabula  Anafytica. 


IV. — Chehniorum    Tabula  Analytica,     Auctore  Carolo  L.  Bo- 
naparte, Muxiniani  Princip. 

Qui  primus  forte  omnitim  ostenderam  posse  Testudines,  Testudi- 
nina  a  me  ipso  appellatas,  majori  proprietate  distingui,  non  intnitu 
articulationis  amplius  testamm,  sed  potius  connexionis ;  intereaqae 
nonnulla  tunc  mihi  perspicua  genera  definivi,  ac  caetera  omnino  sta« 
tuenda  fore  prae&tDS  sum ;  nunc  integrum  Cheloniorum  ordinem 
complect!  quasi  ex  contractu  debere,  et  quae  descripseram  confirmare, 
et  quidquid  recentiores  Erpetologi  de  Testudinibus  tradunt  colligere 
judico.  Nemo  vero  sanus  opellam  banc  meam  alienis  veluti  flosculis 
simpliciter  intertextam  reprehendet ;  cum  enim  hie  Reptilium  stipes 
in  Galliis  non  minus  quam  in  Britannia  ac  Germania  celebretur  adeo, 
ut  riri  doctissimi  Grayus,  Bellus,  Waglerus,  Dumeriius  cum  Bibrono> 
et  Fitzingerus  praecipue  sedulam  illi  operam  navent ;  nefas  mihi  fo* 
ret  ab  eorum  sapientia  desciscere,  eorumdem  imo  doctrinas  non  con- 
sectari.  Idcirco  diuma  noctumaque  manu  illorum  scnpta  versando 
non  pauca  decerpsi  characterum  rudimenta  ad  genera  melius  singula- 
tim  decemenda  omnia ;  quamobrem  vocabula  etiam  nonnulla  quae  sa- 
pientes  illi  protulere  de  suo,  non  casu  aliquo  sed  libens  volensque  de- 
dita  opera  arripui  quoties  uni  eidemque  rei  significandae  inservirent. 
Cui  properando  open  tabellam  tantum  de  more  analyticam  sine  ullo 
yerborum  apparatu  ad  usum  literariarum  ephemeridum  maturavi. 
Dabam  Romae  prid.  Id,  Majas  MDCCCXXXVI. 

Carolus  L.  Bonaparte,  Muxiniani  Princeps. 

CHELONII  (Testudines,  Wagl.)  sunt  Reptilia  corpore  inTerso, 
testeo ;  cute  fomici  dorsali  et  stemo  adstricta ;  tetrapoda,  edentula. 

Conspectus  Familiarum  et  Subfamiliarum. 

I.  TESTUDINIDAE.  (Testudinidae,  Emydae,  Chelydae,  Gray. 
Chersites,  Elodites,  Dum.  Tylopoda,  Steganopoda  rostrata,  Ste- 
ganopoda  mandibulata,  Fitz.)  Pedes  ambulatorii,  longitudine  pa- 
res.    Thorax  scutis  comeis  tectus.     Labia  nulla. 

1.  Testudinina.  (Testudinidae,  Bell.   Chersites,  Dum.  Ty- 

lopoda,  Fitz.)     Pedes  digitigradi,  clavati,  digitis  indistinc- 
tis.     Os  comeum.     Collum  retractile.     Pelvis  mobilis. 

2.  Emydina.     (Emydae,  Gray.     Elodites  cryptod6re8,DuM. 

Steganopoda  rostrata,  part  Fitz.)     Pedes  plantigradi,  di- 
gitis distinctis,  plerumque  palmatis.   Os  comeum.   Collum 

retractile.     Pelvis  mobilis. 
8 


Chdonionan  Tabtda  Aiialytica,  69 

3.  Hydraspidina.  (Chelydae,  part.  Gray.  Elodites  plenro- 
d^res,  parU  Dum.  Steganopoda  rostrata,  part,  Fitz.) 
Pedes  plantigpradiy  digitis  distinctis,  palmatis.  Os  corneum. 
CoUum  yersatile.     Pelvis  immobilis. 

4*  Chelina.  (Chelydae,  part.  Gray.  Elodites  pleurod^res, 
part*  Ddm.  Steganopoda  mandibulata,  Fitz.)  Pedes 
plantigradi,  digitis  distinctis,  palmatis.  Os  coriaceiun.  Col- 
lam  yersatile.     Pelvis  immobilis. 

II.  TRIONYCID AE.  (Trionycidae,  Gray.  Potemites,  Dum.  Ste- 
ganopoda labiata,  Fitz.)  Pedes  ambulatorii,  longitudine  pares. 
Thorax  corio  laevi  indatos.     Labia  camosa. 

5.  Trionycina.     (Trionycidae,  Or.     Potamites,  Dum.     Ste- 

ganopoda labiata,  Fitz.)  Pedes  plantigradi,  digitis  distinc- 
tis,  palmatis.  Os  comenm.  Collum  versatile.  Pelvis  im- 
mobilis. 

III.  CHELONID AE.  (Chelonidae,  Gray.  ThalsAsites,  Dum.  Oia- 
copoda,  Fitz.)  Pedes  natatorii,  compressi,  longitudine  inaeqnales, 
digitis  indistinctis.     Labia  nulla. 

6.  Chblonina.     (Chelonidae,  Bell.)     Thorax  scutis  comeis 

tectus. 

7.  Sphasoidina.     (Sphargidae,  Bell.)     Thorax  corio  verru- 

coso  indutus. 

Conspectus  Generum  et  Subgemerum. 

FAMILIA  L  TESTUDINIDAE. 

subfamilia  1.  TESTUDaNINA. 
1.  Testudo,  Dum.   (CA^Wn^,  Merr.)   Metathorax  inarticolatus : 
sternum  antice  inarticulatum  :  pedes  pent-adactyli. 

1.  Che&bus,  Wagl.  Sternttm  postice  aiticulatum. 

Teatudo  marginatay  Schoepf.         Eur.  As.  Afr.     2. 

2.  Testudo,  Wagl.   Sternum  inarticulatum,  scutis  duodecim. 

1.  Testudo,  Frrz.  Scutellum  nuchale  -.  scutellum  caudale  bipartitum. 

Testudo  graecoy  Linn.  Eur.  m.  As.       3. 

2.  PsAMHOBATES,  FiTZ.  ScutcUum  nuchslc  :  scutellum  caudale  inte- 
grum. Testudo  polgphemvs,  Daud.  Afr.  Am.  s.       4. 

3.  Geochelone,  Fitz.   Sine  scutello  nuchali :  testa  margine  laterali 
angulata.  Testudo  steUatay  Schweigg.  As.  Afr.  Am.  m.  6. 

4.  CuELONOiDis,  Fitz.     Sine  scutello  nuchali :  testa  margine  lateiali 
rotundata.         Tutudo  tabulatoy  Walb.  Am.  m.  8. 

3.  Chebsima,  Gbay,  Sternum  inarticulatum  scutis  undedm. 


60  C/uhniarum  Tabula  Analytica. 

1.  Cylindbabfis,  Pitz.  8ine  scutello  nuchali. 

Testudo  Vosmaerif  Frrz.  Afr.  m.  3. 

2.  Cherbina,  Fitz.  Scutellum  nuchale. 

Testudo  angvlata^  DuM.  Afr.  m.  1. 

2.  HoMOFUS,  DuM.    Metathorax  inarticulatus  :  sternum  inarticula- 
tum :  pedes  tetradactyli. 

Testudo  areolata,  Thumb.  Afr.  in.  2. 

8.  Pyxis,  Bell.     Metathorax  inarticulatus :  sternum  antice  inar- 
ticulatum. 

Pi/xis  arachfioidest  Bell.  As.  m.  Oc.        1. 

4.  KiNTXis,  Bell.     {Cinixysy  Wagl.)     Metathorax  postice  arti- 

culatus. 

1.  CiNOTHORAX,  Frrz.    Scutella  marginali  cum  nuchali  viginti  quatuor. 

Kinixys  ffomeana,  Bell.  Am.  m.  2. 

2.  CiMiXYB,  Fitz.  Scutella  marginalia  sine  nucliali  viginti  tiia. 

Testudo  erosa,  Schweigg.  Am.  m.  1. 

SiJBFAMILIA  2.  EMYDINA. 

§  gula  sine  papillis. 

5.  CisTUDO>  Nob.     (Terrapene  part.  Bell.     Cistudes  claunles^ 

DuM.  PyxidemiSi  Fitz.)  Sternum  metathoraci  ligamentis  ad- 
nexum  ope  scutorum  ahdominalium :  sine  scutellis  axillarihus 
et  ing^nalibus  :  testa  gibba  binis  valvis  stenialibus  undique  ob- 
serabilis. 

Testudo  clausof  Linn.  Am.  s.  Oc.        3. 

6.  Emys,  Nob.    (Cistudes  haillantesy  Dum.)    Sternum  metathoraci 

ligamentis  adnexum  ope  scutorum  pectoralium  atque  ahdomina- 
lium :  scutellis  axillarihus  et  inguinalibus :  testa  depressa  non 
obserabilis. 

1.  Emyb,  Wagl.   Sternum  articulatum. 

Testudo  lutaria,  Linn.  Eur.  As.  Afr.   2. 

2.  Cyclemys,  Bell.   Sternum  inarticulatum. 

Cistudo  Diardh  Dum.  As.  m.  I. 

7.  Terrapene,  Nob.     (Emi/s^  Dum.     ClemmySi  Wagl.)     Ster- 

num metathoraci  per  symphysin  a£Bxum,  inarticulatum  ;  scutis 
stemo-costalibus  duobus  discretis  non  interjectis  :  digiti  palmati : 
ungues  anteriorum  pedum  quinque,  posteriorum  quatuor :  cauda 
gracilis. 

1.  Clemmys,  Frrz.     Nasus  prominulus. 

T  lutarioy  Schweigg.  nee  Linn.  (Sigriz,  Mich.)  Eur.  As.  Am.  Oc.  36. 

2.  RhinoclemmySi  Fitz.     Nasus  protractus. 

T.  verrucosa,  Walb.  Am.  m.  2. 

8.  Geoemys,  Gray.     (Emysy  part.  Dum.     Clemmys^  part.  Fitz.) 

Sternum   metathoraci   per  symphysin  affixum,  inarticulatum  : 


Cheloniarum  Tabula  Analytica.  61 

digiti  fifisi :  ungues  anteriorum  pedum  quinque,  posteriorum 
quatuor :  cauda  gracilis. 

Emys  Spenghriy  Schweigg.  Afr.  1. 

9.  Tetraonyx,  Less.   Sternum  metathoraci  per  symphysin  affix- 

um,  iuarticulatum :   digiti  palmati :  ungues  undique  quatuor^: 
Cauda  gracilis. 
Tetraomnfx  hngicoUis,  Less.  (Emys  Batagur,  Hardw.)  As.  or.  2. 

10.  Platisternon,  Gray.     Sternum  metathoraci  per  symphysin 

affixum,  iuarticulatum,  latissimum  :  scutis  sterno-costalibus  tri- 
bus  :  digiti  palmati :  ungues  anteriorum  pedum  quinque,  poste- 
riorum  quatuor :  cauda  grandis  et  longa. 

PUtystemon  megacephalumy  Gray.  As.  or.  2. 

§  §   GULA  CUM  PAPILLIS. 

11.  Chblydr  A,  Schweigg.     (CAe/bnuro,  Flem.   Rapanra,  Gil  ay. 

Saurochelf/Si  Latr.  Emysawrus^  Dum.)  Sternum  metatho- 
raci per  synchondrosin  affixum  ope  scutorum  abdominalium,  iu- 
articulatum, august um  :  scutis  sterno-costalibus  tribus,  uno  tan- 
tum  interposito :  scutella  marginalia  yiginti  quinque :  scuta 
stemi  duodeoim  :  cauda  grandis  et  longa,  cristata. 

T,  serpentina.  Link.  Am.  s.  1. 

12.  Staurotypcjs,  Wagl.     (Stemotherus,  part.  Bell.)     Sternum 

metathoraci  per  symphysin  ope  scutorum  pectoralium  abdomi- 
naliumque  affixum,  angustum,  antice  articulatum  :  scutis  sterno- 
costalibus  duobus  contiguis  interpositis  :  scutella  marginalia  ri- 
gintitria :  scuta  sterni  octo :  cauda  brevis. 

Terrapene  triporcata,  Wiegm.      Am.  s.  ) . 

Id.  Kjnosternum,  Nob.  (^Cinostemum et  Staurotypusy  part.  Dum.) 
Sternum  metathoraci  per  symphysin  ope  scuti  abdominalis  affix, 
um,  articulatum ;  scutis  sterno-costalibus  duobus  contiguis  in- 
terpositis :  scutella  marginalia  vigintitria :  scuta  stemi  undecim  : 
cauda  brevissima. 

1.  Sternothekus,  Fitz.      (Staurotypus,  part  Dum.)     Sternum  an^ 
gustum,  antice  articulatum. 

Testudo  odoratOf  Daud.  Am.  8.  1. 

2.  CiNOSTERNON,  Wagl.  Stemum  latum,  antice  et  postice  articulatum. 

Testutlo  pensylvanica,  Gm.  Am.  s.  5. 

SUBFAMILIA  3.  HYDRA8PIDINA. 
§.    CAPUT  DKPRES6IU8CULUM  ;   OCULI  LATERALE8. 

14.  Peltocephalus,  Dum.  (Podocnemys,  Fitz.  part.)  Caput  scu- 
tellatum,  grande  :  mandibulae  incurvae  :  sine  scutello  nuchali : 
pedes  parum  palmati :  cauda  unguiculata. 

Emys  tracaxa  et  macrocephala,  Spix.     Am.  m.  I. 


62  Chehniorum  Tabula  Analytica. 

15.  PoDOCNEMYS,  Wagl.  Caput  scateUatmn,  supeme  sQlcatum: 
sine  scutello  nuchali ;  mandibulae  rectinsculae  :  pedes  late  pal- 
mati :  caada  mntica. 

Einya  expanse,  Schweigg.       Am.  m.  2. 

16.  Emtduba,  Nob.  (JPlatemys  part.  Dum.)  Caput  corio  tectum  : 

scutellum  nuchale. 

Emy8  MacquariOf  Cvv,  Oe.  I. 

$§  CAPUT  DEPaSSSUM :  OCULI  supsai. 
f  GULA  CUM  PAPILLIB. 

17.  Pelomedusa,  Wagl.  (Pentonyxy  Dum.)  Ungues  undiquequin- 
que :  sternum  inarticulatum. 

Testudo  gaUata,  Schoepf.        Afr.  2. 

18.  Pblusios,  Wagl.  (Stemotherus,  Gray.  Dum.)  Ungues  pe- 
dum anteriorum  quinque,  posteriorum  quatuor :  sternum  articu- 
ktum. 

Testudo  subnigra,  Lacep.  Madag.  5. 

19.  Hydraspis>  Gray,  {PlcUemysy  Dum.)  Ungues  pedum  anterio- 
rum quinque,  posteriorum  quatuor :  sternum  inarticulatum. 

1.  Platemys,  Wagl.  Caput  scutelUs  tectum  :  nasus  prominulus :  pedes 
scutellis  contiguis.      Testudo  planiceps,  Schn.  Am.  m.  6. 

2.  Rhinemys,  Wagl.  Caput  scutellis  tectum  :  nasus  productus :  pedes 
scutellis  contiguis.     Emgs  nasuta,  Schweigg.  Am.  m.  4* 

3.  PiiRYNOPS,  Wagl.  Caput  corio  tectum  :  nasus  prominulus :  pedes  scu- 
tellis discretis.  Emys  Geoffroana,  Schweigg.     Am.  m.  2. 

f  f   GULA  SINE  PAPILLIS. 

20.  Chblodina,  DvM.(ffydrcupisy  Fitz.)  Ungues  undique  quatuor. 

1.  Chelodika,  Bell.  Scutellum  nuchale  scutellis  coUaribus  interposi- 
tum.  Testudo  longicolUs,  Shaw.  Oc  1. 

2.  Hydromedusa,  Wagl.  Scutellum  nuchale  scuto  vertebrali  primo  et 
scutellis  coUaribus  interpositum. 

Enofs  MaximiUanif  Mikan.        Am.  m.  2. 

SUBFAMXLIA  4.  CHBLINA. 

21.  Chblts,  Dum.  (Matamata^  Mbrr.) 

Testudo  Jmbria,  Gm.  Am.  m.  I. 

FAMILIA  II.  TRIONYCIDAE. 

SUBFAMILIA  5.  TRIONYCINA. 

22.  Amyda,  Schweigg.  (Aspidonectes,  Wagl.     Trionyxy  Gray. 

Bbll.     GymnopuSf  Dum.)  Testa  margine  cartilagineo :  ster- 
num ang^tum  :  pedes  non  retractiles. 

t  Ossa  cofltalia  postica  contigua. 
1.  AspiDONECTES,  FiTZ.  Os  ccrvicale  vertebralibus  conjunctum,  in  tola 
superficie  rugosum.    Trionyx  ASpyptiarus,  Geoftr.   As.  Afr.  4. 


Miscellanea  Zoologica.  63 

2.  Platypeltis,  Fitz.  Os  cervicale  vertebralibus  conjunctam,  in  medio 
tantum  rugosum.        Testudo  ferox,  Gm.  Am.  s.  2. 

3.  Pelodibcus,  Frrz.  Os  cervicale  a  vertebralibus  separatum,  in  medio 
tantum  rugosum.     Aspidonectea  Smensis,  Weigh.  As.  or.  1. 

1 1  Ossa  costalia  postica  interpositis  vertebralibus  discreta. 

4.  Amyda,  Frrz.  Os  cervicale  a  vertebralibus  separatum,  in  medio  tan* 
turn  rugosum.  Trionyx  subplanus,  Geoffr.      As.  m.  2. 

23.  Trionyx,  Waol.  (Emyda,  Gray.  Bell.     Cryptopus,  Dum.) 

Testa  ossiculis  marginalibus  aucta:  sternum  latum,  lateribus 
Talyis  munitum :  pedes  retractiles. 

Testudo  granoaa,  Schoepf.         As.  m.  Afr.         2. 

FAMILIA  III.  CHELONIDAE. 

SUBFAMJLIA  6.  CHELONINA. 

24.  Chslonia,  Brongn.  (Caretta^  Merr.)  Sternum  latum,  scutis 

tredecim  scutello  intergulari,  ope  scutorum  humeralium,  pecto- 
raliuro,  abdominalium  et  femoralium  metathoraci  affixum  :  ecuta 
disci  tredecim. 

1.  Chelonia,  Nob.  (Ch^lonees /ranches,  Dum.)  Scuta  disci  postponta : 
nasus  prominulus  :  mandibulae  denticulatae :  gnatotheca  tribus  parti- 
bus  constans.  Testvdo  mydas,  Linn.  Atl.  Pac  3. 

2.  Caretta,  Nob.  {CheloiUes  imbriqu^es,  Dum.)  Scuta  disci  imbricata: 
nasus  productus :  mandibulae  integrae  :  gnatotheca  individua. 

Testudo  imbricata,  Linn.  Atl.  Pac.  1. 

25.  Thalassochblys,  Fitz.  (Chelonies  Caauanes,  Dum.)  Ster- 

num angustum,  scutis  duodeeim  sine  scutello  intergulari,  ope 
scutorum  pectoraliimi,  abdominalium  et  femoralium  metathoraci 
affixum  :  scuta  disci  quindecim. 

Testudo  caretta,  Linn.  Med.  AtL  Bic.  1. 

SUBFAMILIA  7.  SPHARGIDINA. 

26.  Sphargis,  Merr.  (Coriudo,  Flem.    Dermochelys^  Blainv. 

ScyHnOj  Wagl.    Dermatochelys^  Fitz.) 

Testudo  coriaeea,  Linn.  Med.  Ad.  Pac.  1. 


V. — Miscellanea  Zoologica.  By  Gborgi^  Johnston^  M.  D.  Fel- 
low of  the  Royal  College  of  Surgeons  of  Edinburgh.  Plates  II. 
III. 

in. — The  BamsM  AaiciADiE, 
The   Annelides^   say    MM.   Audouin   and  Milne-£dwards^  * 
which  we  group  round  the  genus  Arida  of  Savigny,  and  of  which 
we  form  the  fifth  family  in  the  order  Errantrs,  present  very  con- 
siderable dissimilarities  in  their  external  structure^ — a  circumstance 

*    Ann.  dee  Sciences  Nat  Vol.  xxix.  p.  888. 


64  MisctUanea  Zodoffica. 

which  ought  not  to  surprise  us^  for  whenever  organs,  because  of  their 
minor  developem^nt,  become  of  slight  importance  in  the  economy 
of  the  animal,  and  are  about  to  be  obliterated  more  or  less  entire- 
ly from  its  anatomy,  we  find  them  to  vary  proportionably  in  their 
forms.  Such  is  the  case  with  the  exterior  appendages  of  the  Ari- 
oiADM,  a  small  family  which  intervenes  to  smooth  the  abruptness 
of  the  passage  between  the  more  typical  An.  Ebbantes,  and  the 
Annelides  of  the  orders  Tbrricols  and  TuBicoLiE. 

It  is  probably  from  this  discrepancy  among  them  that,  up  to  this 
time,  no  naturalist  has  seized  upon  the  characters  which  seem  to  us 
to  unite  them  in  one,  but  every  one  has  scattered  its  members  among 
different  groups.  Several  of  them  have  been  considered  as  related 
to  the  Earth-worms,  others  to  the  Nereides,  and  a  certain  number 
have  been  collected  together  by  M.  de  filainville  in  his  family 
"  Nereiscoles."  The  end  which  that  zoologist  had  in  view  in  the 
establishment  of  that  family  is  very  nearly  the  same  which  has  led 
us  to  unite  in  one  distinct  group  the  Annelides  in  question  ;  and  it 
is  probable  that  if  Blainville  had  personally  observed  a  greater  num- 
ber of  species,  his  opinions  relative  to  the  cotnjHJsition  of  the  family 
would  have  been  more  in  unison  with  ours  than  they  happen  to 
be.» 

The  Abigiada  have  in  general  the  elongated  linear  form  of  the 
Nereides  and  Euniciadse,  but  their  body  is  not  truncated  in  front 
as  in  these  Annelides,  rather  diminishing,  on  the  contrary,  in  thick- 
ness at  the  cephalic  extremity.  It  is  nearly  cylindrical,  and  is  com- 
posed of  a  very  considerable  number  of  narrow  segments.  The  head 
ie  small,— often  not  to  be  distinguished  from  the  superior  lip,  and 
it  is  not  distinctly  separated  iirom  the  body.  The  antenns  are  in 
general  obsolete,  but  in  some  of  the  genera  more  than  usually  de- 
veloped ;  while  the  eyes  are  either  wanting  or  very  minute.  The 
proboscis  is  very  shorty  and  does  not  perceptibly  exceed  the  cepha- 
lic segment :  it  is  rather  membranous  than  fleshy,  and  is  never  fur- 
nished with  jaws,  but  sometimes  we  observe  tentacula  in  it.  The 
anterior  rings  of  the  body  are  narrow,  and  hare  always  ambulatory 
feet,  which,  in  general,  are  slightly  prominent,  and  divided  into  two 

•  A  great  number  of  the  Nereiscoles  of  M.  de  Blainville  are  only  imperfectly 
known  by  the  descriptions  of  MuUer,  Otho  FabriduB,  &c.  and  ought,  in  the 
opinion  of  Audouin  and  M.  Edwards,  to  be  referred  to  the  Euniciada ;  while  in 
the  works  of  these  authors  the  Annelides,  with  a  few  exceptions,  which  consti*- 
tute  the  present  family,  are  not  to  be  found,  and  could  not  take  a  place  among 
the  NereiscoUsf  if  regard  were  to  be  had  to  Blainville's  character  of  it.  Hence 
Audouin  and  M.  Edwards  have  found  a  new  designation  necenary  to  prevent 
confusion. 


MUcellanea  Zoohgica.  65 

branches,  and  in  no  instance  replaced  by  tentacular  cirri.  The 
bristles  with  which  they  are  garnished  are  too  weak  to  be  of  much 
use  as  defensive  organs.  In  most  of  the  genera  all  the  feet  are  si- 
milar on  all  the  rings,  but  in  some  we  find  those  of  the  anterior 
portion  of  the  body  to  differ  from  the  succeeding  ones,  and  of  which 
the  ventral  branch  at  least  resembles  those  feet  with  crotchets  which 
we  meet  with  so  constantly  in  the  order  Tubicole.  The  soft  ap- 
pendages are  subject  to  much  variety  in  the  Ariciadie.  The  cirri 
never  fail  at  least  on  one  of  the  branches  of  the  foot,  but  common- 
ly we  do  not  find  them  on  both ;  they  have  sometimes  the  form  of 
fleshy  filaments,  more  or  less  delicate,  at  other  times  they  constitute 
flattened  tonguelets.  Branchiee  properly  so  called  are  in  general 
defective ;  sometimes,  however,  they  exist  under  the  form  of  well- 
developed  lobules  fixed  to  the  feet,  and  in  other  cases  they  consist 
in  a  certain  number  of  tentacular  filaments,  similar  to  the  cirri,  and 
fixed  upon  the  dorsal  arch  of  some  of  the  rings  of  the  anterior  part 
of  the  body, — a  disposition  of  parts  which  evidently  leads  us  to  that 
more  peculiarly  characteristic  of  the  Annelides  iubicoke. 

The  character  of  the  family  may  be  summed  up  as  follows : 

Feet  sligklfy  prominent  in  general  and  of  Utile  complexness  of 
structure^  sometime*  alike  throughout,  sometimes  dissimilar  in  differ- 
eni  parts  of  the  body,  but  never  alternately  furnished  with,  and  des~ 
tilute  of  certain  soft  appendages :  Bran  cm  je  none  or  very  simple : 
Hejd  rudimentary :  Autbnnje  and  eyes  frequently  wanting :  no 
Jaws:  PROBoacis  very  short  and  indistinct:  no  Tentacular 
CIRRI :  In  general  a  single  ciRRva  to  eeich  foot,  and  when  a  second 
exists,  thu  is  rudimentary.* 

Of  the  four  genera  which  Audouin  and  Milne-Edwards  include 
in  this  family,  we  have  two  native  species  of  one  only  ;  but  it  is  re- 
markable that  our  other  species,  which  as  yet  are  limited  to  the  num- 
ber of  three,  constitute  two  new  genera  in  it  very  distinct  from  any 
hitherto  characterized.  The  fact  is  an  additional  illustration  of  an 
axiom  in  natural  history, — ^that  all  aberrant  and  osculant  groups  are 
not  only  comparatively  few  in  species,  but  at  the  same  time  these 
species  are  so  dissimilar  among  themselves  that  each,  or  every  two 
or  three  of  them,  will  be  found  to  have  characters  which  are  pro- 
perly generical. 

It  may  be  useful  to  give  the  characters  of  all  the  genera  hitherto 
proposed,  for  as  the  British  species  are  probably  more  numerous  than 
has  been  ascertained,  so  it  is  not  unprobable  we  may  have  a  repre- 
sentative of  each  genus. 

*  Translated,  but  not  always  closely,  from  Audouin  and  M.-Edwards,  ut  sup.  dt 
YOI*.  II.  NO.  7-  B 


66  Miscellanea  Zooloffica. 

•  Feel  ofirvo  kinds,  dissimilar, 

I.  Abicia.  Feet  raised  upon  the  back,  those  of  the  anterior  part 
of  the  body  composed  of  two  very  dissimilar  branches,  the  ven- 
tral branch  having  some  analogy  to  the  feet  with  crotchets, — 
the  other  feet  with  two  branches  nearly  alike  :  Head  conical : 
AntennoB  none  or  rudimentary  :  No  oral  Tentacula. 

II.  Lkucodore.  Feet  papillary  and  setigerous,  the  first  four  pairs 
abranchial,  the  fifth  with  crotchets ;  the  following  like  the  an- 
terior, bfit  with  a  cirrus  reflected  on  the  back,  and  becoming 
branchial :  Head  conical :  Antenna  two,  occipital,  setaceous  : 
Proboscis  none. 

••  Feet  cO'Ordinate,  and  alike, 

III.  Nerine.  Head  small  but  distinct,  furnished  with  two  long 
occipital  antennas :  no  oral  tentacula  :  Feet  biramous,  each 
branch  consisting  of  a  membranous  lobe  and  a  short  setigeroua 
pedicle  :  Branchias  forming  a  series  of  short  setaceous  filaments 
along  each  side  reflected  on  the  back,  with  a  small  cirrus  at  their 
base. 

IV.  AoNiA.  Head  small  but  distinct,  surmounted  with  a  conical 
very  short  antenna :  no  oral  tentacula :  Feet  divided  into  two 
branches  each  garnished  with  a  lamellar  lobe :  a  dorsal  but  no 
ventral  cirrus :  no  branchice. 

V.  Ophelia.  Head  indistinct,  terminated  by  two  large  tentacu- 
lar horns,  surmounting  a  circle  of  oral  tentacula :  Feet  with 
two  branches  scarcely  protruding,  and  without  membranous 
lobes :  no  dorsal  cirrus :  a  ventral  cirrus  upon  the  rings  of  the 
middle  part  of  the  body. 

VI.  GiBRATULos.  Head  conical  indistinct,  and  destitute  of  all  soft 
appendages :  Feet  scarcely  projecting,  with  two  branches  wide* 
ly  separate :  no  ventral  cirrus  :  the  dorsal  cirri  filiform  and 
very  long :  in  general  branchice  exactly  similar  to  the  cirri  and 
fixed  upon  the  back  of  one  of  the  rings  of  the  anterior  part  of 
the  body. 

II. — Leucodorb,  *  Johnston. 
Charactbr. — Bodt^  vermiform  :  head  conical :  mouth    simple, 
emandibulate :  eyes  four :  antennas  2,  occipital,  large,  long,  and  seta^ 
ceous,  ciliated :  four  anterior  segments  with  papilious  setigerous  feet, 

*  Name  from  >fc/x«r  white,  and  /»c  a  gift:  The  naturalist  who  has  experien- 
ced the  joys  of  finding  a  hitherto  unseen  animal,  and  to  whom  the  pleasing  duty 
has  been  reserved  of  publishing  an  additional  illustration  of  the  wisdom  of  his 


Miscellanea  Zooloffica.  67 

ihejifih  wiih  crotchets,  the  rest  with  papillaus  feet  like  the  anterior 
segments,  but  furnished  besides  with  a  branchial  cirrus  reflected  on 
ike  back:  anal  segment  campanutate,  the  anus  opening  in  its  concave 
centre. 

L.  CiLiATUs.     Plate  III.  Pig.  1-6. 

Hob.  In  crevices  of  slaty  rocks  near  low-^water  mark.  In  Ber- 
wick Bay. 

Description, — Worm  from  6  to  8  lines  long,  linear-elongate,  or 
slightly  tapered  to  the  tail,  somewhat  quadrangular,  of  a  yellowish 
or  flesh  colour,  with  a  dark  red  line  down  the  middle.  Head  small, 
depressed,  in  the  form  of  a  short  cylindrical  proboscis,  encircled 
with  a  raised  hood  or  membrane ;  mouth  edentulous ;  eyes  4,  mi- 
nute, placed  in  a  square  at  the  base  of  the  antennae,  which  are  more 
than  a  fifth  of  the  length  of  the  body,  tapered,  wrinkled,  and  cloth- 
ed along  their  inferior  sides  with  short  cilia.  Segments  numerous, 
narrow,  distinct,  the  first  four  with  an  inferior  papillary  cirrus  on 
each  side,  and  a  brush  of  retractile  bristles ;  the  fifth  with  a  series  of 
bristles  curved  like  an  italic  f,  obtuse,  not  capable  apparently  of 
being  protruded  like  the  others,  and  having  rather  a  more  ventral 
position ;  the  following  segments  have  on  each  side  an  obtuse  bran- 
chial cirrus  originating  from  the  dorsal  margin,  as  long  as  half  the 
diameter  of  the  body,  held  either  erect,  or  reflected  across  the  back 
to  meet  its  fellow  on  the  mesial  line,  beneath  it  a  small  mammillary 
foot,  armed  with  ^ve  or  six  sharp  slightly  curved  bristles  of  unequal 
lengths,  under  this  a  bundle  of  much  smaller  bristles  (crotchets?) 
with  a  small  conical  cirrus  with  a  still  more  ventral  position.  The 
branchial  cirrus  is  clothed  on  its  lower  aspect  with  rather  long  move- 
able cilia ;  it  becomes  very  small  or  entirely  disappears  on  the  pos- 
terior segments,  in  which  the  bristles  on  the  contrary  appear  to  be 
longer  and  more  developed ;  bristles  simple,  unjointed ;  anal  seg- 
ment conformed  into  a  circular  cup  or  sucker,  in  the  centre  of  which 
the  anus  opens  by  a  small  round  aperture. 

In  this  worm  the  cilia  which  cover  the  under  sides  of  the  bran- 
chial processes  are  remarkable  for  their  size  and  length,  for  they 
can  be  seen  with  a  common  magnifier  fanning  the  water  with  equal 
and  rapid  beats,  and  driving  the  current  along  their  surface.  Their 
analogy  with  the  cilia  of  zoophytes  is  obvious,  but  here  their  motion 

Creator,  and  of  filling  up  a  blank  in  our  knowledge  of  His  works,  will  at  once 
difine  the  origin  of  this  name  so  strangely  applied  to  a  worm. 

**•  Nomen  habes  niveis  nunc  inscriptum  ergo  lapillis.** 
The  scholar  may  remember  that  the  name  was  originally  formed  by  some  clas- 
sical wit  for  Dt  Whitgift,  the  fiimous  Archbishop  of  Canterbury,  temp.  reg. 
Elizab See  Walton^s  Lives  by  Zouch,  p.  209.  York,  1807. 


68  MiiceUanea  Zociogica. 

is  certainly  dependant  on  the  wiU  of  the  animal^  for  I  have  repeat- 
edly seen  it  b^n  and  stop,  and  be  ag£n  renewed  after  an  intenral 
of  repose,  and  again  be  checked  in  a  manner  that  conld  leave  no 
doubt  bat  that  the  play  of  the  organs  was  entirely  voluntary.  The 
cilia  of  the  antennae,  notwithstanding  the  larger  size  of  the  organs, 
are  less  than  half  the  length  of  those  of  the  branchiae* 

Leucodore  ciliatus  lives  between  the  seams  of  slaty  rocks  near 
low- water  mark,  burrowing  in  the  fine  soft  mud  which  lines  the  fis- 
sures. Its  motions  are  slow.  When  placed  in  a  saucer  it  keeps  it- 
self rolled  up  in  an  imperfectly  circular  manner,  lying  upon  its  side, 
and  the  painftil  efiPorts  made  to  change  its  position,  and  with  little 
or  no  success,  shew  too  plainly  that  it  is  not  organized  to  creep 
about  like  the  Annelides  errantes,  but  on  the  contrary  that  its  pro- 
per habitat  must  be  a  farrow  similar  to  those  of  the  Tubicolons 
worms,  to  which,  in  structure,  it  evidently  approximates  in  several 
particulars. 

Plate  III.  Fig.  1.  Leucodore  ciliatus  of  the  natural  size.  2.  The 
same  magnified.  3.  An  antenna  more  highly  magnified.  4.  The 
bristles  of  the  fifth  segment.  5.  A  branchial  process  separated  to 
shew  the  cilia.  6.  A  few  of  the  oviform  bodies  which  lie  between 
the  intestine  and  skin. 

III.  Nerine,*  Johnston. 
Charactbb.— -jB(n/^  vermiform,  subquadrangular :  head  small, 
distinct :  mouth  suh-inferior,  with  a  very  short  edentulous  proboscis : 
eyes  minute :  antennas  two,  occipital,  large,  long,  tapered :  branchiae 
forming  an  uninterrupted  series  of  short  tapered  ciliated  Jtlamenls 
along  each  side  reflected  on  the  back,  with  a  lobe  at  their  base :  foet 
all  alike,  well  developed,  biramous,  each  branch  consisting  of  a  com- 
pressed lobe  and  a  short  pedicle  armed  with  simple  bristles :  anus 
stellated. 

Observations — The  body  of  the  Nerines  is  elongated  and  ver- 
miform, narrowed  a  little  at  the  head,  and  tapered  gradually  to- 
wards the  anal  extremity.  It  is  somewhat  quadrangular,  and  is 
formed  of  numerous  narrow  s^^ents.  Each  segment  has  on  each 
side,  affixed  to  its  dorsal  margin,  a  subulate  branchial  process,  as 
long  as  the  semidiameter  of  the  animal,  and  of  a  fine  red  colour, 
which  proceeds  from  two  large  blood-vessels  running  up.  within  it. 
A  cnticular  fold  or  membrane  invests  the  base  of  eadi  branchial 
filament^  and  mounts  along  the  side  to  an  extent  which  varies  with 
its  position ;  for  on  the  filaments  of  the  anterior  third  of  the  body 

Nerfne,  a  patronymic  of  the  daugbters  of  Nereus. 


Mucellanea  Zoologica.  69 

the  membrane  rises  to  the  very  apex  and  is  comporatiyely  breads 
but  posterior  to  this  the  point  of  the  filament  is  free^  and  still  further 
back  the  membrane  gradually  shortens  until  it  at  length  is  no  longer 
to  be  traced^ — the  branchie  at  the  same  time  becoming  gradually 
less,  and  ultimately  obsolete  on  the  ^caudal  segments.     (PI.  II.  fig. 
12,  5,  6,  13.)     When  in  water  the  branchie  are  raised  and  extend* 
ed^  and  in  almost  constant  movement ;  but  when  the  worm  is  re- 
moved from  the  water^  they  are  laid  across  the  back,  their  points 
meeting  in  the  middle^  and  give  the  body  the  appearance  of  being 
marked  with  transverse  folds  or  elevated  stritt.     They  are  fringed 
on  both  margins  with  a  single  series  of  vibratile  cilia^  discoverable 
Mrith  a  magnifier  of  common  powers,  but  these  dlia  are  deficient  on 
the  apex,  as  well  as  on  the  lobe,  while  they  extend  over  the  dorsal 
arch  of  the  segments.    (Fig.  3.)     The  head  is  furnished  with  two 
large  slightly  tapering  antennae  which  originate  from  the  occiput, 
and  which  are  often  cast  off  in  the  struggles  of  the   animal : 
they  consist  of  two  large  central  vessels  filled  with  red  blood,  and 
coated  with  a  white  mucous  skin  which,  when  magnified,  appears 
rougfaish  or  crenulate,  and  one  side  has  a  row  of  minute  cilia,  not, 
however,  to  be  seen  except  with  a  good  glass.     The  antennae  can 
be  directed  to  any  point,  and  are  capable  of  being  rolled  up  in  a 
spiral  form.  (PI.  II.  Fig.  II.)    There  is  a  good  deal  of  complexity 
in  the  structure  of  the  feet,  which  renders  their  description  and 
delineation  difficult :    they  are  lateral,   and  deeply   divided  in- 
to a  dorsal  and  ventral  branch,  which  is  compressed,  and  armed 
with  a  series  of  retractile  bristles  of  unequal   lengths,  and  to 
each  branch  there  is  affixed  a  rounded  plain  compressed  lobe,  pro- 
bably a  modification  of  the  cirrus  of  other  annelides.     The  bristles 
are  simple,  curved,  and  acutely  pointed,  those  of  the  dorsal  branch 
longer  than  those  of  the  ventral,  and  there  is  a  small  fascicle  of 
longer  ones  at  the  root  of  the  branchial  filament.   (Fig.  3.)     The 
feet  are  apparently  alike  along  each  side  until  within  a  few  seg- 
ments of  the  tail,  when  the  branchial  filaments  become  very  short 
or  disappear,  and  the  ventral  branch  seems  to  acquire  a  superior 
developement,  and  to  be  armed  also  with  longer  bristles.   (Fig.  4.) 
The  anus  is  dorsal  in  its  aspect,  and  is  surrounded  with  eight  short 
equal  papillae,  which  assume  a  star-like  form  when  the  aperture  is 
dilated. 

The  Nerines  inhabit  the  sea  shore,  and  the  margins  of  our  river, 
a  little  below  high- water  mark.  They  prefer  a  soil  composed  of 
sand  and  mud,  and  in  which  the  latter  rather  preponderates.  They 
are  found  lurking  under  stones,  or  burrowing  in  the  soil,  and  in  the 
latter  situations,  the  surface  to  a  great  extent  is  seen  full  of  small 


70  Miscellanea  Zooloffica. 

round  perforations,  and  covered  with  little  heaps  of  its  tubular  and 
spiral  excrements.  When  disturbed,  they  descend  in  their  furrows 
with  great  rapidity,  and  to  a  considerable  depth  ;  when  taken  they 
throw  themselves  into  violent  contortions,  as  they  "  were  waxed 
mad,"  during  which  the  body  generally  separates  into  several  por- 
tions, or  loses  its  antennae,  which  always  separate  at  their  very  base. 
Their  several  portions  retain  their  vitality  for  at  least  some  day8> 
which  they  evince  not  merely  by  their  contortions  when  pricked, 
but  even  by  moving  from  one  place  to  another.  The  animals  are 
named  ''  Rag  worms"  by  our  68hermen,  and  are  used  in  this  neigh- 
bourhood as  bait  to  take  the  fry  of  the  coal-fish. 

This  genus  is  evidently  very  different  from  any  characterized  by 
Audouin  and  Milne- Edwards.  I  have  seen  two  species,  of  which 
the  characters  are  : 

1.  N.  VULGARIS,  head  obtuse  and  lunated  in  front.    PI.  II.  Fig. 
1-^.     Spio  vulgaris,*  Johnston  in  Zool.  Journ.  iii.  335  and  487* 
Has.  The  shore  between  tide-marks.   Very  common  in  Berwick 
Bay. 

Description, — This  worm  is  from  3  to  4  inches  in  length,  of  a 
yellowish-brown  colour,  dusky  in  places  from  the  contents  of  the 
intestine,  and  marked  with  red  cross  lines  from  the  overlapping 
branchial  filaments.  The  head  is  prolonged  above  the  mouth  into 
a  sort  of  triangle,  the  base  being  outwards,  and  each  angle  prolong- 
ed into  a  short  conical  point  somewhat  contractile.  There  is  a 
black  spot  on  the  vertex,  and  the  bases  of  the  tentacula  are  also 
stained  with  black,  where  the  eyes,  which  are  very  small,  are  pla- 
ced in  pairs,  but  in  several  specimens  I  have  not  been  able  to  detect 
these  organs.  The  antenne  are  rather  more  than  half-an-inch  long. 
The  last  ten  segments  appear  to  be  defective  in  the  branchiae,  and 
to  have  a  more  developed  ventral  foot  and  longer  bristles  than  any 

of  the  others. Plate  II.  Fig.  1,  N.  vulgaris  of  the  natural  size. 

2.  The  anterior  portion  enlarged.  3.  A  view  of  a  segment  cut  trans- 
versely. 4.  The  caudal  extremity.  5.  A  branchial  filament  sepa- 
rately. 6.  Another  view  of  a  branchia.  7«  Bristles  much  magni- 
fied.    8.  Oviform  bodies. 

2.  N.  coNiocEPHALA,  head  conical  PL  II.  Fig,  9-13.  Spio  viri- 
dis,  Johnston  in  Zool.  Journ.  iii.  486. 

Hab.'  In  sand  near  low- water  mark.  Berwick  Bay,  not  uncom- 
mon. 

Description. — Worm  from  4  to  8  inches  long,  as  thick  when  frill 
grown  as  the  little  finger  of  a  boy,  flattened  dorsally,  rounded  on 


MiiceUanta  Zoologiccu  71 

tlieyentral  aspect^  down  the  centre  of  which  a  blood-yessel  nins  from 
one  extremity  to  the  other,  of  a  fleshred  colour  anteriorly,  but 
backwards  the  colour  is  usually  a  dull  dirty  green,  with  red  lines 
and  dusky  blotches.  Head  conical,  pointed  like  a  snout,  pale  :  pro- 
boscis very  short  with  a  lobed  orifice :  eyes  4,  minute,  placed  at 
the  base  of  the  antennae  in  pairs,  but  apparently  often  wanting :  an- 
tenn»  approximate  at  the  base,  from  half  to  an  inch  in  length. 
Segments  narrow,  numerous  ;  the  filaments  of  the  anterior  fringed 
to  the  point  with  a  broad  membrane,  those  of  the  middle  free  and 
rather  long,  but  becoming  very  short  on  the  posterior.  Feet  much 
like  those  of  the  preceding,  but  proportionally  less  developed. 
Anus  stellate. 

This  species  inhabits  our  shore  at  low  water-mark,  and  is  seldom 
found  with  the  preceding,  which  loves  a  station  higher  up.  It  is 
rare  that  an  entire  specimen  can  be  got,  the  animal  breaking  with 

ease  into  several  portions,  and  throwing  ofiT  its  antenne. Plate 

II.  Fig.  9.  N.  coniocepfaala  of  the  natural  size,  the  tail  wanting. 
The  specimen  was  one  of  unusual  size.  10.  The  proboscis,  il. 
An  antenna  magnified.  12.  One-half  of  a  cross  section  of  an  ante- 
rior segment.  13.  A  similar  view  of  a  segment  from  near  the  middle. 

The  Spio  cbenaticobnis  of  Montagu,  Lin.  Trans,  xi.  p.  199. 
Tab.  14.  fig.  6,  is  nearly  related  to  this  genus ;  but  a  new  exa- 
mination of  the  worm  is  necessary  to  determine  its  true  place  in  the 
system. 

VI.  CiBBATULUS,*  Lamarck. 
Charactbb. — Body  vermiform,  subcylindrical,  the  segments  nar^ 
row  and  numerous;  head  small,  conical,  labriform,  without  any 
organ  of  sense;  mouth  inferior,  naked,  emandihulate  ;  two  or  three 
first  segments  apodal  and  naked,  all  the  others  with  small  jmpiUary 
seiigerousjeet  forming  a  double  series  along  each  side,  and  many  of 
them,  especially  the  anterior,  carrying  dorsally  long  tubular  tortU' 
ous  filaments;  anus  dorsad,  terminal,  simple. 

1.  C.  Mbduba,  proper  branchial  filaments  originating  from  the 

anterior  margin  if  the  4/ A  segment;  the  posterior  filaments  fow 

and  scattered.     (Plate  III.  Fig.  7-12.) 

Cirratulus  Medusa,  Johnston  in  Mag.  Nat.  Hist.  vi.  124.  fig. 

13. — C.  fuscescens  et  C.  flavescens,  Johnston  in  Jameson's  £din. 

Phil.  Journ.  xiii.  219. 

*  Cinatulus— formed  from  cirratus,  curled. 


72  Miscellanea  Zoclogica. 

Hab.  Under  stones  between  tide-marks ;  abundant  in  Berwid& 
Bay. 

Description.  Body  from  3  to  6  and  sometimes  even 9  inches  long» 
tapered  a  little  towards  each  extremity^  rather  less  than  a  qaill  in  ca- 
libre>  the  ventral  surface  flattened  and  furrowed  down  the  centre^  of 
a  dirty  brown  or  yellowish  colour  much  stained  from  the  internal  via- 
cera :  head  somewhat  flattened^  biannular^  small^  naked,  marked  on 
each  side  with  a  carved  black  line,  the  two  segments  posterior  to  it 
without  filaments  or  feet :  segments  numerous,  rather  narrow ;  from 
the  anterior  margin  of  the  fourth,  which  becomes  suddenly  larger, 
arises  on  each  side,  but  dorsad,  a  bundle  of  filaments  shorter,  gene- 
rally more  tortuous  and  of  a  paler  colour  than  the  others,  which  arise 
firom  the  sides  of  the  following  rings  down  about  one-fifth  of  the 
length  of  the  animal,  and  a  few  remote  filaments  are  dispersed  irre- 
gularly on  the  rest  of  the  body :  there  are  two  rows  of  slightly  pro- 
tuberant small  papillary  feet  on  each  side,  with  a  considerable  inter- 
val between  the  rows,  each  papilla  armed  with  firom  3  to  6  bristles, 
the  bristles  of  the  superior  longer,  slenderer  and  more  acutely  pointed 
than  those  of  the  inferior,  which  are  few  in  number,  stout  and  curved 
near  the  apex :  no  spines :  anus  terminal,  forming  a  plain  aperture 
with  a  dorsad  aspect. 

G.  Medusa  lurks  under  stones,  in  a  somewhat  muddy  soil,  in 
which  it  forms  burrows  similar  to  those  of  the  earth-worm,  and  into 
which  it  retires  slowly  when  disturbed.  The  filaments  by  which  it 
is  so  remarkably  distinguished,  and  which  curl  around  it  like  as 
many  parasitical  worms,  are  the  branchise,  or  organs  through  the 
medium  of  which  the  blood  is  exposed  to  the  influence  of  the  air, 
and  fitted  for  the  purposes  of  life.  They  take  their  rise  from  above 
the  dorsal  feet,  some  from  the  back  itself,  are  about  20  in  number 
on  each  side,  tortuous  or  extended,  unequal  in  their  lengths,  the 
shortest  being  placed  anteriorly,  but  the  gradation  is  not  regular  ; 
and  they  are  very  easily  removed  by  handling  or  by  immersion  in 
fresh-water.  They  consist  of  a  large  central  vessel  carrying  red 
blood,  surrounded  by  a  white  gelatinous  transparent  membrane,  and 
are  consequently  of  a  fine  red  colour ;  but  this  is  liable  to  variation, 
for  some,  particularly  the  anterior  bundle^,  are  often  quite  white, 
and  others,  again,  are  occasionally  spotted,  as  from  a  partial  stagna- 
tion of  the  blood  in  them.  When  magnified  they  appear  to  be  cre- 
nnlated,  but  are  not  fringed  with  cilia.  Messrs  Audouin  and  Milne- 
Edwards  propose  to  restrict  the  term  hranchuE  to  the  paler  kind 
which  are  inserted  in  fascicles  on  the  margin  of  one  of  the  anterior 
segments,  and  they  call  the  scattered  filaments  ctrrt,  but  surely 

4 


Miscellanea  Zoologica.  73 

tlieir  function  and  structure  being  acknowledged  to  be  identical^  a 
name  expressive  of  any  difference  in  either  respect  is  liable  to  ob- 
jection. They  also  describe  the  feet  as  composed  of  two  branches^ 
but  this  is  a  mere  anatomical  fiction,  for  there  is  really  no  common 
base  and  no  bifurcation,  the  upper  and  lower  papillie  being  separate 
and  divided  by  a  considerable  interspace ;  and  on  the  posterior  seg- 
ments these  papillfiB  are  so  slightly  protuberant  as  to  be  scarce  per- 
ceptible. The  bristles  are  of  two  kinds :  from  the  superior  papillae 
there  issueabout  six,  three  of  them  long  and  slender,  and  three  shorter 
and  comparatively  stout, — all  of  them  simple,  unjointed,  and  acute. 
The  bristles  of  the  inferior  papills  vary  from  three  to  one  only  in 
the  caudal  segments^  and  they  are  all  stout  and  curved  like  the 
italic  letter  yi 

Plate  III.  Fig.  7-  Girratulus  medusa  of  the  natural  size.  8.  Head 
and  anterior  segments  much  magnified.  9.  A  view  of  the  mouth. 
10.  Transverse  section  of  a  segment  from  the  posterior  part  of  the 
body.  11.  A  side  view  of  two  segments  from  near  the  middle^ 
shewing  the  spines  greatly  magnified.     12.  The  taiL 

In  the  LinnsBan  Transacticms,  Vol*  ix.  p.  110,  Montagu  has  de- 
scribedj  under  the  name  of  Tsbebblla  TSNTAcuirATA,  a  second 
species  of  this  genus ;  and  to  make  our  essay  as  complete  as  our  ma- 
terials will  allow,  his  description  is  here  given  in  his  own  words. 

''  Body  long  and  slender,  composed  of  more  than  two  hundred 
annulations,  each  furnished  with  two  fasciculi  of  very  minute 
bristles :  no  eyes :  branchiie  obscure :  from  the  sides  issue  very 
long,  red,  capillary  appendages,  most  numerous  near  the  anterior 
end,  but  the  point  or  snout  is  destitute  of  them,  and  becomes  mwe 
acuminated,  the  mouth  is  placed  beneath :  the  posterior  end  is  also 
obtusely  pointed.* 

**  Loigth,  eight  or  nine  inches. 

**  The  colour  of  the  upper  part  is  olive-green,  the  under  part  dull 
orange* 

''  The  lateral  filiform  appendages  are  continually  in  motion,  ap- 
pearing like  slender  red  worms  contorting  in  all  directions  round 
the  animal ;  after  death  these  usually  curl  up,  when  they  first  be- 
come orange,  and  in  a  little  time  wholly  lose  their  colour. 

'*  This  curious  species  of  vermes  was  taken  from  a  piece  of  timber 
that  bad  been  perforated  by  Pholades,  and  was  destitute  of  any 
natural  covering. 

'<  It  may  be  doubted  whether  the  animal  in  question  be  nearest 
allied  to  the  Terebella  or  Nereis,  or  even  whether  it  strictly  belong 
to  either." 


C     74    D 


REVIEWS  AND  CRITICAL  ANALYSIS. 


1. — Icones  Plantarum,  or  Figures  with  brief  descriptive  characters 
and  remarks  of  New  or  Rare  Plants,  selected  from  the  Author's 
Herbarium.  By  Sib  W.  J.  Hookeb,  K.  H.  LL.  D.  &c.  Parts 
Land  II.    1837. 

This  is  a  valuable  publication ;  economical^  and  jet  rich  in  the 
number  and  variety  of  its  illustrations ;  and  we  sincerely  hope  it 
may  receive  such  a  portion  of  encouragement^  as  shall  constitute  it 
the  first  of  a  long  series  of  works  got  up  in  a  similar  style.  This 
*^  Icones  Plantarum"  is  par  excellence  a  useful  work.  The  plates 
are  executed  in  lithography^  and  although  in  point  of  beauty  they 
cannot  be  compared  with  similar  productions  by  our  continental 
neighbours,  they  are  evidently  faithful  and  characteristic^ — requi- 
sites of  far  higher  importance  to  the'real  naturalist  than  artistic  ele- 
gance of  engraving.  In  regard  to  subjects,  the  author  has  wisely  al- 
lowed himself  the  widest  range ;  and  we  have  in  the  two  parts  before 
us,  Fungi,  Mosses,  and  Ferns,  besides  the  numerous  phienogamous 
plants  selected  on  account  of  their  rarity,  singularity  or  beauty. 

Of  the  letter-press,  it  is  needless  to  say—- coming  as  it  does  from 
the  pen  of  Sir  W.  J.  Hooker — that  it  is  accurate  and  scientific.  Pro- 
fessing, however,  to  be  brief,  it  is  in  our  opinion  too  much  so :  brief^ 
we  think,  rather  to  the  disadvantage  of  the  work.  For  example^ 
of  about  sixty  new  species,  (excluding  mosses,)  considerably  more 
than  one-half  are  unaccompanied  by  any  observation  upon  specific 
affinity  ;  a  subject,  in  these  days,  of  the  greatest  importance*  There 
is  another  circumstance  also,  in  connection  with  the  letter-press,  which 
we  think  it  right  to  notice,  and  that  is,  the  absence  of  all  characters 
and  descriptions  whatever  of  the  fifty-five  species  of  mosses  figured 
on  plates  xviii-xxiv.  It  is  true,  that  the  reader  is  informed  in  a 
note,  that  descriptions  of  these  mosses  will  be  found  in  the  Companion 
to  the  Botanical  Magazine.  But  there  is  nothing  in  the  title-page 
of  the  '*  Icones"  which  can  lead  the  purchaser  to  expect  occasionally^ 
figures  without  descriptions.     In  the  present  instance^  the  possessor 

3 


Clarification  of  Birds.  75 

of  the  '*  Icones"  must  be  content  to  go  without  descriptive  letter- 
press to  fifty-five  species,  or  buy  another  and  distinct  work ;  to  say 
nothing  of  the  inconvenience  of  such  an  arrangement. 

Sir  W.  J.  Hooker  has  presented  us  with  figures  of  such  a  host 
of  interesting  plants,  that  it  is  not  possible  to  enter  upon  any  de- 
tailed observations.  There  is  a  new  genus  of  Cruciferie  established 
at  t.  xliii.  the  characters  of  which  we  transcribe. 

Tbofidocarpuu. 

Sepala  oblonga,  concava,  basi  eequalia.  Peiala  obovato-subspa- 
thulata.  Filamenta  nuda :  Aniheras  subrotundse.  Germen  oblon- 
gum,  in  stylum  attenuatum.  Stigma  ohtusum.  Siliqua  lateraliter 
compressa,  sessilis,  polysperma,  valvis  acute  carinatis.  Dissepimen" 
turn  nullum  ! — Herbae  parvae,  annuae.  Folia  pinnatifida.  Racemi 
foliosi.  Flores  parvi,  albi.  Silquse  erecte,  nunc  breves,  subsilicu- 
ksae. 

A  second  species  of  this  genus  is  figured  at  t.  Hi.  Botl\  were  col* 
lected  in  California  by  the  late  Mr  Douglas. 

Were  we  to  fm  on  any  one  plant  figured  in  the  hundred  plates 
before  us,  as  pre-eminently  interesting,  we  should  select  Dendrome' 
con  rigidum,  Lindl.  (t.  xxxvii  )  a  papaveraceous  shrub  !  discover- 
ed by  the  same  lamented  botanist  in  California.  Let  persons  who 
desire  to  encourage  botanical  science  purchase  this  work.  Its  merit 
is  not  to  b^  measured  by  its  extraordinary  cheapness. 


II. Dr  Lardner's  Cabinet  Cyclopaedia.  Natural  History,  Natural 

History  and  Clasxification  of  Birds.  By  W.  Swainson^  Esq. 
Vol.  i.  12mo.  London,  Longman  &  Co.  1 837* 
To  complete  our  review  of  the  series  of  volumes  which  have  ap- 
peared in  Dr  Lardner's  valuable  Cyclopaedia  devoted  to  Natural 
History,  we  now  proceed  to  notice  the  third,  "  The  Natural  History 
and  Classification  of  Birds,"  forming  the  first  of  the  second  depart- 
ment of  the  Vertebrata,  one  in  which  the  author  has  already  dis- 
tinguished himself,  and  which  he  has  materially  advanced  by  his 
numerous  and  valuable  publications. 

After  noticing  the  station  occupied  by  birds  among  the  Ver- 
tebrata,  viz.  between  the  Mammalia  and  Reptilia,  to  the  latter 
of  which  he  conceives  its  union  is  efifected  by  the  fossil  genus 
Pterodactylus,  rather  than  to  the  affinity  supposed  to  exist  be- 
tween the  Penguins  and  Tortoises,  he  refers  to  the  primary 
types,  as  designated  in  ornithology,  and  which  take  their  titles 
from  the  five  orders  of  the  class,  vis.  the   Raptorial,  the  Inses- 


76  Claisification  of  Birds. 

sorial,  the  Rasorial  or  Bcansorial^  the  GraUatarial  or  tenuiros- 
tral^  and  the  Natatorial  or  aqaatic.  The  pre-eminent  type  is  the 
InsesBorial,  as  it  corresponds  with  the  order  Insessores^  the  most 
highly  organized  of  the  class.  The  Raptorial  or  subtypical  is  re- 
presented in  its  highest  developement  by  the  Raptores,  and  cor- 
responds to  the  Feline  group  among  quadrupeds.  Of  the  aberrant 
types,  the  Natatorial  or  aquatic  is  distinguished  by  the  shortness  and 
limited  power  of  the  feet,  the  broad  obtuse  form  of  the  bill^  and  the 
head  being  always  large  in  proportion  to  that  of  the  other  types. 
The  Orallatorial  w  tenuiroatral  type  is  shown  in  birds^  as  in  qua^ 
drupeds^  by  the  length  and  slender  shape  of  the  bill  or  jaws :  the 
opening  of  the  nostrils  is  also  long  and  slit-like^  and  it  is  further 
distinguished  by  great  swiftness^  either  of  wing  or  foot.  The  Raa- 
sorial  type  is  inferior  only  to  the  Natatmal  in  bulk.  ''  Birds^'*  he 
adds^  "  belonging  to  it  have  the  tail  greatly  developed^  or  of  peculiar 
structure ;  the  great  size  of  the  foot  in  all  its  proportions  is  another 
characteristic,  and  the  groups  which  represent  this  type  in  some 
mode  or  other  evince  their  attachment  to  man."  A  short  review 
is  then  taken  of  the  five  orders  and  their  peculiar  characters, 
with  a  glance  at  the  analogies  they  present  with  Quadrupeds. 
The  three  following  chapters  are  entirely  devoted  to  a  useful  and 
interesting  exposition  of  the  external  anatomy  of  the  class,  as  it  is 
from  the  outward  organization  that  he  takes  the  characters  of  his 
groups,  illustrated  with  a  profusion  of  beautiful  wood-cuts,  which 
point  out  the  various  peculiarities  of  structure  or  form,  in  the  differ- 
ent parts  of  the  body,  and  render  easily  intelligible  to  the  student 
what  otherwise  is  frequently  found  difficult  to  explain,  or  convey  a 
correct  idea  of,  by  language  alone.  After  enumerating  the  terms 
by  which  the  various  external  parts  of  the  body  are  called,  and  which 
are  easily  understood  by  a  reference  to  the  figure,  he  commences 
with  the  peculiarities  of  the  head  as  seen  in  the  shape  of  horns, 
wattles,  or  crests,  of  each  of  which  he  cites  various  instances  and  ex- 
amples. The  peculiarities  of  the  eyes  and  ears  are  then  adverted  to, 
followed  by  some  interesting  observations  upon  the  tongue,  which 
varies  in  form  and  structure  according  to  the  nature  and  quality  of  the 
food  upon  which  the  individuals  subsist.  Among  those  which  have  it 
of  very  small  size,  we  are  surprised  he  should  have  omitted  the  cormo- 
rants, in  which  genus  it  is  very  diminutive  or  rudimentary,  and  here 
also  it  is  indicative  of  a  peculiar  habit,  as  these  birds,  like  the  night- 
jars and  swallows,  gu]p  or  swallow  their  food  entire.  The  form  and 
positicm  of  the  nostrils  next  claim  attention,  and  the  remainder  of 
the  chapter  is  occupied  with  the  various  aspects  of  the  bills  or  jaws 


Classification  of  Birds.  77 

of  birds,  each  modification  or  peculiarity  being  illustrated  by  a  charac- 
teristic wood-engraving.  The  rarious  modifications  of  firain^  exhibit- 
ed in  the  wings  and  tail,  the  great  organs  of  aerial  motion^  occupy 
the  greater  portion  of  the  next  chapter.  The  principal  varieties 
of  the  form  of  the  wings  are  considered  under  the  heads  of  acumi" 
naiedf  as  in  the  Swallows^  Tems^  &c. ;  FaJcaie,  a  form  possessed  by 
•ome  of  the  Humming-fiirds ;  Pointed,  as  in  the  Crows,  Flycatchers^ 
&C. ;  Rounded,  as  in  the  common  Wren,  and  also  in  most  of  the 
Rasorial  order  ;  Ample,  as  in  the  Heron,  and  in  the  genera  Rupicola, 
Promerops,  &c.  The  last  are  the  Abortive  or  Abbreviated  wings, 
as  in  the  Cassowary,  Apteryx,  Penguin,  Sec,  In  the  tail,  the  other 
great  organ  used  in  flight,  the  modifications  are  even  more  numerous 
than  those  of  the  wings  ;  he  enumerates  and  describes  no  less  than 
fourteen^  under  the  titles  of  Even,  Rounded,  Fan-shaped,  Graduated, 
Cuneated,  Arcuated,  Spathulate,  Slender,  Forked,  Lyre-shaped,  Boat'- 
shaped.  Compressed,  Plumed,  and  Scansorial,  all  of  which  are 
minutely  described^  and  contrasted  with  each  other  in  a  manner 
which  cannot  fail  to  be  understood^  on  consulting  the  figures  which 
accompany  the  text.  The  various  modifications  of  those  essential 
organs  the  feet  are  next  considered,  and  to  this  part  of  the 
work  we  would  direct  the  especial  attention  of  the  student^  as  it 
is  in  a  great  measure  from  the  leading  variations  in  their  structure 
that  the  primary  characters  of  the  orders  are  derived^  and  besides 
natural  groups  are  generally  indicated  by  the  subordinate  modifica- 
tions they  undei^o. 

In  the  raptorial  foot  he  points  out  some  peculiarities  in  the  re- 
lative position  of  the  toes^  which  appear  to  have  been  overlooked, 
but  which  mark  a  striking  distinction  between  the  foot  of  birds 
belonging  to  this  order^  and  that  of  the  typical  Insessores.  Of  the 
feet  of  this  latter  order  he  gives  a  detailed  description^  and  shows 
how  beautifully  each  change  is  in  accordance  with  the  economy  of 
its  members.  We  particularly  direct  attention  to  the  gradations  of  the 
scansorial  form  of  foot,  which  he  has  traced  with  a  precision  and 
minuteness  that  shows  an  intimate  and  thorough  acquaintance  witfi 
the  subject.  The  remainder  of  this  portion  of  the  volume  is  taken  up 
with  observations  on  the  voice  and  nests  of  birds.  In  r^ard  to  the 
▼oioe,  though  agreeing  with  the  author  in  many  of  his  remarks,  we 
think  that  the  song  of  birds^  or  its  equivalent^  is  more  connected 
with  the  feeling  of  love  or  the  reproduction  of  the  species  than  he 
seems  willing  to  allow.  We  believe  it,  in  the  first  instance,  to  be  given 
to  the  male  for  the  especial  purpose  of  attracting  the  females;  at  the 
same  time  we  don  ot  deny  its  exercise^  in  such  birds  as  possess  it 


78  CSamJtcation  of  Birds, 

in  an  eminent  degree,  as  a  solace  to  their  mates  during  the  tedious 
course  of  incubation.  All  male  birds,  we  believe,  in  addition  to 
what  may  be  called  their  ordinary  or  constant  notes,  which  may  be 
supposed  analogous  to  speech,  and  which  seem  to  direct  and  regulate 
their  general  or  ordinary  movements,  possess  other  intonations  and 
powers  of  voice,  apparently  given  for  special  purposes,  and  which 
are  only  called  into  action  during  a  certain  period  of  the  year.  In 
the  majority  of  the  feathered  race,  these  additional  or  temporary 
powers  of  voice  are  limited  in  extent,  and  frequently  confined  to 
one  or  two  notes,  and  it  is  only  in  a  few  groups  of  the  Insessores 
that  we  find  them  developed  in  an  extraordinary  degree,  or  worthy 
tlie  name  of  song.  But  whatever  be  the  extent  of  this  power, 
whether  confined  to  a  few  monotonous  notes,  as  in  the  Buntings,  the 
Titmice,  and  various  others,  or  embracing  the  varied  intonations, 
as  well  as  the  sweetness  and  melody  of  the  Nightingale,  Mavis, 
&c. ;  in  all  the  species  it  answers  a  similar  end,  and  the  utterance 
is  attended  with  a  like  efiPect,  viz.  the  attraction  of  the  opposite  sex, 
in  order  to  insure  the  reproduction  of  the  species.  During  the  late 
autumnal  and  early  winter  months,  or  from  August  to  the  begin- 
ning of  January,  in  most  birds  it  is  entirely  lost,  or  if  attempted  by- 
song  birds,  is  always  imperfect  in  cadence  and  extent,  and  it  is  only 
fully  regained  when  the  turn  of  the  year  again  invigorates  their 
frame,  and  produces  those  remarkable  changes  in  the  constitution 
which  every  practical  ornithologist  cannot  fail  to  have  observed. 
In  most  if  not  all  cases  it  is  only  regained  by  degrees.  This  is  the 
case  with  all  our  native  birds,  and  we  have  known  weeks  to  elapse 
before  a  Chaflinch  has  been  able  to  compass  his  short  but  sprightly 
lay.  Of  nidification  our  author  seems  to  have  little  practical  know- 
ledge, and  his  observations  are  mostly  drawn  from  the  writings  and 
descriptions  of  other  authors.  All  the  owls  do  not,  as  he  says,  ''  se- 
lect a  hole  wherein  to  deposit  their  eggs,  whether  it  be  in  a  tree,  or 
in  a  building,  or  upon  the  ground,"  for  the  long-eared  owl,  Otus  vul- 
garis, almost  invariably  selects  the  deserted  nest  of  the  carrion  crow, 
and  the  short-eared  owl,  Oius  hrachyotos,  deposits  her  eggs  upon  the 
surface  of  the  ground  in  wild  moorland  wastes.  In  speaking  of  pensile 
nests,  he  mentions  that  of  the  Bearded  Titmouse,  Par.  biarmicus,  as 
likely  to  exhibit  a  modification  or  approach  to  this  form  ;  but  adds, 
"  that  no  British  author  has  yet  described  it."  Had  he  turned  to  the 
last  edition  of  Selby's  Illustrations  of  British  Ornithology,  he  would 
have  found  a  note  in  which  the  site  and  structure  of  the  nest  is  de- 
scribed ;  and  which  prove  that  it  belongs  to  the  ordinary  form. 
With  the  contents  of  the  next  chapter,  which  treats  of  Ornitholo- 


Clasrification  of  Birds.  79 

gical  Bibliography,  we  are  not  altogether  satisfied.  The  lists  of  works 
he  has  given  are  certainly  not  so  complete  or  so  extensive  as  they 
Wight  to  have  been,  although  he  professes  to  enumerate  such  only 
as  are  essential  to  the  student,  or  eminently  beautiful  for  their  exe- 
cution ;  nor  do  we  think  his  estimate  of  their  peculiar  merits  are  al- 
ways correct  or  altogether  impartial.  We  do  not  object  to  Mr  Swain- 
son's  introducing  so  many  of  his  onm  works  under  their  respective 
heads,  to  which  he  conceives  they  belong,  but  we  do  think  that  those 
of  a  similar  character  and  import  by  other  authors  should  have  met 
with  the  same  liberal  treatment.  Why  has  he  not,  under  the  head 
"  Partial  systematic  works,"  where  both  series  of  his  own  Zoologi- 
cal Illustrations  have  been  placed,  also  inserted  another  work  as  ex- 
tensive, and,  we  believe,  as  useful  to  the  ornithologist  as  his  own. 
We  mean  the  quarto  work  of  Sir  William  Jardine  and  Mr  Selby. 
Several  continental  works  of  eminence  are  also  altogether  omitted, 
or  else  merely  glanced  at.  We  perceive  no  mention  of  the  names  of 
Becbstein,  Faber,  Nilson,  and  various  others,  and  though  Kuhl's 
Conspectus  Psiilacorum  is  mentioned  in  laudatory  terms,  the  able 
monograph  of  Wagler  of  the  same  family,  published  subsequently 
to  that  of  Kuhl's,  is  passed  over  without  notice. 

From  ornithological  bibli(^aphy  he  passes  to  the  consideration 
of  those  rules  instituted  by  the  most  eminent  naturalists  of  an  ear- 
lier date,  and  which  have  since  received  the  sanction  of  their  fol- 
lowers, and  been  admitted  as  laws  or  aphorisms  not  to  be  violated, 
in  the  construction  of  generic,  subgeneric,  and  specific  names.  Upon 
each  of  those  he  makes  some  pertinent  observations,  and  we  trust 
that  what  he  has  said  on  that  law  which  announces  that ''  the  high- 
est reward  of  a  naturalist  is  to  have  a  genus  called  after  his  name," 
will  meet  with  the  consideration  it  deserves,  and  tend  to  put  a  stop 
to  a  practice  which  of  late  years  has  rapidly  been  gaining  ground 
to  the  detriment  of  science,  viz.,  that  of  complimenting  individuals, 
many  of  them  altogether  unknown  in  the  records  of  ornithologi- 
cal science,  by  imposing  their  names  upon  newly  discovered  species, 
a  practice  which  deprives  the  true  naturalist  of  what  has  been  pro- 
claimed his  highest  reward,  and  brings  into  disrepute  and  contempt 
what  was  once  esteemed  a  scientific  honour.  We  also  agree  with 
Mr  Swainson  in  the  sentiments  he  has  expressed  in  regard  to  ver- 
nacular nomenclature,  a  subject  that  of  late  has  undergone  conside- 
rable discussion,  and  though  we  have  carefully  perused  the  argu- 
ments of  those  who  advocate  what  they  consider  a  reformation  in 
the  system,  we  cannot  perceive  that  the  change  they  contemplate 
would  be  attended  with  the  smaUest  possible  advantage.     To  the 


80  Oasiificatian  of  Birds. 

scientific  naturalist  it  can  be  none,  and  it  is  not  likely  to  be  adopt- 
ed by  those  for  whom  it  is  alone  intended,  viz.  the  unscientific, 
or  great  mass  of  our  population.  No  further  proof,  we  think,  is 
wanted  of  the  inutility  and  difficulty  of  substituting  more  appro- 
priate vernacular  names,  for  those  now  in  general  use,  than  in  the 
lists  we  have  already  seen  published,  where  similar  objections  may 
be  urged  against  the  new  coined  names  as  have  been  preferred 
against  the  old. 

The  next  chapter,  which  concludes  the  introductory  part  of 
the  work,  treats  of  collecting,  preserving,  and  arranging  birds. 
Each  of  these  heads,  he  discusses  at  considerable  length ;  and  we  re- 
commend the  attentive  perusal  of  the  chapter  to  all  who  think  either 
of  collecting  for  themselves,  or  for  the  benefit  of  public  institutions. 
Under  the  first  head  he  shows  not  only  what  foreign  birds  are  best 
worth  coUecting,  (the  most  common,)  but  points  out  those  countries 
whose  ornithology  has  hitherto  been  least  investigated,  directing 
also  the  attention  to  certain  groups,  the  knowledge  of  whose  habits 
and  economy  would  be  of  great  importance  to  the  science. 

The  Taxidermic  directions  are  full  and  easily  understood,  but 
are  restricted  to  what  is  now  termed  leaving  the  specimens  in  their 
skins,  in  contradistinction  to  those  that  are  mounted  or  set  up  in  the 
attitudes  of  life.  This  is  a  mode  now  generally  adopted  by  scien- 
tific ornithologists  who  possess  collections  of  their  own,  not  only  for 
the  convenience  of  stowage  and  room,  but  for  the  facility  it  affords 
for  comparative  examinations,  which  can  only  be  satisfactorily  done 
by  handling  and  close  inspection. 

We  now  come  to  the  systematic  part  of  the  volume,  commencing 
with  the  Raptorial  order  or  Birds  of  Prey.  Of  this  order  he  considers 
there  are  only  three  families  now  in  existence,  viz.  the  Fulturid^g, 
Falconidas^  and  Strigidct ;  for  the  genus  Gypogeranus,  which  Mr  Vi- 
gors thought  might  probably  represent  one  of  the  primary  divisions 
of  the  order,  our  author  thinks  more  likely,  ^m  its  structure  and 
apparent  affinities,  to  belong  to  the  Vulturidse,  probably  constitut- 
ing its  grallatorial  type.  The  typical  and  subtypical  genera  of  the 
Vulturidee  are  represented,  the  first,  by  the  true  vultures,  of  which 
V.fulvus  may  be  considered  a  type,  the  other  by  the  American  spe- 
cies or  genus  Cathartes.  The  principal  distinction  between  these 
two  groups  consists  in  the  opposite  form  of  the  nostrils,  which  in 
the  genus  vulture  are  placed  transversely  across  the  bill,  whereas 
in  Cathartes  they  are  linear  in  form,  and  placed  parallel  with  the 
margin  of  the  bill.  The  caruncles  and  wattles  observed  in  certain 
species  of  Cathartes  he  only  considers  in  the  light  of  secondary  cha- 


ClassiJScatian  of  Birds.  81 

rActen.  The  raaorial  type  of  the  ^mily  he  considers  to  be  that  re- 
markable Australian  bird,  first  described  and  called  by  Latham  the 
New  Holland  vulture,  but  which  some  later  writers  have  noticed  as 
more  dosely  allied  to  the  rasorial  wder.  This,  in  fact,  is  the  opinion 
we  arrived  at  after  examining  two  perfect  specimens  of  this  bird,  in 
which  the  bill  appeared  to  have  more  of  the  rasorial  than  the  rap- 
torial form,  and  we  recollect  that  the  nostrils  were  partly  covered 
with  a  protecting  scale.  The  tail,  which  he  acknowledges  possesses 
mere  feathers  than  the  true  vultures,  also  exhibited  that  duplex 
«r  §Med  form  possessed  by  many  Gallinaceous  birds,  and  the  feet 
and  legs  were  certainly  as  much  akin  to  those  of  the  CracidsB  and 
other  Rasores,  as  to  those  of  the  rapacious  order.*  Much,  no  doubt, 
as  to  its  real  station  in  the  ornithological  circle,  will  depend  upon 
its  peculiar  habits  and  economy,  of  which  we  are  at  present  igno- 
nint,  bot  we  think  it  is  as  likely  to  prove  a  Raptorial  form  of  the 
Rasorial  order,  as  the  Rasorial  type  of  the  Raptores.  The  fissiros- 
tral  type  of  the  family  is  distinctly  marked  in  the  bearded  vulture 
of  the  Alps,  forming  the  genus  Oypasetus,  and  which  in  its  form 
and  habits  marks  the  direct  passage  to  the  eagles  in  the  family  of 
the  Falcanidve.  This  division,  he  observes,  exhibits  the  perfection 
of  the  order ;  its  members  are  distinguished  by  a  much  shorter  and 
sharper  bill  more  or  less  toothed,  and  by  very  acute  and  strongly 
curved  talons ;  they  are  lighter  and  more  graceful  in  form,  and 
moreoourageous  than  the  vultures;  they  prey,  also,  almost  exclusively 
upon  living  animals,  and  the  geographic  range  of  the  family  is  al- 
most universal.  The  primary  divisions  of  the  Falconidas  he  con- 
siders typified  by  the  following  genera — FeUco,  Accipiier,  Buteo, 
Cymittdis,  and  Aquila,  the  two  first  constituting  the  typical  and 
sobtypical  divisions,  the  remaining  three,  the  aberrant.  The  ana- 
logies of  the  family  with  the  tribes  of  the  Insessores  stand  thus  : 
Paloo,  -  -  Conirostres, 

Accipiter,  -  -     Dentirostres, 

Buteo,  -  -  Fissirostres, 

Cymindis,  -  -     Tenuirostres, 

Aquila,  '  -  Rasores. 

These  analogies  and  relations  he  proceeds  to  trace  with  great  skill, 
and  we  re^et  that  our  limits  will  not  permit  us  to  follow  them  in  de- 
taiL  He  then  enters  into  the  examination  of  the  five  leading  ge- 
neric groups,  commencing  with  the  genus  Falco,  as  the  most  typi- 
cal of  the  whole  family.     The  subgenus  Falco,  the  first  noticed, 

*  For  a  figure  and  descriptioii  of  this  bird,  see  Vol.  II.  plate  66,  Illustra- 
tions  of  Ornithology,  by  Sir  William  Jardine,  Mr  Selby,  &c. 
VOL,  If.  NO.  7-  F 


82  Classification  vf  Birds. 

contains  the  true  Falcons^  distinguished  by  a  single  tooth  on  the 
upper  mandible,  with  an  incipient  festoon  or  sinuation  behind  it ; 
next  to  it  he  places  the  subgenus  Harpagus,  (the  Bidens  of  Spix), 
with  two  small  teeth  in  the  upper  mandible^  the  wings  more  rounded, 
and  the  scutellation  of  the  tarsi  different  from  that  of  Faloo.  The 
passage  between  Harpagus  and  Falco  is  effected  by  the  F.  cceru^ 
lescens  of  Linneus.  The  third  group  is  marked  by  F.  lophoies 
of  Temminck,  evidently  an  aberrant  form^  and  probably  the  rasorial 
type.  The  fourth  is  his  subgenus  Aviceda,  a  bird  with  which  we 
are  not  acquainted ;  and  the  liftli  he  thinks  may  probably  prove  to 
be  the  Gampsonyx  Stvainsotiii  of  Vigors,  which  in  some  respects 
seems  to  unite  the  characters  of  Buteo  and  Falco.  The  circle  of 
the  genus^  or  division  Accipiter^  he  commences  with  Ictinia,  Vieill. 
as  a  form  connecting  Lophoies  with  tlie  accipitrine  falcons :  this  is 
followed  by  the  typical  subgenus  Accipiter,  well  characterised  by 
the  sparrowhawk.  The  third  is  that  of  Astur,  or  goshawk  group, 
and  as  a  fourth  form  belonging  to  it,  he  proposes  the  Pondicheny 
eagle^  {Aquila  Pondicerianus,  auct.,)  a  bird  which,  in  our  estima-* 
tion,  has  a  nearer  affinity  to  the  aquiline  group.  The  fifth  form  has 
uot  yet  been  recognized. 

The  genus  Aquila^  the  first  of  the  aberrant  groups  of  the  Falco- 
nidn,  contains  four  types,  represented  by  Pandion,  Harpyia,  Aquila, 
and  Ibifctcr,  the  second  and  third  being  the  typical  and  eubtypical 
groups,  while  Pandion  represents  the  aquatic  or  fissirostral  type, 
and  I  bidder  the  rasorial  :  the  iii'th,  or  tenuirostral  form,  he  thinks, 
may  possibly  be  represented  by  Asturina,  Vieill. 

The  M  ilvine  or  kite  division,  represented  by  the  geiius  Cymindis, 
he  enters  by  means  of  Polyborus,  an  American  group  nearly  related 
to  Ibycter;  this  is  followed  by  the  genus  Cymindis,  the  pre-emi- 
nent type,  all  the  members  of  which  belong  to  South  America.  Next 
to  it  he  thinks  it  likely  that  the  genus  Elanus  will  take  its  place, 
and  this  view  we  are  inclined  to  adopt,  looking  at  specimens  of 
species  now  before  us.  The  bill  we  perceive  is  as  much  hooked,  and 
similar  in  form  to  that  of  Cymindis.  The  characters  of  the  feet  are 
peculiar,  the  interior  toe  being  longer  than  the  exterior,  and  the 
hinder  toe  shorter  than  either :  the  claws  are  sharp  and  strong,  and 
all  of  them  rounded  beneath,  as  in  Pandion  ;  the  under  one  in  addi- 
tion has  a  sharp  projecting  edge  on  its  inner  side.  The  wings  are 
long,  the  feathers  broad,  with  the  first  quill  emarginate  near  the 
tip.  The  tail  is  nearly  even,  or  very  slightly  forked.  This  form  is 
immediately  followed  by  Vigors's  genus,  Nauclerus,  represented  by 
the  forkotail  kite  of  America,  which,  from  its  swallow  like  form  and 


ClassificaiioH  of  Birds.  SS 

powers  of  flight,  eridently  forms  the  fissirostral  type  of  the  Milyine 
eirde,  thus  bringing  it  into  immediate  contact  with  the  common 
kite  of  Enrope,  which  we  think  he  very  properly  excludes  from  this 
divisicin,  and  places  among  the  buzxards  as  its  fissirostral  form. 
The  fifth  form  of  Cymindis  he  thinks  it  is  not  improbable  may  be 
Vieiliot's  genus  Ciraetus,  but  we  know  too  little  of  this  group  to  gire 
an  opinion  as  to  the  correctness  of  the  supposition.  The  last  division 
18  that  of  the  Buzzards,  which,  by  some  of  its  members,  leads  back 
again  to  the  typical  Falcons.  This  group,  as  he  observes,  might 
with  more  propriety  have  been  called  Harriers,  as  it  is  the  genus 
Circus  which  exhibits  the  fissirostral  type  of  the  whole  family  in 
the  greatest  perfection.  The  subtypical  form  he  considers  to  be  re- 
presented by  Buleo  lagoptts,  in  which  subgenus  he  also  leaves  the 
common  buzzard  and  other  similar  forms.  In  regard  to  the  genus 
Pemis  (honey-buzzard),  had  the  author  enjoyed  the  opportunity  of 
examining  the  specimens  now  before  us,  he  would,  we  think,  have 
found  little  hesitation  in  pronouncing  it  to  be  the  tenuirostral  type 
of  the  division,  as  it  exhibits  the  characters  of  a  weak  and  slender 
bill,  with  feet  and  claws  less  raptorial  in  structure  than  any  of  its 
oongeaers.  The  common  kite,  Milvus  vulgaris,  Temm.  as  we  have 
previously  observed,  is  considered  the  fissirostral  furm  of  the  divi- 
sion. The  fifth  or  rasorial  type  is  not  indicated  by  Mr  Swainson ; 
may  it  not  be  represented  by  the  Falcocristatellus,  Temm.  the  Spi^ 
zaetus  cristatellus  of  Jardine  and  Selby  ? 

From,  the  Faloonidn,  he  proceeds  to  trace  the  natural  series  of 
the  Strigids  or  owls,  cMifining  bis  exposition  to  the  primary  divi- 
sions and  genera  only.  The  passage  £rom  the  Falconidn  is  well 
marked  in  the  genus  Circus,  where  wo  perceive  the  first  indications 
of  that  peculiar  ruff  of  tiled  feathers,  which  surrounds  the  head,  and 
is  seen  in  its  highest  developement  ia  the  Striginie  or  typical  owls. 
The  formation  of  the  ear,  the  eye,  and  facial  disk,  being  the  pe- 
culiar distinctions  of  this  femily,  he  naturally  forms  his  primary 
groaps  upon  the  greater  or  less  developement  of  these  organs.  The 
first,  or  typical  group  is  therefore,  that  in  which  the  facial  disk  is 
very  large  aad  perfect,  with  large  ears,  and  in  general  an  ample 
apercttlum.  The  second  or  subtypical,  with  a  large  facial  disk, 
but  small  or  moderate  sized  ears,  the  head  furnished  with  egrets. 
The  third  or  aberrant  group  with  the  circle  of  the  ear  small  and  des- 
titute of  an  operculum,  the  facial  disk  imperfect  or  obsolete,  and  the 
head  without  egrets.  This  group  is  as  usual  divisible  into  three,  each 
•f  which  possesses  its  distinguishing  characters.  The  first  group  is 
typically  represented  by  the  common  white  or  bam  owl  of  this 


84  Classification  of  Birds. 

country^  (SUflammea)  ;  in  it  he  also  places^  and  we  think  very  pro- 
perly^ our  long  and  short-eared  owls  COtus  vulgaris,  and  Ot  bra^ 
chyolos),  considering  them  rasorial  types.  A  third  form  is  that  of  Strix 
Tengmalmi :  to  this  group  he  gives  the  name  of  Scoiophilus,  A 
fourth  is  represented  by  the  huge  Sirix  cinerea  of  the  northern 
zoology,  for  which  he  proposes  the  generic  or  subgeneric  name  of 
Scatiaptex,  The  fifth,  which  ought  to  represent  the  raptorial  type, 
is  not  indicated:  why  should  not  the  SL  stridula  or  some  of  its  nearly 
allied  congeners  supply  the  deficiency  ? 

The  2d  division,  or  as  he  terms  it  genus,  Asto,  contains,  1st,  the 
true  horned-owls,  of  which  the  great  European  horned-owl,  and  the 
Virginian  species  may  be  considered  representations.  A  second  form 
is  that  of  Bubo  arcticus  of  the  northern  zoology,  now  made  Heliap^ 
iex  arcticus,  and  a  third  he  thinks  is  represented  by  the  Scops  Owls. 
As  the  only  type  of  the  first  aberrant  group,  stands  the  great  white 
owl  or  genus  Nyctea,  distinguished  by  its  very  small  ears,  and  with- 
out any  ruff  or  series  of  stiff  feathers  encircling  the  head,  the  eye- 
brows also  perfect  like  those  of  the  fiiloons,  and  its  habits  are  diur- 
nal.    His  genus  Nyciij}etes,  formed  of  the  small  South  American 
owls,  which  possess  no  marginal  ruff,  with  small  ears  destitute  of  an 
operculum,  and  which  are  perfectly  separated  from  the  small  Euro- 
pean owls,  or  his  genus  Scotophilus,  form  a  fourth  group  ;  and  the 
fifth  is  composed  of  the  hawk-owls  or  genus  Surnia  of  Dumeril;  pos- 
sessing a  small  head,  without  a  facial  disk,  a  long  cuneated  tail,  and 
diurnal  habits.     Such  is  his  outline  of  the  primary  groups  of  this 
hitherto  confused,  and,  we  may  add,  neglected  family  of  the  order, 
and  so  far  as  we  can  judge  from  the  forms  we  have  been  able  to  con- 
sult, they  appear  founded  on  the  true  affinities  of  the  species.     It 
will  be  seen  that  he  has  rejected  some  of  the  modern  genera,  as 
Noctua,  Ulula,  &c.  at  the  same  time  he  has  found  it  necessary  to 
institute  others,   such  as  Scatiaptex,  Scotophilus,  Heliaptex,  and 
Nyctipetes,   Much,  however,  remains  to  be  done  to  fill  up  the  de- 
tails of  the  various  groups,  which  can  only  be  effected  by  a  strict 
analysis  of  the  species,  a  matter  not  easily  accomplished,  as  there  are 
few  collections  which  contain  a  sufficient  number  of  forms  belonging 
to  this  family,  wherewith  to  institute  the  necessary  comparison  and 
examination. 

The  concluding  chapter  enters  upon  the  consideration  of  the  In- 
sessorial  order;  but  as  the  exposition  only  extends  to  one  of  its  pri- 
mary divisions,  viz.  the  Dentirostral  tribe,  we  shall  merely  observe, 
that  he  traces  the  whole  of  its  analogies  with  the  other  tribes  and 
fiEunilies  of  the  order,  in  a  manner  that  intimates  a  thorough  acquain- 


Analysis  of  British  Ferns.  85 

tanoe,  and  a  deep  analytical  inrestigation  of  the  subject.  Any  fnr  • 
ther  observations  we  must  postpone  till  after  the  pnblication  of  ano- 
ther Tolume^  in  which  the  subject  is  pursued  ;  having  already  ex- 
tended oar  analysis  to  a  length  we  fear  both  tedious  and  tiresome, 
and  only  to  be  justi6ed  or  excused  by  the  importance  of  the  work. 


III. — An  Analysis  of  the  British  Ferns  and  their  Allies.   With  Cop- 

per-plate  engravings  of  every  Species  and  Variety.    By  Gborob 

W.  Fbancis.  Lond.  1837.  8vo. 

A  WOBK  we  can  honestly  and  heartily  recommend, — which  ought 
to  be  in  the  hands  of  every  student  of  the  British  Ferns,  if  he  de- 
ores  to  have  a  safe  and  interesting  guide  in  the  investigation  of  this 
peculiarly  attractive  family,  and  if  he  is  anxious  to  encourage  the 
labours  of  an  enthusiastic  fellow-botanist. 

In  the ''  Introduction"  the  author  enters  with  some  detail  into  the 
duffacters,  structure,  reproduction,  geographical  distribution,  and 
virtues  of  the  families  in  which  British  species  occur, — ^following 
which  there  is  a  synopsis  of  the  genera.  The  species  are  then  de- 
scribed one  by  one.  Here  we  have  a  very  copious  list  of  Habitats, 
a  selected  number  of  Synonyms  derived  from  personal  study  of  the 
respective  authors,  and  a  good  description,  embracing  a  regular  spe- 
cification of  all  the  variations  and  varieties,  evidently  deduced  fit>m 
an  extensive  comparison  of  specimens  from  many  and  distant  locali- 
ties. There  is,  however,  a  singular  variety  of  Aspidium  Filix-mas 
which  does  not  seem  to  have  come  under  Mr  Francis'  notice, — where 
the  frond,  not  above  a  span  in  height,  is  simply  pinnate  with  undi- 
vided oblong  crenated  leaves.  It  is  something  like  Grammitis  ce- 
terach  ;  and  that  the  peculiarities  are  not  dependent  on  immaturity 
is  obvious  from  the  h.cX  that  the  plant  is  loaded  unth  fruit.  We  are 
assured  that  this  variety  is  frequent  in  some  parts  of  Ireland,  although 
not  mentioned  in  the  "  Flora  Hibernica." 

The  figures  are  miniatures,  but,  with  scarcely  an  exception,  hap- 
pily express  the  habit  and  character  of  the  species,  and  will,  we  are 
confident,  answer  every  purpose  that  a  figure  is  intended  to  answer. 
They  are  vastly  creditable  to  the  talent  and  skill  of  the  author,  by 
whom  they  are  all  drawn  and  etched  ;  and  when  we  are  told  that 
they  are  his  first  essays  in  these  arts,  we  view  them  with  a  consi- 
derable portion  of  admiration,  for  their  neatness  and  elegance  is 
really  remarkable. 

Were  we  inclined  to  find  any  fault  with  the  work  it  is  tliat  there 
IS  less  of  popular  matter  than  Uiere  might  have  been :  illustrations 


86  Magazine  of  Natural  Histaty. 

from  our  poets  would  have  been  ornamental,  and  not  inoompatiUe 
with  scientific  accuracy  or  pretension.  Our  poets — old  and  living — 
have  sung  of  Ferns  many  a  time  and  oft;  they  were  plants  of  power 
in  the  superstitions  of  our  forefathers,  who  also  drew  from  them  more 
copiously  than  we  now  do  for  a  supply  of  some  little  wants,  as  in- 
deed, the  author  has  told  us,  but  we  should  have  been  pleased  to 
have  seen  some  quaint  quotations  interwoven  with  the  text  in  illus- 
tration of  them.  Perhaps  too  the  author  would  have  done  well  to 
have  given  a  short  separate  chapter  indicating  the  distribution  of 
our  Ferns  in  relation  to  their  latitudes,  peculiar  soils  and  sites ;  and 
we  could  have  wished  that,  in  giving  the  habitats,  the  classification 
of  them  into  English,  Welsh,  Scottish,  Irish  and  Insular  had  been 
more  systematically  attended  to  than  it  has  been. 


Periodicals. — British. 

Loudon's  Magazine  of  Natural  History.    New  Senes.    March  and 

April  1837. 

I.  Zoology^ 

Blyth  on  the  Psychological  Distinctions  between  Man  and  all 

other  Animals,  p.  131.*— ^Strickland  on  the  Inexpediency  of 

altering  established  Terms  in  Natural  History,  p.  127»  ■  ■     West* 

WOOD  on  Generic  Nomenclature,  p.  169. Strickland's  Rules 

for  Zoological  Nomenclature,  p.  173 Dr  Moore  on  the  Birds 

of  Devonshire,  p.  113  and  176.— —Hoy's  Notice  of  two  species  of 
Tringa  new  to  the  British  Islands,  with  a  list  of  the  rarer  Birds 
killed  in  Suffolk,  and  the  adjoining  borders  of  Norfolk  and  Essex, 

from  the  autumn  of  1835  to  December  1836,  p.  115 W.  L.  on 

the  breeding  of  Woodcocks  in  Selkirkshire,  with  observations  on  the 
Habits  of  the  Black  and  Red  Grouse,  and  Carrion  Grow  in  Soot- 
land,  p.  118 i-Blyth  on  the  Habits  and  Peculiarities  of  the 

common  Bottletit  or  Mufflin  (Parus  caudatus  of  Linnseus,)  p.  199. 
G.  W.  on  the  supposed  different  species  of  Viper,  p.  183.       ■ 
Observations  upon  the  Salmon  in  Loch  Shin  in  Sutherland,  by  Jaxss 

Loch,  M.  P.  p.  20i3. Gray's  Description  of  some  singularly 

formed  Orthopterous  Insects,  p.  141.— -Stutchbury  on  Cypne-. 
cassis,  a  new  genus  of  univalve  shells,  p.  214.  Cassis  rtifaof  Bnig- 
uiere  is  the  type  of  this  well-defined  genua.  On  Nematura  of 
Benson,  a  new  genus  of  univalve  shells,  by  G.  B.  Sowsrby,  p.  217* 
Charlesworth  on  a  new  Fossil  Shell  from  the  Coast  of  Suf- 
folk, p.  218. RiGHARDSoii*6  Observations  upon  the  Chronol<^i- 


Cmnpanum  to  Botanical  Mn^axine.  87 

cal  Arrangement  of  fossiliferous  Deposits,  hy  a  reference  to  tbeir 
wganic  contents,  p.  12S. 

II.  Botany, 

Letter  from  Oolding  Bird,  £sq.  in  Reply  to  some  observations 
pnblished  in  the  *'  Edinburgh  Journal  of  Natural  History"  upon  the 
eause  of  V^etable  Divergence,  p.  180. 

The  SHORT  COMMUNICATIONS  relate  to-*-(  I.)  Preservation  of  Zoo- 
logical Specimens.  (2.)  Variation  in  the  Plumage  of  Birds.  (3.)  The 
Cross-bill.   (4.)  The  Robin.  (5.)  Sphinx  atropos.  (6.)  Helix  virgata. 

Companion  to  Botanical  Magazine.  By  Sir  W.  J.  Hooksr,  Pro- 
fessor of  Botany  in  the  l^iversity  of  Glasgow.  (Continued  from 
page  578  of  Vol.  i.) 

Thb  number  for  February  last  contains  an  interesting-  paper  by 
Dr  Graham,  Professor  of  Botany  an  the  University  of  Edinburgh,  on 
^*  the  Gamboge  tree  of  Ceylon."  Specimens  of  the  tree  have  been 
forwarded  to  Dr  Graham  and  other  scientific  persons  in  Scotland, 
together  with  the  pure  gamboge,  by  tbeir  invaluable  correspondent, 
Mrs  Colonel  Walkef .  The  result  has  been,  that  the  tree  of  Ceylon 
{woducing  the  gamboge  is  different  in  species  and  genus  from  any  of 
those  which  were  supposed  to  produce  the  drug.  The  gamboge  yield- 
ed by  it  is  equal  in  quality  to  that  imported  from  Siam,  but  regard- 
ing this  there  seems  to  exist  no  authentic  record  from  what  plant  it 
is  produced.  Dr  Graham  has  formed  a  new  genus  from  the  Ceylon 
plant,  Hebradendron,  He  refers  it  to  the  class  and  order  Moncecia 
(or  Dictcia)  Monadelphia,  and  places  in  it  two  species  ;  1.  H.  cam- 
bogioides,  having  for  synonyms  Garcinea  morella,  Sialagmitig  cam- 
bagwides,  Morris,  Cat.< — 2.  H.  eUipticum,  Garcinia  eUiptica,  Wallioh. 
The  paper  will  be  found  worthy  of  perusal. 

Notes  upon  some  genera  and  species  of  Orohidie  in  the  collection 
formed  by  M.  Drege  at  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  by  J.  Lindley, 
Ph.  D.  F.  R.  S.  &c.-«— *A  brief  Biographical  Sketch  of  the  late 
Richard  Cunningham,  Colonial  Botanist  in  New  South  Wales.  This 
botanist,  whose  untimely  end  we  had  to  record  in  an  early  number 
•of  this  Magaaine,  succeeded  as  Colonial  Botanist  to  the  late  Mr 
Frazer  in  1832,  on  the  recommendation  of  Mr  Brown.  H;s  career 
has  been  a  short  one,  and  we  can  now  only  hope  that  the  discoveries 
he  had  so  successfully  commenced  will  be  wrought  out  by  his 
brother,  who  has  been  appointed  to  the  vacant  office.  The  next 
paper  will  be  now  read  with  interest — Flora  Insularum  Nove  Ze- 
landice  precursor,  or  a  specimen  of  the  botany  of  the  islands  of  New 


88  Companion  to  Botanical  Magazine. 

Zealand^  ooDcluded  by  ''  those  interesting  diBooveries  which  Richard 
Cunningham  made  during  his  excursions  on  the  nwthern  island  in 
the  portions  of  the  years  1833-4/' (arranged  and  edited  by  Allan  Cun- 
ningham .)  This  paper  commences  with  the  discoveries  of  Sir  J.  Banks 
and  Solander^  during  the  first  voyage  of  Captain  Cook,  and  brings 
them  down  through  the  various  voyages  of  discovery,  including 

those  of  the  CoquiUe  and  Astrolabe,  to  1834. The  number  Jbr 

March  begins  with  a   continuation  of  the   last  paper,  which  is 

still  further  to  be  continued. On  the  Sources  and  Composition 

of  Oamboge,  with  an  examination  of  some  analogous  concrete  juices, 
by  R.  Christison,  M.  D.,  Professor  of  Materia  Medica  in  the 
University  of  Edinburgh,  a  worthy  and  important  supplement  to 
Dr  Graham's  paper  in  the  former  number.  Dr  Christison  has  ana- 
lysed the  varieties  of  gamboge,  including  that  sent  from  Ceylon  by 
Mrs  Walker.  The  principal  ingredients  in  all  are  resin  and  aribin, 
in  proportions  not  varying  very  greatly,  and  the  conclusions  arrived 
at  are,  that  the  proportions  of  the  essential  ingredients  vary  in  the 
same  species  where  the  situation  of  the  tree  is  different ;  that  the 
gamboge  tree  of  Ceylon  may  be  made  to  yield  a  pigment  as  fine  and 
perfect  as  that  of  Siam,  while  in  its  medicinal  qualities  it  also  pos- 
sesses properties  in  the  fullest  perfection ;  and  it  is  finally  re- 
commended that  our  Oovernment,  and  the  settlers  at  Ceylon,  should 
use  a  little  enterprise  in  the  culture  of  this  tree.— —Illustrations  of 
Indian  Botany,  principally  of  the  southern  parts  of  the  Peninsula, 

by  Dr  Wright  and  6.  A.  W.  Amot,  continued. A  description  of 

Spartina  alternifoiia  of  Loiseleur,  a  new  British  species,  by  Wil- 
liam  Arnold  Broom  field,  M.  D.  concluded  in  the  number  for  April. 
There  seems  to  be  considerable  confusion  in  the  synonjrms,  and 
also  with  some  species  which  have  been  sent  from  America  as  the 
true  S.  stricta. .  The  banks  of  the  river  Itchen,  near  Southampton, 
seem  to  be  the  great  locality.  **  These  Spartina  swamps  extend  along 
each  side  of  the  river,  beginning  just  above  the  village  of  Itchen,  to 
within  a  few  hundred  yards  of  Norham  Bridge,  beyond  which  1  have 

never  met  with  either  kind." Account  of  a  botanical  excursion 

into  Brittany,  by  Joseph  Wood,  Esq.  F.  L.  S. Description  of 

some  new  Cistacese,  chiefly  found  by  Mr  Drummond  in  the  southern- 
most regions  of  North  America,  by  E.  Spach ;  not  concluded. 


Atmaks  des  Sciences  NaiureOes*  89 

Pbbiodicalb. — Foreign, 
Amuales  dee  Sciences Naturelies.    Zoologie,  MM.  Audouin et  M ilnb- 
Edwards.     Botaniquey  MM.  Ad.  Brononiabt  et  Guillbmin. 
Crochard  &  Co.     Paris^  Septembre  1836. 

I. — Zoology. 

Nates  sur  Us  caractires  xoologiques  des  Pulex  penetrans^  par  M. 
DueBS.     The  differences  between  it  and  the  common  flea  are  too 

slight  to  be  considered  of  generic  importance. Recherches  sur 

rAHoiamie  du  Pentastoma  t»nioide8>  par  M.  Mibax .-^^  Observa- 
tions sur  les  genres  Gerboise  et  Gerbille,  par  M.  F.  Cuvibr. 

Observations  sur  les  Aranddes,  par  A.  Duobs Analyse  des 

travausf  anat.  physioLy  et  zoolog.  prisentis  d  TAcad,  des  Sconces 
pendant  le  mots  de  Septembre  1836 :  viz.  Retzius  sur  la  structure 
des  dents:  Bodichon  sur  une  espece  du  genre  Cants:  Thompson 
sur  le  tissu  dartoide:  Dombbb  Firxas  sur  la  pression  atmosphS- 
rique:  Donnb  n«r  Us  animaUuUs  contentts  dans  Upus:  Vanbb- 
NBDBN  sur  Us  caraetires  des  C^tads,  . 
II. — Botany. 

DuBiJBi  Iter  asturicam  botanicum^  anno  1835  susceptnm^  auctore 

J.  Oay. Observations  sur  F ascension  de  la  sdve  dans  une  Liancy  et 

description  dune  nouvelU  espece  de  Cissus^par  G.  Oaudichand. 

Mnscomm  Chilensium  species  noyas  descripsit,  W.  P.  Schimpbr. 

Extraits  du  Botanical  Register  pour  Vannie  1835  et  U  mois  de 

Jcawierl&^^ AnoticeofDBCANDOLLE'8,Prodromus,VoLy. 

Du  riveUet  du sommeil detPlantesypar  M.  Dutrocbbt. "  Nova 

genera  ac  species  Plantarum  quas  in  regno  Cbilensi^  Peruviano  et 
in  terra  Amazonica,  annis  1827  ad  1832,  legit  Edonard  Poeppig  et 
cum  Stephano  £ndlicher  descripsit  ioonibusque  illustravit,  volumen 

primom."    A  short  notice. *'  Mantissa  Musoorum  ad  Floram  Pe- 

demontanam,  auct.  J.  de  Notaris."    Another  short  notice. Rhiso- 

botrya,  genre  de  plante  nouveau  de  la  Flore  dAlUmagne^  par  J.  C. 

Tadsch. ''  Plants  IndicK  quas  in  montibns  Goimbaturicis  cseru- 

leis*  Nilagiri  s.  Neilgherries  dictis,  coUegit  Rev.  Bbbn.  Schxid. 
Illnstravit  Dr  Jon.  Gar.  Zbnkbb.  Decas  secunda."  A  series  of 
extracts  descriptive  of  the  new  species  described  in  this  work. 

Annalen  der  Physik  und  Chemie.  Von  Pooorndobf. 

Vol.  xxxviii.     pt.  2. 

On  the  Structure  and  Chemical  properties  of  Cartilage  and  Bone, 

by  J.  MuLLBR.     This  paper  may  be  considered  as  a  s^uel  to  that 

upon  the  Gamparative  Anatomy  of  the  Myxinoidea,  of  which  we  gave 


90  Aimalen  der  PhyM  tmd  Ckemie. 

an  analysis  in  our  fourth  number.  It  chiefly  relates  to  the  Chemical 
Structure  of  Cartilage^  and  the  yarieties  of  it  which  occur  in  different 
animals.  The  analysis  of  the  cartilage  of  Squalus  peregrinus  by  Chey- 
reuil,  has  been  followed  up  with  great  accuracy  by  Purkinje,  and 
Deutsch.*  The  bony  cartilage  of  the  higher  animals  was  examined  by 
them  in  the  form  of  microscopic  lamella^  the  tissue  having  been  previ- 
ously expeUed  by  means  of  acid.  They  then  found  that  this  substance 
contains  many  minute  oval  bodies  dispersed  through  it,  which,  ac- 
cording tof  Miescher,  not  only  occur  in  that  situation,  but  also  in 
the  callus  of  re-united  bones,  in  bones  imperfectly  developed,  &c. 
The  dimensions  of  these  bodies  are  estimated  in  English  lines,  at 
from  0.0048  to  0.0072  in  length,  by  0.0017  to  0.0030  in  breadth. 
These  minute  bodies  generally  lie  lengthways  in  the  direction  of 
the  layers  of  cartilage,  and  are  somewhat  more  opaque  than  the  8ur<- 
rounding  substances.  It  is  not  easy  to  determine  whether  they  are 
hollow  or  solid.  They  seem  to  admit  of  great  variety  in  their  struoi* 
ture,  in  different  parts,  especially  those  which  occur  in  the  cartilage 
of  the  ribs,  in  which  situation  they  are  often  found  lying  oonfusedly 
together,  and  contain  apparently  a  sort  of  kernel.  In  the  cartila- 
ginous fishes,  the  contents  of  these  bodies  are  more  fluid,  and  in  the 
cartilage  of  Petromyzon,  they  vary  in  different  parts,  in  one  place 
presenting  the  above-mentioned  oval  form,  in  another,  oells,  divided 
by  thin  cartilaginous  partitions,  and  in  a  third,  an  intermediate  state 
between  these  conditions.  These  bodies  frequently  also  occur  in 
the  externa],  as  well  as  the  internal  cartilage  of  certain  animals,  as 
for  instance  in  the  cuirass  of  the  armadillo ;  in  cartilaginous  bones 
they  are  often  wanting.  They  are  not  met  with  in  the  Ostracion, 
in  the  tubercular  cartilage  of  the  sturgeon,  nor  in  the  skeletons  o£ 
many  cartilaginous  fishes.  They  are  identical  when  they  are  found 
in  the  cartilaginous  bones  of  man,  of  the  Mammalia,  and  of  fishes, 
but  in  the  other  cartilage  of  the  two  former  classes,  they  present 
great  variations,  which  are  arranged  und^  three  distinct  heads  by 
Miescher.  The  glutinous  matter  contained  in  the  different  carti- 
lages is  divided  by  the  author  into  two  classes,  to  which  he  applies 
the  terms  colla  and  chondrine,  and  he  also  gives  the  results  of  va- 
rious analysis  of  cartilage  in  different  states  of  ossification^  and  taken 
from  various  parts  of  the  body.  The  structure  and  chemical  pro- 
perties of  the  bones  of  the  higher  animals  is  next  described,  followed 
by  a  similar  detail  of  those  of  the  cartilaginous  fishes.  M.  Marchand 

*  Deutach  de  penidori  ossium  structure.     Vretisl.  1834. 

f  Miescher  de  ossium  genesi,  structure,  et  yit&.     Berol.  1886. 


' 


Anndlen  der  Phytik  und  Chemie.  91 

lias  also  extended  his  researches  to  the  latter  class,  and  finds  that 
the  ossified  cartilage  does  not  contain  a  materially  less  quantity  of 
lime  than  the  hones  of  the  higher  vertebrata.  The  spine  of  Squa- 
lus  oomabicus,  after  being  exposed  to  a  white  heat,  till  all  the 
animal  matter  was  consumed,  left  in  one  instance  41.55^  in  another 
42.068  per  cent,  of  ashes.  The  following  is  the  result  of  his  ana- 
lysis. 

Combustible  aoimal  matter,    57.07        Sulphate  of  soda,       0.80 

Pho^bateoflime,       ...        d2.46        Muriate  of  do,      3.00 

Sulphate  of  lime,      1.87  Phosphate  of  magnesia,     ...        1.03 

Carbouate  of  lime,    2.57  Sniceous  earth,  argillaceous  do. 

Floate  of  lime,      -a  trace.  iron,  and  loss,     1.20 

100.00 
The  Tabercnlar  cartilage  of  a  large  ray  gave 

Combustible  animal  matter,     ...      78.46  per  cent.' 

Cttbonateoflirae,     2.67 

Phosphate  of  do,      14.80 

Sulphate  of  do,     0.83 

Fluateofdo,    a  trace. 

Muriate  of  soda, 2.46 

Sulphate  of  do,     0.70 

Phosphoric  acid,  magnesia,  and  loss,  0  14 

100.00 

No.  1 1 .  Vol.  xxxix.  contains  a  brief  statement  of  the  results  of  seve* 
ral  experiments  upon  the  electric  rays,  by  M.  Matteucci,  who  thinks 
that  the  Natural  History  of  these  animals  is  far  from  being  under* 
stood,  and  is  therefore  still  occupied  in  its  investigation.  M.  Fran- 
cis Schnlze  of  Berlin  has  also  communicated  a  preliminary  state- 
ment of  his  experiments  upon  equiTocal  generation^  and  upon  the 
metamMphoses  of  Amylum. 


INTELLIGENCE, 


ZOOLOGICAL. 

Bank  Vole,  Bell. — Arvicola  pratensis,  Baillon^  A,  riparia,  Jenyns. 
It  is  likely  that  this  species  is  not  very  local  in  its  distribution,  as  I 
have  lately  detected  it  in  Northumberland.  ^  Two  specimens,  a  male 
and  female,  were  taken  at  the  same  time  in  a  hang  trap  baited  with 
oat-meal,  in  the  garden  at  Twizell.  Their  appearance  at  once  at- 
tracted my  attention,  as  I  perceived,  even  while  they  remained  half 
concealed  in  the  holes  of  the  trap,  that  their  tail  was  longer  than  that 
of  the  common  vole,  and  yet  very  much  shorter  than  that  of  the  long- 
tailed  field-mouse,  to  which,  however,  the  colour  of  the  back  nearly 
approached.  Upon  comparing  them  with  the  descriptions  given  by 
Yarrell  and  Jenyns,  and  Bell  of  the  A.  prafensisy  I  found  them  to 
agree  in  every  essential  particular  with  that  species.  In  form,  the 
bank  vole  is  scarcely  so  thick  and  short  as  its  congener,  A.  agrestis^ 
the  muzzle  more  elongate,  and  the  ears  longer,  and  more  distinctly 
seen  above  the  fur.  The  hairs  at  the  end  of  the  tail,  and  which  ex- 
tend considerably  beyond  the  bony  part,  are  stiff  and  elastic.  The 
crown  of  the  head  and  upper  parts  are  of  a  reddish-brown  inter- 
mixed with  black,  the  sides  were  inclined  to  grey,  the  under  parts 
yellowish-white,  the  yellow  more  strongly  indicated  on  the  mesial 
line  of  the  abdomen.  The  length  of  the  head  and  body  3^  inches, 
of  the  tail  1|  inches.  These  are  the  only  individuals  I  have  yet  seen, 
or  at  least  that  have  attracted  my  attention  as  differing  from  the  com- 
mon vole.  It  is  likely,  however,  that  it  will  be  found  upon  investi- 
gation a  plentiful  species. — P.  J.  S. 

Arvicola  praiensis — My  friend  R.  M.  Lingwood,  Esq.  captured  a 
specimen  of  this  little  animal,  in  my  presence,  at  his  house.  High- 
lands, near  Uckfield,  Sussex,  on  the  16th  of  January  1837.  This 
adds  another  county  to  those  of  which  it  is  recorded  as  being  a  na- 
tive.— C.  C.  Babinoton. 

Rkea. — Mr  Darwin  has  brought  home  among  his  other  zoological 
treasures,  specimens  of  a  new  or  second  species  of  Rhea,  which  ap- 
pears to  take  the  place  of  the  old  species  in  Patagonia.   It  is  distin- 


gnished  from  the  R.  Americana  in  being  about  one-fifth  le89,  and  in 
the  tani  being  reticulated  and  feathered  below  the  knee. 

Skatheriitm. — M.  Geoftroj  St  Hilaire  and  M.  De  Blainville 
ha7e  laid  before  the  Royal  Academy  of  Sciences  at  Paris^  the  results 
of  their  inquiries  regarding  the  nature  of  this  interesting  fossil  ani- 
mal, discovered  in  the  valley  of  the  Markonda,  in  the  southern  dis- 
trict of  the  Himalaya.  The  first  is  of  opinion  that  it  is  d  species  of 
antediluvian  giraffe,  and  has  proposed  the  title  of  Cameleop.  primi'' 
genus  for  it.  M.  De  Blainville,  again,  although  he  alJows  it  to  belong 
to  the  group  of  the  ruminants,  considers  it  far  removed  from  the 
girafies,  and  enters  into  a  lengthened  detail  of  his  reasons  for  this 
difiTerence  of  opinion.  If  his  arguments  are  correct,  these  remains  will 
belong  to  an  animal  which  cannot  be  ranked  in  any  of  the  known 
genera  of  Mammalia. 

Sumia  NyeUa,  Dumeril^ — On  the  13th  of  February  last  a  fine 
male  snowy  owl  was  shot  three  miles  below  Selby-on-the-moor,  where 
it  had  been  observed  by  the  miller,  at  a  mill  adjoining,  for  a  day 
or  two  previous.  The  moor  is  well  stocked  with  rabbits,  and  the  owl 
was  most  probably  preying  upon  them  :  it  appeared  very  shy,  and 
when  pinioned  by  the  shot  was  extremely  fierce.  It  was  ultimately 
got  into  a  sack  and  killed  by  pressure,  when  it  came  into  the  pos- 
sessicm  of  my  friend  A.  Clapbam^  Esq.  of  Pottemewton,  near  Leeds. 
— H.  Dbnnt. 

Cepola  rubeseem,  Linn — Mr  P.  W.  Madagan  informs  us  that  he 
has  lately  procured  a  specimen  of  this  fish,  which  was  caught  ofiT 
DoDure,  seven  miles  south  of  Ayr,  on  a  whiting  line  baited  with  a 
mossel.  Its  length  is  15^  inches.  The  fisherman  who  brought  it 
had  seen  another  about  six  weeks  ago. — March  20,  1837* 

MI8CBLLANEOU8  INTBLLIGBNCB. 

Botanical  Socibtv  of  Edinbuboh,  Nov.  10,  1836. — The  first 
meeting  of  the  winter  session  was  held  this  evening.  Professor 
Graham  in  the  chair.  The  following  members  were  elected:-.* 
Resident,  Dr  Andrew  Douglas  Maclagan ;  Nan-Residenl,  Mr  Ro- 
bert Ball,  Dublin ;  The  Rev.  George  Gordon,  Bimie,  Elginshire  ; 
Mr  Edwin  Lees,  Worcester ;  Dr  D.  C.  Macreight,  London ;  Mr 
M.  J.  P.  Sidney,  Morpeth ;  Mr  W.  A.  Stables,  Park,  Nairnshire  ; 
Mr  W.  Thompson,  Belfost;  Mr  H.  C.  Watson,  Thames-Ditton,  Sur- 


94  Miscellaneous* 

rej.     Mr  Edwin  Lees  of  Worcester  was  appointed  Local  Secretary 
for  Worcestershire. 

Specimens  were  stated  by  the  Secretary  to  have  been  received 
since  last  meeting  from  Dr  Tyacke^  Mr  Shuttleworth,  Dr  R.  C.  Alex- 
ander^ Rev.  ]^Ir  Rutherford,  Mr  Leighton^  Dr  Dewar,  Mr  Watson, 
Mr  Carpenter,  Dr  Greville^  Mr  Cruickshank,  Mr  Lees,  Mr  BeU, 
Dr  Barry,  Mr  Spencer  Thomson,  and  Mr  Maughan.  Donation: 
"  Letter  by  N.  B.  Ward,  Esq.,  to  Sir  W.  J.  Hooker,  on  the  growtb 
of  plants  without  open  exposure  to  air,"  from  the  author. 

Mr  Carpenter  directed  the  attention  of  the  Society  to  the  advan- 
tages which  might  result  from  their  endeavouring  to  form  a  collec- 
tion of  vegetable  monstrosities,  the  study  of  which  is  now  so  essen- 
tial to  the  philosophic  botanist, — since  it  is  from  them  that  the  theory 
of  structure  is  principally  deduced,  and  upon  them  also  that  we 
may  expect  to  found  some  definite  laws  regarding  the  limits  of  va- 
riation in  each  species.  He  then  alluded  to  some  remarks  he  had 
formerly  made,  on  the  nature  of  parasitic  Fungi,  with  reference  to 
Verger's  researches,  and  stated  that  he  considered  it  still  an  open 
question  in  general  physiology,  whether  a  plant  or  animal  might 
not,  by  a  morbid  process,  give  origin  to  one  lower  in  the  scale ;  and, 
he  pointed  out  the  distinction  between  this  view  and  the  old  doe- 
trine  of  equivocal  generation. 

Dt  Balfour  exhibited  a  Carex  which  had  been  sent  to  him  by 
Dr  Murray  of  Aberdeen,  found  by  Messrs  Dickie  and  Templeton 
in  August  last,  on  rocks  in  Glen-Callader,  and  which  on  examination 
Sir  William  Hooker  had  pronounced  to  be  C.  ritpestrU,  All.  (pe~ 
traea,  Wahl.)  Dr  Graham  gave  a  short  summary  of  what  had  been 
done  since  last  meeting  in  the  way  of  botanical  discovery,  during 
the  various  excursions  of  the  season ;  and  particularly  mentioned  the 
following  additional  localities  for  several  rare  plants.  Malaxis  pa^ 
Indosa,  found  by  Mr  James  Dewar ;  Acino$  vulgaris,  SUene  dngUca 
and  S.  noctiflora,  by  Dr  Dewar,  the  two  latter  abundantly;  TrifoHnm 
ornithopodioides,  by  Miss  Robertson, — all  in  the  neighbourhood  of 
North  Queensferry. — Linnaia  borealis,  by  Mr  M'Nab  and  Dr  Gha- 
ham,  near  Dalmahoy  Hill.  Tulipa  sylvesiris,  by  Dr  Graham^ 
neighbourhood  of  Edinburgh.  Oenanthe  pimpinelloides  and  Juncus 
obiunfiorus,  by  Mr  Campbell,  near  Dunbar.  Saxifraga  hirculus, 
by  Mr  Hunter,  on  the  Pentland  Hills,  near  the  source  of  the  Med- 
wyn.  Veronica  BuxbaumU,  by  Dr  Dewar,  Mr  Roberts,  and  Mr 
Bell,  in  various  localities  near  Edinburgh,  on  both  sides  of  the 
Forth. — Cares  fulvay  not  unfrequent  in  several  stations  near  Edin- 
burgh.    Hieraeium  umbellatum,  by  Dr  G.  M'Nab,  in  Glen-Clova. 

a 


MuceUantous,  95 

Ajnga  pyramidalisy  pointed  out  by  Dr  Duguid  to  Dr  M'Nab  in 
Orkney.  Erodium  tnaTritimufn  and  Jungermannia  Mackaii,  found 
in  Galloway,  both  new  to  the  Scottish  Flora.  Polygonum  Raii, 
abundantly,  and  Lamium  intermedium  were  also  observed  in  Gal- 
loway. CkuUvm  tnariecus  was  looked  for  in  vain  in  Galloway,  a 
station  assigned  for  it  on  the  authority  of  Mr  M'Kie,  (not  M'Kay, 
as  mentioned  in  Hooker's  British  Flora.)  The  Sutherland  station 
for  this  plant  must,  therefore,  be  regarded  as  the  only  well  an* 
thmticated  one  for  it  now  in  Scotland.  Hieracium  aura$Ui4iicum 
waa  seen  by  Mr  Brand  in  Banfishire,  apparently  quite  wild.  Dr 
Barry  mentioned  having  this  year  observed  TTUcupi  alpeHre  near 
the  head  of  Caenlochen,  in  the  Clova  mountains,  in  a  different  spot 
from  that  where  it  was  first  discovered ;  Pinguicukt  grandifioroy 
near  the  top  of  Mount  Mangerton,  Killarney ;  and  Rhynckospora 
fueca,  abundant  near  Oughterarde,  Cunnemara. 

Dr  Graham  then  alluded  to  a  recent  excursion  to  Ben-Lawers,  in 
company  with  Sir  W.  J.  Hooker,  which,  owing  to  the  badness  of  the 
season,  and  its  effects  upon  alpine  vegetation,  had  proved  a  most 
unproductive  one.  On  that  occasion,  Dr  Graham  stated  that  he 
had  an  importunity  of  examining  the  oaks  on  the  banks  of  Loch- 
Lomond  ;  and  after  comparing  tliem  with  specimens  from  other 
parts  of  the  country,  and  with  the  figures  of  Martyn,  in  the  Flora 
Ruetieay  he  was  satisfied  that  we  have  in  Britain  three  distinctybrfif^ 
of  oak,  whether  species  or  not  is  a  different  question.  The  most 
common  is  that  figured  at  Tab.  10  of  Flora  Rustica  ;-— the  next, 
acaroely  less  common  on  Loch-Lomond,  is  that  represented  at  Tab. 
1 1 1 — and  the  third,  b}'  much  the  least  common  in  the  country,  though 
by  no  means  unfrequent  at  the  lower  end  of  Glen-Falloch,  is  ex- 
tremely well  represented  in  Tab.  12.  The  first  is  what  has  been 
called  Quercue  pedunculata,  its  acorns  being  numerous,  on  a  long 
eommoa  peduncle.  The  second  nearly  resembles  this  in  the  habit 
of  the  tree,  but  has  a  fruit  either  sessile,  or  on  a  short,  stout,  and 
abnipt  peduncle.  The  third  differs  very  much  in  the  habit  of  the 
tree,  its  mudi  more  acutely  serrated  chesnut-like  leaves^  and  its  ab- 
solutely sessile  fruit.  There  is  little  difficulty,  even  at  a  distance, 
in  distinguishing  this  tree  from  the  two  former,  by  its  general  ap- 
pearance, and  its  long  slender  free  growing  branches. 

Dec  8th. — Professor  Graham  in  the  chair.  The  following  mem- 
bers were  elected : — Reeidentj  Mr  W.  F.  Lindsay  Carnegie,  and 
Mr  William  Heid.  Non-Reeidenty  Miss  Bailey,  Dublin;  Dr  J. 
Coulter,  Dublin ;  Dr  C.  P.  Croker,  Dublin  ;  Mr  Simon  Foot,  Dub- 
lin ;  Mr  George  Stephens  Gough,  Dublin  ;  The  Rev.  Thomas  Dix 


96  Miscellaneous. 

Hincks,  LL.D. ;  Mr  J.  T.  Mackay^  Dublin ;  Mr  Ninian  Nevin, 
Dublin ;  Dr  Jonathan  Osborne,  Dublin  ;  Captain  Portlock,  R.  £. 
Dublin  ;  and  Dr  Robert  J.  N.  Streitin,  Worcester.     Dr  Thomas 
Bell  Salter  was  appointed  Local  Secretary  at  Poole,  Dorsetshire. 
Specimens  were  stated  by  the  Secretary  to  have  been  received  since 
last  meeting  from  Mr  W.  Thompson,  Dr  Hincks,  Mr  Atkin,  Dr 
Balfour,  Mr  A.  H.  Balfour,  Dr  MaclagamMi^  Eraser,  Mr  Reid,  Dr 
Hunter,  Mr  Steuart,  The  Rev.  W.  S.  Hore,  Mr  J.  Ward,  Mr  Leefe, 
Mr  Campbell,  Mr  Forbes,  Mr  Scott,  Mr  Lloyd,  and  Mr  Macaulay. 
The  following  office-bearers  were  elected  for  the  ensuing  year  :-— 
President — Professor  Graham. 
Vice-Presidents — Dr  Greville  and  Dr  Balfour. 
Secretary — Mr  Campbell. 

Joint  Foreign  Secretaries — Mr  Forbes  and  Dr  Charlton. 
Treasurer — Mr  Brand. 
Curator — Mr  James  M'Nab. 

Councillors. 
Dr  Neill,  Mr  Falconar,  Dr  Barry,  Dr  Maclagan,  and  Dr  PoUexfen. 
In  consequence  of  various  representations  having  been  made  to 
the  Society,  pointing  out  the  difficulty  of  specimens  being  sent  froni 
the  Continent  earlier  than  January,  as  well  as  on  account  of  several 
urgent  requests  from  members  for  delay  in  sending  in  specimens,  it 
was  agreed  that  the  distribution  should  in  future  take  place  in  Ja- 
nuary and  February  each  year,  instead  of  the  period  mentioned  ia 
the  prospectus. 

The  Secretary  read  a  communication  transmitted  to  him  by  Mr 
Forbes,  '•  On  a  supposed  new  British  Pofygala"  observed  by  him  ia 
the  Isle  of  Man  and  on  Dalmahoy  Hill,  near  Edinburgh.  Mr  For- 
bes describes  it  as  follows :— "  Polygala  foliis  imis  (parvulis)  obo- 
vato-spathnlatis,  reliquis  lanceolatis  sen  lineari-lanoeolatis ;  sepolis 
lateralibus  ellipticis,  obtusis,  corolla  fimbriata  brevioribus,  capsuift 
subrotundi  demum  brevioribus  angustioribusqne. 

"  Plant  depressed,  branchy  and  diffuse  ;  flowers  small,  crowded. 
purplish  blue  or  greenish-white ;  raceme  when  in  fruit  elongated 
and  bilateral.  From  JP.  vulgaris  it  is  distinguished  by  its  habit 
the  smallness  of  its  flowers,  and  the  comparative  sise  of  the  sepals 
and  the  capsule, — the  sepals  in  the  common  species  being  longer 
and  broader  than  the  capsule.  In  general  habit  and  the  appearanoe 
of  its  blossoms,  it  bears  a  striking  resemblance  to  P.  aipestris;  but 
the  relations  of  the  sepals  to  the  flowers  and  fruit  separate  it  from 
that  species  also."  Specimens  of  the  plant  accompanied  the  paper. 
Mr  Percy  read  a  short  notice  of  an  excursion  he  had  made  last 

4 


Miscellaneous.  97 

snmmer  by  way  of  Fontainbleau  and  Lyons  to  Vaucluse,  with  par- 
ticular reference  to  the  botany  of  the  districts  through  which  he 
passed;  and  in  the  vicinity  of  the  celebrated  "  Fontaine"  and 
"  Ch&teau  de  Petrarque." 

Dr  Charlton  gave  a  short  account  of  a  tour  he  had  made  last  au-> 
tumn  in  Denmark,  stating  that  his  present  object  was  chiefly  to 
point  out  the  focilities  for  visiting  that  country,  and  the  inducement 
it  holds  out  to  the  botanist.  The  expense  of  living  and  travelling 
he  described  as  being  extremely  moderate,  the  language  as  interpo* 
sing  but  few  difficulties  — and  the  botany,  particularly  the  Flora 
around  Christis^nia,  as  being  singularly  attractive  and  interesting, 

Dr  Barry  incidentally  mentioned  that  the  following  plants,  so  in- 
teresting to  the  British  botanist,  had  been  observed  by  him  when 
travelling  amongst  the  Alps  : — Sonchus  alpintts,  by  the  side  of  the 
glacier  at  the  source  of  the  Rhone,  on  the  Furca  side  ;  GenHana 
nimlis  in  the  ascent  from  the  6rindlewal(l  to  the  Faulhorn ;  and 
Astragalus  alpinus,  in- the  Valley  of  Rosen-Laui.  Mr  Percy  had 
also  observed  Sonchus  alpiniis  on  the  Brezon,  about  twenty  miles 
from  Geneva,  at  an  elevation  of  about  3500  feet. 

W.  H.  Campbell,  Sec, 

Botanical  Society  of  London. — April  22, 1837.  J-  E-  Gray, 
Esq.  F.  R.  S.,  President,  in  the  Chair. — Several  presents  were  an- 
nounced, and  Members  elected ;  after  which  Mr  Chatterley,  the 
Secretary,  proceeded  to  read  the  continuation  of  his  paper,  translated 
£rom  the  French  of  M.  DecandoUe,  on  the  geographical  distribution 
of  plants  used  for  food.  The  facts  adduced  tended  to  show,  that 
cold  had  little  influence  in  retarding  the  extension  of  agriculture, 
and  that  by  artificial  cultivation  and  temperature  any  one  country 
might  be  made  to  produce  nearly  all  the  plants  of  the  earth.  The 
paper  contained  several  important  facts,  and  the  original  may  be 
found  in  the  5th  Number  of  the  Bibliotheque  Universelle  de  Ge- 
neve. The  President  explained  the  discovery,  by  a  French  bota- 
nist, of  cells  or  little  membranous  cylinders  in  the  leaves  of  Ky- 
lanium,  which  are  filled  with  little  spiculse,  and  gradually  ejected. 
— A  paper  was  afterwards  read  from  Mr  Thomas  Hancock,  on  La-- 
miuM  macuUUum  and  album,  and  on  the  propriety  of  their  being 
considered  as  distinct  species.  The  author  was  led  to  investigate 
the  subject,  horn  having  seen  many  specimens  of  the  former  species 
entirely  destitute  of  the  longitudinal  white  patches  on  the  leaves,  so 
particularly  insisted  on  by  most  authors  as  its  most  important  spe- 
cific character ;  as  well  as  from  having  witnessed  severaL  with  white 
flowers  (although  Hooker  and  Lindley  say  that  they  are  constantly 

VOL.  II.  NO.  7»  G 


98  Miscellaneous. 

purple),  and  approaching  so  closely  to  L.  albam  as  to  be  scarcely 
difitiDguishable  from  it.  The 'author  considers  that  Reichenbach, 
in  his  figure  and  description  of  what  he  considered  to  be  the  true 
maculatuniy  and  Dr  Hooker^  in  his  adoption  of  the  same  as  such, 
had  fallen  into  an  error, — and  that  their  plant  was  doubtless  a  va- 
riety of  Z.  purpureum,  Mr  H.  considers  the  number  of  the  whorls 
not  alone  sufficient  to  found  a  specific  character  upon ;  and  after 
detailing  a  series  of  charcuiters  common  to  both  album  and  macula- 
turn,  and  the  points  of  difference  between  them,  with  other  subjects 
having  a  connection  therewith,  concluded  by  stating,  that  these  two 
plants  sliould  be  considered  only  as  varieties  of  one  species,  and  he 
would  propose  the  adoption  of  Dr  Lindley's  specific  name  vulgatum. 
The  President  then  adjourned  the  Society  to  May  4. 

Mr  Hewett  Watsons  New  Botanist's  Guide,  Vol.  ii. — We  are  re- 
quested by  Mr  Hewett  \Vatson  to  mention,  that  the  whole  impres- 
sion of  the  second  volume  of  the  New  Botanist's  Guide  has  been  de- 
stroyed by  an  accidental  fire,  when  just  ready  for  publication ;  and 
Mr  Watson  fears  that  other  engagements  will  prevent  him  reprint- 
ing the  volume  for  a  considerable  period.  He  is  desirous  of  making 
known  this  accident,  lest  his  friends,  who  have  so  largely  contributed 
to  the  volume,  should  misunderstand  the  long  delay  which  must  now 
unavoidably  occur  in  publishing  their  communications. 

Ornithological  Society. — A  society  with  the  annexed  title  is  about 
to  be  established  in  London,  and  the  following  has  been  sent  to  us 
as  the  plan  which  the  Provisional  Committee  of  the  St  James's  Or- 
nithological Society  recommend  the  members  to  adopt.  *'  Titls. — 
The  Ornithological  Society  of  London.  Management.  A  Council 
with  the  usual  Officers. — Honorary  Members.  Limited  to  Five. 
£minent  Scientific  Ornithologists,  or  Liberal  Patrons  of  the  So- 
ciety. Elected  by  the  Council. — Ordinary  Members.  Elected 
by  Ballot.  Gentlemen  will  subscribe,  annually.  Two  Guineas ; 
Ladies,  One  Guinea.  Entrance  fee  for  Gentlemen,  Two  Guineas  ; 
for  Ladies,  One  Guinea.  Members  of  the  Si  James's  Ornithologi- 
cal Society  will  have  the  option  of  being  Original  Members  of  the 
Ornithological  Society  of  London,  at  the  annual  Subscription  of  One 
Guinea. — Foreign  Members.  Elected  by  Ballot.  Eminent  Fo- 
reign Ornithologists. — Foreign  Correspondents.  Elected  by 
the  Council.  Residents  abroad,  desirous  of  assisting  the  Society  ; 
exempt  from  all  pecuniary  Contributions. — The  Objects  op  thk 
SocifcTV  are  to  be  attained  by  the  exhibition  of  living  Birds  :  the 
propagation  and  dispersion  of  the  domesticate  races :  a  Museum  : 


p 


Miscellaneous.  99 

Library :  Periodical  Meetings :  Ornithological  Lectures  :  the  Pub- 
lication of  Ornithological  Works — Scientific  and  Practical :  Prize 
Shews.  Living  Specimens. — The  Rasorial  Oenera^  and  their 
Types,  will  be  particularly  attended  to,  as  being  most  beautiful 
and  attractive,  pre-eminently  domestic  and  practically  useful.  The 
hardy  birds  will  be  gratuitously  exhibited  in  the  parks  ;  those  for 
which  buildings  are  required  will  be  seen  by  the  public  on  payment 
of  a  small  admission  fee.  Thr  D  uplicatbs. — Birds  and  Eggs  will 
be  distributed  among  the  Members.  The  Museum. — The  speci- 
mens will  be  accurately  named  according  to  the  Natural  System  ; 
and  so  arranged  as  to  convey  to  the  student,  through  the  eye  alone, 
a  general  and  accurate  knowledge  of  the  affinities  and  analogies  of 
birds,  and  to  exhibit  examples  of  the  different  organizations  which 
are  known  to  accompany  different  habits  and  modes  of  life.  The 
Museum  will  include  stuffed  Birds,  Bird  Skins,  Skeletons,  and  parts 
of  Birds,  Nests  and  Eggs  ;  and  will  be  open,  without  restriction, 
to  Scientific  Persons  and  Artists.  Library. — The  Library  will 
contain,  ultimately,  every  Ornithological  Work  of  merit ;  British 
and  Foreign  Ornithological  Periodicals  will  be  taken  in,  and  circu- 
lated among  such  of  the  Members  as  subscribe  an  additional  Half- 
guinea  for  this  advantage. — Periodical  Meetings,  or  Converza- 
tiones,  will  be  held  for  the  exhibition  of  living  and  dead  Specimens, 
Drawings,  Books,  Nests,  &c. — for  reading  Ornithological  Papers, 
and  for  oral  observations.  Lectures. — Competent  Ornithologists 
will  be  invited  to  deliver  Lectures.  Publications. — The  Society 
will  publish,  or  patronize  the  publication  of,  a  general  Ornithologi- 
cal Work  at  an  accessible  price  :  the  proceedings  will  be  published 
concisely  and  cheaply  :  and  the  Society  will  collect  and  publish  all 
the  information  they  can  obtain  as  to  the  best  modes  of  rearing 
Foreign  Birds  adapted  for  the  Park,  the  Preserve,  the  Poultry  Yard, 
and  the  Aviary.  Prizes. — A  Prize  of  the  value  of  L.  15  or  L.  20 
will  be  given  annually  for  the  best  Paper  on  Systematic  Ornitholo- 
gy, in  elucidation  of  the  power,  wisdom,  and  goodness  of  God. 
Another  of  the  value  of  L.  10  for  the  breeding  of  Foreign  Birds : 
and  a  third  of  the  value  of  L.5  for  the  beet  method  of  keeping  alive 
in  this  country  such  Foreign  Birds  as  will  not  breed.  Application 
will  be  made  to  Government  for  a  Locality  for  the  Society's  Mu- 
seum, Library,  and  Housed  Collections :  if  the  application  be  suc- 
cessful the  Museum  will  be  freely  open  to  the  Public  three  days  a 
week.  The  ordinary  Funds,  arising  from  Subscriptions  and  En- 
trance Fees,  will  in  the  first  instance  be  applied  solely  to  the  con- 
struction of  Aviaries,  and  the  purchase,  rearing  and  breeding  of 
Birds  :  and  an  extraordinary  Fund  will  be  raised  by  the  creation  of 


100  Miscellaneous. 

100  Shares  of  L.  25  each,  (to  be  paid,  if  desired,  in  two  half-yearly 
instalments,)  which  will  be  applied  exclusively  to  the  purchase  of 
Books,  Specimens,  and  Cabinets,  to  lay  a  broad  and  solid  founda- 
tion for  a  worthy  Museum  and  Library.  The  Property  thus  acquir- 
ed will  b^  vested  in  the  Shareholders  ;  and  will  not,  unless  specially 
conveyed  by  donation,  form  part  of  the  general  property  until  the 
funds  shall  be  sufficient  to  pay  off  the  shareholders.  The  dupli- 
cates will,  at  first,  be  distributed  among  the  shareholders  only,  and, 
in  addition  to  the  ordinary  privileges  of  personal  admission  to  Hous« 
ed  Collections,  Museum,  Library,  and  Meetings,  they  will  be  en- 
titled to  give  a  certain  number  of  free  admissions  daily  to  Strangers. 

Tamtts  communis. — This  is,  perhaps,  one  of  the  most  common 
plants  in  Somersetshire.  On  the  south  west -border,  near  the  Bris- 
tol Channel,  it  lines  almost  every  hedge  for  miles  around.  On  com- 
paring its  characters  with  other  dioecious  plants,  I  have  been  sur- 
prised to  find  its  near  identity  with  Dioscorea;  so  much  so,  indeed, 
as  to  make  it  a  point  of  discussion,  whether  it  and  2).  cajanenns 
can,  with  propriety,  be  arranged  in  different  genera,  or  even  in  dis- 
tinct species.  It  is  also  very  like  2).  hrasiliensis  and  Z>.  saliva; 
and,  from  the  similarity  in  their  fructification,  foliation,  and  farina- 
ceous root,  it  may  well  be  termed  the  European  yam.  The  root  I 
have  found  to  be  very  acrid,  viscous,  and  replete  with  starch  ;  and 
is  with  the  berries,  very  largely  and  successfully  employed  by  the 
country  people  in  chilblains,  rheumatism,  and  as  a  suppurative  ca- 
taplasm.— Tfwmas  Hancock. 

Silene  maritima. — I  have  discovered  what  I  believe  to  be  a  new 
locality  for  this  plant.  In  August  last,  while  in  Somersetshire,  I 
found  on  the  banks  of  the  Bristol  Channel,  between  the  towns  of 
Watchet  and  Minehead,  an  abundance  of  it  in  a  state  of  flowering : 
in  fact,  the  whole  shore  was  almost  overgrown  with  it.  Although 
a  matntime  plant,  it  appeared  to  predominate  in  gravelly  soils,  and 
bearing  no  definite  number  of  flowers  on  the  panicles; — fully  justify- 
ing Dr  Hooker's  observation,  as  to  its  intermediate  gradations  into 
S.  inflata. — Thomas  Hancock, 

p€Bonia  officinalis. — This  plant,  regarded  as  having  been  intro- 
duced into  England,  has  been  found  by  my  friend  Mr  Rootsey,  in 
an  excursion  which  I  made  with  him  last  year  near  Bristol,  growing 
apparently  wild,  in  a  thicket  of  bushes  near  that  city. — Thomas 
Hancock. 


PRINTED  BY  JOHN  STARK,  OLD  ASSEMBLY  CLOSE,  EDIKBUROH. 


MAGAZINE 


OF 


ZOOLOGY   AND   BOTANY. 


ORIGINAL  COMMUNICATIONS. 


I. — Notes  on  the  Land  and  Fresh  Water  Mollusca  of  Great  Britain, 
with  a  revised  list  of  Species.  By  Joshua  Aldeb^  Member  of 
the  Nat.  Hist.  Society  of  Newcastle-upon-Tyne. 

Much  as  has  lately  been  done  in  the  investigation  of  the  British 
land  and  fresh  water  Mollusca^  there  is  yet  wanting  a  good  history  of 
cmr  native  species^  which,  like  that  of  Draparnaud  in  France,  or  of 
Pfeiffer  in  Germany,  may  claim  to  rank  as  a  national  work.  Several 
local  catalogues  have  appeared,  each  adding  something  to  our  know- 
ledge of  these  tribes,  and  it  has  been  still  further  increased  by  two 
TaluaUe  monographs, — I  allude  to  the  Synopsis  of  the  Testaceous 
Pneumonobranchous  Mollusca  of  Great  Britain,  by  J.  G.  Jeffreys, 
Esq.  in  the  Linnean  Transactions,  and  the  Monograph  of  the  Bri- 
tish species  of  Cydas  and  Piaidium  in  the  Cambridge  Philosophical 
Society's  Transactions,  by  the  Rev.  L.  Jenyns.  Hitherto  the  only 
general  account  of  the  British  species  that  has  been  published  in  a 
separate  form  is  the  Manual  of  British  Land  and  Fresh  Water  Shells 
by  Dr  Turton.  Considering  the  unpretending  and  cheap  form  in 
which  this  little  work  appeared,  we  cannot  expect  to  find  in  it  a 
oomplele  history  of  these  tribes ;  and  it  has  the  still  fietrther  disad-  - 
▼antage  of  being  an  account  of  the  shells  only,  without  taking  the 
animals  into  consideration.  There  are  also  to  be  found  in  it  several 
errors  in  the  introduction  or  omission  of  species.  It  is  therefore 
mnch  to  be  desired  that  some  of  our  naturalists  would  undertake  to 
give  us  a  complete  and  scientific  history  of  our  native  land  and 
fresh  water  Mollusca  on  a  plan  somewhat  similar  to  that  of  Pfeiffer's 

VOL.  II.  NO.  8.  R 


102  On  the  Land  and  Fresh  Water  Mottusca 

work  above  alluded  to.  The  increasing  taste  foe  natural  history 
now  abroad  warrants  the  conclusion  that  such  a  publication  would 
be  favourably  received,  and  the  materials  ioi  it  might  be  readi* 
ly  obtained.  In  the  absence  of  such  a  work,  it  has  oecorred  to 
me  that  this  Magazine  may  afford  a  medium  for  recording  a  few 
observations,  made  with  the  view  of  ascertaining,  as  far  as  the  pre- 
sent state  of  oqr  knowledge  admits,  what  are  the  species  of  land  and 
fresh  water  MoUusca  really  indigenous  to  these  islands.  I  am  fu- 
from  thinking  that  I  have  accomplished  this  completely ;  but  I  shall 
be  satisfied  if,  by  clearing  away  some  difficulties,  a  ground- work  shall 
be  laid  for  others  to  pursue  the  investigation  with  success.  It  is 
not  by  the  contributions  of  one  but  of  many  that  complete  informa- 
tion is  at  length  to  be  obtained.  In  making  this  attempt,  it  has 
been  found  necessary  to  discard  many  species  that  have  hitherto 
swelled  our  catalogues.  Possibly  some  of  these  may  be  British : 
all  we  can  say  at  present  is,  that  there  is  not  sufficient  proof  to  war- 
rant our  considering  them  as  natives.  As  to  those  MoUusca  whose 
claims  to  rank  as  species  have  been  a  matter  of  dispute  among  na- 
turalists, a  few  of  these  will  certainly  be  found  in  the  present  list, 
but  they  have  been  generally  spoken  of  with  hesitation,  in  order  to 
induce  persons  fietvourably  situated  for  the  purpose  to  make  further 
observations  upon  them. 

It  may  be  necessary  to  say  something  concerning  the  names  that 
have  been  adopted  in  the  following  catalogue.  So  great  is  the  mul- 
tiplication of  synonyms  in  this  department  of  natural  history,  that 
it  has  become  a  difficult  matter  to  decide,  in  each  case,  which  name 
ought  to  be  adopted.  If  we  look  into  three  of  our  latest  publica- 
tions treating  of  molluscous  animals,  those,  namely,  of  Fleming, 
Jeffreysi  and  Turton,  we  shall  find  that,  in  many  instances,  the  same 
species  has  a  different  name  in  each.  Helix  lackhamensis  of  Mon- 
tagu, for  instance,  is  called  by  Dr  Fleming  BuUmus  lackhamensu, 
by  Mr  Jeffreys  Bulinms  Montacuti,  and  by  Dr  Turton  Bulimus 
m&ntanus*  Turbo  tridens  of  Montagu  is  Ateca  tridens  of  Flemings 
Carychium  polUum  of  Jeffireys,  afterti^ards  changed  in  his  supple- 
ment to  Cionella  Goodalli,  and  Azeca  Matoni  of  Turton.  Should 
we  wish  to  trace  this  species  in  continental  works,  we  shall  find  it 
to  be  the  Helix  (CocklodomtaJ  Goodalli  of  F^russac,  Pupa  Mene* 
keana  of  Pfeiffer,  and  Pupa  GoodalU  of  Michaud.  Thus  are  we  lost 
in  a  labyrinth  of  names,  from  which  it  is  high  time  that  we  should 
make  an  attempt  to  extricate  ourselves.  It  will  be  said,  and  is  in- 
deed true,  that  naturalists  (with  the  exception  of  a  few  injudidoaa 
reformers)  are  pretty  well  agreed  as  to  the  rule  by  which  the  choice 
of  a  name  is  to  be  governed,.— namely,  priority  of  publication.  This 


of  Great  Britain.  103 

role  is  applicable^  with  few  exceptions^  to  all  recent  cases^  where 
the  species  described  can  be  properly  made  out ;  but  it  so  happens 
that  it  cannot  conveniently  be  brought  to  bear  upon  names  establish* 
ed  by  long  nse.  Any  attempt  to  change  these  for  such  as^  though 
really  prior>  have  not  been  generally  adopted,  has  usually  proved  a 
fiulure>  and  only  tended  to  increase  the  confusion  it  was  meant  to 
avoid.  Extent  of  U8e>  therefore^  must  be  taken  into  account  in 
judging  of  established  names.  I  am  afraid  that  on  this  account  we 
shall  be  obliged  to  give  up  some  of  the  names  of  Montagu  which 
English  authors  have  hitherto  retained  on  the  ground  of  priority. 
The  ''  Testaoea  Britannica"  was  published  in  1803^  and  the  "  His- 
toire  Naturelle  des  Mollusques  terrestres  et  fluviatUes  de  la  France" 
in  1806.  There  was  thus  a  priority  of  publication  in  the  En- 
glish work  over  that  of  France;  but  notwithstanding  this^  the 
authority  of  Drapamaud  has  been  so  th<Hroughly  established,  that, 
though  Montagu's  book  has  now  been  known  on  the  continent  of 
Europe  for  upwards  of  twenty  years,  and  his  synonyms  pointed  out 
in  the  **  Concordance"  of  Ferussac,  yet  not  one  of  his  names  has 
been  adopted  in  preference  to  those  of  Drapamaud  by  a  single  con- 
tinental author.  Would  it  not  be  better,  therefore,  for  the  sake  of 
onifiMrmity  of  nomendaturoj  that  British  authors  should  give  up  a 
poiat  which  they  cannot  carry,  and  agree  in  adopting  the  more  ge- 
nerally received  names  of  Drapamaud?  In  conformity  with  this 
view,  the  names  of  a  few  species  of  Helix  have  been  altered  in  the 
following  list,  from  those  usually  given  in  British  catalogues* 

Another  circumstance  which  has  greatly  increased  the  number  of 
synonyms  is  the  difficulty  of  making  out  the  species  of  some  of  the 
elder  writers,  particularly  those  of  LinnsBus,  whose  descriptions  are 
often  very  short  and  unsatisfiEU^ory.  Much  labour  has  been  in  vaia 
bestowed  in  attempting  to  ascertain  many  of  the  land  and  fresh 
water  shells  of  this  naturalist,  and  diflPerent  authors  have  referred 
them  to  so  many  different  species,  that  there  are  instances  in 
which  two,  three^  and  even  four  species  have  been  alternately  call- 
ed by  the  same  Linnaean  nam^,  according  to  the  peculiar  views  of 
the  authors  who  described  them.  Turbo  muscorum  of  LinnsBUS  may 
be  taken  as  an  example.  The  shell  called  Turbo  muscorum  by 
Montagu,  and  Pupa  muscorum  by  Fleming,  under  the  belief  that  it 
is  the  LinnsBan  species,  is  Pupa  umbilicala,  Drap.  Lamarck,  F^ 
mssac,  and  others,  think  differently,  and  give  that  name  to  Pupa 
marginata,  Drap.  Drapamaud  himself  refers  it'to  a  third  species, 
Ferti.  o  cylindrical  Per.  which  he  consequently  calls  Pupa  muscorum. 
Bat  Dr  Turton  gives  it  as  his  opinion  that  Pupa  edentuh,  Drap.  Ib 
the  true  Turbo  muscorum  of  Linneus.     Thus  to  understand  what 


104  On  the  Land  and  Fresh  Water  Mottusca 

Pupa  muscorum  means  in'any  catalogue^  it  becomes  necessary,  in 
the  first  place,  to  know  what  authority  the  writer  follows.  Some 
species  of  Helix,  Planorbis,  and  Limneus  are  in  a  similar  predica- 
ment. It  is  certainly  better  in  such  a  case  to  drop  the  disputed 
name  altogether^  and  adopt  another  about  which  no  doubt  exists. 
A  great  preponderance  of  authority  may,  however,  sometimes  in- 
duce us  to  retain  it. 

Important  as  uniformity  of  nomenclature  is  on  all  hands  acknow- 
ledged to  be,  it  would  be  no  easy  matter  to  establish  it.  The  days 
are  past  when  the  authority  of  one  great  name  was  sufficient  to  carry 
with  it  the  acquiescence  of  admiring  followers.  Science  is  now  a 
republic,  and  were  Linnaeus  h|mself  to  rise  from  the  dead,  he 
would  fail  to  accomplish  such  an  object.  It  is  worth  while  consider- 
ing, however,  whether  a  congress  of  the  leading  naturalists  in  each 
department  might  not,  by  mutual  concessions,  be  brought  to  agree 
upon  adopting  a  uniform  set  of  specific  names.  If  this  were  done  a 
great  deal  would  be  accomplished  towards  inducing  succeeding 
writers  to  adopt  the  same  convenient  plan.  I  mention  specific 
names  only,  because  it  is  clear  that  those  of  general  and  higher 
groups,  being  founded  upon  our  knowledge  of  nature,  must  be  left 
to  be  modified  as  that  knowledge  increases ;  but  specific  names  are 
mere  conventional  and  arbitrary  signs ;  more  or  leas  valuable,  indeed, 
according  to  their  indication  of  character,  yet  such  as  when  once 
adopted  it  is  not  necessary  afterwards  to  change.  The  subject  is 
well  worthy  the  attention  of  the  natural  history  section  of  the 
British  Association.  I  have  been  led  further  into  the  consideration 
of  this  subject  than  is  altogether  necessary  for  my  present  purpose  ; 
but  the  evil  complained  of  is  a  serious  one.  Were  this  obstruction 
to  our  progress  once  removed,  and  a  set  of  well  digested  rules  agreed 
upon,  we  have  a  guarantee  in  the  increased  and  increasing  fiacili- 
ties  of  communication  now  established  between  naturalists  of  all 
countries,  and  the  greater  accuracy  of  description  now  adopted,  that 
such  a  barrier  would  not  again  arise  to  obstruct  our  path,  or  deter 
the  youthful  inquirer  from  entering  upon  the  fair  field  of  natural 
history. 

It  has  been  attempted,  as  ^r  as  practicable,  in  the  following  list, 
to  give,  after  the  name  of  the  genus,  that  of  the  author  who  first 
instituted  it ;  but  where  it  has  been  afterwards  restricted,  a  second 
name  is  given.  Indicating  the  author  who  used  it  in  the  restricted 
sense  in  which  it  is  at  present  taken.  In  like  manner,  after  the  spe- 
cific name  is  placed  that  of  the  author  who  imposed  it,  without  any 
reference  to  the  genus  in  which  it  is  now  used  ;  but  where  the  ge- 
neric appellation  has  been  changed,  the  name  of  the  author  first 
applying  it  in  that  genus  is  also  added. 


of  Great  Britain.  106 

MOLLUSCA,  Cuv. 
1^  Section.  MOLLUSCA  CEPHALA,  F6r. 
Claes.  GASTEROPODA,  Cuv- 
Order.  Pulxonifeka,  Flem.  (Les  Pulmones^  Cut.) 
f  TerrestriaL 
Fam.  LiuACiDM,  Flem.  (Les  Limaces^  Cut.) 
Gen.  1.  Abion^  F^mssac. 
h  Empiricorum^Yt[, 
Limax  ater,  Linn. 
L.  Subrufus,  Linn. 
2.  Horiensis,  F&r. 

Tar.  0.  Pfeiffer.  Griseus,  nnicolor,  fitsci^  ntrinque  nigrft. 
Limax  faaciatus,  Nilsson. 

Arion  circumscriptns,  Johnston,  Edtnb.  New  Phil.  Journ. 
I  follow  the  opinion  of  M.  de  F^russac  in  making  L.  fasciatus. 
Nils,  a  Tariety  of  A.  hortensis,  F6r.  The  Tariety  only,  if  such  it  be, 
has  yet  been  noticed  in  this  country,  and  is  common  in  gardens, 
woods^  &C. 

Gen.  2.  Lthax,  Linnaeus,  F^russac 

1.  Cinereus,  Linn. — Shell :  Limacellus  Parma,  Turt. 

2.  Variegaius,  Fer — Shell :  Limacellus  Tariegatus,  Turt. 
Not  uncommon  in  cellars. 

3.  Agreeiis,  Linn. — Shell :  Limacellus  obliquus,  Turt. 

4.  Carinatvs,  Leach. — Shell :  Limacellus  ungulatus,  Turt. 

5.  Sonerhii,  F6r. 

Gen.  3.  Testjicbllus,  Cuvier. 
1.  Haiiotoideus,  Drap. 

Tar.  T.  scutellum,  Sowerby. 
In  addition  to  the  localities  in  the  neighbourhood  of  London,  Dr 
Torton  informs  us  that  this  species  is  found  in  gardens  at  Ply- 
mouth and  Bideford.  There  is  good  reason,  therefore,  to  suppose  that 
it  is  a  natiTe  species.  The  case  is  different  with  T.  Maugii,  which 
belongs  to  a  warm  climate,  and  has  eTidently  been  introduced  along 
with  exotic  plants  into  the  nursery  where  it  is  now  found. 

Fam.  HELiGiDiB,  Jeff.  (Les  Escargots,  Cut.) 
Gen.  4.  Vitbina,  Drapamaud. 
1.  PeUucida,  Mull.  Flem. 
V.  Mulleri,  Jeff, 

Var  1.  V.  Draparnaldi,  Jeff. 
2.  V.  Diaphana,  Jeff. 
Mr  Jeffreys  haTing  kindly  &T0ured  me  with  specimens  of  his  V. 


106  On  Ihe  Land  and  Fresh  Waiter  MoUutca 

Draparnaldi,  I  liave  compared  them  carefully  with  specimens  of  He- 
licoHmax  Andebardi,  F6r.  collected  on  the  continent,  and  have  come 
to  the  conclusion  that  they  are  not  of  that  species.  I  am  afraid  that 
V.  Drapamaldi  can  only  be  classed  as  a  variety  of  V.  pellucida, 
(Helicolimax  peUucidus,  F^r.)  Mr  Jeffreys  now  considers  his  V. 
Diaphana  to  be  also  a  var.  of  the  same.  V.  Dillwynii  appears  to  be 
something  different,  but  being  founded  upon  a  single  dead  specimen^ 
it  is  to  be  hoped  that  Mr  Jeffreys  may  be  able  to  obtain  additional 
specimens,  and  in  a  living  state,  in  order  fully  to  establish  it. 

Gen.  5.  Succinea,  Drapamaud. 

1.  Amphibia,  Drap. 

2.  Gracilis,  Alder. 
S.  oblonga,  Turt. 

It  may  require  a  further  investigation  to  decide  whether  or  not 
this  be  really  distinct  from  the  foregoing.  I  have  found  them  plen* 
tifully  within  100  yards  of  each  other,  each  retaining  its  characte- 
ristic marks  in  the  colour  of  the  animal  and  shape  of  the  shell,  and 
unmixed  with  the  other  sort.  Some  foreign  species  of  this  difficult 
genus,  quite  as  nearly  allied  as  this  to  S.  Amphibia,  are  neverthe- 
less considered  to  be  distinct* 

3.  Oblonga,  Drap. 

Besides  the  locality  mentioned  by  Mr  Jeffreys,  who  was  the  first 
to  introduce  this  desirable  species  into  the  British  list,  it  has  been 
found  at  Bathgate  near  Glasgow.  Specimens  obtained  from  that 
place  were  sent  me'by  Mr  Kenyon  of  Preston  a  few  years  ago. 

Gen,  6.  Helix,  Linnaeus,  Lamarck. 

1.  Pomaiia,  Linn. 

2.  ArhuHorum,  Linn. 

3.  Aspersa,  Mull. 

4.  Nemoralis,  Linn. 

5.  Hortends,  hinn, 

var.  H.  hibrida.  Leach. 

6.  Limbata,  Drap. 

Found  in  the  neighbourhood  of  London  by  Mr  G«  B.  Sowerby, 
from  whom  I  have  specimens. 
7*  Carthunanay  Drap. 

H.  pallida,  Jeff. 
8.  Cartkusianella,  Drap. 

H.  rufilabris,  Jeff. 
The  var.  a  of  Mr  Jeffreys,  which  he  makes  synonymous  with  H. 
Olivieri,  F6r.,  M.  de  Ferussac  ccmsidered  to  be  erroneously  referred 
to  that  species.     Both  vary  very  much  in  size. 


i 

of  Great  Britain.  107 

9.  O&tw/ttto^  Mull. 

No  other  locality  appears  to  have  been  observed  for  this,  since  its 
discovery  in  Hampshire  by  Dr  Lindsay. 

10.  GlabtUa,  Drap. 

H.  rafe6oeDS>  Mont. 

11.  D€pilaia,F£. 

H.  drcinata,  F4r. 
This  spedea  is  not  uncommon  on  the  banks  of  the  sea  near  Up- 
per Clapton^  Middleseac,  where  I  observed  it  in  1633.  The  speci- 
mens there  collected  a^^ee  perfectly  with  those  of  Pfeiffer  in  F^rus- 
sac's  cabinet.  It  is  not  hispid  in  any  stage  of  growth^  but  in  other 
respects  is  scarcely  to  be  distinguished  from  the  following, 

12.  Concinna,  Jeff. 

This  may  be  a  variety  of  H.  hispida,  as  now  supposed  by  Mr  Jef- 
freys, but  is  stronger  and  with  the  hairs  more  deciduous  than  the 
usual  form  of  that  species.  It  is  very  generally  diffused,  common- 
ly taking  the  place  of  H.  glabella  in  situations  where  the  latter  is 
not  found. 

13.  Hiipida,  MuU. 

14.  Sericea,  MulL 

It  is  difficult  to  say  whether  or  not  this  is  the  H.  sericea  of  Mul- 
ler.  Having  introduced  it  as  such  on  the  faith  of  the  Baron  de 
F^russac,  I  leave  it  for  further  investigation. 

15.  Granulata,  Aid. 
H.  hispida,  Mont. 

It  is  needless  to  repeat  here  the  observations  given  on  this  and 
the  forgoing  species  in  another  place.  The  present  is  surely  dis- 
tinct. 

16.  Fusca,  Mont. 
17-  Excavaia,  Aid. 

18.  Lucida,  Drap. 

There  can  be  no  doubt  of  this  being  the  H.  nitida  of  MuUer,  but 
the  name  has  been  so  often  misapplied,  that  I  feel  great  reluctance 
to  use  it.  J^ucida,  though  not  altogether  free  from  the  same  fault, 
is  lees  liable  to  be  misunderstood. 

19.  Radiaiula,  Aid. 

var.  H.  vitrina,  F^.  Tab.  des  Moll. 

20.  Nitidula,  Drap. 

var.  H.  Helmii,  Gilbertson,  MS. 
Mr  Oilbertson  points  out  some  peculiarities  in  the  habits  of  the 
animal,  together  with  the  white  colour  of  the  shell,  as  a  reason  for 
considering  his  H.  Helmii  to  be  distinct  from  H.  nitidula.     Mr  6. 
would  do  well  to  publish  his  observations  upon  it. 


lOd  On  the  Land  and  Fresh  Water  MoUu$ea 

21.  AJUaria,  MiUer. 

var.  H.  glabra>  Studer  ? 
Mr  Gilbertson  finds  what  he  conBiden  to  be  a  variety  of  this 
species,  much  larger  than  the  usual  size.     This  variety  appears  to 
be  the  H.  glabra  of  Studer  (F^russac,  Tab.  des  Moll.  No.  215,) 
judging  from  specimens  in  M.  de  F6ru8sac's  cabinet. 

22.  CeUaiia,  MuU. 

Continental  specimens  of  this  shell  are  larger  and  rather  more 
open  in  the  umbilicus  than  British  ones,  which  induced  M.  de  F6- 
russac  to  think  that  they  might  be  distinct.  The  same  remark  is  ap- 
plicable to  H.  nitidula,  but  in  both  cases,  I  think,  amounting  to  no- 
thing more  than  a  variety.  H.  nitens,  F6r.  Tab.  des  Moll,  is  only 
the  English  variety  of  this  species  in  a  small  state.  H.  nitens  of 
Michaud,  if  we  may  judge  from  the  figures,  is  H.  nitidula,  Drap. 
I  suspect  his  H.  nitidula  is,  like  that  of  Pfeiffer,  the  var  ^.  of  Drap., 
and  H.  radiatula  of  this  catalogue. 

23.  Pura,  Aid. 

var.  H.  nitidosa,  F^r. 
Much  confusion  has  arisen  in  the  attempt  to  ascertain  the  H.  ni- 
tidosa of  F^russac,  Tab.  des  Moll,  of  which  neither  figure  nor  de- 
scription has  been  published.  This  arises  from  his  quoting  H.  niti- 
dula, var  a.  Drap.  as  a  synonym.  There  happens  to  be  no  var.  a ; 
but  the  var.  /3,  which,  from  his  reference  to  the  figures,  F^russac 
must  have  meant,  is  our  H.  radiatula.  His  specimens  are  undoubt- 
edly the  hom-ooloured  variety  of  our  H.  pura. 

24.  CrtfsialUna,  Mull. 

H.  hyalina?  F6r.  Tab.  des  Moll.  No.  224,  appears  to  be  m 
variety  of  this. 

25.  Fulva,  Drap. 

var.  H.  Mortoni,  Jeff. 
A  difference  of  opinion  exists  between  English  and  continental 
naturalists,  as  to  whether  this  species  is  the  H.  Trochulus  or  H. 
fulva  of  Muller.  This  it  is  impossible  now  to  decide.  It  is  certain, 
however,  that  the  species  now  under  consideration  is  the  H.  trochi- 
formis  of  Montagu,  and  H.  fulva  of  Draparnaud.  Ferussac  has  cal- 
led another  shell  H.  trochiformis,  and  as  Draparnaud's  name  is  more 
generally  adopted,  it  is  better  to  acquiesce  in  it.  H.  Mortoni,  Jeff, 
is,  I  think,  only  a  depressed  variety  of  this.  There  is  a  small  varie- 
ty, not  uncommon,  darker  coloured,  and  with  very  delicate  and  beau- 
tiful concentric  strie  on  the  base,  only  visible  with  a  high  magnifier, 
which  I  at  first  considered  distinct,  but  on  closer  examination,  slight 
traces  of  these  striiB  are  also  visible  on  full-grown  and  decided  sped- 
mens  of  H.  fulva.  I  have  therefore  not  ventured  to  separate  them. 


of  Great  Britain.  1 09 

90,  Scarburgensis,  Aid. 
H.  lamellata,  Jeff. 

The  name  of  Scarbnrgensis  was  given  to  this  elegant  little  species 
hj  its  disooverer,  Mr  Bean  of  Scarborough^  who  has  done  soQmuch 
for  this  department  of  zoology  that  I  feel  anxious  to  retain  it  in  com- 
pliment to  him.  It  is  to  be  regretted  that  Mr  Bean  had  not  at 
once  published  his  discoveries,  rather  than  have  left  them  for  others 
to  record.  Mr  Jeffreys's  name  is  in  other  respects  a  better  one, 
and  bad  so  far  the  priority  of  publication,  that  the  part  of  the  Lin- 
aaean  Transactions  which  contained  his  Synopsis  appeared 'while 
the  first  part  of  the  Newcastle  Natural  History  Society's  Transac- 
tions was  in  the  press.  It  may  be  objected  to  H.  lamellata  that  F6- 
rassac  has  a  H.  lameliosa,  to  which  it  approaches  rather  too  closely. 

27.  Aculeaia,  Mull. 

2a  Pulchella,  Mull. 

var.  H.  costata.  Mull. 

29.  Pygmcea,  Drap. 

Nothwithstanding  the  information  communicated  by  M.  D'Or- 
bigny  to  Mr  Jeflreys,  I  still  hold  the  opinion  that  this  is  the  true 
H.  pygmaea  of  Drapamaud.  Many  naturalists  have  erroneously 
oonsidered  it  to  be  the  young  of  H.  rupestris. 

30.  Rypeslris,  Drap. 

H.  umbillcata,  Mont. 

31.  Roiundata,  MulL 

32.  Striata,  Drap. 

H.  caperata,  Mont. 
I  have  not  seen  any  British  variety  of  this  shell  similar  to  H. 
candidula,  Studer. 

33.  Variabilis,  Drap. 

H.  virgata,  Mont. 
A  very  small  variety  of  this,  found  on  the  coast  of  North  Devon, 
is  probably  the  H.  maritima,  Drap. 

34.  Pisana,  Mull. 

H.  dngenda,  Mont. 

35.  Ericetorum,  Linn. 

Gen.  ?•  Cabocolla,  Lamarck. 
I.  Lapidda,  Linn.  Lam. 

Gen,  8.  Bulimus,  Bruguiere. 

1.  Acutusy  Mull.  Brug. 

2.  MontanusyDrA^. 

3.  06je«r«#,  Mull.  Drap. 


110  On  Ihe  Lafd  and  Fmh  Water  MoJbuca 

Bulimus  Clavulus^  Turt.  cannot  be  oonudered  a  native  species- 
It  appears^  however,  to  have  spread  beyond  the  limits  of  Mr  Miller's 
nursery  at  Bristol,  as  Mr  Williamson  of  the  Manchester  musenm, 
showed  me  specimens  obtained  from  a  garden  in  that  neighboorhood. 
B.  DecoUatos,  Drap.  is  similarly  sitoated,  and  has  even  less  daam 
to  be  considered  as  British.  Dr  Tnrton  introduces  B.  articulatos. 
Lam.,  and  B.  ventrioosus,  Drap.  into  his  Manual,  and  informs  us  that 
the^  were  sent  to  him  ''  from  the  plains  about  Penzance,  in  Corn- 
wall ;"  but  by  whom  found  or  transmitted  to  him  we  are  not  inform- 
ed. B.  articulatusi  Lam.  is«  according  to  M.  de  Ftoissac,  a  varie- 
ty of  B.  acutus ;  and  if  he  was  right,  which  there  is  no  reason  to 
doubt,  in  the  specimens  he  gave  me  under  that  name,  it  is  certainly 
an  inhabitant  of  this  country,  but  not  a  species.  Dr  Turton's  shell, 
however,  now  in  the  cabinet  of  William  Clark,  Esq.  of  Bath,  is  of 
another  and  very  distinct  species,  not  known,  I  believe,  to  inhabit 
Europe.  Some  more  satisfiEu^ry  information  must,  therefore,  be'ob- 
tained  before  admitting  this,  or  the  B.  ventricosus,  into  the  British 
list.  Bulimus  tuberculatus,  Turt.  appears  to  have  been  introduced 
by  some  mistake  of  Captain  Blomer,  who>  I  am  afiraid,  was  n«t  suffi- 
ciently careful  in  keeping  his  English  and  Foreign  specimens  sepa- 
rate from  each  other. 

Gen.  9.  Achatina,  Lamarck. 

1.  Adcula,  Mull,  Lam. 

2.  Lubrica,  MuU.  Mich. 

Most  modern  authors  (F^russac,  Michaud,  Mencke,  Jeffreys, 
and  Bouillet,)  agree  in  detaching  this  species  from  Bulimus.  Its 
close  affinity  to  Achatina  foliculus,  Lam.  points  out  its  place  in  this 
genus,  but  it  forms  a  link  between  the  two.  Perhaps  Mr  Jeffireys's 
genus  Cionella  ought  to  be  adopted  for  this  section  of  Achatina. 

A.  Octona  has  no  real  claim  to  be  considered  as  British. 

Gen,  10.  AzscA,  Leach. 
1.  GoodaUi,  F^r.  Aid. 

Gen.  11.  Cladsilia,  Drapamaud. 

1.  Bidens,  Mull.  Drap. 

Turbo  laminatus,  Mont. 
The  specific  name  of  Bidens  has  become  rather  ambiguous  on  ac- 
count of  having  been  applied  by  Linnaeus  and  MuUer,  to  two  dis- 
tinct species.    The  weight  of  authorities,  however,  is  so  much  in  fisi- 
vour  of  retaining  it  for  this  species,  that  I  hesitate  not  to  do  so. 

2.  Veniricosa,  Drap. 

T.  biplicatus,  Mont. 


of  GrecU  Britain.  Ill 

FiruBuc  origiiially  referred  T.  biplicatus^  Mont,  to  C.  Yentrioosa, 
Drap.,  bat  he  afterwards  adopted  the  opinion  that  thejr  were  distinct. 
The  British  shell  is  more  slender  and  spindle-shaped  than  the 
eoatinental  one,  but  the  difference  scarcely  amounts  to  any  thing 
more  than  a  variety. 

3.  JRolphU,  Leach. 

Distinct  firom  C  plicatula,  Drap.,  to  which  it  has  been  refer- 
red. 

4.  Dubia,  Drap. 

Foond  in  several  places  in  the  north  of  England. 

5.  Rugota,  Drap. 

var*  G.  parvula,  Turt. 

The  C.  parvula  of  Dr  Leach,  (specimens  in  the  British  Museum,) 
of  Mr  Jeffireys,  and  of  Dr  Turton,  all  belong,  I  think,  to  the  same 
variety  of  C.  rugosa,  and  not  to  G.  parvula  of  Studer. 

Turbo  labiatus,  Mont.  (Clausilia  solida,  Drap.)  has  long  stood  in 
oor  British  catalogues. .  It  is  stated  to  have  been  found  in  the  neigh- 
bourhood of  London  about  fifty  years  ago.  The  localities  named 
are  Hyde  Park  and  Battersea  Fields,  but  it  is  not  now  to  be  found 
in  either  of  those  places,  and  as  the  shells  of  this  genus  resemble 
each|other  very  doeely,  it  is  probable  that  there  may  be  some  mistake 
in  the  species  noticed.  G.  ventricosa  is  not  uncommon  at  the  roots  of 
willows  in  Battersea  Fields.  The  only  specimens  of  G.  solida,  Drap. 
now  in  collections  of  British  shells,  appear  to  have  come  from  the 
cabinet  of  Mr  Humphreys,  but  the  evidence  of  their  native  origin  is 
not  very  satisfactory.  G.  papiUaris,  Drap.  (C.  bidens,  Turt.)  has 
also  obtained  a  place  among  our  native  species.  On  this  subject  Mr 
Forbes  has  fnvoured  me  with  the  following  very  satisfuctory  informa- 
tion. He  says,  '*  I  have  lately  obtained  a  manuscript  copy  of  Las- 
key's  North  British  Testacea,  written  by  himself,  which  fully  ex- 
plains the  history  of  the  Brkish  Glausilia  papillaris.  He  states  that 
it  was  found  by  him  in  Granton  Park,  near  Edinburgh,  and  that  it 
was  imported  from  abroad  in  moss  round  the  roots  of  some  exotics.*' 

Turbo  (Glausilia)  Everetti,  Miller,  is  a  variety  of  G.  rugosa. 

Gen.  12.  Balea,  Gray. 
1.  FragUis,  Drap.  Gray. 

Gen.  13.  Popa,  Draparnaud. 

1.  UmbiUcaia,  Drap. 

2.  Marginata,  Drap. 

3.  AngUca,  F6r.,  Aid. 

4.  Secale,  Drap. 


112  On  the  Land  and  Fresh  Water  Mollwtca 

Gen.  14.  Vjbbtioo,  Mailer. 

1.  Edentula,  Drap.  Pf. 

V.  nitida,  Fer. 

2.  CyUndrka,  F6r. 

Papa  masooram^  Drap. 
Since  Mr  Jeffreys's  discovery  of  this  beaatifdl  litde  species  <» 
Durdham  Downs^  Mr  Forbes  has  met  with  it  near  Edinbargh,  and 
has  also  had  it  sent  him  from  the  west  of  Scotland. 

3.  Pygmaa,  Drap. 

4.  Alpestris,  (F6r.)  Aid. 

Found  at  Clitheroi  Lancashire,  by  Mr  Gilbertson ;  and  in  Nor- 
thumberland by  Mr  J.  Thompson. 

5.  Suhstriata,  Jeff. 

Pupa  sexdentata.  Aid.,  Tart. 

6.  PaluetrUt  Leach. 

Pupa  antivertigo,  Drap. 

7.  PusiUa,  MuUer. 

8.  Angustiar,  Jeff. 

The  difference  between  this  species  and  the  preceding  appears 
to  be  more  in  the  number  of  teeth  than  the  contonr  of  the  shell, 
and  if  the  former  is  permanent,  it  is  nndoubtedly  the  better  charao* 
ter  of  the  two. 

Fatn.  Cabtchiada,  Jeff. 
Gen.  15.  Cabtchium,  Mailer. 
1.  Minimum,  Mall. 

Gen.  l6.  Acme,  Hartmann. 
1.  Lineata,  Drap.,  Hart. 

Fam.  CrcLOBTOMiDjs.  (Cydostomacea,  Mencke.) 
Gen.  17.  Ctclostoma,  Lamarck. 
1.  Elegant,  Mull.,  Lam. 

C.  Productum,  Turt.  is  a  foreign  shell  picked  up  in  Ireland. 
C.  subcylindricum,  Flem.  is  a  marine  species  (Truncatella  Mon- 
tagui,  Lowe,  Zool.  Joum.)     C.  trnncatam,  Jeff.  I  take  to  be  the 
same  in  a  different  stage  of  growth. 

tt  Fluviatile. 

Fam.  LiMNEADA,  Jeff.  (Les  Limn^ens,  F^r.) 

Gen,  18.  Planorbis,  Muller. 

1.  Comeus,  Linn.,  Drap. 

2.  Marginatus,  Drap. 

var.  PI.  rhombsens,  Turt. 


of  Great  Britain.  115 

A  TBriety  of  this  shell,  found  near  Edinburgh^  is  entirely  without 
keel.     PI.  turgidus,  Jeff,  is  also  a  variety  of  this. 

3.  Carinaius,  Mull. 

4.  Disciformis,  Jeff. 

I  am  not  very  sure,  even  after  the  examination  of  Mr  Jeffreys's 
specimens,  that  I  perfectly  understand  the  distinction  between  this 
and  the  preceding  species.  The  degree  of  carination  is  so  very  va- 
riable in  different  individuals  of  the  same  species,  that  it  is  rather 
Aillacious  as  a  distinguishing  character.  Further  observations  on 
this  species  are  desirable. 

5«   Vortex,  Mull. 

6.  Sjnrorhu,  MulL 

7.  LastM,  Aid. 

Besides  the  localities  in  Northumberland  mentioned  in  the  New- 
castle Natural  History  Society's  Transactions,  this  species  has  been 
found  in  Ireland  by  W.  Thompson,  Esq.  of  Belfast,  and  there  are 
specimens  (unnamed,)  in  the  Museum  of  the  Jardin  des  Plantes  at 
Paris  from  Granville ;  so  that,  though  it  has  remained  so  long 
unnoticed,  its  range  is  considerable. 

8.  Deformis,  Lam. 

PI.  Spirorbis,  Drap. 

PL  Draparnaldi,  Shep.  Jeff. 

PI.  complanatus,  Turt. 
First  introduced  into  our  Fauna  by  the  Rev.  R«  Sheppard,  who 
found  it  in  Soffolk.  A  specimen  in  my  cabinet,  from  the  reject- 
ments  of  the  sea  near  London,  was  submitted  to  the  inspection  of 
Dr  Turton,  who  pronounced  it  to  be  of  this  species,  and  only  the 
third  he  had  seen,  the  two  others  being  in  his  own  cabinet.  These 
latter  I  do  not  recollect  to  have  seen  in  the  possession  of  Mr  Clark. 
Concerning  my  own  specimen,  there  is  considerable  doubt  whether 
it  be  in  fact  anything  more  than  a  variety  of  PL  albus.  It  is  a  dead 
and  unbleached  shell,  with  a  slight  marginal  keel,  but  exhibiting  faint 
traces  of  spiral  striae  under  a  magnifier.  Mr  Jeffreys  has  two  spe- 
cimens, also  dead  shells,  which  he  refers  to  this  species.  They  are 
from  the  rejectments  of  the  river  Taaf,  near  Cardiff.  PL  compla- 
natus of  Turton's  Manual  appears  to  be  this  species,  though  he 
makes  no  reference  either  to  Draparnaud  or  Lamarck.  It  is  rare  in 
the  collections  of  French  naturalists.  Pfeiffer  makes  PL  deformis. 
Lam.  a  variety  of  PL  albus ;  but  Ferussac  considered  it  distinct,  and 
called  it  PL  acronicus.  It  is  desirable  that  it  should  be  observed  in 
a  living  state. 

9.  Albus,  Mull. 

Var.  PL  glaber,  Jeff. 
An  examination  of  Mr  Jeffreys's  specimens  of  PL  glaber  confirms 


1 14  On  the  Land  and  FreA  Water  MoUtuca 

me  in  the  opinion  that  it  is  a  variety  of  this  species.  In  some  spe- 
cimens of  PL  albus,  the  spiral  striae  are  scarcely  discernible^  even 
in  a  living  state,  and  become  qnite  obliterated  in  dead  shells. 

10.  Coniortus,  Linn.  Mull. 

11.  Lineatus,  Walker,  Jeff. 

P.  clausulatus,  Fer. 

S^mentina  lineata,  Flem. 
The  tripartite  partitions  in  this  shell,  though  remarkable,  are 
scarcely  sufficient  to  raise  it  to  the  rank  of  a  genus.    The  animal  is 
exactly  that  of  a  Planorbis. 

12.  Nitidus,  MuU. 

PI.  complanatus,  Drap. 
As  the  PL  nitidus  of  Muller  evidently  includes  both  this  and  the 
last  species,  authors  differ  much  in  opinion  as  to  which  of  them 
should  bear  the  name.  To  avoid  the  confusion  that  has  hence  arisen, 
it  would  be  better  to  drop  it  entirely,  and  take  for  this  species  the 
name  of  lenticularis,  which  is  given  to  it  by  some  continental  an* 
thors,  and  is  very  characteristic. 

13.  Imbricatus,  Mull. 

Var.  PL  cristatus. 

Gen.  19.  Phyba,  Drapamand. 

1.  Foniinalis,  Linn.  Drap. 

2.  Htfpnontm,  Linn.  Drap. 

The  difference  between  the  animals  of  this  and  the  former  species 
perhaps  justifies  Dr  Fleming  in  establishing  the  genus  Apleza  for 
the  present.  A  better  knowledge  of  the  other  animals  of  this  genua 
would  enable  us  to  separate  them  with  more  oon6dence. 

Three  other  species  of  Physa  have  been  described  as  British. 
Two  of  these.  Bulla  (Physa)  rivalis,  Maton,  and  B.  fluviatilis,  Turt. 
Mr  Jeffreys  supposes,  with  some  probability,  to  be  varieties  of  P. 
fontinalis.  There  is  every  reason  to  believe  that  Physa  alba,  Turt. 
is  a  foreign  species. 

Gen.  20.  Limnkus,  Drapamaud. 

1.  Siagnalis,  Linn.  Drap. 

Var.  H.  fragilis,  Linn.  ?  Mont. 
Young,  L.  Scaturiginum,  Turt. 

2.  Paiustris,  Linn.  Drap. 

This  is  a  very  variable  ^>ecies,  and  has  been  divided  into  three 
or  four  by  continental  authors,  upon  the  propriety  of  which  division 
it  is  not  easy  to  decide.  There  is  a  reputed  variety  inhabiting  this 
country  (var.  0.  Jeff.)  which  seems  to  have  some  daim  to  the  rank 
of  a  qpecies.     It  is  found  on  the  nuurgins  of  rivers  in  different  parts 


of  Great  Britain.  115 

of  England^  frequently  within  tide^-way.  It  never  grows  to  half  the 
osaal  nse  of  the  spedea  fonnd  in  ponda^  and  is  intermediate  between 
that  and  the  following. 

S.  MiniUuSt  Drap. 

A  variety  of  this^  mnch  smaller  in  size^  is  also  found  on  the  mar- 
gins of  rivers.  It  is  the  var.  y.  of  Drapamaud,  oonoeming  which 
he  saysx  ''  J'ignore  si  ce  n'est  pas  une  espdce  distincte."  The  small 
variety  is  also  found  in  mountain  streams.  A  careful  examination 
of  thia  genus  may  enable  malaoologists  to  discover  more  definite  cha- 
racters to  distinguish  this  species  than  those  already  employed. 

4.  Elongatus,  Drap. 

5.  Pereger,  Drap. 

Var.  1.  L.  ovatus,  Drap. 
2.  L.  lineatus.  Bean, 
a  Helix  lutea,  Mont. 
4.  Gulnaria  lacustris.  Leach. 

6.  Acutusy  Jeff. 

This  species  is  intermediate  between  L.  pereger  and  L.  auricu- 
larins^  and^  if  not  distinct^  niay,  Mr  Jeffreys  observes,  lead  us  to 
unite  them  all  into  one.     It  comes  very  near  L.  lineatus.  Bean* 

7*  Juricularius,  Linn.,  Drap. 

8.  InvolulMSf  Thompson,  MS. 

Mr  Thompson  of  Belfast  announced  the  discovery  of  this  beauti- 
ful new  species  to  the  Linnnan  Society  in  1834,  and  we  shall  no 
doobt  be  gratified  with  a  description  of  it  in  his  promised  catalogue 
of  Irish  land  and  fresh  water  Molluscs.  It  would  be  interesting  to 
know  if  the  animal  corresponds  with  that  of  L.  glutinosus,  as  thia 
cifcomstance,  taken  in  conjunction  with  the  shape  of  the  shell,  would 
go  €»  to  establish  Nilsson's  genus  Amphipeplea. 

9.  GltUinoMut^  Mull.,  Drap. 

Amphipeplea  glutinosa.  Nils. 

Concerning  L.  detritus,  which  has  so  long  appeared  on^our  lists, 
I  can  add  nothing  to  what  has  already  been  said  by  Dr  Turton  and 
Mr  Jeffreys.  Since  the  former  gentleman  withdrew  his  statement 
of  having  found  this  species  in  Ireland,  Mr  Bryer  remains  our  only 
authority  for  considering  it  as  British ;  but  whatever  the  original 
sheU  found  by  Mr  Bryer  may  have  been,  the  specimens  now  in  Eng- 
lish cabinets  appear  all  to  belong  to  the  genus  Bulimus,  and  are 
most  likely  foreign.  Captain  Blomer  sent  me  a  foreign  Paludina 
for  this  shell  a  few  years  ago. 

The  genus  Auricula  has  not  been  included  in  this  catalogue, 
though  one  of  the  species,  A.  denticulata,  may  be  considered  to  be 
\  fluviatile  than  marine.     I  found  this  species  last  summer  on 


116  On  the  Land  and  Fre$k  WaUr  MoUtuca 

the  maddy  margin  of  the  river  Wje,  four  miles  from  its  jonetioB 
with  the  Severn,  generally  out  of  the  water,  but  within  tide-way. 
Its  habits  are  somewhat  similar  to  those  of  some  species  of  Limneus ; 
indeed,  a  little  further  up  the  same  river,  nearly  opposite  Tintem, 
its  place  is  taken  by  the  small  variety  of  L.  palustris  before-men- 
tioned as  common  in  such  situations. 

Fam.  Ancylida,  (Ancylea,  Mencke.) 

Gen.  21.  Anctlus,  Oeoffroy. 
L  FluviaiilU,  Mua. 
2.  Lacuetris,  Mull. 

Ord.  Pectinibranchia.  (Pectinibranches^  Cuv.) 

Fam.  TuRBiNiDJE.  (Les  Sabots,  Cuv.) 

Gen.  22.  Paludima,  Lamarck. 

1.  Fivipara,  Linn.,  Lam. 

2.  Achatina,  Drap.,  Lam. 

3.  ImpurOj  Drap.,  Lam. 

4.  Similis,  Drap. 

5.  Anatina,  Drap.  Mich. 

This  species  has  been  found  in  Greenwich  marshes  by  J.  E.  Gnj, 
Esq.  to  whom  I  am  indebted  for  specimens.  Though  living  so  far 
inland,  it  appears  to  belong  to  a  littoreal  genus,  rather  than  to  Pa- 
ludina,  from  which  it  differs  in  having  a  spirally  grooved  operculum. 

Cyclostoma  acutum,  Drap.  (Paludina  muriatica.  Lam.*)  is  now 
well  known  to  be  a  marine  species,  allied  to  Turbo  Ulvae  of  English 
writers,  and  abundant  on  many  of  our  sandy  coasts.  P.  Viridis  of 
Turton's  Manual  I  take  to  be  the  young  of  P.  similis,  judging  from 
specimens  in  Mr  Clark*s  cabinet.  His  P.  stagnorum  is  probably  a 
more  slender  variety  of  the  same  ;  but  in  the  absence  of  specimens 
it  is  impossible  to  decide.  Dr  Turton  does  not  give  any  localities 
for  either  of  these  species. 

Gen.  23.  Asbiminea,  Leach. 
1.  Gray  ana,  Leach. 

Allied  to  the  littoreal  tribes. 

Gen.  24.  Valyata,  Muller. 
1.  PiscinaUs,  Mull.,  Lam. 

Var.  V.  depressa,  Pfeiffer. 

•  Lamarck  refers  his  P.  muriadca  to  C.  anatinum,  Drap.,  but  I  follow  F6n»- 
aac  in  condderiiig  it  to  be  the  C.  acutum.  Michaud  places  these  two  in  a  se- 
parate division  of  the  genus,  which  he  calls  '<  Esp^ces  des  eauz  saumAtrca.** 


of  Great  Britain.  117 

Specsiinens  of  V.  depressa,  Pf.  were  sent  me  irom  Lancashire  some 
jears  ago  by  Mr  Kenyon.  They  are  exactly  similar  to  those  in 
F6mssac's  cabinet^  received  from  Pfeiffer  himself ;  bnt  it  can  scarce* 
ly  be  considered  more  than  a  variety  of  V.  piscinalis. 

2.  Cristaia,  Mull. 
V.  spirorbis^  Drap. 

Dr  Turton  has  introduced  two  other  species,  V.  planorbis.  Drap. 
and  V.  minuta,  Drap.  into  his  Manual,  but  no  specimens  of  them 
are  now  to  be  found  in  his  cabinet.  I  took  some  pains  to  investigate 
these  two  species  when  in  Paris.  On  examining  three  of  the  prin- 
cipal collections  there,  those  of  the  Jardin  des  Plantes,  the  Baron  de 
Ferusaac,  and  the  Prince  Rivoli,  in  the  latter  only  I  found  any- 
thing under  the  name  of  V.  planorbis.  The  specimens  were  V. 
cristata,  MuU.  M.  de  Ferussac  had  specimens  under  the  name  of 
V.  minuta  from  two  different  individuals.  Those  from  Pfeiffer  are, 
I  think,  the  young  of  V.  cristata ;  and  the  others  (I  forget  from 
whom,  but  with  the  name  of  Draparnaud,)  the  young  of  V.  piscina- 
lis. Mr  MiUer  introduced  V.  minuta  into  his  Catalc^e  of  the  Land 
and  Fresh  water  Shells  of  the  environs  of  Bristol,  but  no  specimen 
of  it  is  preserved  in  the  Bristol  Museum.  Dr  Turton  says  that  his 
V.  minuta  is  the  Helix  serpuloides  of  Montagu.  This  is  well  known 
to  be  a  marine  sheU,  referable  to  the  genus  Skenea  of  Fleming.  Mr 
Thompson  of  Belfsist  has,  however,  favoured  me  with  the  examina- 
tion of  a  shell,  which  may  possibly  turn  oat  to  be  the  V.  minuta, 
Drap.,  though  I  suspect  it  to  be  marine. 

Fam,  Neritida,  Turt.  (Les  Ncrites,  Cuv.) 
Gen,  25.  Neritina,  Lamarck. 
1.  FlMviatilis,  Lin.  Lam. 

2dSeciion.  MOLLUSCA.  ACEPH  ALA,  Fer.  (Le8Ac6phales,Cuv.) 

Cfow.— CONCHIFEJaA,  Lam.     (Ac^phales  testaces,  Cuv.) 

Or(L — Lamellibranchia.     (Lamellibranches,  Cuv.) 

Fatn. — Mytilid^.     (Les  Mytilaces,  F6r.) 

Gen.  26.  Daeissbna,  Vanbeneden* 

L  Polymorpha,  Pallas,  Vanb. 

This  species,  being  found  in  three  localities  in  England,  and  one 
in  Scotland,  seems  now  to  have  regularly  established  itself  in  our 
island. 

Fam,  Naiads.  (Les  Nayades,  Fer.) 
Gen,  27.  Anodon,  Oken.  (Anodonta,  Lam.) 
!•  Cygnoeus,  Lin.  Lam. 

VOL.  II.  NO.  8.  I 


118  On  the  Land  and  Fresh  Water  Mollusca  of  Great  Britain. 

2.  Cellensis,  Pf. 

3.  Intermedius,  Lam. 

4.  Anatinus,  Lam. 

5.  Ventricosus,  Pf. 

Gen.  28.  Unio,  Bruguiere. 
1.  Margaritiferus,  Lin.  Nib. 
9.  Tumidus,  Nils. 

Mysca  solida,  Turt. 
ovata,  Turt. 

3.  Pictorum,  Linn.  Lam. 

4.  Rosiratus,  Lam. 

5.  Batavus,  Lam. 

The  foregoing  is  given  as  the  nearest  approximation  to  a  correct 
list  of  the  British  species  of  Anodon  and  Unio  (according  to  the 
views  of  Pfeiffer)  which  the  present  state  of  our  knowledge  will 
allow ;  but  so  various  are  the  opinions  of  authors  on  these  iifficult 
genera,  and  so  little  have  the  British  species  been  investigated,  that 
we  are  much  in  need  of  further  information  on  the  subject. 

Fam.  Ctclad^,  Flem.  (Les  Cyclades,  F6r.} 
Gen,  29.  Cyclas,  Bruguiere. 

1.  Rivicola,  Leach. 

2.  Cornea,  Linn.,  Lam. 

3.  Calyculata,  Drap. 

Var.  C.  lacustris,  Turt.  Aid. 
The  Cyclas  lacustris  of  Drapamaud  is  certainly  unknown  to  Bri- 
tish naturalists ;  but  as  the  species  is  described  by  most  of  the  con* 
tinental  authors,  we  might  naturally  conclude  that  they  were  well 
acquainted  with  it.  The  contrary,  however,  appears  to  be  the  fact. 
M.  de  F^russac,  who,  from  his  extensive  correspondence,  might 
have  been  expected  to  possess  the  best  information  on  the  subject, 
gave  me  a  variety  of  C.  cornea  (frequently  found  in  this  country)  as 
the  supposed  C  lacustris,  Drap.  This,  though  slightly  rhomboidal 
in  outline,  does  not  agree  very  well  with  Draparnaud's  description, 
Mr  Clark  has  a  shell  obtained  in  Devonshire  which  comes  nearer  to 
it.  It  is  to  be  hoped  that  this  gentleman  will  shortly  lay  before 
the  public  the  store  of  very  valuable  information  on  British  MoU 
luscous  animals  of  which  he  \i  possessed. 

Gen,  30.  Pisidium,  Pfeiffer. 
1.  OhiusaU,VU  Jen. 


On  the  Botany  ofErris.  1 1 9 

2.  PiuiUum,  Turt.  ?  Jen. 

3.  Nitidum,  Jen. 

4.  Pulchellum,  Jen. 

5.  Henslomanum,  Shep.  Jen. 

6.  Cinereum,  Aid. 

7-  Amnicum,  Mull.^  Jen. 

The  excellent  monograph  of  the  Rev.  L.  Jenyns  has  been  impli- 
citly followed  in  this  family,  with  the  single  exception  of  the  intro- 
duction of  an  additional  species  of  Pisidium,  described  in  the  second 
Tolome  of  the  Newcastle  Natural  History  Society's  Transactions. 


II- — On  the  Boianif  of  Erris,  Couniy  Mayo,  and  a  notice  of  several 
addilums  to  the  Flora  Hibernica,  By  Charlks  C.  Babinoton, 
M.  A.,  P.  L,  S.,  &c. 

As  the  western  part  of  Ireland  is  not  well  known  to  English 
naturalists,  a  short  account  of  my  botanical  observations^  made  dur- 
ing a  tour  in  the  counties  of  Mayo  and  Galway^  but  more  particu- 
larly the  former^  may  perhaps  be  acceptable.  Had  this  district  been 
even  moderately  known,  I  should  not  have  presumed  to  introduce 
so  Ycrj  imperfect  a  sketch  of  its  native  flora,  but  when  I  find  that  it 
is  scarcely  noticed  in  Mr  Mackay's  Flora  Hibernica,  I  cannot  avoid 
thinking  that  even  these  cursory  observations  may  be  interesting  to 
British  botanists. 

It  was  about  the  middle  of  the  month  of  July  1836  when  I  arriv- 
ed at  Westport,  a  small  town  at  the  head  of  Clew  Bay,  county  of 
Mayo,  and  determined  upon  visiting  the  wild  district  of  Erris.  But, 
during  a  morning  walk,  previously  to  starting  for  that  country,  I 
noticed  the  following  plants,  most  of  them,  indeed,  very  common, 
yet  ccmsidered  worthy  of  notice,  as  showing  one  of  the  most  wester- 
ly points  of  their  range.  It  may  perhaps  be  as  well  to  add,  that 
this  is  the  nearest  land  to  America,  although  this  is  not  the  most 
westerly  part  of  Ireland. 

On  the  cultivated  land  the  foUowing  plants  occurred  :  Scrophu- 
laria  nodosa,  Sonchus  oleraceus,  S.  asper,  Circsa  lutetiana,  Veronica 
agrestis,  V.  polita. 

In  a  bog  upon  the  north  side  of  the  harbour,  and  which  is  pro- 
bably sometimes  overflowed  by  the  tide :  Plantago  maritima,  Tri- 
glochin  maritimum,  Linum  catharticum,  Glaux  maritima,  Spergula 
nodosa,  Samolus  valerandi,  Rumex  hydrolapathum,  Anagallis  te- 
nella,  Carduus  pratensis,  Ranunculus  hederaceus,  Hypericum  hu- 
mifusum,  Phalaris  arundinacea. 

I  also  noticed,  in  the  same  bog,  a  species  of  Rumex  difiering  very 


120  On  the  Botany  of  Erris. 

UMterially  from  R.  crispus,  and  which  I  referred,  upon  the  spot,  to 
R.  pratensis.  It  was  unfortunately  in  too  young  a  state  for  me  to 
obtain  any  ripe  fruit,  and  my  iriend,  Mr  Borrer,  was  therefore  un« 
able  to  determine  it  with  certainty  from  my  specimens.  It  is  much 
to  be  wished  that  some  botanist,  who  may  visit  that  county  in  the 
autumn,  would  pay  attention  to  it.  I  shall  point  out  several  other 
stations  for  it  before  concluding  this  paper. 

At  a  distance  of  forty-three  Irish  miles  from  Westport,  and  at 
the  upper  end  of  Black  Sod  Bay,  is  situated  the  little  town  of  Bell- 
mullet.  This  place  is  the  capital  and  only  town  in  the  barony  of 
Erris.  For  the  greater  part  of  that  distance,  the  road  to  Bellmullet 
passes  over  uncultivated  and  almost  uninhabited  bogs  and  mountains. 

At  Lough  Clunon,  a  few  miles  from  Westport,  I  gathered  Car* 
duus  pratensis,  which  is  common  throughout  the  counties  of  Mayo 
and  Galway,  and  also  the  following  plants :  Eriophorum  angustifo* 
lium.  Erica  tetralix,  E.  cinerea,  Potentilla  comarum,  Myrica  gale. 
Lobelia  dortmanna,  Habenaria  chlorantha,  Hieracium  paludosum, 
Hypericum  pulchrum,  Polypodium  vulgare,  Blechnum  boreale. 

A  few  miles  farther  on  by  the  side  of  Lough  Beltra,  a  beautiful 
lake  surrounded  by  mountains,  I  noticed  Polygonum  persicaria, 
Chrysanthemum  leucanthemum,  Raphanus  raphanistrum,  Pedicn- 
laris  palustris,  and  upon  the  ledges  of  some  fine  rocks  near  to  the 
police  station,  I  found  the  reflexed  form  of  Aspidium  dilatatum, 
which  is  mentioned  in  Sir  W.  Hooker's  Brit.  Flora,  p.  461,  (note ;) 
and  also  a  very  curious  variety  of  Asp.  filiz-foBmina,  having  its  pin* 
nules  very  broad  and  deeply  inciso-serrate,  the  teeth  sharp,  and 
sometimes  again  serrated.  A  very  few  specimens  occurred,  but  they 
were  full  of  fruit. 

We  stopped  for  the  night  at  a  farmer's  cabin,  close  to  the  foot  of 
the  lofty  mountain  called  Nephin,  and  having  a  few  hours  of  day* 
light  remaining,  I  ascended  to  nearly  its  highest  point.  It  consists 
of  a  lofty  ridge,  sloping  down  gradually  at  both  ends,  but  very  steep 
upon  its  sides.  The  summit  is  bare,  and  I  only  noticed  the  follow^ 
ing  plants  :  Solidago  virgaurea  /8.  cambrica,  Saxifraga  umbrosa, 
Vaccinium  vitis-id»a,  Empetrum  nigrum,  Melampyrum  sylvaticum. 

In  the  bogs  at  its  foot  were  the  following  :  Rhynchospora  alba. 
Drosera  anglica,  D.  rotundifolia,  Schoenus  nigricans,  Gnaphalium 
sylvaticum,  jS.  rectum,  Peplis  portula. 

A  small  quantity  of  natural  wood  occurs  upon  the  lower  slope  of 
the  mountain,  and  by  the  side  of  a  neighbouring  river.  It  consists 
of  Ilex  aquifolium,  Pyrus  aucuparia,  Quercus  robur,  Alnus  glutino- 
sa,  Betula  alba,  and  Corylus  avellana.     They  must  be  considered  as 


On  the  Botany  ofErris.  121 

little  more  tiian  boshes,  few  of  them  forming  trees.     In  this  wood 
I  noticed  Carex  extensa  and  Valeriana  officinalis. 

The  road  from  Nephin  towards  Ems  now  passes,  for  many  miles, 
OFer  an  extensive  bog,  bounded,  both  towards  the  north-east  and 
fionth-west,  by  lofty  mountains.  The  latter  range  is  of  extraordi- 
nary beauty ;  it  includes  the  lofty  and  rugged  summits  of  Nephin- 
fa^  and  Gnrshleve.  These  mountains  would,  no  doubt,  well  repay 
the  botanist,  but  they  are  nearly  inaccessible  from  the  total  want  of 
aooommodation,  even  of  the  poorest  kind,  within  many  miles  of  their 
base.  Their  unfrequented  recesses  are  still  inhabited  by  a  few  red- 
deer. 

A  la^e  portion  of  these  bogs  might  be  brought  into  cultivation 
at  a  comparatively  small  expence.  They  are  seldom  perfectly  flat, 
and  in  many  parts  their  slope  is  considerable.  The  subsoil  is  often 
of  a  sandy  nature,  being  apparently  formed  of  the  decomposed  mica 
alate  and  quartz  rock  from  the  neighbouring  mountains.  There  is 
frequently  good  natural  pasture  upon  the  banks  of  the  rivers.  This  is 
probably  occasioned  by  the  annual  supply  of  sand  brought  down  by 
the  winter  torrents. 

After  passing  this  dreary  country,  we  enter  Erris  by  crossing  the 
kige  river  Owenmore.  The  road  follows  its  course  for  some  miles, 
descending  a  fine  valley  denominated  Glan  Co.  This  valley  is  sel- 
dom more  than  a  mile  in  width,  usually  much  less,  and,  in  almost 
all  paTts>  might  easily  be  brought  into  cultivation.  It  is  bounded 
by  hills,  which  are  steep  but  of  moderate  elevation,  and,  but  for  its 
total  want  of  trees,  would  be  one  of  the  most  beautiful  spots  in  the 
kingdom.  I  here  noticed  Habenaria  chlorantha,  Potentilla  coma- 
nun,  M yoeotis  repens,  M.  csspitosa,  Caxex  ovalis,  Hypericum  quad- 
nmgalom. 

At  the  further  end  of  Glan  Co  is  the  small  village  of  Bangor. 
This  is  a  poor  place,  consisting  of  a  few  cabins,  and  two  or  three 
BM»derate  houses.  The  remaining  ten  miles  to  BellmuUet  is  per- 
haps the  most  interesting  part  of  the  whole  road  from  Westport,  be- 
ing much  varied  with  bog  and  mountain,  passing  near  the  large  sheet 
of  water.  Lough  Oarrowmore,  through  a  narrow  pass,  denominated 
Glan  Castle,  and  commanding  a  succession  of  grand  and  extensive 
views  of  the  Erris  mountains,  the  Isle  of  Achill  and  the  broad  ex- 
panse of  the  Atlantic.  The  entrance  to  Glan  Castle  is  so  narrow 
as  only  to  admit  the  road  which  is  cut  out  of  the  rock,  and  a  small 
river  to  pass  between  the  steep  declivities  by  which  it  is  bounded. 
Just  at  its  entrance  there  is  a  fine  basaltic  dike,  which  stands  out 
from  the  hill  side  like  a  stone- wall.  In  this  pass  I  noticed  Hype- 
ricum androeaemum,  Scirpus  Savii,  Aspidium  dilatatum,  and  its  con- 


122  On  the  Botany  ofErris. 

cave  variety  mentioned  before ;  also  Asp.  filix-foemina  with  fronds 
of  more  than  five  feet  in  length.  I  may  mention  that  I  captured 
here  a  single  specimen  of  Carabus  clathratus. 

The  valley  of  Glan  Castle  gradually  widens  into  an  open  undula- 
ting country,  which  extends  on  all  sides  as  far  as  the  ocean.  From 
the  top  of  a  slight  eminence^  a  most  extensive  view  is  obtained,  in- 
cluding Broad  Haven,  Black  Sod-Bay,  the  whole  extent  of  the  Mul- 
let, and  the  distant  summits  of  the  mountainous  island  of  Achill. 

Black  Sod  Bay  and  Broad  Haven  are  separated  by  a  very  narrow 
neck  of  land ;  in  one  place  it  is  not  more  than  100  yards  from  sea  to 
sea.  The  little  town  of  BellmuUet  is  built  upon  this  neck  of  land^ 
so  that  its  main  street  extends  to  the  high- water-mark  of  both  those 
deep  inlets.  It  has  not  been  many  years  in  existence,  and  is  now  in 
a  flourishing  state. 

The  northern  part  of  the  Mullet  is  an  extensive  boggy  moor,  on 
which  I  gathered  Drosera  rotuudifolia,  Schoenus  nigricans,  Helos- 
ciadium  nodiflorum,  Myosotis  repens,  (Enanthe  crocata,  Osmonda 
regalis. 

On  a  few  patches  of  cultivation  Garduus  pratensis  and  Senecio 
visoosus  abound,  and  in  flax-fields,  Camelina  sativa  is  frequent. 

On  the  western  shore  I  noticed  Scirpus  Savii,  Arenaria  peploides, 
Glaux  maritima,  Plantago  coronopus  in  a  very  diminutive  state, 
Spergula  nodosa,  Anthyllis  vulneraria.  Orchis  latifolia,  O.  macula- 
ta,  and  Papaver  dubium.  At  the  distance  of  about  a  mile  south  of 
Bin^hamstown,  in  a  lane  leading  from  Drumrhe  to  Crosslake,  I 
found  Callitriche  pedunculata  in  plenty,  and,  at  a  short  distance  to 
the  north  of  the  same  place,  Lathyrus  pratensis  and  Vicia  cracca  are 
common  in  the  pastures.  I  here  noticed  the  Rumex  mentioned  be- 
fore as  closely  resembling  R.  pratensis.  I  may  add  that  it  also  oc- 
curs upon  the  waste  ground  below  Sir  R.  O'Donnel's  house  at  New- 
port, county  Mayo. 

The  southern  part  of  the  Mullet  is  being  gradually  overwhelmed 
by  drifting  sand8>  and  the  extreme  point  consists  of  a  hill  of  granite. 
In  this  sandy  district  AchiUsea  millefolium  puts  on  a  peculiar  ap- 
pearance, becoming  quite  dwarfy,  and  extremely  woolly.  Prom  the 
top  of  the  granite  there  is  a  splendid  view  of  the  Isle  of  Achill,  the 
lofty  mountains  of  Erris,  and  the  Atlantic  ocean. 

After  returning  to  Westport,  I  again  visited  Cunnamara.  I  need 
say  little  of  that  interesting  district,  having  elsewhere  given  a  de- 
tailed account  of  it.  *  I  visited  several  parts  of  that  country  on  the 
present  occasion,  which  I  had  been  unable  to  inspect  during  my 

*  In  Vol.  ix.  page  119,  of  Loudon's  Mag.  of  Natural  History. 

3 


On  the  Botany  ofErris,  123 

prerious  tour^  and  was  still  more  impressed  with  the  peculiar  gran- 
deur of  its  mountain  scenery.  I  certainly  do  not  know  of  any  spot 
in  the  British  Islands  which  will  so  well  repay  a  visit. 

In  Cunnamara  I  made  numerous  inquiries  concerning  the  bog 
timber,  and  was  informed  that  two  very  distinct  kinds  of  deal  are 
found  in  great  plenty.  One  of  them  has  a  twisted  stem,  burns  with 
a  dear  flame  and  fine  scent ;  it  is  used  for  torches,  and  is  called 
Corchep  by  the  people.  The  other  is  not  twisted,  is  far  better 
for  the  ordinary  purposes  of  timber,  and  is  said  to  have  a  much 
larger  root  in  proportion  to  its  stem  than  the  Pinus  sylvestris.  I 
have  reason  to  think  that  the  tri^e  Scotch  fir  (P.  sylvestris)  has  not 
been  found  in  a  wild  state  in  Ireland,  nor  have  I  seen  any  proof  of 
its  occurring  in  the  bogs.  From  its  being  the  only  fir  known  to  be 
a  native  of  Great  Britain,  it  has  been  taken  for  granted  that  it  was 
also  the  only  one  in  Ireland.  I  am  sorry  to  see  that  my  friend  Mr 
Mackay  has  adopted  this  idea  in  his  valuable  Flora  Hibernica.  He 
says  that  the  roots  of  the  Scotch  fir,  obtained  from  the  bogs,  are 
used  as  torches.  This  is  worthy  of  experiment,  and  since  the  old 
roots  must  be  plentiful  in  the  Scotch  pine  forests  it  may  very  easily 
be  ascertained.*  I  need  hardly  add  that  several  different  layers  of 
bog  timber  are  found,  and  that  therefore  there  is  no  reason  to  doubt 
that  the  trees  grew  upon  the  bog  itself.  As  no  trees  are  now  grow- 
ing naturally  upon  the  b<^,  it  is  a  point  of  great  interest  to  ascer- 
tain what  species  are  best  suited  for  so  peculiar  a  situation.  I  had 
great  hopes  of  being  able  to  determine  at  least  one  of  these  species, 
by  obtaining  some  of  its  cones,  but  although  I  was  informed  by  se- 
veral intelligent  men  that  they  were  often  found,  and  that  they 
would  undertake  to  obtain  them  for  me,  I  have  recently  learned 
that  they  have  been  disappointed  in  their  researches. 

Eriophorum  polystachion  is  frequent  in  Cunnamara,  and  may  al- 
ways be  distinguished  from  E.  angustifolium,  by  its  broad,  flat,  and 
keeled  leaves.  At  Roundstone  I  gathered  Arabis  ciliata,  growing 
in  the  chinks  of  granite  rocks,  and  again  visited  the  stations  of  Eri- 

*  The  roots  of  pine  which  are  found  in  the  Scotch  bogs  are  dug  up,  split,  and 
used  for  torches  instead  of  candles,  and  appear  to  possess  all  the  quiUities  of 
readj  and  bright  combustion  ascribed  to  the  Irish  hog  timber  by  Mr  Mackay. 
(See  Lightfoot,  Hooker,  &c,,  and  the  writings  of  other  botanists  of  Scotland.) 
The  roots  of  the  Scotch  fir  (Pinus  sylvestris,)  which  form  our  modem  planta- 
tions, are  in  many  parts  dug  out,  split,  and  dried,  and  are  used  as  lights  for  spear- 
ing salmon.  The  splinters  are  placed  in  a  narrow  grating  fixed  in  the  boat,  give 
a  clear  and  brilliant  flame,  which  by  keeping  the  fire  supplied  may  be  kept  up 
for  hours.  Trees  that  have  been  blown  down  are  generally  preferred  for  this 
piupose — Eds. 


124  On  Svbaquatic  Insects, 

ca  Mediterranea  aad  Mackaiana.  The  former  has  now  been  ga- 
thered jn  several  other  parts  of  Mayo  and  Galway,  and,  although 
the  latter  is  still  only  known  to  occur  in  one  spot,  yet  I  am  more 
and  more  confirmed  in  the  opinion  that  it  is  a  truly  distinct  species. 

Upon  a  wooded  hill  that  projects  into  Lough  Corrib^  called  Drum- 
sna,  I  noticed  Hymenophyllum  Tunbridgense  and  H.  Wilsonj,  Rn- 
bus  idsus^  Hieracium  umbellatum,  Scolopendrium  vulgare^  and  the 
concave  variety  of  Aspidium  dilatatum.  Near  to  Flinn's  house 
there  is  a  great  quantity  of  Osmunda  regalis. 

In  conclusion,  I  would  point  out  the  two  following  plants  as  new 
to  the  Irish  flora,  t.  e.  Callitriche  peduncu lata,  found  in  the  Mullet^ 
and  Myosotis  repens,  which  is  common  in  Cunnamara,  at  Westport^ 
and  in  Erris.  I  carefully  examined  Cushtrower  Bay>  but  was  un- 
able to  find  Atriplex  pedunculata. 

lily  friend,  £.  Hill  Esq.  of  Oxford,  informs  me  that  he  gathered 
Eriophorum  pubescens  at  Woodlawn,  near  Killconnel,  county  Galway. 
This  is  its  second  Irish  station.  He  also  mentions  that  Miss  Trench 
has  discovered  Euphorbia  peplis  at  Garreries  Cove,  near  Tramore, 
county  Waterford.  This  is  not  contained  in  my  friend  Mackay's  Flora 
Hibernica.  Mr  Hill  was  so  good  as  to  show  me  specimens  of  both 
these  plants.  From  the  accidental  loss  of  a  specimen,  Fedia  auri- 
cula was  omitted  by  Mr  Mackay.  I  gathered  it,  as  mentioned  in 
Loudon's  Magazine,  at  Oughterard,  county  Ghdway,  in  the  month  of 
August  1835. 

St  John's  College,  Cambridge, 
March  20,  1837* 


III — Notes  upon  Suhaquatic  Insects,  with  the  description  <^  a 
New  Genus  of  British  Staphylinidas.  By  J.  O.  Westwood, 
F.L,S.  &c.     Plate  IV. 

The  economy  and  physiological  peculiarities  of  those  species  of 
insects  and  other  annulose  animals,  which,  although  organised  for 
aerial  respiration,  are  enabled  to  abide  in  situations,  which  are  in- 
deed their  natural  habitats,  where  they  are  for  a  very  considerable 
period  of  time  entirely  submerged  beneath  the  surface  of  waters,  are 
extremely  interesting,  and  well  worthy  of  a  more  scientific  investi- 
gation than  has  hitherto  been  given  to  them.  The  habits  of  the 
diving  water  spider  ( Argyroneta  aquatica,  Latr.)  have  been  long  ago 
observed  by  De  Geer  and  others,  but  up  to  the  present  time,  as  we 
learn  from  Mr  Kirby's  Bridgewater  Treatise,  the  precise  manner  by 
which  this  spider  is  enabled  to  envelope  itself  in  a  dome  of  air,  and 


On  Subaquatic  Insects.  125 

to  descend  with  its  miniature  diving-bell  to  the  bottom  of  the  water 
in  which  it  resides,  has  not  yet  been  discovered.  The  observation  of 
spiraculated  aquatic  imagines  will  not  very  greatly  assist  us  in  this 
inquiry,  because  we  find  no  uniformity  existing  in  their  mode  of  in- 
spiration ;  thus,  when  the  perfect  Dyticideous  beetles  ascend  to  the 
snrfeMK  of  the  water,  they  expose  the  extremity  of  the  body,  and  thus 
admit  air  into  the  space  which  exists  between  the  upper  surface  of 
the  abdomen  and  the  closed  elytra  ;  whereas  in  the  Hydrophilide 
the  head  is  brought  to  the  surface  of  the  water,  and  then  one  of  the 
davate  antennae  is  projected,  the  club  of  these  organs  being  cover- 
ed with  fine  hair.  This  club  is,  however,  so  twisted  that  whilst  the 
base  is  exposed  to  the  air  the  extremity  is  brought  in  contact  with 
the  breast,  which,  as  well  as  the  whole  under  side  of  the  insect,  is 
covered  with  short  silky  pubescence.  '^  By  this  means,"  observes 
Burmeister,  *'  a  communication  is  made  with  the  external  air  and 
that  beneath  the  water  covering  both  the  dava  of  the  antennae  and 
the  whole  under  surface  of  the  insect,  to  which  it  adheres  by  means 
of  the  coating  of  down ;  and  by  this  communication  fresh  air  is  trans- 
mitted to  the  venter  of  the  insect,  and  by  the  same  means  the  ex- 
pired air  is  also  removed,  and  the  air  is  likewise  transmitted  from 
the  ventral  surface  beneath  the  elytra,  where  it  is  in,  and  expired 
by  the  spiracles  there  situated."  * 

This  distinction  appears  to  me  to  result  entirely  from  the  pre- 
sence or  absence  of  the  coating  of  plush  or  fine  down,  with  which  the 
bodies  of  some  of  these  insects  are  provided,  because  in  the  Djrti- 
ddfle,  which  do  not  respire  by  means  of  a  supply  of  air  coating  the 
underside  of  the  body,  we  find  the  body  not  externally  covered  with 
this  coating  of  plush. 

The  genus  Nepa  offers  a  still  more  remarkable  modification  in 
the  structure  of  its  respiratory  organs  and  mode  of  respiration.  On 
examining  an  insect  of  this  genus,  the  spiracles  appear  at  first  sight 
to  be  in  the  ordinary  position  and  of  the  ordinary  form ;  but  we 
learn  ^m  M.  Dufour's  admirable  Recherches  Anatomiques  sur  les 
Hemipteres,  that  these  spiracles  have  no  orifice  and  are  quite  use- 
less, the  only  spiracles  being  two,  which  are  placed  at  the  base  of  the 
anal  setae.  Thus  it  is  only  by  thrusting  these  setae  out  of  the  water 
that  the  insect  can  obtain  a  supply  of  air.t 

The  insects  to  which  we  have  directed  our  attention  are  en- 
abled to  swim  with  greater  or  less  facility,  and  hence  it  is  that  they 
can  obtain  fresh  supplies  of  external  air  at  pleasure ;  moreover,  for 

*  Manual  of  Entomol.  p.  992,  Shuckard's  translation, 
t  See  Brit  Cyclop.  Nat.  Hist.  Vol.  ii.  p.  870.  fig.  150. 


126  On  Subaquatic  Insects. 

the  most  part,  they  frequent  still  waters,  and  their  movements  ve 
not  influenced  by  the  agitated  state  of  the  fluid  in  which  they  reside. 

But  there  are  other  insects  which  pass  a  great  portion  of  their 
lives  under  water  without  possessing  the  power  of  swimming  about, 
and  thus  obtaining  at  will  due  supplies  of  air  ;  and  there  are  others 
which,  in  addition  to  this  deficiency,  are  inhabitants  of  situations 
which  for  hours,  days,  and  even  weeks  are  entirely  covered  by  the 
rolling  tide  of  the  sea,  it  being  only  at  the  period  of  neap-tides  that 
the  spots  where  they  are  found  are  left  uncovered  by  water. 

M.  Dutrochet  has  endeavoured  to  explain  the  manner  in  which  res- 
piration is  effected  in  the  first  of  these  cases,  in  a  memoir  upon  the 
larva  of  a  moth,  Hydrocampa  potamogeta,  read  before  the  Acade- 
mie  des  Sciences,  which,  as  well  as  the  pupa,  resides  constantly, 
although  provided  with  spiracles  and  not  with  branchiae,  beneath  the 
surface  of  stagnant  water.  "  11  arrive  pour  cette  chenille," 
according  to  this  author,  **  qu'  ^puissant  par  Tact  de  la  respiration 
I'oxygene  de  Tair  atmospherique  qui  Tenvironne  I'azote  restant  ae 
dissout  dans  Teau  et  en  extrait  du  gaz  oxygene.  Mais  en  mime 
temps  le  gaz  acide  produit  par  la  respiration  se  dissout  aussi  dans 
I'eau  et  en  extrait  Tair  atmospherique,  dont  Toxygene  sert  naturel- 
lament  k  la  respiration  et  dont  Tazote  repare  la  perte  du  gaz  azote 
dissous."  This  may  indeed  perhaps  be  considered  as  the  real  solu- 
tion of  the  chief  inquiry,  but  there  are  so  many  difiPerences  both  of 
economy  and  structure  in  the  subaquatic  insects,  that  it  must  be 
evident,  that  by  minutely  investigating  each,  we  may  arrive  with 
greater  certainty  at  the  general  truth.  Moreover,  as  in  the  case  of 
those  natatorial  species  which  from  time  to  time  come  to  the  sur- 
face of  the  water  for  fresh  supplies  of  air,  the  respiratory  process  is 
probably  dififerent  from  those  which  are  constantly  beneath  its  sur- 
face, as  in  the  larva  of  the  water  moth  above-mentioned.  We  may 
consider  those  species  which,  at  certain  periods,  do  obtain  supplies  of 
fresh  air,  but  in  such  small  quantities  as  not  to  last  for  their  con- 
sumption for  the  long  space  of  time  they  may  be  submerged,  as  oc- 
cupying an  intermediate  station  between  these  two  groups  breathing 
fresh  air  at  one  period,  and  oxygen  disengaged  from  water  at  another. 

Of  this  latter  class  one  of  the  most  interesting  species  is  the 
Aepusfulvescerts,  a  minute  carabideous  insect  found  upon  the  shores 
of  France  and  England,  and  whose  economy  has  been  traced  by  M. 
Victor  Audouin  in  his  '^  Observations  sur  un  insecte  qui  passe  une 
grande  partie  de  sa  vie  sous  la  mer,"  published  in  the  Nouvelles 
Annalesdu  Museum  d'Histoire  Naturelle,"  Vol.  iii.  p.  117-  This 
insect  is  not  clothed  with  a  coat  of  plush  on  its  underside  ;  but  when 
examined  with  a  lens  its  head,  thorax,  legs,  antenns,  and  abdomen 


On  Svbaquatic  Insects.  127 

are  found  to  be  famished  with  long^hairs ;  and  M.  Audouin  observes 
that  when  the  insect  is  plunged  into  water  each  of  these  hairs  ''  re* 
tient  une  petite  oouche  du  fluide  ^lastique  qui,  r^uni  d'abord  en 
petits  sph^roides^  forme  bientot  un  globule  lequel  entoure  son  corps 
de  toutes  parts  et  qui  malgre  Tagitation  qu'il  se  donne  en  courant 
dans  I'eaUy  au  fond  ou  centre  les  parois  du  vase  oii  on  la  plac6  ne 
s'echappe  jamais."  But  this  bubble  of  air  is  so  small  that,  from 
the  length  of  time  that  the  insect  remains  submerged,  it  must  soon 
become  unfitted  for  respiration.  And  it  is  only  by  adopting  the  views 
of  31.  Dutrochet  that  we  can  explain  the  manner  in  which  the  Aepus 
is  enabled  to  remain  beneath  the  surface  of  the  water.  M.  Audouin 
has  noticed  the  large  ungues  with  which  this  insect  is  provided,  en- 
abling it  to  cling  firmly  to  the  stones,  &c.  amongst  which  it  is  found ; 
but  in  addition  to  these,  the  penultimate  joint  of  the  anterior  tarsi 
is  furnished  with  a  long  and  curved  bristle,  meeting  the  ungues, 
which,  together  with  the  strongly  developed  jaws  and  under  jaws, 
indicates  very  rapacious  habits,  the  former  being  evidently  service- 
able in  securing  its  prey.  We  can  indeed  easily  perceive  the  ne- 
cessity for  activity  in  an  insect  situated,  as  the  Aepus  must  be,  be- 
neath the  rolling  tide,  both  in  its  ordinary  motions,  and  in  obtain- 
ing its  supply  of  food. 

In  a  subsequent  note,  published  in  the  Annales  des  Sciences  Na- 
turelles,  M.  Audouin  has  pointed  out  the  identity  between  this  in- 
sect and  the  Cicindela  marina  of  Strom,  published  in  the  Nouv.  Me- 
moires  de  la  Soci6te  Royale  de  Danemark,  for  1783. 

Mr  Spence,  in  a  short  memoir  published  in  the  third  part  of  the 
Transactions  of  the  Entomological  Society  of  London,  has  collected 
notices  from  the  Transactions  of  the  Old  Entomological  Society  and 
the  British  Entomology  of  Mr  Curtis,  of  two  other  Coleopterous  in- 
sects having  similar  habits,  namely,  Pogonus  Burrellii,  Haw.  the  ha- 
bitation of  which  is  entirely  covered  with  water  during  the  winter, 
and  part  of  the  summer  months,  and  Bledius  tricornis,  which  inha- 
bits the  sand  hills  near  the  sea  at  Cley  in  Norfolk. 

In  the  Entomological  Magazine,  Number  *J,  April  1834,  is  con- 
tained an  interesting  memoir  by  the  Rev.  6.  T.  Rudd  upon  the  habits 
of  Hesperophilus  arenarius  and  Dyschirius  — ?  the  former  of  which 
was  observed  by  him  in  great  flights  settling  on  the  sand  below 
high-water  mark.  Mr  Rudd  inquires  "  what  would  become  of  the 
multitudes  that  dropped  many  yards  below  high -water  mark,  and 
burrowed  in  the  sand  ?  Would  they  again  take  wing  ?  or  would 
they  perish  as  the  flood  covered  their  hiding  place  ?  I  waited 
to  see  the  event.  The  tide  rolled  on — covered  the  sands — withlall 
their  inhabitants — ^and  again  receded.     I  disturbed  ray  friends  from 


128  On  Sybaquaiic  Luects. 

their  retreat-^they  were  as  lively  as  if  they  had  been  sperting  in 
the  sunshiDe^  instead  of  having  been  under  water  for  more  than  half 
an  hour  !  One  point  was  clear,  (confirmed  by  repeated  observations 
subsequently,)  that  these  Brachelytrous  insects  have  the  power  of 
enduring  submersion  and  under  salt  water  for  at  least  half  an  hour. 
But  why  did  they  leave  their  burrows  at  a  lower  part  of  the  sand  ? 
I  had  previously  often  collected  on  this  spot,  at  different  periods  of 
the  year,  during  the  neap-tides,  and  on  the  most  brilliant  days,  with- 
out having  seen  a  single  Hesperophilus  on  the  wing.  It  is  fair,  there- 
fore, to  suppose  either  that  the  extraordinary  flight  I  witnessed  was 
a  mere  casual  occurrence,  or  that,  in  some  way  or  other,  it  is  to  be 
accounted  ibr  by  the  state  of  the  tide.  (It  was  the  first  of  the 
spring  tides.)  On  this  latter  supposition  these  insects  must  have 
been  warned  by  some  peculiar  instinct  to  move  higher  up  the  sands, 
and  thereby  to  avoid  submersion  for  a  period  that  probably  would 
have  exceeded  their  power  of  endurance." 

Now  the  observations  of  MM.  Dutrochet  and  Audouin,  and  the 
perfect  analogy  between  the  habits  of  the  Hesperophili,  Bledii,  and 
Aepus  fulvescens,  prove  that  the  immersion  of  these  insects  ^vas  not 
a  circumstance  to  which  they  were  unused.  And  hence,  I  think, 
we  must  look  for  some  other  solution  to  the  inquiry  why  these  in- 
sects were  on  the  wing  in  such  swarms,  than  that  suggested  by  Mr 
Rudd. 

In  a  later  number  of  the  same  work,  (No.  18,  January  1837>) 
Mr  Haliday  states  that  he  found  Cillenum  laterale  under  stones  near 
2oiv-water  mark.  "  They  prey  upon  sandhoppers,  (Talitrus  Locus- 
ta.  Leach.)  The  tide  retiring  has  scarcely  uncovered  the  sand 
when  these  little  depredators  are  abroad  from  their  hiding-places, 
and  alert  in  the  chase.  A  great  part  of  their  existence  is  passed 
under  the  sea,  and  the  mode  in  which  they  obtain  the  necessary 
supply  of  oxygen  during  their  prolonged  submersion,  when  the 
small  quantity  in  tlie  air  bubble  which  they  convey  with  them  is 
exhausted,  seems  to  deserve  a  more  particular  investigation."  As  in 
Aepus  we  find  the  mouth  of  this  insect  strongly  developed,  and  the 
fore-legs  are  constructed  in  a  peculiar  manner,  (somewhat  analogous 
to  those  of  Aepus  noticed  above,)  the  upper  edge  of  the  tibial  notch 
being  furnished  with  two  deflexed  spines,  between  which  the  end 
of  the  moveable  spine  arising  from  the  opposite  angle  is  received. 
The  spines  attached  to  the  basal  joints  of  the  anterior  tarsi  are  also 
very  strong.  Thus  the  structure  of  this  insect  is  equally  adapt- 
ed for  its  depredatory  habits,  whilst  the  strong  bristles  with  which 
the  limbs  and  body  are  furnished  are  similar  to  those  of  Aepus. 
In  company  with  the  Cillenum^  Mr  Haliday  discovered  a  new  and 


On  Subaquatic  Insects.  129 

angular  minate  bradielytrous  insect^  which  he  has  described  under 
the  name  of  Digloesa  mersa^  and  in  which  the  powerfal  structure  of 
the  tarsi^  tarsal  daws^  and  mandibles,  as  well  as  the  ciliation  of  the 
l^s,  indicate  a  mode  of  life  similar  to  that  of  Aepus. 

My  friend,  Dr  Johnston  of  Berwick,  whose  investigations  upon 
the  submarine  invertebrated  animals  have  led  him  to  explore  the  sea 
coast  in  his  neighbourhood  with  so  much  success,  has  also  met  with 
the  Aepus  near  that  town.  And  in  the  same  situation  he  discorered 
several  specimens  of  another  brachelytrous  insect,  together  with  seve- 
ral small  coleopterous  larvsb  and  pupae,  which  he  has  been  so  good  as 
to  place  in  my  hands.  These  were  all  taken  from  under  rocks  with* 
IB  tide  mark,  fully  200  feet  below  high-water  mark,  and  within  50 
feet  of  low- water  mark,  and  where  at  each  tide  the  rocks  are  co« 
▼ered  for  four  hours  or  thereabouts. 

The  perfect  insects  in  question  prove  to  be  undescribed,  belong- 
ing to  none  of  the  genera  hitherto  established  in  the  Bub-£Bua[iily 
Omalides,  to  which  they  are  referable.  The  very  minute  size  of  the 
elytra  are  quite  characteristic  of  the  insect,  distinguishing  it  from 
all  the  other  Omalides,  in  some  of  which  the  eljrtra  nearly  cover  the 
abdomen,  being  of  a  larger  size  than  usual  in  this  group. 

Genus,  MiCBALsruMA,*  Westw,  (Plate  IV.) 
-Carpus  oblongum,  depressum,  lateribus  abdominis  marginatis.  An- 
temncB  mediocres,  extrorsum  crassiores.  (Fig.  1  e.)  Palpi  maxilla- 
res  articulo  ultimo  prsecedenti  longim-i,  elongato-conico.  Thorax 
poetic^  angustior,  capite  pauUo  latior,  lateribus  rotundatis.  Elytra 
minuta,  segmentum  primum  abdominis  vix  t^entia.  Ptdts  grad- 
lea.  T'^vz  extrorsum  inermlss.  Tarhi  simplices,  longe  ciliati,  ar- 
ticulis  ultimis  elongatis,  reliquissimulsumptis  aequalibus.  (Fig.  1,^*.) 
Ungues  simplices,  hand  basi  recurvati. 

Structura  oris. — Lahrum  transversum,  margine  antico  ciliato  et 
trilobate  lobis  fere  sequalibus  et  rotundatis.  (Fig.  1,  a.)  Mandibular 
elongato-trigonae,  acutse,  marginibus  extemis  nonnihil  arcuatis,  se- 
tigeris,  interne  feie  recto  impressione  sub  apicem.  (Fig.  1,  6.)  Max- 
iUm  (Fig.  1,  c.)  elongats,  curvatie,  bilobatn,  lobo  interne  gradli 
apice  acuto  intus  setoso,  extemo  majori  sub  apicem  articulate.  Palpi 
mojtillares  maxillis  fere  duplo  longiores,  4-articula)tie,  articulo  Imo 
farevissimo,  2do  triple  longiori  ad  apicem  craasiori,  3tio  praecedenti 
duplo  breviori,  oboonico ;  ultimo  longitudine  secundi  elongato-co- 
nice.  (Fig.  1.  g.)  Menium  transversum,  antice  paulo  angustiu8> 
lateribus  subrotundatis,  angulis  set^  long&  instructis.      Labium 

*  M/xgog,  parvus,  et  KaXvfifia,  tegmeii. 


ISO  On  Svbaquatic  Insects. 

mento  vix  angustius,  apice  profunde  emarginato  et  ciliato.  Palpi 
labiates  labio  vix  longiores  3-articulati,  articolis  magnitudine  sensim 
decrescentibus.     (Fig.  1,  d,) 

Species  unica. 

Micralymma  Johnstofiis,  Westw.  (Plate  IV.  Fig.  1.) 

Tota  nigra,  subpubescens,  baud  nitida,  sublaevis. 

Long.  coq).  1^  lin. 

Habitat  in  arenosis  ad  littora  prope  villam  "  Berwick-upon- 
Tweed"  dictam. 

In  honorem  Dominee  Johnstonis,  remm  naturalium  pictoris  ele- 
gantissimae  uxoris  Domini  G.  Jobnstonis,  et  reram  maritimarum  ob- 
scurarum  nature  scrutatoris  eximii,  indefessique. 

This  insect  is  most  nearly  allied  to  the  genera  Anthobium,  Oma- 
lium  and  Coryphium.  From  all  these,  however,  it  is  at  once  distin- 
guished by  the  minute  size  of  the  elytra.  In  Anthobium,  moreover, 
the  body  is  broad  and  ovate ;  inOmalium  the  body  is  also  much  shorter 
and  broader  than  in  this  insect ;  whilst  in  Coryphium  the  head  is 
much  broader  than  the  thorax,  and  the  palpi  clavate.  The  trophi 
are  not  very  different  from  those  of  Coprophilus  (Elonium,  Leach.) 

In  company  with  these  insects  were  found  specimens  oi  the  co- 
leopterous larvae  and  pupae  from  which  the  accompanying  sketches 
(Fig.  2  and  3)  have  been  taken.  The  former  (Fig.  2)  is  very  long 
and  narrrow,  with  an  oblong  flat  head,  armed  with  acute  sickle- 
shaped  jaws  (Fig.  2,  m,)  having  a  single  very  strong  external  tooth  ^ 
about  the  middle  of  the  interior  margin.  The  maxillae  are  repre- 
sented by  an  elongated  stem  supporting  two  articulated  lobes,  the 
exterior  four-articulated,  the  two  basal  joints  very  thick,  and  the 
two  terminal  joints  slender,  and  the  interior  two-jointed,  the  joints 
of  nearly  equal  length  (Fig.  2,  mx)  :  the  lower  lip  and  its  appen- 
dages (instrumenta  labialia)  are  represented  by  a  square  basal  joint 
supporting  two  thick  detached  cylindrical  scapes,  each  terminated 
by  a  slender  two-jointed  palpus  (Fig.  2,  L)  The  antennae  (Fig.  2, 
A)  are  four-jointed,  the  first,  second,  and  fourth  joints  of  nearly 
equal  length,  the  third  twice  as  long,  and  irregularly  shaped,  hav- 
ing a  lateral  appendage.  These  organs,  as  well  as  the  different  parts 
of  the  mouth,  are  furnished  with  long  curved  hairs.  £yes  —  ?  Protho- 
rax  larger  than  the  following  joints,  which  are  nearly  equal  in  sixe, 
except  the  terminal  one,  which  is  smaller,  and  terminated  by  a  cy- 
lindrical prolog,  having  on  each  side  a  slender  two-articulated 
and  setose  filament.  The  legs  (Fig.  2,  b)  consist  of  three  pairs,  at- 
tached in  pairs  to  the  three  anterior  segments  of  the  body.  Length 
of  the  larva  a  line  and  three-quarters. 


On  Subaquatic  Insects,  131 

The  pupae  (Fig.  3  and  3  a)  are  small,  broadly  ovate^  flattened, 
with  the  head  concealed  beneath  the  shield-like  prothorax ;  the  an> 
tennae  cases  short ;  the  legs  arranged  on  the  breast^  not  extending 
beyond  the  centre  of  the  under  side  of  the  abdomen.  The  wing- 
cases  are  very  short,  not  extending  beyond  the  sides  of  the  body ; 
the  front  margin  of  the  prothorax  is  furnished  with  two  very  long 
curved  and  several  shorter  bristles.  The  sides  of  the  abdominal 
segments  are  also  furnished  ^vith  very  long  curved  bristles,  and  this 
part  of  the  body  is  terminated  by  two  minute  and  narrow  lobes. 

It  is  unquestionable  that  both  these  larvae  and  pupae  are  those  of 
a  species  of  Staphylinidae.  The  similarity  of  the  former  with  the 
larvae  of  several  species  of  this  family  figured  by  myself  in  the  Zoo- 
logical Journal,  and  by  Mr  Waterhouse  in  the  Transactions  of  the 
Entomolc^ical  Society,  Vol.  i.  leaves  no  doubt  that  this  is  the  case 
with  respect  to  the  larva,  whilst  the  minute  size  of  the  elytra  and 
the  shortness  of  the  antennae  in  the  pupa,  also  prove  that  this  is  also 
brachelytrous.  Hence  I  feel  but  little  hesitation  in  regarding  these 
larvae  and  pupae  as  those  of  Micralymma  Johnstonis.  In  all  these 
insects  we  see  the  same  provision  made  for  occasional  respiration  and 
abode  beneath  the  surface  of  the  water.  The  long  hairs  with  which 
the  legs  of  the  imago  are  furnished^  and  the  strength  of  the  organs 
of  the  mouth,  are  analogous  to  what  has  been  noticed  in  iEpus,  whilst 
a  reference  to  the  figures,  both  of  the  larvae  and  pupae,  will  show 
that  the  same  circumstances  exist  also  in  those  states. 

There  still  remain  to  be  noticed  some  coleopterous  insects,  which, 
although  unable  to  swim,  reside  at  great  depths  beneath  the  surface 
of  the  water,  although  unprovided  with  the  long  hairs  which  we 
have  seen  are  of  so  much  service  in  Aepus,  &c  in  retaining  the  glo- 
bule of  air.  To  these  M.  Audouin  appears  at  first  to  have  been 
inclined  to  apply  the  theory  of  M.  Dutrochet,  observing, ''  Je  citerai 
encore  plusieurs  especes  de  Col6opteres  du  genre  Elmis,  que  Ton 
trouve  sous  les  pierres  au  fond  des  ruisseaux  et  que  jamais  on  n'a 
vu  respirer  Tair  a  leur  surface.  II  en  est  (a)  de  mhne  des  Dryops 
des  Macroniques  et  des  Georisses  qui  appartiennent  a  le  m^me  famil- 
le."  It  appears,  however,  that,  in  printing  this  memoir,  the  words 
'^  £l  quelques  ^gards '  were  omitted  at  the  place  where  I  have  placed 
(a).  In  the  copy  of  this  memoir,  which  the  author  was  so  kind  as 
to  send  me  shortly  after  it  was  printed,  the  equivalent  words  '<  k 
pen  pres"  were  introduced  \idth  a  pen.  This  is  the  more  requisite 
to  be  noticed,  because  my  friend,  M.  Wesmael  of  Brussels,  has  at- 
tacked M.  Audouin  upon  this  point,  observing,  that,  as  the  surface 
of  the  body  in  Elmis  is  unfurnished  with  long  hairs,  it  is  unable  to 
retain  a  bubble  of  air,  whilst  on  the  underside  there  is  observed  on 


132  History  of  British  Eniomostraca. 

eaeh  side  a  Inroad  longitudinal  band^  contiguous  to  the  lower  margin 
of  the  Elytra,  formed  of  a  silkj  plush,  which  is  most  probably  ser- 
viceable in  retaining  the  necessary  supply  of  air.  The  body  of  Par- 
nus  (Dryops)  is  entirely  covered  with  this  plush,  but  in  Oeoryssus 
it  is  quite  naked,  and  hence  M.  Wesmael  thinks  that  it  is  not  sub- 
aquatic,  as  supposed  by  M.  Audouin,  being,  indeed,  always  found 
upon  damp  earth.  ( Annales  Soc.  Entomol.  de  France  1835,  p.  xl.) 
The  genus  Elmis  and  some  others  constitute  a  small  tribe,  which  has 
been  appropriately  termed  Macrodactyle,  from  the  large  size  of  the 
claws,  which  enable  these  insects  to  retain  their  stations  in  the  most 
violent  streams.  I  once  found  many  specimens  of  several  species  of 
Elmis  under  stones  in  a  mill  stream,  a  yard  and  a  half  deep,  close 
to  the  mill-wheel,  where  the  water  must  have  been  constantly  in 
agitation.  The  entire  structure  of  these  insects,  and  especially  of 
the  mouth,  exhibits  a  striking  contrast  with  that  of  ASpus,  &c,  origi- 
nating in  the  difference  of  their  habits  and  motions,  the  Elmidse 
feeding  upon  minute  aquatic  vegetable  matter,  and  their  movements 
being  exceedingly  slow. 

The  habits  of  the  Enicoceri,  as  detailed  in  Mr  Wailes'  interesting 
paper  in  the  Entomological  Magazine,  No.  3,  are  somewhat  diffe- 
rent from  those  of  Elmis ;  but  as  I  have  not  recent  specimens  of 
those  insects,  I  am  unable  to  institute  an  examination  of  the  cloth- 
ing of  the  body,  &c  which  would  doubtless  satisfactorily  elucidate 
the  cause  of  such  difference. 


IV — The  Natural  History  of  the  British  Entomostraca.   By  Wil- 
liam Baird,  Surgeon,  H.  C.  S.  Plate  V.  (Continued  irom  Vol.  i. 
p.  526.) 
Sp.  III. — Cypris  strigata,     "  Testa  reniformi,  fusca,  fasciis  tri- 

bus  albis." 
Habitat. — Pool  on  sea  shore,  a  little  above  high  water-mark,  at  Thornton 
Loch,  East  Lothian. 

Synonimes, — Cypris  strigata,  3f«fllBr,  Zool.  Dan.  prodroni.  p.  199,  No.  2387. 1776. 

Cypris  strigata.  MuUer,  Entomostraca,  p.  54,  tab.  iv.  fig.  4-6.   1785. 

Monoc.  strigatus,  Gmdin,  Lin.  Syst   Nat.  3002,  No.  37.     1788. 

M.  strigatus,  Manuel,  Encyc.  Method.  Hist.  Nat  Tom.  vii.  p.  726,  No.  31.  1792. 

M.  strigatus,  Fabriciugy  Entomol.  system,  Tom.  ii.  p.  496.     1793. 

Cypris  strigata,  Latreille,  Hist  Nat  gen.  et  part,  des  Crust  &c.  Tom.  iv.  p.  245. 
1802. 

Cypris  strigata,  Ramdohr,  Beyt  zur  Naturg.  einig.  deut  Monoc.  arteii,  pp.  14- 
17,  tab.  iv.  fig.  1-14.     1805. 

Mon.  strigatus,  JRees'  Cyclopaedia,  Art.  Monoculus.     1819. 

Mon.  bistrigatus?  Jurine,  Hist,  des  Monoc.  p.  177,  pi.  19,  fig.  12-13.     1821. 

Cypris  strigata,  Desmareat,  Cons.  Gen.  sur  les  Crust  p.  386.     1825. 

4 


History  of  British  Eniomostraca.  183 

"  Shell  subovate^  glabroas^  ciliated  at  the  margin,  sublinear  at 
aperture.  Valves  rather  convex,  brown,  with  three  white  fascia 
— ^the  posterior  one  lunated,  middle  one  oblique,  anterior  one  arched 
— or,  it  may  be  described,  valves  white  on  dorsal  margin,  bound  by 
a  brown  belt,  with  two  oblique  brown  spots  in  the  disc." — Muller, 

Sp.  IV.  Cypris  vidua,  Plate  V.  Fig.  1.     Testa  subglobosa,  fias- 
ciis  tribus  nigris  transversis  instructa. 

Habitat,     Pond  at  Greenwich.     Canal  at  Rugby,  Warwickshire. 
Sjfiumimes,  Cypris  vidua,  Muller,  Zool.  Dan.  prod.  p.  199,  No.  2884^    1770. 
Cjpris  vidua,  MuUer,  Entomost.  p.  ^^  tab.  iv.  fig.  7-9.    1785. 
Men.  vidua,  Gmdiuy  Syst.  Nat  8002,  No.  42.    1788. 
Mon.  vidua,  Manuel,  Encyc.  Method.  Hist.  Nat.  Tom.  vii.  p.  726,  No.  86,  pL 

264,  f.  24-6.    1792. 
Mon.  viduatus,  Fabricius,  Entom.  Syst  Tom.  ii.  p.  496.    1798. 
Cypris  vidua,  LatreilU,  Hist  Nat  Gen.  et  Part,  des  Crust  &c.  Tom.  iv.  p.  245. 

1802. 
Mon.  vidua,  Rees*  Cyclopedia,  Art  Monoculus.  1819. 
Mon.  vidua,  Jurine,  Hist  des  Monoc.  8ec.  p,  175,  pi.  19,  fig.  5-6.  1821. 
Cypris  vidua,  Desmarestj  Cons.  Gen.  sur  les  Crust,  p.  885.  1825. 

Neither  the  figure  given  by  Muller,  nor  that  by  Jurine,  is  quite 
correct.  The  shell  is  of  a  somewhat  globular  form,  a  little  sinuated 
on  under  margin  ;  beset  all  round  with  dense,  fine,  short  hairs  ;  of 
a  dull  white  colour,  very  distinctly  marked  by  having  three  black, 
somewhat  zig-zag  fasciee,  running  transversely  across  the  shell,  the 
most  anterior  of  the  three  being  the  smallest  The  posterior  mar- 
gin is  rather  narrower  than  the  anterior,  Cthough  Muller  makes  it 
the  contrary,)  but  not  so  much  so  as  is  represented  by  Jurine.  An- 
terior feet  provided  with  long  filaments. 

Sp.  V.  Cypris  Monacha,  Plate  V.  Fig.  2.     Testa  antice  trun- 
cata,  albo  et  nigro  notata. 

Habitat. — Old  Canal  near  Rugby,  Warwickshire — Newham  Loch,  NorthuoH'* 

berland I}r  Johnston, 

Synonimes,  Cypris  monacba,  Muller,  Zool.  Dan.  prod.  p.  199,  No.  2890*  1776. 
Cypris  Monacba,  Mailer,  Entomostraca,  p.  60,  tab.  v.  fig.  6-8.    1785. 
Monoc   Monacbus,  GmeHn,  Syst  Nat  8008,  No.  44.    1788. 
Mon.  Monachus.  Manuel,  Encyc.  Method.  Hist  Nat  Tom.  vii.  p.  727,  Na  41, 

pi.  266,  f.  34-f .    1792. 
Mon.  Monachus,  Fabricius,  Entom.  Syst  Tom.  ii-  p.  497.    1798. 
Cypris  Monacba,  Latreille,  Hist  Nat  Gen.  et  Part  des  Crust  &c.  Tom.  iv.  p.  247. 

1802. 
Monoc.  Monachus,  Bees'  Cyclop.  Art  Monoculus.    1819 
Monoc.  Monachus,  Jurine,  Hist  des  Monocles,  &c.  p.  178,  pi.  18»  f.  1S-.14. 1821  > 
Cypris  Monacba,  Desmarest,  Cons.  Gen.  sur  les  Crust  p.  384,  pL  55,  f.  7. 1825. 
VOL.  II.  Na.  8.  K 


134  HUtory  of  British  Entomostraca. 

The  figure  given  by  MuUer  is  much  better  than  that  of  Jurine. 
Shell  somewhat  of  a  rhomboidal  form ;  rounded  at  posterior^  and 
truncated  as  it  were  at  anterior  margin ;  glabrous^  with  a  few  hairs 
on  posterior  mai^n ;  surface  of  shell  as  it  were  reticulated,  or^  as 
Muller  says,  marked  with  small  points  impressed  into,  or  as  it  were 
excavated  out  of  shell.  Upper  part  of  shell  is  nearly  of  a  white  co- 
lour ;  lower  portion,  anterior  margin,  and  part  of  posterior  one,  of 
a  black  colour^  shaded  with  a  yellowish  green ;  filaments  of  anterior 
feet  long.     A  very  pretty  and  well-marked  species. 

Sp.  VI.  Cypris  Candida Plate  V.  Pig.  3.     Testa  subovata, 

candidissima,  lucenti. 

Habitat — Berwickshire ;  Roxburghshire ;  neighbourhood  of  London,  Sec.  com- 
mon. 
Synonimes,  ffc. — Poisson  nomm^  Deteuche,  Joblot,  Observ.  d'Hist.  Nat  faites 

avecle  Micros,  part  2,  p.  104,  pi.  xiii.  fig.  0.    1754. 
Cypris  Candida,  MuUery  Zoolog.  Dan.  prodrom.  p.  199,  No.  2385.    1776. 
Cypris  Candida,  Do.  Entomostraca,  p.  62,  tab.  vi  fig.  7-9.  1785. 
Monoc.  Candidus,  Gmelin,  Lin.  Syst.  Nat  3002,  No.  40.  178a 
Mon.  Candidus,  Manud,  Encyc.  Method.  Hist  Nat.  Tom.  vii.  p.  726,  No.  34. 

1792. 
Monoc.  Candidus,  Fabricius,  Entomol.  Syst  Tom.  ii.  p.  497.  1793. 
Cypris  Candida,  LatreiUe,  Hist  Nat  Gen.  et  Part  des  Crust  &c.  Tom.  iv.    p. 

248.  1802. 
Mon.  Candidus,  Rtea*  Cyclopedia,  Art  Monoculus.  1819. 
Mon.  Candidus,  Jurine,  Hist  des  Monocles,  &c.  p.  176,  pi.  19,  fig.  7-8.    1821. 
Cypris  Candida,  De^mareA/,  Cons  id.  Gen.  surles  Crust  p.  385.    1825. 
Cypris  lucens,  Baird,  Trans.  Berw.  Nat  Cluh,  p.  100,  pi.  ill.  fig.  15.    1835. 

The  figure  given  by  Joblot,  referred  to  above,  appears  to  me  to 
be  undoubtedly  the  Candida,  though,  curiously  enough,  Muller  him- 
self refers  it  to  his  pubera,  while  Straus  again  refers  it  to  his  fus^ 
ca.  The  figure  given  by  Muller  is  not  good,  that  of  Jurine  is  much 
better.  The  shell  is  smooth  and  shining,  but  fringed  round  the 
margins  with  fine  hairs  of  a  pure  while-colour,  with  a  pearly  lustre, 
nearly  opaque,  ventricose :  anterior  extremity  narrower  and  flatter 
than  posterior^  which  is  arched ;  upper  margin  raised,  lower  some- 
what reniform  ;  filaments  of  anterior  feet  consist  of  only  three  or 
four  short  hairs ;  animal  generally  creeps  near  the  bottom  of  the 
vessel  in  which  it  is  kept. 

Sp.  VII.  Q^jom/MJco.— Plate  V.  Fig.  4.     Testa  ovata,  renifor- 

mi,  fusca. 
Habitat.     Neighbourhood  of  London. 
SynonivMs.  Cypris  fusca,  Straus^  Mem.  de  Mug.  d*Hist.  Nat  Tom.  vii.  pi.  i.  fig. 
16.    1821. 


Hilary  of  British  Entomostraca.  135 

QypjM  fuflca,  Desnuareat,  Com,  Gen.  surles  Crust  p.  384.    1825. 

Shell  oval ;  of  a  brown-coiour^  reniform ;  anterior  extremity  nar« 
rower  than  posterior^  which  is  rounded  and  broad ;  shell  covered 
with  fine  hairs ;  anterior  feet  provided  with  three  long  filaments  ; 
the  rounded  posterior  extremity  and  brown-colour  sufficiently  dis- 
tinguish this  species  from  Muller's  Candida. 

Sp.  VIII.  Cifpris  reptans. — Plate  V.  Pig,  5.    Testa  elongata, 
stricta^  maculis  magnis  viridibus  notata. 

Hdlntat, — Yetholm  Loch,  Roxburghshire. — Newham  Loch,  Nortbumberhuid, 
Dr  Johnston.     New  river,  London. 
Synonimu — Cypris  reptans,  Baird,  Trans.  Berw.  Nat  Club,  p.  99,  pL  iiL  fig. 

11. 

**  Shell  long,  narrow,  almost  elliptical,  nearly  plane  on  upper^ 
and  slightly  sinuated  on  under  margin  ;  rather  ventricose ;  hairy  ; 
densely  ciliated  on  anterior  extremity  ;  the  cilise  on  posterior  extre- 
mity fewer,  but  much  longer ;  of  a  light  colour,  with  dark-green 
markings,  which  appear  to  be  rather  irregular ;  both  extremities 
have  a  large  broad  green  spot,  which  send  out  processes  as  it  were 
towards  the  centre  of  shell ;  antennae  and  feet  short  in  comparison 
with  size  of  shell.  I  have  never  seen  this  species  swimming  about 
in  the  vessel  in  which  I  have  kept  it,  but  always  creeping  on  the 
bottom," — hence  its  name. — Filaments  of  anterior  feet  few  and  very 
short. 

Sp.  IX.  Cypris  hispida — Plate  V.  Fig.  6.     Testa  ovata,  fusca, 
hispida. 

Habiiat. — At  Yetholm,  Rozbuighabire.     Ditch  near  Surrey  Zoological  Gar. 
dens,  London. 

Synommea—Cj^ns  hispida,  Baird^  Tnms.  Berw.  Nat  Club,  p.  99,  pi.  iii. 
fig.  14. 

"  Shell  almost  elliptical ;  anterior  extremity  a  little  broader  than 
porterior ;  rather  ventricose ;  very  roughly  and  densely  hairy  ;  of  a 
brown-colour  all  over,  with  one  or  two  dark  brown  marks  running 
across  the  centre  of  shell ;  both  extremities  of  a  darker  colour  than 
other  parts  of  shell ;  the  whole  shell  is  very  hispid,  spines  rather 
than  hairs  covering  the  shell ;  antennae  slender ;  setae  seldom  much 
divaricated."  Filaments  of  anterior  feet,  if  any,  consist  only  of  two 
or  three  short  hairs,  as  in  Candida  and  Reptans ;  and  like  them, 
this  insect  is  generally  to  be  fouud  at  the  bottom  of  the  vessel  in 
which  it  is  kept.  This  circumstance  would  seem  to  favour  J  urine's 
opinion  of  the  important  use  the  anterior  feet  serve  for  progressive 


136  History  of  British  Entomostraca. 

motioo,  as  we  seldom  see  those  species  which  have  not  the  filaments 
long  so  active  in  swimming  as  the  others. 

Sp-  X.  Cypris  Compressa. — Plate  V.  Fig.  7-  Testa  plano-ro- 
tundata,  fusco-grisea,  compressa. 

Habitat.  Yetholm  Loch,  Roxburghshire ;  Rugby,  Warwickshire ;  neighbour- 
hood of  London,  very  common. 

SynonimeB,  Cypris  Compressa,  Baird,  Trans.  Berw.  Nat.  Club,  p.  100,  pi. 
iii.  fig.  16. 

'^  Shell  round-shaped,  compressed,  rather  narrower  anteriorly 
than  posteriorly  ;  of  a  brownish  gray  colour  more  or  less  deep ; 
semitransparent  ;  at  either  extremity  beset  with  fine  hairs — ^in 
general  the  surface  of  the  shell  is  spotted,  as  if  little  pieces  were 
hollowed  out  of  it.  Anterior  feet  provided  with  three  long  fila- 
ments ;  eye  large  ;  from  the  flat  compressed  shape  of  shell,  its  mo- 
tion through  the  water  is  very  much  like  that  of  some  species  of 
Lynceus." 

Sp.  XI.  Cypris  minuta, — Plate  V.  Fig.  11.  Testa  ovato-glo- 
bosa,  sub-fusca,  parva. 

Habitat.  At  Yetholm,  Roxburghshire ;  Pond  near  Copenhagen  Fields,  Lon- 
don. 

SynonifMs,  Cypris  minuta,  Baird,  Trans.  Berw.  Nat.  Club.  p.  99,  pi.  iii.  f.  9. 

Monocuhis  ovum?  Jurine,  Hist  des  Monocles,  &c.  p.  179,  pi.  19.  f.  18-19. 

*'  Shell  broader  posteriorly  than  anteriorly  ;  elevated  and  round- 
ed on  upper  margin  ;  slightly  sinuated  on  under  margin ;  hairy  all 
around ;  of  a  light  brown  colour  with  a  tinge  of  green ;  body  of 
shell  smooth,  shining ;  anterior  feet  furnished  with  a  pencil  of  long 
filaments."  This  is  the  smallest  of  all  the  species  I  have  met 
with,  and  approaches  very  near  to  the  Mon.  ovum  of  Jurine,  except 
that  he  says  his  species  is  perfectly  smooth,  whereas  this  one  is  be- 
set densely  all  around  shell  with  short  hairs. 

Sp.  XII.  Cypris  Joanna.— Vhte  V.  Fig.  12.  Testa  ovato-glo- 
bosa,  fusca,  hirta. 

Habitat.  Pool  at  Abbey  St  Bathans,  Ber^^nckshire. 

Sj/non.  Cypris  Joanna,  Baird,  Trans.  Berw.  Nat   Club,  p.  99,  pi.  ill.  fig.  8. 

"  Shell  roundish-ovate  ;  narrower  anteriorly  than  posteriorly  ;  of 
a  brown  colour,  with  an  orange  mark  across  back  of  shell  and  lower 
margin ;  shell  beset  all  round  with  rigid  hairs,  and  covered  with 
minute  black  points  or  dots  ;  setse  of  antennae  numerous.  DifiTers 
from  Cypris  pilosa,  Muller,  in  smaller  size,  orange  mark  across 
shell,  and  in  not  being  glabrous,  but  marked  all  over  with  black 
roughish-looking  points.*'     A  little  larger  than  C,  minula. 


History  of  British  Entomostraca.  1 37 

Sp.  XIII.  Cypris  elongata.— Flute  V.  Fig.  13.  Testa  alba, 
cnneiforme,  elongata. 

Habitat   Yetholm,  Roxburghshire. 

Sifmon,  Cypris  elongata,  Baird,  Trans.  Berw.  Nat.  Club,  p.  99,  pi.  iii.  f.  10. 

''  Shell  much  broader  at  anterior  than  posterior  extremity,  which 
is  narrow  and  much  elongated  ;  elevated  on  upper  margin  towards 
anterior  extremity,  and  sinuated  on  under  margin  more  towards  the 
posterior  extremity  :  white  ;  transparent ;  hairy  ;  setae  of  antennie 
five  or  six ;  anterior  feet  furnished  with  setie." 

Sp.  XIV.  Cypris  Westwoodil—VhiXe  V.  Fig.  14.  Teste  reni- 
fonni,  virlde,  conica. 

Habitat,  Yetholm  Loch,  Roxbui^hshire. 

Spiom,  Cypris  Westwoodii,  Baird,  Trans.  Berw.|Nat  Club,  p.  99,  pL  iiL  f.  12. 

"  Shell  much  elevated  and  rounded  on  upper  margin,  and  reni- 
form  on  under — a  little  broader  at  anterior  extremity  ;  green  co« 
loured  ;  semi  transparent  ,*  densely  covered  with  pretty  long  hairs 
all  over ;  second  last  joint  of  anterior  feet  furnished  with  a  pencil 
of  long  hairs;  posterior  feet  furnished  with  a  setae  at  each  articula- 
tion." 

Sp.  XV.  Cypris  gibbosa. — Plate  V.  Fig.  15.  Testa  rotundo- 
ovate ;  reniformi,  gibbosa. 

Habitat.  Ditch  near  Surrey  Zoological  gardens,  London. 

Shell  roundish  ovate :  elevated  on  upper  margin,  with  a  gib- 
boaity  or  hump;  reniform  on  under  margin  ;  body  of  shell  smooth, 
of  alight-green  colour,  paler  on  anterior  extreniity ;  beset  with  .short 
fine  hairs  all  round  the  edges  of  shell ;  nearly  opaque  ;  filaments 
of  antennae  and  anterior  feet  beautifully  plumose.  Double  the  size 
of  C.  Westwoodii,  to  which  it  approaches  somewhat  in  shape  of 
shell. 

Sp.  XVI.  Cypris  clavata Plate  V.  Fig.  16.*     Teste  oblonga, 

davate,  hevi. 

HabitaL  Pond  near  Copenhagen  Fields,  London. 

Body  of  shell  smooth  and  shining,  but  beset  round  margin  with 
short  hairs ;  of  a  light  grey  colour,  with  an  obscure  dark-coloured 
ray  running  from  centre  towards  posterior  extremity,  which  again 
is  distinctly  marked  with  an  orange-coloured  spot,  oblong,  narrower 
at  posterior  than  anterior  extremity,  which  is  rather  flattened,  mid- 
dle of  valves  ventricose ;  antennee  and  feet  rather  short  in  compari- 
son with  sise  of  shell,  filaments  of  both  plumose.     This  species  ap- 


138  History  of  British  EntomoMtraca. 

proaches  near  to  Cypris  crassa.  Mailer,  in  his  description  of  that 
species,  but  differs  in  toio  from  the  figure  which  he  gives  of  it. 

A  species  of  fossil  Cypris  occurs  in  the  limestone  of  Burdiebouse 
quarry,  near  Edinburgh,  but  which  I  hare  not  had  opportunities  of 
sufficiently  examining. 

2d  Oenns,  Ctthbbb. 
Bibliographical  History. ^^Otho  Fridericus  Muller  is  the  first  na- 
turalist that  has  taken  notice  of  this  genus  of  insects.  Before  his 
time  they  were  perfectly  unknown,  not  the  slightest  mention  of 
their  existence  having  been  made  by  any  previous  writer.  As  it  is 
to  him  that  we  are  indebted  for  the  first  information,  so  it  is  to  him 
alone  that  we  owe  all  that  we  do  know,  with  the  exception,  I  be- 
lieve, of  what  few  additional  particulars  wiU  be  found  in  the  follow- 
ing pages.  Upon  a  slight  inspection,  the  Cytheres  might  be  mis- 
taken for  Cyprides ;  but  their  antennie  being  simple,  and  free  from 
the  pencil  of  long  hairs  with  which  these  organs  in  the  Cypris  are 
endowed ;  their  possessing  eight  feet ;  the  want  of  the  long  tail,  and 
their  inhabiting  salt  water,  sufficiently  distinguish  the  two  genera. 
It  is  in  his  "  Entomostraca"  that  Muller  first  established  this  genus, 
and  the  above  marks  of  distinction  between  it  and  the  Cypris,  con- 
stitute almost  all  the  knowledge  that  he  imparts  to  us  concerning 
it.  Meager  as  it  is  in  details,  it  has  not  been  enlarged  by  any  suc- 
ceeding author.  Gmelin,  in  the  '*  Systema  Nature,"  1788 ;  Fabri- 
cius  in  his  *'  Entomologia  Systematica,"  17d3 ;  Manuel  in  the  ''  En- 
cyclopedie  Methodiqjie,"  1792 ;  and  Latreille  in  his  "  Hist.  Nat. 
Gen.  et  Part,  des  Crustacis,"  &c.  1802  ;  either  merely  give  the  spe- 
cies alone,  or  repeat  the  few  remarks  made  by  Muller,  without  mak- 
ing any  comment  or  original  observations  of  their  own.  Lamarck, 
in  his  "  Hist.  Nat.  des  Animaux  sans  Vertebres,"  1818,  changes 
Muller's  name,  and  gives  the  genus  the  appellation  of  Cytherina  ; 
while  Desmarest,  in  his  ''  Consid.  Oen.  sur  les  Crustac6s,*'  1825,  in 
repeating  the  observations  made  by  Muller,  and  giving  merely  his 
species,  adds,  that  it  may  turn  out  that  some  of  the  eight  feet  may 
be  particular  organs,  and  that  the  number  of  true  feet  may  be  found 
to  be  the  same  as  in  the  Cypris,  a  conjecture  which  Latreille  also 
makes  in  the  last  edition  of  "  Cuvier's  R^gne  Animal,"  1829.  Des- 
marest moreover  says, ''  reasoning  from  analogy,  there  is  reason  to 
believe  that  the  Cytheres  like  the  Cyprides  have  their  branchial 
plates  attached  to  the  mandibles  and  jaws,  and  that  their  feet  are 


History  of  British  Entomostraca.  139 

solely  destined  for  locomotioii."*     In  both  these  suppositions  we 
shall  find  he  is  quite  correct. 

Amatomy, — ^The  shell  in  almost  every  respect  strictly  resembles  that 
of  the  Cypris,  but  from  their  general  opacity  and  minuteness,  it  is  ex« 
oeedingly  difficult  to  examine  with  precision  the  body  of  theinclos* 
ed  animaL  After  repeated  attempts,  however,  to  break  down  the 
homy  opaque  shell,  I  succeeded  so  far  as  to  discover  that,  like  the 
Cypris,  the  body  of  the  insect  is  divided  into  two  parts,  connected 
with  each  other  by  a  narrow  space,  the  anterior  half  containing  the 
eye,  antennae,  anterior  feet,  organs  of  mouth>  and  two  pairs  of  in- 
tennediate  feet ;  the  posterior  half  containing  the  posterior  feet,  and 
a  short  appendix  or  tail.  The  eye  resembles  in  appearance  and  si- 
toatiim  that  of  the  Cypris,  being  single,  fixed,  and  in  the  form  of  a 
black  sessile  point.  Antennae  two,  (Plate  V.  Fig.  16.  a,  a.  Fig.  18.) 
composed  each  of  five  articulations,  furnished  with  one  or  two  short 
setsB  at  the  base  of  each  of  the  three  last  articulations,  and  termi- 
nated by  three  or  four  rather  longer  hairs  at  the  extremity  of  the 
last  joint,  di£Eering  very  much  in  this  respect  from  the  same  organs 
in  the  Cypris.  As  the  Cy there  has  never  been  seen  to  swim,  these 
organs  may  be  thus  considered  as  true  antennae.  The  feet  are  de- 
cidedly eight  in  number ;  the  anterior  pair  are  inserted  immediate- 
ly beneath  the  antennae,  and  are  by  far  the  strongest  of  all,  (Plate 
V.  Fig.  16.,  b.  b.  Fig,  19.)  They  differ  in  shape  from  the  other  pairs, 
being  flatter  and  fiedcated  in  appearance.  They  consist  of  four  arti«- 
colations  ;  the  first  and  third  being  very  short.  The  last  gives  off 
from  internal  edge  three  spines,  and  is  terminated  by  two  or  three 
short  hooks  as  in  the  Cypris,  while  from  the  base  of  the  second  joint 
there  sfMrings  a  long  stiff  seta,  equalling  in  length  the  two  last  joints, 
and  being  divided  into  three  articulations,  of  which  the  middle  is 
the  longest.  This  seta  is  mentioned  by  MuUer  as  occurring  in  his 
Cylhete  kiiea,  but  is  taken  notice  of  by  him  as  being  peculiar  to  it, 
or  at  least  as  not  having  been  seen  in  any  other  species.  It  occurs, 
however,  in  all  I  have  examined,  and  seems  to  take  the  place  of  the 
pencil  of  long  hairs  that  is  to  be  found  on  the  penultimate  joint  of 
the  corresponding  pair  of  feet  in  the  genus  Cypris,  but  the  precise 
use  of  which  I  do  not  understand.  The  three  other  pairs  of  feet 
(Plate  V.  Fig.  16,  c.  Fig.  20.)  are  exactly  like  each  other,  except  in 
length  ;  they  are  round  and  slender,  and  consist  each  of  four  articu- 
lations, the  first  of  which  is  the  largest,  and  gives  off  a  short  spine 
at  its  base ;  the  last  is  the  shortest,  and  is  terminated  by  a  long 
curved  hook.     The  first  or  anterior  pair  are,  as  in  the  Cyprides,  di-< 

•  p.  887. 


140  History  of  British  Entomostraca. 

reeled  backwards,  whilst  the  other  three  are  directed  forwards..   The 
first  of  these  three  pairs  are  very  shorty  the  second  a  little  longer, 
whilst  the  third  or  last  pair  are  the  longest  of  all,  being  longer  than 
the  anterior  pair^  though  much  more  slender.     This  last  or  poste- 
rior  pair   appears  to   arise   from    near   the  junction  of  the  two 
halves  of  the  body,  and  may  supply,  as  Muller  says,  the  want  of  the 
tail.     The  mouth  is  situated  in  the  inferior  surface  of  the  anterior 
half  of  the  body,  as  in  the  Cypris,  and  appears  to  consist  of  exactly 
the  same  organs  as  in  the  insects  of  that  genus,  though  from  their 
extreme  minuteness,  and  want  of  lengthened  opportunities  for  exa- 
mination, I  have  not  been  able  to  make  out  all  the  parts.    The  pal- 
piferous  mandibles,  and  the  first  pair  of  jaws  with  their  branchial 
plates,  are  the  only  parts  I  have  been  able  clearly  to  make  out,  and 
they  resemble  in  almost  every  respect  the  corresponding  organs  of 
the  Cy prides.     The  mandible  (Plate  V.  Fig.  21.)  is  formed  of  two 
pieces,  the  larger  of  the  two,  or  proper  mandible,  as  in  the  Cypris, 
being  terminated  at  the  superior  extremity  by  a  sharp  point,  and  at 
the  lower  or  incisive  extremity  by  about  six  pretty  strong  teeth, 
while  the  other  part  or  palpus  consists  of  three  joints  plentifully 
supplied  at  the  extremities  of' the  articulations  with  numerous  se- 
tae.    I  failed,  however,  in  making  out  the  small  branchial  plate 
which  occurs  in  this  organ  in  the  Cypris.     The  first  pair  of  jaws, 
(Plate  V.  Fig.  22.)  as  in  the  Cypris,  consists  also  of  two  parts ;  the 
square  plate  with  the  four  fingers,  (Fig.  22,  a.)  the  superior  of  which 
has  two  joints,  whilst  the  others  have  only  one,  and  all  terminated 
by  a  tuft  of  hairs  ;  and  the  branchial  plate  (Fig.  22,  h.)  attached,  of 
an  elongated  oval  form,  furnished  with  fourteen  long  setae,  which 
are  given  off  from  both  sides.     As  these  organs  are  so  very  similar 
to  the  corresponding  organs  in  the  Cypris,  I  have  no  doubt  that  the 
other  parts  (the  lips  and  second  pair  of  jaws)  are  also  the  same,  and 
that  therefore  the  supposition  of  Desmarest  with  respect  to  some  of 
the  intermediate  ieethemg  particular  organs  is  incorrect ;  and  that, 
as  their  use  and  situation  indicate,  they  are  all  true  feet,  and  used 
solely  for  locomotion ;  the  posterior  or  fourth  pair  perhaps  serving 
in  addition  one  of  the  uses  of  the  tail,  that  of  cleaning  the  inside  of 
the  shell,  for  which  they  are  well  calculated  from  their  length,  and 
the  great  degree  of  pnobility  they  possess.     The  appendix  or  short 
tail  is  of  such  an  irregular  figure,  that,  until  better  opportunities  oc- 
cur for  examination,  1  shall  not  attempt  a  minute  description.  The 
.  internal  anatomy  I  have  not  been  able  to  make  out  at  all ;  neither 
-have  I  ever  seen  any  individuals  with  ova,  though  this  may  be  ac- 


Histury  of  British  Entomostraca.  141 

ooDSted  for  from  the  specimens  which  1  have  examined  being  dis- 
sected in  the  winter  months. 

Habits  and  Manners. — These  insects  are  only  to  be  found  in  sea 
water,  and  may  be  met  with  in  all  the  little  pools  amongst  the  rocks 
on  the  sea  shores.  They  live  amongst  the  fuci  and  confervse,  &c. 
which  are  to  be  found  in  such  pools ;  and  the  naturalist  may  espe- 
cially find  them  in  abundance  in  those  beautiful  clear  little  round 
wells  which  are  so  often  to  be  met  with  hollowed  out  of  the  rocks 
on  the  shores  of  our  country^  which  are  within  reach  of  the  tide,  and 
the  water  of  which  is  keptsweetand  wholesome,  by  being  thuR  chang- 
ed twice  during  every  twenty-four  hours.  In  such  delightful  little 
pools,  clear  as  crystal  when  left  undisturbed  by  the  receding  tide,  these 
interesting  little  creatures  may  be  found  often  in  great  numbers  sport- 
ing about  amongst  the  confervseand  corallines,  which  so  elegantly  and 
fiindfully  fringe  their  edges  and  decorate  their  sides, — and  which 
form  such  a  glorious  subaqueous  forest  for  myriads  of  living  creatures 
to  disport  themselves  in.  Sheltered  amongst  the  '*  umbrageous 
multitude"  of  stems  and  branches,  and  nestling  in  security  in  their 
forest  glades,  they  are  safe  from  the  fury  of  the  advancing  tide, 
though  lashed  up  to  thunder  by  the  opposing  rocks  which  fur  a  mo- 
ment check  its  advance ;  and  weak  and  powerless  though  such 
pigmies  seem  to  be,  they  are  yet  found  as  numerous  and  active  in  their 
little  wells,  after  the  shores  have  been  desolated  by  the  mighty  force 
of  the  tide  which  has  been  driven  in,  in  thunder,  by  the  power  of  a 
fierce  tempest,  as  when  the  waves  have  rolled  gently  and  calmly  to 
the  shore  in  their  sweetest  murmurs.  These  insects  have  never 
been  seen  to  swim,  invariably  walking  amongst  the  branches  or 
leaves  of  the  confervae  or  fuci — amongst  which  they  delight  to  dwell ; 
and  when  shook  out  from  their  hiding-places  into  a  bottle  or 
tumbler  of  water  they  may  be  seen  to  fall  in  gyrations  to  the  bot- 
tom, without  ever  attempting  to  dart  through  the  watery  element, 
as  in  the  case  with  the  Cyprides.  Upon  reaching  the  bottom,  they 
open  their  shells  and  creep  along  the  surface  of  the  glass ;  but 
when  touched  or  shook  they  immediately  again  withdraw  themselves 
within  their  shell  and  remain  motionless.  This  inability  to  swim 
is  no  doubt  owing  to  the  want  of  the  pencils  of  long  hairs  or  fila- 
ments which  adorn  the  antennae  and  anterior  part  of  the  CyprideSj 
and  which  we  have  already  seen  are  the  organs  by  means  of  which 
they  swim  through  the  watery  element  in  which  they  live.  My  op- 
portunities for  observing  these  insects  have  been  so  limited,  and 
the  difficulty  of  keeping  them  alive,  from  the  rapidity  with  which 
sea  water  becomes  putrid  when  kept  in  a  room  in  a  small  vessel,  is 


142  History  of  British  Entamostraca. 

80  greats  that  I  cannot  say  any  thing  further  with  regard  to  their 
economy  or  habits.  The  species^  however,  I  have  no  doubt,  are  nu- 
merous, and  the  labours  of  any  inquirer  after  them  would,  I  have  no 
doubt,  be  soon  rewarded  with  great  success. 

Species, 

Sp.  I.  Cy there  flavida, — '^  Testa  oblonga,  glabra."     Muller. 

Habitat,  Amongst  confervs  in  pools  of  sea  water  amongBt  the  rocks  on  the 
shore  at  Ckxskbarospath,  Berwickshire. 

Sjfiumjfmes.  Cythere  flavida,  MtUler,  Entomost  p.  66,  tab.  viL  fig.  5-6. 1785. 

Monoculus  flavidus,  Gmdin,  Syst  Nat.  9001,  No.  Sa  178a 

Mou.  fiavidus,  Manuely  Encyc  Method.  Tom.  vii.  p.  725,  No.  27,  pi.  266^ 
1 10-11.  1792. 

Men.  fla\idus,  Fabricius,  Tom.  ii.  p.  494.  179a 

Cythere  flavida,  LatreiUe,  Hist.  Nat  &c.  Tom.  iv.  p.  253.  1802. 

Men.  flavidus,  Rees*  Cydop.  Art  Monoculus.  1819. 

Cythere  flavida,  Detmareat,  Consid.  Gen.  &c  1825. 

"  Shell  oblong,  of  a  yellowish  colour,  smooth,  obtuse  at  each  ex- 
tremity, narrower  anteriorly ;  antennae  scarcely  setiferous."  MuUer. 

Sp.  II.  Cylhere  rewj/brmw.— Plate  V.  Fig.  16-22.  Testa  reni- 
formi,  hirta,  valvulis  crusta  calcarea  obductis. 

Habitat,  Coast  of  Berwickshire,  common. 

Sytion,  Cythere  reniformis,  Baird,  Trans.  Berw.  Nat.  Club,  p.  98,  pi.  iii 
fig.  5. 

Shell  reniform,  rough  with  hairs ;  both  extremities  of  nearly  equal 
size;  anterior  extremity  a  little  flatter  than  posterior.  Centre  of 
valves  covered  with  a  calcareous-looking  crust,  which  is  of  rather  a 
darker  colour  than  rest  of  shell,  and  appears  studded  all  over  with 
short  spines ;  colour  of  shell  a  light  brownish  yellow.  It  approaches 
the  Cythera  lutea  of  Muller  in  shape,  but  differs  somewhat  in  co- 
lour, in  being  roughly  hairy,  and  having  the  valves  covered  with 
the  hard  crust. 

Sp.  III.  Cylhere  albo-maculata — Plate  V.  Fig.  23.  Testa  ob- 
longa,  sinuata,  valvulis  crusta  calcarea  albo-maculata  obductis. 

Habitat,  Berwick  Bay — ^not  very  common. 

Shell  oblong,  a  little  flatter  at  anterior  extremity  ;  slightly  round- 
ed on  upper  margin,  and  deeply  sinuated  on  lower,  near  anterior  ex- 
tremity. Each  extremity  and  lower  margin  densely  hairy ;  middle 
portion  of  valves  covered  with  a  calcareous-looking  crust,  as  in  last 
species,  which  is  studded  all  over  with  short  spines,  except  where  it 
is  marked  with  two  white  smooth  shining  spots  of  considerable  sise. 
Shell  altogether  of  a  dull-brown  colour. 


Histary  of  British  Entomostraca.  14*3 

Sp.  IV.  Cffthere  a/6a.— Plate  V.  Fig.  24.  Testa  alba,  trans- 
ludda^  obovata. 

Habitat.  Sefr-shore  at  Dunbar,  East  Lothian. 

Syn.  Cythere  alba,  Baird,  Trans.  Berw.  Nat.  Club,  p.  98»  pi.  iii.  fig.  d. 

Shell  white,  transparent,  showing  the  dark  body  of  insect  through 
it ;  hairy  round  edges  ;  acute  at  posterior  extremity,  and  broader  at 
anterior  ;  a  margin  round  the  outer  edge  of  the  shell  whiter  than 
the  rest.  Having  only  once  met  with  this  curious  species,  and  an  ac- 
cident happening  to  the  vessel  in  which  it  was  kept,  I  am  unfortu- 
natelj  unable  to  give  a  fuller  description  of  it. 

Sp.  V.  Cythere  variabilis.^Vhite  V.Fig.2S,ab.  Testa  ovale, 

glauca,  glabra. 
HabitaU  Coast  of  Berwickshire,  common. 
S^  Cythere  variabilis,  Baird,  Trans.  Berw.  Nat.  Club,  p.  98,  pi.  iii.  fig-  7, 

Shell  glaucous,  without  any  hairs,  perfectly  oval-shaped,  ante- 
rior extremity  narrower  than  posterior ;  anterior  legs  falcate,  and 
furnished  with  pretty  strong  claws;  antennae  slender^  without  setie. 
This  species  varies  much  in  colour,  and  markings  ;  some  specimens 
are  white,  with  two  black  fasciie  running  transversely  across  sheU, 
one  at  posterior  margin,  the  other  across  the  centre  of  the  shell, 
while  the  posterior  extremity  is  marked  besides  by  a  beautiful  red- 
dish or  bright  bronze  spot.  (Fig.  25,  a.)  Other  specimens  are  of  a 
light  flesh-colour,  with  the  edges  of  shell  slightly  greenish,  and  the 
body  of  shell  marked  with  dark  streaks  running  across.  Some  are 
altogether  of  a  fine  flesh-colour,  without  any  marks  upon  the  shell, 
while  others  again  are  of  a  uniform  dark- brown  or  almost  black. 
(Fig.  25,  6.)  All  the  varieties,  however,  agree  in  shape  of  shell, 
in  size,  &c.  merely  difiering  in  colour  and  marks. 

Sp.  Vr.  Cythere  auranlia.—FJfite  V.  Fig.  26.  Testa  ovata, 
reniformi,  glabra,  aurantia. 

Habitat'     Bei  wick- Bay,  not  uncommon. 

Shell  rounded  and  rather  prominent  on  upper  margin  ;  slightly 
reniform  on  under;  rather  broader  posteriorly  than  anteriorly; 
smooth^  glaucous,  of  a  bright  orange-colour  ;  very  minute  in  size  ; 
antennse  setiferous ;  anterior  feet  falcated. 

Sp.  VII.  Cythere  nigrescent. — Plate  V.  Fig.  2?.     Testa  extre- 

mitate  poetrema  acuminata,  glabra,  sub-nigra. 
Habitat,     Berwick-Bay,  not  uncommon. 


J  44  Directions  for  preserving  Sea  Plants. 

Shell  rounded  on  upper  margin  and  anteriorly  ;  terminating  pos- 
teriorly in  an  acute  pointy  with  a  gibbous  projection  on  the  lower 
margin,  near  posterior  extremity  ;  shell  quite  smooth  and  free  from 
hairSf  of  a  dirty  black-colour^  translucent,  showing  the  body  of  the 
animal  shining  through,  which  is  very  dark-coloured ;  antenna  aeti- 
ferous  ;  anterior  feet  falcated. 

Explanation  of  Plates, 

Plate  XVI.  Vol.  I.  Fig.  1  to  13,  Body  of  Cypris  pubera;  theshell  re^ 
moved;  a. anterior  lobe ;  6.  posterior  lobe ;  c.  eyes  ;  d.  antenns ;  e.  e. 
anterior  or  first  pair  of  feet  ;Ji  f,  second  pair  of  feet ;  g.  third  pair ;  A. 
mandible  and  palpus ;  t.  first  pair  of  jaws  with  branchial  plate ;  k. 
tail.  Fig.  2,  one  of  the  antennae.  Fig.  3,  one  of  the  anterior  legs.  Fig, 
4,  one  of  the  second  pair  do.  Fig.  5,  one  of  the  third  pair.  Fig.  6^ 
the  lip  (a)  and  sternum  or  lower  lip  (6.)  Fig.  7>  mandible  ;  a.  man- 
dible proper ;  b,  palpus ;  c.  small  branchial  plate.  Fig.  8,  first  pair 
of  jaws ;  a.  base,  with  its  fingers ;  6.  branchial  plate  with  its  pecti- 
niform  spines.  Fig.  9,  second  pair  of  jaws.  Fig.  10,  tail.  Fig.  11, 
egg*    Fig.  12,  young.     Fig.  13,  adult  Cypris  pubera. 

Plate  V.  Vol.  II.  Fig.  1,  Cypris  vidua.  Fig.  2,  C.  Monacha.  Fig. 
3,  C.  Candida.  Fig.  4,  C.  fusca.  Fig.  5,  C.  reptans.  Fig.  6,  C.  hia- 
pida.  Fig*  7>  C.  Compressa.  Fig.  8,  one  of  the  antenoie  of  C. 
Compressa.  Fig.  9,  one  of  the  anterior  feet  of  do.  Fig.  10,  one 
of  the  third  pair  of  feet  of  do.  Fig.  II,  C.  minuta.  Fig.  12,  C. 
Joanna.  Fig.  13,  C.  elongata.  Fig.  14,  C.  Westwoodii.  Fig.  15, 
C.  gibbosa.  Fig.  16,  *  C.  clavata.  Fig.  16,  Body  of  Cy there  reni- 
formis,  the  shell  removed.  Fig.  17,  Cythere  reniformis.  Fig.  18, 
one  of  the  antenns  of  do.  Fig.  19,  one  of  the  anterior  feet  of  do. 
Fig.  20,  one  of  the  posterior  pair  of  feet  of  do.  Fig.  21,  mandible. 
Fig.  22,  first  pair  of  jaws.  Fig.  23,  Cythere  albo-maculata.  Fig. 
24,  C.  alba.  Fig.  25,  C.  variabilis,  a,  and  6.  Fig.  36,  C.  aurantia. 
Fig.  27,  C.  nigrescens. 

CTo  be  continued.  J 

V. — Directions  for  the  preservation  of  Sea  PlantSy  with  MisceUane^ 
ous  Remarks  on  a  number  of  species  collected  at  Caimlough  Bay, 
on  the  Coast  ofAntrimy  in  the  months  of  May  and  June  1836.  By 
Jambs  S.  Drummond,  M.  D.  President  of  the  Belfast  Natural 
History  Society,  &c. 

The  first  object  to  be  attended  to  in  preserving  marine  plants  is  to 
have  them  washed  perfectly  clean  before  spreading.  There  should 
not  be  left  upon  them  a  particle  of  sand  or  other  foreign  body,  unless 


Directions  far  preserviiiff  Sea  Plants.  145 

in  some  rare  instances  a  parasitic  species  may  be  thought  worthy  of 
keeping,  on  account  of  its  rarity,  or  because  it  may  add  an  additional 
beauty  to  the  chief  specimen.  It  is  a  good  practice  to  wash  them  be- 
fore leaving  the  shore  either  in  the  sea,  or  in  a  rocky  pool,  or,  as  is 
sometimes  more  convenient  in  some  localities,  in  a  rivulet  discharging 
itself  into  the  ocean,  though,  as  will  be  afterwards  explained,  the  last 
practice  proves  very  destructive  to  the  beauty  of  some  species. 

The  foreign  bodies  to  be  got  rid  of  are  fragments  of  decayed  sea- 
weeds, sand,  gravel,  and  sometimes  portions  of  the  softened  surface  of 
sandstone  or  argillaceous  rock  on  which  the  specimens  may  have 
grown,  together  with  the  smaller  testacea,  and  the  Corallina  officinalis^ 
&c.  At  Cairnlough  Bay  I  experienced  most  trouble  in  this  respect 
from  the  Ectocarpi^  which  confervas  were  so  generally  diffused,  as  to 
be  entangled  with  almost  every  other  species  of  sea-plant. 

After  the  greatest  pains  which  we  may  take  to  clean  our  specimens 
at  the  shore,  there  will  generally  be  found  much  to  do  before  they  can 
be  properly  committed  to  paper,  since  foreign  substances  will  continue 
attached  to  them  with  much  pertioacity  even  after  we  may  have  been 
tttisfied  that  they  are  perfectly  clean.  It  is  therefore  necessary  to  pre- 
pare each  specimen  by  examining  it  in  fresh  or  sea  water  in  a  white 
dish  or  plate,  so  that  every  thing  foreign  may  be  detected  and  re- 
moved. 

The  next  thing  to  be  attended  to  is  the  quality  of  the  paper  on 
which  the  specimens  are  to  be  spread ;  and  here  a  great  error  is  gene- 
rally committed,  in  using  it  thin  and  inferior,  by  which,  if  the  speci- 
men be  worth  preserving,  it  has  not  proper  justice  done  to  it.  Much 
of  the  beauty,  indeed,  of  many  species  depends  on  the  goodness  of  the 
paper,  exactly  as  a  print  or  drawing  will  appear  better  or  wone,  as  it 
is  executed  on  paper  of  a  good  or  an  inferior  kind.  Some  species,  too, 
contract  so  much  in  drying  as  to  pucker  the  edges  of  the  paper,  if  it 
be  not  sufficiently  thick,  for  example  Delesseria  laciniatOy  and  this  has 
a  very  unsightly  appearance.  That  which  I  have  from  experience 
been  led  to  prefer  is  a  thick  music-paper.  It  closely  resembles  that 
used  for  drawing,  and  the  sheet  divides  into  four  leaves,  of  a  most  con- 
venient size,  each  being  about  an  inch  and  a-half  longer  and  broader 
than  a  leaf  of  this  Magazine.  These,  ugain,  divided  into  halves  answer 
for  small  species,  and  fur  laige  specimens  we  may  use  the  entire  folio. 
We  have  thus  three  regular  sizes  of  paper,  and  this  serves  to  give  a 
uniformity  and  neatness  to  a  collection  not  to  be  obtained  by  using 
papen  at  random,  and  of  casual  dimensions. 

Whatever  pains  we  may  have  taken  to  clean  the  recent  specimens, 
we  shall  ofiten  find,  when  spreading  them,  that  some  foreign  particles 


146  Directions  fir  pf  tm»  wiiy  Sea  Plants. 

continue  attached,  and  for  the  remoyal  of  these  a  pair  of  c 
forceps,  and  a  camel  hair  pencil  of  middle  size,  will  he  found  very 
oonyenient.  These,  indeed,  are  almost  indispensable,  and  will  be  found 
useful  on  more  occasions  than  can  here  be  specified.  A  silver  probe, 
with  a  blunt  and  a  sharp  end,  is  the  most  convenient  instrument  for 
spreading  out,  and  separating  branches  from  each  other,  but  any  thing 
with  a  rigid  point,  such  as  a  large  needle,  or  the  handle  of  the  camel* 
hair  pencil  sharpened,  will  answer.  A  large  white  dinner-dish  serves 
perfectly  well  for  spreading  the  specimens  in,  and  all  that  is  &rther 
necessary  is  a  quantity  of  drying  papers,  and  some  sheets  of  blotting- 
paper,  with  three  or  four  flat  pieces  of  deal-board.  Nothing  answers 
better  for  drying  than  old  newspapers,  each  divided  into  eight  parts, 
but  it  is  necessary  to  have  a  large  supply  of  these. 

The  beautifnl  and  common  Plocamium  coecineum  is  one  of  the 
most  easily  preserved  species,  and  may  be  taken  as  an  example  of  the 
mode  of  proceeding  with  most  of  the  others.  The  steps  to  be  pur- 
sued are  as  follows, — 

1.  The  specimen  is  to  be  perfectly  well  cleaned. 

2.  A  dinner-dish  to  be  filled  about  two-thirds  with  clean  fresh 
water. 

3.  The  paper  on  which  the  specimen  is  to  be  spread,  to  be  immersed 
in  the  water  in  the  dish. 

4.  The  specimen  to  be  then  placed  on  the  paper,  and  spread  out 
by  means  of  the  probe  and  camel-hair  pencil. 

5.  The  paper  with  the  specimen  on  it  to  be  then  slowly  withdrawn 
from  the  dish,  sliding  it  over  its  edge. 

6.  The  paper  with  the  specimen  adhering  to  it,  to  be  held  up  by 
one  comer  for  a  minute  or  two,  to  drain  off  the  water. 

7.  To  be  then  laid  on  a  paper,  or  cloth,  upon  a  table,  and  the  super- 
fluous water  still  remaining  to  be  removed  by  repeated  pressure  of 
blotting-paper  upon  the  specimen,  beginning  this  operation  at  the 
edges,  and  gradually  encroaching  towards  the  centre  till  the  whole 
can  be  pressed  upon  without  danger  of  any  part  adhering  to  the  blot- 
ting-paper, which  probably  would  be  the  case,  were  the  latter  applied 
at  once  to  the  whole  specimen. 

8.  The  specimen  then  to  foe  laid  on  a  couple  of  drying  papers  placed 
on  the  carpet  or  a  table;  two  more  papers  to  be  laid  over  it,  and  then 
the  piece  of  boardi  on  which  latter  m  few  books  are  to  be  put,  to  give 
the  necessary  pressure. 

9.  These  papers  to  be  changed  every  half  hour  or  oftener,  till  the 
specimen  is  sv^ciently  dry.  (A  number  of  specimens  with  drying 
papers  interposed,  may  be  pressed  at  once  under  the  same  board.) 

4 


Directions  for  preserving  Sea  Plants.  147 

Though  the  above  method  is  in  general  the  best,  yet  there  are  va- 
rious species,  and  among  these  the  Ptocamium  coccineum  itself, 
which  dry  perfectly  well  by  simple  exposure  to  the  open  air  without 
pressure  being  had  recourse  to  at  all ;  and  some  can  only  be  preserved 
in  the  latter  way^  being  so  gli](tinous  that  they  will  adhere  as  strongly 
to  the  drying  paper  laid  over  them  as  to  that  on  which  they  are 
spread.  Pressure,  however,  is  necessary  after  they  have  dried,  for  the 
purpose  of  flattening  them.* 

After  these  general  remarks,  I  will  now  offer  some  observations 
relating  to  several  genera  and  species,  following  the  order  in  which 
they  are  arranged  in  the  English  Flora. 

I  believe  all  the  species  belonging  to  the  Fucoidese  are  to  be  dried 
in  the  manner  of  land  plants,  after  having  been  previously  steeped 
ibr  some  time  in  fresh  water  to  extract  their  salt  and  mucilage.  C^s- 
toseira  graaMdata^  which  I  have  repeatedly  found  on  the  Lame  shore, 
will  adhere  imperfectly  if  spread  in  water,  but  it  is  best  treated  as  a 
land  plant,  to  be  afterwards  fixed  with  mucilage.  Halidrya  stliquosa^ 
Fucus  vesiculosuSf  and  P,  nodosus  require  very  heavy  pressure. 
The  air- vesicles  of  the  first  may  be  in  part  cut  longitudinally  to  show 
the  internal  partitions,  and  of  the  two  last,  to  diminish  their  diameter, 
but  this  must  be  done  after  they  are  dried,  for  if  done  in  the  recent 
state  they  contract  and  become  disfigured. 

Himanthalia  lorea. — Very  common  on  the  -Antrim  coast.  It 
is  observed  in  the  English  Flora,  that  the  peziza-shaped  fronds  of  this 
species  have  been  observed  **  on  exposed  rocks  in  the  Orkneys  swol- 
len into  a  large  hollow,  exactly  spherical,  smooth  black  ball,  probably 
in  consequence  of  the  heat  of  the  sun  rarifying  and  expanding  the 
air  within."  I  have  seen  them  this  summer  in  a  similarly  inflated 
state,  not  on  exposed  rocks,  but  in  pools  of  water  where  they  could 
never  have  been  uncovered ;  they  were  not  black,  but  of  a  bright 
yellow  colour,  and  looked  exactly  like  a  parcel  of  hard-boiled  yolks  of 
eggs.     I  suspect  this  inflation  to  be  the  effect  of  disease. 

Alaria  esculenteu — Common  on  the  Antrim  coast.  Adheres  very 
well  to  paper  when  young,  more  imperfectly  when  old.    It  becomes 

*  An  indispensable  requisite  in  the  drying  of  marine  or  fresh  water  algae  is  a 
poition  of  old  rag,  neither  of  a  quality  too  fine  or  too  coarse.  When  the  specimen 
has  been  spread,  as  directed,  upon  the  paper  on  which  it  is  to  remain,  a  piece  of 
ng  sufficient  to  cover  it  should  be  laid  over,  and  then  it  may  be  interleaved  under 
the  boards  for  pressure.  The  rag  prevents  the  necessity  of  so  much  care  in 
taking  up  the  moisture  as  Mr  Drummond  requires,  never  adheres  to  the  speci- 
mens, but  when  dry,  leaves  them,  while  most  of  the  plants  themselves  stick 
irmly  to  the  sheets  on  which  they  have  been  spread — Eds. 


148  Directions  for  preserving  Sea  Plants. 

rery  transparent  in  drying,  and  is  a  great  ornament  to  the  herbariam. 
In  the  north  of  Ireland  it  is  called  murlins,  and  is  often  gathered  for 
eating,  but  the  part  used  is  the  leaflets,  and  not  the  midrib,  as  is  com- 
monly stated.  These  have  a  very  pleasant  taste  and  flavour,  but 
soon  cover  the  roof  of  the  mouth  with  a  tenacious  greenish  crust, 
which  causes  a  sensation  somewhat  like  that  of  the  fat  of  a  heart  or 
kidney.  These  leaflets  or/?tnfu:pare  quite  membranaceous  when  young, 
but  in  fuH- grown  plants  are  fleshy,  and  at  their  middle  a  quarter  of 
an  inch  or  more  in  thickness.  Some  of  my  specimens  are  of  a  fine 
light-green  colour,  others  mottled  with  rich  brown,  and  some  are  of 
a  golden-yellow.  Young  specimens  in  general  are  of  a  uniform  colour 
throughout. 

Laminaria  digitatcu — This  common  plant  is  highly  prized  on 
many  parts  of  the  Antrim  coast  as  a  manure.  Every  kind,  indeed, 
that  is  thrown  up  is  used  for  the  same  purpose,  and  in  some  places  it 
is  a  common  saying,  that  a  sack  of  sea-wrack  will  produce  a  sack  of 
potatoes.  After  a  fresh  in -blowing  wind,  I  have  seen  Caimlough 
Bay  almost  as  populous  as  a  fair,  from  the  number  of  persons  that  had 
collected  from  several  miles  around  with  horses  and  cars  to  carry  off 
the  wrack.  In  calm  or  moderate  weather  the  inhabitants  of  the  coast 
wade  in  amongst  the  rocks  at  low- water  with  reaping-hooks,  and  cut 
away  the  F*  vesiculostu  and  nodosus  with  the  same  object.  They 
often  also  go  out  in  boats,  and  cut  the  tangle  with  crooked  knives 
fastened  to  the  end  of  long  poles,  by  which  large  quantities  are  ob- 
tained. On  parts  of  the  shore  which  are  too  rugged  for  a  wheeled 
vehicle,  the  wrack  is  carried  off  in  creels  attached  to  the  backs  of 
ponies,  and  where  these  cannot  have  access^  both  men  and  women 
may  be  seen  toiling  from  the  shore  with  bagfuls  on  their  backs,  or 
basketfuls  on  their  shoulders.  An  almost  universal  opinion  prevails, 
not  only  at  Caimlough,  but  on  every  part  of  the  coast,  so  far  as  I 
have  been  informed,  that  a  much  larger  quantity  of  wrack  is  thrown 
ashore  during  rain  than  at  other  times.  I  inquired  from  many  &r- 
mers,  and  from  gentlemen  living  on  the  coast,  respecting  this,  and 
they  all  considered  it  a  thing  perfectly  ascertained.  I  first  heard  this 
opinion  some  years  ago  from  a  friend  who  lives  at  Donaghadee,  in 
the  county  of  Down,  who  stated,  that  it  was  quite  a  common  thing 
for  farmers  in  that  neighbourhood  to  yoke  their  horses,  and  go  to  the 
beach  for  wrack  as  soon  as  rainy  weather  came,  though,  allowing  the 
wind  to  be  the  same,  they  would  not  think  of  doing  so  if  the  weather 
were  dry,  thinking  that  this  trouble  would  be  useless.  1  have  had  a 
precisely  similar  account  from  a  gentleman  in  the  neighbourhood  of 
Carrickfergus ;  but  yet  with  all  this  evidence  I  have  not  been  able, 


Directions  far  preservinff  Sea  Plants.  149 

bom  my  own  obeeryation,  to  find  the  least  colour  for  belieyiag  that 
there  is  any  truth  in  the  assertion,  though  I  am  puzzled  to  account 
ior  the  prevalence  of  the  opinion  in  places  so  distant  from  each  other. 
That  there  may  occasionally  he  the  appearcmce  of  more  wrack  on  the 
shore  dnring  rain  it  is  easy  to  oonceivey  as  plants  which  are  thrown 
high  np  during  a  spring  tide  in  dry  weather  may  continue  beyond 
the  reach  of  the  sea- water,  shrivelled  np,  but  on  the  coming  of  rain 
will  expand  and  make  a  show,  when  before  they  were  nndistinguish- 
abk ;  bnt  it  can  scarcely  be  supposed  that  this  forms  the  foundation 
of  the  opinion  I  have  mentioned. 

The  desire  to  procure  wrack  at  Caimlongh  has  increased  much  of 
kte  years,  in  proportion  as  its  utility  has  become  better  known  ;  and 
I  hare  at  times  been  somewhat  inclined  to  suspect  that  cutting  the 
tangle  in  such  quantities  as  is  done,  may  have  had  some  influence  in 
diminishing  the  number  of  fishes  in  the  bay,  which  are  every  year 
becoming  more  and  more  scarce,  so  that  where  they  used  to  be  plen- 
tiful, the  fishermen  now  say  they  are  scarcely  worth  the  trouble  of 
looking  after.  They  uniformly  attribute  this  failure  to  the  steam- 
boats passing  along  the  coast. 

As  a  manure  for  potatoes,  the  sea-wrack  is  not  favourable  to  their 
dryness,  but  it  greatly  increases  their  produce,  and  the  ground  affords 
good  crops  of  oats  the  following  year  without  &rther  manuring. 

The  stem  of  L.  digitata  is  round,  but  at  Lame  and  also  at 

Caimlough,  I  have  often  found  it  very  much  compressed,  and  re- 

'  mafkably  smooth  throughout,  but  without  any  apparent  specific  dif- 


Z.  huUH)sa  does  not  adhere  to  paper,  and  therefore  is  to  be  treated 
as  a  land  phint. 

Laminaria  saccharifM^ — Very  common,  adheres  to  paper  very  well 
when  young. 

Laminariaph^Uiiis, — Common  on  the  Antrim  coast.  I  can  scarce- 
ly consider  this  as  distinct  firom  L.  saccharina.  I  have  repeatedly 
seen  the  bullated  appearance  in  the  centre  of  the  frond  even  in  very 
young  plants,  but  this  nearly  disappears  in  the  dried  specimen.  Dr 
Greville  states,  Alg.  Brit.  p.  34,  that  it  only  adheres  partly  to  paper 
in  drying,  but  I  believe  that  this  will  depend  much  on  drcnmstances, 
for  if  the  specimen  be  allowed  to  remain  only  a  short  time  in  frerii 
water,  and  be  spread  before  it  has  lost  its  mucus,  it  will  adhere  pretty 
well,  hut  less  perfectly  if  permitted  a  longer  stay,  unless  perhaps  that 
it  have  remained  so  long  that  incipient  decomposition  has  come  on. 
Most  of  my  specimens. adhere  closely. 

VOL.  II.  no.  8.  L 


150  Directions  fcT  preserving  Sea  Plants. 

Desmarestia  actdeata*  Common.  I  found  many  specimens  at  Cairn- 
lough  Bay  in  May,^and  a  few  in  June,  in  its  young  state,  with  the 
tufted  fringes.  When  old,  it  is  very  frequent  lying  in  large  masses 
on  the  shore.  Dr  Greville  accurately  remarks,  that  "  old  plants  do 
not  adhere  to  paper  in  drying,  and  become  a  little  darker.  Young 
plants,  still  furnished  with  the  pencils  of  filaments,  adhere,  and  do  not 
change  colour  at  all." — Alg.  Br.  p.  38. 

I  must  here  remark,  that  because  species  are  found  at  the  extre- 
mities of  a  kingdom,  it  may  be  yery  erroneous  to  suppose  that  they 
are  common  to  all  the  intermediate  parts  of  the  coast.  In  the  Flora 
Hibemica,  for  instance,  it  is  stated  that  Deamarestia  liguleUa  is  "  not 
uncommon  on  any  of  our  shores  from  the  Giant's  Causeway  to  Ban- 
try  Bay."  Now,  during  nearly  two  months  spent  this  summer  at 
Caimlough  Bay,  in  which  scarcely  a  day  passed  that  I  did  not  examine 
some  part  of  the  shore,  I  did  not  find  a  fragment  of  it.  I  have  from 
time  to  time  gathered  marine  plants  at  Lame  from  my  boyhood,  and 
I  never  saw  a  trace  there  of  this  species,  nor  do  I  recollect  ever  find- 
ing a  specimen  of  it  but  one,  which  I  gathered  a  few  years  ago  at 
Bangor,  on  the  county  Down,  side  of  Belfiist  Lough. 

Dichhria  viridis. — Common  at  Caimlough,  ofren  lying  in  masses 
on  the  shore  as  large  as,  and  not  unlike  a  horse's  tail.  It  is  to  be  pre- 
served in  the  ordinary  way,  but,  as  is  properly  stated  by  Dr  Greville, 
"  m  drying  it  does  not  adhere  very  firmly  to  paper ;"  and  the  smaller 
the  specimen,  this  is  the  more  likely  to  happen ;  but  I  have  some  spe- 
cimens of  large  size,  whose  branches  coming  in  numerous  points  of 
contact  with  the  paper,  give  to  each  other  such  a  mutual  supp(»rt  that 
the  whole  adheres  with  considerable  firmness.  It  will  remain  a  long 
time  unchanged  in  fresh  water,  and  is  little  liable  to  decay  itself  though 
it  so  readily  decomposes  other  species. 

From  a  preconceived  idea  that  its  solvent  powers  might  have  some 
strong  afl&nity  with  those  of  the  gastric  juice,  I  was  pretty  confident 
that  it  would  possess  the  quality  of  reuniting  milk,  but  on  making  the 
experiment  this  summer,  I  ascertained  that  it  had  no  such  property. 
When  it  lies  for  some  time  in  contact  with  Plocamium  coccineum 
PHlotaplumosay  and  some  other  red-coloured  species,  it  changes  them 
to  a  bright  violet,  but  this  is  frigitive,  and  disappears  on  drying ;  the 
natural  red  colour  continuing  as  before. 

Chordaria  flageUiformis. — Common  at  Caimlough  and  most 
pdrts  of  our  coast.  Fine  specimens  grow  on  the  rocks  below  Holy- 
wood  near  Bel£ftst.  I  do  not  know  any  species  which  gives  out  so 
great  a  quantity  of  mucus  after  being  immersed  in  fresh  water  as  this. 


Directions  Jbr  preserving  Sea  Plants.  151 

Its  glutinosity  also  causes  mnch  difficulty  in  presenring  gt)od  speci- 
mens in  the  usual  way,  from  its  strong  adhesion  to  the  drying  paper 
placed  oyer  it.  The  hest  management  is  to  spread  it  and  allow  it  to 
dry  at  leisure  exposed  to  the  air ;  in  doing  so  it  gives  out  a  quantity 
of  mucus  of  a  brown  colour,  which  tinges  the  paper  along  the  sides  of 
each  branch,  but  this  gives  rather  a  richness  and  beauty  to  the  speci- 
men than  acts  as  a  deformity.  This  mucus  often  has  a  glistening  ap- 
pearance like  the  dried  slime  of  a  snail. 

Chorda  Filunu — ^Very  common,  growing  most  luxuriantly  in  si- 
tuations somewhat  sheltered  from  the  violence  of  the  open  sea.  It 
need  not  be  spread  in  water,  but  if  placed  on  white  paper,  and  submit- 
ted to  pressure  under  drying  papers,  by  frequently  changing  these  it 
will  remain  firmly  attached  to  the  former.  By  letting  it  steep  in  fresh 
water  for  several  days  to  deprive  it  of  its  elasticity,  it  may  be  rolled 
into  a  spiral  coil  and  then  dried  as  above.  It  thus  assumes  an  interest- 
ing though  perhaps  unnatural  and  fiEmtastic  appearance. 

IXictrfota  dichotomtu — Not  uncommon,  the  variety  jS  (intricata)  is 
very  frequent  on  the  Larne  shore, '  though  the  normal  form  is  rare, 
grows  extremely  flaccid  soon  after  immersion  in  fresh  water,  and  the 
easiest  way  to  preserve  it  is  to  clean  it  in  a  plate  with  sea  water,  and 
to  spread  it  immediately  on  the  paper  ready  to  receive  it  in  the  fresh 
water. 

Delesseria  sanguinea. — This  species  has  its  colour  very  much 
beautified  by  letting  it  steep  in  fresh  water  for  five  or  six  hours  or 
longer :  this  changes  it  firom  ft  garnet  to  a  rich  rose  red,  though  it  does 
not  always  retain  when  dried  the  same  beauty  of  tint  which  it  ex- 
hibits when  moist.  I  found  specimens  at  Caimlough  in  June,  with 
the  footstalks  crowded  with  fructification,  though  it  is  commonly 
found  in  this  state  in  winter  and  spring.  It  sometimes  acquires  a 
monstrous  bulk ;  a  single  firond  of  one  specimen  in  my  collection  ga- 
thered at  Caimlough  Bay  in  July,  measuring  in  length  10  J  inches  (in- 
dependent of  the  footstalk,)  and  at  its  middle  1\  inches  in  breadth.* 
The  finest  specimens  of  the  usual  form  of  the  plant  I  have  ever  seen, 
were  gathered  at  Groomsport  on  Belfast  Lough. 

Deiesseria  sinuosfu — The  colour  of  this  is  also  rendered  more  beau- 
tiful by  steeping  several  days  in  fresh  water.  It  is  very  common  on 
the  Antrim  coast,  and  grows  to  a  great  size.    A  frond  of  one  of  the 

•  It  is  excessively  plaited  at  the  edges,  as  are  some  of  the  other  fronds  from 
the  same  specimen,  which  are  also  cordate  at  the  base  in  short,  the  variety  ^  (la- 
tifolia)  of  Captain  Cannichael,  Eng.  Flor.  Vol.  v.  Part  I  p.  285,  bat  consider- 
ably larger  than  these  described. 


152  Directionifor  preserving  Sea  Plants. 

specimens  I  presenred  in  June  at  Cairnlough  is  5{  inches  long  from 
the  commencement  of  its  lamina  from  the  footstalk  to  the  point,  and 
is  7  inches  broad ;  another  is  5^  inches  long,  and  7^  broad;  and  a  third, 
6{  inches  long,  and  somewhat  more  than  7  in  breadth.  The  ciliary 
fractification  is  the  most  common,  but  the  capsular  is  also  frequent  in 
the  summer.  Nothing  can  be  more  easy  than  to  preserve  this  in  the 
common  way* 

Deleiseria  akUa. — This  is  also  yery  easily  put  up,  and,  like  moet  of 
the  garnet  red  ones,  its  colour  is  brightened  by  long  maceration  in 
fresh  water.     It  grows  very  luxuriantly  on  the  Antrim  coast. 

Delesseria  ^^o^2o«ium.— -Tolerably  frequent.  The  effect  of  frwh 
water  on  this  species  is  almost  instantaneous.  When  recent  it  has 
considerable  rigidity,  and  a  large  yariety,  of  which  I  found  several  spe- 
cimens at  Caimlough  Bay,  and  which  at  first  sight  I  could  scarcely  re- 
cognize as  being  this  species,  was  firm  and  cartilaginous,  but  after  be- 
ing in  the  fresh  water  for  a  few  minutes  was  perfectly  flaccid,  and  its 
colour  changing  rapidly  from  garnet  to  orange-red.  It  may  be  pre- 
served in  the  common  way  without  any  trouble,  and  adheres  closely 
to  paper.  The  same  may  be  remarked  of  Z>.  ruscifoliay  which  is  much 
more  rare. 

NoiophyUum  punctatunu — I  found  little  of  it  this  season.  It  also, 
when  perfectly  recent,  is  of  a  garnet  red,  and  is  as  rigid  as  silk  paper 
to  the  touch.  When  dipped  in  fresh  water  it  emits  a  crackling  noise^ 
turns  rapidly  to  a  rosy  orange  tint,  grows  extremely  flaccid,  and 
gives  out  a  large  quantity  of  pink  colotring-matter.  It  is  so  very 
thin  that  it  dries  rapidly,  and  requires  no  particular  precautions. 

NotophfUum  ^erolum.— Common,  rigid  when  recent,  beoomee 
flaccid  in  fresh  water,  but  is  not  otherwise  changed,  dries  easily. 

Bhodomenia  Uwiniaiiu — Abundant,  and  often  very  large  ;  is  not 
altered  by  fresh  water,  except  that  it  becomes  less  rigid,  and  more 
easily  spread  af)«r  some  hours  maceration.  It  is  best  to  change  the 
papers  firequently  during  its  desiccation,  as  it  sometimes  adheres  when 
this  is  neglected.  I  preserved  a  single  specimen  at  Lame  in  July, 
which  was  so  large  that  I  was  obliged  to  separate  it  into  portions, 
and  spread  it  on  four  folio  leaves,  the  dimensions  of  which  are  as  fol- 
low : — Specimen  on  first  leaf  7^  inches  from  base  to  top ;  14  inches 
in  breadth ;  specimen  on  second  leaf  7^  inches  high,  and  12^  broad  ; 
specimen  on  third  leaf  7  inches  high,  and  9^  broad ;  specimen  on 
fourth  leaf,  five  portions  of  the  frond  occupying  the  greater  part 
of  it. 

Bhodomenia  ciliata. — This  species  is  very  rare  on  the  Antrim 


Directions  for  preserving  Sea  Plants.  1 53 

ooasty  mt  least  in  any  place  I  have  had  an  opportunity  of  visiting.  I 
mention  it  merely  to  notice,  that  it  g;ives  a  transparency  to  the  paper 
on  which  it  is  spread,  as  if  the  latter  had  been  oiled  at  the  points 
of  contact. 

BhodomeniapahnatOn — ^Dnlse.  Dillisch. — Easily  spread,  but  trouble- 
some, especially  when  laige,  to  retain  in  a  flat  expanded  state  on  ac- 
count of  its  contracting  very  much  as  it  dries.  Dr  Greville  observes, 
that  *'  while  rather  young,  the  substance  is  very  thin,  slightly  lubri- 
cous, and  adheres  to  paper  in  drying,  but  not  when  in  fructification." 
— AJg.  Br.  p.  98.  Nothing  can  be  more  common  than  this  species, 
but  I  have  never  seen  it  so  extremely  abundant  as  near  the  Garron 
Point,  about  three  miles  north  of  Caimlough.  It  there  seems  to  oc- 
cupy the  place  which  Pueus  vesiculosa  and  P.  nodosus  do  on  other 
parts  of  the  coast,  and  these  species  which  do  occur  there  are  quite 
overgrown  with  it,  as  are  also  the  stones  and  rocks.  Large  quantities 
are  gathered  at  this  place,  and  being  dried,  it  is  sold  at  a  penny  perpound 
to  persons,  who  afterwards  hawk  it  through  the  country  towns  for  miles 
around :  I  was  told  that  when  taken  to  Ballymena,  about  fifteen  miles 
firom  this  locality,  it  is  sold  at  dd.  or  4d.  per  pound.  Dulse  is  brought 
in  abundance  to  Belfiist  from  various  quarters,  and  is  sold  by  huxters. 
Its  usual  price,  as  retailed  by  persons  who  come  direct  from  the  shore, 
and  sell  it  from  door  to  door,  is  about  4d.  per  pound,  but  in  the  dried 
state  it  is  very  light  and  bulky.  There  are  few  persons  who  are  not 
pleased  with  its  taste  and  flavour.  In  general  it  is  not  swallowed, 
but  is  chewed,  sucked,  and  then  discarded. 

Dr  Greville  states,  that  **  both  the  Scots  and  Irish  wash  the  plants 
in  fr^h  water,  dry  it  in  the  sun,  and  rolling  it  up  chew  it  like  tobac- 
co. But  it  is  usually  eaten  fresh  from  the  sea." — Alg.  Br.  p.  94. 
In  this  part  of  the  world  I  have  never  seen  it  brought  for  sale  when 
fr-esh,  nor  is  it  here  ever  washed  in  fresh  water  previously  to  drying, 
which,  indeed,  I  should  apprehend,  would  deprive  it  of  those  qualities 
for  which  it  is  prized,  namely,  its  flavour  and  saltness. 

At  Ballycastle,  a  small  variety  is  found  of  a  very  rich  claret-colour, 
growing  on  rocks,  which  is  more  highly  valued  than  the  common 
kind.  It  is  called  Cndgan  Dulse,  the  latter  name,  however,  being 
generally  given  to  such  as  grow  on  rocks,  and  which  is  esteemed 
more  highly  than  that  growing  on  tangle  and  other  seaweeds.  One 
fiskvourite  way  of  using  dulse  is,  to  cut  it  very  small,  and  then  eat  it 
strewn  thick  on  a  slice  of  bread  and  butter. 

Rhodomenia  reniformis. — ^At  Cairnlough  Bay  I  found  in  June  a 
few  but  very  beautifril  specimens  of  this  rare  species,  which  adheres 


154  Directions  far  preservifig  Sea  Plants. 

extremely  cloBely  to  paper,  and  is  very  easily  preserved.  One  speci- 
men, about  three  inches  long  and  two  broad,  of  an  obovate  form,  has 
its  margin  fringed  with  nearly  fifty  lobes,  each  on  a  narrow  foot- 
stalky  and  having  so  formal  an  appearance  as  rather  to  resemble  a 
work  of  art  than  of  nature.  These  lobes  are  generally  circular, 
though  some  are  ovate,  and  others  obovate,  and  in  width  from  the 
diameter  of  a  pea  or  less,  to  that  of  a  sixpence,  the  smaller  ones  oc- 
cupying the  torn  edges  of  the  frond. 

OdonthaUa  dentata* — Common,  is  very  easily  spread,  but  when 
nearly  dry  the  main  stem  contracts  and  separates  from  the  paper,  es- 
pecially in  old  plants.  The  extremities  of  the  fronds,  however,  some- 
times adhere  very  well. 

Laurencia  pinnatifida. — When  recent  is  rigid  and  cartilaginous, 
but  soon  gets  flaccid  in  fresh  water,  and  gives  out  much  mucus  and 
colouring  matter.  If  allowed  to  remain  too  long  in  maceration  it 
becomes  almost  gelatinous,  and  will  then  require  to  be  nearly  dry  by 
exposure  to  air,  before  it  is  submitted  to  pressure,  when  it  must 
be  very  often  changed  to  prevent  adhesion.  The  var.  |3.  (Fucw 
osmundoy  Gmel.)  is  not  very  frequent  on  our  coast,  though  very  fine 
specimens  are  occasionally  thrown  ashore.  The  other  varieties  are  as 
common  as  on  most  coasts.  In  spreading  variety  jS.  it  will  be  often 
necessary  to  cut  away  such  superfluous  branches,  as  if  retained  would 
encumber  the  specimen,  and  give  it  an  indistinct  and  confused  appear- 
ance. One  very  important  part,  indeed,  of  the  art  of  preserving  marine 
plants  is  to  sufliciently  prune  luxuriant  specimens.  Ptilota  plumosoy 
for  instance,  is  ofben  so  luxuriant  on  our  coast,  that  unless  much 
thinned  it  would  form  on  paper  a  confused  and  unsightly  mass.*  The 
same  remark  will  apply  to  several  other  species. 

Laurencia  obtusa, — I  have  now  found  this  species  on  the  Antrim 
coast,  north  of  Belfast  Lough,  and  there,  I  believe,  it  only  grows  on 
the  county  Down  side,  though  detached  specimens  are  not  unfre- 
quently  thrown  on  the  opposite.  About  Bangor  it  is  not  uncommon, 
growing  in  pools  of  sea  water.  It  is  best  preserved  by  letting  it  be 
nearly  dry  before  it  is  pressed. 

Chylocladia  claveUastu — Common  in  Belfast  Lough,  and  on  the 
Antrim  coast,  and  of  very  large  size  ;  should  be  nearly  quite  dry  be- 
fore it  is  submitted  to  pressure. 

Chflocladia  ovalie. — I  never  found  this  species  till  June  last,  when 

*  This  practice  may  be  useful  when  preserving  specimens  for  examination ;  in 
other  cases  the  character  of  the  species  will  be  entirely  lost — Eds. 

3 


Directions  for  preserving  Sea  Plants.  155 

I  detected  it  sparingly  in  a  rocky  pool  about  half-way  between  Glen- 
arm  and  Caimlough  Bay.  There  were  many  other  pools  at  the  same 
locality,  bat  it  only  occurred  in  the  one.  It  was  when  growing  al- 
most entirely  of  a  yellowish  olive-green,  but  reddened  a  little  when 
exposed  to  the  air,  and  still  more  when  steeped  in  fresh  water.  It 
was  in  fruit,  having  granules  imbedded  in  the  ramuli. 

Chflocladia  arHculata. — Common.  This  and  the  other  Chylo- 
dadia  just  mentioned,  (the  stem  of  C.  ovalia  excepted)  are  so  suc- 
culent, that  a  person  who  had  seen  them  only  in  the  dried  state  could 
have  little  idea  of  the  appearance  they  present  in  the  recent.  C 
ckmellosa  when  just  spread  on  paper  looks  so  thick,  coarse,  and  com- 
plicated, that  one  might  almost  despair  of  its  becoming  fit  for  preserv- 
ing, yet  when  simply  left  to  itself  it  dries  away  to  the  greatest  de- 
gree of  tenuity,  becomes  so  attached  to  the  paper  as  to  seem  incor- 
porated with  it,  and  forms  one  of  the  most  beautiful  plants  of  the 
herbarium.  C.  articulata  is  best  dried  under  pressure  from  the  first, 
and  the  two  or  three  first  times  it  is  changed,  it  will  be  advisable  to 
remove  the  moisture  it  has  discharged  by  blotting-paper. 

Spharococcus  coronopifolius. — Not  unfrequent  This  species  dries 
easily  in  the  usual  way,  but  its  branches  shrink  up  very  much  in 
diameter,  I  think,  to  more  than  one-half  their  original  thickness.  It 
adheres  pretty  well  to  paper,  and,  as  remarked  in  the  Flora  Hiber- 
nica,  becomes  darker  in  drying.  It  '<  becomes  horny  in  the  thicker 
parts."— Grev.  Alg.  Br.  p.  138. 

Ptilotaplumosiu — Common,  growing  especially  on  the  stems  oiLa>^ 
ndnaria  digitata.  This  beautiful  species  is  much  improved  for  spread- 
ing by  maceration  for  six  or  eight  days  in  fresh  water.  When  taken 
from  the  sea,  (especially  large  specimens,)  it  is  so  rigid  that  the  smal- 
ler ramuli  escape  from  pressure  and  shrink  up,  thereby  deteriorating 
the  beauty  of  the  specimen.  This  is  considerably  obviated  by  long 
steeping,  from  which  the  plant  becomes  more  flaccid  and  obedient  to 
pressure,  and  the  colour  is  in  general  also  more  beautiful.  Old  spe- 
cimens dry  sometimes  almost  black,  and  this  occurs  sometimes  even 
after  long  maceration,  for  this  species  retains  its  colouring  matter  with 
great  pertinacity. 

Iridasaedulis. — Common;  but,  as  every  botanist  knows,  is  very  sel- 
dom thrown  ashore  in  a  perfect  state,  being  torn  and  perforated  in 
every  possible  way.  As  it  grows  in  pools  of  water,  it  may  occasion- 
ally be  found  in  a  good  state  several  inches  long.  It  adheres  strongly 
to  paper,  and  is  easily  preserved.  I  am  inclined  to  suspect,  from  the  ap- 
pearance of  some  of  my  specimens,  that  the  perforations  so  common 


156  DirecHoMfor  preserving  Sea  Plants. 

in  this  species  are  not  acddentaL,  but  that  portions  spontaneously  se- 
parate £rom  the  frond  and  drop  out. 

DunumHaJUiJinynis. — Very  oommon.  Should  be  nearly  dry  before 
pressure  is  used. 

Porfih^a  iaciniata* — Exceedingly  oommon.  This  I  believe  is  the 
only  species  used  in  Ireland  under  the  name  of  Sloke  {Lover  ia 
En^and.)  It  is  gathered  during  the  winter  months  only,  the  fronds 
bcong  too  tough  in  the  summer.  After  being  properly  cleaned,  it  is 
stewed  mtii  a  little  batter  to  prerent  its  getting  a  burnt  flayour,  and 
is  brouf^t  to  Belfast,  where  it  ie  sold  by  measure,  usually  at  the  rate 
of  fivepence  per  quart  Before  being  brought  to  table,  it  is  again 
heated,  with  an  additional  quantity  of  butter,  and  is  usually  eaten 
with  vinegar  and  pepper.  I  hare  never  heaxd  of  any  ill  effects  attri- 
buted to  its  use. 

Porp^ra  tmlgarie. — FVequent  on  the  coast,  but  so  excessively 
abundant  at  Caimlongh  Bay,  that  it  often  proved  a  serious  obstiuo- 
tion  to  my  collecting  other  species,  by  covering  and  hiding  them  fiKUD 
sight.  Dr  Greville  mentions  a  specimen  3^  feet  in  length,  but  I 
saw  many  specimens  of  considerably  larger  dimensions.  It  is  the 
most  difficult  plant  I  know  to  preserve  in  perfection^  not  that  thore 
is  any  difficulty  in  ^reading  and  going  through  the  other  steps  of 
the  process,  but  because,  when  it  ha&  nearly  arrived  at  the  last  stage 
of  drying,  a  moment's  exposure  to  the  air  will  cause  it  to  contract 
so  instantaneously,  that  the  edges  of  the  paper  are  immediately  drawa 
towards  eadi  other,  and,  if  attempted  to  be  restored  without  the 
whole  being  first  damped,  the  specimen  tears  through  the  middle^ 
and  becomes  of  little  value.  The  edges  of  the  plant  adhere  strongly 
to  tibe  paper  when  dry,  or  nearly  so,  but  the  centre  does  not  adhere 
at  all,  and  being  as  fine  as  gold-beaters'  leaf,  though  having  oonside* 
rable  strength,  it  at  once  loses  the  little  moisture  it  possesses,  on 
coming  in  contact  with  the  air,  and  contracts  with  a  force  remarka- 
ble, when  we  oonsidor  its  extreme  thinness.  If  the  paper  be  thin, 
its  four  comers  will  in  a  moment  be  brought  almost  in  contact  with 
eadi  other.  I  believe  the  best  chance  of  succeeding  is,  when  we 
suppose  that  it  is  almost  dry,  to  have  a  flat  book  (such  as  a  music 
book)  held  open,  and  the  pressure  being  taken  o%  to  remove  the 
specimen  along  wit^  the  drying  paper  covering  it,  as  quickly  as  po^ 
sible,  between  the  leaves  of  the  book,  which  is  to  be  immediately 
closed^  and  not  opened  till  next  day,  or  till  we  are  satisfied  that  the 
desiccation  is  absolutely  complete. 

The  colour  in  this  species  varies  very  much,^n  some  specimens 


Directiorts  for  preserving  Sea  Plants.  1 57 

being  pale,  and  in  others  a  rich  reddish-purple ;  sometimes  a  bright 
orange^  which  latter,  I  believe,  is  the  effect  of  incipient  decay.  I 
often  obserred  it  at  Cairnlough,  when  floating  in  still  water,  to  have 
an  appearance  as  if  it  were  bordered  with  white,  and  on  closer  in*- 
spection  I  found  that  this  proceeded  from  the  margin  having  attached 
to  it  in  its  whole  extent  minute  air  bubbles,  which  in  certain  lights 
looked  eiauddy  like  a  regular  row  of  seed-pearL  On  disturbing  the 
plant,  these  bubbles  were  not  very  easily  dislodged.  They  appeared 
equally  in  shade  as  in  sunshine. 

Pohfsiphania  violaeea* — Abundant  at  Caimlough  Bay,  in  May,  and 
in  fruit  in  June.  When  put  in  fresh  water,  it  almost  immediately 
gives  out  a  cloud  of  colouring  matter,  of  the  tint  of  Roman  ochre, 
and  bectxnes  much  daricer  in  colour  than  before.  When  it  has  lain 
for  a  night  in  a  wet  state  on  the  edge  of  a  dish,  I  have  found  it  on 
the  following  day  to  be  almost  black.  When  roUed  in  a  large  bunch 
on  the  shore  by  the  action  of  the  waves,  its  long  &sciculated 
l»anches  become  so  ravelled,  that  it  is  almost  impossible  to  get  them 
disengaged  from  each  other,  and  from  this  cause  I  lost  some  fine 
specimens,  as  I  found  the  task  of  unraveUing  them  too  trying  for 
any  ordinary  degree  of  human  patience.     It  adheres  firmly  to  paper. 

Ikuya  cocGt9itfa.^"Common.  When  quite  fresh,  it  is  of  a  gamet-red 
ctJonr,  and,  like  most  others  of  that  tint,  it  becomes  of  a  beautifril 
roee  pink,  when  macerated  in  fresh  water. 

Ceramivm  rubrttm. — I  found  a  number  of  specimens  of  this  very 
common  plant,  with  distinct  capsules  imbedded  in  the  substance  of 
the  filaments.  The  central  parts  of  these  were  so  opaque,  that  I 
could  not  with  the  microscope  distinguish  separate  seeds,  but  each 
globular  mass  was  surrounded  by  a  hyaline  ring,  and  in  some  speci- 
mens, where,  from  decay,  the  filament  had  become  white,  the  glo- 
bules retained  the  same  intensity  of  colour  as  in  other  parts ;  shew- 
ing that  thttr  vital  properties  had  protected  them  from  the  decaying 
process  to  which  the  part  containing  them  had  yielded. 

I  have  an  interesting  specimen  of  Delesseria  sinuasOf  which  is 
bleached  almost  as  white  as  the  paper  on  which  it  lies ;  bjit  the  cili- 
ary processes  upon  its  margin,  containing  the  seeds,  are  of  the  usual 
colour  and  form,  a  beautifdl  contrast  wiUi  the  rest.  It  seems  to  me 
indeed  not  improbable  that  cases  might  occur  where  attention  to  cir« 
cumstanoes  of  this  kind  might  throw  some  light  on  the  reproductive 
parts  of  some  of  these  tribes. 

CfriJUhsia  setacea.^~Common  on  the  Antrim  coast.  It  was  chief- 
ly in  reference  to  this  species  that  I  threw  out  a  caution  with  regaid 


158  On  the  Night- Jar. 

to  cleaning  specimens  in  fresh  water,  for  a  very  short  exposure  of  it 
to  the  latter  depriyes  it  of  most  of  its  colour,  and  materially  alters 
its  appearance.  By  adopting  the  following  method,  I  find  that  spe« 
cimens  of  this  species  can  be  preserved  in  a  much  more  beautiful  8tat« 
than  by  any  other.  I  first  clean  the  specimen  in  a  dish  containing 
sea  water,  and  disentangle  any  branches  that  may  be  interwoven,  and 
when  ready,  I  transfer  it  to  a  paper  lying  in  fresh  water  and  spread 
it  out.  This  is  done  without  any  trouble,  for  the  plant  is  still  rigid  and 
perfectly  tractable,  whereas,  had  it  been  previously  soaked  in  fresh 
water,  it  would  be  quite  flaccid,  and  not  at  all  so  manageable.  When 
spread,  the  paper  is  to  be  held  up  till  it  is  well  drained,  and  then  to 
be  laid  flat,  the  moisture  that  remains  continuing  to  act  on  the  plant, 
causes  the  latter  to  give  out  its  colouring  matter,  and  this  forms  a 
cloud  of  bright  pink  surrounding  the  specimen,  giving  a  richness  and 
beauty  to  it  which  cannot  in  any  other  way  be  obtained.  Chylo- 
cladia  clavillosa,  and  some  others,  treated  in  a  similar  way,  are  also 
much  enriched  in  appearance  by  their  colouring  matter  given  out. 
When  almost  dry  pressure  is  to  be  applied. 

*>  CeUithamnion  plumula, — Not  unfrequent  at  Caimlough  Bay.  I 
have  found  it  also  in  Belfast  Lough ;  but  at  Lame,  which  is  nearly 
intermediate  between  these  two  places,  I  have  never  seen  a  trace  of 
it.  Its  colour  is  brightened  by  steeping  for  some  hours,  or  even  a 
night,  in  fresh  water.  It  may  be  dried  either  with  or  without  pres  - 
sure. 


YL-^  Observcttions  on  the  Caprimulgus  Europceus  (Night'Jar.y 
By  Dr  W.  B.  Clarke,  Ipswich. 

Birds  of  the  genus  Caprimulgus  are  nearly  allied  to  the  Hirun- 
dines,  and  appear  to  bear  the  same  relation  to  them  that  the  owls  do 
to  the  hawks,  or  the  Bombycidse  to  the  Papilionidae,  amongst  the  le- 
pidopterous  Insects. 

The  species  more  particularly  under  consideration  is  the  Europsean 
night-jar,  Caprimulgus  Europ<gus.  Its  length  is  about  ten  inches 
and  a-half.  The  plumage  is  of  a  brown  colour,  beautifully  varied 
with  spots  and  streaks  of  light  yellowish-brown,  white,  cinereous,  and 
black.  The  chin  and  sides  of  the  mouth  marked  with  white  ;  and  in 
the  male,  the  tips  of  the  two  external  tail-feathers,  and  a  spot  on  the 
three  distal  primary  feathers  of  the  wings  on  each  side  are  white. 
The  markings  on  the  different  parts  of  the  body  are  so  complex  and 
varied  as  almost  to  exceed  a  perfect  description. 


On  the  Night-Jar.  159 

The  night-jar  is  provided  with  an  extremely  wide  mouth,  which 
is  beantifnllj  constructed  for  taking  its  prey,  which  consists  princi- 
pally of  the  larger  Bomhycidss.  I  have  taken  sometimes  seven  or 
eight  moths,  of  the  size  of  the  yellow  underwing,  almost  entire  from 
the  stomach.  So  heautifully  is  the  mouth  adapted  for  the  reception 
of  this  kind  of  prey,  that  it  opens  like  a  trap,  and  presents  a  funnel- 
like aperture  to  receive  the  insect  that  the  bird  makes  a  dash  at. 
The  vibrissas  in  this  bird  are  very  strong,  and  can  be  depressed  against 
the  side  of  the  mouth,  or  erected  at  pleasure.  Not  only  is  the  mouth 
remarkably  large,  but  the  vibrissse  are  so  directed  when  the  mouth  is 
open,  as  to  reflect  any  insect  into  it  which  might  otherwise  have  been 
missed  by  the  bird  in  its  attack.  These  vibrissse  stand  out  on  either 
side  of  the  mouth  more  than  equal  to  half  the  width  of  the  mouth 
itself,  by  which  means  the  bird  is  rendered  more  sure  of  the  seizure 
of  its  prey. 

The  eye  of  the  night-jar  has  a  structure  very  similar  to  that  of 
ei^lea,  hawks,  and  owls,  and  is,  like  the  eyes  of  these,  furnished  with  a 
strong  bony  ring,  which  surrounds  the  cornea,  and  strengthens  the  scle- 
rotic coat  in  that  part,  and  renders  it  so  unyielding,  that  a  slight  pressure 
upon  the  sclerotic  coat  behind  the  ring  causes  the  humours  of  the  eye 
to  be  forced  into  a  degree  of  convexity  which  could  not  be  attained 
without  this  provision.  By  this  beautiful  yet  simple  contrivance  the  eye 
can  be  adapted  to  distant  or  close  vision,  according  to  the  increase  or 
decrease  of  convexity.  The  cornea  has  considerable  dimensions,  which 
enables  the  eye  to  receive  a  great  deal  of  light,  by  which  means  ob- 
jects become  distinctly  seen,  which  would  be  otherwise  invisible  in  a 
paucity  of  light.  The  sketches 
y  and  I  represent  two  views  of  r>J 
the  eye  of  the  Night-jarr :  y  is 
the  lateral  view,  and  h  is  the 
front  of  the  same  eye  :  a  a  re- 
present the  situation  of  the  os- 
seous ring.  "^     ^«        ^y 

The  middle  toe  of  this  bird 
is  provided  with  a  singularly  pec- 
tinated claw,  with  the  tooth-like 
processes  pointing,  with  a  gentle 
curve,  inwards  and  backwards, 
as    the   bird    sits    grasping  its 

perch.     It  is  a  difficult  thing  to  decide  upon  what  use  this  can  be 
to  the  animal  in  its  economy,  for  other  birds,  (the  heron  for  in- 


160  OnOie  Night- Jar. 

stance,)  whose  habits  are  extremely  different  to  those  of  the  night- 
jar, are  provided  with  a  pectinated  or  serrated  claw  very  similar  to 
this.  The  figure  f  amongst  the  sketches  represents  the  daw  and 
part  of  the  middle  toe  of  one  of  the  feet,  shewing  the  serrated  form 
of  the  daw. 

The  Caprimulgos  Europaeus  is  the  only  British  species  of  this 
genns.  It  is  a  migratory  bird,  and  generally  makes  its  appearance 
in  England  about  the  latter  end  of  May  or  the  beginning  of  June, 
and  remains  with  ns  generally  until  the  end  of  September  or  be- 
ginning of  October.  As  it  proceeds  from  the  eastward,  it  visits 
the  Island  of  Malta  in  the  Mediterranean,  and  the  south  of  Franoe» 
about  a  month  sooner  than  it  arrives  in  England.  On  the  other 
hand,  in  its  passage  from  our  island,  it  leaves  us  about  the  latter 
end  of  September,  and  south  of  France  about  the  latter  end  of  Octo- 
ber. Some  French  authors  assert,  that  in  rare  instances  this  spe- 
cies has  been  shot  in  some  of  the  woods  and  mountainous  parts  of 
Vosges  in  the  middle  of  winter.  This  species  has  also  been  found  in 
the  open  parts,  as  weU  as  the  woods  and  rocky  parts,  of  Siberia  and 
Kamtschatka. 

The  night-jar  feeds  upon  insects  which  it  takes  in  its  flight,  and 
this  is  principally  done  during  the  night,  and  by  morning  and  even- 
ing twilight)  these  being  the  times  at  which  it  generally  flies,  although 
it  may  be  occasionally  seen  at  intervals  during  the  day  ;  but  this  ap- 
pears principally  to  be  when  it  has  been  driven  from  its  diurnal  re- 
treat by  some  intruder.  The  plumage  is  peculiarly  soft,  whidi  en- 
ables it,  at  its  pleasure,  to  pass  rapidly  through  the  air  without  the 
vibrations  of  its  wings  being  heard,  and  nature  has  so  beautifully 
provided  for  its  safety  during  its  diurnal  rest,  that  it  can  only,  with 
the  greatest  difficulty,  be  discovered  amongst  the  decayed  branches 
and  trunks  of  trees,  the  dead  ferns,  and  leaves  amongst  which  it  hides ; 
the  colours  of  the  plumage  much  resembling  the  tints  of  the  bodies 
amidst  which  it  secretes  itself.  The  bird  lays  two  c^gs  upon  the 
bare  ground  where  it  is  a  little  hollowed  out  beneath  a  whin  bush, 
patch  of  ferns,  or  some  other  similar  body,  which  serves  as  a  kind  of 
security  or  shelter  to  the  parent  bird  whilst  incubating.  The  egg*  is 
large  for  the  size  of  the  bird ;  has  both  ends  nearly  alike  in  size,  is 
prettily  mottled  with  brown,  rdieved  by  marblings  of  paler  tints  of  the 
same  colour.  To  give  an  idea  of  the  habits  of  this  bird,  I  shall  here 
insert  a  few  notes  that  I  have  made  at  different  times  respecting  iU 
When  in  the  middle  of  a  heath  in  the  neighbourhood  of  this  town, 
and  at  the  distance  of  a  quarter  of  a  mile  from  any  wood,  my  atten- 


On  the  Night-Jar.  161 

tion  was  suddenly  arrested  by  the  appearance  of  a  male  night-jar, 
(Caprimulgus  Enropseus,)  which  rose  from  a  small  spot  of  hare 
ground  by  the  side  of  a  whin  bush,  and  after  flying  about  eight  or 
ten  yards,  alighted  upon  the  ground  with  its  wings  and  tail  expand- 
ed, and  its  head  turned  round  towards  me :  here  it  remained  a  few  se- 
conds, and  afterwards,  slowly  fluttered  along  the  ground  over  the 
space  of  four  or  fiye  yards,  describing  a  curved  course,  and  apparent- 
ly with  difficulty,  appearing,  by  its  actions,  to  imitate  a  wounded 
bird  labouring  to  fly.  This  was  doubtlessly  done  to  decoy  me  away 
from  the  spot  it  had  risen  from ;  but  which  I  walked  up  to,  and  there 
found  two  eggs  lying  in  a  slightly  hollowed  spot  of  ground  beneath 
the  shelter  of  a  whin  bush.  One  would  suppose  that  the  little  ani- 
mal was  led  by  reason  to  act  this  admirable  part,  for  the  incapability 
of  a  wounded  bird  to  rise  into  the  air  was  so  exquisitely  represented 
by  this  little  creature,  that  an  individual  unacquainted  with  the  habits 
of  birds  might  have  been  led  from  the  site  of  its  eggs,  by  the  idea  of 
his  being  able  to  secure  it.  After  fluttering  a  short  distance  it  rose 
from  the  ground,  and  flew  slowly  in  a  curved  direction  away  from 
me^  and  was  lost  amongst  the  bushes  that  were  thickly  dispersed 
around.  Upon  a  cursory  view  the  eggs  struck  me  as  much  resem- 
bling the  white  stones  speckled  with  lichens  which  are  commonly 
to  be  seen  upon  heaths,  from  which  characters  they  would  very  ge- 
nerally elude  the  eye  of  any  one  walking  past  them,  although  he 
might  even  be  in  search  of  them. 

Supposing  that  the  bird  would  soon  make  its  appearance  again  to 
visit  its  eggs,  1  was  induced  to  secrete  myself  as  well  as  I  could  be- 
hind a  whin  bush,  about  fifteen  yards  from  the  spot  where  the  eggs 
were  lying,  and  from  this  place  1  had  an  opportunity  of  observing 
the  actions  of  this  interesting  little  creature.  After  waiting  about  a 
quarter  of  an  hour  it  came  round  to  the  whin  bush  under  which  its 
^gs  were  lying ;  over  this  it  lightly  skimmed  and  hovered,  as  if  to 
ascertain  whether  its  eggs  were  safe,  and  then  suddenly  turning,  came 
flitting  directly  towards  me,  and  approached  within  a  few  feet  of  my 
&ce,  and  then  flew  off.  This  it  did  two  or  three  times  at  intenrals  of 
ten  minutes  or  thereabouts.  It  was  now  about  a  quarter  to  nine 
o'clock  on  the  21st  of  June  a.  d.  1832,  the  sun  had  set  about  a 
quarter  of  an  hour :  the  evening  was  mild  and  fine,  and  all  was  stiU, 
when  the  peculiar  note  of  the  night-jar  was  fidntly  heard,  but  the 
bird  at  this  time  was  not  visible :  soon  after  this  a  faint  squeak  was 
heard,  and  a  pair  of  night-jars  were  seen  in  the  air,  occasionally  flnt* 
tering  within  a  few  yards  of  me,  and  at  intervals  remaining  motion- 
less in  the  air  with  their  wings  expanded ;  then  fluttering  and  ho- 


162  On  the  Night-Jar. 

veringp ;  then  descending  nearlj  to  the  ground  with  their  wings  ex- 
panded and  elevated  oyer  their  backs,  at  the  same  time  striking  them 
together,  the  back  of  one  against  that  of  the  other,  so  as  to  produce  a 
smart  snapping  sound.  This  was  often  accompanied  by  a  sharp  quick 
sound  or  squeak.  At  another  time  they  would  skim  round  me  at  a 
few  feet  distant  from  the  earth, — again  they  would  hover  at  a  short 
distance  from  me,  occasionally  reiterating  the  sharp  squeak  before 
described, — ^then  they  would  fly  to  a  neighbouring  whin  bush,  and, 
perching  upon  the  top  of  it,  commence  the  peculiar  sound  irom  which 
their  name  (night-jar)  is  derived,  and  which  precisely  resembles  the 
sound  produced  by  a  wheel  in  quick  rotation.  Then  they  would  rise 
into  the  air,  again  gliding  through  it  without  producing  the  least 
sound,  again  hovering,  flitting,  and  squeaking.  Thi?  they  continued 
until,  from  the  darkness  of  the  night,  I  could  see  them  no  more,  al- 
though I  could  at  the  same  time  distinctly  hear  them,  and  knew  they 
were  close  by  me.  I  observed  when  these  birds  were  sitting  that  their 
wings  were  a  little  expanded,  the  body  nearly  horizontal,  with  the  head 
rather  elevated.  These  birds  will  sit  sometimes  in  a  wood  perched 
upon  a  dead  branch  of  an  oak  tree,  with  their  bodies  in  a  direction 
parallel  with  that  of  the  branch,  and  in  this  situation,  just  as  the  sun 
goes  down,  will  commence  their  jarring  or  vibrating  note,  and  at  in- 
tervals flit  suddenly  from  this  situation  through  an  opening  amongst 
the  trees,  skimming  and  hovering  for  a  short  time  around  and  amidst 
the  tops  of  the  neighbouring  oak  trees,  and  then  *  settle  upon  the 
branch  from  which  they  rose,  and  again  commence  their  jarring  note, 
then  again  dash  into  the  upper  part  of  the  trees  at  some  unwary 
moth,  and  again  light  upon  the  same  bough,  repeating  this  at  inter- 
vals, and  each  time  upon  alighting  commence  their  vibrating  note, 
which  they  continue  as  long  as  they  maintain  their  sitting  posture. 
We  have  not  at  present  been  able  to  detect  a  bird  in  the  act  of  mak- 
ing its  vibrating  note  whilst  upon  the  wing.  Upon  visiting  a  spot 
where  these  birds  are  likely  to  be,  as  soon  as  the  sun  goes  down,  if 
the  evening  be  fine,  their  vibrating  note  may  be  heard  if  the  birds 
are  sitting,  or  their  little  sudden  squeak  several  times  repeated  will 
announce  their  flight,  and  presently  the  little  creatures  will  be  seen 
like  airy  sprites  floating  at  no  great  distance  from  the  ground,  or  over 
the  tops  of  trees,  so  prettily  and  lightly  do  they  seem  to  float  and 
fan  themselves  along.  Often  upon  a  heath,  when  the  night  is  fine, 
yet  dark  from  the  lateness  of  the  hour,  and  the  vibrating  sound  of 
the  night-jar  is  heard  at  no  great  distance,  if  one  walks  towards  the 
sound  it  will  soon  cease,  and  afler  a  few  seconds  of  perfect  stillness, 
the  sound  will  be  again  heard  at  a  distance.   If  we  continue  our  course 


On  the  Advancement  of  Local  Botany  near  handon.       163 

we  shall  find  the  sound  increasing  upon  us.  Upon  walking  on  in  the 
same  direction  it  will  soon  cease,  and  after  an  interval  of  silence  will 
be  heard  again  at  a  distance  ;  for  the  eye  of  the  night-jar  is  so  heauti- 
fiiUy  adapted  for  nocturnal  or  crepuscular  vision,  that  it  observes  the 
^proach  of  an  object,  although  a  person  is  incapable  of  distin- 
guishing his  companion,  or  a  body  the  size  of  himself  at  the  distance 
of  a  few  feet  only.  They  will  wander  over  a  considerable  tract  of 
ground  in  the  course  of  an  evening  in  search  of  prey,  beginning  by 
flitting  over  the  spot  near  which  they  have  taken  up  their  diurnal 
abode,  and  afterwards  continuing  to  fly  over  some  heath  or  moor  at 
a  considerable  distance  from  the  place  where  they  were  first  seen. 
This  bird  is  by  no  means  common  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Ipswich, 
but  there  are  places  not  very  distant  from  the  town  where  a  pair  or 
two  of  them  may  be  generally  found  every  year. 


VII. — On  the  advancement  of  Local  Botany  in  the  environs  ofLon- 
dony  with  remarks  relative  to  the  Dispersion  of  Plants  in  that 
vicinity,  and  the  formation  of  plans  exhibiting  the  Distribution  of 
Species  over  localities.  By  Daniel  Cooper,  Curator  to  the 
Botanical  Society  of  London,  &c. 

The  formation  of  the  Botanical  Society  of  London,  and  the 
publication  of  the  Flora  Metropolitana,  or  Botanical  Rambles  within 
thirty  miles  of  London,  have  been  the  means  of  bringing  forward  nu- 
merous papers  and  plans,  exhibiting  the  distribution  of  the  localities 
of  species  in  the  directions  firequented  by  the  metropolitan  botanist, 
and  of  advancing  the  objects  of  local  Roras  generally.  No  local 
Flora  of  the  environs  of  so  extensive  a  dty,  and,  as  will  be  presently 
shewn,  producing  species  of  so  rare  occurrence,  having  been  published 
in  a  cheap  and  portable  form,*  induced  me  to  attempt  to  arouse  the 
minds  of  practical  men  towards  the  furtherance  of  this  object.  In 
directing  their  attention  to  this  subject,  I  had  two  objects  in  view : 
the  first,  to  solicit  their  aid  for  the  purpose  of  endeavouring  to  arrive 
at  a  more  accurate  and  actual  Flora  of  the  environs  of  so  great  a  city — 
the  latter,  to  obtain  correspondents  who  might  be  willing  to  join  in 
the  establishment  of  a  society  for  mutual  intercourse  and  benefit.    In 

*  About  sixty  years  since  <'  Curtis's  Flora  Londinensis'*  was  published.  This 
work  contains  plates  of  all  the  species  that  had  been  found  round  London. 
3  large  folio  volumes.  Mr  Warner  published  a  Local  Flora  on  the  plants  of 
Woodford,  Essex ;  and  Mr  Blackstone  of  Harefield,  Middlesex.  The  localities 
in  these  works  cannot  be  relied  on»  having  both  been  brought  forward  upwards 
of  sixty  years  since. 


164     On  the  Advancement  of  Local  Botany  near  London, 

both  mj  objects  have  been  realized  to  a  greater  extent  than  had  been 
expected.  Contributors  without  number  have  kindlj  lent  their  assist* 
ance  towards  the  accomplishment  of  the  first  object,  and  the  second 
has  already  manifested  itself  by  the  formation  of  the  "  Botanical  So- 
ciety of  London/'  That  local  botany  is  attracting  more  notice  dail  j 
throughout  the  kingdom,  is  evident  from  the  number  of  local  floras 
of  late  years  published,  and  raluable,  indeed,  they  are  to  the  naturalist, 
•^if  we  consider  the  immensity  of  labour,  trouble,  and  time,  spared 
to  the  lover  of  nature  for  other  pursuits. 

The  rapid  formation  of  the  Botanical  Society  of  London  affords  a 
still  greater  proof  of  the  progress  of  that  department  of  science,  since 
we  find  that  out  of  seventy  members  elected  since  its  formation, 
(29th  Nov.  1836,)  two-thirds  at  least  devote  the  major  part  of  their 
time  to  practical  botany.  That  a  society  embracing  the  objects  it 
does,  has  been  long  a  desideratum  in  the  metropolis,  cannot  be  denied, 
and  is  evident  firom  the  number  of  its  members,  and  also  from  the  va- 
rious important  memoirs  that  have  been  brought  forward  relating  to 
subjects  deserving  the  attention  not  only  of  the  practical,  but  the 
physiological  and  geographical  botanist. 

I  shall  now  offer  some  views  respecting  the  formation  of  plans,  ex- 
hibiting the  actual  flora  of  the  vicinity  of,  or  in,  any  particular  loca- 
lity, in  order  that  the  botanist,  at  a  glance  of  a  map  or  plan  of  such 
a  locality,  would  be  enabled  with  greater  Estcility  to  arrive  at  or  near 
the  spot  where  any  species  have  been  observed  to  grow.  The 
first  idea  of  this  nature  was  brought  before  the  Botanical  Society 
of  London  on  the  5th  January  1837,  illustrating  a  paper  which  I 
read  on  the  distribution  of  plants  in  one  of  our  principal  localities  in 
the  immediate  vicinity  of  London, — a  locality  for  years  celebrated  for 
the  profuse  supply  of  specimens  it  has  yielded  to  the  naturalist.  I 
allude  to  Battersea  Fields,  the  spot  where  most  of  our  ancestors  and 
ourselves  have  often  rambled  with  so  much  profit  and  delight.  In 
the  subsequent  part  of  this  paper,  I  shall  give  in  a  table  the  number 
of  genera  and  species  found  in  various  localities. 

In  producing  plans  of  this  kind,  there  is  but  one  objection, 
viz.  that  many  botanists  of  the  present  day  are  not  content  with 
collecting  one,  or  even  half-a-dozen  specimens,  more  particularly 
if  the  plant  is  of  tmcommon  occurrence,  and  I  have  known  instances, 
where  whole  species  have  been  rooted  out  by  the  eagerness  and  ava- 
rice of  the  collector*  Such  measures  ought  not  to  be  adopted  to  the 
destruction  of  the  habitats  of  species.  If  the  plants  are  annuals  it  is 
doing  injustice  to  the  rising  generation  of  botanists ;  if  they  are  Inen- 


On  the  Advancement  of  Local  Botany  near  London.     165 

nials  or  perennkdgy  surelj  collecting  the  portion  above  the  earth  in 
most  instances  is  sufficient,  without  rooting  out  the  species  entirely. 
There  are  certain  plants  of  which  the  root  is  necessary  for  distinguish- 
ing and  defining  specific  characters ;  in  such  cases  some  attention 
ahonld  be  paid  to  the  number  of  species  observed  in  the  locality ; 
bearing  in  mind  the  necessity  of  leaving  a  sufficient  number  for  the 
continuance  of  the  propagation  of  the  species.  It  has  been  observed^ 
by  some  eminent  botanists  of  the  present  day,  that  the  formation  of 
the  different  societies  for  the  exchange  of  specimens,  &c  will  in  a 
great  measure  have  the  effect  of  destroying  some  of  our  richest  loca- 
lities. Let  it  not  be  understood,  that  the  formation  of  maps  and  plans 
of  the  nature  before  alluded  to,  are  for  the  purpose  of  facilitating  these 
ravages.  That  in  the  hands  of  the  most  avaricious  they  will  do  so,  I 
have  not  the  slightest  hesitation  in  acknowledging,  but  it  is  to  be 
hoped  that  not  many  of  those  individuals  now  exist,  who  would 
thus  damp  the  ardour  and  zeal  of  the  rising  generation  of  botanists, 
and  also  be  the  means  of  retarding  science,  while  the  execution  of 
such  ideas  may  prove  beneficial  to  the  scientific  inquirer. 

The  plan  of  Battersea  Fields  before  alluded  to,  exhibited  the  vari- 
ous houses,  ditches,  fields,  and  other  minor  but  interesting  stations, 
on  the  scale  of  two  feet  to  the  mile.  This  plan  was  executed  and 
the  locality  surveyed  by  myself,  in  order  that  accuracy  might  be  the 
result.  /  afierwards  learned  thai  this  labour  and  trouble  might  have 
been  spared,  by  inspecting  the  plan  of  the  parish  or  parishes  from 
which  the  rates  are  made,  and  therefore,  on  a  scale  sufficient  for  the 
present  purpose ;  it  is,  I  understand,  generally  to  be  found  hanging 
up  in  the  vestry  room,  or  in  the  care  of  the  vestry-clerk  of  the  parish. 
Such  plans  might  be  conveniently  applied  to  local  Floras,  and  would 
be  admirable  desiderata  to  such  works,  numbering  the  species  in  the 
letter-press  to  correspond  with  the  numbers  on  the  plate  ;  thus  sup- 
posing the  cut  to  represent  a  plan  of  a  locality,  and  the  figures  some- 
what the  situation  of  the  plants  there  found. 


VOL.  II.  NO.  B. 


166     On  the  Advancement  of  Local  Botany  near  London, 

1.  Alisma  Damasonium  6.  Campanula  hederocea 

2.  Menyantfaes  trifoliala  7.  Galium  verum 

3.  Villarsia  nymphs^ides  8.  Rhinanthus  crista  galli 

4.  Drosera  rotundifolia  9.  Saxiihiga  granulata 

5.  Narthecium  ossiiragum  10.  Butomus  umbellatus 

By  using  figures  in  the  place  of  writing  or  printing  the  names  in 
full,  much  unnecessary  space  can  be  dispensed  with ;  and  thus  a  plan 
of  a  locality  on  the  scale  of  three  or  four  inches  to  the  mile,  might 
be  conveniently  introduced  into  a  duodecimo  or  octavo  volume.  Any 
additional  localities  the  botanist  might  discover  could  with  facility  be 
marked  on  the  spot  in  their  proper  situations,  by  making  additional 
figures  on  the  plan,  which  figures  of  course  to  agree  with  the  names 
of  the  plants  upon  a  separate  page.  In  this  way  it  appears  to  me 
that  much  time  might  be  spared  the  naturalist  for  his  other  pursuits, 
and  also  be  the  means  of  producing  more  complete  and  accurate  local 
Floras  than  any  plan  hitherto  adopted. 

In  conclusion,  I  have  a  few  remarks  to  make  upon  the  dispersion 
of  species  in  the  environs  of  London.  The  former  hints  respecting 
t)ie  eradication  of  plants  will  be  sufificient  to  those  coUectors  who  are 
in  the  habit  of  herbcUizing  into  various  counties.  Such  individuals 
must  bear  in  mind,  that  the  lover  of  natural  history  is  the  more  or 
less  proud  of  his  country,  according  to  the  specimens  of  interest  and 
value  that  have  been  collected  in  it.  Take  for  instance  the 
county  of  Surrey — what  would  it  be  to  the  botanist  without  its  orchi- 
deous  and  chalk  plants,  for  which  it  has  been  long  celebrated.  At 
Boxhill,  and  the  hills  adjoining,  with  other  places  in  the  neighbour- 
hood, (and  in  this,  as  well  as  all  places  hereafter  cited,  within  a  dis- 
timce  of  thirty  miles  of  London,)  the  following  lists  of  orchideous  and 
other  uncommon  plants  have  been  found. 

Orchideous  Plants. 

f  Ophrys  apifera,  30.  •  Platanthera  viridis,  f  Orchis  hirdna,  34 

t muscifera,  80.  (BauBtead  Doum,J  f militaris,  84. 

t aianifera,  81.  f  Aceras  anthropophora,  •  Malazis  paludosa  (Rei- 

arachnites,  80.         20.  gate.  J 

f  Anacamptis  pyramida-  f  Orchis  maculata,  5, 16.  Herminium  monorcbis, 

lis,  84.  f mascula,  16.  32. 

f  Gymnadeniaconopsea,  f fusca,  34.  f  Neottia  nidus  avis. 

34.  latifolia,  15.  f  Listera  ovata,  15-34* 

+  Platanthera  bifolia,  16,  f mono,  84.  f  Spiranthes  autumnalis, 

34.  ustulata,  84.  29-80. 

•  Those  marked  thus  •  have  been  recently  discovered  in  this  county. 

_—_  f  have  been  also  discovered  in  Kent 

The  numbers  affixed  correspond  to  the  pages  where  the  localities  may  be  seen 
in  the  "  Flora  MetropoUtana,'*  1886. 


Oh  the  Advancement  of  Local  Botany  near  London*     167 


t  Epipactis  grandiflora, 
SO. 

Xanthinm  stnimarium,  8, 

98. 
Tulipa  sylvestris,  3. 
Myofiunis  minimus,  1,23. 
GbeUdonium  laciniatum, 

1. 
Polygonum  dumetorum,4. 
Sjrmphytum  tubero!ium,3. 
Anemone  apennina,  1, 39. 
MelilotDS  leucantha,  30. 
*  Crocus  aureus, 
vernus,  15. 


f  Epipactis  ensifolia,  32.    f  Epipacds  latifolia,  4. 
palu8tris,ll7 


Narcissus  bifiorus,  15 
FVitillaria  meleagris,  25. 
Dentaria  bulbifera,  21. 
Leonurus  cardiaca,  21. 
Botrychium  lunaria,  22. 
Scrophularia  vemalis,  22. 
Coronopus  didyma,  25. 

•  Utricularia  vulgaris. 
Astragalus  hypoglottis, 

26. 

*  Corydalis  lutea, 
Hesperis  matronalis,  30. 


Impatiens    noli-me-tan- 

gere,  30. 

fulva,  43. 

Sdlla  autumnalis,  30. 
Lilium  martagon,  31. 
Chrysosplenium  oppositi^ 

folium,  39. 
Vaccinium  oxycoccus,  40. 
Adoxa  moschatellina,  40. 
Lonicera  xylosteum,  40. 
Myricagale,  41. 
Osmunda  rqgalis,  42. 


From  inspecting  the  above  lists  it  may  be  easily  imagined  that  the 
botanist  resident  in  Surrey  is  not  a  little  proud  of  his  country.  The 
metropolitan  botanist  also  can  certainly  boast  of  a  Rora  perhaps  not 
to  be  equalled  throughout  the  whole  of  England.  In  this  district  he 
is  particularly  rich  in  orchideous  plants.  Of  the  36  species  describe 
ed  as  British,  26  are  fotmd  dispersed  within  thirty  miles  from  London. 

In  Kent,  it  may  be  observed  that  the  species  are  not  quite  so  abun- 
dant, in  the  ratio  of  21  to  36,  including  two  species  that  have  not 
as  yet  to  my  knowledge  been  found  in  Surrey,  at  least  within  the 
range  before  specified,  viz.  *  Orphrys  fucifera  and  Orchis  tetropho- 
fonthosy  61.  These  plants  are  not  confined  to  the  counties  of  Surrey 
and  Kent,  in  the  London  district,  as  might  perhaps  be  supposed; 
they  also  occur  in  Essex  and  Middlesex,  but  not  so  frequently.  To- 
wards Harefield  and  St  Albans  they  make  their  appearance  again  in 
great  quantities.  We  have  then  in  the  combined  counties  of  Surrey 
and  Kent,  as  fiir  as  observation  has  gone,  28  species  out  of  36  British 
orchideous  plants,  the  remaining  eight  being  mostly  confined  to  the 
northern  districts. 

Nor  is  Kent  behind  her  sister  county  in  other  rare  plants, — AUh^a 
hireuta,  Bupleurum  tenuissimumy  HtUchinsia  petrady  ValerianeUa 
ealciirapa,  Hyoscyamus  niger,  Paris  quadrijhlioy  Gentiana  ama^ 
reUoy  and  G,  pnevmonanthe  may  be  considered  but  a  few  of  them. 

With  regard  to  the  distribution  of  the  whole  of  the  species  within 
thirty  miles  of  London,  I  have  from  careful  examination  and  research 
arrived  at  the  following  result : 


Lindley's  Ist  edition  of  Synopsis  of  British  Flora, 
ri.  Dichlamydeae,     Nat.  Ord.  67     Genera  370 
Dicotyledons.    \  2.  Monochlamydec,  14  25 

[d.  AcUamydese,  5  14 


904 
91 
86 


86 


409 


1081 


168     On  the  Advancemefd  of  Local  Botany  near  London. 

%M         ^1  J        i  1.  PetaloidejB,     Nat.  Ord.  16         Genera  58     SpedcB  147 
Monocotyledons, -[  2.  Glumaceas,  2  69  224 


18  127  871 


Found  within  thirty  miles  of  London.  (Flora  Metropolitana.) 

ri.  Dichlamydeas,     Nat  Ord.  64  Genera  317  Species  683 

Dicotyledons.    \  2.  Monochlamydea:,                 13  20  72 

[3.  AcUamydee,                         5  14  49 

82  351  804 

..         _,  ,         Vi    Petaloidee,     Nat  Ord.  16  Genera  46  Species  106 

Monocotyledons,  p..  Qj^^^^^                      2  57  137 

18  103  243 


Total  in  Lindley's  Synopsis. 

Dicotyledons,         Nat  Ord.    86                Genera  409  Species  1061 

Monocotyledons,                       18                             127  371 

104                             536  1452 


Total  in  "  Flora  Metropolitana." 
Dicotyledons,         Nat  Ord.    82  Genera  351  Species    804 

Monocotyledons,  18  103  243 

100  454  1047 

Several  papers  having  been  read  before  the  Botanical  Society  of 
London  on  the  distribution  of  the  number  of  species  in  certain  loca- 
lities within  a  few  miles  of  London,  the  results  might  perhaps  be  in- 
teresting to  some  of  your  readers.  Mr  Irvine*  found  670  species 
within  two  miles  of  Hampstead,  Middlesex,  and  900  within  the  same 
distance  of  Croydon,  Surrey.  Dr  Madntyre  f  found  10  genera,  in- 
cluding 23  species  of  ferns — 65  genera,  including  136  species  of  Mo- 
nocotyledons,— and  265  genera,  including  542  species  of  Dicotyledo- 
nous plants  around  Warley  Common,  Essex.  Ij:  have  found  61  Na- 
tural Orders,  214  genera,  including  406  species  in  Battersea  Fields, 
Surrey — some  of  them  of  rare  occurrence. 

The  following  tables  have  been  drawn  up  from  various  works,  in 
order  to  exhibit  the  number  of  genera  and  species  contained  in  some 
of  our  local  Floras  ;  the  genera  and  species  have  not  been  reduced  to 
a  common  standard,  but  have  been  calculated  as  they  appear  in  those 
works. 

*  Mr  Irvine's  paper  was  read,  November  17,  1836. 
t  Dr  Macintyre*8  paper  was  read,  December  15,  1836. 
\  Paper  read,  January  5,  1837. 


On  the  Advancement  of  Local  Botany  near  London.     169 


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170  Contributions  to  the 

Notes  to  Table,  p,  169. 

I,  2,  S.  Magazine  of  Zoology  and  Botany.  Vol.  i.  p.  267. 

4,  5.  Calculation  from  the  Prospectus  of  the  Botanical  Society  of  Edinbuigh. 
18d6. 

6.  Flora  Metropolitana,  or  Botanical  Rambles  within  90  miles  of  London.  By 
Daniel  Cooper.    1836. 

7.  Flora  Cantabrigiensis.  By  Richard  Relham.  A.  M.  Sd  edit  Cantab. 
1820. 

a  Flora  of  Berwick  upon  Tweed.    By  G.  Johnston,  M.  D.  EdinboigK  1829. 

9.  Flora  Woodfordienais. — A  Catalogue  of  Plants  growing  at  Woodford,  Es- 
sex.    By  Richard  Warner,  London,  1771. 

10.  Flora  of  Oxfordshire  and  contiguous  counties.  By  Richard  Walker.  Ox- 
ford, 1833. 

II.  Flora  Oxoniensis.     By  John  Sibthorp,  M.  D.     Oxonii,  1794. 

12.  Flora  Devoniensis.  By  Rev.  J.  P.  Jones,  and  J.  F.  Kingston.  London, 
1829. 

19.  Flora  Glottiana. — A  Catalogue  of  the  Indigenous  Plants  on  the  banks  of 
the  river  Clyde,  and  in  the  neighbourhood  of  the  city  of  Glasgow.  By  Thomas 
Hopkirk.     Glasgow,  1819. 

14.  Flora  Bedfordiensis,  comprehending  such  plants  as  grow  wild  in  the  county 
of  Bedford.     By  Charles  Abbott,  M.  A.     Bedford,  179a 

15.  A  Catalogue  of  the  Plants  of  Berwick  upon  Tweed.  By  John  V.  Thomp- 
son, Sui^geon.     London,  1807. 

16.  Flora  of  Anglesey,  in  Welsh  Botanology.  By  Hugh  Davies.  London, 
1819. 

17.  Flora  of  Northumberland  and  Durham,  in  the  Botanist's  Guide  through 
those  counties.     Newcastle-upon-Tyne,  1805. 

la  Flora  of  the  Snowdonian  Mountains  (rare  phmts  only.)  By  the  Rev. 
W.  Bingley  in  1798-1801.  (Appendix  to  Jones's  IllustrationB  of  the  Natural 
Scenery  of  the  Snowdonian  Mountains.)     London,  1829. 


VIII. — Contributions  to  the  Natural  History  of  Ireland.  By  Wil- 
liam Thompson,  Esq.  Vice-President  of  the  Bel&st  Natural  His- 
tory Society.     (Continued  from  p.  57.) 

No.  3.— 0»  the  Birds  of  the  Order  Eaptores. 

Goshawk — Astur  palumbariusy  Bechst. — *'  I  haye  seen  a  young 
one  got  at  the  rocks  of  Magilligan  (Londonderry.") — MS.  late  Mr 
Templeton,  where  it  is  also  stated  under  the  head  of  Gentil  Falcon. 
*<  On  25th  July  1809,  I  saw  at  Carrickferg^is  a  stuffed  specimen  that 
had  been  shot  at  the  Gobbins,  (Antrim.") 

I  haye  neyer  seen  an  Irish  specimen  of  this  bird.  The  term  gos- 
hawk or  goose*"ha,wk  is  commonly  applied  in  the  country  to  any  of 

*  In  reference  to  its  oompaiatively  superior  size. 


Natural  History  of  Ireland.  171 

the  FalconidaB  of  a  larger  size  than  those  ordinarily  met  with,  such  as 
the  common  buzzard  (Buteo  vnlgaris,)  &c. 

Spabrow-Hawk — Accipiter  fringiUariusy  Will. — Is  common 
in  the  enclosed  and  wooded  parts  of  Ireland.  It  is  certainly  the 
boldest  of  the  British  Falconidse.  I  have  known  this  species  to 
be  shot  in  a  yard  attached  to  an  occupied  dwelling-house  in  the 
country,  where  it  was  discovered  by  the  uproar  produced  among  the 
inhabitants  of  the  doye-oot.  Dr  J.  D.  Marshall  was,  in  October 
1833,  sent  an  old  female  sparrow-hawk,  that  in  pursuit  of  a  thrush 
(Turdua  musicus)  followed  it  into  a  cottage  in  the  neighbourhood  of 
Bel&st,  where  both  were  secured.  On  some  stuffed  birds  being  placed 
near  this  hawk,  she  dashed  fiercely  at  them.  When  bent  on  spoliation, 
the  sparrow-hawk  scruples  not  to  enter  even  the  church  itself,  as  a 
male  bird  was  about  two  years  since  caught  by  the  sexton  in  New- 
townbreda  Church  (Down,)  whither  it  had  pursued  some  small  bird, 
I  believe  a  robin  (Sylvia  rubecula.)  A  sparrow-hawk  was  once  ob- 
served by  Mr  R.  Langtry  to  strike  one  of  his  sea  eagles  which  was 
perching  on  his  shed ;  and  when  his  golden  eagle  was  at  liberty,  he 
has  not  only  seen  it  struck  by  one  of  these  birds  in  passing,  but  was 
once  witness  to  the  latter  turning  back  and  repeating  the  imperti- 
nence. Another  ornithological  friend,  on  climbing  a  tree  to  one  of 
their  nests,  and  when  within  a  very  few  yards  of  it,  was  attacked  by 
the  female  bird,  and  his  cap  at  one  stroke  sent  to  the  ground.  He 
speedily  followed  it,  lest  the  next  should  be  on  his  bare  head,  but,  re- 
placing the  cap  more  firmly  on,  he  gallantly  remounted  to  the  nest, 
which  he  had  been  in  the  habit  almost  daily  of  visiting,  and  was  gra- 
tified with  a  sight  of  the  young  birds  that  day  hatched,  which  accounts 
for  the  boldness  of  the  parent.  He  describes  the  young  as  being 
beautiful  in  their  first  garb  of  snow-white  down. 

I  have  known  this  species  to  build  only  in  trees,  in  Ireland.  The 
stomachs  of  several  specimens  examined  by  me  contained  the  remains 
of  birds  alone. 

KiTB — Milvus  iclinusy  Sav. — Under  the  name  of  "  Kite,"  a 
bird  appears  in  many  of  the  statistical  surveys  of  Irish  counties, 
as  well  as  in  other  catalogues  of  native  birds,  but  the  true  Falco 
milvus  or  Milvus  ictinus  has  never  been  seen  in  Ireland,  either  by 
myself  or  any  ornithologist  with  whom  I  have  communicated,  nor 
am  I  aware  of  the  existence  of  a  native  specimen  in  any  collec- 
tion. When  Ireland  presented  an  aspect  different  from  the  present, 
and  was  a  well- wooded  country,  the  Kite  may  have  been  one  of  our 


172  CarUributians  to  the 

birds,  but  the  larger  species  of  the  FaloonidsBy  and  chiefly  the  com« 
mon  buzzard,  being  in  some  places  called  kite  and  glead,  as  well  gos- 
hawk or  goosehawk,  leaves  us  in  uncertainty  whether  the  real 
FaLco  milyus  was  ever  indigenous  to  the  country.  And  for  the  same 
reason  the  doubt  is  no  way  removed  even  by  the  "  authority"  of  the 
Irish  Statutes,  in  which  rewards  are  offered  for  the  destruction  of  the 
'*  kite"  as  one  of  the  birds  of  prey.  Vide  11  th  Anne,  ch.  7  and  17, 
Geo.  II.  ch.  10.  • 

Mr  R.  Langtry,  when  at  Loch  Awe,  in  Argyleshire,  early  in  the 
summer  of  1833,  procured  from  the  nest  two  young  kites,  which 
proved  a  highly  interesting  addition  to  his  aviary.  They  at  once 
became  very  tame  and  familiar,  and  were  so  gentle  in  disposition  as  to 
be  most  engaging.  Every  morning  they  had  their  liberty,  never  flew 
£Bur,  but  soared  to  a  great  height  in  the  air,  and,  '^  in  still  repeated 
circles,"  displayed  their  peculiar  and  graceful  flight.  To  either  lure 
or  "  fist"  they  always  returned  when  called.  Mice  were  preferred  by 
them  to  birds  or  any  other  food.  When  these  kites  were  on  wing 
rats  let  off  from  the  cage  trap  were  expertly  caught  by  them. 

Common  Buzzard — Buteo  vulgaris^  Will. — This  species  is  of 
common  occurrence  in  Ireland.  From  the  most  extensive  and  best 
wooded  demesnes  in  Down  and  Antrim,  I  have  at  every  season  of 
the  year  seen  specimens.  In  such  localities  they  build  in  trees, 
whence  I  have  heard  the  young  call  in  Shane's-Castle  Park.  The 
buzzard  is  also  found  in  the  retired,  rocky,  and  mountainous  parts 
of  the  country,  where  trees  are  quite  unknown,  and  there  forms  its 
nest  in  the  clifib. 

When  at  Rosheen  mountain  (before*mentioned  as  the  eyiie  of  the 
Golden  (?)  Eagle)  near  Dunfanaghy,  in  June  1832,  we  saw  a  pair 
of  buzzards,  and  heard  their  young  call  from  the  nest  on  a  ledge  of 
rock,  midway  down  a  precipice.  This  we  were  told  had,  until  the 
present  season,  been  for  many  years  occupied  by  a  pair  of  ravens 
(Corvus  corax,)  which  it  was  stated  did  not  yield  their  possession 
quietly,  but  fought  hard,  though  in  vain,  against  the  buzzards'  usur- 
pation. My  friend  being  desirous  of  obtaining  the  young  birds,  a 
man  undertook  to  descend  the  rock  for  them  in  the  ordinary  way, 
being  secured  from  falling  by  a  rope  fastened  about  his  body,  and 
held  by  persons  above.  However,  from  its  impending  at  the  sumtoit, 
this  was  rather  perilous,  and  for  greater  safety  he  preferred  ascending 

*  For  etxracts  from  the  Statutes,  I  am  indebted  to  Francis  Whitta,  Esq.  of 
Belfast. 


Natural  History  of  Ireland,  173 

from  the  base ;  the  preventiye  just  mentioned  agpainst  accidents  being 
in  this  case  likewise  resorted  to.  When  the  least  apprehension  of 
danger  was  manifested,  we  endeavoured  to  dissuade  him  altogether 
from  the  attempt,  but .  his  father,  an  old  gray-haired  man,  insisted, 
though  gain  was  never  thought  of,  that  he  should  not  turn  craven, 
and  was  so  firoward  in  leaning  over  the  cliff  to  direct  his  son's  move- 
ments, that  we  verily  feared  his  own  life  would  become  a  sacrifice, 
but  all  expostulation  was  in  vain.  By  this  method  three  young  birds 
were  taken,  a  fourth  escaping  by  flight.  The  climber  said  the  nest 
was  composed  of  the  strong  stems  of  heather  and  roots  of  grasses, 
and  lined  with  the  fiir  of  hares  and  rabbits,  and  that  it  would  have 
held  several  more  than  the  four  birds  it  contained.  The  legs  of  rab- 
bits and  hares  were  lying  about  it. 

Wheu  at  Macgilligan,  in  the  county  Londonderry,  in  July  1838, 
I  saw  a  buzzard,  which  appeared  to  be  the  Buteo  vulgaris,  soaring 
about  the  basaltic  precipices,  and  flying  from  one  pinnacle  of  rock  to 
another,  its  young  being  all  the  while  very  vociferous,  and  one  of 
them  loudly  heard  above  the  others,  calling  similarly  to  the  male  bird 
brought  from  Donegal  last  year,  satisfied  me  respecting  its  species* 
The  continual  and  loud  cry  of  the  latter  bird,  as  we  drove  from  Dun- 
£maghy  to  the  city  of  Londonderry,  proved  ludicrously  annoying  to 
us,  by  giving  evidence  of  the  contents  of  our  baskets  to  all  persons  we 
met,  (it  was  a  holiday,)  and  thus  drawing  their  attention  towards  us. 
The  other  two  buzzards  and  the  eagles  remained  generally  quiet. 
These  three  buzzards,  but  especially  the  male,  became  very  familiar. 
When  let  off  in  the  morning,  his  favourite  perch  was  upon  some  stacks 
of  grain,  where  he  remained  patiently  watching  for  mice,  which  he  has 
been  seen  to  catch,  but  was  not  always  successful,  sometimes  dashing 
his  talons  into  the  straw,  and  bringing  them  out  empty.  He  prefer- 
red mice  to  rats,  though  very  expert  at  killing  both.  He  was  quite 
a  pet  bird.  One  of  his  favourite  tricks  was  to  fly  on  his  masters 
feet  and  untie  his  shoe-strings.  But  he  was  likewise  very  bold ;  and, 
taking  a  dislike  to  a  certain  individual,  flew  at  him  whenever  he  ap- 
peared, and  endeavoured  to  strike  him  about  the  head.  Against  these 
attacks  a  walking-stick  generally  served  as  a  defence ;  but  the  buzzard 
once  came  upon  him  unawares,  and  inflicted  a  severe  blow  on  the 
back  of  his  head.  This  bird  occasionally  astonished  strangers,  by 
smartly  striking  them  on  the  hat,  so  as  to  send  it  over  their  ears. 

At  the  range  of  inland  rocks  called  Salagh  Braes,  and  at  another 
similar  locality  in  Antrim,  the  buzzard  nestles,  as  it  is  likewise  pre- 
sumed to  do  at  the  promontory  of  Fairhead,  in  the  same  county,  a 
pair  of  these  birds  having  been  seen  there  in  June  last  by  my  friend 


174  Contributions  to  the 

Richard  K.  Sinclaire,  Esq.  who  on  the  same  day  observed,  in  addition 
to  them,  pairs  of  sea-eagles,  peregrine  falcons,  and  kestrels,  all  of 
which  are  well  known  to  have  eyries  there. 

A  native  specimen  of  the  buzzard,  which  I  lately  examined,  had  a 
few  feathers  half  an  inch  in  length  about  the  middle  of  one  of  the 
tarsi,  which  was  bare  for  nine  lines  above  them. 

Rough-legged  Buzzard — Buteo  ktgopus^  Vig. — About  the 
middle  of  October  1831,  a  bird  of  this  species  was  killed  near  Dun- 
donald,  in  the  county  of  Down.*  On  dissection,  the  remains  of  birds 
and  of  a  full-grown  rat  were  found  in  its  stomach.  It  was  purchased 
by  Dr  J.  D.  Marshall,  and  is  now  in  his  possession.  This  bird  ac- 
cords with  Temminck's  description  of  the  adult  male.  It  has  not  any 
indication  of  bands  on  either  side  of  the  tail  In  Mr  Selby's  figure 
of  the  female,  a  band  appears  near  the  tip  on  the  under  side. 

About  this  time  two  others  were  seen  at  KiUinchy,  in  the  same 
county,  and  one  of  them  shot,  but  it  was,  through  ignorance,  lost  as 
a  specimen.  Last  autumn,  the  gamekeeper  at  ToUymore  Park  de- 
scribed to  me  a  bird,  which,  from  size,  being  feathered  to  the  toes, 
&c.  evidently  had  been  of  this  species.  It  was  shot  a  few  years  ago 
(probably  at  the  same  period  as  the  others)  in  Castlewellan  demesne 
(Down)  when  carrying  off  a  young  rabbit. 

HoNEY-BuzzARD — Pemis  apivorus,  Cuv. — The  following  no- 
tice of  this  species  appeared  in  the  Magazine  of  Natural  History  for 
1888,  Vol.  vi.  p.  447. 

«  At  a  meeting  on  July  28,  1888,  of  the  Council  of  the  Belfiist  Na^ 
tural  History  Society,  Mr  W.  Thompson,  V.  P.  stated,  that,  on  the 
11th  of  June  last,  a  fine  male  specimen  of  the  honey-buzzard^ 
which  is  unrecorded  as  having  ever  before  occurred  in  Ireland,  was, 
when  in  company  with  a  similar  bird^  most  probably  the  female,  shot 
by  Robert  G.  Bomford,  Esq.  in  his  demesne  of  Annandale,  in  the  ti- 
dnity  of  Belfast ;  and  who,  on  being  informed  of  the  rarity  of  the 
bird,  had  most  handsomely  presented  it  to  the  Belfast  Museum.  Mr 
Thompson,  who  saw  the  specimen  when  recent,  related,  that  the  bill 
and  forehead  were  covered  with  cow-dung,  in  such  a  manner  as  to 
lead  him  to  suppose  the  bird  had  in  that  substance  been  searching  for 
insects.  On  examination  of  the  stomach,  which  was  quite  full,  it  was 
found  to  contain  a  few  of  the  larvae,  and  some  fragments  of  coleop- 

*  This  is  the  individual  mentioned  in  *'  Mag.  Nat  Hist."  Vol.  v.  p.  578. 


Natural  History  of  Ireland.  175 

terons  insects^  sereral  whitish-eoloured  hairy  caterpillars,  the  pupae 
of  a  batterfly,  and  also  of  the  six-spot  bumet-moth  (Zygsena  filipen- 
dnln,)  together  with  some  pieces  of  grass,  which  it  is  presumed  were 
taken  in  with  this  last-named  insect,  it  being  on  the  stalks  of  grass 
that  the  pupae  of  this  species  of  Zygsena  are  chiefly  foimd.  Mr 
Thompson  remarked,  that  this  insectivorous  food  must  to  the  honey 
bazzai^d  have  been  a  matter  of  choice,  the  bird  being  in  the  full  vi- 
gour of  its  powers,  and  the  district  in  which  it  was  killed  abounding 
with  such  birds,  as,  were  they  its  wished-for  prey,  it  might  have  easily 
captured  and  destroyed." 

The  individual  thus  dwelt  upon  was  a  mature  male.  The  bands  on 
&e  tail  exhibit  a  greater  inequality  than  is  represented  in  any  figure 
I  have  seen,  the  first  and  second  being  less  than  an  inch  apart,  the 
third  more  than  two  and  a-half  inches  distant  from  the  second  band. 

Marsh  Habribb — Circus  rufus,  Briss. — I  have  had  opportuni- 
ties of  examining  four  recent  marsh  harriers,  which  were  killed  in 
Down  and  Antrim,  but  all  in  different  localities — one  only  was  an 
aduh  male.  A  person  conversant  with  birds  has  mentioned  to  me, 
that  he  once  saw  an  old  male  bird  of  this  species  on  the  banks  of 
Bel&st  bay  at  ebb-tide. 

A  brood  of  these  birds  taken  a  few  years  ago  from  the  nest  on  the 
mountains  of  the  county  Monaghan  was  reared  by  Captain  Bonham 
of  the  10th  Hussars,  who  intended  trying  them  in  fidconry,  but  for 
this  purpose  they  proved  most  intractable.  Some  years  since,  three 
or  four  young  marsh  harriers  were  brought  to  Belfast  from  the  moun- 
tains of  Ballynascreen  (Londonderry)  and  I  am  credibly  informed 
that  the  species  breeds  at  Claggan  (Antrim).  It  is  considered  very 
rare  in  Donegal.  *  Mr  R.  Ball  states  in  a  letter  to  me,  that  its 
young  have  been  brought  to  him  at  Youghal  (Cork).  In  suitable 
localities  in  the  counties  of  Tipperary  and  Dublin  I  am  informed 
that  it  occurs. 

On  dissection,  the  stomach  of  one  of  the  first  mentioned  was  found 
full  of  frogs. 

Hbn-Harrier — Circtuf  cyanewy  Flem. — This  handsome  species 
is  generally  distributed  in  Ireland.  In  Antrim  I  have  been  assured 
that  it  breeds  at  Claggan,  and  occurs  at  all  seasons  in  the  mountains 
around  Ballymena.  From  an  adult  male  being  seen  by  an  orni- 
thological friend  on  the  15th  of  May  near  Glenann,  it  is  probably 


•  Mag.  Nat  Hist.  Vol.  v.  p.  581. 


176  Contributions  to  the 

indigenous  to  that  neighbourhood.  Two  mature  male  specimens 
were  shot,  I  have  been  told,  near  Dublin,  in  July  1836.  The  hen- 
harrier does  not  appear  in  Mr  Stewart's  published  catalogue  of  the  Birds 
of  Donegal ;  but  in  a  letter,  with  which  he  lately  favoured  me,  that 
gentleman  mentions  it  as  a  subsequent  addition,  but  at  the  same  time 
as  a  rare  and  only  occasional  visitant.  It  is  stated  by  Mr  R.  Ball  to 
be  sometimes  shot  about  Youghal,  and  is  enumerated  among  the 
birds  seen  in  August  1835,  in  Connemara,  by  Mr  Lingwood.  * 

When  looking  for  snipes  in  a  boggy  spot  in  the  Belfast  mountains, 
I  once  shot  a  female  bird  of  this  species,  hovering  in  the  manner  of 
a  kestrel  over  it.  She  was  not  alarmed  by  the  presence  of  myself 
and  friend,  nor  by  that  of  our  dogs  engaged  in  <*  beating"  the  ground 
immediately  beneath. 

A  gentleman  of  my  acquaintance  has  long  known  "  white  hawks" 
to  have  their  nests  every  summer  in  his  mountains  at  Ballynascreen 
(Londonderry,)  where  he  had  two  of  them  last  year.  They  are  always 
placed  on  the  ground  among  the  heath.  When  at  "  the  Horn"  in 
1832,  the  gamekeeper  told  me  of  his  having  the  winter  before  seen 
a  <*  white  hawk"  strike  a  curlew  (Numenius  arquata)  in  passing,  and 
break  its  wing,  which  so  disabled  the  bird,  that  it  became  an  easy  cap- 
ture to  my  informant.  In  a  communication  lately  received  from  the 
Rev.  Thomas  Knox  of  Toonoavara,  it  is  remarked  under  the  head 
"  Hen- Harrier" — "  From  the  description  given  by  different  persons, 
I  have  no  doubt  that  this  bird  frequents  the  bogs  adjoining  the  Shan- 
non, where  it  is  called  the  <  white  kite.*  I  have  not  been  able  to  get 
one  of  them  shot,  but  have  seen  it  at  a  distance  frequently."  A 
«<  large  bluish- white  hawk"  has  been  mentioned  to  me  by  a  correspon- 
dent, as  frequent  about  Clonmel.  The  localities  have  been  thus  par- 
ticularised, as  the  ash-coloured  harrier  may  possibly  be  the  species  al- 
luded to  under  some  of  the  latter  appellations. 

Eagle  Owl — Bubo  mcueimus,  Sibbald. — The  only  record  of  the 
eagle  owFs  occurrence  in  Ireland  appears  in  Mr  Stewart's  Catalogue 
of  the  Birds  of  Donegal,  in  the  following  words  : — <'  Four  of  these 
birds  paid  us  a  visit  for  two  days,  after  a  great  storm  from  the  north, 
when  the  ground  was  covered  with  snow.  They  have  not  since  been 
seen  here.  As  I  am  informed  that  a  pair  of  them  breed  in  Tory 
Island,  about  nine  miles  to  the  north  of  this  coast,  it  is  probable 
that  they  came  from  that  island,  I  have  heard  of  them  nowhere 
el8e."f  , 

•  Mag.  Nat  Hist,  Vol.  ix.  p.  128.  f  Ibid.  Vol.  v.  p  581. 


Natural  History  of  Ireland.  177 

LoNG'SARBD  OwL — Otus  vulgaviSy  Flem. — Occurs  throughout 
Ireland,  and  is  resident.  Where  a  sufficient  extent  of  wood  exists  in 
Down  and  Antrim,  it  is  a  common  species,  and  is  remarked  by  a  cor- 
respondent to  be  *<  not  uncommon"  in  Tipperary.  It  is  considered 
rare  in  Donegal.* 

I  have  known  this  species  to  be  shot  in  the  dusk  of  the  evening,  a 
mile  from  high- water- mark,  in  Belfast  Bay,  by  a  person  waiting  in  a 
barrel  (sunk  in  the  ooze)  for  the  flying  of  widgeon.  The  white  owl 
has  in  several  instances  been  obtained  by  these  shooters. 

An  individual,  well  acquainted  with  the  long* eared  owl,  informs  me, 
that  in  a  close  plantation  of  spruce  firs  (Abies  communis)  at  Scout- 
bush,  near  Carrickfergus,  he  for  several  years  had  its  nests,  which,  in 
consequence  of  the  trees  being  young,  were  placed  not  higher  than 
six  feet  from  the  ground. 

The  Rev.  Thomas  Knox,  in  a  letter  to  me,  mentions  the  contents 
of  the  stomach  of  a  long-eared  owl,  shot  at  KiUaloe,  to  be  "  part  of  a 
rat,  the  skull  of  a  mouse,  and  the  heads  of  two  sparrows.'*  A  spar- 
row almost  entire  was  found  in  the  stomach  of  one  examined  by 
myself. 

Short-eared  Owl — Oius  brachyotosy  Flem. — This  species  is  one 
of  OUT  regular  winter  visitants  in  the  north  of  Ireland.  October  the 
Idth  is  the  earliest  date  of  its  occurrence  to  me.  It  has  been  added 
to  the  birds  of  Donegal  by  Mr  Stewart,  since  the  publication  of  his 
catalogue,  and  its  migration  in  winter  to  the  mountains  of  Wexford 
and  Tipperary  has  been  communicated  to  me. 

I  have  several  times  met  with,  and  shot  this  owl  in  the  neighbour- 
hood  of  Belfast,  and  invariably  in  wet  and  boggy  places,  where  snipes 
might  be  expected.  One  of  these  owls  being  only  wounded,  affordied 
me  the  opportunity  of  observing  the  exceeding  brilliancy  and  depth  of 
its  golden  eyes.  In  the  stomach  of  a  specimen  examined  on  the  16th 
December  last,  I  was  surprised  to  find  the  legs  of  a  purre  (Tringa 
variabilis,)  as  the  localities  frequented  by  the  two  species  at  this  sea- 
son are  generally  very  different. 

White-Owl — Strix  flammea^  Linn. — This  beautiful  species  is 
the  most  common  owl  in  Ireland.  I  have  had  the  following  evidence 
of  its  regular  flight  to  some  distance  from  its  domicile,  just  as  twilight 
commences.  Near  Belfast  there  is  a  considerable  extent  of  low-lying 
meadows,  which  are  flooded  by  heavy  rains,  and  at  such  times  are  re- 

•  Mag.  Nat.  Hist.  Vol.  v.  p.  581. 


178  Contributions  to  the 

sorted  to  by  yarions  species  of  wild-fowl  (AnatidsB.)  The  flood  never 
attaining  sach  a  height  as  to  cover  the  banks  fiorronnding  these 
meadows,  they  are  frequented  by  persons  for  the  purpose  of  shooting 
the  wild-fowl  on  their  evening  flight,  and  to  whom  the  owl,  on  as 
«  murderous  deeds  intent,"  occasionally  falls  a  victim.  On  becoming 
acquainted  with  this  fiict,  it  occurred  to  me  that  the  owl's  visit  might 
be  in  consequence  of  the  flood  driving  its  prey  from  the  meadows  to 
their  banks,  where,  as  the  only  place  ef  refuge,  it  would  be  more 
abundant ;  but  I  have  ascertained  that  the  owl  equally  haunts  them 
when  the  flood  is  gone.  From  the  distance  of  half  a  mile  I  have  seen 
it  flying  towards  them. 

The  white  owl  is  a  well  known  visitor  to  the  dove-cot,  and  in  such 
a  place,  or  rather  a  loft  appropriated  to  pigeons  in  the  town  of  Belfast, 
I  am  informed  by  an  observant  friend  that  a  pair  once  had  their  nest. 
This  contained  four  young,  which  were  brought  up  at  the  same  time 
with  many  pigeons.  The  nests  containing  the  latter  were  on  every 
side,  but  the  owls  never  attempted  to  molest  either  the  parents  or 
their  young.  As  may  be  conjectured,  this  owl's  nest  was  frequently 
inspected  during  the  progress  of  the  young  birds.  On  the  shelf 
beside  them,  never  less  than  six,  and  so  many  as  fifteen  mice  and 
young  rats  (no  birds  were  ever  seen)  have  been  observed,  and  this 
was  the  number  they  had  left  after  the  night's  repast.  The  parent 
owls  when  undisturbed  remained  all  day  in  the  pigeon-loft. 

Of  the  stomachs  of  four  white  owls  I  have  examined,  one  contain- 
ed the  remains  of  rats ;  another  of  mice ;  a  third  was  filled  to  disten- 
sion with  portions  of  eight  mice ;  and  the  fourth  exhibited  only  a 
part  of  a  coleopterous  insect  of  the  family  Hdrpalidaj  that  could  not 
when  perfect  have  exceeded  nine  lines  in  length.  A  friend,  too,  in- 
forms me,  that,  on  examining  the  pellets  cast  by  these  owls,  which  be 
has  very  frequently  done,  he  has  often  perceived,  in  addition  to  the 
fiir  and  bones  of  rats  and  mice,  the  wing-cases  of  beetles  shining 
through  them.*  The  remains  of  birds  he  never  detected  in  them.  It 
is  only,  I  believe,  in  dearth  of  other  prey  that  this  owl  attacks  any  of 
the  feathered  tribe. 

A  white  owl,  kept  for  upwards  of  a  year  in  a  friend's  house,  was 
from  the  first  kindly  disposed  to  the  servant  who  fed  it,  but  pug^na- 
cious  towards  its  master,  instantly  striking  with  its  talons  at  his 
finger  when  placed  against  the  cage,  but  this  he  in  some  degree  taught 
it.   When  spoken  to  by  any  one,  it  returned  the  recognition  by  most 

*  I  do  not  recollect  these  mentioned  as  the  food  of  the  white  owl  in  any  work 
on  British  Ornithology;  **  scarabees**  are,  however,  enumerated  as  such  by 
Temminck,  Man  d'Om  de  I'Eur.  Tom.  i.  p.  92. 


Natural  History  of  Ireland.  179 

grotesquely  moring  from  one  1^  to  the  other  on  its  perch,  accompani- 
ed at  the  same  time  by  a  bow  or  inclination  of  the  head  sideways.  It 
screamed  greatly  during  the  night. 

Tawny  Owl — Ulula  stridula^  Selby. — This  species  is  mention- 
ed as  Irish  in  several  of  the  statistical  suryeys  of  our  counties  and 
other  catalogues.  It  never  occurred  to  the  late  Mr  Templeton,  nor 
have  I  seen  an  Irish  specimen. 

Snowy  Owl — Swmia  nycteay  Dumeril. — On  June  9, 1835, 1  had 
the  satis&ction  of  communicating  an  account  of  the  snowy  owls  ap- 
pearance in  Ireland  to  the  Zoological  Society  of  London,  in  whose 
**  proceedings,"  1835,  p.  78,  it  subsequently  appeared.  The  follow- 
ing is  a  rather  more  full  account,  as  the  limited  scope  of  that  most 
valuable  work  renders  a  condensation  of  matter  for  its  pages  quite  ne- 
cessary. 

About  the  26th  of  March  1835,  a  specimen  of  this  bird  was  sent 
in  a  recent  state  to  Dr  Adams  of  Portglenone,  (co.  Antrim)  by  a  person 
who  had  shot  it  a  few  days  before  in  that  neighbourhood,  and  who 
stated  that  a  similar  individual  had  been  seen  about  the  place  where 
it  was  obtained.  The  specimen  was  presented  by  Dr  Adams  to  the 
Natural  History  Society  of  Belfast.  It  is  immature,  agreeing  with 
the  figure  in  Mr  Selby's  "  Illustrations  of  British  Ornithology." 

On  the  21st  of  the  same  month,  as  two  of  my  friends  were  out 
snipe-shooting  at  Bruslee,  about  twenty  miles  to  the  south-east  of 
Portglenone,  a  large  white  owl,  represented  by  them  as  tivice  the  size 
of  the  common  species  of  that  colour  (Strix  fiammea,)  rose  from  the 
heath  within  a  few  yards  of  one  of  them,  just  as  he  had  discharged 
both  barrels  at  a  snipe.  His  companion  fired  at  it  from  such  a  distance, 
that,  with  the  loss  of  only  a  few  feathers,  it  escaped,  and  afterwards 
ali^ted  at  a  short  distance.  On  showing  the  specimen  killed  at 
Portglenone  to  one  of  these  gentlemen,  he  recognized  it  as  similar  in 
size  and  colour  to  the  bird  he  had  seen. 

In  Dublin  I  subsequently  saw  a  snowy  owl,  which  had  been  shot 
in  the  county  Mayo,  also  in  the  month  of  March,  and  am  credibly 
informed,  that  a  few  others  were  obtained  about  the  same  time  in 
different  parts  of  Ireland.  One  may  be  mentioned  as  having  been 
received  from  the  county  Longford  on  the  5th  of  April  by  a  bird- 
preserver  in  Dublin.  * 

*  I  have  lately  heard  of  the  occurrence  in  Ireland,  of  three  of  the  rarer  species 
of  Britifih  Raptores,  but  have  not  yet  had  the  facts  sufficiently  authenticated  for 
introduction  here. 


180  Botanical  Excursion  to  the 


IX — Account  of  a  Botanical  Excursion  in  the  Alps  of  the  Canton  of 
Calais,  Switzerland,  in  August  1835 ;  and  Catalogue  of  the  Plants 
collected,  with  occasional  Remarks.     By  R.  J.  Shuttlbworth, 
Esq.     (Continued  from  p.  24.) 

121.  Aretia  tomentosa,  Schleich.  Rchb— Androsace,  Gaud. 
H.  Ad  Fissuras  rupium  in  alpibus  supra  Teesch. 

Obs.  Variat  habitu  laxiori  vel  congesto,  et  iloribus  brevissime  vel 
longiuscule  pedunculatis.  CI.  Gaudin,  hac  Aretia  Hall.  Hist.  No. 
618  7.  citavit,  et  certe  description  sua  cum  forma  laxiuscule  bene 
quadrat  :  sed  Hallerus  capsulam  quadrivalvem  descripsit,  quam 
semper  quinquevalrem  ut  in  Aretiis  Androsacisque  omnibus  obser- 
vavi. 

122.  A,  alpina,  L.  Rchb.  Germ.  exc.  No.  2697-  excl.  cit.  et  ioone 

Hull,  et  Lam.     Androsace Gaud,  non  Lam.  Androsace  pa- 

bescens,  DC.    Aretia,  Hall.  Hist.  No.  618  a. 

H.  In  fissuris  rupium  M.  Gemmi  supra  Schwarrenbach. 
Obs,  Optime  descripsit  nostram  plantam  cl.  Hallerus,  1.  c. 

123.  A.  pennina,  Thomas.  A.  glacialis,  Schleich.  Rchb.  Germ,  exc 
No.  2696.  Androsace — Gaud.  A.  alpina,  Lam.  DC.  Aretia,  Hall, 
Hist.  No.  618  3.  Tab.  11.  (''  A.  villosa,  scapis  uniflms.")  bona ! 
H.  In  glareosis  ad  moles  glaciales   summi  jugi   alpium  supra 

Taesch. 
Obs,  £t  hanc  speciem  bene  descripsit  cl.  Hallerus^  1.  c,  sub  7ar.  /3, 
et  coroUam  roseam  observavit,  quae  (nisi  fallor)  nunquam  in  A.  alpi- 
na occurrit.  Iconem  citatam,  nostrse  plants  recte  a  cl.  C^audino  re- 
latam^  hue  pertinere  expressius  significavit  ipse  Hallerus ;  non  ob- 
stantibus  ''auctorum  Hallucinationibus  non  excusandis."  (Rchb.  1.  c. 
No.  2697  0  ^t  Reichenbachii  ipsius — Species  pulcherrima  sed  in 
eodem  loco  mire  variaus,  floribus  albis,  carneis,  roseis,  et  violaoeo- 
purpureis,  cum  annulo  flavo :  caulibus  laxis  vel  congestis,  pedun- 
culisque  brevissimis  vix  lineam  unam  longis,  et  siepe  uncialibus. 
(hue,  Ic.  Hall.  cit). 

124.  Androsace  maxima^  L. 

H.  In  arvis  incultis  inter  Varen  et  Siders^  copiose  sed  exsiccata. 

125.  A.  carnea,  L. 

H.  Ad  moles  glaciales  summi  jugi  alpium  supra  Taesch. 

126.  A.  obtusifolia.  All.  Fl.  Fed.  i.  p.  90.  No.  326.  Tab,  46,  f.  1. 
ejusdem  Fed.  Spicel.  p.  22.  Tab.  4,  f.  2.  Gaud.  Rchb.  a,  sca- 
pis multifloris.  3.  scapo  unifloro.  A.  obtusifolio  ^.  aretioides.  Gaud  } 
H.  In  graminosis  M.  Gemmi  supra  Schwarrenbach,  et  ^Zennatt* 

|3.  In  M.  Fiinelen. 


Alps  of  the  Valais.  181 

06#«  Var.  /8.  differt  tantum  scapo  folia  excedenti  a.  var  Gaudiiiij  cl. 
Koch  in  Deutsl.  FI.  ii.  Aretias  Androsacesqae  pessime  exposuit :  ex. 
gr.  iconem  All.  Fl.  Fed :  ad.  A.  obtusifoliam^  ioonem  All.  Spici, 
autem  ad  A.  lacteam  ducit.  Sed  Allionius  ia  Flora  Fed :  1.  c.  rem 
ita  exponit :  *'  Hujus  Aretise  ioonem  Tab.  4.  f.  2  et  descriptionem 
dedi  Pedem.  Speci.  p.  22." 

127.  A.  Chamiejasme,  Wulf.  (In  Jacq.  Misc.  i.  p.  194,  in  descript. 
A.  yillose  L.  ubi  notas  differentiales  bene  exponit.)  A.  villosa 
0.  Koch.  ii.  p.  100. 

H.  In  graminoeis  M.  Gemmi  supra  Scbwarrenbach. 

Obs.  Species  ab  A.  villosa,  L.  et  Wulf.  1.  c.  Tab.  7*  f  3  (in  Hel- 
vetia rarissime  in  Jurrassi  cacuminibus  occurrit)  omnino  distincta^ 
nee  cum  A.  obtusifolia  All.  confundenda. 

128.  Primula  viscosa,  Vill.  P.  viscosa  a.  minor.  Gaud.  P.  ciliata 
Schrank.  Koch.  P.  hirsuta,  Rchb.  Germ.  exc.  No.  2726.  Fl.  crit. 
vii.  ic.  854.  an  Vill.  ? 

H.  Ad  moles  glaciales  M.  FiineleUi  et  in  alpibns  supra  Taesch. 

129.  P.  ferinosa,  L. 

H.  In  graminosis  M.  Fiinelen  et  supra  Taesch. 
Obs*  Planta  alpina  ssepius  variat  scapo  humili,  floribus  paulo  ma- 
joribns  saturatiusque  coloratis. 

130.  Soldanella  alpina,  L.  WiUd.  Koch.  Rchb.  Germ.  exc.  No.  2736. 
S.  Clusii  Schmidt,  non  ?  Gaud.  cf.  Rchb.  1.  c. 

H.  Ad  nives  deliquescentes  M.  Gemmi. 


131.   Thymus  pannonicus.  All.  a.  lanuginoeus ;  caule  foliisque  undi- 

qne    pilis  longis  griseis   instructis ;    floribus    capitato-spicatis, 

staminibus  inclusis.     Th.  pannonicus,  Gkiud.   T.  pannonicus   ^ 

Rchb.  Germ.  exc.  No.  2118  excl.  syn. 
0.  major,  Ghiud.  Helv.  iv.  p.  82 ;  foliis   majoribus  punctatis  gla- 

briusculis;  floribus  spicato^verticillatis,  verticillis  remotiusculis, 

staminibus  exsertis. 

H.  a.  ad  viam  inter  Siders  et  Leak.  fi.  inter  Stalden  et  8t  Nicho- 
las et  alibi  in  Valesia  superiori. 

Obs,  1'^^  In  var.  0 — ^variat  etiam  undique  minute  tomentosa.  Ad 
banc  varietatem,  me  judice,  sine  dubio  referendi  sunt :  Thymus 
bumifusus,  M.  Bieb !  T.  Austriacus,  Berh  !  T.  montanus,  Walds.  et 
Kit !  T.  serpyllum  exserens,  Bess  !  T.  nummularius«  M.  Bieb.  (E 
Geoi^  Cancasica  specimen  unicum  a  Hohenackero  lectum  U.  T. 
1834,po88ideo.) 

T.  hirsutus,  M.  Bieb  !  (quo  T.  pilosus  Bemh!  prope  Vindebonas 
lectus,  vix  differt)  recedit  foliis  anguste  lineari-oblongis  uninervis 

TOL.  II.  NO.  8.  N 


182  Botanical  Excursion  to  the 

(in  T.  pannonico  valde  d-nervosis,)  nervo  ezstanti  dorso  acute  ca- 
rinatis.  T.  Marschallianus  MB !  differt  etiam  foliis  angustitfime 
lineari-oblongis^  fere  linearibus  et.ex  axiUis  valde foliosis^  quasi  fas- 
ciculatis.  cf.  Koch,  Deuts.  Fl.  iv.  p.  312,  313.  et  Rchb.  Oerm.  exc 
No.  2118,  2119.  T.  lanuginosuB,  Schrank  !  etiam  differt  fbiiis  or- 
biculatis  acuminatis. 

Obs.  2^".  Similitudo  cum  T.  angustifolio  non  patet,  aceertenotis 
melioribuB  differt  quam  "  ramis  floriferis  longioribus  erectioribus 
viUosis  et  foli&  duplo  longioribus."  Benth.  Lab.  Oen.  et  Sp.  p.  345. 
Certe  in  spec,  meis  omnibus  et  multa  ex  Helvetia,  Oermania,  Po- 
dolia,  Hungaria,  &c.  possideo,  nunquam  folia  linearia  inveni,  sed 
semper  oblonga  et  oblongo-lanceolata.     cf,  Benth.  I  c, 

132.  Ajuga  pyraroidalis,  L.   g.  alpestris,  minor  e  cieruleo  purpuras- 
cens,  foliis  floralibus  rubris.  Gaud. 

H.  In  graminosis  M.  Gemmi  supra  Scfawarrenbach. 
Obs,  Formam  «.  in  Helvetia  hucusque  non  inveni. 

133.  A.  chamepitys,  Schreb.  var.  canesoens,  foliis  latioribus  incano* 
lanatis  (est  forsan  forma  monstruoea  insectis  producta.) 

H.  In  arvis  et  incultis  prope  Varen. 
134.*  Teucrium  montanum,  L. 
H.  Zermatt. 

135.  Nepeta  Q^Xxn^yli. 

H.  Ad  viam  inter  Siders  et  Leuk. 

136.  Leonurus  Cardiaca,  L. 

H.  Ad  viam  inter  Brieg  et  Miinster. 
137*  Acinos  alpinus,  Moench. 

H.  Inter  St  Nicholas  et  Zermatt. 
138.  Calamintha  officinalis,  Moench. 

H.  In  fruticetis  saxosis  apricisque  inter  Inden  et  Varen. 


139.  Euphrasia  officinalis,  L.  d.  alpestris,  Koch.  Dents.  Fl.  iv.  p.  349. 
b  3  minima.  £•  minima,  Schleich.  Koch.  Gkiud.  £.  pratensis,  ct  mi- 
nima Rchb. 

H.  In  graminosis  M.  Oemmi  supra  Schwarrenbach. 

Obs,  Corolla  parva  lUacina  palato  flavo,  vel  saepe  tota  flava  venis 
purpurascentibus.  Forma  capsulsB,  emarginatura,  longitudoque 
styli  valde  variabiles  sunt,  et  in  eodem  individuo  inconstantes :  ab 
hac  varietate  vix  differt  £.  officinalis  var.  alpina  Rchb.  exsic ! 

140.  E,  salisburgensis.  Funk.  £.  alpina,  Dec  Gaud. 

H.  In  glareosis  arenosisque  prope  Kanderst^  (forma  pyramidata, 
imbricata) ;  in  graminosis  M.  Gemmi  supra  Schwarrenbach  (for- 


Alps  of  the  VaJmB'  183 

ma  paira,  debilis)  ;  et  inter  St  Nicholas  et  Zermatt  ad  viam 

(fonna  snbimbricata^  ramosa). 
Ohs.  Etiam  variabilis  sed  species  rite  constituta;  variat  foliis 
omiiibus  angustis  imbricatis>  dentibns  setaoeo-productis,  vel  latiorio 
bus  distantibns,  dentibus  Duniis  acuminatis,  caole  ramoaissimo  vel 
sabgimplici,  rigido  vel  debili* 

141.  E,  iOtUmiites)  latea,  L. 

H.  In  arvis  incultis  prope  Varen. 

142.  £.  (0.)visco8a,  L. 

H.  In  aprida  ad  yiam  inter  Inden  et  Varen. 

143.  BarUia  alpina>  L. 

H.  In  M.  Gemmi  ad  lacum  infra  Schwarrenbach. 

144.  Pedicnlaris  verticillata,  L. 

H.  In  M.  Oemmi  supra   Kandersteg  et  in  graminosis  supra 

Schwarrenbach.    In  alpibus  supra  Zermatt. 
Obs.  Spica  florens  capitata^  fructifera^  yalde  elongata. 

145.  P.  rostrata^  L.  Koch.  Deutsch.  Fl.  iv.  p.  367^  Grand,  non  Rchb. 
H.  Ad  moles  glaciales  M.  Funelen  et  summi  jugi  alpinm  supra 

TsBSch. 

Obs.  P.  rostrata,  Rchb.  Oerm.  exc  No.  2459  et  exsic  !  est  species 
aliena^  P.  Jacquini^  Koch.  1.  c  p.  363.  Errore  Reichenbachii  induc- 
tusy  hucusque  Pedicularem  nostram  rostratam  a  Linnseana  diversam 
et  eandem  cum  P.  aspleniifolia  Floerke  existimavi^  sed,  praeunte 
Kochio,  has  species  tres  inter  se  distinctse  habeo. 

P.  Jacquini,  Koch^  caule  adscendente^  foliis  bipinnatifidis^  spica 
pluriflora  congesta^  floribus  erectis,  calyce  glabriusculo,  filamentisque 
piloais.     P.  rostrata  Rchb.  non  L. 

P.  rostrata,  L.  Koch  Gaud,  caulo  prostrato^adscendenti^  foliis 
pinnatifidis^  spica  pauciflora  laxa,  interdum  uniflora,  calyoe  pubes- 
cent], filamentisque  barbatis. 

P.  aspleniifolia,  Floerke,  Rchb.  Koch.,  caule  erecto,  foliis  pinna- 
tifidis,  spica  pluriflora  laxa  floribus  patulis,  calyoe  lanato,  filamen- 
lisqiie  TBge  pilosis  Tel  glabrinsculis. 
14&  P.  Barrelieri,  Rchb.  Germ.  exc.  No.  2465  et  exsic !  P.  adsoen- 

dena  Gaud,  non  Schleich. 

H.  In  graminosis  M.  Gemmi  supra  Schwarrenbach. 

Ohs.  Glabriusoula,  folia  pinnatifida  lobis  profunda  indsis,  race- 
mu8  e2ongatn8>  calyds  segmenta  glabra  dliata  subintegra,  neo  fblia- 
cea ;  capeula  calyee  dnplo  longior. 
147-  P«  tuberosa,  L.  Rchb.  Germ.  exc.  No.  2466  et  exsic  I  P.  ad- 

soendens,  Schleich.  non  Gaud. 

H.  In  graminosis  alpium  supra  Tsesch. 


184  Botanical  Excursion  to  the 

Obs.  Pilosa^  folia  bipinnatifida,  lobis  acute  dentatu^  racemus  bre- 
vis  subcapitatus.  calyds  segmenta  pubeseentia,  foliaceo-indsa ;  cap- 
8ula  calyce  vix  longior. 

148.  Veronica  verna,  L. 

H.  ad  muros  inter  St  Nicholas  et  Zermatt,  copioae. 

Obs,  Specimina  mea  deflorata  sunt,  sed  capsulis  obcordatis  oom- 
pressis,  lobis  divergentibus  ciliatis  styloque  brevissimo  ab  affinibus 
facile  distinguenda. 

149.  F.  aphylla,  L.     a.  flore  cseruleo.     ^.  flore  cameo. 
H.  In  ^raminosis  ad  nives  deliquescentes  M.  G«inmi. 

150.  F.  leucrium,  1.  latifolia  Gaud.  var.  minor^  tomentosa^  racemo 
ilorifero  abbreviato.  V.  latifolia  d.  Pseudochamsediys  Rchb.  germ, 
exc.  No.  2510  i. 

H.  In  locis  aridis  ad  viam  inter  Thermas  Leucenses  et  Inden. 

151.  V,  fruticulosa^  L. 

H.  Ad  moles  glaciales  M.  Funelen. 

152.  r.  alpina,  L. 

H.  In  M.  Gemmi  supra  Schwarrenbach  in  M.  Funelen. 

153.  r.  bellidioides,  L. 

H.  In  M.  Gemmi  supra  Schwarrenbach. 

154.  Linaria  alpina,  DC.  a.  maculata,  palato  aurantiaco  conspicuo. 
^,  subimmaculata,  palato  obsolete  diluteque  ochrdeuco. 

H.  In  glareosisj  M.  Schwarzseeberg. 

Obs.  Semina  patelliformia^  uno  latere  ooncavo>  altero  oonvexo : 
immatura  ala  te:ii.i  albida  circumdata^  matura  concoloria  nigra. 

155.  L.  italica^  Trev.  Koch.  Deuts.  Fl.  iv.  p.  397*  exc.  Syn.  Dec. 
L.  angustifolia^  Rchb.  germ.  exc.  No.  2550^  pi.  crit.  v.  ic.  608. 
opt  !  L.  genistifolia  Ser.  exs  !  Antirrhinum  Bauhini,  Gaud. 

H.  Ad  viam  inter  Visp  et  Stalden. 

Obs.  Species  distinctissima^  nullomodo  cum  L.  genistifolia,  MiU. 
eonfundepda.  Semina  L.  genistifolise  angulato-pjrramidata,  punc- 
tata,  calycis  segmentis  capsulam  sequantibus  vel  superantibus  :  in 
L.  italica  Trev.  semina  orbiculata  cdata  patelliformia  muriculata,  ca- 
lycis segmentis  capsula  duplo  triplove  brevioribus.  Antirrhinum 
angustissimum  Lois.  (ex.  Aix  in  Sabandia,  Balbis)  differt  foliis  om- 
nibus angustissimis,  racemis  laxis ;  semina  matura  in  exemplaribus 
meis  desunt,  sed  immatura  videntur  angulata.  L.  genistifolia,  DC. 
Fl.  fr.  No.  2653  "  Les  divisions  du  calyce  couvrent  presque  la  cap- 
sule" et  Dub.  Bot.  Gall.  i.  p.  346  *'  calycis  laciniis  linearibus  acutia 
capsulam  snbsequantibus*'  potius  ad  L.  genistifoliam  Mill,  pertinet. 
sed  notae  e  calyce  sumptse  forsan  variabiles. 
156.  Antirrhinum  Orontium,  L. 


Alps  of  the  Valais.  185 

H.  In  fossis  exsiccatis  prope  Leuk. 


157.  PhysalU  Alkekengi^  L. 
H.  In  vineis  prope  Varen. 


158.  Myoioiis  alpestris^  Schmidt. 

H.  In  graminosis  supra  Zermatt  et  M.  Fiinelen. 

Obs.  Planta  variabilis :  caulis  inferne  pilis  patentibus  hirsutUjB, 
snpeme  longe  aphyllusracemisqne  appresse-strigosus;  Folia  strigoso- 
hirsuta,  pilis  longioribus  dliata ;  pili  calycini  vix  curvato-hamati. 
Hue  pertinet  M.  alpestris^  Schmidt^  Boh  !  M.  alpestris  bot.  Scot, 
differt  tantum  caljcibus  ^ctiferis  paulo  majoribus^  caule  foliosiori^ 
pilisque  magis  patentibus.  M.  Suaveolens^  Walds.  et  Kit!  vix 
differt  caule  elatiori^  foliis  calycibusque  strigoso-hispidis^  pilis  ap- 
pressisj  illis,  nisi  basi^  non  dliatis ;  quod  odorem  attinet>  plantam 
amcnissime  odoratam  in  alpibus  Bemensibus  Stockhorn  et  vidniis 
copiose  legi.  M.  lithospermifblia^  Horn>  (ex  exempl.  unioo  a  Bal- 
bisiomisso)  magis  cum  planta  Scotica  congruit,  reoedit  tantum  caule 
elation^  racemisque  axillaribus  plurimis ;  sed  vix  species  diversa. 
M.  alpestris^  Schmidt^  magis  habita,  quam  notis  bonis  a  M.  sylva- 
tioo  differre  videtur. 

159.  M,  nana^  Vill.     Eritrichium  nanum,  Schrad. 

H.  ad  moles  glaciales  summi  jugi  alpium  supra  Teesch. 

160.  Echinospermum  Lappula,  Lehm. 

H.  In  vineis  inter  Varen  et  Siders^  et  ad  viam  inter  Siders  et 

Leuk. 
Obs,  Variat  ramis  suberectis  vel  squarroeo-patulis  reflexisve.     £. 
squarrosnm,  Rchb.  vix  diversum. 


161.  Cvscula  Epithymum^  Sm. 
H.  Ad  astragalum  Leontinum  in  pratis  alpinis  supra  Zermatt. 
Obs.  Styli  vix  exserti. 


162.  C*/^a  Tserotina,  Koch,  Deuts.  Fl.  iii.  p.  32.     Rchb.  Germ. 

exc  No.  2809.     PI.  crit.  iii.  ic.  351  et  350  (var.  fi  Koch.)     C. 

perfoliata  0  pusilla,  serotina,  foliis  sessilibus  imperfoliatis  conna- 

tis.  Gaud.  Helv.  iii.  p.  18. 

H.  Copiose  in  paludosis  Valesige  ad  Rhodanum  prope  Pfyn  inter 
Siders  et  Leuk.  cons.  Chrysocomge  Linosyris,  L. 

Obs.  Optime  descripsit  cl.  Koch.  1.  c.  plantam  nostram,  differt  a 
C.  perfoliata,  L.  Rchb.  pi.  crit.  iii.  ic.  349,  floribus  minoribus,  caly- 
cis  segmentis  basi  altius  connatis,  duplo  latioribus  trinervis  nervis- 


166  Botanical  Excursion  to  the 

que  xninoribns  reticulatis  oorollam  subasquantibus ;  foliis  in  exempl. 
pinguioribus  perfoliatis  ovato-acutis,  in  exempl.  pusillis  amplexi- 
canli-connatis  sed  imperfoliatis :  hue  spectat  cit.  Oandini. 

163.  Erythrasa  palchella>  Fries.  7.  palastris^  Gaud,  caule  simplici 
superae  dichotomo-paniculato. 

H.  In  paludods  Valesin  prope  Pfyn. 

164.  Gentiana  eiliata>  L. 

.  H.  In  pascuis  prope  Randaa. 

166.  G.  glacialis^  Vill. — fi,  flare  albo  t/.  forma  monstruosa^  pusilla, 
caule  folioso^  foliis  elongatis^  corolla  difformi  calyce  vix  longiori, 
viridescenti. 

H.  Rarissime  in  M.  G^mmi  in  graminosis  cac  rupium  M.  Schal- 
mette  et  ad  niyes  perennes  supra  Schwarrenbach.  Copiose  in 
M.  Schwarzseeberg  et  cum  fiety.  satis  firequens  in  graminosis 
ad  moles  glaciales  summi  jugi  alpium  supra  Tsesch. 

166.  G.  campestris  L.  0?  alpina  mihi — 6.  chloraefblia  N.  ab 
E.  e  Rchb.  Germ  exc.  No.  2825  ?  Caulibus  pedunculisque 
alatis^  caljds  segmentis  eximie  serrulatis^  corolls  segmentis 
subrotundo-apiculatis  vel  orbiculari-obtusiusculis ;  fbliis  canli- 
nis  ovato-triangularibus  obtusiusculis,  radicalibus  spathulatis 
petiolatis. 

H.  In  ascensu  M.  Gemmi  prope  "  die  Wintereck." 

Obs.  CoroUsB^  superiores  sffipe  5-fld8B^  majores  quam  in  G.  cam- 

pestri  e  Scotia^  &c.  et  folia  latiora^  breviora.     Corollae  pallida  cae- 

rulese  vel  purpurascentes. 

167.  G.  obtusifolia,  Willd.  Koch.  Gaud. 

H.  Ad  moles  glaciales^  M.  Schwarzseeberg  et  summi  jugi  alpium 
supra  Teach. 

Obs.  Corollie  superiores  quinquifidse^  inferiores  interdum  quadri- 
fidffi ;  me  judice  forma  alpina  G.  Germanicse,  Willd.j  et  hsc  forsan  a 
G.  amarella^  L.  non  diversa. 
168.*  G.  Verna,  L.  var  flore  albo. 

H.  Zermatt. 

169.  G.  nivalis^  L.  Froehl.  Mon.  p.  83^  a,  ramosissima^  ramia  dense 
folioflis^  foliis  subimbricatis^  ^.  elongata^  ramosa^  fbliis  remotis.  G. 
nivales  0.  Froehl.  >.  pusilla,  simplex^  uniflora^  interdum  subacau- 
lis.  G.  nivalis  >.  Froehl.  exc.  syn.  ViUarsii. 

H.  a.  et  0.  In  ascensu  M.  Gtemmi  supra  Kandersteg :  in  Al- 
pibus  supra  Zermatt  et  TsBSch.  0.  ad  moles  glaciales  M. 
Schwarzseeberg. 

Obs,  Varietates  omnes^  sed  pr»sertim  ^.  e  Scotia  accepi. 

170.  G.  asdepiadea^  L. 


Alps  of  the  Vdlais.  187 


H.  copiose  in  pratis  uliginosis  prope  Kandersteg. 
171-*  G.  purpurea^  L. 
H.  Zeimatt. 


172.  Cynanchum  vincetoxicum^  R.  Br. 

H.  In  glareosis  inter  Stalden  et  St  Nicholas. 

Obs.  Fonna  monBtruosa  prostrata  raxnosa ;  umbelloltt  ad  florem 
nnicnm  depauperate. 


173.«  Pyrola  chlorantha,  Sw. 
H.  Zermatt. 


174.  Erica  camea,  Soop< — forma  autumnalis,  alabastris  viridibus. 
£.  berbacea,  L. 

H.   In  umbrosis    M.    Gemmi   cons.   Astrantiae  minoris   supra 
Kandersteg. 

175.  Rhododendron  ferrugineum,  L. 
H.  In  M.  FUnelen. 


176.  PAy/euma  pauciflorum,  L. 
H.  In  graminosis  M.  Schwarzseeberg  et  copiose  ad  moles  glaciales 

M.  Fiieblen. — Supra  Teesch. 
Ohs,  Variat  bracteis  late  ovatis>  et  subrotuudis,  foliis  lineari-lan- 
ceolatis  oboirato-spathulatis^  lineari-spathulatisque,  apice  dentatis 
▼el  integris,  plus  minusve  ciliatis ;  caule  humili  vix  6'"  usque  ad 
4'  alto :  persuasus  sum^  praeunte  Am.  Gutbnicko  in  '^  Flora  oder 
Regensburger  Bot.  Zeitung/'  P.  globolariaefolium  Hoppe  et  Sterub. 
mere  formam  proceriorem^  P.  paudflora,  L.  (cf.  Rchb.  pi.  crit.  iv. 
ic.  545^  547 — 549,)  et  vix  ut  varietas  enumerandum. 
177-  P'  hemisphaericum,  L. 
H.     In  graminosis  M.   Gemmi  supra  Schwarrenbach.    In  M. 
Schwarzseeberg^  Fiinelen,  et  supra  Tsesch,  et  in  M.  Grimsula 
supra  Obergestelen^  ubique  copiose. 

178.  *P.  humile^  Schleich.  Gaud. 

H.  Occurrit  rarissima  planta  in  graminosis  ad  moles  glaciales 
vallis  D.  Nicolai  supra  Zermatt,  &c. 

Obe.  Bractese  interiores  demum  induratse,  acuminatissimse  fruc- 
tus  superantes,  adeo  ut  capitulis  maturis  Scabiosarum  similes  sunt. 
Folia  bractesque  nervo  valido  exstante  percursae  sunt. 

179.  P.  orbiculare,  L.     a«  cordatum,  Gaud. 
H.     In  M.  Gemmi  supra  Schwarrenbach. 

180.  P.  spicatum,  L.     Var.  glaberrimum,  capitulo  bracteato,  fo- 
liorum  bractearumque  dentibus  patentibus. 


188  Botanical  Excursion  to  the 

H.     In  sylvis  laridiiiB  inter  Zermstt  et  valleculam  Taesch. 
Obs,  Glabritia  solummodo^  a  varietate  bracteata.  Alp.  DC.  Mon. 
p.  198,  differre  videtur 

181.  P.  betoniciefolium,  Vill.  Gbiad. 

H.     In  M.  Gemmi  supra  Sch warren  bach,  in  M.  FUnelen,  et  in 
alpibus  supra  Taesch. 

182.  Campanula  pusilla,  Hnnke.   $.  flore  albo,  magisque  pubescens. 
H.  In  glareoftis  M.  Gemmi  ad  nives  perennes  supra  Schwarren- 

bach,  et  lacum  Dauben.     0.  rarius,  80-^1  Aug.  1836. 

Obs.  Forma  alpina  difFert  a  subalpina  et  campestri  floribus  ma- 
joribus,  habituque  laxiori. 

183.  C.  glacialis,  n.  sp. 

C.  humilis  cespitosa  pauciflora  glabra,  foliis  radicalibus  ovatis  ai« 
tidis  dentatis  in  petiolum  ciliatum  attenuatis,  caulinis  lineari-lan- 
ceolatis :  alabastris  nutantibus,  floribus  suberectis ;  calycis  laciniis 
subulatis  erectis,  corolla  campanulata  lobis  erectis  inflata,  quadru- 
plo  brevioribus. 

H.   .  In  glareosis  ad  moles  glaciales  M.  Funelen  supra  Zermatt* 

Cons.  C.  pedunculati.  Gaud,  et  Sedi  repentis,  Schleich.  caes- 

pites  magnos  laxosque  efficiens. 

Obs.  Proxima  affinitas  cum  C.  pusilla,  Hnnke,  et  C.  linifolia. 

Lam.  Alp.  DC.    A  C.  pusiUa  differt  corollae  forma  aliena  et  statu- 

ra  fere  duplo  majori,  styloque  breviori ;  a  C.  linifolia  habitu  nano 

cflBspitoso,  et  corolla  inflata  suberecta  calycis  segmentis  quadruple 

longiori.     Forma  corollse  videtur  omnino  distincta,  est  nempe  ex- 

act^  campanulata,  infeme  multo  latiori,  supeme  multo  angustiori, 

pro  rata,  quam  in  C.  pusilla  et  linifolia.   Stylus  etiam  in  C.  pusilla 

fere  longitudinis  corollse,  in  nostra  planta  tertia  parte  breviori. 

Species  pulcherrima  denuo  indaganda  an  jure  a  C.  pusilla  diversa. 

184.  C.  linifolia.  Lam.     C.  Valdenses,  0.  Graud. 

H.     In  graminosis  M.  Gemmi  supra  Schwarrenbach. 

185.  C.  cenisia,  All.  Fed.  Tab.  6.  f.  2. 

H.     Ad  moles  glaciales  summi  jugi  alpium  supra  Tsesch,  in  gla- 
reosis. 

186.  C.  rhomboidalis,  L. 

H.     In  pratis  Valesise  superioris  inter  Brieg  et  Miinster. 

187.  C.  Tracfaselium,  L.  |3.  urticsfolia.  C.  urticefolia,  Schmidt. 
Pedunculis  unifloris  solitariis,  calycis  segmentis  glabriuscnlia ; 
corolla  pallida. 

H.     Ad  sepes  Valesiie  sup.  inter  Brieg  et  Munster 

188.  *C.  spicata,  L. 
H.     Zermatt. 


Alps  of  the  Valais.  189 


189.  C.  barbata,  L. 

H.    In  pascuis  M.  Gemmi. 


190.  Adenostyles  candidissima^  Cass.  Less.  A.  leucophylla,  Rchb. 
H.  In  petrosis  alpinis  yallecnl»  Tiescfa^  paulo  infra  moles  gla- 

dales. 
Ohs.  Caulis  semipedalis,  bipedalis  et  ultra.     Capris  et  peoori 
▼idetnr  grata. 

191.  PetcaUes  nvrejx^,  Baumg.  fl.  Trans,  lass. 
H.     In  glareods  prope  Thermas  Leuoenses. 
06#.  Folia  tantum  inveni. 

192.*  Senecio  viscosns,  L. 
H.     Zermatt. 

193.  S,  uniflorus,  All.  Fed.  i.  No.  7^8.  a  Allionii,  mihi.  S.  uniflo- 
nis  All.  1.  c.  Tab.  17^  f-  3*  opt.  Senecio  caule  unifloro^  foliis  ob- 
longis  crenato-incisis,  incano-tomentosis.  jS.  corymbosus  mihi, 
canle  3-8  floro,  capitulis  minoribus^  foliis  altius  incisis  interdum 
subpinnatifidis,  incano-tomentosis.  Fluk.  Tab.  39.  f.  6  ?  y.  leu- 
cantbemifolins  mihi,  caule  corymbose^  capitulis  parvis  numerosis 
oongestis,  foliis  spathulato-ovatis^  vel  lineari-lanceolatis^  crenatis 
▼el  inciso-pinnatifidis^  &cie  glabriusculis,  dorso  incanis.  S.  car- 
niolicus,  Willd.  Rchb.  S.  incanus>  Scop.  Hoppe  exsic !  S.  leucan- 
themifolia  Lezay !  (in  Herbnostr."  exaltissimaalpe  Scaletta^  quae 
Rhstiam  ab  Eugadino  separat.")     Chrysanthemum  alpinum  ju- 

.    denbergense  Jacobaete  affine.  J.  Bauh.  Hist.  ii.  p.  1058  cum  icou. 

et  in  Herb.  Scheuchzeriano ! 

H.  a.  ad  moles  glaciales  M.  Fiinelen  copiose,  et  in  alpibus  su- 
pra Taesch.    ff*  cum  a  in  M.  Fiinelen. 

Obs.  In  var.  a,  formas  duas  legi^  nempe  a  a  macrocephala^ 
capitulis  uncialibus  et  a  jS  microcephala^  capitulis  vix  semi-unciali- 
bns :  variat  etiam  foliis  plus  minusve  altius  crenato-incisis^  indu- 
mentoque  minus  copioso.  In  var.  y,  quoad  foliorum  incisionem^ 
et  tomentum  valde  variabilis. 

194.  S»  incanuBj  L.  a.  Genuinus  mihi^  caule  simplici  corymboso^ 
capitulis  ooarctatiBj  foliis  spathulato-lanceolatis^  ovatisve  pinna- 
tifidis,  incano-tomentosis.  S.  incanus,  L.  Rchb.  germ.  exc.  Ja- 
cobcea  pumila  alpina,  Bocc.  Mus.  Tab.  8.  opt.  J3.  elatior  mihi^ 
caule  supeme  ramoso  corymbose^  capitulis  laxioribus^  foliis  spa- 

.  thulato-lanceolatisy  ovatisve  pinnatifidis^  radicalibus  siepe  mere 

crenato-indsis,  incano-tomentosis. 

H.     Ad  moles  glaciales  M.  Fiinelen  sed  parcius. 

Obs.  1<"*.  In  var.  a  caulis  vix  ultra  4-uncialis>  capitula  mini- 
ma ;  in  var.  P,  caulis  semipedalis  et  ultra. 


190  Botanical  Excursion  to  the 

Obi.  2^*.  Inter  S.  uniflorum^  All.  et  incanum^  L.  nulla  diacri- 
mina  specifica  adesse^  ex  observationibus  iterum  iterumque  repetitis 
(et  exempl.  per  multa  e  Germania  (Styria^)  Helvetia  et  Sabaudia 
possideo)  persuasns  sum ;  et,  nisi  anctoritate  Willdenowii,  Reichen- 
bachii,  Oaudini,  &c  obstante,  in  unam  speciem  ambos  oonjunxissem. 
Var.  j3.  S.  uniflori  omnino  inter  a  et  7  media ;  ac  var.  fi.  S.  incani 
fere  transitus  in  var.  y  leucanthemifolium  S.  uniflori.  CI.  Gau- 
din,  semina  S.  uniflori,  setulis  brevissimis  parum  extantibns  adsper- 
sa,  pappumque  brevem  seabrum  descripsit ;  et  semina  S.  incani  gla- 
bra et  pappnm  squalide  albidum  scabriusculumque  :  sed  in  exempl. 
meis  S.  uniflori,  Camiolici  et  incani  nullum  discrimen,  nisi  pappum 
in  8.  incano  a  magis  ooloratum  quam  in  /3.  inveni.  Semina  juniora 
semper  setulis  conspicuis  adspersa,  mature  siepe  glabriuscula ;  pap- 
pus in  planta  florenti  albidus,  in  fructifere  plus  minnsve  coloretus, 
semper  scaber. 

Si  res  sicsehabeat,  nomen  Linnaeanumaptissimum  ita  retinendum. 
Senecio  incanus,  L.  a.  Linnsei — S.  incanus,  L.  et  auct.  )3.  elatior.  y. 
leucanthemifolius.  S.  Camiolicus,  Willd.  et  auct.  d.  corymbosus,  (cf. 
All.  1.  c.)  s.  uniflorus,  S.  uniflorus  All.  et  auct. 

195.  S.  Doronicum,  L. 

H.  In  M.  Gemmi  supre  Schwarrenbadb.  et*  Zermatt. 

Obs.  1^*.  Variat  caule  uni  et  multifloro,  foliisque  plus  minusve 
incanis. 

Obs.  2^^,  Senecio  Scheuchzeri,  Gaud  !  Helv.  v.  p.  294,  vix  nisi 
forma  alpestris  8.  tenuifolii ;  specimen  a  cl.  Ghiudino  descriptum,  et 
in  Herb.  Scheuchzeriano  asservatum,  *^  Jacobea  alpina  ladniatc, 
flore  Buphthalmi  ex  Monte  Fracto"  possideo :  involucrum  fere  ut 
in  S.  Jacobfea,  sed  capitula  minima ;  videtur  forma  f  localitati  nata. 

196.  Arnica  scorpioides,  L.   Aronicum — Rchb. 

H.  In  glareosis  M.  Gemmi  supra  Schwarrenbach — ^in  Alpibiu 
supre  Zermatt. 

197*  *A,  Doronicum,  Jacq.  a.  foliis  caulinis  dentatis.  Aronicum 
Doronicum  Rchb.  Arnica  Clusii,  All.  Fed.  Tab.  17*  f«  i.  (sed 
maxima)  0.  foliis  omnibus  angustioribus,  subintegerrimia,  Aro- 
nicum glaciale  Rchb.  an  Jacq  }  Arnica  Clusii,  var.  All.  1.  c  f.  2, 
(sed  etiam  major.) 
H.  Siipre  Zermatt. 
Obs.  Limites  nullos  inter  varietates  invenio. 

198.  Chrysocoma  Linosyris,  L. — fi,  minor.  Hall.  Vill.  Gaud.  Taber- 
naemontanus,  p.  1209,  f.  2.  opt. 

H.  a.  ad  viam  inter  Stalden  et  Visp.   ]8.  In  paludosis  prope  Pfyn, 
inter  Siders  et  Leuk. 


Alps  of  the  ValaU.  191 

Obs.  Coryiiilras  vur.  /3.  valde  irr^jpilaris^  paadflorus. 

199.  A$ter  alpinus^  L«— -8,  flore  discoideo. 

H.  In  M.  Gemmi^  *  supra  Zermatt.  j3.  in  M.  Fiinelen. 

200.  ErigeroH  nniflonis^  L. 

H.  In  M.  €^mmi  snpra  Schwarrenbach ;  in  M.  Fiinelen. 
Ob*.  Pnlcberrima  planta ;  flores  rosei  vel  albi.   Var.  calyoe  plus 
minnsre  hirsnto^  et  hue  E.  hirsutus^  Hoppe. 

201.  E,  alpinus^  L.  a.  minor>  uniflorus.  Gaud.  Heir.  v.  p.  266. 

p.  ramosus^  pedalis  et  ultra,  pedunculis  unifloris  foliolosis,  Graud. 
1.  c  7.  hirsutus,  fbliis  prsedpueque  caule  pilis  longis  patulis  hir- 
sutis,  calyce  snbtomentoso^  pappo  dilute  cameo,  semine  longiori. 
Gaud.  1.  c. 
H.  a.  In  M.  Gemmi  supra  Kandersteg  et  Schwanrenbach.   j3.  in 

M.  Gemmi  prope  Hospitium.    7.  In  alpibus  supra  Taesch,  et 

prope  Randaa. 
Obs.  In  exempl.  meis  yar.  7.  caulis  uniflorus  semipedalis  anthe- 
raeque  atrofnsese.     Ad  hujus  species  var.  a  pertinere  videtur  E. 
glabratus,  Hoppe. 

202.  SoUdago  virgaurea,  L.  *  3.  angustifolia,  Gbiud.  Helv.  ▼.  310. 
7.  pumila.  Gaud.  1.  c 

H.  fi.  Zermatt.    7.  In  M.  Gemmi  supra  Schwarrenbach. 

Obs.  7.  variat,  caule  foliisque  glabriusculis  vel  pubescentibus,  pe- 
dunculis unifloris  vel  racemosis,  foliis  inferioribus  lanceolatis  in  pe« 
tiolum  attenuatis,  vel  OTalibus^  subrotundisve  longe  petiolatis.  Dif- 
fert  a  planta  campestri  floribus  fodle  duplo  majoribus,  racemo  bre* 
Tissimo  conjesto,  rhizoraateque  crasso  longissime  repenti.  Ab  hoc 
▼ar.  yix  differt  S.  cambrica^  Britann.  nisi  floribus  minoribns. 

203.  Inula  Britannica,  L. 

R.  In  paludosis  prope  Pfyn. 

204.  Gnaphalium  montanum,  L.  Rchb.  germ.  exc.  No.  1390.  G. 
arvense,  W.  et  Rchb.  1.  c  Gaud. 

H.  In  incultis  arenosis  inter  Stalden  et  St  Nicholas,  et  in  arvis 
incultis  prope  Siders. 

Obs.  Mifai  etiam  non  obvin  sunt  differentitt  inter  Gn.  arvense, 
L.  (G.  montanum^  Willd.)  et  G.  minimum,  Sm.,  sed  fbrsan  et  ego 
G.  montanum  et  arrense,  L.  non  bene  intelligo. 

205.  G.  Leontopodium,  L.  a.  minus,  caule  2-4  unciali  tix  ultra, 
p.  elatiuB,  caule  pedali  et  ultra,  flezuoso,  capitulis  majoribus, 
numerosioribus,  bracteisque  armato-patentibus. 

H.  a.  In  M.  Cknnmi  supra  Schwarrenbach,  et  ad  lacum  Dauben. 

/3.  In  graminods  ad  moles  gladales  supra  Zermatt. 
Obs.  Cum  varietate  jS.  bene  convenit  icon  Rchb.  G.  Leontopo- 


192  Botanical  Excursion  to  the 

dioidis^  Willd.^  PI.  crit.  x.  ic.  1292,  nisi  caule  saperne  ramo6o,  capi- 
tolisque  laxioribus,  sed  planta  e  cultura  fbrsan  mutuata.  Rcfab.  !• 
c  et  de  planta  culta  oommentatur.  **  Planta  imprimis  bracteis 
arcuatis  minus  tomentosis  nee  candidis  a  pulchro  nostro  6.  Leonto- 
podio  diversa/'  sed  hse  noUe  non  extant  apud  Willd.  Spec.  iii.  p. 
1894L  Notis  exceptis,  icon  Rcfab.  noatram  plantam  omnino  refert. 
206.  G.  supinnm,  L.  Syst.  Veg.  (Ed.  13.  c.  Murray.)   G.  supinum 

Lavandulnfolium,  Booc.  Mus.  107*  tab.  85.     G.  supinum.  Gaud. 

Helv.  ▼.  p.  241.  desc.  bona.  Willd.  Sp.  iii.  p.  1888.    G.  fiiscum, 

var.  Rcfab.  Germ.  exc.  No.  1397- 

H.  In  M.  Gemmi  supra  Scfawarrenbacfa,  et  in  saxosis  ad  lacum 
Dauben.     *  Zermatt. 

Ohs,  G.  supinum,  Sm.  £ng.  Fl.  Ed.  2^*.  iii.  p.  416,  non  faac  sed 
ad  sequentem  G.  pusillum  Hsenke  pertinet,  ut  videtur  ex  observa- 
tionibus  suis  de  ioone  Bocconii  citata,  nam  Gn.  supinum  layandule- 
folium  Bocc.  a  Linnaeffi  ad  suum  G.  supinum  allatum  est,  et  bene  re- 
fert plantam  juniorem  G.  supini,  Bot.  Helv.  et  Germ.  (Rcfab.  in 
germ.  exc.  No.  1397  in  &nn.  et  add.  figuram  Bocconii  ad  G.  uligino- 
sum  refert)  Utramque  specierum  e  Scotia  aocepi  et  in  Herbario  meo, 
efere  omnibus  localitatibus  oopiose  sed  intermixtae  extant,  etdubitor 
an  vere  inter  se  distinct®.  Interdum  aegre  distinguende  sunt,  quan- 
quam  formae  extreme  valde  distinctae.  G.  supinum  gaudet  fbliis  la» 
tioribus  minus  tomentosis,  capitulis  saepius  capitato-spicatis  nume- 
rosis  (4-12,)  magis  coloratis,  brevissime  pedicellatis ;  caulibus  vix 
caespitosis,  biuncialibus  et  ultra,  spicisque  saepissime  arcuato-cernuis, 
occurrit  etiam  capitulis  sparsis,  interdum  subremotis,  pallidiori- 
busque,  sed  semper  numerosioribus  quam  in  sequenti.  Hujus  spe- 
cies varietas  videtur  G.  fuscum.  Scop,  non  Lam. 
207*  G.  pusillum,  Haenke.  Willd  sp.  iii.  p.  1889,  Gaud.  1.  c.*desc. 

bona.    G.  alpinum  Ligfaif.  Scot.  i.  p.  470  cum  icon.  opt.    G.  su- 
pinum, Sm.  e  descr.  et  annot. 

H.  In  M.  Scfawarzseeberg  et  Fiinelen. 

Ohs.  Descriptio  Willdenowiana  optima,  nisi  ''  flores  sessiles,  et 
calycis  squamae  glabriusculae  ex  toto  Aiscae.'*  Pfaylla  nempe  pubes- 
centia,  sed  multo  minus  quam  in  praecedenti ;  color  variabilis.  Dif- 
fert  a  praecedenti  caulibus  sarmentosis  procumbentibus,  florentibus 
magis  erectis  paucifloris,  saepius  unifloris,  sed  interdum  quinqueflo- 
ris  ;  capitulis  omnibus  remotis,  plus  minusae  pedicellatis  ;  foliisqne 
linearibus  utrinque  argenteo  tomentosis.  Ab  faac  specie,  videtur,  d. 
Smitfa  varietatis  uni  et  paucifloris  praeoedentis  non  separavit,  et  for- 
san  recte  sed  formam  spicatam  ad  Gn.  sylvaticum  retulit. 
208.  G.  carpatfaicum  Wafal.  Carp.  p.  258  cum  icone.  Gu.  alpinum^ 


JlpsoftheFahU.  193 

Gaud.  Rchb.  pi.  crit.  viii.  ic.  996.  (Antennaria  hyberborea,  Don. 

Lindl.  syn.  (?)  e  Rchb.  germ.  exc.  No.  1398  in  add.) 

H.  In.  M .  Gemmi  snpra  Scbwarrenbach.     In.  M.  Fanelen. 

Obs.  In  exempl.  meis  capitula  omnia  distincte  pedunculata.  G. 
carpathicum,  WahL  !  differt  tantam  capitulis  congeetis,  fbliisque  la- 
tioribns,  sed  in  ioone  suae  capitula  etiam>  quoque  minus  distincte^ 
pedunculata  sunt. 

209.  *  G.  dioicum^  L. 
H.  Zermatt. 

210.  G.  luteo-album^  L. 

H.  Ad  viam  inter  St  Nicholas  et  Zermatt  et  inter  Visp  et  Brieg. 

211.  Ckryaanthetnum  atratum^  L. 

H.  In  pascuis  M.  Gemmi  prope  Hospitium  Scbwarrenbach,  29, 

30  Aug.  1836. 

ObM.  Cum  C.  Leucanthemum,  L.  ut  var.  alpinum  conjunxit  cl. 
Rchb. 

212.  C.  Alpinum,  L. —  3  pubescens.  Dub.  Bot.  Grail,  i.  272,  caule 
foliisque  pubescentibus,  squamis  ciliatis.  C.  minimum^  Vill.  C.  al- 
pinum 0  minimum,  Thom.  Gaud. 

H.  Ad  moles  glaciales  M.  Funelen :  in  glareosis  M.  Gemmi  su- 
pra lacum  Dauben,  31  Aug.  1836.  j3.  ad  moles  glaciales  supra 
Zermatt. 

Obs,  C.  tomentoeum^  Lois.  Dub.  banc  varietatem  a  Rchb.  adjec- 
tum  videtur,  imprimis  squamis  ovatis  hirsutis  distinctum. 

213.  C.  Halleri,  Sut. 

H.  In  glareods  M.  Gemmi  ad  moles  glaciales  Lammemgletscher, 

31  Aug.  1836. 

214.  AchilUBa  moschata,  Jacq.  Rchb.  germ  exc.  No.  1443.  A.  Livia 
Scop.  Del  Ins.  Tab.  3.  opt.     /8.  intermedia  Rchb.  1.  c.  A.  inter- 
media Schleich.  A.  moschata  j3.  hybrida.  Gaud.  v.  p.  370,  foliis 
yilloBo-tomentosis,  corymbo  composito.  Hall.  Hist.  No.  112.  j9. 
H.  In  glareosis  ad  moles  M.  Funelen  cum  var.  S.  et  summi  jugi 

alpium  supra  Tsesch. 
Obs.  ''  A.  moschate  et  nanse  hybrida  proles.  Rchb.  1.  c"  sed  hy- 
bridae^  persuasus  sum,  multo  rariores  sunt  quam  autumnat  cl.  auc- 
tor.   Ad  collum  radicis  prsesertim  var.  0.  saepius  nidulas  lignosas  vil- 
lossissimas,  insectis  productas  inveni. 

215.  J.  Macrophylla,  L. 

H.  In  M.  Grimsula  infra  Hospitium  copiose. 

216.  A.  atrata  L. 

H.  In  M.  Gemmi  frequens ;  in  glareosis  supra  Scbwarrenbach 
forma  humilior  magiaque  pilosa. 


194  Botanical  Excursion  to  the 

Obs.  Valde  variat  quoad  fbliorum  deoompositionem  et  indumen-i 
turn ;  caulis  supeme  semper  plus  minufive  piloso-tomentosas^  sed 
Bsepe^  ita  ut  etiam  folia>  e  toto  valde  piloaus ;  ut  opinor^  A.  dasiana, 
Tausch  et  Rchb.  PL  crit.  ii.  ic*  368,  non  diverea  et  vix  varietas  con- 
stans.  Bed  tantum  forma  e  localitate  orta« 
217-  A»  nana,  L. 

H.  In  M.  Schwarzseeberg ;  ad  moles  glaciales  M.  Fiinelen  et  sum- 
mi  jugi  alpium  supra  Tsesch. 

Obs,  Variat  etiam  corymbo  laxiusculo,  caule  foliisque  minus  vil- 
losis. 

218.  A.  tomentosa,  L. 

H.  In  arenosis  ad  viam  inter  Stalden  et  St  Nicholas  et  copiose 
inter  Brieg  et  Munster. 

219.  A.  setac8«,  Oaod.    W.  et  Kit?  A.  odorata,  Murith ! 
H.  Ad  viam  inter  Siders  et  Leuk. 

Obs,  A.  setacea  WaldSi  et  Kit!  differt  foliis  latioribus  forsan 
tenuiter  dissectis  cauleque  TilloBioribus.  An  ab  A.  odorata  vere 
distincta  planta  Kitaibeliana,  an  ab  A.  millefolium,  nostra  ? 

220.  A.  miUefblium,  L.  Tar.  foliis,  caulibuaque  vix  semipedalibus, 
tomentoso-villosis  et  floribos  roseis. . 

H.  Ad  viam  inter  Siders  et  Leak. 

221.  Artemisia  campestris,  L. 

H.  In  apricis  ad  viam  inter  Inden,  Varen  et  Siders. 

A,  nana,  Graud.  Helv.  V.  231.  a.  helvetica,  gemina,  raoemo 
simplici,  foliis  incanis,  capitulis  majoribus.  A.  helvetica  Schleidi* 
Rchb.  /8.  parviflora.  Gaud.  1.  c,  racemo  composite,  racemulis  sub- 
sexfloris  caulem  arete  appressis,  foliis  minus  incanis,  capituLs 
paululum  minoribus.     A.  campestris,  fi,  alpina  Schleich.  Gaud. 


exs 


H.  In  alpibus  supra  Tsesch. 

Obs,  Planta  rarissima,  A.  campestri  aifinis  sed  notis  bonis  distinc- 
ta :.  caules  trientales  vix  semipedales,  adscendentes ;  folia  plerum* 
que  longe  petiolata  in  a  incano-sericea,  subbipinnatifida,  pinnula- 
rum  laciniis  lanceolatis  latiusculis.  Racemus  in  a  vix  20-i]orus,  in 
fi.  raoemuli  3-6  flori.  Capitula  duplo*triplove  majora  quam  in  A« 
campestri,  disco  eleganter  purpureo,  secunda,  nutantia. 

223.  A.  valesiaca.  All. 

H.  Copiose  in  apricis  inter  Varen  et  Siders. 

224.  A,  glaciales,  L. 

H.  In  alpibus  supra  Zermatt — M.  Schwarzseeberg. 

225.  il.spicata,  Jacq.  Gaud.  Helv.  V.  229.  ce.  floribus  pertotum  cau- 
lem laxius  spicatis.  Gaud.  Lc.    ^  floribus  supeme  laxins  spicatis. 


Alps  of  the  Valais.  195 

Gand.  1.  c.    7.  spica  terminali  densissima.  Gaud.  1.  c.  t     d.  foliis 
caulinis  linearibus  indivisis.     Gaud.  1.  c. 

H.  a.  ad  moles  glaciales  summi  jugi  alpium  supra  Tssch.  /8.  in 
M.  Schwarzseeberg  et  Funelen.  j8.  y,  et  d,  rarius.    In  rupibus 
M.  Gemmi  supra  Schwarrenbach. 
06«.  Var.  t  omiies  enTunerats  Tanant  foliis  caulinis  palmato-in- 
dais^  pinnatifidis^  et  linearibus  intern. 

236,  A.  mutellina^  Vill.  Gaud.  A.  rupestris^  All.  non  L.  A.  glacia- 
lis  Wulf.  Hoppe  exs  !  non  L.  Variat.  a  foliis  cauliniH  apice  tri- 
fidiSj  summis  simplicibus^  pedunculis  axillaribus  unifloris  aphyl- 
lis^  caule  valde  caspitoso.  jS.  foliis  omnibus  palmato-pinnatifi- 
dis  argenteo-sericeis^  pedunculis  axillaribus  uniflorus  apfayllis^ 
caule  humilori.  y,  foliis  radicalibus  elongatis^  caulinisque  subpal- 
mato-pinnatifidis/ pedunculis  axillaribus  unifloris  aphyllis^  caule 
elato.  d.  pedunculis  axillaribus  elongatis  fbliolosis^  plerumque 
trifloris.  A.  mutellina^  Vill.  Dauph.  iv.  Tab.  35. 
H.  a,  y,  d.  in  glareosis  ad  moles  glaciales  supra  Tsesch.  /3-  et  7.  In 
M.  Fiinelen. 
227«  A,  Absinthium^  L. 

H.  Fere  ubique  in  Valesia  vulgaris. 
228.  Carduus,  An  nov.  sp.  ? 

H.  In  pascuis  alpinis  M.  Fiinelen  satis  copiose. 
Obs.  1°**.  Species  mibi  ignota^  sed  exemplare  unico^  quanquam 
perfecto^  novam  spedem  generis  spinosissimi  instituere  nolo^  sed  ad 
nuUam  spederum  Florae  Germanise,  Helvetise,  G^iseve  redigere 
possum. 

Carduus  foliis  lanceolatis  decurrentibus  pinnatifidis,  laciniis  inci- 
so-spinosis  ;  caule  supeme  nudiusculo  unifloro,  involucro  hemisphse- 
rico,  phyllis  linearibus  erectis  subappressis,  nervo  valido  percur- 
sis. 

Caulis  pedalis  et  ultra  tomentosus,  infeme  dense  foliosus,  foliis 
decurrentibus  ubique  alatus  spinosusque,  supeme  nudiusculus  vel 
fnlio  unico  semidecurrenti  instructus; — Folia,  praesertim  subtus, 
piloso-tomentosa,  utrinque  ad  nenros  pilis  crassis  yalde  articulatis 
intricatis  arachnoideo-floccosa,  lanceolata  fere  pinnatifida,  laciniis 
Tslde  approximatis  latiusculis  spinuloso-dentatis,  spina  ralida  ter- 
ninatis:  terminali  producta; — Capitulum  terminale,  sesquunciale 
eiectum  vel  suberectum,  Isete  purpurascens,  pedunculo  vix  incras- 
aato  tomentoso ;  involucrum  subtomentosum,  phyllis  erectis,  spina 
brevissima  terminatis. 

Capitulum  dnplo  major  quam  in  C.  acanthoidis,  L. : — videtur  af- 
finis  C.  alpestri  Walds  et  Krit !  a  quo  differt  capitulo  majori,  caule 


196         Botanical  Excursion  to  the  Alps  of  the  Valais. 

simplici  tomentoso,  multomajus  alato  spinoeoque  et  fbliorom  laciniis 
arcti  approximatis  subtus  lanuginoso  tomentosis. 

C.  leptophyllus,  Gaud,  differt,  foliia  glabris,  capitalo  multo  minori 
("  duplo  fere  miaori  quam  C.  deflorati" — in  planta.;  nostra  duplo 
fere  majori)  sed  aliis  notis  bene  congruit. 

C.  acuminatus.  Gaud,  etiam  differt  capitulis  minoribus  capitato- 
aggregatis  phyllis  omnino  patulis. 

Ohs.  2<»»  C.  acanthioide8>  Auct.  Brit,  videtur  certissime,  C.'crispus 
et  pinnatifidus,  Rchb.  Germ,  exc  No,  1893.— Spec.  |mea  ab  am 
Campbell  prope  Edinburgumlecta,  foliis  subtus  incano-tomentosis 
vel  sublanatis,  et  capitulis  numerosis  dense  aggregatis  gaudent. 

C.  acantboides  Germanorum>  Rcbb.  pi.  crit.  X.  ic.  1319,  20,  21, 
et  exsic !  differt  capitulis  pedunculatis  subsolitariis  majoribusque,  et 
foliis  laeti  virentibus  vix  pubescentibus. 
229.»  Saussurea  alpina,  D.  C. 

H.  Zermatt. 

Obs.  Variat  foliis  ovato-lanceolatis,  lanceolatis  lineari-lanceolatisve 
distincte  petiolatis  vel  in  petiolum  attenuatis ;  involucro  phyllis  ex- 
terioribus  ovato-triangularibus  viridibus,  nigro-marginatis,  purpu- 
rascentibus,  vel  e  toto  atropurpureis,  appresse  pilosis  vel  glabriuscu- 
lis,  interioribus  lanceolatis  pilosissimis. 

230.  Cirsium  spinossissimum,  Scop. 
H.  Copiose  in  petrosis,  M.  Gemmi. 

231.  Centaur ea  crupina,  L. 

H.  In  arvis  incultis  inter  Inden  et  Varen. 
Ohs,  Ochenia  magna  juniora  aureo-grisea  appresse  sericea,  pappo 
concolori  (contra  Gaudin,)  matura  brunneo-nigrescentia. 

232.  C.  Phrygia,  L.  Gaud.  exc.  C  austriaca,  L.  a  caule  simpli- 
cissimo  onifloro,  foliis  dentatis  scabriusculo-hirtis,  opacis,  dentibus 
mucronatis.  C.  phrygia,  ^.  Helvetica,  Gaud.  Helv.  v.  p.  393.  fi. 
ambigua,  minor  uniflora,  foliis  caulinis  subpeUucidis  sinuato-den- 
tatis  hirto-pubescentibus  basi  attenuatis,  subtrinervis.  C.  Phrygia. 
y,  ambigUH,  7.  jS.  minor.  Gaud.  1.  c  C.  ambigua,  Thom. 

H.*  a.  Zermatt.    ^.     In  M.  Schwarzseeberg. 

233.  C.  cyanus,  L.  var.  pusilla,  incana. 

H.  In  arvis  incultis  inter  Varen  et  Siders. 

234.  C.  paniculata,  L.  var.  ^.  incana,  phyllis  appendicibus  pallidis. 
H.  In  apricis  ad  viam  inter  Inden  et  Varen,  Siders  et  Leuk,  et 

inter  Stalden  et  Visp. 

(To  he  continued.) 

EDINBUaCH : 
PRINTED  BY  JOHN  STARK,  OLD  ASSEMBLY  CLOSE. 


MAGAZINE 


OF 


ZOOLOGY   AND   BOTANY. 


ORIGINAL  COMMUNICATIONS. 


L — On  ike  British  Species  of  the  Genus  Cerasiium,  being  an  at" 
tempt  to  elucidate  their  distinctive  characters.  By  Charles  C. 
Babinoton,  M.  a.  p.  L.  S.  &c.     (Plate  VI.) 

CERASTIUM,  Linn. 
Calyx  of  5  sepals.     Petals  5,  bifid.     Stamens  10-^5-4.     Styles 
5-4.     Capsule  1-celled,  many-seeded^  cylindrical,  the  apex  opening 
by  10  or  8  erect  teeth. 
A.  Cjbrastii  vuloati^  Fries.     The  petals  equalling  or  shorter 
than  the  calyx, 
a.  Pbrsibtbntbs^  Fries.     The  capsule  curved,  the  petals 
about  equal  to  the  calyx,  but  sometimes  slightly  longer. 
J.  Cerastium  vulgatum,  Linn.  Sm. — Leaves  oval,  petals  about  as 
long  as  the  calyx,  sepals  lanceolate,  acute,  and  together  with  the 
bracteae,  herbaceousand  hairy  throughout ;  capsule  cylindrical,  curved, 
about  twice  as  long  as  the  calyx,  fruit-stalks  about  as  long  as  the 
calyx. 
C.  vulgatum,  Linn.  Sp,  PL  627.  Sm.  Ft.  Brit.  496.  Eng.  Bot.  789. 
D.  Cand.  Prod.  i.  415.     Reichenb.  Icon.  Plant,  f.  385,  386, 
387-    Host.  FL  !•  Aust.  bbb.     Reichenb.  Fl:  excurs.  4970. 
Hooker,  Br.  FL  215.    Lind.  Sj^n.  51.    Mack.  FL  Hibem.  48. 
C.  visoosum,  Huds.  FL  Ang.  200.    CuH.  FL  Lond.  ed.  I.  WahL 
FL  Suec.  (exd.  var.)  517.  Gaud.  FL  Helv.  iii.  240.  Fries  Non. 
Snec.  ed.  2,  128. 
C.  glomeratum,  Koch,  Syn,  FL  Germ.  12U 

VOL.  II.  NO.  9.  o 


198  On  the  British  Species 

Root  fibrous.  Steins  mostly  erects  hoary  with  long  spreading  hairs,  ^ 
usually  glandular.  Leaves  ovate,  often  very  broad  and  usually  ob- 
tuse, the  lower  ones  narrowed  into  a  petiole.  Flowers  aggregated  or 
in  dichotomous  panicles,  upon  short  stalks,  which  never  exceed  the 
calyx.  Sepals  lanceolate,  acute,  entire,  the  outer  ones  very  slightly 
membranous,  the  inner  rather  more  so,  hairy  throughout.  Petals 
white,  scarcely  longer  than  the  calyx.  Capsule  cylindrical,  slightly 
curved  upward,  about  twice  the  length  of  the  calyx.  Seeds  very 
small,  tubercnlated. 

In  fields,  on  dry  banks,  &c.  common.    April — September. 
2.  C*  viscosum,  Linn.   Sm. — Leaves  obIong>  lanceolate,  petals  . 
about  as  long  as  the  calyx,  sepals  oblong-ovate,  and,  t<^ether  with 
the  bracteae,  membranous  at  their  margins  and  glabrous  apices,  cap- 
sule cylindrical,  curved,  about  twice  as  long  as  the  calyx,  fruit-stalks 
longer  than  the  calyx. 

C.  viscosum,  Linn.  Sp.  PL  627.    Sm.  497-    Eng  Boi.  7^0.    DC. 

prod.  i.  416.    Host.  557,    Hook.  215.    Lind.  51.    Mack.  48. 

C.  vulgatum,  Huds.  200.    {Walcoit  Fl  BrU.  plate.)  Curt.  ed.  1- 

WahL  52a    Gaud.  iii.  238.    Fries,  125. 
C.  triviale.   Link.  en.  hort.  BeroL  i.  433.      Reich.  FL  excurs. 

4972,  Icon.  pL  I  402,  403.    Koch,  Syn.  122. 
fi.  holosteoides.  Fries.  "  Glabrous^  the  stalks  with  their  sides  alter- 
nately pubescent." 
G.  holosteoides,  Fries,  nov.  ed.  1,  32.     Link  en.  h.  BeroL  i.  433. 
•  Ileich.  Icon.  pL  f.  317,  318. 
C.  vulgatum,  j3  holosteoides.  Fries,  ed.  2,  126. 
G.  triviale,  yS  holosteoides,  Reich,  fl.  excur.  4972.  Koch,  Syn.  122. 
Root  fibrous  and  stronger  than  in  C  vulgatum.  Stems  diffuse^  and, 
unless  supported  by  other  plants,  prostrate,  with  their  extremities 
ascending,  of  a  much  darker  green  than  the  preceding,  and  covered 
with  shorter  pubescence,  usually  without  any  glands.  Leaves  oblong 
or  lanceolate,  frequently  acute,  the*  lower  ones  narrowed  into  a  pe- 
tiole. Flowers  collected  in  small  terminal  panieies,  not  forming  dense 
fEisciculated  heads,  as  in  C.  vulgatum,  upon  stalks  which  are  longer 
than  the  calyx.    $epals  oblong-ovate,  rather  obtuse,  entire,  the  apex 
and  margins,  particularly  the  inner  one,  broadly  membranous,  but 
slightly  hairy  and  usually  quite  glabrous  at  their  tips.  Petals  white, 
scarcely  longer  than  the  calyx.    Gapsule  as  in  the  preceding  species. 
The  seed,  according  to  Gaudin,  beautifully  muricated,  and  of  about 
half  the  size  of  that  of  C.  vulgatum. 

The  whole  plant  is  sometimes  glandular,  more  particularly  upon 
the  peduncles  and  calyx,  when  it  forms  the  variety  glanduhsum  of 


of  the  Genus  Cerastium.  199 

authors.  There  is  also  an  alpine  form  '*  var.  d,  uUginosum,  Schleich.'' 
Reich,  and  d.  alpinum  of  Koch^  which  has  broader  leaves  and  larger 


Infields  on  banks>  walls,  &c  common.  ^  May— September. 

I  have  not  noticed  either  the  variety  holasieoides  or  alpinum  in 
this  country. 

From  the  very  confused  state  of  the  synonyms  in  this  first  sec- 
tion^ I  cannot  help  thinking  that  it  w6uld  be  ftur  better  to  adopt  dif- 
ferent names  from  those  given  by  Linnaeus,  that  is,  C.  ghmeratum 
after  Thniilier  and  Mertens  and  Koch,  in  place  of  C  vulgatum  of 
Smith>  and  C.  Iriviaie  after  Link,  Reichenbach  and  Mertens  and 
Koch,  in  place  of  C  vUcosum  of  Smith. 

h.  FuGACBS,  Fries.    The  capsule  straight,  the  petals  shorter 
than  the  calyx. 

3.  C.  semidecandrum,  Linn. — ^Leaves  ovate  or  ovate-oblong,  pe- 
tals shorter  than  the  calyx,  sepals  lanceolate,  broadly  membranous 
at  their  margins  and  apex,  bractese  with  their  upper  half  membran- 
ma,  capsule  cylindrical,  slightly  inflated,  straight  and  longer  than  the 
calyx,  fruit-stalk  longer  than  the  calyx,  at  .first  reflexed  but  ulti- 
mately erect. 

C.  semidecandmm,  Linn.  Sp.  PL  627.   Sm.  Eng.  BU.  1630. 
Booker,  Lind.  De  Cand,,  &c. 

C.  pelluddum,  Loisel.  Fl.  Gall.  i.  323. 

a  Friesianum,  leaves  ovate-oblong,  stems  filiform  and  erect.     C. 
semidecandmm.  Fries,  134. 

0.  gUiHnosum,  very  viscid,  leaves  ovate,  stems  thicker,  more 
spreading  and  decumbent  below.     C.  glutinosum.  Fries.  133. 

'     C.  viscosum,  Reichenb.  f.  399,  400,  401.  C.  pumilum.  Curt.? 

y.  nuici/enffffn.  Fries,  glabrous  throughout.  C.  madlentum,  J?etcil. 
f.  379,  380. 

Root  small,  fibrous.  Stems  yearly  erect;  except,  in  var  /9.  usually 
covered  with  short  glandular  pubescence.  Leaves  ovate  or  oblong, 
the  lower  ones  narrowed  into  a  petiole.  Flowers  in  small  terminal 
panicles,  often  umbellated,  upon  stalks  which  are  longer  than  the 
calyx,  and  are  refiexed  after  the  flower  is  faded,  but  ultimately  again 
erect.  Sepals  lanceolate,  somewhat  acute,  the  apex  and  margins,  par- 
ticularly the  inner  one,  broadly  membranous,  hairy  but  nearly  gla- 
brous towards  their  points,  fjig.  d.J  Petals  white,  much  shorter 
than  the  calyx.  Capsule  cylindrical,  not  curved,  nearly  twice  as 
long  as  the  calyx.    Seeds  minute  tuberculated. 

C.  semidecaudrum,  Lois,  is  said,  by  him,  not  to  have  the  mem- 


200  On  the  British  Species 

brahous  margins  to  the  bracteie.  He  has,  probably  with  justice^ 
considered  it  as  a  distinct  species,  but  has  incorrectly  retained  the 
Linneean  name  for  it,  rather  than  for  that  form  to  which  it  has  been 
given  by  most,  if  not  all  other  authors.  Seringe  has  retained  them 
both  as  distinct  species  in  DC.  Prod,  but  in  the  Botan.  Gall.  C. 
pellucidum  is  considered  as  a  variety  of  C.  semidecandrum.  By 
Reichenbach  (FL  excurs,  4969,)  G.  semidecandrum,  Lois,  is  re- 
ferred to  C.  pumilum^  Cf/W.,  and  considered  as  distinct  from  semi- 
decandrum. I  have  unfortunately  not  seen  authentic  specimens  of 
Curtis's  plant,  nor  that  of  Loiseleur. 

In  dry  fields  and  upon  walls.  April — May.  I  have  not  noticed 
var  y.  in  England. 

4.  C,  pednnculatum.  (Plate  VI.) — ^Leaves  ovate  or  oblong,  petals 
much  shorter  than  the  calyx,  sepals  lanceolate,  acute,  covered  with 
short 'glandular  hairs,  their  apex  and  margins  membranous,  the  mar- 
•gins  of  the  bractee  slightly  membranous,  capsule  straight,  subcylin- 
drical,  equal  to  or  longer  than  the  calyx,  always  erect,  the  fruit-bear- 
ing peduncles  two  or  three  times  as  long  as  the  calyx,  stems  repeat- 
edly dichotomous. 

a.  5-parlitum.  Calyx  and  corolla  5-parted,  capsule  opening  by 
10  teeth,  and  longer  than  the  calyx. 

/3.  4'partitum.  Calyx  and  corolla  4-parted,  capsule  opening  by  8 
teeth,  and  about  as  long  as  the  calyx.     PI. 

The  whole  plant  covered  with  short  hairs,  many  of  which  are 
glandular.  Root  small,  fibrous.  Stems  several,  from  6  inches  to  1 
foot  in  height,  erect,  repeatedly  dichotomous,  bearing  a  flower  in 
each  fork,  and  having  very  long  internodes.  Leaves  ovate  or  oblong, 
usually  pointed,  small,  the  lower  ones  narrowed  into  a  broad  petible, 
the  rest  sessile.  Flowers  scattered,  one  in  the  axil  of  each  fork  of 
the  stem.  The  peduncles  of  the  fruit  two,  three,  or  even  four  times 
as  long  as  the  calyx,  always  erect  and  straight.  Bracteie  slightly  mem- 
branous at  their  margins.  Sepals  lanceolate,  acute,  covered  with  short 
glandular  pubescence,  membranous  at  the  margins  and  apex.  Pe- 
tals much  shorter  than  the  calyx*  The  number  of  stamens  is  vari- 
able, as  is  usually  the  case  in  this  genus.  Capsule  straight^  cylindri- 
cal^ as  long  or  rather  longer  than  the  calyx,  always  erect,  and  never 
forming  an  angle  with  its  peduncle.     Seeds  small  and  tuberculated. 

On  sandy  ground.  St  Hellens,  Isle  of  Wight.  Mr  Borrer,  South- 
end, Essex.     Annual.    May  and  June. 

I  was  for  some  time  inclined  to  consider  this  plant  as  a  variety  pf 
C.  hrachypetalum,  Desp.  but  having  recently  received  authentic 
specimens  of  that  plant  from  Germany,  (No.  389,  in  Reichenbach's 


ofihe  Genus  Cerastiitm.  201 

t*iora  German,  exsiccata,)  I  am  led  to  consider  it  as  a  distinct  spe^ 
des.  It  differs  from  that  plant,  at  the  first  glance^  bj  its  much  more 
branching  habits  and  its  want  of  the  long  shaggy  pubescence  with 
which  that  species  is  covered  in  all  parts.  C.  hrachypetalum  also 
has  its  bractese  totally  destitute  of  a  membranous  margin^  and  the 
capsules  nodding  in  a  remarkable  manner^  the  peduncle  itself  re- 
maining straight  and  erect,  but  curved  at  a  right  angle^  just  below  the 
calyx.  This  plant  is  well  represented  by  Reichenbach  in  his  Plantce 
Crit.  Fig.  388.  Our  plant  may  be  distinguished  from  C.  semidecan^ 
drnm  by  its  habits  its  slightly  membranous  bractefe^  that  plant  hav- 
ing them  membranous  for  half  their  lengthy  and  by  its  capsule  being 
always  erects  not  at  first  pendulous^  a)id  then  (when  the  seed  is  per- 
fected) erect. 

5.  C.  ielrandrum,  Curt. — Leaves  elliptical^  petals  rather  shorter 
than  the  calyx^  sepals  lanceolate  acute,  their  apex  glabrous  and  at- 
tenuated with  a  central  almost  excurrent  herbaceous  line :  the  two 
margins  broadly  membranous,  capsules  straight,  a  little  longer  than 
the  calyx. 
C.  tetrandum.  Curt.  Lond.    Sm.  FL  Brit.  498.   Eng.  FL  ii.  332. 

Hooker,  2\e.    Mack.  ^. 
C.  semidecandrum,  BerUham  in  LindL  Sifn.  51. 
Sagina  cerastoides,  Sm,  in  Linn.  Trans,  ii.  343.  Eng.  Bot.  166. 
•    DC.  Prod.  1.  389.  Hooker,  216. 
Moenchia  cerastoides,  G.  Don.  Stfst.  of  Bot.  i.  420. 
Esmarchia  cerastoides,  Reich.  Jl.  excurs.  4954. 
?  Cerastium  pumilum,  Koch,  Sin.  122:^  (not  Curtis.) 
Root  slender.     Stems  procumbent,  spreading,  their  extremities 
ascending,  covered  with  short  hair.     Leaves  eUiptical^  the  lower 
ones  elliptic-oblong,  the  lowest  narrowing  into  a  petiole.     Flowers 
on  stalks,  which  are  rather  longer  than  the  calyx,  but  not  invari- 
ably so,  as  large  as  those  of  C.  vulgatum.     Sepals  4,  lanceolate,  at- 
tenuated, acute,  broad  below,  the  apex  glabrous  with  the  mid-rib 
continuing  to  its  extreme  point  in  the  form  of  an  herbaceous  line, 
bounded  on  both  sides  by  a  broad  membranous  margin.  (Fig.  c.) 
Petals  4,  white,  shorter  than  the  calyx.     '*  Capsule  a  little  longer 
than  the  calyx,  straight,  with  8  long  linear  teeth.     Seeds  roughish 
on  the  outer  edge." 

There  appears  to  be  some  confusion  in  Sir  W.  Hooker's  Brit. 
Flora,  which,  1  think,  has  not  improbably  arisen  from  his  having 
received  my  C.  hrachypelalum  0  sa  C.  tetrandrum.  I  have  also  re- 
cently received  from  Yarmouth,  through  the  kindness  of  my  friend 
Mr  Ball  of  Christ's  College,  a  tetrandrous  form  of  C.  semidecandrum. 


202  Oh  the  BriHih  Species 

In  this  plant  the  petals  are  about  half  the  length  of  the  calyx,  and 
the  stems  are  very  short  and  spreading,  but  it  agrees  exactly  with 
the  specific  characters  of  C.  semtdecandrutn.  On  the  same  root  of 
this  Yarmouth  plant  I  have  noticed  flowers  with  4  and  5  sepals, 
and  Mr  Ball  informs  me,  that  although  flowers  with  4  sepals  and 
4  stamens  were  hr  the  most  common,  yet  that  he  noticed  many 
cases  of  the  presence  of  5  sepals  and  5  stamens,  I  am  quite  conyin- 
ced  that  no  confidence  whatever  can  be  placed  upon  the  number  of 
those  parts  in  this  genus.  I  have  therefore  omitted  them  altogether 
in  my  specific  characters.  Under  these  circumstances  I  shall  only 
mention  the  station  from  which  my  specimens  of  this  plant  were 
obtained  by  the  kindness  of  'Mr  R.  fi.  Bowman  of  Newcastle, 
namely,  Tynemouth,  Northumberland.     "  May — June." 

B.  Grandiflori,  Fries.  The  petals  twice  as  long  as  the  calyx. 
6.  C.  alpinum,'  Linn. — Hairy,  the  stems  ascending,  leaves  ovate, 

ovate«oblong  or  lanceolate,  flowers  few,  sepals  bluntish,  with  their 
margins  membranoas,  bractee  wholly  herbaceous,  or  with  a  narrow 
membranous  margin,  capsule  at  length  twice  as  long  as  the  calyx. 

C.  alpinum,  Beniham  in  Lind.  Syn.  61. 

a.  Linjiasanum,  smooth,  or  clothed  with  long  silky  hairs,  stem 
mostly  simple,  flowers  1,2,  (ht  3,  together  in  a  forked  panicle, 
bractes  slightly  membranous  at  the  margin. 

C.  alpinum,  Linn.  628.  Sm.  Eng.  Bot.  t.  472.  Sm.  Eng.  FL  ^ 
333.     Hooker,  217,  *<?. 

C.  latifolium,  Ligktf.  FL  Scot.  242.  t.  10. 

p.  piloso-pubescens,  Benth.  Rough  with  short  bristly  hairs,  stem 
branched,  flowers  usually  solitary,  bracteie  often  wanting,  bat  when 
present  wanting  the  membranous  margin. 

C.  latifoHum,  Sm.  Eng.  Bot.  t.  473.  Sm.  Eng.  Fl.  ii.  334. 
Hooker,  217- 

Root  strong,  creeping,  stems  mostly  erect  in  var.  a,  prostrate  in 
var.  /3,  usually  clothed  vith  spreading  hairs.  Leaves  ovate,  varying 
through  all  the  intermediate  forms  to  lanceolate,  placed  rather  closely 
upon  the  stem  in  var.  B,  much  more  distantly  in  var.  ou  Flowers 
few  in  number,  either  solitary  or  in  a  dichotomons  panicle,  upon 
long  stalks.  Sepals  ovate,  with  a  membranous  nmrgin,  blnntiahy 
moie  so  in  var.  j3  than  a.  Petals  white,  nearly  three  times  as  long 
as  the  calyx.  Bracten  lanceolate,  acute,  with  a  slight  membranona 
margin,  usually  present  in  var.  a,  frequently  wanting,  and  with  the 
margin  scarcely  at  all  membranous  in  var.  j3.  "  Capsule  oblongs 
Cylindrical ;  when  ripe  about  twice  as  long  as  the  calyx."  Benth. 

I  have  been  unable  to  detect  any  permanent  character  to  distin* 


ofOu  Genus  Ceraatiunu  203 

gttiah  C  alpinum  and  iaitfoUum  of  8ir  J.  £.  Smithy  and  have  there- 
fore followed  Messrs  Beutham  and  Lindley  by  oonsidering  them  as 
oonsdtuting  onlj  one  species.  Their  extreme  forms  certainly  are 
very  different,  but  intermediate  states  often  occur,  and  it  is  then  al« ' 
most  impossible  to  determine  to  which  of  the  supposed  spedes  they 
on^t  to  be  vefored.  Mr  Bentham  is  of  opinion  that  the  C.  latifb' 
Hum  of  our  English  audiors  is  not  the  same  as  the  Linnnan  plant.  I 
have  therefore  not  quoted  the  Sp.  Plant. 

The  pedundes  of  our  plant  are  said  by  Koch  to  be  deflexed  after 
the  £ower  has  fiftded,  and  that  is  made  a  point  of  distinction  between 
it  and  C.  amense,  in  which  they  are  described  as  erect. 

In  the  higher  mountains  of  Scotland  and  Wales.  June— Augustt 

7*  C  arvense,  Linn^^^tems  ascending,  prostrate  below,  leaves 
linear-lanceolate  bluntish,  flowers  in  terminal  panicles,  sepals  and 
bractece  lanceolate,  slightly  acute  and  broadly  membranous  at  their 
margins  and  apex,  capsule  at  length  longer  than  the  calyx. 

C.  arvense,  Linn.  628.     Sm.  Eng.  Bot.  93.   Eng.  Fl.  ii.  333. 
Hooker,  217.   Mack.  ^,  &c. 

C.  arvense  1.  commune.  Gaud.  FL  Helv.  iii.  244. 

Root  strong,  creeping.  Stems  decumbent  below,  the  flowering 
part  ascending,  covered  with  fine  deflexed  hairs.  Leaves  narrowly 
lanceolate,  often  nearly  linear,  their  edges  fringed  below,  placed 
closely  upon  the  lower  parts  of  the  stem,  but  much  more  distant 
upon  the  upper  part.  Tlowers  much  more  numerous  than  in  C. 
aipimum,  usually  about  7  in  each  ^  or  trichotomous  panicle, 
sometimes  amonntii^  to  14  or  15,  upon  long  stalks,  which,  to- 
gether with  the  general  stalk  of  the  panicle,  are  covered  with  minute 
spreading  glandular  hairs,  (according  to  Gbmdin  the  hairs  upon 
the  peduncles  are  sometimes  not  glandular,  and  then  they  are  de- 
flexed like  those  of  the  stem.)  Sepals  and  braoteae  lanceolate, 
their  margins  and  apex  broadly  membranous.  Petals  white,  twice 
as  long  as  the  calyx.  Capsule  oblong,  longer  (shorter  Sm.)  than 
the  calyx. 

In  gravelly  and  chalky  places.    April— ^August. 

Noie. — The  CeraHium  aquaticum,  Smith,  appears  to  be  more  na- 
turally referred  to  the  genus  Stellaria,  or,  perhaps,  in  conformi- 
ty with  the -views  of  Fries,  to  form  a  geftus  distinct  horn  either  of 
them.  As,  however,  it  is  included  in  J;he  genus  Cerastium  by 
Smith,  Hooker,  and  Lindley,  I  have  added  its  characters  and  sy- 
nonyms, together  with  a  few  observations  upon  its  nomenclature. 


204  British  Species  of  the  Genus  Cerastium. 

STELLARIA,  Linn. 
Calyx  of  5  sepalii.     Petals  5,  bifid.    Stamens  10>  rarely  5  or  8. 
Styles  3,  rarely  5.  Capsule  l-celled^  many  seeded^  opening  with  6, 
or  rarely  5,  yalves. 

A.  Stju^larium.  Styles  3^  the  capsule  bursting  by  6  entire  valves. 
This  section  includes  the  whole  genus  SteUaria  of  most  authors. 

B.  Malachium.  Styles  5,  the  capsule  bursting  with  5  valves,  each 
of  which  is  bifid  at  its  extremity.  Larbrea,  Ser :  in  DC.  Prod, 
(not  of  St  Hil.)  Malachium,  Fries,  Reiohenb.  Koch. 

S.  aquaiica,  Vill.  Leaves  cordate-ovate^  mostly  sessile  and  semi- 
amplexicaule^  peduncles  axiUary  and  solitary,  petals  rather  longer 
than  the  calyx,  fruit-stalks  reflexed. 

Cerastium  aquaticum,  Linn.  Sp.  PL  629.  Eng.  BoL  538.  DC. 
Prod.  iii.  366,  (note,)  &c. 

SteUaria  aquatica,  «  Vill.  Delph.  iii.  617."  Pers.  Syn.  i.  500, 
(not  of  Seringe  in  DC.  Prod.  i.  398.) 

Larbrea  aquatica,  Ser.  in  DC.  Prod,  i,  395,  (not  of  St  Hilaire.) 

Malachium  aquaticum.  Fries,  "  Hall.  1817»  p-  77-"  -^w.  Suec, 
121.  Reichen.  FL  excurs.  4967.    Koch,  Syn.  120. 

Stellaria  pentagyna.  Gaud.  FL  Helv.  iii.  179. 

For  a  detailed  description  of  this  plant  I  would  refer  to  Sm.  Eng. 
FL  or  Gaud.  FL  Helv, 

The  Stellaria  aquatica  of  DC.  Prod.  i.  398,  is  Si.  nliginosa  of 
Curtis  and  Smith,  which  is  now  distinguished  as  a  genus  under  the 
name  of  Larbrea  of  St  Hilaire.  Seringe  applied  this  latter  name 
to  our  plant  in  De  Candolle's  Prodromus,  as  quoted  above.  This 
mistake  was  corrected  in  the  third  volume  of  that  work,  and  the 
genus  Larbrea,  distinguished  by  its  perigynous  stamens,  adopted 
for  the  St.  uliginosa  of  Curtis.  Our  plant  was,  at  the  same  time, 
referred  back  to  Cerastium. 

Should  it  be  considered  advisable  to  follow  Fries,  Reichenbach, 
and  Koch,  by  separating  this  plant  both  from  Stellaria  and  Ceras^ 
Hum,  the  name  Malachium  conferred  upon  it  by  Fries  in  the  year 
1817  cannot  be  retained.  A  genus  of  Coleopterous  insects  having 
been  described  under  the  name  of  Malachius,  and  therefore  only 
differing  in  gender  from  Malachium,  by  Fabricius  in  his  Systema 
Eleutheratorum,  which  was  published  in  1801. 

According  to  Reichenbach  and  Koch,  the  Cerastium  maniicum^ 
Linn.  C Stellaria  mantica,  DC.)  possesses  the  same  structure  a*  our 
plant.  It  is  consequently  referred  by  them  to  the  genus  Malachium, 
and  will  of  course  be  included  in  our  section  of  that  name. 

St  John's  College,  Cambridge,  April  8,  1837- 


Descriptions  of  British  Diptera.  206 

II — Characters  and  Descriptions  of  the  Dipterous  Insects  indige* 
nous  to  Britain,*  By  James  Duncan^  M.  W.  S.^  &c.  &c.  (Con- 
tinued from  p.  459.) 

Family  BOMBYLIDiE,  Leach. 
Antennjb  consisting  of  three  joints^  the  third  not  ringed  and  sur- 
mounted  by  an  articulated  style  :  proboscis  long  and  porrected  hori- 
zontally from  the  lower  part  of  the  face  ;  palpi  consisting  of  a  single 
joint ;  head  much  narrower  than  the  thorax ;  the  latter  very  convex 
above ;  legs  long  and  slender ;  wing^  divaricating^  and  usually  hav- 
ing four  posterior  cells. 

The  insects  included  in  this  family  belong  principally  to  the 
southern  parts  of  Europe  and  to  Africa.  Comparatively  few^  there-* 
fore,  fall  to  be  described  by  the  British  faunist,  and  these  all  ad- 
mit of  being  referred  to  three  genera,  viz.  Bombylius,  Phthiria,  and 
Ploas.  These  may  readily  be  distinguished  from  each  other  by  the  re- 
lative length  of  the  proboscis,  and  radical  joints  of  the  antennae : 

Proboscis  longer  than  C  1st  joint  of  antennae  much  longer  than  2d,  Bombylius. 
the  head  and  thorax,  (  Ist  &  2d  joints  of  antennae  short  and  equal,  Phthiria. 
Proboscis  shorter  than  the  head  and  thorax,  -  -  Ploas. 

Genus  BOMBYLIUS. 
Antennae  inserted  close  t(^ther,  the  third  joint  turned  outwards ;  ' 

the  radical  joint  pret- 
ty long  and  cylindri- 
cal, clothed  with  very 
long  hairs,  second 
joint  cup-shaped, 
likewise  hairy^  third 
long  and  subfusiform^ 
nearly  naked^  atte- 
nuated, surmounted 
by  a  short  oblique 
style,  which  consists 
of  three  joints,  the 
central  one  longest,  (Fig.  1 :)  labrum  very  long  and  spear-shaped, 
somewhat  dilated  a  little  before  the  point:  tongue  very  long,  and  ta- 

*  As  these  descriptive  notices  are  intended  to  embrace  all  the  species  recorded 
as  British,  it  forms  part  of  our  plan  to  publish  an  appendix  at  intervals,  supplying 
any  accidental  omission  in  the  original  papers,  describing  new  species,  and 
adding  new  localities,  the  latter  of  which  have  been  furnished  in  great  numbers 
through  the  attention.of  our  correspondents.  By  following  this  method,  we  shall 
be  enabled  to  present  the  subject  in  as  ample,  and,  we  hope,  as  complete  a  form, 
>  as  its  present  progressive  state  admits  of. 


308  DescripHom  of  British  Dipiera. 

abdomen  having  the  anterior  half  clothed  with  fulvous  hairs^  the 
posterior  half  with  black  hairs,  the  female  with  a  white  anal  spot ; 
belly  entirely  covered  with  black  hairs :  base  and  outer  border  of 
the  wings  for  nearly  two-thirds  of  their  length  brown,  the  remain- 
der transparent,  with  a  brown  spot  at  the  base  of  each  cell :  halteres 
black :  legs  pale  ferruginous,  the  tarsi  dusky  at  the  extremity. 
5^-6^,  proboscis  4|. 

"  Middle  of  April,  open  plabes  in  woods^  Norfolk,  Essex,  and 
around  London."  Curtis,  Brit.  Ent.  "  In  plenty  at  Enborne,  Berks, 
several  years  ago,  and  in  Tidworth  woods,  Hants,  May  1829  ;  rare 
at  Glanville's  Wootton."  J.  C.  Dale,  Esq.  "  Common  on  sunny 
banks  in  the.  spring ;  but  the  only  species  of  this  genus  which  I 
have  as  yet  taken  in  Cambridgeshire."  Rev.  Leonard  Jemfns. 
**  Cambridge  and  Bath,"  C  C.  Babinglon,  Esq, 

BOMBYLIUB  PICTD8. 
Mdgtn,  ii.  198;  Mxkan,  pi.  2,  fig.  2. — Panzer,  Faun.  Germ. — Bomb,  planicomifl, 
Fabr. 

Head  with  dark-bro%vn  hairs,  the  male  with  two  white  points  over 
the  base  of  the  antennae ;  the  latter  dark-brown,  with  the  third 
joint  flat  and  very  much  dilated,  ending  in  a  point,  but  without  a 
distinct  style.  Thorax  clothed  with  light-brown  hairs,  changing  with 
the  light  into  white,  the  back  marked  with  five  spots  of  black  hairs, 
three  anteriorly,  and  two  behind;  hairs  investing  the  abdomen 
dark-brown,  the  sides  with  alternate  fulvous  and  black  tuf^,  and 
the  hinder  lextremity  with  two  white  spots  :  belly  black,  halteres  of 
the  same  colour ;  wings  brown  at  the  base  and  anterior  margin  to  be- 
yond the  middle ;  the  rest  of  the  surface  transparent  and  spotted 
nearly  as  in  B.  medius,  but  many  of  the  spots  usually  larger ;  legs 
pale  ferruginous.     5  lines. 

This  insect  is  admitted  on  the  authority  of  Mr  Stephens,  who  in- 
cludes it  in  his  catalogue  among  our  indigenous  species ;  but  we  Jiave 
not  ascertained  in  what  part  of  the  country  examples  occurred.  It 
is  no  doubt  a  rare  native  :  it  seems  doubtful  whether  it  is  found  in 
France,  and  it  is  considered  scarce  in  Germany,  where  it  was  first 
discovered. 

BOMBYLIUS  POSTICUS. 
Fabr,  Meigen,  il.  200 — Bomb,  micans,  Meig,  Klassif. 
Body  black,  invested  with  fulvous  hairs  :  forehead  black  in  the  male, 
inclining  to  brown  inlhe  female,  having  a  white  spot  on  each  side  in 
the  former  sex,  and  a  single  spot  in  the  latter :  proboscis,  palpi  and 
antennae  black,  the  latter  with  the  third  joint  a  little  enlarged  in  the 
female :  the  fulvous  hairs  covering  the  body  have  a  whitish  schim- 

3 


Deseripthns  of  British  Dipiera.  209 

mer  when  seen  in  certain  directions,  and  those  on  theliinder  part  of 
the  abdomen  are  entirely  white  :  halteres  brown ;  wings  transpa- 
rent,  brown  at  the  base,  and  having  a  small  pale  yeUow  spot  towards 
the  apex  ;  the  base  slightly  tinged  with  yellow  only  in  the  female. 
Halteres  brown  :  legs  shining  yellowish-grey,  the  inner  side  of  the 
anterior  thighs,  and  all  the  tarsi  black.  4  J  lines ;  proboscis  3  lines. 
We  have  to  adduce  the  same  authority  for  regarding  this  as  an 
indigenous  species  that  was  referred  to  in  the  preceding  instance. 
Like  B.  pictus  it  is  a  scarce  insect  even  on  the  continent,  and  seems 
to  prefer  a  more  southern  climate  to  ours. 

BOMBTLIUB  MINOR,  (s.) 
Zam.  Donovan*$  Brit.  Ins.^  xv.  pi.  586 ;  Meigen,  ii.  201«^Bomb.  Tenosus, 
Mihan ;  Meigen**  Klassif.  * 

Considerably  less  than  any  of  the  preceding ;  the  body  black,  oover-i 
ed  throughout  with  soft  yellowish  hairs :  -  whiskers  (mystax)  ferru- 
ginons,  black  at  the  sides :  forehead  of  the  females  clothed  with  red- 
dish yellow  hairs  ;  antennae  and  proboscis  black.  Halteres  dark- 
brown  :  wings  somewhat  greyish,  the  base  and  outer  border  tinged 
with  light  yellowish  brown :  legs  pale  ferruginous,  the  tarsi  obscure* 
4  lines :  proboscis  nearly  2}. 

This  is  one  of  the  most  common  species  of  the  genus,  and  ap« 
pears  to  be  the  only  one  that  extends  far  to  the  north.  It  occurs  in 
some  plenty,  in  the  month  of  June,  in  many  places  near  Edinburgh, 
such  as  the  base  of  Arthur  Seat,  fields  about  Duddingston,  and  has 
been  taken  in  Perthshire  and  other  more  northern  counties. 

In  England  it  appears  to  be  rather  local,  but  abounds  in  certain 
situations.  Captain  Blomer  was  accustomed  to  take  it  plentifully 
in  Bradley  and  Cleve  Woods,  near  Teignmouth  and  Bideford, 
Devon ;  and  also  in  Wales.  ,  It  has  likewise  been  observed  at  High 
Bickington  by  Mr  Cocks — at  Shanklin  Chine  by  Mr  Rudd,  &c. 
According  to  Captain  Blomer's  Journal,  ii  seems  to  be  in  June  and 
beginning  of  July  that  it  appears  in  greatest  force.  **  Avondale, 
county  Wicklow,  Ireland,  taken  once."  A.  H.  Holiday ^  Esq. 

BOMBYLIUS  CTENOPTERUB  (s.) 
Mtkan,  Meigen,  ii.  204 ;  MacquarVs  Dipt^res,  382. 
Brown,  the  male  clothed  with  fulvous  hairs,  the  female  with 
whitish  yellow  hairs  :  hypostome,  whiskers  and  forehead  grey  :  hal« 
teres  white  :  wings  nearly  transparent,  tinged  with  yellow  at  the 
base,  and  a  considerable  way  along  the  exterior  border,  the  margi- 
nal  nervure  strongly  ciliated  at  the  base  :  the  basilar  jt^ls  of  .equ.al 
length,  whereas  in  all  the  species  previously  describeti  they  are  un« 


210  IkicHptiims  of  British  Dipiera. 

equal.  Legs  yellow,  the  tani  dark-brown.  4^  lines ;  proboscis  about 
half  that  length. 

'<  Devon;  Mr  J.  Cocks,  and  near  Perth/'  Curiis'  BriL  Eni,  "  Do- 
ver,  July  1826."  Mr  Ingpen. 

BOMBYLIUB  C1KEBA8CCN8. 
.Mikan,  Monog.  pL  iu.  Fig.  10 ;  Meigen^  iL  212. 
This  small  species,  which/  according  to  Mr  Stephens^  has  oc- 
curred in  Britain,  is  thus  described  by  Mikan,  to  whom  we  arc 
indebted  for  a  monograph  of  this  tribe  of  Dipte'ra :  whiskers  black 
above,  grey  beneath :  body  black,  covered  throughout  with  ash- 
grey  hairs:  wings  transparent,  the  base  black:  halteres  black: 
thighs  with  grey  pubescence  ;  tibite  brown ;  tarsi  black.  2^  lines  ; 
proboscis  If. 

Gbnus— PHTHIRIA. 

Antennae  somewhat  shorter  than  the  head,  a^^fnoximating  at  the 
base,  and  directed  sideways ;  first  joint  short  and  cylindrical,  with  a  few 
hahrs  on  the  outer  side ;  second  cup-shaped  and  slightly  pubescent ; 
third  fiisifonn  and  compressed,  nearly  double  the  length  of  the  two 
others  taken  together,  and  having  a  very  short  bifid  style  at  the  apex ; 
proboscis  at  least  as  long  as  the  head  and  thorax  ;  labrum  grooved 
beneath ;  palpi  thick  and  club-shaped,  concealed  within  the  cavity  of 
the  aaonth:  head  spherical,  the  forehead  prominent;  ocelli  three;  ab- 
domen obtusely  conical :  wings  of  moderate  size,  the  submargimd 
cells  nearly  straight ;  first  posterior  one  open ;  anal  cell  closed  at  the 
extremity  and  slightly  peti^^ted  :  legs  long  and  slender. 

This  genus  includes  a  few  small  insects  which  were  formerly  re- 
ferred to  Usia  of  Latreille  and  Voluoella  of  Fabricius.  "  The  prin- 
cipal relations  which  they  have  with  the  BombyHi,"  says  Mse- 
quart,  "  consist  in  the  length  of  the  proboscis,  the  approx]matio& 
of  the  antennae  at  the  base,  and  in  the  form  of  the  third  joint  of  these 
organ*;  but  more  considerable  diilerences  give  them  a  peculiar  ha- 
bit, and  render  their  affinity  liable  to  be  misunderstood.  The  sphe- 
rical form  of  the  head,  and  conical  shape  of  the  abdomen,  the  short- 
ness of  the  first  joint  of  the  antennae,  and  finally  the  reticulated  ap- 
pearance of  the  wings,  remove  them  more  or  less  from  the  bombylii: 
in  the  latter  character,  indeed,  they  deviate  from  the  greater  part 
of  the  family.  The  nerviires  are  not  sinuous  as  in  Anthrax  and 
Mulio ;  the  first  cell  of  the  hinder  border  is  not  closed  as  in  the  * 
Bombylii ;  and  the  anal  cell,  contrary  to  what  takes  place  in  the  ge- 
nus just  nuned,  is  closed  at  its  extremity,  as  in  Usia  and  Geron. 
•    4 


Descriptions  of  British  Diptera.  211 

FiDalJj,  the  wings  assume  an  appearance  very  similar  to  those  of  the 
Bmpides."* 

As  is  the  ease  with  the  Bombylii,  we  are  still  unacquainted  with 
the  previous  states  and  metamorphoses  of  these  insects.     * 

PhTUIBIA  FULIGABIA. 

Meiffien,  ii.  219;  Maequart)  Curtis,  Brit  Ent.  pi.  521. — Bomb,  pulicarius,  Mi- 

kan,  Monog.   pi.  iv.  fig.  14 — Volucella  campestria,  Fallen — Phthiria  nigra, 

Meig.  Kkn.  pi.  x.  fig.  11. — Phthiria  pygmaea,  Latr,  Gen.  Crust,  iv.  a  4. 

Male :  deep  black ;   the  hypostome  clothed  with  white  haiVs ; 

forehead  black :  the  abdomen  more  or  less  invested  with  whitish 

hairs;  halteres  dark-brown :  wings  nearly  hyaline^  the  stigma  brown ; 

legs  black. 

Female  :  not  so  deep  black  as  the  other  sex ;  the  hypostome  white^ 
and  the  forehead,  which  is  wide  and  of  a  dark-brown*colour,  has  two 
white  spots  anteriorly ;  thorax  with  a  white  stripe  on  each  side,  the 
aides  of  the  breast  greyish,  with  two  white  spots ;  scuteUum  black, 
marked  with  a  pale  yellow  point  at  the  hinder  extremity ;  halteres 
-  white ;  wings  purely  hyaline^     1^  line. 

This  appears  to  be  everywhere  a  rare  insect,  and  was  not  known 
to  inhabit  this  country  till  lately*  when  it  was  found  by  Mr  Curtis 

at  Covehithe,  in  Suffolk. 

♦ 

Gbnds  PLOAS. 

Anteniue  about  the  length  of  the  head,  placed  close  together 
ftt  the  base,  diverging  above ;  first  joint  thick,  conical,  'and  hairy ; 
wcood  cap-shaped,  hairy  ;  third  rather  long,  slender,  naked 
and  fusiform,  slightly  compressed,  and  terminating  in  a  short  two- 
jotnted  style  :  proboscis  not  much  longer  than  the  head :  pal- 
pi cylindrical,  terminating  in  a  small  sharp  point:  labrum  nearly  as 
long  as  the  proboscis,  obtuse ;  tongue  as  long  as  the  proboscis,  and 
pointed  :  eyes  contiguous  in  the  male,  remote  in  the  female ;  the 
crown  with  three  ocelli  ;  thorax  oval,  the  surface  elevated  :  wings 
with  three  submarginal  cells,  the  first  posterior  one  open ;  legs  slen- 
der. 

The  most  distinctive  character  in  this  genus,  which  was  esta- 
blished by  Latreille,  is  the  thickness  of  the  radical  joint  of  the  an- 
tennae. The  proboscis  also  is  much  shorter  than  in  the  other  mem- 
bers of  the  same  family,  so  that  the  insects  are  obb'ged  to  settle  on 
the  corolla  of  flowers  to  obtain  food,  instead  of  sipping  it  while  on 

*  Dipter^s  du  Nord  de  la  Prance. 


212  Descriptions  of  British  Diptera, 

the  wing  like  the'bombylii.  Very  few  species  are  known  ;  and  al- 
though that  described  below  has  been  admitted  into  our  indigenous 
lists^  the  fact  of  its  being  a  native  requires  coniinnatimi. 

Ploas  virescenb. 

Meigen,  ii.  231.  pi.  19,  fig.  6. — Ploas  hicticornis,  Latr,  Gen.  Crust,  iv.  312, 
pi.  15,  fig.  7 —  Bomb.  Maunis,  Mikan,  pl*  4,  fig.  13. — Conophorus  Maurusv 
Meigen,  Klaasif.  pL  10,  fig.  17. 

Surface  of  the  body  obscure  green,  nearly  blacky  invested  with 
gr^ish  hairs ;  forehead  whitish  in  the  niale>  with  fulvous  hairs  in 
the  female  ;  first  and  aecond  joints  of  the  antennae  greyish-browa» 
with  very  long  black  hairs  ;  third  joint  black.  Hairs  on  the  thorax 
ferruginous ;  sides  of  the  breast  whitish  ;  scutellum  small,  shining 
black  and  naked :  abdomen  rather  broad,  blackish  green>  clothed 
with  ferruginous  hairs ;  that  of  the  male  with  alternate  tufts  of 
white  and  black  hairs  on  the  sides  :  wings  brownish  at  the  base,  the 
transverse  nervures  likewise  bordered  with  brown :  tibiae  yellowish, 
the  thighs  and  tarsi  somewhat  obscure.     3-— 4  lines. 

The  principal  station  of  this  insect  seems  to  be  in  the  South  of  Ea-^ 
rope;  but  it  has  been  found  as  far  north  as  Paris  ;  and  specimens 
in  the  British  Museum  are  said  to  have  occurred  in  this  country. 

FAMiLY—CONOPIDiE. 

Antennse  three-jointed^  angular  at  the  .base,  the  third  joint  with 
a  terminal  style ;  proboscis  long  and  slender,  geniculated  at  the 
base ;  ocelli  wanting ;  thorax  without  a  cross  suture ;  abdomen 
curved  inwards  at  the  extremity,  and  consisting  of  six  segments  in 
the  female,  and  seven  in  the  male: 

As  constituted  by  Dr  Leach,  and  adopted  by  several  other  authors, 
the  family  Conopidae  was  made  to  include  the  genera  arranged  be- 
low as  a  distinct  group  under  the  name  of  Myopidae.  This  sepa- 
ration was  first  made  by  Macquart,  and  is  rendered  necessary  by 
the  important  difference  of  character  which  they  present,  as  will  be 
aeen  by  comparing  the  respective  descriptions.  As  it  now  stands, 
the  present  family  is  restricted  to  the  old  genus  Conops  of  Lin- 
naeus. 

Genus  CONOPS,  Linn. 
Antennae  rather  longer  than  the  head,  inserted  on  a  frontal  protu- 
berance, placed  close  together  at  the  base  and  diverging  at  the  apex, 
the  radical  joii^t  short,  slender,  and  cylindrical,  forming  an  angle  with 
the  second,  which  is  horizontal  and  elongated,  increasing  in  thickness 
from  the  base,  and  forming  with  the  third  a  compressed  club,  ending 


Descriptions  of  British  Diptera,  213 

in  a  point ;  style  three-jointed^  first  joint  short  and  indistinct^  second 
dilated,  and  having  a  pointed  appendage  at  the  apex  turned  down- 
wards, third  longer  and  tapering  to  a  point  (Fig.  2) ;  proboscis  hori- 


zontal and  directed  forwards ;  labrum  slender  and  rigid  :  the  tongne 
rather  longer  and  likewise  very  slender ;  labrum  slenderest  in  the 
middle,  and  terminating  in  two  lobes  (Fig.  4 :)  palpi  very  small,  trun- 
cated and  pilose :  head  very  large,  the  crown  transparent  and  with- 
out ocelli :  forehead  wide  in  both  sexes :  abdomen  usually  much 
narrowed  at  the  base,  and  curved  downwards  at  the  hinder  extre- 
mity ;  the  fourth  s^ment  in  the  male  provided  with  a  curved  horny 
appendage  on  the  underside :  legs  rather  long  and  robust;  the  thighs 
slightly  compressed  before  the  apex  :  wings  scarcely  reaching  to  the 
apex  of  the  abdomen,  laid  horizontally  along  the  body  when  at  rest, 
the  first  posterior  cell  closed  and  pediculated ;  the  anal  one  elongat- 
ed. (Fig.  6) 

The  insects  of  this  genus  have  a  very  peculiar  aspect,  arising  from 
the  great  size  of  the  head,  narrow  base  of  the  abdomen,  and  the  in- 
curvation of  its  extremity,  which  renders  them  little  likely  to  be 
confounded  with  other  tribes  even  by  the  most  inexperienced  ob- 
server. Their  prevailing  colour,  which  is  black  wiUi  marks  and 
bands  of  yellow,  gives  them  at  first  sight  something  of  the  appear- 
ance of  wasps  or  small  ichneumons.  They  are  autumnal  insects, 
seldom  appearing  in  force  before  August,  and  the  more  common 
kinds  continue  to  frequent  the  common  ragwort  and  other  late 
flowering  plants  till  the  end  of  October.  Notwithstanding  the  for- 
midable appearance  of  the  long  exserted  proboscis,  their  habits  are 
quite  innocuous,  the  whole  of  their  sustenance  being  derived  from 
the  juices  of  flowers.  Baumhauer  was  the  first  to  discover  that  the 
larvffi  are  parasitical,  and  that  they  live  in  the  bodies  of  humble 
bees.  Latreille  has  witnessed  the  species  named  rufipes  issue  in 
its  adult  state  from  the  body  of  a  bee  by  the  incisures  of  the  ab- 
domen, and  similar  observations  have  been  made  by  other  naturalists. 
Upwards  of  twenty  different  kinds  are  known,  only  eight  of  which 
appear  to  inhabit  Britain. 

VOL.  II.  NO.  9.  p 


2 1 4  Descriptions  of  British  Diptera. 

Ck>NOPS  V£8ICULAR18. 
Ztmi.  Fa6r.  Meigeti,  iv.  209— Conops  cylindrica  (J.  Meig.  Klass. 

Hypostome  fenruginous,  the  eyes  bordered  with  a  bright  yellow 
line :  forehead  ferruginous  anteriorly  with  a  black  longitudinal  line 
widened  at  the  lower  extremity ;  the  vertex  brown  and  transparent  ; 
antennse  ferruginous ;  thorax  dark-brown^  the  shoulders  and  scutel- 
lum  testaceous :  abdomen  in  the  male  nearly  cylindrical^  the  two 
first  segments  blacky  narrowly  edged  with  fulvous,  the  third  with  a 
fulvous  band  becoming  yellow  on  the  sides,  fourth  fulvous,  black  at 
the  base ;  the  two  last  entirely  fulvous  ;  abdomen  of  the  female  con- 
tracted at  the  base,  ferruginous,  the  first  segment  brown  with  a  ful- 
vous line,  second  brown  with  a  yellow  band  behind,  the  third  black 
at  its  anterior  edge  :  legs  ferruginous :  wings  reddish  brown  at  the 
exterior  edge,  and  pale  towards  the  extremity.    6-7  lines. 

A  scarce  species ;  it  has  occurred  near  London  and  in  a  few  other 
places.  ''  I  have  taken  the  male  in  the  New  Forest,  and  on  Knight- 
on Heath,  Dorset,— dates  May  22,  1835,  and  June  10,  1829.'*  /. 
C.  Dale,  Esq. 

CONOPS  FLAVIFE8.  (s.) 

Ztnit.  Fab.  Panzer,  Faun.  Germ,  bcc  fig.  21,  22. — Meigen,  iv.  122. — Conopa 
macrocephala,  SamoudU's  Comp.  pi.  ix.  fig.  9. — Conops  vesicuhuis,  Harris^ 
Expos,  pi.  XX.  fig.  1 — Conops  trifasciata,  De  Geer.    f . 

Head  fulvous,  with  a  brownish  transparent  vertex,  from  which  a 
broad  black  band  extends  to  the  base  of  the  antennae,  the  latter 
black ;  thorax  black  with  a  yellow  callosity  on  each  shoulder,  and 
another  on  each  side  of  the  metathorax  ;  scutellum  bordered  with 
yellow :  abdomen  a  little  contracted  at  the  base,  black,  the  second 
and  third  8^;ments  in  the  male,  and  the  second,  third,  and  fourth 
in  the  female,  with  a  yellow  posterior  band  ;  the  first  in  both  sexes, 
with  a  yellow  spot  on  each  side,  and  the  two  anal  segments  ash*grey 
inclining  slightly  to  yellow  :  halteres  yellow,  legs  also  of  that  colour, 
the  posterior  half  of  the  thighs  black,  and  the  tarsi  brown  at  the 
apex :  wings  tinged  with  brown,  deepest  at  the  outer  margin.  5 
lines.     (  Wood-cut,  Jig.  b.) 

This  is  the  most  plentiful  species  of  this  tribe  in  Britain.  It 
seems  to  occur  in  all  parts  of  England,  is  rather  plentiful  in  the 
sooth  of  Scotland,  and  has  been  traced  as  far  north  as  Aberdeen- 
shire. In  Scotland  it  seldom  appears  before  August,  and  is  then 
usually  observed  on  the  common  ragwort  (Senecio  Jacobcsa,)  but  in 
the  more  southern  parts  of  the  island  it  may  be  found  much  earlier. 
It  varies  a  little  particularly  in  the  breadth  of  the  abdominal 


Descriptions  of  British  Diptera.  215 

hacim.  "  I  find  this  insect  to  be  common  at  Olanville's  Wootton, 
and  other  places,  such  as  Eslington  wood,  Caundle  Holts,  Sec"  J, 
C  Dale,  Esq.  "  Cambridgeshire.  In  one  of  my  specimens  the  ab- 
domen is  entirely  bright  yellow  above,  with  the  exception  of  the  in- 
cisures of  the  segments,  which  present  each  a  narrow  line  of  black. 
Is  this  a  mere  variety,  or  a  distinct  species  ?"  Rev,  Leonard  Jenyns. 
"  Needwood  Forest,  Staffordshire.  August  1828."  C.  C.  Bahing- 
ton,  Esq.    «'  Near  Twizel."    P.  J.  Selby,  Esq, 

CONOPS  QUADRIFASCIATA. 
De  Geer,  ti.  pi.  15-  fig.  1 — Meigen,  iv.  123. — Conops  aculeata,  Fabr, 

Similar  to  the  preceding  species ;  hypostome  fulvous,  with  a  play 
of  bright  yellow  on  the  sides ;  forehead  reddish-brown  above,  black 
over  the  antennee,  the  latter  likewise  black  :  thorax  black  with  two 
yellow  callosities  on  the  shoulders,  the  sides  of  the  breast  and  me- 
tathorax  with  changeable  spots  of  bright  yellow ;  scutellum  entire- 
ly black  :  abdomen  yellow  with  four  black  bands ;  the  first  segment 
being  black,  with  a  yellow  callosity  on  each  side,  and  the  hinder 
margin  yellow;  second  black  edged  with  yellow;  third  similar, 
but  the  yellow  band  wider ;  fourth  yellow  with  a  narrow  black 
band ;  fifth  almost  entirely  yellow ;  sixth  yellow :  halteres  yellow ; 
legs  reddish-yellow  ;  the  tarsi  dusky  at  the  extremity  ;  wings  near- 
ly hyaline  in  both  sexes.     5  lines. 

Of  pretty  frequent  occurrence  in  the  south  of  England,  but  scarce 
in  most  other  parts  of  the  country.  ''  Common  at  Glanville's 
Wootton,  and  other  places  in  this  neighbourhood."  J.  C.  Dale,  Esq, 
"  Near  London."  Stephens'  Catal.  "  Birch  wood,  Southgate,  &c." 
CurttSy  Brit.  EnU  "  Woods  at  Tollymore,  ascent  of  Moume  Moun- 
tains, county  Down."    A,  H,  Haliday,  Esq, 

Conops  aculeata. 
Xtiot.  Meigen,  iv.  124 — Conops  macrocepbalft,  Harris,  Expos,  pi.  xx.  fig.  2, 3. 
— Conops  scutellata,  Meigeti,  Klass. 
This  insect  so  closely  resembles  the  preceding,  that,  with  a  very 
few  exceptions,  the  same  description  will  apply  to  both.  Head  fer- 
TQginouB  ;  forehead  with  a  black  band,  the  spot  on  the  crown  red- 
dish-brown ;  antennffi  and  thorax  black,  the  latter  with  a  yellow 
spot  on  the  shoulder,  and  another  behind  the  insertion  of  the  wings ; 
the  sides  of  the  breast  with  two  marks  of  changeable  yellow,  having 
a  fine  silky  lustre ;  scutellum  yellow  :  abdomen  black  with  five 
ydlow  bands ;  legs  reddish-yellow,  the  apex  of  the  tarsi  tinged  with 


216  Descriptions  of  British  Diptera. 

brown :  wings  having  a  brown  stripe  along  the  outer  border  bat  not 
reaching  to  the  apex.     4^  lines. 

Has  been  found  near  London^  but  we  have  not  heard  of  any  other 
British  localities. 

CONOPS  MACROCEPHALA. 
Linn.  Fabr.  Magen,  iv,  125,  pL  86,  fig.  27  ;  De  Geer,  vi.  268 ;  Curti$'  Brit. 

Ent.  pi.  877. 

Larger  than  any  of  the  preceding ;  black ;  head  and  antenxue 
ferruginous ;  face  yellow,  with  a  brown  streak  extending  from  the 
crown  to  the  antenns,  and  a  triangular  mark  of  the  same  colour 
below  them  :  thorax  with  a  whitish  changeable  spot  on  each  shoal- 
der :  abdomen  having  all  the  incisures  yellow  or  whitish-yellow, 
the  first  segment  swollen;  the  second  long,  and  tapering  to  the 
hinder  extremity,  the  remainder  forming  a  thick  incurved  duh : 
halteres  and  legs  ferruginous;  the  coxae  and  base  of  the  thighs 
dark-brown  :  wings  with  a  broad  testaceous  stripe  along  the  outer 
margin.    7  lines. 

Rare :  "  The  specimen  figured  by  Mr  Curtis  was  taken  by  me 
on  18th  August  1824,  in  my  own  field  at  Hurne,  Hants,  in  com- 
pany with  others  of  the  genus.  Mr  Davis  writes  me  that  he  took 
another  example  in  Darenth  wood,  Kent,  but  I  have  not  yet  been 
able  to  compare  his  specimen  with  mine,  to  determine  their  specific 
identity."  J,  C.  Dale,  Esq.  No  other  British  locality  has  hither- 
to been  discovered,  as  far  as  we  know. 

CoNOPS  NIGRA,  (s.) 

De  Geer,  vL  p.  105,  pi.  15,  fig.  9 ;  Meigen,  iv.  126 ;  Herbs,  Gemein  Natnrg. 

viii.  117,  5,  pi.  70,  fig.  5. 

About  the  size  of  the  preceding  :  head  reddish-yellow ;  the  fore- 
head with  a  black  stripe,  and  the  hypostome  with  four  narrow  black 
lines  :  region  of  the  mouth  likewise  black :  antennie  ferruginous  : 
thorax  entirely  black,  with  a  small  indistinct  spot  with  a  yellow 
play  of  colour  within  each  shoulder :  abdomen  likewise  black  ;  the 
hinder  margin  of  the  first  and  second  segments  with  a  very  indis- 
tinct narrow  ring  of  a  somewhat  paler  hue  than  the  rest,  the  nar- 
rowest part  at  the  base  of  the  third*segment :  legs  ferruginous ;  the 
coxie  and  base  of  the  thighs  black.  Halteres  yellow,  blackish  at 
the  base :  wings  with  a  broad  testaceous  stripe  covering  the  ante- 
rior half. 

This  species  is  certainly  pretty  closely  allied  to  C.  macrocephala, 
but  it  appears  sufficiently  distinct.     Little  notice  seems  to  have 


Descriptions  of  British  Diptera.  217 

been  taken  of  it  since  the  time  of  De  Geer^  by  whom  it  is  figured 
and  described.  Like  many  others  of  its  tribe^  it  is  partial  to  north- 
ern climates,  and  it  is  probably  not  very  scarce  in  Sweden.  In  this 
country  the  only  example  that  has  occurred  was  taken  by  Sir  Wil- 
liam Jardine,  on  the  northern  coast  of  Sutherland,  in  the  summer 
of  1834. 

CONOFS  B0FIFE8.  (s.) 
Fii6r.  Meigoiy  iv.  127. — Conops  petiolata,  DonovaiCa  Brit  Insects,  ziii.  pi.  451. 

This  species  differs  from  all  the  rest  in  having  the  abdomen  very 
narrow  at  the  base,  so  as  to  appear  placed  on  a  long  peduncle. 
Head  fulvous :  forehead  with  a  broad  black  line,  and  the  hypos- 
tome  with  three  abbreviated  lines  of  that  colour  :  antennae  reddish- 
brown  :  thorax  black,  with  two  whitish  points  below  the  shoulders : 
abdomen  with  the  narrow  portion  at  the  base  ferruginous ;  the  third 
and  fourth  segments  each  with  a  broad  black  band  :  legs  ferrugi- 
nous ;  the  extremity  of  the  tarsi  dusky ;  the  hinder  coxae  marked 
with  a  silvery  white  spot :  halteres  bright-yellow :  wings  with  a 
broad  reddish-brown  stripe  covering  the  anterior  half.    5  lines. 

The  markings  of  the  abdomen  are  somewhat  variable  :  the  third 
and  fourth  segments  are  frequently  bright-yellow  behind,  and  the  anal 
segments  more  or  less  tinged  with  that  colour.  The  insect  is  one  of 
the  more  common  kinds,  especially  in  the  southernparts  of  the  country; 
it  seems  rare  in  Scotland.  *'  Dalmeny."  Rev,  WUliam  Little^  "  I  take 
C.  rufipea  in  Plnmley  wood,  Caundle  Holts,  &c.  in  the  b^inning  and 
middle  of  August."  J.  C.  Dale,  Esq.  **  Gamlingay  wood,  Cambridge- 
shire, August."  Rev,  Leonard  Jenyns,  "  Devil's  ditch,  Newmarket 
Heath,  July  1833 ;  likewise  near  Bath."  C.  C,  Babingion,  Esq. 
^*  In  plenty  on  umbelliferous  Bowers  by  the  side  of  a  field,  close  to 
a  plantation  at  Hetheselt,  Norfolk."  Henry  Brown,  Esq,  (in 
Curtis'  B.  E.)     «  London  district."     Stephens'  Catal 

Conops  ceri2bforhis. 
Megerle,  Meigen,  iv.  132,  pi.  36,  fig.  26. 
General  colour  black:  hypostome  reddish-yellow,  with  a  pale- 
yellow  play  of  colour  round  the  eyes ;  forehead  black,  the  crown 
brownish ;  antennae  nearly  black :  thorax  of  that  colour,  with  a  yel- 
low callosity  on  each  shoulder,  and  a  yellow  spot  on  the  metatho- 
rax :  abdomen  nearly  cylindric,  black :  the  hinder  margin  of  the 
four  first  segments  ornamented  with  a  yellow  band  :  halteres  yel- 
low :  legs  ferruginous ;  the  thighs  black  in  the  middle :  the  tarsi 
dusky  at  the  apex :  wings  transparent,  with  a  pale  brown  streak  in 
the  middle  of  the  anterior  margin.    5  lines. 


'218  Descriptions  of  British  Diptera. 

Rather  a  scarce  species^  but  occurring  at  times  in  the  yicinit j  of 
London,  and  in  some  other  parts  of  England.  "  I  took  it  in  Da- 
renth  wood  in  1826,  in  the  beginning  of  August."   J.  C.  Dale,  Esq. 

Family  MYOPIDiE. 

Antennae  with  the  second  joint  longer  than  the  third ;  the  style 
dorsal,  and  consisting  of  two  joints :  proboscis  long  and  slender,  ge- 
nerally geniculated  at  the  base,  and  near  the  middle :  ocelli  three ; 
face  usually  very  much  dilated ;  the  eyes  rather  small :  winglets 
minute ;  wings  lying  along  the  body ;  the  first  posterior  cell  usually 
somewhat  open,  the  anal  one  generally  elongated. 

As  above  defined,  this  family  comprehends  only  two  British  ge- 
nera, viz.  Myopa  and  Zodion,  which  are  readily  distinguished  from 
each  other  by  the  former  having  the  proboscis  geniculated  at  the 
base  and  middle,  and  the  latter  by  having  it  bent  at  the  base  only. 
The  presence  of  ocelli,  and  other  prominent  characters  separate 
them  decidedly  from  the  Conopidie,  to  which,  however,  they  bear 
some  resemblance  in  the  shape  of  the  body. 

Genus  MYOPA. 

Antennae  with  the  first  joint  short  and  cylindrical ;  second  rather 
long,  somewhat  thickened  at  the  tip,  and  compressed  at  the  base ; 
third  rounded-ovate,  with  a  short  two-jointed  style  on  the  back : 
proboscis  geniculated  at  the  base  and  middle  ;  labrum,  tongue,  and 
palpi  variable,  the  latter  generally  somewhat  elongate  and  fringed 
with  hairs  :  inferior  part  of  the  face  inflated  ;  the  forehead  wide  in 
both  sexes ;  eyes  rather  small :  ocelli  three :  thorax  robust ;  abdo- 
men consisting  of  six  segments,  somewhat  narrowed  at  the  base,  the 
extremity  obtuse  and  curved  inwards ;  the  fourth  segment  dilated 
beneath:  legs  rather  strong,  thighs  somewhat  thickened,  the  claws 
and  pulvilli  much  developed  :  wings  lying  along  the  back  when  at 
rest ;  the  anal  cell  straight. 

About  twenty  species  belong  to  this  genus,  but  scarcely  more 
than  a  third  of  these  have  hitherto  been  found  in  Britain.  The  re- 
markable dilatation  of  the  lower  part  of  the  face,  in  connection  with 
the  incurved  abdomen,  and  rather  short  strong  legs,  give  them  a 
very  peculiar  aspect.  The  prevailing  colours  are  rust-red  and 
brown.  Although  much  similarity  pervades  the  species  in  respect 
to  colour  and  marking,  the  structure  of  the  oral  organs  undergoes 
considerable  modifications,  as  is  occasionally  pointed  out  in  the  sub- 
sequent descriptions  of  the  different  species.  We  are  still  unac- 
quainted with  the  larvae,  but  from  the  analogy  which  exists  between 


r 


Descriptions  ofBriHsk  Diptera.  219 

the  perfect  insecte  sad  the  Gonopidey  it  is  not  unreasonable  to  infer 
that  they  are  parasitic,  )ike  those  of  the  tribe  just  named.  The 
flies  derive  their  nourishment  from  the  juices  of  flowers.  We  may 
expect  that  the  following  list  of  native  species  will  ere  long  be 
considerably  augmented  by  the  discovery  of  kinds  which  have  hi« 
therto  been  overlooked  in  this  country. 

Myopa  pigta.  (s.) 
Panz,  Fann.  Germ.  liv.  22;  Meig.  iv.  140. 

Hypostome  white  spotted  with  Uack,  the  hinder  part  of  the 
head  with  four  greyish  spots,  forming  a  curved  line:  forehead  ferrugi*- 
noos,  the  crown  dusky-brown ;  antennae  likewise  ferruginous ;  the 
third  joint  black :  thorax  dark  grey,  with  longitudinal  stripes  of 
deep  brown:  abdomen  testaceous*brown,  varying  with  light^grey 
reflections,  and  marked  along  the  back  with  a  row  of  dark  points: 
kgs  pubescent,  testaceous  ;  anterior  thighs  black,  with  the  tip  fer- 
ruginous :  tibiae  ciliated,  and  marked  with  four  dusky  rings.  Hal- 
teres  white ;  wings  brown,  spotted  with  white.   3f-4  lines. 

A  scarce  insect,  but  occurring  at  times  on  flowers.  It  is  observ- 
ed occasionally  near  London  ;  and  we  once  found  a  specimen  in  the 
Edinburgh  Botanic  Garden. 

Myopa  bucgata. 

Fabr,  ilfeij^— ConopB  buccata*  Linn, 

Usually  somewhat  less  than  the  preceding:  hypostome  white, 
without  spots;  forehead  dark-brown  spotted  with  grey;  antennae 
entirely  testaceous :  thorax  dark-brown,  with  ash-coloored  bands, 
the  shoulders  and  sides  testaceous ;  scutellum  dark-brown :  abdo- 
men nearly  testaceous  or  reddish-brown,  with  light  grey  reflections, 
especially  on  the  sides ;  the  anal  segments  reddish-brown  in  the 
males.  Legs  ferruginous,  the  thighs  with  a  single  dark  ring,  and 
the  tibisewith  two,  one  near  the  middle,  and  the  other  at  the  apex: 
tarsi  tinged  with  yellow :  wing-scales  white  ;  halteres  pale  yellow : 
wings  brown,  with  pale  spots.     3-3|  lines. 

Likewise  one  of  the  rarer  species,  of  which  we  have  been  able  to 
ascertain  very  few  localities.  It  has  been  taken  in  the  London  dis- 
trict^ but  not  frequently. 

Myopa  tbstacea.  (s.) 

Fabr»  Meig. — Conops  testaceus,  Z^n.— Conops  boccata,  Gmdin,  v.  2805. 

Very  closely  related  to  M,  buccata,  but  distinguished  by  a  few 
obvious  characters.  The  inflated  portion  of  the  face  is  white  and 
unspotted,  but  there  is  a  distinct  brown  mark  on  each  side,  near  the 


*!^20  Descriptions  of  British  Diptera. 

mai^in  of  the  eyes  below  the  antennae ;  the  latter  wholly  testace- 
ous^ the  tenninal  joint  appearing  of  a  lighter  hae^  owing  to  the  ab- 
sence of  the  black  hairs,  with  which  the  others  are  covered.  Tho- 
rax black,  with  ash-grey  lines ;  the  sides,  shoulders,  and  usually  the 
scutellum  reddish,  or  pitchy  brown :  abdomen  and  legs  nearly  as  in 
M,  huccata ;  the  dark  rings  on  the  latter  more  or  less  distinct,  the 
femoral  one  frequently  almost  effaced.  Wings  brownish,  each  of 
them  with  a  distinct  blackish-point  on  the  cross  nerye  near  the  cen- 
tre.   3|-4. 

This  insect  seems  to  appear  not  unfrequently,  but  at  somewhat 
uncertain  intervals,  and  on  some  occasions  we  have  observed  it  in 
great  profusion.  This  was  particularly  the  case  in  the  neighbour- 
hood of  Edinburgh,  in  the  summer  of  1835,  when  scarcely  a  flower- 
ing plant,  especially  of  the  umbelliferous  kind,  could  be  examined 
without  finding  specimens.  On  ordinary  occasions,  it  occurs  pretty 
frequently,  apparently  in  most  parts  of  England  and  Scotland,  and 
also  in  Ireland.  It  is  best  distinguished  from  its  associates  by  the 
brown  mark  beneath  the  eye,  and  the  dark  discoidal  spot  on  the 
disk  of  the  wings.  ''  Bottisham,  Cambridgeshire,  on  the  flowers  of 
the  barberry;  also  near  Cambridge."  Rev.  L.  Jen^fns.  *'  Near 
London."  Stephen's  Caial,  *'  Holy  wood  on  Bel&st  Lough,  county 
Down;  not  common."  A,  H.  Holiday,  Esq.  "  JardineHall,  1837*'' 
Sir  W.  Jardine,  Barl. 

Myopa  dorsalis.  (s.) 

Fahr»  Meigen — Conops  testacea,  Gmelin — Myopa  ferruginea.  Panzer,  Faun. 

Germ.  xxii.  24. — Conops  cessans,  HarrU,  Expos,  pi.  xx.  fig.  4. 

Prevailing  colour  testaceous ;  face  reddish-yellow,  with  lighter 
reflections ;  forehead  brown :  antennie  reddish- brown :  (upper  lip 
very  short,  the  palpi  elongated  and  cylindrical ;)  thorax  brown  or 
blackish  on  the  surface,  the  shoulders  and  sides  of  the  iK'east  inclin- 
ing to  testaceous :  abdomen  wholly  of  the  latter  colour,  rather  broad 
and  depressed  in  the  male,  the  first  segment  somewhat  dusky,  the 
others  with  pale  grey  reflections  at  the  incisures ;  halteres  pale  yel- 
low ;  wing-scales  white ;  wings  light-brown.  Inclining  to  yellow  at 
the  bases ;  1^  wholly  testaceous,  the  tarsi  paler.     5^-6  lines. 

Not  a  scarce  species,  occurring  on  flowers  in  the  months  of  July 
and  August. 

Myopa  febbuginea.  (s.) 
Fabr.  Meig. — Conops  ferruginea,  Linn. — Conops  buccse,  Harris,  Expos,  pi.  xx. 

fig.  5-9. 
Similar  to  the  preceding,  but  usually  rather  less.     Head  fulvous^ 


^ 


Descriptions  of  British  Diptera,  221 

with  light  reflections  on  the  sides  of  the  hypostome  ;  forehead  hav- 
ing a  black  point ;  antennie  reddish^brown :  thorax*  dark-brown 
above,  the  colour  disposed  in  three  broad  stripes :  abdomen  narrow 
and  cylindrical,  the  basal  segment,  as  well  as  all  the  rest,  ferrugi-i 
nous  with  grey  incisures ;  the  second  segment  is  a  good  deal  elon- 
gated, and  the  terminal  ones  are  very  much  incurved  in  the  male. 
5  lines. 

Likewise  of  frequent  occurrence,  at  least  in  many  parts  of  the 
country.  In  Scotland  we  notice  it  every  summer  in  the  neighbour- 
hood of  Edinburgh  and  in  Roxburghshire,  and  have  seen  specimens 
from  other  southern  counties.  "  London  district."  Stephen's  CataL 
"  Bath."  C.  C.  Babington,  Esq.  «  Near  TwizeL"  P.  /.  Selby,  Esq. 
'*  Dundrum,  a  sandy  beach  below  the  Moume  Mountains,  Ireland, 
taken  once,"  A.  H.  Haliday,  Esq. 

Myopa  fasciata. 
Meig, — Myopa  ephippium,  Fahr. — Conops  fusca,  Harris*  Expos,  pi.  xx.  fig.  6, 7  ? 
A  handsome  species,  and  easily  distinguished  from  its  associates 
by  its  dark-coloured  abdomen,  ringed  with  white:  &ce  yeUow; 
forehead  with  two  brown  stripes  and  a  shining  yellow  triangular 
mark  on  the  crown ;  antenns  reddish-brown ;  the  third  joint  ap- 
pearing paler:  thorax  blackish,  the  shoulders  and  sides  brown: 
abdomen  black ;  the  second  and  third  segments  edged  with  white 
behind,  and  on  the  sides  ;  the  fourth  segment  with  two  black  spots 
anteriorly,  all  the  rest  white  :  halteres  pale  yellow ;  legs  fulvous- 
brown,  the  tibiae  having  a  dusky  ring  near  the  middle :  wings  of  a 
uniform  brownish  colour.   3-4  lines. 

Apparently  somewhat  scarce  in  Britain,  but  frequent  on  many 
parts  of  the  continent.  "  Near  London."  Stephens'  CataL  "  Ken- 
mare,  Ireland."     A.  H.  Haliday,  Esq. 

Myopa  atba.  (s.) 
Fabr.  Meig. — Myopa  aimulata,  Fabr.  Antl.  Syst — M.  cbierascens,  Meig.  Klass. 
L  287 — M.  maculata,  do.  28a— M.  micans,  do.  289. 
Very  dissimilar  to  any  hitherto  described,  both  on  account  of  its 
small  size,  obscure  colours,  and  somewhat  peculiar  facies ;  it  appears 
also  to  differ  in  some  measure  in  its  habits  from  the  other  species. 
Black ;  face  yellow,  with  a  silvery-white  play  of  colour ;  vertex 
brown ;  antennae  (which  are  rather  long  in  proportion  to  the  size 
of  the  body)  black,  the  second  joint,  and  base  of  the  third  fulvous 
on  the  inner  side :  upper  lip  elongated,  tongue  very  long.     Tho- 


t222  On  a  second  membrane 

rax  cinereous,  with  three  hkck  lines^  the  ceotral  one  double  in  the 
female :  abdomen  shining  black  in  the  male>  ash-grey  in  the  fe- 
male ;  the  second,  third,  and  fourth  segments  edged  with  grey  in 
the  former  sex,  and  a  black  dorsal  streak  along  the  first  four  seg- 
ments in  the  latter :  legs  black ;  the  hinder  thighs,  and  occasionally 
the  others  also,  more  or  less  fulvous :  tibise  sometimes  yellowish 
at  the  base.  '  Halteres  white ;  wings  slightly  tinged  with  brown, 
the  base  yellowish,  stnmgly  iridescent.     1^-2^  lines. 

Varies  considerably,  which  has  caused  a  variety  of  names  to  be 
applied  to  this  species.  It  is  a  common  insect  in  most  places,  and, 
besides  occurring  in  flowers,  is  often  seen  running  about  warm 
banks  exposed  to  the  sun.  Near  London,  plentifully  in  some  situ* 
ations.  Neighbourhood  of  Edinburgh,  &c.  "  Everywhere  in  Ire- 
land, on  sunny  banks."     A.  H,  Holiday,  Esq. 

Myopa  pusilla. 
Megerle,  Wiedemann^  Meigen. 

Antennae  blackish,  reddish  internally  towards  the  apex  :  hypos- 
tome  yellow,  with  a  white  play  of  colour ;  forehead  testaceous : 
thorax  shining  blackish-grey,  with  two  black  lines  dilated  behind 
into  a  triangular  spot :  abdomen  black,  with  large  light-grey  spots 
on  the  sides  :  wings  brownish  towards  the  costa :  legs  shining  black  : 
hinder  thighs  at  the  base  and  the  knee  reddish.    1^  lines. 

We  have  noticed  this  insect  as  it  is  said  to  have  been  taken  in 
the  vicinity  of  London,  but  there  can  be  little  doubt  that  it  is  a 
mere  variety  of  M.  aira. 


III. — On  the  existence  of  a  second  membrane  in  ike  Asci  of  Fungi, — 
By  the  Rev.  M.  J.  Bebkblby,  M.  A.  F.  L,  S.    Plate  VII. 

M.  MoRREN,  in  a  memoir  of  the  highest  physiological  interest, 
(Ann.  de  Sc.  Nat.  N,  S.  Vol.  v.  p.  257.)  has  lately  made  known  in 
the  short  filaments  of  Closteria,  a  genus  formerly  referred  to  the  In- 
fusoria, but  most  certainly,  according  to  his  most  interesting  obser- 
vations, belonging  to  the  order  Alga,  the  presence  of  three  distinct 
membranes.  The  external  hyaline  tube  is  closely  lined  with  a  de- 
licate flexible  membrane ;  besides  which  there  is  a  third  sac  proper 
to  the  green  mass  of  granules  and  vesicles.  It  should  seem  from 
the  analogy  of  this  genus  with  Zygnema,  that  the  individual  Alg» 
are  rather  to  be  considered  as  extremely  reduced  threads,  than  as 
frustules ;  in  other  words,  the  genus  is  rather  oonfervoid  than  dia- 
tomaceous  ;  and  therefore  their  relation  to  the  asci  of  Fungi  is  per- 

4 


in  the  Asci  of  Fungi.  223 

]uip8  less  complete  than  if  the  converse  were  the  case.  For  Mone- 
ma,  a  diatomaceous  genus^  greatly  resembles  certain  asci  with  their 
included  sporidia  ;  and  I  have  pointed  out  in  the  English  Flora  the 
curious  analogy  between  the  asci  of  Sphseria  entomorhiza  and  S. 
ophioglossoides,  and  the  filaments  of  Schizonema. 

Be  the  anal<^x  however^  what  it  may,  between  individual  Clos- 
tense  and  the  asci  of  Fungi,  the  point  to  which  I  now  wish  to  draw 
attention  is  the  presence  of  two  distinct  membranes  in  the  latter 
organs,  besides  the  proper  integument  of  each  sporidium,  viz.  the 
external  hyaline  tube,  and  a  second,  answering  to  the  secondary 
membrane  of  Closterise,  which  at  first  lines  the  former  closely,  but 
is  at  length  more  or  less  detached. 

The  species  in  which  I  have  seen  this  most  distinctly,  are  a  form 
of  Sphseria  populina,  Pers.  growing  in  winter  and  spring  on  small 
fallen  branches  of  ash,  and  Sphseria  pedunculata,  Dicks,  and  Sow. 
referred  in  the  English  Flora,  on  the  inspection  of  dry  specimens, 
as  a  variety  to  Sphaeria  hypoxylon,  but  now  proved  by  the  detec- 
tion of  recent  individuals  on  the  dung  of  rabbits  more  or  less  buried 
in  ant-hills  to  be  a  very  distinct  species,  remarkable  for  several  pe- 
culiarities of  structure,  which  will  be  adverted  to  in  what  follows. 
The  fact,  however,  being  once  satisfactorily  established  in  these 
species,  it  was  clear,  from  certain  anomalous  appearances  in  the  con- 
tents of  the  asci  of  various  Fungi,  that  it  existed  very  generally. 
More  especially  I  have  recognized  its  existence  in  SphsBria  phseo- 
oomes,  Reb.  (which  I  have  lately  found  with  perfect  asci  and  sep- 
tate sporidia) ;  an  undescribed  species  detected  by  Mr  D.  Stock, 
on  Arenaria  peploides ;  and  Patellaria  atrata,  Fr.  In  many  other 
cases  I  have  ascertained  the  presence  of  a  secondary  membrane  more 
or  less  distinctly ;  and  I  have  no  doubt  that  it  exists  in  all  asci 
which  are  surrounded  by  a  distinct  transparent  border. 

On  submitting  to  the  microscope  some  of  the  gelatinous  contents 
of  the  perithecia  of  Sph.  populina,  var.  which  had  been  previously 
moistened,  and  gently  crushed  with  the  point  of  a  lancet,  I  perceiv- 
ed that  some  were  snapped  asunder,  and  that  from  the  centre  of  the 
fractured  part  a  little  hyaline  tube  projected  very  much  in  the  same 
way  as  is  frequently  the  case  in  Dentalium  entalis.  (See  Deshayes, 
Monog.  t.  2,  f.  2.)  This  attracted  my  attention  more  particularly, 
and  after  examining  numerous  asci  I  found  that  it  arose  from  the 
projection  of  a  fractured  portion  of  a  secondary  membrane  imme- 
diately enveloping  the  sporidia,  which  did  not  give  way  so  soon  as 
the  external  tube,  which  appears  to  be  exceedingly  brittle.  It  is 
highly  transparent,  capable  of  considerable  dilatation,  }>ut  at  the 


224  On  a  second  membrcme 

same  time  Yerj  contractile^  so  that  when  yet  in  situ,  it  frequently 
becomes  nodulose  from  the  pressure  of  the  sporidia,  especially  if 
they  get  out  of  their  natural  position,  which  is  mostly,  though  td 
uniyersally,  with  their  major  axis  parallel  to  the  asci.  The  portion 
which  projects  after  the  asci  are  ft^ctured,  if  empty,  is  generally 
contracted  to  a  mere  thread.  In  several  instances,  when  the  outer 
tube  has  been  snapped  asunder,  I  have  seen  a  large  portion  of  the 
inner  tube  projecting,  and  in  one  case  it  still  retained  three  sporidia. 
Similar  appearances  presented  themselves  in  Sph.  pedunculata,  but, 
from  the  circumstance  of  the  sporidia  being  enveloped  in  a  pellndd 
mucus,  the  structure  is  not  always  easily  made  out.  The  secondary 
membrane  in  general  adheres  very  closely  to  the  sporidia,  adapting 
itself  to  their  form,  so  that  the  row  of  sporidia  when  not  as  yet  dis- 
arranged presents  a  moniliform  articulated  thread ;  the  dark  appa- 
rent articulations  arising  probably  from  the  mutual  pressure  of  the 
sporidia  with  their  mucous  coats  against  each  other,  ^ndeed,  from 
the  manner  in  which  the  sporidia  adhere  together  when  the  asci  are 
ruptured,  I  am  inclined  to  think  that  the  secondary  membrane  is 
in  the  present  species  so  extensible,  as  to  form  a  close  covering  to 
the  sporidia,  however  much  they  may  be  disarranged.  This  is  not, 
however,  alw;ays  the  case,  as  the  secondary  membrane  is  sometimes 
perfectly  distinct,  both  before  and  after  the  rupture  of  the  asci. 
This  I  have  seen  especially  in  a  remarkable  variety,  or  rather  form 
of  the  species,  in  which  the  receptacle  is  reduced  almost  to  nothing, 
and  the  perithecium  solitary.  Besides  the  curious  circumstance  of 
the  sporidia  being  coated  with  mucilage,  a  circumstance,  as  hrsa 
I  know,  without  parallel  in  the  genus,  it  is  remarkable  that  they 
have  another  equally  distinguishing  feature,  which  is  the  existence 
of  a  regular  longitudinal  depression  on  one  side,  so  as  to  resemble 
very  strongly  such  pollen  grains  as  have  a  single  band.  This  is 
best  seen  when  they  are  divested  of  their  mucilaginous  coat,  whidi 
appears  to  be  uniformly  the  case  before  they  are  discharged.  It  is 
by  no  means  common  amongst  the  uterine  Fungi  to  have  any  ine- 
qualities in  the  coat  of  the  sporidia,  except  such  as  are  septate.  At 
present  I  recollect  but  a  single  instance  in  the  genus  Ascobolus,  in 
which  I  have  seen  them  very  strongly  wrinkled.  They  vary  remar- 
kably in  form,  as  will  be  seen  from  the  accompanying  figures,  and  in 
some  specimens  which,  in  addition  to  the  usual  coating  of  earth, 
had  penetrated  through  a  layer  of  cow-dung,  it  is  most  curious,  in 
consequence,  I  suppose,  of  excessive  nourishment,  the  sporidia  were 
uniformly  more  than  twice  the  ordinary  size. 

The  primary  membrane,  though  sometimes  rather  rigid,  b  by  no 


in  the  Asci  of  Fungi,  225 

means  uniyersally  so.  Sometimes  it  is  eilremely  tender  and  almost 
gelatinons^  so  that  if  a  portion  of  the  inner  tube  with  its  sporidia  be 
bent  at  any  part  by  any  peculiar  position  which  the  sporidia  acquire^ 
the  outer  tube  is  also  forced  outwards,  and  in  consequence  the  asci 
are  sometimes  curiously  distorted.  In  some  cases  they  appear  toru- 
loses £rom  the  pressure  of  the  inclosed  sporidia,  and  occasionally 
when  the  sporidia  assume  by  accident  a  transverse  position  in  the 
tube,  I  haye  seen  the  whole  vessel  regularly  dilated.  The  apparent 
thickness  of  the  walls  of  asci  arises  in  general  from  the  existence  at 
a  certain  period  of  growth  of  a  space  between  the  two  membranes, 
and  the  great  diiference  of  thickness  at  different  parts  is  now  easi- 
ly explained  from  the  greater  contraction  of  those  points  of  the  se- 
condary membrane.  This  is,  I  believe,  attached  to  the  primary  at 
the  apex.  In  S.  pedunculata  it  certainly  is,  in  which  species  there 
is  almost  always  an  articulation  a  little  below  the  point  of  attach- 
ment. 

M.  Morren's  paper  is,  if  I  mistake  not,  calculated  to  throw  light 
opon  the  developement  of  the  sporidia  themselves.  In  an  early 
stage  of  growth  the  asci  contain  a  mere  grumous  mass,  out  of  which, 
probably  at  the  expence  of  the  greater  part  of  the  granules  of  which 
it  is  composed  as  its  organization  becomes  more  evident,  the  sporidia 
arise.  The  coat  of  the  sporidia  is  frequently  absorbed  before  they 
are  discharged,  and  the  asci  then  contain  a  number  of  distinct  spo- 
niles;  and  sometimes  the  asci  themselves  are  absorbed,  and  the  whole 
inner  mass  of  the  perithecia  consists  of  sporidia  or  sporules.  These 
are  points  to  which  at  present  sufficient  attention  has  not  been  paid, 
but  they  would  doubtless  highly  repay  the  labour  of  investigation. 

Explanation  of  Figures, 

a.  Fractured  asci  of  Sphseria  populina,  var.  with  the  secondary 
membrane  projecting. 

b.  One  more  highly  magnified,  c.  A  single  sporidium  still  more 
highly  magnified. 

d.  Fractured  asci  of  Sphseria  pedunculata,  with  their  sporidia  in- 
volved in  mucilage,  and  partly  covered  by  the  secondary  membrane. 

e.  Portion  of  one  of  the  asci  showing  the  moniliform  arrange- 
ment   f'  S]^ridia  divested  of  mucilage. 

g.  Asci  with  one  of  the  paraphyses  of  a  variety  of  S.  peduncula- 
ta. In  one  the  sporidia  are  transverse,  and  the  vessel  is  in  conse- 
quence regularly  dilated. 

A.  A  distorted  ascus  of  Patellaria  atrata,  with  its  divided  para- 
physes.    k.  One  of  the  sporidia. 


226  On  the  Gemmce  of  Bryum  androgyrmm. 

#- 
IV. — Observations  on  the  Gemmce  of  Bryum  androgynum.  By 
George  Dickie^  Esq.  Surgeon^  Aberdeen.  Plate  VII. 
Bryum  andr(^ynum  is  of  rare  occurrence  in  this  neighbourhood. 
It  is  found  gTO\ving  in  the  moist  earth  which  fills  the 'crevices  of 
gneiss  rocks,  generally  along  with  Bryum  c«espititium.  Sir  W.  J. 
Hooker,  in  the  second  volume  of  his  British  Flora,  p.  57>  remarks 
that  this  species  is  very  rarely  found  bearing  capsules,  and  I  have 
never  found  it  in  this  state :  the  reason  of  this  seems  very  obscure. 
The  gemmae,  however,  being  very  plentiful,  are  quite  sufficient  to 
keep  up  the  existence  of  the  species :  they  are  extremely  abundant 
in  the  months  of  February,  March,  and  April.  These  bodies  occur 
in  clusters  on  the  summit  of  a  stem  bearing  much  resemblance^  to 
the  setae  in  other  mosses ;  it  is,  however,  of  a  looser  texture,  ex- 
cepting toward  its  summit,  where  it  presents  a  swelling  and  a 
denser  tissue.  The  swollen  part  at  the  summit  is  easily  separable 
from  the  rest  of  the  stem,  as  is  represented  in  Fig.  1,  where  a  part 
has  been  removed,  the  other  half  remaining  with  the  cords  which 
arise  from  it.  The  cords  just  mentioned,  when  viewed  under  a  high 
magnifier,  appear  to  be  transparent  tubes  composed  of  a  simple 
membrane ;  each  cord  supporting  a  gemma.  The  gemmae  at  the 
circumference  of  the  clusters  are  the  first  to  arrive  at  maturity, 
those  in  the  centre  are  developed  last  of  all ;  and  on  the  same  head 
we  find  them  in  several  different  stages  of  their  growth.  At  first 
they  are  simple  transparent  vesicles  (Fig.  2,)  of  an  oval  form,  and, 
by  a  high  magnifier,  no  matter  can  be  detected  in  their  interior. 
As  they  advance  in  growth  a  small  stalk  becomes  evident  (by  this 
they  are  attached  to  the  cords  formerly  mentioned,)  and  a  grumous 
matter  is  seen  within,  (Fig.  3.)  When  fully  matured  they  present 
the  appearance  shown  in  Figs.  4  and  5,  and  the  substance  in  their 
interior  assumes  a  granular  appearance  ;  it  now  resembles  the  mat- 
ter called  green  fecula  by  some  authors.  The  gemmee  drop  oflT  as 
they  arrive  at  maturity,  those  at  the  circumference  of  the  head  first, 
and  so  on  toward  the  centre  until  at  last  the  cords  alone  remain. 
It  appeared  to  me  to  be  an  interesting  matter  to  determine  the 
process  of  germination  in  the  gemmae,  but  considerable  difiiculty 
arising  from  their  very  small  size,  for  a  single  gemma'is  scarcely  if 
at  all  visible  to  the  naked  eye,  (the  accompanying  figures  are  con- 
sequently very  highly  magnified,)  the  following  method  was  em- 
ployed. A  watch-glass  was  placed  in  a  saucer  with  its  concavity 
downwards ;  over  it  a  piece  of  fine  gauze  was  spread,  the  size  of 
which  exceeded  that  of  the  glass,  consequently  its  edges  were  in 


On  the  GemrrKB  of  Bryum  andragynum^  227 

contact  with  the  saucer^  into  which  water  was  poured,  but  only  in 
quantity  sufficient  to  preserve  the  gauze  in  a  moist  state ;  several 
entire  gemmiferous  heads  of  Bryym  were  then  placed  upon  the  gauze 
over  the  centre  of  the  watch-glass,  and  the  whole  apparatus  was 
kept  in  a  moderately  warm  place  not  exposed  to  very  bright  light, 
and  covered  with  a  bell-glass.  After  some  days  some  of  the  gem- 
mfiB  were  detached  and  examined  with  a  magnifier  ;  it  was  found 
that  the  contents  of  many  had  undergone  a  remarkable  change. 
The  green  granular  matter  had  nearly  disappeared,  and  the  cavity 
of  each  seemed  now  to  be  divided  by  several  dark  green  partitions, 
(Fig.  6,)  and  many  of  them  presented  a  swelling  near  that  part  by 
which  they  were  attached  to  the  cords,  (Figs.  7  £uid  8.)  At  the  end 
of  from  fourteen  to  twenty  days,  it  was  observed  that  in  many  a 
small  transparent  nearly  cylindrical  tube  had  been  protruded  from 
the  part  which  some  dap  previously  had  presented  a  swelling ; 
Figs.  9,  10,  11,  represent  this  appearance.  It  was  not  confined 
entirely  to  those  whose  granular  matter  had  disappeared,  for  many 
in  which  this  was  still  visible  had  begun  to  germinate,  and  the  tube 
in  some  cases  contained  a  portion  of  it.  This  tube  or  filament  was 
invariably  protruded  from  the  same  part  in  every  gemma,  and 
never  more  than  one  made  its  appearance  in  each.  The  filaments 
seemed  to  be  not  merely  a  prolongation  of  the  membrane  of  the 
gemma,  but  appeared  to  have  proceeded  from  its  interior,  and  to 
have  burst  the  membrane.  In  only  one  instance  did  I  remark  that 
the  protruded  filament  presented  an  articulated  appearance,  or  ra- 
ther its  interior  seemed  to  be  divided  by  several  septae.  After  re- 
maining more  than  a  month  upon  the  moist  gauze,  the  gemmae  had 
made  no  further  progress  in  germination.  This  might  have  been 
owing  to  the  gauze  not  presenting  a  proper  medium  for  their  growth, 
or  perhajA  rather  from  exposure  to  too  strong  light ;  at  the  end  of 
this  time  also,  the  green  fecula  had  disappeared  in  all  of  them,  and 
they  resembled  Fig.  6.  While  engaged  in  these  observations,  I  re- 
marked, that  a  leaf  of  Bryum,  which  had  accidentally  fallen  on  the 
gauze,  and  remained  there  for  some  time,  had  thrown  out  several 
slender  transparent  radicles  near  its  place  of  attachment  to  the  stem, 
and  from  the  angle  between  the  midrib  and  the  limb  of  the  leaf. 
May  not  this  be  another  way  in  which  B.  androgynum  is  propagated? 
or  even  this  may  be  true  of  every  moss.  Sir  W.  J.  Hooker  says, 
(British  Fl.  Vol.  ii.  p.  7^>)  that  from  the  points  of  the  leaves  of 
Hookeria  lucens  roots  are  often  emitted. 


228  On  a  peculiar  structure  in  Shells, 

V. — On  a  pecvliar  strvcture  in  Shells ;  tviih  some  observations  on 

the  Shell  of  Sphierulites.     By  John  £dwabd  Grat^  F.  R.  S., 

&c     Plate  VIII. 

In  a  paper  published  in  the  Philosophical  Transactions  for  the 
year  1833,  I  have  described  three  kinds  of  structure  found  in  such 
shells  as  had  then  come  under  my  observation  ;  but  since  that  pe- 
riod Mr  G.  B.  Sowerby  has  given  me  an  oyster-shdl,  and  Messrs 
Hudson  and  Bowerbank  have  lent  me  a  fossil  Sphaerulites,*  found 
in  the  chalk,  each  of  which  exhibits  a  form  of  structure  which  I 
had  not  before  observed,  and  which  may  be  designated  by  the  name 
of  cellular. 

The  shells  of  this  structure  appear  to  increase  in  size  in  the  same 
manner  as  others, — ^the  peculiarity  consisting  in  a  deposition  of  one 
or  more  series  of  reticulations,  leaving  more  or  less  numerous  hol- 
low polygonal  cells  between  each  of  the  lamina  of  which  the  shell 
is  formed.  The  two  shells  which  exhibit  this  formation  show  it  in 
a  very  different  state  and  degree  of  developement.  In  the  Sphseru- 
lites  the  entire  parietes  of  the  shell,  (or  at  least  the  whole  that  is 
left  in  a  fossil  state,  for  some  naturalists,  as  M,  Deshayes  and  Des- 
moulin,  believe  that,  from  the  form  of  the  internal  cast,  the  inner 
part  of  the  shell  is  deficient,)  are  formed  of  series  of  continuous 
longitudinal  and  transverse  ridges,  leaving  four^sided  cavities,  which 
are  hollow  in  the  specimens  preserved  in  chalk,  while  in  those  that 
are  found  in  limestone,  they  are  filled  up  with  infiltrated  carbonate 
of  lime.  The  concentric  or  transverse  plates,  which  are  best  seen 
in  a  longitudinal  section  of  the  valves,  and  whidi  represent  the  la- 
mime  of  growth,  though  remarkably  regular  in  appearance,  vary  in 
the  distance  they  are  apart  firom  each  other.  They  are  usually 
much  closer  together  at  the  lips  of  the  valves,  or,  in  other  words, 
when  the  animal  has  nearly  reached  its  full  growth ;  but  sometimes 
we  find  them  almo&t  equally  near  in  the  middle  of  the  cone,  which 
may  have  been  occasioned  by  some  accidental  check  to  the  moUusc's 
regular  increase  about  that  period,  and  which  removed  or  overcome 
again  admitted  the  animal  to  progress  at  its  ordinary  rate. 

*  This  appears  to  be  the  fossil  which  Mr  Mantell  has  indicated,  but  not  de- 
scribed, under  the  name  of  Hippurites  Mortonii.  I  say  appears,  for  on  going 
to  Brighton  to  examine  his  specimen,  I  could  not  obtain  permission  to  have  it 
taken  from  the  case  to  compare  it  with  that  here  described.  Ft  is  certainly  not 
a  Htppuriteg,  since  it  has  neither  the  solid  structure,  nor  the  two  internal  longi- 
tudind  ribs  of  that  genus.  It  is  the  shell  figured  as  a  fossil  Conia  by  Mr  Hud- 
son in  Loudon's  Magazine  of  Natural  History,  Vol.  tx.  p.  103. 

3 


and  on  the  shell  of  Spluerulites.  229 

When  one  of  these  shells  is  cut  across  in  the  axis  of  the  coae>  it 
is  then  found  that  the  transyerse  laminae  are  continued,  and  the 
cells  which  appeared  regular  in  the  longitudinal  section^  are  seen  to 
be  rather  irregular  in  size  and  fonn,  but  mostly  hexangular  or  pen- 
taagular.     They  are  deposited  on  these  transverse  plates^  the  next 
transverse  plate  or  lamina  of  growth  being  laid  over  them  ;  and  as 
the  cells  of  the  next  and  every  succeeding  series  are  exactly  simi- 
lar in  form  and  numbers,  there  necessarily  results  that  uniformity 
which  we  have  mentioned  in  the  appearance  of  the  longitudinal 
fracture,  since  the  parietes  of  the  cells  of  the  different  transverse 
laminae  appear  in  that  fracture  to  be  as  much  continuous  with  one 
another  as  the  transverse  ones  really  are.  An  analogous  peculiarity 
exists  in  some  shells  of  other  structures.     Thus  in  the  Pinna,  and 
other  shells  of  a  prismatic  crystalline  structure,  the  transverse  prisms 
of  which  the  outer  coat  of  the  shell  is  formed,  appear  to  be  con- 
tinuous, though  they  are  each  formed  of  the  many  transverse  laminae 
.  of  growth  which  are  in  succession  deposited  as  the  animal  enlarges  * 
its  sise :  and  it  is  the  same  with  the  rhombic  crystalline  structure. 
The  outer  surface  of  this  shell  (Sphaerulites)  is  lamellar  and  hard, 
being  formed  by  the  agglutinated  outer  edges  of  the  transverse 
laminae  of  growth  ;  and  the  inner  surface  of  the  cone  is  covered  with 
a  thin  hard  plate,  which  is  marked  with  minute  close  concentric  lines 
more  numerous  than  the  transverse  plates  of  the  parietes  of  the 
dieli ;  and  the  plate  is  raised  at  the  mouth  of  the  cone  a  little  above 
the  surface  of  the  lip,  from  which  it  is  separated  by  a  slight  groove. 
The  mouth  of  the  lower  cone  has  a  smooth  concave  lip  as  wide, 
or  rather  wider  than  the  thickness  of  the  parietes  of  the  shell,  and 
is  marked  with  some  radiating  branched  impressions,  exactly  like 
the  impressions  which  one  may  suppose  to  be  made  by  a  blood- 
Teasel  ;  the  slenderer  and  branched  part  being  directed  towards  the 
outer  edge  of  the  lips. 

A  similar  structure  is  to  be  observed  in  other  species  of  this  genus 
IbssiluEed  in  limestone,  but  from  the  size  of  the  cells  in  these,  as 
appears  when  specimens  of  the  same  magnitude  are  compared,  it  is 
obvious  that  the  whole  formation  was  on  a  much  smaller  scale  ;  and 
the  cells  are  always  filled  with  infiltrated  carbonate  of  lime,  which 
makes  them  appear  solid,  unless  the  sur&ce  of  the  specimen  is 
slightly  disintegrated,  or  the  fracture  is  wetted  and  examined  with 
a  lens. 

I  can  scarcely  attempt  to  explain  how  the  parietes  of  these  cells 
are  formed,  nor  determine  if  any  fluid  has,  in  their  living  condition, 

VOL.  II.  NO  9.  Q 


230  On  a  peculiar  Structure  in  Shells, 

filled  up  the  cavity  between  them,  though  it  seems  probable  that 
they  may  have  arisen  from  some  peculiarity  in  the  man^e  of  the 
animal,  developed  only  when  the  new  laminae  were  about  to  be  de- 
posited, and  not  present  or  shrunk  when  the  smooth  upper  surface 
of  the  lamina  was  formed,  for  it  is  evident,  from  the  nature  of  the 
surface  of  some  specimens,  that  the  parietes  of  the  cells  are  very 
gradually  deposited  on  the  smooth  upper  surfaces  of  the  transverse 
plates  of  growth.  The  vein-like  grooves  above  described  do  not 
seem  to  exert  any  influence  over  their  form,  for  they  are  apparent- 
ly not  in  any  way  connected  with  the  distribution  of  their  parietes, 
while  yet  they  show  that  there  must  exist  some  peculiarity  of  the 
mantle  to  form  such  peculiar  grooves. 

These  shells,  and  the  Hippurites,  have  occupied  considerable  at- 
tention of  late,  on  account  of  the  difficulties  which  arise  in  deter- 
mining their  place  in  the  animal  kingdom  ;  for  although  evidently 
hi  valvular,  yet  they  differ  in  several  particulars  from  both  the  free 
'bivalve  shells  of  the  Conchifera  and  the  lamplike  bivalves  of  the 
Brachiopodes,  not  having  the  ligaments  nor  the  apical  umbones  of 
the  former,  nor  the  numerous  muscular  scars  so  characteristic  of  the 
Crania,  which  alone  resemble  them  in  form  among  the  latter.  Two 
French  authors  have  attempted  to  explain  this  difficulty.  M.  De- 
irance  and  others  having  observed  that  the  cast  on  which  the  genus 
Birostrites  has  been  formed  is  always  found  in  the  cavity  of  these 
shells,  and  that  as  there  is  a  space  between  the  cast  and  the  parietes 
of  the  shell,  M.  Deshayes  concludes  that  the  Sphserulites  are  con- 
chifera provided  with  a  toothed  hinge  and  b'gament,  and  allied  to 
the  genus  Spondylus,  the  inner  coat  of  which  is  lost  in  the  act  of 
fossilization.  M.  Desmoulins  on  the  other  hand  believes  them  to  be 
the  shelly  cases  of  a  new  class  of  animals  of  which  he  ventures  to 
give  a  theoretical  description,  allying  them  to  the  Ascidia,  believing 
the  space  between  the  cast  and  the  shell  to  be  filled  up  with  the 
cartilaginous  mantle  of  the  mollusc.  Unfortunately  none  of  the 
specimens,  either  from  the  chalk  or  the  limestone  strata,  that  have 
come  under  my  notice,  exhibit  the  internal  cast  as  here  described, 
but  the  specimens  from  the  chalk  certainly  throw  a  doubt  over  both 
theories,  for  some  have  one  or  more  oysters  attached  to  the  inner 
surface  of  their  cavity,  and  others  are  pierced  with  minute  branch- 
ed worm  marks  exactly  like  the  worm  marks  so  common  on  the  sur- 
fieice  of  existing  shells.  These  facts  prove  that  whatever  may  have 
been  the  structure  of  the  substance  which  filled  up  the  space  said 
to  have  been  lost  in  fossilization,  (if  any  such  substance  ever  was 


and  on  the  ihett  of  Spkarulites.  231 

present  in  the  species  under  examination^)  it  must  have  been  lost 
before  the  shell  was  submitted  to  the  fossilizing  process^  since  other- 
wise the  holes  could  not  have  been  drilled  into^  nor  the  oyster  shells 
attached  to^  the  surface. 

A  somewhat  similar  structure  or  appearance  is  to  be  observed  in 
some  M adrepore8>  especially  in  the  spaces  between  the  sinuous  com- 
pressed stars  of  Meandrina,  but  in  these  zoophytes  the  longitudinal 
places  are  continuous  and  first  deposited^  and  the  thin  transverse  la- 
mina; are  interrupted  and  irregular,  instead  of  forming  the  conti- 
nuous plates  which  they  do  in  the  Sphserulites. 

Some  naturalists  have  compared  the  structure  with  that  of  Conia 
and  the  barnacles,  but  this  must  have  originated  in  a  very  super- 
ficial view  of  the  matter,  for  the  valves  of  .the  barnacles  are  pierced 
with  conical  tubes  gradually^apering  from  the  base  to  the  apex  of 
the  valve,  and  they  are  not  cellular  but  tubular.  The  base  of  some 
barnacles  is  indeed  cellular,  and  somewhat  resembles  the  structure 
in  question,  but  in  them  the  longitudinal  or  rather  radiating  plates 
are  continued,  and  the  transverse  ones,  when  present,  unequal  and 
disposed  irregularly  in  different  directions,  showing  even  a  more  ir- 
regular cellular  structure  than  in  the  Meandrinsc  before  referred  to. 

II.  The  second  form  of  this  structure  is  found  in  a  recent  unde- 
termined species  of  oyster  which  I  do  not  know  in  a  perfect  state. 
This  shell  exhibits  the  usual  lamellar  structure  of  its  genus,  but  the 
lamina?  of  growth,  which  give  the  peculiar  antiquated  appearance 
to  the  common  oyster,  instead  of  being  left  free,  are  bent  down  so 
as  to  produce  a  nearly  even  outer  surface.  When  these  laminae  are 
broken  through,  it  is  ascertained  that  the  spaces  under  them  are 
filled  with  a  soft  purplish  spongy  mass,  composed  of  minute,  rather 
irregular  cells,  placed  perpendicularly  between  the  plates.  When 
these  are  near  ti^ether,  the  cells  extend  from  one  plate  to  the  other, 
but  when  they  are  wider  apart,  the  cells  are  sometimes  interrupted 
in  the  centre.  They  have  somewhat  the  appearance  of  being  casts 
of  the  interstices  between  the  prisms  of  the  prismatic  structural 
shells,  and  are  deposited  in  layers  as  the  other  parts  of  the  shell  are. 
I  think  they  may  be  analogous  to  the  opaque  white  chalky  matter 
often  found  interposed  between  the  laminae  of  the  common  oyster, 
but  here,  though  the  chalky  matter  is  sometimes  seen  on  the  inside 
of  the  exterior  imbricate  foliations,  as  the  cellular  structure  is  found 
in  the  shell  under  more  immediate  consideration,  yet  it  is  to  be  ob- 
served more  abundantly,  and  commonly  forming  a  convex  spot  in 
the  disk  of  the  cavity  of  the  oyster,  just  beyond  the  scar  of  the  large 


232  Localitiei  of  Scottish  Coleoptera. 

central  adductor  muscle ;  and  sometimes  also  forming  a  raised  broad 
belt  near  the  outer  margin  of  the  valve^  just  within  the  free  lamel- 
lar edge.  The  chalky  matter  is  deposited  in  these  places  in  a  suc- 
cession of  thin  plates^  perhaps  at  the  periodical  interruptions  to  the 
animal's  growth  ;  and  they  are  covered  over  with  a  hard  and  thicker 
calcareous  plate^  more  dense  and  crystalline  also  in  its  composition. 

Explanation  of  the  Plate. 
Fig.  1.  The  lip  of  the  lower  valve  of  Sphmruliiet  Morionii,  show- 
ing the  vein-like  marks. — ^2.  Part  of  a  longitudinal  section  of  S, 
Mortonii,  showing  the  cancellated  structure,  nat.  size. — 3.  A  longi- 
tudinal section  of  Osirea  purpurea,  showing  the  cells  on  the  inner 
side  of  the  outer  plates.-r-4.  A  longitudinal  section  of  Ostrea  edulis 
showing  the  chalky  matter ;  a,  on  the  inside ;  b.  on  the  inside  of 
the  outer  plates. 


VI. — Localities  of  Scottish  Coleoptera.      By  the  Rev.  William 

Little. 
A  coNsinsnABLB  number  of  the  insects  contained  in  the  follow- 
ing list  have  not  hitherto  been  recorded  as  Scottish.  Others  of  them 
have  been  noticed  as  such  in  several  entomological  works,  but  with- 
out any  precise  locality,  or  authority  being  given.  A  few  of  the 
rarer  species  mentioned  in  Entomologia  Edinensis,  and  Stephens's 
Illustrations,  for  which  new  localities  have  been  discovered,  are 
again  inserted  here.  Several  of  the  localities  were  furnished  by  en- 
tomological friends,  whose  names  I  have  attached  to  their  respective 
discoveries.  It  is  proposed  in  some  future  numbers  of  this  work  to 
give  short  specific  descriptions  of  all  the  Coleoptera  not  included  in 
the  Entomologia  Edinensis. 

Leiochiton  arcticus*    Moffat  Hills,  Dumfries-shire,  where  I  have 
taken,  at  different  times,  upwards  of  a  doien 
of  specimens* 
Tarus  basalis.  This  insect  appears  to  be  widely  dispersed,  as 

I  have  taken  it  on  many  of  the  hills  in  the 
west  and  south  of  Scotland,  and  have  received 
specimens    from  Ben-na-muich-duih,  Aber* 
deenshire. 
Agonum  emarginatum.  Duddingston  Loch. 
"  atratum.        Dalmeny  Park. 

piceum.  Ditto. 

— — —  pelidnum.      Raehills,  Dumfries-shire. 


Localities  of  Scottish  Coleoptera. 


238 


Calathus  crooopus. 
Helobia  nivalis. 
Omaseiu  oiinomum. 
Steropns  Aethiops. 

Patrobns  alpinas. 
Amara  plebeia. 
Harpalns  latus. 
■  mbripes. 

Opharas  obscnrus. 
Aepus  fiilvesceiis. 


Guillon  Links.    Andrew  Murray^  Esq. 
Ben  Lawers ;  near  the  summit. 
Mofiat  Hills. 

Raehills.  In  decayed  birch-trees  daring 
winter. 

Ben  Lawers^  near  the  summit.     Rare. 
Raehills. 
Ditto. 

On  the  hills  near  Innerleithen. 
Raehills. 

**  Berwick-upon-Tweed^  in  the  crevices^  and 
under  slaty  rocks  between  tide  marks^  never 
above  tide  mark^  and  the  greater  number  of 
the  specimens  were  procured  near  low  water, 
but  not  covered  above  two  hours  each  tide." 
Dr  Johnston.  I  have  lately  found  this  insect 
in  some  abundance,  in  similar  localities  near 
Cramond. 

Raehills.     Very  scarce. 
Dalmeny  Park. 
Raehills. 
Moffat  Hills. 
Ditto. 
Raehills. 
Ditto. 
Do. 
Do. 
•  cnemerythrus.  Banks  of  the  Annan. 

■  atrocsruleus.  Dalmeny  Park. 
Lopha  minima.  Raehills. 

—  assimilis.  Do. 

Tachypus  bipnnctatus.  Dalmeny  Park.     Very  scarce. 

Andreae.      Coast  of  Argyleshire. 

Bembidium  paludosum.    Borthwick  Castle.     Andrew  Murray,  Esq. 

pallipes.  Banks  of  the  Nith,  near  Dumfries. 

Hydropomsfrater.        Raehills. 

l^-pustulatum.  Do. ;  and  Water  of  Leith. 

rufifrons.  Dalmeny. 

marginatus.     Raehills. 

fiiscatus.  Do. 

Colymbetes  concinnus.     Do. 

■  '       pulverosus.     Forfarshire. 


Blemos  paludosus. 
Ocyscnrrens. 
Treehns  parvulus. 

roficoUis. 

■  oollaris. 

Tachys  binotatus. 

■       obtusus. 
Peryphns  concinnus. 

saxatilis 


254  Localities  of  Scottish  Coleoptera. 

Goljmbetes  oblongus.  Raehills. 

'  affinis.        Do. 

Gyrinus  miDutus.  In  a  pool  on  Hawick  Moor^  in  considerable 
abundance.     Mr  W.  Lamb. 

villosus.  In  the  Jed,  near  Jedburgh. 

Heterocerus  marginatus.  Dalmeny  Park,  in  marshy  ground  near 
the  shore. 

Hydrochus  crenatus.  Braid  Hill  marshes.  A  single  specimen, 
found  along  with  Hydrochus  brevis,  the  lat- 
ter in  abundance. 

Ochthebius  marinus.    Dalmeny  Park,  in  a  marsh  by  the  shore. 

Enicocerus  Gibsoni.     Do.  Do. 

Limnebius  aifinis.         Raehills. 

— ^  lutosus.       In  the  Annan,  near  Moffat. 

Cercyou  bimaculatum.     Dalmeny,  by  the  shore. 

terminatum.     Raehills. 


—  convexior.     Do. 

—  ustulatum.       Cramond. 


Phalacrus  aeneus.        Raehills,  in  moss. 
ovatus.         Do. ;  and  Cramond. 

■  — pulchellus.  Do. 

Leiodes  aciculata.         Raehills  ;  Cramond. 
castanea.         Do. ;  and  near  Jedburgh. 

■  thoracica.        Do.    The  most  abundant  of  the  genus. 

—  badia.  Cramond. 
polita.              Raehills. 

—  testacea.  Do. 

ferruginea.      Do. ;  and  at  Cramond. 

■  litura.  Do.  do. 
— ^—  suturalis.         Cramond. 

nigricollis.       Do.    I  find  the  individuals  of  this  genus  chiefly 
in  autumn. 
Clambus  enshamensis.     Raehills. 
Ptomaphagus  velox.  Do. 

fumatus.       Do. 

Oiceoptoma  sinuata.     Corstorphine  Hill,  near  Edinburgh. 

Strongylus  fervidus.     Raehills.     Rare. 

Campta  lutea.  Do.  abundant  in  putrid  fungi. 

Meligethes  nigrinus.    Do. 

Trichopteryx  minutissima.     Do. 

■  nana.      Wall  top,  fiarnton  Park. 
■  -  perpusilla.     Raehills. 


Localities  ofScattiih  CoUoptera.  235 

Anisarthria  melas.  Raehills. 

■  nitida.  Do. 

nitidula.  Cramond. 

Atomaria  thoradca.  Raehills. 
— ^—  carbonaria.      Do. 
— -  linearis.  Do. 

Myceteea  fumata.  Raehills.     Rare. 

Tetratoma  Anoora.      Wall  top^  near  Cramond.     Rare. 

Ips  4-pastalata.  Raehills ;  found  throughout  the  year  under 

the  bank  of  decayed  fir  trees. 
—  ferruginea.  Raehills ;  found  only  during  summer. 

Corticaria  transYersalis.  Raehills. 
Paramecosoma  bicolor.  Cramond  Park.     Very  rare. 
Latridius  lardarius.     Wall  top^  Bamton  Park. 
Antlirenus  musaeorum.  Jedburgh. 
Byrrhus  aeneus.  Raehills.     Rare. 

Hister  12-striatus.      Raehills. 
■'  nitidulus.  Do. 

rotundatus.  Do.     About  the  stables,  in  June. 

Trox  scabri.  Jardine  Hall.     Sir  William  Jardine,  Bart. 

Phyllopertha  Frischii.  GuiJlon  Links. 
Elater  brunneus.         Raehills. 

-  serraticomis.     Dalmeny. 

-  semiruber.        Raehills,  in  decayed  birch  trees  during  win- 

ter.    Very  rare. 
balteatus.         Raehills. 

Cyphon  griseus.  Do. 

Telephorus  pulicarius.   Raehills. 
— —  -  ochropus.        Do. 

■  lituratus.        Do. 
Aplocnemus  impressus.    Do.    Rare. 
Dasytes  seratus.  Do. 

Cis  bidentatus.  Do. 

Tomicus  bidens.  Do. ;  also  about  Jedburgh. 

Hylesinus  sericeus.  Do. 

Baris  atriplicis.  Halleaths  Loch,  on  rushes.    Sir  William  Jar- 

dine,  Bart. 
Ceutorhynchns  melanocephalus.     Raehills. 
Nedyus  floralis.  Botanic  Garden,  Edinburgh. 

■       pallidactylus.  Raehills. 


236  Localities  of  Scottish  Coteoptera. 

Nedyus  melanostigma.  Raebills. 

Quercioola.     Wall  top,  Ravelstone.    Andrew  Murray,  Esq. 

Rhinoncus  pericarpius.  RaehilJs. 
■      castor.  Do. 

crassus.  Do. 

Orchestes  scatellaris.         Do. 

— — — —  Ilicis.  Do. 

Anthonomtts  pedicularius.  Do. 

Notans  bimaculatus.   Banks  of  the  Nith,  near  Dumfries. 

Pissodes  Fabricii.        Banks  of  the  North  Esk,  near  Montrose.   Mr 
6.  Little. 

Orthochaetes  setiger.  Rayelstone  ;  also  in  Roxburghshire. 

Procas  picipes.  Near  Moffat. 

Hypera  Polygoni.       Cramond. 

sublineata.  Do. 

Otiorhynchus  maurus.      Summit  of  Hartfell;  also  in  Halleatha 
Woods. 

Trachyphlaeus  scabriculus.     Blackford  Hill. 

Strophosomus  rufipes.     Raehills. 

■'    '  nigricans.  Cramond  Park. 

-.  retusus.     Raehills. 

Rhynchites  cylindricus.        Do. 

— cyaneopennis.     Do.    Dalmeny  Park. 

— —  cuprous.  Do.    On  the  Alder  in  September.  Ex- 

tremely rare. 

Sphieriestes  ater.  Raehills.    On  fir-trees,  but  very  rare. 

— — —  foYolatus.  Cramond.  On  the  top  of  a  wall  under  a 
row  of  beech  and  elm  trees ;  found  only  in 
October  and  the  beginning  of  November. 

Callidium  striatum.         Forfarshire.    Mr  6.  Little. 

—  variabile.        Edinburgh,  in  a  garden  in  the  New  Town. 
Rhagium  inquisitor    1  Raehills ;  found  in  abundance  during  win- 

-  bifasciatum.  J  ter,  in  decayed  fir,  and  birch  trees. 
Leptura  lievis.  Lord  Torphichen's  woods,  Mid*Calder. 
Macroplea  Zosterie.        Loch  of  Forfar.    Dr  Macnab. 
Galeruca  tenella.  Raehills. 

Mniophila  muscorum.         Do. 

Phaedon  aucta.  Cramond. 

— — —  -  unicolor.^  Raehills.     Abundant  on  the  birch. 

Chrysomela  Hyperici.  Dalmeny. 

r *  Banksii.  Ayrshire,  Dr  Macnab. 

-  haemoptera.     Hills,  North  Queensferry.     Abundant 


Localities  of  Scottish  Cokoptera.  2S7 

Tiinarcha  laevigata.  GaUoway.     Rev.  Mr  Lamb. 

Melaaoma  aenea.  Raehills^  on   the   alder^  in  August  and 

September. 

Cryptocepbalus  6-punctatu8.   RaehiUs^  on  the  birch.     Rare. 

— — Moraei.     Sutherlandshire.    James  Wilson,  Esq. 

Cocdnella  ocellata.         Cramond,  one  specimen. 

hieroglyphica.    Do. 

Tenebrio  obscurus.  Between  Leith  and  Portobello.  Dr  Knapp. 

Phylan  gibbus.  Southemness.    Sir  William  Jardine,  Bart. 

Ripipharus  paradoxus.     Wall  top,  Bamton  Park,  in  September. 

Scydmsenus  elongatulus.  Raehills.     Rare. 

Paelaphus  Herbstii.         Raehills,  in  April,  under  stones. 

Bryaxis  Junoorum.  Da.  in  similar  localities. 

Areopagus  glabricoUis.       Do. 
— puncticoUis.      Do. 

bolbifer.  Do. 

Bythinus  Curtisii.  Do. 

— —  Burrellii.  In  moss  from  Craiglockhart.    Dr  Greville. 

Tacbinns  elongatus.        Near  Jedburgh. 

Microeaurus  lateraljs.      Dalmeny. 

Dianous  rugulosus.  Raehills. 

Syntomium  nigroaeneum.  Raehills ;  also  near  Jedburgh  in  con- 
siderable numbers. 

Addota  crenata.  Cramond. 

Micrdymma  Johnstonn.  This  insect,  of  which  Dr  Johnston  was  so 
kind  as  to  send  rae  specimens,  I  have  since 
found  at  Dalmeny  between  loose  layers  of 
rock. 


C     238    ] 


REVIEWS  AND  CRITICAL  ANALYSIS. 


Manuel  de  Malacologie  et  de  Conchyliologie,     Par   H.  M.  Du- 

CROTAY  DE  Blainville.   Paris^  1825.  Bto.  with  an  Atlas  of  100 

Plates. 
Manuel  de  VHistoire  Naturelle  des  MoUusquet  et  de  leur  CoquiUes, 

Par  M.  Sander  Rang.     Paris,  1829.  24ino. 
The  Genera  cf  Recent  and  Fossil  Shells  ;for  the  use  cf  StudenU  in 

Conckohgy  and  Geology.   By  George  Brettinoham  Sowebbt. 

London,  v.  j.  8vo. 
The  Elements  of  modern  Conchology ;  with  Definitions  of  all  the 

Tribes,  Families,  and  Genera,  Recent  and  Fossil,     For  the  use 

of*  Students  and  Travellers.    By  William  Swainson,   £sq. 

Lond.  1835.  Duod. 
Elements  ofConchology,  according  to  the  Linncean  System,  iUustraied 

by  28  plates  drawn  from  Nature.    By  the  Rev.  £.  I.  Burrow, 

A.M.  F.  L.  S.     Lond.  1836.  2d  edit.  8vo. 

The  foundations  of  Conchology  were  laid  by  Aristotle  on  those 
broad  and  rational  views  which  characterize  ail  his  works  on  the 
Natural  History  of  Animals,  and  which  are  worthy  of  his  own  re- 
putation as  a  philosopher,  and  of  the  inquisitive  and  intelligent  so- 
ciety to  whom  they  were  delivered.  The  structure  and  habits  of 
the  creatures  embraced  in  this  section  of  natural  science  were  the 
main  objects  of  his  study,  while  their  relations  to  the  other  animated 
entities  by  which  they  are  surrounded,  and  their  own  mutual  affi- 
nities were  not  forgotten,  although  undoubtedly  the  classification  of 
them  appears  to  have  been  considered  a  matter  of  secondary  im- 
portance, and,  such  as  it  is,  was  rather  forced  upon  him  than  in- 
vented to  give  some  degree  of  method  and  generalization  to  the  ex- 
pression of  the  results  of  his  inquiries.  To  censure  this  Father  for 
the  incompleteness,  or  even  his  want  of  a  conchological  system,  is 
inconsiderately  done,  for  it  must  be  obvious  that  no  system  can  be 
otherwise  than  defective  and  artificial  until  discovery  has,  in  a  long 
and  lingering  progress,  collected  together  a  large  magazine  of  ma- 

3 


History  of  Conchology.  239 

terials,  among  which  there  shall  at  least  he  found  a  type  of  every 
modification  of  structure  exhibited  in  the  class.  But  in  his  age  the 
number  of  Shells  known  was  very  confined^  and  to  have  advanced 
beyond  the  primary  divisions  of  them  into  univalves^  bivalves^  and 
turbinated  kinds^  could  be  of  no  possible  utility^  and  might  have 
been  hurtful  to  a  further  progress^  for  "  the  over  early  and  peremp- 
tory reduction  of  knowledge  into  arts  and  methods"  is  an  error  from 
which,  as  Bacon  has  justly  remarked^  ''  time  commonly  receives 
small  augmentation."  *  His  views  were  higher^  and  his  researches 
were  pushed  in  the  only  direction  in  which  they  could  be  made 
available.  He  has  left  us  a  history  of  the  Cephalopodes  remarka- 
ble for  its  fulness  and  accuracy^  and  equally  remarkable  for  its 
exemption  from  the  marvels  and  puerilities  which  disfigure  the 
same  history  as  delivered  by  his  successors ;  and  although  there 
may  be  less  of  observation  and  fact  in  his  account  of  the  shelled 
molluscans>  yet  we  find  the  same  ends  kept  ever  in  view,  and  the 
incessant  effort  to  attain  his  object  by  attention  to  the  habits  of  the 
animals,  and  an  examination  of  their  anatomy.  The  numerous  de- 
fects, obscurities,  and  errors  which  a  vain  criticism  might  readily 
detect  in  his  details  under  both  of  these  heads,  are  justly  attributable 
to  the  accident  of  position,  for  he  was  the  first  to  track  the  road 
without  the  guide  of  a  fixed  nomenclature,  and  without  the  light 
which  anal(^  could  lend, — anatomy  at  this  period  being  scarcely 
practised,  and  physiology  almost  unknown.  By  his  own  researches 
he  was  enabled  to  characterize  several  groups  of  Testacea  with  some 
degree  of  precision,  and  to  acquaint  himself  with  many  valuable 
particulars  of  their  structure  and  economy,  and  although  some  of  his 
general  corollaries  from  these  are  hasty,  yet  even  in  this  minor  de- 
partment of  study  the  Stagyrite  claims  our  admiration  for  his  in- 
dustry and  sagacity,  and  our  gratitude  for  giving  us  an  example  of 
scientific  inquiry  which  it  were  well  to  follow. 

But  the  spring  which  welled  so  pure  and  copiously  had  no  issue 
to  its  waters.  Aristotle  had  no  successor  in  testaceology  among  his 
countrymen ;  and  when  literature  fled  the  shores  of  Attica,  and 
found  its  unwilling  way  to  Rome,  it  was  unattended  by  the  natural 
sciences.  In  the  constitution  of  society  among  the  Romans,  it  is 
not  difficult  to  find  causes  for  their  total  neglect  of  natural  history ; 
and  these  operated  with  peculiar  force  when  Pliny  began  to  collect 
together  the  materials  of  his  great  encyclopaedia.  Devoted  in  an 
especial  manner  to  a  public  life,  the  Romans  were  negligent  of  a 

*  Comp.  Sprengel  Hist  de  la  M^dedne,  Vol.  i.  p.  400. 


240  History  of  Conchohgy. 

study^  which>  so  £Eur  from  enhancing  their  repntation  with  the  peo- 
ple>  required  a  comparative  sedusion  to  he  sncoessfully  pursued ; 
while  tibe  disrelish  for  every  science  requiring  a  continuous  and  so- 
ber observation  of  &cts  and  experiments  was  heightened,  at  the 
period  we  refer  to>  by  a  general  luxury  that  had  risen  to  an  almost 
incredible  pitch,  and  by  the  mental  excitability  produced  by  their 
foreign  conquests  and  discoveries ; — ^for  the  tales  of  their  travellers, 
and  the  new  and  uncommon  animals  sent  home  from  every  quarter 
to  supply  the  theatre  and  circus,  had  rendered  the  minds  of  the 
people— one  and  aU — ^pliant  to  credulity,  and  apt  to  receive  every 
monstrous  tale,  and  equally  indisposed  to  attend  to  the  simple  phe- 
nomena displayed  in  the  ordinary  economy  of  animal  life.  Pliny 
largely  participated  the  taste  and  credulity  of  his  age,  and  hence 
his  work  is  the  very  antitype  of  the  Greeks, — ample  in  its  details 
of  the  use  and  value  of  pearls  and  Tyrian  purple,  of  anecdotes  of 
the  follies  of  the  rich  in  their  dress,  and  in  their  dishes  of  snails 
and  oysters,  &c. ;  while  he  caters  from  every  source  wonderful  sto- 
ries of  the  feats  of  gigantic  cuttles,  and  of  the  surprising  intelli- 
gence and  habits  of  these  and  other  molluscans  which  God  verily  hath 
made,  in  harmony  with  their  lower  organisation,  feeble  of  instinct 
and  power.  To  Gonchology  as  a  science  he  has  added  nothing 
which  Aristotle  did  not  supply  ;  but  he  furnishes  some  anecdotes 
for  a  chapter  on  its  economical  applications,  and  has  graced  its 
history  with  some  tramontane  and  amusing  fictions. 

Of  the  ancients,  Aristotle  and  Pliny  are  the  only  names  which 
merit  quotation  in.  a  history  of  conchology,  and  many  centuries 
elapse  before  we  again  meet  with  <me  whose  writings  give  some 
indication  of  its  progress.  The  turmoil  of  society  which  accom- 
panied and  followed  the  decline  and  fiill  of  the  Roman  Empire, 
— the  engrossing  nature  of  the  religion  and  superstitions  of  the 
dark  ages, — ^the  exclusive  attention  bestowed  on  the  writings  of 
the  ancients  at  the  revival  of  letters, — ^and  the  higher  claims  of 
higher  studies  when  civility  and  wealth  had  begun  to  diffuse  a  taste 
for  original  compositions,  and  gave  encouragement  and  leisure  to 
men  of  science  and  letters, — ^were  all  obliterative  of  a  pursuit  which 
was  solely  ornamental,  and  had  no  attraction  except  to  those  chosen 
few  who  found  in  the  contemplati<m  of  Nature's  works  their  principal 
gratification.  That  this  number  was  not  inconsiderable  is  certain,  for 
otherwise  it  seems  impossible  to  account  for  the  publication  of  the  vo- 
luminous and  expensively  illustrated  books  on  natural  history,  which 
issued  from  the  press  withioi  or  shortly  after,  the  first  century  after 
the  discovery  of  printing.    And  indeed  the  monastic  system,  and  its 


HUtory  of  Conchohgy.  24 1 

institutions^  must  have  been  favourable  to  the  growth  of  such  feel- 
ings, giving  the  necessary  leisure  and  seclusion^  while  nature^  pre- 
senting daily  her  works  and  phenomena,  and  her  seasonal  changes 
to  these  recluses,  dull  but  not  dead  to  their  influence,  insensibly 
operated  and  gave  direction  to  the  employment  of  their  minds.  It 
may  be  that  these  earliest  works  were  not  devoted  even  in  part  to 
conchology,  but  Natural  History  as  one  never  advances  without  ad- 
vantage to  every  department,  and  even  this  minor  branch  had  soon 
\t»  due  share  of  love  and  notice.  The  vast  volumes  of  Albertus 
Magnus,*  Rondeletius,  f  Gesner  j:  and  Aldrovandu8$  contain  each 
of  them  books  devoted  to  it,  and  although  the  original  facts  they 
disclose  are  very  few  in  proportion  to  the  mass  heaped  up  in  their 
fblioe,  yet  the  criticism  they  have  often  received  as  the  receptacles 
of  lumber  rather  than  museums  of  well-arranged  records,  seems  to 
be  unnecessarily  harsh  and  severe.  The  study  of  the  ancients,  and 
the  elucidation  of  their  difficulties,  was  still  a  favourite  object  with 
men  of  literature,  and  when  these  early  naturalists  betook  them- 
selves to  the  writings  which  had  come  down  to  them  rather  than  to 
the  observation  of  things  themselves,  they  but  followed  the  bent  of 
their  compeers,  and  consulted  tfie  taste  of  their  age.  Their  works 
ai«  laborious  compilations,  in  which  every  thing,  however  remotely 
connected  with  the  subject  in  hand,  good  or  bad,  true  or  false, — 
whether  recorded  by  grave  philosopher,  or  sung  or  feigned  by  poet 
or  traveller, — ^finds  a  place  without  any  nicety  as  to  its  probable- 
ness,  or  conformity  to  the  organization  of  the  animals.  On  the  con- 
trary, there  is  evidently  a  strong  predilection  in  their  worthy  au- 
thors to  retail  and  believe  every  tale  of  instinct  or  use  which  might 
raise  the  object,  however  low  and  loathly,  in  our  estimation, — a 
greater  love  of  the  marvels  of  Pliny  than  of  the  sobrieties  of  Aris- 
totle. Still  with  all  their  foults,  the  reader  will  find  them  not  void 
of  novelty,  either  in  philosophical  remark  or  in  the  record  of  new 
creatures ;  and  the  plan  adopted  by  them  of  giving  figures  of  the 
species  was  a  most  important  step  towards  facilitating  the  progress 
of  the  science.  To  look  for  any  thing  that  deserves  the  name  of 
System  in  their  works  appears  next  to  absurd  :  they  evidently 
had  not  yet  felt  its  want,  and  had  no  distinct  idea  of  the  necessity 
or  utility  of  any  beyond  what  gave  a  convenient  heading  to  their 
chapters.  What  little  they  do  give  us  of  arrangement  may  be  said 
to  be  literally  borrowed  from  Aristotle. 

The  writings  of  this  period  aflord  good  evidence  of  a  growing  and 

•  1495.  t  1554.  \  I55a  §  1599. 


243  History  of  Canehology.  ^ 

considerably  extended  taste  for  tbe  eonteuplatMiD  of  Shells,  which 
was  kept  alive  and  diffused  by  the  activity  of  a  daily  enlarging  com* 
merce  fumishiDg,  to  collectors  and  amateurs,  numerous  novelties  of 
uncommon  forms  and  beauty  to  gratify,  and  at  the  same  time  to  sti- 
mulate their  curiosity.  Hence  fdso  the  origin  of  museums,  of  which 
Aldrovandus  is  usually  said  to  have  set  the  example ;  and  of  these 
Shells  made  a  large  and  favourite  part  from  their  beauty  and  variety, 
and  Arom  the  ease  with  which  they  were  procured  and  preserved. 
These  museums  soon  became  rather  numerous  in  Italy  and  Germany, 
and  although  they  were  undoubtedly  formed  more  for  the  grati6ca- 
tion  of  the  taste  of  their  owners,  than  with  any  views  towards 
science,  and  hence  arranged  in  fisuitastic  and  picturesque  designs,  still 
it  is  ft'om  their  institution  that  we  date  the  origin  of  Conchology 
as  a  separate  branch  of  natural  history.  The  catalc^ues  published 
of  a  few  of  the  most  considerable  of  these  museums  are  among  the 
works  generally  enumerated  as  worthy  of  quotation  in  the  history  of 
Conchology,  and  it  was  the  love  of  making  collections  of  shells  se- 
parately, that  evidently  gave  origin  to  the  works  of  Bonanni  and 
Lister,  the  first  which  treated  exclusively  of  these  natural  objects. 

Bonanni's  work  was  published  in  the  year  1681,  and  from  its 
title — ''  Recreatio  Mentis  et  Oculi  in  observatione  Animalium  tes- 
taceorum" — was  probably  intended  to  be  a  book  of  luxury,  exhibit- 
ing in  its  plates  whatever  amongst  shells  might  please  the  eye  or 
^  refocate  the  unoccupied  mind.     It  is  properly  speaking,  however^ 

an  introduction  to  Concholc^y,  and  in  this  view  of  it,  the  volume 
becomes  interesting,  since  it  affords  the  means  by  which  the  extent 
of  the  knowledge  of  Conchology  at  that  period  may  be  estimated. 
Of  the  writings  of  his  immediate  predecessors   he  speaks  very 
slightingly :  they  remind  him,  he  says,  by  their  boastings  when  these 
are  compared  with  their  deeds,  of  those  birds  which  floating  aloft 
..   in  the  heavens  draw  notice  by  the  amplitude  of  their  spread  of 
\  /  .       wing  and  the  fulness  of  their  plumage,  but  captured  and  plucked, 
i   ^        the  exility  of  their  corpse  proves  to  the  sportsman  how  much  he 
had  been  deceived  !    The  treatise  is  divided  into  four  parts :  in  the 
fiTsli  he  proves,  to  his  own  satisfaction,  that  the  study  of  shells  is 
not  a  puerile  but  a  wise  and  profitable  occupation;  investigates  the 
mode  of  generation  both  of  living  and  fossilized  species  ;  declares  the 
,  fit  materials  from  which  they  are  formed,  and  takes  occasion  to  talk 

learnedly  of  water,  earths,  nitre  and  petrifying  humours ;  he  de- 
scants on  their  colours,  forms,  and  properties  by  which  the  Creator 
renders  them  visible  to  the  privileged  minds  of  philosophers ;  and 
lastly,  enumerates  their  other  uses  to  man,  and  what  relates  to  them 


Ehiafy  ofCandwlogy.  243 

as  precious  ornaments  for  museums,  of  the  more  remarkable  of 
which  we  have  a  particular  account  in  his  12th  chapter.  In  the 
second  part  Bonanni  describes  each  shell  separately,  noticing  their 
parts,  form,  colourB,  names,  and  the  seas  which  they  inhabit — In 
the  third  part  he  propounds  about  40  problems  or  hard  questions, 
annexing  reasons  or  '^  an  argument"  to  the  dark  and  doubtful,  by 
which  a  ray  of  truth  may  be  thrown  on  them,  and  they  may  be 
made  visible  at  least  to  the  mental  eye  ;  he  shews  that  pearls  cannot 
be  formed  from  dew,  as  Pliny  would  persuade  us,  that  they  are  not 
the  young  but  a  disease  of  conchs  ;  he  explains  why  a  shell  applied  to 
the  ear  seems,  by  its  murmurings,  to  lament  its  native  sea ;  inquires 
into  the  causes  of  shells  being  more  abundant  in  the  $ea  than  on  the 
land,  and  especially  in  the  Indian  Ocean,  where  they  are  also  more 
beautifully  pictured ;  why  they  are  principally  coloured  on  the  ex- 
terior ;  wherefore  they  grow  hard,  seeing  they  are  formed  out  of  sofb 
water ;  why  they  are  twisted  into  many  spires ;  why  their  snails  have 
scarcely  any  diversity  of  members ;  why  they  are  destitute  of  teeth, 
a  heart,  and  bones  ;  why  nature  denies  them  bile,  and  a  liver  and 
a  spleen ;  why  they  grow  lean  on  the  wane  of  the  moon  ;  why  they 
are  slow  and  stoltish ;  why  the  juice  of  the  Pholas  is  luminous  at 
night ;  why  among  their  various  colours  the  cerulean  is  not  to  be 
found ;  and  other  such  problems  hitherto  unargued  or  propounded, — 
not  omitting  to  inquire  learnedly  whether  the  Remora,  that  stayed 
the  ship  sent  ft'om  Periander  on  a  cruel  voyage  to  the  Gape  of 
Gnidos,  was  actually  the  shell  called  in  consequence  the  Venus-shell, 
and  '*  in  regard  whereof,  the  inhabitants  of  Onidos  doe  honour  and 
consecrate  the  said  Porcellane  within  their  temple  of  Venus/' — The 
fourth  and  last  part  is  occupied  with  the  plates  and  figures  describ- 
ed in  the  second,  distributed  into  three  classes,  viz.  the  univalves  not 
turbinate^  the  bivalves,  and  the  turbinate  univalves. 

This  slight  outline  of  Bonanni's  book  is  all  our  space  will  permit 
us  to  give,  and  is  perhaps  sufficient  to  enable  the  reader  to  appre- 
ciate its  value,  and  the  character  of  the  writer.  He  was  a  Jesuit, 
with  attainments  and  natural  talents  which,  though  respectable, 
certainly  do  not  raise  him  above  the  level  of  his  age, — ^perhaps  he 
was  under  it, — ^better  acquainted  with  the  writings  of  his  predeces- 
sors than  of  his  contemporaries, — ^with  the  tastes  of  a  virtuoso  rather 
than  of  the  man  of  science,  skilful  in  all  the  vain  logomachies  of 
the  schoolmen,  and  willing  to  give  a  ready  assent  to  every  thing 
which  had  ancient  authority  in  its  favour,  but  jealous  and  distrust- 
ful of  all  that  was  novel,  and  of  every  discovery  that  would  carry 
knowledge  forward.      Hence  we  find  his  anatomy  of  shell-fish  in- 


244  History  of  Conchology. 

ferior  to  that  of  Aristotle's,  and  his  arrangement  of  them  the  same  ; 
hence  his  advocacy  of  the  doctrine  of  spontaneous  generation,  when 
his  contemporary  Redi  had  demonstrated  its  absurdity ;  hence  his 
exclusive  attention  to  the  form  and  coloor  of  shells  to  his  total  over- 
sight of  conchology  as  a  branch  of  general  physiology ;  hence  also 
his  fondness  in  propounding,  his  copiousness  in  solving  occult  ques- 
tions which,  if  resolved,  were  of  no  utility,  but  which  were  really 
beyond  the  province  of  human  inquiry ;  hence  the  discussion  where- 
fore shellfish  were  defective  in  this  and  that  organ,  without  the 
slightest  effort  to  ascertain  whether  that  deficiency  was  a  fieict ;  and 
hence,  in  short,  the  reason  that  his  volume  contains  not  a  single 
fact  additional  to  the  stock  of  knowledge  in  his  own  province,  for 
we  do  not  find  that  he  has  '*  treated  of  the  formation  of  shells  in  a 
manner  more  philosophical  than  could  have  been  expected  at  such 
a  period,"  as  Maton  and  Rackett  have  asserted.  But  we  have  no 
wish  to  depreciate  Bonanni,  who^  as  we  have  already  mentioned^ 
was  a  man  of  learning  and  repute^  and  it  is  not  discreditable  to  an 
author  that  he  is  affirmed  not  to  have  anticipated  his  age :  we  have 
drawn  his  character  as  we  think  fairly,  and  it  is  a  fair  representa- 
tion too,  of  the  bulk  of  conchologists  of  his  time,  who  obviously  had 
little  other  object  in  the  study  than  to  indulge  their  love  of  virtuoso- 
ship. 

Philippe  Bonanni  and  Dr  Martin  Lister  were  co-equals  in  the 
date  of  the  publication  of  their  works,*  but  in  character  they  were 
men  of  remote  eras.  Lister  was  not  less  learned  than  the  Jesuit, 
but  of  that  he  made  no  parade,  and  if  he  had  drunk  of  the  logic  of 
the  schoolmen,  his  tutored  mind  had  seen  its  folly,  for  we  never 
find  him  indulging  in  disquisitions  about  things  inscrutable  or  use- 
less. Full  of  the  medical  knowledge  of  the  day.  Lister  betook  him- 
self, following  the  bent  of  his  genius,  to  a  patient  anatomy  of  the 
animals  which  tenant  and  construct  the  shells  that  had  won  his  ad- 
miration, andy  aUowing  'fjpr  the  state  of  anatomy  then,  we  do  not 
hesitate  to  say  that  his  Exerdiaiiones  deserve  to  rank  beside  those 
of  Poli  and  Guvier.  They  are  replete  with  accurate  descriptions, 
not  unmixed  it  is  true  with  error,  and  some  things  he  had  overlook- 
ed and  mistaken,  but  to  mark  these  as  blots  on  his  diligence  or  re- 
putation were  uncandid  and  unfedr  to  him  who  leaves  the  olden 
ways  and  deviates  into  a  new  coUbtry,  in  which  he  has  to  open  up 
the  roads.  In  every  page  Lister  proves  himself  a  laborious  and  ob* 
servant  anatomist  and  naturalist ;  while  his  disquisitions  and  di- 
gressions relative  to  the  leaning  of  his  discoveries  on  the  physiolo- 

•  Lister's  works  were  published  between  the  years  1669  and  1697. 

4 


gical  qnesUoiis  whicb  divicted  the  then  medio^  WQtki  i^flcrd  the 
fullest  proof  of  his  aoatene8s>  judgment^  and  extenaiye  learning.* 
His  works  deserve  the  attentive  perusal  of  every  studeat  in  eon- 
chdogy,  who  will  not  fall  to  reap  advantage  from  the  taak^  even 
though  he  should  go  to  it  acquainted  with  the  subject  from  recent 
authorities. 

Lister  was  a  true  naturalist^  and  the  first  conchologist  of  decid-^ 
ed  eminence.  His  anatomical  works  show  how  clearly  he  under*, 
stood  that  the  structure  of  the  animals  was  tha  main  object  of  our 
akudy> — its  only  sure  foundation^  and  its  best  daim  on  our  atten^- 
tkio>— >but  he  was  also  very  observant  of  the  habits^  instincts,  and 
peculiarities  of  snail  and  shell,  and  was  at  the  same  time  aealous  to 
acquire  an  extensive  and  accurate  knowledge  of  species,  to  which 
end  he  sacrificed  much.  At  his  own  cost,  and  with  the  labour  of 
years,  he  completed  fmd  published  a  volume  of  plates,  which  is  the 
pride  of  collectors,  and  is  prixed  to  this  day  for  its  utility.  '^  His 
figures,"  Dr'Maton  and  the  Rev.  Mr  Beckett  tell  us,  <' both  in 
point  of  number  and  faithfulness,  are  with  reason  still  held  in  such 
high  estimation,  that  no  person  attached  to  this  branch  of  natural 
history  can  advance  in  it  without  the  constant  uee  of  them,  nor 
without  finding  them  preferable  for  reference  to  many  more  splen- 
did engravings  which  have  succeeded  them."t*^''  This  admirable 
volnme,"  says  Dr  Turton,  ''  contains  one  thousand  and  iifty-five 
plates,  besides  twenty*one  of  anatomical  figures,  all  drawn  from 
original  specimens  by  his  two  daughters,  Susanna  and  Anna.  Con* 
ddering  the  state  of  natural  science  at  the  time  this  work  was  first 
issued,  one  hundred  and  thirty-three  years  since,  it  is  impossible  to 
contemplate  this  stupendous  effort  of  genius  and  industry,  without 
admiration  at  the  grandeur  of  the  design,  and  the  correctness  of  its 
execution.":^ 

It  was  Lister's  intention,  afj^r  the  publication  of  this  volume  of 
^tce,  to  have  proceeded  with  an  anatomical  description  of  every 
^mily  or  genus  in  its  proper  order,  if  God  should  grant  him  life 
and  leisure,  but  from  adverse  health  he  was  not  permitted  to  do 
■Mve  than  to  anatomijee  the  terrestrial  slugs  and  snails,  some  fresh- 
water Turbines,  one  or  two  of  the  marine  Buccina,  and  a  part  of  the 
Bivalves.  The  design  was  worthy  of  the  man,  and  is  a  fine  example 
of  unwearied  assiduity,  which  pought  but  a  genuine  enthusiasm 

*  His  opinions  relative  to  the  fiincdons  of  the  liver  in  Mollusca  appear  de- 
serving of  more  attention  than  they  have  yet  received.  See  the  Ezer.  Anat  de 
CocUeis,  p.  79,  &c. 

t  Lin.  Tran&  vii.  p.  'ISa 

I  Conchological  Dictionary,  Introd.  p.  xvi. 

VOL.  II.  NO.  9.  B 


246  Hidory  of  Omchology, 

ooold  have  kept  aliye.  If  perchance,  aayg  he,  a  stranger  ahimid  be 
told  that  this  man  had  devoted  his  years  to  the  dissection  of  ani- 
malcules and  snails,  it  might  provoke  his  contempt  or  laughter,  un- 
less, indeed,  the  dissector  was  another  Harvey,  Malpighi,  or  a 
Redi ;  but  I  do  not  veEemently  yearn  for  the  applause  of  any  one, 
having  had  my  reward,  for  these  exercises  which  were  my  pleasure 
and  delight  in  youth,  now  that  I  am  old  they  are  my  solace.  And 
now  when  I  am,  from  a  failure  of  sight,  compelled  to  use  the  mi- 
croscope, and  find  that  by  its  aid  I  can  again  enjoy  myself  in  those 
studies,  which  have  been  long  denied  to  the  unassisted  eye,  I  re- 
joice greatly.*  We  do  love  to  dwell  on  the  character  of  this  man. 
Learned  in  his  profession,  and  attaining  its  highest  honours,— for 
he  was  physician  to  Queen  Anne,— we  now  see  him  refocating  his 
jaded  spirits  in  the  contemplation  of  his  collections  of  shells,  and 
enjoying,  with  a  rapture  which  minds  framed,  like  his  only  feel,  all 
their  beauties  and  symmetries  and  singularities  ; — again  we  see  him 
examining  with  a  fatherly  pride  and  pleasure  the  drawings  which 
his  daughters,  who  stand  beside  him,  had  laboured  to  finish  before 
the  duties  of  the  day  permitted  their  beloved  parent  to  retire  to  his 
ease  and  study, — and  at  a  more  leisured  season  we  see  him,  bent 
somewhat  with  age  and  infirmities,t  anatomizing  with  the  zeal  and  skill 
of  his  youth  the  creatures  which  he  loved  so  well  to  study,  now  his 
keen  eye  kindling  as  the  thought  crosses  him,  that  in  this  structure 
there  was  a  ray  which  shed  light  on  some  obscurity  in  his  own  frame, 

^now  lost  in  wonder  at  some  display  of  a  mechanism  which  can 

have  but  one  author,  while  involuntarily  he  breathes  the  hymn,— 
*'  Oh  altitudo !  In  his  tam  parvis,  atque  tarn  nuUis,  quae  ratio  ? 
quanta  vis  !  quam  inextricabilis  perfectio !" 

Lister  then  greatly  advanced  oonchology  by  rescuing  it  from  the 
charge  of  frivolity,  by  an  unrivalled  series  of  illustrations  of  species, 
by  many  novel  remarks  on  their  habits,  by  a  very  complete  history 
of  the  species  of  his  native  land,  and  chiefly  by  giving  us  some  ex- 
cellent essays  on  the  structure  and  physiology  of  the  Mollusca  which 
had  been  neglected  since  the  time  of  Aristotle,  for  the  isolated  no- 
tices of  a  few  species  by  Willis>  Redi,  Harderus,  and  Swammer- 
dam,  however  good,  had  no  influence  on  conchology,  while  those 
of  Lister  are  epochal.  He  was  fully  aware  too  of  the  importance 
of  system  in  this  study,  but  he  had  not  critically  e^^amined  its  real 
objects  and  use,  and  his  classification,  though  elaborate,  claims  no 
praise  of  superiority.     The  habitat  affords  the  character  for  his  pri- 

•  Exercit  Anat.  des  Cochleis,  p.  2. 

f  See  the  Preface  to  the  App.  Hist.  Anim.  Ang. 


History  of  Conchology.  247 

■Bary  divinoBa  or  books,— hence  shells  are  divided  into  the  land, 
fresh- water,  marine  hivalTe,  and  marine  uniTalve  classes ;  and  the 
mode  in  which  these  are  subdivided  more  resembles  the  synoptical 
tables  which  the  French  botanists  now  frequently  prefix  to  their 
floras,  constructed  without  any  regard  to  the  affinities  of  the  objects 
they  approximate,  and  solely  intended  to  hunt  down  a  species,  than 
what  is  usually  understood  by  a  system  ih  natural  history. 

80  £Bur  as  we  remember  (for  his  works  are  not  all  of  them  by  us, 
and  years  have  elapsed  since  their  perusal,)  the  manner  in  which 
the  shell  is  formed,  and  its  relation  to  the  snail,  occupied  no  part  of 
Lister's  investigations,  but  previous  to  his  decease  the  true  solution 
ef  the  problem  ifras  discovered  by  the  illustrious  Reaumur.*  No 
experimental  inquiry  had  hitherto  been  made  on  the  subject;  and 
the  remarks  in  reference  to  it  in  conchological  writers  were  scatter- 
ed, vague,  and  hypothetical ;  while  the  opinion  of  better  informed 
physiologists  appears  to  have  been  that  the  shells  were  organised 
parts  of  the  animal,  which  grew  and  increased  with  the  latter  by 
receiving  nutriment  and  material  from  the  body  ;  that  there  was  in 
fact  nothing  peculiar  in  the  formation  of  shell,  but  that  its  growth 
depended,  like  the  growth  of  other  parts,  on  the  circulation  of 
juices  within  itself,  and  on  the  assimilation  and  addition  of  new 
matter.  Reaumur  was  iTever  content  with  reasoning  on  a  point 
which  experiment  alone  could  solve,  and  with  his  usual  ability 
and  success  he  instituted  numerous  experiments  on  the  subject  un- 
der review.  They  were  principally  made  on  land  snails  (Helix,) 
but  not  restricted  to  them,  for  by  confining  fluviatile  and  marine 
species,  both  univalve  and  bivalve,  in  baskets  framed  so  as  to  admit 
the  water,  and  at  the  same  time  prevent  the  escape  of  the  crea- 
tures, he  was  enabled  to  show  that  his  theory  was  applicable  to  the 
whole  class.  He  proved  in  this  manner  that  the  shell  was  enlarged 
by  tEe  deposition  of  calcareous  matter  to  the  edges  of  the  apertuxe> 
and  that  this  deposition  was  made  in  successive  layers ;  that  there 
was  no  increase  from  the  intusception  of  calcareous  matter,  no  ad- 
ditional increase  from  any  action  in  the  shell  itself,  but  that  the 
whole  was  a  successive  transudation  from  certain  parts  of  the  living 
tenant,  to  which  the  shell  was  an  inorganic  covering.  It  was  ob- 
jected to  him  that  snails  just  issued  from  the  egg  had  as  many 
whorls  as  the  parent,  but  the  falsity  of  this  observation  was  to 
Reaumur  of  easy  proof,  who  found  that  these  young  had  only  one, 

*  "  De  la  Formation  et  de  raccroisseroent  des  CoquilleB  des  Animanx  tant 
terrestres  qu*  aquadques,  soit  de  mer  soit  de  riviere,**  in  Mem.  de  VAcad.  Roy. 
det  Sc.  1709. 


248  Hidory  of  Caneholuffy. 

or  not  more  than  a  whorl  and  a*half ;  and  his  thoory*  diveated  of 
the  mechanical  phraseology  in  which  some  of  its  details  are  explain- 
ed, remains  essentially  correct.  Besides  the  establishing  of  this 
discovery  so  impcHtant  in  scientific  coocholagy,  Reaumur  enriched  it 
with  much  carious  and  interesting  matter.  His  inquiry  into  the 
mechanism  by  which  the  limpets  fix  themaelres  so  firmly,  and  the 
byssiferous  biTalves  spin  their  silken  cables ;  his  accurate  descrip* 
tien  of  the  structure  of  the  shell  of  the  Pinna ;  and  his  experimen- 
tal essay  on  the  purple  dye  of  the  Bucoinum^  su^^ested  to  him  by 
the  excellent  paper  on  the  same  subject  by  Mr  Cole  of  Bristol,  are 
fiiTOurable  specimens  of  his  talent  for  obsefvation,  and  real  addi- 
tions to  the  stock  of  our  knowledge,  while  they  captivate  us  by  the 
elegant  and  copious  style  in  which  they  are  written,  and  by  the 
clearness  of  their  details. 

These  labours  and  discoveries,  and  the  high  character  of  their 
authors,  render  the  conclusion  of  the  10th,  and  the  beginning  of  the 
17th  century,  unquestionably  the  most  interesting  period  in  the 
history  of  conchdogy.  Ray,  who  discovered  die  peculiar  hermaphro- 
ditism of  the  snail,  was  the  intimate  friend  of  Lister^ — Petiver  and 
Sloane,  celebrated  for  their  museums,  had  entered  the  field  ere  be 
retired,— >Balfour  and  8ibbald  in  Scotland  were  his  contemporaries, 
and  the  latter  his  correspondent,— PoupaVt  and  Mery,  two  French 
anatomists  of  deserved  celebrity,  carried  their  researches  in  the 
same  direction, — and  Swammerdam,  Leewenhoeck,  and  Rumphius* 
in  Holland,— all  these  men  were  each  in  their  way  advancing  cim* 
chology  with  a  rapidity  hitherto  unexampled  and  not  yet  surpassed. 
We  are  apt,  dassled  by  this  galaxy,  to  fix  our  attention  too  ezdu- 
sively  on  the  anatomical  and  physiological  branches  of  the  science, 
but  let  us  not  forget  to  note  the  benefit  it  received  by  the  seal  of 
collectors,  who  were  now  importing  species  in  great  numbers  from 
every  quarter  of  the  globe,  and  congregating  them  in  museums 
trhich  became  celebrated  throughout  Europe  for  their  richness.  In 
England  those  of  Petiver  and  Sloane  surpassed  all  others ;  the  col- 
lection of  Sir  Andrew  Balfour  of  the  University  of  Edinburgh  was 
considerable  ;t  but  it  was  in  Holland  that  the  passion  of  forming 

*  Or  rather  Scheinvoet,  a  Dutch  phyridan,  who  ww  the  reel  aatfaor  of  Rum- 
phius*  Thesaurus.     See  D'Ai:genville*B  Conchyliog.  p.  27. 

f  Sibbald*s  Auctarium  MuMti  Baljburiani  "  does  not  treat  of  TeatcLcea  ex- 
•dusively,  but  comprehends  a  variety  of  subjects,  which  were  contained  in  the 

collection  of  Sir  Andrew  Balfour,  Knight,  M.  D a  collection  presented  to  the 

University  of  Edinbuiigh,  and  considerably  augmented  by  the  intimate  friend  of 
the  donor,  who  described  the  whole  in  the  work  above-mentioned.     Unfortu- 


Hi$iory  cf  Conchology.  249. 

csbinets  of  aheils  became  most  prendent.  ''  Bich  tadmduals  sta<^ 
died  to  ontrie  one  aaotlier  in  Uiat  ooontry,  as  much  in  the  expen« 
eiYeoesB  and  extent  of  their  coUectioDS,  as  in  the  splendour  of  their 
equipages  and  retinue ;  and  the  sums  which  were  given  for  a  Cedo» 
mmlU  or  a  Wentietrap,  would  appear  too  enormous  to  deserve  belief* 
If  audi  aeoounts  were  not  authenticated  by  the  most  respectable 
writers  of  that  day*  Ram^hias  himself  informs  us  in  his  preface 
to  the  '  Amboinshe  Rariteitkamer/  that  a  shell  described  in  this 
work  cost  no  less  than  600  Dutch  florins."*  In  ail  this,  of  course, 
there  was  much  less  the  love  ci  science  than  the  mere  indulgence 
of  a  peculiar  taste  or  rivalry  that  wealth  or  a  natural  disposition 
had  engendered ;  and  it  is  not  easy  to  determine  whether  the  good 
which  it  cannot  be  denied  conehology  derived  from  this  zeal  of  ool* 
lectors,  was  not  overbalanced  by  the  character  of  virtuosism  it  was 
calculated  to  fix  on  all  its  cultivators^  and  the  new  direction  which 
it  unqnestioaafoly  gave  to  their  studies,  t  It  was  to  this  seal  that 
we  owe  several  expensive  books  of  plates  which  were  now  prepared 
for  the  press^  and  published  under  the  auspices  usually  of  some 

OBlsly  for  the  repatadon  of  this  University  among  natiinlists,  a  very  small  part 
of  the  ooUectioa  is  now  remaining.  *  Such,*  says  Mr  Pennant,  *  has  been  the 
nq^igence  of  past  times,  that  $caree  a  specimen  of  the  noble  collection  deposited 
in  it  by  Sir  Andrew  Balfour  is  to  be  met  with,  any  more  than  the  great  additions 
made  to  it  by  Sir  Robert  Sibbald.*—<  Scotch  Tour,  1766,  p.  246.)  Such  is  too 
often  the  fate  of  puUic  collections ;  and  so  slight  or  so  transient  is  any  respect 
fer  the  kuidable  intentions  of  generous  individuals  towatds  pidilic  bodies,  that 
common  care  is  nialy  taken  to  preserve  from  destructioB  whateseapes  the  hand 
of  peculation  and  robbery." — Lin.  Tnms.  vii  p.  144. 

*  Lin.  Trans,  vii.  p.  150.->''  In  1753,  at  the  sale  of  Commodore  Lisle's 
shells  at  Langford*s,  four  Wentletraps  were  sold  for  L.  75,  i2s.'*     Da  Costa's 
Elem.  of  Conehology,  p.  204. — "  A  spedmen  of  Conua  cedonuBi  has  been 
valued  at  800  guineas.'*   Dfllwyn's  Catalogue,  p.  376 — "  AmmriUium  varietates 
Bttidaa,  Turbmis  ecalaria  et  OsireiB  MaUei  nmuks  nobilitavit  docta  ignoran- 
tia»  predavit  quam  pationtur'opes  stnltitiB,  emtitsvit  harbara  luxurim".~Lin. 
Syst.  1167. 
f  They  did  not  of  course  escape  the  observation  and  the  lash  of  the  satirist 
**  But  what  in  oddness  can  be  more  sublime 
Than  Sloane,  the  foremost  toyman  of  his  time  ? 
His  nice  ambition  lies  in  curious  fancies. 
His  daughter's  portion  a  rich  SheO  inhances, 
And  Ashmole*s  baby*house  is,  in  his  view, 
Britsmua's  golden  oiine,  a  rich  Peru  P* — Young. 
It  is  almost  needless  to  remind  the  reader  of  the  amusing  papers  iji  ridicule  pf 
the  collectors  in  the  '  Spectator*  and  *  Rambler,*  but  the  irony  of  the  latter  in 
his  No.  82,  is  more  than  compensated  by  Us  defence  of  these  '  much  injured' 
men  m  his  Nos.  84  and  85. 


250  History  of  drnxhology' 

wealthy  amateur^  and  which,  though  too  often  occupying  a  promi* 
nent  place  in  the  history  of  oonchology,  have  litUe  merit  excepting 
what  they  derive  from  the  draughtsman  and  engrarer.  Hence  also 
the  repeated  attempts  on  the  part  of  the  more  studious  to  arrange 
the  objects  in  quest  after  some  novel  or  more  convenient  system, 
for  without  a  r^ular  specification  of  their  contents  it  was  evident 
no  correct  idea  could  be  imparted  of  the  extent  and  worth  of  the 
collection. 

In  indicating  the  progress  of  '  Method/  however,  it  is  necessary 
to  go  back  a  little.  We  have  seen  that  Aristotle  had  three  orders 
of  Testacea> — Univalves,  Bivalves  and  the  Turbinated, — but  the 
class  itself  and  these  divisions  were  loosely  defined  ;  and  the  same 
vagueness  is  to  be  found  in  the  writings  of  those  authors  who  fol- 
lowed his  method.  Perhaps  Dr  Walter  Charleton,  Physician  in 
Ordinary  to  Charles  II.  was  the  first  who  had  a  full  conviction  of 
the  importance  of  system,  but  his  attempt  to  arrange  the  Molluscs 
is  very  faulty.*  The  Limaces  he  places  with  apodous  insects ;  and 
aquatic  animals  being  divided  as  usual  into  the  sanguineous  and 
exsanguineous,  the  remaining  molluscans  are  arranged  under  two 
classes — viz.  the  mollia  or  mOlluscvla  and  the  tesiacea.  The  first 
embraces  all  the  cuttles  and  the  Lepus  marinus  or  Aplysia ;  the  se- 
cond the  shelled  tribes  whose  primary  sections  are  the  same  as  those 
of  Aristotle's,  while  his  genera,  in  general  wi^thout  definitions,  rest 
on  characters  of  little  or  no  value.  Jean-Daniel  Major,  Profes<- 
sor  of  Practical  Medicine  in  the  University  of  Keil,  in  the  dutdby  of 
Holstein,  was  the  next  to  make  the  attempt,  (1675,)  which  is  pro- 
nounced by  two  critics,  to  whose  opinion  much  deference  has  been 
shown,  to  be  "  infinitely  too  complicated  and  ramifying  to  admit  of 
any  useful  application.'*  Sibbald,  Grew,  Bonanni,  Lister,  Langius, 
Ilebenstreit,  Tournefort,  D'Argenviile,  and  Klein  are  perhaps  the 
principal  who  followed  in  their  wake,  but  it  is  evident  that  they  had 
all  entered  on  their  task  without  a  previous  study  of  what  the  real 
object  dnd  use  of  method  was,  what  principles  were  to  guide  them 
in  framing  the  various  sections,  or  what  the  relative  bearing  of  these 
divisions  on  one  another  should  be.  The  division  of  shells  primarily 
into  Multivalve,  Bivalve,  and  Univalve  had  perhaps  superseded  the 
Aristotelian,  and  many  new  divisions  of  secondary  rate  were  of 
course  invented,  but  they  were  arbitrary,  founded  on  no  common 
principle,  either  too  lax  or  too  complex  to  be  applicable  in  practice, 
cumbersome  to  the  memory,  and  clumsy  in  writing.     To  analyse 

*  Onomastikon  Zoikon.     Lond.  1671.  4to. 

3 


History  of  Canehology.  251 

theM  methods  would  be  wearisome  and  unprofitable, — tbey  were 
next  to  oaeleea  when  promulgated^  and  have  now  no  attraction  even 
in  the  eyes  of  the  pure  conchologist.  It  is  when  we  rise  from  their 
examination  that  we  are  in  the  best  mood  to  appreciate  the  merits 
of  Linnseus^  and  feel  inclined  to  nod  in  complacent  assentation  to 
til  the  paeans  which  have  been  so  often  sung  to  his  praise* 

Linnaeus  having,  with  a  tact  characteristic  of  his  genius  for  sys- 
tem, divided  invertebrated  animals  into  two  great  classes — Insecta 
and  f^ertnes, — was  less  happy  in  his  reduction  of  the  latter  into  their 
secondary  groups  or  orders.     The  testaceous  molluscs  occupy  one 
order  by  themselves,  in  which  there  are  four  sections  of  equal  value — 
the  multivalve,  bivalve  (Conchas,)  the  univalves  with  a  regular 
spire  (CochleasJ,  and  the  univalves  without  a  regular  spite.*     In 
each  section  there  are  several  genera  defined  with  neat  precision, — 
the  characters  of  the  multi valves  being  derived  from  the  position  of 
the  valves, — of  the  bivalves  from  the  number  and  structure  of  the 
hinge-teeth,  or,  in  the  absence  of  these,  from  a  part  influencing  the 
opening  of  the  valves,— of  the  Cochleae  from  the  unilocular  or  mul- 
tilocular  shell,  but  in  most  from  the  formation  of  the  aperture  ;  while 
in  the  last  division  the  shape  of  the  shell  affords  the  means  of  dis- 
criminating them,  excepting  in  Teredo,  which  is  defined  ''  T.  in- 
'tmsa  ligno,"  in  evident  contrariety  to  his  principles  and  his  better 
custom.     The  naked  tribes  are  placed  in  the  order  denominated 
^  Molluscs,''  where  they  stand,  in  ''  admired  disorder,'*  with  radi- 
ated zoophytes,  annelidansi  parasitical  worms,  and  the  Echinoder- 
mata,  which  latter,  however,  are  better  in  this  strange  miscellany, 
than  they  were  when  they  stood  either  amongst  simple  or  multi- 
Talved  shells. 

In  estimating  the  merits  of  this  system  it  is  not  fair  to  look  back 
from  our  present  vantage  ground,  aqd  magnify  its  defects  by  a  compa- 
rison with  modern  classifications :  we  are  in  candour  to  place  ourselves 
behind  its  author,  and  looking  forward,  say  how  far  his  efiTorts  have 
been  useful  or  quickening.t  Standing  thus  we  trust  to  ofiTend  none  of 
his  admirers  when  we  admit  that  there  is  nothing  in  its  principle  of 
a  novel  character :  the  soft  molluscs  were  previously  recognized  and  . 
better  assorted  by  Charleton  ;  and  every  one  of  the  sections,  and,  if 

*  The  expounders  of  Liniueus*  system  do  not  adopt  this  last  division, — ^why 
it  is  difficult  to  say.  By  disregarding  it  they  have  injured  the  naturalness  of  the 
method. 

f  The  first  edition  of  the  <  Systema  Naturae*  was  published  in  17d5,  but  1758 
is  properly  the  year  which  gave  birth  to  his  conchological  system,  when  the  10th 
edition  was  pdblisbed.    It  was  perfected  in  1766. 


1 


!25e  Mstary  tf  Conshohgy. 

we  mittake  not^  of  the  genera  also,  of  the  shelled  tribeB  had  been  al- 
ready recognised.  It  labours  under  the  censure  of  haying  too  small 
regard  to  the  animal^  a  censure  in  some  degree  jntt,  fbr  assuredly 
tnore  was  known  of  these  than  the  definitions  of  the  **  SptemV' 
Would  lead  us  to  suppose ;  and  it  had  still  less  regard  to  the  povition 
of  the  groups  in  reference  to  their  organical  affinities.  It  often  as» 
societes  species  of  dissimilar  habits  ,'  and  species  are  found  in  almost 
erery  genus  at  variance  with  the  character  of  this,  and  where  con- 
sequently the  student  ought  not  to  have  sought  for  them.  The  8U« 
periority  of  it  lies  in  its  simplicity  ;  in  the  reguhited  subordination 
of  all  its  parts  ;  in  the  admirable  sagacity  With  which  the  families 
er  genera  are  limited  ;  in  the  assumption  of  more  stable  characters 
fbr  these,  end  for  the  dear  distinct  manner  in  which  they  are  ap- 
plied ;  in  the  suitableness  of  its  nomenclature  ;  in  the  invention  of 
tririal  names  which  gave  a  fueility  in  writing  hitherto  unknown,  and 
was  a  welcome  relief  to  the  memory  ;  in  the  ooticisenees  of  the  ape* 
cific  characters  and  the  skill  with  which  those  characters  were  cfaee- 
en  ;  in  the  regular  indication  of  the  stations  which  the  species  oc- 
cupy on  the  globe ;  and  in  the  beauty  of  the  more  extended  de- 
scriptions, and  the  peculiar  felicity  of  language  in  which  the  thonghta 
suggested  by  any  remarkable  structure  in  the  species  under  review , 
are  conveyed  to  us.  That  merits  of  this  kind  should  secure  him 
something  more  than  approbation  was  natural :  latere  was  mndi  ex« 
cellence  in  it  which  prejudice  or  jealousy  only  could  not  see^  and 
which  folly  alone  would  have  rejected ;  and  while  every  collector  and 
amateur  found  it  easy  to  be  understood,  ready  in  practice,  and  neat 
in  nomenclaturing  their  cabinets,  their  pursuit  assumed  the  garb 
of  science  when  they  could  tell  the  scomer  that  they  were  followii^ 
the  steps,  and  had  the  sanction,  of  a  man  whose  genius  has  justly 
won  him  a  place  in  the  first  rank  of  those  whom  succeeding  ages  con^ 
tinue  to  venerate  fbr  the  good  they  have  done  in  the  promotion  of 
useful  knowledge. 

While  the  eyes  of  almost  all  were  turned  to  this  northern  lumi- 
nary for  light  to  guide  them  in  their  pursuit,  or  as  an  object  by 
barking  at  which  a  few  drew  notice  on  their  littleness,  Jusdien  of 
Paris,  the  admirer  of  Linnaeus'  genius  and  industry,  and  his  corre- 
spondenty  was  explaining  to  his  select  but  few  disciples  the  princi- 
ples of  what  has  been  commonly  cdled  the  ''  Natural  System." 
Jussieu's  profound  studies  were  confined  to  botany,  but  he  had  col- 
leagues and  contemporaries  who  attempted  their  application  to  con- 
cMogy,  and  whose  want  of  success  is  to  be  ascribed  mainly  to  the 
meagerness  of  the  anatomy  of  the  moUuaca  then  attained,  to  the  few« 


HUtwy  of  Qmdioloffy.  253 

neM  of  the  obaervationB  made  on  the  living  species^  A^d  in  part  also 
to  the  imperflectioo  of  the  views  of  the  aothcHTB.  Danbenton^  the 
eoUeague  of  Buflbn^  bo  early  as  1743>  initiated  on  a  knowledge  of  the 
animid  aa  neoesaarj  to  form  a  natural  dasaifieation  of  sheik ;  and  in 
1756,  Ouettardy  iHio  was  the  personal  friend  of  JtxssieUy  Hot  only 
gave  his  sanction  to  this  opinion^  bat  shewed  its  practicability  and 
ezoeUence  by  defining,  from  the  pecnliarities  of  the  animal  and  shdl 
combined,  a  considerable  number  of  the  univalves,  comprehending 
among  these,  in  evident  agreement  with  their  relations,  though  con- 
trary to  general  use,  the  slugs,  the  Aplysia,  and  the  Bullasa.  But 
the  fullest  attempt  of  this  kind  was  made  by  Adanson^  whose 
work  on  Senegal  was  puMidied  some  years  before  Linnieus  had  given 
the  last  revision  to  his  system.  Impelled  by  an  indomitable  enthu« 
ftiaam,  Adanson  visited  Senq^l,  under  many  disadvantages^  to  ex* 
amine  and  describe  the  natural  productions  of  a  tropical  climate ;  and 
for  this  purpose  he  made  very  extensive  collections  in  every  depart- 
ment of  nature,  but  of  his  great  work  the  first  volume  only,  contain- 
ing the  outline  of  his  travels  and  his  account  of  the  shells,  was  ever 
given  to  the  public.  The  character  of  this  volume  has  risen  with 
the  progress  of  the  science,  and  it  is  more  valued  by  the  ooncholo* 
gists  of  the  present  day  than  it  was  by  the  ccmtemporaries  of  its  au- 
thor. He  had  some  personal  peculiarities-^too  visible  in  his  writings 
-^wfaich  could  not  fail  to  hurt  his  popularity  :  an  austere  tempera- 
ment^ which  caused  him  to  treat  his  Ifellow-labourers  with  contemptu- 
eiis  ttoeitiity,-^-«  mind  that  would  nether  bend  to  nor  treat  with  re* 
spect  tbe  prejudices  as  he  deemed  them  of  his  age»--«n  unflinching 
severity  in  criticising  the  writings  of  others,  and  a  pertinacious 
tenacity  of  his  own  views,— wliile  some  barbarisms  he  attempted 
to  introduce  into  the  nomenclature  of  oonchology  repelled  the  na- 
taraliats  of  a  tee  nice  taste,  and  the  very  extent  ik  his  requirements 
fhim  those  viiM>  claimed  to  be  naturalists  operated  against  him,  fnr 
it  was  nM  to  be  supposed  that  mere  collectors  or  virtuosos  were  to 
enter  on  so  difficult  a  path,  or  would  be  willing  to  allow  themselves 
to  be  pushed  aside  as  idlers,  and  put  without  the  pale  of  the  scien- 
tific  cinsle.  That  very  beauty,  he  exclasms,  which  by  its  variety 
has  attracted  l^e  regaards  of  men  to  shells  has  become  an  obstacle  to 
their  knowledge.  *'  La  eequiile  seuie  d^positaire  de  cette  riche 
parure,  a  fa^  m^prieer  Tanimal  auquel  elle  servoit  de  couverture, 
et  est  devenue  seule  IVfajet  de  Tadmiration  de  quelques  natura« 
listes.  Epris,  eemme  les  curieux,  de  la  beauts  frappante'de'^sea 
couleurs,  ils  n'ont  pas  jug^  que  I'habitant  fut  digne  de  leurs  re- 
cherches,  et  le  diilicultd  de  se  le  procurer  ^  chaque  instant,  n'a  pas 


264  HUiory  afOmAologf. 

pen  oostriboft  k  angmenter  lenr  d6d«ia.  Ik  ae  mnk  done  bem^'i 
rexamen  dea  eoquillea,  ils  n'en  ont  consid^^  que  le  forme^  eelle  da 
son  ouvertnrej  on  le  nombre  de  aes  piecea ;  c'est  d'elle  aeule  qu'ilt 
ont  Youlu  tirer  leun  caracterea  primitifi  et  diatinctife :  de-l&  oette 
foule  de  syat^mea  ausai  peu  satisfaisana  lea  una  que  lea  autrea."* 

At  a  seaaon  when  '  Syatems'  were  all  in  Togue  Adan8on»  with 
characteristic  boldneaa,  declared  himself  their  enemy  aa  being  wone 
than  useless,  fit  only  to  amuse  trifiera,  certain  to  lead  to  error  and 
alienate  us  from  true  views  of  the  objects  in  question,  and  so  easy  of 
invention  to  boot  that  several  equally  good  might  be  made  by  one 
of  common  experience  and  capacity.  The  history  of  dbnchology 
had  already  offered  too  many  examples  of  the  truth  of  this  assertion, 
and  he  was  not  slack  to  give  additional  specimens  in  its  illustration. 
But  notwithstanding  his  pbilippick  against  them,  Adanson,  in  aome 
measure,  forgot^  his  own  principles,  and  was  little  less  of  a  systema- 
tist  than  those  were  whom  he  censured.  Shell-fish  were,  according 
to  him,  distinguishable  in  the  first  place  into  <<  LimB9ons**  and  ^^  Con- 
ques ;"  the  former  were  subdivided  into  univalves  and  operculated 
univalves,  and  the  Conques  into  bivalves  and  multivalves;  these' 
primary  familiea  were  still  further  divided  into  smaller  groups  from 
the  position  of  the  eyes  in  the  Lima^ons,  and  from  the  figure  of  the 
respiratory  tubes  in  the  Conques.  Now  it  was  a  pure  arbitrariness 
in  him  to  fix  upon  the  operculum  as  a  part  or  organ  of  primary  value, 
for  there  is  nothing  in  its  use  or  position  to  justify  the  choice,  nor 
did  he  attempt,  by  any  analysis,  to  show  that  it  was  a  regulator  of 
structure  and  habits ;  and  it  was  equally  arbitraiy  to  divide  the  bi- 
valves into  two  sections  on  the  mere  existence  of  a  few  additional ' 
pieces  over  the  hinge,  for  these  pieces  were  not  proved  to  be  an  index 
to  the  animal's  economy.  But  Adanson's  aervices  to  conchology  are 
very  great, — of  those  its  labourers  who  have  passed  in  review  we  place 
him  next  to  Lister.  He  has  the  merit  of  having  altogether  remov- 
ed from  the  Testacea  the  Lepas  and  Balani,  whose  structure  he  saw 
was  modelled  after  the  type  of  another  category  ;  his  intereatuig  dis- 
covery of  the  Vermetus  was  a  fine  illustration  of  the  shell  being  of 
itself  useless  as  a  character  in  natural  history  ;  and  his  knowledge  of 
affinities  was  Qiade  evident  by  the  acuteness  which  lead  him  to  ^ 
proximate  the  Teredo  to  the  Pholas.  If  not  the  first  to  point  out 
the  importance  of  the  operculum,  he  was  undoubtedly  the  first  who 
knew  its  value  as  an  index  to  natural  relationship  between  genera ; 
perhaps  the  firat  who  was  fully  aware  that  the  entireneaa  or  canali- 

*  Hist  des  CoqiiiUages,  pref.  v. 


History  of  Conchology.  2d5 

cokte  fonnation  of  the  aperture  of  the  shell  gare  an  insight  into  the 
habits  of  the  snail  in  r^;ard  to  food  ;  the  first  too  to  point  out  fully 
the  influence  of  age  and  sex  in  altering  the  shape  of  the  shelly  and 
more  especially  of  its  aperture ;  the  first  to  describe  and  delineate  the 
animal  tenant  of  many  genera ;  and  although  his  attention  was  ex« 
dusively  directed  to  external  characters,  yet  we  are  aboTe  all  in- 
debted to  him  for  his  strong  adrocacy  of  the  maxim  that  the  anatomy 
of  the  animal  was  the  sole  sure  foundation  of  a  rational  arrangement 
which  had  in  view  the  mutual  affinities  of  the  objects  it  attempted  to 
clasBify,  and  present  them  not  fancifully  commixed  as  they  might  be 
placed  in  a  museum,  but  according  to  those  characters  which  nature  it« 
self  had  given  them  of  affinity  or  dissemblance.     <<  There  is  then,"  he 
says,  "  in  shell-fish  something  more  t^  consider  than  their  shells ; 
the  snail  which  tenants  them  ought  to  guide  our  methodical  arrange 
ments,  to  be  our  only  reg^ator,  since  it  is  the  principal  part,  that 
which  gires  to  the  exterior  skeleton  its  form,  size,  hardness,  colours,  . 
and  all  the  other  peculiarities  in  it  which  we  admire.    If  we  atteB« 
tively  examine  this  new  and  forgotten  race,  if  we  consider  individual- 
ly the  members  of  it,  we  shall  discover  in  their  manners,  in  their  ac- 
tions, in  their  movenoients  and  manner  of  life,  an  infinitude  of  curious 
circumstances,  of  facts  interesting,  and  fitted  to  arrest  the  attention 
of  every  zealous  and  intelligent  observer ;  we  shall  perceive  in  the 
organism  of  their  bodies  a  great  number  of  parts  remarkable  in  their 
structure  and  use ;  and  in  entering  into  details  we  shall  soon  be  com- 
pelled to. grant  that  this  study  is  no  childish  play,  but  as  thorny  and 
full  of  difficulties  as  any  other  in  the  wide  range  of  natural  history."* 
The  example  of  Adanson  was  followed  by  Geoffroy  who,  in  a  his- 
tory of  the  shells  found  in  the  vicinity  of  Paris,  attempted  to  arrange 
them  on  the  external  anatomy  of  their  animals  ;  and  by  Muller,  who 
described  in  the  same  manner  the  mollusca  of  the  north  of  Europe. 
The  writings  of  Muller  are  still  deservedly  held  in  high  estimation. 
They  contain  the  descriptions  of  many  novelties,  and  his  descriptions 
of  them,  as  well  as  of  species  previously  known,  are  remarkable  for 
their  accuracy  ;  they  are  thickly  strewed  with  notices  of  the  exter- 
nal anatomy  and  habits  of  those  he  bad  examined  alive ;  and  his  style 
of  writing  is  interesting,  rising  occasionally  to  eloquence.    As  an  ob- 
server and  teller  of  what  he  had  observed,  he  claims  a  place  among 
the  first,  but  he  was  the  discoverer  of  no  fact  in  their  structure  or 
physiology  of  any  consequence — we  speak  in  reference  to  the  mol- 
lusca only ;  and  his  systematic  efforts  were  limited  and  partial,  al- 

*  Lib.  tup.  dt.  pref.  x. 


2M  IRdory  of  Condiology. 

though  he  sometimM  drops  a  hint  on  tho  tnbioet}  wfatdn  maket  m 
almost  beliere  that  he  was  capable  of  better  liiings,  had  he  had  conrago 
to  have  made  the  attempt.  *      In  relation  to  the  mollnsca  be  dearlj 
saw  the  impropriety  of  making  the  presence  or  absence  of  the  dieli 
an  ordinal  chamcter ;  and  he  knew,  vagnely  it  maj  be,  the  affinity 
between  the  bitalTtilar  molinsoa  and  the  Tonicata.     "  For  wiiat"— - 
we  trandate  \^t  words«-<<  are  the  Testacea  hut  moUnsca  fomislied 
with  a  shell,  and  whait  are  naoUosoa  bnt  Testaoea  destitnte  of  it  ? 
There  is  the  most  exact  agreement  of  the  tenants  of  tiie  nninlTO 
shells  which  are  called  Helices  with  the  naked  sings ;  and  an  agree- 
ment  not  to  be  overlooked  of  biralves  with  the  Ascidia ;  and  the  very 
error  of  our  predecessors,  who  said  that  slogs  were  mer^y  snails  whidi 
had  crept  out  of  their  shdls,  proves  their  near  affinity.     Besides  the 
insensible  but  evident  transition  of  nature  from  the  naked  Limax  to 
the  testaceous — passing  from  the  former,  which  at  most  has  the  mere 
radiment  of  an  internal  shell  to  the  latter  by  means  of  the  Bnecinum 
(Lymnsaa)  glutinosum,  which  conceals  its  membranous  shell  under 
a  fleshy  mantle,  supports  plainly  our  <^inion.     Therefore  I  do  not 
doubt  that  a  future  age  will  join  together  the  naked  slugs  and  the 
shelled  snails,  which  authors  have  separated  into  different  ordere." 
<<  If  we  wish,"  he  writes  in  another  place,  *'  properly  to  know  and 
discriminate  natural  objects,  ^y  must  be  considered  in  every  point 
of  view  and  in  all  states,  so  ficff  as  human  imbecility  will  permit.    The 
attainment  of  knowledge  is  thus  indeed  rendeinsd  more  difficult,  hot 
at  the  same  time  more  pleasant  and  accurate  ;  genera  indeed  are  mnl- 
tiplied,  but  by  this  way  only,  if  by  any,  can  species  ever  be  determin- 
ed.    This  is  the  alpha  and  omega  of  our  IMmtutb,  since  systems  and 
methods  and  gen«ra  are  arbitrary  and  framed  by  the  narrow  limits  of 
o«ur  knowledge.     Nature  acknowledges  one  dirision  of  created  bodies 
0Bly«^-the  living  and  brate  matter — spuming  for  the  most  part  the 
airaagements  of  systematists  into  classes  and  orders,  ftmifies  and 
genera,  and  her  productions  are  often  so  affined  that  their  limits  can 
.never  be  strictly  fixed.    Characters  derived  fiom  the  interior  and  ex- 
terior structure  of  bodies  deceive  us  not  solely  in  the  higher  divisions  ; 
and  even  the  manner  of  life  and  the  mode  of  propagation  do  not  af- 
ford any  certain  distinctions  either  in  those  races  which  are  risible 
or  in  those  which  are  inrisible  to  the  naked  eye.    There  is  therefore 
only  one  family,  and  one  Father  of  dl,  who  has  marked  with  a  con- 
stant character  all  species  whatever  from  the  Monad  to  die  turret* 

*  His  '  Method/  as  detailed  by  himself,  is  as  artificial  as  the  Linnaean,  and  ac* 
tually  less  in  harmony  with  liie  anfanal  oiganiation. 

4 


History  of  C<mck6hgy.  267 

betring  Elephant,  and  has  diatingiiished  Man  alone  with  a  treasonable 
tool."* 

The  celelinted  Pallas  was  another  who  at  this  period  had  ob- 
tained n  gUmpse  of  the  true  relations  of  the  moUnsca  as  a  class  eyen 
dearer  than  Muller^f  bnt  he  did  not  pnrsae  the  subject^  and  as  his 
alight  incidental  notice,  though  it  might  have  originated  inquiry  in  a 
prediepofied  mind,  was  not  otherwise  of  a  nature  to  produce  any  e£fect, 
so  the  pains  of  Geofiroy  and  Miiller  were  equally  unproductiye.  The 
antluHrity  of  Linnssus  prevailed  every  where*  The  force  of  his  genius 
haying  swept  away  all  preyious  systems,  there  was  no  other  safety  for 
a  naturalist,  than  to  take  refuge  in  the  laniiiBan  ark,  which  floated 
on  the  sur&ce  proud  amid  the  rttins,-^the  systems  of  his  contempo- 
rarieB  also  sinking  one  after  another  in  the  waters  of  forgetfulness. 
His  disciples  were  distinguished  by  their  enthusiasm  in  the  pursuit 
of  nature,  and  their  loye  oi  their  master ;  and  the  fsusility  with  which 
they  found  their  discoveries  were  registered,  and  the  easy  nature  of 
the  diacoveries  which  sufficed  to  give  them  a  certain  aeputation,  re- 
quiring nought  but  zeal,  opportunity,  and  a  knowledge  of  the  '  Sys* 
tenia'  not  difficult  to  be  acquired,  rivetted  their  attachments.  In 
England  nothing  was  tolerated  that  was  not  according  to  the  letter 
of  Linnaeus :  his  works  were  a  code  of  laws  which,  like  an  act  of 
Fariiament,  was  to  be  interpreted  verbally,  and  the  spirit  of  them 
was  unseen  or  overiooked.  Under  his  reforming  hand,  Conchology 
having  passed  ^  £rom  confusion  and  incongruity  to  lucid  order  and  sim* 
pUdty,"  the  slightest  attempt  to  alter  this  order  was  treated  as  an 
attempt  to  replunge  us  into  the  chaos,  whence  he  had  brought  us, 
and  further  improvement  or  alteration  was  declared  to  be  futile,  since 
the  **  beauties "  of  the  Linnsean  <<  must  perpetuate  its  pre-eminence." 
Were  it  shewn  that,  firom  the  very  subsidiary  dtatipn  the  animal  was 
made  to  occupy  in  this  system,  there  was  a  fear  attention  should  be 
drawn  from  tibe  object  most  worthy  of  it,  we  were  seriously  told  that 
the  animal,  even  could  it  be  procured,  which  was  doubtfol,  would 
never  present  those  **  permanent  and  obvious  points  of  distinction" 
indispensable  in  the  application  of  a  system  meant  to  be  practicaL 
Wherein  does  the  animal  differ,  it  was  asked  in  a  tone  of  triumph, 
signifying  that  reply  was  impossible, — ^*  wherein  does  the  animal 
differ  from  an  unshapen  mass  of  lifeless  matter  when  coiled  up  with- 
in its  shelly  habitation  ?  And  how  are  its  natural  shape  and  appen- 
dages to  be  examined,  but  by  the  knife  of  an  anatomist  7"%  Were 
it  proved,  what  indeed  was  most  palpable,  that  species  of  opposite 

*  See  the  Pm&tio  to  hif  Verm.  Ter.  et  Fluv.  Vol.  i.  177& 
t  MiM.  Zool.  p.  72,  78.     Lug.  Batav.  1778. 
I  Lin.  Trans,  vii.  p.  177. 


258  Huiory  ofOmduiogy. 

haliitft  and  habitotions  were  huddled  Jo^her  under  «k  oommon  heed, 
it  w|tf  answered  that  to  derive  characters  from  such  particdam  was 
oontrwy  to  axiom  and  nnphiloaophical ;  and  if  it  were  demonstratiire 
that  the  class  of  Testacea,  as  a  whole,  was  constituted  of  hetorogene- 
ons  disparates, — ^as  for  ex^piple  when  PkUas  indicated  the  diiferoncs 
hetween  this  qlass  and  the  Serpnlse, — ^what  then  ?  Nature  gloried  in 
variety  and  oppositions,  and  ms  herself  STStemless,  *  as  if  it  were 
possible  to  beliere  that  He  who  made  everj  thing  in  wisdom  and 
order  had  shook  His  creatures  from  His  hand,  with  the  same  wanton 
unordered  profusion  that  the  poet  has  represented  the  jocund  Maj, 
flinging  the  flowerets  firom  her  teeming  lap.  Such  were  the  futile 
reasons  by  which  this  System  was  upheld,  and  so  firm  was  Its.des- 
potism  that,  until  within  these  twenty  years,  there  was  little  or  no 
relaxation  on  its  hold  of  public  opinion ;  and  its  eril  effects  are  too 
evident  in  the  superficialness  of  the  productions  which  emanated  fran 
this  school. 

Ev^n  in  France  the  LinnsBan  system  soon  became  little  less  pre- 
dominant under  the  leading  of  Brugniere,  but  the  regard  the  French 
paid  to  it  was  of  a  less  slavish  character  than  it  had  assumed  in  Britsin. 
Brnguiere,  though  a  Linnsean  in  principle,  carried  forward  in  some  de- 
gree the  system  of  his  master  by  intercalating  several  new  and  ob- 
viously necessary  genera ;  and  he  was  otherwise  aconchoiogiet  of  hi^« 
er  attainments  than  any  Engbmd  could  at  that  period  boast  of.  He 
cannot  be  said  to  have  promoted  conchology  in  any  very  sensible  de* 
gree,  but  he  made  no  effort  to  arrest  it,  or  detain  the  science  at  the 
stage  where  LinnaBus  had  left  it.  Nor  indeed  is  it  perhaps  possible  to 
stop  the  march  of  any,  however  trivial  the  branch  of  science,  to  perfec- 
tion. Like  the  operations  of  Nature  in  her  liring  productions  ever  tend- 
ing to  maturity,  thercr  are  periods  of  acceleration  and  delay,  and  causes 
may  for  a  season  induce  a  sickly  weakness  that  waits  long  for  a  re- 
medy, but  come  at  last  this  will.  Conchology  was  now  in  her  sickly 
time, — nevertheless  in  a  state  of  constant  advancement.  Ellis,  Easter, 
Bohadtch,  Pallas,  Muller,  Forskal,  Solander,  and  Otho  Fabricins,  sll 
of  whom  might  have  seen  LinnsBUS  in  the  flesh,  and  were  his  imme- 
diate successors,  drew  attention  to  the  naked  molluscans  in  particu- 

*  "  Nature  does  not  seem  to  have  observed  any  system,  and  an  artificial  one 
will  ever  be  attended  with  anomalies.  Whatever  jmethod  therefore  most  readtlj 
leads  to  the  subject  under  investigation,  is  certainly  the  best,  and  in  this  case  it 
is  of  small  importance  where  that  subject  is  placed,  or  how  far  it  is  removed 
from  others  to  which  it  seems  to  bear  a  general  resemblance. "^-Maton  in  PuU 
teney*s  Life  of  Linneus,  p.  238. — Sir  J.  E.  Smith  also  allows  himself  to  talk  of 
the  **  irregularities  of  Nature,"  as  an  apology  for  some  inconsistencies  in  the 
loological  works  of  Linncus. — TnetB,  p.  186. 


History  of  Canckoloffy*  i259 

ht  wliofle  carious  variely  was  enticing  and  provocative  to  further 
quest ;  Herissant,  Scopoli,  Bniguiere,  and  Olivi,  described  many  spe-^ 
des  with  their  animals,  and  entered  too  into  physiological  questions 
which  it  was  worthy  reasonable  men  to  solve ;  Knorr,  Davila,  Mar- 
tini and  Chemnitz,  Schroter,  Bom,  Pennant,  Da  Costa,  and  Martyn, 
set  forth  at  intervals  volumes  of  figures  more  numerous  in  species 
and  more  correct  than  had  been  hitherto  attempted ;  and  the  minute 
or  microscopic  species,  which  notwithstanding  their  littleness  have 
played  a  most  important  part  in  the  revolutions  of  our  globe,  were 
well  illustrated  in  the  works  of  Soldanl,  Plancus,  Boys  and  Walker, 
vnd  of  Fichtel  and  Moll.  Yet  this  array  of  names  only  proves  a 
wider  spread  of  the  study, — ^the  students  may  have  been,  and  we  think 
were,  mediocrists, — ^many  of  them  were  simply  ichniographistsand  col- 
lectors.* We  can  remember  no  discovery  by  which  to  distinguish 
the  period,  for  the  developement  or  improvement  of  an  artificial  sys- 
tem, the  accumulation  of  species,  and  their  more  accurate  discrimi- 
nation, though  points  of  considerable  importance,  are  not  sufiicient- 
ly  so  to  mark  an  era.  Perhaps  the  most  curious  and  interesting 
discovery  that  was  made  in  it  is  that  of  the  capability  of  the  snail  to 
reproduce  its  tentacula,  eyes,  and  head,  when  these  have  been  cut  off, 
-—the  phenomena  of  which  singular  reinteg^tion  were  amply  eluci- 
dated by  the  experiments  of  Spallanasani,  Bonnet,  and  others. 

The  first  to  raise  us  from  this  enchained  slumber  was  Cuvier.  Be- 
fore this  great  naturalist  entered  the  field,  Poli,  a  Neapolitan  physi- 
cian, had  indeed  anatomized  with  admirable  skill  the  bivalved  mollus- 
ca  of  his  native  shores,  and  had  constructed  a  new  arrangement  of 
them  firom  the  characters  of  the  animal  alone,  but  partly  firom  the 
political  position  of  Europe,  partly  from  the  very  expensive  fashion 
in  which  Poli's  work  was  published,  and  its  consequent  extremely 
limited  circulation,  and  in  part  also  firom  the  partial  application  of 
his  system  and  its  didactick  character,  the  erroneousness  of  bis  gene- 
ral views,  and  the  novelty  of  his  nomenclature, — we  cannot  trace  its 
influence  either  as  diffusive  or  propulsive  of  conchology.     The  result 

*  It  IB  most  especially  necessary  to  except  from  this  remark  John  Hmiter, 
but  his  labours  and  views  were  not  published,  and  were  not  appreciated.  **  John 
Hunter  was  a  great  discoverer  in  his  own  science  ;  but  one  who  well  knew  him 
has  told  lis,  that  few  of  his  contemporaries  perceived  the  ultimate  object  of  his 
pursuits ;  and  his  strong  and  solitary  genius  laboured  to  perfect  his  designs 
without  the  solace  of  sjrmpathy,  without  one  cheering  approbation.'* — D* Israeli's 
Literary  Character,  Vol.  i.  p.  146.  See  Abernethy*8  Physiological  Lectures,  p. 
198,  for  a  list  of  the  Molluscs  anatomized  and  exhibited  in  Hunter's  Museum ; 
also  p.  217,  263. 


260  HUtory  ofConchdogy. 

of  Cuvier's  bboan  wa8  bappilj  very  difforent.  In  1788^  wbeu  he  w«b 
scaroely  nineteen  years  of  age»  circvunstanceB  fixed  Curier  for  a  time 
at  Caen  in  Normandy,  His  sqjourn  on  the  borders  of  the  sea  iadur 
oed  him»  already  an  enthusiaBt  in  natural  history^  to  study  marine  ani- 
maky  more  especially  the  moUusca*  and  the  anatomies  of  them  whidi 
he  now  made  conducted  him  to  the  developement  of  his  great  views 
on  the  whole  oi  the  animal  kingdom.  With  unwearied  91^  he  col- 
lected the  materials  which  were  at  no  distant  date  to  become  the 
basis  of  a  classification  which  run  through  all  its  details  in  a  barmo* 
nioos  parallelism  with  the  derelopement  of  organiaation»  so  that 
the  student  of  it  when  in  search  of  the  name  and  place  of  the  oljeot 
in  his  hand  was  necessitated  simultaneously  to  acquire  a  knowledge 
of  its  principal  structural  peculiarities,  on  which,  again,  as  Cuviv 
beautiAiUy  explained,  all  its  habits  in  relation  to  food,  to  habitation, 
and  to  locomoti<m  were  made  dependant.  The  Liana»an  system  of 
avertebrated  animals,  even  in  its  primary  sections,  rested  on  a  single 
external  character.  The  Insects  were  (mtmrnhUedt  and  the  Vermes 
were  teniaeukU0d  avertebrates.  Had  the  character  been  constant 
or  even  general,  it  might  have  had  some  daim  for  adoption,  but  to 
a  want  of  constancy  was  added  the  fundamental  defect  of  its  inap*  ~ 
predable  influence  over  the  organisms  o£  the  body.  Cuvier's  object 
being  to  give  us  not  merely  a  key  to  the  name,  but  to  make  that  key 
open  at  the  same  time  a  knowledge  of  the  structure  and  relations  of 
the  creature,  such  arbitrary  assumption  of  a  character  was  to  him 
useless.  After  innumerable  dissections  had  made  him  familiar  with 
many  structures,  and  after  a  careful  consideration  of  the  respective 
value  of  characters,  as  shown  in  their  constancy  and  influence  on  the 
economy  of  the  species,  Cuvier  resolved  to  divide  the  animal  king- 
dc»n,  not  as  hitherto  into  two,  but  into  four  principal  sub-kingdoms, 
dra^ring  their  lines  of  separation  from  diflerences  exhibited  in  the 
plan  on  which  their  muscular,  their  nervous,  and  their  circulating 
systems  were  formed.  <<  There  exist  in  nature,"  he  says,  <'ybi«r  prin- 
cipal forms,  or  general  plans,  according  to  which  all  animals  seem 
to  have  been  modelled,  and  the  ulterior  divisions  of  which,  whatever 
name  the  naturalist  may  apply  to  them,  are  but  conq>aratively  slight 
modifications,  founded  on  developement  or  addition  of  certain  parts, 
which  do  not  change  the  essence  of  the  plan.**  Of  these  forms  the 
moUusca  famish  the  second,  of  which  the  essential  character  is  de- 
rived finom  the  peculiar  arrangement  of  the  nervous  system,  consist- 
ing of  some  ganglions  scattered  as  it  were  irregularly  through  the 
body,  and  from  each  of  which  nerves  radiate  to  its  various  origans. 
As  there  is  no  skeleton,  so  the  muscles  are  attached  to  the  skiD, 


History  of  Conchology.  26 1 

wliich  forms  a  soft  contractile  envelope  protected,  in  many  species  by 
a  shelL  The  greater  number  possess  the  senses  of  taste  and  sight, 
but  the  last  is  often  wanting.  *'  Only  one  family  can  boast  of  the 
oigan  of  hearing;  they  have  always  a  complete  system  of  circulation^ 
and  organs  peculiarly  adapted  to  respiration  ;  those  of  digestion  and 
secretion  are  nearly  as  complicated  as  the  same  organs  in  vertebrated 
animals."*  The  sub-kingdom,  characterized  and  limited  by  those  im- 
portant features,  is  next  divided  into  six  classes^  the  characters  of  which 
are  mostly  derived  from  the  organs  of  locomotion,  or  others  not 
less  influential.  Thus  the  Cephalopodes  bear  their  feet  and  arms  like 
a  coronet  round  the  summit  of  the  head ;  the  Pteropodes  swim  in 
their  native  seas  by  fin-like  oars ;  and  the  Gasteropodes  crawl  on  the 
belly  by  means  of  a  flat  disk  or  sole.  Reaching  now  tribes  among 
whom  the  organs  of  motion  are  less  developed,  and  accordingly  less 
influential  on  their  manners,  Cuvier  resorts  to  othav.  Thus  the 
fourth  class  is  named  Acephales,  because  it  is  strikingly  distinguished 
by  the  want  of  head  and  amorphous  form  of  its  constituents ;  the 
Brachiopodes  are  equally  acephalous,  but  near  the  mouth  they  have 
two  fringed  fleshy  organs  which  simulate  feet ;  and  the  Cirropodes 
have  several  pairs  of  subarticulated  fringed  feet,  in  addition  to  a  multi- 
valved  shell  of  a  peculiar  construction.  The  orders  of  these  classes, 
when  the  class  admits  of  farther  subdivision,  rest  upon  distinct  dif- 
ferences in  the  structure  and  position  of  the  branchiae  or  respiratory 
oi^^s  ;  and  when  we  reflect  a  moment  on  the  paramount  necessity 
of  these  to  the  animal,  and  their  necessary  co-adaptation  to  its  locali- 
ty and  wants,  it  is  scarcely  possible  to  conceive  that  a  happier  choice 
could  have  been  made. 

It  were  unsuitable  to  our  purpose  to  explain  at  greater  length  the 
Cuvierian  system.  Enough  has  been  said  to  show  its  vast  superiori- 
ty to  all  that  had  preceded  it ;  and  the  solidity  of  its  basis  is  proved 
by  the  fact  that  the  numerous  recent  discoveries  in  this  department 
have  not  shaken  it,  or  altered  its  principles.  The  lower  divisions  and 
sections  have  been  improved  and  increased,  the  definitions  have  been 
rendered  more  technical  and  precise,  but  every  method  which  has  fol- 
lowed, both  in  its  outline  and  main  features,  are  merely  modifications, 
and  very  slight  ones,  of  Cuvier  s.  He  always  regarded  his  labours  in 
this  field  with  peculiar  satisfisu^tion,  and  watched  their  offspring  with 
some  degree  of  jealousy,  unwilling  that  the  parentage  should  be  either 
doubtful  or  divided.  *<  It  is  well  known,"  he  says,  "  how  much  care 
and  time  I  have  devoted  to  the  anatomy  of  the  moUusca  in  general, 

*  Memoirg  of  Cuvier  by  Mrs  Lee,  p.  107-9. 
VOL.  II.  NO.  9.  8 


f262  Hilary  ofConcholoffy. 

and  in  particular  to  the  knowledge  of  the  naked  raoUiuca.  The  de» 
termination  of  the  dasSy  its  principal  divisiona  and  rabdiTisiona,  all  re- 
pose upon  my  own  obcerrations,  for  the  magnificent  work  of  M.  Poll 
aided  me  no  further  than  hj  some  descriptions,  and  some  anatomies 
useful  to  my  end,  and  these  were  confined  to  the  multivalves  and  bi- 
valves. I  have  verified  all  the  hc\A  which  that  able  anatomist  has 
furnished  me,  and,  as  I  think,  have  determined  with  more  accuracy 
the  functions  of  some  organs.  I  have  also  sought  to  characterize  the 
animals  to  which  the  principal  forms  of  shells  belong,  and  to  classify 
these  in  accordance  with  the  organization  of  their  inhabitants,  leaving 
the  ulterior  divisions  of  them  into  genera  and  subgenera,  to  those 
who  devote  themselves  in  particular  to  this  kind  of  work."  * 

Did  not  our  pages,  on  which  we  have  already  too  much  transgressed 
with  this  subject,  forbid  the  attempt,  we  would  gladly  go  on  to  trace  the 
effects  of  Cuvier's  example  and  views.  It  must  suffice  to  say,  that  they 
raised  the  character  of  the  conchologist,  and  gave  a  more  philosophical 
tone  to  his  pursuit ;  they  originated  a  new  school,  with  better  directed 
zeal,  and  a  higher  aim,  and  numbers  became  disciples  when  they  saw 
that  here  as  much  satisfaction  and  profit  was  to  be  reaped  as  in  the  study 
of  almost  any  other  class,  for  it  may  be  laid  down  as  an  axiom  that 
no  branch  of  natural  history,  however  apparently  trifling,  <<  but 
may  be  ennobled  by  the  manner  in  which  it  is  pursued  ;  and  when  the 
student  carries  all  its  wonders  back  to  the  one  Great  Source,  the 
smallest  worm  and  the  most  beautiful  of  his  own  species  will  afford 
him  subjects  for  the  deepest  contemplation."  For  some  years  Cu- 
vier  8  system,  even  in  France,  divided  the  favour  of  naturalists  with 
the  more  artfully  constructed  one  of  Lamarck,  remarkable  for  the 
precision  and  neatness  of  all  its  details,  and'  its  better  adaptation  to  the 
purposes  of  the  mere  nomenclaturist ;  and  in  Britain  we  knew  little 
of  Cuvier,  until  the  peace  of  1816  had  restored  a  friendly  corre« 
spondence  between  the  men  of  science  of  Europe,  and  it  was  some 
years  later  still  until  his  merits  as  a  naturalist  were  appreciated,  and 
his*  system  began  to  weaken  and  dissolve  our  Linneean  prejudices. 
To  indicate  the  modifications  which  this  system  has  been  made  to 
undergo  in  the  hands  of  Lamarck,  Gray,  BlainviUe,  Oken,  Latreille, 
&c.  is  here  impossible ; — ^the  same  with  the  improvements  proposed 
on  the  arrangement  of  the  Cephalopodes  and  Brachiopodes  by  Owen, 
of  the  Pteropodes  by  Sander  Rang,  of  the  pulmoniferous  Gasteropo- 
des  by  De  Ferrusac,  of  the  Bivalves  by  Deshayes,  and  of  the  shelless 
Acephales  by  Savigny.     We  must  pass  over  in  the  same  silence  the 

*  Regne  Animal^  i.  Pref.  p.  zxri. 


History  of  Omchohgy.  269 

anatomical  and  physiological  discoveries  which  so  remarkably  distin- 
guish the  few  last  years,  and  have  given  that  fidness  and  perfection 
to  the  knowledge  of  moUuscans  which  Linnseans  were  never  weary 
of  telling  us  was  unattainable.  Berkeley,  Blainville,  Bojanus,  Cams, 
Chamiseo,  Deshayes,  D*Orbigny,  Dumas,  Grant,  Gray,  Jacobson, 
Mihie-£d wards,  Muller,  Owen,  X.und,  Sander  Rang,  Roux,  Savigny, 
Sfaaipey,  Unger,  Vanbeneden,  Armand  de  Quatrefages,  Prevost, — 
to  these  naturalists  our  homage  is  justly  due  for  their  labours  in  this 
field,  which,  however,  we  should  remember,  was  comparatively  ber- 
reuy  until  Cuvier  made  evident  its  natural  productiveness,  and  taught 
us  to  plough  deeper  in  the  soiL 

Such  is  a  very  hurried  sketch  of  the  history  of  a  department  of 
the  aninoAl  kingdom,  to  which  we  confess  our  partiality,  and  to  which 
the  works  placed  at  the  head  of  this  article  are  intended  to  introduce 
us.  None  of  them  come  up  to  our  ideas  of  what  an  <  Introduction' 
ought  to  be,  and  in  none  of  them  will  the  student  find  a  c6mpendious 
view  of  the  actual  state  of  conchology  in  reference  to  the  anatomy, 
physiology,  economy,  and  systematic  classification  of  its  members. 
Blainville's  Manuel,  indeed,  is  the  only  one  which  makes  this  pre- 
tence, and  had  it  been  complete  (which  it  was  not)  at  the  date  of  its 
publication,  subsequent  discovery  would  now  have  rendered  it  defec- 
tive. It  is,  however,  even  in  its  plan  and  design  discommendable  as 
an  introductory  work.  The  division  of  it  into  two  books,  one  appro- 
priated to  the  animals,  and  the  other  to  the  sheUs,  seems  to  us  un- 
fiwtunate,  as  tending  to  divide  what  ought  ever  to  be  studied  in  dose 
connection ;  and  his  plan  of  describing  the  anatomy  of  the  organs 
in  distinct  and  widely  apart  chapters,  from  the  functions  of  them,  is 
liable  to  the  same  objection.  His  chapters  considered  separately  are 
dry  and  sketchy, — ^no  spirit  in  his  style,  nor  vigour  in  his  delinea- 
ticms,  no  wandering  into  pleasant  digressions,  no  indulgence  in  higher 
and  aberrant  contemplations,  when  the  wonders  of  structure — its 
beauties  and  singularities  open  upon  him  in  such  a  manner  as  might 
seem  enough  <<  to  excitate  the  earthiest  soul."  Indeed  Blainville  has 
made  his  book  rather  an  exposition  of  his  own  views,  and  of  his  own 
system,  than  an  introduction  to  what  was  known  and  done  by  others ; 
and  as  his  system  has  not  been  adopted,  nor  his  nomenclature  ap- 
proved, the  value  of  the  work*  is  thus  much  lowered  to  a  student. 
With  these  deductions,  however,  he  will  find  in  it  much  information 
not  accessible  otherwise  in  so  compendious  a  form, — a  manual  he  will 
not  often  read,  but  which  he  must  frequentiy  consult. 

Sander  Rang  might,  without  a  charge  of  immodesty,  hare  inscrib- 
ed on  his  title-page,  the  '<  parva  sed  apta"  which  Mr  Swainson  has, 


264  Hutory  of  Onu^logy. 

with  8o  little  propriety  and  a  good  deal  of  yanity,  adopted.  This 
excellent  volume  is  an  exposition  of  Cuvier  s  system  of  moUuscans* 
with  such  alterations  and  additions  as  recent  discoveries  seem  to  have 
rendered  advisable  and  necessary.  It  contains  a  very  ample  charac- 
ter of  the  classes,  orders,  families,  and  genera,  in  which,  as  is  becom- 
ing, the  attention  is  principally  directed  to  those  exhibited  by  the 
living  animal.  He  informs  us  that  his  materials  were  chiefly  taken 
from  the  works  of  Adanson,  Poli,  Cuvier,  and  Blainville ;  but  from  his 
proper  study,  and  during  his  travels  as  an  officer  of  marines,  he  had 
been  able  to  compare  their  descriptions,  made  in  general  on  dead  spe- 
cimens, with  the  animal  in  life,  and  had  hence  been  able  to  rectify 
some  errors  and  add  new  characters.  The  *'  discours  sommaire"  con- 
tains a  rapid  but  spirited  and  correct  review  of  the  exterior  anatomy 
and  principal  internal  viscera ;  and  throughout  we  have  scattered  no- 
tices on  the  habits  of  numerous  species  of  great  interest.  Some  of 
these  we  would  have  willingly  transferred  to  our  review,  had  our 
space  allowed ;  and  this  is  the  less  necessary  as  the  volume  ought  to 
be  in  the  hands  of  every  conchologist.  It  is,  however,  too  systema- 
tic in  its  plan  to  be  considered  elementary,  for  those  details  of  struc- 
ture, function,  and  habits,  which  are  not  subservient  to  system,  have 
been  purposely  excluded,  while  they  must  constitute  the  base  of  every 
introduction  worthy  of  attention. 

The  ''  Genera"  of  Sowerby  is  just  the  opposite  of  Rang*s.  The 
latter  is  a  very  small  and  a  very  cheap  volume,  the  former  is  a  work 
of  large  extent  and  great  ex  pence  ;  the  one  treats  of  living  creatures, 
and  in  every  page  there  is  evidence  of  a  warm  enthusiasm  in  their 
study,  the  other  concerns  itself  with  the  shell  only,  and  the  letter- 
press is  sobered  down  to  suit  the  gravity  of  science.  Sowerby's  book 
is  in  fact  intended  rather  for  the  collector  of  a  cabinet  of  shells,  than 
for  the  student  of  living  mollusca,  and  to  the  geologist  it  is  perhaps 
indispensable.  The  genera  are  carefully  defined,  and  the  limits  of 
each  exactly  pointed  out,  and  illustrated  by  a  series  of  admirable  fi- 
gures drawn  from  characteristic  specimens.  It  is  to  be  r^^retted  that 
this  work  has  been  so  long  in  course  of  publication,  now  we  imagine 
some  twelve  or  fourteen  years, — ^for  the  incompleted  state  in  which  it 
is  left  detracts  from  its  usefulness,  and  renders  its  consultation  veiy 
irksome  and  inconvenient. 

We  refrain  from  giving  an  opinion  of  Mr  Swainson's  Elements, 
for  humble  critics  are  incompetent  to  estimate  the  worth  of  a  pam- 
phlet which  the  author  avows  was  written  because  he  excells  in  the 
knowledge  of  the  subject,  and  because  he  had  not  met  with  any  in- 
troduction which  his  children  would  not  hereafter  have  to  unkaim  / 


History  of  Conchology.  265 

To  this  severity  of  censure  his  predecessors  may  naturally  demur,  and^ 
periiaps,  there  is  some  ground  for  retaliation,  but  that  is  an  afbir  be- 
tween themselres  with  which  we  need  not  meddle.  To  our  children,  or 
readers,  we  cannot  for  our  part  recommend  the  boastful  <<  Elements," 
because  we  would  wish  them  to  be  something  better  than  amateurs, 
and  to  know  something  more  of  conchology  than  the  names  of  the 
things  they  collect.  The  work  is  written  in  evident  obedience  to 
the  adage — "  a  great  book  is  a  great  evil ;" — and  in  62  duodecimo 
pages  we  find  an  explanation  of  the  few  terms  used  in  describing 
shells,  a  distribution  of  these  after  the  quinary  plan,  not  more  success- 
ful than  Oken's  was  when  he  arranged  them  diter  the  sacred  number 
of  four,  with  definitions  of  all  the  genera  simply  and  neatly  done,  but 
the  characters  derived  exclusively  from  the  shells ;  and  lastly  a  chap- 
ter on  coUecting,  preserving,  and  arranging  these  bodies,  and  a  pkm 
of  study.  We  shall  defer  our  exposition  of  Mr  Swainson's  system 
until  the  publication  of  <<  the  Conchological  volume  of  Dr  Lardner's 
Cabinet  ofNaiural  History  shortly  to  be  published.*' 

'^  It  is  easier  to  refute  error  than  to  establish  truth :"  quoth  the 
ReY.  Mr  Burrow  with  sententious  profoundness,  "  thus,  the  several 
writers  who  have  dissented  from  the  Linnaean  school  have,  indeed, 
satisfactorily  pointed  out  some  flaws  in  the  great  fabric  of  the  *  Sys- 
tema  Naturae ;'  but  in  attempting  to  eradicate  the  faulty  parts,  and  to 
supply  their  place  more  fitly,  they  have  injured  some  of  the  main  sup- 
ports, and  have  nearly  involved  the  whole  edifice  in  ruin.  (Very 
pretty  I) — The  following  pages  are  devoted  to  the  task  of  facilitating 
the  study  of  conchology,  on  the  method  of  the  Swedish  naturalist ; 
and  they  are  written  under  the  firm  persuasion,  that  a  material  change 
is  dangerous  even,  in  speculative  matters,  when  the  principle  has 
stood  the  test  of  genend  consent,  and  when  the  means  of  reaching 
perfection  are  not  yet,  or,  perhaps,  may  never  be,  attainable." — Such 
is  the  twaddle — and  there  is  much  more  of  the  same  sort  of  stufif — 
with  which  Mr  B.  recommends  his  '  Elements,'  containing,  in  this 
year  A.  D.  1836,  nothing  more  than  a  dry  unprofitable  exposition  of 
the  LinnsBan  system,  the  spirit  of  which  the  author  does  not  compre- 
hend. Living  remote  from  '<  public  haunt,"  and  consequently  in  igno- 
rance of  the  progress  of  conchology  among  the  metropolitan  connois- 
searp,  we  had  concluded  that  the  race  of  Linnseans  had  become  ex- 
tinct, but  it  seems  we  have  erred  in  our  haste,  and  that  some  of  them 
are  still  in  a  living  active  state,  for  it  were  otherwise  a  sad  prospect 
to  his  publisher  were  this  reverend  gentleman  to  be  alone  left  like 

"  The  late-blown  rose 
«  Lingering  after  all  the  rest" 


266  Fauna  Japoniea^  Sfc. 

It  ifl  from  a  fiiU  conviction  that  such  productions  as  the  one  before 
118  lessen  and  degrade  a  favourite  pursuit  in  the  eyes  of  all  rational 
men,  and  make  it  a  laughing-stock  to  the  satirical,  that  we  feel  cal- 
led upon  to  protest  upon  their  being  received  as  evidence  touching  the 
nature  of  our  studies.  So  we  willingly  consign  this  one  to  our  high- 
est shelf,  where  it  shall  remain  to  gather  the  dust  that  already  co- 
vers, with  a  thick  and  undisturbed  repose,  the  very  similar  volumes  of 
Mr  Brookes  and  Captain  Brown,  and  the  "  exquisite  Concholog^*s 
Companion"  of  Miss  Mary  Roberts,  who,  however,  sometimes  enlivens 
her  pages  with  a  sort  of  quixotical  sentimentalism  and  a  blundering 
absurdity  that  provokes  a  smile ; — and  thus  only  doth  she  surpass  her 
competitors. 


Bibliographical  Notices. 
Fauna  Japonica.     Auctore  Ph.  Fr.  De  Siebold. — Ophidii  ela- 

borantibus  C.  J.  Temminck  et  H.  Schlegbl.    FoL    Lugduui 

Batav. 

The  Erpetologie  of  Japan  has  hitherto  been  sparingly  illustrated. 
The  present  number  of  this  interesting  work,  commencing  the  Ophi- 
dii, is  therefore  an  important  addition  to  our  knowledge  of  the  natu- 
ral history  of  the  Japanese  empire.  Former  naturalists  have  borne 
testimony  that  that  department  of  the  Fauna  was  very  circumscribed, 
and  the  present  researches,  in  the  words  of  Temminck  and  Schlegel, 
have  produced  <*  collections  a  la  verit6  riches  en  individus,  mais  ou 
les  especes  sont  toujours  bom^es  a  un  nombre  tres-limite."  The  spe- 
cies here  described  are  only  ten  in  number  :  3  species  of  Coluber,  2 
of  Tropidonatus,  1  Trigonocephalus,  and  4Hydrophis.  The  plates  are 
lithographic  and  nicely  executed,  but  uncoloured;  hence  all  the  ge- 
neric characters,  and  the  expression  of  the  scaling  are  distinctly  seen, 
while  we  have  to  regret  the  want  of  those  vivid  tints  which  gene- 
rally adorn  the  exterior  of  these  creatures. 

A  part  of  the  introductory  portion  of  the  wh<^e  work  is  also  given, 
which  we  shall  notice  more  in  detail  at  an  early  period. 

A  Synopsis  of  the  Birds  of  Australia  emd  the  adjacent  Islands.  By 
John  Gould,  F.  L.  S.  Part  II.  Royal  8vo.  1837. 
The  second  number  of  this  peculiarly  managed  work  has  just  been 
forwarded  to  us.  It  equals  its  predecessor  in  the  beauty  of  its  finish- 
ing, and  we  have  illustrations  of  the  characters  of  forty  species,  com- 
prised in  the  genera  Monarchoy  Amadina,  Pardalotus,  Pla^cercus, 
Nanodes,  Meliphaga,  Acanthorhynchusy  (a  genus  formed  from  the 


Catalogue  of  Flowerleu  Plants  of  Great  Britain.       267 

MeliphagB  tennriostris  of  Vig.  and  Horsf. ;)  Cotwmix^  Hemipodiw, 
JBgialitiey  (a  name  proposed  by  Vieillot  for  a  family  among  the  Gral- 
latores,  here  nsed  as  a  generic  title  for  the  form  of  Charadrius  re^ 
presented  by  the  little  ring-dotterel  Ch.  hiattada  ;)  Himantopus^  of 
which  the  species  described,  H.paJmatut,  Gould,  is  extremely  interest- 
ing,  as  exhibiting  a  complete  palmation  or  web  between  the  toes,  and 
thns  ronning  into  the  ayosets,  Rscurvtroetroy  Oxyurc^  and  Sterna, 

Catalogueofthe  CeUidovres  or  Flowerless  Plants  of  Great  Britain^  nr 
those  included  in  the  Lintuean  class  Crtfptogamia ;  compiled  from 
Sir  W.J.Hooker's  English  Flora,  Vol.  V.;  Sir  J.  E.  Smith's 
Ei^lish  Flora,  Vol.  IV. ;  Mackay's  Flora  Hibemica  ;  Henslow's 
Catalogue  of  British  Plants,  and  other  sources.   By  W.  A.  Lbioh- 
TON,  B.  A.,  F.  B.  S.  Ed.     Svo.     London,  Longman,  1837. 
This  sheets  as  indicated  by  the  title,  is  a  mere  catalogue,  which  has 
been  deemed  necessary  on  account  of  "  the  increased  and  increasing 
study  of  the  Cryptogamic  tribes."     It  is  intended  to  fieunlitate  the  in- 
terchange of  species,  to  afford  a  conyenient  index  for  the  herbarium, 
and,  if  interleaved,  to  serve  as  a  book  for  memoranda,  regarding  some 
of  the  rarer  species.     For  the  above  purposes  this  catalogue  cannot 
£ul  to  be  useful,  and,  being  printed  on  a  single  large  sheet,  it  can  be 
transmitted  by  mail  at  the  charge  of  a  single  postage,  and  afterwards 
cut  and  folded,  as  its  possessor  may  find  most  convenient.   The  price 
of  the  sheet  is  sixpence. 

A  History  of  British  Birds,  Indigenous  and  Migratory ,  including 
their  organizationy  habitSy  and  relations j  remoflrks  on  Classification 
and  Nomenclature;  an  account  of  the  prindpai  organs  of  birds y 
and  observations  relative  to  practical  Ornithology.  Illustrated 
by  numerous  engravings.  By  William  Macgillivray.  Vol.  I. 
8vo.    London,  1837. 

The  work  bearing  the  above  title  is  a  thick  octavo  volume  of  631 
pages,  having  for  its  object  <<  to  lay  before  the  public,  descriptions  of 
'  the  birds  of  Great  Britain,  more  extended  and,  if  possible,  more  cor- 
rect than  any  previously  offered."*  We  do  not  wish  to  appear  unne- 
cessarily critical  r^irding  the  manner  in  which  Mr  Macgillivray  has 
accomplished  this  object,  but  we  should  not  act  fairly  to  our  subscri- 
bers were  we  to  say  that  it  is  done  successfully.  The  writing  ap- 
pears to  us  an  affected  attempt  to  imitate  the  styles  of  Isaac  Walton 
and  of  Audubon,  which,  being  extremely  peculiar,  can  only  be  relished 

■   Preface. 


268  Hiitarjf  of  British  Birdi. 

in  the  originals, — and  here,  as  in  the  case  of  similar  imitations,  w 
desiderate  their  freshness,  and  dislike  the  misplaced  qnaintuess  of  ex- 
pression. It  appears  trifling,  while  the  meaning  is  hj  no  means  dis- 
tinctly conveyed.  The  incidental  remarks  and  digressions  liberally 
dispersed  through  the  volume,  (often  totally  irrelevant  to  the  sub- 
ject, see  p.  125,)  are  sometimes  expressed  scarcely  with  a  kindlj 
feeling,  and  seem  to  show  an  inclination  to  undervalue  the  opinions  of 
others  when  a  unison  of  ideas  cannot  be  found. 

This  book  is  composed  of  two  parts :  The  first,  introductory ;  the 
second  commences  the  history  of  the  birds  themselves  belonging  to 
four  of  the  orders,  which  our  author  has  thought  necessary  to  form 
on  principles  of  his  own,  and  which  are  '^  doubtless  excellent  and  ad- 
mirable in  the  eyes  of  their  inventor." 

The  introductory  portion  *  contains,  first,  <<  remarks  on  classifica- 
tion and  nomenclature,"  and  ^<  samples"  of  systems  are  given  in  out* 
lines  of  those  of  Linnaeus  and  VieUlot.  Next  follows  an  exposition 
of  our  author  s  own  system.  This  is  <'  primarily  divided  into  foxir 
groups,  sections,  or  sub-classes,  determined  by  their  mode  of  life,"  and 
they  come  in  the  place  of  the  familiar  divisions  of  '<  land  and  water 
birds."t  They  are,  I.  Aerial  birds,  Aves  Aerise  or  Volitorise ;  IL  Ter- 
restrial,  Aves  Terrestres  or  Ambulatorise ;  III.  Amphibious  or  wading^, 
Aves  Littondes  or  Grallatoriee ;  IV.  Aquatic  birds,  or  Natatoriaa. 
These  again  are  separated  into  no  fewer  than  Nineteen  Orders,  each 
section  containing  four,  except  the  second,  in  which  seven  have  been 
placed.  We  cannot  consider  this  system  more  simple  or  comprehen- 
sive than  many  of  its  predecessors,  and  we  do  not  think  the  nomen-. 
clature  improved  by  the  introduction  of  sectional  or  generic  titles, 
such  as,  VolitatoreSf  Deglubitores,  JRaptatores,  Palpatoresy  &C.  or 
in  another  language,  of  Plunderers,  Cooersy  Buskers,  Gropers^ 
Probers,  &c.  &c. ;  but  "  methods  spring  up  and  die  like  mushrooms, 
and  for  the  same  reason ;  they  are  composed  of  flimsy  and  unsub- 
stantial materials  easily  elaborated."  j: 

Of  the  concluding  part  of  the  introduction,  '<  Remarks  on  the 
structure  of  birds,"  we  have  a  higher  opinion.  It  is  a  subject  interest- 
ing  from  the  little  attention  which  has  hitherto  been  given  to  it,  par- 
ticularly in  this  country,  and  from  the  great  importance  which  the 
knowledge  of  structure  is  in  our  generalizations  upon  the  innc- 
tions  of  the  different  parts,  and  the  economy  and  habits  of  the  indivi- 
duals.    This  part,  though  short,  is  well  done.     The  anatomy  is  con- 

*  Introduction,  p.  15.  f  Ibid,  p.  16.  \  Ibid,  p.  19. 


Beport  on  Percheron^s  Bibliographie  EnUmwlogique,       269 

cisely  detailed,  without  any  of  the  aiFectedness  of  style  which  we  dis* 
like  so  much  elsewhere,  and  it  is  illustrated  by  nine  engravings  well 
wrought  from  the  pencil  of  the  author,  exhibiting  views  of  the  oste- 
ology, the  muscular  arrangement,  and  the  digestive  organs  in  the 
principal  divisions. 

The  second  part  of  the  book,  occupying  500  pages,  is  devoted  to 
the  history  of  four  of  the  orders  <<  Rasores,  Scrapers.  Gemitores, 
Cooers.  Deglubibitores,  Huskers.  Vagatores,  Wanderers."  This  de- 
scription or  historical  part  wants  condensation ;  it  is  much  too  length- 
ened, without  bringing  together  the  information  which  is  really  of 
use  to  the  student  of  British  ornithology.  It  is  illustrated  by  wood- 
cuts of  most  of  the  parts  which  are  essential  in  the  system,  as  generic, 
many  of  which  are  well  drawn  and  executed.  We  are  treated  also 
with  <'  Practical  Ornithology,"  in  chapters  1,  2,  3  and  4,  but  these 
lessons  we  dislike  in  totoy  both  in  substance  and  in  spirit. 

Report  hy  MM.  De  JBlainviUey  Isidore  Geoffroy^  and  Dumerily  on 
M,  Perckerons  work  entitled  Bibliographie  Bntomologique. 

Those  who  particularly  devote  themselves  to  the  study  of  one 
branch  of  natural  history,  have  a  great  interest  in  becoming  acquaint- 
ed with  the  works  already  published  on  the  special  object  of  research 
or  observation  with  which  they  are  occupied.  Accordingly  the  great- 
er part  of  authors  make  it  a  rule  to  indicate  in  general  works  the 
Bovirces  whence  they  have  derived  their  information,  and  are  careful 
at  the  same  time  to  arrange  their  citations  in  chronological  order. 

M.  Percheron,  who  has  long  been  assiduously  engaged  in  the  study 
of  insects,  on  some  genera  of  which  he  has  already  published  some 
very  good  monographs,  such  as  those  on  Cetonia  and  Paesalus,  has 
strongly  felt  the  necessity  of  arranging  the  works  from  which  he  ob- 
tained useful  intelligence,  in  a  series  according  to  their  dates.  He 
had  accordingly  drawn  up  at  first  for  his  own  use,  a  catalogue  of  all 
the  entomological  books  whose  titles  he  had  become  acquainted  with, 
and  undertook  laborious  researches  to  ascertain  as  many  as  possible  : 
this  he  conceived  it  would  be  of  advantage  to  the  science,  and  to 
those  who  cultivate  it,  to  publish  for  general  use.  He  has  made 
it  his  object  to  inscribe  all  the  writings  relating  to  insects,  considered 
under  the  different  relations  of  form,  structure,  classification,  manner, 
habits,  utility,  injuries,  &c.  in  a  word,  all  the  works  on  entomology. 

Such  is  the  work  which  M.  Percheron  is  about  to  publish,  and  of 
which  all  the  sheets  hitherto  printed  have  been  examined  by  the 
above-named  commissioners.  It  is  a  simple  catalogue,  in  alphabetical 
order,  of  the  names  of  authors,  with  the  indication  of  the  complete 


270    Beport  en  M.  Percheron's  Bibliographie  Entamoiogiqu/B. 

title  of  their  works,  the  date  of  their  pablication,  and^  where  that  was 
practicable,  a  notice  of  the  period  and  the  place  of  the  birth  and  death 
of  these  naturalists.  Unfortunately  these  simple  indications  contain  no 
abridged  notice  of  the  contents  of  these  works,  and  are  unaccompani- 
ed with  critical  observations,  yet  such  additions  are  of  great  interest 
on  account  of  the  judgments  which  they  embrace. 

After  this  first  part  of  the  work,  which  forms  nearly  three-fourths 
or  a  volume  and  a  half,  the  author  has  drawn  up  a  table  of  Uie  ar- 
ticles in  the  order  of  the  subjects  and  chronology ;  this  is  divided 
into  chapters.  The  first  comprehends  the  names  of  the  authors  who 
have  written  on  insects,  but  under  certain  points  of  view  only,  such 
as  the  damages  they  may  occasion,  which  our  author  names  their 
nocihility ;  then  in  relation  to  their  utility  in  agriculture,  in  the  aits, 
in  medicine,  or  in  the  general  economy  of  nature,  regarded  in  a  philo- 
sophical manner.  The  second  chapter  indicates  the  books  which 
treat  of  insects  in  regard  to  their  general  natural  history,  zoological 
or  entomological.  It  is  here  that  we  find  inserted  travellers,  moaeo- 
graphers,  micrographers.  The  third  and  last  chapter  makes  us  ac- 
quainted with  the  works  which  have  treated  of  insects  exclusively, 
such  as  memoirs  rekting  to  the  formation  and  preservation  of  ento- 
mological museums ;  the  generalities  of  their  modes  of  life  and  meta- 
morphoses ;  special  works  on  the  anatomy,  physiology,  and  dassifica- 
tion  of  insects ;  such  as  contain  only  observations  on  their  dififereDt 
countries ;  and  finally,  all  the  works  which  have  treated  of  the  orden 
in  particular,  whether  relating  to  all  the  genera,  or  those  of  some  par- 
ticular country,  or  such  productions  as  have  appeared  under  the 
title  of  monographs.  Such  is  the  order  in  which  the  name  of  every 
author  is  here  inserted  and  repeated  according  to  the  date  of  pubU- 
cation. 

We  cannot  disguise  the  &ct,  that  the  execution  of  this  Btbliographii 
still  leaves  something  to  be  desired,  for  we  have  remarked  in  it  seve- 
ral important  omissions,  and  we  find  books  and  memoirs  inserted 
which  have  no  relation  to  insects.  However,  the  work  may  be  of  great 
benefit  to  entomologists :  it  will  no  doubt  greatly  &cilitate  their  re- 
searches, and  really  promote  the  ulterior  progress  of  the  study  of 
that  branch  of  natural  history.* 

*  Omptea  rendug  Hebdomadaire$  da  Sdances  de  tAeademie  det  ScteneOf^ 
Februar)'  1837. 


Transacticm  of  the  Leeds  Philosophical  Society.       271 

Transactions  and  Periodicals — British, 

Transactions  of  the  Philosophical  and  Literary  Society  ofLeedsy 
consisting  of  papers  read  before  the  Society,  Vol.  I.  Part  I.  8vo. 
Longman  &  Co.  London.     1837. 

Before  noticing'  this  volnme,  it  may  be  satis&ctory  to  our  readers 
to  be  informed  of  the  progress  of  the  Society  whose  Transactions  it 
proposes  to  detail.  The  following  sketch  was  forwarded  to  ns  for  in- 
sertion in  our  last  Number,  but  circumstances  prevented  us  then 
availing  ourselves  of  the  kindness  of  its  author. 

'^'In  Leeds,  above  forty  years  ago,  m  Philosophical  Society  was 
establbhed,  which  consisted  of  only  a  small  number  of  members,  and  of 
whose  proceedings  no  records  remain.  Amongst  the  number,  two  names 
have  come  down  to  us,  Dr  Priestley  and  William  Hey,  Esq.  F.  R.  S. 
The  society,  however,  did  not  meet  with  that  support  which  its  found- 
ers had  expected,  and,  like  many  similar  ones,  gradually  fell  off,  and 
became  extinct.  It  is  peihaps  not  too  much  to  conjecture,  that,  al- 
though we  have  no  certain  or  regular  minutes  of  their  meetings,  yet 
at  some  of  these,  the  splendid  discoveries  of  Dr  Priestley  might  have 
bad  their  origin,  and  that,  in  consequence  of  some  discussion,  he  might 
bave  been  stimulated  to  make  experiments,  which,  but  for  such  dis- 
cnssion,  would  ueyer  have  been  made.  When  the  Doctor  left  Leeds, 
he  was  succeeded  at  the  Mill  Hill  Chapel  by  the  Rev.  William  Wood, 
F.  L.  S.,  &&,  whose  name  as  a  botanist  and  general  naturalist  is  well 
koowii.  He  was  author  of  Zoographia,  and  for  some  time  con- 
ducted the  natural  history  department  in  the  Annual  Review,  as 
well  as  many  of  the  articles  on  botany  in  Rees's  Cydopsddia.  Mr 
Wood  died  in  1809,  from  which  period,  for  many  years,  there  does 
not  appear  to  have  been  any  attempt,  either  individually  or  jointly, 
to  promote  scientific  pursuits,— at  least,  if  such  were  the  case,  it  is 
■ow  forgotten.  In  the  autumn  of  1818,  however,  a  reaction  began 
to  be  manifest,  and  a  letter  appeared  in  the  Leeds  Mercury,  signed 
LsodiensiSf  suggesting  the  formation  of  a  Philosophical  Society.  The 
proposal  was  received  with  approbation  by  a  number  of  intelligent 
and  public-spirited  individuals,  and  a  meeting  was  held  at  the  Court- 
Honse,  December  11,  1818,  to  concert  measures,  with  a  view  to  the 
•ocomplishment  of  so  desirable  an  object.  The  venerable  William 
Hey,  Esq.,  whose  memory  will  ever  be  associated  with  the  histoiy  of 
the  intellectual,  religious,  and  local  interests  of  Leeds,  presided  on  the 
occasion,  when,  after  a  protracted  discussion  in  reference  to  the  ob- 
ject and  scope  of  the  projected  institution,  it  was  resolved  that  a  so- 


272        Trantaetions  of  the  Leedt  Phihtophieal  Sodefy^ 

detj  should  be  founded  on  the  most  comprehensire  principles,  snd 
should  include  all  branches  of  science  and  literature,  excluding  all 
topics  connected  with  politics,  religion,  and  ethics.  For  a  short  time 
the  meetings  were  held  in  the  Court-House,  after  which  a  subscription 
was  opened  for  the  erection  of  a  suitable  building,  which,  in  a  few 
months,  amounted  to  a  sum  so  considerable  as  to  justify  the  purchase 
of  land,  and  the  commencement  of  other  active  operations.  The  first 
stone  was  laid  by  Benjamin  Gott,  Esq.  the  9th  of  July  1819,  at  the 
south-east  comer  of  the  present  handsome  edifice,  and  underneath  it 
were  deposited  several  coins  of  the  reign  of  George  III.  The  pro- 
gress  of  the  building  was  slower  than  had  been  anticipated,  in  conse- 
quence  of  unavoidable  circumstances.  It  was  soon  discovered  that 
the  sum  originally  specified  as  adequate  to  its  completion  was  insuffi- 
cient for  that  purpose,  and  the  work  was  consequently  at  a  stand.  The 
munificent  spirit  of  Benjamin  Gott  and  John  Marshall,  Esqs.,  which 
reflects  equal  honour  upon  those  respected  individuals  and  the  town  to 
which  they  belong,  interposed  with  a  noble  alacrity  to  extricate  the  ris- 
ing institution  from  the  alarming  dilemma  in  which  it  appeared  to  be 
placed.  These  gentlemen  generously  took  each  five  additional  L.  100 
shares,  and  by  that  seasonable  effort  of  liberality,  relieved  the  society 
from  the  difficulties  which  threatened  it.  The  first  meeting  of  the  first 
session  was  held  on  April  6,  1821,  on  which  occasion  the  late  C  T. 
Thackrah  delivered  an  introductory  essay.  This  has  since  been  printed 
for  the  society.  The  building  is  of  stone,  with  two  fronts,  and  sur* 
rounded  with  pallisadoes,  and  consists  of  a  lecture-room,  laboratory,  li- 
brary-room, waiting-room,  entrance  hall,  and  resident  curator's  apart- 
ments on  the  first  floor,  above  which  are  three  apartments,  one  devoted 
to  geology  and  mineralogy,  in  which  are  arranged  about  4000  specimens 
of  minerals  and  fossils, — the  former  arranged  according  to  their  chemi- 
cal affinities  after  Phillips^ — the  latter  according  to  the  stratification 
after  Smith.  The  nucleus  of  these  collections  were  principally  thegifts 
of  one  of  its  late  curators,  £.  S.  Geoige,  F.  L.  S. — The  minerals  were 
a  few  years  since  considerably  augmented  by  an  extensive  piuchase 
of  the  sale  of  Sir  Alexander  Crichton's  minerabt,  by  which  very  fine 
specimens  were  added  of  malachite,  chromate  of  lead,  Vauquetinite, 
Lapis  lazuli,  emerald,  tourmaline,  garnets,  &c.  One  of  the  gems  of 
the  collection  is  an  aerolite  or  meteoric  stone  weighing  1  lb.  7oz.  which 
fell  at  Aigle,  in  the  department  of  Orne,  France.  The  geological  de* 
partment,  although  containing  some  very  fine  and  unique  specimens,  is 
very  far  from  what  it  should  be,  considering  the  vast  facilities  offered 
by  the  coal-pits  and  stone  quarries  so  numerous  in  the  immediate  vi- 
cinity, abounding  as  they  do  with  organic  remains.  With  such  advan- 

3 


Transactions  of  the  Leeds  Philosophical  Society.      273 

tag€8  at  its  disposal,  the  Leeds  collection  onght  to  possess  one  of  the 
finest  series  of  carboniferous  remains  in  the  kingdom.  Such  a  series 
could  only  be  formed  by  the  united  labour  of  several  individuals  inte- 
rested in  the  science,  who  would  visit  the  localities,  of  which,  however, 
in  most  provincial  institutions,  there  are  unfortunately  but  few, — ^the 
majority  contributing  to  the  funds,  but  prevented  by  mercantile  affairs 
or  other  pursuits  from  giving  their  time  to  the  flagging  department. 
Amongst  the  specimens  are  two  unique  heads  of  MegalicthysHibberti, 
anda  portion  of  its  body ;  many  fine  Calamites,  Asterophyllites,  Lepido- 
dendra,  Sigillarie^  Lepidostrobi,  Pecopteri  and  Equiseti,  from  the  coal 
measures ;  a  Sigilaria  nine  feet  in  height,  from  the  sandstone  near 
Wakefield ;  remains  of  Ichthysosauri  from  Whitby  ;  fine  mass  of 
Ophiura  Milleri  from  Scarbro* ;  bones  of  the  Mammoth  of  the  banks 
of  the  Ohio ;  splendid  lily  encrinite  from  the  Dutchy  of  Brunswick ;  a 
tolerably  good  series  of  shells  from  the  calcaire  grossiere  of  the 
Paris  basin,  besides  illustrations  of  the  organic  remains  of  the  moun- 
tain limestone,  Kelloway  rock,  coralline  oolite,  chalk  crag,  &c. 
The  second  room  43  feet  by  ,  and  20  in  height,  surrounded  by 
a  gallery,  is  devoted  to  zoology,  the  first  nucleus  for  which  was 
a  collection  of  135  species  of  British  birds,  by  the  liberality  of  its  first 
and  lamented  curator,  John  Atkinson,  F.  L.  S.  Surgeon.  To  the  orni- 
thological department,  considerable  accessions  have  since  been  made» 
both  foreign  and  British.  Amongst  the  most  attractive  are,  per^- 
haps»acase  of  South  American  birds  from  Charles  Waterton,  Esq.  the 
well  known  author  of  the  Wanderings,  a  specimen  of  the  rare  Trogon 
Pavoninusy  Trinidad  goatsucker,  king  of  the  vultures,  ostrich, 
Argus  pheasant,  and  several  of  the  Rhamphastidse.  The  collection  of 
Mammalia^  like  that  in  most  provincial  museums,  is  but  small.  It 
contuus,  however,  a  very  fine  skull  of  the  Asiatic  elephant,  a  wild 
boar,  lion,  tiger,  leopard,  jaguar,  Polar  and  brown  bear,  wolf,  kan- 
garoo, seals,  head  of  the  walrus,  porcupine,  several  simise,  examples 
of  the  genera  Galeopithecus,  Dasypus,  Omithorynchus,  Nasuta,  Di- 
delphis,  Procyon,  Bradypus,  &c.  The  fish  are  nearly  all  in  spirits, 
and  principally  from  the  Mediterranean.  The  greatest  rarity  is  a 
specimen  of  the  spiny  shark,  in  a  bad  state  of  preservation,  caught 
near  Scarbro',  and  which  is,  I  believe,  the  only  British  example  in  the 
kingdom.  There  is  also  a  fine  sturgeon,  9  feet  in  length,  caught 
near  Selby,  and  a  specimen  of  Malthe  vespertilio.  The  department 
of  comparative  anatomy  is  very  limited,  consisting  of  about  thirty 
skeletons  of  animals,  birds,  and  fishes,  and  a  highly  interesting  series  of 
forty-two  wet  and  dry  preparations,  exhibiting  the  anatomy  and  phy- 
nology  of  the  genus  Limax.    Among  the  invertebrate  tribes,  the 


^74         Transactions  of  the  Leeds  Philosopkical  Society. 

museam  possesses  some  interesting  examples  of  the  different  cbsses 
of  the  Zoophytes.  The  most  prominent  is  a  specimen  ci  Meandritia 
labyrinthica,  weighing  16  stone :  of  the  Pteropodsy  there  is  Cymbu' 
lia  Peronii :  of  Geuteropodsy  Glaucus  Scyllaea,  Doris,  Aplysia :  of 
Eckinodermatay  there  are  Sipunculus,  ffoiothurioy  several  genera  ai 
the  Echinides,  ^torta,  Ophiura^  Euryale  verrucosa  and  Comabda: 
oi  Acalephoy  Actinea  and  Phjsalia,  &c.  The  insects,  which  occopj 
nearly  two  glass-covered  tables,  indnde  some  rare  and  beautiful  ex- 
amples of  the  orders,  and  are  arranged  according  to  the  system  ofDr 
Leach,  which  was  the  most  popular  at  the  time,  uniting  the  ezocics 
and  natives  in  the  same  case,  the  better  to  keep  up  the  chain  of  afii- 
nity,  and  exhibit  the  g^radual  approximation  of  one  form  to  another. 
The  Crustacea  are  arranged  also  according  to  the  views  of  that  lameat- 
ed  naturalist.  The  shells  according  to  Lamarck,  which  three  depsit- 
ments,  although  not  numerous,  are  highly  respectable  ones.  The 
third  room  contains  antiquities,  works  of  art,  and  the  dresses,  &&  of 
uncivilized  nations.  The  object  of  principal  interest  in  this  room  is 
a  very  fine  mummy  of  a  priest,  who  lived  during  the  reign  of  Rs- 
messes  Y.  upwards  of  3000  years  since,  in  a  remarkably  high  state 
of  preservation,  enclosed  in  a  coffin  of  elaborate  workmanship.  The 
head  is  bare,  probably  in  conformity  with  the  rites  of  priesthood.  The 
pupils  are  distinctly  visible  in  the  orbits,  and  during  an  examination 
of  the  skull  a  few  years  since,  the  dura  mater  with  its  falx,  was  foond 
to  be  quite  perfect,  the  brain  having  been  extracted  through  the  nos- 
trils, by  breaking  down  the  ethmoid  bone.  The  muscles  are  by  no 
means  dry,  but,  on  the  contrary,  allowed  of  being  dissected,  and  the 
sciatic  nerve  traced.  An  account  of  this  mummy  was  published  by 
the  Society  five  or  six  years  since.  There  are  also  some  curious  re- 
mains of  Terra  cotta,  from  Cuzco,  the  ancient  capital  of  Peru,  toge- 
ther with  some  human  skulls  from  the  same  spot.  These  have  a  sifi- 
gular  appearance,  from  being  artificially  flattened  on  the  right  side  and 
top  towards  the  back  part.  The  library  has  never  created  that  in- 
terest which  such  a  feature  of  the  institution  must  have  been  expect- 
ed to  do,  and,  consequently,  is  not  extensive,  containing  only  about 
600  volumes  on  the  various  branches  of  science,  with  the  transactions 
of  public  bodies  and  journals  of  the  day.  Here  is  also  deposited  die 
chemical,  electrical,  and  galvanic  apparatus.  The  Society  consists  <^ 
about  67  proprietors,  125  ordinary  members,  and  100  subscribers ;  the 
first,  having  paid  L.  100  towards  the  erection  of  the  building,  are 
shareholders,  with  the  power  of  transferring  or  bequeathing  the  shaie, 
and  exempt  from  all  annual  subscriptions  and  fines;  the  ordinarj 
members,  those  who  hold  a  three  guinea  share,  with  an  annqal  snb- 


Traaaauikm  rfike  Leeds  PhUoeophieal  Society.        275 

scnption  of  two  g:uinea8 ;  and  the  last,  subscribers  annually  of  one 
guinea*  having  no  interest  in  the  property  of  the  Society,  or  yoice  in 
its  deliberations.  Meetings  are  held  the  first  and  third  Fridays  in 
every  month,  from  November  to  May,  inclusive,  for  the  reading  of 
papers  and  essays  by  the  members,  to  which  each  has  the  power  of 
admitting  a  stranger.  In  addition  there  are  annually  two  or  three  courses 
of  lectures,  by  some  public  lecturer  of  eminence,  amongst  whom  there 
have  been  Dr  Dalton,  Professor  Grant,  Professor  Phillips,  James 
Montgomery,  Esq.  Edward  Taylor,  Esq.  &c.  From  the  commence- 
ment of  the  Society  240  papers  have  been  read  on  various  branches 
of  literature  and  science. 

The  private  collections  in  Leeds  are,  first,  a  valuable  museum  of 
Natural  History,  &c  in  Commercial  Street,  the  property  of  Mr  John 
Calvert,  admission  Is. ; — very  extensive  collections  of  shells,  corals, 
and  minerals,  belonging  to  Miss  Banks  and  Miss  Rhodes ; — the  col- 
lection of  comparative  and  human  anatomy,  belonging  to  the  Leeds 
School  of  Medicine,  and  a  collection  of  comparative  anatomy  and 
Natural  History,  especially  of  the  Invertebrata,  belonging  to  Mr 
Teale."  H.  D. 

The  well  '*  got-up"  volume  before  us  is  the  first  part  of  a  proposed  se- 
ries of  Transactions,  and  it  gives  us  pleasure  to  know  that  the  circum- 
stances of  the  Society  are  now  so  prosperous  as  to  enable  it  to  publish  a 
portion  of  the  valuable  papers  which  haveand  may  hereafter  come  before 
it.  From  the  abstract  of  the  papers  read  since  1819,  given  in  a  short 
introduction  to  the  volume,  we  perceive  that  the  leaning  of  the  great 
proportion  of  its  members  is  more  towards  literary  pursuits  than  the 
study  of  zoology  and  botany.  Nevertheless,  there  is  a  fisdr  propor- 
tion of  papers  devoted  to  interesting  subjects  in  both  these  branches. 
We  have  now  printed  <'  on  the  Bed  of  the  Mississippi,  by  the  late  John 
Li/ccocK,  Esq.,  read  in  November  1824,  prepared  from  a  personal 
knowledge  of  the  course  of  the  river  obtained  in  a  lengthened  journey 
made  in  the  previous  year."  An  interesting  paper  in  favour  of  the 
theory  of  the  gradual  corrosion  or  wearing  of  the  barriers  which  stem 
the  great  common  lakes,  with  the  author's  opinion  of  the  former  pro- 
bable extent  of  water  on  the  surfieu^e  of  the  now  existing  North  Ame- 
rican continent.^— —On  the  varieties  of  water,  by  William  West, 

read  November  1829. A  description  of  the  internal  structure  of 

various  Limaces,  found  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Leeds,  by  Thomas 
NuNNELBT,  read  November  1834 :  illustrated  by  seven  plates  lightly 

but  distinctly  executed. Abstract  of  a  notice  of  certain  Roman 

Coin  Moulds,  by  John  Hby. On  the  Anatomy  oiActinea  oori- 


276  Magazine  of  Natural  HiHory^  Sfc. 

acea,  by  Thomas  Pridgin  Tbale. On  AlctfoneUa  stagnorum 

hj  the  same  author — ^both  good  papers.  Of  the  latter  we  have  alrea- 
dy had  occasion  to  speak  in  a  former  Number  of  this  Journal.     Four 

plates  are  devoted  to  the  illustrations  of  these  papers. On  the 

Yorkshire  Coal-field,  by  Mr  Edward  S.  George,  F.  L.  S.,  read  No- 
yember  1836. 

LoudmkS  Magazine  of  Natural  History,     New  ^Series.     May  and 

June  1837. 

I.  Zoology, 

Shuckard  on  Generic  Nomenclature,  p.  248. ^Westwood's 

Observations  in  Reply  to  Mr  Shuckard,  p.  316. Blyth  on  the 

Reconciliation  of  certain  apparent  Discrepancies  observable  in  the 
Mode  in  which  the  seasonable  and  progressive  Changes  of  Colour  are 
e£Fected  in  the  Fur  of  Mammalians  and  Feathers  of  Birds  ;  with  va- 
rious Observations  on  Moulting,  p.  259  and  300. Dr  Moore  on 

the  Climbing  and  Gallinaceous  Birds  of  Devonshire,  p.  227. 

Moore  on  the  Wading  Birds  of  Devonshire,  p.  319. Charles- 
worth's  Notice  of  the  Teeth  of  Carcharias  megalodon  in  the  Red 

Crag  of  SuiFolk,  p.  225. On  the  Structure  of  the  Fossil  Saurians, 

p.  284. Westwood's  Description  of  a  new  Genus  of  British  pa- 
rasitic Hymenopterous  Insect,  p.  257. J.  E.  Gray  on  the  en- 
largement of  the  Eggs  of  some  marine  MoUuscans  during  the  period 
.  of  their  hatching,  p.  247. 

II.  Botany, 

Bird  on  the  Existence  of  electric  Currents  in  Vegetable  Stnic- 
tures,  p.  240,  and  p.  293. Brown  on  the  Preservation  of  Bota- 
nical Specimens  from  the  attacks  of  Insects,  p.  311. 

Companion  to  Botanical  Magazine,     By  Sir  W.  J.  Hooker,  Pro- 
fessor of  Botany  in  the  University  of  Glasgow. 
The  continuation  of  this  work  from  our  last  notice,  p.  87,  contains, 
first,  A  sequel  to  the  illustrations  of  Indian  Botany  by  Wright  and 

Arnot,  with  a  i^\BXQoi  Acalypha  Alnifolia, New  Ceylonese  Me- 

Listomaceae,  by  G.  A.  W.  Arnot.  The  species  described  were  collect- 
ed by  Colonel  Walker,  and  transmitted  to  Drs  Hooker  and  Graham. 
Seven  species  ofSonerila,  and  the  same  number  of  the  Genus  Osbeckia, 

Characters  of  new  species  of  Indian  Acanthacese,  by  Professor  Ch. 

GoTTFR.  Nees  Von  Esenbeck Synopsis  of  the  East  Indian 

species  of  Drosera  and  Pama88ia,by  G.  A.  Walker  Arnot Notes 

on  a  collection  of  plants  made  in  the  Province  of  Asturias,  in  the  year 


Companion  to  Botanical  Magazine.  277 

18d5  by  M.  Durien,  by  N.  I.  Winch,  Esq.  &c.  This  is  continued 
into  the  foUowing  number,  with  remarks  on  the  distribution  of  each 
species  to  Britain  and  Ireland.     412  species  are  noticed  in  whole,  of 

which  162  belong  to  the  Cryptogamia. FlorsB  insularum  novae 

Zelandise  precursor;  or  a  specimen  of  the  Botany  of  the  Islands 
of  New  Zealand,  by  Allan  Cunningham,  Esq.,  continued  from 
a  former  number,  contains  the  Fucoidese,  Lichenes,  and  Musci  Calyp- 

tnti. Remarks  on  M.  Spach's  memoir  on  the  Cistacese,  a  letter 

from  Dr  Lindley  in  defence  of  some  allegations  made  upon  that 
gentleman's  accuracy  in  a  former  paper. Botanical  informa- 
tion : — 1.  A  favourable  notice  of  the  Musci  Angusiani,  or  a  col- 
lection of  the  dried  mosses  of  Angus  and  Forfarshire,  preparing  by 
Mf  W.  Gabdiner  Jun.  Dundee,  a  work  to  be  comprised  in  7  or  8 

12mo  &sciculi,  at  the  price  of  Ss.  6d.  each. 2.  Dr  J.  F.  Lippold. 

We  formerly  mentioned  the  intention  of  this  gentleman  to  proceed  to 
Madeira  with  the  view  chiefly  of  collecting  plants,  but  also  to  prepare 
other  objects  of  natural  history.  A  letter  has  been  received  from  the 
Doctor  intimating  his  safe  arrival  at  the  island,  his  friendly  reception 
by  Mr  Lowe,  and  his  delight  in  witnessing  the  luxuriance  of  vegeta- 
tion. Collections  of  plants  are  expected  during  June.  It  is  not  propos- 
ed that  Dr  Lippold  should  remain  longer  than  the  present  summer  at 
his  present  station,  and  his  new  expedition  has  not  yet  been  fixed  on ; 
but  we  shall  doubtless  have  due  intimation  of  the  time  and  the 
terms  of  subscription,  through  the  worthy  periodical  we  are  now  re- 
viewing.  3.  Notice,  of  the  ^^  Herbarium  of  the  late  John  D.  Pres- 

cott,  Esq.  of  St  Petersburgh,  an  eminent  merchant  of  that  place,  and 
who  has  lately  died  suddenly.  His  leisure  hours  were  devoted  to 
the  study  of  plants  and  enriching  his  harbarium,  which  latter  is  perhaps 
exceeded  by  few  in  Europe,  especiaUy  that  portion  of  it  relating  to 
the  Russian  Empire."  It  is  warranted  to  contain  25,000  species, 
and  15  now  o£Fered  for  sale  at  the  price  of  L.  1000. 4.  The  an- 
nouncement of  the  first'  arrival  of  dried  Brazilian  plants  from  Dr 
Gardner,  who  visited  South  America  to  collect  species  for  subscribe 
ersy  accompanied  by  a  long  letter,  which  cannot  fail  to  be  most  in- 
teresting to  them,  and  to  botanists  in  general.  He  was  about  to  start 
for  the  Organ  Mountains  at  the  date  of  his  dispatches,  and  an  ac- 
count of  the  expedition  and  his  degree  of  success  may  be  shortly 
expected. 


VOL.  II.  MO.  9. 


378  Annales  de*  Sdaweg  Naiurelks. 

Transactions  and  Pbriodicals. — Foreign. 

Annales det  Sciences  Naturelles.  Zoologies  MM.  Audouin  et  Milni- 
Edwards.  Botanique^  MM.  Ad.  BRONONiARTetGuiLLBMiH. 
Crochard  &  Co.    Paris,  Octobre,  Noyembrey  et  Deoembre  1896. 

I. — Zoology. 

The  October  Number  begins  with  a  continaation  of  Duobs'  in- 
teresting and  elaborate  Observations  sur  Us  Aran^ides^  which  are  tm 
apparently  brought  to  a  close.  The  other  papers  are, — Nats  p» 
des  animaux  qui  colorant  en  rouge  hs  marais  salans,  par  M.  Pativ. 
-— ^flvofiitfn  des  Crustaces  rapportis  de  la  saline  de  Mtmgwmt^ 

par  M  Audouin. Observations  pr^liminaires  sur  TexitteHa 

d^Infusoires  Jbssiles  et  sur  leur  profusion  dans  la  nature,  par  M. 

Ehrinbbro. Du  Foie  des  aninumx  sans  vertebres  en  ghdnd, 

0t  particuHerement  sur  celui  de  plusieurs  Cruetaces,  par  M.  Ditveb- 
voY.-^^-^Anafyse  des  trauvanx  pr4sent^  d  VAcad.  des  Se»  pendant 
le  mois  d'Oct,  1836:  yiz.  Notes  sur  queiques  ossemens  fossiles  de 

r Alsace  et  du  Jura^  par  Duveekoy. Experiences  sur  leUdri- 

cits  de  la  TorpiUe^  par  M.  Mattbucci. BxpMences  sur  la 

TcrpiUeypar  M.  Colladon. 

The  contents  of  the  Number  for  November  are — Observatmi 
Zoologiques  sur  Us  Pagures  et  description  d'un  nouoeau  genre  de  la 

tribudes  Paguriens,par  M.  Milnb-Edwards. QuelquesoUer- 

vations  d Helminthologie,  par  M.  Charlbs  Leblond. Enum* 

ration  de  queiques  especes  de  Reptiles  provenant  de  la  Barbarisf 

par  M.  P.  Gertais. Remarques  sur  Evaluation  de  la  Tswh 

perature  de  la  surface  du  GUbe  pendant  la  pMode  for/iatre,  dapres 
la  nature  des  debris  organiques  qui  sy  rapportent,  par  M.  £.  Ds 
Beaumont.— — Analyse  des  travaux  &c.  viz.  MM.  BLAiMYiLLset 

DuRAND  sur  un  ckameau  fossiU. Lettres  de  M.  Dujardin  nor 

Us  PolypierefossiUs  de  la  Craie, 

The  Number  for  December  is  enriched  with  MiIiNE-Edwarob' 
Observations  ear  Us  Polypiers  fossHes  du  genre  Eschars;  andi 
nodoe,  bj  the  same  eminent  person,  sur  un  nouveau  genre  de  Polj/' 
pier^JbssiUs  de  lafamilU  des  Eschariens  nommi  MSUciriie.   These 

papers  are  illnstnited  by  a  series  of  excellent  figures. CaraC' 

tires  du  genre  Plagiodonte  et  description  du  Plagiodontia  iEdia]D> 
par  M.  F.  Cuvibr.  One  of  the  Glires,  little  less  than  a  hare,  and 
nearly  allied  to  Capromys,  from  which  it  is  generically  distinguish- 
ed by  some  peculiarities  in  the  structure  of  its  teeth,  which  Cavier 
fully  details.  The  animals  are  called  in  Saint«Domingo  ^  Rat-Cayes/ 

3 


jhmaks  des  Sciences  Naturelles.  279 

wliich  signifiee  house-rats,  whence  the  specific  name :  they  do  in- 
deed approach  inhabited  places^  but  only  during  the  night,  for  they 
shun  the  light  of  day.  The  male  and  female  rarely  separate.  Their 
principal  food  consists  of  roots  and  fruity  and,  like  all  the  frugivo- 
rons  Olires,  they  are  very  good  for  the  table ;  and  the  Haitians,  who 
are  fond  of  dainties,  search  after  them  so  carefully  that  the  house- 
rat  has  now  become  very  rare.— -iVio^tce  sur  quelques  Parasites  et 
jproduits  organiques  du  Lombric  terrestre  pour  servir  d  sa  physio- 
logic,  par  M*  SvRinAY.^^^^^Additions  au  Memoire  de  M.  Duoes 
sur  Us  Arancides^'^^-^Analyse  des  travaux,  ^o,  pendant  k  mois  d^ 
Decembre:  viz.  Rapport  de  M.  Dumbril  sur  plusieurs  m^moires 
ooncemant  diverses  esp^ces  d'insectes  par  M,  Robineau  Dcsvoidt* 
—Rapport  sur  un  memoire  de  M.  Dsshayes  intitule.  Observa- 
tions g^n^rales  sur  le  genre  B61emnite,  par  M«  Db  Blajnyili^b. 
Des  Rapports  de  la  teratologie  avec  les  sciences  anatomiques 
et  soologiques,  par  M.  Isid.  Geoffroi  St  Hilairb.— ^Recherches 
sur  les  rapports  qui  existent  entre  les  propri^t^s  nutritives  de  di- 
verses substances  v#g^tales  et  la  proportion  d'azote  qui  entre  dans 
leur  composition,  par  M.  Boussinoault. Rapport  sur  un  me- 
moire de  M.  RoBiNEAu  Desvoijoy,  ayant  pour  titre, '  Sur  des  che-^ 
niUee  qui  ont  v^u  dans  les  intestins  de  I'homme,  qui  y  ont  subi  leur 
mne  et  qui  en  ont  6te  expuls6es  vivantes  par  I'estomac,  par  M.  Du- 

MBRIJU. ' 

II.—- ^otofiy. 
Octobre — Observatious  sur  la  propagation  des  Algues^  par  J. 
AoARDH, — ^the  son  of  the  celebrated  Swedish  algologist,  whose  fame 
he  promises  to  extend  and  increase.  The  following  are  the  inferences 
which  Agardh  deduces  from  the  observations  detailed  in  this  excel- 
lent essay: — 1°.  The  division  of  the  AlgsB  into  the  articulated  and 
inorticulated,  hitherto  adopted  in  all  classifications,  is  inapplicable  in 
the  present  state  of  our  knowledge  of  them,  and  destroys  the  most 
marked  affinities. — 2^.  If  it  is  wished  to  distribute  the  Algaa  into  two 
more  natural  groups,  the  following  may  be  substituted : 

a.  ZoosPERMEJB  (Nostochinea,  OseiUalorineiB,  Confirvea,  GmjvgaUi,  Ecto* 
earpecB,  Uhaceayet  Siphofneee.)  Materia  granuloia  interna uniuscujusque 
loculi  (cellulic,  articuli  vel  tubi)  frondem  consituentiB,  tandem  in  fructi- 
ficationem  abeunte ;  sporidiis  maturitate  motu  prsditia,  et  singulis  locu- 
lis  per  ponun  unicum  egredientibus,  demum  per  extentionem  eyoluds..*- 
Viiidescentes,  incoUe  prsecipue  aquae  dulcis,  marisque  minus  salsi  (in 
Bcrobieulis  sinubusque,  rarissime  in  aperto  vel  profundiori  man.) 

b.  PucorOEJE  (Ceromiete,  Fhridea,  auct  SphaeeBarUa,  et  Fucoidea,  Ag.) 
Fruetificatione  vel  receptaculis  propriis  inclusa  vel  soris  plus  minus  ez- 
teosis  frondi  immerris  collects,     Sporis  locomotivitate  destitutis,  ger- 


280  Annaki  des  Sciences  NatureUes. 

minatione  per  membranam  exteriorem  novos  utriciiloB  emitteatibus. — 
Roseie  et  olivacese,  omnes  thalassiopbytae,  il]«  maris  aperti  et  profimdi> 
oris  potissimum  incolae,  b«  sinubus  tnuiquillioribus  (apud  nos,  an  sem- 
per ?)  plenimque  privs. 

3°.  The  moYement  of  the  sponiles  is  not  limited  to  the  fresh-water 
Algae,  nor  is  it  common  to  all  Cryptophytes.  It  does  not  depend  on 
any  external  circamstanoes,  but  on  the  contrary,  is  intimately  con- 
nected with  the  vital  phenomena  of  all  the  beings  in  which  it  is  ob- 
served. It  is  not  the  expression  of  an  animal  life,  although  it  has 
the  appearance  of  this ;  and  we  ought  not  to  compare  it  with  the 
movements  observed  in  the  Diatomacese. — 4^.  Both  kind  of  oi^gans 
of  fructiiication  of  the  Florideae  are  capable  of  propagating  the  spe- 
cies, and  the  one- is  never  the  rudiment  or  the  young  state  of  the 
other. — 5°.  The  Algse  never  grow  from  the  reunion  of  several  seeds, 
but  each  seed  (seminule)  produces  its  own  individual. — 6®.  The 
theory  of  metamorphosis  of  modern  algologists  is  based  on  jGeu^  which 
ought  to  be  explained  otherwise  than  they  have  yet  been.     The 

transformations  of  one  species  into  another  are  illusory.^ Duriai 

iter  (uturicum  botanicumy  anno  1835  eusceptum^  auctore  J.  Gay. 
'^^-^  Synopsis  des  Gerandiies,  tribu  des  ScrophularinSes,  par  M. 
G.  Bbntham,  from  the  "  Companion  to  the  Botanical  Magazine." 
»~-~^Notice  sur  quelques  cryptogames  nouvelles,par  J.  Desma^iba- 

S8 OhservaUons  sur  les  Diatom^es,  par  M.  de  Brebissok.— ^ 

Note  de  M.  Turpin,  ajoutSe  awe  observations  de  M.  db  Brebissov. 
This  observer  has  discovered  that  the  shell  of  the  true  Dlatomacese 
is  composed  of  silex,  in  which  he  has  been  anticipated  by  Ehrenberg, 
but  his  experiments  are  nevertheless  very  valuable,  as  confirmative 
of  a  discovery  which  has  given  origin  to  some  curious  researches  on 

the  compositipn  and  formation  of  tripoli  and  similar  deposits. 

Description  de  TEuphrasia  Jaubertiana,  nouoelle  espece  du  sous* 
genre  Odontites; />ar  A.  Boreau. 

Novembre. Organographie    des    Cistac^,  par    Edouard 

Spach. Quelques  observations  relatives  aux  genres  SciUa  et  Ur^ 

ginech — deuop  genres  a  Stablir  dans  lafamille  des  Liliacees^  et  descrip- 

turn  diune  espece  nouvelle,  par  Ad.  Stbinheil. Sur  le  Lythnun 

altemifolium,  jtMir  M.  Boreau. Sur  lafacuUi  que  possedent  les 

plantes  d absorber  les  infusions  cohries  par  leurs  racinesypar  J.  G. 

Towers. Sur  la  faculii  d^ absorption  atti-ibu^e  aux  spongioles 

des  racines  par  M.  Knight. This  and  the  preceding  are  trans- 
lations from  the  Transactions  of  the  Horticultural  Society  of  London. 

Note  sur  deux  nouvelles  especes  du  genre  Spitzelia,  par  M.  C.  H. 

ScHULTZ Enumeration  des  plantes  decouvertes  par  les  vcya^ 


American  Journal  of  Sciences  and  Arts.  281 

geurSf  dans  les  lies  de  la  SociStSfprtncipalementdans'celle  de  Taitiy 
par  J.  B.  A.  Guillemin. 

Deoembre. — Notice  sur  les  Phntes  cryptogames  ricemment  d6» 
eouvertes  en  France,  contenani  aussi  Vindication  pricise  des  locali- 
iis  de  quelques  especes  les  plus  rares  de  la  Flore  Fran^aise,  par  C. 

MoNTAGNB. DuRiAEi  iter  Austuricum  Botanicum,  continued. 

Biasolettia  et  Kladnikia>  deux  nouveaux  genres  de  la  famille 

des  Ombelliferes,  par  le  Prof.  Koch.  A  translation  from  the  *  Flora.' 

Conspectus    Monographias    Cistacearum,    auctore   Eduaboo 

Spach. Rapport  fait  d  VAcadimie  des  Sciences  par  MM.  de 

MiRBEL>  DuTBocHET^  et  AuG.  PB  Saint-Hilaibb^  rapporteur, 
sur  un  Memoire  relatifd  la  structure  et  au  developpement  desorganes 
ghtSrateurs  d'une  espece  de  Marsilea  trouvSepar  M.  Espbit  Fabbb 
dans  les  environs  d'Agde. 

American  Journal  of  Sciences  and  Arts,  Conducted  by  Bbnjahin 
SiLLiMAN,  M.  D.,  LL.  D.  Vol.  xxxii.  No.  1 .  April  1837.  New- 
baven.    London  agent,  O.  Rich. 

The  April  number  of  this  long  established  and  important  Ameri- 
can periodical  has  just  reached  us^  commencing  the  present  year. 
The  following  is  a  condensed  abstract  of  its  zoological  and  botanical 
papers. 

I.  Zoology, 

On  the  CEconomical  uses  of  some  species  of  Testacea^  p.  53. 

History  of  the  Mytilus  Margaritiferus,  Linn.,  My  a  Margaritifera, 
Linn.^  and  Pinna  rotundata  ?  Linn.  These  historical  accounts  are 
compiled  from  various  sources,  to  which  references  are  given.  We 
may  remark,  however,  that  the  fishing,  if  such  it  may  be  called,  of  the 
second  species,  the  "  horse  muscle,"  is  much  more  general  in  the 
north  of  Scotland  than  the  author  supposes,  and  the  shell  much  more 
plentiful,  literally  paving  the  bottoms  of  some  of  the  streams.  In 
many  parts  they  are  gathered  into  large  heaps  and  either  rotted,  or 
the  pearl  immediately  extracted.  We  here  allude  to  what  is  pro- 
vincially  termed  the  '^  Horse  Muscle"  as  mentioned  by  the  author  of 
the  paper.  We  are  not  so  sure  that  it  is  the  M.  Margaritifera  of  Linn. 

This  paper  will  be  continued. Notice  of  the  Shad  and  Shad 

fisheries  of  the  river  Delaware,  by  Samuel  HoweLl,  M.  D.  Not  a 
scientific,  but  nevertheless  an  interesting  paper.  The  shad  (no 
scientific  name  for  the  fish  is  given)  enters  the  Delaware  for  the 
purpose  of  spawning  in  prodigious  numbers  about  the  middle  of 
March,  and  are  fished  in  various  ways,  but  chiefly  by  what  are  cal•^ 


282  American  Journal  of  Sciences  and  Arts. 

led  '*  Gilling-Seines/'  from  taking  the  fish  in  the  meshes  by  the  gills. 
The  river  continues  at  its  height  until  the  beginning  of  May^  and  the 
season  terminates  about  the  20th  June.  The  annual  amount  taken 
by  those  seines  and  drift  nets  is  calculated  at  about  one  million  fiye 
hundred  thousand^  worthy  at  the  usual  price>  about  one  hundred- 
thousand  dollars.  The  principal  market  is  Philadelphia. — We 
should  like  to  see  a  scientific  description  of  this  fish  with  a  little 
more  detail  given  to  his  habits  during  the  ascent  of  the  river.  We 
would  recommend  also  the  examination  of  the  liquid  contents  of  the 
stomachy  which  is  said  to  contain  nothing  solid,  with  a  high  magni- 
fying power. Description  of  a  new  Trilobite,  by  Jacob  Gbbski 

M.  D.,  p.  167.  Calymena  phlycteeinodes.  Green,  considered  analo- 
gous to  the  C.  variolaris  of  Dudley  in  England. 

IL  Botany, 

Account  of  an  excursion  to  mount  Katahdin,  in  Maine,  by  Phifies- 
sor  J.  W.  Bailet,  p.  20.  The  excursion  seems  to  have  been  un- 
dertaken rather  hurriedly,  and  the  time  at  the  disposal  of  the  party 
was  much  too  short.  The  country,  however,  was  wild  and  interest- 
ing, and  might  furnish  materials  for  a  valuable  paper,  were  the 
journey  undertaken  at  leisure,  and  the  members  of  the  expedition 
active  and  enterprising,  rigidly  examining  the  mountain  and  its  en« 

circling  cypress  swamps Remarks  on  the  natural  order  Cycadee, 

with  a  description  of  the  ovula  and  seeds  of  Cycas  revoluta.  Wild. 
by  A.  J.  DowMiKO,  p.  45.  A  lithographic  figure  accompanies  the 
paper.  The  remarks  chiefly  refer  to  the  impregnation  of  the  female 
flowers,  and  the  alliance  of  this  family  to  the  Conifers. 

There  are  several  mineralogical  and  meteorological  papers  in  this 
Number. 


[    283    ] 


INTELLIGENCE. 


ZOOLOGICAL. 

Irish  Harcy  (Lepus  HihemicuSy  Yarrell.)— Mr  Yarrell  was,  I  be- 
lieve, the  first  zoologist  who  observed  that  a  considerable  difference 
existed  in  the  external  character  of  the  Irish  and  common  hares. 
His  account  will  be  found  in  the  proceedings  of  the  Zoological  So- 
ciety for  July  23,  1833,  since  which  time  Mr  Bell,  in  his  History 
of  British  Quadrupeds,  has  described  both  of  them,  characteria- 
ing  the  Irish  hare  under  the  name  of  L.  Hibernicus.  I  am  not> 
however,  aware  that  any  observations  on  the  anatomical  distinc- 
tions of  the  two  species  have  been  made  public  With  a  view,  there- 
fore, of  filling  up  the  blank  to  a  certain  degree,  this  paper  is  written. 

On  placing  the  skeletons  of  the  two  species  in  juxtaposition,  the 
most  obvious  distinguishing  characters  are  the  greater  size  altogether 
of  the  skeleton,  the  greater  length  of  the  lateral  processes  of  the 
lumbar  vertebra,  the  superior  breadth  of  the  scapula,  the  greater 
breaidth  of  the  ribs,  the  greater  length  of  the  humerus  in  proportion 
to  that  of  the  ulna,  (which  is  scarcely  longer  than  in  the  common 
hare,)  together  with  the  much  larger  size  of  the  cranium  and  in- 
ferior maxillary  bones  in  the  Irish  hare.  These  differences  would 
probably  distinguish  it  as  a  species  distinct  from  the  ONnmou  hare, 
did  no  other  characters  exist. 

In  the  numbering  of  the  vertebrae  and  ribs  they  do  not  differ,  ex- 
cept as  to  the  caudal  ones,  which  in  the  Irish  hare  are  13,  and  in 
the  English  16 ;  the  sacral  in  both  are  4,  the  lumbar  7,  the  dorsal 
12,  and  cervical  7^  making  the  total  number  in  the  Irish  hare  43j 
and  in  the  common  hare  46. 

The  ribs  in  each  species  are  12.  The  males  of  both  species  are 
smaller  than  the  females  in  all  their  admeasurements.  The  intes- 
tinal canal  is  in  the  male  of  the  Irish  hare  nearly  two  feet  shorter 
than  in  the  female.  The  following  table  will  shew  the  relative 
measurements  in  the  female  of  each  species,  of  some  of  the  principal 
bones,  and  of  the  intestinal  canal. 


Length  of  the  intestinal  canal  firom  sto- 
mach to  anus. 

L.timidutyF, 
14ft.  Jin. 

18  ft.  6  in. 

Length  from  caecum  to  anus, 
of  cscum. 

3       6 
2       0 

4       1 
1       7 

284  Z(H)logy. 

Length  of  humerus, 

— —  femur, 
^— ^—  tibia. 


SAin. 

a^in. 

SA 

»A 

4A 

*A 

4* 

4iS 

8A 

8A 

>A 

lA 

lA 

lA 

T.  C.  Eyton 

Breadth  of  cranium, 
— scapula. 


Lutjanus  rupestris* — A  specimen  of  this  interesting  fish  has 
been  taken  on  the  coast  of  North  Wales. — T.  C.  Eyton. 

Clausula  Rolphii. — Specimens  of  this  interesting  British  shell 
have  been  forwarded  to  me  by  my  friend^  Mr  C.  Finch^  who  dis- 
covered it  in  the  old  habitat,  Charlton  Wood,  Kent,  last  May. — 
Daniel  Coopbr. 

Ehrenberg's  Infusoria, — In  making  a  recent  oommanication  to 
the  Academy  of  Sciences  respecting  the  double  nature  of  the  o^ns 
of  generation  in  the  infusoria,  M.  de  Humboldt  announced  thdt  the 
great  work  of  this  author,  on  that  singular  class  of  animals,  is  very 
nearly  completed,  and  will  be  published  in  a  short  time.  It  will 
contain  engrayings  of  492  of  the  polygastric  infusoria,  and  163  of 
the  rotifersB,  from  drawings  made  by  M.  Ehrenberg. 

Proposed  New  Work  on  American  SkuUs. — A  work,  to  be  entitled 
"  Crania  Americana ;  or  a  comparatiye  view  of  the  skulls  of  vari- 
ous aboriginal  nations  of  North  and  South  America,"  is  noticed  in 
the  last  number  of  Silliman's  Journal,  as  having  been  for  some  time 
contemplated  by  Dr  Samuel  Morton.  The  work  is  proposed  to  be 
of  a  folio  size,  and  to  contain  from  twenty -five  to  thirty  lithographic 
plates,  on  which  "  at  least  fifty  skulls  will  be  represented,  with  such 
national,  individual,  and  anatomical  illustrations,  as  can  be  obtained 
in  reference  to  each.  The  work  will  be  preceded  by  an  introduc- 
tion, embracing  a  general  view  of  the  five  great  races  of  men,  and 
followed  by  an  exposition  of  the  probable  origin  of  the  American 
tribes." 

Fossil  footsteps  in  Sandstone  and  Graywacke — Professor  Hitch- 
cock has  discovered  in  the  valley  of  the  Connecticut  River,  the  im- 
prints of  what  he  considers  fourteen  new  species.  Some  bear  so 
near  a  resemblance  to  the  feet  of  living  saurians,  that  they  have 
been  denominated  Sauriodichniies,     The  Professor  says,  "  I  have 


Botanical  285 

BO  certain  evidence  as  yet  that  any  of  these  impressions  were  made 
by  fbnr-footed  animals,  although,  in  respect  to  two  or  three  species, 
1  have  strong  suspicions  that  such  was  the  fact.  I  have  sometimes 
thought  they  might  have  been  made  by  pterodactyles;  yet  they 
have  in  general  fewer  toes  than  those  described  by  Cuvier  and  Buck- 
land.  Within  a  few  weeks  past  I  have  found  on  the  flag-stones,  in 
the  city  of  New  York,  some  marks,  which  I  suspect  were  made  by 
the  feet  of  a  didactylous  quadruped,  which,  like  the  Marsupialia, 
moved  by  leaps.  The  rock  is  slaty  graywacke,  from  the  banks  of 
the  Hudson,  between  Albany  and  the  Highlands*"  Drawings  of 
these  marks,  with  the  tracts  of  living  birds,  have  been  prepared,  and 
will  be  published  so  soon  as  the  localities  are  again  examined. — SU-- 
Uman's  Journal,  April  1837- 

BOTANICAL. 

Blytnau  Co9npressus, — I  was  not  aware,  until  informed  by  my 
friend,  the  Rev.  W.  Wood,  that  this  plant  had  been  found  in  the 
neighbourhood  of  London,  (not  having  seen  any  station  for  it.)  It 
is,  however,  most  plentiful  in  a  bog  at  Beddington  Park  gate,  near 
Carahalton,  Surrey. — Daniel  Coopbr. 

Botanical  SocyeTY  op  Edinburgh,  January  12th  1837- — 
Professor  Graham  in  the  Chair.  The  following  members  were 
elected :— Resident,  Mr  J.  H.  Branfoot,  Mr  R.  Wilbraham  Fal- 
coner, Mr  George  A.  Martin,  Mr  J.  W.  Mudge,  Mr  John  Percy, 
Mr  Thomas  R.  H.  Thomson,  Mr  Edward  Wells.  Non^Resident, 
The  Right  Hon.  The  Countess  of  Dalhousie,  Dalhousie  Castle ; 
Dr  AUman,  Dublin;  Mr  H.  Baber,  Trin.  Coll.  Cambridge ;  Dr 
Frederick- Farre,  London;  Professor  Henslow,  Cambridge;  Mr 
G.  Quekett.,  London ;  Mr  C.  A.  Stevens,  Trin.  Coll.  Cambridge. — 

Specimens  were  stated  by  the  Secretary  to  have  been  received* 
since  last  meeting  from  Dr  Alexander,  Dr  Macreight,  Mr  N.  B. 
Ward,  Mr  Baber,  Mr  Stevens,  Professor  Henslow,  Mr  Babington, 
Mr  Lloyd,  Mr  Mack,  Mr  Lindsay  Carnegie,  Dr  Walker  Amott, 
Br  Van  Rensselaer,  Mr  Veronge,  Mr  R.  W.  Falconer,  Mr  White, 
Mr  Christy,  Mr  Munby,  Dr  Graham,  Dr  M'Nab,  Mr  J.  M'Nab, 
Mr  Brand,  Mr  Stables,  Mr  Martin,  and  Dr  Pollexfen. — Donations 
to  the  library  were  announced  from  David  Steuart,  Esq.  and  C. 
C.  Babington,  Esq. 

Mr  Percy  read  an  account  of  an  excursion  to  the  "  Jardin  de  la 
Mer  de  Glace"  at  Chamouni,  which  was  made  in  July  last,  with 
the  view  of  exploring  the  botany  of  that  elevated  spot  in  the  Alps 


286  BotanieaL 

of  Savoy.  Mr  Percy  strongly  recommended  the  Breaon,  a  mono- 
tain  about  fifteen  miles  from  Geneva^  to  the  attention  of  botaniflts 
who  commence  their  excursions  in  Savoy,  as  it  not  only  presents  a 
great  variety  of  alpine  plants,  but  aflbrds  the  greatest  facilities  for 
obtaining  them.  The  ^*  Jardin"  was  described  as  consisting  of  a 
few  exposed  and  almost  naked  masses  of  rock,  occupying  only  a 
small  triangular  area,  which  is  bounded  by  the  "  Moraines"  of  the 
adjacent  glaciers ;  and  the  appellation  **  garden"  was  stated  to  be 
merely  applied  by  comparison  with  the  desert  around.  An  enume- 
ration was  given  of  33  Phsenogamous  and  6  Cryptogamous  species, 
which  were  collected  at  the  Jardin,  from  an  elevation  of  9000  feet 
above  the  level  of  the  sea. 

Mr  Campbell  read  a  letter  from  Mr  R.  Ball,  Dublin,  to  Sir  W. 
J.  Hooker,  mentioning  that  Erica  vagans  had  been  discovered  by 
Dr  Burkett,  on  an  islet  on  the  coast  of  Waterford,  near  Tramore 
in  Ireland. 

Dr  Barry  exhibited  specimens  of  the  plants  collected  by  him  in 
his  ascent  of  Mont  Blanc,  16-18th  September  1834.  A  list  of 
the  plants  collected  by  Dr  Barry,  so  far  as  named,  was  communi- 
cated by  him  ;  dividing  them  first,  into  those  from  below  the  snow 
line,  which  was  stated  to  be  in  that  Lat.  8000  feet  above  the  sea ; 
and,  second,  those  from  the  Grand  Mulet  rqpk,  about  9000  feet 
above  the  sea,  or  nearly  2000  feet  above  the  line  of  perpetual  snow. 

The  Curator,  Mr  J.  M'Nab,  exhibited  specimens  of  CincUdium 
siygiuniy  a  moss  new  to  Britain,  discovered  by  Mr  John  Nowel, 
of  Halifax,  on  a  moor  near  Maltham  Tarn,  in  Yorkshire ;  commu- 
nicated by  Mr  Leyland. 

Mr  M'Nab  also  read  a  communication,  giving  an  account  of  some 
remarkable  forms  of  Norway  spruce,  (Abies  communis^)  growing 
on  the  property  of  Whim,  in  the  county  of  Peebles* 

Feb.  9th. — Dr  Balfour  in  the  Chair.  The  following  membeis 
were  elected : — Resident,  jVIr  A.  Mack,  Mr.  Edward  R.  Roberts, 
Dr  Alexander  Van  Rensselaer,  Mr  Julius  Veronge,  Mr  Frank  Isa 
White. — Non-Resident,  Professor  Royle,  London. — Foreign,  Colonel 
Brown,  Thun,  Switzerland;  M.  Guthnick,  Berne,  Switzerland; 
Professor  Meisner,  Basle,  Switzerland. 

In  accordance  with  certain  resolutions  come  to  at  an  extraordinary 
meeting  of  the  Society  held  on  4th  inst.,  providing  for  the  election 
of  honorary  members,  and  fixing  the  number  of  these  at  six  British 
and  twenty-five  Foreign,  the  following  noblemen  and  gentlemen 
were  elected,  viz. — British,  His  Grace  the  Duke  of  Bedford,  Hif 
Grace  the  Duke  of  Devonshire,  Robert  Brown,  Aylmer  Bourke 


Botanical  287 

Lftmbert,  Nathaniel  Wallich. — Foreign,  Prof.  Agardh^  Lund ;  M. 
Bieberstein^  St.  Petenbnrgh ;  Prof.  Brongniart,  Paris ;  Prof.  Fries, 
Lund ;  Prof.  Homemann^  Copenhagen ;  Baron  de  Humboldt,  Ber- 
lin ;  Prof.  Koch,  Erlangen ;  Prof.  Ledebour,  Dorpat ;  Prof.  Link, 
Berlin  ;  Dr  Martins,  Munich ;  Prof.  De  Candolle,  Geneva ;  M.  De 
Lessert,  Paris;  Dr  Fischer,  St  Petersburgh;  Prof.  Mirbel,  Paris;  Prof. 
Nees  Von  Esenbeck,  Breslau ;  M.  Auguste  St  Hilaire,  Paris ;  Prof. 
Tenore,  Naples ;  Prof.  Torrey,  New  York  ;  Prof.  Treviranus,  Bonn. 

Specimens  were  stated  by  the  Secretary  to  have  been  received 
since  last  meeting,  from  the  Rev.  Mr  Gordon,  Dr  Walker  Arnott, 
Mr  Shuttleworth,  Professor  Meisner,  Mons.  Guthnick,  and  Colonel 
Brown.  Donations  to  the  library  were  presented  from  R.  J.  Shut- 
tleworth, Esq.  and  Professor  Meisner. 

Dr  Balfour  read  a  communication,  addressed  to  the  President  of 
the  Society,  from  the  Rev.  Gerard  Smith  of  Chichester,  accompany- 
ing specimens  of  I.ycopodium  pallescens,  and  explaining  the  proper- 
ty which  it  possesses,  in  common  with  several  other  species  of  the 
same  genus,  of  expansion  in  water,  and  of  recollapsing  when  dried, 
subsequent  to  immersion  ;  a  power  which  it  retains  for  many  years, 
if  not  too  long  exposed  to  moisture,  in  which  case  the  spikelets  rot, 
and  fall  off  upon  drying.  Specimens  were  exhibited  in  different 
states  ;  some  which  had  been  immersed  and  were  fully  expanded ; 
others  in  the  act  of  expansion ;  and  others  again,  in  the  dried  and 
collapsed  state. 

A  remarkable  variety  of  Lamium  purpureum,  from  Dr  Greville's 
herbarium,  was  exhibited,  which,  from  its  deeply  incised  leaves  and 
general  appearance,  approached  very  near  to  L.  incUum.  A  beautiful 
series  of  drawings  prepared  by  Dr  Greville  for  the  Algce  Britannicas 
were  also  laid  before  the  society,  and  attracted  much  interest. 

March  9th. — Professor  Ghraham  in  the  chair.  The  following 
members  were  elected :  Resident,  Mr  Henry  Mapleton,  Mr  William 
Walker.  Non^residentf  Mr  George  J.  Lyon,  Glasgow ;  Mr  James 
Stuart  Menteath,  yr.  of  Closebum ;  Dr  G.  A.  F.  Wilks,  London. 

Specimens  were  presented  from  Mr  M.  J.  F.  Sidney. 

Dr  Graham  read  a  letter  from  the  Countess  of  Dalhousie,  inti- 
mating her  intention  of  presenting  to  the  society  her  East  Indian 
Herbarium ;  and  at  the  same  time  exhibited  one  of  the  fEiscicnli  of 
this  most  valuable  coUecUon,  as  illustrative  of  the  admirable  manner 
in  which  the  specimens  had  been  prepared  and  preserved.  The 
thanks  of  the  society  were  unanimously  and  warmly  expressed  to 
Lady  Dalhousie  for  her  splendid  donation ;  and  the  proposal,  that 
her  Ladyship  should  be  elected  an  honorary  member,  having  met  with 
the  most  cordial  approbation,  it  was  carried  by  acclamation. 


288  Botanical 

Mr  Nicol  read  a  paper  on  the  microscopic  structure  of  the  wood  of 
various  species  of  RAaufnuj^  showing  that  in  various  instances  marked 
peculiarities  of  internal  structure  bore  reference  to  obvious  external 
characters.  The  species  examined  were  the  Rkamnus  catharticus,  Ay- 
bridus,  infectorius,  oUoides,  alpinus,  Alatemus,  IxUrfoUus  and  Fran- 
gula;  the  first  six  of  which  have  the  vessels^  as  seen  in  transverse  sec- 
tions, arranged  in  a  similar  and  very  peculiar  manner.  The  two  last, 
jR.  latifolius  and  Frangula,  present  a  structure  so  strikingly  different 
^om  that  of  the  other  species,  as  to  have  suggested  to  Mr  Nicol 
the  possibility  of  a  difference  in  the  botanical  characters,  the  farther 
investigation  of  which  he  said  it  was  not  for  him^  but  for  the  bo- 
tanist to  undertake. 

The  first  part  of  a  paper  by  Mr  Shuttleworth  was  read,  contain- 
ing an  account  of  a  Botanical  excursion  to  the  Alps  of  the  Valais 
in  Switzerland.  In  this  paper  Mr  Shuttleworth  gave  an  interesting 
account  of  an  unsuccessful  attempt  to  cross  the  Glacier  of  Taescb, 
where  he  was  compelled  to  remain  upon  the  ice  during  the  night, 
and  had  the  danger  of  his  return  greatly  increased  by  a  fall  of  snow. 
The  remainder  of  the  paper,  giving  an  enumeration  of  the  species 
collected,  with  observations  upon  them,  was  postponed  till  next 
meeting. 

April  13th — Dr  Balfour  in  the  chair.  Mr  Henry  Melville  and 
Mr  William  Richardson  were  elected  Resident  Members. 

The  remainder  of  the  Countess  of  Dalhousie's  East  Indian  Her- 
barium was  presented,  accompanied  by  a  letter  from  her  Ladyship 
to  the  President,  authorizing  the  arrangement  and  disposal  of  the 
specimens  in  whatever  manner  might  be  considered  most  useful,  and 
most  conducive  to  the  advancement  of  botanical  knowledge.  Se- 
veral donations  to  the  library  from  Dr  Walker  Amott  were  pre- 
sented.— The  thanks  of  the  Society  were  directed  to  be  given  to  Lady 
Dalhousie  and  Dr  Walker  Amott  for  their  respective  donations. 

An  abstract  of  the  second  part  of  Mr  Shuttle  worth's  paper  was 
read  by  Dr  Balfour.  This  portion  of  the  paper  contained  an  enu- 
meration of  430  species  of  plants  collected  by  Mr  Shuttleworth  in 
the  Canton  of  the  Valais,  with  occasional  remarks ;  and  of  these  Dr 
Balfour  had  selected  for  his  present  purpose  such  as  seemed  to  him 
more  immediately  interesting  to  the  British  botanist.  * 

Mr  Carpenter  made  some  remarks  on  the  different  forms  of  the 
organs  of  respiration  in  different  classes  of  plants,  and  at  different 
periods  of  their  growth.  After  pointing  out  the  analogy  in  ele- 
mentary structure  between  the  leaves  of  vegetables  and  the  pulmo- 

*  This  paper  will  be  found  in  the  Mag.  of  Zool.  and  Bot. — No.  vii.  et  seq. 


Muedlantaus.  289 

nuy  or  brandiial  apparatus  in  animals^  he  stated  that  the  cotyle- 
dons in  the  higher  plants  appeared  to  perform  all  the  functions  of 
tme  leaves,  and  to  he  analogous  to  the  temporary  gills  so  remarka- 
ble in  the  Batrachian  reptiles.  In  ferns^  the  frondose  expansion^ 
which  is  formed  by  additional  cells  produced  firom  the  original  spore, 
and  wliich  decays  when  the  gyrate  frond  is  evolved>  may  be  viewed 
as  similar  to  the  cotyledonary  body  in  phaenogamous  plants.  In 
other  cryptogamous  plants,  as  Marchantia  polymorpha,  this  primary 
firond  does  not  decay,  but  remains  permanent,  and  may  be  looked 
upon  as  a  persistent  cotyledon.  Mr  C.  then  went  on  to  show  that 
the  developement  of  the  offspring,  which  takes  place  during  the 
ripening  of  the  seed  in  phsnogamous  plants,  is  analogous  to  that 
which  in  the  cryptogamous  follows  the  germination  of  the  spore ; 
thus  fulfilling  a  law  which  appears  to  pervade  organized  nature, 
that  the  different  organs  of  the  higher  beings  in  the  progress  of 
their  evolution  pass  through  a  series  of  forms  analogous  to  their 
permanent  states  in  the  lower. 

Dr  Balfour  read  a  communication  regarding  several  species  of 
British  ferns,  in  which  he  particularly  alluded  to  the  observations 
recently  made  by  Mr  Don  in  the  Linnaean  Transactions.  Speci- 
mens of  all  the  species  and  varieties  of  the  ferns  alluded  to  were 
exhibited  by  Dr  Gilbert  M'Nab, — ^including  Aspidium  dumetorum, 
dUatatum,  irriguum,  ^c,  Cislopieris  dentata,  both  from  England  and 
Scotland,  also  C.  regia  and  alpina, 

Dr  Balfour  mentioned  having  found  Scahiosa  columbaria  last 
autumn,  in  considerable  abundance,  on  the  sea  shore  near  North 
Berwick. — W.  H.  Campbell,  Sec. 

UISCELLANEOUS. 

Blumenbach, — "  The  great  lion  of  this  university  (Goettingen)  is 
Blumenbach,  Professor  of  Natural  History,  by  whom  I  was  most 
graciously  received,  though  without  any  formal  iDtroduction  ;  yet  I 
have  heard  he  is  not  always  so  courteous.  He  speaks  English  fluent- 
ly,— ^in  fact,  he  is  the  only  professor  who  appeared  to  have  any  know- 
ledge of  the  language,  which  surprised  me  much,  considering  the 
intimate  connection  that  exists  between  Hanover  and  our  own  coun- 
try. The  venerable  Professor,  though  he  has  reached  his  eighty- 
second  year,  still  retains  all  his  faculties  perfect.  He  spoke  of  the 
kindness  of  George  III.  during  his  visit  to  England,  forty  years 
since,  at  which  period  he  also  went  to  Oxford.  One  of  his  apart- 
ments is  fitted  up  as  a  museum  ;  it  is  by  no  means  large,  but  con- 
tains rather  an  odd  medley  of  preparations,  and  a  numerous  collec- 
tion of  skulls  of  negro  tribes,  as  well  as  specimens  explanatory  of 


290  Miscellaneous. 

oomparatiye  anatomy.  He  called  my  attention  more  particularly  to 
a  tattooed  head  of  a  New  Zealand  Chief,  which  was  presented  to 
him  by  the  Duke  of  Northumberland^  and  on  which  he  appeared  to 
set  a  very  high  ralue. 

*'  Hi8  lecture  commences  every  day^  except  Saturday^  at  three ; 
his  class  did  not  exceed  forty.  He  stoops  considerably,  usually 
wore  a  shaggy  great  coat,  with  a  small  green  velvet  cap  on  his  head, 
his  hair  hanging  in  long  silvery  locks.  He  was  particularly  fond  of 
laughing  at  his  own  jokes  and  anecdotes^  which  he  mentioned  dur* 
ing  his  lecture,  sometimes  raising  his  voice  to  a  stentorian  pitch, 
whilst  at  others  it  could  scarcely  be  heard.  He  could  read  his  notes 
without  the  assistance  of  spectacles^  and  often  explained  his  subjeol 
in  terms  not  quite  adapted  to  *  ears  polite ;'  expressing  his  asto- 
nishment or  admiration  at  the  wonders  of  nature  in  no  measured 
language — making  use  of  a  phrase,  which,  though  of  very  unusual 
occurrence  among  us,  still  is  very  common  among  the  Germans, — 
that  of  "  Herr  Jesus ;"  which  is,  however,  only  an  expletive,  and 
occupies  the  place  of  man  dieu  of  the  French.  He  exemplified  his 
subject  with  preparations  either  dried  or  in  spirits,  as  well  as  by 
plates  or  drawings ;  some  of  which,  from  their  age  and  roughness, 
were  very  curious. 

'^  A  specimen  he  valued  much,  and  which  he  prized  above  all 
others,  was  the  foetus  of  a  bear  in  spirits,  which  is  very  rarely  seen  ; 
and  it  was  certainly  a  most  misshapen  object,  of  very  diminutive 
size ;  it  was  quite,  as  the  old  Professor  expressed  it,  an  '  nnlicked 
cub/  Another  rather  interesting  specimen  was  a  young  porcupine 
in  spirit,  before  the  quills  had  commenced  growing ;  in  which  he 
pointed  out,  on  the  outer  side  of  the  scapula,  the  two  mammae.  An 
ostrich  egg,  arrived  at  the  full  period  of  incubation,  was  also  curi- 
ous, where  the  young  bird  had  half-escaped  from  its  shell :  it  was 
of  large  size,  and  its  neck  of  very  considerable  length.  He  always 
appeared  particularly  delighted  in  mentioning  any  anecdotes  connect- 
ed with  occurrences  or  incidents  he  had  met  with  in  England  ;  thus 
he  used  to  speak  of  the  size  and  value  of  the  horses  employed  in 
the  breweries  of  London,  as  well  as  those  bred  for  the  turf,  or 
chase,  in  terms  which  no  doubt  excited  the  surprise,  and  perhaps, 
even  the  unbelief  of  many  of  his  hearers. 

**  On  the  subject  of  the  turtle,  he  gave  some  account  of  its  excel- 
lencies with  respect  to  the  table,  saying  that  when  he  was  in  Eng- 
land, he  had  seen  whole  courses  served  up  in  various  forms  and 
dishes,  adding,  at  the  same  time,  that  the  dessert  consisted  entirely 
of  turtle,  casting  an  apparently  longing  eye  on  the  shell  before  him, 
as  if  he  still  remembered  the  bygone  repast  J  i 


Miscellaneous.  291 

'*  On  the  subject  of  cocks,  he  gave  an  account  of  their  fighting  in 
England,  exhibiting  to  his  class  a  pair  of  steel  spurs,  as  used  by  them 
in  their  battles.  Of  the  flamingo*  he  had  never  seen  a  single  spe- 
cimen, though,  at  one  of  the  museums  at  Oxford,  he  was  shown  a 
dried  leg  and  foot. 

"  Blumenbach's  lectures  were  by  far  the  most  interesting  of  any 
I  attended  at  Gottingen*  He  exhibited  one  day  a  machine  for  hatch- 
ing eggs,  which  he  had  frequently  used,  and  which  only  required  the 
beat  of  a  spirit-lamp,  and  constant  attention  to  keep  all  in  order."*- 
Fiaior  in  Medical  Gazette,  April  15,  1837. 

British  Museum* — A  grant  of  L.  1575  has  been  voted  by  the 
House  of  Commons  to  enable  the  trustees  of  the  British  Museum 
to  purchase  the  collection  of  shells  belonging  to  W.  J.  Broderip, 
£sq.  offered  by  him  at  the  price  of  1500  guineas,  and  valued  by 
Messrs  Turner  and  Sowerby,  at  L.1640, 12s.  M.  Mr  Gray  says,— - 
*'  The  collection  consists  of  nearly  3000  specimens,  and  contains 
about  200  species,  or  very  distinct  varieties,  that  are  altogether 
wanting  in  the  already  extensive  collection  of  the  British  Museum : 
Such  is  the  beauty  of  the  specimens,  in  consequence  of  the  great 
attention  paid  by  Mr  Broderip  to  the  purchase  of  none  but  the 
finest  that  could  be  procured,  and  so  remarkable  are  the  deviations  in 
form  and  colouring  in  the  several  series  of  the  more  variable  species, 
that  nearly  every  individual  specimen  of  the  remaining  portion  will 
also  be  valuable  to  our  collection,  either  in  replacing  a  much  infe- 
rior specimen,  or  as  rendering  more  complete  the  series  which  we 
already  possess.  The  duplicates,  to  be  displaced  will  be  few,  and 
will,  for  the  reasons  above  given,  be  taken  in  every  instance  from 
our  present  collection,  and  not  from  among  the  specimens  in  the  new 
acquisition.  A  very  large  proportion  of  the  species  contained  in  this 
collection,  and  wanting  in  the  British  Museum,  are  among  the  rarest 
sliells  that  are  known  to  exist,  and  many  are  absolutely  unique."  f 

Wernerian  Society  Prize  Essay. — It  gives  us  much  pleasure  to 
announce  that  the  honorary  premium  of  Ten  Sovereigns,  or  a  piece 
of  plate  of  that  value,  offered  by  the  Wernerian  Society  of  £din- 
borgh,  £Dr  the  best  account  of  the  fishes  of  the  district  of  the  Forth, 
has  been  awarded  to  Dr  Richard  Parnell,  so  well  known  to  every 

*  The  Dodo  is  evidently  what  ^tor  should  have  written. 

t  Lord  Stanley  stated  in  bis  place  in  the  House  of  Commons  on  Friday  last. 
That  on  Easter  Monday,  in  the  course  of  eigbt  bours,  28,985,  and  on  Whit- 
Monday,  aO,000  persons  had  visited  the  British  Museum  without  doing  the 
slightest  mischief. 


292  Obituary. 

one  interested  in  British  Ichthyology  by  the  numerous  additions  he 
has  made>  within  these  two  years  past^  to  our  native  list. 

OBITUARY. 

Profbssor  Afzelius. — *'  Professor  Adam  Afzelius,  the  Nestor 
of  scientific  men  in  Sweden^  died  at  Upsal>  on  the  30th  of  last  Ja- 
nuary>  aged  eighty-six  years.  He  was  the  last  pupil  of  Linneus, 
and  was  celebrated  for  his  travels  in  Asia  and  Africa.  His  African 
Herbarium^  we  believe,  is  now  in  the  Banksian  collection  in  the 
British  Museum."  Aihenasum,  April  22, 1837 — His  name  is  com- 
memorated in  the  genus  Afzelia  of  Sir  J.  £.  Smith.  His  papers 
on  "  Three  species  of  Trifolium"  and  on  the  "  genus  Pausus"  in 
the  Linnsean  Transactions^  Vol.  i.  and  iv.^  have  been  pronounced,  by 
the  Rev.  Mr  Kirby,  to  be  '^  as  nearly  as  possible  a  perfect  example 
of  a  monograph ;"  and  are  worthy  the  careful  study  of  every  one 
who  engages  in  a  work  of  that  class.  Afzelius  is  among  those  "  re- 
spectable names"  mentioned  by  Dr  Withering  in  his  list  of  contri- 
butors to  the  third  edition  of  the  '^  Arrangement  of  British  Plants ;" 
he  "  looked  over,"  says  Withering,  "  great  part  of  the  Author's 
collection,  and  afforded  many  valuable  observations  concerning  the 
identity  of  several  Swedish  and  English  species."  At  this  time 
(1796)  Afzelius  was  Demonstrator  of  Botany  in  the  University  of 
Upsal.     He  is  the  author  of  the  following  botanical  works : 

1.  Oe  Vegetabilibus  Suecanis  observationes  et  experimental  resp. 
Wadsberg.  1  fasc.  in-4.  1785. 

2.  Genera  plantarum  Guineensium,  pars  prima.    4to.  1804. 

3.  De  Rosis  Suecanis  tentamen  primum.    1804.  4to« — Tentamen 
secundum.   1805. 

£.  Donovan,  Esq.  F.  L.  S — In  the  Gentleman's  Magazine  for 
July  there  is  a  record  of  this  naturalist's  death,  with,  we  believe,  a 
complete  list  of  his  writings.  He  died  February  1,  1837>  in  John- 
Street,  Kennington-road,  and  *'  has  left  a  large  family  in  destitute 
circumstances."  The  high  price  of  his  books  has  limited  their  sale, 
and  it  is  probable  that  few  of  them  covered  the  expense  of  their  pub- 
lication. The  principal  of  them  are  devoted  to  the  illustration  of 
British  Zoology  in  almost  every  class :  perhaps  the  best  and  most 
interesting  is  his '  History  of  British  Fishes,'  in  5  vols.  8vo,  which, 
however,  is  more  valuable  for  its  plates  than  the  letter-press ;  and 
this  indeed  may  be  said  of  all  his  works,  for  they  do  not  rank  high 
in  point  of  original  observation  or  extensive  literary  research. 
Foreigners  have  occasionally  ascribed  to  Donovan  the  discoveries  of 
Montagu. 

PRINTED  BY  JOHN  STARK,  OLD  ASSEMBLY  CLOSE,  EDIKBUaOH. 


MAGAZINE 


OF 


ZOOLOGY   AND   BOTANY. 


ORIGINAL  COMMUNICATIONS. 


I. — Historical  Notice  ofAntoine  Laurent  de  Jussieu.     By  M.  Ad. 
Brongniart.  * 

Thr  History  of  Science  shows  us  that  there  are  men  who  have 
been  occupied  during  their  whole  life  with  a  single  idea,  but  that^ 
an  idea  of  great  importance  and  iruitful  in  results — men  who  have 
exercised,  even  by  works  of  apparently  less  extent  than  those  of 
many  other  inquirers,  a  vital  influence  on  the  progress  of  science, 
because  the  works  which  they  produce  are  often  the  base  of  the  edi- 
fice which  their  contemporaries  and  successors  only  serve  to  complete. 

Such  may  be  said  to  be  the  case  with  the  individual  to  whose 
memory  the  following  pages  are  devoted  ;  an  individual  celebrated 
throughout  the  scientific  world,  and  venerated  by  every  one  who 
knew  him.  It  may  be  afiirmed  that  all  his  reputation  was  acquired 
by  the  publication  of  a  single  volume :  his  preceding  works  were 
only  a  prelude  to  this,  and  those  that  followed  merely  the  develope-' 
mentofit;  and,  notwithstanding  their  importance,  every  one  will 
acknowledge  that  they  were  not  necessary  to  add  to  the  fsune  of  the 
author  of  the  Getiera  Plantamm  secundum  ordines  naiurales  dispo- 
siia.  This  unique  volume  contains  the  most  profound  exposition 
of  the  whole  vegetable  kingdom,  and  is  as  remarkable  for  the  ex- 
cellence of  its  principles  as  the  perfection  of  its  details.  It  is  doubt- 
less sufficient  to  confer  on  its  author  the  high  reputation  which  he 

*  Translated  from  the  AnnaUs  des  Sctences  NaturtSUs^  Tom.  septi^me,  Jan« 
1837. 

VOI<.  II.  MO.  10.  u 


294  Historical  Notice  of 

enjoyedL  and  which  has  cantinaed  to  increase  in  proportion  as  his 
work  became  better  known  and  its  principles  more  fblly  understood, 
discussed^  and  applied^  whether  by  A.  L.  de  Jussieu  himself^  or  by 
those  botanists  who  have  followed  his  steps. 

What  more  convincing  proof  can  be  given  of  the  superiority  of 
the  principles  on  which  this  work  is  founded,  than  its  general  adop- 
tion by  all  th^  most  distinguished  botanists  of  Europe,  who  have  no 
doubt  sometimes  modified  it  and  brought  it  nearer  perfection,  bat 
who  have  all  assumed  Jussieu's  work  as  the  point  of  their  departure, 
and  most  of  them  may  even  be  said  to  have  deviated  but  little  from 
it? 

It  may,  however,  be  asked,  if  this  natural  method,  as  it  is  ex- 
plained in  the  admirable  work  alluded  to,  is  destined  to  a  lasting 
reign — if  it  is,  in  short,  the  method  most  accordant  with  nature — 
or  if,  like  so  many  other  systems,  it  is  likely  to  enjoy  but  a  limited 
duration,  and  be  replaced  by  some  other  method.  If  we  consult  only 
the  history  of  the  sciences,  and  in  particular  that  of  botany,  we  shall 
be  inclined  to  believe  that  the  predominance  of  the  Jussieuan  me- 
thod will  be  temporary,  like  those  of  Ray,  Tournefbrt,  Linn4,  &c 
and  that  it  will  be  superseded,  at  a  nearer  or  remote  period,  by  a 
method  more  adapted  to  the  progress  of  the  sciences. 

When  we  consider  only  the  systematic  portion  of  Jussieu's  work,  it 
may  be  perceived  that  important  changes  may  be  introduced  in  many 
parts  of  it ;  and  modifications  more  or  less  commendable  have  in 
fact  been  already  proposed  by  the  numerous  inquirers  who  have  de- 
voted themselves  to  this  branch  of  study.  But  does  their  modified 
method  owe  its  origin  to  the  rules  established  by  Bernard  and  An- 
toine  Laurent  de  Jussieu  ?  I  think  it  may  be  affirmed,  that  every 
system  which  may  hereafter  be  proposed,  will  be  founded  <m  the 
fundamental  principles  admitted  by  these  illustrious  philosophers, 
and  will  therefore  be  only  their  method  brought  to  perfection,  rather 
than  one  entirely  new. 

This  is  what  will  naturally  flow  from  the  examination  of  the  prin- 
ciples which  have  guided  these  celebrated  botanists  in  their  works, 
and  from  the  progress  made  in  this  branch  of  the  science  since  the 
publication  of  the  Genera.  But  let  us  examine  for  a  moment  the 
origin  of  this  method  ;  the  first  attempts  made  to  attain  to  some 
parts  of  it ;  and  in  what  state  this  branch  of  botany  was  placed, 
when  A.  L.  de  Jussieu  eflFectually  introduced  it  into  science. 

The  greater  part  of  classifications  preceding  that  of  Jussieu,  had 
for  their  object  the  distribution  of  vegetables  in  some  method  <alcu- 
lated  to  facilitate  their  determination,  rather  than  to  arrange  them 


Antoine  Laurent  de  Jussieu,  295 

in  natural  groups.  Some  eminent  botanists,  however,  had  not  fail- 
ed to  perceive  the  importance  of  characters  best  calculated  to  divide 
the  vegetable  kingdom  into  a  few  great  natural  classes.  Thus  Ray 
in  1682,  and  Boerhaave  in  1710,  had  recognized  the  importance  of 
the  characters  furnished  by  the  embryo,  and  adduced  the  distinction 
of  monocotyledones  and  dicotyledones,  although  they  often  made  an 
inaccurate  application  of  this  principle.  But  their  c]a88i6cation  in 
other  respects,  although  preserving,  like  all  other  systems,  a  consi- 
derable number  of  natural  groups,  is  too  systematic  to  avoid  the  in- 
troduction of  many  which  are  completely  artificial.  All  the  older 
methods^  besides,  admit  the  separation  into  trees  and  herbs,  which, 
for  the  most  part,  interrupts  all  natural  relations. 

Linn6,  who  so  greatly  advanced  the  progress  of  botany  by  the  pre- 
cision he  introduced  into  the  science,  by  the  simplicity  of  his  sexual 
system,  and  by  his  sagacious  researches  into  the  most  interesting 
j^enomena  of  vegetable  life,  is  pre-eminently  entitled,  from  the  en* 
thusiasm  of  his  numerous  disciples,  to  be  regarded  as  the  head  of  a 
systematic  school,  although  he  has  positively  declared  that  he  used 
every  effort  to  lay  the  foundation  of  a  natural  method.  Of  this  he 
has  presented  us  with  a  sketch  in  his  Classes  Plantarum  in  1738, 
and  a  new  edition  in  his  Phitosophia  Bolanica  in  17^0. 

He  always  esteemed  this  method  preferable  to  every  other, 
and  considered  it  as  the  essential  object  of  science ;  but  it  must  be 
admitted  that  if  he  was  the  first  in  attempting  to  indicate  some  frag- 
ments (as  he  himself  expresses  it)  of  the  natural  method,  these  frag- 
ments were  extremely  imperfect  in  many  respects ;  for  of  the  sixty- 
seven  groups  he  established,  only  the  half  nearly  correspond  to  such 
as  have  been  retained,  while  the  others  are  united  to  genera  pertain- 
ing to  very  different  families. 

Moreover,  Linne  has  neither  indicated  the  characters  of  these 
groups,  nor  pointed  out  the  principles  by  which  he  was  guided  in 
forming  them.  It  may  even  be  supposed  that  he  has  allowed  him- 
self to  be  directed  rather  by  the  natural  perception  of  afiinities  which 
a  botanist  of  such  discrimination  necessarily  possessed,  than  by  a 
profound  and  comparative  study  of  the  organization  of  the  different 
genera  associated  in  each  of  his  groups.  It  is  easily  perceived  that 
he  was  guided  by  no  fixed  principle  in  the  formation  of  his  different 
natural  orders,  for  in  some  of  them,  the  Sarmeniacece,  for  example, 
the  dicotyledones  and  monocotyledones  are  mingled  almost  in  equal 
numbers ;  while  in  other  instances,  this  is  the  case  with  the  mono- 
petales  and  the  polypetales,  as  in  his  DumosiJB  and  Veprecuke. 
To  Linn6  succeeded  Adanson  and  Bernard  de  Jussien,  who  de« 


296  Historical  Notice  of 

voted  tUemselves  to  the  study  of  the  natural  method  nearly  at  the 
eame  period. 

Adanson  was  struck  with  the  diversity  of  the  systems  hitherto 
established^  and  perceived  that^  notwithstanding  the  different  prin- 
ciples on  which  they  rested^  the  greater  part  agreed  in  preserving 
untouched  certain  groups  which  the  intuitive  perception  of  natural 
affinities  led  every  one  to  recognize  as  natural  groups.     He  there- 
fore conceived,  that^  by  purposely  multiplying  systems,  and  founding 
them  on  all  the  organs^  and  on  every  consideration  which  these  or- 
gans could  supply,  the  different  relations  existing  between  different 
vegetables  would  be  thus  rendered  apparent ;  and  that  by  bringing 
together  into  one  family  such  of  these  genera^  as  were  found  to  cor- 
respond in  the  greatest  number  of  particulars  in  these  artificial  sys- 
tems, we  should  attain  to  a  true  natural  classification.     Proceeding 
on  this  principle,  he  established  sixty-five  different  systems,  founded 
sometimes  on  characters  of  importance,  at  other  times  on  characters 
of  little  value,  and  almost  impossible  to  define.     The  result  of  this 
was,  that  by  assigning  nearly  an  equal  value  to  these  different  sys- 
tems, the  general  classification  he  deduced  from  them,  instead  of 
being  more  perfect  than  that  of  Linne,  interrupted  the  natural  affi- 
nities  even  more  frequently.     In  fact,  if  we  apply  to  them,  in  order 
to  form  a  cbmparative  estimate  of  the  two  methods,  the  principle 
admitted  by  Adanson  himself  in  judging  of  the  systems  antecedent 
to  his — that  is  to  say,  if  we  examine  how  many  of  these  groups  there 
are,  which,  notwithstanding  the  progress  the  study  of  natural  families 
has  made,  continue  to  be  admitted  or  correspondent  to  two  or  three 
families  which  our  methods  still  permit  to  stand  by  the  side  of  each 
other,-— we  will  find  that^  of  the  sixty-seven  Linnean  families,  thir- 
ty-four have  undergone  scarcely  any  alteration,  while  of  the  fifty- 
eight  families  of  Adanson,  twenty-six  only  have  been  able  to  xinth- 
stand  the  same  proof.   Thus  the  tedious  and  laborious  investigations 
of  Adanson,  at  a  period,  too,  when  the  science  had  made  a  great 
advance,  led  him  to  a  result  which  is  no  nearer  approximation  to  the 
truth  than  that  of  Linn  . 

It  may  only  be  remarked  that  Linne,  aware  of  the  imperfect 
knowledge  which  could  be  obtained  in  his  time  respecting  the  na- 
tural classification  of  plants,  had  appended  to  his  method,  under  the 
title  of  vagcB  et  etiamnum  incerice  sedis,  a  considerable  series  of 
genera  either  little  known,  or  whose  position  appeared  to  him  doubt- 
ful ;  while  Adanson,  in  the  belief  that  his  method  was  infisdlible, 
attempted  to  classify  them  all,  and  this  pretension  to  outstrip  the 
knowledge  of  his  time  was  perhaps  the  cause  of  many  of  the  impro- 


Antonie  Laurent  de  Jumeiu  297 

per  alliances  he  has  been  led  to  form.  It  would  be  unjust,  at  the 
same  time^  not  to  acknowledge  that  there  is  to  be  founds  in  many 
parts  of  his  work,  the  indication  of  affinities  previously  overlookedi 
and  which  he  very  happily  perceived. 

While  Adanson  was  engaged  in  these  complicated  labours  to  ar- 
rive at  the  natural  method,  Bernard  de  Jussieu,  examining  nature  . 
with  a  sagacity  which  may  be  judged  of  from  the  few  memoirs  he 
has  published,  established  the  principles  of  this  method,  not  in  a 
book,  but  by  nature  itself,  namely,  in  a  series  of  plants  in  the  garden 
of  Trianon,  or  in  a  still  more  perspicuous  manner,  in  the  catalogues 
used  in  the  formation  of  that  garden ;  for  the  manuscript  lists  he 
has  left,  the  most  complete  of  which  has  been  published  at  the  head 
of  the  Genera  of  Antoine  Laurent  de  Jussieu,  indicate  the  position 
of  many  genera,  which  at  that  period  were  not  cultivated  in  gar- 
dens. 

It  is  sufficient  to  compare  this  simple  list  with  the  attempts  at  a 
natural  method  by  Linn^  and  Adanson,  to  see  how  much  it  is  supe- 
rior to  both,  and  what  a  profound  knowledge  and  sagacity  it  im- 
plies in  this  learned  botanist,  whom  Linne  was  pleased  to  designate 
as  one  of  the  masters  of  the  science.  As  a  proof  of  this,  upwards 
of  two-thirds  of  the  groups  established  by  Bernard  de  Jussieu  have 
remained  untouched,  notwithstanding  the  progress  of  botany,  or 
have  only  been  subdivided,  without  these  subdivisions  being  dis- 
joined from  each  other.  The  examination  of  the  genera  united  in 
each  of  these  families,  as  well  as  the  series  which  he  has  establish- 
ed, shows  that  Bernard  de  Jussieu  had  assumed  as  a  character  of 
the  first  order,  presenting  no  real  exception,  the  structure  of  the 
embryos,  acotyledon,  monocotyledon  and  dicotyledon ;  for  it  is  evi- 
dent that  the  few  instances  where  be  has  included  in  the  same  ia- 
miJy,  plants  differing  in  this  particular,  result  from  the  still  imper- 
fe<:t  knowledge  which  we  possess  of  the  nature  and  structure  of 
frnits. 

It  may  be  seen,  in  like  manner,  that  he  had  appreciated  the  im- 
portance of  the  characters  furnished  by  the  relative  insertion  of  the 
different  parts  of  the  flower,  and  that  he  had  even  made  this  the 
subject  of  a  careful  examination,  for  he  has  very  rarely  united  in 
the  same  family  plants  presenting  any  notable  differences  in  this 
respect ;  and  the  order  of  these  families,  as  well  among  the  mono- 
cotyledones  as  among  the  dicotyledones,  is  founded  on  the  insertion 
of  the  stamina,  or  of  the  corolla,  on  the  pistil,  the  calyx,  or  the  re- 
ceptacle. 

Although  Bernard  de  Jussieu,  therefore,  has  not  ma^e  us  ao- 


298  Historical  Notice  of 

quainted  with  the  rules  which  directed  him  in  his  researches  after 
the  natural  method^  it  cannot  be  doubted  that  he  acted  on  two  prin- 
ciples of  this  method  which  are  still  admitted  as  the  most  essential 
and  least  liable  to  exception,  namelj,  that  the  differences  in  the 
structure  of  the  embryo  furnish  characters  of  the  first  order,  and 
the  different  modes  in  which  the  parts  of  the  flower  are  inserted^ 
supply  characters  of  the  second  order.  But  when  we  examine  the  va- 
rious catalogues  which  preceded  the  planting  of  the  garden  at  Tri- 
anon, we  perceive  that  it  was  not  by  one  trial  that  he  arrived  at  thui 
result,  and  that  he  successively  brought  to  perfection  both  the  group- 
ing of  genera  into  families,  and  the  distribution  of  these  families. 

Such  was  the  state  of  botany,  viewed  in  relation  to  the  natural 
method,  when  Antoine  Laurent  de  Jussieu,  who  was  born  at  Lyons 
in  1748,  came  to  Paris  in  17^>  to  complete  his  medical  and  scienti- 
fic studies,  under  the  direction  of  his  uncle,  Bernard  de  Jussieu* 
The  first  years  of  his  abode  in  this  city  were  entirely  devoted  to 
these  studies,  and  he  terminated  them  in  1770,  by  a  thesis  for  the 
degree  of  doctor  in  medicine.  The  subject  of  this  thesis,  and  the 
mode  in  which  it  is  handled,  show  the  direction  already  given  to 
his  studies,  and  the  philosophical  spirit  which  animated  him  at  first 
entering  upon  his  scientific  career.  That  subject  was.  An  econo* 
miam  animaUm  inter  et  vegetalem  analogia  ?  and  it  is,  in  fact,  a 
concise,  elegant,  and  perspicuous  exposition  of  what  was  positively 
known  at  that  period  respecting  the  structure  and  functions  of  ve- 
getables, and  a  comparison  of  them  with  the  phenomena  of  animal 
life.  The  manner  in  which  this  question  is  treated  was  evidently 
a  brilliant  outset  for  a  young  man  of  twenty-two ;  and  when  Le- 
monnier,  then  professor  of  botany,  became  unable  to  attend  at  the  Roy- 
al garden,  in  consequence  of  the  duties  entailed  on  him  by  his  situa- 
tion as  first  Physician  to  the  King,  Bernard  de  Jussieu  propoaed 
his  nephew  as  his  substitute,  which  was  agreed  to.  Antoine- 
Lanrent  de  Jussieu  then  devoted  himself,  with  renewed  ardour,  to 
the  study  of  that  branch  of  science  which  he  was  thus  called  upon 
to  teach. 

The  memoir  on  the  family  Ranunculi,  which  he  read  to  the  Aca- 
demy of  Sciences  in  1773)  proves  how  speedily  he  had  turned  his 
studies  to  some  account,  and  how  thoroughly  his  mind  was  imba- 
ed  with  the  excellent  principles,  which,  as  above-mentioned,  had 
evidently  directed  Bernard  de  Jussieu  in  his  attempts  at  natural 
classification. 

In  this  memoir,  which  procured  for  its  author  admission  into  the 
Academy  of  Sciences,  and  in  a  second  memoir,  presented  the  follow- 


Antoine  Laurent  de  Jussieu.  299 

11^  year,  on  the  new  arrangement  of  plants  in  the  royal  garden  at 
Paris,  we  find>  for  the  first  time,  the  fundamental  principles  of  the 
natnral  method  explained  with  perspicuity  and  precision.  We  there 
find  a  just  appreciation  of  the  grand  principles  of  subordination  of 
characters,  and  their  unequal  value ;  a  principle  unknown  to  Linn6 
and  Adanson,  evidently  recognized  by  Bernard  de  Jussieu,  but  of 
which  Laurent  de  Jussieu  was  the  first  to  perceive  the  full  import- 
ance, and  he  afterwards  applied  it  with  singular  judgment. 

Thus,  in  the  first  of  the  above-mentioned  memoirs,  we  find  this 
passage: 

**  We  have  seen,  by  some  general  principles  developed  in  this 
memoir,  the  affinity  which  exists  between  the  parts  of  fractifica-i 
lion ;  in  this  affinity  dififerent  degrees  are  perceptible :  all  these 
characters  have  not  the  same  value,  or  the  same  efficacy  in  uniting 
or  separating  plants.  Some  are  primitive,  essential,  and  invariable, 
such  as  the  number  of  the  lobes  of  the  embryo,  its  situation  in  the 
grain,  the  position  of  the  calyx  and  of  the  pistil,  the  attachment  of 
the  corolla  and  stamens;  these  serve  for  the  principal  divisions. 
The  others  are  secondary ;  they  are  sometimes  variable,  but  never  be- 
come essential^  nnless  when  their  existence  is  connected  with  that  of 
some  of  the  preceding,  and  it  is  their  assemblage  which  distinguishes 
the  families" 

Such,  then^  from  the  date  of  1773»  were  the  fundamental  prin- 
dples  by  which  Antoine-Iiaurent  de  Jussieu  was  guided  in  drawing 
up  the  Genera  Plantamm.  They  are  expressed  with  much  preci- 
doo ;  and  if  he  sometimes  deviates  from  them,  it  may  be  perceiv* 
ed  that  he  does  so  as  a  concession  to  facility  of  study,  or  to  the  old 
systems,  rather  than  from  real  conviction.  Thus  in  the  memoir 
read  in  177^  on  the  new  arrangement  in  the  Garden  of  Plants,  he 
has  evidently  departed  from  the  rigorous  principle  of  the  insertions, 
as  Bernard  de  Jussieu  had  admitted  them  in  the  catalogues  of  Tri- 
anon, by  dividing  the  dicotyledones  into  apetales,  monopetales,  and 
polypetales ;  but  we  have  only  to  read  his  memoir  to  perceive,  that 
his  only  object  was  to  multiply  the  great  classes,  and  to  establish 
some  relations  between  the  new  order  and  the  method  of  Toume* 
fort  which  it  replaced,  and  which  was  generally  known,  not  only  to 
the  pupils,  but  to  the  majority  of  the  botanists  of  that  era.  We 
most  not  therefore  loae  sight  of  the  origin  of  this  part  of  Jussieu's 
dacsification  when  we  wish  to  appreciate  the  method  followed  in 
the  Genera  Plantarum,  which  does  not  sensibly  differ  from  it. 

From  this  period  up  to  17^>  Antoine-Laurent  de  Jussieu  always 
arranged  the  plants  in  the  botanic  garden  according  to  this  method. 


aOO  Historical  Notice  of 

The  lists  used  in  bis  demonstrations,  worn  out  by  use,  often  renew- 
ed, covered  with  notes  and  additions,  and  at  last  presenting  not 
only  tbe  list  of  the  genera  and  species  cultivated,  but  the  characters 
of  the  families  and  most  frequently  those  of  the  genera  concisely 
and  perspicuously  indicated, — all  shew  that  these  eleven  yearn 
were  diligently  employed  in  bringing  his  natural  method  nearer 
perfection.  From  the  year  1770,  Bernard  de  Jussieu,  now  71 
years  of  age,  ceased  entirely  to  take  any  charge  of  the  garden,  which 
he  wholly  entrusted  to  his  nephew  ;  his  health,  and  particularly  his 
sight,  became  feeble,  and  in  1 777^  af^r  having  experienced  several 
attacks  of  apoplexy,  he  finished  his  long  career— -a  career  which 
had  in  reality  so  much  influence  on  the  progress  of  botany,  although 
in  appearance  it  had  been  productive  of  little. 

A  comparison  of  dates  will  suffice  to  show  what  portions  of  the 
natural  method,  as  explained  in  the  Genera  Plantarum  of  \^W» 
are  due  to  Bernard  de  Jussieu,  and  what  to  his  nephew.  The  ar- 
rangement at  Trianon,  formed  in  17*^9,  proves  that  the  classification 
of  the  families  according  to  the  cotyledons  and  the  insertion  of  the 
stamens,  is  due  to  Bernard  de  Jussieu ;  Antoine-Laurent  de  Jussieu, 
while  studying  this  series,  and  receiving  his  early  botanical  educa- 
tion from  his  uncle,  probably  drew  up  the  first  principles  of  the 
science;  but  every  thing  proves  that  the  influence  of  Bernard  de 
Jussieu  on  the  works  of  his  nephew  is  limited  to  this. 

In  fact,  Bernard  de  Jussieu's  three  note-books  relative  to  the  order 
of  the  garden  at  Trianon,  contain  not  a  single  character  either  of 
the  classes,  families,  or  genera ;  there  is  not  even  an  indication  of 
any  of  the  classes  except  those  of  the  Monoootyledones  and  Dioo- 
tyledones.  In  his  notes  on  the  cards  we  find  some  generic  charac- 
ters accompanied  with  sketches  of  the  section  of  the  seed ;  but  these 
cards,  carefully  preserved  by  his  family,  are  fiar  from  numerous. 

This  method  of  description  on  cards  {carles)  was  followed  by  his 
nephew ;  they  are  frequently  dated,  and  amount  to  a  great  number 
in  1774. 

Finally,  the  oldest  notes  used  in  his  demonstrations  by  Antoine- 
Laurent,  bear  the  characters  of  the  families,  which  are  not  found  in 
any  of  those  belonging  to  Bernard. 

Thus  the  first  principles  of  the  classification  are  due  to  Bernard 
de  Jussieu,  but  the  profound  and  sagacious  application  of  these 
principles  and  the  true  institution  of  the  natural  families  are  to  be 
ascribed  to  Laurent. 

In  1785,  Desfontaines  succeeded  Lemonnier,  and  A.  L.  de  Jos- 
Bieu  discontinued  his  demonstrations  as  the  substitute  of  the  latter. 


Antoine  Laurent  de  Jussieu.  301 

He  immediately  oommenoed  to  draw  up  his  Genera  Planiarum  se^ 
cundum  ordines  naturales  disposita,  which  was  nothing  else  than  the 
deyelopement  of  the  writings  used  in  his  demonstrations,  and  which 
he  had  heen  hringing  to  perfection  from  the  year  1774-  The  mate- 
rials prepared  for  the  work,  may,  in  foct,  he  seen  in  a  catalogue  of 
genera,  to  which  is  added  a  list  of  all  the  new  genera  indicated  in 
recent  works,  and  which  were  to  he  arranged  in  their  proper  order 
in  the  Genera  when  completed. 

The  four  years  that  intervened  between  1785  and  1789  were 
thus  employed  in  digesting  the  materials  which  were  to  enter  into 
the  composition  of  the  Genera,  and  in  the  actual  completion  and 
printing  of  the  work.  The  printing  went  on  as  the  author  drew  it 
up,  and  yet  the  successive  and  definitive  completion  of  the  different 
parts  led  to  no  important  error,  so  carefully  had  the  general  plan 
and  the  series  of  the  genera  been  previously  elaborated. 

The  fifty  years  which  have  now  nearly  elapsed  since  the  publica- 
tion of  this  work,  and  the  numerous  investigations  of  the  natural 
method  which  have  taken  place  since  that  period,  allow  us  to  regard 
the  opinion  of  the  learned  world  regarding  it  as  the  opinion  of  pos- 
terity, and  this  opinion  is  so  general  and  so  unanimous  in  its  favour, 
that  it  would  be  fruitless  to  insist  here  upon  its  merit  and  import- 
ance. However,  without  presuming  to  form  a  judgment  on  what  has 
been  already  determined  by  the  most  distinguished  botanists  of  all 
countries,  we  may  be  permitted  to  inquire,  to  what  kind  of  merit  the 
Getiera  of  Antoine  Laurent  de  Jussieu  owes  the  influence  it  has  ex- 
ercised, not  only  on  the  progress  of  botany,  but  likewise  on  that  of 
every  other  branch  of  natural  history. 

Up  to  the  time  of  the  publication  of  the  Genera  Planiarum,  it 
may  be  said  that  the  natural  method  had  not  entered  the  field  of 
public  inquiry.  The  series  of  Linn6  and  Bernard  de  Jussieu,  Y&rj 
incomplete,  and  merely  nominal,  had  no  other  effect  than  suggesting 
some  speculative  reflections  tx>  men  who  were  in  a  condition  to  guess 
at  their  principles.  The  work  of  Adanson,  destitute  of  general 
principles,  and  destroying  natural  affinities  in  the  majority  of  cases, 
was  presented  besides  in  a  form  which  necessarily  rendered  it  diffi- 
cult to  consult,  and  afforded  no  opportunity  for  the  author  to  ex- 
plain the  reasons  which  led  him  to  form  such  and  such  relations. 
Thus  from  the  date  of  Xl^,  the  time  when  Adanson's  Families  of 
Plants  were  published,  up  to  1789 — a  period  of  twenty-six  years — 
the  natural  method  had  made  no  progress  in  the  learned  world. 
Neither  in  France  nor  in  any  other  country  had  it  acquired  new  fol- 

8 


a02  Historical  Notice  of 

lowers ;  merely  a  passing  glimpse  had  been  obtained  of  it ;  its  nature 
was  not  yet  demonstrated. 

The  Genera  of  1789  had>  on  the  contrary^  a  speedy  influence  on 
the  direction  of  botanical  studies.  This  influence  was  not  indeed 
immediate^  for  the  public  attention  was  then  turned  to  events  of 
high  importance  altogether  foreign  to  science.  But  at  the  end  of 
a  few  years  the  work  had  come  almost  into  general  use  throughout 
France  in  public  teaching,  not  only  in  the  instructions  of  the  fiusol- 
ties  and  the  Garden  of  Plants  at  Paris,  but  also  in  the  migority  of 
the  central  schools,  those  foci  of  general  and  varied  instruction  which 
were  too  speedily  destroyed. 

Of  the  botanical  works  in  ordinary  use,  the  Flore  Frangaiae  of 
Lamarck  and  of  Decandolle,  as  well  as  many  local  floras,  were  ar- 
ranged according  to  this  method,  and  made  it  more  generally  known ; 
and  scarcely  twenty  years  had  elapsed,  when  an  eminent  botanist 
declared  himself  one  of  its  most  deyoted  champions,  and  contributed 
materially  to  bring  it  to  perfection.  Since  that  time  it  has  spread 
over  Europe,  and  it  may  be  even  said  the  whole  world.  Its  supe- 
riority over  artificial  methods  is  generally  acknowledged,  and  the 
latter  are  now  admitted  only  in  their  proper  character,  namely,  as 
more  or  less  convenient  keys  for  opening  a  way  to  the  nomenclature 
of  vegetables. 

We  may  add,  with  Cuvier,  that  the  influence  of  the  Genera  Plan* 
iarum  is  not  confined  to  botany.  Every  branch  of  natural  history, 
and  zoology  in  particular,  have  derived  benefit  from  the  principles 
which  guided  Jussieu,  and  which  he  has  so  well  explained  in  his 
admirable  introduction ;  and  we  are  inclined  to  think  that  Covier, 
in  expressing  this  opinion,  founded  it  on  his  own  experience,  and 
that  the  principles  alluded  to  regulated  him  in  the  changes  he  in- 
troduced into  the  xoological  system.  To  exercise  in  a  gradual  and 
durable  manner  so  positive  and  generally  acknowledged  an  influence 
on  the  progress  of  science,  a  work  must  necessarily  unite  two  diflTerent 
kinds  of  merit ;  general  ideas  of  a  varied,  important,  and  novel  cha- 
racter, and  as  perfect  an  application  as  possible  of  these  principles 
in  all  their  details.  These,  in  fact,  are  the  qualities  we  find  united 
in  the  Genera  of  Antoine-Laurent  de  Jussieu.  The  introduction, 
written  in  the  most  perspicuous  and  elegant  Latin  ever  employed 
on  scientific  subjects,  presents  an  exposition  not  only  of  the  fun- 
damental principles  of  the  natural  method,  but  as  perfect  a  view 
of  the  structure  of  vegetables  as  the  existing  state  of  botany  per- 
mitted. 

The  characters  of  the  classes  and  families  afibrd  an  opportunity 


Jntoine  Laurent  de  Jumeu.  303 

for  applying  and  developing  these  principles ;  and  the  exactness, 
perspicuity,  and  precision  of  these  characters,  particularly  such  aa 
apply  to  the  feiniilies,  still  authorize  us,  if  we  keep  in  mind  the  pe- 
riod when  they  were  framed,  to  consider  them  as  models  which  few 
authors  have  equalled,  and  none  surpassed* 

Finally,  the  notes  appended  to  the  greater  part  of  these  femiliea 
form,  perhap,  that  portion  of  the  work  which  most  evinces  the 
judgment  and  extensive  knowledge  of  the  author. 

It  was  in  them  that  he  often  corrected  the  artificial  tendency 
wliich  a  linear  series  always  assumes,  that  he  pointed  out  the  mul« 
tiplied  relations  of  families  to  each  other,  and  that  he  indicated  the 
doubts  left  upon  his  mind  by  imperfect  observations  which  he  had 
been  unable  to  verify,  or  which  led  to  the  presentiment  of  remote 
affinities,  a  foresight  whicli  greatly  outstripped,  so  to  speak,  the 
actual  state  of  the  science.  Many  of  the  improvements  subsequent- 
1 J  introduced  into  the  natural  method,  are  in  reality,  foreseen  or  in* 
dicated  either  in  these  notes,  or  in  the  sectional  divisions  of  the  fa- 
niilies,  w  by  a  word  placed  at  the  end  of  the  generic  character. 

This  last  part  of  the  work,  the  characters  of  the  genera,  consi- 
dered by  some  superficial  authors  as  a  simple  compilation,  is  not  in 
our  estimation,  the  least  remarkable  feature  of  it.  Certainly  the 
TRTork  would  have  presented,  after  the  characters  and  notes  on  the 
families,  a  list  of  the  genera  comprised  in  each  of  these  families,  as 
eTery  one  has  since  done  who  has  followed  in  the  same  track,  and 
this  of  itself  would  have  rendered  an  immense  service  to  the  science, 
and  sufficed  to  elucidate  the  natural  method.  Yet,  without  gene* 
ric  characters,  a  table  of  the  families  would  have  only  been  a  sub- 
ject for  study  and  reflection,  and  would  not  have  been  adapted  to 
actual  use,  nor  formed  a  manual,  so  to  speak,  for  the  botanist ;  and 
the  natural  method  would  have  been  disseminated  much  more  slow- 
ly among  the  learned. 

But  in  introducing  generic  characters,  it  may  be  asserted  that 
they  could  not  in  general  be  taken  by  compilation,  even  from  the 
moat  esteemed  works  of  the  period  ;  for  characters  simply  distinc- 
tive, suitable  for  an  artificial  system,  would  often  be  quite  unadapt- 
ed  to  a  natural  method ;  or  a  character  which  might  appear  trivial 
to  the  author  of  the  former,  might  acquire  great  importance  in  the 
eyes  of  him  who  stlidies  natural  relations.  Accordingly,  the  cha- 
racters of  the  Genera  have  been  generally  traced  by  the  hand  of 
Juasieu,  either  after  nature,  or  after  the  published  or  manuscript  de* 
scriptions  of  botanists  in  whom  he  could  place  confidence,  and  the 


304  Historical  Notice  of 

mention  of  the  sources  from  which  he  has  derived  them>  always  en- 
ables DS  to  judge  of  their  value. 

If  the  characters  of  the  genera^  then,  are  partly  a  work  of  compi- 
lation, it  is  a  kind  of  compilation  which  is  indispensable  in  a  pro- 
duction of  this  nature,  and  often  requires  more  talent  and  discern- 
ment than  direct  observations. 

It  may  therefore  be  affirmed  that  the  Genera  Plantarum,  pub- 
lished in  1789,  was  a  work  as  perfect*  in  its  execution  as  the  state  of 
botany  admitted  of,  and  this  execution  is  entirely  due  to  Antoine- 
Laurent  de  Jussieu. 

With  regard  to  the  principles  of  the  classification,  the  fundamen- 
tal basis  of  the  method^  they  were  the  same  as  those  explained  by 
the  author  in  his  memoir  on  the  series  of  plants  in  the  garden  of 
Paris  ;  that  is  to  say,  the  same  as  those  admitted  by  Bernard  de  Jua- 
sieu,  and  deduced  from  the  number  of  the  cotyledons,  and  the  rela- 
tive insertion  of  the  parts  of  the  flower,  to  which  were  added  such 
as  are  derived  from  the  presence  and  structure  of  the  corolla. 

The  adoption  of  these  characters,  as  the  base  of  the  first  clas* 
sification  of  the  dicotyledones,  has  perhaps  contributed  to  interrupt 
the  relations  which  Jussieu  no  doubt  perceived  to  exist  between  the 
apetales  and  the  polypetales,  and  in  some  rarer  instances  between 
the  monopetales  and  these  two  last  classes.  But  it  is  necessary  on- 
ly to  refer  to  the  memoir  above-mentioned,  to  perceive  that  the  de* 
sire  of  multiplying  the  number  of  the  classes,  to  render  the  natural 
method  of  more  easy  use,  determined  the  author,  in  this  instance, 
to  depart  from  what  he  considered  the  rigorous  principles  of  hia 
method.  If  any  blame  attaches  to  the  author  of  the  Genera  rela- 
tively to  the  classification  he  has  adopted,  it  arises,  I  conceive,  from 
his  having  made  this  concession  for  the  purpose  of  rendering  his 
work  of  easier  application ;  for  it  is  probable  that  the  characters 
furnished  by  the  corolla  will  one  day  be  dispensed  with,  to  a  great- 
er or  less  extent ;  and  this,  to  appearance,  will  be  the  most  import- 
ant modification  which  the  method  of  the  Genera  Plantarum  shall 
have  undergone,  although  in  reality  it  will  merely  consist  in  revert- 
ing to  the  original  principles  of  the  author. 

The  public  events  which  almost  immediately  succeeded  the  pub- 
lication of  the  Genera  Plantarum,  necessarily  diverted  the  author's 
attention  from  his  botanical  studies.  The  period  which  elapsed  be- 
tween I7B9  and  1800,  was  but  little  adapted  to  the  peaceable  study 
of  natural  history :  Jussieu  employed  it  in/endering  himself  useful 
both  to  his  own  species  and  to  science,  by  lending  his  aid  in  improv- 
ing the  hospitals^  and  in  organizing  the  museum  of  natural  history. 


Antoine  Laurent  de  Jussieu.  305 

In  1790^  he  was  nominated  by  his  section  member  of  the  munici- 
pality of  Paris^  and  was  entrusted,  under  that  title,  with  the  manage- 
ment of  the  city  hospitals :  he  fulfilled  these  duties  till  the  year  1792. 

In  1793,  the  garden  of  plants,  or  King's  garden,  was  remodelled 
under  the  name  of  the  museum  of  natural  history.  All  the  per- 
sons appointed,  under  dilTerent  titles,  to  teach  or  take  charge  of  the 
collections  were  raised  to  the  rank  of  professors,  and  entrusted  with 
the  management  of  the  establishment.  M.  de  Juesieu  who,  like 
Vaillant  and  Bernard  de  Jussieu,  had  hitherto  been  merely  a  de- 
monstrator, was  appointed,  with  the  title  of  professor  of  rural  botany, 
to  teach  that  science  in  the  country.  He  thus  shared  the  task  of 
teaching  botany  with  his  colleague  Desfontaines  ;  and  his  herborito- 
tions,  attended  by  a  crowd  of  young  students,  and  distinguished 
amateurs,  contributed  to  spread  a  taste  for  the  study,  and  to  diifuse 
the  enlightened  principles  which  he  had  introduced  into  the  science ; 
and  his  followers  were  predisposed  to  give  a  favourable  reception 
to  the  latter,  when  they  witnessed  the  simplicity  and  kindness  of 
him  who  demonstrated  them. 

Having  been  chosen  successively  by  his  colleagues  to  be  director 
and  treasurer  in  the  administration  of  the  museum,  he  rendered  im- 
portant services  to  the  establishment  in  these  capacities,  particular- 
ly at  the  difficult  period  of  its  reorganization,  when,  notwithstanding 
the  obstacles  which  political  events  often  opposed  to  the  prosperity 
and  even  the  existence  of  the  museum,  he  found  means,  by  his  zeal 
and  activity,  to  perform  services  of  the  highest  advantage  to  it. 

He  resumed  the  publication  of  his  botanical  researches  when  the 
Annales  du  Museum  were  commenced  in  1802. 

Besides  a  series  of  notices  on  the  history  of  the  Museum  of  na- 
tural history,  we  find  in  the  early  volumes  of  this  collection  many 
memoirs  on  new  or  imperfectly  described  genera ;  or  on  families  which 
recent  discoveries  or  more  exact  observations  have  enriched  with 
new  genera.  Thus  the  Amaranth  ee,  the  Nyctaginese,  and  the  Ona- 
graritt  were  successively  submitted  to  a  new  examination. 

It  may  be  perceived  that  his  object  in  these  investigations  was  to 
bring  the  Genera  Plantarum  and  the  natural  method  nearer  perfec- 
tion ;  but  this  purpose  became  more  evident  in  the  fifth  volume  of 
the  collection,  in  1804,  when  he  began  to  publish  a  series  of  me- 
moirs devoted  to  the  examination  of  the  general  characters  of  the 
funilies  derived  from  the  fruit,  and  confirmed  or  rectified  by  the 
observations  of  Oaertner.  He  mentions  at  the  same  time  the  addi- 
tions which  these  families  had  received  since  the  appearance  of  the 
Genera,  and  discusses  questionable  points  of  organization  or  synony- 


306  Historical  Notice  of 

my,  always  displaying  remarkable  skill  in  the  examination  of  ob- 
scure genera,  often  ill  described  by  their  anthors,  and  whose  struc- 
ture he  refers  to  their  true  type  with  singular  discrimination,  as  ap- 
pears from  his  decisions'having  been  almost  invariably  confirmed  by 
more  recent  obserrations. 

This  revision  forms  the  subject  of  fifteen  memoirs,  published 
between  the  years  1804  and  1819,  and  embraces  all  the  families  of 
the  apetalous,  and  monopetalous  dicotyledones,  as  well  as  the  epi- 
gynous,  and  hypogynous  polypetales. 

Always  desirous  to  complete  the  view  of  the  vegetable  kingdom 
presented  in  his  Genera  Plantanim,  and  to  make  that  work  keep 
pace  with  new  discoveries  and  the  progress  of  science,  Jussieu  pub« 
lished  successively  other  memoirs,  in  which  he  established  new 
genera,  occasioned  either  by  his  having  become  better  acquainted 
with  their  structure  since  the  publication  of  his  original  work,  or 
by  the  numerous  discoveries  resulting  from  recent  scientific  travels^ 
which  had  introduced  into  collections  so  many  forms  either  wholly 
new,  or  associating  with  genera  hitherto  insulated,  and  which  he 
had  not  therefore  ventured  to  consider  as  the  types  of  particular  fa- 
milies. It  was  thus  that  the  author  of  the  Genera,  by  being  the 
first  to  add  to  the  edifice  he  had  himself  reared,  showed  that  he 
considered  it  susceptible  of  modifications  and  improvements ;  fbr^ 
like  every  one  of  an  elevated  mind,  he  was  aware  that  the  sciences 
are  never  stationary,  and  admitted  that  the  natural  method  must 
become  more  perfect  in  proportion  as  botany  becomes  more  extended. 

In  this  way  he  added  to  the  families  already  established  in  1789, 
those  of  the  Iioaseae,  the  PassifioresB,  the  Monimiese,  the  Lobeli- 
acen,  the  Polygaleae,  and  the  Paronychieie.  Finally,  many  of  these 
memoirs  are  occupied  with  the  examination  of  obscure  genera,  whose 
relations  to  known  genera  and  natural  families  could  be  with  diffi- 
culty established  ;  of  this  description  are  the  memoirs  on  the  Pheli- 
p«a  of  Thunberg,  the  Hydropityon  of  Gsertner,  many  genera  of 
the  Laurines  which  ought  to  be  united  into  one,  and  on  different 
genera  of  Loureiro.  Perhaps  there  are  few  memoirs  of  great  ex- 
tent which  evince  more  strikingly  than  these  short  notices,  the  ex* 
tensive  knowledge  and  discrimination  of  Jussieu :  we  perceive  at 
every  instant  how  the  appreciation  of  characters,  their  value,  their 
subordination,  or  their  incongruity,  proved  a  safe  guide  to  him  in 
this  difficult  investigation.  We  there  see  disclosed,  so  to  speak,  the 
method  he  followed  in  ascertaining  the  alliances  of  numerous  exotic 
genera,  often  very  imperfectly  known,  and  which  he  has  almost  al- 
ways succeeded  in  classing  correctly  in  his  immortal  work. 


Antoine  Laurent  de  Jusaieu*  307 

The  last  memoir  published  by  Jossieu  appeared  in  1820^  in  the 
sucteenth  volume  of  the  Memoirs  of  the  Museum.  It  related  to  the 
family  of  the  RubiacesBi,  and  presented  all  the  genera  arranged  and 
described,  afiter  the  manner  the  author  intended  to  follow  in  a  new 
edition  of  the  Genera  Planlarum,  which  he  then  projected^  and  for 
i^hich  he  had  constantly  been  employed  in  providing  materials.  This 
last  work,  published  when  he  was  seventy-two  years  of  age,  is  worthy 
of  its  predecessor  of  1789 :  we  find  in  it  the  same  arrangement, 
the  same  distinctnessof  ideas,  the  same  simple  and  precise  definitions. 
From  this  period  Jussieu's  sight  became  so  weak  that  he  was 
<»bliged  to  relinquish  the  examination  of  nature,  and  confine  himself 
to  studying  the  works  of  others.  His  only  contributions  to  science 
are  some  articles  inserted  in  the  Dictionary  of  Natural  Sciences,  re- 
lating either  to  the  families  of  plants,  or  such  as  are  mentioned  by 
travellers  under  their  vulgar  names,  which  he  endeavours  to  refer 
to  their  proper  genus  or  family.  These  consisted  of  materials  collect- 
ed long  before,  and  we  still  recognize  in  them  a  mind  which  joined 
a  most  extensive  erudition  to  an  intimate  knowledge  of  nature. 

We  ought  also  to  mention  the  article  on  the  natural  method,  in 
the  same  collection,  published  in  1824,  in  which  the  same  skilful 
hand  has  given,  with  his  usual  perspicuity,  the  history  of  the  natu-r 
ra]  method  in  botany,  and  explained  the  principles  on  which  it  is 
founded. 

Finally,  in  the  last  years  of  his  life,  from  the  date  of  1 826,  his 
duties  relative  to  the  Museum  of  Natural  History  having  been  un« 
dertaken  by  a  son  worthy  of  such  a  father,  he  passed  a  great  part 
of  the  year  in  the  country,  and  divided  his  time  between  the  read- 
ing of  the  most  modern  books  on  botany,  and  drawing  up  an  analysis 
of  such  of  his  works  as  appeared  to  him  of  most  utility  to  science. 

Codibining  these  recent  discoveries  with  the  knowledge  he  had 
acquired  in  the  course  of  his  long  career,  he  made  them  the  subject 
of  a  new  edition  of  the  introduction  to  his  Genera  Plantarum. 

In  this  proemium,  which  is  written  in  the  same  pure  and  elegant 
latin  as  the  first  Introduction,  we  find  some  of  the  same  ideas  as  he 
advanced  in  1 789,  particularly  those  on  classification :  but  it  at  once 
appears  that  he  was  a  stranger  to  none  of  the  modern  discoveries  in 
anatomy  and  physiology,  for  he  conceived  that  they  all  should  con- 
cor  in  perfecting  the  natural  method,  the  base  of  which  should  be 
formed  by  all  the  parts  of  the  organization  of  vegetables.  He  was 
engaged  almost  to  the  close  of  his  life  in  completing  this  work,  which 
turned  his  attention  to  his  past  studies,  and  agreeably  occupied  his 
mind.  But  his  sight  had  by  this  time  become  so  weak  that  it  could 
no  longer  direct  his  hand,  and  he  was  often  obliged  to  employ  the 


308  Notice  of  Antoine  Laurent  de  Jussieu. 

pen  of  another ;  but  this  impediment  did  not  make  him  discontinue 
his  exertions. 

We  conceive  that  this,  the  last  work  of  so  illnstrious  a  man,  writ- 
ten when  he  was  about  83  years  of  age,  and  yet  worthy  of  the 
buthor's  best  days«  will  be  read  with  interest  by  those  who  may  have 
a  desire  to  compare  it  with  the  introduction  to  the  Genera  of  1 789. 
It  is  besides  an  homage  which  ought  to  be  rendered  to  the  memory 
of  an  individual  who  has  contributed  much  to  the  fame  of  our  coun- 
try, to  lay  it  before  the  public ;  and  we  are  happy  to  have  it  in  our 
power  to  add  it  to  the  present  notice.* 

If  the  labours  of  M.  de  Jussieu  entitle  him  to  a  place  in  the  first 
rank  of  savans,  he  may  in  addition  be  held  up  as  a  model  for 
amenity  of  character.  He  was  full  of  kindness  to  those  who  devot- 
ed themselves  to  the  study  of  the  sciences,  and  gave  every  encou- 
ragement to  such  as  distinguished  themselves  in  the  pursuit.  En- 
tirely devoted  to  the  advancement  of  botany,  and  searching  only  for 
truth,  he  candidly  acknowledged  his  own  errors,  and  pointed  out 
those  of  others  without  asperity.  He  was  never  drawn  into  the  po- 
lemics of  science :  no  example  can  be  cited,  either  in  his  work  or  in 
his  numerous  memoirs,  of  a  single  word  calculated  to  injure  any  of 
his  contemporaries,  and  yet  he  was  the  means  of  advancing  the  sci- 
ence much  more  than  those  who  have  combated  in  support  of  their 
views.  His  were  founded  on  truth,  and  needed  no  adventitious  sup- 
port ;  left  to  themselves  they  have  gradually  wrought  their  way  into 
science,  till  they  are  now  generally  admitted.  He  had  the  happi- 
ness, therefore,  to  juin  to  the  distinction  he  acquired  by  his  sdenti- 
fic  superiority,  the  friendship  of  all  who  were  able  to  appreciate  him  ; 
and  the  young,  to  whom  he  was  remarkably  kind,  entertained  a 
most  filial  veneration  for  him. 

Surrounded  by  the  marks  of  esteem  and  friendship,  entirely  de- 
voted to  the  study  of  the  sciences,  and  never  extending  his  ambition 
beyond  this  circle  ; — Chappy  in  the  bosom  of  a  numerous  feimily,  and 
seeing  himself  survive,  so  to  speak,  in  a  son  worthy  to  bear  his  name, 
and  who  had  become  even  during  his  lifetime  his  colleague  and  suc- 
cessor,— ^he  passed  his  long  career  in  the  enjoyment  of  a  happiness 
which  he  owed  as  much  to  himself  as  to  the  circumstances  in  which 
he  happened  to  be  placed ;  and  at  last,  in  the  eighty-eighth  year  of  his 
age,  on  the  15th  September  1836,  a  short  and  not  very  painful  disor- 
der brought  to  an  easy  termination  a  life  which  had  been  spent  in  so 
much  usefulness  and  tranquillity. 

*  It  will  appear  in  the  same  yolume  of  the  Annales  des  Sciences  Naturelles 
from  which  the  above  biographical  notice  has  been  extracted. 


Notes  on  the  OmWwlogy  of  Norway.  309 

II. — Notes  on  the  Ornithology  of  Norway.     By  W.  C.  Hbwit- 

80N,  Esq. 

Having  long  imbed  to  explore  the  breeding  places  of  tbose 
birds  (periodical  visitants  of  our  shores)  which  leave  us  during  the 
time  of  incubation,  Norway  was  fixed  upon  as  the  country  which  we 
supposed  most  likely  to  gratify  our  hopes ;  and,  could  we  have  pla- 
ced dependence  on  ornitholc^ical  works,  they  would  not  have  been 
disappointed.  It  seems  however  to  have  been,  (as  I  fear  it  is  still,) 
the  custom  with  ornithologists  to  refer  the  breeding-places  of  those 
birds  about  which  they  know  nothing  either  to  Norway  or  some  other 
northern  country.  Relying  too  much  upon  them,  we  had  promised 
ourselves  a  long  list  of  acquisitions,  comprising  nearly  all  the  rarer 
British  birds.  On  the  other  hand,  all  the  books  of  travels  in  that 
country  which  we  consulted  agree  in  describing  the  scarcity  of  birds 
in  the  Norwegian  forests. 

Never  was  a  country  in  appearance  more  fitted  as  the  resort  of 
every  class  of  birds, — ^with  its  extensive  fiords,* — its  numerous  lakes 
and  rivers, — ^its  unbounded  forests, — its  mountains  and  marshes, — 
its  lofty  precipices, — ^and  its  unnumbered  islands. 

For  weeks  we  explored  those  ceaseless  forests,  over  paths  at  one 
time  the  track  of  a  mountain  torrent,  at  another  the  margin  of  a 
lake  or  river,  penetrating  wilds  untrodden  except  by  the  bear 
hunters,  climbing  in  turn  the  tops  of  the  snowy  mountains,  but  with 
so  little  success  that  we  ceased  to  carry  our  guns, — almost  the  only 
living  creatures  which  we  saw  being  the  hosts  of  black  ants  with 
which  the  woods  swarm,  and  by  the  tracks  of  which  (as  clearly  de- 
fined as  the  footpath  in  our  fields)  they  are  everywhere  intersected. 

The  fieldfare  was  the  only  bird  which  we  ever  saw  in  abundance 
in  the  forest ;  a  thrush,  a  chaffinch,  or  a  yellow-hammer,  would  some- 
times, though  rarely,  cross  our  way. 

Four- legged  animals  were  alike  rare  ;  no  bear  or  wolf  ever  ap- 
peared to  peril  our  path,  and  the  total  number  of  quadrupeds  seen 
during  our  rambles  consisted  of  three  foxes,  a  hare,  a  few  squirrels, 
a  rat,  and  a  mouse. 

With  little  better  success  we  visited  upwards  of  a  hundred  is- 
lands, and  though  they  were  each  of  them  occupied  by  a  few  of  the 
black-backed,  heron,  or  common  gulls,  we  never  saw  these,  or  any 
of  the  sea  birds,  (with  the  exception  of  the  puffin,  eider  duck,  and 
common  guU,)  in  the  same  abundance  that  they  are  seen  at  the 
breeding  places  upon  our  own  coasts. 

•  Arms  of  the  sea. 
VOL.  II.  N0>  10.  X 


310  Notes  on  the  OmWtoloffy  of  Norway, 

Anxious  to  arrive  in  Norway  at  the  first  breaking  up  of  winter, 
we  proposed  to  make  the  fieldfare  our  guide,  and  to  take  our  de- 
parture about  the  same  time  ;  it  was  not,  therefore,  without  feelings 
of  uneasiness  that  we  watched  its  protracted  stay  upon  our  shores 
long  after  the  blackbird  and  the  thrush  had  been  busied  in  incuba- 
tion.  May  had  commenced,  and  yet  the  fieldfare  tarried,  and  on 
the  6th  we  sailed,  and  on  our  passage  out  were  overtaken  by  seve- 
ral small  birds,  which,  after  resting  a  few  minutes  on  our  rigging, 
shot  rapidly  ahead  of  us.  The  solan  goose  was  observed  during  the 
whole  time,  and  at  the  greatest  distance  from  land. 

The  weather  on  our  arrival  was  bitter  in  the  extreme,  the  day 
following  was  sunny  and  delightful,  and  in  a  few  minutes  walk 
from  Drontheim  we  found  ourselves  on  the  borders  of  the  forest, 
surrounded  by  the  delicious  notes  of  several  of  our  own  sweet 
songsters. 

With  the  exception  of  a  few  eagles,  birds  of  prey  were  scarcely 
ever  seen  ;  once  or  twice  only  we  observed  a  species  of  buzzard,  a 
harrier,  and  the  hobby,  while  the  kestrel  and  merlin  were  seen  but  a 
few  times. 

Both  the  British  eagles  were,  however,  not  unfrequent  upon  the 
coast,  the  white-tailed  the  more  common  of  the  two.  Few  of  the 
large  rocky  islands  were  without  them,  to  particular  spots  of  which 
they  seem  to  form  an  attachment, — daily  taking  their  stand  for  hours 
together  upon  some  points  of  rock  to  prune  their  feathers,  or  to  sit 
in  motionless  inactivity. 

Mr  John  Hancock,  who  was  one  of  our  party,  succeeded  at  mid- 
night in  watching  a  white-tailed  eagle  to  its  eyrie,  which  was  upon 
a  ledge  projecting  from  the  side  of  a  perpendicular  precipice,  and 
inaccessible.  With  much  difficulty  Mr  B.  Johnson  and  myself  suc- 
ceeded in  gaining  a  position  above.  In  doing  so  we  had  climbed  up 
a  deep  ravine,  and  had  passed  so  near  the  nest,  displacing  fragments 
of  the  rock  at  every  step,  that  we  had  given  up  all  hopes  of  sur- 
prising the  old  bird  ;  and  having  laid  down  our  guns  beside  us  when 
the  old  bird  left  the  nest,  which  had  been  hidden  by  a  bush,  and 
was  not  many  yards  below  us,  we  were  then  holding  on  by  one 
hand  to  tufts  of  grass  to  prevent  our  sliding  down  the  oblique  sur- 
face of  the  rock,  and  it  was  to  no  purpose  that  we  discharged  oar 
guns  with  the  other.  We  could  now  discern  an  ef^  and  a  newly 
hatched  young  one. 

Whilst  cne  day  wandering  in  the  forest,  we  were  attracted  by 
the  anxiety  evinced  during  our  loitering  in  the  neighbourhood  by  a 
pair  of  merlins ;  and  although  at  home  we  only  know  them  as  breed- 


Notes  on  the  Ornithology  ofNoru>ay,  311 

ers  on  the  ground  upon  the  heaths  of  the  norths  we  felt  assured  that 
their  nest  must  be  in  one  of  the  trees^  although  we  failed  in  our 
endeavours  to  find  it.  Of  this  I  have  now  no  doubts  since  I  find  by 
reference  to  Temminck  that  they  breed  in  trees. 

Upon  mentioning  our  surprise  at  the  scarcity  of  the  lai^r  hawks, 
we  were  told  that  they  were  now  breeding  far  in  the  country,  re- 
mote from  human  dwelling  places,  and  approachable  only  by  seve- 
nd  days  journey  over  snow,  and  that  they  are  seen  only  in  the  win- 
ter, or  accompanied  by  the  great  eagle  owl,  following  and  feasting 
upon  the  amazing  troops  of  the  marmot,  the  periodical  processions 
of  which  are  so  wonderful : — all  the  information  we  could  learn  re- 
specting them  was,  that  they  commonly  come  in  the  autumn,  and 
that  the  ground  for  a  great  space  is  completely  covered  with  them. 

Of  the  owls  we  only  saw  two  alive,  the  great  eagle-owl  and 
the  short-eared  owl.  Dead  and  nailed  against  the  houses  during 
the  previous  winter,  we  had  frequently  the  mortification  of  seeing 
the  former. 

The  raven  is  in  plenty  upon  the  larger  islands,  and  surprised  us 
by  its  tameness,  contrasting  with  most  other  birds  of  the  country, 
and  with  its  habits  of  extreme  caution  in  our  own. 

The  hooded-crow  is  also  abundant  by  the  sea  coast,  in  the  rocks 
of  which  it  breeds.  One  nest  which  we  found  was  in  the  cliffs  of  a 
small  island  covered  with  sea  gulls,  in  the  very  camp  of  its  enemies, 
which  unceasingly  torment  and  harass  it. 

The  magpie  is  one  of  the  most  abundant,  as  well  as  most  inte- 
resting, of  the  Norwegian  birds, — noted  for  its  sly  cunning  habits 
here,  its  altered  demeanour  there  is  the  more  remarkable.  It  is 
upon  the  most  familiar  terms  with  the  inhabitants,  picking  dose 
about  their  doors,  and  sometimes  walking  inside  their  houses.  It 
abounds  in  the  town  of  Drontheim,  making  its  nest  upon  the 
churches  and  warehouses.  We  saw  as  many  as  a  dozen  of  them 
at  one  time  seated  upon  the  gravestones  in  the  church-yard.  Few 
form-houses  are  without  several  of  them  breeding  under  the  eaves, 
their  nests  supported  by  the  spout.  In  some  trees  close  to  houses, 
their  nests  were  several  feet  in  depth,  the  accumulation  of  years  of 
undisturbed  and  quiet  possession. 

The  inhabitants  of  Norway  pleased  us  very  much  by  the  kind 
feeling  which  they  seemed  to  entertain  towards  them,  as  well  as  to 
moBt  species  of  birds,  often  expressing  a  hope  that  we  would  not 
shoot  many.  Holes  are  cut  in  many  of  their  buildings  for  the  ad- 
mission of  the  starlings,  and  pieces  of  wood  are  nailed  against  them 
to  support  the  nest  of  the  house  martin.     At  Christmas,  that  the 


312  Notes  on  Hie  Omitliology  of  Norway. 

birds  may  share  their  festivities  and  enjoyments^  they  place  a  sheaf 
of  com  at  the  end  of  their  houses. 

The  jay  occurred  once  or  twice. 

The  starling  (next  to  the  fieldfare)  is  the  moat  abundant  bird  in 
the  country,  breeding  in  almost  every  house. 

Of  the  thrushes,  the  fieldfare  is  very  common,  although  rather 
local,  not  generally  dispersed  through  the  forests,  but  occupying 
particular  parts  of  them,  to  which  it  seems  to  return  year  after  year, 
—nests  of  previous  years  being  mixed  amongst  those  of  the  present. 
In  these  localities  it  abounds,  breeding  in  society.  The  nests  (a 
hundred  of  which  might  be  found  in  a  very  limited  distance)  are 
placed  in  the  spruce  fir,  at  distances  from  the  ground  varying  from 
four  to  forty  feet  or  upwards.  They  as  well  as  the  eggs  very  much 
resemble  those  of  the  blackbird  ;  the  latter  were  often  ^re,  and  not 
unfrequently  six  in  number.  Their  hurried  flight  from  tree  to  tree, 
and  their  loud  harsh  cries,  very  soon  point  out  their  locality.  Mr 
Swainson,  in  an  article  on  the  nests  of  birds  in  Lardner's  Cyclope- 
dia, in  order  to  support  a  rule  laid  down  by  him,  that  all  insectivo- 
rous birds  are  solitary  builders,  states  that  the  fieldfares  are  never 
known  to  breed  together.  In  this  statement,  as  I  have  shown  above, 
lie  is  quite  mistaken.  How  does  he  reconcile  the  habits  of  the  houae 
and  sand  martins  to  this  rule  ?  They  (especially  the  latter)  are  not 
solitary  builders. 

The  redwing  was  but  seldom  seen,  and  then  perched  upon  the 
summit  of  one  of  the  highest  trees,  pouring  forth  its  delightfully 
wild  note.  It  was  always  very  shy,  and  upon  seeing  our  approach 
would  drop  suddenly  from  its  height,  and  disappear  amongst  the 
underwood.  Its  nest,  which  we  twice  found  with  young  ones,  (al- 
though our  unceasing  endeavours  to  obtain  its  eggs  were  {niitless,) 
was  similar  to  that  of  the  fieldfare,  but  nearer  the  ground. 

The  redwing  is  called  the  nightingale  of  Norway,  and  well  it  de- 
ser^'es  the  name. 

The  song  thrush  and  the  blackbird  were  occasionally  seen.  The 
ring  ouzel  often,  frequenting  many  of  the  wooded  rocks,  and  enliven- 
ing the  most  bleak  and  desolate  islands  with  its  sweet  song.  It 
shares  with  the  redwing  the  name  of  nightingale,  and  often  delight- 
ed us  in  our  midnight  visits  amongst  the  islands. 

The  water  ouzel  was  noticed  a  few  times. 

Of  the  swallow  tribe,  the  swift  and  the  swallow  were  83ldom  seen. 
The  house  martin  was  in  the  greatest  numbers,  breeding  in  the  lof« 
ty  rocks,  through  which  the  celebrated  archway  at  Forghattan  pas- 
ses.    The  sand  martin  was  breeding  unmolested  in  the  waUs  of 


Notes  an  the  Ornithology  of  Norway.  OltS 

the  town  of  Drontheim^  at  an  elevation  of  two  or  three  feet  only  from 
the  ground.  The  house  martin  was  the  only  species  which  wasob- 
aenred  beyond  65^  noith. 

Of  the  flycatchers  we  saw  both  the  British  species^  though  seldom. 

The  whiterump  and  the  whinchat  were  amongst  the  most  nume- 
rous of  the  small  birds  in  those  limited  parts  which  are  clear  of 
wood. 

We  noticed  also  the  redbreast^  the  redstart,  and  the  blue-throat- 
ed warbler,  the  sedge  warbler,  the  blackcap,  the  white-throat,  the 
chiff  chaff,  and  the  willow  wren,  the  latter  upon  the  islands,  as  far 
north  as  the  Arctic  Circle,  from  the  coppices  of  which  we  were 
sometimes  delighted  by  its  soft  sweet  song.  The  golden  crested- 
wren,  the  greater,  blue,  marsh,  cole,  and  long-tailed  titmice.  Of  the 
wagtails,  the  pied  and  neglected.  Of  the  larks,  the  skylark,  and 
of  the  pipits,  the  meadow,  rock,  and  tree  species. 

Of  the  buntings,  the  yellow,  black-headed,  and  snow  buntings. 
The  latter  was  in  its  beautiful  summer  plumage,  of  black  and  white. 
We  found  a  single  nest  with  young  under  some  loose  stones. 

The  house  sparrow  was  very  local,  and  confined  to  a  few  farm- 
houses at  a  distance  from  each  other. 

The  chaffinch  we  saw  throughout  the  whole  of  the  inland  district 
which  we  traversed.  The  mountain  finch  at  one  place  only,  where 
it  was  breeding.  The  siskin,  the  lesser  redpole,  and  the  green  lin« 
net  seldom.  The  crossbill  would  now  and  then  cross  our  road 
through  the  forest,  but  in  such  rapid  flight,,  that  it  required  great 
exertion  to  keep  pace  with  them  as  they  passed  from  tree  to  tree, 
examining  the  cones  of  the  pines.  Of  the  parrot  crossbill  we  obtain- 
ed  two  specimens. 

Of  the  green  woodpecker,  we  saw  several  near  one  of  the  church- 
es,  in  the  steeple  of  which  (being  of  wood)  they  had  bored  several 
holes  in  which  to  deposit  their  eggs.  In  two  instances  only  the 
great  black  woodpecker  was  seen  at  a  distance,  but  so  wild,  that  it 
was  impossible  to  approach  it. 

The  welcome  sound  of  the  cuckoo  was  seldom  heard. 

The  periodical  visits  of  the  grouse  (Tetraonid»)  to  this  country 
are  very  interesting.  In  one  year  the  ptarmigan,  which  comprises 
two  species,  (Tetrao  lagopus  and  saliceti,)  and  the  black  grouse 
(T.  tetrix)  abound  in  amazing  numbers,  breed  around  the  houses 
of  the  natives,  and  are  extremely  tame.  The  next  year  probab- 
ly they  are  scarcely  to  be  met  with,  The  season  we  were  there 
was  unfortunately  the  year  of  scarcity ;  and  although  we  took  infi- 
nite pains,  and  used  every  exertion  to  obtain  the  ptarmigan,  it  was 


314  Notes  on  the  Ornithology  of  Norway. 

of  no  avail.  Whether  or  not  this  part  of  Norway  is  supplied  with 
birds  emigrating  from  Russia  or  other  parts  of  the  continent^  or  by 
more  partial  emigration  from  its  own  mountains,  during  the  severe 
months  of  winter,  I  will  not  pretend  to  say.  The  previous  winter 
had  been  such  fw  extreme  mildness  as  was  not  remembered,  so 
little  snow  having  fallen  that  the  sledges  were  useless,  and  the 
communication  from  the  inland  country  cut  off. 

The  capercailzie  we  had  only  twice  the  satisfkction  of  seeing  alive 
in  the  woods ;  on  the  hospitable  board  of  the  merchants  of  Dron- 
theim  more  frequently.  They  are  scarce  and  very  difficult  to  pro* 
cure,  and  are  only  obtained  by  the  natives  with  the  greatest  perse- 
verance, being  nearly  always  shot  with  the  rifle,  and  either  daring 
the  night  or  at  the  break  of  day  :  it  is  considered  in  consequence  a 
very  good  night's  work  to  bring  down  one.  They  breed  in  the 
mountainous  parts  of  the  forest  far  from  any  habitations,  and  it 
was  with  the  greatest  difficulty  we  could  procure  the  eggs.  They 
are  very  similar  to  those  of  our  black  grouse,  but  larger.  The  other 
species  of  game  are  the  black  grouse ;  the  British  ptarmigan  (T. 
lagopua,)  ought  scarcely  to  be  included  in  a  list  which  is  intended 
to  contain  those  birds  only  which  we  ourselves  saw,  not  having  met 
with  a  single  specimen,  although  extremely  abundant  in  some  sea- 
sons. Of  the  willow  grouse  (T.  saliceti)  we  shot  a  pair  upon  one 
of  the  larger  islands ;  they  were  remarkably  tame,  and  could  not  be 
urged  to  take  flight. 

The  note  of  the  corncrake  was  once  or  twice  heard. 

The  golden  plover  and  the  dotterel  were  in  small  Hocks  upon  the 
patches  of  cultivated  land.  The  ring-dotterel  often  upon  the  sea 
shore,  the  colouring  of  a  specimen  which  we  shot  appeared  to  us 
unusually  bright  and  beautiful ;  indeed,  we  ebsenred  this  with  regard 
to  several  of  the  birds  which  we  shot  while  there.  Of  the  waders, 
we  noticed  occasionally,  the  curlew,  the  whimbrel,  the  greenshank, 
redshank,  ruff,  dunlin  and  purple  sandpiper.  We  were  much  amus- 
ed with  what  was  to  us  quite  new,  with  regard  to  some  of  the  birds 
just  mentioned.  One  day  we  were  pursuing  a  bird  of  this  class, 
and  after  hunting  a  marshy  place  towards  which  it  had  flown  to  no 
purpose,  we  discovered  it,  much  to  our  astonishment,  seated  above  our 
heads  on  the  top  of  a  taU  tree.  We  found  afterwards  that  it  was 
a  common  practice  with  the  redshank  and  the  greenshank,  and 
what  surprised  us  more,  the  long  legged  curlew  would  frequently 
alight  on  the  top  of  the  pine  forest,  and  would  pass  from  tree  to  tree 
uttering  its  loud  note. 

The  oyster  catcher  was  frequent  everywhere.    Numbers  of  them 


Notes  on  the  Ornithology  of  Norway.  315 

were  apparently  idlers^  and  flying  together  in  flocks  during  the  whole 
summer. 

We  were  rewarded  for  many  a  toilsome  search  by  finding  the 
nest  and  eggs  of  the  tnrnstone.  They  were  admirably  sheltered 
from  the  many  storms  to  which  the  bleak  islands  where  they  breed' 
are  exposed^  being  placed  beneath  the  branches  of  the  juniper 
boshes^  which  creep  closely  along  the  surface  of  the  rocks.  We 
afterwards  found  several  of  their  nests ;  and  it  was  an  easy  matter 
for  us  to  ascertain  (before  landing)  upon  which  island  we  should 
be  snccessful  in  discovering  another  of  their  nests^  by  the  daring  at- 
tacks they  made  upon  any  of  the  larger  gulls  which  approached 
them. 

The  coot  was  only  once  seen. 

The  bean  goose  was  rather  numerous  upon  one  of  the  huge  islands 
near  the  Arctic  Circle^  where  it  had  been  breeding  during  the  pre* 
V10U8  month. 

Of  the  ducks  we  noticed  the  velvet  duck,  scoter,  common  wild 
duck,  teal,  widgeon,  shieldrake,  long-tailed  duck,  golden  eye,  and 
eider  duck.  The  last  mentioned  by  far  the  most  numerous,  breed- 
ing in  great  numbers  upon  some  of  the  islands ;  the  male  birds> 
which  were  floating  around  them  in  hundreds,  together  giving  the 
sea  a  lively  and  most  beautiful  appearance.  They  ore  a  valuable 
property  to  the  natives,  and  are  in  consequence  strictly  protected  by 
them.  U|N>n  one  island  which  we  visited  in  company  with  the  keep- 
er, the  females  were  sitting  in  great  numbers,  and  were  so  perfectly 
tame,  and  on  such  familiar  terms  with  him,  that  they  did  not  appear 
to  be  in  the  least  disturbed  whilst  we  stood  by  to  look  at  them,  and 
some  of  them  would  even  allow  him  to  stroke  them  on  the  back  with 
his  hand. 

Of  the  golden-eye  we  had  the  satisfaction  to  find  a  nest,  and,  for 
a  bird  of  its  habits,  most  singularly  situated.  It  was  in  a  tree,  in 
a  hole  lately  occupied  by  the  great  black  woodpecker,  at  the  height 
of  ten  or  twelve  feet  from  the  ground,  and  so  small  that  it  was  with 
difliculty  we  could  insert  the  hand. 

Of  the  goosander  we  frequently  observed  small  flocks,  almost  en- 
tirely male  birds,  accompanied  rarely  by  one  or  two  females.  The 
females  must  have  been  breeding  somewhere  in  the  neighbourhood, 
but  it  was  in  vain  that  we  made  every  search  for  the  eggs.  Upon 
inquiry  of  the  best  informed  people,  we  were  told  that  the  females 
are  never  seen  during  the  summer,  nor  until  (accompanied  by  their 
young  ones)  they  join  the  male  birds  in  the  autumn. 

The  red-breasted  merganser  was  frequent  upon  most  of  the  lakes 


316  Notes  on  the  Ornithology  ofNonoay, 

and  rivers^  laying  its  eggs  under  the  shelter  of  the  spruce  fir  tree^ 
either  upon  their  margins  or  their  numerous  woody  islands. 

The  great  northern  and  black-throated  divers  were  seen,  though 
rarely,  in  the  fiords  ;  the  red-throated  diver  often  upon  almost 
every  piece  of  water.  We  frequently  heard  their  loud  singular 
scream  in  an  evening  at  a  great  distance. 

The  pretty  black  guillemot  gave  an  interest  to  almost  every  island 
where  crevices  in  the  rocks  or  loose  stones  were  to  be  found  as 
breeding  places. 

Amongst  the  numerous  islands  which  we  visited  it  is  a  singular 
fact  that  we  never  once  saw  either  the  common  guillemot,  the  razor- 
bill, or  the  kittiwake, — all  birds  the  most  frequent  upon  our  own 
coast.  This  was  owing,  no  doubt,  to  the  scarcity  of  those  rocks  which, 
rising  perpendicularly  from  the  water's  edge,  afford  them  the  ne- 
cessary security. 

The  puffin  was  alike  rare,  except  upon  one  island,  where  they 
abounded  in  incredible  numbers.  The  island  rose  in  its  centre  to 
the  height  of  several  hundred  feet,  one  side  being  composed  entire- 
ly of  rocks  and  large  stones,  piled  upon  each  other  in  the  wildesit 
confusion,  and  under  these  the  puffin  was  breeding,  and  so  nume- 
rous were  they,  that  we  could  distinctly  see  them  the  evening  before, 
from  the  hut  in  which  we  took  up  our  night's  residence,  although 
at  the  distance  of  upwards  of  a  mile.  Whilst  scrambling  over  the 
rocks,  we  could  hear  them  beneath  us  uttering  a  most  singular  groan- 
ing kind  of  sound.  They  would  frequently  start  from  under  our  feet, 
and  join  the  dense  throng  which  was  unceasingly  passing  around  us. 
It  was  a  sight  which  astonished  at  the  same  time  that  it  delighted 
us.  I  had  never  before  seen  so  many  kinds  of  one  spedes  together, 
and  probably  their  numbers  are  scarcely  exceeded  by  the  combined 
numbers  of  guillemots  and  gulls  which  frequent  one  of  the  largest 
breeding  places  upon  our  coast.  We  seated  ourselves  upon  the  rocks 
to  enjoy  the  scene,  and  numbers  of  them  settled  near  us,  forming 
themselves  into  the  most  beautiful  groups  ;  every  rock  or  large  stone 
was  covered  with  them,  and  hundreds  were  at  the  same  time  within 
the  range  of  our  guns  ;  some  were  seated  low  upon  the  whole  of  the 
foot,  others  erect  upon  the  toes  only  ;  some  struck  out  their  crops, 
and  strutted  about  exactly  in  the  manner  of  pigeons. 
Of  the  terns,  the  arctic  was  the  only  species  we  noticed. 
Of  the  gulls,  the  greater  and  lesser  black-backed,  the  heron, 
and  the  common  gull  were  numerous,  the  latter  especially  upon  one 
island,  the  owner  of  which  had  laid  up  a  store  of  their  eggs  for  win- 


On  the  British  Cerastia.  317 

ter's  consumption,  consisting  of  about  2000,  from  which  we  had  the 
pleasure  of  selecting  specimens  for  our  cabinets. 

Some  of  the  arctic  gulls  (Lestris)  passed  over  us.  apparently  on 
their  way  further  north.  The  Lestris  Richardsonii  was  abundant, 
one  or  two  pairs  breeding  upon  almost  every  island.  Birds  in  the 
different  states  of  plumage  being  indiscriminately  associated  toge- 
ther, the  many  nests  which  we  found  were  in  turns  the  property 
either  of  two  white-breasted  birds,  of  two  entirely  of  a  uniform 
dark  colour,  or  of  a  pair  consisting  of  one  of  each. 


III. —  The  British  Cerastia  :  a  Suppiement  to  a  former  Essay.   By 
C.C.Babimoton,  F.  L.S.,&c.  Plate  IX.  Continued  from  p.  204. 

Cerastiuh  Atrovirens — ^Leaves  broadly  ovate,  petals  much 
shorter  than  the  calyx,  sepals  lanceolate-acute  covered  with  glan- 
dular hairs  their  apex  and  margins  narrowly  membranous,  bracteie 
herbaceous,  capsule  obovate  or  subcylindrical  shorter  than  the 
calyx,  fruit-bearing  peduncles  two  or  three  times  as  long  as  the 
calyx  and  erect. 

The  whole  plant  of  a  dark-green  colour,  and  covered  with  short 
very  viscid  pubescence.  Root  small,  fibrous.  Stems  numerous, 
ascending  repeatedly  forked,  bearing  a  flower  in  each  fork.  Leaves 
very  broadly  ovate,  somewhat  pointed,  the  lower  ones  narrowed  in- 
to a  broad  petiole,  the  others  sessile.  Flowers  scattered,  one  in  the 
axil  of  each  fork  of  the  stem,  all  their  parts  arranged  in  fours.  Pe- 
duncles two  or  three  times  as  long  as  the  calyx,  always  straight  and 
erect.  BractesB  totally  without  any  membranous  margin.  Sepals 
lanceolate,  acute,  covered  with  short  glandular  hairs,  with  narrow 
membranous  mai^ns  and  apex.  Petals  about  half  the  length  of 
the  calyx.  Capsule  almost  always  opening  with  eight  teeth  in  con- 
formity with  the  quaternary  structure  of  the  flower ;  in  one  in- 
stance I  observed  ten  teeth  remarkably  short,  never  as  long  as  the 
calyx,  and  usually  about  half  its  length,  obovate,  or  subcylindrical, 
inflated  below,  and  slightly  curved  towards  the  top,  always  erect, 
and  never  forming  an  angle  with  its  peduncle.  Seeds  rather  large, 
chestnut-brown,  compressed  and  tuberculated. 

Gathered  by  Dr  G.  Johnston  on  old  walls  in  the  immediate  vi« 
cinity  of  Berwick-upon-Tweed,  flowering  in  May  and  June. 

This  plant  is  very  nearly  allied  to  C.  tetrandrum,  from  which  it 
diflPers  by  not  having  an  herbaceous  line  extending  to  the  apex  of 
the  sepals,  its  very  short  capsules,  erect,  that  is,  not  reflexed  fruit, 
and  the  total  want  of  a  membranous  margin  to  the  bracten.     It  is 


318  Oe  the  Britidi  Cerattia. 

distinguished  from  C.  pumilum  by  the  same  characters,  (the  mem* 
branous  apex  of  the  sepals  excepted,)  in  addition  by  the  shortness 
of  its  petals,  its  dispersed  flowers,  and  long  peduncles.  From  C. 
pedunculatnm,  with  which  it  agrees  in  its  dispersed  flowers  and  glu- 
tinous pubescence,  it  may  be  distinguished  by  its  difference  of  ha- 
bit, much  larger  and  nearly  orbicular  foliage,  shorter  internodes,  to- 
tal want  of  a  membranous  margin  to  the  bracteae,  and  short  capsules. 
N.  B.  This  species  ought  to  have  followed  C.  teirandrum,  describ- 
ed in  my  former  paper  on  the  Cerastia,  p.  201,  Vol.  ii. 

Plate  IX.  Fig.  1,  C.  atrovirens,  natural  size;  the  figure  drawn 
from  a  dried  specimen.  Fig.  2,  A  leaf  from  a  fresh  specimen. 
Fig.  3,  The  flower.  Fig,  4,  The  capsule  and  styles  from  a  new 
blown  flower.  Fig.  5,  The  capsule  open  and  full  of  ripened  seeds. 
Fig.  6,  The  same,  but  older.  Fig.  7,  A  seed.  Fig.  8,  A  petal. 
These  figures  are  all  magnified  more  or  less.' 

C.  P0MILUM,  Curt. — Leaves  ovate-lanceolate,  petals  about  as 
long  as  the  calyx,  sepals  lanceolate  acute  their  apex  and  margins 
narrowly  membranous,  bractese  herbaceous  with  a  very  narrow  mem- 
branous margin,  capsule  cylindrical  slightly  curved  upwards  and 
longer  than  the  calyx,  fruit- bearing  peduncles  reflexed  and  scarce- 
ly longer  than  the  calyx. 

C.  pumilum,  Curl.  FL  Lond,  ii.  t.  92.   Reichen.  FL  excurt.  4969. 

C.  semidecandrum,  S.  Smith,  Eng.  FL  ii.  331. 

The  whole  plant  covered,  in  my  specimens,  with  short  viscid  pu- 
bescence. Stems  prostrate  and  ascending,  branching  at  the  root, 
but  nearly  simple  afterwards.  Leaves  ovate-lanceolate,  small,  the 
lower  ones  narrowed  into  a  broad  petiole,  the  others  sessile.  Flow- 
ers aggregated  into  small  terminal  dichotomous  corymbs.  Pedun- 
cles very  short,  when  bearing  ^it  reflexed,  and  scarcely  exceeding 
the  length  of  the  calyx.  Bractese  with  a  very  slight  membranous 
margin.  Sepals  lanceolate-acute,  with  narrow  membranous  mar- 
gins and  apices.  Petals  nearly  as  long  as  the  calyx.  Capsule  usual- 
ly much  longer  than  the  calyx,  but  only  slightly  so  in  some  few 
cases,  cylindrical  and  slightly  curved  upwards,  reflexed  together 
with  its  peduncle.     Seeds  tuberculated. 

Near  Croydon.     Mr  Dickson. 

Having  recently  obtained,  through  the  kindness  of  the  Rev.  T. 
Oisbome,  some  authentic  specimens  of  the  C.  pumilum  of  Curtis, 
which  were  given  to  him  by  Mr  Dickson,  its  original  discoverer,  I 
have  been  able  to  determine  this  little  known  plant.     In  general 


Natural  History  of  British  Zoophytes.  319 

appearance  it  closely  resembles  C.  semidecandrum,  but  is  at  once 
distinguished  by  its  very  slightly  membranous  bracteae  and  reflex- 
ed  fruit.     It  is  probably  C.  semidecandrum  of  Loiseleur,  FL  Gall.  i. 


IV. —  The  Natural  History  of  British  Zoophytes.  By  George 
Johnston,  M.  D.,  Fellow  of  the  Royal  College  of  5urgeons  of 
Edinburgh.     (Continued  from  Vol.  i.  p.  447.) 

Class— ZOOPHYTA,  Solander. 

(Polypes,  Cuvier, — Polypi,  Lamarck. — Z.  polypifera,  Grant.) 
Order  I.  Htoroida. 

Character. — Polypes  compound,  rarely  siThgle  and  naked,  the 
mouth  encircled  with  roughish  filiform  tentacula  ;  stomach  without 
proper  parietes  ;  intestine  0  ;  anus  0 ;  reproductive  gemmules  pul- 
lulating from  the  body  and  naked,  or  contained  in  external  vesicles. 

Polypidoms  homytfisttdar,  more  or  less  phytoidal^fixed,  exter- 

not. 

"As  for  your  pretty  little  seed-cups  or  vases,  they  are  a  sweet 
confirmation  of  the  pleasure  Nature  seems  to  take  in  superadding  an 
elegance  of  form  to  most  of  her  works,  wherever  you  find  them.  How 
poor  and  bungling  are  all  the  imitations  of  art !  When  I  have  the 
pleasure  of  seeing  you  next,  we  will  sit  down,  nay  kneel  down  if  you 
will,  and  admire  these  things."*  Thus  did  Hogarth — our  great  mo- 
ral painter — write  to  Ellis  in  evident  reference  to  the  zoophytes  of 
the  present  order  ;  and  he  must  indeed  be  more  than  ordinarily  dull 
and  insensate  who  can  examine  them  without  catching  some  of  the 
enthusiasm  of  the  artist.  They  excell  all  other  zoophytical  produc- 
tions in  delicacy  and  the  graceful  arrangement  of  their  forms,  some 
borrowing  the  character  of  the  prettiest  marine  plants,  others  assum- 
ing the  semblance  of  the  ostrich-plume,  while  the  variety  and  ele- 
gance exhibited  in  the  figures  and  sculpture  of  their  miniature  cups 
and  chalices  is  only  limited  by  the  number  of  their  species. 

The  Hydroida  vary  from  a  few  lines  to  upwards  of  a  foot  in  height. 
They  are  all,  with  the  exception  of  the  hydra  or  fresh-water  polype, 
marine  productions,  and  are  found  attached  to  rocks,  shells,  sea-weed, 
other  corallines,  and  to  various  shell-fish.  Many  of  them  appear  to 
be  indiscriminate  in  their  choice  of  the  object,  but  others  again  make 
a  decided  preference.  Thus  Thuiaria  thuja  prefers  the  valves  of  old 
shells,  Thoa  helecina  is  more  partial  to  the  larger  univalves,  Antennu- 


*  Lin.  Corresp.  Vol.  ii.  p.  44. 


320 


Natural  History  of  British  Zoophytes. 


laria  antennina  grows  on  rocks,  Campanuiaria  geniculata  delights  to 
cover  the  hroad  frond  of  the  tangle  with  a  isAvy  forest  peopled  with 
its  myriads  of  husy  polypes,  while  the  Sertularia  pumila  rather  loves 
the  more  common  and  coarser  wracks.  The  choice  may  in  part  be 
dependent  on  their  habits,  for  such  as  are  destined  to  live  in  shallow 
water,  or  on  a  shore  exposed  by  the  reflux  of  every  tide,  are  in  gene- 
ral vegetable  parasites ;  while  the  species  which  spring  up  in  the  deep 
.  seas  must  select  between  rocks,  corallines  or  shells,  the  depths  at 
which  they  are  found  being  too  great  for  the  vegetation  of  sea-weed.* 
The  pcJypidoms  are  confervoid  and  more  or  less  divided,  the  ra- 
mifications being  disposed  in  a  variety  of  elegant  plant>like  forms. 
The  stem  and  branches  are  alike  in  texture,  slender,  horny,  fistular, 


*  Lamouroux  says, — "  We  find  some  polypidoms  placed  always  on  the  south- 
ern slopes  of  rocks  and  never  on  that  towards  the  east,  west,  or  north.  Others, 
on  the  contrary,  grow  only  on  these  exposures,  and  never  on  the  south.  Some- 
tiroes  their  position  is  varied  according  to  latitude,  and  the  shores  inclined  to- 
wards the  south,  in  temperate  or  cold  countries,  produce  the  same  species  as 
the  northern  exposures  in  equatorial  regions  :  in  general  their  branches  appear 
directed  towards  the  main  sea." — Corall.  Flex,  hitrod.  p.  L. 


Natural  History  of  British  Zoophytes.  321 

and  almost  always  jointed  at  short  and  regular  intervals,  the  joint  be- 
ing a  mere  break  in  the  continuity  of  the  sheath  without  any  cha- 
racter of  a  proper  hinge,  and  evidently  formed  by  regular  periodical 
interruptions  in  the  growth  of  the  polypidoms.  Along  their  sides,  or 
at  the  extremities,  we  find  the  denticles  or  cup-like  cells  of  the  poly* 
pes  arranged  in  a  determinate  order,  either  sessile  or  elevated  on  a 
stalk,  (Fig.  a.)  Though  of  the  same  substance^  the  cell  is  something 
more  than  a  simple  expansion  of  the  stem  or  branch,  for  near  its  base 
there  is  a  distinct  partition  or  diaphra^  on  which  the  body  of  the 
polype  rests,  with  a  plain  or  tubulous  perforation  in  the  centre  through 
which  the  connection  between  the  individual  polype  and  the  common 
medullary  pulp  is  retained,  (Fig.  b.)  *  Besides  the  cells  there  are  found, 
at  certain  seasons,  a  larger  sort  of  vesicles,  readily  distinguished  from 
the  others  by  their  size  and  the  irregularity  of  their  distribution. — 
The  more  robust  tribes  grow  erect,  and,  being  flexible  and  elastic, 
yield  readily  to  the  waves  and  currents  ;  but  some  of  the  very  deli- 
cate species  avoid  a  shock  for  which  they  are  unequal  by  creeping 
along  the  surface. 

The  polypidoms,  when  dried,  are  for  the  most  part  of  a  yellowish 
or  horn  colour.  "  When  they  are  immersed  in  water,  they  recover 
the  same  form  they  appeared  in  when  iresh  in  the  sea ;  and  soon  be- 
come filled  with  the  liquid.  This  gives  them  a  semitransparent  amber 
colour,  and  makes  them  Yerj  elastic."  f  Their  material  appears  to 
be  analogous  to  horn  or  condensed  albumen,  which  is  moulded  into 
a  homogeneous  investing  sheath,  in  which  no  vessels  or  cells  indicat- 
ing a  definite  organization  can  be  detect ed.^  It  seems  to  be  in  fact  a 
sort  of  hardened  epidermis,  at  first  in  contact  and  partial  adhesion 
with  the  living  interior  pulp,  from  which  it  is  subsequently  detach- 
ed, in  the  natural  progress  of  its  consolidation,  by  a  process  of  shrivel- 
ling in  the  soft  matter,  and  by  the  motions  and  efforts  of  the  polypes 
themselves.  § 

The  polypes  are  placed  in  the  cells  within  which,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  the  Tubularise,  they  can  hide  themselves  entirely  when  danger 
threatens.  When  at  rest  and  in  their  native  sites,  they  expand  their 
tentacula  and  push  them  far  beyond  the  rim  of  their  cups,  in  readi- 
ness to  arrest  any  small  worm  or  crustaceous  insect  which  may  float 
within  their  circle.  These  tentacula  are  always  simple  but  rough- 
ish,  (Fig.  c,)  and  in  the  centre  of  the  disk  round  which  they  arearrang- 

*  Lister,  in  Phil.  Trans.  1834,  p.  371.         f  Ellis,  English  Corallines,  p.  3. 

I  The  contrary  is  maintained  by  Link,  and  it  appears  by  Cavolini  and 
Schweigger,  who  assert  that  they  have  seen  vessels  ramified  in  the  stems  and 
branches  of  Sertulariadie. — Ann.  des.  Sc.  Nat.  Part.  Bot*  V.  ii.p.  321. 

§   See  Lister's  Observations  in  Phil.  Trans.  1834,  p.  374. 


322  Natural  History  of  British  Zoophytes. 

ed  we  perceive  the  oral  aperture  fd^J  leading  to  a  stomadiical  cavity 
without  intestine  or  other  chylopoetick  viscus.  The  body  is  somewhat 
globular,  soft  and  irritable ;  and  it  is  prolonged  posteriorly  down  the 
stalk  or  tube  to  be  united  with  the  central  pulp  which  fills  the  brandies 
and  stem,  fe,J  so  that  in  this  manner  all  the  polypes  of  the  same 
polypidom  are  connected  together  by  a  living  thread,  and  constitute 
a  &mily  whose  objects  and  interests  are  identical,  and  whose  work- 
ings are  all  regulated  by  one  harmonious  instinct : 

"  Unoonsdous,  not  unworthy,  instruments, 

By  which  a  hand  invifiible  was  rearing 

A  new  creation  in  the  secret  deep." 

Or  if,  with  Linnaeus  and  Cuvier,  we  suppose  that  the  polypes  of 
every  polypidom  constitute  only  one  body  or  individual,  this  may  be 
described  as  a  sort  of  hydra  divided,  after  the  manner  of  a  tree,  into 
many  or  innumerable  branches,  from  each  of  which  pullulate  one  or 
more  armed  heads  to  capture  and  digest  the  prey  that  is  to  serve  for 
the  nutriment  of  their  common  trunk. 

The  reproductive  gemmules  of  Tubularia  and  Coryne  are  generated 
in  the  interior  and  extruded  near  the  base  of  the  tentacula ;  but  in 
all  the  other  genera  they  are  produced  in  external  vesicles,  which 
were  therefore  appropriately  named  by  Ellis  the  ovaries,  and  which 
we  have  already  mentioned  as  being  larger  than  the  cells  and  irregn- 
lar  in  their  distribution*  They  are  produced  at  certain  seasons  only, 
most  commonly  in  spring,  and  fall  off  after  the  maturity  and  dischaige 
of  their  contents.*  The  number  of  the  gemmules  in  each  vesicle,  and 
ibeir  shape,  varies  in  every  species.  In  the  vesicle  they  are  con- 
nected to  a  central  placentular  column,  though  there  are  some  ex- 
ceptions to  this,  and  when  mature  they  escape  outwards  by  a  disrup- 
tion or  fall  of  the  lid  which  closes  the  top,  being  extruded  in  suc- 
cession and,  in  some  cases  at  least,  after  intervals  of  some  hours. 
From  the  observations  of  Professor  Grant,  it  appears  to  be  proved 
that,  after  their  discharge,  the  ova  move  about  for  some  time  in  the 
water  by  the  vibrations  of  minute  cilia,  but  having  in  due  course  set- 
tled on  a  proper  site,  they  throw  out,  in  the  manner  of  a  vegetable 
seed,  a  root-like  fibre  to  fix  themselves,  and  then  push  up  a  shoot  as 
a  commencement  to  the  future  polypidom.  Polype-cells  and  polypes 
are  rapidly  evolved  on  the  sides  of  this  shoot,  and  nourishment  being 
now  received  from  an  external  source,  and  circulating  through  the 

*  So  that*Hedwig'8  anom,  adopted  by  M.  Virey,  ''  that  the  reproductive  or- 
gans of  animals  are  continuous  with  the  life  of  the  individual,  while  the  repro- 
ductive organs  of  perennial  plants,  when  their  functions  have  been  performed, 
are  thrown  off,  and  replaced  in  the  succeeding  season  by  others," — must  be  re- 
ceived with  some  limitations See  Tiedcmann's  Comp.  Physiology,  p.  76 


Natural  Hiitory  of  British  Zoophytes.  923 

whole  animal,  there  is  not  merely  an  upward  growth,  but  creeping 
tubes,  "  full  of  the  same  living  medullary  substance  with  the  rest  of 
the  body/'  are  projected  from  the  base  along  the  surface  of  the  object 
of  fixture.  '<  These  tubes  not  only  secure  it  from  the  motion  of  the 
waves,  but  likewise  from  these  rise  other  young  animals  or  corallines, 
which  growing  up  like  the  former,  with  their  proper  heads  or  organs 
to  procure  food,  send  out  other  adhering  tubes  from  below,  with  a 
further  increase  qf  these  many-headed  branched  animals ;  so  that  in 
a  short  time  a  whole  grove  of  vesicular  coraUines  is  formed,  as  we 
find  them  on  oysters,  and  other  shell- fish,  when  we  drag  for  them  in 
deep  water."* 

There  are  many  facts  which  prove  that  the  growth  of  these  poly- 
pidoms  is  very  rapid,  but  not  more  so  than  might  be  anticipated  when 
it  is  remembered  how  vast  is  the  number  of  polype  architects  ;  and 
no  sooner  is  a  new  branch  extended  than  it  becomes  almost  simul- 
taneously a  support  of  new  workers  which,  with  "  toil  unwearyable," 
add  incessantly  to  the  materials  of  increase.  Their  duration  is  vari- 
ous :  some  have  only  a  summer's  existence,  as  Campanularia  genicu- 
lata ;  many  are  probably  annual,  and  the  epiphyllous  kinds  cannot  at 
most  prolong  their  term  beyond  that  of  the  weed  on  which  they 
grow ;  but  such  as  attach  themselves  to  rocks  are  probably  less  pe* 
rishable,  for  their  size  and  consistency  seem  to  indicate  a  greater  age : 
it  is  thus  with  the  Tubularis  and  some  of  the  compound  Sertulariadae. 

But  the  life  of  the  polypes  considered  abstractedly  is  probably  in 
no  instance  ooetaneous  with  the  duration  of  the  polypidom,  for  the 
lower  parts  of  this  become,  after  a  time,  empty  of  pulp  and  lifeless, 
and  lose  the  cells  inhabited  by  the  polypes,  which,  in  an  old  speci- 
men, are  to  be  found  in  a  state  of  activity  only  near  the  summit,  or 
on  the  new  shoots.  The  Thuiaria  thuja  affords  a  remarkable  example 
of  this  fact ;  the  branches  which  carry  the  polypes  dropping  off  in 
regular  succession  as  younger  ones  are  successively  formed,  so  that 
the  polypidom  retains,  throughout  its  whole  growth,  the  appearance 
of  a  bottle  brush,  the  naked  stem  and  the  branched  top  being  kept  in 
every  stage  in  a  due  proportion  to  each  other.  Sertularia  argentea, 
Plumularia  falcata,  &c.  are  subjected  to  the  same  law, — the  primary 
poljpiferous  shoots  being  deciduous,  so  that  in  them  also  the  stalk 
becomes  bare,  while  the  upper  parts  are  graced  with  a  luxuriant  rami- 
fication loaded  with  tiny  architects.  But  in  our  eagerness  to  genera- 
lize, let  us  not  forget  that  there  are  some  species,  as  Sertularia  pumila, 
abietina,  &c,  in  which  this  process  of  successive  denudation  is  not  ob- 
servable, perhaps,  however,  because  of  their  form,  which  is  not  of  a 

*  Rllis  and  Solander's  Zoophytes,  p.  33. 


324  Natural  History  of  British  Zoophytes* 

kind  to  be  altered  hj  it,  and  hence  unnoticeable,  or  because  the  dnra- 
tion  of  the  whole  is  too  fugitive  to  permit  the  law  to  produce  a  yi- 
sible  effect. 

There  are  facts  which  appear  to  prove  that  the  life  of  the  indivi- 
dual polypes  is  even  more  transitory  than  their  own  cells ;  that  like 
a  blossom  they  bud  and  blow  and  fall  off  or  are  absorbed,  when  an- 
other sprouts  up  from  the  medullary  pulp  to  occupy  the  very  cell  of 
its  predecessor,  and  in  its  turn  to  give  way  and  be  replaced  by  an- 
other. When  speaking  of  flexible  corallines  Lamouroux  says,  "  Some 
there  are  that  are  entirely  covered  with  polypi  through  the  summer 
and  autumn,  but  they  perish  with  the  cold  of  winter:  no  sooner^ 
however,  has  the  sun  resumed  his  revivifying  influence  than  new 
animals  are  developed,  and  fresh  branches  are  produced  upon  the  old 
ones"  *  Of  the  Tubularia  indivisa,  Sir  John  G.  Dalyell  tells  us  that 
''  the  head  is  deciduous,  falling  in  general  soon  after  recovery  from 
the  sea.  It  is  regenerated  at  intervals  of  from  ten  days  to  several 
weeks,  but  with  the  number  of  external  organs  successively  diminish- 
ing, though  the  stem  is  always  elongated.  It  seems  to  rise  wiUun 
this  tubular  stem  from  below,  aud  to  be  dependent  on  the  presence 
of  the  internal  tenacious  matter  with  which  the  tube  is  occupied.  A 
head  springs  from  the  remaining  stem,  cut  over  very  near  the  root ; 
and  a  redundance  of  heads  may  be  obtained  from  artificial  sections, 
apparently  beyond  the  ordinary  provisions  of  nature.  Thus  twenty- 
two  heads  were  produced  through  the  course  of  550  days,  from  three 
sections  of  a  single  stem."  f  The  observations  of  Mr  Harvey  on  the 
same,  or  a  very  nearly  allied,  species  of  zoophyte  confirm  the  expe- 
riments of  Sir  J.  G.  Dalyell,  so  far  as  these  have  reference  to  the 
deciduousness  of  the  polypes  and  their  regeneration;]:  and  it  seems 

*  Corall.  Flex.  p.  xvi. 

f  Edin.  New  Phil   Joum.  xvii.  p.  415. 

j:  '*  The  most  singular  circumstance  attending  the  growth  of  this  animal,  and 
which  I  discovered  entirely  by  accident,  remains  to  be  mentioned.  After  I  bad 
kept  the  clusters  in  a  large  bowl  for  two  days,  I  observed  the  animals  to  droop 
and  look  unhealthy.  On  the  third  day  the  heads  were  all  thrown  off,  and  lying 
on  the  bottom  of  the  vessel ;  all  the  pink  colouring  matter  was  deposited  in  the 
form  of  a  cloud,  and  when  it  liad  stood  quietly  for  two  days,  it  became  a  very 
fine  powder.  Thinking  that  the  tubes  were  dead  I  was  going  to  throw  them 
away,  but  1  happened  to  be  under  the  necessity  of  quitting  home  for  two  days, 
and  on  my  return  I  found  a  thin  transparent  film  being  protruded  from  the 
top  of  every  tube :  I  then  changed  the  water  every  day,  and  in  three  days  time 
every  tube  had  a  small  body  reproduced  upon  it.  The  only  difference  that  I  can 
discover  in  the  structure  of  the  young  from  the  old  heads,  consists  in  the  new 
ones  wanting  the  small  red  papilla,  and  in  the  absence  of  all  colour  in  the  ani- 
mal."— Proceed.  Zool.  Soc.  No.  41,  p.  55. 

4 


Natural  History  of  British  Zoophytes.  325 

to  me  not  altogether  unwarrantable  to  infer  a  like  temporary  exist- 
ence and  reviyal  in  those  of  the  Sertulariadse  from  a  reflection  on  the 
experiments  of  Mr  Lister, — ^incomplete  certainly,  but  which  prove 
that  under  certain  circumstances  their  polypes  disappear  by  a  pro- 
cess of  internal  absorption,*  and  under  convenient  circumstances 
would  have  been  renovated,  as  I  have  witnessed  in  similar  expe- 
riments, f  Had  these  singfular  facts  been  known  to  Linnaeus,  how 
eagerly  and  effectively  would  be  have  impressed  them  into  the  sup- 
port of  his  favourite  theory  I  Like  the  flowers  of  the  field  the  heads 
or  "  flores"  of  these  polypidoms  expand  their  petalloid  arms,  which 
after  a  time  fall  like  blighted  blossoms  off  a  tree ; — they  do  be- 
come '^  old  in  their  youth,"  and  rendered  hebetous  and  unfit  for  duty 
or  ornament  by  age  or  accident,  the  common  trunk  throws  them  off^ 
and  supplies  its  wants  by  ever-young  and  vigorous  growths.  "  Ad- 
miranda  tibi  levium  spectacula  rerum."  The  phenomena  are  of  those 
which  justly  challenge  admiration  and  excuse  a  sober  scepticism,  so 
alien  are  they  to  all  we  are  accustomed  to  observe  in  more  familiar 
organisms ;  but  besides  that  faithful  observation  renders  the  facts  un- 
deniable, a  reflection  on  the  history  of  the  Hydra  might  almost  have 
led  us  to  anticipate  such  events  in  the  life  of  these  zoophytes. 
<<  Verily  for  mine  owne  part,  the  more  I  looke  into  Nature's  workes, 
the  sooner  am  I  induced  to  beleeve  of  her  even  those  things  that 
seem  incredible." 

I  arrange  the  British  species  of  this  order  under  the  following  fa- 
milies and  genera : 

Family  I.  HYDRAID^. 
Polypes  viviparous,  the  young  ptUlulcUing  from  the  body  qf  the 

parent. 
L  Hydra.  Polypes  naked,  single,  locomotive. 

•  Phil.  Trans.  1884,  p.  374,  376. 

t  On  Saturday,  May  28th  1837,  a  spedinen  of  Campanularia  gelatinosa  was 
procured  from  the  shore,  and  after  having  ascertained  that  the  polypes  were  ac- 
tive and  entire,  it  was  placed  in  a  saucer  of  sea- water.  Here  it  remained  un- 
disturbed until  Monday  afternoon,  when  all  the  polypes  had  disappeared.  Some 
cells  were  emp^  or  nearly  so,  others  were  half- filled  with  the  wasted  body  of 
the  polype,  which  had  lost,  however,  every  vestige  of  the  tentacula.  The  water 
had  become  putrid,  and  the  specimen  was  therefore  removed  to  another  vessel 
with  pure  water,  and  again  set  aside.  On  examining  it  on  the  Thursday  (June 
Ist)  the  cells  were  evidently  filling  again,  although  no  tentacula  were  visibly 
protruded,  but  on  the  afternoon  of  Friday  (June  2d)  every  cell  had  its  polype 
complete,  and  displayed  in  the  greatest  perfection. 

VOL.  II.  NO.   10,  Y 


826  Natural  History  of  British  Zoophytes. 

FamUyll.  TUBULARIADiE. 
Polypes  gemmiparouSi  the  gemmules  ntiked,  pullulating  from  tht 
bases  of  the  tentacula. 
•  No  Polypidom. 
2-  GoRTNB.  Polypes  naked,  the  tentocula  filifonn. 

3.  Hbrmia.  Polypes  tunicated,  the  tentacak  with  glandular  tips. 

**  A  distinct  polypidom, 

4.  TuBUi<ABiA.  Polypes  not  retractile  within  cells :  Polypidoms 
fistular,  simple  or  branched. 

Family  III.  SERTULARIADiE. 
Polypes  gemmiparouSf  the  gemmules  enclosed  in  emtemal  ocarian 
persistent  vesicles  scattered  on  the  polypidom* 
*  Polype-cells  sessile. 

5.  Tboa.  Cells  indistinct,  tubular,  the  simple  extremities  of  the 
interwoven  branchlets. 

6.  Sbbtulabia.  Cells  biserial,  short,  erect,  the  apertures  everted. 

7.  TauiABiA.  Cells  biserial,  imbedded,  the  apertures  looking  for- 
ward. 

8«  Plum  UL  A  HI  A.  Cells  uniserial  ;  the  branchlets  plumose  or 
pectinate. 

9.  Antbnnularia.  Cells  uniserial ;  the  branchlets  whorled. 

*  Polype-cells  on  ringed  stalks. 

10.  Campanularia.  Cells  campanulate. 

I.  HYDRAID^. 
I.  Hydra,  Linnnus. 
Character. — Polypes  locomotive,  single,  naked,  gelatinous,  sub- 
cylindrical,  but  very  contrttctile,  the  mouth  encircled  with  a  single 
series  of  granuhus  filiform  tentacula, 

L  H.  viRiDis,  grass'green  ;  body  cylindrical  or  insensibly  fiar- 
rowed  downwards  ;  tentacula  6 — 10,  shorter  than  the  body*  (Fig. 
Vol.  i.  p.  280.) 

Polypes  verds,  Trembiey,  Mem.  22,  pi.   1.  fig.  1 ;  pi.  8,  fig.  1—10 

Fresh-Tvater  Polypus,  Trembley,  in  PhiL  Trans.  Abridg.  viil.  02S.     Fol- 

kes,  in  ibid.  676.  pi.  17,  and  pi.  18,  fig.  1—^ Hydra  viiidis,  £«. 

Faun.   Suec.  367,  No.   1283,  Lin.  Syst  1320.  Mutt.  Venn.  I.  ii.  13. 

Zool.  Dan.  prod.  230,  No.  2768.  Berk,  Syn.  i.  221.  Ur^s  Rutherg.  282. 

Turt,  Gmel.  iv.  691.  Turt.  Br.  Faun.  218.  Lam,  Anim.  s.  Vert.  iL  60. 

Stew.  Elem.  ii.  452.  pi.  12,  fig.  4,  5.    Blumetibach's  Man.  275.  pi.  1, 

fig.  10.  Bosc  Vers  ii.  274.  Stark,  [Elem.  ii.  448.    Woodward,  in  Mag. 

Nat  Hist  iii.  349,  fig.  89.  Roget,  Bridgew.  Treat  i   162,  fig.  59,  and 

176 — 8,  fig,  73—76.    Adams  on  the  Microscope,  399,  pi.  21 »  ^,  5. 

Carusy  Comp.  Anat   tab.  l.fig.  1 H.  viridissima,  PaU,  Elench.  31. 


Natural  Hiitary  of  British  Zoophytes.  327 

Third  sort  of  Polype,  Baker,  Polyp.  19  c.  fig Le  Polype  vert, 

Cuv.  Reg.  Amm.  iii.  295. L'Hydre  verte,  Blainv,  ActinoL  494.  pi. 

85,  fig.  J. 

Hah*  Ponds  and  still  waters,  common  throughout  England,  and 
the  south  of  Scotland.  In  almost  all  the  parishes  in  the  vicinity  of 
Glasgow,  Ure. 

The  poljpes  of  this  species  differ  from  the  foUowing,  <*  not  only 
in  colour,  hut  likewise  in  their  arms,  which  were  much  shorter  in 
proportion  to  their  bodies,  capable  of  but  little  extension,  and  nar- 
rower at  the  root  than  the  extremity,  which  is  contrary  to  the 
other  species.  Their  arms  were  so  short,  they  could  not  clasp  round 
a  yery  small  and  slender  worm,  but  seemed  only  to  pinch  it  fast,  till 
they  could  master  and  devour  it,  which  they  did  with  as  much  greedi- 
ness as  any.  I  imagined  these  polypes  owed  their  green  colour  to 
some  particular  food,  such  as  weeds,  &c.  and  that  they  would  lose  it 
upon  being  kept  to  worms  ;  but  I  find  myself  mistaken,  for  they  re- 
tain their  greenness  after  some  months  as  well  as  ever,  and  are  now 
grown  of  a  moderate  size,  extending  sometimes  three  quarters  of  an 
inch  ;  their  arms  are  also  lengthened  very  much  to  what  they  were, 
and  are  oi  a  lighter  green  than  the  body,  their  number  eight,  nine, 
or  ten.  The  tail  is  very  little  slenderer  than  the  body,  but  more 
spread  at  the  end  than  the  tails  of  other  kinds." — Baker. 

Pallas  says  that  the  offspring  are  produced  from  every  part  of  the 
body,  while  Blainville  thinks  he  has  remarked  that  they  shoot  al- 
ways from  the  same  place,  <'  au  point  de  jonction  de  la  partie  creuse 
et  de  celle  qui  ne  Test  pas."  Blainville  is  candid  enough,  however, 
to  inform  us  that  Professor  Van  der  Hoeven  had  made  some  ob- 
servations adverse  to  his  opinion  ;  and  our  own  are  certainly  in  ac- 
cordance with  those  of  Pallas  and  of  the  Professor  of  Leyden. 

Trembley  is  careful  to  tell  us  that  he  discovered  this  species  in 
June  1 740,  nor  can  we  smile  at  the  particularity  of  the  record  when 
we  remember  that  the  discovery  is  the  foundation  of  his  immortal 
fiune.  ^  It  was  first  observed  in  England  in  the  spring  of  1743  by 
a  Mr  Du  Cane  of  Essex.  It  appears  to  be  a  hardy  animal.  I  have 
kept  it  for  more  than  twelvemonths  in  a  small  vial  of  water  un« 
changed  during  the  whole  of  that  time,  and  it  remained  lively,  and 
bred  freely,  feeding  on  the  minute  Entomostraca  confined  with  it, 
and  which,  propagating  much  more  abundantly,  furnished  a  good 
supply  of  what  was  evidently  a  fJEivourite  food. 

2.  H.  VULGARIS,  orange-hrottm  or  sometimes  oil-green;  body 
eylindraceous  ;  tentacula  7-12,  aa  long  or  longer  than  the  body. 

*  "  Trembley  (Abraham),  de  Geneve,  n6  en  1710,  mort  en  1784 ;  vamortel 
par  le  d^couverte  de  la  reproduction  du  polype."    Cuvier,  Reg.  Animal,  iii.  422. 


328  Natural  History  of  British  Zoophytes, 

Polypes  de  la  seoonde  esp^ce,  Tremh.  Mem.  pi.  1,  fig.  2,  5;  pi.  2.  fig.  2; 
pi.  6.  fig.  2  and  8;  pi.  8.  fig.  1—7  ;  pi.  10.  fig.   1—7  ;  pL  11,  12,  18. 

figs.  omn.  partly  copied  in  Adama,  Micros.  399,  pi.  21.  fig.  6 Hydn 

vulgaris,  PaU.  Elench.  aO.  EUU  and  SolatuL  Zoctph.  9 H.  griset, 

Lin,  Syst.  1320.  Mu!L  Zool.  Dan.  Prod.  230,  No.  2784.  Venn.  I  ii. 
14.  Ure's  Rutherg.  233.  Berk.  Syn.  i.  222.  Turt.  GmeL  iv.  692. 
Turt,  Brit  Faun.  218.  Stew.  Elem.  ii.  452.  Lam.  Anim.  s.  Veit 
ii.  60.     Bosc,  Vers  ii.  275.     Stark,  Elem.  ii.  443.      Templeton  in  Mag. 

Nat  Hist  ix.  418 H.  bnuinea,  TempUton,  loc  dt  417.  fig.  56, 

First  sort  of  Polype,  Baker,  Polyp.  17.  c.  fig L*Hydre  commune, 

Blainv,  Actinol.  495. 
Hab.  Weedy  ponds  and  slowly  running  waters.     Probably  com- 
mon in  all  parts  of  the  kingdom. 

On  comparing  the  descriptions  of  the  authors  quoted  above,  I  am 
led  to  conclude  that  this  species  is  either  subject  to  much  variety, 
or  that  two  species  have  been  confounded  together,  and  given  rise 
to  a  discrepancy  which  seems  otherwise  irreconcileable.  My  own 
experience  inclines  me  to  the  latter  supposition,  but  since  I  have 
had  no  opportunities  of  making  observations  on  specimens  from  dif- 
ferent and  distant  localities,  I  deem  it  more  prudent  to  indicate  what 
appear  to  be  two  species  as  only  varieties  of  the  vulgaris,  untfl  the 
point  can  be  settled  by  more  leisured  naturalists. 

Var.  a,  aurantia,  liglU  reddish'hroum  or  orange-coloured;  tenia- 
cula  not  longer  than  the  body,     Plate  X.  Fig.  1. 

Var.  h,  grisea,  light  olive-green;  tentacula paler  and  longer  than 
the  body,    Plate  X.  Fig.  2. 

The  first  is  by  much  the  commoner,  and  does  not  exceed  the  H. 
viridis  in  size,  which  it  resembles  also  in  its  habits  and  form.  It  is 
always  of  an  orange,  brown,  or  red  colour,  the  intensity  of  the  tint  de- 
pending on  the  nature  of  the  food,  on  the  state  of  the  creature's  re- 
pletion, becoming  even  blood-red  when  fed  upon  the  small  crimson 
worms  and  larvae  which  usually  abound  in  its  haimts.*  The  teota- 
cula  in  all  my  specimens  have,  never  exceeded  the  length  of  the  body, 
are  usuaUy  seven  or  eight  in  number,  and  taper  to  the  point  insensi- 
bly. Every  part  of  the  body  is  generative  of  young,  which  may  fre- 
quently be  seen  hanging  from  the  parent  at  the  same  time  in  different 
stages  of  their  growth.  Bakers  figure  represents  this  variety  very  well. 
The  second  is  a  larger  animal  and  comparatively  rare,  less  sensible 
to  external  impressions,  and  of  a  more  gracile  form.  Its  colour  is  a 
dilute  olive-green  with  paler  tentacula,  which  are  considerably  longer 
than  the  body,  and  hang  like  silken  threads  in  the  water,  waving  to 
and  fro  without  assuming  that  regular  circular  disposition  which  they 

*  "  I  have  found  a  bright  red  Hydra  rather  abundant  on  Putney  Heath,  near 
London.  It  does  not  much  differ,  except  in  colour,  from  the  green  one."  /.  £> 
Gray  in  lit.  May  6,  1803.     See  Trembley*s  Mem.  p.  47,  and  128. 


r 


Natural  History  of  British  Zoophytes,  329 

c  ommonly  do  in  the  H.  yiridiR.  I  ha^e  not  observed  more  than  one 
young  at  a  time,  pullulating  from  near  the  middle  of  the  body,  and 
after  this  has  attained  a  certain  growth,  the  polype  has  the  appearance 
of  being  dicbotomously  divided. 

Dr  Fleming's  Hydra  vulgaris,  Brit.  Anim.  553,  embraces  this  and 
the  preceding,  as  well  as  the  following  species,  which  are  considered 
the  mere  variations  of  one  protean  original  ;-^ 
"  Fiacies  non  omnibus  una, 
Nee  diversa  tamen  :'* — 
but  the  conviction  of  their  permanent  distinctness  has  been  forced 
upon  me  by  a  long  continuous  observation  of  individuals  in  a  state  o^ 
confinement.     Had,  however,  personal  observation  been  awanting,  the 
same  conclusion  would  have  been  willingly  adopted  on  the  paramount 
authorities  of  Trembley  and  Baker,  who  bad  very  carefully  studied 
these  creatures  ;  and  Pallas  speaks  very  decidedly  to  the  same  purport. 
'*  Species  Hydrse  a  Linnseo  *  pro  varietatibus  habitas,  a  Raeselio  pri- 
mum  bene  determinates  adoptavi,  cum  de  trium  priorum  constantia, 
propria  me  experientia  certissimum  reddiderit." — Blench,  29. 

3.  H.  FUSCA,  broum  or  griseous  ;  inferior  half  of  the  body  sud- 
denly attenuated;  tentacula  several  times  longer  than  the  body. 

Polypes  i  long  bras,  Tremb,  Mem.  pL  1.  fig.  3,  4,  6;  pi.  2.  fig.  1,  3,  4;  pi. 
8,  fig.  11 ;  pi.  5,  fig.  1-4 ;  pi.  6,  fig.  3-7,  9,  10 ;  pi.  8.  fig.  8,  11 ;  pi.  9. 
copied  in  Adamsy  Micros.  399,  pi.  21,  fig.  7,  8 ;  pi.  23,  A.  B ;  pi.  24,  A, 

B.  fig.  omnes.    Cuv,  Reg.  Anim.  iii.  295 Long  armed  fresh -water 

Polype,  EUist  Corall.  xvi.  pi.  28.  fig.  C.  (the  tentacula  shortened  for  the 

conveniency  of  introducing  them  within  the  size  of  the  plate.) Second 

sort  of  Polype,  Batter^  Polyp.  18  c.  fig. Hydra  oligactis,  PalL  Elench. 

29 H.  fusca,  Lin.  Syst.  1320.    ElUa  and  Soland,  Zooph.   9.  Berk, 

Syn.  i,  221.   Turt,  Gmel.  iv.  691.    Turt,  Brit.  Faun.  2ia    Stew,  Elem. 

ii.  452.    Lam.  Anim.  s.   Vert.  ii.  60.     Boac  Vers,  ii.  275 L'H. 

brune,  Blainv,  Actinol.  495. 
Hab,  Still  waters  in  England,  rare.     In  a  pond  at  Hackney,  Mi' 
John  BUicot,  t 

<<  The  tails  of  these  are  long,  slender  and  transparent,  and  when 
placed  before  the  microscope,  a  long  straight  gut  may  plainly  be  dis- 
tinguished passing  from  the  body-part  or  stomach  to  an  opening  at 
the  end  thereof.  These  are  rather  lighter  coloured  than  the  former, 
(H.  Yulgaris,)  and  have  seldom  more  than  six  or  eight  arms,  but  those 
capable  of  great  extension." — Baker, 

Baker  reckoned  that  his  English  exemplers  were  of  a  sort  different 
from  those  he  had  received  from  M .  Trembley,  but  the  only  apparent 

*   In  the  10th  edit  of  Syst.  Nat.  p.  816,  under  the  name  of  Hydra  Polypus, 
f  Elected  F.  R.  S.  Oct  26,  1738 ;  and  the  author  of  several  papers  on  sub. 

jects  in  Natural  Philosophy,  published  in  the  Phil.  Trans,  between  the  years 

1745  and  1750.     He  was  a  watch-maker,  and  died  in  1772. 


^    I 


330  Natural  History  of  BritUh  Zoophytes. 

difference  liei  in  the  greater  shortness  of  the  tentacnk  of  the  former, 
and  this  is  a  character  liable  to  considerable  variation,  and  insuffideDt 
of  itself  for  specific  distinction.  The  species  has  been  beantifullj  il- 
lustrated, in  Trembley's  "  M ^moires,"  by  the  pencil  and  graver  oi  the 
celebrated  Ljonet,  for  it  is  an  interesting  &ct  that  all  the  fignres,  and 
most  of  the  plates,  which  adorn  the  admirable  book  just  mentioned, 
were  drawn  and  etched  by  the  author  of  the  **  Traits  anatomiqne  de 
la  chenille  du  saule,"*  and  are  indeed  among  the  very  eariiest  speci- 
mens of  his  extraordinary  attainments  in  these  arts. 

It  may  be  worth  while  to  call  attention  to  the  remarkable  resem- 
blance of  the  Hydra  fosca  to  the  Cuculinnus  cirratus  of  Muller,  ZooL 
Dan.  tab.  38,  fig.  1-7,  which  is  an  intestinal  worm ! 

4.  H.  VBRRUCOSA,  p€de  cinereous  ;  body  pedunculate^  casnpani' 
form  ;  tentacula  longer  than  the  body, 

Hydia  verrucosa,  Templeion,  in  Mag.  Nat  Hist  ix.  418,  fig.  57. 

Hab-  Still  waters.  "  In  the  pond  at  Cranmore  (near  Belfiist,) 
Sept.  1812,"  J.  TempletoHy  Esq. 

"  Of  a  pale  cinereous  hue,  with  six  yerrucated  tentacula,  of  mode- 
rate length,  and  nearly  equal  thickness." *'  This  species,  when  at 

rest,  assumes  more  of  a  campanulate  form  than  any  other  species  of  the 
genus,  except  lutea  and  the  following.  The  warts  are  not  uniformly 
diffused,  as  in  pallens  ;  nor  do  the  tentacula  diminish  much  in  size  to- 
wards the  tips.*' — Templeton, 

**  Marine  species. 

5.  H.?  LiTTORALis,  '*  fvkite ;  head  large;  about  10  extremely 
short  tentacula  encircling  the  base"     Robt.  Jameson,  f 

Hydra  lutea  ?  Jameson,  in  Wern.   Mem.  i.  565 — H.  lutea,  JRem.  Brit 

Anim.  554 — H.  corynaria,  Templeton,  in  Mag.  Nat  Hist  ix.  419,  fig.  58. 

Hob.  Sea  shore,  adhering  to  Fuci.     Frith  of  Forth,  Professor 

Jameson.     "  Found  adhering  to  Fucus  yesiculosus,  at  White  House 

Point,  Belfiist  Lough,  Oct.  1810,"  J.  Templeton,  Esq. 

The  figure  represents  a  branched  animal  with  enlarged  clavate 
heads  encircled  round  the  truncate  apex,  with  tentacula  rather  shorter 
than  the  diameter.-^To  justify  the  change  I  have  made  in  the  name, 
it  is  only  necessary  to  mention  that  nothing  can  be  more  certain  than 

•  "  OuvTBge  qui  est  a  la  fois  le  chef-d'oeuvre  dc  Tanatomie  et  celui  de  la  gri- 
vure." — Cuvier. 

t  The  name  affixed  to  the  specific  characters  is  that  of  the  person  who,  so 
far  as  I  have  been  able  to  ascertain  the  point,  added  the  species  to  the  British 
Fauna.-— Mr  Jameson  is  the  present  Regius  Professor  of  Natural  History  in  the 
University  of  Edinburgh. 


Natural  History  of  British  Zoophytes.  33 1 

that  this  species  is  not  identical  either  with  the  Hydra  lutea  or  cory- 
naria  of  Bosc 

Obs.  Leawenhoek*  discovered  the  Hydra  in  1703,  and  the  un- 
common way  its  young  are  produced,  and  an  anonymous  correspon- 
dent of  the  Royal  Society  made  the  same  discovery  in  England  ahout 
the  same  time,  hut  it  excited  no  particular  notice  until  Tremhley 
made  known  its  wonderful  properties,  about  the  year  1744.  These 
were  so  contrary  to  all  former  experience,  and  so  repugnant  to  every 
established  notion  of  animal  life,  that  the  scientific  world  were  amaz- 
ed ;  and  while  the  more  cautious  among  naturalists  set  themselves 
to  verify  what  it  was  difficult  to  believe,  there  were  many  who  looked 
upon  the  alleged  fiu^  as  impossible  fiincies.  The  discoveries  of 
Tremhley  were,  however,  speedily  confirmed ;  and  we  are  now  so 
fiuniliar  with  the  outlines  of  the  history  of  the  fresh-water  polype, 
and  its  marvellous  reproductive  powers,  that  we  can  scarcely  appre- 
ciate the  vividness  of  the  sensation  felt  when  it  was  all  novel  and 
strange ;  when  the  leading  men  of  our  learned  societies  were  daily 
experimenting  on  these  poor  worms,  and  transmitting  them  to  one 
another  from  distant  countries,  by  careful  posts,  and  as  most  precious 
gifts ;  and  when  even  ambassadors  interested  themselves  in  sending 
early  intelligence  of  the  engrossing  theme  to  their  respective  courts. 

The  Hydr»  are  found  in  firesh  and,  perhaps,  also  in  salt  waters,  but 
the  former  species  only  have  been  examined  with  care,  and  are  the 
objects  of  the  following  remarks.  They  prefer  slowly  running  or  al- 
most BtiU  water,  and  fasten  to  the  leaves  and  stalks  of  submerged 
plants  hy  their  base,  which  seems  to  act  as  a  sucker.  The  body  is 
exceedingly  contractile,  and  hence  liable  to  many  changes  of  form  : 
when  contracted  it  is  like  a  tubercle,  a  minute  top  or  button,  and 
when  extended  it  becomes  a  narrow  cylinder,  being  ten  or  twelve  times 
longer  at  one  time  than  at  another,  the  tentacula  suffering  changes  in 
their  length  and  diameter  equal  to  those  of  the  body.  **  It  can  lengthen 
out  or  shorten  its  arms,  without  extending  or  contracting  its  body  ; 
and  can  do  the  same  by  the  body,  without  altering  the  length  of  its 
arms  :  both,  however,  &re  usually  moved  together,  at  the  same  time 
and  in  the  same  direction." — The  whole  creature  is  apparently  homo- 
geneous, composed  of  minute  pellucid  grains  cohering  by  means  of  a 
transparent  jelly,  for  even  with  a  high  magnifier  no  defined  organi- 
sation of  vessels  and  fibres  can  be  detected.  On  the  point  opposite 
the  base,  and  in  the  centre  of  the  tentacula,  we  observe  an  aperture 

•  «  Antonius  v.  Leeuwenhoek,  civis  Delphensis,  pcritua  vitionim  poUtor, 
cimo«u8,  et  ad  paradoxas  opiniones  proaus."  Haller,  Bib.  Bot.  i.  583.  He 
was  bom  1632 ;  elected  P.  R.  S.  January  1680  ;  and  died  in  1723. 


382  Natural  History  of  British  Zoophytes. 

or  mouth  which  leads  into  a  wider  cavity  excavated  aa  it  were  in  the 
midst  of  the  jelly,*  and  from  which  a  narrow  canal  is  continued  down 
to  the  sucker.  When  contracted,  and  also  when  folly  extended,  the 
body  appears  smooth  and  even,  but  "  in  its  middle  degree  of  exten- 
sion,"  the  sides  seem  to  be  minutely  crenulated,  an  effect  probably  of 
a  wrinkling  of  the  surface,  although  from  this  appearance  Baker  haa 
concluded  that  the  Hydra  is  annuloae,  or  made  up  of  a  number  of 
rings  capable  of  being  folded  together  or  evolved,  and  hence,  in  some 
measure,  its  extraordinary  ability  of  extending  and  contracting  its 
parts.f  That  this  view  of  the  Hydra's  structure  is  erroneous,  Tremb- 
ley  has  proved  4  &nd  the  explanation  it  afforded  of  the  animal's  con- 
tractility was  obviously  unsatisfactory,  for  it  was  never  pretended  that 
such  an  anatomy  could  be  detected  in  the  tentacula,  which,  however, 
are  equally  or  m<Nre  contractile.  These  organs  encircle  the  mouth 
and  radiate  in  a  star-like  fashion,  but  they  seem  to  originate  a  little 
under  the  lip,  for  the  mouth  is  often  protruded  like  a  kind  of  small 
snout :  they  are  cylindrical,  linear  or  very  slightly  tapered,  hollow 
and  roughened,  at  short  and  regular  intervals,  with  whorls  of  tuber- 
cles which,  under  the  miscroscope,  form  a  very  beautiful  and  interest- 
ing object;  and  I  have  thought,  when  viewing  them,  that  every  lit- 
tle tubercle  might  be  a  cup  or  sucker  similar  to  those  which  garnish 
the  arms  of  the  cuttle-fish.  $  Trembley  has  shewn  us  that  this  is  a 
deception,  and  that  there  is  really  no  exactness  in  the  comparison.  ( 

*  I^las  denies  this.  **  Ab  alimento  recepto  cavattt,  inquam,  baud  enim  Hy- 
droB  corpus  naturaliter  intestini  instar  caFum  crediderim.  Totum  sohdom  et 
medullare,  pro  admoto  alimento,  cer»  instari  digitim  admittentis,  cavari  condpio 
parenchyma  et  alimentis  insinuatis  sese  circumfmidere.  Qui  ah'as  per  longi- 
tudinem  dissecta  Hydra,  illico  qualibet  portione  deglutire,  et  cavo  dauso  alimen- 
ta  condere  poasct?  quod  tamen  observare  rarum  non  est.**  Elench.  Zooph.  27, 
28. — For  a  view  of  the  Hydra's  stomach  see  Tremb.  Mem.  pi.  4,  fig.  7,  co- 
pied by  Roget  in  his  Bridgew.  Treat  ii.  74  fig.  241. 

-{-  "  The  outward  coat  is  white  like  the  arms,  and  made  up  of  minute  oaimfi 
or  ringlets,  that  double  in  the  midst,  and  can,  occasionally,  be  folded  dose  to- 
gether, in  the  manner  of  a  paper  lanthom." — Hist,  of  the  Polype,  25. 

\  Mem.  27. 

§  Pallas  has  the  same  suggestion.  Elench.  26.  See  also  Roget's  Bridgew. 
Treat,  i.  182. — Baker  says  that  '*  two  or  three  pretty  long  hairs"  issue  from  each 
of  the  papilliB  or  tuberdes,  p.  36. ;  and  Trembly  has  figured  a  short  hair  issuing 
from  some  of  them,  Mem.  62,  pi.  5,  fig.  d.  This  appearance  of  hairs  is,  I  pre- 
sume, produced  by  the  glutinous  secretion  from  them  being  drawn  out  into  fine 
lines  and  drying  on  the  glass.  The  tentacula  probably  adhere  to  foreign  bodies 
prindpally  by  means  of  a  mucous  excretion,  and  bdng  as  it  were  engrained  into 
the  microscopic  interstices  of  the  body  to  which  they  are  applied. — Tremb. 
Mem.  46. 

II   Mem.  lOa 


r 


-Natural  History  of  British  Zoophytes.  333 

The  tentocnla  are  amazinglj  extensible,  from  a  line  or  less  to  one  or, 
as  in  H.  fnsca,  to  more  than  eight  inches ;  and  '<  another  extraordi« 
nary  circnmstance  is,  that  a  polype  can  extend  an  arm  in  any  part 
of  its  whole  length,  without  doing  so  throughout,  and  can  swell  or 
lessen  its  diameter,  either  at  the  root,  at  the  extremity,  in  the  mid- 
dle, or  where  it  pleases  :  which  occasions  a  great  variety  of  appear- 
ances, making  it  sometimes  terminate  with  a  sharp  point,  and  at  other 
times  blunt,  knobbed,  and  thickest  at  the  end,  in  the  figure  of  a  bob- 
Un."  We  naturally  enquire  how  this  wonderful  extension  is  made, — 
by  what  power  a  part  without  muscularity  is  drawn  out  until  it  ex- 
ceeds by  twenty  or  even  by  forty  times  the  original  length  ?  The 
dissections  of  Trembley  have  proved  beyond  any  doubt  that  the  body 
is  a  hollow  cylinder  or  bowel,  and  that  the  tentacula  are  tubular  and 
have  a  free  communication  with  its  cavity  ;*  and  in  this  structure, 
combined  with  the  loose  granular  composition  of  the  animal,  we  find 
an  answer  to  the  question.  ,  Water  flows,  let  us  say  by  suction^  into 
the  stomach  through  the  oral  aperture,  whence  it  is  forced  by  the 
vis  a  tergo,  or  drawn  by  capillary  attraction,  into  the  canals  of  the 
tentacula,  and  its  current  outwards  is  sufiicient  to  push  before  it  the 
soft  yielding  material  of  which  they  are  composed,  until  at  last  the 
resistance  of  the  living  parts  suffices  to  arrest  the  tiny  flood,  or  the 
tube  has  become  too  fine  in  its  bore  for  the  admission  of  water  attenu- 
ated to  its  smallest  possible  stream, — ^how  inconceivable  slender  may 
indeed  be  imagined,  but  there  is  no  thread  fine  enough  to  equal  it, 
seeing  that  the  tentacula  of  Hydra  fusca  in  tension  can  be  compared 
to  nothing  grosser  than  the  scarce  visible  filament  of  the  gossamer's 
web. 

The  Hydra,  though  usually  found  attached,  can  nevertheless  move 
from  place  to  place^  which  it  does  either  by  gliding  with  impercep- 
tible slowness  on  the  base,  or  by  stretching  out  the  body  and  tenta- 
cula to  the  utmost,  fixing  the  latter,  and  then  contracting  the  body 
towards  the  point  of  fixture,  loosening  at  the  same  time  its  hold  with 
the  base ;  and  by  reversing  these  actions  it  can  retrograde.  Its  or- 
dinary position  seems  to  be  pendant  or  nearly  horizontal,  hanging 
from  some  floating  weed  or  leaf,  or  stretching  from  its  sides.  In  a 
glass  of  water  the  creature  will  crawl  up  the  sides  of  the  vessel  to 
the  surface,  and  hang  from  it,  sometimes  with  the  base,  and  some- 
times with  the  tentacula  downwards  ;  and  again  it  will  lay  itself  along 
horizontally .t     Its  locomotion  is  always  very  slow,  and  the  disposi- 

•  Mem.  12a-5;  and  263. 

-f  *•  The  position  in  which  they  appear  to  take  most  delight,  is^that  of  remain- 
ing  suspended  from  the  surface  of  the  water  by  means  of  the  foot  alone :  and 


334  Natural  History  of  British  Zoophytes. 

tion  of  the  zoophyte  is  evidently  sedentary  ;  but  the  contractions  and 
mutations  of  the  body  itself  are  sufficiently  viyacious,  while  in  seiz- 
ing and  mastering  its  prey  it  is  surprisingly  nimble ;  seizing  a  worm, 
to  use  the  comparison  of  Baker,  *<  with  as  much  eagerness  as  a  cat 
catches  a  mouse/'  It  is  dull  and  does  not  expand  freely  in  the  dark, 
but  enjoys  light,  and  hence  undoubtedly  the  reason  why  we  general- 
ly find  the  Hydra  near  the  sur&ce  and  in  shallow  water. 

The  Hydras  are  very  voracious,  feeding  only  on  living  animals,*  but 
when  necessary  they  can  sustain  a  &8t  of  many  weeks  without  other 
loes  than  what  a  paler  colour  may  indicate.  Small  larvae,  worms, 
and  entomoetracous  insects  seem  to  be  the  favourite  food,  and  to  en- 
trap these  they  expand  the  tentacula  to  the  utmost  and  spread  them 
in  every  direction,  moving  them  gently  in  the  water  to  increase  their 
chances,  and  when  a  worm,  &c.  touches  any  part  of  them  it  is  im- 
mediately seized,  carried  to  the  mouth  by  these  flexible  and  contrac- 
tile organs,  and  forced  into  the  stomach.  **  'Tis  a  fine  entertainment," 
says  Baker,  "  to  behold  the  dexterity  of  a  polype  in  the  mastering 
its  prey,  and  observe  with  what  art  it  evades  and  overcomes  the  su- 
perior strength  or  agility  thereof.  Many  times,  by  way  of  experi- 
ment, I  have  put  a  large  worm  to  the  very  extremity  of  a  single  arm, 
which  has  instantly  fastened  on  it  with  its  little  invisible  claspers. 
Then  it  has  afforded  me  inexpressible  pleasure,  to  see  the  polype 
poising  and  balancing  the  worm,  with  no  less  seeming  caution  and 
judgment  than  a  skilful  angler  shows  when  he  perceives  a  heavy 
fish  at  the  end  of  a  single  hair-line,  and  fears  it  should  break  away. 
Contracting  the  arm  that  holds  it,  by  very  slow  degrees,  he  brings 
it  within  the  reach  of  his  other  arms,  which  eagerly  clasping  round 

this  they  effect  in  the  following  manner.  When  the  flat  surfiice  of  the  foot  is 
exposed  for  a  short  time  to  the  air,  above  the  surface  of  the  water,  it  beoomes 
dry,  and  in  this  state  exerts  a  repulsive  action  on  the  liquid,  so  that  when  drag- 
ged below  the  level  of  the  surface,  by  the  weight  of  the  body,  it  still  reauuns 
uncovered,  and  occupies  the  bottom  of  a  cup-shaped  hollow  in  the  fluid,  thereby 
receiving  a  degree  of  buoyancy,  sufficient  to  suspend  it  at  the  surface.  The 
principle  is  the  same  as  that  by  which  a  dry  needle  is  supported  on  water,  in  the 
boat -like  hoUow  which  is  formed  by  the  cohesive  force  of  the  liquid,  if  cue  be 
taken  to  lay  the  needle  down  very  gently  on  the  surface.  If,  while  the  Uydiais 
floating  in  this  manner,  suspended  by  the  extremity  of  the  foot,  a  drop  of  water 
be  made  to  fall  upon  that  part,  so  as  to  wet  it,  this  hydrostatic  power  will  he 
destroyed,  and  the  animal  will  immediately  sink  to  the  bottom." — Roget,  Bridgw. 
Tr.  i.  179.  This  passage  is  nearly  a  literal  translation  from  Trembley*s  Hist 
des  Polypes,  p.  37-8. 

*  In  confinement,  however,  Trembley  found  that  they  might  be  fed  on  min- 
ced fish,  beef,  mutton,  or  veal.-.-Mem.  104. 


1 


Natural  History  of  British  Zoophytes.  335 

it,  and  the  danger  of  losing  it  being  over,  all  the  former  caution  and 
gentleness  is  laid  aside,  and  it  is  palled  to  the  polype's  mouth  with  a 
surprising  Tiolence/'  *  Sometimes  it  happens  that  two  polypes  will 
seize  npon  the  same  worm,  when  a  straggle  for  the  prey  ensues,  in 
which  the  stronger  gains  of  coarse  the  victory  ;  or  each  polype  begins 
quietly  to  swallow  his  portion,  and  continues  to  gulp  down  his  half 
until  the  mouths  of  the  pair  near  and  come  at  length  into  actual  con- 
tact. The  rest  which  now  ensues  appears  to  prove  that  they  are 
sensible  of  their  untoward  position,  from  which  they  are  frequently 
liberated  by  the  opportune  break  of  the  worm,  when  each  obtains  his 
share,  but  should  the  prey  prove  too  tough,  woe  I  to  the  unready  ! 
The  more  resolute  dilates  the  mouth  to  the  requisite  extent,  and  de- 
liberately swallows  his  opponent,  sometimes  partially,  so  as,  however, 
to  compel  the  discharge  of  the  bait,  while  at  other  times  the  entire 
polype  is  engulped  I  But  a  polype  is  no  fitting  food  to  a  polype,  and 
his  capacity  of  endurance  saves  him  from  this  living  tomb,  ibr  after  a 
time,  when  the  worm  is  sucked  out  of  him,  the  sufferer  is  disgorged 
with  no  other  loss  than  his  dinner,  t  This  &ct  is  the  more  remark- 
able when  it  is  contrasted  with  the  fate  which  awaits  the  worms  on 
which  they  feed.  No  sooner  are  these  laid  hold  upon  than  they  evince 
every  symptom  of  painful  suffering,  but  their  violent  contortions  are 
momentary  and  a  certain  death  suddenly  Jhilows  their  capture.  How 
this  e£fect  is  produced  is  mere  matter  of  conjecture.  Worms,  in  or- 
dinary circumstances,  are  most  tenacious  of  life  even  under  severe 
wounds,  and  hence  one  is  inclined  to  suppose  that  there  must  be 
something  eminently  poisonous  in  the  Hydra's  grasp,  as  it  is  impos- 
sible to  beUeve,  with  Baker,  that  this  soft  toothless  creature  can  bite 
and  inject  a  venom  into  the  wound  it  gives.  **  I  have  sometimes," 
says  Baker,  ^<  forced  a  worm  from  a  polype  the  instant  it  has  been 
bitten,  (at  the  expeuce  of  breaking  off  the  polype's  arms,)  and  have 
always  observed  it  to  die  very  soon  afterwards,  without  one  single 
instance  of  recovery ."{     To  the  Entomostraca,  however,  its  touch  is 

•  Hist,  of  the  Polype,  65.     Alao  Roget's  Bridgw.  Treat,  li.  76. 

t  Trembley,  Mem.  112. 

\  Hist,  of  the  Polype,  33 — comp.  with  67-8. — "  That  insignificant  and  inac- 
tive insect  called  the  fresh  water  polypus,  of  all  poisonous  animals,  seems  to 
possess  the  most  powerful  and  active  venom.  Small  water-worms,  which  the 
poljrpits  is  only  able  to  attack,  are  so  tenacious  of  life,  that  they  may  be  cut  to 
pieces  without  their  seeming  to  receive  any  material  injury,  or  to  suffer  much 
pain  from  the  incisions.  But  the  poison  of  the  polypus  instantly  extinguishes 
every  principle  of  life  and  motion.  What  is  singular,  the  mouth  or  lips  of  the 
polypus  have  no  sooner  touched  this  worm  than  it  expires.  No  wound,  how- 
ever, is  to  be  perceived  in  the  dead  animal.     By  experiments  made  with  the 


336  Natural  History  of  British  Zoophytes. 

not  equally  faXjeXy  for  I  have  repeatedly  seen  Cyprides  and  Daphnise 
entangled  in  the  tentacula  and  arrested  for  some  considerable  time, 
escape  even  from  the  very  lips  of  the  mouth,  and  swim  about  after- 
wards unharmed  ;  perhaps  their  shell  may  protect  them  from  the 
poisonous  excretion. — The  g^rosser  parts  of  the  food,  after  some  hours' 
digestion,  are  again  ejected  by  the  mouth ;  but,  as  already  mention- 
ed, the  stomach  is  furnished  with  what  in  one  sense,  may  be  called 
an  intestine  to  which,  according  to  Trembley  and  Baker,  there  is  an 
outlet  in  the  centre  of  the  base,  and  the  latter  asserts  that  he  has, 
<<  several  times,  seen  the  dung  of  the  polype  in  little  round  pellets 
discharged  at  this  outlet  or  anus."* 

But  the  Hydra  is  principaUy  celebrated  on  account  of  its  manner 
of  propagation.  It  is  of  course  like  zoophytes  in  general,  asexual ; 
and  every  individual  possesses  the  faculty  of  continuing  and  multiply- 
ing its  race,  principally,  however,  by  the  process  of  subdivision. 
During  the  summer  season,  a  small  tubercle  rises  on  the  surface, 
which  lengthens  and  enlarges  every  hour,  and  in  a  day  or  two  de- 
velopes  in  irregular  succession,  or  in  successive  pairs,  %  *a  series  of 
tentacula,  and  becomes  in  all  respects,  excepting  size,  similar  to  its 
parent.  It  remains  attached  for  some  time,  and  grows  and  feeds,  and 
contracts  and  expands  after  the  fashion  of  this  parent,  until  it  is  at 
length  thrown  off  by  a  sort  of  sloughing  or  exfoliation.  These  buda 
sprout,  in  the  common  species,  from  every  part  of  the  surfiu^e  of  the 
body,  but  not  from  the  tentacula ;  and  very  often  two,  three  or  four 
young  may  be  seen  depending  at  one  time  from  the  sides  of  the  fruit- 
ful mother,  in  different  stages  of  growth,  every  one  playing  its  part 
independent  of  the  others.  They  are  evolved  with  rapidity  in  warm 
weather  especially,  and  no  sooner  has  one  dropt  off  than  another  be- 
gins to  germinate ;  <<  and  what  is  most  extraordinary,  the  young  ones 

best  microscopes,  it  has  been  found,  that  the  polypus  is  neither  provided  with 
teeth,  nor  any  other  instrument  that  could  pierce  the  skin."  Smellie's  Phil  of 
Nat  History,  ii.  462 — The  fact  that  fishes  cannot  be  made  to  swallow  Hydne, 
seems  to  prove  the  presence  of  some  irritating  quality  in  the  latter. — See  Trem> 
bley,  Mem.  187. 

•  Lib.  s.  cit.  27. — He  adds, — "  Much  the  greater  and  grosser  part  of  what 
the  polype  eats,  is  most  certainly  thrown  out  again  by  the  mouth,  after  lying  a 
proper  time  to  become  digested  in  the  stomach  :  and,  for  a  good  while,  I  ima- 
gined there  was  no  other  evacuation ;  but  am  now  convinced,  that  the  finer  part, 
in  small  quantity,  is  carried  downwards  through  the  tail,  and  passed  off  that  way. 
I  believe,  however,  there  is  also  another  purpose  to  which  this  passage  serves, 
and  that  is,  to  convey  a  mucus  or  slimy  matter  to  the  end  of  the  tail,  for  its 
more  ready  adhesion  to  sticks,  stalks,  or  other  bodies/' 

t  Baker's  Hist.  35. 


Natural  History  of  British  Zoophytes.  337 

themselres  often  breed  others,  and  those  others  sometimes  push  out 
a  third  or  fourth  generation  before  the  first  fall  off  from  the  original 
parent." — Trembley  found  in  one  experiment  that  an  indiyidual  of 
H.  grisea  produced  forty-five  young  in  two  months  ;  The  average 
number  per  month  in  summer  was  twenty^  but  as  each  of  these  be- 
gan to  produce  four  or  five  days  after  its  separation,  the  whole  pro- 
duce of  a  month  was  prodigious.  * 

<<  No  sooner  is  a  young  one  furnished  with  arms,  than  it  seizes  and 
devours  worms  with  all  possible  eagerness  ;  nor  is  it  an  unusual  thing 
to  behold  the  young  one  and  the  old  one  struggling  for,  and  gorging 
different  ends  of  the  same  worm  together.  Before  the  arms  come  out, 
and  even  sometime  afterwards,  a  communication  continues  between 
the  bodies  of  the  old  and  young,  as  appears  beyond  dispute  by  the- 
swelling  of  either  when  the  other  is  fed.f  But  a  little  before  the 
young  one  separates,  when  its  tail-end  begins  to  look  white,  trans- 
parent, and  slender,  the  passage  between  them,  I  believe,  is  closed. 
And  when  the  young  one  comes  away,  there  remains  not  the  least 
mark  where  it  had  been  protruded.*' — **  After  a  young  polype  once 
gets  all  its  arms,  it  alters  indeed  in  size,  but  neither  appears  to  shift 
its  skin,  or  undergo  any  of  the  changes  most  other  insects  do."  j: 

Instead  of  buds  or  little  protuberances,  the  body  sometimes  push- 
es forth  single  tentacula  scattered  irregularly  over  it,  and  these  ten- 
tacula  can  be  metamorphosed  into  perfect  polypes,  the  base  swelling 
out  to  become  the  body,  which,  again  soon  shoots  out  additional  ten- 
tacula to  the  requisite  number  I  § 

This  is  a  mode  of  generation  which  the  term  viviparous  does  not 
correctly  embrace,  unless  we  give  to  that  word  a  signification  so  ex- 
tensive as  to  include  all  generations  which  are  not  oviparous  :  It  is 
an  example  of  equivocal,  or  what  some  foreign  physiologists  deno- 
minate, the  generation  by  the  individualisation  of  a  tissue  previously 
or  already  organized,  || — and  seems  to  be  the  usual  way  of  propaga-* 

*  Mem.  pour  r  Hist  des  Polypes,  174--5.     Also  Baker,  lib.  s.  dt.  59--^. 

f  By  some  clever  dissections,  Trembley  demonstrated  the  reality  of  this  com- 
munication. Mem.  161 — 2. 

\  Baker  lib.  s.  cit.  50.         §  Baker  ut  cit  IIOl— 11  :  121—3. 

II  La  g^n^radonn'est  pas  pour  cela  spontan^e  :  une  giniraiionsporUanSe  doit 
dtre  la  production  d'un  6tre  organist  de  toutes  pieces,  lorsque  des  41^mens  in- 
oiganiques  se  r^uniront  pour  produire  un  animal,  une  plante.  Cette  g^n^ration 
est  impossible,  et  n'a  jamais  lieu.  Une  gMration  Equivoque  est  celle  oii  des  tis- 
sus  organist  pr^alablement  par  un  dtre  d^a  pourvu  de  vie,  sHndividualisent, 
c*est-a-dire  se  s^aient  de  la  masse  commune  et  participent  encore,  apr^s  cette 
separation,  de  T^tat  dynamique  de  la  masse,  c'est-i-dire  de  sa  vie,  mais,  a  son 
propre  profit.  C*est  ainsi  qu*un  tissu  produit  un  Entozoaire.  C'est  de  la  vie  con- 
tinu^e.'*— Ch.  Morrenin  Ann.  des  Sc.  Nat.  an.  1836,  Vol.  vi.  p.  90.  ParU  Zool 


338  Natural  HUUny  of  BritUh  Zoophytes, 

tion  among  the  Hydne  daring  the  summer  months.     But  in  autuma 
the  Hydra  generates  internal  oyiform  gemmules  which,  extruded  irora 
the  body,  lie  during  the  winter  in  a  quiescent  state,  and  are  stimulat- 
ed to  evolution  not  until  the  return  of  spring  and  its  genial  weather. 
Few  obserrations  have  been  made  on  these  apparent  ora,  so  that  their 
structure,  their  source,  their  manner  of  escape  iix)m  the  body,  and 
their  condition  during  winter  are  scarcely  known,     Trembley  de- 
scribes them  as  little  spherical  excrescences,  of  a  white  or  yellow  co- 
lour, attached  to  the  body  by  a  very  short  pedicle.     He  never  saw 
more  than  three  on  the  same  polype.     After  sometime  they  became 
separate,  and  fell  to  the  bottom  of  the  glass  of  water  in  which  the 
creatures  were  kept,  where  they  came  to  nothing,  excepting  one  only 
which  was  presumed  to  have  evolved  into  a  polype,  for  although 
his  experiment  renders  this  conclusion  probable,  it  was  still  rather  an 
inference  than  an  actual  observation,  so  much  so,  that  Trembley  con- 
tinued to  entertain  doubts  of  their  nature.    Jussieu,  it  seems,  oon- 
ceived  that  each  little  excrescence  was  a  vesicle  filled  with  ova  of 
microscopic  minuteness,  but  there  is  no  foundation  for  any  such  hy- 
pothesis.* 

These  are  the  modes  in  which  the  Hydra  naturally  multiplies  its 
kind,  but  it  can  be  increased,  as  already  hinted,  by  artificial  sections 
of  the  body,  in  the  same  manner  that  a  perennial  plant  can  be  by 
slips  and  shoots.  If  the  body  is  halved  in  any  direction,  each  half 
in  a  short  time  grows  up  a  perfect  Hydra ;  if  it  is  cut  into  four  or 
eight,  or  even  minced  into  forty  piece8,f  each  continues  alive  and  de- 
velopes  a  new  animal,  which  is  itself  capable  of  being  multiplied  in 
the  same  extraordinary  manner.  If  the  section  is  made  lengthways, 
so  as  to  divide  the  body  into  two  or  more  slips  connected  merely  by 
the  tail,  they  are  speedily  resoldered,  like  some  heroes  of  fairy  tale, 
into  one  perfect  whole  ;  or  if  the  pieces  are  kept  asunder,  each  will 
become  a  polype,  and  thus  we  may  have  two  or  several  polypes  with 
only  one  tail  between  them  ;  but  if  the  sections  be  made  in  the  contrary 
direction — from  the  tail  towards  the  tentacula — ^you  produce  a  mon- 
ster with  two  or  more  bodies  and  one  head.  If  the  tentacula, — ^the 
organs  by  which  they  take  their  prey,  and  on  which  their  existence 
might  seem  to  depend, — are  cut  away,  they  are  reproduced,  and  the 

•  Trembley,  Mem.  196—7. 

t  "  J*iii  ouvert  sur  ma  main  un  Polype,  je  I'ai  6tendu,  et  j*ai  coup6  en  tout 
sens  la  peau  simple  qu*il  formoit,  je  l*ai  reduit  en  petits  morceaux,  je  Tai  en 
quelque  mani^re  hach^.  Ces  petits  morceaux  de  peau,  tant  ceux  qui  avoient 
des  bras,  que  ceux  qui  n*en  avoient  point,  sont  devenus  des  Polypes  parfBits.**-— 
Trembley,  Mem.  248. 

3 


Natural  History  of  British  Zoophytes.  039 

lopt  oiS  parts  remam  not  long  without  a  new  body  :  if  only  two  or 
three  tentacula  are  embraced  in-  the  section,  the  result  is  the  same  ; 
and  a  single  tentaculum  will  serve  for  the  evolution  of  a  complete 
creature.  *  When  a  piece  is  cut  out  of  the  body  the  wound  speedily 
healsy  and,  as  if  excited  by  the  stimulus  of  the  knife,  young  polypes 
sprout  from  the  wound  more  abundantly,  and  in  preference  to  un- 
scarred  parts ;  when  a  polype  is  introduced  by  the  tail  into  another's 
body,  the  two  unite  and  form  one  individual ;  and  when  a  head  is  lopt 
off  it  may  safely  be  ingrafted  on  the  body  of  any  other  which  may 
chance  to  want  one.  You  may  slit  the  animal  up,  and  lay  it  out  flat 
like  a  membrane,  with  impunity ;  nay  it  may  be  turned  inside  out, 
so  that  the  stomachal  sur&oe  shall  become  the  epidermous,  and  yet 
continue  to  live  and  enjoy  itself,  f  And  the  creature  seems  even  to 
suffer  very  little  by  these  apparently  cruel  operations,  for  before  the 
lapse  of  many  minutes,  the  upper  half  of  a  cross  section  will  expand 
its  tentacula  and  catch  prey  as  usual ;  and  the  two  portions  of  a 
longitudinal  division  will,  after  an  hour  or  two,  take  food  and  retain 
it.  "  A  polype  cut  transversely,  in  three  parts,  requires  four  or  five 
days  in  summer,  and  longer  in  cold  weather,  for  the  middle  piece  to 
produce  a  head  and  tail,  and  the  tail  part  to  get  a  body  and  head, 
which  they  both  do  in  pretty  much  the  same  time.  The  head  part 
always  appears  a  perfect  polype  sooner  than  the  rest. "  <'  And  what 
is  still  more  extraordinary,  polypes  produced  in  this  manner  grow 
much  larger,  and  are  far  more  prolific,  in  the  way  of  their  natural  in- 
crease, than  those  that  were  never  cut.  It  is  very  common,  when  a 
polype  is  divided  transversely,  to  see  a  young  one  push  out  from  one 
or  other  of  the  parts,  and  sometimes  from  both  of  them,  in  a  very  few 
hours  after  the  operation  has  been  performed :  and,  particularly  from 
the  tail  part,  two  or  three  are  frequently  protruded  in  different  places, 
and  at  different  times,  long  before  that  part  acquires  a  new  head,  and 
consequently  whilst  it  can  take  in  no  fresh  nourishment  to  supply 
them  with :  and  yet  the  young  ones  proceeding  from  it,  under  these 

*  From  the  experiments  of  Trembley,  (Mem.  235,)  of  a  correspondent  of 
Baker's  and  of  Baker  himself,  it  would  seem  that  a  tentaculum  cannot  produce 
a  new  body,  unless  a  part  of  the  head  or  body  is  removed  with  it  (  Hist  193-4,) ; 
but  other  experimentalists  are  said  to  have  succeeded  when  this  was  not  done. 
For  the  particulars  stated  in  the  text,  and  others  equally  incredible,  the  reader 
may  consult  the  works  of  Trembley  and  Baker,  passim, 

f  Trembley  had  several  by  him  '*  that  have  remained  turned  in  this  manner ; 
their  inside  is  become  their  outside,  and  their  outside  their  inside :  they  eat, 
they  grow,  and  they  multiply,  as  if  they  had  never  been  turned." — Phil.  Trans. 
Abridg.  viii.  627  ;  and  his  Mem.  253,  &c. 


340  On  a  Canfervoid  State  ofMitcor  clavatus. 

disadvantages,  thrive  as  fast,  and  seem  as  vigorcms  as  those  produced 
by  perfect  and  uncut  polypes."  • 

When  such  things  were  first  announced — ^when  to  a  little  worm  the 
attributes  of  angelic  beings  were  assigned  f — it  is  not  wonderful  that 
the  vulgar  disbelieved,  albeit  credulity  may  be  their  besetting  sin, 
when  even  naturalists,  fiuniliar  with  all  the  miracles  of  the  insect 
world,  were  amazed  and  wist  not  what  to  do.  <<  II  faut" — exclaimed 
Reaumur — ^  il  faut  porter  la  foi  humaine  plus  loin  qu'il  n'est  permis 
k  des  hommes  edair^,  pour  le  croire  sur  le  premier  t^moignage  de 
celui  qui  le  raoonte,  et  assure  Tavoir  vu.  Peut-on  se  resoudre  ^ 
croire  qu'il  y  ait  dans  la  nature  des  animaux  qu'on  multiplie  en  les 
hachant,  pour  ainsi  dire,  par  morceaux  ?"  X  But  this  illustrious  na- 
turalist was  himself  the  first  to  promulgate,  and  experimentally  to 
verify  the  discoveries  of  Abraham  Trembley,  which  have  been  fully 
confirmed  by  many  subsequent  inquirers,  and  are  now  made  so  familiar 
to  us  by  their  admission  into  elementary  works  and  treatises  on  na- 
tural theology,  that  we  read  of  them  with  little  surprise  and  without 
incredulousness. 

{To  be  continued.) 


V. — On  a  Cwtfervoid  Slate  ofMucor  clamtus,  LL     By  the  Rev. 
M.  J.  Berkeley,  M.  A.  F.  L.  S. 

Thouob  great  advance  has  of  late  years  been  made,  not  only  iu 
the  study,  but  in  the  manner  of  studying  cryptogamic  plants,  it  is 
plain  from  the  pertinacious  adherence  of  many  botanists  to  their  old 
habits  of  lookingrather  to  external  and  accidental,  than  to  internal  and 
essential  characters,  that  there  is  much  room  for  improvement.  In 
consequence  of  this,  mycology  and  other  branches  of  cryptogamic 
botany  are  still  overloaded  with  a  mass  of  anomalous  productions, 

*  Baker,  lib.  s.  cit  92, 9a 

t  "  ^i^  in  every  part,  not  as  frail  Man 
In  entrails,  heart  or  head,  liver  or  veins. 
Cannot  but  by  annihilating  die ; 
Nor  in  their  liquid  texture  mortal  wound 
Receive,  no  more  than  can  the  fluid  air : 
All  heart  they  live,  all  head,  all  eye,  all  ear, 
—    —    —    —    and,  as  they  please, 
They  limb  themselves,  and  colour,  shape  or  size 
Assume,  as  likes  them  best." 

Milton. 
I  Hist,  des  Insectes,  vi.  pref.  49. 

4 


On  a  Confervoid  State  ofMucor  clavatuB.  341 

which  are,  in  fact,  nothing  else  but  unusual  or  undeveloped  states 
of  different  species.  Hence  we  find  amongst  Algse  certain  states  of 
various  Fungi,  Lichens,  Mosses,  and  Ferns,  while  amongst  Fungi 
we  have  the  in^t  state  of  many  species  (Mycelia)  arranged  under 
distinct  genera.  Indeed  in  the  new  system  of  Fungi  which  is  now 
in  the  course  of  puMication,  by  Dr  T.  F.  L.  Nees  ron  Esenbeck, 
we  still  find  such  a  genus  as  Himantia  retained,  though  it  is  al- 
most impossible  fw  practical  botanists  not  to  observe  the  actual  de- 
velopement  of  the  productions  of  which  it  is  formed  into  perfect  Hy- 
menomyoetons  Fungi.  Again  in  a  late  number  of  a  supplement 
to  BuUiard,  by  M.  Letellier,  a  new  species  of  Oeoglossum  is  formed 
out  of  a  state  of  one  of  the  Mycelia,  denominated  by  authors 
Osonium  aurioomum,  a  state,  it  is  to  be  observed,  noticed  long  ago  by 
Withering  and  Sir  J.  £.  Smith.  Many  other  instances  might  be 
noted  in  which  such  productions  are  either  again  enumerated  as 
autonomous  fungi,  or  new  forms  described.  It  is  with  great  justice 
that  Fries  complains,  that  although  he  has  again  and  again  called 
the  special  attention  of  botanists  to  this  point,  his  labour  at  present 
seems  to  have  been  all  but  useless.  He  expresses,  however,  his  de- 
termination of  persevering,  and  his  conviction  that  his  views  will 
at  length  be  adopted. 

No  tribe  has  afforded  more  of  such  doubtful  productions  than  the 
Mucedines,  from  many  of  the  more  common  species  being  more  or 
leas  perfectly  developed  with  such  ease  and  celerity  in  various  si- 
tuations and  circumstances.  The  sporidia  of  many  germinate  in  si- 
tuations in  which  their  true  habit  is  never  assumed,  in  liquids  for 
intftance ;  and  such  imperfect  states  have  been  generally  considered 
as  Alge.  The  habit,  indeed,  of  arranging  these  Mycelia  or  masked 
fungi  amongst  the  algse  had  obtained  some  years  since,  such  irre- 
sistible influence,  that,  aided  by  a  habit  of  theonzing,  M.  Cams, 
though  absolutely  witnessing  the  curious  forms  assumed  by  the 
same  species  under  different  degrees  of  moisture,  considered  the 
circumstance  as  proof  of  the  possibility  of  plants  essentially  belong- 
ing to  one  order  giving  origin  to  plants  of  an  order  entirely  distinct, 
under  a  different  adjustment  of  the  elements.  (Act.  Nov.  Leop. 
1823,  t.  58.)  Very  lately  a  volume  has  been  published,  which  at 
present  I  have  only  had  an  opportunity  of  casuaJly  inspecting  in  the 
liibrary  of  M.  Desmaxieres,  on  these  confervoid  forms  of  Mucedines, 
by  Dr  Biasoletto  of  Triest,  in  which  they  are  considered  as  belong- 
ing to  distinct  genera  of  the  order  Algae. 

Having  had  the  good  fortune  of  witnessing  the  perfect  develope- 

VOL.  II.  NO.  10.  z 


1 


342  On  a  Confervaid  State  ofMuear  davatus, 

ment  of  a  very  extraordinary  production  of  this  nature^  which  on  a 
slight  inspection^  without  carefully  weighing  its  nature,  had  all  the 
appearance  of  being  a  true  Algae,  I  take  an  early  opportunity  of  oom- 
muaicating  the  fsct  which  I  hare  witnessed,  as  a  multiplication  of 
ebserralions  of  this  nature  will  alone  induce  cryptogamists  general- 
ly to  consider  the  matter  in  its  true  light. 

On  the  17th  of  March  a  quantity  of  raisin  wine  was  made  in  the 
usual  manner,  with  the  exception  that  hoOing  water  was  used.  The 
quantity,  however,  of  water  applied  at  once  was  not  sufficient  to 
communicate  a  high  temperature  to  the  mash.  The  weather  which 
succeeded  was  so  extremely  cold  that  fermentation  did  not  take 
place,  and  it  was  not  convenient  to  place  the  tub  in  a  proper  tem- 
perature. In  a  few  days  the  surface  was  spotted  with  white  pat« 
ches  of  mould,  which  when  perfectly  developed  proved  to  be  Peni- 
cillium  candidum,  Lk.  at  least  the  plant  was  extremely  small,  and 
the  sporidia  never  acquired  any  colour.  Meanwhile  a  few  oonfer* 
void  tufts  floating  just  beneath  the  surfiice  became  visible*  This 
was  first  observed  on  the  1st  of  April,  and  in  a  few  days  the  whole 
surface  was  coated  with  a  thick  scum,  of  the  same  colour  as  the  li- 
quor, resembling  a  piece  of  cotton  wadding  immersed  in  it,  or  some 
of  the  more  slender  Confervse,  such  as  C.  sordida,  when  the  green  tint 
has  passed  away.  This  production  was  examined  at  the  time,  and 
found  to  consist  of  an  intricate  mass  of  branched  threads,  the 
iHranches  being  often  set  on  at  a  right  angle.  Towards  the  base 
they  were  generally  more  or  less  unequal,  very  irregular,  without 
articulations,  giving  out  here  and  there,  scattered  or  tnfied,  more 
slender  root-like  branches.  Towards  the  sur&ce,  the  threads  be- 
came articulated,  but  varying  extremely  in  the  length  and  forms  of 
the  divisions,  some  being  nearly  cylindrical,  and  in  length  exceed- 
ing the  diameter  many  times,  while  others  were  very  much  swollen, 
and  often  almost  globular.  Occasionally  there  seemed  an  effort  to 
form  a  sporangium.  All  were  filled  with  a  pale  grumous  nudeoa, 
in  which  a  few  distinct  granules  were  visible.  Though  resemUiog 
ConferviB  in  some  points,  I  was  convinced,  from  the  irr^ularity  in  the 
manner  of  articulation,  and  from  a  certain  indescribable  haUt,  that 
the  plant  before  me  was  a  state  of  some  mould.  The  scum  being  re- 
moved was  accordingly  saved,  but  it  underwent  no  further  deve- 
lopement.  As  often,  however,  as  the  wine  was  deared,  the  produc- 
tion was  again  developed,  without  affecting  very  sensibly  the  taste 
or  quality  of  the  wine.   Fermentation  not  taking  place,  the  tub  was 

4 


Oh  a  Confervoid  State  of  Mucor  clavattis.  343 

at  length  placed  in  a  room  in  which  a  fire  was  constantly  kept  up^ 
the  temperature  being  seldom  below  60°  of  Fahrenheit^  and  the 
patches  soon  became  smaller,  but  indicated  signs  of  fructification. 
It  was  in  a  short  time  clear  that  the  plant  was  a  state  of  AJucor 
davatus,  Lk.  which  was  further  proved  by  the  developement  of  that 
species  upon  the  skins  of  the  raisins,  which  had  been  thrown  into  a 
tub  in  which  were  some  brewers'  grains.  It  is  curious  that  in  this 
latter  case  there  was  scarcely  any  trace  of  a  Mycelium. 

The  Mycelium  of  the  Penicillium  before  fructification,  though 
more  or  less  submerged,  had  little  in  it  remarkable,  consisting  of 
extremely  fine  branched,  articulated,  pellucid  threads. 

a.  State  of  Mucor  davatus,  in  outline,  highly  magnified,  h,  A 
pottion  of  the  same  to  show  the  contents  of  the  articulations,  c. 
Perfect  fertile  threads,  with  sporangia  and  columella. 


C     344     ) 


REVIEWS  AND  CRITICAL  ANALYSIS. 


Voyage  Scientifique  en  Morfe,     Ptais.     Leyniilt. 

Wben  it  was  determined  to  employ  the  combined  arms  of  England 
and  France  in  order  to  clear  Greece  of  the  remains  of  the  barbaric 
race  of  Othman,  the  opportunity  was  not  lost  by  the  French  go- 
yemment,  and  with  the  laudable  zeal  for  science,  which,  amid  the 
motley  changes  we  have  witnessed  in  these  days,  has  nerer  ceased  to 
animate  the  various  parties  who  have  successively  ruled  at  Paris,  a 
sort  of  ambulant  Institute,  resembling  on  a  smaller  scale  the  cele- 
brated body  which  accompanied  the  Egyptian  expedition,  was  fitted 
out,  with  a  view  to  explore  the  classic  and  almost  unwrought  soil 
their  arms  were  called  on  to  visit. 

The  result  of  the  labours  of  this  commission  has  been  recently 
made  public,  and  we  shall  proceed  to  analyse  such  parts  of  it  as  the 
nature  of  this  publication  permits.  Although  we  must  in  candour 
say  that  we  have  risen  irom  the  examination  of  it  with  a  oonsidenble 
feeling  of  disappointment,  and  that  when  we  consider  the  means  at  the 
disposal  of  the  commission,  the  time  devoted  to  it,  and  the  power 
they  possessed  of  perambulating  a  region  of  comparatively  small  extent, 
and  perfectly  accessible  in  every  point ;  as  well  as  the  vast  advantage 
of  visiting  a  country  which,  as  far  as  natural  science  is  concerned, 
with  the  exception  of  the  botany  of  Sibthorp,  might  be  said  to  be  un- 
explored, we  felt  entitled  to  expect  that  more  might,  and  in  hct 
ought  to  have  been  done ; — nevertheless  they  have  brought  to  light 
some  very  interesting  fiicts,  which  we  shall  lay  before  our  readers,  fol- 
lowing the  course  of  the  publication  itself. 

The  work  contains  a  sort  of  personal  narrative  of  the  parties  en- 
gaged,  a  siunmary  of  the  observations  on  mammalia,  reptiles,  insects, 
fishes,  botany,  geology,  antiquities,  statistics,  and  topography.  There 
is  a  large  volume  filled  with  drawings  and  illustrations  of  varioui 
kinds,  most  of  them  well  executed,  and  of  great  interest  and  value; 
but  we  certainly  think  that  the  many  sheets  occupied  by  landscape 

3 


Voyage  Scientifique  en  Moree.  345 

views  in  fithography,  although  well  executed,  might  have  been  ad- 
yantageonsly  bestowed  on  objects  of  higher  value,  leaving  these  sub- 
jects of  amatenr  interest  in  the  hands  of  private  individuals,  who 
would  have  been  sure  to  avail  themselves  of  the  opportunity  of  pub* 
lishing  them.  Nearly  a  year  was  devoted  to  the  expedition,  which 
sailed  from  Toulon  in  January  1829,  and  returned  in  December  of 
the  same  year,  previous  to  which  it  had  been  suddenly  stopped  in  its 
career  by  the  dreadful  pestilence  of  malaria,  or  marsh  intermittent 
fever,  which  in  all  ages  has  infected  the  shores  of  Greece,  and  the  • 
prevalence  of  which  has  been  increased  by  the  want  of  cultivation 
consequent  on  the  invasion  of  the  Mahometans.  For  this  very  se- 
rious result,  we  conceive  some  parties,  either  the  government  at 
home^  or  those  in  immediate  command  of  the  commission,  must  have 
been  very  highly  to  blame.  Every  one  who  has  the  slightest  knt>w* 
ledge  of  the  Mediterranean  is  aware,  that  after  the  summer  solstice 
the  marshy  shores  of  nearly  the  whole  range  on  both  sides  is  subject 
to  this  fever,  which  increases  in  force  with  the  advance  of  the  season, 
and  attains  its  maximum  of  virulence  in  the  beginning  of  September, 
after  which  it  is  checked  by  the  rains,  which  in  general  fall  from  the 
lOth  to  the  1 8th  of  that  month,  and  induce  a  salutary  and  beneficial, 
as  well  as  most  agreeable,  change  in  the  temperature.  Not  only  the 
general  precautions  founded  on  the  knowledge  of  this  unvarying 
course  of  nature  were  unnoticed,  but  the  common  and  unerring 
warnings  of  danger,  the  presence  of  myriads  of  musquitos,  which  as- 
sailed them  in  the  deltas  and  marshes  of  Western  Greece,  were 
eqiially  disregarded,  until  they  were  roused  to  the  sense  of  their  si- 
tuation by  a  simultaneous  attack  of  nearly  the  whole  party,  which 
pot  an  abrupt  termination  to  their  proceedings,  and  compelled  them 
to  disperse  and  seek  for  safety  in  a  more  healthy  climate. 

Now  it  is  very  clear,  that,  by  the  exercise  of  a  little  discretion  and 
forethought,  proper  stations  might  have  been  selected,  whence  the 
observations  could  have  been  carried  on  according  to  the  season  with 
perfect  safety,  and,  by  changing  place  to  the  islands  or  to  the  elevated 
grounds  during  the  worst  period,  examining  the  pestilential  marshes 
at  the  proper  time,  better  results  would  have  been  obtained,  and  the 
parties  engaged  saved  from  carrying,  as  we  have  no  doubt  some  of 
them  wilt,  the  remembrance  of  this  improvident  arrangement  to  pre- 
mature g^tives. 

The  narrative,  which  occupies  the  first  volume,  is  drawn  up  by  M. 
Bory  de  St  Vincent.  In  some  parts  the  more  remarkable  animals 
they  met  with  are  mentioned,  but  in  general  it  is  entirely  personal, 


346  Vintage  Seientifique  en  Moree. 

containing  the  adoiixtiire  <tf  slight  and  superficial  notices  of  the  pastor- 
al and  agricoltnral  inhabitants  of  the  conntiy*  We  were  not  surpris- 
ed to  find  their  testimony  respecting  these  people  more  fityonrable 
than  might  have  been  expected  from  the  reputation  the  Greeks  luiTe 
acquired  at  Smyrna,  Constantinople,  and  other  trading  places,  where 
the  most  disadyantageous  oMnparisons  are  generally  made  between 
them  and  their  former  barbarian  masters.  In  other  respects,  the 
drawing  up  of  tiiis  narrative  gives  no  very  fiivourable  opinicm  either 
of  the  liberality  or  knowledge  of  the  author,  on  certain  subjects  he 
has  the  bad  taste  to  introduce  or  rather  parade  before  his  read^s. 
He  appears  to  be  of  that  class  of  his  countrymen  who  labour  under 
what  may  be  termed,  "  anglophobia,"  whidi  became  preyalenft  in  the 
time  of  the  empire,  having  succeeded  to  the  *'  anglomanie"  of  the  pe- 
riod prior  to  the  revolution,  and  is  so  prevalent  at  present,  notwith- 
standing the  friendly  temis  we  are  on,  that  every  candidate  for  public 
favour  must  make  his  profession  of  it,  or  be  purified,  according  to 
the  Spanish  phrase,  of  any  tendency  to  tiie  older  disease, — and  we 
doubt  not  this  seasoning  of  anglophol»a  one  cause  for  this  volume 
running  to  a  second  edition,  as  we  understand  it  has,  the  merits  of 
the  book  itself  bdng  very  small.  The  writer  gives  very  unequivocal 
proof  of  his  being  of  the  modem  school.  He  deplores,  in  a  way  to 
leave  no  doubt  of  his  sincerity,  the  national  arms  being  employed  io 
ccmc^  with  those  <^  England.  Every  rock  seems  to  suggest  visions 
of  occupation,  and  of  goblins  in  the  shape  of  British  sailors  and  ma- 
rines taking  permanent  possession  of  them ;— -a  strange  commen- 
tary on  the  proceedings  of  his  countrymen  on  the  opposite  coast  of 
Africa  I 

In  one  instance  he  travels  quite  out  of  his  way,  in  speaking  of  the 
Greek  Priests,  to  introduce  an  observation  on  our  manners,  which^  if 
it  were  founded  on  fact,  would  be  totally  misplaced  in  his  work ;  but 
happening  to  be  quite  the  reverse,  it  shews  not  only  the  animus 
which  dictated  the  insertion  of  it,  but  the  utter  ignorance  as  well  as 
low  and  vulgar  prejudices  of  the  author.  These  observations  may 
appear  to  be  unnecessary  here,  and  foreign  to  the  subject  we  are 
writing  on ;  but  they  are  by  no  means  so.  We  are  speaking  of  a 
public  body,  the  elite  of  one  of  the  leading  members  of  tiie  great 
republic  of  science,  and  it  is  not  unimportant  to  uotice  the  ^irit 
in  which  these  reports,  which  are  in  fact  public  property,  are  con- 
ducted. Independently  of  this  there  are  other  reasons.  The  same 
narrow  and  contracted  views  which  have  caused  the  introduction  of 
these  topics  where  they  are  quite  uncalled  for,  infect  various  parts  of  the 


Voyage  Sdentifique  en  Moree.  047 

body  of  the  work  itself.  There  is  too  visible  a  tendency  to  assume  airs 
of  exdusire  intelligenoeiand  reduce  everything  to  the  petty  scale  of  the 
little  cirde  or  clique  which  were  brought  together.  <'  Nous/'  <<  un  de 
noofs"  &c  occur  rather  too  often,  whilst  the  works  of  others,  which 
might  have  assisted  them,  are  either  unnoticed,  or  mentioned  so  slight- 
ly»  that  it  would  appear  to  be  the  result  of  force,  rather  than  irom 
that  geneial  republican  feeling  which  ought  to,  animate  those  who 
hold  prominent  situations  in  the  scientific  body.  We  regret  any  ten- 
dency to  this  failing  the  more,  from  seeing  its  effect  on  our  own  lite- 
rary and  scientific  societies,  the  tendency  in  which  this  evil  is  so  strong, 
and  the  difficulty  so  great,  of  avoiding  the  forming  petty  oligarchies, 
with  their  moment  of  splendour,  followed  by  stagnation,  twaddle  and 
decay.  It  will  be  a  real  loss  to  the  worl  d,  if  this  spirit  (as  it  is  beginning 
to  be  thought,)  seize  on  the  French ;  but  to  themselves  it  will  be  still 
heavier,  for  it  will  entail  the  certain  fidling  from  the  ^'  high  estate"  to 
which  the  great  men  who  have  lately  departed  had  raised  them.  The  lead 
once  lost  will  not  easily  be  regained.  Of  the  littleness  we  complain  of, 
one  of  the  common  forms  is  the  fear  of  being  '<  devance,"  and  the 
carefully  abstaining  irom  any  connection  of  the  observations  made  by 
others  in  the  corresponding  zone  of  Europe,  which,  especially  those  on 
Italy  and  Dalmatia,  might  have  been  introduced  in  a  work  of  this  sort, 
where  some  general  views  of  science  might  have  been  looked  for,  as  well 
as  the  more  isolated  facts  which  came  to  their  knowledge.  As,  how- 
ever, this  appears  not  to  have  entered  into  the  speculation  of  MM.  de  la 
Commission,  we  shall  proceed  to  analyse  the  information  which  they 
have  presented  to  us. 

Mammalia. — ^It  would  seem  incredible  that  of  the  bats  we  should 
only  have  V.  murinus  and  pipistrellus  mentioned.  In  a  country  like 
Greece,  which  abounds  in  caverns  and  retreats  suited  to  the  genus,  we 
looked  for  a  very  different  result.  The  very  treasuries  of  Atreus  and 
Merigas,  or  the  walls  of  Messene  ahd  the  vaults  of  Megarpelia  might 
have  been  ransacked,  to  extend  the  scanty  list,  in  forming  which  we 
fear  little  attention  has  been  paid. 

Traces  of  moles  were  observed,  especially  in  the  elevated  table- 
lands which  form  the  centre  of  the  Morea,  but  the  species  was  not 
aiade  out.  It  is  most  probably  the  Aspalax  or  T.  cceca  of  Savi. 
They  are  said  to  disappear  during  summer,— no  doubt  retiring  to  the 
marshes  or  to  the  depths  of  the  shady  forests,  where  the  soil  is  easier 
to  w<vk,  and  the  fcxxl  more  abundant,  than  in  the  open  grounds,  which 
become  indurated  with  the  rays  of  the  burning  sun. 

The  wild-cat,  F.  catus }  is  extremely  common,  especially  in  the  cen- 


848  Voyage  Scientifique  en  Meree. 

tral  parts  of  the  Morea,  where  they  prey  chiefly  on  partridges;  bat  «t 
some  seasons  they  approach  the  isolated  houses  and  seize  the  poultry. 
The  species  is  said  to  resemble  that  of  the  centre  of  Europe,  but 
in  some  degree  to  assimilate  to  one  figured  in  the  yoyage  of  Belanger 
to  the  East  Indies,  and  called  Felis  rubiginosa,  which  they  say  has 
spots  on  the  breast  and  sidos.  We  have  carefully  examined  both  the 
plates,  which  are  quite  unlike  each  other.  The  cat  of  Belanger  is  so 
badly  represented  that  it  is  necessary  to  be  told  what  animal  it  is 
meant  to  represent,  and  considerable  doubts  exist  as  to  its  being  a 
genuine  species,  or  more  than  the  common  cat  of  Madagascar. 

The  plate  in  the  present  work  is  much  better,  and  is  totally  differ^ 
ent  from  the  other.  From  the  looseness  of  the  description,  we  are 
disposed  to  think  that  no  very  great  attention  has  -been  paid  to  the 
subject,  and  that  the  true  species  of  the  Morea  remains  to  be  more 
accurately  described.  We  have  a  strong  suspicion  that  it  may  turn 
out  to  be  identical  with  a  cat  seen  by  the  writer  of  this  notice,  in  the 
Sierra  de  Cuenca  in  Spain.  This  species,  of  which  he  has  only  seen  the 
indiridual  specimen  on  which  the  observation  was  made,  differs  to- 
tally from  that  of  the  north  and  centre  of  Europe.  The  fur  was  red- 
dish, like  some  of  the  lynxes  of  the  Alps,  the  back  and  head  broadly 
striped,  and  the  tail  barred  with  black.  The  greatest  peculiarity  was 
in  the  ears,  which  were  short  and  rounded,  as  if  they  had  been  dip- 
ped, and  they  scarcely  stood  above  the  fur.  The  head  was  round  and 
the  muzzle  short,  unlike  the  lynx  and  caracal,  and  the  animal  was 
possessed  of  very  great  strength. 

The  zones  or  parallel  of  these  localities  nearly  correspond  with 
each  other,  and  it  is  very  probable,  when  a  more  accurate  account  is 
given  of  the  cat  of  the  Peloponnesus,  that  it  may  turn  out  to  be  si- 
milar to  that  of  Cuenca—- respecting  which  we  have  written  to  Spain, 
and  hope,  when  the  country  is  in  a  more  tranquil  state,  to  have  some 
further  account. 

The  lynx  is  not  uncommon,  and  it  is  protected  by  the  prejudices 
of  the  people,  who  believe  that  it  is  the  deadly  foe  of  the  wolf,  and 
assists  in  defending  their  flocks !  Most  probably  this  popular  error 
proceeds  from  their  being  seen  engaged  in  conflict,  to  defend  the  prey 
they  had  taken,  which  the  stronger  and  equally  rapacious  brute  was 
desirous  of  appropriating  to  itself.  We  are  left  in  ignorance  of  the 
species,  from  which  it  may  be  inferred  that  it  is  the  common  lynx  of 
the  centre  and  north  of  Europe.  We  should  rather  have  expected  to 
hear  of  the  spotted  variety,  which  we  found  to  abound  in  the  Sierra 
Morena,  Felis  pardina,  or  a  variety  of  it  ?    This,  the  most  beautiiiil 


Voyage  Sdentifique  en  Moree.  349 

of  the  European  quadrapeds,  we  have  not  seen  in  any  collection.  A 
skin  yery  nearly  entire  was  sent  by  the  writer  to  the  British  Museum^ 
bnt,  not  having  been  properly  cured  before  it  came  into  his  possession, 
was  destroyed  in  setting  up.  There  can  be  little  doubt,  that  if  it  be 
not  found  in  the  Morea,  it  may  be  looked  for  in  the  larger  islands  of 
the  southern  Archipelago. 

The  wolf  is  very  numerous,  and  were  it  not  for  the  celebrated 
breed  of  Molossian  dogs,  which  have  lost  none  of  their  qualities,  would 
render  the  keeping  flocks  of  sheep  extremely  difficult. 

The  fon  is  rery  common  in  the  Peloponnesus,  as  may  be  expected 
in  a  country  of  mountain  fastnesses,  and  of  forest  and  wooded  ra- 
rines  so  well  adapted  to  their  habits.  The  species  is  not  given,  but 
they  suppose  it  to  be  the  same  with  that  which  inhabits  the  centre  of 
Europe.  We  rather  suppose,  on  the  contrary,  that  this  was  not  ascer- 
tained, owing  to  their  being  probably  ignorant  of  the  discovery  of  the 
Prince  of  Musignano,  and  that  the  Grecian  fox  is  the  C.  melanogaster, 
or  short- footed  species,  of  that  naturalist. 

The  most  important  discovery  made  amongst  the  Mammalia  by  the 
Commission  was  that  of  the  jackal,  C.  aureus,  which  not  only  inha- 
bits the  Morea,  but  is  extremely  abundant  there.  .  On  one  occasion 
their  yelpings  at  night  put  the  little  camp  on  the  alert,  and  they  stood 
to  arms  as  if  expecting  an  attack.  We  are  told  this  quite  gravely ;  and 
we  cannot  help  contrasting  the  restless  vigilance  of  our  neighbours, 
bordering  on  timidity,  which  is  a  quality  so  valuable  in  war  both  by 
sea  and  land,  with  the  habits  of  our  own  countrymen,  in  whom  it  is 
almost  wholly  wanting,  often  to  the  great  prejudice  of  our  arms  ;  and 
when  once  composed,  we  engage  that  a  party  of  John  Bull's  family 
would  require  a  much  stronger  stimulus  to  rouse  them  from  their 
slumbers. 

We  confess  feeling  rather  a  sense  of  humiliation,  that,  after  the 
hordes  of  travellers  we  have  sent  annually,  fit  and  unfit,  to  travel  in 
Greece  for  the  last  twenty-five  years,  the  curious  fact  of  the  ex- 
istence of  the  animal  should  have  been  left  to  the  discovery  of  these 
gentlemen  in  1829. 

We  have  a  disquisition  on  the  species,  which  it  appears  has  en* 
gaged  the  attention  of  F.  Cuvier,  who  has  made  out  the  following  va- 
rieties :  Caucasian,  Nubian,  Senegal,  Algiers,  and  that  of  the  Morea. 
As  the  distinctions  of  those  of  Algiers,  Caucasus,  and  the  Morea,  ap- 
pear to  be  founded  wholly  on  the  colour,  or  rather  shades  of  colour 
and  length  of  fur,  we  are  not  disposed  to  concur  in  them,  as  the  influ- 
ence of  season,  of  age,  or  climate,  will  no  doubt  account  for  the  appa- 


350  Voyage  Sdentifiqye  en  Maree. 

rent  differeooes^  especially  as  the  obsorrations  can  only  be  noade  on  a 
comparatirely  small  number  of  indiridoals. 

The  case  is  different  with  the  species  of  Nnbia,  which  is  jMxibablj 
identical  with  that  of  SenegaL  The  skin  is  spotted,  and  the  ears  are 
longer  than  in  the  northern  race. 

We  are  now  fitroured  with  a  curions  observation  suggested  by  this 
peculiarity  in  the  ears  of  the  Nubian  species.    We  are  tM  that  the 
elongation  is  common,  not  only  to  the  quadrupeds  whidi  inhabit  the 
vicinity  of  the  Zahara,  or  great  desert,  but  to  man  also,  and  that  the 
Bedouins,  who  belong  to  it,  have  the  conch  of  the  ear  singularly  long, 
differing  from  that  in  other  races.     We  confess  we  were  a  little 
startled  at  the  intelligence.    Our  first  idea  was,  whether,  if  the  be- 
ing born  about  the  Zahara  imparted  such  a  peculiarity,  the  sojourning 
some  time  in  the  vicinity  mig'ht  not  be  followed  by  some  elongation  of 
the  same  part.     Not  findings  however,  that  this  was  the  case,  and 
knowing  that  the  Moorish  Spaniards,  whose  ancestors  came  from  the 
region  in  question,  have  remarkably  small  ears,  unless,  indeed,  that  pro- 
ceeded from  their  being  removed  from  the  locahty,  our  thoughts  then 
turned  very  naturally  to  our  old  acquaintance  Pan,  and  the  Fauns  with 
their  auricular  appendages.     According  to  this  theory,  instead  of  be- 
ing natives  of  Mount  Taygetus  and  Arcadia,  their  pedigree  ought  ra- 
ther to  be  Numidian  or  Mauhtanian.    We  wish  the  Commission  had 
discussed  the  subject  in  the  part  of  their  work  which  is  dedicated  to 
the  anci^it  animals  of  the  Peloponnesus ;  and  we  strongly  recommend 
the  consideration  of  it  to  that  portion  of  the  Parisian  savans,  who 
devote  many  sittings  to  the  affinities  of  the  genus  homo  with  some  of 
the  quadrumana.    It  might  afford  an  interesting  variety  to  these  lec- 
tures, of  which  the  auditory  begin  very  naturally  to  complain. 

This  fieu^t,  if  established,  might  be  of  considerable  use  in  assisting 
the  reform  now  carrying  on  so  resolutely  in  the  Ottoman  dominions. 
It  is  known  to  those  who  have  been  in  the  East,  or  have  attended  to 
their  peculiar  method  of  conducting  a  government,  that  the  common 
mode  of  announcing  a  victory,  before  the  introduction  of  gassettes  and 
bulletins,  which  are  now  coming  into  use,  was  by  the  arrival  of  Tartars 
or  couriers  with  sacks  full  of  the  ears  of  the  vanquished,  which  were 
pickled  in  salt.  The  heads,  which  ought  to  have  been  sent,  being  too 
heavy  for  transport,  this  lighter  substitute  was  found.  Now  it  has 
happened  not  unfrequently,  that,  in  a  scarcity  of  the  article,— or  from 
the  battle  being  of  the  nature  of  those  in  Spain,  where  it  is  difficult 
to  say  which  party  is  the  conqueror,  or  rather  who  has  lost  the  least, 
excepting  in  ammunition  and  shoe-leather, — that  a  habit  has  prevailed 


Voyage  SderUifique  en  Maree.  851 

of  filHng  the  bags  at  the  expense  of  the  rayM  or  infidel  inhabitants, 
especially  the  Jews  of  the  towns  in  the  line  of  march,  who  were 
called  on  to  make  up  the  deficiency.  In  case  of  operations  being 
carried  on  in  any  of  the  parts  in  which  this  conformation  ejdsted,  it 
would  have  afforded  an  excellent  means,  by  keeping  the  measurements 
of  the  ears  of  the  respectiye  tribes,  to  check  the  accounts  and  state- 
ments of  the  pachas,  and  be  the  means  of  preventing  innocent  and 
guilty  being  placed  in  the  same  situation,  as  was  too  often  the 
case. 

The  Commission  are  too  generous  to  deprive  the  author  of  this 
peculation  of  the  merit  justly  his  due.  It  is  stated  to  proceed  from 
"  un  de  noe  consuls  generaux."  However  lightly  we  may  be  in- 
dined  to  treat  this  lucubration  of  the  worthy  consul,  we  cuinot  but 
api^aud  the  zeal  which  has  induced  him  to  attend  to  such  subjects, 
and  we  wish  him  success  in  his  future  communications.  We  only 
wish  we  had  similar  instances  to  report  from  our  consular  and  diplo- 
matic bodies,  who  are,  with  some  exceptions,  singularly  deficient  in 
imparting  information  on  such  subjects. 

One  more  observation  on  the  jackal  of  the  Morea.  Are  we  to 
consider  them  oi  the  early  inhabitants,  prior  to  the  first  civilization, 
and  contemporary  of  the  lions  and  other  larger  fern,  which  we  have 
historical  testimony  to  bear  out  the  belief,  l^at  they  did  really  inha- 
bit the  Peloponnesus  ?  or  may  they  not  have  followed  the  train  of 
the  Asiatic  hordes,  who  at  various  times  have  crossed  the  Bosphoms 
or  the  Hellespoiit  under  Xerxes  and  others  ?  Leaving  out  the  possi- 
bility of  their  crossing  by  the  bridge  of  that  monarch,  it  is  by  no  means 
a  rash  supposition,  that  the  abundant  provender  to  be  obtained  by 
following  such  bodies  of  men  would  impel  animals  to  make  an  un- 
usual exertion,  in  order  to  keep  in  a  train  so  advantageous,  and  the 
swimming  the  Hellespont  is  quite  within  the  power  of  such  a  qua- 
druped as  the  jackal.  We  have  seen  the  shoals  of  sharks,  one  of 
which  was  accustomed  to  follow  each  Guinea  or  slave-ship  to  the 
West  Indies  from  the  coast  of  Africa,  at  the  time  that  trade  was  per- 
mitted, impelled  by  a  similar  motive.  It  is  possible  this  may  be  the 
<Mrigin  of  the  present  breed  of  jackals;  but  we  should  rather  incline  to 
the  belief  that  they  were  aboriginal,  and  co-existent  with  the  Ne- 
msean  lion  and  the  Erymanthian  boar,  both  which  races  have  disap- 
peared, and  that,  by  retreating  to  the  Outnesses  of  Taygetus,  or  of 
Pindus  and  Parnassus,  they  lived  in  seclusion  during  the  period  of 
civilization,  and  escaped  the  extermination  in  which  the  larger  hrm 
were  involved, — ^advancing  again  by  natural  progression,  as  the  Turks 


S52  Voyage  Seientifique  en  Moree. 

reduced  the  country  to  a  state  more  congenial  to  their  hahits,  and 
fitted  to  encourage  their  propagation. 

Birds. — The  catalogue  of  birds  is  extremely  scanty,  consisting  of 
only  66  species,  without  any  pretensimi  to  norelty.  We  should  be 
inclined  to  say  MM.  de  la  Commission,  What  have  you  been  about  ? 
In  fact,  it  would  seem  incredible  that  such  a  list  should  be  the  pro- 
duction of  so  much  time  and  labour.  We  could  be  almost  tempted  to 
furnish  a  supplementary  list  of  those  we  know  muH  be  there,  or  which, 
from  some  cause  or  other,  have  been  oyerlooked.  Our  countryman, 
Mr  Strickland  has,  we  belieye,  at  least  found  one  new  Sylvia,  and  has 
done  more  than  the  Grecian  Institute. 

A  good  plate  is  given  of  the  Falco  tinnunculoides,  which,  until 
very  recently,  was,  and  still  is,  extremel)^  rare  in  collections.  (We  be- 
lieve the  first  seen  in  this  country  were  those  brought  from  Spain 
by  the  writer  of  this  notice.)  They  daim  the  merit,  we  believe  due, 
of  giving  the  first  good  representation  of  the  most  beautiful  of  the 
smaller  eagles,  as  the  Falco  Bonelli,  when  in  full  plumage,  is  unri- 
valled amongst  the  larger  of  the  genus  of  the  European  Falconidas. 

We  have  long  been  aware  of  this  bird  being  common  in  Greece, 
from  the  circumstance  of  first  seeing  a  number  of  them  blown  off 
by  a  gale  from  the  Acroceraunian  mountains  several  years  since,  da- 
ring the  war,  when  they  were  captured  at  sea.  The  writer  of  the  orni- 
thological report  asserts  that  it  is  unknown  in  the  west  of  Europe  I  Yet 
they  inform  us  in  anotherplace,  that  one  of  the  party  had  been  at  Seville, 
where  they  swarm,  as  they  do  in  all  the  cities  of  the  south  of  Spain, 
and  are  seen  as  fiir  north  as  Toledo.  We  do  not  deqwir,  if  our  Hi- 
bernian brethren,  who  are  at  last  in  the  field,  and  will  look  vigilantly 
out,  of  adding  this  and  other  interesting  birds  to  the  British  &una. 

A  veiy  modei*ate  flight  to  a  bird  accustomed,  as  this  is,  to  re- 
main the  whole  day  on  the  wing,  would  waft  them  from  the  western 
coasts  of  the  Peninsula  to  the  nearest  part  of  Ireland.  We  particu- 
larly recommend  the  attention  of  the  writer  of  the  notice  on  the 
Irish  birds  in  the  late  number  of  this  Journal  to  the  subject,  and 
especially  to  those  which  are  mentioned  as  breeding  about  the  steeples 
of  churches. 

We  wish  steps  were  taken  to  naturalize  these  beautiful  birds,  which 
we  have  no  doubt  would  easily  live  in  the  touth  of  England.  Thej 
are  quite  harmless,  live  on  beetles  and  other  insects,  occasionally  take 
a  mouse  or  mole,  and  would  be  highly  ornamental  in  such  situa- 
tions as  Exeter  or  Salisbury  cathedrals.   They  can  easily  be  procured 


1 


Voyage  Scimtifique  en  Moree.  353 

at  SeTille  by  means  of  the  keeper  of  the  Giralda,  who  has  access  to 
their  nests. 

The  StrLx  bnbo  and  Vultar  {nlvns  were  met  with,  but  we  are  not 
informed  whether  the  former  be  of  the  common  species  of  the  north, 
or  of  a  supposed  rtaiety  which  is  assigned  to  the  zone  of  these  ob- 
servBtions. 

If  the  list  of  birds  be  scanty,  to  make  amends  we  have  a  new  ar- 
rangement of  the  Passeres,  and  a  fresh  coinage  of  names  with  which 
M.  Oeoffinoy  has  favoured  his  friends  and  the  public. 

The  partridge  of  the  Morea  is  said  to  be  the  P.  rufa,  contrary  to 
our  belief  that  it  is  the  P.  Grs&ca  or  Bartavelle.  Probably  both 
species  may  occur,  and  it  is  pretty  certain  that  the  P.  petrosa  will 
be  found  to  be  the  prevailing  species  in  some  of  the  southerfi 
islands. 

The  beautiful  Poule  Sultane,  or  purple  water  hen  of  Latham,  Por- 
phyrio  hyacinthus,  was  found  in  the  marshes  near  Navarino,  the  plains 
of  Helos,  and  other  localities.  It  is  probably  more  numerous  than 
it  is  supposed  to  be,  if  the  habits  resemble  those  of  the  species  in 
Sardinia,  where  they  frequent  the  most  infected  parts  of  the  marshes, 
which  are  almost  inaccessible  during  the  heats  of  summer. 

We  strongly  recommend  to  our  friends  of  the  new  society  in  St 
James's  Park  to  take  steps  for  the  introduction  of  this  most  lovely 
bird.  We  were  informed  by  the  late  Professor  Bonelli,  that  they 
are  abundantly  kept  in  the  yards  of  houses  at  Catania  in  Sicily,  as 
they  were  in  the  time  of  the  Romans.  They  live  easily  in  a  domestic 
state,  and  would  only  require  protection  from  the  winter's  cold  in 
this  country.  Independently  of  their  beauty  of  plumage,  which  re- 
sembles the  finest  tints  of  the  tropical  birds,  their  habits  of  using 
the  long  prehensile  toes  to  lift  their  food  gives  them  a  peculiarly 
elegant  appearance. 

Reptiles. — The  Testudo  emarginata  abounds  in  the  Morea,  as 
does  the  T.  Grseca,  which  is  common  in  Sicily,  Calabria,  &c. 

The  Testudo  Europa  (Gray,)  which  inhabits  the  marshes  of  the 
south  of  Europe^  was  found  abundantly  at  the  mouth  of  the  Eurotas. 

A  new  species  is  given  under  the  name  of  C.  Hellenica.  It  was 
found  in  the  ditches  which  drain  the  plain  of  Nisi,  in  the  heart  of 
Messenia.  It  appears  to  differ  from  its  congener,  by  the  form  being 
less  elliptical,  the  sides  more  rectilinear  and  elongated.  Some  were 
observed  to  be  even  less  than  rectilinear,  and  to  be  slightly  concave 
on  the  sides.     There  are  also  some  minor  points  of  difference. 


354  Voyage  SciaUifique  en  Moree. 

Emys  Caspica  (Gmelin)  is  common  in  the  shallow  stieama  of  the 
Morea,  and  in  those  of  the  Isle  of  Tenos. 

We  have  thus  a  respectable  addition  to  our  scanty  knowled^  of 
these  reptiles.     There  is  little  doubt  that  the  aqnatic  species  oonld 
Yery  easily  be  naturalised  in  our  streams  and  artificial  waters  of  the 
south  and  west  of  Eugland,  where  there  is  depth  to  enable  them  to 
secure  thems^es  against  the  winter's  cokL     They  are  perfectly  in* 
nocuous  in  every  respect,  and  as  the  steam-boats  which  now  tvarerae 
the  Mediterranean  in  all  directions  give  great  facility  for  their  tiana- 
port)  they  would  form  an  interesting  appendage  to  them.    We  can- 
not speak  from  personal  knowledge  as  to  their  fitness  for  the  table, 
never  having  tasted  them,  but  we  have  heard  that  one  of  the  terres- 
trial  species,  probably  T.  Grsca,  formed  a  fovourite  item  in  the  Lent 
hr%  of  the  luxurious  inhabitants  of  the  wealthier  convents  in  the 
south  of  Italy,  before  their  suppression  at  the  time  of  the  Frendi.  in- 
vasion.    Our  informant  complamed  only  of  their  highly  gtimulating' 
and  nutritious  properties,  which  ought  to  have  nuide  the  worthy 
monks  cautious  in  the  use  of  them. 

Amongst  the  Saurians,  a  new  lizard,  under  the  name  of  L.  Pelo- 
pennesiiea,  is  introduced.  It  is  nearly  allied  to  Lacerta  muralis,  the 
green  Hsaid  of  the  south  of  Europe,  but  the  palatal  teeth  are  want- 
ing, and  the  lateral  parts  oi  the  head  behind  the  eyes  are  said  to  dif- 
fer, the  scales  being  nearly  equal  and  polygonal,  without  the  laige 
central  scale,  as  in  the  neighbouring  species.  It  was  found  in  the 
Morea  and  in  the  islands  with  L.  muralis,  but  is  less  common. 

We  should  scarcely,  after  the  description  which  is  given,  expect  to 
find  the  animal  represented  as  almost  wholly  bright  green,  but  so  the 
artist  has  turned  it  out.  It  is  so  managed  that  the  very  spots  or 
blotches  meant  to  represent  *'  noir&tres,"  look  like  deeper  tints  of 
the  same  colour.  This  inattention  is  inexcusable,  otherwiae  the  plates, 
especially  that  of  S.  muralis,  are  beautiful. 

Another  new  saurian  is  given  as  Algyroides  Moreoticus,  being  of 
a  genus  established  by  MM.  Dumeril  and  Bibron  to  distinguish  it 
from  Algyras,  owing  to  some  slight  difference  discovered  in  the 
scales.     It  is  a  small  but  very  beautiful  species. 

The  Stenodactylus  guttatus  of  Cuvier,  (Agame  ponctu6e  of  the 
great  work  on  Egypt,  and  hitherto  not  observed  out  of  that  country,) 
was  found  in  some  part  of  Greece,  but  the  locality  is  not  given,  which 
we  would  much  rather  had  been  the  case.  Its  congener,  the  S.  ver- 
miculatuB,  whidi  is  common  in  the  south  of  Europe,  was  found  at 
Modon,  Argos,  &c 


Voyage  Seientifiqtie  en  Maree.  355 

The  Ablepharis,  Kitaibelii  of  Cocteau,  a  congener,  which  had  only 
been  seen  in  Hungary,  was  also  observed.  The  form  is  longer  and 
more  taper  than  that  of  the  adjoining  species. 

The  Psendopus  Pallasii,  the  Scheltopnsik  of  the  south  of  Russia, 
was  found  to  be  common  in  the  Peloponnesus.  This  curious  genus, 
of  which  we  owe  the  discovery  to  Pallas,  and  probably  has  not  been 
seen  by  many  of  our  readers,  is  a  serpent  with  a  long  finny  membrane 
on  each  side  upon  the  under  part  of  the  body,  which  makes  it  a  con- 
necting link  between  the  lizard  and  snakes.  The  first  which  was 
seen  was  basking  in  the  vernal  sun  after  emerging  firom  its  winter 
retreat,  and  was  demolished  instantly  by  our  naturalists  with  the  but 
of  their  guns ;  and  they  were  surprised  on  examination  to  find  it  had 
no  fiing8»  and  was  consequently  not  venomous,  reminding  us  of  the 
youthAil  zeal  with  which  we  used  to  attack  the  poor  Anguis  fiagilis 
or  slow-worm,  when  it  unfortunately  came  in  our  way. 

Many  were  subsequently  taken,  and  were  more  nuldly  dealt  with, 
being  kept  alive  about  the  houses  in  a  half  domestic  state,  to  which 
their  mild  and  inoffensive  manners  enabled  them  to  acconmiodate 
themselves.  Their  powers  of  digestion  must  be  considerable,  for  we 
find  the  principal  diet  offered  to  them  was  hard  boiled  eggs,  re- 
minding us  agam  of  the  practice  of  our  younger  days,  as  if  animals 
in  a  domestic  state  should  be  given  the  food  most  unlike  that  of  their 
natural  habits.  On  one  occasion,  however*  a  pseudopus  met  with  a 
nest  of  young  unfledged  birds,  which  it  soon  demolished,  and  we  have 
no  doubt  fully  enjoyed.  The  plate  is  good,  the  colour  being  more 
russet  and  less  green  than  that  of  the  Prince  Musignano,  probably 
owing  to  some  difference  in  age  or  sex,  or  from  the  animal  being 
more  recently  killed  than  that  figured  in  the  Iconogn^hia  Aomana. 

Another  species  is  given  as  new  under  the  name  of  P.  DurviUii. 
It  is  much  smaller,  and  is  striped  and  varied  in  colour.  We  cannot 
help  thinking  it  possible  that  it  may  be  the  young  of  the  preceding 
species. 

An  Anguis  or  slow- worm,  on  which  the  name  of  A.punctuatissimus 
has  been  conferred,  seems  to  possess  unequivocal  claims  to  novelty, 
the  muzzle  being  narrower,  the  arrangement  of  the  cephalic  plates  and 
the  disposition  of  colour  differing  from  the  common  A.  fragilis.  The 
upper  part  of  the  body  is  '^  cafe  au  lait  ;'*  underneath  it  is  grey,  and 
the  whole  dotted  with  very  small  black  specks,  forming  longitudinal 
lines  round  the  body. 

SEaPRNTS. — A  small  yellow  reptile,  the  Typhlops  flavescens  of 


356  Voyage  Scientifique  en  Moree. 

these  writers,  was  met  with  in  the  islands  of  the  Archipelago.  In 
form  it  would  appear  to  resemble  Anguis,  but  it  is  placed  aoaongst 
the  true  serpents. 

The  Erix  jacnlus,  Daudin,  the  Erix  of  the  Delta  in  the  great 
work  on  £gypt>  a  small  harmless  species,  was  found  in  the  islands  of 
Saxos  and  Tenos. 

The  Coluber  siculus  of  Cuvier,  which  was  named  after  speciineiis 
brought  from  Sicily  by  Bibron,  is  common  in  the  Morea,  and  a 
species  so  nearly  resembling  it  as  probably  to  be  identical,  but  which 
is  called  Coluber  bilineatus,  is  also  figured.  Both  these,  if  they  be 
two  species,  are  very  nearly  allied  to  C.  natrix.  The  beautiful  C.  leo- 
pardinus  is  abo  given,  but  the  plate  is  not  equal  to  that  of  the  Prince 
Musignano,  who,  they  complain,  preceded  them  owing  to  the  delay 
of  the  engrayers. 

The  Coluber  cucullatus  of  the  great  work  on  Egypt,  which  was 
not  known  to  exist  in  Europe,  is  giyen  as  found  in  Greece,  but  un- 
fortunately we  haye  no  locality  assigned  to  it. 

The  common  and  indeed  only  yiper,  according  to  these  gentlemen, 
is  the  C.  ammodytes  or  snouted  species.  It  is  very  common,  and  the 
activity  of  its  poison  produces  frequent  accidents.  The  lengtii  is 
not  great,  the  largest  only  measuring  from  15  to  18  inches  in  length, 
but  they  are  said  to  be  very  thick,  a  proportion  which  has  not  been 
obseryed  by  the  draftsman. 

The  Bufo  palmarum,  so  called  from  its  habit  of  seeking  shelter  un- 
der the  palmetes,  is  nearly  of  the  same  dimensions  as  the  B.  agua  of 
America.  The  largest  known  of  the  genus  has  hithertoonly  been  found 
in  Sicily  and  in  the  Morea.  Some  individuals  measured  from  the 
nose  to  the  extremity  of  the  hind  feet  40  centimetres,  nearly  half  a 
yard.  The  colour  is  dark  yeUow  brown,  and  the  appearance  extreme- 
ly disgusting. 

A  good  plate  is  given  of  the  B.  viridis,  a  beautiful  species,  if  the 
idea  of  beauty  can  be  attached  to  a  frog.  It  was  found  in  the  ditches 
of  the  fortress  of  Modon. 

The  extent  to  which  this  notice  has  been  carried  prevents  our 
noticing  the  sections  of  Fish,  Insects,  and  Botany,  &c  which  we  re- 
serve for  a  future  occasion. 


r 


History  of  British  Birds^  §-c.  057 


Bibliographical  Notices. 

J  Historic  (if  British  Birds,  By  William  Yabrell^  P.  L.  S., 
Secretary  to  the  Zoological  Society.  Illustrated  by  a  Wood-cut 
of  each  Species,  and  numerous  Vignettes.  London,  Van  Voorst, 
1837.    8yo.    Noe.  I.  II. 

We  merely  announce  the  appearance  of  these  numbers  as  the  com- 
mencement of  another  department  of  a  valuable  series  of  works  de- 
voted to  the  Natural  History  of  the  British  islands,  and  bringing 
down  our  information  to  the  latest  date.  When  the  work  has  reach- 
ed its  completion,  we  shall  endeavour  fully  to  review  its  contents. 
The  present  numbers  are  published  nearly  in  the  same  beautiful  style 
of  workmanship  with  their  author's  Fishes  and  Mr  Bell's  Quadrupeds. 
The  descriptions  are  concise  and  faithful,  and  contain  all  that  is  at 
present  known  of  the  birds.  The  execution  of  the  wood-cutting  is 
in  general  beautiful ;  but  we  do  not  like  the  drawing  of  many  of  the 
birds.  Some  of  the  figures  are  stiff  and  not  artist-like ;  as  examples 
we  may  mention  those  of  the  Neophron  and  white-tailed  eagle,  and 
as  a  contrast  we  would  refer  to  the  finely  wrought  figure  of  the  jer- 
falcoa. 

The  Birds  of  Australia  and  the  adjacent  Islands,    By  Joh  n  Qovld, 

F.  L.  S.     Part  I.    Folio.  1837- 
Icones  Avium,  or  Figures  and  Descriptions  of  New  and  interesting 

Birds  from  various  parts  of  the  Glebe,   By  John  Gould,  F.  L.  S. 

Forming  a  Supplement  to  his  former  works.  Part  I.  Folio.   I837* 

The  two  works  of  which  we  have  now  given  the  titles  have  been 
•ent  to  UR  by  their  indefatigable  author.  If  carried  through  in 
their  present  manner,  they  will  be  invaluable  to  the  ornithologist ; 
and  from  the  materials  which  Mr  Gould  can  call  to  his  assistance, 
and  the  talents  as  an  artist  possessed  by  his  lady,  we  could  not  wish 
the  subjects  to  have  been  placed  under  a  better  charge.  The 
birds  of  Europe  being  now  completed,  ample  time  can  be  devoted 
to  these  additional  undertakings. 

The  first  work  contains  figures  and  concise  descriptions  of  ten 
birds  from  Australia, — Malurus  Lamberiii  and  elegans,  the  latter 
a  closely  allied  but  distinct  species ;  Calodera  maculata  ;  Amadina 
rujicauda  ;  Nanodes  undulatns  ;  Nymphicus  Novce-Hollandics ;  A^e*- 
tor  productus  ;  Hemipodius  melanogaster  ;  Leptorhynchus  pectoralis, 
tt  curious  bird  intermediate  in  form  between  Ilimautopus  and  the 
roL.  II.  NO.  10.  A  a 


358  Supplement  to  the  Flora  MetrapoUtana. 

avosets,  and  Pkalacracorax  punctaius,  a  cormorant  of  gray  and  white 
plumage,  and  orange-coloured  legs  and  feet. 

The  *'  Icones"  contain  Eurylaimui  Dalhousia,  of  which  Mr 
Gould  has  formed  a  subgenus,  Crossodera,  Mr  Swainson^  in  his 
Synopsis  of  Genera,  given  in  Lardner's  Cyclopaedia,  has  also  thought 
this  necessary,  and  has  named  the  former  Pgarisomus,  from  its  '*  sup- 
posed^'  resemblance  to  a  Psaris.  We  are  not  sure  which  of  these 
names  has  the  right  of  priority,  but  we  are  sure  that  the  bird  in 
question  has  little  resemblance  to  Psaris,  and  the  bill  appears  to  us 
to  be  as  much  developed  in  form  as  in  the  other  green  or  gray  tinted 
species  from  continental  and  alpine  India, — Todt/s  mttl/tco/or,  describ- 
ed by  Gould  in  the  proceedings  of  the  2i0ological  Society,  and  now  we 
believe  figured  for  the  first  time.  We  saw  this  species,  in  1825, 
in  M.  Temminck's  collection  at  Amsterdam. — lanthocincla  pkee" 
Htcea,  a  beautiful  and  brightly- coloured  species  from  alpine  India. 
— Calliope  pectoralis, — Microura  squamata, — both  from  Hima- 
laya.— Paradoxornis  Jlavirosiris. — See  Mag.  of  Zool.  and  Bot.  i. 
p.  64 — Pteroglossus  Gouldii,  a  species  Arom  the  Brasils,  and 
named  by  M.  Natterer  in  honour  of  our  author — Numida  vuUu^ 
rina,  Hardw.  a  very  fine  species  from  Western  Africa. — OWyjr  ph^^ 
tnifera,  one  of  the  most  beautiful  species  yet  described.  The  head 
is  adorned  with  two  narrow  feathers  nearly  three  inches  in  length, 
forming  a  graceful  bending  crest.  The  other  plumage  is  richly 
blended  shades  of  gray,  brown,  and  chestnut ;  and  the  bird  is  be- 
sides remarkable  in  shewing  the  character  and  markings  of  plu- 
mage which  we  perceive  on  the  flanks  of  the  red-legged  partridges. 
Three  specimens  were  procured  in  California  by  the  late  David 
Douglas — Cursorius  rufus,  from  the  Indian  islands,  intermediate 
between  C,  Asiaticus  and  Temminckii. 

Supplement  to  the  Flora  Metropolitana,  or  Botanical  Rambles  within 
thirty  miles  of  London.  By  Daniel  Cooper,  A.  L.  S.'  12mo- 
1837.     Highley,  London. 

A  little  work  of  36  pages,  giving  localities  which  were  omitted 
(or  at  the  time  of  its  publication  undiscovered)  from  Mr  Cooper's 
former  volume,  noticed  at  p.  281,  Vol.  i.  of  this  Magazine.  The 
greater  portion  of  the  pages  is,  however,  occupied  by  a  full  index  to 
the  whole  work,  containing  the  English  and  scientific  names,  and 
indicating  by  contractions  *'  the  time  of  flowering,  and  colour  of  the 
flowers  of  the  phaenogamous  plants."  And,  in  conclusion,  a  short 
table  IS  given  of  the  elevations  of  the  principal  locsilities  round  Lon- 
don, above  the  level  of  the  Thames,  at  Trinity  high-water-mark. 


LoudoiCs  Magazine  of  Natural  History.  359 

Similar  tables  would  be  very  desirable  were  they  appended  to  the 
BQcre  extended  Floras  which  we  have  of  various  districts  both  in 
JBngland  and  Scotland^  and  also^  according  to  Mr  C.  Watson's  plan^ 
to  note  the  ranges  of  elevation  between  which  the  plants  are  seen 
to  occur. — The  greatest  height  within  the  limits  of  Mr  Cooper's 
Flora  is  Leith-Hill,  993  feet.  The  lowest  is  Kensington  Palace,  QQ 
feet,  I  inch. 


PsBiODiCALS — British. 

lAxudom's  Magazine  of  Natural  History.     New  Series.     July  and 

August  1837*     (Continued  from  page  276.) 

I.  Zoology. 

On  Nomenclature  by  Zetetes,  p.  421 Eyton  upon  the  Theory 

«f  Hybridity,  p.  367 Tbmpleton's  List  of  the  Irish  Vertebrate 

mnimals,  p.  403. Dr  Moore  on  the  Web-footed  Birds  of  Devon- 
shire, p.  360. Observations  on  Woodcocks  and  Fieldfares  breed- 
ing in  Scotland,  by  Geobge  Fairholme,  p.  337«  with  remarks 
on  the  same  subject,  by  Mr  £.  Blyth,  p.  439. On  the  struc- 
ture of  the  Fossil  Saurians,  from  the  German  of  Hermann  von 

Mbqbr^  p.  341. Report  of  a  Notice,  by  M.  Rang,  respecting  the 

Inhabitant  of  the  Argonaut,  by  MM.  Dumeril  and  De  Blain- 
viLi^By  p.  393.  Some  observations  on  Mr  Stutchbury's  proposed 
new  genus  of  univalve  shells  Cypraecassis,  by  6.  B.  Sowebby, 
p,  366  and  p.  431.  Could  not  Mr  Stutchbury's  views  of  a  genus 
in  Malacology  be  controverted  without  the  infusion  of  acrimony 
which  embitters  this  paper  ?  In  his  '*  additional  remarks,"  Mr 
Sowerby  declares  that  he  is  not  actuated  by  any  personal  feeling 
against  his  opponent, — so  that  he  seems  to  have  had  no  reason 
whatever  for  having  stated  his  objections  in  the  first  instance  in  an 
irritating  and  insulting  manner,  for  assuredly  there  is  no  expression 
in  the  original  paper  of  Mr  Stutchbury,  which  could  provoke  such 
a  bilious  discharge.  We  do  indeed  very  heartily  wish  that  our  me- 
tropolitan brethren  would  cultivate  a  greater  "  sweetness  of  speech," 
for  their  animosities  and  mutual  recriminations  afford  no  sport  to 

us,  and  do  not  tend  to  edifying. On  the  Mactradie,  by  J.  E. 

Gbat.  p.  370. Among  the  short  communications  we  find,  No- 
tice of  the  South  African  Museum  :  Additions  to  the  Zoological  So- 
ciety :  the  Fossil  remains  of  Apes  :  on  the  Habits  of  the  Viper  ;  on 
the  swimming  of  snakes :  on  the  alleged  affinity  between  the 
Pigeons  and  Poultry  :  Eagle's  nest  in  Loch  Skene :  Ventriloquism  in 
Birds. 


360  Companion  to  tfie  Botanical  Magazine^  Sfc. 

II.  Botany, 
The  communications  under  this  head  are  limited  to  a  few  short 
notices.  1.  On  Lamium  intermedium,  and  2.  Fedia  carinata,  by 
Mr  Leighton  :  8.  On  Afyssum  calycinwn,  and  4.  Leucojum  vernum 
by  Mr.  Brown.  It  would  appear  not  improbable,  from  a  note  of 
Mr  Brown's  in  p.  447>  that  the  Betula  intermedia  is  a  native  on  the 
Clova  hills,  where  it  has  been  mistaken  for  B.  alba.  The  point  is 
deserving  the  attention  of  our  Scottish  friends. 

Companion  to  the  Botanical  Magazine.     By  Sir  W.  J.  Hookeb, 

Professor  of  Botany  in  the  University  of  Glasgow.     (Continued 

from  p.  276.  Vol.  ii.) 

Th  is  Number  (the  24th  of  the  work)  completes  the  second  Vi>- 
lume ;  and  as  we  have  received  our  August  and  September  num- 
bers of  the  Magasine,  but  without  its  worthy  *'  Companion,"  we 
feel  somewhat  uneasvi  and  sincerely  trust  that  it  has  not  altogether 
ceased,  for  want  of  encouragement  and  support. 

The  contents  of  the  number  are,  Notes  upon  some  genera  and  spe- 
cies of  South  American  Orchideie,by  John  Ltndlby,  Ph.D.  F.  R.  S. 
Chrysorhoe,  a  new  genus  of  Cbam»lancie»,  by  the  same  au- 
thor.  Florae  Insularum  Novie  Zelandiee  precursor ;  or  a  specimen 

of  the  Botany  of  the  Islands  of  New  Zealand,  by  Allan  Cunning- 
ham, continued  from  last  number,  contains  the  Hepaticse,  Lycopodia- 
cece,  the  Felices  ver»,  and  a  portion  of  the  Plantse  vascnlares.  Two 
iigures  of  Loxoma  Cunninghamii,  a  new  species  belonging  to  the 
Polypodiaceas,  are  given  ;  the  one,  illustrating  the  fructifies tion,  is 
beautifully  executed  by  F.  Baukr. Botanical  information  con- 
tains a  list  of  the  species  figurad  in  the  two  last  parts  of  the  **  loones 

Plantarum." Some  remarks  by  Dr  Wright,  copied  from  the 

Madras  Journal  of  Literature  and  Science,  relative  to  the  descrip- 
tions of  Dr  Graham,  from  Colonel  Walker's  specimens.  Dr  Wright 
leaves  the  matter  of  the  identity  of  the  plants  still  uncertain,  bat  is 
of  opinion  that  Dr  Graham's  plants  have  been  introduced  to  the  Isl- 
and of  Ceylon,  and  are  not  indigenous. 

Periodicals — Foreign, 
Annates  des  Sciencei  Naturelles,     Zoologies  MM.  AuDoriN  et 
MiLNK-EowARD9«     Botontque,  MM.  Ad.  BiioNGNiABTet  Guil- 
LBMiN.    Crodiard  and  Co.     Paris,  Janvier  1837i 

I.  Zoology. 
Becherches  sur  quelques  Entozoaires  et  htrves  parasites  des  inwec- 
tes  Orthopteres  et  Hyiaenopteres^  par  Leon  Dufour,—— Professor 


Annalex  des  Sciences  NatureileSy  §*c.  361 

VroI/IK  mr  les  dents  incisives  et  le  nombre  des  cdtes  du  Rhinoceros 

jifricain. ObservcUions  preliminaires  sur  V  existence  ^Infusoires 

JhuiUs  et  sur  leur  profusion  da$^  la  nature,  par  M.  Ehrbnbero. 

Etudes  pour  servir  a  fhistoire  naturelle  des  Myriapodesj  par 

M.  P.  GsRYAfB.     He  has  ascertained  that  the  eyes  of  the  Juli,  Li* 
thobii,  and  Scolopendr»  increabe  in  number  with  the  growth  of  the 

individual. Synopsis  des  genres  et  des  especes  ^animaux  fossiles 

decouverts  dans  les  couches  superieures  des  depots  tertiaires  des  man- 
iagnes  Sivalek  de  VHimalaya,  par  MM.  Cautley  et  Falconer. 

Bakrr  sur  le  Chameau  fossUe  du  Sub-Hinudaya.     This  and 

the  preceding  are  translations  from  the  Journal  of  the  Asiatic  So- 
ciety.—— Note  sur  les  organes  respiratoires  des  Capricomes,  par  M. 

PiCTBT. 

II.  Botany. 
Notice  historique  sur  Ant-Laur.  de  Jussieu,  par  M.  Ad.  Brong- 
niart.     (See  a  translation  of  this  paper  in  our  present  Num- 
ber.)  Note  historique  sur  ce  que  Von  a  icrit  en  France  de  1806 

a  1816  sur  les  mo/^  conducteurs  et  cordons  pistillaires,  par  M.  A.  de 

Saint-Hilairb. Note  sur  le  genre  Stephanotis,  de  la  Jamille 

des  Asclipiadies^ par  M.  Ad.  Brongniart. Description  dunou- 

veau  genre  Archimedea,  par  feu  la  P.  Leandro  do  Sacramento^  pri^ 
cSdie  dCune  notice  sur  ce  botanists,  par  M.  Aug.  de  Saint-Hilairb. 

Note  sur  le  genre  Polycnemum  et  sur  une  nnuvelle  tribu  de  la 

Jhmiffe  des  ParonyvhiSes,  par  A.  Moquin-Tandon. Essai  sur 

la  disposition  desfeuilles  curvis6riies,  par  MM.  Bravais. 

Magazin  de  Zoologie,  Journal  destine  d  etablir  une  correspondence 
entre  les  Zoologistes  de  tons  les  pays,  et  d  leur  faciliter  les  Moyens 
de  publier  les  espSces  nouvelles  ou  peu  connues  qu'ils  possedent. 
Par  F.  E.  Ouerin-Mbnbvillb.  Svo,  Paris^  1836.  Sixieme 
ann^e. 

This  periodical  has  now  been  continued  for  six  years^  the  last 
or  sixth  volume  having  been  completed  with  the  year  18''^6.  The 
entire  work  is  devoted  to  every  branch  of  zoology,  but  the  subjects 
are  arranged  in  classes,  which  can  be  subscribed  for  separately^  ac- 
cording to  the  taste  and  pursuits  of  individuals.  The  plan  of  the 
work  appears,  from  the  prospectus  and  volume  before  us,  to  be  re- 
stricted to  descriptions  of  what  may  be  considered  new  species,  the 
information  and  figures  being  sometimes  taken  from  contemporary 
works,  and  to  monographs  and  memoirs  of  particular  families  or 
genera.  No  reviews  or  notices  of  new  works,  and  no  general  in- 
formation regarding  the  progress  of  zoology,  are  given. 


362  Magazin  Je  Zoologie. 

Among  the  Mammalia  described^  we  have  a  description  and  figure 
of  the  beautiful  Colobus  Guereza,  taken  from  the  ''  Neue  Wirbel* 
thiere"  of  Ruppel. — A  notice  of  some  of  the  animals  brought  home 
by  **  La  Cwvette  La  Favorite/*  and  a  short  memoir^  '*  Sur  le  genre 
Pcephagomys  et  quelques  autres  Rongeurs  qui  I'avoisinent/'  accom- 
panied by  a  figure  of  P.  ater^  and  a  good  plate  of  the  dentition  of 
Oryctom^Sy  Blain. 

The  ornithological  department  commences  with  descriptions  of 
some  of  the  birds  discovered  by  the  expedition  of  "  La  Favorite/* 
by  MM.  Fortune  Eydoux  and  Paul  Gervais.  A  figure  of  Gould's 
Pteroglossus  ulocomus  is  given.  The  specimen  was  procured  at 
Para^  and  is  said  to  be  the  imly  one  in  the  Parisian  collections. 
An  Ibis  is  presented  under  the  title  of  I.  Lamellicollis,  sent  from 
New  Holland^  and  so  named  by  M.  Lafresnaye^  but  this  is  the 
New  Holland  Ibis  of  Dr  Latham^  the  /.  spinicollis  of  Jame- 
son, New  Ed.  Phil.  Journal ;  and  the  L  Lathamii,  Gray^  Pro- 
ceed. Zool.  Society  of  London. — The  same  gentleman  figures  and 
describes  a  shrike  as  new,  and  lately  sent  from  the  Cape  o£ 
Good  Hope,  by  M.  Verreaux,  under  the  title  of  L.  melanoleu* 
cus — How  he  has  hit  on  the  same  title  we  know  not,  but  a 
plate  and  descriptiun  will  be  found  executed  and  published  six  or 
seven  years  since  in  Illustrations  of  Ornithology  by  Sir  W.  Jar- 
dine  and  P.  J.  Selby,  from  specimens  sent  to  Europe  by  Dr  Smith. 
A  curious  bird  from  Madagascar,  of  which  a  new  genus  is  made, 
(Falculia,)  is  figured  and  fully  described.  The  form  is  consider- 
ed to  be  intermediate  between  the  hoopoes  and  Promerops  of  Tem- 
minck,  and  the  colouring  is  peculiar,  the  head,  neck,  and  under  parts 
pure  white,  the  remaining  plumage  deep  bluish-black.  A  short 
memoir  by  M.  Lafresnaye  on  the  species  of  the  genus  Orlltolomus 

of  Horsfield Remarks  by  the  same  person  on  the  genus  Cerlhi^ 

iauda,  Sw.  with  observations  on  two  South  American  species, 
which  are  considered  to  be  new,  and  a  beautiful  MicropagOH 
from  South  Africa,  or  rather  from  the  interior  of  the  country,  said 
to  have  been  brought  firom  the  country  of  the  "  Masilikats.**  M. 
Lafresnaye  has  named  it  M,  sulphuratus. 

MoLLuscA.  Plate  71  represents  Drepanosioma  nauiiiiformis, 
the  type  of  a  subgenus  of  Helix  distinguished  by  a  peculiarity  in 
the  shape  of  the  aperture  which  the  name  (from  d^iravov,  a  scythe, 
and  tfrofjM,  a  mouth,)  is  meant  to  express.  The  species  is  a  native 
of  the  province  of  Como  in  Italy,  living  in  families  under  stones 

and  decaying  leaves  in  shady  woods. The  Rosiellaria  occidenia" 

Us  of  Beck  forms  the  subject  of  PI.  7^.  It  belongs  to  the  same 
section  as  our  British  species ;  and  is  a  native  of  the  North  Ame- 


Moffazin  de  Zoologie,  363 

rican  ccMstj  and,  it  would  appear,  of  the  Greenland  shores  also. 

Marginella  Cleryi^  Bgured  in  PI.  73,  is  allied  to  M.  Adansonii,  from 
which,  however,  it  is  well  distinguished :  it  inhabits  the  coast  of 
Senegal.— ^He/ir  Poeyi^  from  the  interior  of  .the  island  of  Cuba, 

occupies  PL  ^A,  but  the  shell  only  is  given. This  is  followed 

by  Webb  and  Vanbeneden's  notice  sur  Us  moUusques  du  genre 
Parmacblla,  ei  description  dune  nouveile  espice  de  ce  genre, — a 
valuable  paper  which  we  have  already  noticed.  Vol.  i.  p.  492.  Two 
plates,  one  zoological  and  one  anatomical,  are  devoted  to  its  illus- 
tration.-*—*^o/e  sur  deux  espices  nouoelles  dApfysies,  par  MM. 
Vakbknbdbn  et  Wbbb.  These  fine  species  were  procured  from  the 
shores  near  Nice.     Their  characters  dre : 

1.  A  Bbuonatellii,  colore  aurantiaco :  alis  parum  elongatis ; 
tentaculis  poRterioribus  colore  privatis,  ore  membranis  duabus  ac« 
ceaaoriis  lateralibus  munito.  Testa  ovata,  tenuissima,  fragili,  pel- 
lucida,  striis  concentricis  eleganter  notata.  Rostro  dextrum  in« 
dinato  et  in  uncinam  parvulam  abeunte. — Long.  35  millim.  larg 
de  la  coq.  12  millim. 

2,  A  Webbii,  corpore  limaciformi,  virescente,  maculis  nigris 
flavisque  omato ;  alis  palii  parvis  et  partes  testae  medias  minime 
vestientibus ;  siphone  fere  nullo.  Marginibus  pedis  anterius  dila- 
tatis ;  ore  membranis  accessoriis  munito.  Testa  ovata  elongata 
oompressa,  striis  linearibus  sculpta  incisura  ad  dextram  sinuata,  ros* 
troque  bidentato. — Long.  25  millim.  larg.  de  la  coq.  15  millim. 

Cbustacea. — The  contributions  to  this  class  belong  to  its  lower 
forms,  and  the  species  are  all  described  by  Guerin.  The  Plerelas 
is  a  new  genus  of  the  Isopodes,  Fam.  Cymothoades,  nearly  allied 
to  '^ga.     The  species  is  named  PL  Wehhii,  from  the  naturalist  who 

procured  it  on  the  coast  of  PortugaL Description  de  quelques 

genres  nouveaux  de  Cruslaces  appartenant  d  la  famille  des  Hyp4' 
vines.  The  genera  are  Primno,  nearly  allied  to  Phronima,  a  native 
of  the  South  American  seas ;  Hieraconyx,  which  will  stand  in  the 
system  near  to  the  Themisto ;  and  Pronoe,  near  to  Typhis.  The 
paper  contains  besides  descriptions  of  a  new  species  of  Phronima, 
viz.  Pk,  atlantica  ;  and  of  the  Oxycephalus  oceanicus,  a  very  curi- 
ous animal  from  the  shores  of  Chili. The  Phlias  serratus  de-* 

lineated  in  pi.  19,  forms  a  new  genus  of  Amphipodes,  affined  to 
Amphitoe  and  Gammarus.     M.  Gaudichaud  found  this  pretty  little 

species  on  his  passage  from  the  Maldive  islands  to  Port  Jackson. 

PI.  14  represents  a  new  oniscidous  insect  named  Deto  eckinata, 
brought  from  the  east  by  Olivier.  It  resembles  in  form  our  com- 
mon Oniscus  asellus. 


364  Magazine  de  Zooloffie. 

Abachnida. — Observations  sur  let  aran6ides  du  genre  Hersilia, 
et  description  de  deux  esp4ces  nouvefles  a ppar tenant  a  ce  genre  par 

M.  H.  Lucas. This  is  followed  by  a  monograph  of  the  genua  Pa* 

chyloscelis  by  the  same  naturalist ;  who  in  pL  15  describes  a  new 
species  of  Attus  from  the  neighbourhood  of  Paris^  named  A,  venaior. 

Inbecta. — Plates  139  and  140  represent  Scarabneut  Anubis,  a 

fine  species  allied  to  Scar.  Typhon  and  GK>liath  from  Brasil. '^Mo^ 

nographe  du  genre  Pamborus^  par  M.  H.  Gory,  with  figures  of  all 

the  ascertained  species. Notice  sur  les  metamorphoses  descoUop* 

teres  du  genre  Telephorus,  par  £.  Blanch ard  ;  and  this  lady  con- 
tributes also  a  notice  of  the  larva  of  StaphyUnus  olens  in  pi.  165. 

Meloe  collegialis  is  described  and  figured  by  Audouin  in  pL 

169,  a  species  with  considerable  marks  cf  affinity  to  the  M.  excava- 

tns  of  Leach. Carabus  basilicus  from  Porto>Rioo,  a  very  fine 

insect^  occupies  pi.  170^  erroneously  numbered  169  in  the  letter* 
press ;  and  the  genus  Bryaxis  is  fully  illustrated  in  pi.  171- 

Radiata. — The  only  paper  in  this  class  is  entitled  Recherche*  sur 
la  cause  ordinaire  de  la  phosphorescence  marine,  et  description  du 
Noctiluca  miliarisj  par  M.  Suriray^  already  noticed  in  our  VoL  i 
p.  491.» 

*  First  part  of  a  monograph  on  the  TrachffdMdes,  by  M.  Dupon  Jeane, 
seems  well  and  carefully  done.  Figures  are  given  of  the  species,  and  42  on  24 
plates  are  now  published.    We  shall  recur  to  this  memoir  on  its  completion- 


1 


[  ^er,  ] 


INTELLIGENCE. 


ZOOLOGICAL. 

Patella  parva.  Da  Coeta. — This  shelly  on  the  authority  of  Matoil 
and  Rackety  has  been  considered  synonymous  with  the  P.  virginea 
of  Muller  by  all  our  recent  writers.  Dr  Fleming  threw  out  a  hint 
that  it  may  have  been  oonfotinded  on  our  shores  mth  the  P.  tes^u* 
lata  of  Muller,  but  he  took  no  pains  to  ascertain  the  fact*  My  at- 
tention was  first  called  to  the  point  by  the  statement  of  Audouin  and 
Milne*  Edwards  that  the  animal  of  the  ''  Patelles  roses"  found  in  the 
English  channel  differed  entirely  in  the  structure  of  its  branchiae 
from  the  true  Patellae,  and  formed  a  new  genus  of  pectinibranchous 
mollusca  allied  to  the  Turbines.  (Hist.  Nat.  du  Litt.  de  la  France^ 
i.  p.  144.)  Mr  J.  E.  Gray  informed  me  that  these  "  Patelles  roses" 
were  the  same  as  the  P.  virginea  of  our  shores,  but  on  examining 
these,  I  soon  satisfied  myself  that  those  found  on  the  coast  of  Ber- 
wickshire at  least  were  formed  like  the  Patella,  the  cloak  of  the  ani- 
mal being  ciliated  all  round  with  a  fringe  of  short  equal  filaments* 
The  accuracy  of  this  observation  I  have  recently  had  occasion  to  con- 
firm in  company  with  my  friend  Mr  J.  Alder.  It  follows,  therefore, 
that  the  shell  usually  called  Patella  virginea  by  British  concholo- 
gists,  is  not  that  so  named  by  Muller,  but  is  probably  his  P.  tetMti^ 
lata,  in  which  the  margin  of  the  cloak  is  ciliated. 

Is  the  Patella  pnlchelia  of  Forbes  in  Loudon's  Mag.  Nat.  Hist. 
Vol.  viii.  p.  591,  fig.  61,  a  Patella  or  a  Lottia?~G.  J. 

Zoology  of  Africa, — Our  readers  are  by  this  time  aware  that  Dr 
Andrew  Smith  has  lately  returned  from  an  expedition  undertaken 
to  explore  the  interior  of  Southern  Africa,  and  that  he  has  brought 
to  this  country  the  whole  of  his  collections  in  Natural  History,  which 
are  now  publicly  exhibited  in  London.  In  the  published  catalogue 
of  part  of  this  collection  there  are  the  names  of  62  mammalia,  and 
339  birds :  there  is  besides  an  extensive  series  of  drawings,  MSS., 
&c.  with  other  materials  fully  to  illustrate  the  districts  traversed  ; 
end  in  furtherance  of  his  plan  Dr  Smith  is  about  to  commence  print- 
ing a  work  to  be  entitled,  •*  The  Zoology  of  Southern  Africa,"  em- 
bellished with  highly  finished  plates,  executed  from  the  original 
drawings.  On  the  authority  of  an  individual  on  whose  judgment 
we  can  rely,  we  are  able  to  say  that  the  materials  are  moat  valuable, 


366  Botanical. 

and  the  drawings  full  of  character  and  interest.  The  Government 
has  granted  L.  1500  to  assist  in  defraying  the  expenses  of  the  pub- 
lication. "  In  consequence  of  this/'  says  the  editor  of  the  Magazine 
of  Natural  History,  "  an  arrangement  is  being  made  with  the  intend- 
ed publishers  (Smith  and  Elder,  Cornhill,)  by  which  the  public  will 
obtain  the  work  at  one- fourth  or  fifth  of  the  actual  cost  price,  the 
Government  grant  defraying  the  whole  expense  of  engraving  the 
plates." 

BOTANICAL. 

Botanical  Soctbty  of  Edinburgh,  May  11, 1837> — Professor 
Graham  in  the  chair.  The  following  members  were  elected  : — Re^ 
sident,  Mrs  Michael  Percival,  Mr  Thomas  Dickson,  Mr  Jamea  Ha- 
milton, Mr  James  Nairne,  Dr  Silas  Palmer,  Mr  George  Trusted. 
Nan^Resident,  Mr  J.  S.  Bowerbank,  London  ;  Mr  Alfred  White, 
London. 

Specimens  from  Dr  Salter  were  presented.  Donation  to  librafy, 
"  Pugillus  Plantarum  lndi»  Orientalis,  composuit  G.  A.  Walker« 
Arnott," — from  the  Author. 

Dr  Balfour  read  some  extracts  from  a  letter  from  Mr  Gardner^ 
at  present  in  Brazil,  received  along  with  the  first  invoice  of  Plants 
sent  home  by  that  gentleman. 

Dr  Balfour  then  read  a  communication  on  Botanical  Prosody,  in 
which  he  endeavoured  to  show  that  botanists  in  general  did  not  pay 
sufficient  attention  to  the  proper  pronunciation  of  the  terms  which 
they  used.  Whilst  he  allowed  that  in  some  cases  the  quantities  of 
botanical  names  were  arbitrary,  he  proved  that  in  others  these  could 
be  easily  ascertained  by  a  reference  to  classical  authors ;  and  in  il* 
lustration  of  this,  he  adduced  a  number  of  instances,  quoting  the 
authority  for  a  different  pronunciation  from  that  usually  given  to 
them. 

A  paper  by  Dr  Walker-Arnott  %va8  read,  containing  observations 
on  the  British  Cicharcu^ece,  with  an  arrangement  of  these  according 
to  the  system  adopted  by  Lessing  in  his  *'  Synopsis  Generum  Ck>m- 
positarum."  Dr  Arnott  expressed  his  belief  that  all  our  Floras 
would  ere  long  follow  Lessing's  arrangement  of  the  Compositae,  and 
adopt  his  generic  characters,  and  for  this  reason  strongly  recom- 
mended the  study  of  his  Synopsis,  along  with  the  fifth  volume  of 
De  Candolle's  Prodromus,  in  order  to  obtain  a  competent  knowledge 
of  this  difficult  tribe,  and  the  value  of  the  different  parts  in  generic 
characters.  Various  species  ofApargia,  Lconlodon,  Hiereicium,  and 
Crepis  were  especially  noticed,  and  many  interesting  observations 


1 


Botanical,  367 

were  made  upon  these.  In  particular,  it  was  shown  that  Hieracium 
moile  being  in  all  respects  a  Crepis,  ought  to  be  removed  to  that 
genus. 

Mr  James  M'Nab  exhibited  a  remarkable  monstrosity  of  Spruce 
Fir  from  near  Kettle  in  Fife ;  also  Pefasites  hybrida  from  a  station 
in  the  same  neighbourhood,  where  it  is  apparently  wild, — both  found 
by  Dr  Howison. 

June  8th. — Professor  Graham  in  the  chair.  The  following  mem- 
bers were  elected : — Resident,  Mr  Henry  Barham  Mitchell  Harris, 
Mr  Alexander  Seton.  Non-Resident,  Mr  John  Ball,  Christ's  Col- 
lege, Cambridge. 

Dr  Graham  presented  from  Lady  Dalhousie  a  beautiful  collection 
of  Lycopodiums  and  Ferns,  being  the  remainder  of  her  Ladyship's 
East  Indian  Herbarium. 

Dr  Douglas  Maclagan  exhibited  specimens  of  a  root  called  Hiarry, 
received  by  him  from  Mr  Watt,  surgeon,  Demerara,  which  is  used 
by  the  natives  of  British  Guiana  for  intoxicating  fish.  The  botani- 
cal information  regarding  the  plant  was  chiefly  obtained  from  a 
slight  sketch  sent  along  with  the  roots ;  for  no  light  had  been  thrown 
on  the  subject  by  consulting  botanical  works.  The  flowers  are  pa- 
pilionaceous, light-purple,  five  or  six  on  a  lax  raceme,  the  pod  about 
the  size  of  the  common  Laburnum,  smooth,  containing  eight  or  nine 
seeds.  The  root,  though  dried,  was  found  to  retain  the  property  of 
poisoning  fishes ;  and  a  watery  extract  was  ascertained  by  various 
experiments  to  produce  on  fishes  nearly  the  same  effect  as  Turkey 
Opium,  and  to  be  superior  in  activity  to  the  extracts  of  Belladonna, 
Hyo8cyamus>  and  Conium.  A  chemical  examination  of  the  root 
showed,  that  besides  a  large  quantity  of  gum  and  colouring  matter, 
it  contained  a  resin  of  a  light-yellow  colour  and  peculiar  smell,  and 
an  acid  differing  in  quality  from  any  known  acid,— but  regarding 
the  state  of  combination  of  which  in  the  plant,  no  precise  informa- 
tion had  been  obtained.  One-fourth  of  a  grain  of  this  acid^  obvi- 
ously not  in  a  state  of  purity,  poisoned  a  minnow  in  half  an  hour. 
The  effects  of  the' Hiarry  upon  minnows^  and  comparative  experi- 
ments with  opium,  were  shown  in  presence  of  the  Society,  in  which 
Dr  Balfour,  who  read  the  paper  in  the  absence  of  Dr  Maclagan,  was 
kindly  assisted  by  Professor  Christison. 

Dr  Graham  exhibited  specimens  in  flower  of  Carex  Buxbaumii 
and  lA)phospermum  scandens.  He  then  stated,  in  reference  to  se- 
veral species  of  Bletia  lately  obtained  at  the  Botanic  Garden,  from 
Jamaica,  through  the  kindness  of  the  Rev,  Mr  Campbell,  that  an 
examination  of  these  had  satisfied  him  that  the  specific  names  in 


M8  BoianicaL 

this  genus  bad  been^multiplied  without  due  attention  to  nature.  In 
particular,  he  believed  that  Bletia  Jlorida,  B.  verecnnda,  B*  Skep' 
herdiiy  and  be  feared  even  B.  patula,  must  be  considered  mere  mo- 
difications of  the  same  species.  Specimens  upon  which  this  opinion 
was  formed  were  exhibited.  Dr  Orabam  also  exhibited  a  specimea 
in  fiower  of  Philodendnm  crasiinervium.  This  plant  had  been  in* 
troduced  into  the  Botanical  Garden,  from  Brazil,  by  Captain  Graham 
sixteen  years  ago ;  but  though  it  had  several  times  developed  flower 
buds,  the  spatha  had  never  till  this  season  fully  expanded,  probably 
owing  to  the  command  of  heat  having  been  heretofore  inadequate. 
— W.  H.  Campbell,  iSec. 

Glass  eroded  hy  a  Lichen '*  Several  pieces  of  glass  were  lately 

brought  to  me  by  a  glazier  in  this  city,  taken  from  the  old  mndows 
of  an  ancient  church  in  the  vicinity  ;  some  of  these  had  the  appear- 
ance of  being  worm-eaten.  Struck  with  the  singularity  of  this,  I 
immediately  commenced  an  investigation  of  the  circumstance,  that 
I  might  ascertain  by  what  agency  this  corrosion  had  been  induced. 
Upon  making  a  minute  examination,  I  found  it  was  caused  by  the 
instrumentality  of  a  cryptogam ic  plant,  I  believe  of  the  lichen  species. 
The  first  indication  of  the  plant  was  a  greenish  pulverulent  mould 
on  the  surface  of  the  glass  ;  in  this  substance  some  light-coloured 
brown  dots  appear  ;  these  enlarge,  and  form  cup-like  substances  of 
a  slightly  violet  tinge  ;  these  plants  increase,  and  become  fully  de- 
veloped. The  glass  is  gradually  acted  upon,  being  first  a  little 
roughened  and  indented ;  afterwards  small  cavities,  some  even  pene- 
trating a  considerable  distance  into  the  substance  of  the  glass,  are 
formed. 

"  Not  having  read  or  heard  of  any  phut  having  hitherto  been  dis- 
covered capable  of  decomposing  and  growing  on  and  in  the  substance 
of  glass,  I  thought  it  right  to  make  a  public  communication  of  the 
fact  through  the  medium  of  the  pages  of  your  valuable  periodic.il, 
leaving  it  to  other  and  abler  naturalists  and  philosophers  to  disclose 
the  kind  of  agency,  whether  chemical  or  galvanical,  by  which  this 
singular  decomposition  of  glass  is  effected. 

"  The  glaziers  of  this  city  inform  me,  that  glass  similarly  acted 
upon  may  be  met  with  in  the  cathedral  and  old  church  windows." 
Thomas  Hickks,  Gloucester,  April  25,  1837,  in  Med.  Chizette  for 
May  6. 

Musci  Angusiani,  or  Dried  Specimens  of  the  Mosses  of  Angus 
or  Forfarshire, — This  is  the  title  of  a  work  projected  by  Mr  Wil- 
liam Gardiner,  Jun.  of  Dundee,  of  which  a  prospectus  has  been 


Botanical.  339 

sent  U8.  "  The  work  will  be  comprised  in  about  seven  or  eight  12ino 
fasciculi — ^price  38.  6d.  each — fbrmiog  two  neat  pocket  rolumes.  On 
the  left  hand  page  of  each  leaf,  one,  two,  or  more  specimens  of  a 
species  will  be  carefolly  gummed,  with  the  scientific  and  English 
name,  reference  to  the  page  of  the  British  Flora  where  the  species 
is  described,  locality,  and  time  when  found, — all  accurately  written 
underneath.  With  the  concluding  fasciculus  will  be  given,  along 
with  title-pages  for  both  volumes,  a  printed  table  of  the  contents  of 
each,  arranged  according  to  Sir  W.  J.  Hooker's  British  Flora,  and 
including  a  synopsis  of  the  generic  and  specific  characters.  A  blank 
will  be  left  at  the  top  of  each  page  for  numbering  the  species,  find 
by  means  of  the  tables  the  specimens  can  be  numbered  and  arrang- 
ed with  the  greatest  ease,  while  the  numbers  not  being  attached 
to  them  when  published,  will  allow  of  any  subscriber  adopting  what- 
ever mode  of  arrangement  he  chooses,  as  well  as  of  the  author  add- 
ing species  that  may  be  found  during  the  publication  of  the  work.'* 

Northumberland  Flora. — At  the  July  meeting  of  the  '*  Berwick- 
shire Naturalist's  Club,"  the  members,  in  the  course  of  their  walk, 
discovered  the  Asplenium  septentriontetle  growing  in  great  profusion, 
on  Kyloe  crags,  near  Haggerston.  The  Hieradum  molle  was  gather- 
ed in  Kyloe  dean ;  and  the  Blyssmus  rufas  abundantly  in  a  salt 
marsh  at  the  mouth  of  the  Low  below  Beal.  The  two  former  plants 
are  not  included  in  Mr  Winch's  **  Flora  of  Northumberland  and  Dur- 
ham ;"  and  for  the  latter,  two  localities  only  are  given,  both  in  the 
south  of  Durham.  Dr  Francis  Douglas  exhibited  a  specimen  of 
Cladium  mariscus,  which  he  has  discovered  native  in  Learmouth 
Bogs,  Northumberland,  where,  however,  it  is  not  plentiful,  but  a 
very  interesting  addition  to  the  botany  of  the  district.  If  to  these 
we  add  Dr  Johnston's  discovery  of  Cerastium  atrovirens,  we  have 
sufficient  evidence  that  the  seal  in  the  investigation  of  indigensms 
botany  for  which  the  northern  botanists  of  England  have  been  long 
noted,  is  not  grown  lukewarm. 

Cerastium  pedunculaium. — The  explanation  of  the  plate  illustra- 
tive of  this  species  having  been  omitted  in  its  proper  place,  is  here 
supplied.  Plate  VI.,  G.  pedunculatum,  var.  ^.  4-partitum.  a,  calyx 
with  capsule  of  do.  b,  petal  of  the  same.  C.  Fig.  1,  calyx  of  Cer. 
tetrandrum  :  2,  a  sepal  much  magnified  so  as  to  show  the  herbaceous 
point  bordered  by  a  pellucid  membrane.  D.  Fig.  1,  calyx  of -Cer. 
semidecandrum :  2,  a  sepal  of  the  same  much  magnified  so  as  to 
show  the  diaphanous  margin  and  apex. 


370  Miscelianeous. 

MISCELLANEOUS. 

Seventh  Meeting  of  the  BHtieh  AssodaHon  far  the  Advancement 
of  Science* 

The  Meeting  of  the  British  Association  was  arranged  by  preyioas 
agreement  to  be  held  this  year  at  Liverpool^  the  general  meetings  to 
commence  on  Monday,  11th  September,  In  the  preceding  week  the 
preliminary  arrangements  were  made  by  the  Council  and  General 
Committee,  while  the  town  and  corporation  of  Liverpool  opened  ita 
institutions,  and  prepared  accommodation  on  the  most  liberal  scale 
for  the  yarious  assemblies  which  were  contemplated.  The  private 
institutions  in  the  town,  and  the  principal  manufacturing  establish- 
ments were  also  opened  during  the  week  of  meeting ;  excellent  and 
commodious  rooms  were  allotted  for  the  business  and  debates  of  each 
of  the  sections ;  and  altogether,  the  proceedings  of  this  year  have 
been  most  important  and  satis&ctory.  Our  particular  department 
being  connected  with  one  section,  we  shall  only  now  notice  the  pro- 
ceedings in  Zoology  and  Botany,  but  previously  will  offer  one  or  two 
remarks  on  the  manner  in  which  some  parts  of  the  general  business 
has  been  conducted. 

The  British  Association  has  always  had  our  warmest  wishes  for  its 
success,  and  when  circumstances  permitted  us  to  attend  its  meetings, 
we  departed  at  their  conclusion  impressed  with  a  feeling  of  deep  re- 
gret that  they  had  terminated,  and  that  the  friendly  and  scientific  in- 
tercourse had  so  soon  been  broken  off;  we  thought  that  it  was  an 
association  which  bid  fair  to  extend  the  march  of  science,  and  would 
give  an  additional  thirst  for  the  acquirement  of  knowledge  to  many, 
who  would  not  have  been  directed  to  any  of  its  branches,  simply  be- 
cause, what  they  had  in  reality  to  learn  required  to  be  pointed  out ; 
and  where  the  direction  of  the  subjects  treated  of,  and  the  occasional 
lectures  given,  as  at  the  present  meeting  with  reference  to  the  local 
application  of  science,  the  most  important  results  might  be  expected. 
We  are  sure  then,  that,  having  expressed  our  opinion  thus  of  the 
utility  and  importance  of  this  great  national  assemblage,  we  shall  not 
be  thought  as  invidiously  finding  fault  with  any  portion  of  its  manage- 
ment, but  that  we  wish  to  give  the  warning  of  a  sincere  well-wisher 
to  a  body  which  we  would  most  anxiously  cherish.  At  the  same 
time,  making  the  fullest  allowance  for  occurrences  which  must  take 
place  to  a  certain  extent,  where  the  members  are  so  numerous  and 
the  arrangements  so  multitudinous,  there  are  one  or  two  occurrences 
which  we  feel  it  would  not  be  our  duty  to  pass  over  in  complete  si- 
lence, particularly  as  we  have  seen  that  none  of  our  periodicals  have 


Miscellaneous.  37 1 

ventared  to  notice  tbem,  but  have  drawn  their  reports  only  in  the 
spirit  of  commendation. 

Onr  first  fault  is  with  the  manner  in  which  the  tickets  of  admis- 
sion were  distribated ;  far  too  much  bustle  and  confusion  prevailed  in 
the  rooms  devoted  for  this  purpose,  and  from  half  an  hour  to  three 
quarters  were  spent  before  an  individual  could  make  his  way  through 
the  crowd,  and  gain  the  presence  of  the  Secretary  ;  and  bj  the  irre- 
gularity of  the  manner  in  which  those  issued  to  the  General  Com- 
mittee were  marked,  several  gentlemen  were  subjected  to  the  incon- 
venience of  being  refused  admittance  to  meetings  where  they  only 
had  a  right  to  be  present.  We  know  that  Mr  Taylor  did  his  utmost 
in  the  rooms  to  prevent  this,  but,  as  the  forms  to  be  gone  through 
had  been  previously  arranged,  it  became  no  easy  matter  to  keep 
things  in  order.  The  points  which  we  think  should  be  attended  to 
at  another  meeting,  and  which  we  are  sure  our  friends  in  Newcastle 
will  amend,  are  the  assistance  of  one  or  two  additional  clerks, — to  dis- 
pense with  so  much  signing  and  counter-signing,  which  prevailed  at 
Liyerpool  before  the  ticket  could  be  finally  given, — and  to  make  some 
separation  between  the  tickets  which  are  given  to  life  members,  and 
thosA  which  are  only  taken  out  on  the  occasion. 

On  Friday,  which  nearly  terminated  the  debating  meetings  of  the 
various  sections,  it  was  arranged  that  the  President  of  each  should  de- 
liver at  the  amphitheatre  in  the  evening,  a  comprehensive  report  of 
the  whole  proceedings  during  the  week, — an  arrangement  at  once  both 
useful  and  important,  as  laying  before  the  public  the  manner  in  which 
the  sections  had  been  employed,  and  aUowing  it  to  judge  of  the 
importance  of  the  subjects  which  had  thus  occupied  them.  These 
gentlemen  or  their  delegates  (for  we  regret  to  say  that  one  or  two 
were  confined  by  indisposition,)  certainly  appeared  when  called  on  by 
the  President,  to  deliver  their  reports ;  but,  with  the  exception  of  Dr 
Faraday  and  Professor  Henslow,  we  looked  in  vain  for  any  thing  in 
accordance  with  the  task  which  had  been  entrusted  to  them.  The 
gentlemen  whom  we  have  mentioned  devoted  their  twenty-five  mi- 
nutes *  to  the  reading  of  plain  intelligible  statements  of  the  transac- 
tions of  the  week,  giving  a  concise  analysis  of  the  most  important 
papers,  or  offering  remarks  upon  them,  couched  in  simple  and  ap- 
propriate, yet  eloquent  and  classical  language.  The  exhibitions  of  the 
others  were  rambling  discourses, — a  lecture  on  the  stethoscope,  and  a 
rant  on  the  benefits  which  the  Association  would  confer  on  a  com- 
mercial community,— all  totally  foreign  to  the  expected  purpose ;  and 

*  Prom  the  time  which  the  first  specimen  occupied,  Lord  Burlington  allotted 
to  each  the  space  of  twenty -five  minutes. 


37^2  Miscellaneous. 

where  we  saw  that  the  dignity  of  well  informed  men  was  somewhat 
lost  sight  of  in  an  attempt  to  make  an  impression  on  an  audience, 
which  thej  supposed  were  not  all  capable  of  following  the  drier  or 
deeper  points  of  science,  which  wonld  ueoessarily  require  to  hare 
been  treated  of. 

There  is  still  another  little  ^ling  of  correctness  of  arrangement 
which  we  must  notice, — fully  convinced  that,  if  such  matters  of  little 
moment  in  themselves  remain  unchecked,  they  would  in  time  inflict 
a  wound  which  would  often  become  irksome,  and  eventually  refuse 
to  be  soothed  by  mild  or  ordinary  treatment.  On  the  platform  erect- 
ed for  the  evening  meetings,  and  on  which  the  General  Committee 
or  foreigners  only  have  a  right  be  present,  a  table  has  of  necessity  to 
be  devoted  for  the  accommodation  of  the  President  «nd  the  gentlemen 
officially  connected  with  the  meeting;  around  this  we  observed  the 
scions  of  some  noble  houses  regularly  to  take  their  seats,  to  the  ex- 
clusion of  some  of  the  Presidents  of  the  sections,  and  other  officers 
who  might  have  been  called  on  in  the  course  of  business.  We 
would  always  wish  rank  to  assume  its  station,  and  rank  with  science 
combined  has  our  highest  homage ;  but  it  must  be  recollected  that  in 
these  meetings  the  attainments  of  the  individuals  are  the  test  of  their 
distinction ;  and  the  office-bearers  in  the  sections  being  elected  as 
the  most  fitting  persons  to  fill  these  honourable  stations,  their  places 
should  have  been  reserved  during  the  short  period  they  had  been 
thus  honoured  by  their  fellow  members.  Let  us  entreat  the  Associa- 
tion to  beware  how  they  thus  act  again.  Let  the  selection  be  made 
as  rigorously  as  possible,  but  when  it  has  been  made,  let  the  chosen 
officers  be  treated  as  such  ;  at  the  same  time,  let  rank  and  title  have 
its  highest  and  fullest  influence.  Hitherto  we  think  the  AssociaUon 
has  acted  most  wisely.  In  the  election  of  its  Presidents,  it  has,  in 
the  first  place,  run  through  a  list  of  names  high  famed  for  sci- 
entific acquirements;  and  latterly  it  has  entered  on  a  few  whose 
names  are  alike  noble  for  their  rank,  and  for  the  manner  in  which  the 
different  branches  of  science  have  been  prosecuted  or  patronized  by 
them  ;  and  admiring  the  way  in  which  this  has  hitherto  been  con- 
ducted, we  have  been  the  more  particularly  induced  to  make  the  pre- 
ceding observations,  feeling  that  if  the  least  inroad  is  permitted  either 
of  this  undue  deference  to  men  of  high  degree,  or  of  the  slightest 
taint  of  party  or  political  bias,  we  must  bid  farewell  to  all  our  delight 
in  these  meetings,  and  to  our  anticipations  of  the  great  and  extended 
utility  which  we  at  present  think  theBRiTisu  Association  may  afford 
to  individuals  of  every  profession. 


Mitcdlaneom.  873 


Section  D. Zoology  and  Botahy. 

President^— Vf.  Sharpe  Maeleay,  F.  L.  S. 
Viee-PruidenUf — Dr  Richardfioiiy  Professor  Oraham,  Pr^rfessor 

Liodlaj. 
S^erekarWi — C.  C.  Babing^n,  W.  SwaiasoOi  Rby.  L.  Jenjns. 
Members  of  Committee^ — Thomas  Hincks ;  N.  A«  Vigors ;  Rev.  F. 
W.  Hope ;  Pat.  Neill ;  Professor  J.  S.  Hensbw ;  Phifessor  T.  S 
Traill ;  Earl  o£D&ihj ;  Rev.  W.  Hincks ;  John  Curtis ;  P.  B.  Dun- 
can;  J.  £.  Gray ;  Charles  S.  Parker ;  Rer.  J.  Yates  ;  J.  £.  Bow- 
man ;  T.  Eyton ;  J.  P.  Selby ;  C.  HorsfaU  ;  R.  BaU ;  S.  W.  DiU- 
wyn;   J.  N.  Walker;   A.  H.  Haliday  ;   J.  T.  Mackay;  Captain 
James  Rosa ;  Sir  W.  Jardine ;  R.  Harrison  ;  Mr  Tinney ;  H.  Sand- 
bach;  J.  SaHsbury ;    Mr  Green;    Dr  Duncan;   F.  Archer;  G. 
Cook. 

Monday,  September  Wth. 

The  chair  being  taken  about  eleven  o'clock^  the  business  of  this  sec- 
tion was  commenced  by  Dr  Traill>  (Professor  of  Medical  Jurispru- 
dencoy  Edinbui^h,)  exhibiting  specimens  of  the  Argeie  persicw^  the 
poisonous  bug  of  the  Mianneh  of  Persia,  and  making  some  short 
verbal  remarks  regarding  it.  The  bite  was  said  to  create  a  fever  si* 
milar  to  that  of  typhus,  and  it  was  considered  &tal  to  sleep  in  some 
of  the  villages  near  which  it  abounded.  Mr  Maoleay  considered 
that  the  spedmens  exhibited  were  not  true  insects,  but  belonged  to 
the  family  of  the  Arachnoideee,  and  that  among  them  there  were  two 
genera,  Argae  and  Ixodee*  He  also  did  not  consider  the  bite  so  &tal 
as  stated  by  Dr  Traill,  but  thought  the  inflammation  might  be  produ- 
ced by  the  serrated  rostrum  remaining  in  the  puncture ;  and  remark- 
ed that,  in  the  Island  of  Cuba,  there  existed  another  poisonous  insect 
belongingto  a  similar  &mily,  which  attacks  the  horees,  producing  great 
pain  and  irritation,  but  he  added,  that  the  horses  thus  attacked 
were  always  considered  to  be  those  in  best  health  and  condition.  Dr 
Traill  persisted  in  his  opinion. 

Mr  Gray  exhibited  drawings  of  a  new  wat^  lily,  sent  from  British 
Guiana  by  Dr  Schombui^h.  He  remarked,  that  this  splendid  plant 
would  form  a  new  genus,  with  characters  intermediate  between  Nym» 
phea  and  Buryale,  and  proposed  to  name  it  Victoria  regina.  It  was 
found  growing  in  the  river  Berbice.  The  flowers  are  sweet-scented^ 
the  outer  petals  white,  but  changing  to  pink  as  they  expand,  and 
when  fully  opened  showing  a  flower  of  from  15  to  18  inches  in  dia* 

VOL.  JI.  MO.  10.  B  b 


874  Mihceibneaus. 

meter.  The  leaf  is  of  an  obloDg  ovate  form,  from  5  to  6  feet  in 
length,  the  under  side  with  elevated  spinoos  ribs,  as  in  JSuryale, 
and  of  a  rich  crimson  colour.  The  edges  tnm  np,  and  form  an  erect 
fringe  five  inches  high,  makingaframe  or  border  around  theleal^  a^ 
contnsting  finely  with  the  green  coloor  of  the  upper  sur&ce.  We 
have  to  regret,  that  neither  seeds  nor  roots  were  brought  home. 
The  drawings  are  proposed  to  be  engraved  and  published  bj  the  Geo^ 
graphical  Society.     (See  our  Plate  XII.) 

Mr  Gray  communicated  the  result  of  Mr  Children's  repetition  of 
the  experiments  made  by  Mr  Cross,  for  the  reproduction  of  insects 
from  an  infusion  of  silica.  Every  attention  was  given  that  these 
experiments  should  be  made  exactly  in  the  same  manner  with  tbo6e 
performed  by  Mr  Cross,  but  Mr  Children  did  not  succeed  in  procur- 
ing the  insects  from  the  infusion.  Mr  Stuchbury  of  Bristol  had  made 
the  experiments  with  the  same  result,  so  also  had  Mr  Golding  Bird ; 
and  these  gentlemen  seemed  to  be  of  opinion,  that  the  acarus  produced 
by  Mr  Cross,  being  a  recent  species,  and  one  well  known  as  most  abun- 
dant in  all  situations,  had  come  from  eggs  present  in  the  distilled  wa- 
ter employed  in  the  experiments,  and  called  into  existence  by  the 
galvanic  influence.  The  question  was,  however,  left  open  for  fu« 
ture  investigation  and  experiment.  Mr  Macleay  compared  the  pro- 
duction of  the  insects  by  Mr  Cross  under  the  galvanic  influence  to 
the  effect  of  a  high  temperature  upon  the  germination  of  seeds ; 
and  compared  their  vitality  to  some  of  the  lower  animals,  which  could 
be  revived  either  after  a  long  series  of  years,  or  when  apparent 
life  had  been  completely  suspended.  Instances  were  noticed  of  the 
germination  of  grains  which  had  been  found  in  the  pyramids,  after 
having  lain  there  upwards  of  2000  years,  and  of  the  resuscitation  of 
the  animals  of  the  genus  Vibrio,  afiter  having  been  completely  dried. 
Dr  Graham  mentioned  instances  of  eggs  of  insects  having  preserved 
their  vitality  for  a  long  period,  and  under  high  temperature,  in  which 
Mr  Gray  agreed,  and  stated,  that  the  eggs  of  Acarus  lapicida  have 
been  kept  for  two  years  in  a  dried  state,  still  retaining  their  vitality ; 
and  that  he  had  placed  Uirva:  of  one  of  the  musca  for  three  days  in 
prussic  add,  which,  when  removed,  produced  in  due  time  the  p^fect 
insect.  The  above  remarks  brought  on  a  discussion,  whether  circu- 
lation and  respiration  were  completely  suspended  during  torpidity.  Mr 
Macleay  considered  that  it  was  so  in  lower  animals,  and  gave  as  instan- 
ces of  it  the  species  of  Gordius  and  Filaria^  which  could  be  entirely 
dried  and  again  revived.  Mr  Gray  concurred  in  these  opinions,  while 
Dr  Gmham  seemed  in  fstvour  of  these  frinctions  being  only  partially 
suspended. 


Miscellaneous.  375 

Rev.  71  W.  Hope  read  a  letter  from  Sir  Thomas  Phillips  on  the  best 
method  of  destroying-  insects  which  infest  books  and  MSS.  Sir  Tho- 
mas found  the  wood  of  his  library  attacked  by  Anobiam  striatum,  par- 
ticularly where  beech  had  been  introduced,  and  appeared  to  think  that 
this  insect  was  much  attracted  by  the  paste  employed  in  binding.  He 
recommended  as  preservatives  against  their  attacks  spirits  of  turpen- 
tine and  a  solution  of  corrosive  sublimate,  and  also  that  the  latter  sub- 
stance should  be  mixed  with  the  paste.  In  some  instances  he  found 
the  produce  ef  a  single  impregnated  female  sufficient  to  destroy  a 
i>ook.  Much  unimportant  discussion  followed  the  reading  of  this  let- 
ter, regarding  the  best  manner  of  preventing  the  Coleoptera  and  their 
]arv»  from  destroying  objects  of  natural  history.  Turpentine  and 
spirit  of  tar  were  recommended ;  but  Mr  Gray  stated,  that  the  only  me- 
thod pursued  in  the  collections  of  the  British  Museum  was  an  abun- 
dant supply  of  camphor,  with  attention  to  keeping  the  rooms  dry, 
warm,  and  well  ventilated.  Mr  Macleay  stated  that  it  was  acari  only 
which  fed  on  the  paste  empl<yfed  in  binding  books,  while  it  was  the 
larvsB  of  the  Coleoptera  only  which  pierced  the  boards  and  leaves.  He 
■aUo  recommended  dryness  and  ventilation. 

Mr  J.  £all  read  a  notice  of  Erica  Mackaianoj  Babington,  from 
Cunnemai«,  and  exhibited  living  specimens ;  adducing  arguments  in 
favour  of  its  being  distinct  firom  E.  tetralix.  Mr  Mackay  made  re- 
marks on  its  distribution,  and  stated,  that  another  addition  to  the  Bri- 
tish flora  had  been  discovered  in  the  Erica  cameOf  found  wild  with- 
in eight  miles  of  the  town  of  Galway. 

Tuesday,  12/A  September. 
Mr  Macleay  read  a  communication  from  Captain  Ducane  of  South- 
4unpton,  on  some  marine  animals.  In  laying  this  communication  be- 
fore the  section,  he  stated,  in  explanation  of  the  objects  of  the  paper, 
that,  while  Mr  Thompson  bad  observed  that  the  crawJUh  underwent 
metamorphoses  from  the  young  to  the  perfect  state,  Rathke  of  Berlin 
maintained  the  reverse,  which  would  be  a  remarkable  fact  if  proved,  to 
find  that  a  change  took  place  in  long-tailed  Crustacea,  while  none 
bad  been  observed  in  the  Brachynrine  division.  He  felt  inclined 
to  support  Mr  Thompson's  opinion,  considering  that  gentleman  an 
accurate  naturalist,  and  he  could  scarcely  think  that  one  who  had 
observed  the  remarkable  fact  of  the  cirrhipeds  being  locomotive  and 
free  in  their  young  state,  would  now  be  mistaken.  The  letter  about 
to  be  read  confirmed  his  views,  and  showed  an  instance  of  an  indi- 
vidualy  who  had  not  previously  attended  to  natural  history,  observing 
and  proving  the  curious   transformations  which   are  puzzling  our 


376  MitceUaneous. 

professed  naturalists.  Captain  Ducane,  Mayor  of  Sonthamptoiiy  lad 
his  attention  lately  dieected  to  marine  animals.  He  found  flpedmena 
of  what,  at  the  tine,  he  considered  the  common  prawn  (Pslemcni 
semtns)  in  the  ditches  of  a  fen  where  the  tide  occasionally  «tttered, 
and  the  water  was  hraddsh.  These  were  loaded  with  eggs,  and  when 
put  into  fresh  salt  water,  it  was  soon  a1V.erwards  filled  with  small  dia- 
phanous creatures,  rery  different  in  form  from  the  parent  animals.  He 
was  not,  however,  Me  to  keep  them  more  than  three  days  aliye— the 
parent  only  fire  or  six.  Drawings  of  this  animal  and  the  young  were 
shown  to  Mr  Macleay,  who  discovered  at  once  that  it  was  not  a  Pa^ 
lemon,  but  a  species  of  some  aHied  genus,  perhaps  Cramgoftj  .and  on 
comparing  Captain  Ducane's  drawings  with  the  figure  of  Mr  Thomp- 
son, copied  from  Slabber's  work,  found  them  very  similar,  and  idmost 
identical ;  and  this  fact  he  considered  went  very  far  to  prove  the  con- 
firmation of  that  gentleman's  observations. 

Dr  jRichardwn  hinted  at  the  possibility  of  these  young  animals 
being  parasitical  in  the  eggs  of  the  Crangon,  but  Mr  Madeay  conn- 
itered  it  impossible  that  every  egg  should  contain  a  parasite.  Mr  Hope 
remarked  that  Zoe  had  been  found  parasite  on  Beroe,  while  Mr  Mac- 
leay stated,  that  he  had  found  the  Decapod  Crustacea  parasitical  in  the 
Gulf  stream,  but  could  not  perceive  the  smallest  ground  for  believing 
that  the  young  alluded  to  in  Captain  Duoane's  letter  could  be  ani- 
mals of  this  description* 

Mr  HaUday  exhibited  engravings  (from  the  Suites  des  Bufibn) 
of  Argas  perticus  and  irodes,  in  illustration  of  the  subject  brought 
forward  yesterday  by  Dr  Traill.  Mr  Macleay  remarked,  that  the 
term  bite,  which  was  employed  yesterday  wiien  describing  the  wound 
inflicted  by  this  animal  was  improper,  being  produced  by  the  insertion 
into  the  skin  of  a  serrated  rostrum,  which  produced  great  inflamma- 
tion. He  also  remarked  that  the  history  of  this  genus  was  remark- 
ably curious.  In  Cuba  oxen  were  sometimes  covered  with  them,  and 
when  they  hadsudced  their  fill,  the  serrated  rostrum  breaks  cff^  and  the 
creature  makes  its  way  to  the  nearest  stone,  under  which  it  may  then 
be  Ibund.  When  brought  home,  Uiousands  of  egg^  would  be  found 
issuing  from  the  broken  rostrum*  He,  however,  did  not  pretend  to 
say  that  the  eggs  were  not  impregnated  by  the  usual  cand,  but  that 
he  had  never  seen  Uiem  produced  in  any  other  way  than  from  the 
opening  formed  by  the  abrasuare  of  these  parts,  which,  when  the  ani- 
mal became  so  full,  seemed  to  serve  the  common  purpose  of  an  in- 
testinal and  generative  opening.  These  eggs  produced  a  hexapod 
larva,  the  young  form  of  the  great  division  Arachnoidese,  of  which  the 
Acari  are  the  types. 


Miscellaneous.  377 

3fr  SabingUm  rmd  a  notice  of  a  botanical  excorBum  to  Jersey 
and  Guernsey,  made  during  the  inontb  of  August  last.  (This  paper 
will  appear  in  ovs  next  Number.)  Professor  Lindiey  stated,  that  Prof. 
Augusta,  a  Spanish  botanist,  had  investigated  the  fl<H«  of  the  Channel 
islands,  and  had  made  out  a  list  of  the  plants,  so  iar  as  he  knew  them 
to  exist*  which  was  deposited  in  the  libraries  of  some  of  the  institu- 
tiMis  there,  and  would  be  servioeable  to  botanists  that  might  again 
wiA  to  examine  the  islands.  Mr  Forbes  bcwe  witness  t4>  the  similarity 
of  the  botany  of  Jersey  to  the  adjacent  coast  of  France,  and  stated  that 
Lamiuni  allmm  was  not  found  in  the  Isle  of  Man. 

Mr  Atiis  read  a  paper  on  the  Sclerotic  bones  of  birds  and  animals, 
aad  exhibited  Reparations  of  the  bones  from  the  collection  of  the 
York  Philosophical  Society.  He  commenced  by  stating,  that  the 
opinions  expressed  by  several  eminent  comparative  anatomists  were 
at  variance  with  what  he  had  observed,  and  cited  those  of  Blumen- 
bach,  Cams,  Cuvier,  Yarrell  and  Buckland,  pointing  out  in  what 
manner  they  differed  from  his  own  observations ;  and  adduced  as  an 
example  of  the  very  great  variation  in  the  statements  of  these  men, 
the  Eagle-owl,  said  by  Cuvier  to  contain  a  series  of  twenty  bones, 
while  Mr  AUice  could  only  find  fifteen.  The  greatest  number  found 
in  any  bird  he  had  yet  examined  was  seventeen,  the  smallest  eleven ; 
and  he  thought,  that,  from  the  different  form  and  structure  which 
he  had  been  able  to  observe,  any  particular  order  might  be  at  once 
distinguished. 

Mr  Reid  communicated  a  paper  on  the  chemical  composition  of 
vegetable  fibre, — alluding  to  the  great  difficulty  which  Prof.  Henslow 
had  expressed  in  separating  the  cellular  tissue  from  membrane,  which 
he  now  considered  comparatively  easily  accomplished,  and  that  its 
composition  could  be  therefore  correctly  ascertained.  Prof.  Henslow 
considered  that  Mr  Reid  had  not  yet  succeeded  in  separating  the  two 
materials,  and  that  he  had  not  performed  the  experiments  with  suffi- 
cient care  ;  in  which  Prof.  Lindley  concurred,  stating  that  the  hollow 
cells  emerge  into  the  petals  as  well  as  the  stamens,  and  that  Praf. 
Henslow's  meaning  had  been  evidently  mistaken. 

The  Rev.  F.  W.  Hope  read  some  observations  on  the  genus  Pi^ 
larioy  confining  his  observations  prindpaUy  to  those  ^ecies  which 
infest  insects,  and  exhibited  a  specimen  of  Steropus  ethiopsf  with 
the  pamsitic  Filaria  protruding.  He  considered  that  the  first  attack 
was  made  in  the  larva  state,  and  that  in  this  respect  they,  to  a  cer- 
tain degree,  resembled  the  Ichneumons,  and  might,  among  Coleopte- 
rous insects,  assume  their  part,  and  be  a  wise  provision  for  controlling 
the  exuberance  of  species.     All  the  insects  hitherto  recorded  as  in- 


378  Miscellaneous, 

fested  with  these  parasites,  live  in  moist  places,  some  of  them  are 
entirely  aquatic.     One  species  he  discovered  in  a  species  of  Phiy. 
gauea,  though  he  had  not  succeeded  in  detecting  it  in  their  larvae ; 
among  the  Lepidoptera  he  had  not  discovered  any.     A  list  of  forty 
species  of  insects,  which  were  infested  with  Filaria,  was  laid  before 
the  meeting.     Rudolphi  considered  all  the  species  to  be  identical; 
but  in  this  assertion  Mr  Hope  could  not  agree,  having  detected  se- 
veral among  the  Coleoptera,  while  that  in  the  Phryganea  were  dis- 
tinct from  aU ;  and  he  considered  that  each  species,  or  at  least  each 
genus,  possessed  a  species  peculiar  to  it.    Several  distinct  forms  even 
seemed  to  exist,  while  the  distinction  between  Gordius  and  Filaria 
had  not  yet  been  aufficiently  marked,  and  he  would  now  propose,  that 
Filaria  should  be  restricted  to  the  form  exhibited  by  the  common 
Guinea  worm  (F.  Medinensis,)  and  concluded  by  recommending  atten- 
tion to  the  species  which  infested  the  animals  composing  our  own 
Fauna. 

Mr  Duncan  asked  if  Mr  Hope  had  paid  sufficient  attention  to  the 
different  species  to  say  that  they  were  distinct  in  each  ?  Mr  Hope 
said  he  had,  and  that  he  considered  they  would  afford  the  means  of 
distinguishing  the  closely  allied  animals,  and  that  those  infesting  the 
higher  orders  were  distinct  from  the  insect  parasites.  Mr  Madeay 
considered  the  paper  a  most  valuable  one,  and  thought  that  each  in- 
sect contained  its  peculiar  species.  He  could  add  to  the  list  on  the 
table,  and  possessed  a  spider  which  contained  a  Filaria.  In  an 
article  in  the  Bibliotheque  Universelle,  a  Filaria  is  recorded  from  a 
specimen  of  Gryllus.  The  tenacity  of  life  was  also  alluded  to  :  that 
belonging  to  the  Gryllus  had  remained  dried  up  for  several  weeks,  and 
when  placed  in  water  again  revived.  Mr  Hope  concurred  in  these 
observations,  and  stated  that  he  believed  the  specimen  on  the  table 
was  yet  alive,  having  made  various  contortions  since  the  insect  had 
been  set  up. 

Mr  Bowman  read  a  paper  by  Mr  Gardener  on  the  internal  struc- 
ture of  the  palm  tribe.  Mr  Gardener  is  now  in  the  Brazils,  making 
observations  on  the  botany  of  the  country,  of  which  that  now  com- 
municated was  among  the  first  received.  It  contained  some  curious 
observations  regarding  the  manner  in  which  the  woody  part  was  pro- 
duced, assimilating  its  formation  to  a  certain  extent  with  that  of  the 
ConifersB.  Mr  Bowman  offered  to  be  the  medium  of  communication 
between  M  r  Gardener  and  the  Association. 

Mr  Niven  communicated  the  results  of  some  interesting  experi- 
ments in  reference  to  vegetable  physiology.  The  experiments  were 
made  chiefly  upon  the  Ulmus  campestris,  or  common  English  elm. 


1 


Miscellaneous.  379 

with  the  view  of  ascertaining-  the  direction  of  the  sap,  and  the  sup- 
posed peculiar  principles  which  allowed  it  to  develope  leaves  or  roots. 
Mr  Niren  considered,  that  there,  were  two  constant  principles,  the 
one  upwards,  which  he  terms  the  leaf  principle,  the  other  downwards, 
or  that  producing-  the  roots,  and  he  stated  that  he  thought  these 
could  not  be  controverted.  In  confirmation  he  produced  a  specimen 
of  the  elm  ringed  round  about  to  the  depth  of  one  or  two  layers  in 
the  wood.  The  under  surface  of  the  cut  part  produced  young-  shoots 
with  leaves,  while  on  the  upper  part  of  the  excision  abundance  of 
roots  were  »priuging  out.  Various  modifications  of  the  same  experi- 
ments were  detailed.  Drawings  in  illustration  of  them  were  exhi- 
bited ;  showing  at  the  same  time,  that  the  tree  or  branch  would  be 
supported,  and  would  live  for  a  considerable  time,  at  least  when  sub- 
jected to  a  very  deep  incision  or  insulation  of  the  parts ;  different  trees, 
however,  having  various  powers  of  prolonging  their  existence,  or  of 
producing  additional  wood  and  bark  under  the  above-mentioned  cir- 
cumstances. Professor  Lindley  obserred,  that  the  experiments  were 
a11  consonant  with  the  present  generally  received  opinions,  but  con- 
mdered  roots  to  be  only  the  wood  part  sent  down  by  the  buds. 

Mr  Gray  made  some  observations  on  one  or  two  species  of  Mam- 
malia preserved  in  the  collection  of  the  Koyal  Institution.  The  first 
was  a  species  of  otter  from  Demerara.  It  is  intermediate  in  form  be- 
tween the  common  otter  or  Lutra^  and  the  Ehhydra^  is  remarkable 
for  the  g^at  developement  of  the  webs  of  the  hinder  feet,  has  the 
tail  partially  broadened,  or  fringed  with  a  lateral  membrane,  and 
the  muzzle  is  entirely  hairy,  with  nothing  bare  excepting  the  edge 
of  the  nostrils.  Mr  Gray  considered  this  animal  as  being  the 
fourth  type  of  the  otters.  The  next  animal  was  Thalacimts  cynoce- 
phaluSf  exhibited  on  account  of  the  very  young  state  of  the  specimen, 
which  would  scarcely  exceed  four  inches  in  height,  and  remarked 
that  the  teeth  now  resembled  in  their  formation  those  of  the  young 
seals.  Two  specimens  of  Philantombo  were  shewn,  a  epecies  of  an- 
telope from  western  Africa,  called  as  above  by  the  natives  of  Sierra 
Leone,  and  which  Major  H.  Smith  had  described  from  a  young  and 
small  specimen  in  the  British  Museum  under  the  name  of  Ant.  phi- 
lantombo ;  and  lastly,  a  perfect  specimen  of  the  Felis  gracilis  of  Dr 
Horsfield. 

Mr  Lindley  made  some  additional  observations  on  Victoria  regina, 
which  was  exhibited  yesterday. 

Wednesday y  ISth  September. 
The  paper  brought  forward  by  Dr  Traill  at  last  meeting  was  first 


380  Miscellaneous. 


^ 


read*  It  was  a  case  communicated  by  Dr  Williamson,  of  a  young  wo- 
man>  about  21  yean  of  age  living  in  a  cellar,  who,  after  mucti  pain 
and  violent  paroxyBms,  voided  a  laige  gray  slug,  after  which  the 
annoying  symptoms  gradually  subsided.  Mr  Jenyns  considered  the 
specimen  in  question,  now.  before  the  section,  to  be  the  lAmax  varie* 
gaiue,  which  inhabits  cellars ;  and  the  Rev.  Mr  Hope,  Mr  Ciutia,  Mr 
Madeay,  and  Ph>fessor  Henslow,  mentioned  some  cases  of  insects 
and  their  larvsB  having  been  passed  from  the  intestines. 

Dr  Richardson  read  a  communication  fromDr  Bellingham  on  the 
frequent  occurrence  of  Tricocephahu  dispar  in  the  human  intestines. 
The  author  considered  that  it  had  been  erroneously  described  by  for- 
mer observers,  and  stated,  that  it  was  found  in  the  intestines  of  almost 
every  one.  Some  discussion  took  place  on  the  subject,  in  which  Dr 
Richardson,  Mr  Curtis,  Mr  Seiby,  and  Mr  Madeay  took  part. 

Prof.  LitMey  communicated  a  p^>er  from  Mr  Ward  on  the  cul- 
tivation of  plants  without  ventilation.  These  experiments  ori- 
ginated from  Mr  Ward's  unsuccessful  attempts  to  rear  plants  in  a 
confined  and  smoky  situation  in  London.  They  were  made  in  small 
bottles  and  glass  cases  of  various  sizes,  and  houses  of  twenty  ^y^  feet 
in  length.  They  went  to  prove  the  possibility  of  groning  plants  un- 
der these  circumstances,  and  would  be  one  of  the  greatest  discoveries 
made  in  ^e  manner  of  transporting  living  plants  froni  distant  coun- 
tries under  a  varied  temperature.  Many  cases  had  been  already  re* 
ceived  in  this  county,  and  the  Messrs  Loddiges  bore  testimony  to  the 
success  which  had  already  attended  the  plan.  On  one  occasion,  plants 
were  shipped  at  New  Holland  at  a  temperature  of  80^;  in  passing 
Cape  Horn  the  temperature  fell  to  2(F ;  at  Rio  it  rose  to  100°;  after- 
wards to  120^ ;  and  on  arriving  in  England  it  again  fell  to  40^ ;  but 
when  taken  out  they  were  in  perfect  condition,  notwithstanding  the 
various  changes  of  temperature  they  had  undeigone.  This  me- 
thod  of  growing  some  plants  of  no  great  size  in  our  rooms,  and  of 
noticing  their  various  modes  of  growth,  might  be  applied  to  many 
purposes  of  experiment. 

Mr  Yates  read  the  report  from  the  Committee  in  Liverpool  for 
growing  plants  on  Mr  Ward's  plan.  The  green-house  which  had 
t>een  erected  on  the  above  construction  was  stocked  with  eighty  spe- 
cies  of  plants,  and,  so  &r  as  time  had  yet  been  afforded,  they  appear- 
ed  to  be  thriring  and  fulfilling  every  expectation.  The  report  gave 
nse  to  some  interesting  discussion  on  the  power  possessed  by  plants 
to  exist  in  vessels  excluding  the  external  air,  and  also  on  the  practi- 
cabiiity  of  introducing  smaU  animals,  or  at  least  those  of  the  lower 
classes,  along  with  the  planU.     Dr  Graham  considered,  that  with 


MisceUaneons.  381 

plants  no  necessity  for  circulation  of  air  existed,  but  the  vessel  must 
be  placed  in  such  a  situation  as  to  receive  the  influence  of  the  sun, 
for  the  purpose  of  causing  the  leaves  to  reproduce  the  atmospheric  dr. 
He  had  found  that  several  of  the  Cacti  throve  better  in  the  moist  at- 
mosphere of  a  closed  glass,  than  in  the  dry  state  in  which  they  are 
generally  kept,  and  that  he  had  grown  species  in  his  own  room  in  this 
manner  for  the  last  two  years,  some  of  which  h^d  not  received  water  for 
eighteen  months.  The  plants  which  the  Doctor  found  to  thrive  best 
under  this  treatment  were  the  Lycopodii,  the  Grasses,  which  throve 
remarkably,  Begonias  and  Cacti.  Orchideous  plants  did  not  thrive 
under  these  circumstances;  and  seed  had  never  been  seen  to  be 
produced  or  ripened  by  any  of  the  plants.  Animals  he  considered 
could  not  exist,  for  the  reason  that  they  had  no  power  to  reproduce 
the  atmospheric  air;  and  the  quantity  which  they  would  consume 
would  be  so  disproportionate  to  that  produced  by  the  plants,  as  to  be 
either  insufficient  for  their  maintenance,  or  would  require  vessels 
much  too  large  for  the  purpose  of  convenient  experiment.  Professor 
Lindley  bore  testimony  to  the  importance  of  this  discovery,  and  to 
the  perfect  manner  in  which  some  plants  had  been  transported.  The 
Arucaria  had  been  brought  home  and  transplanted  with  the  greatest 
success.  He  concurred  generally  with  the  opinions  expressed  by  Dr 
Graham. 

Mr  Bickergteih  exhibited  the  milk  from  the  McLsarandvha  tree, 
the  cow-tree  of  Humboldt  (Galactodendron  utile.)  Dr  Traill  remark** 
ed  that  there  were  two  kinds  of  cow-tree ;  that  he  had  analysed  the 
juice  of  the  Galactodendron  or  cow-tree  of  the  Caraccas,  which  con- 
sists principally  of  wax  and  resin ;  but  that  the  juice  of  the  cow-tree 
of  Demerara  (botanical  name  unknown)  contains  chiefly  caoutchouc. 

Mr  Pooly  brought  before  the  meeting  an  instance  which  occur- 
red to  himself,  of  three  swallows  being  found  on  one  of  the  German 
lakes  completely  imbedded  and  frozen  up  in  ice,  one  of  which  when  un- 
covered revived  and  lived  for  a  short  time.  He  inferred  from  this  that 
theoldtheory  of  these  birds  going  under  water  during  winter  was  tenable. 
This  notice  excited  considerable  interest,  and  was  remarked  on  by  Mr 
Allis,  Mr  Hutton,  and  Mr  Selby,  and  after  much  cross-questioning,  it 
was  generally  concluded  that  the  fieu^t  did  not  bear  on  the  question  of 
hybernation,  but  that  the  swallows  in  question  might  have  been 
those  of  a  very  late  brood,  and  being  benumbed  when  in  search  of  food, 
had  been  frozen  or  surrounded  with  snow,  a  very  short  time  previous 
to  their  discovery. 

Mr  Gould  exhibited  drawings  of  some  new  Trogons  for  the  con- 
tinuation of  his  monograph,  and  some  figures  for  two  new  works 

VOL    II.  NO.  10.  c  c 


362  Miscellaneous. 

which  he  had  in  preparation.  (See  Bibliographical  Notices,  p.  357.)  At 
the  same  time  he  made  some  observations  on  the  habits  of  the  Tro- 
gonidiBy  which  elicited  from  various  members  their  opinions  of  their 
proper  station  in  the  system,  which  most  of  the  ornithologists  present 
considered  to  be  among  the  Fissirostres.  Mr  Macleay  made  some 
interesting  observations  on  the  T.  temnurus  (forming  the  genus  Tem- 
nurus  of  Swain.)  which  is  remarkably  abundant  in  the  island  of 
Cuba.  This  species  feeds  principally  on  caterpillars  which  it  seizes 
on  the  bark  and  branches  of  trees ;  and  it  was  thought  that  this  man- 
ner of  feeding  indicated  the  propriety  of  the  views  held  by  Mr  Swain - 
son,  that  it  exhibited  the  scansorial  type  of  the  genus.  The  berry- 
eating  species  of  the  Trogons  have  been  found  principally,  if  not  en- 
tirely, among  the  Caluri. 

Mr  Sandhatch  exhibited  specimens  of  an  undescribed  Prionites  and 
a  Parug  from  the  collection  of  the  Royal  Institution :  for  the  Motmot 
he  proposed  the  specific  name  of  <'  superciliaris,*'  from  a  stripe  of  ultra- 
marine feathers  which  stretch  over  each  eye.  It  is  one  of  the  most  beau, 
tiful  of  a  limited  genus,  and  appeared  to  be  intermediate  in  the  form 
of  the  bill  between  the  Pr.  pUti^rhynchuSi  Jard.  and  Selby,  and  the  or- 
dinary forms,  the  bill  very  much  depressed,  and  very  finely  serrated. 

Mr  E,  Forbes  read  a  notice  of  several  new  forms  of  British  ani- 
mals and  plants,  making  observations  on  two  Mollusca,  one  allied  to 
Doris  pinnati/idat  the  other  to  the  genus  Montagua  of  Dr  Fleming, 
He  exhibited  also  Asteri€Ls  ruhens  of  Johnston.  The  plants  mention- 
ed  were  a  new  Polygala,  which  was  described  in  the  report  of  the  Bo- 
tanical Society  of  Edinburgh,  and  a  new  Euphrasia,  distinguished  from 
£.  officinalis,  by  being  hairy  throughout,  and  having  its  fruit  placed 
in  an  alternate  and  opposite  manner,  so  as  to  form  four  vertical  h'nes» 
and  to  give  a  square  appearance  to  the  spike. 

Friday^  \bth  September. 

Mr  R»  Mallet  read  a  communication  on  the  power  of  aged  trees» 
under  certain  circumstances,  to  reproduce  themselves  from  the  centre 
of  the  trunk.  The  trees  which  have  been  observed  to  become  moet 
generally  hollow  are  the  oak,  elm,  chestnut,  beech,  cherry,  and  yew  ; 
numerous  sketches  of  remarkable  instances  of  this  operation  of 
time  and  the  seasons  were  exhibited.  The  meeting  did  not  seem  to 
agree  generally  with  Mr  Mallet  in  his  opinions.  Professor  Henslow 
and  Mr  Duncan  made  observations  on  the  subject. 

Mr  Smith  of  Jordan  Hill  exhibited  two  new  shells  dredged 
^m  Rothesay  Bay,  and  which  had  been  named  Fusus  Boothiiy  and 
F.  umbilicaius.     He  also  produced  fourteen  species  of  fossil  shells. 


r 


Miscellaneous.  383 

found  among  recent  shells  at  a  higher  leyel  than  the  present  high 
water^  and  which  are  not  known  to  exist  in  a  recent  state. 

3fr  Macleatf  exhibited  portions  of  the  pier  of  Southampton, 
which  had  been  forwarded  to  him  by  Captain  Ducane»  and  which 
were  completely  destroyed  by  the  operations  of  the  Limnoria  tere- 
brans. Mr  Macleay  stated  that  this  pier  had  been  erected  only  a 
few  years  since,  at  an  expense  of  between  L.  8000  and  L.  10,000,  and 
that  its  state  of  decay  was  now  such  that  it  would  require  to 
be  rebuilt,  and  would  cost  nearly  a  similar  sum.  Mr  Francis  sug- 
gested, that  if  the  wood  had  been  cayennised,  it  would  have  resisted 
the  effects  of  this  destructiye  insect,  and  detailed  many  experiments, 
by  which,  under  other  circumstances,  its  e£Bcacy  had  been  proved. 
Mr  Francis  was  requested  to  bring  before  next  meeting  the  result  of 
a  series  of  experiments  which  were  now  in  progress,  and'  also-to  di- 
rect his  attention  to  the  power  of  this  preparation  in  resisting  the  at- 
tacks of  insects. 

Mr  •/.  ]5»  G^ay  exhibited  some  new  land  shells  from  the  Museum 
of  the  Royal  Institution,  and  remarked  on  their  peculiarities.  One  of 
more  than  usual  interest  was  a  new  species  of  Anodon,  found  near 
Broughton  in  Craven  Yorkshire,  and  named  A,  Roisiu 

The  Rev.  •/.  Meade  read  a  paper  on  the  solid  materials  found  in 
the  ashes  of  plants  and  animals.  This  paper  went  chiefly  to  prove 
that  the  earthy,  saline,  and  metallic  ingredients  contained  in  plants, 
were  the  maintaining  substances  of  vegetable  life. 

Mr  •/•  Taylor  exhibited  a  specimen  of  Goliathus  magnus  from  the 
collection  of  the  Institution ;  also  the  jaws  of  a  large  shark,  and  spe- 
cimen of  the  oil  obtained  from  its  liver.  Mr  Macleay  made  some  in- 
teresting remarks  on  the  history  and  affinities  of  Goliathus,  but  was 
prevented  entering  so  deeply  into  the  subject  as  he  could  have  wished 
from  the  time  of  the  section  being  nearly  run.  The  same  reason  pre- 
vented the  reading  of  several  other  valuable  papers  which  had  been 
entered  in  the  list^  particularly  one  on  the  affinities  of  birds  by  Mr 
Vigors,  in  which  he  proposed  to  illustrate  the  subject^  and  explain 
some  of  his  views,  which  the  opponents  of  the  circular  arrangement 
had  either  misconstrued  or  not  understood* 

In  the  Committee  of  this  section,  which  was  not  publicly  open, 
the  following  grants  were  made  from  the  funds  of  the  association 
for  the  purpose  of  performing  experiments.  A  grant  of  L.  60  was 
proposed  by  Professor  Henslow,  to  be  placed  at  the  disposal  of  the 
committee  in  Liverpool,  appointed  for  the  purpose  of  ascertaining 
the  results  of  experiments  made  for  growing  plants  in  apartments 


386  Obituary. 

defatigable  man  began  publishing  his  "  General  History  of  Birds,*' 
which  was  completed  in  10  toIs.  4to.  In  1835,  he  for  the  first  time 
began  to  feel  the  failure  of  hb  sight.  Infirmities  gradually  increased 
on  him ;  but  he  was  still  an  actiye  and  cheerful  man,  taking  his  daily 
walk  alone,  and  scorning  the  assistance  of  an  arm.  Four  days  before 
his  death  he  exhibited  unusual  yivacity  ;  this  was  followed  by  a  fiul- 
ure  of  understanding,  and  he  fell  into  a  deep  sleep,  in  which  he  expir* 
ed  without  a  peng.  Thoug^h  chiefly  known,  and  most  successful  as  a 
naturalist,  Dr  L.  was  also  much  attached  to  antiquities.  In  a  letter 
to  Mr  Denne,  written  in  1797,  he  remarked,  "  In  respect  to  natural 
history  and  antiquities,  I  compare  myself  to  Ganrick,  between  Tra^ 
gedy  and  Comedy  ;  and,  though  not  so  great  a  man,  I  cannot  hdp, 
like  him,  squinting  towards  that  which  pleases  me  best." — Extracted 
from  the  Gentleman's  Magcusinefor  July  1837. 

Dr  Latham's  works  in  natural  history  were  confined  to  Ornitho- 
logy, in  which  they  were  for  long  the  universal  text-books,  and  they 
are  still  held  in  considerable  estimation.  Cuvier  says — ^*I1  a  surtout 
enrichi  TOmithologie  de  belles  esp^ces  nouyelles ;  mais  see  ouvrages 
sans  critique  reulent  ^tre  lus  arec  prtoiution." 

On  the  6th  July  1837,  Dr  Jambs ^Woodfordb,  of  Castle  Carey, 
Somerset. — Dr  W.  completed  his  medical  studies  at  the  Unirersity 
of  Edinburgh,  where  he  graduated  M.  D.  in  1825.  The  year  pre- 
vious he  published  "  a  Catahgue  of  the  Indigenous  Phenagamic 
Plants  growing  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Edinburgh" — ^the  result  of 
much  industry,  and  a  useful  companion  in  botanical  excursions. 
Can  we  suppose  that  in  the  motto  prefixed  to  this  work  Dr  W.  had 
the  anticipation  of  bis  own  brief  career  ? 

"  Brevi  cadentia  biMSce 
Brevem  docentne  vitam  ?" 


£0INBUROU  : 
raiMTXD    BT    JOHN    STARK,   OLD    ASSKMBLT    CLOSE. 


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MAMMALIA. 

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of  Buffon. 

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ENTOMOLOGY. 

L  INTRODUCTION.— A'b/  ^et  Published. 

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MAGAZINE 

OF 

ZOOLOGY   AND   BOTANY. 


ORIGINAL  COMMUNICATIONS. 


I. — The  Fauna  of  Tnizcll  By  P.  J.  Se lb y,  Esq.  (Continued  from 
Vol.  i.  p.  424.) 

Fbom  the  circumscribed  extent,  as  well  as  the  natural  features 
of  the  district  described,  the  list  of  birds  is  necessarily  yery  limited 
in  species  belonging  to  the  Grallatorial  and  Natatorial  orders,  but 
contains  a  fair  ordinary  average  of  Insessorial  as  well  as  Rapacious 
and  Gallinaceous  birds.  In  front  stands  the  great  sea  eagle, 
(  H.  albicilla,)  as  I  have  twice  had  the  gratification  of  seeing  this 
ooble  bird  wing  its  way  across  the  district  on  its  route  from  the 
ooast  to  the  interior.  Scarcely  a  winter  indeed  passes  without 
»ne  or  more  individuals  being  seen  in  some  part  of  the  county ;  and 
during  one  season  three  of  these  birds  almost  daily  frequented  Chil- 
ingham  Park,  the  seat  of  the  Earl  of  Tankevville,  where  they  were 
observed  to  prey  upon  the  fallen  deer.  These  visitors,  it  may  be 
observed,  are  generally  immature  birds  ;  but  as  no  eyrie  at  present 
exists,  either  in  Northumberland  or  in  the  south  of  Scotland,  they 
are  probably  the  offspring  of  some  of  those  pairs  which  are  yet  to  be 
seen  in  the  northern  districts  and  islands  of  Scotland,  and  which,  in 
defiance  of  the  assiduity  and  daring  of  the  shepherd  and  Highland 
fox-hunter,  continue  at  times  to  rear  their  young  in  some  precipi« 
tous  and  inaccessible  rock,  or  else  upon  the  islets  of  its  little  ire* 
quented  lochs.  These,  when  able  to  provide  for  themselves,  are 
driven  from  the  place  of  their  nativity  by  their  parents,  who  allow 
of  no  compeer  within  their  peculiar  beat,  and  in  their  search  of  a 
domain  of  their  own  pay  us  these  passing  visits.     The  peregrine 

VOL.  ix«  NO.  11.  D  d 


388  Fauna  of  TtoizeU. 

falcon  is  still  occasionally  seen,  but  its  appearance  is  now  rarer  tlian 
it  used  to  be  a  few  years  ago.  This  may  be  attributed  to  the  destruc- 
tion of  two  or  three  eyries  in  the  adjacent  districts,  one  of  which 
was  placed  in  the  remains  of  the  tower  at  Dunstanborough  Castle, 
and  another  in  a  cra^jy  precipice  upon  a  moor,  about  three  miles 
to  the  south-west  of  Twizell*  Eyries,  however,  of  this  fidcon  still 
exist  in  some  of  the  precipitous  gullies  of  the  Cheviot  range,  and  in 
the  lofty  rocks  of  the  magnificent  promontory  of  St  Abbs  Head.  The 
merlin  breeds,  but  sparingly  upon  the  neighbouring  moors ;  and  for 
three  or  four  successive  seasons  a  pair  had  their  nest  within  a  stone's 
throw  of  our  little  district.  The  increase  of  sheep  stock,  and 
extended  cultivation,  is  annually  tending  to  diminish  the  num- 
bers of  this,  as  well  as  many  other  birds  which  formerly  used  to 
abound. 

The  kestril,  as  well  as  the  sparrow-hawk,  annually  breeds  with 
us,  the  former  in  a  crag  in  the  Dean,  or  else  in  the  old  nest  of  a 
carrion  crow ;  the  latter  is  always  its  own  architect,  though  it  does 
not  excel  in  the  art,  as  the  nest  is  a  large  flat  fabric,  loosely  con- 
structed of  twigs  and  sticks,  with  a  very  trifling  central  depression. 
The  sparrow-hawk  has  frequently  as  many  as  six  young  ones,  and 
the  havock  they  make  at  this  time  among  the  smaller  birds  and 
young  game  is  almost  beyond  belief.  I  recollect  inspecting  a  nest 
in  which  lay  the  recent  remains  of  a  lapwing,  a  blackbird,  a 
thrush,  and  two  green-linnets,  some  half  devoured,  and  others 
nearly  whole,  but  all  neatly  and  cleanly  plucked.  The  common 
as  well  as  the  rough-legged  buzzard  are  only  occasicHial  visitants, 
and  the  first  is  perhaps  of  even  rarer  occurrence  than  the  latter, 
but  neither  species  has  been  seen  for  the  last  two  years.  The 
honey-buzzard  (Per.  apivorus,)  certainly  one  of  the  rarest  of  our 
Faloonidae,  figures  in  the  list ;  as  a  fine  specimen  of  the  adult  male 
is  now  in  my  possession,  taken  within  the  precincts  of  the  district 
in  September  1835,  by  means  of  a  trap  baited  with  wasp's  comb,  a 
nest  of  which  insect  it  had  previously  been  observed  to  have  scratch- 
ed out  from  the  root  of  a  tree.  Within  the  last  five  or  six  years 
several  honey-buzzards  have  visited  Northumberland  and  Durham. 
Of  those  that  have  been  secured,  three  or  four  which  I  have  seen 
are  in  what  is  now  considered  the  immature  plumage  of  the  male, 
in  which  state  the  greater  part  of  the  head  and  neck  is  white,  the 
breast  and  belly  with  dark-brown  lanceolate  streaks.  *     In  those 

*  For  a  more  detailed  account  of  the  honey-buzzard  in  this  state,  our  readers 
are  referred  to  the  first  number  of  the  "  Illustrations  of  Ornithology/*  New 
Series,  and  the  Transactions  of  the  Berwickshire  Naturalists'  Club. 


Fauna  of  TwizeB.  389 

that  I  have  dissected  nothing  but  the  remains  of  wasps  in  various 
stages  were  detected.  The  moor-harrier  is  rapidly  declining  in 
numbers^  many  of  the  marshes  in  which  they  used  to  breed  having 
been  drained  and  reclaimed.  Some  few  years  ago  I  recollect  it  as 
one  of  the  most  abundant  species  in  this  neighbourhood ;  now  an  in- 
dividual is  rarely  to  be  seen.  Of  the  owls^  the  long-eared  (Otus 
vulgaris)  is  the  most  plentiful,  and  is  met  with  in  all  the  planta- 
tions where  the  fir,  particularly  of  the  spruce  kind,  abounds.  They 
breed  early,  and  have  generally  eggs  by  the  middle  of  March.  An 
old  nest,  either  of  the  magpie  or  carrion  crow,  is  the  situation  in- 
variably selected  as  the  place  of  deposit.  The  young  continue  to 
be  fed  by  their  parents  long  after  they  have  quitted  the  nest ;  and 
their  querulous  cry,  which  commences  immediately  after  sunset,  is 
heard  throughout  the  greatest  part  of  the  summer.  The  tawny 
owl  is  now  rarely  seen.  I  may  here  mention,  that  a  very  small  owl, 
probably  Nyctipeies  nudipes  or  Tengmaltnij  Swain,  was  seen  near 
the  stables  at  Twicell  by  a  person  well  acquainted  with  birds,  and 
who  could  scarcely  mistake  an  owl  of  such  small  dimensions  for  any 
of  the  common  species,  particularly  as  he  was  within  a  very  short 
distance,  and  had  an  opportunity  of  examining  it  before  it  flew  from 
its  perch.  The  cinereous  shrike,  (Lan.  excubitor,)  is  the  only  spe- 
cies, I  believe,  that  has  yet  been  detected  north  of  the  Tyne.  At 
Twicell  I  have  killed  two  or  three  individuals,  and  have  seen  va- 
rious other  specimens  from  the  adjoining  districts.  Its  time  of  ap- 
pearance is  between  the  months  of  November  and  March.  Two 
specimens,  both  adults,  of  the  pied  flycatcher  (Mus.  luctuosa)  have 
been  killed  within  our  confines,  and  another  was  seen  but  allowed 
to  escape.  They  all  appeared  in  May ;  but  no  instance  of  its  breed- 
ing either  here,  or  within  the  county,  has  yet  come  to  my  know- 
ledge. Of  the  various  thrushes,  it  may  be  remarked,  that  the  mis- 
sel, (Mer.  viscivora,)  has  of  late  years  been  rapidly  on  the  increase 
in  the  north  of  England  and  Scotland.  I  well  remember  when  it 
was  considered  a  very  rare  bird.  Now  it  is  met  with  in  all  directions 
and  at  all  seasons,  as  it  has  not  been  observed  to  migrate  even  dur- 
ing the  severe  winter  months.  This,  however,  the  common  thrush 
usually  does  to  a  certain  extent,  as  it  regularly  moves  from  the  in- 
terior to  the  sea  coast  towards  the  middle  of  November,  and  there 
continues  till  January  is  pretty  far  advanced.  The  ring-ouzel 
(Mer.  torquata)  pays  us  a  passing  visit  on  commencing  its  autum- 
nal migration,  but  rarely  remains  more  than  a  few  days,  during 
which  it  is  generally  seen  in  the  neighbourhood  of  the  mountain-ash 
trees,  whose  berries  are  a  favourite  repast  of  this  as  of  all  the  other 


390  Fauna  of  TwizdL 

thrushes.  Fieldfares  frequently  remain  here  till  May  is  far  ad- 
vanced, a  fact  which  long  surprised  me,  as  most  of  the  species 
which  remain  with  us  have  ere  then  reared  a  full  fledged  brood.  Mr 
Hewitson,  however,  in  his  beautiful  work  on  British  Oology,  sa- 
tisfactorily accounts  for  so  late  an  appearance,  as  he  informs  us 
from  actual  observation  that  they  do  not  commence  nidification 
in  Norway,  one  of  their  breeding-stations,  before  the  end  of  May ; 
and  further,  that  they  differ  from  aU  their  congeners  in  the  re- 
markable fact  of  breeding,  like  the  rook,  in  large  societies.  The 
dipper  (Gin.  aquaticus,)  that  lively  attendant  on  our  mountain 
streams,  and  whose  sweet  and  early  carol  enlivens  the  solitary 
situations  it  frequents,  breeds  annually  in  Twizell  Dean.  The  situa- 
tion selected  is  the  face  of  a  rock  or  craggy  steep  overhanging  the 
water,  and  frequently  in  a  spot  where  it  might  be  expected  to  be 
always  saturated  with  wet  from  the  dripping  of  the  rock  above, 
yet  so  compact  and  well  framed  is  the  dome  of  the  nest,  that  it  shoots 
off  like  a  penthouse  all  superabundant  moisture,  and  the  eggs  and 
young  remain  dry  and  warm  in  their  mossy  and  leaf-lined  receptacle. 
When  the  nest  contains  young,  it  is  easily  detected  by  their  loud 
chirping  as  often  as  the  old  birds  fly  past  or  approach  the  nest  with 
food.  On  quitting  the  nest,  after  feeding  the  young,  the  old  birds 
frequently  drop  into  the  water,  dive,  and  rise  at  some  distance,  when 
they  take  wing.  I  have  before  stated  my  opinion,  that  the  dipper 
does  not  walk  at  the  bottom  of  the  water  when  submerged, — a  power 
confidently  attributed  to  it  by  various  writers, — but  uses  the  same 
exertion  in  this  act  as  other  diving  birds.  This  opinion  is  confirm- 
ed by  repeated  observations,  extending  through  a  course  of  many 
years,  during  which  I  have  watched  its  habits  with  particular  atten- 
tion, and  oft  when  the  bird  has  been  close  to  me,  though  unaware 
of  my  near  propinquity.  The  young,  even  befcnre  they  leave  the  nest 
of  their  own  accord,  if  disturbed  and  made  to  quit  it,  dive  instinc- 
tively the  moment  they  touch  the  water,  but  their  progress  beneath 
the  surface,  which  I  have  frequently  seen  extended  to  six  or  eight 
yards,  is  always  by  the  peculiar  motion  of  the  %vings,  made  use  of  by 
other  diving  birds,  and  never  by  walking  at  the  bottom, — a  feat  they 
ought  to  perform  in  common  with  their  parents  if  given  to  them, 
like  the  usual  mode  of  diving,  as  a  natural  or  instinctive  habit,  I 
may  also  state  that  their  internal  anatomy  presents  nothing  pecu- 
liar, or  that  could  give  one  reason  to  suppose  that  they  were  likely 
to  possess  so  extraordinary  a  power.  Of  the  genus  Salicaria,  the 
sedge  warbler  (Sal.  phragmitis)  is  still  frequent  upon  the  margins 
of  the  brooks  and  moist  bushy  situations;   but  the  grasshopper 


Fauna  of  Twizell  391 

warbler  (Sal.  locustella,)  which^  during  the  early  growth  of  many 
of  the  plantations,  then  abounding  in  whin,  broom,  and  other  under- 
growth, might  be  heard  in  various  directions,  pouring  forth  its  sibi- 
lous  note,  now  that  they  have  attained  a  considerable  growth,  is 
rarely  heard,  and  then  only  in  the  brushwood  adjoining  the  moor  and 
other  open  ground.  The  white  throat  (Cur.  cinerea)  is  plentiful ; 
but  no  example  of  the  lesser  species  (Cur.  garrula)  has  yet  been  de- 
tected. Of  the  greater  pettychaps  (Cur.  hortensis)  the  number  is 
limited ;  but  its  congener,  the  black-cap  (Cur.  atricapilla)  is  abun- 
dant. Of  the  Sylviae  or  willow  wrens,  the  hippolais  of  Lath.  &c. 
the  rufa  of  Temminck,  is,  comparatively  speaking,  a  rare  bird,  and 
seldom  more  than  three  or  four  pairs  annually  visit  the  district, 
which  are  always  confined  to  peculiar  spots  or  localities.  The  S. 
sibilatrix  or  wood  wren  is  plentiful  in  the  woods  of  older  growth, 
particularly  where  beech  and  oak  abound.  The  S.  trochilus  is,  how« 
ever,  the  most  abundant  of  all  our  summer  visitors.  This  species 
and  the  black-cap  arrive  about  the  same  time,  and  the  period,  from 
the  observations  of  many  years,  is  between  the  14th  and  1 8th  of 
April;  Mr  Hewitson's  work  renders  it  almost  unnecessary  to  add,  that 
the  nest  of  S.  sibilatrix  is  easily  distinguished  from  that  of  S.  irochi* 
Ins,  by  having  a  lining  of  hair  instead  of  feathers.  The  diminutive 
but  active  little  gold-crest  (R.  auricapillus)  is  very  plentiful,  and 
Doay  be  seen  at  all  seasons  in  the  plantations,  delighting  especially 
in  the  thick  masses  of  the  spruce  and  silver  firs,  among  which  it 
finds  a  constant  supply  of  food,  as  well  as  a  favourite  site  for  its  nest, 
which,  as  a  semipendulous  structure,  yields  in  neatness  and  elegance 
of  fabrication  to  none  with  which  I  am  acquainted.  In  addition  to 
our  constant  residents,  we  receive  a  great  accession  of  strangers 
about  the  end  of  October  and  beginning  of  November  from  the 
colder  regions  of  Norway,  Sweden,  &c.  The  pied  wagtail  (Mot. 
alba)  migrates  in  autumn,  but  returns  at  an  early  period  of  the 
year,  as  I  have  frequently  noticed  it  on  the  roof  of  the  house  during 
the  last  week  of  February,  when  the  weather  was  mild.  The  ma- 
jority of  the  grey  species  (Mot.  boarula)  also  leave  us  during  win- 
ter, a  few  individuals  only  remaining,  which  are  occasionally  seen  in 
warm  situations  near  spring  heads  and  other  water  courses  that  re- 
main open  even  during  severe  frosts.  This  species  prefers  the  ledge 
of  a  rock  upon  the  banks  of  our  limpid  rivulets  for  the  site  of  its 
nest.  It  breeds  very  early,  and  the  first  brood  has  generally  quit- 
ted the  nest  before  the  middle  of  May.  The  yellow  wagtail  is 
never  seen  in  this  district,  though  far  from  uncommon  upon  the  dry. 
hilly  grounds  a  few  miles  to  the  westward.     The  Anthus  arboreus. 


392  Favna  of  Twizell 

tree  pipits  breeds  annually  upon  the  lawn^  and  though  its  song  does 
not  possess  great  compass  or  variety,  its  mode  of  delivering  it  as  it 
descends^  with  motionless  expanded  wing  and  outspread  tail,  from 
the  elevated  station  it  has  previously  attained  by  a  flight  as  peculiar, 
makes  it  a  general  favourite.  Its  arrival  does  not  take  place  till  the 
last  few  days  in  April  or  the  first  of  May.  That  lovely  bird  the 
wax-wing  (Bombydlla  garrula)  has  been  twice  or  thrice  seen  with- 
in the  district.  It  is  uncertain  in  its  appearance^  and  sometimes 
many  years  elapse  without  a  visit.  During  the  winters  of  1835  and 
1836  it  was  generally  spread  over  the  kingdom^  and  I  saw  many 
specimens  taken  in  the  neighbourhood.  I  may  here  mention,  that 
a  living  individual  was  given  to  Dr  Johnston  of  Berwick,  who  kept 
it  caged  for  several  months.  It  soon  became  tame  and  familiarized 
to  its  situation,  and  recognized  those  who  fed  and  attended  it.  It 
was  frequently  allowed  to  come  out  of  the  cage  and  fly  about  the 
room,  and  at  last  made  its  escape,  from  the  door  of  the  cage  having 
inadvertently  been  left  open  opposite  to  an  open  window.  It  was 
fed  at  first  upon  haws  and  holly  berries,  and  when  these  iailed, 
seemed  to  thrive  upon  dried  fruits,  such  as  raisins,  currants,  figs,  &c. 
The  bunting  (Emb.  miliaria)  visits  the  district  in  small  flocks 
during  the  winter,  but  few  breed  with  us,  as  it  affects  a  more  open 
and  perhaps  a  less  cultivated  country,  and  I  have  observed  it  to  be 
more  abundant  where  meadows  and  pasture  prevail.  Flocks  of 
snow-flakes  (Plect.  nivalis)  occasionally  frequent  the  stubbles  dur- 
ing the  winter  months ;  none,  however,  have  appeared  this  last  win- 
ter although  it  has  been  long  and  severe,  nor  have  I  noticed  them 
in  the  adjoining  districts.  The  lesser  redpole  (Linaria  minor) 
breeds  in  all  the  deans  and  copses  wherever  the  birch  abounds. 
Small  flocks  are  now  and  then  seen  during  the  winter,  but  the  great 
body  seems  to  migrate  further  south.  In  April  they  return  in  flocks, 
and  for  some  time  frequent  the  Wych  elms,  whose  seed,  which  at  that 
time  is  beginning  to  ripen,  they  greedily  devour.  They  do  not  nidi- 
ficate before  May,  or  till  they  can  procure  in  sufficient  plenty  the 
downy  pappus  of  the  willow,  with  which  soft  substance  they  chief- 
ly line  their  nests.  I  have  observed  the  siskin,  (Car.  spinus)  to 
be  much  more  plentiful  in  mild  than  in  severe  winters ;  it  is  there- 
fore probable  that  when  the  latter  prevail  they  migrate  to  a  lower 
or  warmer  latitude.  They  are  generally  seen  upon  the  birch  and 
alder  trees,  extracting  the  seed  from  the  catkins,  which  they  effect  in 
a  quick  and  adroit  manner.  When  feeding,  this  bird  assumes,  like  the 
lesser  redpole,  a  variety  of  interesting  attitudes,  in  order  to  reach  the 
catkins.     Its  feet  possess  the  true  perching  or  insessorial  form,  and 


Fauna  of  Twizell  393 

it  is  never  seen  upon  the  ground.  The  bullfinch  (Pyrr.  vulgaris,) 
beautiful  and  ornamental  as  it  is  to  the  plantations^  is  the  only  spe- 
cies whose  numbers  I  wish  to  see  diminished,  being  a  true  gemmt- 
varous  bird,  and  when  abundant,  frequently  making  sad  havock  in 
the  orchard  and  garden,  as  soon  as  the  buds  begin  to  swell  in  spring. 
It  attacks  the  plum  trees,  gooseberries,  medlars,  certain  varieties  of 
the  apple  and  the  thorn,  and  I  have  known  two  individuals  in  the 
course  of  a  couple  of  days  denude  a  large  plum  tree  of  almost  every 
bud.  Last  spring  two  or  three  attacked  a  large  medlar  upon  the 
lawn,  which  they  found  so  much  to  their  taste  that  they  never  quit- 
ted it  till  they  luid  stripped  it  bare,  and  this  they  effected  in  a  few 
days.  I  may  remark,  that  in  the  stomachs  of  a  very  great  number 
opened  at  vaicious  times,  nothing  but  the  triturated  remains  of  the 
embryo  leaves  and  flowers  could  be  detected.  In  winter  they  af- 
fect the  young  plantations  and  birch  woods,  and  I  have  observed 
that  they  often  feed  upon  the  embryo  shoots  of  the  Scotch  fir,  as 
well  as  the  buds  of  the  larch.  The  crossbill  (Lox.  curvirostra)  is 
well  known  as  an  occasional  visitant.  During  the  winter  and  spring 
of  1836,  they  were  particularly  abundant  throughout  the  island, 
and  whether  from  the  ample  supplies  of  food,  or  something  peculiar 
in  the  season,  they  remained  in  the  north  to  a  period  much  later 
than  I  had  ever  before  known  them.  On  their  former  visits  they 
liave  generally  quitted  us  before  Christmas,  and  this  I  considered  to 
be  in  accordance  with  Temminck's  statement  as  to  the  period  of  their 
breeding,  for  he  remarks  in  his  Manual,  niche  en  hiver,  but  on  their 
last  visit  they  were  seen  in  considerable  numbers  during  March  and 
April,  and  I  continued  to  take  specimens  up  to  the  2d  of  May,  on 
which  day  a  male  and  female,  evidently  paired,  were  procured.  On 
dissecting  the  female,  eggs  as  large  as  a  pea  were  found  in  the  ova- 
ries, the  male  also  for  the  first  time  was  heard  to  utter  his  love  note, 
a  fine  dear  whistle  (very  unlike  their  usual  call,)  while  perched  on 
the  tree  with  his  mate.  Another  pair  was  seen  as  late  as  the  16th 
of  May.  From  these  facts,  it  appears  that  the  species  do  not  always 
breed  at  the  time  mentioned  by  Temminck.  Its  nest  hitherto  has 
not  been  detected  in  Britain,  but  it  seems  probable  that  on  such 
occasions  as  we  have  mentioned  it  may  nidificate  in  the  extensive 
pine  woods  of  Scotland. 

Of  the  CorvidflB,  the  raven  (C.  corax)  is  now  only  seen  occasion- 
ally, but  in  former  days  it  bred  in  Twizell  Dean,  where  the  Cor- 
bies' Crag  still  points  out  the  situation  of  the  nest.  The  carrion  crow 
(C.  corone,)  though  persecuted  to  the  death  as  the  great  destroyer  of 
the  eggs  and  young  of  game,  is  yet  too  plentiful.     From  the  obser- 


394  Fauna  of  TwizelL 

vations  aad  experiments  I  have  made^  this  wary  bird  appears  to 
rely  much  more  on  its  acute  vision  than  its  sense  of  smeU,  to  de- 
tect approaching  danger  and  avoid  surprise,  and  I  am  certainly  not 
among  those  who  believe  in  its  nice  discrimination  of  the  fatal  ef- 
fects of  gunpowder,  the  scent  of  which  it  is  supposed  to  perceive  at 
many  gunshots  distance.  The  beautiful  and  active  jay  is  rare,  and 
it  is  only  now  and  then  that  its  harsh  and  grating  scream  is  heard 
in  the  plantations.  The  great  spotted  woodpecker  (P.  major)  is 
the  only  species  I  have  hitherto  observed,  and  most  of  the  instances 
have  been  in  autumn,  during  the  period  of  the  equatorial  migration. 
The  common  creeper  (Certhia  familiaris)  is  seen  in  all  the  planta- 
tions. A  pair  of  these  interesting  birds  bred  for  some  years  in  a  hole  in 
the  wooden  back  of  a  summer-house,  where  the  female,  when  sitting, 
almost  allowed  herself  to  be  handled  without  quitting  her  charge. 

Of  the  fissirostral  tribe,  the  kingsfisher  is  a  rare  visitant,  and  it  is 
only  at  distant  intervals  that  it  enriches  the  margin  of  the  burn 
with  its  brilliant  plumage.  The  chimney  swallow  (Hir.  rustica) 
is  the  only  species  that  breeds  with  us  in  any  number,  for  though 
the  martlet  (Hir.  urbica)  used  formerly  to  infest  the  comers  of  aK 
most  every  window,  and  had  besides  a  long  row  of  nests  under  the 
eaves  of  the  stables,  they  have  for  some  years  past  entirely  deserted 
the  place,  and  it  is  only  in  autumn,  when  congregating  previous  to 
migration,  that  they  are  seen.  I  attribute  this  desertion  in  part  to 
the  growth  and  great  extent  of  the  plantations,  for  the  natural  si- 
tuation or  habitat  of  the  species  appears  to  be  a  naked  open  country ; 
thus  they  are  found  breeding  in  vast  numbers  in  many  of  the  rockj 
cliffs  upon  the  sea  coast,  and  under  the  eaves  of  houses  upon  extensive 
moors ;  and  in  Sutherland  we  found  the  face  of  the  marble  difis 
near  Inch-an-Damff,  thickly  beset  with  their  clay  built  receptacles. 
The  night-jar  (Cap.  Europeus,)  though  never  numerous,  is  far 
from  being  rare ;  several  pairs  breed  annually  within  our  precincts. 
Its  peculiar  humming  note,  the  invitation  of  the  male,  is  seldom 
heard  before  the  latter  end  of  May  or  beginning  of  June.  This  late 
arrival  of  the  species  is  in  beautiful  accordance  with  the  appearance 
of  those  hosts  of  insects,  which  furnish  it  an  abundant  supply  of 
food,  viz.  the  nocturnal  Lepidoptera,  and  some  of  the  large  night- 
flying  Coleoptera.  When  perched,  the  night-jar  always  sits  length- 
ways upon  the  branch,  with  its  head  low,  and  from  its  assimilating 
colours,  is  with  difficulty  detected  in  that  situation. 

The  ring  pigeon  or  cushat  (Colum.  palumbus)  is  the  only  species 
we  can  boast  of,  but  of  it  the  number  is  very  great,  and  seems  annual- 

I 


Fatma  of  Twizell  395 

ly  increasing,  which  may  be  attributed  to  the  shelter  and  security 
it  finds  in  the  plantations  as  nurseries  for  its  young. 

Among  the  Grallatores  may  be  noticed  the  green  sandpiper^  (Teta- 
nus ochropus)  a  bird  of  rare  occurrence  in  all  parts  of  the  kingdom. 
Its  congener  (T.  hypoleucos)  breeds  upon  the  margins  of  the  rivulet, 
and  from  its  lively  manners  and  elegant  flighty  proves  an  interest- 
ing addition  to  the  Fauna.  The  golden  Plover  (Charadrius  pluvi- 
alls)  visits  the  fallows  during  autumn  and  winter  in  large  flocks ; 
in  spring  they  disperse  and  retire  to  breed  upon  the  adjoining  moors, 
at  which  time  they  assume  the  livery  of  the  C  apricarius  of  au- 
thors, the  white  of  the  under  parts  giving  place  to  a  deep  black. 
To  obtain  the  eggs,  the  birds  must  be  watched  at  a  distance,  as  the 
female,  upon  the  approach  of  any  intruder,  at  the  warning  note  of 
the  male,  immediately  skulks  off  from  the  nest,  and  only  shows  her- 
self, when  she  has  got  to  a  considerable  distance  from  it.  The 
dottrel  (Ch.  morinellus)  we  see  only  during  its  migration  north- 
wards in  May,  and  then  but  occasionally,  as  the  great  resting  point 
of  the  flocks  which  pass  by  this  route,  is  further  to  the  north,  in  the 
neighbourhood  of  Berwick.  The  wild  goose  sometimes  in  spring 
alights  upon  our  new  sown  fields,  but  the  usual  feeding  grounds  of 
the  species  are  all  at  a  considerable  distance,  and  these  they  have 
been  known  to  haunt  from  time  immemorial.  The  wild  duck  (Anas 
boschas)  frequently  breeds  with  us,  but  the  old  duck  conducts  her 
young  as  soon  as  hatched  with  all  possible  dispatch  further  down 
the  rivulet,  from  whence  they  can  have  access  to  marshes  and  other 
ground  appropriated  to  their  habits  of  concealment.  The  common 
gull  (LaruR  canus)  is  seen  in  the  pastures,  and  plowed  fields  during 
the  autumn  and  winter  months,  whenever  the  ground  is  free  from  snow 
and  frost.  It  leaves  us  in  April,  retiring  further  north  in  order  to 
breed,  and  it  is  succeeded  by  the  lesser  black-backed  gull  (Larus 
fuscus,)  which  resorts  to  the  Farn  Islands  in  great  numbers,  for  the 
purpose  of  reproduction. 

Of  the  reptiles,  the  blind  or  slow  worm  (Anguis  fragilis)  is  far 
from  uncommon  in  the  dry  and  stony  parts  of  the  Deans ;  the  ad- 
der (Pelias  berus  of  Buonap.  Vipera  communis  of  Jenyns,)  abounds 
in  all  the  Deans,  and  other  dry  and  warm  exposures.  I  have  been 
unable  to  detect  more  than  one  species,  though  a  great  difference 
of  colour  is  observable  among  them,  but  this  I  find  varies  according 
to  the  age  of  the  epidermis,  season  of  the  year,  sex,  &c.  The  com- 
mon lizard  (Lacerta  agilis)  is  the  only  species  I  have  yet  had  an 
opportunity  of  examining,  but  1  think  we  may  possibly  possess  the 


396 


Favna  of  TtoizeU. 


L.  stirpium^  as  I  have  at  various  times  observed  individaals  of  a 
larger  size  than  the  average  one  of  L.  agtUt, 

List  of  birds,  &c.  found  and  observed  upon  Twizell :        , 
AVES. 


Falconioa. 
Haliffitus  albicilla,  Sav. 
Falco  peregiinus,  Gmel. 

sesalon,  Gmel. 

-  tiimunculus,  Linn. 
Acdpiter  fringillarius,  Ray. 
Buteo  vulgaris,  Bechst. 

lagopus,  Flem. 

Pemis  apivonis,  Cuv. 
Circus  nifiis,  Briss. 
cyaneiis,  Flem. 

STBIGID.S. 

OtUB  vulgaris,  Flem. 

brachyotos,  Flem. 

Strix  flammea,  Linn. 
Ulula  stridula,  Selb. 
N.  Tengmalmi? 

IN6E8SORE8. 

DetUirostres. 
Laniua  excubitor,  Linn. 
Musdcapa  grisola,  Linn. 

luctuosa,  Temm. 

Merula  viscivora,  Selb. 

pilaris,  Selb. 

musica,  Selb. 

iliaca,  Selb. 


■  vulgaris,  Selb. 


Merula  torquata,  Selb. 
Cindus  aquaticus,  Bechst 
Salicaria  locustella,  Selb. 

phragmitis,  Selb. 

Curruca  atricapilla,  Bechst 

hortensis,  Bechst. 

dnerea,  Bechst 

Saxicola  oenanthe,  Bechst 

nibetra,  Bechst 

rubicola,  Bechst. 

Eritbaca  rubecula,  Swains. 
Phoenicura  rutddlla,  Swains. 
Sylvia  sibilatriz,  Bechst 

trochilus,  Lath. 

rufo,  Temm. 


Regulus  auricapillus.  Selb. 
P&nis  major,  Linn. 

csruleus,  Linn. 

palustris,  Linn. 

ater,  Linn. 

caudatus,  Linn. 

Accentor  moduhiris,  Cuv. 
Motacilla  alba,  Linn. 

boarula,  Linn. 

Anthus  pratensis,  Bechst 

arboreus,  Bechst 

Bombydlla  gamila,  Buonap. 

Coniro9tre8. 
Alauda  arvensis,  Linn. 
Embeiiza  wiiliAri^^  Linn. 

schomidus,  Linn. 

■  dtrinella,  Linn. 

Plectrophanes  nivalis,  Meyer. 
Fringilla  oodebs,  Linn. 

montifringilla,  Linn. 

Passer  domestica,  Ray. 
Linaria  cannalnna,  Sw. 
— ^—  minor,  Ray. 

chloris,  Swain. 

Carduelis  spinus,  Steph. 

degans,  Steph. 

Pyrrhula  vulgaris,  Temm. 
Lozia  curvinwtra.  Lion. 
Stumus  vulgaris,  Linn. 
Corvus  coraz,  Linn. 

corone,  Linn. 

corniz,  Linn. 

frugilegus,  Linn. 

monedula,  Linn. 

Pica  meknoleuca,  ^^eill. 
Garrulus  glandarius,  Flem. 

SCANSOEES. 

Picus  major,  Linn. 
Certhia  familiaris,  Linn. 
Troglodytes  Europens,  Sdb. 
Cuculus  canorus,  Linn. 

F1S8IRO8TRE8. 
Alcedo  ispida,  Linn. 


Botanical  Expedition  to  Guernsey  and  Jersey.         397 


Hirundo  rustica,  Linn. 

urtrica,  Linn. 

riparia,  Linn. 

Cypseliu  apus,  Flem. 
Caprimulgufi  Europsus,  Linn. 

Rasores. 
Coluroba  palumbusy  Linn. 
Phaaiaiios  colchicus,  Linn,  and 

torquatus,  Temm. 
Tetrao  tetrix,  Linn. 
Lagopua  Scoticus,  Selb. 
Perdix  cinerea,  Briss. 
Geallatobes. 
Ardea  cinerea.  Lath. 
Numenius  arquata,  Lath. 
Totanus  ochropus,  Temm. 

hypoleucos,  Temm. 

Scolopax  nisticola,  Linn. 

Sauaia. 
Lacertida. 
Lacerta  agilis,  Flem. 
Opuidia. 
Angtttda. 
Anguis  fragilis,  Linn. 

Serpentida. 
Pelias  berus,  Buonap.  Vipera 
communis,  Jenyns. 


OSBEI. 

Acantkopterygii, 
Gasterosteus  aculeatus,  Linn. 
McHacoptyerygii, 
Ahdominales. 
Cyprinidee. 


Scolopax  gaUinagO)  Linn. 

gallinula,  Linn. 

Rallus  aquaticus,  Linn. 
Crex  pratensis,  Bechst. 

porzana,  Selb. 

Gallinula  cfaloropus,  Lath. 
VanelluB  cristatus,  Meyer. 
Charadrius  pluvialis,  Linn. 

morinellus,  Linn. 

Natatores. 
Anser  segetum,  and  ferus,  Flem. 
Anas  boschas,  Linn. 

crecca,  Linn. 

Clangula  vulgaris,  Flem. 
Podiceps  minor,  Lath. 
Lams  canus,  Linn. 

ridibundus,  Linn. 

fuscus,  Linn. 

REPTILIA. 

Amphibia. 
CadtuHbrtmchia. 
Ramda, 
Rana  temporaria,  Linn. 
Bufo  vulgaris,  Flem. 
SalamandridiB, 
Triton  palustris,  Flem. 
aquaticus,  Flem. 

PISCES. 

LeudscuB  phoxinus,  Yarr. 
CobitUB  barbatuhi,  Linn. 

Salmonid(B. 
Salmoiario,  Linn. 

eriox,  Linn. 

trutta,  Linn. 


II. A  Notice,  with  the  results,  of  a  Botanical  Expedition  to  Guem- 

sey  and  Jersey,  in  July  and  August  1837-  By  Charles  C. 
Babinoton,  M.  a.  F.  L.  S.,  &c.  (Read  before  the  British  Asso- 
ciation at  LiverpooL) 

It  having  been  hinted  to  me^  that  a  short  notice  of  the  results  of  my 
botanical  examination  of  the  islands  of  Guernsey  and  Jersey  might  be 
interesting  to  this  Section,  I  have  drawn  up  (since  my  arrival  in  Liver- 
pool) the  following  slight  and  imperfect  outline  of  them.  Although 
the  native  plants  of  the  Channel  Islands  have,  for  about  two  hun- 
dred years,  been  nominally  included  in  the  British  Floras,  yet  the 


398         Botanical  Expedition  to  Guernsey  and  Jersey. 

islands  appear  to  have  been  totally  neglected  by  British  botanists. 
I  am  not  aware  that  there  has  ever  been  any  published  account  of 
their  Flora ;  nor  do  I  know  of  more  than  three  botanists,  since'the  time 
of  Ray,  who  have  communicated  to  the  public  any  information  con- 
cerning them  from  personal  observation.  I  refer  to  the  papers  of 
Mr  Woods  in  the  Companion  to  the  Botanical  Magazine^  Mr  Christy 
in  the  Magazine  of  Natural  History,  and  Mr  Trevelyan  in  the  Sup- 
plement to  English  Botany.  Mr  Woods  has  recorded  the  plentiful 
occurrence  of  several  of  our  rarer  English  plants,  and  has  added 
to  the  list  the  five  following,  viz.  Allium  sphcerocephalumy  Bromus 
maximus,  Festuca  sahulicola,  Brassica  cheiranthus,  and  Scirpus  tC' 
nuijlorus,  Mr  Christy  notices  only  one  additional  species,  namely. 
Allium  spkasrocephalum  ;  but  that  having  been  also  recorded  by  Mr 
Woods,  (whose  paper  appeared  at  about  the  same  time),  it  does  not 
add  to  the  total  number  of  discoveries*  Mr  Trevelyan,  I  believe, 
gathered  only  one  new  plant,  viz.  Armeria  planlaginea,  but  he  re- 
discovered Echium  violaceum,  which  probably  had  not  been  noticed 
since  the  time  of  Ray,  and  also  Centaurea  Isnardi  and  Lagurus 
ovatus.  There  now  remains  only  one  recorded  species  of  those 
which  have  not  been  found  in  Britain,  viz.  Juncus  capiiatus,  disco- 
vered by  Hudson,  and  I  believe  found  recently  by  Mr  Woods. 

After  these  preliminary  observations,  I  will  now  proceed  to  com- 
municate to  the  Section  the  results  of  my  own  visit  to  the  islands 
during  the  present  summer.  Although  my  success  has  far  exceeded 
my  expectations,  yet,  as  I  was  only  able  to  devote  four  weeks  to 
Jersey,  three  to  Guernsey,  and  a  single  day  to  the  little  island 
of  Herm,  I  have  no  doubt  that  much  more  remains  to  be  done. 
Indeed  there  is  not  a  single  plant  recorded  for  either  of  the  islands 
of  Alderney  or  Sark,  both  of  which  I  was  prevented  from  visiting 
by  bad  weather. 

In  Jersey  I  noticed  about  500  species  of  plants,  and  was  so  for- 
tunate as  to  obtain  from  Mr  Saunders,  a  nurseryman  there,  an  ad- 
ditional list  of  200  species  which  had  been  gathered  by  himself, 
making  a  total  number  for  that  island  of  about  700  native  species. 
In  Guernsey  I  myself  gathered  about  420,  and  in  Herm  196  spe- 
cies, or  7^5  for  the  three  islands.  No  cryptogamic  plants  are  in- 
cluded in  these  numbers  except  ferns. 

In  addition  to  observing  numerous  specimens  of  all  those  men- 
tioned before,  I  was  so  fortunate  as  to  find  six  plants,  which  have 
not  as  yet  been  recorded  in  our  lists,  viz.  Hypericum  linearifoHum^ 
Neoliia    aestivalis,   Sinapis  incana  and  Mercurialis  ambigua  in 


Botanical  ExpediHau  to  Guernsey  and  Jersey.  399 

Jersey ;  and  Arthnjiobium  ebracleatum  and  Alriplex  rosea  in 
Guernsey. 

It  may  perhaps  give  some  slight  idea  of  the  Flora  of  these  islands, 
if  I  now  mention  a  few  of  the  more  common  and  rarer  plants  in 
them,  and  compare  the  lists  Math  those  of  England. 

The  following  are  rare  in  England,  hut  common  in  Guernsey  or 
Jersey. 

Asplenium  lanceolatum.  Heniiaria  glabra,  (the  nia   (in  both  the  isl- 

Trichonema  columne.  plant  of  Suffolk  not  ands. ) 

Bromiis  diandrus.  Cornwall.)  Orobanche     coerulea    and 

Cynosnrus  echinatus.  Mattbiola  ainuata.  Lotus  angustissimus  (in 

Cyperus  longus.  Euphorbia  peplis.  Jersey  only.) 

Iris  foetidissimus.  Exacum  fiUforme.  Lotus  hispidus,  and  Poly- 

Erodium  moschatum.  Sdlla   autumnalis,   and  gonum  maritimum    (in 

Helianthemum  guttatum.        Scrophularia  scorodo-  Guernsey  and  Herm.) 

I  will  now  notice  a  few  common  English  plants  which  are  rare 
in  those  Islands. 

Bunium  flezuosum.  Lamium  album.  Ranunculus  ficaria. 
Cardamine  pratensis.          Primula  veris.  Mercurialis  perennis. 
birsuta.             Lysimachia  nummularia.     Saxifraga  tridactylites. 

I  may  also  mention  a  few  common  English  plants  which  have 
not  heen  noticed  in  the  Channel  Islands. 

Anemone  nemorosa.  Hypericum  hirsutum.  Habenaria  chlorantha. 

Bromus  asper.  Listera  ovata.  Helianthemum  vutgare. 

Campanula,  (no  species  Betula  alba.  Juncus  glaucus. 

of  the  genus. )  Caltba  palustris.  Ononis  antiquorum. 

I  am  sorry  that  it  has  not  been  in  my  power^  to  make  a  similar 
comparison  of  my  list,  with  the  Flora  of  the  north  of  France  ;*  as  I 
am  convinced  that  a  far  greater  similarity  would  have  been  shown 
to  exist  between  the  plants  of  the  Channel  Islands,  and  those  of 
that  country^  than  appears  between  them  and  the  native  Flora  of 
Britain.  Would  it  not  be  far  better  to  separate  the  Channel  Isl- 
ands from  the  countries  included  in  the  British  Flora,  since,  although 
British  by  political  connection,  they  are  not  so  by  geographical  po- 
sition ?  I  suspect  that  their  almost  total  neglect  has  been  chiefly 
caused  by  their  inclusion  in  our  lists, — the  French  not  consider- 
ing them  as  part  of  their  district,  and  the  English  thinking  them 
too  small  or  too  distant  from  our  coasts  to  be  worthy  of  examina- 
tion. 

*  In  the  discussion  which  followed  the  reading  of  this  paper,  Mr  Forbes  re- 
marked, that  the  botany  of  Jersey  was  very  similar  to  that  of  the  adjacent  coast 
of  France. — Eds. 


400  History  of  British  Eniamostraca. 


Ill The  Natural  History  of  the  British  Entomostraca.     No.  IV. 

By  William  Baird,  Surgeon  H.  C.  S.  &c.   (Continued  from  p. 
144.) 

In  my  papers  in  Vol.  i.  p.  514,  and  Vol.  ii.  p.  138,  of  this  Ma- 
gazine, I  gave  a  history  of  the  genera  Cypris  and  Cythere,  with  & 
list  of  all  the  species  hitherto  met  with  in  this  country.  The  next 
two  genera  I  shall  notice  are  Daphnia  and  Lynceus,  which  rie  with 
any  yet  noticed,  in  variety  and  interest  of  details.  In  Latreille's 
arrangement,  they  form  the  third  group  of  his  section  Lophyn^a,.the 
Cladocera.  In  M.  Edward's  work  they  will  form  the  first  order  of 
his  legion  Branchiopodes,  the  Cladoceres.  Straus  unites  the  Poly- 
phemus, Daphnia,  and  Lynceus  into  one  family,  and  calls  it  Daph- 
nides. 

Order,  Branch iopoda. — Section,  Lophyropa. 
Group,  Cladocera. — Genus  1,  Daphnia.  II.  Ltncbus. 

1st  Genus,  Daphnia. 

Bibliographical  History. — Very  great  confusion  exists  amongst 
the  various  authors  who  have  noticed  this  genus,  as  regards  the 
species,  and  many  are  the  errors  in  synonymy  which  they  have  com- 
mitted. Indeed  in  this  genus,  as  well  as  in  the  genus  Cypris,  very 
little  dependence  can  be  placed  either  on  the  descriptions  or  figures 
of  many  of  the  earlier  authors.  Swammerdam  is  the  first  author, 
we  know,  that  has  taken  notice  of  the  Daphnise,  though  he  mentions 
that  they  had  been  observed  before  his  time  by  Goedart,  and  named 
by  him  '*  pous  aquatiques."  No  mention  is  made  by  this  author  of 
any  insect  resembling  the  Daphnia,  in  his  work  on  the  Metamor- 
phosis of  Insects,  which  is  the  only  work  of  his  I  have  seen,  and 
which  Swammerdam  quotes  from  liberally,  in  treating  of  the  changes 
which  insects  undergo ;  and  Straus  says  also,  that  he  has  never  been 
able  to  procure  the  work  of  Goedart,  in  which  the  notice  of  this 
insect  occurs.  In  his  "  Historia  Insectorum  Generalis,"  printed  at 
Utrecht  in  1669,  Swammerdam  gives  a  pretty  full  description  of  a 
species  of  Daphnia,  which  is  evidently,  from  the  indifiPerent  figure 
accompanying  it,  the  Daphnia  pulex.  He  calls  it  Pulex  arhoreus 
or  arborescens,  the  first  part  of  which  name  has  been  retained,  and 
applied  to  this  species  by  most  authors  who  have  written  since  his 
time.  His  description  is  not  very  correct  in  some  points,  for  he  says 
the  beak  is  slender  and  pointed,  and  that  it  is  by  this  sharp  beak 


History  of  British  Entamostraca.  401 

tbe  animal  draws  up  its  food  as  it  were  by  suction^  like  other 
aquatic  insects.  He  describes^  however,  the  motions  of  the  insect 
very  well,  and  mentions  them  as  being  frequently  quite  red,  or  of 
the  colour  of  blood.  This  memoir  of  Swammerdam  is  republished 
in  his  '*  Biblia  Naturae/'  where  the  same  figures  are  also  given.* 
Merrett,  in  his  "  Pinax  rerum  Britannicarum/'  &c.  London,  1677^ 
mentions  these  insects,  or  at  least  is  said  to  intend  them  by  the  fol* 
lowing  short  description, — "  Vermes  minimi  rubri,  aquam  stagna- 
lem  colore  sanguineo  inficientes,  undo  vulgus  dira  portendit."  Fran- 
cisco Redi,  in  his  '<  Osservazioni  utomo  agli  animali  viventi  che  si 
trovano  negli  animali  viventi,"  Firenzi,  1684,  gives  three  figures 
of  a  species  which  Muller  quotes  as  the  Pulex  (his  pennala,) 
but  which  are  so  very  bad  that  it  is  difficult  to  make  them  out. 
He  calls  them  by  the  vague  name  of  "  Animaletii  aquaticu"  In 
his  "  Opera"  published  at  Napoli,  1687>  he  gives  the  same  figures 
as  in  the  former  work,  and  mentions  them  as  '^  Tre  anima- 
letti  aquatici,  che  vivomo  nolle  ucqua  stagnanti,  e  ne'  pozzi, 
osservati  col  microscopia."  Bradley,  in  his  "  Philosophical  Ac- 
count of  the  Works  of  Nature,"  London  1739,  gives  a  long  de- 
scription of  a  "  wonderful  insect,  which  had  but  one  eye,"  found  in 
the  river  Thames,  with  '^  a  head  somewhat  like  that  of  a  bird,"  and 
1^8  "  like  the  claws  of  an  eagle ;"  the  antennae  are  described  as 
"  two  branches,  resembling  the  dugs  of  animals,"  and  which  he  says 
**  we  might  suppose  were  designed  for  suckling  their  young"  !  "  for 
this  insect,"  he  adds,  '^  is  viviparous,  which  is  contrary  to  other  in- 
sects before-mentioned ;  for  we  did  not  only  observe  the  young  ones 
alive  in  the  belly  of  the  mother,  but  likewise  saw  several  of  them 
excluded  from  her  body."  The  figure  which  he  gives  is  equally 
good  as  his  description,  both  of  them  shewing  the  force  of  imagina- 
tion, for  it  is  evident  this  "  wonderful  insect"  is  nothing  more  than 
the  Daphnia  pulex,  Trembley,  in  his  "  Memoires  pour  servir  a 
I'Histoire  d'un  genre  de  Polypes  d'eau  douce,"  1744,  takes  notice  of, 
and  figures  a  species  of  Daphnia  under  the  name  of ''  Puceron  bran- 
dm,"  which  seems  to  be  the  favourite  food  of  the  polypes,  as  they 
devour  them  in  great  numbers.  It  is  the  Daphnia  pulex,  and  his 
observations  on  this  subject,  and  figures  also,  are  quoted  and  copied 
by  Adams  in  his  '<  Micrographia  Illustrata,"  published  in  London 
1746.  Linnaeus  in  his  "  Systema  Natura,"  1744,  describes  the  same 
species  shortly  under  the  name  of  Monoculus  pulex  arborescens^  and 
in  his  "  Fauna  Suecica,"  1746,  and  "  Entomologia  Faunae  Suecicae," 

•  Vide  Leyden  edition,  1737.     Tome  i.  p.  86  ;  Tome  ii.  tab.  31.  fig.  1—3. 


402  History  of  British  Entumoslraca. 

1789,  Le  again  describes  it  under  the  name  of  Movoc.  yulex.  Baker 
in  his  *'  Employment  for  the  Microscope,"  1753,  describes  and 
figures  a  species  which  is  evidently  the  D.  pvlex.  He  maintains 
that  it  has  two  eyes,  and  severely  handles  poor  Bradley  for  saying 
it  has  only  one  ;  though  that  is  about  the  most  correct  part  of  that 
author's  description  !  He  quotes  Swammerdam's  memoir,  and  re- 
tains his  name  for  it  as  expressive  of  its  appearance  and  motion. 
Joblot,  in  his  "  Observations  d'Histoire  Naturelle,  fisiites  avec  ie 
Microscope,"  1754,  describes  a  species  under  the  name  of  "  Pou 
aquatique,"  which  Muller  quotes  as  his  D.  sima,  but  which  Straus 
says  is  not  so,  but  is  his  D.  macrocopus.  The  figures  which  Joblot 
gives  are  very  indifferent,  and  it  is  not  very  easy  to  say  what  spe- 
cies they  are  meant  to  represent.  Schoeffer  in  his  Memoir  "  Die 
griinen  Arm-polypen  die  geschwanzten  und  ungeschwanzten  zacki- 
ger  Wasserflohe,"  17^5,  describes  at  great  length  two  or  three 
species,  under  the  name  of  ''  Geschwantzen  zackiger  wasserfloh" 
and  "  Ungeschwanzten  zackiger  wasserfloh," — or  '*  water  flea 
with  a  tail,"  and  ''  water  flea  without  a  tail  ;"  and  this  me- 
moir is  the  first  in  which  an  attempt  is  made  to  distinguish  dif- 
ferent species, — the  various  authors  whom  I  have  quoted  above  hav- 
ing all,  with  perhaps  the  exception  of  Joblot,  described  only  one  and 
the  same.  He  figures  two  species,  the  D.  pulex  and  sima,  and  gives 
a  sketch  only  of  the  head  of  a  third,  which  being  provided  with  a 
tail,  has  been  quoted  by  Muller  and  Straus  as  the  D.  longispina,  but 
which  is  only  a  variety  of  the  pulex.  This  memoir  contains  a  great 
deal  of  very  interesting  information  with  regard  to  these  insects, 
and  having  been  partly  translated  into  French  by  J  urine  at  the  end 
of  his  work  on  the  Monoculi,  1  shall  be  able  to  avail  myself  of  many 
of  its  details.  In  his  "  I  cones  Insectorum  circa  Ratisboniam  indige- 
norum,"  1766,  the  same  author  figures  the  D.  pulex,  under  the 
name  of  "  Branchipus  conchiformis  primus,"  and  in  his  *'  Elementa 
Entomologica,"  published  same  year,  I  believe,  he  again  figures  it 
under  the  name  of  "  Branchipus  conchiformis."  Poda,  in  his  "  In- 
secta  Musaei  Graecensis,"  176\,  describes  shortly  the  same  species 
under  Linnaeus's  name  Mon.  pulex,  and  Ledermuller,  in  his  "  Mi- 
kroskopiscLen  Gemiiths  und  Augen-ergotzung,"  1763,  gives  an  in- 
diflTerent  figure  of  a  species  which  is  easily  recognizable  as  the 
same.  GeoflFroy,  in  his  "  Histoire  abr^gee  des  Insectes,"  17^,  gives 
a  good  many  details  of  this  genus  generally,  and  describes  a  spe- 
cies under  the  name  of  "  Perroquet  d  eau,*'  which  Muller  quotes 
as  his  quadrangle l^,  but  which  Straus  quotes,  and  I  think  more 
correctly,  as  the  D,  pukx  ;  and  Goeze,  in  the  ''  Naturforscher." 


History  of  British  Entomostraca.  408 

177^^  describes  the  same  species  under  the  name  which  Swammer- 
dam  had  given  it,  the  '*  Pulex  arborescens."    Sulzer,  in  his  ''  Abje- 
kiirzte  geschichte  der  insecten/'  177^,  gives  a  very  indifferent  figure 
of  what  he  calls  Man,  pulex,  but  which  is  evidently  the  D.  vetula. 
Mulier^  in  his  paper  on  the  '*  Cypris/*  in  the  "  Philosophical  Tran- 
sactions for  1771/'  has  enumerated  several  species  of  this  genus 
also  as  occurring  in  Norway  and  Denmark^  but  under  the  general 
Dame  of  Monoculus.     In  177^^  however^  he  established  the  genus 
Daphne  in  his  ''  Zoologis  Danicae  Prodromus/'  and  describes  eight 
species^  only  three  of  which  had  ever  been  noticed  before  his  time.  In 
his  ''  Entomostraca/'  178^>  he  adds  one  more  species^  gives  figures  of 
all  the  nine^  and  a  lengthened  description  of  each.     He  changes  the 
generic  name  from  Daphne  to  Daphnia,   which  latter  has  been 
adopted  by  all  succeeding  authors^  and  changes  the  specific  names 
of  two  species,  though  without  good  reasons  for  so  doing.   De  Geer^ 
in  the  7th  volume  of  his  "  Memoires  pour  servir  a  FHistoire  des 
Insectes/'  177B>  gives  a  good  many  details  concerning  this  genus> 
pointing  out  two  or  three  errors  into  which  Swammerdam  had  fallen^ 
and  giving  very  accurate  descriptions  of  some  portions  of  their  ana- 
tomy.    He  describes  at  length,  and  figures  very  prettily,  and  with 
considerable  feiithfulness,  four  different  species,  two  of  which  previous 
to  this  had  only  been  noticed  by  Muller  in  his  "  Zool.  Dan.  Pro- 
dromus."     Blumenbach^  in  his  *'  Handbuch  der  Naturgeschichte/' 
1^^9,  mentions  one  species  of  this  genus,  the  Mon.  pulex  ;  and  Eich- 
horn,  in  his  *'  Beytrage  zur  Naturgeschichte  der  Kleinsten  Wasser- 
thiere/'  1731>  gives  a  tolerable  figure  of  the  same  species.    Gmelin, 
in  his  edition  of  Linnieus's  *'  Systema  Naturee,"  1 7B8,  gives  all  the 
nine  species  of  Muller,  and  adds  to  them  the  Mon.  pediculus,  which 
Muller  had  formed  into  a  genus  by  itself,  the  Polyphemus,     Ma- 
nuel, in  the  "  Encyclopedie  Methodique,"  \^^y  gives  all  Muller's 
species,  merely  quoting  his  descriptions  and  copying  his  figures. 
Fabricius,  in  his  ''  Entomologia  Systematica,"  1793,  changes  Mul- 
ler's names  in  one  or  two  instances,  but  merely  gives  his  nine  species. 
Donovan,  in  his  ''  Natural  History  of  British  Insects,"  1802,  gives 
but  an  indifferent  figure  of  a  species  taken  when  in  its  young  state, 
and  which  appears  to  be  the  D.  vetula.     He  calls  it  ''  Monoculus 
Conchaceus,"  and  makes  a  few  remarks  upon  its  habits  and  manners^ 
giving  a  frightful  picture  of  its  ferocity  and  cowardice !  By  numerous 
filaments  which  it  darts  forth,  he  says,  it  causes  such  motion  in  the 
water  as  to  attract  unresistingly  the  insects  in  the  water  to  its  mouth. 
*'Thu8  it  exists,"  he  concludes,  '*  a  life  of  rapine  and  destruction,  en- 
joyed at  the  expence  of  the  lives  of  thousands ;  and  as  the  objects  of 
vol.ii.no.il  EC 


404  History  of  British  Entomostraca. 

its  ravenous  disposition  are  defenceless,  so  are  they  the  sport  of  their 
conqueror  ;  the  few  moments  of  intermission  its  craving  appetite 
grants  them^  is  occupied  equally  in  the  spoil,  6r8t  pressing  them  to 
death,  and  then  tossing  them  undevoured  into  the  fluid.  But  should 
a  more  powerful  insect  oppose  him,  he  immediately  contracts  his 
parts,  and  nothing  more  than  the  external  covering  is  open  to  his 
antagonist's  violence,  and  he  will  sooner  die  ignobly  than  offer  the 
least  opposition."  *  Latreille,  in  his  ''  Hist,  gener.  et  partic.  des 
Crust,  et  Insectes/'  1802,  gives  all  MuUer's  species,  retaining  his 
names ;  and  they  are  given  in  the  same  manner  by  Bosc  in  his 
<'  Hist  Nat.  des  Crustac.  edit,  de  Buffon  par  Deterville/'  1802 ; 
both  authors  giving  a  number  of  general  details  with  regard  to  the 
genus.  Ramdohr  in  1805,  published  a  detailed  account  of  the  ana- 
tomy of  two  species,  the  Z).  sima  and  longispina  of  Muller,  in  his 
"  Beytrage  zur  Naturgeschicte  einigen  deutschen  Monoculus-arten." 
Previous  to  his  time,  Schoeffer,  De  Geer,  and  Muller,  were  the  only 
authors  who  had  attempted  any  particular  anatomical  details,  and 
this  memoir  of  Ramdohr  added  much  to  what  they  had  already  done. 
Lamarck,  in  his  "  Hist.  Nat.  des  Animaux  sans  vert^bres,"  1818, 
gives  two  species  from  Muller  ;  and  Samouelle,  in  his  ''  Hist,  of 
British  Insects,"  181 9>  gives  one.  In  "  Rees'  Cyclopaedia,"  1819, 
we  have  all  MuUer's  species  ;  while  Leach,  in  his  article  *'  Crusta- 
ceology,"  in  the  "  Edinburgh  Encylope^a,"  1820,  only  gives  the  Z). 
puleje.  From  the  time  when  Muller's  ''  Entomostraca"  appeared, 
up  to  this  period,  no  additions  to  the  species  had  been  made — and, 
with  the  exception  of  Ramdohr's  memoir  already  mentioned,  no  ori- 
ginal matter  had  been  published  concerning  the  genus — though,  as  I 
have  already  observed  in  my  former  papers,  this  work  of  Ramdohr's 
seems  to  have  attracted  no  notice  from  any  of  the  authors  who  suc- 
ceeded him.  In  1820,  Jurine's  splendid  work  on  the  *'  Monocles  qui 
se  trouvent  aux  environs  de  Geneve,"  made  its  appearance  after  die 
death  of  the  talented  and  lamented  author,  in  which  we  have  a  va- 
riety of  extremely  interesting  information,  not  only  with  regard  to 
their  anatomy,  but  to  their  habits  and  manners.  About  the  same 
period,  an  elaborate  and  most  excellent  paper  on  the  genus  was  read 
before  the  Academy  in  Paris,  by  M.  Straus,  and  published  in  the 
"  Memoires  du  Museum  d'Hist.  Nat."  1821.  To  these  two  authors 
we  owe  the  greater  part  of  our  knowledge  with  regard  to  these  cu- 
rious insects  ;  their  labours  and  experiments  having  brought  to  light 
much  information  with  regard  to  their  economy,  which  had  escaped 

•  Vol.  i,  p.  15. 


History  of  British  Entomostraca.  405 

all  the  previous  writers.  Jurine  describes  six  species  which  had 
not  been  described  by  Muller,  and  Straus  describes  three,  thoug^h 
some  of  them  seem  to  be  only  varieties.  Desmarest,  in  his  work 
"  Consid.  Generales  sur  les  Crustac6s/'  1825,  enumerates  fourteen 
species  which  had  been  described  by  the  authors  who  had  written 
before  his  time>  and  which  have  been  found  in  France — ^but  adds  no 
new  ones.  Gruithuisen  has  published  a  very  interesting  memoir 
upon  the  D.  sima  (Muller)  in  the  14th  vol.  of  the  "  Nova  acta  Phy- 
sico-Medica  Academia  Ciesarice  Naturie  Curiosorum,"  partlst,  1815, 
in  which  he  describes  at  some  length  the  circulation  of  the  blood  as 
observed  by  him  in  this  insect.  He  describes  two  hearts,  the  arte- 
rial heart  and  the  venous  heart,  and  gives  a  figure  much  magnified 
of  the  blood  in  motion.  *  His  figure  of  the  insect  itself;  however, 
(Fig.  1-2,)  is  either  not  very  correct,  or  it  is  a  species  different  from 
the  Sima  of  Muller. 

Habits  and  Manners. — These  insects  are  only  to  be  found  in 
fresh  water,  generally  in  ponds  and  ditches,  where  there  is  much 
of  the  lemna  or  duck-weed  floating  on  the  surface.  In  such  places 
they  are  often  to  be  found  in  myriads,  and  almost  the  whole  year 
round;  and  as  they  sometimes,  and  in  some  species,  assume  a 
reddish  colour,  they  have  been  said  to  have  tinged  the  water 
with  the  hue  of  blood.  Swammerdam  asserts  this  to  be  the  case, 
and  says  that  he  has  seen  them  in  such  numbers  at  Vincennes,  as 
actually  to  give  the  water  of  a  horse  pond  the  colour  of  blood; 
and  he  quotes  a  friend  of  his  in  Holland,  a  Dr  Schluyl,  who  had 
observed  the  same  occur  in  one  of  the  canals  near  his  house.  This 
has  been  repeated  by  Derham,  in  his  Physico-Theology,t  and  by 
others  upon  Swammerdam's  authority ;  but  no  writer  since  Swam- 
merdam's  time  has  observed  it  himself.  They  are  very  prolific,  hav. 
ing  a  great  many  layings,  and  some  of  the  larger  species  having  been 
observed  to  have  as  many  as  forty  or  fifty  eggs  and  upwards  in  their 
matrix  at  once.  According  to  Jurine,  in  June  the  young  ones  be- 
gin to  have  eggs  about  ten  days  after  birth,  and  it  is  probable  they 
continue  to  produce  all  the  summer  through  at  frequent  intervals. 
The  males  are  very  few  in  number  compared  with  the  females,  and 
are  only  to  be  met  with  at  certain  seasons.  From  this  circumstance 
Schoeffer  and  others  have  considered  them  as  Hermaphrodites ;  and 
Sulser,  (as  quoted  by  Straus,)  though  he  oppugns  this,  gives  a  more 
singular  opinion  still,  being  of  opinion  that  a  copulation  might  take 
place  with  the  young  before  they  see  the  light  of  day  !     These  au- 

•  Tab.  xxiv.  Fig.  6.  f  P-  864— (Note  a.)     Glasgow,  11th  edit  1746. 


406  History  of  British  Entamostraca, 

thors  had  never  seen  the  males,  nor  ever  witnessed  the  act  of  copu- 
lation. Muller  and  others,  however,  detected  the  male,  and  witnessed 
the  act ;  and  it  is  ascertained  that  one  single  copuktion  is  sufficient 
not  only  to  fecundate  the  mother  for  her  life,  but  all  her  female  de- 
scendants for  several  successive  generations.  This  was  observed  bj 
Schceffer,  who  followed  them  up  to  the  fourth,  by  Straus  to  the  fifth, 
and  Jurine  tothesixth, — ^the  latter  observing,  thathe  thinks  it  probable 
it  might  extend  in  some  species  to  the  fifteenth  generation.  Ex- 
traordinary as  this  may  appear,  I  have  further  found  that  the  young 
produced  from  the  ephippia  are  also  fecundated  by  this  one  copu- 
lation, and  have  progeny ;  and  that  their  young  again  also  produce 
eggs,  without  the  intervention  of  the  male.  I  have  followed  up  the 
successive  generations  as  far  as  the  fourth  in  the  Daphnias  bom 
in  the  usual  manner ;  and  as  far  as  the  third  in  those  bom  firom 
ephippial  eggs,  and  have  found  from  repeated  experiments  that  those 
Daphnise  which  had  ephippia  became  loaded  with  eggs  soon  after 
they  had  thrown  ofl^  their  ephippia,  and  had  progeny  again  without 
the  intervention  of  males ;  and  that  the  young  so  born  from  those 
Daphnife,  which  had  thrown  off  the  ephippia,  and  become  pr^nant, 
were  also  independent  of  the  access  of  the  male,  and  became  mothers 
in  the  same  manner  as  the  young  of  other  Daphniae*  November 
29,  Isolated  a  D.  pulex,  with  an  ephippium.  30th,  Ephippium 
thrown  off.  December  4,  Daphnia  has  eggs.  8th,  young  ones 
born.  9th,  has  eggs  again.  16th,  young  ones  bom.  20th,  has 
eggs  again.  24th,  young  born.  25th,  has  e^s  again.  January 
6,  young  born.  Mother  has  eggs  again.  14th,  young  horn.  Mo- 
ther again  has  eggs.  22d,  young  born.  Febmary  1,  has  eggs 
again.  8th^  young  bom.  On  the  8th  of  December,  isolated  one 
of  the  young  bora  from  the  subject  of  last  series  of  observations,  on 
the  30th  November.  2l8t,  has  eggs.  28th,  young  born.  29th, 
has  again  eggs.  January  9,  young  born.  Mother  has  e^a  again. 
24th,  young  born.  25th,  has  eggs  again.  February  1,  young 
born.  Mother  has  eggs  again.  9th,  young  bom.  27th,  has  eggs 
again.  March  8th,  young  born.  In  both  these  experiments  the 
young  were  always  removed  from  the  vessel  in  which  the  mother 
was  kept,  as  soon  as  bom.  On  the  2d  of  November  I  placed  seve- 
ral ephippia  in  a  glass  of  clear  water.  On  the  10th,  two  young  Daph- 
nise  were  bom.  Isolated  one  of  them.  December  12,  this  Daphnia 
has  given  birth  toseveral  young,  and  has  eggs  agaui.  ISth,  hasagain 
given  birth  to  several  young.  19th,  has  eggs  again.  24th,  young 
born.  25th,  has  again  eggs.  January  6,  young  bora.  25th,  af- 
ter two  several  moultings  without  producing  eggs,  has  again  become 


History  of  British  Entomostraca,  407 

pregnant.  February  1^  young  born.  On  the  5th  December^  isolat- 
ed a  yoang  Dapbnia  born  from  an  ephippinm.  January  18,  it  has 
given  birth  to  young.  19th,  isolated  two  of  these,  both  females. 
February  8,  both  of  these  have  given  birth  to  young.  Isolated  two 
of  them.  I  was  at  this  period  obliged,  from  circumstances,  to  sus- 
pend my  observations ;  but  the  above  experiment  is  sufficient  to 
prove  the  fact,  that  the  young  bom  from  an  ephippial  egg  produce 
young,  which  in  their  turn  become  mothers  without  the  interven- 
tion of  the  male. 

According  to  Jurine,  who  has  watched  the  act  with  great  care, 
the  following  is  the  manner  in  which   copulation  is  effected: — : 
When  the  male  attacks  the  female  for  this  purpose,  he  springs  up- 
on her  back,  and  gradually  descends  till  he  reach  the  inferior  edge 
of  her  shell,  and  finds  himself  in  a  position  where  the  open  edges 
of  the  shells  are  opposed  to  each  other.     He  then  introduces  the 
"  harpons"  and  "  filets"  of  his  first  pair  of  feet  into  the  interior  of 
her  shell,  and  with  them  embraces  her  feet.     Thus  fixed,  he  then 
curves  up  his  tail  so  as  to  touch  the  female,  who  at  first  is  much  agi- 
tated, but  after  a  little  time  pushes  out  her  tail  also.     They  touch 
each  other,  and  then  the  Daphniie  immediately  separate,  the  male 
at  the  time  of  touching  having  been  agitated  with  convulsive  mo- 
tions.    The  eggs  are  first  to  be  seen  in  the  shape  of  small  round 
pellucid  globules,  which  mark  the  situation  of  the  ovaries  placed 
along  the  sides  of  the  intestine.     These  soon  lose  their  transparency, 
become  enlarged  and  continuous,  and  form  a  dark  mass  on  the  outer 
edge  of  the  intestine,  partly  globular  and  partly  elongated.  The  insect 
now  changes  its  skin,  and  shortly  after  the  ^gs  quit  the  ovary  by  the 
communication  to  be  hereafter  mentioned,  and  take  their  place  in  a 
spherical  form  in  the  open  space  on  the  back  of  the  insect,  where 
they  remain  till  the  time  of  expulsion  quite  free  and  unattached. 
At  first  they  are  quite  round,  and  appear  to  consist  internally  of  lit- 
tle globules  like  air  globules.     The  shape  then  alters  a  little,  be- 
coming oval,  and  the  globules  augment  in  number,  but  as  yet  no 
trace  of  any  part  of  the  body  is  recognizable.     A  little  afterwards 
we  see  a  black  spot  in  the  centre,  which  is  the  eye,  and  which  is  the 
first  organ  visible.     The  other  organs  then  begin  to  shew  them- 
selves, but  it  is  not  till  near  the  end  of  the  fourth  day,  or  the  ninetieth 
hour  after  laying,  according  to  Straus,  that  motion  is  perceptible. 
At  the  end  of  the  fifth  day,  according  to  the  same  author,  they  are 
launched  into  open  day.  They  are  from  the  first  exactly  like  the  pa- 
rent insect,  undergoing  no  metamorphosis,  but  merely  differing  in 
the  less  complete  development  of  parts.      In  the  D.  pulex,  the 


408  History  of  British  Entomostraca. 

young  are  ushered  forth  into  the  world,  with  the  tail  curved  up 
within  the  shell ;  and  very  shortly  after  birth,  (Straus  says  jureviout 
to  birth,  but  SchwATer  says  a  few  moments  after,  which  agrees  with 
my  own  observation,)  this  tail  may  be  seen  to  spring  forth  with 
a  sudden  jerk  and  assume  its  natural  position.  The  setie  of  the  rami 
also  may  be  seen  to  spring  out  in  the  same  sudden  manner,  having 
been  apparently  folded  up  along  the  stem.  The  suddenness  of  this 
motion  is  attempted  to  be  accounted  for  by  Straus,  from  the  instanta- 
neous flow  of  blood  into  these  organs,  but  it  is  evident  that  this 
rapid  evolution  of  these  parts  is  in  a  great  measure  owing  to 
the  insect  frequently  stopping  in  its  career  through  the  water, 
bending  up  its  body  within  the  shell,  and  pushing  it  quickly  out 
again  beyond  its  edges,  while  the  rami  are  bent  downwards,  so  as 
to  enter  the  interior  of  the  shell,  where  they  are  embraced  by  the 
feet  of  the  insect,  and  quickly  drawn  through  them  so  as  to  catch 
the  ends  of  the  setae  and  raise  them  up.  The  motions  of  the  insect 
during  this  process  are  exactly  like  those  of  the  common  house  fly, 
when  it^  stops  to  clean  its  wings  and  feet.  In  a  very  short  time 
after  birth,  the  insect  is  exactly  like  the  parent,  and  gradually  in- 
creases in  size,  till  the  shell  becomes  too  small  to  hold  it,  when  it 
throws  it  off,  and  comes  forth  with  a  new  and  a  larger  one.  This 
process  of  moulting  is  a  very  curious  one,  and  all  important  for  the 
life  of  the  animal.  The  intervals  between  each  vary  according  to 
the  season  of  the  year,  being  shorter  in  summer  than  in  cold  wea- 
ther. Schcefl^er  says,  in  the  young  it  takes  place  every  two  days, 
which  agrees  very  nearly  with  Jurine's  experiments  performed  in 
the  month  of  June.  In  winter  the  intervals  are  somewhat  greater. 
In  the  month  of  December  I  found  them  thus :  December  8th, 
young  one  born.  12th,  moulted  flrst  time.  14th,  moulted  second  time. 
17th,  moulted  third  time.  21st,  moulted  fourth  time,  and  has  eggs. 
29th,  moulted  fifth  time.  January  9th,  moulted  sixth  time.  19th, 
moulted  seventh  time.  In  a  young  D.pulex  bom  from  anephippial 
egg,  the  intervals  were  as  follows  :  December  5th,  young  one  bom. 
13th,  moulted  first  time.  IJth,  moulted  second  time.  24th,  moulted 
third  time.  January  Sd,  moulted  fourth  time,  and  has  eggs.  11th, 
moulted  fifth  time.  18th,  moulted  sixth  time.  Each  time  it  moults 
the  insect  increases  in  size,  the  moulting  being  evidently,  as  in  the 
Cyprides,  necessary  for  the  gradual  growth  of  the  animal.  The 
process  does  not  seem  to  stop,  however,  when  the  insect  has  acquired 
its  full  growth,  but,  as  far  as  I  have  been  able  to  judge,  continues 
during  its  whole  life,  even  long  after  it  has  gained  its  full  size. 
As  in  the  case  of  the  Cyprides,  the  shell  of  the  Daphinae  soon  be-* 


History  of  British  Entomostraca.  409 

comes  overgrown  with  moss  or  parasitic  infusoria^  and  thus  the  in- 
sect's motions  become  much  impeded^  and  at  last  entirely  destroyed  ; 
the  moulting,  therefore,  seems  to  be  necessary  in  the  full  grown  in- 
sect  for  the  preservation  of  its  life,  for  weak  or  sickly  individuals 
may  be  seen  frequently  so  overgrown  with  moss,  &c.,  that  motion 
and  life  are  both  soon  arrested,  the  insect  apparently  not  having 
strength  enough  to  throw  off  its  exuvise.  At  the  4th  moulting,  * 
the  young  insect  has  eggs,  which  are  deposited  in  the  open  space 
on  the  back,  almost  immediately  after  the  old  shell  has  been  cast 
off.  The  time  that  the  eggs  remain  there  varies  according  to 
the  season  of  the  year.  In  summer,  according  to  Jurine,  three  days ; 
according  to  Straus,  from  four  to  six.  In  winter  I  have  found  the 
interval  between  the  eggs,  being  deposited  in  the  open  space, 
and  the  young  ones  being  bom,  to  be  eight  days,  as  may  be  seen  in 
the  experiments  detailed  above.  Moulting  takes  place  every  time 
after  the  young  are  bom ;  and  generally  within  a  very  short  period 
of  time  after  the  change  has  taken  place,  eggs  are  again  depo- 
sited. Occasionally,  however,  this  does  not  take  place,  and  then 
the  insect  remains  without  eggs  for  a  space  of  time  equal  to 
that  of  carrying  the  eggs,  when  she  moults  again,  and  then  has 
eggs.  Straus  says,  that  the  young  of  the  same  laying  are  generally 
speaking  |dl  of  one  sex,  the  two  sexes  being  seldom  to  be  found  to- 
gether in  the  same  birth.  He  also  says,  that  the  Daphniee  cease  to 
produce  at  the  approach  of  winter  or  to  change  their  skin,  and  that 
they  die  before  the  commencement  of  frost.  This  does  not  accord 
with  my  experience,  having  found  them  in  considerable  numbers 
producing  young  and  moulting  as  late  as  the  month  of  December, 
after  both  frost  and  snow  had  taken  place.  Indeed  I  have  found 
them  as  late  in  the  season  as  February,  though  not  in  great  num- 
bers, but  about  that  time  they  seem  to  disappear,  and  perhaps  in  a 
severe  winter  earlier,  young  ones  only  being  to  be  met  with  in  the 
spring.  At  particular  seasons  the  Daphniae  may  be  found  with  a 
dark  opaque  substance  on  the  back  of  the  shell.  This  is  what  Mul- 
ler  has  called  the  Ephippium,  from  the  resemblance  the  substance 
has  to  a  saddle.  He  was  the  first  to  take  notice  of  this  curious  ap- 
pearance ;  but  though  he  describes  it  very  well,  and  has  given  an  ac- 
curate representation  of  it,  he  does  not  give  any  opinion  upon  the 
cause  or  use  of  the  formation.  Jurine  next  notices  it,  describes  it 
well,  traces  its  gradual  formation  from  matter  contained   in   the 

*  Straus  says  after  the  third ;  Jurine  says  gener^y  between  third  and  fourth. 
I  have  always  found  it  to  be  after  the  fourth. 


410  History  of  British  Entomostraca. 

OYaij,  and  gives  it  as  his  opinion  that  it  is  a  disease  these  inaects 
are  subject  to^  the  effect  of  which  is  to  arrest  their  fiiture  fecundity. 
Straus,  however,  has  been  more  fortunate  in  his  observations  upon 
this  very  carious  formation,  and  has  found  it  to  be  a  substance  con- 
taining two  eggs,  destined,  he  says,  for  the  future  generations  of  the 
insect  in  the  spring,  these  eggs  resisting  the  cold  of  the  winter, 
which  proves  fatal  to  the  perfect  insect.  Straus  says,  that  they  are 
generally  to  be  met  with  in  the  months  of  July  and  August.  Ja- 
rine  mentions  them  as  occurring  as  early  as  May ;  and  I  have  found 
them  in  abundance  upon  the  insect  as  late  as  the  end  of  the  month 
of  November.  Jurine  says,  that  after  the  third  moulting  has  taken 
place,  we  may  see  a  green  matter  in  the  ovaries,  which  differs  both 
in  colour  and  appearance  from  that  of  the  eggs.  After  the  fourth 
moulting  this  green  matter  passes  from  the  ovaries  into  the  matrix 
or  open  space  on  the  back,  and  spreading  forms  the  ephippium.  At 
first  it  is  of  a  grayish  colour,  and  some  hours  after  becomes  of  a  black 
hue.  When  examined  by  the  microscope  it  appears  of  a  dense  tex- 
ture, composed  of  a  sort  of  net- work  of  hexagonal  cells.  In  the 
centre  of  this  opaque  mass  we  see  two  round  or  rather  ovular  bodies^ 
placed  one  before  the  other,  called  ampulls  by  Straus,  who  says 
that  they  are  capsules  opening  like  a  bivalve  shell.  In  each  of 
these  ovular  bodies  is  contained  an  ovum  covered  with  a  hprny  shelly 
by  which  means  they  are  protected  from  the  cold  of  the  winter,  and 
enabled  to  resist  the  severity  of  the  winter  which  kills  the  parent. 
At  the  next  or  fifth  moulting,  the  Daphnia  abandons  the  ephippium^ 
which  floats  on  the  surface  of  the  water,  and  remains  containing  the 
two  eggs  inclosed  till  next  spring,  when  the  young  are  hatched  bj 
the  returning  warmth  of  the  season.  *'  These  two  species  of  e^s," 
says  Straus,  "  produced  by  the  same  animal,  offer  a  very  singular 
example  in  the  history  of  animals,  and  show  with  what  wisdom  na- 
ture provides  for  the  preservation  of  her  smallest  creatures."  Straus 
says,  he  has  frequently  hatched  the  young  from  these  ova  by  sud- 
denly bringing  them  into  a  warm  temperature.  In  the  months  of 
November  and  December,  I  ascertained  the  truth  of  Straus's  state- 
ment, and  witnessed  the  young  hatched  from  these  ephippial  eggs 
'by  keeping  them  in  my  room.  November  2d,  I  took  several  ephip- 
pia  which  I  found  floating  on  the  surface  of  a  saucer  full  of  water 
containing  D.  pulex,  numbers  of  which  had  ephippia  attached  to 
them,  and  placed  them  by  themselves  in  a  wine  glass  of  clear  water. 
1 0th  November,  two  young  ones  born.  16th,  one  more.  29th,  two 
more  born.  21st,  one  more.  23d,  two  more.  November  29th,  took  se- 

4 


History  of  British  Eniomostraca.  41 1 

Yeral  ephippia  from  the  same  saucer^  and  isolated  them  in  the  same 
manner.  December  5th^  three  young  ones  born.  6th^  two  more. 
8th^  two  more.  lOth^  two  more.  16th^  one  more. 

On  the  19th  November  I  isolated  a  Daphnia  with  the  ephippium 
attached.  21  st^  it  has  thrown  off  ephippium.  December  oth^  one 
young  one  bom  from  the  ephippial  eggs.  I  have  repeatedly  per- 
formed the  same  experiment^  and  have  always  found  the  same  re- 
sults. The  young  from  these  ephippial  ova  do  not  differ  from  those 
bom  naturally,  unless  that  perhaps  they  are  a  little  longer  in  com- 
ing to  maturity.  In  a  young  Daphnia  pulex  born  naturally  on  the 
8th  December,  it  moulted  the  first  time  on  the  12th^  or  four  days 
after  birth  ;  fourth  time  and  had  eggs,  on  the  2l8t,  or  thirteen  days 
after  birth  ;  whilst  in  a  young  one  of  the  same  species  bom  from  an 
ephippial  egg  on  the  5th  of  December,  the  first  moulting  was  not 
till  the  13th,  or  seven  days  after  birth,  and  the  fourth  when  she  first 
had  eggs,  not  till  the  dd  of  January,  or  twenty-nine  days  after  birth. 
The  periods  between  each  moulting  are  also  longer  than  in  the  others. 
It  has  been  asserted,  as  I  have  mentioned  above,  by  Jurine,  that 
these  ephippia  are  the  consequences  of  a  disease  these  insects  are 
subject  to,  and  that  they  have  the  effect  of  arresting  their  future  fe- 
cundity. From  the  experiments  which  I  have  detailed  above,  and 
which  I  have  mentioned  as  having  been  also  made  previously  by 
Straus,  it  is  evident  that  they  are  not  a  disease,  and  that  instead 
they  are  ova  of  a  particular  nature  destined  to  outlive  the  severity 
of  the  winter,  and  to  perpetuate  the  species  which  would  otherwise 
perish  altogether.  From  some  experiments  which  I  instituted  upon 
this  subject,  I  also  found  that  Jurine  is  wrong  in  asserting  them 
as  arresting  the  future  fecundity  of  the  insects.  On  the  29th 
of  December,  I  isolated  two  of  Daphnia  pulex  with  their  ephippia 
attached.  On  the  30th,  both  had  thrown  off  their  ephippia,  and  both 
had  moulted.  Upon  close  examination  I  found  that  on  the  shell 
where  the  ephippia  were  situated,  there  was  left  a  mark  correspond- 
ing to  its  figure,  and  a  scar  or  deeper  mark  like  a  cicatrix  where  the 
ampuUsB  containing  the  ova  were  situated.  In  the  ovaries  were  to 
be  seen  the  transparent  globules  or  first  appearance  of  the  ova.  On 
the  4th  December,  both  had  eggs  lodged  in  their  matrix  ;  and  on  the 
8th  the  first  family  were  bora.  Watched  the  farther  progress  of 
one  of  these  Daphnise.  On  the  1 6th  December  she  had  given  birth 
to  a  second  family,  but  did  not  moult  till  the  20th,  when  she  again 
had  e^s  in  her  matrix ;  and  on  the  24th  gave  birth  to  a  third  fa- 
mily. On  the  6th  January  has  given  birth  to  a  fourth  family.  Ja- 
nuary 14th,  has  given  birth  a  to  fifth  family.  January  22cl,  has  given 


412  On  the  Mosses  found  in  the 

birth  to  a  sixth  family.  One  or  two  other  experiments^  with  the 
same  results,  prove  satisfactorily  that  that  assertion  of  Jonne's  is  in- 
correct. 

The  motion  of  most  of  the  species  of  this  genus  is  chiefly  by  short 
bounds  through  the  water,  the  most  important  organ  producing  the 
motion  being  the  rami,  or  arms,  as  Swammerdam  calls  them.  Such 
is  the  motion  or  manner  of  swimming  in  the  pulex  and  vetuUiy  &c. 
but  in  the  comuta  it  is  different,  the  motion  in  that  species  being  con- 
tinued, or  produced  by  incessant  motion  of  the  rami,  and  not  by  short 
bounds  at  a  time.  In  my  paper  on  the  Cyclops,  (Vol.  i.  p.  319,)  I 
have  mentioned  Jurine's  experiments  upon  the  faculty  these  insects 
were  said  to  possess  of  returning  to  life  after  being  dried.  Schcefier 
has  instituted  some  experiments  upon  this  subject  with  r^ard  to  the 
Daphnise  also,  and  his  results  are,  that  after  having  exposed  the  in- 
sect with  e^s  in  the  matrix,  for  a  considerable  time  to  a  dry  atmo- 
sphere, and  then  replacing  it  in  water,  the  eggs  did  not  lose  their  vi- 
tality, but  were  after  a  time  hatched  as  usual.  Sulzer,  as  quoted 
by  Straus,  says  that  the  parents  return  to  life  also ;  but  in  the  expe- 
riments reported  by  Straus,  he  never  found  either  mother  or  eggs 
recover  their  vitality.  The  food  of  these  insects,  according  to  Straus, 
consists  of  vegetable  matter,  and  not  animal ;  but  I  have  no  doubt 
that  they  are  carnivorous,  as  well  as  the  other  genera  I  have 
mentioned;  as  I  have  invariably  found  that  of  two  groups  placed  in 
separate  small  vessels  of  clear  water,  the  one  having  only  particles 
of  vegetable  matter  placed  beside  them,  while  with  the  others  there 
were  also  introduced  minute  animalcules,  the  latter  were  stronger 
and  more  active  and  throve  better  than  the  former. 

CTo  be  continued.) 


IV. — Remarks  on  the  Mosses  found  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Aber- 
deen. By  6.  Dickie,  Esq. 
Bbforb  proceeding  to  enumerate  the  mosses  found  in  this  neigh- 
bourhood, it  will  perhaps  be  necessary  to  give  an  outline  of  the 
botanical  character  of  the  district  in  regard  to  its  flowering  plants. 
This  I  shall  do  as  briefly  as  possible,  taking  as  a  guide  the  remarks 
made  by  Mr  Watson  at  pp.  58,  59,  &c.  of  his  interesting  work  on 
the  Geographical  Distribution  of  British  Plants.  On  comparing 
the  Flora  of  Aberdeen  with  the  remarks  at  pp.  60,  61  of  the  work 
referred  to,  it  would  appear  that  this  district  partakes  of  the  cha- 
racter both  of  the  northern  part  of  the  Region  of  the  Plains  and  also 
of  the  Upland  Region,  the  former  toward  the  north  being  cliaracte- 


Neiffhbourhood  of  Aberdeen.  413  . 

rized  by  the  presence  of  Pinguicula  vulgaris JPamassia  palustris. 
Geranium  sylvaticum^  Trollius  europceus^  Lysimachia  nemorum, 
Carex  dioica^  Gymnadenia  conopsea,  Habenaria  bifolia^  Hab.  viridis^ 
Narthecium  ossifragum^  Comarum  palustre^  and  more  rarely  Em- 
petrum  nigrum.  All  of  these  plants  are  extremely  abundant 
about  Aberdeen^  with  the  exception  of  Trollius  Europaeus  and  Ha- 
benaria viridis^  which  are  rare.  Empetrum  nigrum  is  abundant,  grow- 
ing upon  our  moors  in  a  peat  soil^  occurring  also  in  grave%  soil^ 
and  even  growing  in  pure  sand^  and  in  this  latter  situation  binding 
our  sand  hills  along  with  Ammophila  arundinacea,  Carex  arenaria^ 
Triticum  junceum^  Festuca  rubra  (var.  hirta)>  and  others.  Mr 
Watson,  at  p.  61  of  his  work^  states  that  the  Upland  Region  is 
marked  by  the  presence  of  Arbutus  uva-ursi^  Vaccinium  vitis-Idsea^ 
Polygonum  viviparum,  Linnaea  borealis,  Trientalis  europeea^  Comus 
Buecica^  Corallorhiza  innata^  Sedum  villosum^  Oxytropis  Uralensis^ 
Galium  boreale^  and  Listera  cordata.  Of  these^  in  this  neighbour- 
hood^ Trientalis  europsea^  Listera  cordata^  and  perhaps  Linnaea  bore- 
alis  are  of  most  general  occurrence^  and  more  plentiful  than  some  of 
the  others;  Arbutus  uva-ursi,  Vaccinium  vitis-Idaea,  Polygonum  vivi- 
parum^  and  Galium  boreale^  are  principally  confined  to  a  few  spots^ 
but  there  they  are  abundant.  The  latter  of  these  is  only  found  on 
the  banks  of  the  Dee,  and  I  believe  has  not  yet  been  found  on  Don 
side.  Comus  suecica^  Corallorhiza  innata,  and  Oxytropis  Uralensis 
have  not  as  yet  been  detected  in  this  district.  From  this  short 
sketch  it  will  be  perceived^  that  (as  has  been  already  mentioned) 
the  neighbourhood  of  Aberdeen  partakes  of  the  nature  both  of  the 
northern  part  of  the  Region  of  the  Plains,  and  also  of  the  Upland 
Region,  approaching^  however^  more  to  the  former  than  to  the  latter. 
The  following  list  of  mosses  comprehends  all  which  have  as  yet 
been  found  within  the  distance  of  ten  miles  of  Aberdeen ;  and  it 
may  be  proper  to  mention  that  many  localities  within  that  range 
Btill  remain  to  be  investigated.  All  of  them  have  been  gathered  by 
myself  in  the  places  mentioned,  with  the  exception  of  a  few ;  in 
which  cases^  however,  I  shall  mention  the  individual  who  found  them. 

List  of  Mosses, 

Andraea  rupestris.  On  detached  rocks  near  Bridge  of 

Dee. 
Phascum  subulatum.  j_  ^^^^^^^^  .^  ^^^^^,  ,^,.^.^^ 
1            —  cuspidatum.  J 
Sphagnum  obtusifolium.               Abundant. 
squarrosum.                 Corsehill  and  Stocket  Bogs. 


414 


On  Hie  Mosses  found  in  tiie 


Sphagnum  acutifolium. 

i— cuspidatum. 

Gymnoetomum  ovatum. 

truncatulum. 

fasciculare. 

— microntomum 


Same  localities  as  last. 
Loch  Loirston,  &c. 
Walls  at  Rubislaw. 
Banks  of  the  Dee^  &c. 
On  mould  in  gardens. 
Banks  of  Don  and  other  places. 
Anictangium  ciliatum  var  a  and  0.     Frequent. 


Splac]^num  anfpull&ceum. 


Encalypta  vulgaris. 
Weissia  lanceolata. 

cirrata. 

curvirostra. 

—  crispula. 

controversa. 

Grimmia  apocarpa. 


•  maritima 

■  pulvinata. 

■  tricophylla. 

•  ovata. 


Didymodon  purpureus. 
■  rigidulus. 

-  trifarius. 

heteromallus. 

Trichostomum  lanuginosum. 

canescens. 

heterostichum. 

aciculare. 


fasciculare. 


polyphyllum. 


Dicranum  bryoides. 

adiantoides. 

taxifolium. 

glaucum. 

cerviculatum. 


This  beautiful  species  has  only  hi- 
therto been  found  in  Corsehill  Mobs 

near  Scotstown.     It  was  found  by 

Mr  P.  Grant  of  this  place  in  July 

1836. 

Tops  of  walls  near  Denmore. 

Banks  of  Don  and  Dee. 

On  detached  stones  at  Nigg. 

Banks  at  Denmore  and  Rubislaw. 

Along  with  W.  cirrata. 

Banks  near  Girdleness  and  other 

places. 

Var.  a  common,  var.  fS  Dens  of 

Rubislaw  and  Cults. 

Abundant  on  the  coast  near  Aber- 
deen. 

Common. 

On  stones  at  Rubislaw. 

Rocks   near   Aberdeen.      Mr  P. 

Grant. 

Everywhere  abundant. 

Rubislaw  quarry. 

Banks  of  Don. 

Along  with  D.  trifarius. 

Den  of  Maidencraig. 

On  stones  at  Middleton. 

Frequent. 

Moist  rocks  at  Leggart. 

On  stones  at  Rubislaw,  &c. 

Along  with  T.  canescens. 

Abundant  in  several  places. 

Moist  shady  places  at  Nigg,  &c. 

Moist  banks  of  Don. 

Moist  fir-woods  at  Rubislaw. 

Den  of  Maidencraig,  &c. 


Neighbourhood  of  Aberdeen. 


415 


Dicranum  Hexaosum. 

squarrosum. 

pellucidum. 

undulatum. 

scoparium. 


-  vanum. 

-  heteromallum. 
subulatum. 


Tortula  muralis. 

ruralis. 

subulata. 

unguiculata. 

feUax. 

Polytrichum  undulatum. 

' .  piliferum. 

— ; — —  juniperinum. 

■■  oommune. 
— — '^—  urnigerum. 
>  aloides. 


nanum. 


Funaria  hygrometrica. 


Orthotricum  cupulatum. 

anomalum. 

affine. 

'■     diaphanum. 
■  rivulare. 


cnspum, 
pulchellum. 


Bryum  androgynum. 


palustre. 

argenteum. 

capillare. 

caespititium. 

nutans. 

turbinatum. 

ventricoenm. 

ligulatum. 

punctatum. 

rostratum. 


Den  of  Rubislaw^  &c. 

Moist  places.  Bay  of  Nigg. 

Rubislaw  Den,  in  tbe  bum. 

At  Belhelvie,  near  Aberdeen. 

Abundant. 

Rubislaw  quarry,  &c 

With  the  last. 

Banks  of  Don,  and  at  Torry. 

Frequent. 

Aberdeen  Links,  and  other  places. 

Abundant. 

Banks  of  Don. 

Frequent. 

Rubislaw,  Stocket,  &c. 

Frequent. 

Tops  of  walls. 

Stocket  Moss,  and  other  places. 

Rubislaw  quarry.     Abundant. 

With  P.  urnigerum,  and  in  other 

places. 

With  P.  aloides. 

Abundant,  generally  associated  with 

Tortula  subulata,  and  Didym.  pur- 

pureus. 

Craig  of  Nairb. 

Walls  at  Drum. 

Trees  and  wall  in  several  places. 

On  stones  at  Powis. 

On  stones  at  Gilcomston  Dam. 

Dens  of  Rubislaw  and  Maidencraig. 

On  birch  trees.  Den  of  Leggart. 

In  fissures  of  gneiss  rocks,  banks  of 

Dee,  and  Den  of  Maidencraig. 

Bogs  at  Corsehill,  Ferryhill,  &c. 

Abundant. 

Belhelvie  and  other  places. 

Common. 

Rubislaw  quarry,  and  other  places. 

Banks  of  Black  Dogburn,  Belhelvie* 

Corsehill  and  Ferryhill  mosses. 

Dens  of  Rubislaw  and  Leggart. 

With  B.  ligulatum. 

Old  Town  Links. 


416 


On  the  Mosses  found  in  the 


Bryum  hornum. 

cuspidatum. 


Bartramia  pomiformis. 

fontana. 

Baxbaumia  aphyUa. 

Fontinalis  antipyretica. 
Hookeria  lucens. 
Hypnum  trichomanoides. 

oomplanatum. 

'  undulatam. 

denticulatum. 

populeum. 

moUe. 

stramineum. 


■  purum. 

-  murale. 

-  piliferun. 

-  Schreberi. 

-  catenalatum. 


-  plumofium. 

-  alopecunim. 

-  dendroides. 

-  myosuroides. 

-  prolifenim. 

-  rutabulum. 

-  velutinum. 

-  ruscifolium. 

-  striatum. 

-  confertum. 

-  cuspidatum. 

-  polymorphum. 

■  stellatum. 

■  loreum. 

■  triquetrum. 

•  squarrosum. 

•  palustre. 
aduncum. 
undnatum. 


Den  of  Rubislaw,  &c. 
With  the  last. 

Banks  of  Don,  Rubislaw,  &c. 
Strocket  Moss,  and  other  places. 
"  Wood  near  Aberdeen,  Mr  Jack- 
son.*'    Hooker's  Fl. 
Abundant  in  many  places. 
In  a  wood  at  Old  Bridge  of  Don. 
Den  of  Cults. 
On  trees  in  several  places. 
Den  of  Rubislaw,  &c. 
Den  of  Rubislaw. 
Shady  rocks  in  several  places. 
Den  of  Rubislaw  in  the  rivulet. 
In  Denbum. 
Plentiful. 

On  walls  at  Rubislaw. 
Den  of  Cults. 
Haxelhead  woods. 

Moist  rocks  at  Old  Bridge  of  Don 
Mr  P.  Grant.  On  rocks  upon  the 
coast. 

Banks  of  Don. 
Den  of  Cults. 
Old  Town  Links. 
Den  of  Rubislaw  and  other  places. 
Frequent. 
Common. 
Common. 

Dens  of  Rubislaw  and  Cults. 
Banks  of  Dee,  &c. 
Den  of  Rubislaw. 

Ferryhill,  Stocket,  and  other  places 
in  Ehgs, 

Den  of  Rubislaw,  Stocket,  &c. 
Corsehill  Moss. 
Common. 

Abundant  in  woods. 
Woods  at  Rubislaw. 
Black  Dog  Burn,  Belhelvie. 
Moist  banks  at  Torry. 
Den  of  Leggart. 


Neighbourhood  of  Aberdeen.  417 

Hypnum  commutatum.  Den  of  Rubislaw. 

scorpioides.  Ferryhill  and  Corsehill  bogs. 

cupressiforme.  Abundant. 

From  this  list  it  will  be  remarked,  that,  of  the  twelve  British  spe- 
cies of  Phascum,  only  two  have  hitherto  been  detected  in  this  neigh- 
bourhood. This  may  perhaps  be  partly  accounted  for  when  it  is 
considered  that  they  are  generally  minute  plants,  and  not,  there- 
fore, readily  discovered.  And,  according  to  Sir  W.  J.  Hooker,  **  the 
species  are  more  frequent  in  the  southern  than  the  northern Jparts 
of  Great  Britain."  It  is,  therefore,  very  probable  that  few  if  any 
other  species  remain  to  be  discovered  about  Aberdeen.  In  Dr  Gre- 
ville  8  Flor.  Edin.  seven  are  mentioned.  In  the  Parisian  Flora  of 
Merat,  twelve  species  are  enumerated  ;  and  at  Hudson's  Bay,  where 
the  mean  annual  temperature  is  low,  no  species  of  Phascum  is  found, 
according  to  Richardson,  in  Edinburgh  Phil.  Jour.  Vol.  xii. 

The  species  of  Didymodon  and  Trichostomum  found  in  this  dis- 
trict are,  with  one  exception,  the  same  as  those  mentioned  in  Flor. 
Edin.  Didymodon  purpureus  is  one  of  the  most  common  and  abun- 
dant mosses  about  Aberdeen,  and  occurs  in  many  different  varieties 
of  soil  and  situation.  It  frequently  springs  up  along  with  Funaria 
hygrometrica,  where  the  Ulex  Europseus  has  been  burnt  down.  Of 
the  species  of  Dicranum,  D.  pellucidum  is  the  rarest  in  this  neigh- 
bourhood. D.  squarrosum  occurs  near  the  sea  level,  along  with  Jun- 
germannia  blasia.  I  have  gathered  the  same  moss  at  a  considerable 
height  in  Glen  Callader.  Orthotrichum  anomalum  seems  to  be  most- 
ly confined  to  a  range  of  serpentine  rocks  at  the  locality  mention- 
ed, where  it  is  abundant.  I  have  seen  only  a  few  specimens  on 
gneiss.  O.  pulchellum  and  O.  diaphanum  are  the  rarest,  O. 
crispum  and  O.  affine  are  the  most  common  and  abundant.  Of  the 
twelve  species  of  Bryum  all  are  more  or  less  plentiful,  except  the 
interesting  B.  androgynum,  which  is  of  rare  occurrence,  and  found 
upon  gneiss.  I  have  never  yet  seen  it  in  fruit.  Gemmae  are  fre- 
quent and  abundant,  and  from  the  readiness  with  which  they  germi- 
nate, there  is  no  difficulty  in  accounting  for  the  propagation  of  this 
beautiful  species.  B.  palustre  and  B.  ventricosum  are  common  in 
our  peat  Ix^s,  along  with  Hypnum  scorpioides  and  cuspidatum,  and 
all  these  four  occur  along  with  Splachnum  ampullaceum  in  the 
only  locality  where  this  elegant  moss  is  found.  Bryum  palustre 
frequently  bears  gemmae  as  well  as  capsules.  B.  ligulatum  and 
pnnctatum  are  abundant  in  some  places,  and  generally  grow  in 
company.      Specimens  of  the  former  are  found  with   nine  set» 


418  On  the  Mosses  found  in  the 

arising  from  nearly  the  same  point  of  the  stem.  Buxbaumia  is 
mentioned  upon  the  authority  of  Mr  Jackson,  in  Hooker's  Flora, 
Vol.  ii.,  as  growing  near  Aberdeen,  but  I  have  never  had  the  plea- 
sure of  gathering  it.  Fontinalis  antipyretica  is  very  abandant  in 
slow  running  streams.  It  is,  however,  rarely  found  here  in  fruit. 
The  brilliant  Hookeria  lucens  is  plentiful  in  the  locality  mentioned. 
In  Brit.  Flora,  Vol.  ii.  p.  74>  it  is  mentioned  that  the  stems  sometimes 
reach  a  length  of  four  inches.  In  this  part  of  the  country  they  never 
exceed  two  inches.  Hypnum  catenulatum  is  the  rarest  of  the  species 
enumerated.  The  list  is,  I  suspect,  rather  deficient ;  many  species 
of  Hypnum,  without  doubt,  have  not  yet  been  detected.  Several  of 
them,  especially  H.  loreum,  triquetrum,  &c.  afford  a  soil  and  shelter 
jBavourable  to  the  growth  of  the  elegant  Goodyera  repens,  so  plenti- 
ful in  nearly  all  the  old  fir  woods  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Aberdeen.  * 
When  engaged  in  examining  the  species  of  the  genus  Hypnum, 
I  have  frequently  observed  that  there  is  a  very  evident  difference 
in  the  form,  and  even  in  the  cellular  structure,  of  the  stem  leaves, 
and  of  the  perichsetial  leaves.  Might  not  this  difference  be  assumed 
as  a  specific  character  in  some  cases  ?  I  leave  it  to  some  more  ex- 
perienced muscologist  to  follow  out  this  suggestion. 

List  cf  Hepaiicas  found  near  Aberdeen, 

Marchantia  poljrmorpha.  Abundant. 

■  hemisphserica.  Banks  of  Don,  &c. 

Jungermannia  asplenioides.  Abundant  in  several  places. 
cordifolia.  Banks  of  Don. 


crenulata.  With  the  former, 

inflata.  Corbie  Den  at  Maryculter. 

>  excisa.  Banks  of  Don. 

•  ventricosa.  Den  of  Rubislaw. 

•  bicuspidata.  Frequent. 

-  pusilla.  Banks  of  Don  and  other  places. 

-  umbrosa.  Den  of  Rubislaw. 

-  undulata.  Moist  rocks  upon  the  coast. 

-  albicans.  Bay  of  Nigg. 


•  Goodyera  occurs  at  the  following  places  near  Aberdeen :  In  a  fir  wood  at 
Drumoak,  at  the  thirteenth  milestone,  on  the  Deeside  road;  at  Huxelhead, 
Denmore,  ParkhiU,  m  a  fir  wood  opposite  Fintray  House,  where  Linnsea  bore- 
alls  also  grows ;  at  Loch  of  Skene,  in  two  different  woods.  The  firs  at  these 
places  are  from  forty  to  sixty  years  old.  The  plant  is  also  springing  up  in  a  wood 
at  Middleton,  three  miles  up  Deeside.  This  wood  does  not  much  exceed  twenty 
years. 


On  new  or  obscure  species  of  Plants,  419 

Jungermannia  oochleariformis.      With  the  former. 

oomplanata.  On  trees,  Dens  of  Rubislaw  and 

Leggart. 

— •  bidentata.  Stocket  Moor. 

» barbata.      -*  Den  of  Rubislaw. 

serpyllifblia.  Abundant  on  trees. 

'  Tamarisci.  Rocks  upon  the  coast. 

dilatata.  On  trees.  Den  of  Rubislaw. 

multifida.  Common  in  several  bogs. 

'     Blasia.  Bay  of  NIgg  and  Den  of  Leggart. 

epiphylla*  Frequent. 

To  these  must  be  added  a  minute  species  which  is  found  upon 

Hypnum  pilif^rum,  round  the  stems  and  leaves  of  which  its  slender 
branches  are  entwined.  It  is  also  sometimes  found  on  Polytrichum 
mloides.  The  leaves  of  this  species  are  ovato- lanceolate,  acutely  bi- 
partite, and  rather  distant  from  each  other.  It  seems  to  come  near 
Jungermannia  Tumeri.  I  have  not  as  yet  found  it  in  fruit.  J.  Blasia 
is  said  to  be  rare  in  fruit.  It  is  abundant  in  the  localities  mentioned, 
both  in  fruit,  and  with  the  flask  like  bodies.  Jun.  epiphylla  is  men- 
tioned in  British  Flora  as  bearing  fruit  in  September.  In  this  neigh- 
bourhood it  invariably  sends  out  its  "  white  sparkling  silvery 
threads,"  or  fruit-stalks,  in  March  and  the  beginning  of  April. 


V. — Observations  on  some  New  or  Obscure  Species  of  Plants,  No.  I. 
By  G.  A.  Walker  Arnott,  LL.  D.  F.  L.  S.,  &c. 

Calotropis,  jr.  Brotvn,  (Asdepiadeae.) 
In  the  second  volume  of  the  Hortus  Kewensis,  Brown  describes 
two  species  of  this  genus,  one,  the  C  gigantea,  from  India,  the  other, 
C.  procera,  from  Persia.  Dr  Hamilton,  in  the  Linnean  Society's 
Transactions,  Vol.  xiv.  p.  246,  conceiving  that  he  had  found  the 
Persian  plant  also  in  India,  described  a  new  species  as  such,  and  to 
which  Dr  Wight,  in  his  Contribution  to  the  Botany  of  India,  gave 
the  name  of  C.  HamiUonii.  Since  then  Dr  Wight  has  made  fur- 
ther observations  on  this  species  in  the  Madras  Journal  of  Litera- 
ture avd  Science,  Vol.  ii.  p.  69. 1. 1.  although,  through  inadvertency, 
he  has  resumed  the  name  of  C.  procera.  Having  bad  no  opportu- 
nity of  examining  the  plant  of  the  Hortus  Kewensis,  it  may  appear 
presumptuous  in  me  to  attempt  to  decide  on  the  difference,  if  any, 
between  it  and  Hamilton's ;  but  having  received  from  Arabia  Petnea, 
a  specimen  of  a  Calotropis,  which  answers  to  the  short  character  given 
by  Dr  Brown,  I  have  little  doubt  of  its  being  the  same  as  that  from 
VOL.  II.  NO.  11.  F  f 


420  Observations  o?i  some  new 

Persia,  and  between  it  and  Hamilton's  plant  there  is  so  considerable 
a  difference  in  the  form  of  the  leaflets  of  the  corona,  that  the  two 
can  be  distinguished  with  great  facility.  In  C.  giganiea  the  leaflets 
of  the  corona  are  three- toothed  at  the  apex,  and  then  flat  and  dose 
pressed  to  the  column,  while  their  base  is  spirally  recurved  :  in  C. 
Uamilionii  these  have  a  conduplicate  bifid  patulous  apex,  and  an 
acute  simply  recurved  base :  in  what  I  consider  the  true  C  procera^ 
the  apex  is  precisely  as  in  C  HamiUonii,  but  the  base  as  in  C 
gigantea.  The  characters  of  the  Indian  species  are  given  in  Wight's 
Contributions  and  the  Madras  Journal ;  the  Persian  and  Arabian 
one  is  distinguished  as  follows  : — 

C.  procera  ;  corolla  campanulata  segmentis  patulis  margine  planis, 
coronie  staminese  foliolis  gynost^gium  lequantibus  basi  obtusa  cir- 
ciunatim  recurva  apice  conduplicato  bifido^patulo,  stigmate  piano. 

It  thus  agrees  most  with  C.  HamiUonii,  but  differs  by  the  form  of 
the  base  of  the  coronal  leaflets. 

Blyttia,  Arn,     (Asclepiadeai.) 

Corolla  rotata  5-partita.  Corona  staminea  simplex,  5-phylla,  foli* 
olis  ovalibus,  obtusis,  discretis,  carnosis,  planiusculis.  Anlherce 
membrana  terminatse.  Massa:  pollinis  ventricosse,  pendulas.  Slig-^ 
ma  muticum.  Gynoslegium  exsertum.  Folliculi  Iseves,  abortu'sub- 
solitarii.     Seniina  comosa. 

Fruticulus  xesquipedalis  glaber,  ramis  patulis  rigidis.  Folia  op- 
posittty  petiolata,  oblonga  vel  oblongo-lanceolala,  obtusa.  Umbellse 
inferpetiolares,  pedunculatw,  folio  breviores.     Flores  parvL 

1.  B,  Arabica,  Arn — Periploca.^  Stend.  et  Hochst.  in  Herb.  Un. 
It.  1837.  n.  816. 

Hab — In  collibus  granitosis  prope  Dscheddam  :    W.  Schimper, 

Thi^  genus  is  obviously  closely  allied  to  Cynanchum,  particularly 
those  species  which  have  the  corona  deeply  5-partite  ;  but  here  the 
leaflets  are  perfectly  distinct  and  somewhat  distant  from  each  other. 
From  Xysmalobium  it  diflfers  by  the  corolla,  and  absence  of  dentin 
culi  between  the  larger  leaflets  of  the  corona. 

Rhinolobium,  Arn.     (AsclepiadesB.) 
Corolla  patens,  profunde  5-iida.   Corona  staminea  tube  filamento* 
rum  imposita,  10-phylla ;  foliolis  5,  antheris  oppositis,  camosulis,' 
gynostegium  aequantibus,  subrotundis,  intus  sub  apice  recurvato 
dente  erecto  triangulari  planiusculo  auctis ;  5  reliquis  alternantibns 
minimis.  Aniherce  membrana   terminatae.    Massa  pollinis  teretes. 


or  obscure  species  of  Plants,  42 1 

apice  attenuate  affix»^  pendulae^  appendiculis  gracilibus.  Stigma 
truncatum  pentagonum.     FoUiculi 

Herb«  ?  erectce,  viminece,  graciles,  simplices,  subpubescenies*  Folia 
opposila,  linearia,  Umbellffi  inierpetiolares,  subsessiles;  pedicelli 
JiiiformeSyfoliis  multo  breviores,  ac  calyces  pubescenies,   Flores  parvi. 

1.  R.  tenue  (Am.)  foliis  lineari-filiformibus  margine  revolutis. 
Ad  Caput  Bonse  Spei  legit  C/.  Harvey  (Herb.  Harv.  n.  629.) 

This  genus  is  allied  in  character  to  Xysmalohiumy  also  from  the 
Cape>  but  that  is  destitute  of  the  projecting  toothlet,  which  arises 
in  this  from  the  inside  of  the  coronal  leaflets.  Cynanchum  Jiltforme 
Thunb.  is  apparently  another  species  with  broader  and  flat  leaves. 

Besides  the  present^  I  have  received  only  two  other  Gape  species 
of  Asclepiadese  from  Mr  Harvey  :  one  is  Cynanchum  pilosvm,  R.  Br. 
(Herb.  Harv.  No.  419.) ;  and  the  other  Secamone  Alpini,  R.  and  S. 
(Herb.  Harv.  no  number.) 

In  Wight's  "  Contributions^"  and  DecandoUe's  fifth  volume  of 
the  "  Prodromus/'  two  plants  are  referred  to  the  genus  Blepharis^ 
pertnum  ;  but  on  account  of  the  specimens  of  one  of  them  being  im- 
perfect, the  character  was  principally  taken  from  B,  petiolare. 
More  lately,  having  received  additional  specimens  of  B.  subseS" 
sile  from  Dr  Wight^  I  am  now  enabled  to  describe  k  more  fully  ; 
and  as  it  cannot  be  conjoined  into  one  genus  with  B.  peMare^ 
(unless  indeed  Athroisma  be  also  united,)  I  shall  here  give  the  re- 
formed character  of  Blepharispermum,  as  well  as  of  the  new  one. 
Blephabispermvm,  Wight.     (Composit».) 

Capitula  innumera  in  glomerulum  globosum  coacervata;  axi 
hemisphaerica.  Bractece  sub  glomerulo  oblongo-lanceolatse,  mem- 
branaceae.  Capitula  4-flora>  monoica.  Receptaculum  paleaceum. 
Involucrum  oligophyllum.  Flores  exterior es  2,  feminei,  filiformes. 
tridentati ;  interiores  2,  masculi,  tubulosi,  5-dentati.  Antherc^  basi 
sagittato  subcaudatse.  Stylus  fl.  masc.  subinteger.  Achenium  femi- 
neum  obovali-oblongum,  tetragono-obcompressum,  angulis  laterali- 
bus  ciliatis,  cseteroquin  glabrum ;  mascul.  tetragonum,  lineare,  gla- 
brum.  Pappus  fem.  e  «{>aleis  scariosis,  paucis,  insequalibus,  acumi- 
natissimis ;  masc.  nullus. 

Suffrutex  Ceylanicus,  glaberrimus.  Folia  aUema,  petiolata,  ovato- 
lanceolata,  acuminata,  integerrima,  penninervia.  Glomeruli  longe 
pedunculati,  ierni  ad  apicem  rami,  bracteis  involucralibus  glomerulo 
brevioribus. 

1.  B.  petudare,  D.  C.  in  Wight.  Contr.  p.  12;  Prod,  v,  p,  368; 
Wight.  Cat.  n.  1417. 


422  Observations  on  some  new 

Hab. — In  Ceylona^  prope  Ugandamlej ;  Klein. 

I  have  here  followed  Klein's  views  (as  mentioned  in  Wight's 
Contributions)  of  the  structure  of  the  capitulum,  in  preference  to 
those  of  Decandolle^  as  they  agree  better  with  my  own  observations. 
Decandolle  himself,  before  he  was  aware  of  Klein's  memoranda  on 
the  subject,  appears  to  have  had  doubts  if  such  were  not  the  real 
structure. 

Lkucoblephabib,  Am.    (Compositie.) 

Capitula  innumera  in  glomerulum  hemisphiericum  coacervata; 
axi  plana.  Bractect  sub  glomerulo  ovat«e,  mucronatae,  foliaceae. 
Capitula  8-flora,  monoica.  Receplaculum  paleaceum,  paleis  conca- 
vis.  Involucrum  oligophyllum.  Fhres  exteriores  4,  feminei,  tubu- 
losi,  4-5-dentati :  interiores  4,  masculi,  apice  latiores,  5-dentati. 
Anther  as  basi  sagittato-subcaudatse.  Styltis  fl.  masc.  integer,  apice 
incrassatus.  Achenia  nigra,  nitida,  hinc  plana,  illinc  convexa,  mar- 
ginibus  dense  villis  albis  longis  erectis  ciliatis ;  fem.  late-ovalia,  ob- 
oompressa,  angulo  dorsali  paullum  albo-ciliato ;  masc  angustiora^ 
dorso  convexior^  subglabro*  Pappus  conformis,  paleis  scariosis,  plu* 
rimis,  flexuosis,  insequalibus,  acuminatissimis,  villis  achenium  mar* 
ginantibus  absconditis. 

Herbacea,.  g^ 6 ra,  simplex.  Radix  crassa,  pramorsa,  lignosQ, 
Folia  alterna,  subsessilia,  elliptica,  utrinque  obtma  vel  atienuaia,  in- 
tegerrirna,  triplinervia.  Glomerulus  terminalis,  solitarius,  subseS' 
sills,  bracteis  involucralibus  glomerulum  superantibus. 

1.  L.  subsessile,  Arn. — Blepharispermum  subsessile,  D,  C.  in 
Wight.  Conlr.  p.  12 ;  Prod.  v.  p.  368 ;   Wight.  Cat.  n.  1418. 

Hab. — In  Mysore;  Heyne.     Prope  Bellary;   Wight. 

By  comparing  this  generic  character  with  that  of  Blepharisper- 
mum,  it  will  be  seen  that  it  differs  very  widely  in  the  structure  of 
the  achenium  and  pappus  of  the  sterile  floret,  in  which  respect  it 
approaches  much  more  to  Athroisma;  but  in  that  genus  the  angles 
of  the  acheninm  are  merely  ciliated  at  the  apex,  and  the  pappus 
appears  to  be  composed  only  of  a  few  short  hairs.  The  habit  of 
these  two  genera  is  also  very  unlike. 

Madaroglossa,  D.  C  (Compositae.; 
This  genus  is  said  by  Decandolle  to  be  allied  to  Blepharipap^ 
pus  of  Hooker,  but  to  differ  by  the  ray  having  no  pappus.  From  a 
slight  examination  of  specimens  of  both  genera  in  Sir  W.  Hooker's 
Herbarium,  it  seems  that  both  these  distinguished  botanists  have  the 
same  in  view;  but  that  either  ought  to  be  separated  into  two  genera. 


or  obscure  species  of  Plants.  42S 

Sir  W.  Hooker's  character  comprehends  hoth  ;  but  DecandoUe's  is 
more  limited^  so  much  so,  indeed,  as  to  exclude,  perhaps,  all  the 
species  he  refers  to  it.  In  Lindley's  Nat.  Syst.  of  Botany,  p.  443, 
I  separated  B.  glandttlosus  under  the  name  of  Eriopappus,  propo- 
sing to  retain  Blepharipappus  for  B.  scaber.  About  the  same  time 
that  my  genus  was  published,  or  perhaps  previously,  Fischer  and 
Meyer  defined  the  same  under  the  name  of  CaUickroa  ;  and  indeed, 
so  fkr  as  I  can  judge  by  the  description,  Blepharipappus  glandu- 
losus,  Hook.  Madaroglossa  heterotricha,  D.  C.  Prod.  y.  p.  694,  and 
my  Eriopappus  glandulosus,  are  scarcely  distinguishable  as  species 
from  CaUickroa  platyglossa,  F.  and  M.  To  Blepharipappus  I  would 
refer  Madaroglossa  kieracioides,  and  M,  angusiifolia  of  DecandoUe. 
In  Madaraglossa  the  achenium  of  the  ray  is  said  to  be  glabrous, 
and  the  styles  of  the  disk  Horets  included.  The  latter  is  characte- 
ristic of  what  I  consider  the  true  species  of  Bl^haripappus,  and  the 
former  of  Eriopappus  or  CaUickroa  ;  but  indeed  Mad,  angusiifolia 
is  expressly  said  to  have  the  achenia  of  the  ray  villous. 

LASTHENtA,  Cass,  f  GompositflB.J 
This  genus,  as  defined  by  DecandoUe,  requires  some  elucidation. 
In  his  character,  which  it  is  unnecessary  to  quote  at  length,  the 
eapitulum  is  said  to  be  nearly  homogamous,  that  is,  without  any 
conspicuous  ray,  the  female  florets  being  small  and  tubular ;  the  in- 
volucre to  be  5-^15»toothed,  ahd  the  pappus  of  5-10  paleae,  or 
wanting ;  while  he  adds,  that  it  differs  from  Gamolepis  by  the  eapi- 
tulum being  nearly  homogamous,  and  by  having  a  paleaceous  pappus. 
Three  species  are  described;  one  with  a  paleaceous  pappus  and 
an  obscure  ray  :  this  (L.  obiusifolia,  Cass.)  which  is  the  type  of  the 
genus,  is  the  Rancagua  of  Poeppig,  Hymenatkerum  of  Lessing, 
(but  notof  Cassini,)  and  Coilopodium  Ckilense  of  DecandoUe,  Prod. 
V.  p.  642,  (noticed  under  Hymenatkerum  Kuntkii)  :  to  it  the  whole 
generic  character  given  by  DecandoUe  applies,  with  the  exception 
of  the  involucre  being  15-toothed,  and  a  pappus  of  5  or  no  paleae. 
Another  species  is  L,  glaberrima  ;  of  this  the  ray  is  not  mentioned, 
but  the  involucre  is  said  to  be  15-toothed,  and  the  pappus  of  5  pa- 
leae. What  plant  DecandoUe  has  had  in  view,  and  which  he  re- 
ceived from  the  Horticultural  Society,  I  cannot  determine,  but  what 
I  have  received  from  Professor  Lindley  has  a  large  ray,  and  is  the 
same  with  Burrielia  gracilis  of  DecandoUe  ;  while  that  figured  in 
the  Botanical  Register  seems  to  have  also  enlarge  ray,  but  no  pap- 
pus, and  to  be  either  a  variety  of  or  closely  aUied  to  L.  glabrala, 
Lindl.     The  third  species,  L.  glabrata,  mentioned  by  DecandoUe, 


424  Observations  on  some  new 

has  no  pappus^  and  a  large  ray  :  and  consequently,  as  far  as  the  ray 
is  concerned,  must,  along  with  that  figured  by  Lindley,  and  quoted 
by  Decandolle  under  his  L.  glaberrima,  be  removed  from  IaisUic^ 
nia.  It  appears  that  this  must  have  been  DecandoUe's  first  in- 
tention, and  that  the  manuscript  genus  Gamolepis  was  intended  to 
contain  these.  It  is  allied  to  Baeria  of  Fiach.  and  Mey.,  but  in 
that  genus  the  leaflets  of  the  involucre  are  free  from  each  other.  I 
am  therefore  disposed  to  keep  the  Chilian  plant  alone  in  the  genus 
Lasthenia,  and  adopt  the  genus  Gamolepis  for  Decandolle's  second 
section  from  California. 

MoNACTis,  //.  B.  jK%  (Composite.) 
In  the  generic  character  the  scales  or  leaflets  of  the  involucre  are' 
said  to  be  lanceolate-linear.  The  form  is  perhaps  of  little  conse* 
quence,  and  I  possess  a  plant  collected  by  Mathews  in  the  province 
of  Chachapoyas  in  Peru,  which  seems  principally  to  differ  from  3/. 
FlaveriaSy  Dec.  by  that  character.  Omitting  then  from  Decan- 
dolle's character  of  the  genus,  the  words  "  squamis  lanceolato-linea- 
ribus,"  I  would  distinguish  the  two  species  thus  : 

1.  Af.  Flaverice,  (Dec.)  squamis  involucri  lanceolato-linearibus. 

2.  M,  Kunikiana,  (Aru.)  squamis  in  vol.  oblongis  obtusis. 
Kunth  describes  another  species,  Af.  dubia,  but  this  Lessing  has 

separated  from  the  genus  under  the  name  of  Astetnma,  In  Monaciis 
the  ray  is  composed  of  a  solitary  floret ;  in  Astemma  no  ray  whatever 
could  be  traced.  I  am,  however,  inclined  with  Kunth  to  refer  the 
latter  to  Monaciis,  as  it  is  not  improbable  that  in  the  few  specimens 
examined  the  ray  had  dropped  oflT.  As  a  species  of  Monaciis,  I 
scarcely  know  to  distinguish  it  from  M.  Kunikiana,  a  name  which 
perhaps  ought  to  be  retained,  as  that  given  by  Kunth  is  inadmis- 
sible on  the  supposition  of  its  actually,  as  in  Mathews'  plant,  pos- 
sessing one  large  ligulate  floret  in  each  capitulum,  and  being  a  true^ 
not  doubtful  species  of  the  genus. 

Hbliopsis,  Pers,  (Composite.) 
Of  this  Decandolle  describes  the  achenia,  '<  angulato-compressa 
glabra,  omnino  calva."  In  the  species  which  I  have  examined,  I 
find  uniformly  the  achenia,  when  young,  to  have  a  pappus  of  four 
small  ciliated  teeth,  which  may  sometimes  also  be  traced  in  the  ad- 
vanced fruit :  the  achenia  of  the  ray  are  triquetrous,  of  the  disk 
4-quetrous. 

MiCROPsiSj  Dec.     (Compositae.) 
To  M.  nnnn^  Dec,  I  refer  a  plant  collected  by  Mr  Bridges  in 


or  obscure  species  of  Plants,  425 

Chili,  (n.  642  of  his  collections)  :  but  Decandolle's  generic  character, 
although  agreeing  in  most  points,  yet  differs  somewhat  from  the 
following  drawn  up  firom  Bridges's  specimens ; 

Involucrvfn  scariosum  subbiseriale :  capiiulum  heterogamum  pau- 
ci-(sub  9)-florttm  :  floribus  femineis  uniserialibus,  filiformibus  in 
ambitu;  hermaphroditis  tribus  tubulosis  in  centro,  intra  rachidis 
bracteolas  uniseriales  isarithmas  dispositis.  Antherce  basi  bi- 
setosaB.  Stylus  hermaph.  ramis  pube  infra  apicem  decurrente  ob- 
sessis.  Achenia  estipitata,  erostria,  oblonga ;  fem.  sericeo-villosa, 
villis  pappum  occultentibus  ;  hermaph.  glabra,  compressiuscula, 
bine  linea  sericea  notata,  bracteolis  membranaceis  valde  concavis 
apice  scarioso-appendiculatis,  dorso  gibbis  omnino  involuta.  Pap" 
pus  conformis,  coroniformis,  brevissimus,  crenato-dentatus,  persis- 
tens. 

Herba  pygmoedy  annua,  albo^lomentosa.  Folia  obhnga-spaihu la- 
ta,    Capitula  ghmerala,  tenninalia,foliis  sub  involucro  obvallata. 

The  principal  difference  between  Decandolle's  and  the  above  de- 
scription lies  in  the  central  florets,  which  he  makes  to  be  male, 
whereas  I  find  them  to  possess  a  perfect  style  and  achenium.  He 
also  says  the  receptacle  is  destitute  of  palese ;  I  find  it  paleaceous : 
he  consequently  arranges  the  genus  near  Evax  and  Micropus  among 
the  Plucheinese,  whereas  I  feel  rather  disposed  to  remove  it  near  to 
Filago  (Giflago,  Cass,  and  Less.)  among  the  Helichrysese. 

Having  now  noticed  several  genera  of  Compositse,  I  may  here 
mention  that  the  genus  Clairvillea  of  Decandolle  appears  to  be 
quite  the  same  as  Cacosmia  of  Kunth,  nor  can  I  perceive  any  spe- 
cific difference  between  the  two  plants.  It  belongs  not  to  the  8e- 
necionidese,  but  to  the  Vernoniace»,  as  proposed  by  Lessing.  Phi' 
loglossa  of  Decandolle,  if  I  be  correct  in  referring  to  this  a  plant 
collected  by  Mathews  in  Peru,  also  belongs  to  the  Vernonicese,  and  ^ 
is  allied  to  Alibum,  Apalus  of  Decandolle  is  not  distinct  from 
Blennospermum  of  Lessing :  both  authors  describe  the  same  species 
from  specimens  collected  by  Bertero,  and  named  by  him  Unxia  an- 
themidifolia.  Kuhnia  Arabica,  Hochst.  and  Stend.  in  Herb.  Un. 
It.  1837>  n.  863,  is  a  species  of  Pegolleiia,  and  scarcel/  different 
from  p.  Senegallense,  Cass. 

Saccharum,  L,  (Graminese.) 
While  lately  preparing  materials  for  an  ^Agrostographia  Indiaa 
Orientalis  along  with  my  friend  Professor  Nees  von  Esenbeck  of 
Brealaw,  I,  like  many  other  botanists,  experienced  more  difficulty 


426  On  some  new  or  obscure  species  of  Plants, 

while  studying  the  genus  Sacckarum,  and  the  group  to  whidi  it 
belongs,  than  almost  any  others  of  the  family.  The  following  Cla- 
vis  Analytica  of  the  species,  which  I  drew  up  to  lessen  my  own  la- 
bours in  future,  may  perhaps  prove  useful  likewise  to  others.  Most 
characters  are  excluded  which  are  not  essentially  necessary  for  dis- 
tinguishing the  species  mentioned  from  each  other. 

Valvula  flosc.  hermapb.  inferior  vel  deficiens  vel  neutri  valde  dis^milis;  (Glu- 
mie  dono  glabrs  ;  Villi  involucndes  longi.) 

Gluma  saltern  inferior  pallide  cbartacea,  Sect.  I. 

Glumabasi  brunneo-callosB,  .  Sect.  2. 

Valvula  flosc.  hermaph.  inferior  neutri  fere  similis  et  lequimagna. 

Glumie  chartacee  pilosse,  villi  involucrales  longi,  Sect  3. 

Glumae  brunneo-callosse ;  villi  involucrales  breves,  Sect  4. 

Sect  1. — Eusacchanan, 
Flosculi  superioris  valvulse  subsequales,  minute,  ovarium  siH)- 

sequantes,  .....        .S.qfficinantm,  L. 

Flosculi  superioris  valvula  superior  lanceolata  neutro  dimidio 

brevior,  inferior  nulla,  ,  ,  .  S.  Sinensey  Roxb. 

Sect  2. —  Tylosaccharum. 
Flosculi  super,  valvule  nullse,  spicule  ovate,  folia  subulata 

canaliculata,  ....  S.canaliculatumjR. 

Flosculi  super,  valvula  infer,  lineari-lanceolata,  superior  bre- 
vissima  subquadrata,  spicule  lanceolate, 
Folia  angusta  nervo  albo  latiusculo  canaliculato,  pani- 

cula  oblonga  ramis  composids,  .  S.  semidecumbens,  R. 

Folia  subulata  omnino  canaliculata,  panicula  linearis  \  ^'  ^ponlaneuvi^  L. 
rami,  sub  si^pHoibus.  .  .  |  <,\'.''~'^^ j^' 

Sect  3. —  Trichosacchamm. 
(Glume  subulato-acutate  :   valvula  inferior  flosc.  hermaph.  setuligera.) 
Folia  canaliculata  anguste  linearia,  nervo  albo  lato  cana- 
liculato, ^  .  .         S,  Munja,  Roxb. 
Folia  plana  • 

r^.  procemmj  Roxb. 
Panicule  rami  gradles  laxi  decompositi,         .  \   i^'  Sara,  Hook,  et 

C    Am. 
Panicule  dense  contracte,  rami  stricti  rigiduli : 

rS.  arundinaeeum. 
Spicule  distantes;  rami  panicule  elongati  poly-i    Retz.  S.  exakatuwn, 
stachyi,  .  .         *)    N.  ab  E.  in  Wight 


Spicule  approximate,  (rhachidis  intemodia  pedi- 
cello  spic.  pedicellate  vix  longiora,) 
Panicule  rami  subelongati  decompositi  polystachyi,  S.  Sara,  Roxb. 
Panicule  rami  brevfes  oligostachyi,  S.  exaltatum,  Roj*. 

3 


Contributions  to  the  Natural  History  of  Ireland.        4:17 

Sect  4 — GymnoBoccharutn. 
Spicule  acutffi ;  folia  versus  apicem  supra  scabra,        .        S,  Baka,  Ham. 
Spiculae  obtuse : 

Folia  versus  apicem  supra  puis  brevissimis  aspeia,     1       tv^  h      N 

FoUa  utrinque  I»via,  ,  .  .  S.  Modhuja,  Ham.  - 

How  far  these  are  really  distinct  species,  I  will  not  here  inquire. 
The  three  of  the  last  section  were  perhaps  all  included  by  Rox- 
burgh under  his  S.fuscum,  As  to  ^S*.  Sinense,  it  is  as  commonly 
cultivated  in  the  West  Indies  as  S.  officitiarum,  and  is  indeed  the 
S,  officinarum  of  Kunth's  £n.  Graminum.  I  have  not  yet  had  an 
opportunity  of  examining  any  specimen  referable  to  the  description 
given  by  Roxburgh  of  his  S,  Sara,    All  the  others  I  have  seen. 

Arlary,  lOlk  October  1837. 


VI. — Contributions  to  the  Natural  History  of  Ireland.  By  Wil- 
liam Thompson,  Esq.,  Vice-President  of  the  Belfast  Natural 
History  Society. 

No.  4. — On  the  Birds  of  the  Order  Insessores. 

CiNBRBous  SHUiKB^-^Laniusexcubiiar,  Linn. — This  species  has 
in  a  few  instances  been  obtained  in  various  parts  of  Ireland.  In  the 
north,  Mr  Templeton  records  two  specimens  from  Down  and  An- 
trim, (Mag.  Nat.  Hist.  Vol.  i.  p.  404,  New  Series,)  and  three  indi- 
viduals have  subsequently  been  procured  in  these  counties.  In  the 
former,  one  in  mature  plumage  was  shot  at  £clilinville,  late  in  the 
autumn  about  fifteen  years  ago,  and  in  the  latter,  an  adult  male  was 
killed  at  Beechmount,  near  Belfast,  in  November  1826.  This  latter 
is  preserved  in  Dr  J.  D.  Marshall's  collection.  A  second  indivi- 
dual was  in  company  with  it,  and*  remained  about  the  place  for  a 
few  weeks  afterwards.  Near  the  same  locality,  another  shrike  was 
shot  during  the  few  days  of  frost  that  prevailed  at  the  end  of  Janu- 
ary 1835.  One  has  been  mentioned  to  me  as  obtained  near  Mul- 
lingar,  in  Westmeath,  and  two  in  the  county  Dublin.  Of  these  lat- 
ter, one  was  killed  on  Shankill  mountain  in  1822,  or  1823,  and  the 
other  in  the  Phoenix  Park  about  1831.  I  have  been  informed  that 
it  has  occurred  in  Tipperary  more  than  once,  and  Mr  R.  Ball  tells 
me  that  he  has  seen  a  specimen  which  was  shot  near  the  city  of 
Cork  in  1824. 

I  cannot  say  whether  this  species  has  ever  bred  in  Ireland.  (See 
Selby's  111.  Brit.  Orn.  Vol.  i.  p.  148,  2d  ed.,  and  Journal  of  a  Na- 


426  Contributions  to  the 

turalist,  p.  187>  3d  ed.)  The  respective  dates  of  its  occurrence  else- 
where than  in  the  north  are  unknown  to  me. 

The  Spotted  Fly-catcher, — Muscicapa  grisola,  Linn. — Is  a 
regular  summer  visitant  to  the  north-east  of  Ireland,  and  probahly 
to  suitable  localities  throughout  the  country,  though  it  has  been  but 
little  noticed.  From  the  dulness  of  its  plumage,  want  of  song,  and 
its  weak  call  being  seldom  heard,  it  is  certainly  one  of  the  least  ob- 
trusive of  our  birds  ;  the  period  of  its  arrival  too,  being  prolonged 
until  the  trees  have  put  forth  their  ''  leafy  honours,"  fuller  serves 
to  screen  it  from  observation. 

It  is  the  latest  of  the  summer  birds,  appearing  in  the  neighbour- 
hood of  Belfast  about  the  12th  of  May,  and  remaining  till  autumn 
is  far  advanced.  In  addition  to  the  ordinary  places  selected  for  nidi« 
fication  here,  as  holes  in  walls  and  trees,  &^.  I  have  seen  a  nest 
resting  in  part  upon  an  aperture  in  a  wall,  and  partly  on  the  branch 
of  a  fig  tree  trained  against  it.  An  observant  friend  has  remarked, 
that  one  which  he  saw  placed  against  the  unglazed  window  of  an 
out-house  was  so  covered  with  cobwebs  inside  and  out,  that  no  other 
material  was  visible.  In  another  instance,  the  parent  bird  was  very 
bold  on  its  nest  being  approached,  flying  angrily  so  near  the  intruder, 
that  it  might  almost  have  been  struck  by  his  hand.  The  Rev.  Tho- 
mas Knox  informs  me,  that  the  spotted  fly-catcher  breeds  about 
Killaloe,  (county  Clare,)  and  he  supposes  has  occasionally  either  two 
broods,  or  builds  a  second  time  if  the  first  nest  be  destroyed,  as  on 
the  1st  of  August  1833,  he  saw  one  sitting  on  young  birds,  though 
on  the  8th  of  June  m  the  previous  year,  he  knew  a  brood  to  have 
been  hatched.  On  this  subject  see  White's  Selborne,  p.  179,  ed. 
1837>  and  Journal  of  a  Naturalist,  p.  207- 

The  Water-Ouzel — Cinclus  aquaticus,  Bechst. — Is  as  gene- 
rally distributed  over  Ireland,  as  I  may  say  from  personal  observa- 
tion, it  is  in  suitable  localities  in  England,  Wales,  or  Scotland. 
With  the  romantic  and  picturesque  in  scenery  this  bird  is  associat- 
ed, frequenting  the  stream  only  so  far  as  it  can  boast  of  such  charming 
accompaniments  ;  whenever  it  descends  to  the  lowlands,  to  move 
sluggishly  through  the  plain,  the  water- ouzel  forsakes  it  to  continue 
in  its  upland  haunts.  By  Montagu  and  Selby  it  is  described  mere- 
ly as  a  very  early  songster ;  but  in  the  north  of  Ireland  its  song  is 
occasionally  heard  at  all  seasons ;  and  indeed  most  frequently  in  the 
winter  months,  the  bright  mornings  and  forenoons  that  occur  dur- 
ing the  most  severe  frost  and  snow,  have  always  seemed  to  me  the 

4 


Natural  History  of  Ireland,  429 

favourite  time.    I  have  heard  it  sing  when  flying  at  a  great  height^ 
as  well  as  when  perched  just  above  the  water. 

It  is  remarked  by  Mr  Selby,  that  the«e  birds  are  seen  '*  always 
on  the  margin  of  the  stream,  or  perched  in  their  particular  attitude 
on  some  projecting  stone  in  the  middle  of  the  water,"  and  thus  are 
they  characteristically  represented  in  his  splendid  ''  Illustrations  of 
British  Ornithology/'  as  well  as  by  Bewick,  whose  vignette  more 
especially  exhibits  the  species  in  its  ''  rightful  place"  in  connection 
with  the  scenery  depicted  ;  but  about  the  ponds  at  Wolf  hill,  an  ele- 
vated situation  near  Belfast,  and  where  they  have  chiefly  come  un- 
der my  observation,  the  willows  tliat  fringe  the  banks  are  their  con- 
stant perch. 

The  first  nest  of  this  bird  I  remarked  was  placed  in  a  hole  in 
the  clayey  bank  of  a  pond,  where,  owing  to  the  shelter  aflforded,  ' 
there  was  no  occasion  for  the  display  of  its  domed  architecture, 
and  this  was  consequently  dispensed  with.  This  nest  contained  four 
eggs,  from  which  three  young  were  produced.  As  soon  as  these 
were  fledged,  they  were  to  be  seen  early  every  morning,  accompani- 
ed by  their  parents  about  the  same  pond,  some  singing,  others  div- 
ing from  the  rail  on  which  they  were  perched  into  the  water,  none  of 
them  for  a  moment  at  rest ;  but  when  neither  diving  nor  singing,  going 
through  the  most  grotesque  and  amusing  evolutions.  Thus  were  they  a 
highly  interesting  group,  presenting  quite  a  picture  of  social  happiness. 
Similar  playfulness  of  manner  I  have  frequently  witnessed,  though 
from  being  generally  seen  singly,  the  species  is  regarded  as  unsocial. 
In  autumn,  at  a  favourite  haunt,  I  once  saw  a  water-ouzel  seated  on 
a  large  stone  singing,  and  jerking  about  its  head  most  ludicrously, 
whilst  a  second  individual  moved  in  a  saltatory  manner  round  the 
base  of  the  stone.  The  following  note  by  a  relative,  who  is  an  ac- 
Ql^rate  observer,  also  illustrates  the  same  trait  :  ''  On  the  26th  Sep- 
tember,* a  pair  of  water-  ouzels,  at  the  upper  pond  of  Wolf  hill,  plung- 
ed several  times  into  the  water,  which  was  some  feet  deep,  and  remain- 
ed, moving  about  in  it  with  only  their  heads  above  the  surface  ;  twice 
one  of  them  disappeared  altogether  for  a  few  seconds ;  they  then 
pursued  each  other  round  the  pond,  alighted,  when  one  of  them 
sang,  and  they  repeated  over  again  several  times  all  these  manoeu- 
vres." Of  five  other  sites  observed  to  be  selected  for  nidification  in 
this  neighbourhood,  three  were  in  the  fissures  of  rocks  close  to  the 
finest  cascades  of  our  mountain  streams.  One  of  them  was  tastefully 
placed  oil  a  niche  near  the  summit  of  a  waterfall  of  30  feet,  the 
rock  directly  above  it  rising  to  such  an  elevation  as  to  render  it 

*  The  date  is  mentioned,  |o  show  that  they  are  not  any  of  the  captivating  arts 
prf  ceding  the  nuptial  season. 


430  Contributions  to  the 

inaccessible.  Here  the  nest  was  very  large^  formed  of  moss^  and 
of  the  regular  doihed  structure,  upon  which  the  spray  from  the  cas- 
cade seldom  ceased  to  beat,  the  water  flowing  over  the  rock  being 
only  about  two  feet  distant.  This,  however,  I  fear,  caused  the  de- 
sertion of  the  nest,  as  it  was  abandoned  before  the  production  of  a 
brood  ;  it  was  not  completed  until  the  20th  of  April.  On  the  27th 
of  the  same  month  in  a  subsequent  year,  a  nest  containing  young, 
and  lined  with  the  dried  stalks  of  grass,  and  a  few  leaves,  was  ob> 
served  at  the  side  of  a  rock  bordering  a  stream,  and  elevated  a  foot 
only  above  its  surface.  A  fifth  was  placed  in  the  hole  of  a  wall  be- 
side an  artificial  fall*  of  the  river  Lagan.  Throughout  the  breeding 
season  of  1832,  a  pair  of  these  birds  frequented  a  shade  erected  over 
a  large  mill-wheel  of  nearly  forty  feet  diameter,  at  Wolf  hill,  where 
it  was  presumed  they  had  a  nest,  though  in  such  a  place  it  was  im- 
possible to  discover  it.  Their  appearance  emerging  firom  this  gloomy 
and  dark  abode  often  caused  surprise,  especially  when  they  sallied 
forth  between  the  arms  of  the  gigantic  wheel  when  in  motion,  a 
state  in  which  it  was  almost  constantly. 

The  stomachs  of  two  individuals  which  I  examined  in  the  month 
of  December  contained  only  the  remains  of  the  larvae  of  aquatic 
coleopiera,  and  one  in  January  exhibited  but  the  fragments  of  in- 
sects. The  stomach  of  one  examined  in  October  was,  excepting  two 
full-sized  dorsal  spines  of  a  three-spined  stickleback,  (Gasterosteus,) 
filled  with  the  remains  of  Crustacea.  A  person  who  has  had  ample 
opportunities  of  observing  the  species,  states,  that  from  shallow 
water  he  has  often  seen  it  bring  the  larvae  of  phryganetB,  and 
break  their  cases  on  a  stone  to  get  at  the  contained  animal.  I  have 
repeatedly  seen  this  bird  dive  into  a  pond  of  clear  spring- water  ten 
feet  in  depth. 

As  several  authors  to  whose  works  I  have  just  referred  differ  in 
their  descriptions  of  the  colour  of  the  water-ouzel's  legs,  it  may  be 
remarked,  that  two  mature  specimens  particularly  inspected  by  me 
had  the  entire  front  (and  it  only)  of  the  tarsi  and  upper  side  of 
the  toes  of  a  whitish  colour,  being  in  general  appearance  like  the 
clouded  or  opaque  part  of  a  quill :  all  the  rest  was  blackish,  t 

*  To  take  a  ii^ider  illustration  than  fa^land  can  afford  of  its  partiaiity  to  fall* 
ing  waters,  it  maybe  remarked,  that  on  the  Rhine  between  Cologne  and  Scbaoff. 
hausen  only  once  did  this  bird  attract  my  attention,  and  then  it  was  at  the  great 
fall  near  the  latter  city.  On  the  sublime  alpine  torrents  of  Switzerland  it  isal. 
ways  attendant ;  and  about  the  fall  of  Velino,  near  Terni,  in  Italy,  said  to  sur. 
pass  all  other  European  cataracts  in  the  beauty  of  its  surrounding  scenery,  either 
three  or  four  of  these  birds  appeared  to  me  aC  one  view. 

t  Mr  Selby  having  remarked  that  the  water-ouzel  is  "  probably"  met  with  in 
Derbyshire,  it  may  be  added,  that  I  never  saw  the  species  more  plentiful  any 


Natural  History  of  Irelarul  431 

The  Missel-Thrush — Turdus  viscivorus,  Linn.-»Ha8  of  late 
years  extended  its  locality  in  Ireland,  as  in  other  parts  of  the  Bri- 
tish islands,  and  is  now  found  throughout  the  country.  Previous  to 
the  dast  twenty  years,  it  was  very  partially  known,  but  now,  from 
the  southern  counties  of  Clare,  Kerry,  Cork,  and  Tipperary,  my 
correspondents  attest  its  gradual  increase,  though  in  some  of  them 
it  has  been  known  for  a  very  few  years.  To  the  extreme  north- 
west it  has  penetrated,  and  although  in  Down  and  Antrim  it  was 
at  the  earliest  period  alluded  to,  confined  to  the  richly  wooded  val- 
leys, it  now  inhabits  the  plantations  far  as  they  stretch  towards  the 
mountain  tops. 

Like  some  others  of  the  genus,  the  missel-thrush  is  in  England 
considered  only  as  an  ear]y  songster,  but,  with  the  exception  of  the 
moulting  season,  its  song  may  be  heard  in  Ireland  at  every  period 
of  the  year.  Within  the  first  fortnight  of  December  1832,  I  have 
notes  of  its  singing  on  five  different  days. 

The  missel-thrush's  nest  is  gc^ierally  most  conspicuous,  being  in 
every  instance  that  it  has  occurred  to  me  placed  in  the  forkmg  or 
junction  of  the  main  stem^  or  branches  of  trees,  whether  these  be 
wholly  bare  or  clothed  with  cryptogamic  vegetation.  In  young 
plantations,  rising  from  twenty  to  thirty  feet,  I  have  frequently 
seen  it.  May  it  not  be  on  account  of  this  exposed  site,  which  ac- 
cording to  the  dictates  of  nature,  is  selected,  that  this  species  is  at 
the  same  time  endowed  with  the  extraordinary  courage  and  perse- 
verance manifested  in  the  protection  of  its  nest  ?  Often  have  I 
seen  a  pair  of  these  birds  driving  ofF  magpies,  and  occasionally  fight- 
ing against  four  of  them.  On  one  occasion,  a  pair  of  hooded  crows 
(Corvus  cornix)  joined,  or  it  may  be  followed  in  the  wake  of  a  pair 
of  magpies,  in  their  assault  on  a  nest  at  the  ",  Falls,"  when  the 
thrushes  were  unfortunately  routed.  By  an  ornithological  friend,  a 
pair  of  these  birds  was  seen  pursuing  a  kestrel  (Falco  tinnunculus) 
that  approached  their  nest, — though  probably  without  any  felonious 
intent — ^when  one  of  them  struck  it  several  times,  and  was  as  often 
foiled  in  the  attempt  by  the  hawk  suddenly  rising  to  avoid  the  com- 
ing blow.  Respecting  the  pilfering  propensity  of  the  missel-thrush, 
I  may  mention  that  a  few  years  ago  a  lady  residing  near  Ballymena 
lost  a  lace-cap  in  spring,  when  out  drying  ,*  in  autumn,  when  the 
leaves  began  to  fall,  something  white  appeared  in  one  of  the  trees> 
and  on  inspection  proved  to  be  the  cap  that  had  been  used  by  one  of 
these  birds  in  the  construction  of  its  nest.     In  another  instance,  a 

where  than  in  that  county,  especially  about  the  romantic  Dove,  and  the  river 
at  Matlock. 


432  Contributions  to  the 

similar  depredation,  but  of  a  minor  degree  of  turpitude,  was  com- 
mitted last  summer  ;  a  narrow  piece  of  net,  a  yard  in  length,  having 
been  carried  off  when  bleaching,  and  afterwards,  in  my  presence, 
found  composing  part  of  the  nest  of  a  bird  of  this  species. 

As  soon  as  the  breeding  season  is  over,  these  birds  assemble  either 
in  families,  or  large  flocks,  and  are  very  destructive  to  the  fruit  in 
certain  gardens  and  orchards  dbout  Belfast.     On  the  5th  of  July,  I 
once  saw  two  or  three  families  congregated ;  and  on  the  1st  of  August 
1832,  my  friend  at  the  "  Falls"  reckoned  fifty-four  in  a' flock  at 
his  garden,  where,  during  the  month,  they  consumed  almost  the  en- 
tire crop  of  raspberries.    Several  of  the  young  birds  were  caught  in 
rat-traps  baited  with  this  fruit.     Towards  the  end  of  August  this 
same  year,  they  resorted  in  such  numbers  to  an  orchard,  containing 
the  most  venerable  fruit-trees  in  the  neighbourhood,  that  on  one 
morning,  twenty-six,  and  on  the  next,  seventeen  of  them  were  shot, 
and,  with  one  or  two  exceptions,  singly  :  here  late  cherries  were  the 
attraction.     Missel -thrushes  were  this  year  more  than  ordinarily 
abundant.    In  1833,  the  report  of  the  gardener  at  the  ''  Falls"  was 
not,  however,  very  satisfactory — that  since  they  had  eaten  the  great- 
er part  of  the  raspberries,  and  had  cleared  the  trees  of  the  late  crop 
of  cherries,  he  had  not  seen  many.     I  have  been  thus  particular,  as 
similar  depredations  on  the  part  of  this  species  have  not  been  related 
in  any  ornithological  work  with  which  I  am  acquainted.     In  his 
"  History  of  Selborne,"  White  remarks,  that  "  missel- thrashes  do 
not  destroy  the  fruit  in  our  gardens  like  other  species  of  Turdi," 
and  on  this  passage  not  one  of  his  numerous  commentators  has  made 
an  observation.     In  an  anonymous  contribution  to  the  Magazine  of 
Natural  History,  facts  similar  to  these  I  have  brought  forward  are 
recorded.    (Vol.  iv.  p.  184.) 

The  8toma«hs  of  two  individuals,  examined  by  me  in  January 
and  September,  contained  the  remains  of  coleopterous  insects  in  ad- 
dition to  vegetable  food. 

The  Fibldfare — Turdus  pilaris,  Lfcn — Is  a  regular  winter 
visitant  to  Ireland,  appearing  in  the  north  towards  the  end  of  Octo- 
ber. Its  departure  is  occasionally  prolonged  until  a  late  period. 
On  the  evening  of  the  7th  May  1836,  my  friend,  William  Sinclaire, 
Esq.  at  his  residence,  "  The  Falls'*,  near  Belfast,  observed  a  large 
flock  migrating  in  a  north-east  direction,  and  heard  them  calling  as 
they  passed  overhead.  He  considers  that  they  were  on  their  way 
from  some  distant  locality,  as  none  had  been  seen  in  his  neighbour- 
hood for  some  time  before ;  but  when  the  season  was  as  far  advanced 


Natural  History  of  Ireland.  433 

in  the  very  late  spring  of  1837,  they  still  frequented  their  winter 
qnarters,  the  great  body  of  them  remaining  longer  than  ever  before 
known  to  him.  I  am  likewise  informed  that  they  remained  in  the 
county  of  Kerry  last  spring  until  the  end  of  April,  a  period  later' 
than  had  before  been  observed.  With  respect  to  his  present  neigh- 
bourhood, and  that  of  K^aloe,  his  fomer  residence,  the  Rev.  Thomas 
Knox  of  Toomavarat,  remarks  in  a  letter  to  me,  that  the  fieldfares 
are  not  so  numerous,  and  are  always  later  in  appearing  than  the 
redwings,  and  that  if  the  weather  be  mild,  they  retire  for  weeks  t(^e- 
ther,  though  in  the  depth  of  winter,  but  one  or  two  nights  of  frost 
are  certain  to  bring  them  back  again.  When  they  disappear  he  thinks 
they  visit  the  mountains.  Such  are  their  habits  in  the  north,  as  in 
the  open  weather  they  frequent  the  upland  districts,  but  are  driven 
to  thelowlandsby  frost  and  snow,  (see  Journal  of  a  Naturalist,  p.  259, 
third  ed.  for  the  opposite  procedure.)  Their  favourite  haunts 
around  Belfast  are  the  fields  skirting  the  base,  and  most  nearly  ap- 
proximating the  mountains,  more  especially  if  surrounded  by  tall 
white- thorn  hedges  that  for  the  sake  of  shelter  have  been  permitted 
to  grow  to  maturity  in  a  state  of  unpruned  and  wild  luxuriance. 

When  returning  at  a  late  hour  from  hunting,  I  have  several  times 
in  the  short  days  of  winter  raised  flocks  of  fieldfares  that  were  roost- 
ing near  the  summit  of  heath-clad  hills  considerably  distant  from 
their  daily  haunts,  as  well  as  from  any  hedges  or  plantations.  A 
valued  friend  and  correspondent  states  that  he  once  saw  a  flock  of 
about  five  hundred  perched  for  the  night  on  a  spruce- fir  near  Youghal. 

That  fieldfares  generally,  as  in  England,  leave  the  northern  parts 
of  this  country  when  a  severe  frost  sets  gradually  in,  I  have  little 
doubt,  from  having  at  such  times  remarked  their  scarcity.  Though 
the  species  is  naturally  wild  and  difficult  of  approach,  such  indivi- 
duals as  remain  behin'd  suffer  so  sei^erely,  perhaps  from  cold,  in  ad- 
dition to  the  want  of  food,  as  to  become  easy  victims  to  the  most 
juvenile  sportsmen. 

As  a  difference  of  opinion  exists  among  authors  on  the  subject  of 
the  fieldfare's  food,  I  give  the  contents  of  the  stomachs  of  six  indi- 
viduals that  I  have  examined,  and  which  were  killed  at  various 
times  and  places  during  two  seasons.  Of  these  one  contained  two 
limacelliy  (internal  shells  of  naked  snails  belonging  to  the  genus  Li* 
max,  Linn.)  the  remains  of  coleopterous  insects,  and  some  vegetable 
matter ;  with  this  last  substance  only  the  second  was  supplied ; 
the  third  was  filled  with  oats  alone,  though  the  weather  had  been 
mild  for  some  time  before,  and  when  it  was  shot ;  the  fourth  con- 
tained worn^s  and  bits  of  grass  ;  these  last,  together  with  pieces  of 


4>d4  Contributioffs  to  the 

straw  and  the  husks  of  grain^  were  found  in  the  fifths — ^the  weather 
was  severe  and  frosty  for  a  week  previously ;  and  the  sixth  was  stor- 
ed with  the  husks  and  a  grain  of  oats. 

The  Song  Thrush — Turdus  muticug,  Linn. — Is  very  oommon 
throughout  this  country,  in  which  it  is  permanently  resident.  Al- 
though I  have  seen  flocks  of  thrushes  late  in  autumn,  I  agree  with 
Mr  Selby,  that  it  is  not  our  indigenous  birds  that  so  congregate, 
but  that  these  bodies  are  on  their  migration  from  more  northern 
countries ;  confirmative  of  which  there  seems  not  any  diminution  of 
the  species  in  its  accustomed  haunts,  nor  are  these  flocks  seen,  except 
for  a  short  time  at  a  particular  season. 

In  England  the  thrush  is  considered  only  as  an  early  songster, 
beginning  its  melody  at  earliest  by  the  ^nd  of  January,  (Selby,)  and 
continuing  it  until  July,  (Jenyns,)  but  in  Ireland,  where  our  winters 
are  milder,  its  song  is  in  the  north,  with  the  exception  of  the  time 
of  moulting,  continued  in  fine  weather  throughout  the  year,  and,  as 
if  it  felt  the  winter  day  too  brief,  its  melody  ceases  not  even  when 
the  sun  goes  down.  By  reference  to  memoranda,  it  appears  that  in 
December  1831,  I  heard  it  at  Wolf  hill,  on  the  5th,  30  minutes,  on 
the  I9th,  40  minutes,  and  on  the  26th,  45  minutes  after  sunset. 
In  summer,  too,  indeed,  its  notes  are  sometimes  prolonged  until  a  late 
hour.  On  the  27th  of  May,  I  once  heard  them  at  half  past  nine  o'clock 
p.  M. ;  and  a  friend  informs  me,  that  about  midsummer  he  on  one 
occasion  heard  them,  in  this  neighbourhood  also,  at  a  quarter  to  ten 
o'clock  p.  M.  In  June  1  have  listened  to  its  song  so  early  as  a  quar- 
ter past  two  o'clock  a.  m.  When  travelling  in  the  month  of  Juneover 
a  very  wild  mountain  tract  between  Cushendall  and  Ballycasde, 
(co.  Antrim,)  covered  with  heath,  and  having  no  trees  within  miles 
of  it,  I  heard  two  thrushes  singing  ;  the  nearer  one,  which  I  saw  and 
listened  to  for  some  time,  was  perched  on  a  ragweed  (Senecio  Ja- 
cobasa)  that  overtopped  the  heath.  The  next  day  I  saw  one  at  a 
still  wilder  place,  near  the  summit  of  the  promontory  of  Fairhead. 

The  favourite  site  of  the  thrush's  nest  in  the  north  of  Ireland  is 
in  evergreen  shrubs,  and  young  trees,  and  in  beech  hedges,  yet  even 
where  these  abound,  it  not  unfrequently  prefers  placing  it  in  the 
holes  of  walls  and  beneath  the  roofs  of  sheds.  In  one  of  the  latter 
situations  I  knew  a  pair  to  build  on  the  top  of  a  beam  for  three  suc- 
cessive summers,  though  this  house  was  in  the  midst  of  shruberries 
and  plantations.  A  relative,  who  has  attended  much  to  the  nidi* 
fication  of  birds,  found  the  nest  of  a  thrush  containing  five  ^gs,  on 
the  ground  in  a  meadow,  with  grass  about  two  fleet  high  waving 


Natural  History  of  Ireland.  435 

over  it.  This  aliso  was  at  a  place  abounding  in  the  ordinary  situations 
that  are  selected.  This  same  person  once  saw  a  nest  in  a  pear  tree 
in  a  well-kept  garden^  where  mosses  were  scarce,  that,  excepting  the 
inner  coat  of  plaster,  was  entirely  formed  of  hay.  The  thrush  has 
commonly  a  second  brood.  I  have  several  memoranda  of  young 
birds  being  unfledged  late  in  August.  The  following  remarkable 
instance  of  fecundity,  &c.  which  seems  worthy  of  being  fully  de- 
tailed>  has  been  furnished  me  by  Mr  Edward  Benn,  an  accurate 
observer : — Very  early  in  1836,  a  thrush  built  her  nest  in  a  beech 
hedge  in  our  garden,  at  Saul,  near  Downpatrick.  When  the  leaves 
were  blown  from  the  beech  by  the  gales  of  early  spring,  she  was 
quite  exposed  to  view,  but  on  perceiving  herself  looked  at  remained 
on  the  nest  without  being  disturbed.  We  commenced  feeding  her 
with  worms,  which,  to  avoid  startling  her  by  a  too  near  approach, 
were  offered  on  the  end  of  a  long  rod ;  then  with  bread,  which  was 
taken  from  the  hand ;  she  was  now  as  tame  as  a  domestic  fowl* 
There  were  three  young.  When  these  were  fledged  a  second  nest 
was  formed  near  the  same  place,  and  now  she  fed  as  before,  but  in 
a  bolder  manner.  There  were  in  this  instance  five  young.  When 
these  were  well  grown,  so  as  to  fill  the  nest,  she  would  perch  on  the 
edge,  and  feed  from  the  hand,  allow^her  plumage  to  be  stroked,  but 
if  too  much  disturbed,  became  noisy,  and  struck  with  her  wings  at 
the  intruder.  When  this  brood  could  provide  for  themselves,  a 
third  nest  was  constructed,  when  the  same  part  was  repeated,  and 
five  young  produced.  These  gone,  she  built  a  fourth  nest  at  the  far* 
ther  end  of  the  hedge  from  the  house,  but  on  going  to  feed  her  here 
one  morning  as  usual,  she  appeared  in  great  consternation  on  the 
bank,  and  the  nest  was  found  torn  to  pieces.  A  day  or  two  after- 
wards she  began  the  erection  of  a  fifth,  and,  evidently  for  the  sake 
of  protection,  this  time  chose  a  site  quite  close  to  the  house.  On  this 
occasion  four  young  got  off  in  safety,  after  which  we  saw  her  no  more. 
Thus  seventeen  young  altogether  were  produced.  Thirty  persons 
at  least  witnessed  what  is  here  related,  and  fed  the  bird  in  her  nest* 
She  was  indifferent  to  the  presence  of  strangers. 

Although  thrushes  are  very  destructive  to  our  cherries  and  other 
fruits,  the  admiration  in  which  their  song  is  held  generally  pleads 
so  strongly  in  their  favour  as  to  save  them  from  destruction.  In  a 
friend's  garden  near  Belfast,  I  have  known  a  few  of  them  to  forfeit 
their  lives  by  eating  of  the  fruit,  with  which  traps  were  baited  for 
blackbirds.  In  the  hothouse  at  this  same  place,  the  gardener  one 
day  caught  a  few  of  them  regaling  on  his  grapes.  By  several  Bri- 
tish authors,  the  Helix  nemoralis  is  particularized  as  a  favourite  re« 

yOL.II.NO.il.  Gg 


436  Contributions  to  the 

])ast  with  this  species,  to  which  one  author  adds  the  HeL  hortenns, 
(Jour,  of  a  Nat.  p.  339,)  and  another  the  HeL  lucida,  (Wem.  Mem. 
Vol.  iii.  p.  180>)  but  its  predilection  for  such  food  is  far  from  being  li- 
mited to  these  species.  1  he  beautiful  Helix  arbustorum,  whose 
delicate  shell  is  much  more  easily  broken  than  either  of  the  others, 
is  an  especial  fiavourite ;  but  this  species  is  not  by  any  means  so  ge- 
nerally distributed,  particularly  as  the  first  mentioned.  So  eagerly 
is  it  sought  for  by  the  thrush,  and  probably  also  by  the  blackbird, 
that  in  some  localities,  when  the  fragments  of  shells  they  had  broken 
first  announced  to  me  its  contiguity,  I  have  found  it  difficult  to  ob- 
tain specimens  after  their  successful  foraging. 

In  addition  to  the  naked  or  externally  shelless  snails,  insects, 
seeds,  &c.  the  smaller  Helices  and  other  land  shells  form  in  winter 
a  very  considerable  portion  of  the  thrush's  food.  From  a  single 
stomach  I  have  taken  the  Helix  cellaria^  H»  pura,  and  H.  radiata, 
in  addition  to  Limacelli ;  and  have  similarly  met  with  the  Bulimus 
lubricus. 

Rbdwino — Turdus  iliacns,  Linn. — The  migration  of  this  species, 
like  that  of  the  fieldfare,  extends  every  winter  over  Ireland.  In 
the  north  they  generally  arrive  early  in  (October,  and  remain  until 
the  beginning  or  middle  of  April ;  until  the  end  of  this  month  they 
delayed  in  the  late  spring  of  1837-  v  About  Killaloe,  I  am  informed 
that  their  average  arrival  is  in  the  first  week  of  November.  In 
Kerry  the  redwing  is  reported  to  me  as  more  common  than  the 
fieldfare,  and  in  the  north  it  likewise  prevails  numerically  over  this 
species.  What  has  been  said  a  page  or  two  back  on  the  haunts  and 
occasional  migration  of  the  fieldfare  equally  applies  to  the  red- 
wing. In  the  severe  winter  of  1813  these  birds  were  so  reduced 
about  Youghal  that  my  informant  killed  several  of  both  species  with 
a  stick  thrown  from  the  hand.  In  the  north,  I  am  told,  this  winter 
was  remarkably  fatal  to  birds  generally. 

In  fine  weather,  and  chiefly  towards  spring,  a  flock  of  redwings 
from  a  hedge  or  plantation  sometimes  delights  us  with  a  most  agree- 
able concert,  and  a  single  bird  occasionally  utters  a  few  melodious 
notes.  A  young  friend  resident  at  Cromac,  near  Belfast,  who  states 
that  he  has  often  heard  single  redwings  sing  their  favourite  tune, 
being  early  in  the  morning  and  forenoon,  compares  what  he  desig- 
nates their  song  to  that  of  the  gray  linnet,  (Fringilla  cannabina,) 
and  remarks,  that  it  is  always  in  a  low  subdued  tone ;  but  from  what 
we  read  of  their  melody  in  their  native  forests,  they  are  called  the 


Ncifural  History  of  Ireland.  437 

nightingale  of  Norway.  *  What  is  here  mentioned  seems  to  me  no- 
thing more  than  a  repetition  of  their  notes,  or  what  bird-fanciers 
call  ^*  recording." 

Of  the  stomachs  of  three  redwings  opened  by  me,  one  in  January 
contained  the  remains  of  insects,  two  shells  of  HeUx  cellaria  and 
one  of  H,  radiala  ;  two  in  December  exhibited  worms,  vegetable 
food,  (chiefly  bits  of  grass,)  remains  of  cloeopterous  insects,  and  se- 
reral  Limaceili ;  one  had  in  addition  two  of  the  Bulimus  lubricus, 
a  Helix  hispida,  and  three  of  H,  rufesceru  .•  of  these  shells  some 
were  perfect. 

The  common  name  of  this  species  in  the  north  is  ''  small  Felt," 
in  contradistinction  to  the  fieldfare,  which  is  called  '^  big  or  pigeon 
Felt." 

Thb  Blackbird — Turdus  merula,  Linn. — Is  constantly  resi- 
dent, and  very  common  in  Ireland.  The  indigenous  birds  do  not 
oongr^ate,  nor  have  I  heard  of  flocks  being  ever  seen  on  their  mi« 
gration  from  the  north  of  Europe  in  any  part  of  this  country,  as 
they  appear  in  England.  (See  Selby's  111.  of  Brit.  Orn.  Vol.  i.  p.  167, 
2d.  ed.)  They  are  indeed  stated  to  be  more  numerous  about  Tra- 
lee  (co.  Kerry)  in  winter  than  in  summer,  but  their  comparative 
scarcity  in  the  latter  season  is  attributed  by  my  correspondent  to 
the  want  of  woods  and  thickets  wherein  to  nestle.  In  the  middle 
of  June,  I  have  heard  the  blackbird  sing  as  early  in  the  morning  as 
a  quarter  past  two  o'clock.  Thomas  Walker  Junior,  Esq.  of  Bel- 
mont, Wexford,  remarks  in  a  letter  to  me,  dated  November  1836, 
that  "  last  year  numbers  of  people  went  to  Mr  Boxwell's  of  Lyn* 
gestown,  to  hear  a  blackbird  in  his  shrubberries  that  clapped  his 
wings  and  crew  like  a  bantam  cock.  The  circumstance  was  mention- 
ed in  several  newspapers  at  the  time."  A  similar  fact  is  particu- 
larly described  in  the  Magazine  of  Natural  History,  Vol.  iv.  p.  433. 

In  the  north  of  Ireland,  they  are  very  destructive  to  fruits  of  al- 
most every  kind  ;  even  apples  when  fallen  to  the  ground  suflfer 
much  irom  them.  To  the  earlier  fruits  in  a  fHend*s  garden  near 
Belfast  they  were  so  injurious  in  the  autumn  of  1833,  that  he  had 
recourse  to  the  common  rat  trap  for  their  destruction.  It  was  bait- 
ed with  currants,  cherries,  and  early  peas,  and  although  exposed  to 
view,  f  forty  of  these  birds  soon  fell  victims  to  it,  and  at  the  same 

•  Mag.  ZooL  and  Bot  VoL  ii.  p.  312. 

f  For  many  species,  such  as  the  magpie,  hooded  crow,  &c.  it  requires  to  be 
concealed,  the  bait  only  being  exposed  to  view. 


438  ContribtUions  to  the  « 

time  three  thrushes  shared  a  similar  &te.  When  a  cherry  and 
pear  were  placed  on  the  trap^  the  former  was^  always  prefered 
to  the  pear.  All  of  these  birds  but  one  were  caught  by  the  neck, 
thus  proving  that  it  was  in  the  act  of  eating  the  fruit  they  were 
secured. 

On  observing  some  plants  in  the  Belfast  Botanic  Garden  in  Janu- 
ary last,  that  had  been  much  injured  by  birds,  I  learned  cmi  inquiry 
from  the  curator,  that  he  had  seen  blackbirds  tearing  up  different 
species  of  saxifrage,  even  in  mild  weather  ;  and  I  saw  plants  of  the 
Saxifraga  pedatifida  and  S.  triddctylites,  of  which  hardly  a  fragment 
remained,  though  each  had  formed  a  round  clump  at  least  a  yard 
in  diameter ;  beside  these,  I  remarked  a  similarly  large  patch  of  Sax* 
htfpnoides  untouched ;  but  this  species,  I  was  told,  had  elsewhere 
been  attacked  in  the  garden.  In  the  present  instance  it  was  unin- 
jured, apparently  in  consequence  of  fbrming  a  more  unyielding  mass, 
and,  besides,  its  green  surface  foliage  was  so  dense,  that  insects,  &c 
could  hardly  lodge  beneath  it.  In  our  mountain  glens  I  have  in 
winter  observed  tufts  of  the  rein-deer  lichen  (Cladonia  rangiferind) 
lying  strewn  about,  and  inferred  it  was  the  work  of  either  the 
thrush  or  blackbird  in  search  of  food,  and,  from  what  is  just  stated^ 
I  have  little  doubt  of  the  correctness  of  my  inference. 

Ten  of  these  birds  killed  in  November,  December,  and  January 
in  various  years,  the  contents  of  whose  stomachs  I  inspected,  pre- 
sented haws,  coleopterous  and  other  insects  and  their  larvae,  earth 
worms,  limacelli ;  &c.  in  three  of  them  were  land-shells,  one 
alone  producing  six  specimens  of  Bulimus  lubricu^,  and  ten  of  HeUx 
radiata — the  weather  was  mild  when  this  bird  was  obtained,  as  it 
was  when  another  filled  with  haws  was  procured. 

I  have  seen  several  Irish  specimens  of  the  blackbird  variegated 
with  white,  in  some  instances  obviously  the  result  of  disease.  Some 
of  them  had  the  legs  and  toes  also  marked  with  this  colour. 

Toe  Ring  Ouzel — TurduM  torqucUus,  Linn. — ^Extends  its  mi- 
gration in  summer  over  this  country.  It  has  occurred  to  me  in  the 
mountains  of  the  extreme  north-west  in  Donegal,  *  and  at  AchU 
Head,  one  of  the  most  westerly  points  of  Connaught.  In  the  oonntiea 
of  Clare,  Kerry,  Cork,  Waterford,  Tipperary  and  Dublin,  it  ia  stat- 
ed by  correspondents  to  be  met  with ;  and  I  have  seen  it  on  Carling- 
ford  mountain  in  Louth,  as  well  as  in  the  chain  of  Moume  moun- 

*  J.  V.  Stewart,  Esq.  mentions  in  a  letter  to  me,  that  he  has  twice  seen  the 
ring-ouzel  during  winter  in  this  county. 

1 


Natural  History  of  Ireland.  439 

tains^  &c.  in  Down,  and  the  range  of  Belfast  mountains  and  others 
in  Antrim. 

Not  later  than  the  middle  of  April  it  appears  about  Belfast,  ge- 
nerally departs  towards  the  end  of  September,  but  occasionally  re- 
mains until  the  middle  of  October.  Here  commonly  one,  but  in 
some  instances  two  pairs,  frequent  the  wildest  and  most  rocky  parts 
of  every  glen  or  ravine  that  intersects  the  chain  of  mountains  to  the 
westward  of  the  town.  Within  the  distance  of  five  or  six  miles 
there  are  as  many  of  these  localities  resorted  to  by  them,  and  here 
only  are  they  found,  except  at  the  periods  of  their  migratory  move- 
ments. When  walking  in  the  Crow  Glen,  one  of  these  haunts, 
on  a  summer  evening  in  1829,  with  my  pointer  dog  some  paces  in 
advance,  it  was  amusing  to  see  two  ring-ouzels  pursuing  him  with 
their  loudest  cries;  and  approaching  so  near  as  to  strike  the  air 
violently  within  a  few  inches  of  his  head.  Many  an  earnest  and  ex- 
pressive look  the  dog  gave  me,  as  if  desirous  of  advice  in  his  extre- 
mity, but  finding  it  all  in  vain,  at  length  ran  up  to  me,  when  they, 
nothing  daunted,  followed,  and  gave  myself  as  well  as  two  friends 
who  were  with  me,  the  same  salute,  flying  so  near  that  we  could 
almost  have  struck  them  with  our  hands.  At  the  beginning  of  the 
onset,  a  female  bird  appeared,  as  if  inciting  the  males  forward,  and 
remained  so  long  as  they  were  attaining  the  highest  pitch  of  violence, 
and  then  like  another  heroine,  retired  to  a  commanding  eminence 
to  be  '^  spectatress  of  the  fight."  Had  they  been  a  pair  of  birds 
protecting  their  young,  or  assuming  similar  artifice  to  the  lapwing , 
in  withdrawing  attention  ^m  their  nest,  in  which  the  ring-ouzel  is 
also  said  to  be  an  adept,  the  circumstance  would  perhaps  be  un- 
worthy of  notice,  but  they  were  both  male  birds  in  adult  plumage. 
The  chase  of  the  d(^  was  continued  a  considerable  way  down  the 
glen,  and  for  fully  fifteen  or  twenty  minutes. 

The  nest  of  the  ring-ouzel  is  placed  on  the  ground,  and  generally 
on  the  side  either  of  the  shelving  or  precipitous  banks  of  our  moun- 
tain streams.  One  of  those  found  by  a  relative  before  alluded  to, 
was  artfully  set  beneath  an  overhanging  bank,  whose  mosses,  of 
which  materials  the  nest  was  composed,  entirely  concealed  it  from 
ordinary  view. 

The  stomach  of  a  ring-ouzel  which  I  obtained  in  the  middle  of 
September  last,  exhibited  a  quantity  of  the  larvae  of  insects  of  seve- 
ral kinds.  In  the  north  this  species  is  known  by  the  name  of ''  rock 
or  mountain  blackbird." 

Goi«DEN  ORioLE-T-Orto^u^  gulbula,  Linn. — A  bird  described  to 


440  SchombtargKa  Description  of  Victoria  Regina. 

R.  Ball^  Esq.  as  having  frequented  a  garden  at  Middleton^  in  the 
county  of  Cork,  about  the  year  1817>he  is  satisfied  most  have  been 
of  this  species.  From  the  Zoological  Journal  (Vol.  i.  p.  590.)  we 
learn  that  *'  a  specimen  of  the  Oriolus  galbula,  Linn,  was  shot  in  the 
county  of  Wexford  in  May  la&t^  (1828,)  and  is  preserved  in  the  Mu- 
seum of  the  Dublin  Society."  In  the  spring  of  1824,  a  female  of 
this  species  was  shot  by  a  gentleman  of  my  acquaintance  near  Dona- 
ghadee,  in  the  county  of  Down.  A  male  bird  was  soon  afterwards 
seen  about  the  same  place.  *  Near  Arklow,  in  the  county  Wick- 
low,  I  have  been  credibly  informed  that  a  specimen  was  procured 
about  the  summer  of  1827-  In  a  letter  from  Dr  Robert  Graves  of 
Dublin,  to  a  mutual  friend  in  BelfiEist,  dated  November  1830,  it  is 
mentioned  that  a  male  golden  oriole  was  shot  in  the  previous  sum- 
mer by  one  of  his  pupils  in  a  valley  above  one  of  the  bays  of  the 
county  Kerry. 

The  Hbdos  Accentor — Accentor  modularise  Cuv. — Is  very 
common  throughout  Ireland.  It  is  not  confined  to  the  country,  but 
also  takes  up  its  abode  in  the  plantations  about  the  squares,  &c  in 
towns.  From  a  narrow  skirting  of  shrubbery  before  our  house  in  Bel- 
fast, I  have  frequently  heard  its  song  trilled  forth  in  mild  days  dur- 
ing winter.  It  has  always  seemed  to  me  one  of  the  most  peaceable 
of  birds,  but  that  it  can  be  moved  to  enmity,  I  have  the  testimony 
of  a  friend,  who  at  the  end  of  May  once  witnessed  a  fight  between 
two  of  them,  in  which  one  was  killed  ;  the  victor  after  having  slain 
his  antagonist,  twice  or  thrice  uttered  a  song  apparently  of  triumph, 
at  the  finale  of  which  he  each  time  flew  at  and  struck  his  victim. 

The  bill  and  legs  of  the  hedge  accentor  are  occasionally  in  this 
country  covered  with  large  excrescences,  like  those  described  in  the 
Magazine  of  Natural  History,  Vol.  vi.  p.  1.54.  "  Hedge  sparrow"  is 
the  name  applied  to  this  species  in  the  north.  It  is  very  agreeably 
treated  of  in  the  Journal  of  a  Naturalist,  p.  148. 


VII. — Dr  Robert  H.  Schomburgh's  description  ofFictoria  Regina, 
Gray.     Plate  XV. 

Thb  character  of  grandeur  so  peculiar  to  the  productions  of  a  tro- 
pical sun  and  a  humid  climate  is  highly  developed  in  the  object  of 
the  above  description.  The  Holy  Cyamus  or  Pythagorean  Bean 
is  said  to  have  been  derived  from  a  plant  closely  related  to  the 

*  These  are  the  same  individualB  alluded  to  by  Mr  Templeton,  Mag.  Nat. 
Hist,  Vol.  i.  p.  405,  New  Series. 


ScliomburgKs  Description  of  Victoria  Regina.         441 

Kymphacese,  (Nelumbium  speciosum^)  and  not  only  that  it  is  high- 
ly valued  in  India  and  China^  and  cultivated  in  large  ornamental 
pots  in  the  gardens  and  houses  of  the  Mandarins^  but  it  has  been 
held  in  such  high  estimation  that  at  last  it  was  considered  sacred. 
The  description  and  illustrations  which  have  been  transmitted  to  us 
of  this  noble  plant  have  raised  the  desire  in  many  a  botanist  to  see 
it  in  its  native  country.  In  my  rambles  through  the  West  Indian 
Archipelago,  I  had  frequently  met  the  white  water  lily ;  but  the  re- 
mark of  an  eminent  botanist,  that  these  floating  plants  were  entire- 
ly unknown  on  the  continent  of  South  America,  did  not  make  me 
expect  to  find  a  representative  of  that  tribe,  which,  for  the  superior 
grandeur  of  its  leaves,  the  beauty  of  its  flowers,  and  its  fragrance, 
may  be  classed  amongst  the  grandest  productions  of  the  vegetable 
world.  It  was  on  the  Ist  of  January  this  year,  while  contending 
^vith  the  difficulties  nature  opposed  in  different  forms  to  our  pro- 
gress up  the  river  Berbice,  (in  British  Guiana,)  that  we  arrived  at 
a  point  where  the  river  expanded  and  formed  a  currentless  basin. 
Some  object  on  the  southern  extremity  of  this  basin  attracted  my  at- 
tention. It  was  impossible  to  form  any  idea  what  it  could  be,  and, 
animating  the  crew  to  increase  the  rate  of  their  paddling,  shortly 
afterwards  we  were  opposite  the  object  which  had  raised  my  curio- 
sity. A  vegetable  wonder  !  all  calamities  were  forgotten,  I  felt  as 
botanist,  and  felt  myself  rewarded.  A  gigantic  leaf,  from  5  to  6  feet 
in  diameter  ;  salver-shaped,  with  a  broad  rim  of  light  green  above, 
and  a  vivid  crimson  below,  resting  upon  the  water.  Quite  in  cha- 
racter with  the  wonderful  leaf  was  the  luxuriant  flower,  consisting 
ef  many  hundred  petals,  passing  in  alternate  tints  from  pure  white 
to  rose  and  pink.  The  smooth  water  was  covered  with  them,  and 
I  rowed  from  one  to  the  other,  and  observed  always  something  new 
to  admire.  The  leaf  on  its  surface  is  of  a  bright  green,  in  form  al- 
most orbiculate,  with  this  exception,  opposite  its  axis,  where  it  is 
slightly  bent  up.  Its  diameter  measured  from  5  to  6  feet ;  around 
the  whole  margin  extended  a  rim  about  3  to  5  inches  high,  on  the 
inside  light  green,  like  the  surface  of  the  leaf,  on  the  outside,  like 
the  leaf's  lower  part,  of  a  bright  crimson.  The  ribs  are  very  pro- 
minent, almost  an  inch  high,  radiate  from  a  common  centre,  and 
consist  of  eight  principal  ones,  with  a  great  many  others  branching 
off  from  them.  These  are  crossed  again  by  a  raised  membrane,  or 
bands  at  right  angles,  which  gives  the  whole  the  appearance  of,  a 
spider's  web,  and  are  beset  with  prickles ;  the  veins  contain  air  cells 
like  the  petiole  and  flower  stem.  The  divisions  of  the  ribs  and 
bandb  are  visible  on  the  upper  surface  of  the  leaf,  by  which  it  ap- 


44-2  ConiribuHon  towards  a 

pears  areolated.    The  young  leaf  is  convolute^  and  expands   but 
slowly  ;  the  prickly  stem  ascends  with  the  young  leaf  till  it  has 
reached  the  surface ;  by  the  time  it  is  developed  its  own  weight 
depresses  the  stem,  and  it  floats  now  on  the  water.  The  stem  of  the 
flower  is  an  inch  thick  near  the  calix^  and  is  studded  with  sharp 
elastic  prickles,  about  three  quarters  of  an  inch  in  length.  The  calix 
is  four-leaved,  each  upwards  of  7  inches  in  length,  and  3  inches  in 
breadth  ;  at  the  base  they  are  thick,  white  inside,  reddish  brown  and 
prickly  outside.  The  diameter  of  the  calix  is  12  to  23  inches,  on  it 
rests  the  magnificent  flower,  which,  when  fully  developed,  covers 
completely  the  calix  with  its  hundred  petals.     When  it  first  opens, 
it  is  white,  with  pink  in  the  middle,  which  spreads  over  the  whole 
flower,  the  more  it  advances  in  age,  and  it  is  generally  found  the  next 
day  of  pink-colour.    As  if  to  enhance  its  beauty,  it  is  sweet  scent- 
ed.    Like  others  of  its  tribe  it  possesses  a  fleshy  disk,  and  the  petals 
and  stamen  pass   gradually  into  each  other,  and  many  petaioid 
leaves  may  be  observed  which  have  vestiges  of  another.     The  pe- 
tals next  to  the  leaves  of  the  calix  are  fleshy,  and  possess  air-cells, 
which  certainly  must  contribute  to  the  buoyancy  of  the  ^ower. 
The  seeds  of  the  many-celled  fruit  are  numerous,  and  imbedded  in 
a  spongy  substance.     We  met  them  hereafter  frequently,  and  the 
higher  we  advanced  the  more  gigantic  they  became.  We  measured  a 
leaf  which  was  6  feet  5  inches  in  diameter,  its  rim  5^  inches  high, 
and  the  flower  across  15  inches.     The  flower  is  much  injured  by  a 
beetle,  (Triohius,  "  Spec  ?")  which  destroys  completely  the  inner 
part  of  the  disk,  we  have  counted  sometimes  from  20  to  30  in  one 

flower. Extract  of  a  letter  from  Dr  Schomburgk  to  the  Boiani- 

cod  Society  of  London,  IJth  October  1837. 


VIII. — Contribution  towards  a  knowledge  of  the  Crenilahri  (^Cuv.) 
oflrelandy  including  Descriptions  of  Species  apparently  new  to 
Science,*  By  William  Thompson,  Esq.  Vice-President  of 
the  Natural  History  Society  of  Belfast.     Plates  XIII  and  XIV. 

Crenilabrus  TiNCA,  and  C.  Cobnubigub  of  Authors. 

During  the  month  of  September  1 835,  which  I  spent  at  Bangor, 
on  the  coast  of  Down,  I  embraced  the  opportunity  of  examining 
these  species  in  a  recent  state,  as  on  every  calm  day  they  were  in 

«  Read  in  part  to  the  Zoological  Society  of  London  in  June  1837,  when 
ipecipiens  of  all  tbe  species  and  varieties  treated  of  were  exhibited. 


knowledge  of  the  CraiUabri,  443 

about  equal  numbers  caught  by  lads^  fishing  from  the  rocks,  who 
provided  me  with  them. 

This  examination  proved  to  my  satisfaction  that  the  (7.  tinea 
and  C  Comuhictu  are  not  distinct.  The  colour  was  as  commonly 
described^  in  so  far  that  the  smaller  specimens/  up  to  the  length  of 
six  inches, — but  not  all  under  this  size, — ^had  on  the  body  at  the 
base  of  the  caudal  fin  the  black  spot  of  (7.  Comubieu9,  and  the 
larger  ((7.  tinea)  wanted  it;  also^  in  the  former  being  generally 
rather  less  brilliant  in  colour.  Some  specimens  of  an  intermediate 
size,  however,  had  the  above-named  spot  of  an  obscure  brown,  sug- 
gesting, that  this  spot,  originally  black,  may  change  gradually  to 
this  colour,  and  afterwards  become  obliterated, — an  effect  analogous 
to  which,  but  to  a  much  greater  extent,  takes  place,  according  to 
Agassiz,  in  certain  species  of  the  SalmonicUB,  The  dorsal  fin  was 
similar  in  all,  the  spinous  portion  being  marked  alternately  with 
longitudinal  lines  of  green  and  red,  and  the  soft  portion  red,  with 
roundish  green  spots.  In  no  other  marking  or  distribution  of  co- 
lours was  there  any  difference  between  them. 

In  not  one  of  the  many  characters  which  come  under  the  head  of 
*'Jbrm"  was  there  any  difference  ;  the  proportion  of  depth  to  length, 
denticulations  of  pre-K)percle  and  teeth,-{*  being  similar  in  both.  In 
these  characters  Mr  Jenyns  considers  the  C.  linca  and  C,  Comu' 
hicus  differ,  (Man.  Brit.  Vert.  p.  398,)  and  frmn  his  great  accuracy 
there  cannot  be  a  doubt  that  they  did  so  in  the  specimens  he  exa- 
mined ;  but  it  was,  I  presume,  merely  individual,  as  the  differential 
characters  he  has  assigned  to  each  have  occurred  to  me  in  the  other* 

Dr  Fleming  has  brought  these  species  together,  (Brit.  Anim.  p. 
208 ;)  but  we  are  not  informed  whether  it  was  their  general  simi- 
larity, or  an  actual  examination  of  specimens  that  led  him  to  this 
conclusion, 

Mr  Couch  remarks  of  C.  tinea  and  C  Comubieus,  (Mag.  Nat« 
Hist.  Vol.  v.  p.  742,)  that  they  differ  in  size,  shape,  colour,  and  ha- 
bits. The  three  first  differences  have  been  already  dwelt  upon ; 
but  as  to  habits,  I  have  only  circumstantial  evidence  of  their  simi- 

*  hi  the  collection  of  R.  Ball,  Esq.  of  DuUId,  there  are  smaller  specimens 
than  any  obtained  at  Bang^or.  Ten  of  these  which  I  examined,  and  of  which 
seveial  were  about  1  i  inch  long,  had  the  black  spot  conspicuous.  The  largest, 
individual  I  have  seen  with  this  marking  is  8J  inches  in  length.  It  was  procur- 
ed on  the  northern  coast  of  Ireland  in  the  course  of  the  Ordnance  Survey.  • 

f  In  two  Bangor  specimens  of  C  Comubicus  there  are  fourteen  teeth  in  the 
lower  jaw,  a  greater  number  than  which  is  not  possessed  by  any  C.  tinea  1 
examined  with  them.  The  second  row  of  teeth  in  the  upper  jaw  is  most  appa- 
rent in  the  larger  individuals,  or,  in  other  words,  in  C  tiuca. 


444  Contribuiions  towards  a 

larity^  by  the  supposed  two  species  being  taken  in  like  quantity  at 
the  same  time  and  place^  and  with  the  same  bait.  The  C,  Comu- 
bicus  is,  under  the  name  of  "  Corkwing/'  admitted  by  Mr  Couch 
occasionally  to  want  the  black  spot  on  the  tail^  (Mag,  Nat.  Hist. 
Vol.  y.  p.  18,)  and  is  in  this  state  considered  by  him  to  constitute  the 
''  Gibbous  Wrasse"  of  Pennant.  Ij  believing  the  C  tinea  and 
C  ComtMcus  to  be  identical,  am  inclined  to  think  the  gibbous 
wrasse  is  an  accidental  variety  of  C  tinea.  The  only  thing  like 
a  specific  difference  that  I  can  perceive  in  any  of  the  characters  in- 
cluded under  "form*  in  the  C  gibbus,  is  its  greater  depth,  which 
is  to  its  length  as  three  to  eight, — ^the  average  depth  of  C,  tinea  I 
find  to  be  as  three  to  nine,  and  the  proportion  varies, — though  cer- 
tainly, not  so  fur  as  i  have  observed,  according  to  any  peculiarity  of 
colouring,  which  is  supposed  to  mark  C  tinea  and  C  Comubicuf. 
The  only  difference  between  them  in  colour  worthy  of  remark  is, 
that  C.  gibbus  has  a  '*  dusky  semilunar  spot  above  each  eye,"  and 
the  "  pectoral  fins  marked  at  the  base  with  transverse  stripes  of 
red."  The  C,  tinea  has  a  "  dusky"  mark  behind  the  eje,  which 
does  rarely  reach  above  it  posteriorly,  and  amongst  my  specimens 
is  one  exhibiting  three  transverse  stripes  of  red  at  the  base  of  the 
pectoral  fin,  though  all  the  others  have  but  one  stripe.  Finding 
specimens  of  the  C  tinea  thus  varying  both  in  form  and  colour,  L 
have  not  a  doubt  of  the  C.  gibbus  being  an  accidental  variety  of  it, 
an  opinion  which  is  much  strengthened  by  one  individual  only  hav- 
ing ever  occurred.  With  these  views,  it  appears  to  me  that  the 
name  of  C,  tinea  should  be  used  to  designate  the  species,  and  C 
Cornubietu  and  C  gibbus  to  mark  its  varieties.  This  species,  in 
its  ordinary  aspect,  and  in  that  of  the  variety  first  mentioned,  pro- 
bably occurs  on  all  the  rocky  parts  of  the  Irish  coast.  I  have  seen 
specimens  of  both  from  a  wide  range  of  the  northern,  eastern,  and 
southern  shores. 

Since  the  above  was  read  to  the  Zoological  Society,  I  have  ob- 
served in  the  collection  of  my  friend  R.  Ball,  Esq.  a  fish  named  by 
him  C,  gibbus,  which  further  serves  to  illustrate  what  has  been 
just  advanced.  This  specimen,  which  was  taken  at  Youghal,  is  in 
length  8  inches,  its  greatest  depth  of  body,  exclusive  of  fins,  2  inches 
7  lines, — the  depth  to  length  thus  being  as  1  to  2{. — The  fin  rays 
are: 

D.  16  +  9.     A.  3  +  10.     V.  1  +  5.     P.  15.     C.  15,  and  Bome  short. 
Its  profile  from  the  mouth  to  the  commencement  of  the  dorsal  fin 
is  even  more  vertical  than  represented  in  Pennant's  figure  of  the 
gibbous  wrasse,  but  bore,  instead  of  about  the  centre  of  this  fin,  is 


knowledge  of  the  Crenilabri.  446 

its  maximum  height.  From  this  point  it  falls  away  gradually  to  the 
tail,  so  that  without  including  the  dorsal  ^n,  it  does  not  present 
the  depth  relatively  to  the  length  described  by  Pennant.  It  is  at 
the  same  time  evidently  his  C.gibbw,  and  as  evidently  a  mal-formed 
specimen  of  C.  tinea.  The  original  colour  cannot  now  be  accu* 
rately  determined.  It,  however,  wants  the  black  spot  of  C.  Comu- 
hicus. 

Crsnilabrus  bupbstris,*  (Lutjanus  rupestris,  Bloch,) 
Jago's  Goldsinny. 
On  the  10th  and  13th  of  September  1835,  I  detected  two  speci* 
mens  of  this  fish  at  Bangor,  (co.  Down,)  amongst  a  number  of  the 

C.  tinea  and  C  dyimubictis  that  were  taken  by  boys  fishing  from 
the  rocks,  and  using  as  bait  a  species  of  Nereis,  apparently  the  N^ 
rufa  of  Pennant.  The  following  short  description,  drawn  up  from 
them  when  recent,  may  not  be  unacceptable,  as  the  species  is  sub- 
ject to  much  variation.  Total  length  4^  and  4f  inches ;  number 
of  fin  rays, 

D.  17  +  9.     P.  14.     V.  1  +  5.     A.  3  +  8.     C.  15,  weU  developed.    Br.  5. 
18  +  9.  15.  1+5.  3  +  8.  15. 

Depth,  equal  to  length  of  head  ;  head  to  length  of  body  nearly  as  1 
to  3 ;  lateral  line  taking  the  precise  form  of  dorsal  profile.  A  row 
of  pores  appearing  near  the  margin  of  the  pre-opercle  is  continued 
forward  over  the  eye.  Behind  its  upper  portion  they  are  numerous, 
and  irregularly  disposed.  Caudal  fin  covered  with  scales  for  two- 
thirds  of  its  length  from  the  base,  none  upon  the  dorsal  and  anal 
fins,  their  base  being  concealed  by  the  scales  of  the  body.  Colour 
above  the  lateral  line  greenish-brown,  below  it  changing  gradually 
to  pale  green,  the  colour  of  the  belly.  Some  irregular  rows  of  orange 
spots  occur  longitudinally  beneath  the  lateral  line.  Pectoral  fins 
orange-yellow,  which  colour,  with  lighter  shades  of  yellow,  prevails 
in  all  the  fins  except  the  anterior  portion  of  the  dorsal,  which  from 
the  first  to  the  fourth  ray  is  black  ;  of  this  colour  also  are  the  upper 
margin  of  the  eye  and  orbit,  and  a  roundish  spot  at  the  upper  edge 
of  the  tail.  The  centre  of  the  scales  being  of  a  rather  darker  shade 
than  their  margin,  gives  to  these  specimens  the  appearance  of  being 
faintly  lineated. 

They  seem  to  be  identical  with  the  species  represented  in  the 
vignette  to  C.  Imcus,  in  Mr  Yarrell's  "  British  Fishes,"  (Vol.  i.  p. 
301, t)  though  certainly  not  with  the  figure  preceding  the  article, 

•  See  Mr  Selby  in  Mag.  Zool.  and  Bot.  Vol.  i.  p.  170. 
\  Mr  Yarrell  has  subsequently  informed  me  that  this  vignette  was  drawn  from 
a  :ipeciraen  of  T.  rupestris. 


446  Contributiam  towards  a 

nor  with  the  descriptioii  of  C.  buctu.  The  vignette  differs  from 
them  in  the  mouthy  which  is  placed  too  high,  and  is  thus  made  an* 
naturally  to  resemble  that  of  the  Trachinus  vipera. 

Such  were  the  observations  made  on  these  individuals  in  a  recent 
state.  In  the  month  of  February  1836,  a  specimen  of  the  same  fish, 
which  was  cast  ashore  at  Bamborough,  came  into  the  possession  of 
P.  J.  Selby,  Esq.,  and  formed  the  subject  of  a  communication  to 
this  Magazine  in  the  following  August.  Mr  Selby  here  satisfac- 
torily showed  that  it  was  the  goldsinny  of  Jago,  and  Lutjanus  n»- 
pestrU  of  Bloch,  but  of  a  different  species  from  the  fish  now  known 
by  the  former  name.  My  specimens  had  not  the  least  indication  of 
transverse  bands  on  the  sides,  as  described  and  figured  by  Bloch 
and  Selby,  nor  was  there  any  appearance  of  blue  either  in  spots  or 
lines  upon  the  head.  On  examination  of  several  individuals  in  Mr 
Yarrell's  collection,  I  found  no  appearance  of  transverse  markings. 
Nillson  observes  (Prod.  Icht.  Scand.)  that  the  colour  of  the  species 
is  variable. 

CBENiiiABRUs  MICROSTOMA,  Couch  MS.  Small  mouthed  Wrasse. 
Plate  XIV. 

In  the  month  of  June  1836,  a  species  of  Crenilahrus  was  found 
on  the  beach  of  the  county  Antrim  near  Cairnlough,  by  my  friend 
Dr  J.  L.  Drummond,  when  engaged  in  collecting  Algee,  and  on  his 
return  to  Belfast  shortly  afterwards,  was  kindly  handed  over  to  me. 
Being  apparently  undescribed,  I  at  once  drew  up  a  minute  account 
of  it.  When  in  London  at  the  beginning  of  last  summer,  I  ascer- 
tained that  the  same  species  had  been  met  with  in  Cornwall  by  Mr 
Couch,  who  likewise  considered  it  as  new,  and  sent  two  specimens 
to  Mr  Yarrell,  under  the  appropriate  name  of  C.  microstoma,  a  term, 
which,  although  unpublished,  I  consider  it  but  fair  to  adopt,  as  Mr 
Couch  had  the  priority  in  obtaining  the  species. 

Its  most  prominent  characters  are  :  Body  rather  deep,  mouth 
small,  teeth  few  in  number,  and  rounded  or  truncated  at  the  sum- 
mits ;  scales  very  large,  those  on  the  body  concealing  the  base  of 
the  dorsal  and  anal  fins,  but  none  on  these  fins,  anal  fin  with  five  or 
six  spinous  rays,  ventral  scale  half  the  length  of  ventral  fin,  no  black- 
ish spots  on  body  or  fins. 
D.  19  +  6.   A.  6  +  7.  P.  13.  V.  1  +  5.  C  14.  and  some  short»  Br.  5. 

Detailed  description. — Length  3  inches ;  depth  to  entire  length 
nearly  as  1  to  3^  ;  first  quarter  of  dorsal  profile  sloping  moderate- 
ly upwards,  second  fiat,  third  turning  rather  suddenly  downwards, 
and  terminating  with  the  dorsal  fin,  thence  straight  to  the  base  of 
the  caudal  fin  ;*  ventral  profile  very  convex,  sloping  equally  from 

*  Two  .specimens  have  this  form ;  the  other  two  have  the  dorsal  profile  fine- 


Knowledge  of  the  Crenilabri,  447 

both  extremities  to  centre ;  head  occupying  about  one-fourth  of  en- 
tire length  ;  jaws  equal ;  mouth  smaU ;  lips  double,  much  resemb- 
ling those  of  Lahrus  maculatus,  Bl. ;  teeth  strong,  rounded  or  truncat- 
ed at  the  summits,  not  serrated,  a  single  row  of  twelve,  rather  uni- 
form in  size  in  the  lower  jaw ;  two  rows  at  the  interior  part  of  up- 
per jaw,  those  of  the  outer  row  the  larger,  and  seven  in  number,  ex- 
ceeding the  teeth  of  the  lower  jaw  in  size,  eyes  large,  more  than 
their  diameter  distant  from  the  snout,  their  distance  from  each, 
other  equal  to  their  diameter  ;  a  row  of  pores  round  the  eyes,,  and 
some  on  the  top  of  the  head  ;  pre-opercle  somewhat  rounded  at  the 
base,  ascending  rather  obliquely,  strongly  serrated,  the  denticulations 
extending  half-way  along  its  base,  covered  with  small  scales ;  oper- 
cle  somewhat  triangular,  covered  with  large  scales ;  scales  on  the 
body  very  large,  smooth,  and  roundish  at  their  free  margins,  three 
rows  above  lateral  line,  nine  below  it ;  lateral  line  for  two-thirds  an- 
teriorly placed  high,  at  one- fourth  of  the  depth,  and  the  precise  form 
of  dorsal  profile  ;  ventral  central ;  dorsal  fin  commencing  at  one- fourth 
of  the  entire  length  from  snout,  and  continuing  to  near  the  tail,  end- 
ing almost  in  a  line  with  the  anal  fin,  first  ray  vtrj  short,  but  they 
gradually  increase  to  the  twenty-fourth,  which  is  longest,  a  mem- 
branous filament  near  the  point  of  each  spinous  ray ;  pectoral  fin  two- 
thirds  the  length  of  head,  originating  in  the  same  line  with  the  dor- 
sal fin ;  ventral  fin  beginning  at  about  one-third  of  the  entire  length 
from  the  head,  ventral  scale  about  half  the  length  of  ventral  fin  i 
anal  fin  originating  nearly  in  a  line  with  the  fifteenth  spinous  ray  of 
dorsal  fin,  and  like  it,  when  laid  against  the  body,  reaching  to  the 
outer  short  rays  of  the  caudal  fin,  the  dorsal  rather  exceeding  the  anal 
in  length ;  caudal  fin  obscurely  rounded,  and  covered  with  scales  at 
the  base  for  one-fourth  of  its  length ;  scales  of  the  body  concealing 
the  base  of  the  dorsal  and  anal  fins,  but  none  on  the  fins. 

Having  had  an  opportunity  in  the  present  month  (October  18370 
of  looking  over  the  collection  of  fishes  obtained  on  the  coasts  of  the 
counties  of  Londonderry  and  Antrim,  during  the  progress  of  the 
Ordnance  Survey,  I  had  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  three  specimens 
of  the  C.  microstoma,  which  were  liberally  offered  for  my  use  by 
Captain  Portlock,  R.  E.,  who  at  the  same  time  suggested,  that,  if  de- 
sirable, a  drawing  of  one  of  them  should  be  made  by  the  gentleman 
attached  as  draughtsman  to  the  Survey.  To  this  kindness  J  am  in- 
debted for  the  drawing  which  accompanies  the  paper,  the  original 

ly  arched,  and  from  the  centre  slope  equally  to  each  extremity ;  in  these  the 
ventral  profile  is  rather  less  convex  than  in  the  former.  The  difference  is  pro- 
bably sexual. 


448  •  Contributions  towards  a 

specimen  having  been  too  much  dried  up  by  exposure  on  the  beach 
to  be  available  for  this  purpose.  Of  these  individuals^  the  first  was 
obtained  at  the  mouth  of  Lough  Foylej  (co.  Londonderry^)  and  the 
others  in  the  small  bay  at  Cairnlough^  where  the  specimen  was  found 
by  Dr  Drummond.  These  are  respectively  4|»  5,  and  5|  inches  in 
length,  and  those  sent  from  Cornwall  to  Mr  Yarrell>  being  about 
the  same  size^  render  it  probable  that  they  may  be  full  grown. 
Their  colour  in  spirits  varies  slightly,  but  the  one  which  best  re- 
tains its  original  markings  may  be  described  as  having  the  sides  of 
a  deep  salmon  colour,  with  a  dusky  tinge ;  upper  part  of  head  purple ; 
upper  margin  of  eye  and  orbit  blackish  ;  stripes  of  violet  and  orange 
alternating  below  the  eye  longitudinally  to  near  the  mouth,  where 
they  become  vertical ;  belly  silvery  white  ;  some  of  the  scales,  in- 
cluding those  on  which  the  lateral  line  appears  tinged,  with  a  gold- 
en metallic  lustre ;  dorsal  fin  violet  blue  at  the  base,  with  an  orange 
stripe  above ;  anal  fin  violet  blue,  striped  with  reddish  orange ; 
pectoral  fin,  brownish  .orange,  with  a  dark  stripe  at  its  outer  base, 
as  in  C  tiaca ;  ventral  fin  diaphanous,  tinged  with  orange ;  caudal 
fin  dusky,  towards  the  tip  blackish.  The  fin  rays  of  these  three 
apecimens  are, 
D.  19  +  7.     P.  14.     V.  1  +  5.    A.  5  +  7.  C.  13?  and  some  short  =«  Br.  5. 

19  +  6.         13.  1+6.         5  +  7.        13.  do. 

20  +  6.         13.  1+5.  6  +  7.     .15.  do. 

In  the  number  of  spinous  rays  in  the  anal  fin,  this  species  agrees 
with  a  British  Crenilabrus,  the  "  Scale-rayed  Wrasse"  of  Couch, 
(Mag.  Nat.  Hist.  Vol.  v.  pp.  18  and  742,)  which,  however,  differs 
from  it  widely  in  the  form  and  number  of  the  teeth,  in  the  num- 
ber of  dorsal  fin-rays,  (21  +  8,)  in  having  processes  of  imbricated 
scales  between  the  rays  of  the  dorsal  and  anal  fins,  and  above  all, 
in  form,  being  "  very  much  elongated.'*  With  the  C  exoleius, 
which  has  a  wide  range  over  the  European  seas,  it  accords  more 
nearly  than  with  any  other  species  I  have  seen  described.  The 
number  of  spinous  rays  in  the  anal  fin  is  the  same,  but  the  C  »o/e- 
tus,  as  described  in  detail  by  Risso,  (Hist.  Nat.  TEur.  Merid.  T.  iii. 
p.  329,  ed.  1826,)  differs  from  it  in  the  number  of  rays  in  the  dorsal 
fin,  (20  -f  9,)  and  in  having  scales  on  its  base,  in  the  teeth,  (which 
are  pointed,)  and  in  having  a  large  black  spot  on  the  caudal  fin. 
Linnaeus  in  his  description  of  this  fish,  (lAibrus  exolelus,  Syst.  Nat. 
T.  i.  p.  479,  ed.  13,)  gives  about  the  same  number  of  rays  in  the 
fins  as  the  Irish  specimens  possess ;  but  the  brevity  of  his  description* 

*  "  Pina  dorsali  ramcntacea,  corpore  lineis  csndeis,  pinna  aid  spinis  5.     D. 
if.  P.  13.  V.  i.  A.  tV-  C.  18." 


Knowledge  of  the  Crenilabri*  449 

precludes  farther  comparison,  and  at  the  same  time  it  leaves  us  in 
doubt  whether  his  Lahrus  exoletus  and  the  Crenilahrus  microstoma 
may  not  be  identical. 

Crenilabrus  multidentatus.  Nob.     Ball's  Wrasse.     PI.  XIII. 

Three  specimens  of  a  Crenilabrus^  taken  at  Youghal  in  the  sum- 
mer of  1835,  have  been  kindly  sent  me  for  examination  by  R-  Ball, 
£sq«  As  in  the  instance  of  the  last  species,  I  cannot,  by  careful  re- 
search, find  any  fish  described  with  which  they  accord,  I  with  some 
hesitation  bring  them  forward  as  new,  under  the  name  of  C.  mtilti- 
dentatus. 

Their  chief  characteristics  are — Form  elongated  ,*  mouth  large  and 
powerfully  armed  with  pointed  teeth  ;  pre-opercle  obscurely  denticu- 
lated ;  scales  of  moderate  size ;  ventral  scale  one-fourth  the  length  of 
ventral  fin ;  a  blackish  spot  behind  the  eye,  one  at  the  base  of  the 
last  ray  of  the  dorsal  fin,  and  a  third  at  the  lowermost  portion  of 
the  tail. 

D.  19+10.  A.  3+8  P.  14.  V.  1+5.  C.  IS,  weU  developed  »=  Branch,  mem.  5' 
The  specimen  from  which  the  following  description  is  drawn  up 
is  in  length  2^  inches;   depth  \  of   the  entire  length,  and  less 
than  the  length  of  head ;  head  to  entire  length  is  1  to  2J  ;  upper 
jaw  the  longer ;  lips  prominent  and  double ;  mouth  large ;  teeth 
numerous  and  large,  two  rows  in  the  upper,  one  in  the  lower  jaw ; 
number  in  lower  twenty-six.     The  five  hinder  ones  in  each  side 
equal,  thence  forward  to  the  centre  eight  unequal,  of  which  the  two 
in  front  are  considerably  the  largest,  and  curve  inwards ;  in  the 
outer  row  of  upper  jaw  twenty,  the  four  hinder  on  each  side  of  equal 
size,  next  six  increasing  somewhat  gradually  to  the  centre ;  no  ser- 
ration visible  with  the  highest  power  of  a  lens  on  any  tooth  ;  the 
larger  teeth  in  both  jaws  sharp  and  curving  inwards.    This  number 
and  arrangement  of  teeth  relatively  to  size,  the  same  in  two  out  of 
three  specimens.    Eyes  of  moderate  size,  distance  between  them 
equal  to  their  diameter  ;  a  row  of  pores  appears  above  each  eye,  ex^ 
tends  back  to  the  pre-opercle,  and  thence  through  its  entire  length 
a  short  way  in  from  the  margin  ;  pre-opercle  ascending  obliquely, 
obscurely  denticulated,  especially  towards  the  base ;  covered  with 
small  scales ;  opercle  covered  with  large  scales  ;  scales  of  the  body 
of  moderate  size,  somewhat  rounded  at  their  free  margins,  strongly 
marked  with  concentric  striae  ;  lateral  line  takes  the  form  of  dorsal 
profile,  and  extends  between  one- third  and  one-fourth  of  the  entire 
depth  below  it ;  ventral  central.  Dorsal  fin  commences  at  one-third  of 
the  entire  length,  and  ends  considerably  nearer  the  tail  than  the  anal 


450     Contribution  towards  a  knowledge  of  the  Crenilabri, 

fin,  its  soft  portion  one-third  higher  than  the  spinous  ;  a  membranoos 
filament  firom  near  the  point  of  each  spinous  ray.  Anal  fin  begins 
nearly  in  a  line  with  the  seventeenth  spinous  ray  of  dorsal  fin,  its 
distance  from  the  caudal  fin  equal  to  its  entire  length.  Pectoral 
fin  rounded,  more  than  half  the  length  of  head,  originates  a  very 
little  in  advance  of  dorsal  fin,  and  about  one-fourth  of  its  length  in 
advance  of  ventral  fin,  placed  low,  its  distance  from  the  latter 
equal  to  its  own  base.  Ventral  scale  about  one-fourth  the  length 
of  ventral  fin.  Caudal  fin  rounded.  The  central  rays  rather  dis- 
proportionately long,  one- third  of  its  base  thickly  covered  with  scales^ 
of  which  there  are  none  in  the  dorsal  and  anal  fins. 

Colour  of  the  specimen  in  spirits,  very  pale  greenish  brown  over 
the  back,  olive  green  on  the  sides,  becoming  paler  beneath ;  sides 
with  darker  longitudinal  bands  throughout ;  from  dorsal  to  ventral 
profile  above  the  lateral  line,  they  take  its  form,  below  it  they  are 
straight.  Three  blackish  spots,  one  on  the  pre-operde  behind,  and 
rather  below  the  centre  of  the  eye,  a  second  on  the  body  at  the  base 
oi  the  caudal  fin,  and  at  its  lowermost  portion,  and  the  third  at  the 
base  of  the  last  ray  of  the  dorsal  fin. 

It  is  perhaps  worthy  of  particular  mention,  that  the  spedmens 
under  consideration  have  been  critically  compared  with  Risso's 
descriptions  (ed.  1826)  of  all  the  numerous  species  of  Crenilabii, 
and  also  with  the  Labri,  in  consequence  of  the  pre-operde  being 
but  obscurely  denticulated,  inhabiting  the  Mediterraiiean,  as  well 
as  with  all  those  described  under  the  genera  Lutjanns  and  Labrus, 
in  the  general  works  of  Bloch  and  Schneider. 

Explanation  of  Plates, 
PI.  XIII.  Crenilabrus  multidentatus,  natural  sise. 
XIV.  C         >         microstoma,  a.  scale  nat.  sise. 


C     451     1 


REVIEWS  AND  CRITICAL  ANALYSIS. 


Dr  Lardner's  Cabinet  Cyclopcedia,  Natural  History.  Natural 
History  and  Classification  of  Birds,  By  W.  Swainson,  Esq. 
A.  C.  6.,  F.  R.  S.  L.,  &c.  Vol.  II.  London,  Longman  and  Co. 
1837. 

Singe  the  publication  of  the  seventh  Number  of  the  Magazine  of 
Zoology  and  Botany,  in  which  our  review  of  this  interesting  depart- 
ment of  the  Cabinet  Cyclopaedia  embraced  the  whole  of  the  volumes 
then  published,  another  has  appeared,  being  the  second  of  the  orni- 
thological series,  and  which,  as  bringing  to  a  conclusion  the  author's 
observations  and  views  on  the  natural  history  and  arrangement  of 
birds,  is  too  important  not  to  demand  our  early  notice  and  attention. 
Of  this  volume  we  can  venture  to  speak  in  terms  of  approval  simi- 
lar  to  those  we  have  bestowed  upon  the  previous  labours  of  the  dis- 
tinguished author.  It  is  a  companion  worthy  to  stand  by  its  pre- 
decessors, exhibiting,  wherever  Mr  Swainson  has  allowed  himself 
to  go  into  detail,  the  same  luminous  and  philosophic  views  in  regard 
to  natural  arrangement,  and  that  thorough  acquaintance  with  his 
subject,  even  to  the  minutest  analytical  detail,  which  proclaims  him 
to  be  one  of  the  first  ornithologists,  we  may  add  naturalists,  of  the 
present  age.  We  cannot  however  but  regret,  that  the  limit  to 
which  he  has  been  restricted  has  obliged  him  to  compress  into  one 
volume,  matter  sufficient  to  have  occupied  two,  for  with  the  excep- 
tion of  the  Insessores,  the  other  orders  are  comparatively  left  in  an 
unfinished  state ;  in  some  of  them  the  great  or  primary  division 
alone  being  glanced  at.  We  undoubtedly  are  aware,  that,  with  our 
present  limited  knowledge  of  the  constituent  parts  of  these  orders,  it 
is  impossible  to  determine  or  arrange  the  whole  of  the  inferior 
groups  in  a  natural  series,  but  we  feel  convinced  that  he  could  (had 
space  permitted)  have  added  considerably  to  that  valuable  informa- 
tion he  has  conveyed.  Much,  therefore,  it  is  evident,  remains  to 
be  done  to  work  out  and  determine  the  minor  natural  groups  of  the 
Natatorial,  Grallatorial,  and  Rasorial  orders,  but  the  impetus  has 

VOL.  II.  NO.  11.  Hh 


452  Classification  of  Birds. 

been  given,  the  path  pointed  out ;  and  we  confidently  hope  to  see 
the  various  circles  of  these  orders  as  fully  and  beautifally  elucidat- 
ed^ either  by  the  author,  or  the  labours  of  other  ornithologists  who 
work  in  the  same  vineyard,  as  those  of  the  orders  Raptores  and  In- 


By  those  who  are  opposed  to  the  Macleayan  theory,  or  who 
have  not  studied  natural  history  in  the  analytical  mode  pursued  by 
Mr  Swainson,  it  may  be  objected,  that  he  has  made  his  arrangement 
subservient  to  his  theoretical  views  ;  that  is,  he  has,  to  prove  the 
correctness  of  that  theory,  introduced  and  forced  forms  into  situa- 
tions they  actually  do  not,  or  at  least  which  he  cannot  satisfactorily 
prove,  they  occupy  in  nature.  Now  this  we  think  is  not  the  case^ 
and  that  no  systematist  is  less  guilty  of  such  a  charge.  We  hare 
punctually  followed  him  pretty  extensively  in  that  analytical  detail 
which  he  pursued,  and  so  strongly  recommends,  and  we  must  con- 
fess, it  is  only  in  a  very  few  instances  we  have  been  obliged  to  dif- 
fer from  him  in  our  conclusions. 

This  volume,  like  the  rest  of  the  work,  is  well  got  up,  azHi  is  il- 
lustrated with  a  profusion  of  wood-cuts,  all  of  which  are  intimately 
connected  with  the  subject  matter,  and  tend  to  elucidate  what  it  ia 
ofien  very  difficult  to  make  intelligible  or  clear  by  mere  verbal  de- 
scription. The  fourth  or  concluding  pait  of  the  volume  is  a  "  sy- 
nopsis of  a  natural  arrangement  of  birds,"  in  which  the  reader  will 
imd,the  whole  of  the  acknowledged  genera  up  to  the  present  time, 
arranged  under  the  different  orders  to  which  they  belong.  In  this 
synopsis,  ^'  some  slight  alteration  in  the  arrangement  of  the  groups 
ham  what  they  appear  in  the  foregoing  part"  will  be  observed ;  but 
this,  he  observes^  ^'  has  resulted  from  further  analysis,  and  by  in- 
corporating our  researches  up  to  the  latest  time." 

Mr  Swainson,  it  will  be  recollected,  concluded  his  last  volume 
with  observatious  on  the  Insessorial  or  perching  order,  its  primary 
divisions,  and  the  analogies  of  the  dentirostral  tribe.  The  present 
commences  with  the  enumeration  of  the  families  of  this  prominent 
division,  viz.  the  Laniadas,  the  MeruUdce,  the  Sf/lviadce,  the  Am-^ 
peHd(B,  and  the  Muscicapidas ;  the  three  last  forming  the  aberrant 
divisions,  the  Laniadce  and  Merulidae,  the  typical  and  subtypical 
groups.  The  family  of  the  Laniadce,  with  which  he  begins  his  ex- 
position, from  the  rapacious  habits  of  its  typical  representatives,  and 
strongly  notched  bill,  he  justly  considers  as  analogous  to,  or  repre- 
senting  the  Raptores.  He  finds  it  composed  of  the  ^^^  following  mi- 
nor divisions  or  sub-families,  viz.  TyraimimB  or  tyrant  shrikes ;  Ce^ 
hieptfrince,  or   caterpillar-eaters ;  Dicruriruf,  or  drongo  shrikes  ; 


Classification  of  Birds,  453 

Thamnophilifuey  or  bush  shrikes,  and  LaniancBy  or  true  shrikes. 
The  affinities  of  these  various  group,  and  the  natural  series  in 
which  they  appear  to  follow  each  other,  are  then  traced  through- 
out their  various  ramifications,  with  a  degree  of  skill  which  we  can- 
not but  admire,  and  which,  so  far  as  we  have  followed  him  in  his 
analysis,  we  have  proved  to  our  own  conviction  to  be  correct.  In 
concluding  his  account  of  this  family,  he  offers  a  few  pertinent  re- 
marks on  two  forms  which  have  generally  been  supposed  to  come 
vrithin  its  precincts,  viz.  genus  Vanga,  Buff,  and  genus  Platylophus, 
Sw. ;  but  which  he  now  would  place  in  the  family  of  the  Corvidae, 
belonging  to  the  conirostral  tribe,  believing  that  the  resemblance 
they  bear  to  the  shrikes  is  merely  one  of  analogy,  and  not  of  affini- 
ty. In  this  view,  particularly  as  regards  the  New  Holland  Vangae, 
we  are  inclined  to  concur,  having  remarked  the  affinity  that  subsists 
between  them  and  the  genus  Barita,  a  group  which  undoubtedly 
belongs  to  the  corvine  family.  Of  Platylophus  we  speak  with  more 
diffidence,  not  being  acquainted  with  its  habits  and  economy.  The 
analogies  of  the  sub-families  of  the  shrikes  to  the  tribes  of  Perchers 
are  thus  stated : — 

Dentirostres Lanianie 

Conirostres ThamnophilinaB 

Scansores. « Dicrurinse 

Tenuirostres Ceblepyrinse 

Fissirostres Tyranninse. 

The  iiimily  next  brought  under  consideration  is  that  of  the  Meru» 
lidwy  **  the  most  numerous  as  well  as  the  most  diversified  of  the 
toothed-bill  tribe,"  and  which  he  also  considers  in  its  typical  groups 
as  the  most  perfect  in  its  organization,  possessing  advantages  in  the 
structure  of  the  bill,  feet,  &^c.  which  are  either  denied  to,  or  but 
partially  enjoyed  by,  the  rest  of  the  Dentirostres.  This  family, 
from  the  modifications  of  the  typical  characters  as  they  exist  in  the 
blackbird,  fieldfare,  and  other  true  thrushes,  as  well  as  the  analo- 
gies its  members  bear  to  other  tribes,  is  again  divisible  into  the  five 
following  sub-families,  viz.  MerulimB  and  My%other%n(By  constituting 
the  typical  and  sub-typical  groups,  Brach^odi/MBy  Orioiitur,  and 
Crater opodifUB,  the  three  aberrant.  This  exposition  of  the  peculi* 
arities  and  relations,  both  of  analogy  and  affinity  of  these  groups, 
though  already  so  fully  discussed  in  the  second  volume  of  the  Nor- 
thern Zoology,  contains  much  additional  and  interesting  matter ; 
but  08  our  limits  will  not  permit  us  to  follow  him  through  all  his 
details,  we  must  restrict  our  observations  to  the  mode  in  which  he 
considers  the  union  of  the  various  groups  of  this  family  with  eadi 


454  Classification  of  Birds. 

other,  as  well  as  with  the  other  divisions  of  the  tribe  is  effected. 
Commencing,  then,  with  the  short-l^ged  thrushes,  or  sub-famiiy 
Brackypodin4B,  he  considers  that  its  union  with  the  shrikes  or  Imhi" 
adac  is  through  Trickopkorus,  Temm.  or  bristle-necked  thrushes,  a 
genus  limited  to  the  warmer  latitudes  of  Western  Africa  and  Ori- 
ental India,  and  which  appears  to  pass  almost  immediately  into  the 
Drongo  shrikes.  In  addition  to  the  typical  genus  Brachypv^,  under 
which  are  several  sub-genera,  this  sub-family  also  contains,  Micro^ 
pus,  Sw« ;  Dasycephala,  Sw.  also  an  American  form  is  a  fourth,  and 
is  so  named  from  the  stiff  bristly  feathers  which  surround  the  fore- 
head and  crown ;  and  the  fifth  is  Cinclus,  Bechst.  to  which  genus  our 
well  known  dipper  belongs.  He  concludes  this  chapter  with  a  va- 
riety of  interesting  observations  on  the  anal<^es  of  the  MyiotherintK^ 
with  the  other  portions  of  the  Merulidas,  illustrated  by  a  series  of 
tables,  which  we  recommend  the  student  to  compare  with  the  types 
of  the  various  forms  before  him.  Many  of  these  analogies  wiU,  no 
doubt,  at  first  sight  appear  to  be  indistinct  and  fur-fetched  ;  but  as 
we  have  before  observed,  it  only  requires  patient  and  minute  inves- 
tigation to  be  convinced  of  the  general  correctness  of  our  author's 
views,  and  of  that  law  of  representation  or  resemblance  which  ap- 
pears to  pervade  all  nature,  and  which,  though  less  striking  and  ap- 
parent, as  might  be  expected,  in  groups  or  in  individuals  far  remov- 
ed from  each  other,  is  no  less  true  than  that  which  is  readily  admit- 
ted to  exist  between  those  which  are  propinquant. 

The  next  chapter  treats  of  the  family  of  the  Sylviadcey  a  nu- 
merous assemblage  of  birds,  mostly  distinguished  by  their  small 
size  and  delicate  structure.  The  groups  of  this  extensive  division, 
Mr  Swainson  observes,  "  are  found  over  all  the  habitable  regions 
of  the  globe,  and  are  destined  to  perform  an  important  part  in  the 
economy  of  nature.  To  them  appears  intrusted  the  subjugation  of 
those  innumerable  minute  in.^ects  which  lurk  within  the  buds,  the 
foliage,  or  the  flowers  of  plants,  and  thus  protected,  escape  that  de- 
struction from  swallows  (we  may  add  flycatchers)  to  which  they  are 
only  exposed  during  flight."  The  natural  and  primary  division  of 
this  family  is  into  the  sub-families  Si/lviancB  and  PhilomeUtKE,  the 
typical  groups,  and  the  Saxicolince,  Moiacillinw,  and  Parlance, 
which  form  the  aberrant  divisions.  Commencing  with  the  MotcLcil- 
Unas,  which  collectively  represent  the  tenuirostral  type  of  the  per- 
chers,  and  are  the  most  aberrant  section  of  the  family,  he  points  to 
the  genera  Mota^cilla,  Linn.,  and  Icleria,  Vieil. ;  TrickopkoruSy 
Temm. ;  and  Phyltastrephus,  Sw.  The  passage  from  the  short-leg- 
ged thrushes  to  the  orioles,  Oriolince,  he  supposes  to  be  through  the 


ClassiJicatioJi  of  Birds,  455 

pulni -thrush,  geims  Dulus,  Vieil.  This  beautiful  group  is  distin- 
guished by  the  prevailing  yellow  colour  of  its  typical  species,  as  ex- 
emplified in  Oriolus  galbula,  &c.  In  it  we  find  the  regent 
oriole,  Sericulus  chvysocephalwj  Sw.  and  the  Oriolus  paradiseus, 
Temm.,  as  well  as  the  lovely  Irena  pueUa  of  Horsf.  By  the  re- 
gent bird,  distinguished  from  its  congeners  by  the  length  of  the 
tarsi,  the  way  is  prepared  for  a  direct  passage  to  the  next  sub-family, 
CraieropodiruBy  a  group  distinguished  from  the  other  thrushes  by 
their  long  and  powerful  legs  and  feet,  their  short  wings,  and,  gene- 
rally speaking,  sombre  plumage.  Of  this  group  more  requires  to  be 
known  before  its  typical  forms  can  be  precisely  defined,  but  the 
near  approach  of  some  of  its  members  to  the  Brachypodince  tends 
to  prove  the  circular  disposition  of  the  three  aberrant  groups.  Of 
the  true  thrushes  or  Merulince,  which  exhibit  the  typical  perfection 
of  the  whole  family  of  the  Merulidae,  he  points  out  the  genera  Me- 
rula,  Ray. ;  Orpheus,  Sw. ;  Peirocincla,  Vig. ;  and  Chcetops,  Sw. 
as  four  of  the  prominent  groups.  Like  other  pre-eminently  typical 
forms,  the  true  thrushes  (Mertda)  are  found  in  all  parts  of  the 
world,  while  the  mocking- thrushes  ( Orpheus,)  which  lead  to  the 
Crateropodinas,  are  confined  to  the  American  Continent.  By  the 
rock- thrushes  ( Petrocincla )  he  finds  a  passage  through  Myopho^ 
nus  and  other  forms  to  the  sub-family  Myioiherince.  In  this 
division,  which  represents  the  sub-typical  or  dentirostral  type  of  the 
family,  we  have  the  beautiful  genus  Pitta  distinguished  by  the 
short  tails  and  elongated  legs  of  its  members,  with  a  richly  varied 
plumage,  in  which  blue,  red,  and  brown  predominate.  Myothera, 
111.  is  a  third  genus  restricted  to  tropical  America,  and  in  its  own 
circle  analogous  to  the  ThamnophilincB  and  Budytes,  Cuv.  answer- 
ing to  our  wagtails  as  typical  forms,  nearly  allied  to  which  are 
the  members  of  the  party-coloured  genus  Enicurus,  Temm.  an  In- 
dian group,  succeeded  by  Anthus,  Bechst.,  which,  placed  as  it 
were  at  the  extremity  of  the  Denlirostres,  leads  immediately  to 
the  family  Alaudinm  in  the  circle  of  the  Coniroslres.  A  fourth 
form,  intermediate,  as  he  thinks,  between  Anthus  and  Motacilla, 
is  his  Lessonia  erythronotos,  a  Chilian  bird,  but  of  whose  afiinities 
we  have  not  ourselves  had  an  opportunity  of  judging.  He  enters 
the  next  sub-family  Pariance  by  the  Seiurus  auricapillus  (golden 
crowned  thrush  of  the  earlier  writers,)  considered  as  a  subgenus  of 
Accentor,  Bechst.  the  members  of  which,  he  remarks,  '^  stand  at  the 
confines  of  that  group  which  contains  the  most  scansorial  warblers 
of  the  family,"  and  which  station  must  be  conceded  to  Partes,  and 
its  nearly  allied  congeners.     The  other  groups  which  complete  the 


456  Classification  of  Birds. 

circle  of  the  PariaruB,  are  the  genera  Patnis,  Linn.,  S^lvicola^  Sw., 
Setophaga,  Sw.,  and  Trickas,  Sw.  Upon  each  of  them  he  digres- 
ses at  considerable  length,  proving,  we  think  satisfactorily,  the  oor- 
rectness  of  his  yiews  by  a  minute  analysis  of  their  contents,  and 
showing  that  their  analogies  or  the  law  of  representation  exists  in 
as  great  perfection  in  the  sub-generic  or  lowest  groups,  as  they  do  in 
those  of  a  higher  value.  From  the  Parianas  he  passes  to  the  Syl- 
viansB  by  the  intervention  of  the  gnat  snappers  or  genus  Culicivora, 
Sw.  an  American  group,  with  a  bill  intermediate  between  Selopha^ 
ga  and  Sylvia,  to  which  latter  genus  the  pre-eminently  typical 
groups  of  the  whole  &mily  Sylviada,  it  directly  leads.  Besides 
Sylvia,  Lath,  under  which  he  ranks  Regulus,  Sylvia,  Acanthisa, 
and  Cyanotus,  as  subgenera,  he  includes  in  it  Malurus,  Vieil.  the 
subgenera  of  which  are  also  given  in  the  Synopsis,  OriJtoUnnus, 
Horsf :  and  perhaps  Praticola,  Sw.  a  remarkable  Australian  form, 
but  whose  economy  and  habits  require  to  be  better  known  before  its 
real  station  can  be  precisely  established. 

The  Pkilomelinof,  typified  by  the  nightingale  and  its  immediate 
congeners,  form  the  fourth  subfamily.  In  addition  to  the  genus 
Philomela^  it  contains  Curruca,  Bechst.  under  which  he  has  also  in- 
cluded the  genus  Salicaria,  Selb.  represented  by  the  hedge  and 
reed  warblers,  which  we  think  upon  investigation  will  be  found 
entitled  to  rank  as  a  generic  group,  and  not  as  a  subgenus  of  Cur* 
ruca,  the  last  being  more  likely  to  prove  a  subgeneric  form  only  of 
PhUonieUu  The  other  members  are  classed  under  the  generic  heads 
of  Phasnicura,  Sw.  Bradypleius,  Sw.  and  Agrobates,  Sw.  the  last 
typified  by  the  Sylvia  galactotes  of  Temminck.  From  PhtEuicura 
the  passage  to  the  robins,  Erythaca,  Sw.  which  introduces  us  to 
the  fifth  subfamily  or  Saxicolinie,  is  easy.  In  this  last  division,  we 
also  find  the  genera  Saxicola,  Bechst.  Petroicaj  Sw.  Thamnobia, 
Sw.  and  Gryllivora  Sw.  the  types  of  which  will  be  found  in  the 
synopsis  under  their  respective  generic  heads.  The  union  a£  all 
the  subfamilies  of  the  Sylviadae  is  there  stated  as  being  efiected 
by  the  genus  Gryllivora,  just  mentioned,  uniting  with  that  of  £ni- 
curus,  which,  as  will  be  remembered,  stands  on  the  confines  of  the 
MotaciUinsa,  with  which  he  commenced  his  analysis  of  the  family. 

The  Ampelida  or  chatterers,  forming  the  fourth  great  division  or 
family  of  the  Dentirostral  tribe,  is  next  brought  under  review.  He 
remarks,  *'  it  is  a  family  more  remarkable  for  beauty  and  singu- 
larity, than  for  its  extent ;  hence  much  difficulty  has  arisen  in  mak- 
ing out  the  subordinate  divisions  and  successions  of  its  groups."  He 
has,  however,  pointed  out  what  he  conceives  to  be  the  types  of  the 


Clarification  of  Birds,  457 

sabfkmilies  of  which  it  is  compoBed,  su^esting^  at  the  same  time, 
that  the  accuracy  of  two  of  these,  viz.  Leiolrichanas  and  Pachyce* 
phalime,  remain  to  be  further  tested,  by  extended  observation  and 
analysis.  Tropical  America  is  the  habitat  of  the  typical  species, 
the  Bombycilla  gairula,  or  waxwing,  being  the  only  European  re- 
presentative of  the  family.  They  are,  he  remarks,  distinguished 
from  all  others  of  the  Dentirostres,  by  the  enormous  width  of  their 
gape,  which  in  many  extends  beyond  the  eye,  and  in  some  is  nearly 
as  wide  as  that  of  a  goatsucker.  The  particular  use  of  this  struc- 
ture is  at  once  explained  by  the  nature  of  their  food.  They  live  al- 
most entirely  on  soft  berries  and  small  fruits,  which,  from  being 
swallowed  whole,  naturally  require  a  very  wide  passage  to  pass 
down  the  throat."  The  subfamilies  are  designated  as  follows,  Lsio' 
triclianay  PachycephalifUB,  which  he  afterwards  changes  in  the 
Synopsis  to  VireoniruB,  BombydllincBy  AmpelincB,  and  Piprincs,  the 
three  first  fonning  the  aberrant,  the  two  last  the  typical  divisions. 
Under  Leiotrichane,  he  places  Leiothrix,  Sw.  and  Pteruthius,  Sw. 
each  represented  by  a  single  species,  natives  of  India,*  and  whose 
direct  affinities  appear  to  have  been  mistaken  or  overlooked  by  their 
first  describers,  the  one  having  been  included  in  the  genus  Parut, 
the  other  described  as  a  species  of  Lanitu.  A  minute  examination  of 
these  birds  is,  however,  sufficient  to  show  that  their  appropriate  sta- 
tion is  within  the  limits  of  the  present  family.  In  Vireonirue,he  places 
the  genera  Vireo,  Vieil.  PcxhycephaJa,  Sw.  and  another  which  he 
now  calls  Ptihcklorut,  In  Bomi^ciUincB,  the  last  of  the  aberrant 
division,  and  representing  the  Pissirostres,  he  places  BombycUla, 
Briss.,  Phibalura,  Vieil.,  and  Procnias,  HoiF.  The  subfamily  Am- 
peUncB,  containing  the  true  or  typical  chatterers,  are  united  to  the 
JBominfciUincB  by  means  of  the  genus  Calyptomena,  Raff.  Chrysopte* 
rjfXy  Sw.  follows,  and  is  succeeded  by  CasmorhynchuSy  Temm.  and 
Ampelisy  Linn,  the  first  distinguished  by  the  curious  appendages  with 
which  the  heads  and  throats  of  some  species  are  furnished,  the  second, 
for  the  surpassing  beauty  and  richness  of  the  plumage  of  its  mem- 
bers. The  fifth  form  or  genus  of  the  subfamily  is  represented  by 
Bupicola,  Briss.  rock  manakin,  which  leads  directly  to  G,  Phce- 
nicircusy  Sw.  (the  Ampelis  carnifex  of  Linn.)  by  which  he  enters 
the  Piprinse  or  subtypical  group  of  the  family,  generally  known  by 
the  name  of  manakins,  from  the  diminutive  size  of  most  of  the 
species.  Under  this  division  he  includes  Pipra^  Linn.  Calyptura, 
Sw.  and  PardalohUy  Vieil. 

*  The  valuable  collections  of  birds  sent  from  Nipaul  by  Mr  Hodgson  contain 
a  second  species  of  Leiothrix — Ed. 


458  Classification  of  Birds. 

The  family  of  the  Muscicapidae,  which  closes  the  circle  of  the  Den-* 
tirostres,  is  next  brought  under  review^  and  after  a  few  appropriate 
observations  upon  the  distinctive  characters  of  its  typical  members 
and  their  peculiar  habits,  he  proceeds  to  trace  its  primary  diyisions, 
referring  Uie  reader  to  a  separate  work  upon  the  subject,  entitled 
*'  the  Natural  History  and  Arrangement  of  the  Muscicapida,  or  Fly- 
catchers, in  which*'*  *'  the  contents  of  the  whole  fisimily,  together  with 
the  singular  and  beautiful  analogies  presented  by  the  minor  groups, 
even  in  their  most  minute  details,  are  fully  illustrated."  These  pri* 
mary  divisions  or  subfamilies  are  represented  by  the  fiY&  following 
types,  Eurylaimus,  Horsf.  Muscicapa,  Linn.,  Fluvicola,  Sw.,  Psaris, 
Cuv.,  and  Querela,  Vieil.,  under  each  of  which  he  mentions  the  va« 
rious  genera  and  subgenera  of  which  they  are  composed.  The  ge^ 
nera  composing  the  Eurylamincs,  are  stated  to  be  Eurylaimus,  Cym- 
birynchus,  Vig.,  Plattfslomus,  Sw.,  Psarisomus,  Sw.,  and  Serilophus, 
Sw. ;  but  we  think  that  further  investigation  is  required  to  deter- 
mine the  exact  value  of  each  of  these,  and  whether  they  are  all  really 
entitled  to  stand  as  subgenera,  or  even  to  attain  that  rank.  By  Serilo^ 
phis,  the  crested  or  rasorial  type,  and  its  apparent  analogy  to  Bom^- 
byciUa,  he  finds  a  link  of  connection  with  the  Ampelids.  The  nu- 
merous subfamily  Muscicapidw,  embracing  the  ordinary  fiy-catchers, 
contains  the  genera,  Todus,hinB.,  Muscicapa,Linn.,  Megaiopkus^Sw^, 
Monacha,  Horsf.  and  Vig.,  and  Rhipidura,  Horsf.  and  Vig.  Upon 
the  two  first  of  these  the  typical  groups,  and  which  are  divisible  inta 
assemblages  of  lower  value,  he  enters  at  considerable  length,  detail- 
ing the  characters  of  the  subgenera,  and  exemplifying  the  circles  of 
the  two  genera,  and  their  analogies  by  a  table  and  diagram. 

Under  the  Fluvicolinw  or  water-chats,  he  enumerates,  as  types  of 
generic  groups,  Seisura,  Horsf.  and  Vig.,  Fluvicola,  8w.,  PerspicUla 
Sw.,  Aleciurus,  Vieil.,  and  in  the  synopsis  Guherneies^  Vig.,  which 
last  leads  to,  if  it  does  not  actually  enter  the  subfamily  Psariana:, 
of  which  only  two  generic  forms,  allowing  Guberneles  to  remain 
among  the  Fluvxcolinai,  are  at  present  recognized  by  Psaris, 
Cuv.,  and  Pachyrynchus,  Spix.  The  fifth  subfamily  or  QtteruUtu^, 
represented  by  Querula,  Vieil.,  and  Lathria,  Sw.,  closes  the  circle 
of  the  Musdcapidce  ;  and  although  these  birds  evince  a  strong  ana- 
logy, indeed  affinity  to  the  chatterers,  we  believe  the  present  to  be 
their  true  station,  in  which  they  form  that  prominent  link  which 
immediately  connects  the  Ampelidae  with  the  Muscicapidae. 

From  the  Dentirostral  he  now  passes  to  the  Conirostral  tribe, 

•  This  will  form  an  early  volume  of  the  "  Naturalist*s  Library."  The  draw- 
ings are  now  in  the  hands  of  the  engraver — Ed. 


Classification  of  Birds.  459 

'^  the  most  highly  organized  of  all  those  which  form  the  grand 
division  or  order  of  perchers,  of  which  in  consequence  it  is  pre- 
eminently typical.  The  distinguishing  characteristic  of  the  tribe  is 
the  conic-shaped  form  of  the  bill,  which  is  also  less  decidedly  notch- 
ed than  in  the  members  of  the  dentirostral,  while  the  full  and  per- 
fect development  of  the  feet  at  once  distinguishes  it  from  the  three 
aberrant  circles  of  the  Fissiroatres,  Tenuirostres,  and  Scansores* 

Its  primary  divisions  or  families  he  considers  to  be  the  Cor- 
vtdce  and  Sturnidas,  forming  the  two  typical  groups ;  the  Buceri* 
dee,    Musopkagidcg,  and   Fringillidce,   the  aberrant,  although  the 
mode  in  which  these  three  unite  to  form  a  circle  within  themselves^ 
is  not  yet  discovered.     The  Buceridce  are  described  as  a  small,  and, 
in  a  great  measure,  an  isolated  family,  as  no  immediate  link  with 
other  groups  has  yet  been  satisfactorily  made  out.     It  is  at  present 
restricted  to  a  single  genus,  which,  however,  contains  several  spe- 
cies.    He  makes  it  the  Fissirosiral  type,  in  consequence  of  the  pe- 
culiar habit  its  members  exhibit,  viz.  that  of  throwing  up  their 
food  in  the  air,  and  catching  it  before  it  is  swallowed, — an  anal<^y 
in  accordance  with  the  habits  of  the  Pelicanidse,  also  a  fissirostral 
type  in  its  own  order.     The  Corvida*,  or  crows,  which  he  deems 
the  nearest  allied  to  the  last,  though  several  intervening  forms  are 
wanting  to  complete  the  connection,  is  not  only  the  family  typically 
representing  the  great  order  Insessores,  but  in  the  genus  Coi'vus 
of  its  subfamily  Corvina,  or  true  crows,  "  exhibits  the  greatest  per- 
fection, and  the  most  varied  powers  with  which  nature  has  invested 
this  class  of  animals."     The  natural  series  of  its  subordinate  divi- 
sions is  indicated  by  arranging  the  genera  under  the  subfamilies 
FrigiUincBy  Corvince,  Garndime,  Cri/psinna,  and  Coracince,  the 
disposition  of  which,  under  their  appropriate  genera  and  subgenera, 
will  be  found  on  a  reference  to  the  synopsis  at  the  end  of  the  vo- 
lume.   We  observe  that  he  very  properly  excludes  from  this  family 
the  genera  Epimachus,  CoraciaSy  and  Gr acuta,  which  by  other  au- 
thors were  considered  to  belong  to  it ;  for  ourselves,  we  had  long  since 
placed  the  Rollers  among  the  Fissirostres,  in  near  connection  with 
Eurif stomas  and  other  birds  belonging  to  the  family  Meropidie*  The 
Sturnida,  or  stalling  group,  he  further  divides  into  the  minor  divi- 
sions of  iS/tfi*#iiW,  Lamprotorninccy  ScaphUlurina,  Ictemina,  and  Age^ 
laifUB.     The  Scaphidurina,  so  named  from  the  structure  of  the  tail, 
which  is  boat-shaped  or  concave  on  its  upper  surface,  contains  those 
large  glossy  crow-looking  birds  disposed  under  the  genem  Scaphidura, 
Sw.,  QuiscaluSyVieih,  and  Scolecophagus,  Sw.,  all  natives  of  America. 
He  also  places  in  it  that  splendid  bird  the  Astrapia  gularis  of  Vieil- 


460  Gassificaiian  of  Birds. 

lot^  which  some  writers,  from  the  richness  of  its  plumage,  had  asso- 
ciated  with  the  birds  of  Paradise,  but  its  affinities  clearly  show  its 
station  to  be  in  that  family  whether  it  remains  in  the  present  group, 
or  is  removed  to  that  of  the  Lamprotomince,  the  subfamily  which 
immediately  follows,  atid  the  members  of  which,  as  contained  in  the 
genera  LamproiornU  and  Plilonorynchus,  are  remarkable  for  the  me- 
tallic lustre  of  their  plumage.  The  Slumitta,  or  true  starlings, 
succeed  the  Grackles  or  Lamprotornine  ;  under  this  denomination, 
he  includes  the  genera  Sturnus,  Linn. ;  Palor,  Temm. ;  Graculas^ 
Auct. ;  Aciidoiheres,  Vieil. ;  and  Oxyaiomug,  Sw.  The  passage 
from  this  to  the  Agelaina,  or  maize-birds,  is  effected  by  the  Slur-^ 
nella  vulgaris,  a  well-known  species.  And  under  this  subfamily 
are  also  included  the  genera  Agelaius,  Vieil. ;  Leisles,  Vig. ;  Dofy^ 
chonyx,  Sw, ;  and  Moloihrus,  Sw. ;  to  which  genus  that  remarkable 
bird  the  Cowpen  bunting  belongs.  The  last  sub&mily,  or  Icierina^  are 
distinguished  from  the  preceding  by  their  arboreal  habits  and  shorter 
legs.  It  contains  the  genera  Cassictts,  Daud. ;  Zanthomis,  Cut.  ; 
Icterus,  Cuv. ;  and  Chtfsomus,  Sw. ;  all  of  which,  as  well  as  the  ge- 
nera of  Agelaince,  are  natives  of  the  American  Continent.  To  en- 
ter the  family  of  the  Fringillidae  we  are  prepared  by  the  small  co- 
nic-biUed  species  of  the  AgekUna,  some  of  which,  as  our  author 
observes,  '*  so  closely  resemble  finches,  that  only  an  experienced 
naturalist  can  point  out  the  distinction.  The  primary  divisions, 
or  subfamilies,  are  considered  to  be  the  Coccothrauilina,  Tana- 
grifia,  FringUlina,  Aiandime,  and  PyrrhulifUB,  the  two  first 
the  typical,  the  remaining  three  the  aberrant  groups.  Under  the 
CoccothrttHSliua^  of  which  our  hawfinch  is  an  example,  he  ar- 
ranges '^  Coccoihraustes,  Driss.  Ploceus,  Cuv:  Tiaris,  Sw.,  Car- 
duelis,  Briss.,  and  Linaria,  Brlss.  In  treating  of  the  Tanagera, 
"  the  most  diversified  and  numerous  of  all  the  groups  in  this  com- 
prehensive family/'  he  states  the  difficulties  which  at  present  ex- 
ist in  making  an  arrangement,  strictly  according  with  their  natural 
affinities.  He  thinks,  however,  that  the  following  are  likely  to  repre- 
sent the  genera  or  minor  groups  of  which  it  is  composed,  vis.  Tor- 
divoia,  Sw.,  Tanap-a,  Linn.,  Phanisoma,  Sw.,  Nemasia,  Vieil.,  and 
Aglaia,  Sw.  Of  the  sub-family  FringiUinae  he  considers  Frin-- 
giUa,  Linn,  and  Emheriza,  Linn.,  to  be  the  typical  groups,  the  aber- 
rant being  represented  by  Pyrgita  or  Passer,  Auct.  Pledrophanes, 
Meyer,  and  Agrophilus,  Sw.  Though  he  adds  that  "  some  uncer- 
tainty hangs  over  the  latter,  as  to  its  real  value,"  and  whether  it 
may  not  ultimately  prove  to  be  only  a  sub-generic  type. 

Fur  the  next  sub-family,  Alaudina,  we  are  prepared  by  the  genus 


Classification  of  Birds,  461 

PUctrophanes,  which  resembles  Emberiza  in  the  shape  of  the  bill, 
and  the  larks  in  the  structure  of  the  feet.  It  contains  the  follow- 
ing genera,  Alauda,  Linn.  Calendula,  Linn.  Agrodroma,  8w.,  Macro- 
nyx,  Sw.,  and  CerlhUauda^  Sw.  We  most  observe,  that  the  charac- 
ters of  Agrodroma,  which  he  considers  the  insessorial  or  pre-eminent 
type,  approach  «o  near  to  those  of  others,  that  its  type,  Anihus  ru- 
fiscens,  and  the  other  two  species,  have  hitherto  always  deen  arrang- 
ed with  the  Pipits.  He  enters  the  Pyrrhulina  by  means  of  the  genua 
Pyrrhulauda,  Sw„  a  small  group,  belonging  to  tropical  India  and 
Africa,  which  indicates  an  affinity  to  both  sub-families,  in  the  farm 
of  its  bill  and  feet ;  under  this  division  he  also  places  the  genera 
Pyrrhulay  Auct.  Psittirostra^  Temm.  HcsmorhouSy  Sw.,  and  Loxia, 
Linn.  It  also  seems  probable,  that  the  bird  figured  by  Mr  ,Gould 
under  the  title  of  Paradoxo/rnis  will  enter  among  the  bullfinches, 
whose  circle  requires  to  be  further  analyzed. 

The  fifth  and  last  family  of  the  Conirostres,  is  that  of  Musopha* 
gidie,  or  plantain-eaters,  so  named  from  the  genus  Musophaga, 
which  contains  the  largest  birds  of  the  division,  though,  as  he  adds^ 
*^  it  is  by  no  means  clear  that  it  is  the  real  type  of  the  whole  fami* 
ly."  That  this  is  the  proper  station  of  the  birds  he  has  here  assem- 
bled, we  are  strongly  of  opinion,  though  their  connections  at  present 
with  the  other  Conirostral  fiimilies  is  not  no  prominent  or  well  mark- 
ed as  might  be  wished  for  or  expected.  Three  sub-families  only 
appear  to  be  recognized,  under  the  titles  of  PhytoiomiruB,  ColifUB, 
and  Mtisophagifiig.  They  are  remarkable  for  the  varied  form  and 
atructure  of  their  feet ;  in  some,  as  the  Cdies,  the  whole  of  the  toes^ 
four  in  number,  are  brought  forwardy^-^a  provision  in  beautiful  ac« 
cordance  with  the  habit  they  have  of  suspending  themselves  from 
the  branches  of  trees,  head  downwards.  In  the  Touraoous,  Cory-^ 
ihaix,  the  outer  toe  is  partially  reversible,  or  capable  of  an  outward 
direction,  in  Hyreiis  the  toes  are  only  three,  while  in  Phytotoma  they 
are  four  and  arranged  like  those  of  the  finches.  He  then  traces  an 
analogy  between  the  Corylhaix  gigantea,  and  the  Bueeros  gakatus^ 
through  which  he  conceives  the  union  of  the  two  families  is  effected. 

{To  be  continued.) 


46'2  Magazine  of  Natural  History. 

Pe  r  iodic  a  L8 — British, 
Loudon's  Magazine  of  Natural  History,  New  Series.  September 
and  October  1837*  (Continued  from  page  360.) 

I. — Zoology, 

Observations  on  the  oppo6able||Power  of  tbe  Thumb  in  certain 
Mammals^  considered  as  a  zoological  character;  and  on  tbe  natural  af- 
finities which  subsist  between  the  fiimana,  Quadrumana^  and  Pedi- 
mana,  by  W.  Ooilby,  Esq.  p.  449  and  51 7 — —Description  of  tbe 
membranes  of  the  Uterine  Foetus  of  the  Kangaroo,  by  R.  Owen, 

Esq.,  p.  481 Waterhousb  on  the  Palm  Squirrel,  p.  496. 

Weissenborn  on  the  Habits  and  Economy  of  the  common 

Fox,  p.  507< Some  remarks  on  the  Plumage  of  Birds,  by  Edw. 

Blyth,  Esq.,  p.  477— Notes  ^^  ^^  Pern  or  Honey  Buzzard, 

by  the  same,  p.  536. G.  R.  Gray  on  a  new  Subgenus,  and  some 

remarks  on  birds  belonging  to  the  family  Laniadae,  p.  487 

Gould  on  some  species  of  the  genus  Motacilla  of  Linnaeus,  p.  459. 
--^Characters  of  a  new  Form  in  the  Fringillidie,  with  a  descrip- 
tion of  the  only  species  yet  referable  to  it,  by  Andrew  Smith, 

M.  D.  p.  535. Letter  from  Dr  Clarke  of  Ipswich  to  William 

Yarrell,  Esq.  noticing  the  recent  occurrence  of  the  Fry  of  a  spe- 
cies of  Hemiramphus  on  the  coast  of  Suffolk ;  with  some  additional 
observations  by  Mr  Yarrell,  p.  505.-^— Description  of  a  new 
British  Wasp,  with  an  account  of  its  Development  from  the  Larva 
to  the  Imago,  by  W.  E.  Shugkard,  Esq.  p.  490.— -^.Illustrated 
Zoological  Notices,  by  Edw.  Charleswortu,  viz.  on  the  Argonaut, 
p.  526 ;  on  the  head  of  a  Crocodile,  (?  Stenseosaurus)  lately  discover- 
ed at  Whitby,  p.  532  ;  and  on  a  Form  of  cephalopodous  Shells  con- 
necting the  genera  Nautilus  and  Ammonites,  p.  533. Stutch- 

bury's  Additional  Remarks  on  the  genus  Cyprsecassis,  p.  470. 

J.  £.  Gray  on  a  new  genus  of  Land  Shells,  p. 484.*.— Miscellaneous 
Zoological  Notices,  by  J.  B.  Harvey,  p.  473. 

There  is  no  botanical  communication  in  either  number,  but  the 
usual  supply  of  short  notices.  We  have  to  thank  the  editor  for  the  fa- 
vourable notice  he  has  been  pleased  to  take  of  our  labours  ;  the  Ma- 
gazine of  Zoology  and  Botany  was  neither  begun  in  rivalry,  nor 
from  a  wish  to  injure  in  any  way  the  Magazine  of  Natural  History, 
for  the  plan  and  object  of  the  two  works  were  at  first  essentially 
different,  and  there  is  still  a  specific  distinction,  which  a  careful  rea- 
der will  be  at  no  loss  to  perceive. 


Annales  des  Sciences  NatureUes.  463 


Pe  riodic  AL8. — Foreign. 
Annales  des  Sciences  Naturelles-      Zoologie,   MM.   Audouin  et 
Milne-Edwards.    Botaniquey  MM.  Ad.  Brononiart et  Ouil- 
LBMiN.     Crochard  and  Co.  Paris.  Fevrier  et  Mars  1837.     (Con« 
tinued  from  p.  361.) 

1. — Zoology, 

Fevrier. — Btude  microscopique  de  la  Cnstatella  mucedo^  Cuv. 
par  M.  Turpi  N — Recherches  sur  les  Polypes  d^eau  douce  des  genres 
Plamatella>  Cristatella  et  Paludicella^  par  M.  P.  Gervais.  Of 
these  interesting  papers  we  shall^  on  a  future  occasion^  give  a  very- 
full  analysis.— .i?«cA«rcA««  expMmentales  physice-physiologiques 
sur  la  tefnp&rature  des  tisstis  et  des  liquides  sur  animawpy  par  MM. 

Becquerbl  et  Breschet. Experiences  sur  le  micanisme  du 

mouvement  ou  hattement  des  ariSres,  par  M.  Flourens. Descrip* 

ttofi  du  double  systSme  nerveux  dans  le  Limneus  glutinosus,  par  A. 

J,  Vanbenedbn. Note  sur  les  ossemens  fossUes  des  terrains 

tertiares  de  Simorre,  de  Sanson,  etc,  dans  le  dSpartement  du  Gers, 
ei  sur  la  d^couverte  rScente  £une  mdchoire  de  Singe fossile,  par  M. 

Lartet. Description  d'une  troisiime  espice  vivante  de  la  fa^ 

mille  des  Crinoides,  servant  de  type  au  nouveau  genre  Holopus^  par 

M.  D'Orbiony. Tabulae  synopticie  Scincoideorum,  par  M.  Coc- 

TBAV*^'^^ Description  d'une  nouvelle  espece  du  genre  Dreisseina, 
par  M.  J.  Vanbenedbn. 

Mars. — Analyse  ou  itude  microscopique  des  diffSrens  corps  orgor 
uises  et  autres  corps  de  nature  diverse,  qui  pen  vent  accidentellement 
se  trouver  envelopp^s  dans  la  pdte  translucide  des  Siler,  par  M.  Tur- 
pi n.  Very  interesting.— '/^^AercAcj  anatomiques  sur  le  corps 
muqueux  on  appareil  pigmental  de  la  peau,  daus  Vlndien  Charrua,  le 

Nigre  et  the  mvldtre,  par  M,  Flourens. Note  sur  le  Rhynchoa^ 

nite,  nouveau  genre  de  Crustaces  decapodes,  par  M.  H.  Milnb- 

Edwards. Du  genre  Eligmodonte  et  de  VEligmodonte  de  Buenos* 

Ayres,  Eligmodontia  typus,  par  M.  Fred.  Cuvier. Rapport  sur 

une  note  de  M.  Rang  concemant  le  poulpe  de  I'Argonaute,  par  M. 

de  Blainville. Experiences  sur  la  pression  d  laquelle  fair  con- 

tenu  dans  la  trachee-artire  se  trouve  soumis pendant  Facte  de  lapho* 

nation,  par  M.  Caoniard-Latour Rapport  sur  un  m^moire 

intitule :  De  la  marche  de  Fossijication  du  sternum  des  oiseaux^  pour 
fcure  suite  aux  travaux  r/eMM.  Cuvier  et  Geoffroy  Saint-Hilaire^  par 
M.  L'Herminibr. 


464  The  American  Journal  of  Science  and  Arts. 

II — Botany, 

Fevrier.— The  greater  portion  of  the  Number  is  occupied  with  a 
continuation  of  Bra va  is'  essay^  Murla  disposUiau  desjenilies  cur» 
vUSri^es,  There  are  other  two  original  articles*— Ifir/otre  de  rin^- 
digo,  depuls  Forigine  de*  temps  kutoriques  jusqu  d  Fannie  1833, 

par  M,  Aug.  de  Saint-Hilairb. Precis  des  observations  sur 

lafamiUe  des  Hypoxylos^  par  M.  de  A.  Libert.  The  Number  con- 
tains besides  a  short  notice  of  Esbnbbck's  well-known  Genera  Plan- 
tarum ;  and  of  a  large  systematic  work  on  the  Grasses  by  Kunth. 
An  error  in  the  memoir  of  Jussieu  is  corrected.  It  is  there  stated, 
that  in  1789,  among  other  families,  Jussieu  established  the  Paromy^ 
chias,  [but  Auo.  de  Saint-Hilairb  shews  that  )ie  was  really  the 
author  of  this,  as  the  former  had  himself  acknowledged. 

Mars. — The  only  original  paper  is  a  M^moire  iur  taccroissement 
en  grosseur  des  Exogines,  par  M.  Girou  de  Buzareingubs.  The 
other  contents  are  extracts  from  Communicalions  sur  JavafiuUs  d 

MM.  Wirtgen  et  Nees  d'Esenbeck  par  M.  Junouuhrb. Ma- 

t^riaux  pour  servir  d  F etude  des  Algues,  par  J.  N.  de  Suhb. 

Enum^ation  des  plantes  decouvertes  par  les  voyageurs  dans  les  iles 
de  la  SocUtS,  principalement  dans  ceUe  de  Taiti,  par  J.  B.  A.  Guil« 

LEUIN. 

The  American  Journal  of  Science  and  Arts.  Conducted  by  Ben- 
jamin SiLLiMAN,  M.  D.  Vol  xxxii.  No.  2,  July  1837-  (Con- 
tinued from  page  282) 

On  the  Economical  uses  of  some  Species  <f  Testacea,  continued^ 
p.  235.«^llie  species  treated  of  are  Muresf — The  shell  purple  of 
the  ancients^  M.  Tritonis,  Linn. — Mures;, — affording  the  dye  used 
by  painters. — Ostrea  edulis, — the  history  of  this  shell-fish  is  imper- 
fect, the  writer  also  considers  the  European  oyster  **  smaller  and 
thinner,  and  more  rounded  than  the  American^  while  the  lower  valre 
is  less  concave  or  yaulted.  It  is  not  beaked,  and  the  fish,  compared 
with  the  size  of  the  shell,  is  smaller,  and  it  possesses  a  different 
flavour,  while  their  habits  are  so  dissimilar,  that  there  can  be  no 
doubt  of  their  being  distinct  species." — Ostrea  scahra^ — ^ycL 
pictorum. — Turbo  littoreusy  Linn. — Pecten  mcueimus. — P.  cper- 
eularis. — P.  concentricum. —  Voluta  gravis. — Cyprea  moneta. — 
Chiton  Jasciatus,  cooked  for  the  table  io  the  island  of  Barbadoes. 
^•^Murex  despecius* — SoUn  sUiqifo, — Mytilus  edtilis,  differs  from 
the  British  species,  '*  in  being  flatter,  not  so  much  ridged,  more  an* 
gular,  more  extended  at  the  lower  end,  more  polished  on  the  out- 
side, and  it  seldom  grows  so  large  or  thick,  but  it  is  probably  only 

I 


Magazin  de  Zoohgie.  465 

a  variety." — Cardium  edule. — Helix  pomatia* — Unio — Chama  gi" 
gas. — Some  additional  notes  are  giyen  of  the  particular  ornamental 
uses.  Sec  to  which  shells  are  put  in  various  countries.  At  Mobile  the 
roads  are  mended  with  them^  (the  species  so  used  is  not  mentioned,) 
and  they  are  found  to  answer  well.  Upon  the  whole,  we  have  in 
this  paper  a  useful  outline  of  the  economical  uses  of  the  Testacea. 

Art.  VIII.  p.  2^,  is  a  favourable  review  of  Dr  Lindley's  Natu- 
ral System  of  Botany,  2d  edit.  It  is  introduced  as  an  original  2iX» 
tide.— -DtficWp^iow  of  several  new  Trilobitesj  by  Jacob  Green, 

M.  D.  p.  343. Description  of  the  Skull  of  the  Guadalonpe  Fos» 

sil  Human  Skeleton,  by  Jambs  Moultrie,  M.  D.  Professor  of  Phy- 
siolc^y  in  the  Medical  College  of  the  State  of  South  Carolina.  The 
remains  alluded  to  are  said  to  be  portions  of  the  Guadaloupe  skele- 
ton in  the  British  Museum,  and  were  procured  on  the  spot  by  Mon. 
THermini^re,  and  placed  in  the  Literary  and  Philosophical  Society 
ef  South  Carolina.  They  consist  of  five  fragments  of  the  skull ;  and 
the  investigation  was  made  for  the  purpose  of  ascertaining,  so  far  as 
possible,  whether  these  relics  belonged,  as  had  been  supposed,  to 
an  individual  of  the  Carib  race.  Dr  Moultrie  considers  that  they 
certainly  do  not,  but  bear  all  the  marks  of  the  American  variety ; 
"  In  so  much,  that  if  it  were  possible  to  exfoliate,  if  I  may  so  say, 
the  fossil  relics  from  their  incrustation,  the  vacancies  might  be  filled 
with  the  corresponding  parts  taken  from  the  head  of  the  Peruvian." 

The  Miscellanies  contain  the  annual  report  of  the  Curators  of 

the  Boston  Society  of  Natural  History,  which  appears  to  be  increas- 
ing rapidly. Notice  of  the  Discovery  of  the  remains  of  the  £le- 

phas  primogenius  in  1833  on  the  Irondiquot  creek  in  the  town  of 
Ferintow,  ten  miles  east  of  Rochester,  N.  Y.,  and  at  about  the  same 
distance  from  Lake  Ontario. 

3fagazin  de  Zoologie^  Journal  destini  d  faciliter  aux  Zoologistes 
de  tous  Us  pays  J  Us  Moyens  depublier  leur  Travaux,  et  Us  especes 
nouvelles  ou  peu  connues  qu'iU  possedent.  Par  F.  £.  Guebin- 
Meneville.  8vo.  Paris.  Septieme  annee,  Livs.  1, 2.  (Continued 
from  p.  364.) 

Livraison  1,  7 me  ann^e. 
1.  Recherches  Anatomique  et  Zoologiques  sur  lea  Mammiferea 
Marsupiaux,  par  M.  Laurent,  Professeur  d'Anatomie.  Part  of 
an  interesting  memoir,  proposing  to  treat,  *M*  De  Tappareil  mam- 
maire  des  Marsupiaux  et  de  la  bouche  de  leur  petits. — 2.  De  Toe 
Marsupial. — 3.  Du  perin^e  des  Marsupiaux — 4.  De  leurs  parties 
sexuelles  ou  g^nitales. — The  first  part  is  not  completed.— —2.  Me* 


466  Magazin  de  Zoologie. 

moire  siir  Us  Ptichydermes  Fossiles  connus  jusqu^  ce  jour,  et  rfe- 
scription  du  nouveau  genre  Dinotherium  de  M.  Kaup.  par  Emile 

Jacquemin. 3.  De   Lapresnaye,  description  of  Mesange  a 

Huppe  Jaune,  Parus  JlavO'Crisiatiu.  This  bird  will  not  rank 
among  the  true  pari.  It  has  been  long  known  in  the  British  col- 
lections, but  we  believe  is  till  now  unfigured.  A  second  new  and 
closely  allied  species  has  been  lately  brought  £rom  the  Alpine  dis- 
tricts of  India. 4.  Si^nopsis  Avium  ah  Alcide  D'Orbigny,  in  ejus 

per  Americam  meridionalem  itinere,  coUectorum,  et  ab  ipso  vial  arc 
necnon  a  de'Lafresnaye  in  or  dine  redactarum.  Specific  descrip- 
tions in  Latin  are  given  with  the  species  considered  new.  ■ 
5,  Descriplion  de  deux  especes  d'Anodontes  Fossiles  ^  precede  de 
quelques  details  sur  le  terrain  dans  lequel  elles  se  trouvent.   Par  M. 

Charlrs  D'Orbiony,  with  a  plate 6.  Note  monographique 

iur  le  genre  Limnadie^  et  description  d*une  espece  nouvelle  de  ce 
genre,  par  M.  F.  £.  Oubrin,  with  figures  of  Limnadia,  Mauri- 
tiana,  and  Hermannii. 7*  Fulgora  Castressii,  a  new  species  de- 
scribed by  Ouerin,  and  beautifully  figured.  It  is  a  native  of  Mexi- 
co  8.  Caiognathus  Chevrolatiif  considered  as  a  new  species, 

and  now  described  and  figured  as  such  by  Guerin. 

Livraison  2me.  7  (^nn^e. 

I.  Continuation  of"  M-  Laurent,  reckerches  anatomique  et  Zoolo* 

giquessurles  Mammiferes  Marsupiaux" 2.  Continuationof ''  5y- 

nopsis  avium  ab  Alcide  D'Orbigny." 3.  Notice  surla  famiUe  ties 

EngouleventSy  {Caprimulgida)  et  les  differents  genres  dont  eile  se 
compare,  par  M.  de  Lafresnaye.  A  useful  paper  regarding  this 
little  investigated  group,  accompanied  with  a  figure  of  Egotheles, 
and  the  characters  of  M.  Lafresnaye's  principal  sections.  Two  great 
divisions  or  sections  are  here  proposed  ;  \st,  Les  Engoulevents 
humicoles,  Caprimulgidsc  humicolee,  restricted  to  the  true  Goat- 
suckers, having  C.  Europeus  as  Typical.  2d,  Les  Engoulevents  pre- 
henseurs,  Caprimulgidse  prehensorise.  Several  species  are  describ- 
ed  4.  Notice  sur  deux  especes  Africanes  de  Genre  amphisb^ne 

(amphisbaena,  Linn.)  par  M.  P.  Gervais,  with  a  figure 5.  J.  Pe- 
tit de  la  Saussaye,  description  of''  Helice  nemoraHne^  H.  nemora- 
iinat  Petit.    A  new  species  from  the  Island  of  St  Thomas,  found  at 

an  elevation  of  1400 — figured. 6.  Description  de  quelques  especes 

nouvelles  de  coquUUsfofisiles  de  la  Champagne,  par  M.  Mxcu aud.— 

7.WESTWOODon  Steira  costata,and  Luperus  nasuius B.Memoire 

sur  une  seconde  especes  vivante  de  lafamille  des  Crenoides  on  En^ 
urines,  servant  de  type  au  nouveau  genre  Hoiope  {Holopus)  par 

4 


Midler^ s  Archivfur  Anatomic^  Physiologic^  SfC,         467 

M*  Alcide  D'Orbigny.   The  species  was  discovered  at  Martinique 
by  M.  Rang,  and  is  named  by  its  present  describer  H.  Rangii. 

Mailer* sArchivfUr  Anatomie  Physiologies  <^c.  1837.  Parts  1  and  2. 
(Contained  from  Vol.  i.  p.  587-) 

This  number  contains  a  Description  of  Euchytrseus,  a  new  genus 
of  Annelida^  discovered  by  Dr  Henle  of  Berlin.     These  animals 
are  found  in  situations  similar  to  the  common  earthworm^  generally 
rolled  t(^ether  in  pellets  of  damp  soil,  amongst  which  they  are  not 
easily  seen  until  they  have  been  detached  by  dissolving  it  in  water. 
They  are  found  in  the  greatest  numbers  in  the  inside  of  flower-pots, 
on  account  of  which  the  generic  name  Euchytrseus  (from  x^''^^^>  ^ 
vase^)  has  been  bestowed  upon  them.     They  will  live  about  four* 
teen  days  immersed  in  water.     In  length  they  vary  from  two  to  six 
lines.     The  head  is  pointed  and  conical   and  the  tail  truncated. 
The  body  is  formed  of  a  series  of  rings,  each  being  barrel-shaped,  or 
swelling  out  in  the  centre.     The  fifth  or  sixth  nearest  the  head  is 
proportionally  longer  than  the  rest.     The  number  of  rings  varies 
greatly  in  individuals  of  different  length.     In  twelve  specimens, 
they  ranged  betwen  nineteen  and  sixty-one.     They  are  covered  ex* 
temally  by  an  epidermis,  beneath  which  is  a  muscular  skin  formed 
of  longitudinal  and  transverse  filaments.     The  organs  of  generation 
are  always  situate  between  the  eleventh  and  twelfth  rings,  from 
which  it  is  inferred  that  the  growth  of  the  animal  takes  place  either 
by  the  addition  of  new  rings,  or  by  the  subdivision  of  those  already 
existing  beyond  the  twelfth.     Only  one  species  belonging  to  this 
genus  has  hitherto  been  discovered,  and  from  its  colour  the  name 
Euchytrasus  albidus  has  been  chosen  for  it.   Like  the  common  earth- 
worm it  moves  by  means  of  minute  bristles,  four  groups  of  which 
are  attached  to  each  ring,  viz.  two  on  the  belly,  and  obe  on  each 
side.     The  average  number  of  bristles  on  each  side  is  three ;  in  the 
earthworm  the  average  is  two,  and  several  other  points  of  difference 
occur  between  them.     In  Euchytraeus  they  are  straight  and  point- 
ed, and  they  sometimes  seem  to  be  attached  to  each  other  by  a  mem- 
brane resembling  the  web  of  a  swimming  bird.     They  take  their 
rise  in  the  inner  muscular  skin  before-mentioned.     In  the  systema- 
tic arrangement  of  the  Annelidie,  Euchytrseus  occupies  a  place  next 
to  Lumbricus,  from  the  similarity  of  its  form,  its  organs  of  locomo- 
tion, and  its  internal  structure.     Lumbricus  rivcdis,  described  by 
Fabricius  in  the  Fauna  GrcBnl.  p.  278,  seems  to  approach  the  nearest 

to  it,  but  his  description  is  somewhat  vague Remarks  upon  the 

VOL.  II.  NO.  11.  I  i 


468         MuUer's  Archivfiar  Anatomie^  Physiologies  8fc. 

HybemaHom  of  AnimaU.  By  Dr  A.  A.  Bkethold.  Althoug)i 
manj  reasons  have  been  assigned  to  account  for  the  sleep  of  several 
of  the  Alammalia  during  winter.  Otto  seems  to  be  the  first  who  has 
attributed  it  to  a  peculiar  organization  of  the  vessels  of  the  brain, 
and  not  merely  to  a  decrease  in  the  temperature  of  the  air.  [The 
result  of  his  latest  researches  tends  to  show,  that  the  caroHs  cere- 
hralia  in  such  animals  is  carried  through  the  aperture  of  the  stapes 
or  stirrup  bone.] 

Dr  Berthold  has  kept  for  some  time  specimens  of  Myoxus  avel- 
lanarias,  some  of  which  were  captured  when  full  grown,  and  others 
quite  young  in  the  nest.  His  observations  upon  them  tend  to  con- 
firm those  of  Pallas,  Spallanxani,  &c.,  and  in  some  instances  to  cor* 
rect  the  statements  of  other  writers  on  the  subject.  The  animals 
fell  asleep  whether  they  were  kept  in  the  open  air  or  in  a  warm 
room.  Saissy  states,  that  Myoxus  glis  did  not  fall  asleep  until  the 
temperature  was  below  44°  Fahr.  Dr  Berthold's  specimens  of  M. 
avellanarius  were  kept  during  the  winter  in  a  room,  the  temperature 
of  which  was  never  below  50'',  usually  from  59°  to  63°,  and  some- 
times as  high  as  68°,  and  they  slept  without  intermission.  Their  sleep 
is  more  profound  in  a  low  than  in  a  high  degree  of  temperature,  so 
that  in  the  former  case  they  may  be  shaken  about  for  a  long  time  with- 
out producing  any  effect,  but  in  the  latter,  the  shaking  causes  them 
to  roll  themselves  up  still  more  firmly,  by  pressing  the  head  upon 
the  breast,  but  even  then  they  do  not  awake.  Those  kept  in  a  warm 
room  remained  longer  awake  than  others  in  a  cold  one.  In  October 
the  latter  began  to  sleep  continuously,  some,  however,  awoke  every 
day  for  some  time  longer  and  took  some  food.  Towards  the  middle 
of  December  their  sleep  became  deeper  and  deeper,  and  from  that 
time  till  the  middle  of  March  they  only  awoke  two  or  three  times 
at  most  The  sleep  of  those  which  were  kept  in  a  room  of  ordinary 
warmth  was  modified  by  sudden  changes  of  weather,  until  it  reach- 
ed the  most  profound  state.  When  snow  w  frost  was  coming  on 
they  slept  more  soundly  ;  as  the  weather  became  milder  they  were 
more  active,  and  often  awoke  for  several  hours,  when  they  took 
some  food,  which  they  digested  completely  and  then  relapsed  into 
sleep.  Whenever  they  awoke  under  any  of  these  circumstances, 
their  character  as  nocturnal  animals,  remained  constant,  as  it  always 
happened  in  the  evening  or  during  the  night.  When  old  ones,  and 
their  young  which  had  not  passed  a  winter,  were  kept  together,  the 
former  fell  asleep  first,  as  the  latter,  not  yet  having  attained  their 
full  growth,  required  more  food,  and  their  sleep  was  retarded  by  the 
oalla  of  hunger.  The  temperature  of  the  animals  during  their  sleep 


Mutter's  Archivjur  Anatamie^  Physiologies  Sfc.         469 

is  regulated  very  much  by  that  of  the  Burrotinding  air.     For  in* 
stance^  when  a  thermometer  placed  in  the  saw-dust  which  formed 
their  nest  indicated  3&*,  the  heat  of  their  bodies  was  37°«  At  other 
times,  the  heat  of  the  saw-dnst  and  the  animals  was  respectively, 
3»»    .     .    50**  64^    •    .    63« 

60      .    .    58  63     .    .    63   ^ 

56     ..    54  58     .    .    61 

Thus  it  appears  that  the  temperature  of  the  animals  is  sometimes 
higher,  and  at  other  times  lower,  than  that  of  the  surrounding  me- 
dium. In  order,  however,  to  prove  this  more  clearly,  the  nest  was 
placed  in  the  open  air  at  night,  when  the  thermometer  stood  at  23^ 
and  the  respective  temperature  of  the  animals  and  the  nest  was  taken 
down  every  half  hour.  The  result  showed  that  the  body  is  more 
slowly  susceptible  of  change  than  the  saw-dust,  but  that  when  the 
heat  of  the  day  is  greatest,  that  of  the  animal  soon  surpasses  it,  and 
is  longer  in  cooling  down  again.  The  heat  of  different  individuals, 
however,  is  subject  to  variation.  They  are  also  so  constituted,  that 
they  remain  some  degrees  above  32^  when  the  external  air  sinks  below 
that  point*  In  times  of  extreme  cold,  unless  they  are  surrounded 
by  a  nest  of  warm  materials,  death  ensues,  and  the  slowness  with 
which  their  heat  is  lowered  to  that  of  the  air  is  no  doubt  a  provi- 
sion of  nature  to  provide  for  their  safety  in  such  cases. 

The  author^s  view  of  the  question  is,  that  hybernation  does  not 
proceed  from  too  great  a  degree  of  cold,  nor  from  want  of  nutriment^ 
(since  animals  fail  asleep  though  kept  in  a  warm  place  and  supplied 
with  abundance  of  proper  food,}  nor  yet  from  the  want  of  power 
to  retain  a  due  supply  of  heat  whilst  the  temperature  of  the  air  is 
becoming  lower  ;  but  he  regards  it  as  a  part  of  the  great  system  of 
nature,  which  exhibits  a  deficiency  of  vital  energy  in  every  branch 
of  the  animal  and  vegetable  world  at  stated  periods.  This  condi- 
tion shows  itself  in  some  animals  when  instinct  leads  them  to  pro- 
vide receptacles  against  the  approach  of  winter,  either  singly  or  in 
societies,  then  in  a  state  of  inactivity,  and  a  desire  to  sleep,  and 
lastly,  in  a  complete  suspension  of  the  action  of  the  nerves,  the  cir- 
culation, the  digestive  organs,  &c.  or,  in  other  words,  which  he  calls 
the  condition  of  *'  vita  minima.'*  This  condition  is  represented 
amongst  the  Mammalia  which  do  not  hybernate  by  the  shedding  of 
far.  Sec;  amongst  birds  by  moulting,  and  by  migrations ;  by  conceal- 
inent  and  torpidity  amongst  the  Amphibia  and  the  Invertebrata ;  and 
in  the  vegetable  kingdom  by  the  ripening  of  seeds,  the  falling  of 
leaves,  branches,  &c.  The  same  cause  will  account  for  the  torpidity 
during  summer  of  the  Tanrec  of  Madagascar,  of  the  crocodile. 


470  LimuBa  Ein  Journal  fur  die  Botanik^  Sfc, 

and  of  various  serpents  in  South  America ;  In  ahort^  whilst  the  heat 
of  the  sun  in  tropical  climates  produces  periodically  a  diminution  of 
vital  energy,  the  absence  of  that  heat  in  our  latitudes  produces  si- 
milar effects,  as  shown  by  the  torpidity  or  "  vita  minima"  of  the 
animals  under  consideration,  both  being  parts  of  a  comprehensire 
and  uniform  system  pervading  every  branch  of  animated  nature. 
Continuation  of  Prof.  Mitschbrlich's  Observations  on  the  ef- 
fects of  Oxyde  of  Copper  on  the  Organization  of  Animals 

Stannius  on  the  effects  of  Strychnine  on  the  nervous  system. 

Reichart  on  the  Changes  which  take  place  in  the  Viscera  in 

Birds  and  Mammalia. Grubs  on  the  Anatomy  of  Sipunculus  no- 
dus.  Professor  Weber's  microscopic  observations  on  the  Mo- 
tion of  Lymph  in  the  lymphatic  vessels  of  the  Larva  of  the  Frog. 

Linncsc^ — Ein  Journal  fur  die  Botaniky  Sfc.  Vol.  xi.  Parts  2  and  3. 
(Continued  from  Vol.  i.  p.  588.) 

Buck  on  the  Cape  Plants  of  the  genus  Echium. Trimius  on 

a  new  grass,  Zenkeria  elegans,  a  native  of  the  East  Indies,  allied 

to  Festuca. Remarks  on  Lichens  by  Hampb. Description  of 

Echinocactus  xanthacanthus,  spec.  nov. Revision  of  the  genus 

Anoda  by  D.  von  Schlechtendal. Description  of  Webera 

Meyeniana,  spec.  nov.  from  Chili,  and  of  Sporledera,  genus  no- 
vum muBcorum  frondosorum  Phascaceorum,  by  E.  Hampb. Cb- 

8ATI  on  the  genus  Ambrosinia,  on  monstrous  varieties  of  certain 

plants,  and  on  some  of  the  Umbellifera. Description  of  a  new 

species  of  cane,  Canna  Altensteinii. Notaresia,  novum  genus 

muscorum,  proposed  by  E.  Hampe,  containing  three  species,  N.  Ca- 
pensis,  N*  Virginica,  and  N.  Italica. 


I  471  ] 


INTELLIGENCE. 


ZOOLOGICAL. 

Nemertes,  Mag.  Zool.  and  Bot.  i.  p.  529. — Accidentally  turn- 
ing over  the  '^  Edinburgh  Journal  of  Natural  and  Geographical 
Science"  for  June  1831^  my  attention  was  caught  by  some  observa- 
tions on  Planaria  and  allied  genera  by  M.  Ant.  Dug^s.  From 
these  it  is  evident  that  Duges'  genus  Prostoma  is  the  same  as  that 
I  have  named  Nemertes,  He  considers  the  organ  described  by  me 
as  a  stomach  to  be  the  mouth ;  and  the  groups  of  points  on  each 
side  of  it  he  thinks  are  probably  intended  to  retain  the  prey  on 
which  the  worms  feed.  The  ovarian  pouches,  according  to  him, 
open  externally  along  the  sides,  and  are  capable  of  being  protruded 
by  compression.  These  are  points  which  we  shall  soon,  perhaps^ 
have  an  opportunity  of  reconsidering  when  describing  some  addi- 
tional species  of  the  genus.  It  is  to  be  remarked,  that  all  those 
described  by  Dug6s  appear  to  be  natives  of  fresh  water. — G.  J. 

British  Land  and  Fresh  Water  Shells  found  at  Mickleham,  near 
Boa;  Hill,  Surrey,  Summer  1837* 
Helix  pomatia,  abundant  in  lanes  and  woods. 

fulva,  common  on  a  bank;  Juniper  Hill  Estate. 

pura,  found  with  the  preceding. 

rupestris,  under  stones,  &c. 

lucida,  in  woods,  &c.  among  decayed  leaves. 

nitens,  common  under  stones,  &c. 

alliatia  ?       do.  do. 

crystaUina,  among  decayed  leaves. 

virgata. 


1 


\  common  in  pastures,  &c. 
ertcetorum    ' 

•  var. 


.  arbustorum,  in  '. 

Also  the  ordinary  varieties  of  HeHx  hortensis  and  H,  ne* 
moralis  in  great  plenty. 
CarocoUa  lapicida,  abundant  in  a  copse  on  the  Juniper  Hill  Estate. 
Cychstoma  elegans,  do.  do. 


472  Botanical 

Clausilia  bipUcaia,  ^ 
-  laminata,  I 
var,  white,  ^   in  woods  and  coppices. 


—  rugosa^ 
•  parvuta 


kite,    V 
a?      J 


f  in  woods,  &c.  among  decayed  leaves. 


Pupa  marginaia,  1 

umbiUcata.  }  '"'^«'  »*»""• 

Ackatina  Adcula,  chalky  banks^  (rare.)     I  have  never  foand  this 
species  in  the  neighbourhood  of  London  with  the 
animal  alive. 
Vertigo  Jutuperi,  among  moss  at  the  foot  of  jnniper  bushes^  (not 

common.) 
JSulimus  obscurus, 
lubricus, 

Ancylus  ftutfiatUis,  very  plentiful,  adhering  to  stones  in  the  river 
Moloi  (fine.) 

Daniel  Cooper. 

botanical. 
Berkeley* i  British  Fungi. — The  third  Fasciculus  of  this  important 
botanical  collection  is  now  ready  for  distribution  to  subscribers.  It  is 
a  double  number,  and  contains  preserved  specimens  of  one  hundred 
and  twenty  species. 

Fungi  under  the  Tropics — After  some  stay  at  Weltevrede  and 
Samarang,  I  am  now  at  Djocjokarta  (Java,)  where  I  shall  probably 
reside  for  eight  months.  This  town  is  situated  on  a  gently  sloping 
plain,  about  twelve  miles  in  extent,  which  reaches  from  the  foot  of 
the  volcano,  named  Merapi,  to  the  southern  coast  of  the  island ;  it  is 
at  an  equal  distance  from  the  volcano  and  the  shore.  There  are  here 
many  sandy  places,  particularly  rich  in  leguminous  plants,  and  the  drj 
beds  of  the  torrents  contain  an  immense  quantity  of  ferns.  Calcareous 
rocks,  scattered  here  and  there,  rise  like  towers  to  the  height  of  almost 
a  hundred  feet.  Up  their  steep  declivities  climbs  the  Cissus  sca- 
riosus,  BL  whose  roots  serve  as  a  matrix  to  the  Rafflesia  Patma, 
BL  I  have  gathered  the  latter  in  all  its  states,  and  find  it  still  every 
day.  I  owe  the  employment  which  gives  me  leisure  for  my  botanical 
pursuits,  to  M.  Fritze  de  Nassau,  chief  physician,  who  seconds  with 
kindness  my  zeal  for  science,  and  favours  to  his  utmost  my  study  of 
natural  history.  I  have  already  made  several  excursions  in  the 
Sudgebirge,  a  low  chain  of  mountains  which  extends  from  this  place 
to  the  south-east  point  of  the  island,  inhabited  by  tigers  and  pea- 


Botanical  473 

cocks,  and  which  is  covered  by  a  vegetation  of  incomparable  richness 
and  beauty.  Here  rise  woods  of  Tectona  grandis,  which  require  a 
whole  day  to  cross ;  they  are  met  with  chiefly  in  places  where  the 
rocks ''  degris'  predominate.  At  their  foot,  and  under  their  shade,  1 
found  such  a  great  number  of  beautiful  fungi,  especially  agarics, 
polypori,  pezizaa,  clavaris,  and  spheriae,  (all  quite  difierent  from  our 
European  species),  that  the  vast  hopes  which  Professor  filume  had 
inspired  were  much  below  reality.  Among  these  fungi,  I  remark- 
ed ahio  several  very  interesting  new  genera.  It  appears  that  under 
the  tropics,  the  vegetation  of  plants  of  this  family  is  not  limit- 
ed, as  with  you,  to  certain  fixed  seasons  of  the  year,  for,  at  this 
moment,  even  in  the  middle  of  the  dry  season,  I  gather  a  greater 
number  of  them  than  in  December,  when  abundant  and  continual 
rains  prevaiL  Consequently  these  expressions  :  '^  when  mushrooms 
predominate,  autumn  wanes,  the  leaves  fall,  and  the  vegetable  king- 
dom thinks  of  a  new  spring,"  can  apply  only  to  what  passes  in  the 
temperate  sone.  Indeed,  to  continue  in  this  figurative  style,  here 
the  sun  is  immoveable,  the  leaves  preserve  their  verdure^  the  flowers 
exhale  incessantly  their  delicious  perfume,  spring  and  autumn  em- 
brace each  other  ;  the  virginal  breath  of  the  young  plants  is  fatal  to 
the  old ;  the  power  of  the  fungous  vegetation  is  similar  then  to  these 
parasites,  who,  at  the  conclusion  of  a  sumptuous  banquet,  on  which 
they  have  largely  fed,  go  to  produce  a  new  offspring.  A  transient 
autumn  is  quickly  changed  for  an  eternal  summer,  whose  only 
clouds  are  the  shades  of  the  forests.  The  circumstances  which  prin* 
cipally  favour  the  development  of  vegetables  are  found  here :  the 
heat  is  constant,  and  the  difference  of  temperature  between  the  wet 
and  dry  seasons  is  scarcely  sensible  ;  and  humiditjf  never  abandons 
these  primitive  forests,  where  the  arches  of  foliage  rarely  permit  a 
ray  of  the  sun  to  penetrate.  Lastly,  the  rich  and  brownish  humus 
of  the  plain,  perpetually  impregnated  with  this  moisture,  is  of  that 
softness  which  favours  the  growth  of  the'fiingi.  The  quantity  of 
water  raised  in  vapour  b/the  heat  of  the  day,  and  which  the  cool- 
ness of  the  nights  deposits  again,  covers  the  leaves  with  a  dew  so 
abundant,  that  in  the  driest  day,  one  can  scarcely  go  far  into  one  of 
these  woods,  without  coming  out  quite  soaked.  Add  to  this,  the 
immense  quantity  of  twigs,  branches,  and  even  trunks,  lying  scat- 
tered on  the  ground, — trunks  whose  interior  is  already  changed  to 
mould,  which  the  bark,  so  thin  that  one  may  easily  break  it,  only 
preserves  in  its  first  form  ;  and  yon  may  form  to  yourself  an  idea 
of  the  external  circumstances  which  favour  the  uninterrupted  de« 
velopment  of  fungi  in  the  tropical  forests,  and  decks  them  every 


474  Miscellatieous. 

year  with  such  diiferent  species,  without  it  being  possible  to  notice 
that  their  evolution  is  confined  to  any  particular  season  of  the  year, 
as^  for  example,  the  autumn  in  the  temperate  zones.  Besddea,  the 
same  kinds  are  not  limited  in  their  vegetation  to  a  fixed  period,  but 
individuals  suceeed  without  interruption  those  which  have  preced- 
ed them.  Contrary  to  what  takes  place  in  Europe,  where  they  en- 
liven the  forests  in  autumn,  either  by  their  beautiful  colours,  or  by 
their  union  in  great  numbers,  fungi  here  grow  more  solitary,  and 
group  rarely  in  large  masses.  It  is  also  the  polypori,  principally 
those  which  grow  parasitically  on  the  trunks  and  branches,  and  they 
are  almost  all  different  from  the  European  species,  which  attract 
us  from  a  distance,  and  charm  us  by  their  lively,  brilliant,  and 
varied  colours.  In  Europe  it  is  the  agarics,  and  chiefly  the  terres- 
trial kinds,  which  predominate,  and  give  to  its  forests  in  autumn,  a 
peculiar  character. — Junghuhn  in  Ann.  des  Sciences  NaL  AJars 
1837. 

Growth  of' plants  inclosed  in  cases — ^Led  by  the  interesting  dis- 
coveries of  Mr  Wood,  I  undertook  about  two  years  since,  as  many 
experiments  on  growing  plants  inclosed  in  cases,  as  my  ingenuity  sug- 
gested. In  this  pursuit  I  was  induced  recently  to  imitate  a  dripping 
cave,  (the  natural  habitat  of  Trichomanes  brevisetum,  Hygrophila 
irrigua,  &c.)  The  mode  I  adopted  was  as  follows,  I  took  a  large 
packing  case,  glazed  in  front,  fixed  a  number  of  inclined  shelves  to 
its  sides  and  back,  formed  a  trough  at  bottom,  -  and  a  cistern  at  top 
having  its  bottom  perforated,  with  small  holes;  over  these  I  laid  a  sand 
bag  to  moderate  the  flow  of  water  supplied  each  morning.  I  then 
planted  my  ferns,  &c.  in  suitable  soil  on  the  inclined  shelves,  and  in 
the  trough  ;  they  were  thus  exposed  to  a  constant  gentle  dripping 
of  water,  which  escaped  below,  while  little  if  any  change  of  air  was 
effected.  The  result  has  been  the  growth  of  the  ferns  in  a  Inxuii- 
ance  so  greatly  exceeding  my  anticipations,  that  I  cannot  refirain 
from  recommending  the  plan  to  all  who  are  desirous  of  witnessing 
the  rapid  development  of  these  interesting  plants  in  most  exquisite 
verdure. — Robert  Ball. 

MISCELLANEOUS. 

Correctiotis  and  additions  to  Report  of  Meeting  of  BrUUh  As* 
sedation,  held  at  Liverpool  1837 — Mr  Macleay  expressed  the  great* 
est  doubt,  not  only  of  the  deadly  effect  of  the  bites  of  the  Argas  Per- 
sicus,  but  even  of  its  poisonous  nature.  These  doubts  were  found- 
ed, !•  on  the  circumstance  of  the  genus  Argus  not  giving  a  bite. 


Miscellaneous,  475 

but  only  a  puncture  with  its  rostrum.  2.  On  the  Argas  reflexus, 
so  common  in  pigeon-houses,  being  merely  a  bloodsucker.  3.  On  the 
puncture  of  the  Ixodidae^  generally,  to  which  family  Argas  belongs, 
producing  a  mechanical  rather  than  a  poisonous  irritation,  the  teeth 
of  the  rostrum  being  directed  backwards.  4.  On  the  possibility  that 
persons  in  a  bad  habit  of  body  may  have  given  rise  to  the  Persian 
story,  from  having  suffered  under  the  inflammation  consequent  on  this 
serrated  nostrum  being  broken  off  in  the  wound.  5.  On  the  fact, 
that  two  species  of  Argas,  and  those  of  the  genus  Ixodes,  that  is^ 
two  different  genera,  were  exhibited  under  the  denomination  of 
the  poisonous  bug  of  Mianneh  ;  "  so  that  it  would  follow,  if  the  col- 
lector of  these  Arachnids  be  correct,  that  not  only  Argas  is  in  that 
district  of  Persia  a  poisonous  genus,  but  also  Ixodes^  a  well  known 
generic  group,  troublesome  enough  in  our  own  and  other  countries, 
but  never  yet  considered  poisonous.  Mr  Hope  remarked,  that  he 
had  heard  of  a  poisonous  Ixodes  in  St  Domingo ;  while  Mr  Madeay 
added,  that  he  also  knew  the  St  Domingo  species,  which  was  com- 
mon in  Cuba  ;  but  that  though  it  often  covered  the  hides  of  the  cat- 
tle, tormenting  them  greatly,  it  was  never  considered  poisonous,  and 
that  Oviedo,  an  old  Spanish  writer,  who  describes  them  under  the 
name  of  Garrapata,  long  since  held  the  same  opinion. 

The  eggs  of  the  Ixodes  produce  a  hexapod  larva,  which  is  the 
typical  form  of  the  young  of  the  Acaridea,  which  form  so  vast  a 
portion  of  the  class  Arachnida, 

In  reference  to  Captain  Ducane's  paper,  Mr  Madeay  made  the 
following  remarks,  which  may  be  substituted  for  those  at  p.  375, 
(Report  of  Tuesday,  12th  September  :)  ''  If  Thomson,  who  profes- 
ses to  have  observed  the  developments  of  the  crabs,  and  Rathke, 
who  professes  to  have  observed  the  developments  of  the  crayfish, 
be  both  right,  it  will  be  a  singular  fact,  that  the  Brachyurous  deca- 
podes  undergometamorphosis,  while  certain  Macrourous  decapodesdo 
not  undergo  it.  It  was  also  singular,  that  if  Captain  Ducane,  who 
agrees  witib  Thomson  as  to  the  metamorphosis  of  certain  macrou- 
rous decapod  Crustacea,  and  Rathke  were  both  right,  then  some  ma- 
crourous decapodes,  such  as  prawns  and  shrimps,  do  undergometamor- 
phosis, and  others,  such  as  the  crayfish,  do  not."  Mr  Madeay  has  since 
his  return  from  Liverpool  received  spedmens  of  the  <'  Ditch  pratun" 
(mentioned  p.  376,)  and  found  it  to  be  a  true  prawn  or  Palemon, 
the  P.  varians  of  Dr  Leach,  if  indeed  thai  species  can  be  accurately 
distinguished. 

Botanical  Society  of  Edinburgh,  July  13^  1837 — Dr  Bal* 


476  Miscellaneous. 

four  in  the  chair.  Mr  J.  £.  Gray,  President  of  the  Botanical 
Society  of  London,  was  elected  a  Non^Resident  member.  Dona- 
tions to  the  library  were  announced  from  Mr  Sowerby  and  Mr 
Leighton. 

Mr  J.  M*Nab  read  an  extract  from  his  Joutnal  of  a  Tour  through 
Canada  and  the  United  States  during  the  summer  of  1834,  contain- 
ing a  highly  interesting  account  of  an  excursion  to  the  Falls  of  Nia- 
gara>  with  particular  reference  to  the  botanical  features  of  that  oele* 
brated  locality.  The  Arbor  yitn  (Thuja  occidentaUsJ  was  obserred 
to  be  exceedingly  abundant  in  the  neighbourhood  of  the  Falls,  oFer- 
hanging  the  rapids  in  many  places  in  the  most  curious  manner. 
Drawings  were  exhibited  of  some  of  these  which  had  sprung  up  in 
a  very  singular  way.  Several  large  lime  trees  had  been  cut  down> 
many  years  ago,  about  two  feet  above  the  ground ;  and,  after  decay 
had  commenced,  some  seeds  of  Arbor  vite  had  got  into  the  centre 
of  them,  where  they  had  germinated,  and  now  formed  beautiful  and 
handsomely  shaped  trees,  upwards  of  20  feet  in  height,  with  stems 
20  inches  in  circumference.  The  deciduous  trees  chiefly  consisted  of 
platanus  and  tulip  trees,  oaks,  elms,  limes,  ashes,  walnuts,  beedies, 
birches,  and  poplars.  The  herbaceous  v^etation  was  very  luxuri- 
ant, and  presented  many  rare  and  interesting  species.  The  exposed 
rocky  ground  above  the  Falls  was  richly  adorned  with  dwarf  shrubby 
plants,  of  which  the  Hypericum  Kalmianum,  then  in  full  flower,  was 
the  most  conspicuous,  whilst  the  swampy  grounds  were  profusely 
covered  with  the  beautiful  scarlet  and  blue  cardinal  flowers  ("Lobelia 
cardinaliM  and  siphilUica.)  Impatient  biflora  was  remarked  as  the 
plant  growing  nearest  the  descending  water  of  the  Falls,  being  con- 
stantly within  the  influence  of  the  spray,  and  assuming  a  tall  and 
spongy  habit,  without  any  appearance  of  flowers.  On  Goat  Island, 
which  separates  the  American  from  the  British  Fall,  the  herbaceous 
plants  were  very  various,  including  Hepaiieas,  TriiUum,  Cypri- 
pedium,  Sec ;  also  Sanguinaria  Canadensis,  Hedrasiis  Canadensis, 
Podophyllum  peltaium,  Arum  triphyUum,  Jeffersonia  diphyUa,  Sym- 
phira  racemosa.  Sec.  Slc* 

Dr  Graham  stated,  that,  in  consequence  of  the  early,  long-continu- 
ed, and  severe  winter,  a  very  considerable  number  of  half-hardy 
shrubby  plants  in  the  Botanic  Garden  had  been  more  or  less  in- 
jured ;  and  that  he  proposed  exhibiting  in  a  tabular  form  the  extent 

*  Several  members  of  the  Society  requested  Mr  M*Nab  to  publish  the  Jour- 
nal of  his  Tour,  arA  stated  their  readiness,  should  he  incline  to  publish  it  by 
subscription,  to  do  all  in  their  power  to  aid  him  in  procuring  the  requisite 
number  of  subscribers. 


MuceUanedus.  477 

of  the  injury, — distingoishiDg  the  plants  according  to  their  native 
country^  their  natoral  orders,  and  the  situations  thej  occupied  in  the 
garden,  whether  upon  walls  or  in  exposed  or  sheltered  borders.  He 
mentioned  at  the  same  time,  that,  in  consequence  of  the  much  greater 
quantity  of  snow  than  usual,  herbaceous  plants  had  sustained  little 
injury,  and  gave  as  an  example  the  Roscoea  purpurea,  one  of  the 
ZiuziberaceiBy  which  had  lived  in  the  open  border  mthout  protec- 
tion during  several  winters,  and  flowered  freely  each  summer. 

Specimens  of  Cochlearia  anglica,  from  the  '*  Banks  of  the  Cree, 
and  Palnure  Bum,  Kirkcudbrightshire,"  where  it  was  discovered  by 
Dr  6.  M'Nab,  were  exhibited.  Also  specimens  of  Festuca  arena- 
ria,  so  named  by  Mr  Gorrie,  brought  from  the  sands  of  Barry,  by 
Dr  Knapp,  which  were  shown  by  Mr  Campbell  to  be  identical  with 
a  hairy  var.  of  Fesluca  rubra  from  North  Queensferry. 

Several  monstrosities  were  exhibited  by  Dr  Balfour,  Mr  A. 
Mack,  and  Mr  Arthur,  Walltower  Garden,  North  Berwick. 

W.  H.  Campbell,  Sec. 

Botanical  Socisty  of  London.— May  4th  1837.  W.  H. 
White,  Esq.  in  the  Chair. — The  ordinary  business  of  the  evening 
having  been  accomplished,  the  Secretary  proceeded  to  read  a  paper 
from  J.  Reynolds,  Ei^q.  illustrating  the  singular  notions  entertained 
by  the  ancients,  with  respect  to  plants  and  their  uses  in  the  cure  of 
diseases,  &c.  A  communication  was  then  read  from  Arthur  Wal- 
lis,  Esq.  on  the  Flora  of  Chelsmford.  Mr  G.  Dennes  also  reafl  a 
translation  of  Professor  Meyen's  Memoir  from  the  Annates  des 
Sciences  Nalurelles  for  November  1835,  on  the  Circulation  in 
Vegetables,  which  excited  much  interest.  The  meeting  was  then 
adjourned  until  May  18th. 

May  18th  1837.— John  E.  Gray,  Esq.  F.  R.  S.,  President,  in  the 
Chair — Names  of  visitors,  donations  to  the  library  and  Herba- 
rium, and  candidates'  certificates  having  been  read,  a  memoir  was 
read  by  M.  Hopkins,  Esq.  on  Vegetable  Fermentation,  the  subject 
of  saccharine  fermentation,  and  the  formation  of  beet-root  sugar, 
(of  which  specimens  were  exhibited,)  having  been  discussed  at  full 
length,  the  President  announced  the  donation  of  some  valuable  seeds 
from  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  presented  by  Monsieur  Schmidt  to 
the  Herbarium.     The  Society  then  adjourned  until  June  1st. 

June  Ist. — The  President  in  the  Chair. — The  names  of  visitors 
having  been  read,  and  members  elected,  Mr  Hopkins  continued  his 
paper  on  Vegetable  Fermentation.  Mr  Daniel  Cooper,  the  curator, 
begged  to  inform  the  members  that  the  plants  in  the  Herbarium  were 


478  Miscellaneous* 

nearly  arranged^  and  that  the  regulations  respecting  the  time  of  dis- 
tribution would  shortly  be  announced.  The  meeting  was  then  ad- 
journed untilJJuly  6th. 

July  6th — The  President  in  the  Chair. — Donations  of  plants  from 
Messrs  O.  Gardiner,  O.  £.  Dennes,  Daniel  Cooper,  Dr  Bell  Sal- 
ter^ Dr  Macreight^  &c.  having  been  announced,  Mr  Hopkins  con- 
cluded his  interesting  paper  on  Vegetable  Fermentation.  The 
meeting  adjourned  until  August  3d. 

August  3d. — John  Reynolds,  Esq.  Treasurer,  in  the  Chair. — 
Presents  having  been  announced,  Mr  G.  E.  Dennes  proceeded  to 
read  a  translationof  the  report  made  to  the  Academy  of  Sciences 
by  M.  Mirbel,  Dutrochet,  and  Auguste  St  Hilaire,  reporting  on  the 
memoir  relative  to  the  structure  and  development  of  the  generat- 
ing organs  of  a  species  of  MarsiUa,  found  by  M.  Esprit  Fabre, 
about  the  environs  of  Agde.  The  society  then  adjourned  until  Sep- 
tember 7th. 

September  7th. — J.  E.  Gray,  Esq.  F.  R.  S.  President,  in  the 
Chair. — Names  of  visitors  having  been  read,  the  secretary  announ- 
ced a  collection  of  botanical  works  for  the  library,  from  Mr  Pam- 
plin  of  Wandsworth,  and  specimens  of  plants,  amounting  to  up- 
ward of  3000,  from  Daniel  Cooper,  Esq.  the  curator ;  also  plants 
from  Mr  Dennes  and  Mr  Rich.  A  communication,  accompanied  by 
drawings,  from  M.  Schomburgh,  on  a  supposed  new  species  of  Nym- 
phaea,  found  by  him  at  the  River  Berbice.  British  Guiana-  This 
interesting  plant  is  described  by  M.  S.  as  producing  leaves  6  feet 
in  diameter,  and  flowers  upwards  of  15  inches  across.  Upon  ex- 
amination it  was  discovered  to  belong  to  a  genus  intermediate  be- 
tween Nymphiea  and  Euryale,  to  which  the  name  of  Victoria,  in 
honour  of  her  Majesty,  to  whom  the  plants  (drawings)  had  been 
sent,  and  received  her  approbation.  The  name  of  Victoria  regalis 
has  been  given  to  this  plant.*  M.  S.  also  communicated  a  new  species 
of  Loranthus,  which  he  calls  L.lSmythii,  in  honour  of  Lady  James 
Carmichael  Smyth,  a  zealous  patron  of  the  science.  M.  S.  was 
unanimously  elected  a  foreign  member.  The  society  then  adjourned 
until  3d  October. 

October  3d. — J.  Reynolds,  Esq.  Treasurer,  in  the  Chair. — Col- 
lections of  plants  were^announced^from  R.  Leyland,  Esq.  of  Hali-» 
fax,  C.  Conway  of  Pentywydd,  and  from  Mr  Freeman  of  Stratford> 
Essex.  Mr  Freeman  then  read  a  paper  on  the  Flora  of  Stratford, 
Essex.  A  continuation  of  Mr  Wallis's  former  paper  was  also  read, 
accompanied  by  a  donation  of  numerous  specimens.  J^The  secretary 

See  Plate  in  this  Number,  with  extract  from  M.  Schombiu^h's  letter. 


Miscellaneous.  479 

then  read  some  extracts  from  M.  A.  Decandolle's  Memoir  on  Alimen* 
tary  Plants,  accompanied  by  a  chart  of  the  world,  in  which  were 
laid  down  the  boundaries,  north  and  south,  as  mentioned  by  Decan- 
doUe. 

Dr  Bossey  exhibited  specimens  of  grasses  affected  with  ergot. 
Mr  D.  Cooper  stated  that  he  had  had  in  the  course  of  the  season, 
much  conversation  with  the  Essex  farmers,  and  they  informed  him 
that  since  the  increased  navigation  of  steam-vessels  in  the  Thames, 
their  lands  had  been  considerably  more  productive  of  late  years,— 
which  they  attributed  to  the  prevailing  winds  blowing  the  smoke 
and  soot  over  their  lands.  This  point  having  been  fully  discussed, 
the  meeting  adjourned  until  November  2d. 

November  2d. — Dr  Macreight,  F.  L.  S.  V.  P.  in  the  Chair.— 
Donations  of  plants  were  announced  from  Mr  W.  A.  Lewis,  Mrs 
Dennison,  Mrs  Gawler,  Mr  Hopkins,  &c.  Dr  Bossey  then  read  his 
paper  on  the  Fungi  which  he  had  observed  to  attack  grain.  The 
paper  led  to  an  interesting  discussion,  and  the  meeting  adjourned 
untH  November  16th. 

Natural  History  Society  op  Newcastle. — On  Thursday  the 
21  St  Sept.  the  anniversary  meeting  of  the  Natural  History  Society  of 
Northumberland,  Durham,  and  Newcastle  upon  Tyne,  was  held  in 
the  Society's  new  building,  C.  J.  Bigge,  Esq.  the  society's  treasur- 
er, in  the  chair.  Mr  W.  Hutton,  the  senior  secretary,  read  the  re- 
port of  the  committee  for  the  past  year,  which  stated  that  they  had 
to  congratulate  the  members  on  the  continued  prosperity  of  the  so- 
ciety. The  treasurer's  account  showed  a  larger  income  than  ever 
they  had  received  in  one  year,  and,  though  there  was  a  balance 
against  the  society,  the  subscriptions  which  they  had  yet  to  receive 
would  do  more  than  cover  that  amount.  They  had  often  had  to  re- 
cord the  donations  made  to  the  society,  and  it  was  with  pleasure 
that  they  now  referred  to  the  munificent  gift  of  the  Earl  of  Tanker- 
ville  (in  addition  to  a  handsome  annual  subscription,)  consisting  of 
500  specimens  of  corals,  corallines,  fossils,  &c.  in  a  large  glass  case. 
This  splendid  donation  imparted  quite  a  new  feature  to  the  museum, 
and  the  committee  thought  it  their  duty  to  order  a  new  case  for  the 
reception  of  the  specimens,  in  which  they  can  be  properly  arranged 
and  named,  a  display  which  the  size  of  the  original  case  did  not  ad- 
mit of,  and  which,  when  completed,  will  form  one  of  the  most  attrac- 
tive portions  of  the  museum.  It  was  stated,  in  the  report  of  last 
year,  that  the  society  expected  a  present  of  a  series  of  casts  from 
the  fossil  bones  and  shells  in  the  Jardin  des  Plantes ;  the  committee 
had  to  announce  that  these  had  arrived,  and  were  very  valuable,  but 


480  MisctUaneom. 

they  were  not  yet  arranged,  and,  for  tlist  porpoae,  the  ccnnmittee  had 
ordered  new  cases  to  be  made.  The  part  of  the  society's  transactHms 
formerly  announced  were>  from  unavoidable  causes,  not  yet  ready  for 
publication,  and  although  the  committee  regretted  the  delay,  yet  they 
had,  by  it,  been  enabled  to  add  to  the  part  several  local  articles  of 
great  value.  Often  as  those  papers  had  been  praised  by  others,  and 
pleasing  as  that  praise  was  to  the  authors,  it  would  still  be  a  great- 
er pleasure  to  them  to  know  that  a  law  had  been  passed  at  the  late 
meeting  of  the  British  Association  at  Liverpool,  by  which  the  au- 
thors of  those  papers  were  made  free  members  of  the  council  of  that 
association.  It  also  afforded  the  committee  sincere  pleasure  to 
think  that  the  efforts  of  the  society,  in  conjunction  with  those  of  the 
Literary  and  Philosophical  Society,  had  been  crowned  with  success, 
and  that  it  had  been  determined  that  the  next  meeting  of  the  Bri- 
tish Association  was  to  be  held  in  this  town.  Such  a  determination 
did  the  highest  honour  to  the  town,  and,  as  the  Natural  History  So- 
ciety had  taken  an  active  part  in  inducing  the  Association  to  come  to 
that  determination,  it  would  be  their  duty  to  do  everything  in  their 
power  for  the  Association  when  it  came.  The  committee,  therefore, 
ventured  to  express  a  hope  that  many  members  of  the  society  would 
prepare  papers  to  read  at  that  assemblage,  by  which  the  so- 
ciety would  maintain  that  credit  with  the  Association  which  it 
had  already  gained,  and  that,  afterwards,  if  it  was  found  neces- 
sary, they  would  allow  those  papers  to  be  printed  for  the  benefit  of 
science.  The  committee  also  recommended  that  the  next  anniversary 
meeting  of  the  society  should  be  held  immediately  after  the  close 
of  the  meeting  of  the  British  Association,  and  that  some  of  the  most 
learned  members  of  the  Association  should  be  invited  to  attend  the 
meeting,  a  circumstance  which,  the  committee  conceived,  would  be 
highly  beneficial  to  the  interests  of  the  society.  The  committee, 
in  conclusion,  had  to  state  that  the  plan,  recommended  previously, 
of  admitting  the  public  to  the  museum,  had  been  acted  upon  by 
them ;  that  certain  days  had  been  set  apart  for  their  admission,  and 
that  the  museum  had  occasionally  been  opened  in  the  evenings.  By 
these  means  thousands  had  been  gratified  with  a  sight  of  the  museum, 
and  the  committee  had  again  the  gratification  of  announcing  that 
they  were  not  aware  of  any  loss  or  damage  sustained  in  consequence 
of  such  unrestricted  admission. 

Obnitholooical  Society  of  London. — The  four  leading 
peculiarities  which  distinguish  and  recommend  this  society  are, 
first,   that   it   furnishes  a  gratuitous   exhibition  of  birds,  which 


Miscellaneous.  481 

IS  open  to  the  view  of  all  classes  of  the  metropolitan  public; 
second,  that  it  forms  a  museum  peculiarly  adapted  for  the  pur- 
poses of  science;  third,  that  the  museum  and  library  are  to  be 
always  open  without  restriction  to  scientific  persons  and  artists;  and, 
fourth,  that  practical  advantages  are  aimed  at  by  the  introduction, 
naturalization,  and  gratuitous  distribution  of  useful  and  ornamental 
foreign  birds. 

With  regard  to  the  first  of  these  points,  a  very  interesting 
and  valuable  collection  of  aquatic  birds  is  now  open  to  the  view 
of  all  classes  in  the  beautiful  garden  in  St  James's  Park.  The 
study  of  natural  history  is  so  conducive  to  our  moral  and  corporeal 
health,  that  we  rejoice  over  every  institution  and  project  which  is 
intended  to  diffuse  more  widely  among  our  fellows  that  pure  happi- 
ness which  we  ourselves  are  conscious  of  having  derived  from  this 
enchanting  source.  The  Horticultural  and  Zoological  Gardens  have 
added  greatly  to  the  enjoyment  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  crowded 
metropolis ;  but  those  gardens  are  generally  accessible  to  none  but 
the  higher  and  more  wealthy  classes,  and  gardens  of  natural  history 
for  the  poor  were  a  desideratum  hitherto  unsupplied,  until  the  Or- 
nithological Society  stepped  forward  to  supply  it.  We  trust  that 
this  benevolent  example  wiU  be  followed,  and  that  we  shall  live  to 
see  the  royal  parks  of  London  converted  into  gardens  of  botany  and 
zoology,  sculpture  and  statuary.  Such  a  conversion  might  easily  be 
effected  without  the  slightest  loss,  but,  on  the  contrary,  with  a  most 
remarkable  addition  to  the  beauty  and  picturesque  effect  of  the 
porks,  and  an  incalculable  improvement,  moral  and  intellectual,  of 
the  people. 

With  regard  to  the  second  point,  the  scientific  character  of  the 
museum,  it  is  intended  to  form  a  complete  collection  of  skeletons 
and  of  skins,  which,  as  every  ornithologist  knows,  are  far  more  use- 
ful for  examination  than  mounted  specimens  ;  to  preserve  anatomi- 
cal preparations  of  parts ;  to  collect  eggs,  nests,  &c.  so  as  to  teach 
(as  it  were)  ornithology  by  the  eye. 

Upon  the  third  point,  the  opening  of  the  museum  and  library 
without  restriction  to  scientific  persons  arid  artists,  it  is  unnecessary 
to  make  any  explanation, — the  intention  is  as  wise  as  it  is  liberal. 

The  last  point,  viz.  the  introduction,  naturalization,  and  distri- 
bution of  foreign  birds,  is  one  of  some  difficulty,  but  of  exceeding 
interest  and  value.  With  the  pheasant  in  our  woods,  the  turkey 
and  Guinea-fowl  in  our  farm-yards,  and  the  parrot  and  Canary  bird 
in  our  cages,  it  is  wonderful  that  these  examples  of  the  advantages 
of  the  introduction  of  foreign  birds  have  not  excited  us  to  more  en- 


482  Obituary, 

terprising  and  efficient  endeavours  to  introduce  the  numerous  species 
which  might  so  advantageously  be  added  to  our  stock  of  domesticat- 
ed birds.  It  is  positively  disgraceful  to  this  country,  that  we  hare 
no  ponds  planted  with  Valisneria^  and  stocked  with  the  canvass-badc 
duck,  that  venison  of  the  feathered  race.  The  Curassows  are  still 
strangers  in  the  land.  The  glorious  capercailzie  has  not  been  re- 
called from  exile ;  and  for  cage-birds,  why,  the  very  sounds  are 
mockery.  Humming  birds,  and  a  bird  of  Paradise,  have  been 
brought  alive  into  this  country — Here  is  encouragement  for  the  en- 
terprise of  this  society  !  We  must  not  forget  to  mention,  that  all 
the  superabundant  eggs  and  birds  are  to  be  gratuitously  distributed 
among  the  members :  this  will  not  only  act  as  an  inducement  to 
join  the  society,  but  is  perhaps  the  very  best  means  that  could  be 
devised  for  diffusing  the  introduced  species  throughout  all  parts  of 
the  united  kingdom. 

Shows  are  to  be  instituted,  and  premiums  given  ;  ornithological 
works  are  to  be  published  and  patronized  ;  and  lectures  have  been 
already  commenced.  At  the  last  general  meeting  on  the  7th  July, 
when  the  ordinary  business  had  been  completed,  Mr  Vigors  deli- 
vered a  masterly  and  interesting  introductory  lecture,  exhibiting  the 
five  types,  and  aberrations  from  the  types,  of  ornithological  forms, 
explaining  their  typical  stations,  and  adaptations  to  their  modes  of 
life.    The  lectures  will  be  resumed  in  November. 

There  are  now  about  two  hundred  members.  The  scientific  cha« 
racter  of  the  society  may  be  estimated  from  the  following  selection 
from  the  list :  Dr  Burchell,  the  Earl  of  Derby,  J.  E.  Oray,  John 
Gould,  Dr  Horsfield,  W.  S.  Macleay,  the  Bishop  of  Norwich,  Dr 
Royle,  Wm.  Swainson,  Col.  Sykes,  N.  A.  Vigors,  and  Wm.  Yarrell. 
In  addition  to  the  above,  Dr  Richardson,  Mr  Selby,  and  Dr  Andrew 
Smith,  have  promised  their  assistance — H.  C. 

Obituary. 
On  the  15th  of  April  1837,  at  his  residence  in  Norwich,  Joseph 
Sparshall,  Esq.  F.  L.  S.,  in  the  45th  year  of  his  age.     There  is  a 
notice  of  his  character  in  the  Mag.  Nat.  Hist,  for  October,  p.  559. 
He  was  a  well-known  practical  entomologist. 


EDINBURGH  : 
PRINTED  BY  JOHN  STARK,  OLD  ASSEMBLY  CLOSE. 


MAGAZINE 


OF 


ZOOLOGY   AND   BOTANY. 


ORIGINAL  COMMUNICATIONS. 


I. — A  Revision  of  the  Genera  of  Bats  (  Vesperlilionida  ) ,  and  the  De- 
scription  of  some  new  Genera  and  Species,  By  John  Edward 
Gray^  F.  R.  S.^  President  of  the  Botanical  Society  of  London, 
&c.  &c. 

Some  of  the  older  authors  placed  these  animals  with  the  Birds, 
but  Ray  (Syn.  Anim.  Quad.,  p.  43,)  properly  arranged  them  with  the 
Mammalia,  and  formed  them  into  a  particular  group,  of  which  he  only 
knew  a  single  species ;  Linnaeus  divided  the  few  species  he  knew 
into  two  genera,  which,  on  account  of  the  difference  in  the  number 
of  their  teeth,  he  placed  in  two  different  orders,  an  error  which  he 
was  not  often  guilty  of  committing,  and  which  Pennant,  Pallas,  and 
Brisson  corrected,  by  referring  them  back  to  a  single  genus ;  but 
the  latter  author  (Le  Regne  Animal,  4to,)  in  \^&2i  divided  in  his* 
specific  characters,  the  fruit-eating  bats  from  the  insectivorous  ones, 
by  the  number  of  their  claws ;  and  this  group  was  long  afterwards 
converted  into  a  genus  by  Geoffroy,  under  the  name  of  Pteropus ; 
Daubenton  in  1759  (Mem.  Acad.  Paris,)  described  several  new 
species,  and  gave  some  figures  of  the  heads  of  these  animals,  which 
greatly  facilitated  their  determination.  Pallas,  in  l?^?^  (Spic.  Zoolog. 
6.)  when  describing  many  new  species,  showed  that  the  bats  might 
be  divided  into  sections  by  the  number  of  their  teeth ;  and  Erxleben 
(Sys.  Anim.)  1777>  acting  on  Pallas*s  suggestions,  divided  the  bats 
into  two  genera,  giving  to  those  that  have  four  cutting  teeth  in  the 
upper  and  lower  jaw  the  name  of  Pteropus ^  and  retained  in  the  genus 
Vespertilio  the  other  bats  ;  which  he  divided  into  sections  according 

VOL.  II.  NO.  12.  K  k 


484  A  Revision  of  Hit  Genera  ofBats^ 

to  the  absence,  presence,  and  number  of  these  appendages.  These 
divisions  were  adopted  by  Gmelin  (Syst.  Nat.  1.  45.),  who  reduced 
the  genus  established  by  Erxleben  to  the  rank  of  a  section.  In 
1805,  M.  Geoffroy  St  Hilaire,  who  was  then  employed  in  naming  the 
Mammalia  in  the  Paris  collection,  commenced  a  series  of  papers  in 
the  Annalesdu  Museum,  in  which  he  established  various  genera  of 
these  animals,  described  the  different  species  which  he  referred 
to  them,  and  illustrated  them  with  figures.  Cuvier  in  1817(^^gne 
Animal,)  placed  the  bats  with  the  insectivorous  Mammalia,  and 
divided  the  insectivorous  genera  into  groups  according  to  the  number 
of  the  phalanges  of  the  index  and  middle  finger ;  and  his  system  has 
been  very  generally  followed,  and  from  time  to  time  new  genera  have 
been  added  by  Dr  Horsfield,  F.  Cuvier,  Charles  Bonaparte,  and 
others.  Dr  Leach,  in  1822,  (Linn.  Trans,  xiii.)  published  two  pa- 
pers, in  which  he  described  and  figured  some  new  genera.  One  of 
the  papers  is  on  those  "  bats  with  foliaceous  appendages  to  the  nose  ;" 
and  the  other  for  those  that  were  without  these  organs.  In  1823, 
Spix,  in  his  work  on  the  South  American  monkeys  and  bats,  adopted 
these  divisions,  and  gave  a  Latin  name  to  them,  and  he  has  been  ge- 
nerally quoted  as  the  founder  of  these  sections.  Such  was  the  state  of 
the  science  when,  in  1826, 1  published  a  short  paper  in  the  Annals  of 
Philosophy,  and  in  1829  a  second  in  the  Zoological  Journal  (p. 
242,)  in  which  I  divided  the  bats  into  ^we  natural  sections ;  and 
in  the  Philosophical  Magazine  for  the  same  year  1  printed  a  revi- 
sion of  the  genera  from  personal  examination,  and  added  to  it  an 
artificial  table,  for  the  purpose  of  facilitating  the  discovery  of  them. 
This  paper  was  translated  into  Latin  by  Dr  Fischer  (Synop.  Mamm. 
659,)  and  into  German  by  Oken  in  the  Isis,  and  into  French  by  Les- 
son in  his  Manuel ;  and  the  arrangment  has  been  adopted  by  Mr 
Swainson  in  Lardner's  Encyclopaedia ;  and,  lastly,  by  the  anonymous 
'  writer  on  bats  in  the  Penny  Encyclopaedia,  who,  having  merely  trans- 
lated the  article  from  Lesson's  Manuel,  erroneously  attributes  it  to 
that  author,  though  Lesson  quotes  me  as  the  author  of  the  tribes.  The 
accompanying  paper  may  be  considered  as  an  abridgement  of  a  further 
revision  and  extension  of  that  article ;  and  for  the  purpose  of  writing 
it,  I  have  examined  all  the  bats  which  have  passed  through  my  hands, 
or  that  I  have  been  able  to  see  in  the  English  collections  and  in  the 
Government  museums  of  France,  Germany,  and  Holland ;  and  I 
hope,  that  I  shall  not  now  hear  persons  complain  of  the  difficulty  they 
experience  in  making  out  the  species,  much  less  the  genera  of  these 
interesting  animals.  I  believe  that  the  real  cause  of  the  difficulty  is 
the  little  attention  that  zoologists  have  paid  to  them,  and,  as  a  proof 
of  thiM  inattention,  I  am  induced  to  give  a  sketch  of  the  history  of 


and  Description  of  New  Genera  and  Species,  485 

the  discovery  of  the  various  species  which  inhabit  this  country.  Ray 
and  Merret,  as  I  have  before  observed,  only  knew  a  single  species, 
and  this  was  the  only  one  recognized  as  British,  until  the  year  1738^ 
when  Albin  first  figured  (Birds,  t.  101.),  and  1766,  George  Edwards 
again  figured  the  long-eared  bat  in  his  work  on  Birds  (t.  20L  f. 
3.)  ;  and  Pennant  recorded  these  two  in  his  first  edition  of  the  Bri- 
tish Zoology.  In  his  succeeding  editions  he  extended  the  number 
to  4,  adding  the  Noctule  on  the  authority  of  the  Rev.  Dr  Buck- 
worth,  who  had  observed  a  large  bat,  which  Pennant  thought  to 
be  this  species,  (Brit.  Zool.  lllust.  1770-85,)  at  Queen's  College^ 
Cambridge;  but  the  Rev.  Gilbert  White  had  written  to  him, 
and  given  him  a  good  history  of  this  bat  in  1769,  (Hist.  Selborn, 
1779,  ^b,  760  Aod  secondly,  the  horse-shoe  bat,  Rkinolophvs 
Jerrum  equinum,  which  had  been  discovered  by  Mr  (afterwards  Dr) 
Latham  at  Dartford.  In  1806  (Ann.  Mus.  viii.  198,)  M.  Adolphe 
Brongniart,  when  travelliug  from  Dover  to  London,  discovered  a 
new  species  which  was  described  under  the  name  of  V.  emargina^ 
tus;  and,  in  1808,  Montagu  in  the  Linnsan  Transactions  (i.  Tl,) 
added  to  those  already  known,  the  little  horse-shoe  {Rhinolophus 
hippo^ideros),  and  the  barbastelle  {Vesp.  Barbastellus ;)  but  it  is 
doubtful  if  the  animal  described  by  Montagu  was  the  real  barbas- 
telle, for  the  remains  of  the  specimen  so  named  in  his  collection,  was 
certainly  Vesp,  mysiacinus  of  Kuhl,  but  the  fact  of  the  Barbastelle 
being  British  was  fully  established  in  1805,  by  the  figure  of  it 
given  by  Mr  Sowerby  in  his  British  Miscellany,  from  a  specimen 
found  by  Mr  Peate  at  Dartford. 

In  1825,  Dr  Leach  described  and  figured  in  the  Zoological  Jour- 
nal, (7>  t.  22.)  what  he  considered  as  a  new  species,  under  the  name 
of  Vespertilio  jtygmeus,  sending  the  specimen  described  to  the  British 
]\Iu8eum.  In  1826,  feeling  from  the  experience  that  I  had  gained 
when  studying  with  that  great  reformer  of  zoology  in  England  Dr 
Leach,  that  the  British  bats  had  not  had  the  attention  paid  to  them 
that  they  deserved,  I  examined  the  various  specimens  collected  by 
Dr  Leach,  myself,  and  our  correspondents,  which  were  then  in  the 
British  Museum,  and  in  the  ZoologicalJoumal  (p.  108)  for  that  year, 
I  gave  a  list  of  the  specimens  then  in  the  collection,  and  by  that 
means  added  the  four  following  species,  viz.  Vespertilio  Bechsteinii, 
y.  Naiiereri,  V.  serolinuSy  and  F.  mystacinus,  Dr  Fleming  having 
overlooked  my  paper  in  1828,  when  his  work  on  British  Animals 
appeared,  merely  gave  the  species  that  were  known  before  its  pub- 
lication; while  the  Rev.  Leonard  Jenyns  and  Mr  Bell,  in  their  works 
on  the  British  Mammalia,  have  been  able  to  add  two  more  species  to 
the  list,  viz.  r.  Leisleri  and  F.  discolor,  which  I  had  added  to  the  mu- 


486  A  Revision  of  the  Genera  of  Bats, 

seum  collection  since  the  publication  of  my  paper,  the  latter  of  them 
having  been  sent  from  Plymouth  by  Dr  Leach.  In  1833,  Mr  Leonard 
Jenyns  (Lin.  Trans,  xvi.  55, 1. 1,  f.  2.)  described  what  he  considered 
as  a  species  under  the  name  of  Plecolus  brevimanus;  but  from  the  ob- 
servations which  I  have  been  enabled  to  make  on  the  development 
of  the  wings  of  these  animals,  (Phil.  Mag.  and  Annals,  vi.  1829-35,) 
which  do  not  gain  their  full  size  until  after  the  animal  has  done  suck* 
ling,  I  am  now  certain  that  both  the  Vesp.  pygmeus  and  Plecoius 
brevimanus  are  only  the  young  states  of  other  species,  the  latter  being 
the  young  of  the  long-eared  bat,  and  the  former  most  probably  the 
young  of  the  pipistrelle  ;  and  I  am  borne  out  in  this  opinion  by  the 
soft  state  of  the  cranium,  the  large  size  of  the  joint  arising  from  the 
epiphysis  of  the  bones  not  being  knit,  of  the  specimen  of  both  these 
animals  which  have  come  under  my  notice,  and  I  may  observe,  that 
the  first  joint  of  the  middle-finger  of  all  the  adult  bats  I  have  exa« 
mined  is  as  long  as  the  arm-bone,  which  is  not  the  case  in  these 
animals. 

Fam.  V.    VespertilionidjG. 
The  limbs  elongated  ;  fingers  of  the  fore-hands  and  tail  enclosed 
in  a  nearly  naked  membrane,  serving  for  wings ;  fingers  very  long ; 
thumb  free,  clawed  ;  toes  of  hind- feet  short,  equal  clawed ;  teeth 
variable. 

A.  IsTioPHORi,  or  Leaf  nose  bats.  Nostrils  placed  in  a  bald  spacsy 
often  elevated  behind  into  a  leaf;  teeth  acutely  tubercular  ;  in^ 
dex-finger  not  clawed. 

Tribe  I.    Lect/no^e  kind.    Phyllostouina. 
Nose- leaf  expanded  into   a   leaf  behind,  simple  and  pierced  with 
the  nostrils  in  front ;  ears  lateral,  separate, 
f  Forehead  pitted  ;  ears  close  together.     Old  World. 

1.  Rhinupoma,  Geoff.  Tail  long,  exserted  beyond  the  short  in- 
terfemoral  membrane ;  forehead  with  a  deep  pit ;  ears  close  to* 
gether;  nose-leaf  small. 

Indian  Khinopome.  Khinopoma  Hardwickii,  Gray.  Zool.  Misc* 
37-     Inhabits  India.     Gen.  Hardwicke. 

Egyptian  Rhinopome,  Rhinopoma  microphylla,  Geoff.  Vesp. 
microphyllus,  Schreb.  Brunnich,  Cat.  Copenh.  t.  6,  f.  1^4.  Inhabits 
Egypt.    Dr  Riippell. 

See  also  Rhinopoma  Carolinensis,  Geoff,  if  a  tme  Rhinopome  ? 

1 1  Forehead  simple,  ears  lateral,  tongue  short,  under  lip  entire  with 

a  triangular  synooth  space  in  front.    New  World. 

2.  Abctibeus,  Leach. — Phyllostoma,  Spix. — Tail  round  (none  ?) 
interfemoral  membrane  deeply  cut  in,  forehead  simple,  ears  far 
apart,  lateral,  nose-leaf  simple  lanceolate. 


and  Description  of  New  Genera  and  Species.  487 

♦  The  inner  edge  of  the  lips  not  fringed. 

Jamaica  Arctibeus.  Arctibeus  Jamaicensis^  Leach. — Phyllos- 
toma  Jamaicensis^  Horsf  Zool.  Journ. ;  young,  Madateus  Lewisii, 
Le(tch. — Tragus  with  1  or  2  lobes  on  the  middle  of  its  hinder  edge. 
Inhabits  Jamaica,  Cuba,  Mr  Redman. 

See  also  Arctibeus  planirostris.  Phyllostoma  planirostre,  Spix, 
Braz.  t.  36,  f.  1.     ''  Tragus  lobed,"  Spix. 

Fringed-lipped  Arctibeus.  Arctibeus  fimbriatus.  Gray. — Nose- 
leaf  elongate,  lanceolate,  apex  with  a  broad  midrib  ;  fiir  mouse- 
colour,  very  soft,  with  pale  tips,  rather  paler  beneath  than  above  ; 
fore-arm  and  under  side  of  the  wing  near  the  fore-arm  and  side  of 
the  body  with  scattered  fur ;  the  front  of  the  lower  lip  with  a  se- 
miovate  space,  with  a  central  tubercle  surrounded  by  small  warts. 
Expanse  IT**    Inhabits  Brazil. 

Sooty  Arctibeus.  Arctibeus  fuliginosus.  Gray Fur  sooty- 
black  ;  wings  and  membrane  black ;  chin  with  a  triangular  space, 
having  5  or  6  warts  on  each  side ;  nose-leaf  ovate-lanceolate,  acute, 
with  a  deep  groove  parallel  to  the  edge  of  each  side,  front  part  free 
on  the  edge ;  lips  ^nged  ;  ears  moderate,  rather  naked,  black.  Ex- 
panse 16*^ ;  body  and  head  3*^,  arm-bones  2*^  6'".  Inhabits  S.  Ame- 
rica.    Museum  Lyons. 

See  also  Arctibeus lineatus.  Gray — Phyllostomuslineatus,  llliger, 
Licht  Doub.     3,  Phyll.  lineatum,  Geoff. 

•  *  Lips  not  bearded  internally. 
Lobed  Arctibeus.     Arctibeus  lobatus,  Gray. — Tragus  3  lobed. 
Inhabits ?  British  Museum. 

Arctibeus  perspicillatus. — Phyllostoma  perspicillatum,  Geoff. 
Ann.  Mus.  xv.t.  ii.  P.  superciliarum,  Pr.  Max.  P.  lineatum,  Geoff.  ? 
Vesp.  perspicillatus,  Linn.  Grande  fer  de  lance,  JBuffon,  Suppl. 
vii.  t.  74,  cop.  Encycl.  Meth.  t.  32,  f.  4.  Phyllostomus  lituratus, 
lllig.  Licht.  Phyll.  lineatus,  llliger.     Collection  of  Mr  Swainson. 

3.  Vampybos,  Geoff.  Vampire. — Tail  none,  interfemoral  mem- 
brane large,  with  3  diverging  lines,  truncated  at  the  end  ;  muzzle 
long ;  central  upper  cutting  teeth  lobed. 

Pale  Vampyre.  Vampyrus  spectrum.  Leach. — Phyllostoma  spec- 
trum, Geoff'.  Ann.  Mus.  xv.  t.  ii.  f.  4 ;  head  and  skull.  Diet  de  Sc. 
Nat.  Vesp.  spectrum,  Linn.  Seha,  i.  t.  58,  f.  1,  cop.  Schreb.  t.  54, 
Shatv,  t.  43.  Vampyrus  sanguisuga.  Lesson ;  front  of  lower  lip  with 
2  small  smooth  warts  in  front.    Inhabits  Brazils.   British  Museum. 

4.  Phyllostqma,  Geoff.  Phyllostome.  Vampyrus,  Spix.  Tail 
very  short,  on  the  upper  side  of  the  interfemoral  membrane  tips. 


488  A  Revision  of  the  Genera  of  BaUy 

•  FrofU  of  the  lower  lip  with  a  triangular  space,  having  a  large 

wart  on  each  side  and  a  series  on  the  edge. 
Javelin  Phyllostome.  Phyllostoma  hastatum,  Geoff.  Ann.  Mus. 
XV.  t.  ii.  PhjlloBtomus  maximus,  Pr.  Max.  Abbild.  t.  71-  Vesp. 
hastatus^  PalL  Le  Chauve-souris  fer  de  lance^  Buff,  HJN.  xiii-  t. 
33,  cop.  Schreb.  t.  46.  Encya  Meth.  t.  30.  f.  4.  Vesp.  perspicillatas, 
Schreb.  t  46,  a.  Pteropus  hastatus,  Eratleb.  Javelin  Bat,  Penn^  t- 
30,  fig.  4.  Variable  in  colour,  hair  brown,  tipt  with  gray.  1.  male, 
fulvous  brown ;  2.  female,  brown ;  3.  male,  blackish,  inhabits 
Brazil.     British  Museum. 

See  also  Phyllostoma  elongatum,  Geoff.  Ann.  Mus.  xv.  t.  6.  f. — 
Phyllostoma  crenulatum,  Geoff,  Ann.  Mus.  xv.  t.  6,  f.    Desm.  Nouv. 

Diet.  xxvi.  t.  m.  28,  f.  S.  Encyc.  Meth.  t.  3,  f.  10.     Inhabits ? 

Sooty  Phyllostome.  Phyllostoma  fuliginosum.  Gray. — Sooty-black, 
hair  of  head  and  neck  with  greyish  tips,  beneath  greyer ;  nose-leaf 
ovate-lanceolate,  quite  entire,  1  ^  as  long  again  as  broad ;  ears  sharp  ; 
wings  black ;  tail  end  free.  Inhabits  S.  America.  British  Museum. 
From  Sir  Everard  Home. 

*  ♦  Lower  lip  with  an  half  ovate  group  of  crowded  warts. 
Children's  Phyllostome.    Phyllostoma  Childreni,  Gray. — Brown, 
slightly  grizzled,  with  grey  tips  to  the  hairs,  beneath  greyer ;  ears 
large  with  rather  membranaceous  rounded  at  the  ends ;  nose-leaf  ovate- 
lanceolate,  rather  longer  than  wide ;  wings  brown ;  warts  of  lower  lip 
in  3  or  4  arched  series,  crowded.     Expanse  12".     Inhabits  S.  Ame- 
rica.   British  Museum.     From  J.  G.  Children,  Esq. 
*  *  ♦  Front  of  lower  lip  with  a  small  smooth  ovate  space  formed  of 
two  small  tubercles,  as  in  Fampyrus. 
Bennett's  Phyllostome.  Phyllostoma  Bennettii,  Gray, — Fulvous 
brown,  rather  paler  beneath ;  hair  very  long,  soft,  with  greenish 
tips ;  ears  very  large,  rather  acute ;  nose-leaf  very  large,  ovate-lan- 
ceolate, with  a  thick  convex  midrib ;  wings  brown.  Exp.  12'^-  nose- 
leaf  8"^     Inhabits  S.  America.     British  Museum.     Named  in  me- 
mory of  my  excellent  friend,  whose  early  death  all  zoologists  must 
deplore. 

*****  Front  of  the  lower  lip  with  a  large  central  wart,  hasnng 
a  series  of  large  oblong  transverse  warts  on  the  edge,  the  upper 
warts  sometimes  divided  into  2  or  3. 

Soricine  Phyllostome.     Phyllostoma  soridnum,  Fischer.     Vam- 
pyrus  soricinus.  Spue,  Braz.  t.  36,  f.  2-6.     Inhabits  Brazils. 

5.  Carollia.     Interfemoral  membrane  large,  truncated ;    tail 
none  ;  tragus  very  small. 

Brazilian  short-eared  bat.     Carollia  Braziliensis.     Phyllostoma 
brachyotum,  Pr.  Max.  t.        f.  1-S.     Inhabits  Brazils. 


and  Description  of  New  Genera  and  Species.  489 

6.  LoPHosTOMA,  Orb.  Interfemoral  membrane  large^  truncated  ; 
tail  rudimentary  ;  tragus  entire. 

Lophostoma  sylyicola^  Orbignif,  Voy.  Amer.  Merid.  t.  6.  Inhabits 
S.  America.     Perhaps  the  same  as  the  former. 

7-  Edostoma,  Orhigny,  Edostome.  Tail  none ;  interfemoral 
membrane  very  small,  marginal ;  heel-bone  none ;  nose-leaf  double, 
erect,  anterior  pierced  with  the  nostrils,  hinder  erect,  larger,  sepa- 
rated from  the  front  one  by  a  considerable  space. 

Ashy  Edostome.  Edostoma  cinerea,  Orhigny ^  Voy.  Amer.  Me- 
rid, t.  8. 

8.  Macrophyllum,  Gray,  Macrophylle.  Tail  elongated,  reach- 
ing to  the  truncated  tip  of  the  large  interfemoral  membrane,  under 
lips ?  , 

Prince  Nieuwied's  Macrophylle.  Macrophyllum  Nieuwiedii, 
Gray,  Phyllostoma  macrophyllum,  Pr.  Max,  Ahbild,  t.  Inhabits 
Brazil. 

9.  Bbacuyphylla,  Gray,  Cavern  Bat.  Tail  very  short,  inter- 
femoral membrane  deeply  nicked,  two  rayed ;  nose-leaf  smaU,  sur- 
rounded by  a  deep  groove,  which  separates  it  fi-om  the  face  ;  front 
of  under  lip  with  a  smooth  triangular  space  bearded  on  the  edge. 

Cavern  Bat.  Brachyphylla  cavernarum,  Gray^  Proc.  Zool.  Soc. 
ii.  123.  Inhabits  St  Vincents  (West  Indies.)  Brit.  Mus.  and 
Zool.  Soc.  Mus. 

10.  DiPHYLLA,  Spxx.  Tail  none  ;  interfemoral  membrane  none  ; 
nose-leaf  double,  one  being  placed  behind  the  other ;  tragus  lan- 
ceolate ;  under  lip ? 

Diphylla  ecaudata,  Spix,  Braz.  t.  36,  f.  7-  Glossophaga  diphylla, 
Fischer,     Inhabits  Brazils. 

11.  Stenoderma,  Geoff,  Desmodus,  Pr,  Max,  ?  Tail  and  inter- 
femoral membrane  none ;  nose-leaf  very  small,  scarcely  elevated ; 
nostrils  with  an  arched  ridge  behind  ;  thumb  long,  free ;  under  lip 

Stenoderma  rufum,  Geqffi  Diet.  Sc.  Nat.  t.       Inhabits  Brazils. 
Mus.  Paris,  (bad  state.)    Is  the  Desmodus  rufus,  Pr,  Max.  Abbild. 
t.    Rhinolophus  ecaudatus,  Schinz,  distinct  ?  Temminck  considers 
this  to  be  a  young  Dysopes ! 
t  t  t     Forehead  simple  ;  ears  lateral ;  tongue  longj  JUting  into 

the  notch  of  the  chin ;  lower  lip  deeply  cut  in  the  centre  of  the 

front,  and  of  ten  fringed ;   head  elongated;  chin  with  reflexed 

whiskers.     New  World. 

12.  Phyllophora,  Gray,  Tail  short ;  apex  enclosed  in  the 
large  truncated  interfemoral  membrane  ;  apex  superior. 


490  A  Revinon  of  the  Genera  of  Bats, 

Phyllophora  amplexicaudata.  Gray.  Glossophaga  amplexicau- 
data,  Spix.  Braz.  t.  36,  f.  4.     Inhabits  Brazils.     British  Museum. 

13.  Glossophaoa,  Geoffl  Tail  none  ;  interfemoral  membrane  is 
large  and  deeply  cut  out. 

Soricine  Bloodsucker,  Glossophaga  soricina,  Geqffl  Vespertilio 
soricinus.  Pall.  Misc.  t.  5.  Spic.  Zool.  iii.  t.  3-4,  cop.  Schreb- 
t.  47 ;  and  Encyc.  Meth.  t.  32.  f.  5.  Edwards*  Birds,  t.  201,  f.  1. 
Pteropus  soricinus,  Erxleb.  Phyllost.  soricinum,  Geoffi  Ann.  Moa. 
xv.  t.  2.  Leaf-bat,  Pennant.  Inhabits  West  Indies.  British  Mu- 
seum, from  Thomas  Bell,  Esq. 

14.  MoNOPHYLLUs,  Leach.  Tail  short,  prominent  above  the  very 
small  deeply  cut  interfemoral  membrane ;  thumb  elongated,  thick  ; 
heel-bone  rather  elongated  ;  head  short, 

Redmann's  leaf-nose  bat.  Monophyllus  Redmanni,  Leach,  Linn. 
Trans,  xiii.  76.  Brown,  beneath  rather  paler  ;  membrane  black  ; 
lower  lip  fringed,  and  with  two  slight  tubercles  in  front.  Inhabits 
Jamaica. 

Glossophaga  caudifera,  Geoff.  Mem.  Mus.  iv.  t.  17»  cop.  in  Diet. 
Sc.  Nat  ;  may  not  be  different  from  the  former. 

15.  Anoura,  Gray.  Tail-less  Bat.  Tail  none,  interfemoral  mem- 
brane small,  just  margining  the  hind  legs ;  heel  bone  very  short ; 
cutting  teeth  ^-^  ;  thumb  very  small  and  slender. 

Geoffroy's  tail-less  bat.  Anoura  Geoffroyi,  Gray.  Glossophaga 
ecaudata,  Geoff.  Mem.  Mus.  iv.  t.  181.  Pr.  Mas.  Abbild.  In- 
habits Brazil.     British  Museum. 

1 1 1 1  Forehead  simple  ;  ears  large,  united  over  the  forehead. 

16.  Mbgaderma,  Geoff.  Broad-winged  bat.  Nose-leaf  simple, 
erect,  front  part  flat,  on  the  nose  behind ;  lips  simple ;  wings,  in- 
terfemoral membranes  and  ears,  large,  membranaceous ;  tail  none  ; 
cutting  teeth  g.     India. 

Megaderma  trifolium,  Geoff.  Ann.  Mus.  xv.  t.  12,  head.  Me- 
gaderma  spasma,  Geoff.  Ann.  Mus.  xv.  t.  12,  from  Vesp.  spasma^ 
Linn,  from  Seba,  i.  t.  5%.  f.  1.  cop.  Schreb.  t.  48.  Shaw's  Zoology, 
t.  41.  Vesp.  lanceolata,  Deschamp,  MSS.  Inhabits  Java.  Mu- 
seum  Leyden. 

Lyre-nosed  broad-winged  bat.  Megaderma  Lyra,  Geoff.  Ann. 
Mus.  XV.  t.  12.  cop.  Encycl.  Meth.  t.  3.  f.  II.  B.  Diet.  Sc.  Nat. 
Inhabits  India.     British  Museum. 

17-  Lavia,  Gray.  Nose-leaf  simple,  erect  behind,  with  an  ex- 
panded elevated  edge  in  front,  and  a  fold  forming  a  canal  in  the  upper 
edge  of  its  centre ;  lips  simple ;  tail  none  ;  cutting  teeth  %.    Africa. 

Lavia  irons,   Gray.     .Megaderma  frons,  Geoff.  Ann.  Mus.  xv. 


and  Description  of  New  Genera  and  Species.  491 

t.  1^  head:  la  Feuille^  Daubenton,  Acad.  Paris^  1769.  Inhabits 
Africa,  (Egypt^  Senegal,  Gambia.)     British  Museum. 

Nose-leaf  large,  membranaceous,  hairy,  the  hinder  part  elongat- 
ed, with  a  deep  fold  on  each  side  forming  a  broad  central  tapering 
kind  of  midrib,  the  lower  part  of  each  fold  furnished  with  a  mem- 
branaceous expansion  covering  the  nostrils.  The  front  of  the  leaf 
large,  with  a  broad  expanded  free  edge,  furnished  with  a  fold  in 
centre  of  the  front,  forming  a  conical  canal. 

?  18.  MoRMoops,  Leach,  not  F.  Cuv.  Nose-leaf  simple;  ear* 
large,  close  together  in  front,  united  to  the  nose-leaf  above,  and  to 
the  membranaceous  ridges  round  the  mouth  and  chin ;  interfemoral 
membrane  large,  truncated ;  tail  short,  inclosed  ,*  apex  free  above  ; 
cutting  teeth  |. 

Mormoops  Blainvillii,  Leach,  Linn.  Trans,  xiii.  t.  ?•  Inhabits 
Jamaica. 

The  genus  described  by  M.  F.  Cuvier  under  this  name  appears 
to  be  perfectly  different.  This  genus  differs  from  Vampyrus  in 
the  large  ears,  the  mouth  being  fringed  with  membranes,  wartiness 
of  the  chin,  and  in  the  under  lip  being  entire  in. front. 

Tribe  II. — Rhinolophina. 

Nose  disk  expanded  into  a  letif  behind,  and  with  a  pit  or  process 

between  the  nostrils  in  front. 
*  Interfemoral  membranes  very  small ;  tail  none  ;  disk  with  a  large 

deep  pit  between  the  nostrils. 

19.  Abiteus,  Gray.  Istiophorus,  Gray  (not  Cuv.)  Nose-leaf 
erect,  lanceolate,  simple  behind,  rounded  in  fi-ont ;  ears  lateral ; 
separate  tragus  ;  lanceolate-toothed ;  interfemoral  membrane  only 
margining  the  legs ;  heel-bone,  moderate. 

Yellowish  Ariteus.   Ariteus  Havescens,  Gray.  Istiophorus  flaves- 

cens.  Gray.    Zool.  Misc.  3?.     Inhabits ?     British  Museum. 

*  *  Interfemoral  membranes  large  ;  tail  long.     (Old  World.) 

20.  Rhinolophus  (Noctilio,  Bechst.)  Horse-shoe  Bat.  Nose- 
leaf  thin,  extended  into  a  transverse  lanceolate  leaf,  with  4  cells  at  its 
base,  and  with  a  toothed  longitudinal  crest  in  the  middle  space,  be- 
tween the  nostrils  in  front,  and  a  slight  pit  in  its  front ;  ears  large, 
separate ;  pubes  with  distinct  false  teats.     Tragus  small. 

Rhinolophus  hipposideros,  Geoff.  Leach.  Misc.  t.  121.  Rh.  bi- 
hastatus,  Geoff.  Ann.  Mus.  xx.  t.  5.  Temm.  Mon.  n.  Vesp.  mi- 
nutus,  Montagu,  Linn.  Trans,  ix.  t.  18,  f.  6.  Noctilio  hipposideros 
B^rcAW.  (1801.)  V.  ferrum-equinum  jS  Gme/.  Petit  fer ache val.  Daw- 
bent.  Buffbn,  N.H.  iii.  t.  20.     Inhabits  Europe.     Brit.  Mus. 


492  A  Revision  of  the  Genera  ofBaU^ 

Rhinolophtts  ferram-eqainuin,  Leach,  Zool.  Misc.  Vesp.  femim- 
equinum^  Schreb,  t.  62,  upper  fig.  Vesp.  hippocrepis^  Hermann. 
Noctilio  ferum-eqninum,  BechiL  Grand  fer  a  cheyal.  Daubeni, 
Mem.  Acad.  Paris,  1759,  t.  1.  f.  4.  Buffon,  N.H.  viii.  t.  17.  f.  2. 
Rhinolophus  unihastatus,  Geoff,  Ann.  Mus.  xx.  t.  5.  Temm.  Man. 
No.  13.  Inhabits  Europe,  Asia,  and  Africa.  (Britain,  Turkey,  Sy- 
ria.)    British  Museum. 

Rhinolophus  megaphyllus.  Gray,  Proc.  Zool.  Soc.  iii.  52.  In- 
habits  New  Holland.     British  Museum. 

See  also  1.  Rhinolophus  minor,  Horsf  Java,  t.  f.  a,  b,  head.  Tenon. 
Mon.  No.  14.  2.  Raffinis,  ffor{/r  Inhabits  Java.  Museum,  India 
House ;  and  3.  Rhinolophus  griseus,  Meyer,    Bonn.  Trans.  1824. 

Inhabits ? 

Rhinolophus  Capensis,  Licht,  Rhinolophus  divosus,  Ruppell, 
Atlas,  t.  18.  Temm,  Mon.  No.  15.  Rhinolophus  Geoflfroyi,  A. 
Smith,  Zool.  Journ.  Inhabits  Africa,  (Egypt,  Cape  of  Good 
Hope,)  and  Europe,  (Dalmatia,  Sicily,)  Asia,  (Levant.)  British 
Museum. 

21.  HiPPosiDBROS,  Gray.    Phyllorhina,  Bonap,     The  nose  disk 

extended  into  a  short  reflexed  leaf  behind,  with  a  thick  cross  rib  on 

the  front  of  its  base,  to  which  it  is  attached  by  3  longitudinal  bands, 

the  front  part  flat,  simple,  pierced  with  the  nostrils.   Tragus  none. 

a.  Forehead  pierced  with  an  expansile  pore  ;  pubal  teats  distinct. 

*  Face  leafy  on  the  sides  of  the  nose  disk. 
Hipposideros  insignis.  Gray.  Rhinolophus  insignis,  Horsf.  Java, 
head.  Temm.  Mon.  No.  3,  t.  1,  f.  2.    Vesp.  cyclope,  Desch.  MSS. 
Ears  acute,  front,  with  a  narrow  and  a  broad  hairy  band  ;  tail  end 
not  produced.  Inhabits  Java.  Museum,  India  House. 

Dr  Horsfield's  specimen  of  Rhin.  deformis,  (t.  7»  f«  9,  head,)  ap- 
pears to  be  a  specimen  of  this  species,  the  base  of  the  tail  of  which 
has  been  drawn  out  when  the  animal  was  skinned. 

Hipposideros  apiculatus.  Gray.  Ears  acute,  front  edge  hairy, 
hinder  edge  plicated  ;  last  joint  of  the  tail  elongated  and  produced ; 
fur  soft,  silky  ;  base  whitish  ;  tips  dark-brown.  Inhabits  India.  W. 
Elliot,  Esq.     British  Museum. 

*  *  Face  not  leafy  on  the  sides  of  the  nose  disk. 
Hipposideros  fulvus.  Gray.  Fur  reddish  fulvous ;  silky,  rather 
paler  beneath ;  ears  very  large,  rounded,  dark,  with  a  few  short 
scattered  hairs  on  the  outsides,  and  2  or  3  lines  of  long  hairs  on  the 
front  edge;  last  joint  of  tail  slightly  produced.  Inhabits  India, 
(Madras.)     W.  Elliot,  Esq.     British  Museum. 

Mouse-coloured  Horse-shoe-Bat.     Hipposideros  murinus.  Gray. 

4 


and  Description  of  New  Genera  and  Species,  493 

Fur  pale  mouae-coloar,  hairs  with  brown  ends,  and  yery  small  white 
tips ;  whitish  beneath  ;  ears  very  large,  rounded,  with  2  or  3  lines  of 
long  hairs  on  the  front  edge  ;  tail,  last  joint  slightly  produced.  In- 
habits India,  (Madras.)     W.  Elliot,  Esq.     British  Museum. 

This  difference  of  colour  is  not  sexual,  as  Mr  Elliot  had  male 
and  female  of  each.  See  also  Rhinolophus  armiger,  Hodgs.  from 
Nepaul. 

6.  Forehead  concave,  deep,  with  a  tuft  of  rigid  hronon  hair  in  the 
front,  in  the  place  of  the  frontal  pore  ;  (tail  destroyed;)  sides 
of  face  leafy. 
Pencilled   Horse-shoe   Bat,    Hipposideroe  penicillatus.   Gray, 
Brown,  with  a  tuft  of  brown  hair  on  each  side  over  the  eyes,  and  a 
small  pencil  of  rigid  bro^vn  ones  on  the  front  of  the  forehead.     In- 
habits India,  (Madras.)     W.  Elliot,  Esq. 

c.  Forehead  simple  $  nose  leaf  entire,  rounded  ;  tail  as  long  as  the 

membrane;  muzzle  leafy  on  side  of  nose  disk.     (India.) 
Hipposideros  diadema.    Gray.      Rhinolophus  diadema,   Geoff. 
Ann.  Mus.  xx.  t.  5.     Temm.  Mon.  n.  2.     Inhabits  Timor. 

Hipposideros  nobilis.  Gray.  Rhinoloph.  nobilis,  Horsf.  Java, 
Head  from  dry  specimen,  Temm.  Mon.  No.  1, 1. 1,  f.  1.  Inhabits 
Java.     Museum,  India  House. 

Hipposideros  lurvatus,  Gray.    Rhinolophus  larvatus,  Horsf  Java, 

head.  Temm,  Mon.  No.  9.   Inhabits  Java.    Museum,  India  House. 

Hipposideros   vulgaris,    Rhinolophus  vulgaris,  Horsf.  Java,  t. 

7.  f.  E.  head.    Inhabits  India.    British  Museum.     Museum,  India 

House. 

See  also  Rhinolophus  Commersonii,  Geoff.  Ann.  Mus.  xx.  t.  5, 
head.  Only  known  from  Commerson's  drawings ;  tail  half  as  long  as 
the  thigh.  Inhabits  Madagascar.  See  also  R.  torquatus,  Hodge. 
of  Nepal. 

d.  Forehead  simple  ;  nose  leaf  S-toothed  ;  tail  longer  than  mem- 
brane ;  pubal  teatt  none.  Asellia. — Gray, 
Three-toothed  Horse-shoe  Bat.  Hipposideros  tridens.  Gray. 
Rhinolophus  tridens,  Geoff.  Descrip.  Egypte,  t.  2,  in  Ann.  Mus. 
XX.  t.  5,  head.  Diet.  Sc.  Nat.  Temm,  Monog.  No.  6.  Cheeks  with 
longitudinal  ridges.  Inhabits  North  Africa,  (Egypt.)  British 
Museum. 

The  difference  in  the  form  of  the  front  part  of  the  nose-leaf,  on 
which  Dr  Horsfield  founded  part  of  his  specific  character,  appears 
to  depend  on  the  drying  of  the  specimens.  All  the  specimens  de- 
scribed by  that  excellent  zoolc^ist  were  in  a  dry  state.  I  have  made 
the  foregoing  references  to  his  species  after  the  examination  of 


494  A  Revision  of  the  Genera  of  BaUj 

his  own  specimens  in  the  India  House,  and  those  which  he  sent  to 
the  British  Museum  as  types  of  his  species. 

B.  Anistioprori,  or  Simple  nosed  bats.     Nostrils  simply  pierced 
in  ike  end  of  the  muzzle  without  any  nasal  lecf. 

Tribe  III. — Vespertilionina. 

Grinders  acutely  tubercular,  wings  broad,  large  ;  tail  elongated, 
as  long  as,  and  enclosed  in,  the  large  conical  interfemoral  mem- 
brane, upper  cutting  teeth  near  the  canines,  with  a  central  space. 

t  Ears  united  or  approximate  ;  nostrils  each  placed  in  the  Jront 
of  a  groove,  the  grooves  are  close  together  in  front,  divergingfrom 
one  another  behind,  and  are  covered  by  their  spirally  convolute 
outer  margin,  which  is  lobed  in  front  Jbr  the  passage  of  the  air, 

22.  Nycteris,  Geoff,  Ears  large,  united  oyer  the  forehead  ;  tra* 
gus  distinct ;  wings  and  interfemoral  membrane  large  ;  tail  long, 
forked  at  the  tip. 

*  Ears  united  on  the  foreheads     Africa. 
Nycteris  Thebaica,  Geoff,  Descript.  Egypte,  1. 1,  No  2.  Ann.  Mas. 
XX.  t.  1,  head.  Vespert.  hispidus,  Schreb.}  Nyct. Geofiroyii,  Temm. 
Inhabits  Africa.    (Egypt  and  Guinea  ?)  Brit.  Mus. 

Add  also  1.  Nycteris  Capensis,  A,  Smith,  Zool.  Journ.  iv.  and 
2.  Nycteris  affinis.  A,  Smith,  Zool.  Journ.  iv.  Inhabits  Africa. 
(C.  G.  H.) 

•  *  Ears  not  united  in  front,  forehead  with  a  large  deep  oval 
naked  concave  pit,  having  a  naked  groove  infivnt  running  down 
between  the  nostrils.    Asia.     (Petalia,  Gray.) 
Nycteris  Javanica,  Geoff.  Ann.  Mus.  xx.  1. 1.  N.  Kuhlii,  Temm, 
Vesp.  policaris,  Deschamps.     Inhabits  Java.     Mus.  Ind.  House. 
t  t  Ears  united  ;  nostrils  in  the  front  part  of  a  short  lunate 
groove. 

23.  Nyctophilus,  Leach}  Temm.  Barbastellus,  Gray,  Nose 
grooves  united  together  behind  by  an  elevated  membranaceous  crest, 
extending  across  the  nose ;  forehead  bare  with  a  central  longitudi- 
nal furrow  having  inflexed  bald  edges. 

Australian  Nyctophile.  Nyctophilus  Geoffroyii,  Leach.  Linn. 
Trans,  xiii.  78  ?  Temm.  Vy.  (1833.)  Barbastellus  Pacificus,  Gray, 
Zool  Misc.  (1831)  38.  Inhabits  Pacific  Islands.  Mus.  Brit,  and 
Linn.  Soc  Mus. 

24.  Barbastellus,  Gray,  Nasal  groove  simple  lunate,  extend, 
ing  a  short  distance  behind  the  nostrils  ;  forehead  flat  with  an  oval 
bald  longitudinal  line  ;  ears  large,  broad,  subquadrate  ;  skull  con. 
vex ;  face  narrow. 


and  Description  vf  NewGenera  and  Species.  495 

Common  Barbastelle.  Barbastellus  communis,  Gra^,  B.  Dau- 
bentonii.  Bell.  Plecotus  barbastellus.  Lesson.  Vesp.  barbastel- 
Itts,  Sehreh.  Barbastelle,  Daubent  Mem.  Acad.  Paris,  17^9,  t. 
2.  f.  8.  Buffbn,  H.N.  viii.  t.  19,  f.  1,  copied,  Sckreh.  t.  559,  En- 
cyd.  Meth.  t.  38.  f.  6.  Geoffroy,  Ann.  Mus.  viii.  t.  46.  48.  Europe. 
Brit.  Mus. 

25.  Plecotus,  Geoffi  Nasal  groove  simple,  lunate  ;  forehead  with 
a  linear  bald  streak  ,*  forehead  iSat ;  ears  and  tragus  very  large,  elon- 
gate. 

Common  long-eared  bat,  Plecotus  communis.  Lesson.  Plecotus 
auritus,  Geoff.  Vesp.  auritus,  Linn.  Oreillard,  Daubent.  Mem. 
Acad.  Paris,  1759,  f.  1.  and  2  (head).  Buffon.  H.N.  viii.  t.  17.  f. 
1,  cop.  Schreb.  t.  50,  and  Encycl.  Meth.  t.  83,  f.  1.  Geoff.  Ann. 
Mus.  viii.  t.  47  head.  Edwards  Birds,  t.  201.  Penn.B.ZwA.  t.  103. 
Shaw*s  Zool.  t.  40.  Young,  Plecotus  brevimanus,  Jenyns,  Linn. 
Trans,  xvi.  1. 1,  f.  2  $  .  Europe.  Var.  a.  Egyptiacus,  Geqffl  fi.  Aus- 
triacus,  Desm.     Brit.  Mus. 

See  also  1.  Plecotus  cornutus.  Lesson.  Vesp.  cornutus,  Faber, 
Isis  1826.  Inhabits  Jutland.  2.  P.  Bonapartii,  P.  brevimanus.  Bo- 
nap.  3.  Plecotus  Peronii,  Isidore  S/  Hilaire,  Mag.  Zool.  t.  3,  f.  1. 
Inhabits ?  4.  Plecotus  leucomelas,  Ruppell,  Atlas  t.  28  b.  In- 
habits N.  Africa.     5.  P.  Macrotis,  Le  Conte. 

Christie's  long-eared  bat,  Plecotus  Christii,  n.  s.  Fur  pale,  hairs 
whitish  with  dusky  tips ;  beneath  white ;  spur  very  long ;  interfemo- 
ral  membrane  with  11  or  12  cross  lines  of  vessels  on  the  back  of 
the  thigh  and  skin  ;  tragus  half  as  long  as  the  ears.  Inhabits  N. 
Africa.  Dr  TurnbuU  Christie.  British  Museum. 
+  t  t  Ears  lateral,  separate  ;  nostrils  in  the  front  of  a  long  simple 
edged  groove. 

26.  RoMiciA,  Gray. — Nostrils  small,  ovate,  apical;  each  in  the 
front  of  a  converging  groove,  which  are  united  behind  into  a  groove 
on  the  centre  of  the  nose  between  the  swollen  cheeks. 

Long-spurred  Romicia,  Romicia  calcarata.  Gray — Chin^th  two 
small  warts  on  each  side,  and  a  large  one  on  the  front  part  of  the 
throat ;  fur  brown  with  grey  tips ;  the  tips  of  the  hair  on  the  under 
side  longer  and  whiter,  tragus  elongated,  oblong,  blunt;  ears  rounded; 
wings  black ;  interfemoral  membrane  with  regular  muscular  bands ; 
heel-bones  very  long,  two-thirds  the  length  of  the  margin,  with  a 
lobe  on  the  outer  edge  of  the  base ;  the  other  third  of  the  margin 

with  a  strong  muscular  band.     Inhabits ?  British  Museum. 

•f  t  t  t  Ears  lateral  separate  ;  nostrils  with  only  a  very  short  nasal 
groove  behind  them. 

27*  VssPERTiLio.  Head  round  ;  forehead  convex ;  face  small,  pro- 


496  A  Revision  of  the  Genera  of  BaU^ 

duced^  nearly  coyered  with  hair ;  wings  and  ears  tbin^  membrana- 
ceous ;  body  covered  with  wooUy  hairs ;  tail  long,  the  whole  length 
of  the  interfemoral  membrane,  cutting-teeth  ^  ;  skull  globular; 
jaws  produced,  narrow  ;  eyes  large,  exposed. 

f  Thumb  moderate  ;  ears  short 

Vesp.  mystacinus,  LeuL  (Kuhl.  1.  c.)  Europe.   British  Museum. 

Vesp.  Nattereri,  KuhL  Wetter.  Ann.  iv.  t.  2, 3,  (head.)  Inhabits 
Europe,  (London.)     British  Museum. 

Vesp.  Daubentonii,  KuhL  Wetter.  Ann.  iv.  t.  25,  f.  1,  head. 
Inhabits  Europe.     British  Museum. 

Hardwicke's  bat,  Vespertilio  Hardwickii,  Horsf,  Inhabits  Java. 
British  Museum.     East  India  Company. 

Painted  bat,  Vespertilio  pictus,  Pallas.  V.  kerivoula,  Bodd. 
Inhabits  Java  (and  Ceylon.)  British  Museum.  East  India  Company. 

See  also  1.  V.  fiiliginosa,  Hodgs*  2.  V.  capaccini,  Bonap.  3. 
V.  emarginatus,  Brong, 

•  *  Thumb  moderate  ;  ears  large. 

Large  eared  bat,  Vespertilio  myotis,  Bechsi, — ^Vesp.  murinus, 
Geoff".  Ann.  Mus.  viii.  t.  47  and  48,  (not  Linn.)  Daubenton^  Mem. 
Acad.  1759, 1. 1.  f.  1.  Buffon,  H.N.  viii.  t.  16,  cop.  Encycl.Meth. 
t.  38,  f,  2.  Jun.  Vesp.  murinus,  Bechst,  var.  Vesp..  submurinus, 
Brehm.  Inhabits  S.  of  Europe,  ("  not  found  in  Sweden,"  yHsson.} 
♦  ♦  ♦  Thumb  very  long. 

Vesp.  Bechsteinii,  Leisl.  KuhL  Wetter,  Ann.  iv.  t.  22,  f.  In- 
habits  Europe. 

*  •  •  •  Thumb  moderate,  end  of  tail  rather  produced, 

Vesp.  Capensis,  Smith,  Zool.  Journ.  iv.  Inhabits  Cape  of  Good 
Hope.     M.  Jourdan. 

28,  FuRiA,  Fr.  Cuv.  Furipterus,  Bonap,— -Head  round ;  fore- 
head  compressed,  convex  ;  face  small,  broad,  produced,  nearly  cover- 
ed with  hair ;  wings  and  ears  thin  membranaceous ;  tail  bony  for 
half  its  length,  cartilaginous  at  tip,  cutting  teeth  ^,  upper  acute. 

Furia  horrens,  Fr.  Cuv.  Mem.  Mus.  xvi.  t.  9.  Vesp.  Fnria, 
Fischer.  Inhabits  S.  America.  Does  not  the  peculiarity  of  the  tail 
arise  from  the  bones  having  been  partly  withdrawn  when  the  animal 
was  skinned  ? 

29.  Natalus,  Grai/.  Head  small ;  fsice  depressed ;  nostrils  apical, 
ovate,  separated  by  a  central  ridge ;  lower  lip  callous,  grooved ;  hind 
legs  and  tail  very  long ;  the  heel-bone  extending  the  whole  length  of 
the  interfemoral  membrane. 

Natalus  stramineus.  Vesp.  longicaudatus.  Gray,  MSS.  Fur 
pale  yellow-brown  ;  paler  beneath.     Inhabits — P  British  Museum. 


and  Description  ofNeto  Genera  and  Species.  497 

30.  MiNioPTERUBy  Bonap.  1837.  Head  subglobose  ;  forehead 
convex ;  face  short ;  ears  small^  thick^  rounded  ;  tragus  lunate  ; 
eyes  partly  hid  ;  feet  long ;  tail  very  long  ;  interfemoral  membrane 
very  large^  folded  on  each  side 

Miniopterus  Ursinii^  CA.  Bonap.  Fauna  Ital.  Italy^  and  M.  Sci- 
boldii,  Japan.    Museum^  Ley  den. 

81.  ScoTOPHiLU8>  Leach.  Nycticejus,  Rnfin  ?  Horsf.  Pi- 
pistrellos^  Bonap.  V.  Pachyote,  Gloger.  Head  oblong ;  forehead 
flat ;  face  swollen  on  the  sides,  naked  in  front ;  wings  and  ears  thick^ 
rather  coriaceous ;  body  covered  with  short  fine  adpressed  thick-set 
hairs ;  cutting  teeth  '^*,  when  young  ^^^ ;  when  adult ;  skull  flat 
above;   forehead  shelving;  eyes  small,  hid  in  the  fur. 

The  genus  Nycticejus.  Rajinesque,  from  an  old  specimen,  as  Sco- 
tophilus,  Leach,  is  from  a  young  specimen  of  this  genus ;  Nyctalus^ 
Bowdich^  is  only  a  species  with  ticks  in  its  ears^  and  interfemoral 
membrane  nearly  bald. 

Common  bat.  Penn.  Scotophilus  murinus^  Gray.  Vespertilio 
Pipistrellus,  Schreb.  V.  murinus,  Linn.  Junior,  Vesp.  pygmaeus^ 
Leach.  Zool.  Journal,  iii.  Inhabits  Europe.  Colour  variable, 
Leac^'f  specimen  of  F.  pygmanis  is  so  young  that  the  bones  of  the 
skull  are  neither  united  nor  hardened,  and  the  epiphyses  are  visible 
in  all  the  joints. 

Serotine  Scotophile,  Scotophilus  serotinus^  Gray.  Vesp.  Seroti- 
nus, Schreb.  V.  noctula,  Geqffi  Ann.  Mus.  viii.  t.  47,  48  head. 
Le  Serotine,  Daubenton,  Acad,  Par.  1759,  t.  2,  f.  2.  Bufon,  HN. 
viii.  t.  18,  f.  2.  cop.  Schreb.  t.  53,  and  Encycl.  Meth.  t.  23,  f.  4. 
Serotine  bat>  Penni.     Inhabits  Europe. 

Scotophilus  Noctula,  Gray*  Vesp.  Noctula,  Schreb.  t.  52.  Fr. 
Cuv^  Mam.  Lith. — var.  Sumatrana,  Fr.  Cuv.  Inhabits  Europe. 
Brit.  Mus. 

Scotophilus  Kuhlii,  Gray. .  Vesp.  Kuhlii,  NaUerer.  KuhL  1.  c 
Inhabits  Europe. 

Scotophilus  Leisleri,  Gray^  Vesp.  Leisleri,  KuhL  V.  dasycar- 
pos,  Leisl.  MSS.    Inhabits  Europe. 

Scotophilus  discolor,  Gray,  Vesp.  discolor,  KuhL  Wett.  Annal. 
iv.  t.  25,  f.  2.     Inhabits  Europe  (Bucharia.) 

Scotophilus  Schreibersii,  Gray.  Vesp.  Schreibersii,  KuhL  In- 
habits Europe. 

Scotophilus  Leachii,  Gray*  Scotophilus.  Kuhlii,  Leach,  Linn. 
Trans,  xiii.  ^2.  (Young)  male  chesnut,  female  brown.  Inhabits 
?  British  Museum. 

Scotophilus     Temminckii,   Gray.      Vesp.  Temminckii,  Horsf. 


4S8  A  RevisioJi  of  the  Genera  of  Bats^ 

(Young)  Vesp.  Belangeri,  hid.  Ge^.  Belanger,  Voy.  adult.  In- 
habits India.     £.  India  Company. 

Sootophilus  castaneus^  Grajf,  Vesp.  castaneus^  Gray,  Illustr. 
Ind.  Zool.    Inhabits  India.     General  Hardwicke. 

Sootophilus  Heathii,  Gray.  Nycticejus  Heathii,  Horsf.  Proc. 
Zool.  Soc.  114.  Inhabits  India,  (Madras.)  Mus.  Zool.  See.  Pro- 
bably only  a  variety  of  Sootophilus  Leachii  ? 

Sootophilus  Javanicus^  Gray,  Vesp.  Javanica,  Fr,  Cuv.  Nour. 
Ann.  Mu8.  1.  21.     Inhabit^}  Java. 

Sootophilus  Coromandra,  Gray. — Vesp.  Coromandra^  Fr.  Cuv, 
Nouv.  Ann.  Mus.  i.  21.  Inhabits  India.  Vesp.  formosa^  Hodgs* 
Inhabits  Nepaul.     (If  it  is  not  Scot.  Leaohii^  Leach,) 

See  also  1 .  Vesp.  Alcitoe  ;  2.  V.  Leuoippe  ;  3.  V.  Aristippe ;  4. 
V.  Savi,  and  5.  V.  Vispistrellus,  Bonap, ;  Fauna  Ital. 

♦  ♦  Upper  surface  afinierfemoral  membrane  slightly  covered  with  hair* 

(Pachyotus.) 
t  Face  vilhse. 
Sootophilus  polythrix.     Vesp.  polythrix,  Isid.  Geoff n  Ann.  Sc. 
Nat  iii.  443. 

t  t  Face  partly  bald. 
Sootophilus  lavis,  Isid,  Geoff,  Ann.  So.  Nat.  iii.  443, 

♦  *  Upper  surface  of  intetfemoral  membrane  covered  with  cUue  hairs 

Lasiurus — Atalapha^  Rafn,  ? 

Sootophilus  pruinosus.  Vesp.  pruinosus,  Say,  hong's  Exp.  l67- 
Inhabits  N.  America^  (River  Missouri.)     British  Museum. 

Sootophilus  lasiurus,  Gray, — Vesp.  lasiurus,  Schreb.  t.  62,  B, 
oop.  Enoyo.  Meth.  t.  31,  f.  4,  Geoff',  Ann.  Mus.  viii.  t.  47,  head. 
Inhabits  Cayenne. 

Sootophilus  Blossevilii.  Vesp.  Bonariensis,  Voy.  Coquille»  t.  2,  f. 
I.  Vesp.  Blossevilii,  Lesson,  Bull.  Sc.  Nat.  viii.  95.  Inhabits  S. 
Amerioa  (La  Plata.) 

See  also,  Sootophilus  Noveboracensis.  New  York  bat,  Penn, 
Syn.  t.  81,  f.  2,  cop.  Enoyc.  Meth.  t.  34,  f.  5.  Atalapha  Ame- 
ricana, Rafn,  Vesp.  Noveboracensis,  Erxleb,  Doubtless  belong  to 
this  section,  but  want  further  examination. 

Tribe  IV.    Noctilionina. 
Grinders  acutely  tubercular ;  wings  long  and  narrow ;  body  thin  ; 
tail  thick. 

*  Tail  short,  tip  on  the  upper  surface  of  the  large  inlerfemoral 

membrane. 
32.  Taphozoos,  Geoff:    Saccopteryx,  llliger.    Head  conical,  de- 


and  Description  of  New  Genera  and  Species,  499 

pressed ;  forehead  with  a  Urge  pit ;  cutting-teeth^  { ;  throat  of 
males  with  a  transverse  slit.     Inhabits  Old  World. 

Taphozoiis  perfbratus,  Geoffl  Descript.  Egypte^  t.  3.  f.  1.  Diet. 
Hist.  Nat.  t.  T.  Senegalensis,  Geoffl  (dry  ?)  from  Lerot  Volant, 
Dauhenton.  Tail  rather  longly  produced.  Inhabits  Africa,  Egypt. 
British  Museum. 

Tapho2ous  lepbirus,  Geoff.  Saccopteryx  lepturus,  Illiger,  from 
Ve«p.  lepturus,  Sckreb*  t.  57.  Vesp.  marsupialis,  MUller,  Naturf. 
19.  Said  to  come  from  Surinam  ;  scarcely  appears  to  differ  from 
the  former. 

Tapho2ou8  nudiventer,  RuppelL  Atlas,  t.  27-  Inhabits  Africa 
(Nubia)  Dr  Riippell.     British  Museum. 

Taphozous  rufus,  Harlan,  from  the  Red  bat,  Wilson.  (Am.  Om. 
vi.  t.  50.  f.  4.)  is  a  ScolopkUus  from  the  manner  in  which  it  bends 
its  tail,  perhaps  Scot,  pruniosus. 

33.  NocTiLio,  Linn.  Celaeno,  Leach.  Head  conical ;  forehead 
flat ;  muzzle  acute  warty ;  lips  dependent ;  cutting-teeth,  |  young,  } 
adult.     America. 

The  genus  Celaeno  of  Leach  is  only  a  specimen  in  which  the  bones 
of  the  tail  have  been  withdrawn  out  of  the  skin.  The  original  speci- 
men is  in  the  museum  of  the  University  College,  London. 

Noctilio  Americanus,  Linn.  N.  unicolor,  Pr.  Max.  Vesp.  le« 
porinus,  Linn.,  Schreb.  t.  60.  Seba^  t.  o5,  f.  1.  Peruvian  Bat, 
Penn.  Inhabits  South  America. 

Noctilio  mastivus.  Vesp.  mastivus^  VahL  Selsk.  Skriv.  iv.  t. 
132,  f.  7-  (I797.)  Noctilio  dorsatus,  Pr.  Max.  Beitr.  N.  vittatus, 
Pr.  Max.  Abbild.  t.  Pteropus  leporinus,  Erxleb.  Jun*  N.  albiven- 
ter,  Spixy  Braz.  t.  36.  f.  2.  Desm.  Mamm.  Inhabits  South  Ame- 
rica.    British  Museum. 

?  Noctilio  rufus,  Spix,  Brazil,  t.  35,  f.  1.     Inhabits  S.  America. 

34.  Proboscidea,  Spix.  Embalanura,  KuhL  Head  long,  conical ; 
muzzle  sharp,  produced ;  forehead  flat ;  upper  jaw  longest ;  cutting 
teeth  «  ^«. 

•  Intetfemoral  membrane  truncated.     (Proboscidea,  Spix.) 
Proboscidea  sazatilis,  Spix,  Braz.  t.  35,  f.  8,  bad.     Vesp.  naso, 
Pr.  Max.  Abbild.  t.     £mbalonura  saxatilis  ?  Temm. } 
Proboscidea  rivalis,  Spix,  Braz.    Inhabits  Brazils. 
Proboscidea  canina.   Vesp.  caninus,  Pr.  Max.  Abbild.  t.     Inha* 
bits  Brazils. 
•  •  Interfemoral  membrane  produced  conical ;  heel-bone  very  long. 
Centre  nycteris* 
Ph>bo8cidea  calcarata.     Vesp.  calcaratus,  Pr.  Max.  Abbild.  t. 
Vesp.  Maximiliani,  Fischer,    Inhabits  Brazils. 

VOL.  II.  NO.  12.  1^1 


600  A  Revision  of  the  Genera  of  Bats, 

*  *  *  Inlerfemoral  membranes,  ^c,  ?  (Embalanura,  KuhL) 

Proboscidea  montioola.  Embalanura  monticola,  KuhL  Face  de- 
pressed ;  forehead  rounded ;  wiogs  brown ;  expanse  6  inches ;  heel- 
bone  4  lines.     Inhu1)*t.s  Java.     Museum^  Leyden. 

35.  Abllo,  Leach.  Head  subconic ;  forehead  iSat ;  ears  large,  se- 
parate ;  cutting»teeth  f  ;  upper^  chisel-shaped,  2  cut ;  tail  rather 
elongated  with  a  membranoas  band  to  the  tip  of  the  large  truncated 
interfemoral  membrane ;  heel-bone  very  slender. 

Aello  Cuvieri,  Leach.    Linn.  Trans,  xiii.  71-    Inhabits ? 

Museum  University  College  of  London. 
'^  t  Tail  produced  beyond  the  bend  rf conical  interfemoral  membrane, 

36.  Pteronotus^  Gray.  Ears  lateral ;  tragus  elongate  lobed;  chin 
with  a  reflexed  cartilaginous  edge  to  the  lower  lip,  and  an  erect 
membranaceous  ridge  across  its  lower  pert ;  wings  only  affixed  by  a 
narrow  line  to  the  middle  of  the  back,  which  is  covered  with  fur  be- 
neath them ;  hind- feet  long ;  the  ankle  rather  produced  and  exposed ; 
the  lower  angle  of  the  wing  lies  folded  over  it. 

Pteronotus  Davyi,  Gray.  Mouse-coloured,  wings  baldish ;  exp. 
12  indies.  Inhabits  Trinidad.  Museum  Fort  Pit,  Chatham.  Tail 
imperfect.  In  honour  of  Dr  John  Davy,  so  well  known  for  his  phy- 
siological papers. 

1 1 1  Tail  thick, produced  beyond  the  end  of  the  short  transversely'^ 
folded  interfemoral  membrane  ;  thumb  large,  swollen  beneath  ; 
cutting-teeth  very  variable  in  number. 

37.  Chbibombles,  Horsf  "  Dysopes,  Temm.  not  F.  Cuv.  Ears 
small,  separate,  lateral ;  back  nearly  naked ;  great  toe  very  lai^, 
versatile,  bearded. 

CoUared-handed  Bat.     Cheiromeles  torquatus,  Horsf    Java,  t. 
copied  in  Dysopes  cheiropus,  Temm.  Mon.  t.  7>  and  t.  23,  f.  15. 
M0I06SUS  torquatus,  Fischer.    Molossus  cheiropus.  Less.     Inhabits 
India,  (Siam.)     Museum,  India  House. 

38.  Nyctinohub,  Geqffi  Ears  very  large  ck»e  together,  or  fohied 
down  on  the  forehead ;  muzzle  obliquely  truncated,  bristly ;  lips 
very  large,  transversely  grooved,  and  with  scattered  bristle-like 
hairs ;  thumb  and  little  toe  with  a  patch  of  white  tufted  hairs. 

Nyctinomus  plicatus.  Molossus  plicatus,  Fischer.  Vesp.  plicatus, 
Buchanan,  Linn.  Trans,  v.  t.  13.  Dysopes  plicatus,  Temm*  Nyc- 
tinomus tenuis,  Horsf.  Java  t.  (dry)  cop.  Dysopes  tenuis,  Temm. 
Mon.  1. 19,  20.  t.  23.  f.  30.  16  skeletons.  Nyctinomus  Bengalenais, 
Geqf.  Vesp.  labiata,  Hodgs.  Dysopes  labiatus,  Temm.  MSS.  ?  Nye- 
tin.  dilatatus,  Horsf  Java.  Gray's  Illustr.  Ind.  Zool.  2.  Molossus 
dilatatus.  Lesson. 

The  upper  edge  of  the  nose  disk  surmounted  by  a  series  of  short 
close  processes ;  face,  with  scattered  flattened  hairs,  which  are  cunr- 


and  Description  ofNeto  Genera  and  Species.  501 

ed  at  the  tip>  some  of  them  formiog  a  tuft  on  the  front  of  the  lip  ; 
ears  united  in  a  common  tubercle  in  front;  the  pad  of  the  great  and 
little  toes  narrow,  hairs  slender,  long.  Inhabits  India  (Bengal)  Java. 
British  Museum. 

Nyctinomus  Riippelli.  Dysopus  RUppelli,  Temm,  Mon.  t.  18, 
t.  23,  f.  6,  8.  Molossus  Riippelli^  Lesson.  Upper  lip  with  scatter- 
ed straight  black  bristles,  intermixed  with  flat  hooked  ones ;  pad 
of  great  and  little  toes  very  large.  Inhabits  Egypt  and  Fernando 
Po.     British  Museum. 

Nyctinomus  pumilus.  Dysopes  pumilus,  Ruppell,  Atlas,  t.  27^  a. 
Inhabits  North  Africa,  (Egypt.)     Dr  Riippell. 

Nyctinomus  murinus.  Gray,  Griff.  A.  K.  v.  187*  Molossus  muri- 
nus,  Fischer,  Petit  chauve-souris  obscure,  Azara  ?  Face  hairy, 
with  black  bristles ;  upper  lip  simple  in  front ;  ears  round,  sepa- 
rated at  the  base  in  front ;  tragus  slender ;  pad  of  great  and  little 
toes  lai^,  broad.  Inhabits  South  America,  (Brazils ;)  West  Indies, 
(Jamaica.)     British  Museum. 

Nyctinomus  nasutus.  Molossus  nasutus,  Spixy  Braz.  t.  35,  f.  7* 
Dysopes  nasutus,  Temm.  Mon.  t.  24,  f.  2,  3.  Nyctinomus  Brazi- 
lieosis,  /.  Geoff'.  Ann.  Sc.  Nat.  I.  t.  22,  f.  i.  cop.  Zool.  Joum.  t. 

39.  Molossus^  Geoff.  Ears  very  large,  close  together  and  folded 
down  on  the  forehead ;  face  conical ;  nose  rounded  at  the  end ;  lips 
smooth  or  hairy ;  great  and  little  toe  with  a  pad  of  hooked  hairs  ; 
throat  with  a  central  pouch  in  front ;  lower  joint  of  thumb  swollen. 

Molossus  velox.  Lesson.  Dysopus  velox,  Temm.  Mon.  t.  22.  f.  1 . 
t.  23,  f.  22 ;  upper  lip  with  a  roundish  group  of  close  slender  hook- 
ed hairs  in  front ;  throat-pouch  large.  Inhabits  Brazils,  Cuba.  Bri- 
tish Museum. 

Molossus  fuliginosus.  Face  naked,  black  with  a  bunch  of  hairs 
on  each  side,  just  before  the  eyes ;  upper  lip  with  a  triangular  patch 
of  hooked  white  hairs  in  front ;  lips  smooth,  inner  edge  slightly 
fringed  with  rather  stiff  hairs  in  front ;  tragus  long  pointed ;  tail 
half  free ;  nose-disk  convex  with  denticulations  on  the  edge,  with 
a  triangular  bunch  of  hair  below  the  nostril ;  end  of  face  hairy  ; 
throat-pouch  small.    Inhabits ?   British  Museum. 

Molossus  rufus,  Ge^  Dysopes  rufus,  Temm.  Mon.  t.  23,  f.  19. 
teeth.  Dysop.  perotis,  Pr.  Max.  Abbild.  t.  .  Upper  lip  with  a  nar- 
row erect  triangular  group  of  hooked  hairs  between  the  nostrils ; 
edge  of  the  nose  disk  finely  crenate ;  ears  close  together  in  front. 
Inhabits  Brazils,  Surinam.     British  Museum. 

Molossus  australis.  Dark-brown,  rather  paler  beneath,  with  a 
broad  pure  white  streak  down  each  side,  between  the  wing  and  the 
body,  and  a  narrow  white  streak  round  the  edge  of  the  rump  be- 
neath ;  ears  large,  broad,  rounded  ;  tail  nearly  one-half  free.     In- 


502  A  Revision  of  the  Genera  of  Bats^ 

habits  New  South  Wales.    (Major  Macarthur.)     United  Senrice 
Museum. 

40.  Thyboptbra,  Spix.  Ears  large^  dose  together^  and  folded 
down  over  the  forehead ;  lips  thick ;  muzzle  obliquely  truncated  ; 
thumb  thin^  with  a  large  rounded  dilatation  at  the  middle-joint ; 
hind  feet  weak^  small. 

Thyroptera  tricolor,  Spix,  Braz,  t.  36,  f,  1,  eyidently  young. 
Black-brown  above,  beneath  pale-white  ;  wings  and  ears  black.  In- 
habits Brazil. 

41.  Myopteris,  Geoff.  Ears  large,  lateral ;  muzzle  short  and 
blunt ;  cutting  teeth,  §,  upper  pointed,  close  together. 

Myopteris  Daubentonii,  Geoff,  from  Rat  volant,  Datibenion, 
Mem.  Ac.  Paris,  1759,  386.  Inhabits  N.  America.  Is  it  a  NocdlioP 

See  also  Nycticegus  cynocephahis,  Le  Conte. 

*  *  *  Tail  very  short,  many-jointed,  enclosed  in  a  two^valved 
sheath,  placed  at  the  base  of'  the  extended  interfemoral  mem  • 
hrane, 

42   DiCLiDURUs,  Pr.  Max, 

Diclidurus  Freyreissii,  Pr  Max,  Ins,  1819.  D.  albus,  Pr.  Max, 
Abbild,  t.  Inhabits  Brazils.  Museum,  Neuwied.  Perhaps  more 
allied  to  Vespertilionina. 

Tribb  V. — Pteropina. 

Grinders  bluntly  tubercular  ;  nose  simple ;  nostrils  slightly  pro- 
duced ;  end  of  index  finger-clawed ;  head  conical ;  ears  simple,  la- 
teral ;  tragus  none ;  wings  long  ;  lower  joint  of  thumb  long,  united 
to  the  wing  by  a  membrane ;  interfemoral  membrane  short ;  tail 
none,  or  short ;  living  on  fruit  in  Indian  islands  and  Polynesia. 

43.  Temate  Bat,  Pteropus.  Head  long,  conical ;  muzzle  acute ; 
grinders  7  or  J  ;  tongue  short  ,*  wings  from  the  side  of  the  body ; 
tail  none,  or  short. 

•  Tail  none  ;  ears  large. 

Black  Ternate  Bat,  Pteropus  edulis,  Pennt.  Pt.  Javanicus, 
Desm,  Temm.  Mon.  t.  15,  f.  1.  Pt.  Edwardsii,  Geoff.  ?  Vesp. 
vampyrus,  Linn.  Vesp.  Celaeno,  Herm.  Seba,  t.  57,  f.  2.  Temate 
Bat,  Pennt.  Var.  Pt.  Edwardsii,  Geoff.  Inhabits  Java,  Sumatra, 
Timor,  Bengal } 

Indian  Ternate  Bat,  Pteropus  medium,  Temm.  Inhabits  India, 
(  Calcutta,Pondicherry.) 

*  *  Tail  none  ;  ears  small. 

Pale-faced  Temate  Bat,  Pteropus  phaiops,  Temm.  Inhabits 
Madagascar. 

Grey-headed  Ternate  Bat,  Pteropus  poliocephalus,  Temm.  In- 
habits New  Holland. 


and  Description  of  New  Genera  and  Species,  503 

Red-necked  Ternate  B&t,  Pteropus  dasymallus^  Temm.  Mon.  t. 
10^  t.  13,  f.  10,  11,  cran.  Pteropus  rubricoUis,  Siebold,  not  Geo^. 
Inhabits  Japan. 

Common  Ternate  Bat,  Pteropus  vulgaris,  Geoff.  Kousette, 
Buff\  H.N.  X.  1. 14-  cop.  Vesp.  caninuB,  Schreb,  t.  44.  Inhabits 
Isle  of  France,  Bourbon,  (Madagascar  ?) 

Ked-coUared  Ternate  Bat.  Pteropus  rubricoUis,  Geoff.  Pt.  col- 
iaris,  LichL  Vesp.  Vampyrus  /8.  Erxleb.  Kousette,  Buff.  H.  N. 
X.  t.  17*  Inhabits  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  Lichtensl.  Bourbon  and 
Madagascar,  Temm, 

Pale  Ternate  Bat,  Pteropus  pallidus,  Temm,  Mon.t.  15,  f.  8,  9. 
Inhabits  Banda. 

Keraudren's  Ternate  Bat,  Pteropus  Keraudrenii,  Quoy  and  Gaim. 
Voy.  Uran,  t.  3.  Temm,  Mon.  t.  \b,  f.  7.  cran.  Pt.  Marianus, 
Desm.     Inhabits  Island  of  Guam.     Quoy  and  Gaimard, 

Amboyna  Ternate  Bat,  Pteropus  Dussumieri,  Isid,  Geoff.  Be^ 
ianger,  Voy.  9,  8.     Inhabits  India  and  Amboyna. 

Grey  Ternate  Bat,  Pteropus  griseus,  Geoff.  Ann.  Mus.  xy,  t. 
6.  cop.  Temm.   Mon.  1. 11.     Inhabits  Timor.     PennU 

Masked  Ternate  Bat,  Pteropus  personatus,  Temm.  Mon.  189. 
Inhabits  Ternate  Islands. 

See  also  Pteropus  leucocephalus,  Hodgson.     Inhabits  Nepaul. 
*  •  •   Tail  very  short 

Pteropus  Aegyptiacus,  Geoff.  Pteropus  Geoffrey i,  Temm*  t.  15. 
f.  14,  15.     Inhabits  N.  and  E.  Africa.     Dr  Turnhull  Christie. 

Pteropus  Leachii,  A.  Smith,  Zool.  Journ.  Inhabits  Cape  of  Good 
Hope. 

Pteropus  stramineus,  Geoff.  Temm.  Mon.  I,  t.  l^^  f*  12, 13.  In- 
habits Timor. 

*  *  *  *   Tail  rather  elongated.  (^  inch.) 

Pteropus  Leschenaultii,  Desm.     Inhabits  Pondicherry. 

Pteropus  amplexicaudatus,  Geoff,  Ann.  Mus.  xv.  t.  7-  Cop.  Diet. 
Sc.  Nat.  t.  and  Temm.  Mon.  t.  13.  t.  15,  f.  16.  Inhabits  Timor, 
Amboyna,  Sumatra,  Siam.     (C.  Good  Hope  }) 

44.  Cykopterus,  F.  Cuv,  Pachysoma,  Isid.  Geoff,  Head  short 
broad  ;  lips  thick  on  the  sides  ;  grinders  J;  tail  short,  free;  wings 
from  the  side  of  the  back. 

Cynopterus  marginatus,  Fr.  Cuv.  Pteropus  marginatus,  Geoff. 
Ann.  Mus.  xvi.  t.  8.  cop.     Temm.  1,  t.  14.     Inhabits  India. 

Cynopterus  titthaecheilus.  Pteropus  titthaecheilus,  Temm.  Mon. 
t.  13,  f.  17,  24.  Pachysoma  mammilevre,  Geoff.  Male  with  a  tuft 
of  hair  on  the  side  of  the  neck,  white  in  young,  reddish  in  adult. 
Is.  Geoff, 

Cynopterus  brevicaudatus.    Pachysoma  brevicau datum,  Is,  Geoff 


504  Revision  of  the  Genera  of  Batsy  ^c 

Inhabits  Sumatra.  Tail  very  short.  This  and  the  next  are  probaUy 
varieties  of  the  former. 

Cynopterus  Diardii.  Pachysoma  Diardii^  Is»  Geoff\  Inhabits 
Sumatra. 

Cynopterus  Duvancellii.  Pachysoma  Duvancellii^  Is.  Geoff.  In- 
habits Sumatra.     Thumb  of  wing  elongated. 

Cynopterus  melanocephalus.  Pteropus  melanocephalas,  Temm, 
Mon.  t.  12,  t.  18,  f.  3,  Seel.  f.  4,  teeth.  Pachysoma  melanooepha- 
lum,  /.  Geoffi    Inhabits  Java.     Wings  very  short,  rounded. 

The  Vespertilio  Sphinx,  Fakl,  Natur.  Seisk.  Skriv.  iv.  130,  from 
Tranquebar,  probably  belongs  to  this  genus. 

45.  £poMOPHORus,  Bennett. — Head  very  large,  muzzle  acute 
long ;  grinders  ^  front  lower  small ;  tail  none  ?  wings  fjEur  back. 

a.  Tufl  qf  white  hair  near  the  ears,  and  another  on  the  sides  cf 

the  body,  false  grinders  ^. 
EpomophoruB  Whitii.     Pteropus  Whitii,  Bennett,  Trans.  Zool. 
Soct. — Pt.epomophorus,^enne//,Proc.  Zool.  Soc.  Inhabits  W.Africa. 

b.  Tuft  qf  white  hairs  at  the  ha^e  of  the  ears  ;  head  very  long. 
Epomophorus  macrocephalus.     Pteropus  macrocephalus,  O^lby, 

Proc.  Zool.  Soc.  iii.  100.  Pt.  megacephalus.  Swains,  Lardn.  CycL 
92,  p.  31  and  154.     Inhabits  W.  Africa.     British  Museum. 

c.  Tuft  qf  white  hairs  at  the  front  base  (f  the  wing,  head  mode- 

rately long. 
Epomophorus  Gambianus.     Pteropus  Gambianus,  OgUby,  1.  c 
W.  Africa. 

46.  M ACROGLossA,  Lesson,  Macroglossum,  F.  Cuv,  notFabr.  Head 
elongated ;  muzzle  slender,  subcylindrical ;  tongue  long,  slender, 
exsertile,  smooth  ;  wings  from  the  sides  of  the  back ;  live  chiefly  on 
the  fruit  of  Eugenia. 

Macroglossa  minima.  Pteropus  minimus,  Geoff.  Pt.  roetratus, 
Horsf  Java,  t.  Temm.  Monog.  t.  15,  f.  25,30, 1. 16,  f.  1,2,  M.  kio- 
dotes  and  M .  Horsfieldii,  Lesson.  Inhabits  Java,  (Gen.  Hardwicke.) 
British  Museum.     East  India  Company. 

47.  Harftia,  Illiget\  not  Cuv,  Head  short  broad;  lips  thick; 
grinders }  wings  arising  from  the  centre  of  the  bade  ;  index- 
finger  clawed  ;  tail  very  short. 

Harpyia  Pallasii,  Desm.     Cephalotes  Pallasii,  Geoff,  Ann,  Mus. 
XV.  Vesp.  cephalotes,  PalL  Spic.  Zool.  iii.  1. 1  and  2.  cop.  Schreb. 
t.  61.   Cephalote,  Buffim,  H.  N.  Suppl.  iii.  t.  2.  Molucca  bat,  PennL 
Pteropus  Cephalotes,  Tiedem.    Inhabits  Molucca  Islands. 
See  also  Cephalotes  taeniotis,  Rqfin.  from  Sicily. 

48.  Cephalotes,  jpr.  Cttt;.  Hypoderma, /n<i.  Ge<^.  Head  short, 
broad,  lips  thick  ;  wings  arising  from  the  centre  of  the  back ;  in- 
dex-finger not  clawed. 


Botanical  Eacursion  to  the  Alps  of  the  Valais.         505 

Cephalotes  Peronii^  ^^o^  Ann.  Mus.  xv.  t.  9.  cop.  Diet.  Sc. 
Nat  t.  Hypoderm&  Peronii,  Isid,  Gecff.  jun.  Pteropus  palliatus, 
Gecff.  Ann.  Mus.  xv.  99.     Inhabits  Timor. 


II. — Account  of  a  JBotamcal  Excursion  in  the  Alps  of  the  Canton  of 
Valais,  Switzerland,  in  August  1835  /  and  Catalogue  of  the 
Plants  coUectedy  with  occasional  Remarks.  By  R.  J.  Shuttlb- 
WOBTH,  Esq.     (Continued  from  p.  196.) 

235.  C.  scabiosa,  L.  a.  macrophylla,  foliis  radicalibns  maximis  ly- 
rato-pinnatifidis^  laciniis  integerrimisy  terminal]  ovato-obtuso 
maximo.  /.  leptophylla,  foliis  radicalibns  subbipinnatifidis^  cau- 
linis  pinnatifidis^  laciniis  fere  linearibus  acutis  subintegris^  sub- 
tns^  prasertim  junioribas,  subincano-tomentosis.  C.  scabiosa^  y. 
tenuifolia^  Gaud  ? 
H.  a.  In  dometis  inter  Thermas  Leucenses  et  Inden ;  jS.  in  colli- 

bus  apicis  inter  Varen  et  Siders. 
06«.  Folia  radicalia  in  spec,  meis  var.  a,  6  ad  8  nncialia  laci- 
nio  terminali  2-3  uncias  lata  et  3-5  longa.  Caulina  etiam  maxima 
sublyrata  profundissime  pinnatiiida,  laciniis  etiam  integerrimis  ar- 
cnatis^  recorvia.  In  var.  |3.  capitula  fere  duplo  minora  quam  in 
▼ar.  a.9  involucro  majis  ovato^  et.  phyllis  pallidis  breve  cili&tis. 
Vnrietatem  inter  a.  et  7  fere  mediam  in  segetibus  Hiberniae  legi, 
foliis  subbipinnatifidis>  laciniis  ovato-lanceolatis  indso-dentatis. 

236.  CarUna  vulgaris^  L. 

H.  In  apricis  inter  Inden  et  Varen. 

237.  Xeranthemum  inapertum,  Willd. 

H.  In  arvis  incultis  inter  Varen  et  Siders,  copiose. 

238.  Hieracium  pilosella,  L.  H.  foliis  integerrimis  obovato- 
eliptids^  stolonibus  repentibus^  involncri  sqnamis  lineari-lanceola- 
tis,  scapo  monocephalo.  a,  viride.  Ser.  foliis  utrinque  viridibus, 
sparse  pilosis.  H.  P.  j3.  viride^  Gaud.  Helv.  v.  p.  71,  0.  vulgare, 
foliis  dorso-tomentosis,  pilis  utrinque  sparsis  longis  hirtis.  H. 
P.  cu  vulgare^  Gaud.  1.  c.  7.  arenarium  mihi,  late  repens^  pluris« 
capum^  foliis  minoribus  facie  viridibus  ptlis  sparsis  longis  hirtis, 
dorso,  stolonibusque,  incano-tomentosis ;  capitulis  partis  involucro 
incano.  d.  incanum,  involucro,  foliiaque  utrinque  incano-tomento- 
sis,  tomento  brevissimo,  vix  pilosis.  H.  P.  jS.  incanum,  DC.  H. 
Fr.  iv.  p.  523.  H«  P.  7.  incanum.  Gaud.  L  c.  s.  pilosellseforme,  fo« 
liis  dorso-ineanis,  facie  sparse  pilosis,  scapo  elato  incalio,  pube 
brevi  atra  oonspersa ;  capitulis  majoribos,  phyllis  lineari-lanoeo- 
latis  latioribus  incanis,  pube  brevi  atra  ad  carinam  consitis.  H. 
pilosellae  forme  Hoppe,  Gkud.  L  c.  H.  pilosella  alpina  Hoppe 
exst.     3*  Peleterianum,  foliis  obovato-lanceolatis  elongatis,  sub- 


506  Botanical  Excursion  to  the 

tu8  tomentons,  scapo  anthodioque  longissiine  villosis*     H.  pele- 

terianum  M^rat.  Rchb.  H.  P.    7.  Dub.  Bot.  Gall,   d  Gaad.  L  c 

H.  8.  ad  yiam  inter  Inden  et  Varen  ;  7.  in  arenosis  ad  Rhoda- 

num  prope  Leuk ;  6.  in  paacuis  M.  Funelen  et  in  alpibns  supra 

Taesch ;  g.  in  coUibus  graminoais  inter  St  Nicholas  et  Zermatt 

et  in  pascuis  alpinis  supra  Zermatt. 

Obs.  Inter  a.  et  1.  nuUos  limites  invenire  potui,  variant  nempe 

involucre  incano  Vel  viridi,  phyllis  linearibus^  lineari-lanceolads  vel 

lanceolatis;  capitulis  majoribus  minoribusve ;  foliis  utrinque   vel 

tantum  fade  sparse  pilosis^  dorso  saepins  incano-tomentosis.     Var. 

fi,  me  judici  potuis  quam  g.  a  stirpe  separanda :  d.  saepe  eztoLooo- 

sum,  sed  etiam  ut  i.  stolonibus  longis  ssepe  pneditum  ;  folia  majus- 

cula^  oapitula  sepe  majuscula.     7.  varietas  insignis ;  stolones  re- 

pentes  nempe  instar  Polypodia  Americana  minora  demum  indu- 

rescunt,  et  scapi  plures  ex  eodem  node  prodeunt. 

239.  H.  dubium,  Willd.   H.  auricula,  Rchb.  Germ,  exc  No.  1719, 
a.  vulgare,  0.  uniflorum,  y.  pilosum,  foliis  facie  longe  pilosis. 
H.  a.  et  0.  In  pascuis  alpinis  M.  Schwarzseeberg  et  Fiinelen ; 

7.  Ad  viam  inter  Stalden  et  St  Nicholas. 

240.  H,  angustifblium,  Hoppe ! 

H.  In  pascuis  et  ad  moles  glaciales  M.  Schwarzseeberg,  Fiinelen, 
et  supra  Tfesch. 

241.  /f.  piloselloides,  Vill.  Rchb.  H.  florentinum,  ii.  piloselloides 
Gaud.  /8.  acutifolium,  minus  alpinum,  scapo  brachiato  3-4  floro. 
Gaud.  1.  c.  p.  8. 

H.  In  arenosis  inter  Siders  et  Leuk,  et  ad  viam  inter  Stalden  et 
Visp.,  fi.  In  pascuis  M .  Schwarzseeberg. 

242.  H.  alpicolum,  Schleich  !  Gaud.  1.  c.  p.  73. 
H.  rarissime  ad  moles  glaciales,  M.  Fiinelen. 

Obs.  Stirps  rarissima.  Caulis  submonophyllus,  1-2  cephahis 
stellato-tomentosus,  superne  pilis  longis  sericeo-albidis,  aliis  brevi* 
bus  glanduliferis  nigris  intermixtis,  tectus :  folia  lineari-lanceolata 
dorso  stellato-tomentosa,  facie  longe  setosa :  Involucrum  subglobo- 
sum,  pilis  luridis  hirsutissimura.  Pknta  paradoxa  huic  Piloselloi- 
deis  (H.  angustifolio,  Hoppe,)  inde  eriocephalis  (H.  glandulifero 
Hoppe)  afiinis. 

243.  H.  glanduliferum,  Hoppe  !  H.  glabratum,  Schleidi !  Thorn  I 
exs.  non  Hoppe.     H.  Schraderi  glabratum.  Gaud  ? 

H.  In  M.  Gemmi  supra  Schwarrenbach,  in  M*  Fiinelen. 

Obs,  Caulis  pollicaris,  semipedalisve,  monooephalus,  nudus  vel  fo- 
lio unico  minimo  instructus,  ubique  sed  praesertim  superne  indu- 
mento  duplici  tectus,  tomento  albo  brevi  et  pilis  glanduliferis  nigris 
numerosissimis  :  Folia  anguste-lanceolata,  acuta  glaucesoentia  gla- 
briuscula  vel  facie  pilis  longis  albidis,  pra^sertim  ad  petiolum  in- 


Alps  of  the  Valais.  507 

stmcta,  8iepiu8  undulata.  InYolucrum  densissime  luride-villmiim 
ut  bene  observat  d.  Rchb.  ''  Anthodium  quasi  mnriiiaiii  pellem 
sistat."     PrsBcedenti  magis  quam  H.  alpino  vel  Schraderi  affine. 

244.  H.  Schraderi,  DC. 

«.  H.  In  saxosis  M.  Genuni  ad  talis  glaciales  Lammemgletscher, 
31  Aug.  1836. 
Obs,  Involucro  ad  H.  glanduliferam  Hoppe>  fbliis  magis  ad  se- 
quentem  et.  H.  viilosum,  L.  occedit. 

245.  H,  subnudum,  Schleich  i 
H.  In  alpibns  supra  Taesch. 

Obs.  Caulis  submonocephalus,  folia  elliptico-lanceolata  obtusa 
involucroque  villosissima.  Folia  caulina  pauca  minima.  Cum  H. 
Schraderi  conjunxit  cL  Gaudin,  sed  H.  villoso  magis  affine^  quo 
transit  varietate  foliis  acutis. 

246.  H.  valde  pilosum,  Vill. 

H.  In  saxosis  M.  G^mmi  supra  Schwarrenbach  et  ad  lacum  Dauben. 

Obi.  Caulis  folioeus,  folia  caulina  numerosa  lata,  amplexicaulia 
involucroque  villosissima.   In  planta  alpina  caulis  plerumque  mo- 
nocephalus,  in  planta  i  Jurasso  capitula  2-5. 
247-  H,  villosum,  L.    a.  folia  integruiscula.     jS.  caule  humili  foliis 

radicalibus  longe  petiolatis  ad  basin  sinuato-dentatis  vix  longiori. 

H.  oc  In  M.  Gemmi  supra  Schwarrenbach.  /9.  in  umbrosis  su- 
pra Kandersteg. 

Obt,  Folia  caulina  pauciora  angustiora  quam  in  praecedenti,  vix 
amplexicaulia :  involucrum,  caulis,  et  folia  piloso-villosa. 

248.  H.  rupestre.  All.  ?  Anct.  ad  Fed.  Tab.  i.  f.  2,  (sed  non  omnino 
cum  nostra  planta  convenit.)  oe.  caule  scapiformi  1-8  flora  nu- 
diuscula,  foliis  dorso  villosis.  Gaud.  Helv.  v.  p.  d2.  H.  rupeft- 
tre,  Schleich.  Thom.  exs.! 

H.  In  saxosis  M.  Gemmi  supra  Schwarrenbach. 
Obs,  Folia  lanceolata,  utrinque  attenuata,  firma,  dentata,  subtutt 
piloea,  facie  glabra. 

249.  H.  staticifolium,  Vill. 

H.  Ad  viani  et  in  apricis  inter  Inden  et  Varen,  prope  Leuk,  inter 
Stalden  et  St  Nicholas  et  (caule  monocephalo)  in  glareosia 
M.  Fiinelen. 

250.  H.  amplexicaule,  L. 
H.  Frope  Kandersteg. 

251.  H.  HaUeri,  Vill.  H.  hybridum,  Vill.  Dauph.  iii.  Tab.  26. 
H.  In  M.  Gemmi  supra  Schwarrenbach. 

252.  H.  intybaceum,  Jacq.     H.  albidum,  Vill. 

H.  *Zermatt.     In  M.  Grimsula  infra  Hoepitium. 

253.  H,  prenanthoides,  Vill.  3.  ramosumi  caule  elato,  ramoso  mul« 
tifloro,  foliis  maximis  firmioribus. 


508  Botanical  Excursion  to  the 

H.  In  pratis  hninidis  prope  Kandenteg ;  3.  inter  Tbermas  Leu- 
censes  et  Inden. 

254.  H.  murorum^  L.  var  alpina. 

H.  In  glareoais  et  petroais  ad  nives  perennea  M.  Gemmi. 

06s,  Caulis  humilia  pedalis,  oligo  (saepius)  monoGephalas,  sub 
nudus  vel  folio  unico  angustissimo  instructns  :  folia  radicalia  breve- 
petiolata  lanoeolata  acuminata  yel  ovalia  acuta,  baai  tmncata,  satia 
profunde  inciso  dentata  dentibus  patulis,  mucroui  glandnloao  tereti- 
filiformi  terminatis.  Capitula  mediocre,  inyolucro  incano-pubes- 
centi.  Ad  varietatem  pictum  et  inciaum  auct.  acoedit,  aed  non 
omnino. 

255.  H.  pruneUaefolium,  Vill. 

H.  In  glareoais  M.  Oemmi  ad  niyea  perennes  supra  Schwairen- 
bach.  Copiosissime  in  consort.  Apargias  Taraxad  et  Ranunculi 
parnassiefolii. 

256.  H.  sabaudum  L.  var.  7.  fi.  villosum.  Gaud.  Heir.  ▼.  p.  109  ? 
Caule,  fbliisque  ovato-lanceolatis  amplexicaulibus  sursum  decre- 
scentibus,  summis  minimis,  birsutis ;  capitulis  corymbosis  et  axii- 
laribus  solitariis,  involucro  pubeacenti. 

H.  In  apricis  umbrosis  inter  Inden  et  Varen. 
Obs.  Hanc  plantam  etiam  in  Jurasso  legi,  et  ab  am.  Thomas  ut 
H.  sylvaticum  Gouan  accepi. 

257.  H.  lanatum,  Vill. 

H.  In  apricis  inter  Inden  et  Varen,  et  prope  pagum  Fiinelen, 
supra  Zermatt. 

258.  H.  blattarioides,  L.     Soyeria — Monn.     Catorica — Mcench. 
H.  In  umbrosis  pascuisque  humidis  prope  Kandersteg. 

250.  Phasnicopus  decurrens,  Cass.     Prenanthes  viminea,  L. 

H.  Inter  Stalden  et  St  Nicholas. 

Obs.  Cum  icone  All.  Ped.  PL  LIl.  f.  2,  vel  xxxiii.  f.  1.  (P.  ra- 
mosissima)  baud  bene  convenit  nostra  planta,  et  fateor  has  species 
non  omnino  intelligo.  Ut  P.  ramosissima,  plantam  a  d.  B.  albis  rais- 
sam  possideo,  quae,  pusilla  et  ramosissima,  diversa  videtur.  Nostrae 
plantae,  caulis  bipedalis  et  ultra  ramosus,  ramis  gracilibus  elongatis; 
capitula  aggregata  subsessilia  secus  ramos  approximata,  numerosa ; 
folia  glabra  concoloria,  caulina  inferiora  pinnatifida,  laciniis  anguste 
lineari-lanceolatis  bifidis  vel  integerrimis,  summa  linearia  decur- 
rentia ;  Achenia  striata  scaberrima  in  stipitem  longam  atenimam 
attenuata. 
260.  Picris  hierecioides,  L.   j3.  alpestris,  laevior,  fbliis  lanoeoktis, 

cordato-amplexicaulibus,    sinuato-dentatis     vel    integriuaculis  ; 

ramis  rigidis  divaricatis,  pedunculis  valde  iocrassatis.  y.  petio- 
-    lata,  scabra  hirtaque  saepe  multicaulis,  caule  pedali  sesquipedali 

vix  ultra,  foliis  radicalibns  longissimis,  caulinisque  inferioribus 


Alps  of  the  Valais.  509 

lineari'lanceolatis^  lanceolatisve^  obsolete  sinuato-dentatis^  in  pe- 
tiolam  longum  attenuatis,  superioribus  sesailibus^  summis  am- 
plexicanlibua  vix  auriculatis ;  corymbo  teminali  simpliciusciiJo, 
peduncalis  brevibos  vix  incrassatis.  P.  hieracioides  0.  ]ongifolia> 
Gaud  ?  P.  umbellata,  Nees  ab  Es.  I 
H.  fL  in  nmbrosis  humidis  prope  Kandersteg.  7.  in  pratis  humidis 

inter  Varen  et  Siders. 
Obs.  In  var.  jS. — ^forma  foliis  sinuato-dentatia  asperior  est  quam 
forma  foliis  integriusculis,  cujas  canlis  glabriusculus.  Planta  Bri- 
tannica  asperrima  a  forma  Yulgari  Helvetica  recedit,  pilis  longiorl- 
bus  numerosissimis  intricatisque.  In  yar.  y — variat  interdum  co- 
r  jmbo  subdichotomo,  ramis  elongatis  erectis^  foliisque  caulinis  supe- 
rioribus  sabauriculatis. 

261.  Barckhausia  fietida,  DC. 

H.  In  incultis  prope  Varen,  Siders,  et  in  arvis  inter  Stalden  et 
St  Nicholas. 

262.  ChondriUa  junoea,  L. 

H.  In  arvis  incultis  prope  Siders  et  Leuk. 

263.  C.  acantbophylla,  fiork.  in  Rchb.  Germ.  exc.  No.  1802.  Chon- 
driUa foliis,  ^^  radicalibus  sinoato  pinnatifidis,  dentibus  acumina- 
tis  pectinatis,"  (Rchb.  L  c.)  caulinis  lineari-lanceolatis,  lanoeolatisy 
ovato-lanoeolatisve,  setaoeo-dentatis,  involucro  farinosocanesoenti. 
Oh  angustifolia  mihi,  foliis  lineari-lanoeolatis  setaceo-dentatis  vel  in- 
terdum subintegris,  dentibus  paucis  ad  basim  instructis.  Ch. 
acanthopbylla  Rchb.  exsic !  ^,  latifolia  mihi,  foliis  lanceolatis 
vel  ovato-lanceolatis  setaceo-dentatis.  C.  rigeus,  Rchb.  Germ  exc. 
No.  1803?  C,  graminea,  M.  Bieb.  Tour.  Cauc  ii.  244  ?  (Plan- 
tam  I  Volga  sub  hoc  nomine  a  cl.  Bieberstein  missam  possideo, 
quiB  nullo  mode  a  nostra  differt,  folia  nempe  etiam  summa  ovato- 
lanceolata  marginibus  setaceo-dentatis,  dentibus  tantam  minus 
conspicuis  quam  in  planta  nostra :  sed  cum  diagn.  cL  aactoris  male 
oonvenit.) 

H.  Ad  viam  et  in  arvis  inter  Stalden  et  St  Nicholas. 

Obs^  Glaucescens,  caulis  ad  basim  hispidus,  in  u  (ut  in  Spec 
Rchb.)  satis  ramosus,  ramis  minus  longis  quam  in  C.  juncea,  sube- 
rectis ;  in  var  jS.  minus  ramosus,  ramisque  brevioribus.  Capitula 
majora>  involucris  farinosis :  achenia  ut  in  C.  junoea,  nisi  forsan 
longiora,  supeme  ad  angulos  exasperata,  et  apice  dentibus  5  longi- 
oribus  ooronata.  Helvetia  nova  cives,  a  C.  juncea,  distinctissima, 
sed  fiOTsan  cum  C.  latifolia,  MB.  1.  c,  mihi  ignota,  conjungenda^  quae 
differt  squamis  involucri  **  setis  longiusculis  patentibus  hispidis." — 
Differentiae  s  colore  ligularum  a  cl.  Rchb.  sumptse,  me  judid,  nulli 
momenti  sunt. 

264.  Lactuca  sacriola,  L.     a.  foliis  radicalibus  ad  carinam  aculeo- 


510  Botanical  Excursion  to  the 

latis,  pauicula  laxa^  ramis  adsceDdenti-patentibus.    B.  foliis  om- 
nibus  ad  carinam  muticis,  &c.  /•  foliis  omnibus  ad  carinam  mu- 
ticis  panicula  exacte-pyramidata,  ramis  deflexo-patentibus. 
H.  a.  Ad  viam  inter  Siders  et  Leuk.    3.  in  arvis  inter  Stalden 
et  St  Nicholas.  7.  in  incoltis  prope  Varen. 

265.  L.  perennis,  L. 

H.  In  aprids  inter  Stalden  et  St  Nicholas. 

266.  Podospermum  ladniatum,  L. 
H,  In  incultis  prope  Siders. 

267*  Leontodon  alpinus,  Jacq.     Apargia  Host. 
H.  In  pascuis  M.  Fiinelen. 

268.  L.  crispus,  Vill. 

H.  Ad  pagum  Fiinelen  supra  Zermatt. 

Obs.  In  exempl.  macrioribus  scapus  interdum  divisis,  dicephalas. 

269.  Apargia  taraxaci,  Willd.  /3  demidata^  involucro  pilis  bre- 
vibus  minus  copiose  hirsuto,  foliisque  minus  dentatis. 

H.  In  glareosis  M.  Gemmi  supra  Schwarrenbach  copiose.  ^ 
rarius. 

Obs,  Planta  Scotica^  cujus  spec,  nimis  manca  possideo^  videtur 
di versa.  Involucrum  var.  /S.  vix  magis  birsutum  quam  in  Leontodon 
Alpino,  sed  scapus  valde  incrassatus  omnino  A.  taraxaci  a. 

270.  A.  hyoseridifolia.  Less.  Syn.  p.  132.     Hieracium,  Vill. 

H.  rarissime  in  glareosis  ad  lacum  Dauben  M.  Oemmi  in  consort. 

A.  taraxaci  et  ranunculi  parnassifblii.  31  Aug.  1836. 
Obs,  Pulcherrims  rarissimttque  stirpis  nova  localitas. 

271.  Taraxacum  Isevigatum^  DC.  Rchb.  Germ.  exc.  No.n796. 
H.  Ad  nives  perennes  M.  Schalmetti  in  M.  Gremmi. 

272.  Tragopogon  campestris,  Bess.  P  En.JPl.  Volh.  p.  84.  Tr.  invo- 
lucro sub  8-phyllo,  phyUis  decoloratis  flosculos  oequantibus  vel 
superantibus^  pednnculo  subincrassato  ;  foliis  linearibus,  lineari- 
lanoeolatisve  carinatis  planis  strictis,  Achenius  incurvatis  muri- 
cato-striatis. 

H.  In  pratis  inter  Thermas  Leucenses  et  Inden. 

Obs»  Caulis  bi-tripedalis  ramosus^  ramis  erectis  strictis ;  capitnla 
parva  semi  aperta  (non  ut  in  T.  pratensi  horizontaliter  patentia^) 
involucrum  flosculos  interdum  multo  excedens^  sed  ssepius  aeqoans 
vel  paulo  superanSj  phyllis  5-8.  Flosculi  flavin  antheris  fuscis  atro* 
purpureisve.  Hanc  plantam  etiam  copiose  in  segetibus  vallis  Lig- 
nieres  in  Jurasso  inveni :  seruis  floret  quam  T.  pratensis^  (in  Ju- 
rasso  10^  &c.  Jul.  in  Valesiie^  19.  Aug.)  Meram  varietatem  Tr.  pra- 
tensis  vix  constitueri  potest,  nisi  etiam  et  Tr.  major  inter  var.  Tr. 
pratensis  redigendus.  Medius  inter  Tr.  pratensem  et  majorem^  ab 
utroque  satis  difFert :  variat  ut  affines  foliis  apice  tortilibus. 

273.  Sonchns  alpinus,  auct. 


Alps  of  the  Valais.  511 

H.  In  M.  Grimsula  infra  Hospitium. 


274.  Scabioia  columbaria^  L. 

H.  In  graminosis  aridis  prope  Varen. 

Obs.  Forma  calcarea.  Caulis  pedalis^  sesquipedalis  ramosns  fo- 
liisque  canescenti-pubescens.  Folia  caulina  tenuissime  bipinnati- 
fida  vel  pinnatifida  laciniis  linearibus  incisis  involucrum  floribus  bre- 
▼ius  yel  vix  »qaale  capitula  parva. 

275.  S.  lucida,  ViU- 

H.  In  j)ascai8  M.  Gemmi  Hupra  Schwarrenbach. 


276.  Galium  lucidum,  All.  Ped.  ii.  p.  77*   P*  caule  inferne  foliisque 

inferioribus  pubesoentibus,  Gaud.  Helv.  i.  p.  419. 

H,  In  apricis  inter  Inden  et  Varen. 

06s.  Vix  a  G.  tenuifolio.  All. !  distinguenda.     In  exempl.  meis 
G.  tenuifolii  ex  Herb.  All.  folia  non  sunt  retrorsum  (ut  habet  CI. 
Rcbb.)  sed  autrorsum  scabra. 
277-  G.  helvetlcum,  Weig.  Gaud. 

H.  In  glareosis  M.  Gemmi  supra  Schwarrenbach. 


278.  Aslrantia  minor,  L. 

H.  In  umbrosis  M.  Gemmi  supra  Kandersteg. 

279.  Bupleurum  ranunculoides^  L.  var.  involucellis  octophyllis. 
//•  In  saxosis  et  graminosis^  M.  Schwarzseeberg. 

Obs.  Caulis  simplex  uncialis — pedalisve.  Folia  summa  amplexi- 
caulia  oordata  ovato-lanceolata,  potius  bractes  vel  involucra  dicenda> 
nam  textura  et  forma  omnino  cum  involucris  conveniunt ;  et  seepe  in 
eonim  axillis  flores  abortives  vidi.  In  exempl.  fere  omnibus^  qua 
ex  alpibus  accepi  et  in  Jurasso  legi^  involucella  constanter  5-phyllae 
sunt ;  involucra  autem  monophylla  usque  ad  hexaphylla  inveni — B. 
caridfolium  W.  species  mihi  dubia^  et  forsan  recte  a  cl.  Koch  h»c 
specie  conjuncta. 
289.  Athamantha  cretensis^  L.   a.  alpina^  dense  incano-hirsuta,  foliis 

bipinnatis,   pinnis   pinnatifidis^    laciniis  brevibus  lineari-ovatis 

acutis. 

H.  Ad  rupes  M.  Gemmi  supra  Schwarrenbach. 

Obs.  In  Jurasso  occurrunt  var.  fi  and  y, 

^.  tomentosa^  foliis  tripinnatis,  pinnis  pinnatifidis^  laciniis  lineari- 

filiformibus  elongatis  acutis  apiculatisve.   7.  glabriuscula  Inte- 

virens^  laciniis  pinnarum  filiformibus  elongatis. 
281.  Gay  a  simplex.    Gaud.    Ligusticum^    All.   Pachypleurum-— 

Rchb. 

H.  In  pascuisy  M.  Gemmi  supra  Schwarrenbach^  supra  Zermatt 
et  Teesch. 


512  Botanical  Excursion  to  the 

282.  Imperatoria  Ostruthium,  L. 
H.  In  petrosis  M.  Fiinelen. 

283.  Laserpitium  hirsutum^  Lam.^  L.  Halleri  Gkad.^  Hall.  Tab.  19. 
Opt. 

H.  In  petrosis  alpinis  sapra  Teesch. 

284.  Torilis  helvetica^  Gm.  Bad.  i.  617.      ?•  anthrisooides,  DC. 
Prod.  ill.  219. 

H.  In  arvis  incultis  prope  Varen. 

Obs»  Caulis  ramosus  bipedalis^  ramis  suberectis.  Pedunculi  non 
longiores  quam  in  T.  Helvetica  a.  (ex  agris  prope  Generam,)  fruc- 
tU8que  vix  major^  minus  coloratus:  differt  tantum  statura  albiori, 
caulibus  ramisque  erectioribus.  T.  neglecta^  Scbult.  DC.  Prod.  1. 
c  Koch.  Syn.  p.  313.  T.  infesta,  Rchb.  Germ,  exc  No,  2910,  vi- 
detur  notis  nimis  Isevibus  a  T.  helvetica  separata  ;  et  me  judici  auctse 
nomine  T.  infests,  Hoffm.  designandse. 


285.  Saxijraga  csesia,  L. 

II.  Ad  fissuras  rupiam  M .  Gemmi  snpra  Kanderst^  et  Schwar- 

renbach  copiose. 
Ohf.  Variat  caudicuiis  elongatis,  fbliisque  multo  minns  congestis. 

286.  S.  oppositifolia,  L. 

H.  In  rupibus  M.  Gemmi  supra  Schwarrenbach  et  ad  moles  gla« 
ciales  snmmi  jugi  alpium  supra  Tsesch. 
287-*  S,  Homungii,  mihi. 

Saxifiraga  caulibus  prostratis  ramosis  laxe  caespitosis,  ramis  ad- 
scendentibus^  foliis  oppositis  remotiusculis  obovatis  spathulatisve 
apice  subincrassatis  unipunctatis  dorso  planis  sabcarinatis,  superiori- 
bus  sepe  altemis,  laciniisque  calycis  glanduloso  ciliatis,  floribos  ter- 
minalibus  2-3  capitatis^  petalis  distantibus  lanceolatis  stamina  sub- 
equantibus.  S.  biflora,  Gaud.  Helv.  iii.  p.  95.  Koch.  Deuts.  Fl. 
iii.  p.  J  26.  Syn.  p.  269.  Dub.  Bot.  Gall.  i.  p.  207-  Dec.  Prodr. 
iv.  p.  18.  Rchb.  Germ,  exc  No.  3604,  et  exscc  !  Hornung  in  Bot. 
Zeit.  1835,  p.  470.— iVbn  All. 

H.  In  alpibus  supra  Zermatt,  etiam  In  M.  Sylvio  Vail.  D.  Ni- 
colai,  et  in  M.  Tzermenonanz  (Gathnick  !)  Alp.  Tyrol,  prope 
Zell.  (Sauter  in  Rchb.  exscc  J) 

Ohs.  CI.  Gaudin,  1.  c.  iconem  Allionii  molam  esse  observat ;  sed 
certe  auctores  omnes  citati  nee  descriptionem  Allionii  intento  animo 
legerunt,  neque  ejusdem  iconem  recte  examinaverunt.  Allionius 
in  Ped.  ii.  p.  71>  No.  1530,  de  sua  planta  ita  disseruit.  **  Flos 
magnus  pulchre  roseus  petalis  ovato-acutis  duplo  et  ultra  calyce 
amplioribus ;"  "  Stamina  decem  embryone  vix  altiora  purpurea," 
et  ita  etiam  in  icone  sua  PI.  XXI.  f.  1.  optime  depinxit.  Hec 
descriptio  cum  S.  bi/lora,  auct.  (nostra  S.  Homungii)  nuUomodo 


.    Alps  of  the  Valais,  513 

convenit^  et,  ut  etiam  icon,  ad  sequentem  plane  pertinent.  Quod 
"  fuliifl  alternis  in  ramis  floriferis^  All.  1.  c-  et  ic."  attinet,  occurrnnt 
in  utraqne  specie,  sed  ad  formam  non  ad  typum  pertinent.  Hoc 
pacto  manifeste  patet  (cf.  seq.)  vera  planta>  AH.  auctoribus  hucus- 
que  ignota,  a  cl.  Kochio  et  Honiungio  1.  c.  primum  dirtincta  nt 
nova  species  descripta  est. 

288.  S.  biflora.  All.  Ped.  ii.  p.  71,  Na  1630.  Tab.  xxi.  f.  1, 
(rami  floriferi  uniflori ;  sed  opt.)  nee  auct. 

Saxifraga  caulibus  prostratis  ramosis  laxe  caespitosis^  ramis  ad- 
scendentibus^  foliis  oppositis  laxe  imbricatis  oboyatis  spathulatisye 
apice  subincrassatis  unipanctatis  dorso  planis  subcarinatis,  superi<^ 
ribus  interdum  alterius  ladniisque  calycis  glanduloso  ciliatis^  flori- 
bns  terminalibns  solitariis  yel  2-3  capitatis  breve  peduncnlatis,  pe- 
talis  oblongis  contignis  stamina  bis-terve  superantibus.  S.  Rochii 
Hornung,  1.  c.  p.  465,  et  seq.  Koch.  Sjn.  1.  c.  (Desc  opt.) 

H.  In  glareosis  ad  moles  glaciales  Lammemgletscher  M.  G^m- 
mi.  31  Aug.  1836,  csespites  laxoe  maximosque  efficiens. 

Obs,  Folia  iniima  interdum  rosnlata,  multo  congestion  quam  in 
pnecedente :  rami  floriferi  saepe  uniflori  (et  hujus  forms  icon.  All. 
dtata  optima)  vel  2-3  flori  in  eodem  individuo.  Color  in  utraque 
specie  diversa  in  S.  Hornungii  (e  sicco)  corolla  atropurpurea,  folia 
rubro-purpuraacentia :  in  S.  biflora  (Planta  viva  et  sicca)  coroUse 
lilacinae,  pnrpurasoentes,  et  folia  omnino  viridia  Species  distinctse, 
sed  in  Herb,  meo  sub  nomine  S.  bifloree  intermixtae  adsunt. 

289.  S»  aspera,  L.  Koch.  1.  c.  p.  270.  S*  aspera  a.  elongata,  Gkud. 
H.  In  petrosis  alpium  supra  Teesch. 

290.  S.  bryoides,  L.  Koch.  1.  c.  S.  aspera  fi  bryoides,  DC.  Gkud. 
H.  In  graminosis  ad  nives  perennes  M.  Gemmi — ^in  M.  Fiinelen. 

291.  S.  stellaris  L. 

H.  In  M.  Gemmi  supra  Kandersteg,  et  in  uliginosis  supra 
Schwarrenbach. 

292.  S,  muscoides,  Wulf.  Koch.  Leo.  compacta  Koch.  1.  c.  p.  272. 
S.  muscoides  a.  microphylla.  Gaud.  Helv.  iv.  p.  130.  y,  laxa. 
Koch.  L  c. 

H.  eu  in  M.  Gemmi  in  rupibus  prope  ''  der  Wintereck."  ^.  su- 
pra Schwarrenbach. 

293.  5.  exarata,  Vill.  Dauph.  iii.  p.  674.  PL  45.  fi.  laxa,  Koch. 
L  c  p.  273.     S.  intermedia.  Gaud,  et  Koch.  1.  c.     Thorn,  exs. ! 
H.  ad  moles  glaciales  summi  juge  Alpium  supra  Taesch. 

294.  S.  androsacea,  L. 

H.  In  M.  Gemmi,  supra  Schwarrenbach. 


295.  Sedum  atratum,  L. 


514  Botanical  Excursion  to  the 

H.  vulgatissimum  in  M .  Gemini. 

296.  S.  arniuum,  L.  Koch.  Rchb.    S.  aestivum.  All.  Fed.  No.  1746. 
S.  saxatile^  Oand.  Helv.  iii.  p.  292.  nee.  All. 

H.  ad  muros  inter  St  Nicholas  et  Zermatt. 

297.  S.  repens,  Schleich.  Gaud.     S.  saxatile.  All.  Tab.  Ixv.  f.  6. 
H.  In  glareoais  ad  moles  gladales,  M.  Fiinelen. 

298.  Sempervivutn  arachnoideum^  L, 

H.  ad  rapes  inter  Stalden  et  St  Nicholas ;  in  pascals  sterilibos 
inter  T«sch  et  Zermatt^  et  in  M.  FUnelen. 


299.  Scleranihus  annuas,  L. 

H.  ad  viam  inter  St  Nicholas  et  Zermatt. 

300.  S.  perennis>  L.  ^.  erinaceus^  mihi,  humilis  confertosissimus, 
caulibus  prostratis  ramosissimis,  floribus  numerosissimis  in  sph»- 
ram  densissimam  congestissimis. 

H.  copiose  in  saxosis  M.  Grimsulae^  supra  Obergestelen. 

Obs,  Florum  sphaera  ita  congesta,  ut  nihil  aliud  oonspiciendum. 
Folia,  nisi  perpanca  ad  dichotomias  superiores^  vix  ulla.  Calyds 
segmenta  obtusa^  late  membranacea^  fhictifera  dausa.  Habitu  a 
typo  et  congeneribus  valde  differt^  proxime  tamen  Sclerantho  ne- 
glecto  Rochel  aifinis.  S.  neglectus^  Roch.  mihi  bona  videtur  species^ 
sed  in  exempl.  meis  a  cl.  Rochel  et  Heuffel  in  cac  M.  Maram 
Bannatu  lectis,  calycis  fructiferi  partitiones  potius  dausae  quam  pa- 
tentes,  cf.  Koch.  Deuto.  FL  iii.  p.  175^  176>  et  Syn. 


301.  Herniaria  glabra^  L. 

H.  in  pascuis  aridis  arenosis  ad  Vispam  inter  Teesch  et  Zermatt. 

302.  H.  alpina,  Vill. 

H.  rarius  ad  moles  glaciales  supra  Tssch. 


303.  Epilobium  Dodonaei,  Vill.  Gaud,  erectum^  floribus  race- 
mosis  numerosissimis,  foliis  obsolete  denticulatis.  £.  Dodonaei, 
Koch.  Syn.  p.  239.  E.  rosmarini  folium^  Haenke,  Rchb.  pL  crit. 
ic.  522.  ji,  prostratum,  Gaud.  Helv.  iii.  p.  9.  humile,  pauci- 
florum,  foliis  evidentius  denticulatis.  E.  augustissimum,  Rchbk  pL 
crit.  ic.  523.  E.  denticulatum.  Wend.  Koch.  Deuts^  Fl.  iii.  p.  12. 
E.  Fleischeri.  Hochst.  Koch.  Syn.  p.  239. 

H.  a.  in  petrosis  inter  Inden  et  Varen.  ^.  in  M.  Gemmi,  supra 
Kandersteg. 

Obs,  a  et  /i.  variant  foliis  plus  minusve  conspicue  denticulatis, 
stylo  ad  basin  vel  supra  medium  sericeo-barbato  (interdum  et  etiam 
in  Yar.  M,  omnino  glabro),  staminibus  sublongiori,  sequali  vel  breinori, 
demum  semper  deflexo  (quod  in  icon.  Rchb.  non  depictum  es^) 


Alps  of  the  Valais,  515 

Unicam  discrimen  inter  a.  et  ^.  videtur  caulis  prostratus^  et  petala 
obtusiora^  var.  /8. 

304.  E.  organifolium,  Lam.  Rchb.  1.  c,  ic.  314. 

H.  Ad  rivulos  M.  Gemmi,  supra  Schwarrenbach. 

Obs,  Capsulse  longiores,  longiusque  pedunculatee  sunt  qaam  in 
icon.  cit. 


305.  Cotaneaster  vulgaris^  Lindl.     3.  prostrata. 
H.  Ad  rapes  in  Alpinis  supra  Zermatt. 


306.  Rosa  Alpina,  L.  a.  fhictu  elliptico-pyriformi  vel  fusiformi. 
aa.  fructu^  calycis  segmentis  peduncolisque  glabris,  petiolis  ser- 
raturis  nervisque  foliolorum  glanduloso-pilosis.  /3.  fhictu  subglo- 
boso.  fia,  fructu  peduncolisque  glabris^  calycis  segmentis^  pe- 
tiolis, serraiuris  nervisque  foliolorum  glanduloso-pilosis.  0/3.  fruc- 
tu  glabro^  pedunculis  glanduloso-hispidis,  calycis  segmentis^  pe- 
tioli8>  serraturis  nervisque  foliolorum^  glanduloso-pilosis. 

H.  a.  In  alpinis  supra  Zermatt.    0.  Ad  sepes  inter  St  Nicholas 

et  Zermatt. 
Obs.  Var.  oa.  calycis  segmenta  eximie  foliacea. 

307.  H'  glandulosa,  Bellardi,  Koch.  Deutsl.  Fl.  iii.  p.  462,  Syn. 
p.  225.  Dub.  Bot.  Oall.  i.  177-  Hosa  glandulosa  glauca  junior 
rubicunda>  aculeis  geminis  vix  falcatis  aut  nullis ;  foliolis  5-9^ 
ovato-rotundis  duplicato  serratis  stipulisque  latiusculis  acutis 
margine  glandulosis ;  tube  calycis  subgloboso  pedunculisque  glan- 
duloso-hispidis^  sepalis  subintegris  longe  subspathulatis  corollam 
superantibus.  a.  inermis  mihi,  foliolis  7-9  ellipticis,  floribus  so- 
litariis>  sepalis  integrisy  et  fructu  globose.  0.  aculeata  mibi^  fo- 
liolis majusculis  5-7  subrotundis  quadruplo-serratis,  floribus  sub- 
temis,  sepalis  3  pinnatifidis^  et  fructu  ovato.  R.  rubrifolia  glan- 
dulosa et  R.  rubrifolia  montana,  Ser.  in  Mus.  Helv.  p.  12.  Tab. 
ii.  f.  3  and  4.  (folia  pessima.)  R.  rubrifolia  montana^  Gaud. 
Helv.  iii.  p.  348.  excl.  Syn.  plur.  R.  Reyneri,  Hall.  fil. !  Ser. ! 
Schleich  1 

H.  (a.  In  Jurasso^  in  coUibus  vallis  Liguieres  ad  pedem  M.  Chas- 
seral.)    /3.  Ad  sepes  inter  St  Nicholas  et  Zermatt. 

Obs.  R.  rubrifolia,  ^.  pinnatifida,  Ser.  Gaud.  1.  c.  ad  R.  rubri- 
foliam  Vill.  pertinet.  R.  montana,  Vill.  absque  dubio  diversissima, 
omnino  abhorret.  Rchb.  in  Germ.  exc.  No.  3780,  hanc  speciem 
hybridam  '*  rubrifoliam-villosam"  esse  existimat,  mihi  autem  spe- 
cies omnium  pulcherrima  ab  affinibus  fjBusillime  distinguenda  videtur 
Species  rarissima,  paucis  oognita,  hucusque,  variationibus  supra  no- 

VOL.  II.  NO.  12.  Mm 


516  Botanical  Excursion  to  the 

tatis  exceptisj  oonstans,  sed  cultura  noodum  subjecta.  Ut  obi^rrat 
cl.  Koch,  R.  rubrifoliae  et  alpinae  affinis,  sed  affinitas  cum  R«  canina 
mihi  perobscara. 

308.  B,  canina,  L.  «.  foiiolls  simplice  vel  duplkato-serratis  gla- 
bris,  fructa  globoso  glabro.  0.  foliolis  duplicato-serratis  glabris, 
petiolisj  sepalis  fructaque  ovato-globoso  glanduloso-setoda. 

H.  Ad  sepes  inter  St  Nicholas  et  Zermatt. 

309.  i?.  rubiginoea,  L.  Var.  fructu  ovato-elliptico  pedunculisqiie 
glabris,  R.  nibiginoaa,  6,  sepium.  Gaud.  R.  canina,  d.  sepiam, 
Koch.  Syn.  p.  22?. 

H.  In  oollibus  inter  Varen  et  Siders. 

Obs.  Certe  ad  R.  rubiginosam  non  ad  caninam  redigenda.  To- 
mentum  ferrugineo-glandulosam,  odorque  aromaticus. 

310.  R.  villosa,  L.     R.  pomifera,  Herni.  Koch. 

H.  Ad  sepes  inter  St  Nicholas  et  Zermatt^  et  inter  Brieg  et 
MUnster. 

Obs.  Variat  floribus  solitariis,  ternis  vel  sab  corymbosis.  Var. 
7.  corymbosa,  Gaud,  differt  solummodo  fructu  basi  tantum  hispidu- 
lo.  Folia  forsan  maxima  generis^  fructus  globosusj  nutans,  mazimus, 
interdum  in  oollo  brevi,  coarctatus. 


311.  Geum  (Sieversia)  reptans^  L. 

H.  In  saxosis  M.  Oemmi  supra  lacum  Dauben,  rarius. 

312.  G.  (S.)  montanum,  L. 

H.   In  saxosis  M.  Oemmi  supra  Schwarrenbach,  et  ad  lacum 
Dauben,  copiose.     In  M.  Funelen. 

313.  Potentilla  multifida,  L. 

H.  Ad  moles  glaciales  summi  jugi  alpium  super  Ta»cfa. 

314.  P.  argentea^  L.  Var.  ?  0.  foliis  planis  latioribus  obtuse  in- 
ciso-dentatis. 

H.  In  pascuis  aridis  inter  St  Nicholas  et  Zermatt,     0.  unicum 

individuum  inveni. 
Obs.  Forma  monstrosa  vel  forsan  P.  collina.  Wig.  Koch.  Syn. 
p.  214,  sed  exemplo  meo  flores  carent. 

315.  P.  aurea,  L.     P.  Halleri,  Ser. 
H.  In  M.  Fiinelen. 

316.  P.  Salisburgensis,  HsBnke.  P.  aurea,  Ser.  ou  firma,  Koch. 
Syn.  p.  216.  P.  aurea,  3.  firma.  Gaud.  P.  sabauda.  Thorn,  ezs. ! 
vix  DC.  ou  fi.  Macranthat  villosior^  foliolis  discretis,  coroila  fere 
duplo  majori. 

H.  In  M.  Gremmi  in  graminosis  ad  niyes  perennes  supra  Schwar- 
renbach. 

4 


A^p$  of  the  ValaU,  517 

Ohs*  Foliola  late  ovata^  obtusissime  incisa  sese  invicem  margine 
tegentia^  serraturis  rotundatis ;  stipulis  magnis^  corolla  magna^  pe« 
talis  oboordatis^  calycis  segmenta  valde  innqualia  alternatim  duplo 
latiora  et  longiora^  omnia  fere  obtusa^  plus  minusye  oolorata.  Planta 
pygmsea  plus  minusve  Lirsuta,  vix  ultra  2  uncias  alta^  parum  caes- 
pitosa.  Bene  quadrat  cum  exempL  a  h.  Gkiudino  acceptis^  sed  mi« 
nas  villosa  et  colorata.  P.  sabauda,  DC  (spec  s  Gallia  possideo^) 
vix  hue  sed  potius  ad  varietatem  elatiorem  pertinet.  P.  alpestris^ 
Hook.  Brit.  Fl.  ad  varietatem  &.  graciliorem^  Koch,  1.  c  pertinere 
videtur. 

317.  P'  vema,  L.     Var.  sestiva.  Hall.  fil.  in  Mas.  Helv.  p.  32. 
.  Gaud.? 

H.  Inter  St  Nicholas  et  Zermatt. 

OhM.  Maculam  croceam  ad  basim  petalorum  non  vidi :  differt  a 
typo,  hirsutie,  foliisque  radicalibus  majoribus  longe  petk^atia  et 
profunde  indsis. 

318.  P.  grandiflora,  L. 

H.  In  pascuis  et  petrosis  M.  Funelen. 

319.  P.  minima.  Hall.  fil.  in  Mus.  Helv.  p.  51. 

H.  Copiose  in  M.  Gemmi  prope  Schwarrenbach,  et  ad  lacum 
Dauben,  &c. 

320.  P.  caulescens,  L. 

H.  In  rupibus  inter  Inden  et  Varen. 
321.*  Sibbaldia  procumbens,  L. 
H.  Zermatt. 

322.  Alchemilla  vulgaris,  L.     0.  subsericea.  Gaud.  Koch.     A.  hy- 
brida,  L.  et  Auct. 

H.  In  M.  Gemmi  supra  Schwarrenbach. 

323.  A.  pubescens,  M.  Bieb.  Taur.  Cavl.  i.  p.  114,  excl.  syn.  pi. 
Koch,  Syn.  p.  231.     A.  pubescens.  Lap.  ! 

H.  Ad  moles  glaciales  valleculae  Tsesch. 

Obs»  Planta  a  cl.  M.  Bieb !  missa  tantum  elatior  et,  nisi  foliis 
minus  profunde  incisis,  potius  habitum  sequentis  refert.  Differt  a 
precedenti  foliis  tantum  apice  serratis,  subtruncatis,  nee  circumser- 
ratis ;  a  sequent!  foliis  crenatO'dentatis,  pubescentibus,  et  panicnla 
mnlto  oongestiori :  sed  opinor  cum  sequente  ut  var.  0.  pubescens 
conjungenda. 

324.  A.  fissa  Sehummel.  Koch,  Syn.  p.  231.  Gaud— Rchb.  exsic« ! 
H.  cum  praecedenti. 

Obs.  Species  distincta  nullomodo  cum  A.  vulgari  oonjangenda. 


325.  Ononis  Columnse,  All. 


518  Botanical  excursion  to  the 

H.  In  arris  et  incultis  prope  Varen  et  Siders. 

326.  0.  Natrix,  L. 

H.  In  apricis  inter  Inden  et  Varen  et  prope  Siderg. 
Obs.  0.  rotandifoliam,  L.   Etiam  inter  Inden  et  Varen  obeenraTi 
sed  non  legi. 

327.  AnthyUis  vulneraria,  L.  a.  floribas  flavis^  foliis  caulibusqne 
parce  villosis  aut  subglabris^  DC.  Prod.ii.  p.  170.  ^.  pnrpurascens 
mihi. 

H.  On  In  M.  Gemmi  infra  Schwarrenbach.  ^.  ad  moles  glaciales 
M.  FUnelen. 

Obs.  a. — Forma  alpina,  prostrata,  calyce  dense  sericeo  exoepto« 
glabriuscula ;  capitula  maxima,  corollis  saturate  flavis — fi.  est  va- 
rietas  insignis  forma,  glacialis,  prostrata,  appresse  sericea ;  caulis,  pe- 
tioli,  bracteiy  calyces  apicibus  et  interdum  foliorum  margines,  luride 
pnrpurascentes.  Gorollae  ochroleacae,  yexillo  dorso  parparasoente, 
carina  apice  purpurea;  foliola  lateralia  minima,  interdum  plane 
nulla. 

328.  Medicago  falcata,  L.     ^.  versicolor,  Koch,  Syn.  p.  160  ? 
H.  A  d  viam  in  arenosis  prope  Varen. 

Obs,  Procumbens  adscendensve,  folia  quoad  firmam  magnitudi- 
nemque  yariabilia ;  bractese  interdum  minimae ;  coroUe  violacese^ 
flavescentes ;  Legumina  falcata  vel  cochleata  sub  2-c7cla^  plus  minus 
ve  pubescentia. 

329.  Trifolium  ochroleucum,  L. 
H.  In  pascuis  valleculae  Teesch. 

330.  r.  saxatile.  All. 

H.  Ad  moles  glaciales  summi  jugi  alpium  supra  T«sch. 

331.  T.  fragiferum,  L. 

H.  Ad  viam  inter  Stalden  et  St  Nicholas. 

332.  T.  ciespitosum,  Reyn. 

H.  In  pascuis  ad  moles  glaciales  supra  Taesch. 

333.  T.  badium,  Schreb. 

H.  Ad  moles  glaciales  supra  Tiesch. 

334.  IjAus  corniculatus,  L.  c.  tenuifolius,  DC.  ^.  uniflorus.  Gaud. 
H.  s.  in  arenosis  prope  Leuk.  *^.  Zermatt. 

Obs,  In  yar.  s.  Pedunculi  bini  in  capitulo  4-6-floro  congest!.  ^. 
piliosusculus,  glaucescens,  folia  subrhomboidea. 

335.  Tetragondobus  siliquosus.  Roth. 

H.  In  pidudosis  prope  Pfyn  inter  Siders  et  Leuk. 

336.  Colutea  arborescens,  L. 

H.  In  apricis  inter  Inden  et  Varen. 
a37.  Fhaca  lapponica,  Wahl.  Helv.  p.  131,  in  Ann.  DC  Prod. 


Alps  of  the  f^alais.  519 

Oxytropis Oaud.  Koch.  Syn.  Rchb.  Germ.  exc.  No.  3273^,  in 

Gorr.   Astragalus  acutifolius  Schleich. ! 

H.  rarissime  in  M.  Schwarzseeberg,  et  ad  moles  glaciales  summi 
jugi  alpiam  supra  Taesch.  in  cons.  Oxytrop.  cyaneea^  M.  Bieb. 

Obs,  Caulescens,  interdum  subacaulis^  sericeo-pilosa.  Legumina 
brevissime  pubescentia,  nigrescentia,  ovalia,  pendula.  Forma  suba- 
caulis^  florens,  segre  ab  Ox.  cyaneae  distinguenda. 

338.  Oxyiropvt  Uralensis,  DC.  ^.  yilloso-sericea^  scapis^  petiolis, 
calycibusque  dense  villpso-sericeis,  foliolis  latioribus  densissime 
serioeis^  junioribus  viUosis^legu minibus  subremotis  ovato-oblongis. 
H.  In  collibus  et  pascuis  aridis  prope  Siders. 

Ohs,  Var.  y.  appresse-sericea  mihi,  quam  ad  rupes  M*  Biirglen 
ditione  Bemensi  (circa  oOOO's-m.)  legi^  differt  foliolis  appresse  sericeis^ 
siepe  angustioribus^  et  leguminibus  ovatis  brevioribus  confertis. 
Planta  Scotica  variat  leguminibus  ovatis  vel  ovato-oblongis^  sed 
saepius  minus  sericea  quam  var.  y, :  differt  ab.  O.  sordida^  Pers. 
(quacum  conjuncta  est  in  Syn.  pi.  sua,)  specie  mihi  valde  dubia,  ca- 
pitulis  erectis  nee  cernuis.  Bracteae  in  utraque  var.  variant  calyce 
breviores  vel  sublongiores.  O.  sordida,  Oaud. !  Helv.  vi.  p.  360,  in 
vallecula  glaciali,  Roththal,  ab.  am.  Roth  lecta  et  mecum  commu- 
nicata,  est  forma  pusilla  O.  campestris :  capituli  certe  cernua, 
sed  secundum  asseverationem  repertoris  amici  ipsius,  ex  exemplari- 
bus  marcidis  et  male  exsiccatis  orti  sunt. 

339.  O,  campestris,  DC.  Variat  a.  scapis  decumbent ibus,  folia 
sequantibus,  foliolis  oblongis.  fi.  scapis  adscendentibus,  folia  super- 
antibus,  foliolis  oblongis.  y,  scapis  elatioribus  suberectis^  folia  su- 
perantibus,  foliolis  lanceolatis  acuminatis. 

H.  a.  In  pi^cuis  M.  Gemmi  prope  '^  die  Wintereck,"  et  supra 
Schwarretibach.  fi.  prope  Zermatt.  et  in  M.  Schwarzseeberg  et 
Fiinelen.     y,  prope  pagum  Zermatt. 
Obi,  ssepe  fere  pedalis  evadit. 
340.*  0.  foetida,  DC. 

H.  In  alpibus  supra  Zermatt. 

Obs.  Scapi  superne  lana  saepe  nigra  tecti,  foliola  glanduloso-viscosa. 
Legumina  pubescentia  majuscula,  subarcuata. 

341.  O.  pilosa,  DC. 

H.  In  apricis  prope  Siders. 

342.  O.  montana,  DC. 

H.  In  M.  Gemmi  supra  Schwarrenbach. 

0b9,  Minute  pubescens,  legumina  longe  stipitata  brevissime  pu- 
bescentia, duplo  latiora  quam  in  sequent!. 

343.  O.  cyanaea,  M.  Bieb.  Taur.  Cauc.  iii.  p.  503. 


520  Boiafiical  Exeunian  to  the 

H.  In  M.  Schwariaeeberg  el  ad  moles  gkdaleiB  supra  Tieecli. 

Obs.  MoUe  sericea,  legamina  brevissime  stipitota,  dense  eerioeo- 
villosa,  suberecta^  ovato-cjlindrica.  c  M.  Bieb.  1.  c.  est  var.  soa  0* 
albana.  Non  intelligo  quomodo  O.  triflora  Hoppe  Koch,  Syn.  p. 
182,  a  nostra  cyanasa  differt :  In  O.  cyanea  racemi  saspe  triflori 
sunt. 

344.  Astragalta  alpinus,  L.     Fhaca,  DC. 

H.  In  M.  G^mrai  supra  Schwarrenbach,  in  M.  Schwaraaeeberg. 

345.  J.  leontinuB,  Wulf. 

H.  In  pascuis  alpinis  et  in  petrosis  supra  et  ympe  Zennatt. 

346.  A,  onotrychis,  L. 

H.  In  pascuis  arenosis  prope  Siders  et  ad  viam  prope  Leuk. 
347**  A.  aristatusy  L'Herit. 

H.  Zennatt. 

348*.  A,  leiocarpus  mihi. 

Astragalus  acaulis,  foliolis  ovatis  obtusis  numerosis  (circa  35^) 
glaucescentibns  breyissirae  mucronatis,  petiolisque  puree  pilosis ;  co- 
roUis  calycibusqne  glalnris,  dentibus  calyds  longe  subnlatis  ;  legu- 
minibus  trigooo-compressis  dorso  applanatis  ovatis  mucronatis,  etiam 
junioribus  glaberrimis,  breyissime  stipitatis. 

Obs.  Imprimis  pro  A.  fabaoeum,  M.  Bieb.  et  DC.  Prod,  habui, 
sed  differt  a  desc.  DC.  scapis  brevissimis  foliis  multo  brevioribus,  et 
dentibus  calycinis  longe  subnlatis :  et  CI.  M.  Bieb.  in  Ann.  in  Fl. 
Taur.  Cauc.  iiL  p.  496,  obserrat  legumen  plantse  su«  ab  A.  Bcetici 
legumine  baud  absimile,  quocum  nostra  planta  nullam  aifinitatem 
babet 

Legumina  minora  et  magis  oompressa  quam  in  A.  exscapo>  per- 
fede  bilocularia,  erecta  vel  pendula.  In  spec,  meis  male  exsiccatis 
corollam  examinare  non  potui.  Maxima  eum  A.  exscapo  L.  affi- 
nitas,  sed  ab  eo,  prsesertim  leguminibus  minoribus  intra  calycem 
breve  stipitatis,  glaberrimis,  et  ad  suturam  magis  incrassatis,  et  ab 
omnibus  Astragalis  Tauricis  vel  Rosicis  mihi  cognitis  omnino  difr- 
tinctus. 

A.  utrigerum  et  longiflorum,  Pail,  possideo  sed  tantum  florentes. 

Hujus  plants  exemplaria  nonnulla  cum  multis  A.  exscapi,  L. 
mixta,  et  cum  multis  aliis,  vallis  D.  Nicolai  indigenis  a  pastori  Va- 
lesiaco  emi :  sed  certe  procul  dubio  est,  Alpium  vallis  Zermatt,  ubi 
A.  exscapus  copiose  viget,  haec  pulchra  planta  inoola  et  indigena. 
349.*  A.  exscapus,  L. 

Astragalus  aeaulis,  ubique,  calycis  tube  corollesque  exceptis, 
dense  molliterque  hirsutus  ,*  foliolis  ovatis  vel  subrotundis,  interdum 
retusis,  plerumque  muticis  ;  scapo  nullo  ;  calycis  dentibus  subula- 


Alps  of  the  Valais.  521 

tis,  leguminibus  sessilibus  subtrigono-compressis  acuminato-mucro- 
natis^  jonioribusque  dense-hirsutis  erectis. 
H.  Zermatt. 

350.  Conmilla  vaginata^  Lam.     Koch.^  Syn.  p.  187- 
H.  In  arvis  incaltis  et  in  apricis  prope  Varea. 

Ohs,  Froteflcens^  prostrata,  foliolis  ovatis  obtusis  interdum  subre- 
tusis  apiculatis,  infimis.  nisi  folionim  snperiorum,  a  caule  remotis. 

351.  C.  eon>nata>  DC.  Koch.,  Syn.  p.  18a 

H.  In  apricis  ad  yiam  inter  Inden  et  Varen. 

Obs.  Frutico6a»  diffusa  ramosissima^  ramis  adscendentibus,  folio- 
lis  glaucis  retosis  mucronatis,  infimis  caule  approximatis.  Planta 
mrissima. 

352.  Onobrifchis  arenaria,  DC  Hedysamm  arenarium  Viet !  Hedy- 
sarum  carneum,  Schleich  !  H.  angustifolium^  Thorn. ! 

H.  In  paseuia  aridis  prope  Varen  et  Siders. 

Obt.  Rarissime  oocurrit,  et  mihi  nondum  satis  cognita. 

353.  IjOtkyrui  heterophyllus^  L. 

H.  In  vineis  et  ad  sepes  prope  Varen. 

Obs.  L.  latifoHi  var.  foliolis  bijugis,  Rchb.  Germ.  exc.  No.  3458, 
"  Tyro"— et  species  distincta  in  corrigendis.  No.  3458^. — Rchb. 
peritus. ! 


354.  Rkamnus  pumila,  L. 

H.  In  rupibus,  M.  Gemmi  supra  Schwarrenbach. 

355.  Geranium  lividum,  L'Herit.  6.  phaeum  0.  Koch. 

H.  In  saxosis^  M.  Gemmi  supra  Kandersteg,  29  Aug.  1836,  ad 

sepes  infra  Thermas  Leucenses. 
Obs.  Species  distincta  non  tantum  corollas  colore,  sed  etiam  foliis 
5-7  fidis  tenuiterque  inciso-dentatis. 

356.  G>  sylvaticum,  L. 

H.  In  M.  Gemmi  supra  Schwarrenbach,  et  Thermas  Leucenses  : 
In  M.  Fiinelen  et  in  alpinis  supra  Tsesch. 
357*  G,  aoonitifolium,  L.  Herit. 

H.  In  alpibus  supra  Taesch. 

Obs.  Semina^  ut  et  prieoedentis,  subtilissime  punctulata. 


358.*  Hypet-icim  perforatum,  L. 

H.  Zermatt. 
359.  H,  dubium.  Leers.  Gaud.     H.  quadrangulare,  L.  ex   Fries, 

Rchb.  et  Koch,  non  Sm.  vel  auct. 

H.  copiose  in  M.  Gemmi  supra  Kandersteg. 


522  Botanical  Excursion  to  the 


360.  Linum  tenuifolium^  L. 

H.  In  pascuis  aridis  prope  Siders. 


361.  GypsophUa  Saxifraga^  L.  et  auct.  O.  rigida  Rchb. !  germ,  exc 
et  exsic.     Tunica  Saxifraga,  Scop.  Koch,  Syn.  p.  94. 

H.  In  apricis  et  arenosis  inter  Inden  et  Varen. 

Ohs,  CI.  Smith  et  Rcfab.  nostram  plantum  a  Linnaeana  diversam 
esse  habent ;  sed  yix  recte :  nam  in  Lin.  Spec.  Plant,  ed.  3^** 
OypsophiisB  et  saxifraga  et  rigida  perennes  notantnr.  Descriptio 
Bauhini  '<  Betonica  coronaria  sive  Tunica  minima/'  Hist.  iii.  p. 
337>  certe  ad  plantam  nostram  pertinet.  et  e  loco  Bauhiniano, 
*'  Geneys  in  muris,  &c.  et  au  Plain  palais,"  specimina  multa  legi, 
qua  omnino  ^.  saxifraga  nostra  sunt.  Icon  Bauch.  1.  c.  certe  malam. 

In  Caryophyllarum  speciebus  bracteatis  fere  omnibus,  numerus 
et  situs  Bractearum  valde  inconstantes.  6.  scabra  Schult !  hue  a 
Rchb*  recte  allata,  est  planta  tenuior  scabriuscula,  bracteia  inaequa- 
libus  2-d>4,  videtur  culta. 

362.  G.  repens  L.  a  prostrata  alpina,  floribus  roseis ;  ascendens^  cam- 
pestris  erectiuscula,  floribus  pallide  carneis. 

H.  a.  In  saxosis  M.  Oemmi  supra  Schwarrenbach.  3«  In  are- 
nosis ad  viam  inter  Visp  et  Brieg. 

363.  Diantkus  atrorubens,  All.     D.  vaginatus  alpinus,  Rchb<#  exs. ! 
H.  In  M.  Gemmi  supra  Thermas  Leucenses  ;  prope  Inden,  in 

coUibus  inter  St  Nicholas  et  Zermatt,  et  in  alpinis  supra  Teach. 

Obs,  1"**.  Species  intricatissima  et  fnrsan  mere  varietaa  D.  car- 
thusianorum^  L.  quo  videtur  colore  atro  rubente  petalorum,  et  peta- 
lis  minoribus  solummodo  differe.  In  alp.  capitulum  semper  paud- 
florumj  sspius  I — 6  florum,  et  caules  vix  semipedales.  of.  Koch, 
Syn. 

Obs.  11^*.  D.  atrorubens,  Rchb.  PI.  Crit.  vi.  ic  735,  certe  non 
est  pi.  Allionii  sed  Biebersteinii  (D.  capitatus,  DC.) 

D.  diutinus,  Rchb.  1.  c.  ic.  729,  quoad  incisionem  petalorum  et 
dentes  calycinas  cum  D.  polymorpho  MB.  a  cl.  Fischer  (joriusk :  et 
Schott  misso  omnino  convenit :  calyx  in  exempl.  meis  occurrit  den- 
tibus  obtusiusculis  et  subacutis^  sed  nunquam  "  rotundato-obtusos" 
observavi. 

D.  vaginatus,  Rchb.  PI.  Crit.  1.  c.  ic.  731  >  et  exsic  !  nullomodo  a 
D.  carthusianorum  campestri  differt :  nervi  validi  bractearum  in 
icon.  cit.  depicti,  in  exempl.  Rchb. !  non  occurrunt ;  Bracteie  in 
D.  vaginato  et  carthusianorum  omnino  similes  sunt. 

364.  D.  sylvestris,  Wulf.  Koch,  Syn.  p.  97-  /S.  humilior,  Koch,  L  c. 


Alps  of  the  Valais.  523 

caule  plemmque  imifloro^  rarius  bifloro,  foliis  rigidis.  7.  alpinus, 
caule  unifloro^  vix  ultrae  4-5"  alto^  calyce  colorato^  corolla  satu- 
rate rosea^  et  foliis  tenuioribus.     D.  sylvestris^  Rchb.  exs  ! 
H.  fi,  inter  Tbermas  Leucenses  et  Inden  et  prope  Siders.    7.  In 

alpibus  supra  Taescb,  copiose. 
Obs,  In  Jurasso  occurret  frequenter  var.  &,  Koch.  1.  c.  caule  ela- 
tion facile  bipedali  et  ultra^  coroUa  rosea  vel  pallide  carnea,  et  foliis 
linearibus  angustissimis  (cf.  Wulf.  in  Jacq.  CoU.  i.  p.  237>)  arcuatim 
patentibus.  Ad  banc  yarietatem  pertinet.  D.  Scbeucbzeri  Rchb. 
forsan  etiam  D.  caryopbylloides^  Rcbb.  et  D.  virgineus,  Rcbb.  et  auct. 
D.  sylvestris.  7.  imbricatus^  Oaud.  (a  Rchb.  ad  D.  virgineum  cita- 
tus)  est  potius  forma  monstruosa  vars.  a :  exemplaria  a  cL  Chaillet 
prope  Neocomum  lecta  caule  pedal  i  et  ultra  non  ut  apud  Rchb. 
"  humili  palmari-spithameo"  gaudeut. 
865.  Silene  otites,  L. 

H.  In  apricisad  viam  inter  Varen  et  Siders^  in  valle  D,  Nioolai. 
366.  S.  quadrifida,  L. 

H.  In  saxosis  humidis^  M.  Gemmi  supra  Kandersteg. 
367*  S,  rupestris^  L. 

H.  In  saxosis  M.  Gemmi  supra  Schwarrenbach ;  et  inter  St  Ni- 
cholas et  Zermatt. 

368.  Lychnis  Flos-jovis,  Lam. 

H.  In  apricis  ad  viam  inter  Stalden  et  St  Nicholas. 

Spergula  Barll  Ord.  Nat.  p.  302. 

Calix  5  sepalus.  Petala  5  integra.  Stamina  5-10.  Styli  3-5. 
Capsula  3-5  valvis^  polysperma.  Semina  exarillata.  Folia  stipu- 
lata,  stipulatse  scariosae.  Spergula^  L.  excl.  sp.  exstipulatis.  Are- 
nariae,  L.  sp.  stipulate.  Arenaria  Sect.  Spergularia^  Pers.  DC.  Al- 
sine  Rchb.  Alsine  auct.  sp.  stipulatae.  Alsine  sect.  Spergularia^  Koch. 

Obs.  Numerus  partium  fructilicationis  Alsinearum  in  uno  et 
eodem  individuo  valde  variabiles  est^  et  sicut  genera  hodie  constitu- 
ta  sunt^  nisi  numerum  stylorum  et  capsulae  valvarum^  nullum  dis- 
crimen  habitu  vel  notis  inter  Saginam^  Spergulam,  Arenariam  et 
Alsinem^  L.  et  auct.  invenire  potui.  Capsula  5  locularis  Spergu- 
larum  in  Hook.  Brit.  Fl.  ed.  2^*  et  3^*  p.  191,  certe  ex  errore  typo- 
graphica  orta.  Capsula  6-valvis  Spergularum  in  Lind.  Syn.  ed. 
2^*  p.  48^  et  DC  Prodr.  i.  p.  394^  vix  in  Spergulis  veris  stipulatis^ 
et  tantum  rarissime  in  Spergulis  exstipulatis  occurrit.  Genus  for- 
san melius  inter  Paronychias  locandum,  cf.  BartL  1.  c. 

369.  Spergula  rubra  mihi.     Arenaria^  L.     Alsine^  Wahl. 
H.  Ad  viam  inter  Stalden  et  St  Nicholas. 


524  Botanical  Excursion  to  the 

Arenarim. 

Calyx,  4-5  aepalns.     iStamina,  4-10.  Styli,  a-5. 

Capsnla^  3-6  TalriB,  polysperma.  Seniaa  exarillala.  Folia  ex- 
stipokta. 

Arenaria  sp.  exstipulats,  Auct.  Alaine  sp.  exstipnlats,  Auct. 
Sagina,  L.  Spergula  sp.  exatipolatiBj  Auct.  Sagina,  Alsine  et 
Arenaria,  Bart.  L  c  pu  305.  Sabolina,  Arenaria,  Sagina  et  Sper- 
gella.  Rchb.  genn.  exc 

06#.  Plorima  gfnera  etiamnuin  hue  foraan  referenda.  Hoks> 
team-petalis  dentatia  differt.  Mcehringia^seminibns  arillato-appen- 
diculatia.  Stellaria-petalia  bifidia  vel  bipartitia.  Ceraatinm-cap- 
sula  aplce  8-10  dentata  (Moencfaia  et  Malachium  videnter  vixa 
Ceraatio  diatincta.)  Ckerleria  mibi  nondam  satis  oognita  est,  pt 
charact.  vide  Koch,  Syn.  et  etiam  cf.  Griesselich  kleine  Bot  Scbrif- 
ten,  I.  Theil  p.  332.,  ubi  genera,  habitn  et  notis  satis  distincta  in- 
Dierito  Gonjoncta  sunt. 

Genus  ita  oonstitutum  in  sectiones  constantes  dividere  baud  fisidle 
est.  Arenaria  rubella.  Hook,  oocurrit  capsula  3-4-^  valri :  in  ex- 
empl.  meis  Sooticis  5  valvi,  in  Nonr^ds  *'  Alsine  lubellay  Wahl !" 
3  ^ri.  In  Arenaria  saginoidi  (Speigula,  L.)  ^.  glaciali  mihi,  cap 
suls  occurrunt  4-5>6  valves. 

Sect.  I°'^     Sdbulina,  (Rchb.) 
Capsula  plerumque  3  valvis. 

370.  Arenaria  laridfolia,  L. 

H.  In  umbrosis  ad  viam  inter  St  Nicholas  et  Zermatt. 
371*  A.  vema,  L.     ;g.  diffusa,  Gaud. 

H.     In  M.  Gemmi  supra  Kanderst^. 
378*  A.  recurva,  AIL     ^  }  viscosa  mihi,  minor,  ubique  viscoso-pa- 

beaoens,  floribns  duplo  minoribus,  foliis  minus  arcuatis. 

H.    Ad  moles  glaciales  M.  Schwaraseeberg.     /8.  su^Hra  Taesch. 

Oht,  Radix  lignosa,  longissima.  Icon.  All.  Ped.  Tab.  lxxxix.f.  3. 
Nimis  rudis  habitnm  male  refert.   loon.  Jaoq.  CoU.  i.  Tab.  xvi.  f.  1. 
melior,  sed  corolhe  fbrsan  majores. 
373.  A-  mucronata,  DC.  Gaud.   Alsine  rostrata,  Koch,  Syn.  p.  114. 

H.   In  arvis  et  incultis  saxosis  ad  moles  glaciales  supra  Zermatt 

06#.  Planta  speciosa  omnino  a  sequenti  diversa.  Caules  e  ban 
ramosissimi,  prostrato-aseendentes ;  folia  tenuissima  aetacea;  fioM 
speciosae  sequentis  vix  minores  ;  sepala  acutisaima  aequalia,  margi- 
nibus  late-scariosis,  et  nerva  dorsali  viridi  tenui,  tertia  vix  parte 
corollam  superantia,  in  planta  florenti  patentia.  Flores,  e  sepalo- 
rum  marginibus  scariosis^  pulcherrime  eburnei.     Semina  rugoeo- 


A^  of  the  Valais.  525 

dentata  duplo  majcH'a  qnam  in  sequent!.  Omnino  accedunt  nostra 
specimina  ad  sp.  Gallica.  Hue  forsan  pertinet  A.  fastigiata,  Sm. 
Eng.  Fl.  ed.  2da,  p.  310,  sed  ''  Akine,  Na  870,  Hall.  Hist.  tab. 
xTii.  f.  2."  omnino  ad  sequentem  pertinet,  ut  e  descriptione,  ioone 
(planta  laxa)  et  praesertim  localitate  patet ;  sed  Spec.  Scotica  non- 
dum  vidi,  et  e  descr.  Smithii  recedunt  "  stems  erect,  straight, 
densely  corymbose;  petals  very  short."  Quoad  plantam  Gouani, 
dubilanter  heereo,  quoniam  illustrationes  suas  nondum  vidi  cl.  Koch, 
in  Syn.  p.  114.  Floram  Britannicam  Hod^eri,  confusione  inextri- 
cabile,  dtavit. 

374.  A.  Jaoquini.    (Alsine  Jaoquini,  Koch,  Syn.  p.  115,)  A.  fasci- 
culata,  Jacq.  (ex  Koch,  1.  c.)  Gaud.     Alsine  fasciculata,  Koch, 
Deuts  cL  Fl.  iii.  p.  28a     HaU.  Helv.  No.  870,  tab.  xvii.  f.  2. 
H.  In  incultis  vineisque  prope  Varen ;  in  arenosis  inter  Siders 

et  Leuk.  (etiam  occurrit  in  arenosis  Jurassi.) 

Obi.  Caules  e  basi  raraosi,  rigide  erecti,  crassi ;  folia  caulina  basi 
lato-scarioso  connata,  rigida ;  flores  axillares,  corymbosique  plerum- 
que  congest!,  sepala  anguste  acuminato-pungentia,  marginibus  sea- 
riosis  tenuioribus  apicem  non  attingentibus,  inter  se  inequalia, 
etiam  in  planta  florenti,  erecto-clausa.  Petala  calyce  triplo  bre- 
viora,  semina  ut  in  priecedenti  sed  duplo  minora. 

Specimina  omnino  similia  in  Bavaria  Rhenana  prope  Diirckheim 
legi,  et  etiam  e  Germania  var.  ji,  pubescentem  ab  am  Wissmann 
acoepi.  Hue  forsan  pertinet  A.  fasciculata,  Gouan,  sed  nomen 
Gouani  valde  confusum  vix  restituendum. 

Sect  II^*. — Sagina*     (Sagina,  L.  et  Spergela,  Rehb.) 
Capsula  plerumque  4-5  valvis. 

375.  A.  saginoides,  mihi.  Spergula,  L.  Spergela,  Rchb.  a.  dif- 
fusa, laxa  segmentis  calycinis  obtuso  rotundatis,  foliis  longioribus. 
i8.  ?  glacialis,  congesta  dense  csespitosa,  caulibus  abbreviatis  erec* 
tiusculis,  foliis  brevioribus  et  s^mentis  calycinis  lanceolatis  ob- 
tusis. 

H.  a.  In  graminosis  humidis  M.  Gemmi  supra  Schwarrenbach. 
)S.  In  glareosis  ad  moles  glaciales  M.  Fiinelen. 

06tf.  In  uno  et  eodem  indiriduo  yar.  4.,  capsulas  multoe  4  valves, 
plurimas  5  valvea,  et  unicam  6  valvem  inveni.  Habitus  a  var.  d. 
valde  abeimilis,  et  forsan  species  distincta.  In  utraque  varietate 
folia  nondum  mutica  observavi. 

Sect'  III* Arenaria,     (Arenaria,  Koch.     Rchb.  excl.  sp.  pi.) 

Capsula  plerumque  6  valvis. 


526  Botanical  Excursion  to  the 

376.  A.  ciliata,  L.  Koch.  Waif.     a.  Koch.     A.  ciliata  fi.  multi- 
caulis.  Gaud.  Wahl.  excl.  Syn.     A.  mnlticaulis,  Wulf.  L. 
H.     In  M.  Gemmi  supra  Kandenteg  et  Schwarrenbach. 
Obs^  Caules  7-flori  et  ultra  ;  petala  calycem  vix  SBquantia.    Ha- 
bitus A.  serpyllifoliae. 


377>  Cherleria  sedoides^  L.     f.  brevifolia  mihi. 

H.    Ad  moles  glaciales^  M.  Fiinelen. 

Obs-  Folia  vix  lineam  unam  longa^  dense  rosulata,  rigida  stricta  ; 
caulis  subterraneus  ramosissimus  lignosus^  salicem  herbaceam  sma- 
lans.  Flores  breve  pednnculato^  capsul»  calycibus  subduplo  lon- 
giores.     Florentem  non  inyeni. 

378.  Moehringia  polygonoides^  M.  et  Koch.  Deuts.  Fl.  iii.  p.  272. 
Syn.  p.  116.  Arenaria  polygonoidesj  Wulf!  in  Jacq.  Coll.  i.  p. 
241.  tab.  XV. 

H.     In  saxosis  et  glareosis  ad  nives  perennes  M.  Gemmi,  supra 

lacum  Dauben,  31  Aug.  1836. 
Oh$,  Semiua  nitidissima  reniformia  ariUato-appendicttlata  omni- 
no  ut  in  M.  muscosa,  L. 

379.  Stellaria  cerastoides,  L. 

H.  In  M.  Gemmi  supra  Schwarrenbach,  et  ad  moles  glaciales 
M.  Fiinelen. 

380.  S.  Nemorum,  L. 

H.     In  umbrosis  saxorum  in  accensu  M.  Gemmi  supra  Kander. 

steg.    29  Aug.  1836. 
Obs.  Sterilis,  caules  prostrati  valde  stoloniferi. 

381.  Cerastium  latifolium,  L.  Gaud.  Koch,  Syn.  p.  123.  Bentham, 
Cat.  Pyr.  p.  69.  d.  subcaule,  Gaud.  Helv.  iii.  p.  250.  C.  lati- 
folium,  d.  glaciale,  Koch,  Syn.  p.  123.  C.  glaciale.  Gaud.  Tho- 
mas exs. !  8.  ?  pedunculatum,  Koch.  1.  c.  C.  pednnculatum.  Gaud. 
l.c. 

H.  In  saxosis  et  glareosis^humidis,  M.  Gemmi  supra  Schwar- 
renbach.    d.  and  i.  in  glareosis  ad  moles  glaciales  M.  Fiinelen. 

Obs,  Ubique  breve-glanduloso-pubescens :  capsulas  maturas  fbr- 
mae  vulgaris  non  inveni.  C.  latifolium.  Light.  Hook.  Sec  et  Britan- 
norum  certe  ad  C.  alpinum  et  praesertim  ad  varietatem  C.  lanatum, 
auct.  pertinet.  In  omnibus  exempl.  meis  ex  Alp.  Clova,  &c  Sco« 
tiaB.  ab.  am.  Campbell,  Barry,  Brand,  Greville,  &c.  oommunicatis, 
pili  omnes  eglandulosi  sunt,  sed  pedunculi  uniflori  sob'tarii,  ebrac- 
teati.  Var.  i.  habitu  omnino  a  parietatibus  prsecedentibus  reoedit, 
et  forsan  vera  diversa  species,  sed  notas  oonstantes  non  inveni. 
Folia  lineari-oblonga,  interdum  10  lineas  et  ultra  longa ;  pedunculi 


Alps  of  the  Falais.  527 

solitarli^  axillares  tenninalesque  1-2  anciales ;  petala  calycem  vix. 
snperantia  angusta,  bifida  segmentis  sabacatis ;  capsuls  subcylin- 
dricae  vix  curvate  calycem  duplo  et  ultra  longiores^  vel  interdum 
etiam  breyiores.  Caules  interdum  abbreviati^  interdum  filiformes 
valde  elongati. 
382.  C.  arvense  L.    ?  var.  glaciale  mihi,  ubique  cano-pilosum^  foliis 

lineari-lanceolatis^  ovato-lanceolatisve  infimis  minoribus. 

H.  copiose  in  graminods  ad  rivulum  gladalem  vaUeculaa  Tassch. 

Obs»  Planta  gracilis ;  caules  pauciflores  (2-5.)  Pili  longi  eglan^ 
dulosi  patentes.  Bracteae  marginibus  late  membranaceae^  pilisque 
longioribus  ciliat^.  Habitu  et  primo  aspectu,  a  C.  arvensis  forma 
vulgar!  ^illime  distinguendum. 


383.  Polygala  vulgaris,  L.  Rchb. 
H.  Ad  viam  inter  Siders  et  Lenk. 


384.*  Viola  pinnata,  L. 

H.  Zermatt. 
385.*  V.  arenaria,  DC. 

H.  Zermatt. 

386.  V.  biflora,  L.  a.  innotata,  petalis  inferne  saturatius  luteis, 
nervis  congoloribus  percursis.  id.  notata,  petalis  inferne  lineolis 
fusds  pulcherrime  notatis,  floribus  minoribus. 

H.  a.  ad  nives  deliquescentes,  M.  Gemmi.    li.  In  fossis  ad  viam 
prope  Randaa. 

387.  V'  tricolor,  L.  y.  alpestris,  DC  Prod.  i.  p.  303.  V.  tricolor,  y. 
saxatilis,  Koch.     V.  tricolor  subalpina,  Gkiud. 

H.  In  pascuis  alpinis  prope  pagum  Fiinelen  supra  Zermatt. 

388.  Vm  calcarata,  L.  ol.  vulgaris,  foliis  subrotundo-ovatis,  vel  ob- 
longo-lanceolatis,  crenatis  vel  integriusculis,  utrinque  glabris  mar- 
gine  ciliatis.  i^.  lancifolia,  Roem  !  in  Herb.  meo.  V.  Villarsiana 
Roem  et  Sch. !  foliis  lineari-lanceolatis,  lanceolatisve  sinuato-cre- 
natis  utrinque  minute  pubescentibus  ciliatisque. 

H.  a.  In  glareosis  et  graminosis,  M.  Gemmi  supra  Schwarren- 

bach.     ^.  supra  Zermatt. 
Ohs,  a.  variat  magnitudine  coloreque  corollas,  et  longitudine  nec- 
tarii,  caulescens  vel  subacaulis.     ^.  variat  ut  priecedens  caulescens 
vel  subacaulis :  corolla  saepius  pallide  cierulea. 
V*  cenisia,  L.  All.  Ped.  Tab.  xxii.  f.  6. 
H,  In  saxosis  et  glareosis,  M.  Gemmi  ad  moles  glaciales  Lammem- 

gietscher,  31  Aug.  1836. 
Obs.  Viola  valderia.  All.  Tab.  xxiv.  f.  3.  mihi  diversa  videtur. 


528  Botanical  Excursion  to  the 

Specs,  in  Herb.  Roem.  ooneervBta  majorem  afinitatem  cam.  V.  he- 
terophylla  Bertol.  quam  cam  V.  oeniaia  habent  cf.  Koch,  Syn.  p. 
88,  et  Rchb.  germ,  exc  No.  4512  et  4513. 


390.  Helianthemum  Fumana,  Desf. 

H.  In  aridis  inter  St  Nicholas  et  Zennatt. 

391.  H.  alpestre,  Rchb.  PL  Crit.  i.  ic  2.    H.  elandicum  A  Kodi. 
H.  In  M.  Oemmi  supra  Schwarrenbach. 

392.  H.  vulgare,  Gartn.  M.  oonoolQr.  Rchb.  Germ,  exc  No.  4547. 
H.  In  arenosis  inter  St  Nicholas  et  Zennatt. 

Obi.  H.  obecurnm,  Pers.  hue  a  d.  Koch,  altatum  mihi  videtar 
potius  ad  H.  grandiflorum  DC.  referendum. 


393.  ArabU  perfoliata.  Lam.     Turritis  glabra,  L. 

H.  ad  viam  inter  St  Nicholas  et  Zermatt  et  inter  Brieget  Miin- 
ster. 

394.  A,  alpina,  L. 

H.  In  M.  Gemmi  supra  Schwarrenbach  ;  et  supra  Zermatt. 
Ohi.  Caules  interdum  unciales  vix  ultra,  et  subuniflori  occurrunt. 

395.  A,  arcuata  mihi. 

Arabis  canle  simplici  pilis  simplicibushirsuto;  foliis  radicalibus  obo- 
vato-oblongis  sessilibus  vel  in  petiolum  attenuatis,  caulinisque  sessili- 
bus  lineari-oblongis  integriusculis,  pilis  ramosis  hirsutis;  racemo 
erecto,  abbreviate,  pedioellis  oalyce  (demum)  vix  longioribus;  ailiquis 
nervo  prominulo  tetragono-compressis  anguste  linearibus  confertis 
arcuato-patentibus  rigidis ;  seminibus  apteris  impunctatis.  A.  ciliata 
/8.  hirsuta,  Koch.  Syn.  p.  29.  (excl.  83m  plur.  ?)  A.  hirsuta  incana. 
Gaud.  Helv.  iv.  p.  315. 

H.  In  glareosis,  M.  Gemmi  ad  nives  perennes  supra  Schwarren- 
bach. 

Obi.  Caules  ssepe  numerosi,  semipedales  vix  altra,  supeme  in- 
terdum glabri.  Folia  radicalia  eximie  rosulata  pilis  ramosis  hirsuta 
et  ciliata  obscure  dentata  vel  sinuata,  caulina  pauca  remota  inte- 
griuscula,  superiora  glabriuscula. 

Racemus  per  maturitatem  caulis  partem  vix  quartam  obtinens. 
Siliquse  nervosse  nitidse  lividae  arcuato-patentes  et  s«pius  fere  se- 
cundae. 

Syn.  fere  omnia  dubia,  dum  auotoribas  siliquae  erectse  strictae 

semper  descriptae  sunt,  sed  hue  referenda  videntur,  A.  hirsuta  ses- 

silifolia  ^.  alpestris.  Gaud.  1.  c     Turritis  alpestris,  Schleich.     A. 

incana,  Rchb.  germ.  exc.  No.  4341.-   Et  ftoan  A.  ciliata,  auct. 

.  Helv.  et  germ,  et  Koch,  1.  c.  ad  formam  glabram  plants  nostne 


A^  of  the  Valais.  529 

etiam  referenda ;  sed  hucusqae  exemplaria  per  pauca  hujas  plantie 
examinare  mihi  licuit. 

A.  incana,  Roth.  Catal.  Bot.  i.  p.  79,  planta  distinctissima  potins 
ad  A.  auriculatam.  Lam.  yel  ad  A.  saxatilem.  All.  referenda  est  : 
sub  hoc  nomine  species  diversissimas  ex.  gr.  A.  alpina^  A.  hirsu- 
tam^  &c.  accepi. 

Proxirae  sane  accedit  nostra  planta  ad  A.  dliatam^  R.  Br.  (e  loco 
ab.  anct.  Brit,  citato  "  Hibernia^  in  arenosis  maritimis  prope  Ren- 
yyle  Cunnamara,  exempl.  permulta  lege  et  examinavi)  ;  sed  A.  ci- 
liata  e  toto  glabra  est^  folia  nempe  tantam  ciliata^  subcarnosa ;  caulis 
valde  foliosus  pedalis  et  ultra^  foliis  pleramque  confertis^  rarissime 
remotis.  Racemus  valde  multiflorus,  caulis  partem  dimidiam  et 
ultra  obtinens.  Siliquae  erectae  latiores^  longioresque  stricta;^  ad 
caulem  plerumque  appresss ;  pedunculi  inferiores  forsan  longiores. 

A  stricta^  Huds.  A.  collina^  Ten. !  et  A.  muralis^  Bertol. !  omni- 
no  diverstt  sunt. 

A  arcuatee  exempl.  permulta  examinavi :  imprimis  legi :  in  Ju- 
rasso^  in  saxosis  sterilibus  summis^  M.  Tete  de  Rang,  com.  Neoco- 
mensi.  In  saxosis  glareosisque  ad  nives  perennes,  M.  Faulhom^  et 
in  M.  Gemmi^  et  accepi  ab  am.  Guthnick  e  M.  Steinberg,  Vail. 
Lauterbrunn. 

396.  A.  serpyUifolia,  Vill?  Gaud.  Helv.  iv.  p.  310.     Koch.  Syn. 
p.  40. 

H.  In  saxosis  umbrosis  prope  Kandersteg. 

Obg.  Florentem  non  inveni,  sed  bene  convenit  cum  exempl.  a.  b* 
Demarat  e  ditione  Friburgensi  missis;  paululum  a  descriptione 
Gaudipi  recedit,  racemo  magis  conferto,  et  siliquis  evidenter  in  stylo 
brevi  attenuatis.  Icon.  Vill.  Dauph.  iii.  p.  318.  Tab.  SJ,  certe  plan- 
tam  dissimilem  refert,  sed  cl.  Villarsius  plantas  suas  saepius  mole 
depinxit.  Sub  nomine,  A.  auriculatie  plant  am  e  Pedemontio  accepi^ 
quae  caulibus  prostrates  ramosissimis  valde  foliods,  siliquis  brevibus 
crassoribus  et  magis  patentibus  melius  ad  diagnosim  et  iconem  Vil- 
larsii  accedit. 

Nostra  planta  caulibus  ad  singula  folia  flexuosa-fractis  debilibus, 
rosulis  laxis,  foliis  ovalibus  in  petiolum  attenuatis  parvis  plerumque 
integerrimis  et  seminibus  apteris  gaudet :  et  his  notis,  siliquisque 
multo  angustioribus  ab  A.  pumila,  Wulf.  qua  non  absimilis,  satis 
differt. 

397.  A.  pumila,  Wulf. 

H.  In  M.  Gemmi  in  saxosis  et  ad  rupes  supra  Kandersteg,  et 
supra  Schwarrenbach  et  lacum  Dauben. 


530  Botaniad  Excursion  to  the 

Obi,  Siliqnie  obscure  csrinatm,  semina  pallide  fulva  ala  pellucida 
pollidiori  fere  albida  cincta. 

398.  A.  bellidifolia,  Jacq. 

H.  In  oliginosis,  M.  Gemini  supra  Schwarrenbacb^  31  Aug. 
1836. 

Obs,  Olaberrima,  silique  evidentur  carinats,  semina  fusca  ala 
Goncolori  vel  paulo  diiutius  colorata. 

399.  A.  caerulea^  Wulf. 

H.  In  M.  Gemmi  ad  nives  perennes. 

Obs.  Siliquae  evidenter  carinato  coloratae,  semina  fiilva  ala  paulo 
diiutius  colorata. 

400.  Cardandne  bellidifolia,  L.  A  alpina,  DC.  Gaud.  c.  alpina, 
Willd.,  Koch. 

H.  Ad  nives  deliquescentes,  M.  Gemmi. 

Obs*  Petioli  in  exempl.  meis  limbo  interdum  duplo  longiores. 
Plantam  lapponicam  nondum  vidi. 
401.  C.  resedifolia,  L. 
H.  ad  moles  glaciales,  M.  Fiinelen. 

402.  Sisymbrium  Sophia^  L. 

H.  Ad  viam  inter  St  Nicholas  et  Zermatt. 

403.  Erysimum  helveticum,  DC.  Fl.  fr  Syst.  Veg.  ii.  p.  501 ,  Gaud. 
Rchb  et  Germ.  exc.  No.  4395.  £.  palleus^  a.  foliis  integerrimis^ 
Koch,  Syn.  p.  53. 

H.  In  Valesia  vulgaris  :  ad  viam  in  apricis  inter  Inden  et  Varen^ 
et  inter  St  Nicholas  et  Zermatt. 

Obs,  Ab  hac  specie  abunde  differt.  Erysimum  ochroleucum,  DC. 
Fl.  fi.  Dub.  Bot.  Gall.  i.  p.  46. ;  Gaud.  Helv.  iv.  p.  366.;  Rchb.  1. 
c.  No.  4396.  Cheiranthus  ochroleucus^  Hail.  Dec  Syst.  et  Prod. 
Ch.  decumbens,  Schleich  !  Caules  decumbentes,  ramosi,  folia  den- 
tata,  denticulata,  caulina  latiora  petiolata  glabriuscula.  Flores  fa- 
cile duplo  majores  odoratissimi,  petalis  citrinis,  ochroleucisve  longe 
Btipitatis ;  siliquae  duplo  longiores  latioresque,  subtoruloss  in  stylum 
augustum  ad  duas  lineas  longum  attenuat».  Non  intelligo  qua 
ratione  d.  Koch  in  Deutsl.  FL  iv.  p.  694,  et  nuperrime  in  Syn. 
p.  53.  has  species  sub  nomine  ''  E.  palleus/'  Hall.  fil.  conjunxit. 
£.  ochroleucum  tantum  in  saxosis  Jurassi,  ex.  gr.  in  M.  Creux  da 
Van!  Chasseral !  occurrit:  £.  pumilum.  Gaud.  Helv.  I.e.  Cheiran- 
thus alpinus,  Schleich !  vix  ab.  E.  helvetioo,  DC.  differt ;  stylos 
semper  evidenter  et  vix  breviores  inveni,  et,  me  judici^  mere  forma 
nana  alpina  est. 

Brassica,  L. 
Obs.  Erucastrum  Schimp.  et  Spenn :  Koch,  Deutsd.  Fl.  iv.  p. 
3 


Alps  of  the  Valau,  531 

702>  Sjn.  p.  56.  Seminibus  oblongis^  vel  ovatis  oompressis  tantum 
a.  BrassicQj  L.  differt^  quo  genere  semina  globosa  sunt :  notaa  certe 
niinis  leves.  Denominationes  cl.  Soyer-Willemet  in  Ann.  des  Sc. 
Nat.  2de  Serie  ii.  p.  1 15  et  seq.  non  retinui,  quoniam  Brassica  eru- 
castrum,  Linnsei  e  sententia  cl.  Dec.>  Koch^  Gaud.,  &c.  inextri- 
eabilis  est.  Species  ambse  a.  cl.  Koch,  Rchb.,  &c.  bene  descriptie 
sunt,  et  nominia  trivialia  ab  iisdem  proposila  accepi. 

Brassica  Pollichii,  mihi. 

Br.  foliis  profunde  pinnatifidis,  laciniis  oblongis  insBqualiter  ob- 
tuse dentatis  sinu  rotundato,  sepalis  petalisque  (ocbroleucis)  erecti- 
usculis,  siliquis  patentibus  rostro  oonico  aspermo.  Br.  ochroleuca^ 
Soyer.  1.  c.  Br.  erucastrum,  ^.  ochroleuca.  Gaud.  Helv.  iv.  p.  301, 
Erucastrum  Pollichii,  Schimp.  et  Spen.  Fh  Frib.  iii.  p.  946,  Koch, 
1.  c.  £.  inodorum,  Rchb.  germ.  exc.  No.  4428.  Sisymbrium  eru- 
caetrum,  Poll.  Pal.  ii.  p.  224^  e.  Koch.  1.  c. 

H.  In  arenosis  ad  lacum  Biennensem  !  Muratensem !  Neocomeu- 
sem  !  in  insulis  et  in  arenosis  Arolae  prope  Solothuru  !  et  ad  Rhe- 
num  prope  Basileam.  (Fischer  !) 

Obs.  Valde  variat  forma  foliorum.  In  exempl.  fere  omnibus 
{et  ultra  200  examinari)  pedunculi  infimi  folio  pinnatifido  stipati 
sunt,  sed  etiam  in  exampl.  sequentis  "  ad  muros  antiquos  Hunin- 
guae"  lectes  (Fischer  !)  bracteae  similes  occurrunt.  Petala  videntur 
angustiora  quam  in  sequenti,  sed  certe  non  "  dimidio  minores." 
Siliquae  magis  distantes  ac  crassiores. 

404.  Br.  obtusangula,  mihi. 

B.  foliis  profunde  pinnatifidis,  laciniis  oblongis  ineequaliter  angu- 
lato-dentatis  sinu  rotundato ;  sepalis  petalisque  (citrinis)  patentis- 
simis,  siliquis  patentibus  rostro  toruloso  pleruroque  monospermo. 

B.  erucastrum,  Soyer.  1.  c.  B.  erucastrum  a.  Gaud.  1.  c.  cum 
icone  mala.  Erucastrum  obtusangulam,  Rchb.  germ,  exc  No.  4429. 
Koch,  1.  c.  Sisymbrium  obtusangulam,  Schleich  !  Dec.  Syst.  ii. 
465.     Prod.  Dub.  Bot.  Gall.  i.  p.  44. 

H.  In  arenosis  ad  viam  prope  Leuk,  et  inter  St  Nicholas  et  Zer- 
xnatt. 

Obs.  Etiam  quoad  foliorum  formam  et  loborum  directionem  va- 
riabilis ;  differt  a  prsecedente  etiam  siliquis  tenuioribus  confertiori- 
bus  ac  magis  numerosis.  In  exempl.  meis  pedunculi  omnes  aphylli. 
Rostra  plerumque  monosperma,  interdum  asperma. 

405.  Eruca  sativa.  Lam.     Brassica  Eruca,  L. 
H.  In  arvis  incultis  et  ad  viam  prope  Varen. 

Obs.  Siliquee  pilis  paucis  retrorsum  hispidce,  interdum  glabrius- 
culse,  rostro  scabro  triplo  longiores.      Semina  in  exempl.  meis,  uni- 
VOL.  II.  NO.  12»  N  n 


532  Botanical  Excursion  to  the 

serialia,     Petala  citrina  vel  flava^  renis  fuscis  picta^  interdam  pnr- 

purescentia,  demum  albescentia. 

406.  Alys8um  caljcinum^  L. 

H.  In  arvis  ad  moles  glaciales  supra  Zermatt. 

407-  Draba  aizoides^  L. 

H.  (a.)  in  iissuris  rupinm^  M.  Oemnii,  supra  Schwarrenbacfay 

{B  )  ad  moles  glaciales  summi  jugi  alpium  supra  TKSch  in  fissurit 

rupium.     In  M.  Fijnelen  ad  rapes  M.  Gemmi  ad  lacum  Dauben, 

31.  Aug.  1B36. 

Obs,  Planta  valde  variabilis  (ut  species  fere  omnes  generis  intri- 

catissimi)  et  f.  varietatibus  species  plures  ab  auctoribus  forsan  male 

institutse  sunt.     Formas  sequentes  distinguo. 

a.  microcarpa ;  siliculse  ovales  vel  suborbiculares  1  ^  ad  longae  2 

lineas  longae^  pedicellis  subssequantes ;  racemus  abbreviatus  pauci- 

florus  floribus  parvis ;  folia  lineari  lanceolata  brevia. 

Variat  siliculis  laevibus  et  ciliatis,  foliorumque  latitudine  et  ]on« 

gitudine ;  semina  perpauca,  forsan  abortione  ssepissime  uniserialia. 

Draba  Sauieri  Hoppe  Koch^  Syn.  p.  62.     Reich,  pi.  crit.  iv.  ic 

564-566  et  exsic  !  (specimen  immatunim)  haec  varietate  proxima, 

differt  siliculis  suborbicularibus,  stylo  per  brevi^  caulibus  proetratis 

ramosis  elongatis  laxe  csspitosis^  sterilibus  remote  foliosis;  sed 
denuo  indaganda>  annon  transitio  occurrit. 

jS.  intermedia  ;  siliculae  lanceolute-ellipticse^  ad  3  lineas  longae, 
pedicellis  squales  vel  longiores;  racemus  congestus,  floribus  nu- 
merosioribus. 

Variat  ut  var  a  ;  et  in  uno  et  eodem  individno  stylos  vix  dimidiam 
lineam  et  ultra  lineam  unam  longos  inveni.  Ad  formam  microstj- 
lam  sine  dubio  referenda  est  Dr.  Zahlbruckneri,  Host.  Koch,  1.  c 
Hchb.  exsic  ! — y,  macrocarpa  ;  siliculee  lineari-lanceolat»,  lanceo« 
latseve,  4-6  lineas  longae,  pedicellis  elongatis,  breviores.  Racemus 
multiflorus,  demum  valde  elongatus,  floribus  magnis ;  folia  linearia 
uncialia  et  saepe  ultra. 

Hsec  forma  copiose  ad  rupes  calcareas  Jurassi  ubique  occurrit  et 
csespites  maximos,  interdum  laxos  efficit ;  variat  etiam  at  forme 
prsecedentes.  Ab  hsec  varietate  omnino  differt  Draba  Aizoon  Wahl ! 
Dr.  lasiocarpa  Rochel !  (omnino  eadem  species  contra  Koch,  1.  c) 
foliis  duplo  triplove  latioribus,  pedicellis  dlvaricato-patulis,  stylo 
breviore,  floribus  duplo  minoribus  ochroleucis,  calyibusque  atrovi- 
ridibus  (in  Dr.  aizoidi  flavescentibus)  sed  forsan  calycis  color  varia- 
bilis. Var.  a.  facile  in  ^.  transit,  et  forme  intermedin  inter  fi,  et  7. 
in  Jurasso  non  desunt :  pedicelli  longitudo  in  uno  et  eodem  indi ri* 
4iO  variabilis. 


Alps  of  the  Valais.  533 

408.  D.  tomentosa,  Wahl.  Helv.  p.  123,  Tab.  iii.  Koch.  Rchb.  pi. 
crit.  viii.  ic.  101 1-1014.  exsic!  Gaud. 

H.  In  M.  Gemini  in  fissuris  rupium  supra  Schwarrenbach. 

409.  D.  frigida,  Sauter.  Koch,  Gaud.  Rchb.  1.  c.  iii.  ic.  359,  et  ex- 
sic !  a,  siliculis  glabris.  fi,  siliculis  scabriusculis. 

H.  a.  In  M.  Gemmi  supra  Schwarrenbach.  *  Zermatt.     0.  ad 
moles  glaciales  summi  jugi  alpium  supra  Ta»ch. 

410.  D.  Johannis,  Host.  Koch,  Deutsl.  Fl.  iv.  p.  553.  Syn.  p.  63. 
D.  Carinthiaca,  Hoppe.  Rchb.  pi.  crit.  iv.  ic.  567-569,  et  exsic ! 
(differt  tantum  a  suo  nivali !  floribus  paulo  minoribus,  et  siliculis 
forsan  longioribus,  sed  planta  junior  est.)  D.  nivalis  Lapeyr ! 
Gaud.  Helv.  iv.  p.  256.  Rchb.  1.  c.  viii.  ic.  1045-1047,  ex  Germ. 
exc.  No.  4238  et  exsic  ! 

H.  Ad  moles  glaciales  summi  jugi  alpium  supra  Taesch  cum 
prsecedente. 

Obs.  D.  muricella,  Rchb.  pi.  crit.  viii.  ic.  1023-1025,  a  cl.  Koch 
in  Deutsl.  Fl.  L  c  ad  D.  Traunfellneri  citata  (in  Syn.  L  c.  iconem 
Rchb.  non  citavit,  sed  D.  Traunfellneri  ad  D.  Johannis  ducit)  vi- 
detur  omnino  diversa.  Sub  nomine  D.  rivularis  Berut  plantam 
omnino  similem  ab  Opitz  accept.  Hue  etiam  de  hirtam  Gaud.  1.  c. 
pertinere  opinor,  sed  plantam  Gaud,  nondum  vidi.  D.  hirta,  Wahl ! 
(c.  Laponnica)  diversissima  est  species,  et  icon.  Rchb.  bona.  In 
Herb,  meo  spec,  vallesiaca  "  Drab»  alpinae,  Liliebl."  p«ssideo  qua 
satis  bene  ad  iconem  Rchb.  D.  muricellaa  accedunt.  D.  muricella, 
Wahl !  videtur  planta  tantum  minor,  caulibus  simplicibus.  Draba 
nipestris  R.  Br.  (Ben  Lawers,  Watson  !  Campbell!)  species  mihi 
non  satis  cognita  est.  Inter  specimina  mea  exempl.  occurrunt  stig- 
mate  sessili,  et  etiam  stylo  evidenter  sed  brevi :  siliculce  tamen  sem- 
per pilis  stellatis  furcatisque  tectss  sunt. 

411.  D.  lapponica,  Willd.?  Rchb.  pi.  crit.  viii.  ic,  1019-1022. 
Koch,  Syn.  p.  64.     D.  fladnizensis,  Gaud.  1.  c.  ? 

H.  Ad  moles  glaciales  summi  jugi  alpium  supra  T»sch. 

Ob9.  Forma  silicularum  paululo  variat,  sed  quoad  habitam  et  si- 
liculas  icon  Rchb.  optima  est.  In  exempl.  meis,  folio  sunt  lanceo- 
lata,  Integra  vel,  et  preesertim  caulina,  dentata,  pilis  stellatis  ubi- 
que  tecta,  interdum  longioribus  simplicibus  ciliata.  Scapi  3-5  un- 
dales  unifoliati,  inferne  pilis  stellatis  adspersi,  superne  siliculisque 
glaberrimi.  Siliculae  ovato-lanceolatee  vel  ovatae  minimee,  stylo  brevi 
sed  evidenti  terminatse. 

D.  fladnizensis,  Wulf.  Rchb.  pi.  crit.  viii.  ic.  1016-1018.  D. 
ficlerophylla.  Gaud.  1.  c.  hsec  proxima,  differt  habitu  humiliori 
et  crassiori,  foliis  lineari-lanceolatis  glabris  pilis  rigidis  simplicibus 


534  Botanical  Excursion  to  the 

subremotisque  ciliatis,  stigmate  subsessili.     Hanc  plantam  in  M  . 

Faulhom  copiose  viget,  et  ibidem  1835-36  legi. 

412.  D.  fladnizensiH^  Wulf.  ^  r  pubescens  mihi.     D.   ramoaissi- 

mvL,  scapis  nudis  pubescentibus,  foliis  ovato-vel  laDceolato-line- 

aribus  obtusiusculis^  dono  ezstante  carinatis,  pilis  rigidis  cili- 

atis^  utrinqueglabris:  siliculis  ovato-lanceolatis  pedicellia  longiori- 

bu3,  pilis  simplicibus  longiusculis  tenuissimis  pubescentibus^  stylo 

brevissimo  subnullo. 

H.  Id  tissuris  rupium  ad  nives  perennes  M.  Gemmi  supra 
Schwarrenbach.,  (exemplaria  5  pro  D.  aiaoidea  fbnnatn  pus- 
sillam  legi.) 

Ob*.  CsMpites  congestis  parvoa  efficit ;  scapi  vix  semiunciales^ 
interdum  unifoliati^  2-5  flori :  Florentem  non  inveni^  ut  dubitor 
annon  potius  ad  D.  Sauteri  i0.  Spitzelii  Koch  1.  c.  referenda.  Hue 
etiam  referenda  mihi  videtur  D.  rupestris  Rchb.  germ-  exc.  No. 
4245,  (cf.  ann.) 
413.*  D.  oonfusa  Ehrh.  Koch.  L  c.  Gaud.  1.  c  Rchb.  1.  c.  ic.  1033, 

opt.     D.  styloaa.  Gaud  !  in  Herb.  meo. 

H.  in  alpibus  supra  Zermatt. 

Obs,  D.  IsTigata^  Hoppe^  D.  ciliata^  Scop.  Koch.^  1.  c.  mihi  incog- 
nitas. 

414.  Biscufella  laevigata^  L.  Koch,  Syn.  p.  71* 

a.  siliculis  glabris,  Isvibus.  B.  laevigata  Gaud.  DC  /3.  silicu- 
lis lepidoto-scabris.  B.  saxatilis,  Schleich.  Gaud.  Dec.  Rchb.  pi. 
crit.  vii.  ic.  840. 

H.  A,  inter  Thermas  Leucenses  et  Inden.  jS.  ad  viam  inter  Ran- 
daa  et  Zermatt,  et  in  alpibus  supra  Tsesch. 

Obs.  B.  laevigata,  Rchb.  1.  c.  ic  837  et  B.  obcordata  ejusdem  ic. 
836,  siliculis  supeme  non  excisis  differunt,  sed  in  exempl,  Rchb. ! 
et  in  meis  omnibus  siliculas  excisas  inveni.  In  M.  Biirglen  dit. 
Bemensi  plantam  legi  B.  obcordatae  omnino  simillimamy  nisi  siliculis 
supeme  excisis  fere  ut  in  icone  Rchb.  B.  saxatilis,  Schleich.  In  uno 
et  eodem  individuo  siliculas  valvulis  supeme  stylo  appressis  (ic. 
Rchb.  B.  saxatilis,  840),  vel  a  stylo  remotis  (ic.  Rchb.  B.  obcordatae, 
836),  observavi.  In  utraque  var.  semina  omnino  simtlia  sunt  et 
tenuissime  punctato-rugosa.  Variant  foliis  obovato-lanceolatis,  lan- 
oeolatis  vel  lineari-lanceolatis  remote  inciso-serratis,  sinuatis,  vel 
sub  integris,  plus  minusve  hispidis. 

415.  Hutchinsia  alpina,  R.  Br.  a.  major,  diffusa  caulibus  elongatis  ra- 
mosis  fbliosis,  siliculis  pedicello  multo^brevioribus,  utrinque  at- 
tenuatis,  stylo  oonspicuo*     0.  brevicaulis,  minor  congesta,  cauli- 


Alps  of  the  Falais.  535 

bus  abbreviatis  erectinscolis,  siliculis  pedioello  8»pe  longioribus, 

obovato-obtusis^  stylo  brevissimo  subnuUo. 

H.  a.  ubique  frequens.     In  M.  Oemmi ;  supra  Zermatt.    1^.  ad 
moles  glaciales  M.  Funelen — 

Ohs,  In  Herb,  normally  Rchb.  exs. !  plantam  sub  nomine.  H. 
brevicaulis  Hoppe  possideo^  sed  specimen  tantum  florens  pessimum 
(talio  per  s»pe  in  Herb.  norm.  Rchb.  oocurrunt)  et  admodum  oom- 
pressum  ut  non  examinandum  est ;  sed  vix  dubitor.  H.  brevicaulis, 
Hoppe  Kocb.  Syn.  mere  forma  glacialis  H.  alpinsB  est. 
416.  H.  rotundifolia,  R.  Br.     Thlaspi— Gaud.  Koch. 

H.  In  glareosis  M.  Gemmi  ad  moles  glaciales  Lammemgletscher> 
31  Aug.  1836. 

Obs.  SiliculsB  apterse  leviter  emarginatse,  semina  matura  non  habeo 
sed  cotyledones  videntur  accumbentes. 


417*  Thalictrum  foetidum,  L. 

H.  In  saxosis  inter  Inden  et  Varen  ;  inter  St  Nicholas  et  Zer- 
matt. 
418*  *  Anemone  vernalis,  L. 

H.  Zermatt. 

419.  A.  Halleri,  All. 

H.  In  graminosis,  M.  Funelen. 

420.  A,  alpina,  L.  ^.  sulphurea,  Gaud.  Koch. 
H.  In  gramioosis  alpinis  supra  Taesch. 

Obs,  Var.  elatior  pedalis  macrantha,  foliis  profunde  incisis  hir- 
sutioribus  et  humilioribus  vix  digitalis  micrantha,  foliis  minus  incisis 
hirsutisque. 

421.  Ranunculus  glacialis,  L.    (/.  crithmifolius,  Rchb.) 

H.  Ad  moles  glaciales  in  glareosis  M.  Funelen : — rarissime  in 
M.  Gemmi  ad  nives  perennes  supra  lacum  Dauben,  31  Aug. 
1836. 

422.  R.  alpestris,  L. 

H*  Ad  nives  deliquescentes,  M.  Gemmi. 

Obs.  Variat  folio  caulino  trifido  laciniis  linearibus,  et  lineari-spa- 
thulato  indiviso.  Forma  foliorum  radicalium  etiam  variabilis,  et 
non  semper  cssspitosa  crescit,  et,  me  judici,  R.  Tranufellueri  Hoppe. 
Koch,  Syn.  p.  13,  vix  species  di versa  est. 

423.  R.  parnas&ifolius,  L. 

H.  Copiose  in  glareosis  M.  Gemmi :  ad  pedem  rupium,  M.  Schal- 

mette ; — et  ad  lacum  Dauben. 
Obs.  CarpeUa  ut  in  R.  pyrenaeo.    Hsec  est  forsan  var.  parviflorus 


586         Botanical  Excursion  to  the  Alps  of  the  Valais. 

sed  florentem  non  inveoi.    Folia  omnia  supra  ad  nenroa  et  margines 
plus  minusve  dense  lanuginosa  sunt. 

424.  *A  pyrenseus^  L.    A.  vulgaris,  DC.  Gaud. 
H.  Supra  Zermatt. 

Obs^  Variat  etiam  foliis  latioribus,  cauleque  bifloro— Transitus  in 
rar.  7.  plantagineum,  DC. 

R.  lacems»  Bell  (f.  Vallesia  et  etiam  t.  Pedemontio  a  cL  Balbis 
missa)  omnino  forma  R.  pjrensBi  /.  plantaginei  est,  cui  folia  apice 
leviter  vel  profiinde  incisa  sunt,  et  nullo  modo  proles  hjbrida,  R.  py« 
rensei  et  aconitifolii. 

425.  Aconitum  napellus,  L. 

Var,  1,  Hians,  nectariis  exsertis.  A.  Schleicheri^  Rcbb.  lUost. 
Ac.  Tab.  I.  f.  1. 

H  In  ascensu  M.  Gemmx  supra  Kandersteg,  29  Aug.  1836. 

Obs,  Flores  purpurascentes. 

Far,  II,  Compa^ctutny  caule  yalde  crasso,  spica  densa  foliosa.  A. 
Napellus  compactum,  Rchb.  1.  c  Tab.  ii.  f.  1.  A.  Napellus  /.  brac- 
teosum,  Ser ! 

H.  In  M.  Gemmi  in  glareosis  humidis  prope  et  supra  Sch warren- 
bach  copiose. 

Obs,  Variat  foliorum  partitionibus  latioribus  et  aDgustioribus« 

Var.  Ill,  Glaciate,  pygroseum,  foliis  paryis  tenuiter  dissectis,  in- 
ferioribus  longe  pedunculatis,  spica  pauciflora,  nectariis  inclusis.  A. 
Napellus  d.  pygmaeum,  Ser  I 

H.  In  glareosis  M.  Gemmi  supra  Schwarrenbach,  copiose. 

Obs,  Videtur  medium  inter  A.  Schleicheri  et  Napellus  compac- 
tum. Folia  A.  Schleicheri,  Rchb.  1.  c.  et  spica  fere  A*  Taurici,  Rdib. 
1.  c.  Tab.  Ixlii.     Hsec  forma  est  forsan  A.  Tauricum  Auct. 

426.  A.  multifidum,  Koch,  Rchb.  111.  Ac  Tab.  Izx.  f.  d.  et  h.  opt. 
A.  Napellus  var.  Koch,  Syn. 

H.  In  ascensu  M.  Gemmi  supra  Kandersteg,  copiose  in  umbrosis. 

29  Aug.  1836. 
Obs,  Caulis  4-5-pedalis,  panicula  laxa  ramosissima  floribus  mag- 
nis  speciosis. 

427.  A,  acuminatum,  Rchb.  ? 

H.  In  ascensu  M.  Gemmi  supra  Kandersteg.  29  Aug.  183^ 
rarius. 

Obs,  Flores  speciosi,  purpureo  yiolacei,  pedicelli  erecto-patentes 
pubescentes,  panicula  simplex ;  folia  ut  in  A.  cernuo  sed  profundios 
et  tenuiter  dissecta,  laciniis  longioribus.  Panicula  et  flores  fere  ut 
in  A.  multifido>  Rchb.  L  c.  sed  pedicelli  longiores,  et  rostrum  magia 
productum.     Omnino  medium  inter  Napelloidea  et  Cammaroidea. 


On  the  Fauna  of  Shropshire  and  North  Wales.         537 

In  loone  Rchb.  A.  acuminatl^  Tab.  ixWii.  (flo9  unicus)  cassis  multo 
angustior  est  qiiam  in  nostris  :  sed  cassidia  forma  et  prsesertim  rostri 
prse  setate  variabilis  est. 

428.  A,  rostratum,  Bemh. 

H.  In  locis  humidis  umbrosis  propc  Kaadersteg.    1  Sept.  1836. 

Ohs.  Cassis  minus  curvata  quam  in  icone,  Rchb.  Tab.  xl.  sed 
eandem  formam  et  plantam  iconi  Rchb.  omnino  similem  copiose  in 
M.  Stockhorn  legi.     Nectaria  erectiuscula  vel  modice  inclinata. 

429.  A»  cernuum,  Wulf.  Rchb.  1.  c.  Tab.  xxxiii.  et  exsic. ! 

a.  Jlexicaule,  panicula  laxa  ramosa^  ramis  pedunculisque  flexuoais. 
H.  In  locis  humidis  umbrosis  prope  Kandersteg  copiose,  et  in 

ascensu  M.  Gemmi  supra  Kandersteg.    29  Aug.  1836. 
Ohs,  Occurrit  carpellis  ternis  et  quinis,  glabris  et  etiam  maturis 
pubescentibus  ad  formam  carpellis  pubescentibus  pertinet  A.  hebe- 
gynum,  auct.  et  etiam  ad  formam  carp.  pub.  A.  paniculati.     Nec- 
taria arcuato-cernuo. 

fi.  pyramidbtum. 

H.  In  ascensu  M.  Gemmi  supra  Kandersteg.    1836. 

Obs^  Panicula  ramosa  magis  coarctata  ramis  rigide  erecto-patulis. 
A.'  paniculatum.  Lam.  Rchb.  111.  Ac.  Tab.  xxxii.  videtur  species 
distincta;  hujus  formam  hebygenam  in  M.  Gemmi  a  cl.  Seringe 
lectum  poBsideo. 

430.  A.  Lycoctonum,  L.    Var.  Cynoctonum.  A.  Vulparia  ^.  Cynoc- 
tonum,  Rchb.  111.  Ac  Tab.  Ivii.  opt. 

H.  In  sylvis  in  ascensu  M.  Gemmi  supra  Kandersteg.    29  Aug. 

1836. 
Obs*  In  petrosis  calcareis  umbrosis  Jurassi,  A.  Vulparia  7.  Tra- 
goctonum,  Rchb.  1.  c.  Tab.  Iviii.  copiose  viget. 


III. — An  Attempt  to  ascertain  the  Fauna  of  Shropshire  and  North 
Wales.     By  Thomas  C  Eyton,  F.  Z.  S. 

The  following  attempt  towards  perfecting  a  Catalogue  of  the  ani- 
mals indigenous  to  Shropshire  and  North  Wales  was  originally  read 
before  the  Natural  History  and  Antiquarian  Society  called  after 
that  district,  the  museum  and  meetings  of  which  are  at  Shrewsbury. 
A  few  additions  have,  however,  since  been  made.  One  of  the  prin- 
cipal objects  for  which  this  society  was  formed  was  to  complete  a 
list  of  the  Fauna  of  the  above-named  district.  Any  steps  towards  its 
Hccomplishment,  therefore,  is  so  much  gained.    It  is  with  this  view 


538  An  Attempt  to  ascertain  the 

alone  that  I  have  offered  the  following  Catalogue,  iiowever  imper- 
fect, as  a  sort  of  foundation  to  work  upon,  and  have  accompanied  it 
with  notes,  where  anything  interesting,  and  not  before  recorded 
mih  regard  to  the  habits  or  peculiarities  of  the  species,  presents 
itself,  thus  breaking  in  some  measure  the  monotony  of  a  mere  list. 
It  is  my  intention,  also,  to  subjoin  at  the  end  of  each  dass  a  notice 
of  the  extinct  species,  where  there  is  good  authority  that  they  for- 
merly did  exist ;  fossil  ones,  however,  will  not  be  included.  In- 
troduced species  will  not  be  noticed,  except  in  cases  where  they 
have,  as  it  were,  almost  become  indigenous. 

Before  commencing  the  catalogue  of  animals  contained  in  the 
above-mentioned  district,  it  will  be  perhaps  interesting  to  many  of 
my  readers  who  live  at  a  distance,  to  give  some  slight  account  of  the 
face  and  general  appearance  of  the  country.  As  however,  wherever 
soil,  the  geological  formation  or  elevation  appear  to  influence  the  dis- 
tribution of  a  species,  I  shall  particularly  mention  it  when  giving  an 
account  of  that  species,  it  will  therefore  be  unnecessary  to  occupy 
much  space  here. 

The  surface  of  Shropshire  is  chiefly  covered  by  the  old  and  new 
red  sandstone  formation,  traversed  in  a  north-westerly  direction  by  an 
eruption  of  trap  or  igneous  rock,  forming  hills,  the  principal  of  which 
are  the  Wrekin,  Ercal,  Lileshall,  Stretton  hills,  Longmynd,  Sti- 
ferstone.  There  are  also  other  hills  in  Shropshire  of  sandstone, 
which,  although  the  trap  does  not  make  its  appearance,  are  doubt- 
less elevated  by  it.  The  principal  of  these  are  Grinshill,  Timhill, 
Hawkstone,  Nessolic>s,  and  the  hills  in  its  neighbourhood.  On  the 
sides  of  the  trap  hills  the  rocks  belonging  to  the  silurian  system  of 
Mr  Murchison  are  generally  exposed  to  view ;  for  a  further  account 
of  which  I  must  refer  my  readers  to  a  series  of  papers  read  by  him 
before  the  Geological  Society,  and  to  his  forthcoming  work  on  the 
geology  of  Shropshire.  An  extensive  coal-field  is  found  with  the 
carboniferous  series  belonging  to  it,  between  Wellington  and  Shif- 
nail,  but  the  district  occupied  by  it  is  far  too  thickly  populated  to  be 
very  interesting  to  the  zoologist.  Extensive  peat  bogs  exist,  par- 
ticularly those  of  the  Wild  or  Weald  moors,  running  from  Newport 
to  the  river  Teame  at  Crudington,  the  greatest  breadth  of  which 
may  be  estimated  at  four  miles,  and  Baggy  moor  or  Boggy  moor,  tra- 
versed for  its  whole  length  by  the  river  Perry,  and  extending  from 
Halston  to  Ruyton.  Of  the  eleven  towns  I  have  never  been  able  to 
find  any  authentic  account  of  animal  remains  having  been  found  in 
either  of  them.     Lakes  or  meres,  as  they  are  called,  occur  in  consi- 


Fauna  of  Shropshire  and  North  Woks.  639 

derable  abundance  on  the  Welsh  border,  in  the  neighbourhood  of 
Ellesmere.  The  far-famed  river  Severn  traverses  the  county,  to 
which  most  of  its  brooks  and  rivers  are  tributary. 

The  most  extensive  woodlands  are  those  situated  in  the  neigh- 
bourhood  of  the  Wrekin  and  Ercal,  a  part  of  Bewdly  forest,  and  the 
woods  adjoining.  The  county  would,  indeed,  altogether  be  called  a 
wooded  one,  abounding  with  oak  timber,  and  underwood. 

Those  parts  of  North  Wales  which  bound  Shropshire  are  chiefly 
composed  of  limestone  hills,  running  far  up  into  the  principality,  and 
of  the  Cambrian  system  of  rocks  of  Professor  Sedgewick.  Various 
slates  also  occur,  but  no  granite  has  as  yet  been  discovered.  A  dike 
of  trap  has,  however,  lately  been  mentioned  by  Mr  Wyatt  to  the 
Geological  Society,  discovered  in  the  Penrhyn  slate  quarries.  A 
large  coal- field  is  found  at  Ruabon,  and  another  smaller  one  at  Chirk. 
The  whole  of  North  Wales  is  thickly  interspersed  with  lakes.  From 
the  summit  of  Snowdon  alone,  above  thirty  may  be  counted,  and 
nearly  every  valley  has  its  river.  Many  of  the  hills  are  partially 
clothed  with  oak  and  birch  underwood,  arising  from  stumps  of  an- 
cient date,  in  many  instances  probably  the  remains  of  Druidical 
groves ;  in  many  also  extensive  plantations  of  the  different  sorts  of 
fir  have  been  made.  The  sea  coast  is  extensive,  and  consequently  a 
large  proportion  of  marine  animals  are  found. 

On  the  gravel  deposits  of  Shropshire  and  Wales,  which  being  the 
uppermost,  would  probably  in  the  greatest  degree  influence  the  dis- 
tribution of  species,  a  very  interesting  paper  was  read  by  Mr  Mur- 
chison  to  the  Geological  Section  of  the  British  Association,  to  which, 
as  the  detail  of  it  would  fsLV  exceed  my  proposed  limits,  I  must  re-* 
fer  those  who  are  interested  with  the  subject. 

The  Brown  Ace  is  the  highest  hill  in  Shropshire,  (1805  feet 
above  the  sea.)  There  are  others,  however,  which  nearly  approach 
it.  The  general  level  of  the  county  may  be  said  to  be  about  1000 
feet  lower.  The  summit  of  Snowdon  is  the  most  elevated  point  in 
North  Wales,  (3571  feet  above  the  sea,)  from  which  we  find  points 
of  all  heights  to  the  actual  coast. 

Mammalia. 

VB8PERTII.IO  NocTULA,  Desm.  (Great  Bat.)  A  specimen  is  in 
my  collection,  killed  near  the  castle,  Shrewsbury. 

Vb8FBrtilio  fifistbblla,  Geoff.  (Common  Bat.)  Frequently 
occurs.  I  once  found  upwards  of  twenty  congregrated  together  in  a 
hole,  by  the  side  of  a  door-post,  in  the  month  of  May. 


540  An  Attempt  to  ascertain  the 

Plbcotus  auritus,  Geoff.  (Long- Eared  Bat.)  In  Shropshire 
this  bat  is  decidedly  more  cdmnion  than  the  preceding. 

Erinacbus  Europjbus,  Ltnn.  (Hedgehog.)  Common.  It  has 
been  said  that  this  animal  feeds  on  eggs.  Although  I  confined  cme  for 
some  time,  and  deprived  it  of  other  meat,  I  was  unable  to  persuade 
it  to  touch  one. 

Talpa  Eubopaa,  Linn.  (Mole.)  Common.  Albinoa  hare  seve- 
ral times  occurred. 

SoBBX  ABANBUs,  Linn.  (Common  Shrew.)     Common. 

SoREX  FODIBN8,  PuU*  (Water  Shrew.)  An  albino  of  this  species 
is  in  my  collection,  captured  near  Shrewsbury  ;  and  a  paper  will  be 
found  in  Vol.  ii.  p.  219y  of  Loudens  Magazine  of  Nat.  Hist.,  en- 
titled, **  Some  account  of  the  Water  Shrew,  a  mouse  supposed  to 
have  been  lost  for  about  a  century,  by  John  F.  M.  Doveston,  Esq. 
A.M.  Oxon  of  West  Felton,  near  Shrewsbury,"  which  gives  the  best 
account  we  have  of  its  habits,  and  of  its  occurrence  near  that  place. 

Meles  taxus,  FUrn.  (Badger.)  Formerly  common  in  this  coun- 
ty, but  becoming  more  scarce  every  year.  In  North  Wales,  however, 
there  are  still  plenty. 

MosTBLA  puTORius,  Linn»  (Polecat.)     Common. 

MvsTBLA  BBHiNEA,  Linn.  (Stoat.)  Common.  Stoats  will  occa- 
sionally pursue  moles  in  their  burrows.  A  mole-catcher  once  inform- 
ed me,  that  he  had  caught  a  mole  and  stoat  in  the  same  mole-trap. 

MusTELA  VULGARIS,  Linn.  (Weasel.)     Common. 

MuBTELA.  (Martes,  Rajf,)  Foina,  Linn.  (Common  Marten.) 
North  Wales.  Not  uncommon ;  but  I  have  never  seen  a  Shropshire 
specimen. 

Martbs  abietum,  Ray.  (Pine  Marten.)  Two  specimens  have 
been  taken  in  Shropshire  at  Stapleton,  near  Shrewsbury.  It  also 
occurs  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Snowdon,  and  near  Barmouth,  North 
Wales.  That  this  and  the  foregoing  species  are  not  really  distinct, 
I  have  scarcely  any  doubt.  A  specimen  is  now  in  my  collection, 
which  appears  to  be  intermediate  between  the  two.  The  test  of 
anatomical  character  is,  however,  the  only  mode  in  which  this  can  be 
determined. 

LuTRA  VULGARIS,  Desm,  (Otter.)  A  common  animal  on  the 
rivers  both  of  Wales  and  Shropshire.  I  once  shot  one  with  a  ball  near 
Holyhead  at  sea.  He  rose  in  the  act  of  struggling  with  a  large  con- 
ger eel,  no  doubt  with  the  intention  of  making  a  meal  upon  him. 
He  appeared,  however,  to  have  quite  as  much  as  he  could  manage, 
the  conger  being  coiled  round  him.     The  ball  passed  through  tlie 


Fauna  of  Shropshire  and  North  Wales.  541 

heart  of  the  otter^  and  head  of  the  conger.  The  former  I  procured^ 
but  the  latter,  slipping  through  one  of  the  boatmen's  fingers^  was 
carried  off  with  the  tide. 

Canis  vulpbs^  Linn.  (Fox.)  Common.  A  female  in  the  possession 
of  Edward  Grataene,  Esq.  of  Gataene,  bred  in  confinement,  having 
made  an  earth  by  scratching  up  a  large  flag-stone,  her  young,  how- 
erer,  having  been  looked  at,  she  destroyed  them  when  two  or  three 
days  old. 

Phoca  vitulina,  Linn.  (Common  Seal.)  Pennant,  in  his  British 
Zoology,  mentions  the  occurrence  of  this  species  on  the  coasts  of 
Caemavonshire  and  Anglesea.  The  fishermen  also  have  several  times 
informed  of  its  occurrence.  I  have  never,  however,  succeeded  in 
obtaining  or  seeing  one.  Mr  Bell,  in  his  "  History  of  British  Qua- 
drupeds," page  263,  mentions,  on  the  authority  of  Professor  Nilsson, 
that  the  oblique  position  of  the  teeth  is  a  constant  character  in  this 
species*  It  is,  however,  one  which  appears  to  vary  with  the  age  of 
the  animal.  In  the  cranium  of  a  specimen  in  my  collection  obtain- 
ed in  Scotland,  and  of  whose  habits  while  alive  some  account  was 
published  in  the  first  number  of  this  Magazine,  the  two  posterior 
molars  are  not  oblique,  and  the  third  only  slightly  so.  The  fourth 
and  fifth  are,  however,  as  represented  in  Mr  Bell's  work,  page  268. 
The  teeth  in  the  lower  jaw  correspond  with  those  of  the  upper,  al- 
though a  young  one,  which  appears  from  the  state  of  the  ossification, 
and  the  total  length  being  only  3  feet  4  in.  It  has  no  remains  of 
milk  teeth.  The  following  particulars  with  regard  to  the  skeleton 
may  perhaps  contribute  towards  the  elucidation  of  the  genus.  The 
palatine  bones  are  as  figured  by  Mr  Bell.  Vertebrse,  cer.  7 ;  dor. 
15  ;  lum.  5  ;  sac.  6 ;  caud.  8 ;  the  tip  of  the  tail  was  slightly  in- 
jured, but  I  believe  the  enumeration  to  be  correct.     Ribs,  15. 

SciURUs  VULGARIS,  Linn.  (Squirrel.)     Common. 

Myoxus  avbllanarios,  Destn.  (Dormouse.)  In  woods  near 
the  Wrekin,  consisting  chiefly  of  oak  and  hazel  underwood,  grow- 
ing from  old  stumps,  in  which  they  make  their  winter  quarters. 
The  strokes  of  the  wood- cutter's  axe  awake  them,  when,  in  their 
endeavour  to  escape,  th^y  are  frequently  captured.  My  specimens 
were  obtained  in  this  manner. 

Mtjs  HESSORius,  Shaw,  (Harvest  Mouse.)  A  specimen  is  in 
my  collection  taken  near  Eyton. 

Mus  sYLVATiGUB,  Linn.  (Long-tailed  Fieldmouse.)  Common 
during  a  late  flood  on  the  wild  moors.  I  could  have  captured  any 
number  of  these  mice,  every  little  tuft  of  grass  that  was  tolerably 


542     An  Attempt  to  ascertain  the  Fauna  of  Skropshiref  Sfc. 

drj  being  full  of  them.  When  pursued  they  occasionally  dived ; 
they  also  ascended  trees  with  the  greatest  facility. 

Mrs  DBCUMANUS,  PolL  (Norway  Rat.)  Common.  An  introduced 
species. 

Arvicola  AMPHiBiuSj  Desm,  (Water  Rat.)  Ccnnmon.  This  ani- 
mal, like  others  of  its  genus,  hybernates.  There  are  numbers  in  the 
banks  of  the  drains  on  the  wild  moors  in  summer,  while  in  winter  not 
one  is  to  be  seen. 

Arvicola  ARVALis,  Fi^jrr.  (Field  Vole.)  In  this  neighbourhood^ 
(Eyton,)  this  species  frequents  the  banks  of  drains,  and  both  swims 
and  dives  well.  I  have  not  yet  met  with  A.  pratensis,  Baill.  within 
the  district. 

Lbpus  timidus,  Linn.  (Hare.)  Common.  Several  specimens  of 
a  whitish  variety  have  also  occurred. 

Lbpus  cuniculus,  Linn,  (Rabbit)  Common,  filack  specimens 
are  found  occasionally  on  Rudge  Heath,  and  in  the  neighbourhood 
of  Eyton.  A  buff  or  yellowish  variety  is  common  near  Longford 
Newport. 

Phocjsna  dblphinus,  Cuv.  (Porpoise.)  Common  on  the  Welsh 
coast  in  summer.  The  time  of  migration  of  this  species  would  be 
worth  the  investigation  of  any  one  who  had  the  opp<Nrtunity. 

Extinct  Species. 

Canis  lupds,  Linn.  (Wolf.)  The  former  existence  of  this  ani- 
mal is  sufficiently  proved  by  a  mandate  of  Edward  the  First  (quoted 
by  Pennant)  to  Peter  Corbet,  to  superintend  and  assist  in  the  de- 
struction of  them  through  the  several  counties  of  Gloucester,  Wor- 
cester, Hereford,  Salop,  and  Stafford. 

Castor  fiber,  Linn.  (Beaver.)  Pennant  quotes  Geraldus  Cam- 
brensis  for  the  former  existence  of  this  species,  who  travelled 
through  Wales  in  1188,  and  states  that  in  his  time  they  were  found 
in  the  river  Teivi.  Two  or  three  waters  in  the  principality  still 
bear  the  name  Lyn-yr-afange,  or  beaver  lake. — Ray. 

Mus  rattus,  Linn.  (Black  Rat.)  Although  I  have  not  been  able 
to  find  any  notice  of  the  present  or  former  existence  of  this  animal 
within  the  district,  I  have  here  inserted  it,  as  it  is  most  probable 
that  it  was  an  inhabitant  before  the  introduction  of  its  destroyer, 
the  Norway  rat. 

3 


On  new  or  obscure  species  of  Plants,  54S 


IV. — Observations  on  some  New  or  Obscure  Species  of  Plants, 
No.  II.  By  G.  A.  Walker  Arnott,  LL.  D.  F.  L.  S.,  &c. 
(Continued  from  page  247.) 

Pentaloba^  Lour.  (Violaceae.) 

Dr  Brown  has  long  since  demonstrated  that  Loureiro's  genus 
and  Alsodeia  of  Petit  Thouars^  were  the  same  in  every  respect  ex- 
cept the  fruit,  which  Lioureiro  says  is  a  five-seeded  herry,  but  pro- 
bably erroneously,  as  he  had  made  another  mistake  regarding  the 
ovary,  to  which  he  attributed  Ave  parietal  placentas,  while  Dr  Brown 
finds  only  three  in  a  specimen  from  himself.  The  description  of  the 
fleshy  fruit  may  have  arisen  from  its  having  been  immature^  in 
which  state  it  is  coriaceous  and  slightly  fleshy  in  some,  if  not  in 
all  the  species.  I  prefer^  therefore^  restoring  the  name  given  by 
Loureiro,  to  adopting  that  of  Alsodeia, 

Ail  the  East  Indian  species  have  a  simple  disk«  as  in  De  Can- 
dolle's  first  section  of  the  genus^  and  the  anthers  destitute  of  bris- 
tles or  hairs  at  the  apex.  I  shall  here  add  a  short  description  of  a 
new  one  from  Ceylon^  found  there  in  spring  1836^  by  Dr  Wight, 
and  abridged  specific  characters  of  the  others  from  India^  which  have 
been  hitherto  noticed  by  authors. 
Sect.  1.  Discus  subcarDosus,  dentatus  vel  subcrenatus,  extushaud  cingulatus. 
Filamenta  ixiclusa,  latiuscula,  glabra.     Anthers  apice  imberbes. 

1.  P.  Cetflanica,  (Arn. ;)  foliis  obsolete  denticulatis  axillis  ner- 
Tomm  subtus  eporosis,  floribus  fasciculatis^  ovario  styloque  glabris. 
—  Wight.  Cat,  n,  268. 

II AB. — In  insula  Ceylano. 

Fruticosa^  glaberrima.  Folia  petiolata,  petiolo  2}-4  lineas  longo, 
oblongo-lanceolata,  obsolete  dent iculata,  basi  obtusa,  apice  attenuata, 
subtus  eporosa.  Flores  fasciculati,  axillares,  brevissime  pedicellati. 
Sepala  ovato-lanceolata,  acuta,  ciliolata.  Discus  cupuliformis,  sim- 
plex, 5-dentatus.  Stamina  5,  glabra,  petaiis  breviora.  Filamenta 
distantia,  brevissima^  anthera  breviora,  carnosa,  ebasi  lata  acumina- 
ta^ intus  ad  disci  dentes  et  paullo  infra  apices  inserta  ac  illis  opposi- 
ta.  Antherse  oblongae,  dorso  in  ligulam  membranaceam  erectam  ova- 
tam  acuminatam  loculos  fere  duplo  superantem  productee  ;  connec- 
tivum  apice  cnspidulatum.  Ovarium  glabnim,ovato-globo8um,  dis- 
cum  paullo  superans,  uniloculare,  ovulis  tribus  parietalibus  appensis. 
Stylus  erectus,  conico-acuminatus,  crassus,  carnosus,  glaber^  stamini- 
bus  paullo  longior,  petaiis  brevior.  Stigma  3-lobum.  Capsula  co- 
riacea,  globoso-trigona,  glabra,  3-sperma^  styli  basi  mucronata.  Se- 
mina  globosa. 


544  Observations  an  same  new 

2.  P.  BengalensU,  (WalL)  foliis  aigate  serralads  subtos  ad  ax« 
illas  neiTorum  excavato-ciliatU,  floribus  feadculatisy  ovario  styloque 
glabris — Wall.  Cat.  a.  4896.— Alsodeia  Bengalensis,  Wall,  in  Act, 
Med.  and  Phys.  Soc.  Calcut.  rii.  p.  224,  (cum  descriptione  locople- 
tissima.) 

Hab. — In  Bengals. 

3.  P.  lanceolata,  (Wall.)  foliis  lanceolatis  l<mge  attennatis  obso- 
lete denticulatis  subtus  ad  axillas  nervorum  eporosis^  floribus  con- 
gestim  racemosis,  sepalis  late  ovatis  obtusis  glabriusculis,  disco  10- 
15-crenato,  ovario  styloque  hirsutis. — WalL  Cat,  n.  4023. — ^Vareca 
lanceolate,  Roxh.fl.  Ind.  i.  p.  648  ;  (ed.  WalL)  ii.  p.  246. 

Hab. — In  Sincapore. 

Folia  6-9  poll,  longa,  1 4-2  late,  breve  petiolata,  petiolo  vix  duas 
lineas  longo.  Pedunculus  communis  petiolo  brevior;  pedicelli  breves, 
erectiuscull.  Sepala  dorso  glabra  vel  minutissime  pubescentia,  mar- 
gine  ciliolate.  Discus  cupulatus,  brevis,  truncatus,  10-15  crenatus. 
Stamina  inclusa :  filamento  linearia,  planiuscula,  lata,  antbera  sub- 
longiora,  glabra  :  antberarum  appendix  membranacea,  ovate,  acumi« 
nato,  loculis  dimidio  longior. 

4.  P.  sessilis  (Lour.)  foliis  lanceolatis  leviter  serratis,  floribus  fJEts- 
ciculatis,  sepalis  lanceolatis  pilosis,  disco  5-dentato,  filamentis  oorol- 
1am  fere  eequantibus,  ovario  styloque  pilosis — Lour,  Cock.  (ed. 
WilldJ  p.  191. 

Hab. — In  montibus  Cochin  China ;  Loureiro, 

This  species  is  obviously  very  closely  allied  to  the  last,  but  ap- 
pears to  differ  by  the  hairy  lanceolate  sepals,  and  the  disk.  The 
above  diagnosis  is  derived  entirely  from  Loureiro's  description. 

5.  P.  macrophylla  (Wall.)  foliis  oblongis  vel  oblongo-lanceolatis 
utrinque  subacuminatis  obsolete  dentetis  subtus  eporosis,  petiolis 
ramulisque  hispidulis,  floribus  congestim  racemosis,  sepalis  lanceo* 
latis  acutis  extrorsum  hispidis,  disco  subintegerrimo,  ovario  hispido, 
stylo  glabro. — WaJlL  Cat.  n.  4024  ? — Alsodeia  macrophylla,  De 
CaUn,  kerb.  Timor,  p.  100,  t.  19. 

Hab. — In  insula  Timor. — Penang  }  ;  Porter  ? 

Filamenta  brevissima ;  appendix  antheram  suam  fere  duplo  super- 
ans,  cordato-ovata,  acuminata. 

De  Caisne  does  not  quote  P.  macrophylla,  Wall.,  nor  am  I  ac- 
quainted with  it ;  perhaps  the  two  plants  are  quite  different. 

Sect.  2.  Discus  submeinbranaceus  5~partitus.  Filamenta  exserta,  capillaria, 
ad  antherae  basin  villosa.    Anthers  apice  imberbes. 

6.  P.  Roxburghii  (Wall.)  foliis  subsessilibus  oblongo-lanoeolatis 
crenatis  basi  cuneatis  subtus  ad  axillas  nervorum  excavatis,  floribus 


or  obsaire  species  of  Plants.  545 

fasciculatiSj  disci  laciniis  apice  incurvo-bifidis  filainento  in  indsura 
inserto,  ovario  glabro,  stylo  hirsuto. — WaU.  Cat,  n.  7109. — Vareca 
heteroclita,  Roxb.  Fl.  Ind.  i.  p.  648 ;  (ed.  Wall  J  ii.  p,  246. 

Hab. — In  Hindustania ;  Martin. 

Fob'a  (in  exemplo  meo)  1-1 4  poll,  longa^  basi  cuneata,  subsessilia. 
Antherarum  appendix  lata,  loculos  parum  superans,  truncata. 

Roxburgh  says  of  the  base  of  the  filaments^  that  '^  each  side  is 
enlarged  with  one  or  more  adjoined  homlets^  which  are  bearded  at 
the  base."  These  hornlets  are  what  I  consider  the  lobes  of  the  seg- 
ments of  the  disk,  and  in  the  only  flower,  in  a  sufficiently  advanced 
state,  that  I  found  on  my  specimen,  they  were  quite  glabrous,  but 
the  base  of  the  anthers,  or  very  apex  of  the  filaments  was  woolly. 
I  am  not  quite  satisfied  whether  the  disk  is,  as  I  have  called  it,  only 
5-partite,  or  whether  it  be  not  composed  of  5  scales  distinct  at  the 
base ;  they  appeared  slightly  connected  there,  but  separated  with 
great  facility. 

In  all  the  species  which  I  have  examined,  there  are  only  three 
ovules  in  each  ovarium,  one  to  each  parietal  placenta.  1  hesitate^ 
therefore,  in  placing  in  the  same  genus  Vareca  moluccana,  Roxb.,  of 
which  the  ovary  is  said  to  contain  "  many  ovules  attached  to  two 
or  three  parietal  receptacles  ;"  but  that  plant,  as  described,  differs 
also  from  Pentaloba  in  several  other  important  particulars,  as  in  the 
want  of  stipules,  villous  peduncles,  young  shoots  clothed  with  fer- 
ruginous pubescence,  calyx  5-toothed,  villous  and  caducous,  and 
apparently  no  disk.  Can  it  be  a  species  of  Prosthesia  of  Blume  ? 
a  genus  as  already  pointed  out  by  Meisner  (Plant,  vase.  gen.  Comm. 
p.  18,)  very  closely  allied  to  Pentaloba,  but  differing  by  the  nume* 
reus  ovules,  if  so,  Roxburgh's  description  must  be  considered  as 
erroneous  in  several  particulars.  I  feel,  however,  more  disposed  to 
refer  it  to  Pittosporvm,  to  which  genus  Itea  umbeUata  Roxb.,  and 
Celaitrus  verticillatus^  Roxb.  appear  also  to  belong. 

HoRTONiA,  Wight  MSS. 
Flares  hermaphroditi  ?  Perianthium  sen  involucrum  e  foliolis  nu- 
meroeis  concavis  imbricatis,  exterioribus  orbiculatis  subcoriaceis  per- 
sistentibus,  interioribus  subpetaloideis  angustioribus  tarde  deciduis. 
Stamina  circiter  7>  perigyna.  Filamenta  brevia,  basi  utrinque  glan- 
dula  pedicellata  cucullata  truncata  submembranacea  stipata.  An^ 
therce  magnfie,  suborbiculares,  biloculares,  adnatse,  extrorsum  versse, 
longitudinaliter  ?  dehiscentes.  Ovaria  plurima  in  receptaculi  piano 
parce  piloso  inserta,  trigono>subulata,  basi  uniloculares.  Ovulum 
solitarium,  pendulum.    Sii/lus  nullus.    Stigma  obliquum,  dilatatum^ 


546  Observations  on  same  new 

compressnm,  membranaceum,  sublacerum.  Carpella  (ovariis  pluiiinis 
abortientibus)  siceo-drupacea,  breviter  stipitata^  ovoidea^  compres- 
siuscula,  apice  obliqua^  unilocularia.  Semen  unicum^  pendulum. 
'*  Albumen  magnum^  camosum^  baud  ruminatum.  Embryo  minu- 
tU8,  in  regione  hili  situs."*  (ff^igA/.) 

Frutex  magnus,  glaber,  i^eylanicus.  Folia  apposiia,  exsiipulata, 
petiolcUa,  oblongo-lanceolala,  uirinque  acuminata,  integerrima,  pen- 
ninervia,  sublus  reticulata,  epunctata.  Cjmi  pedunculali,  axiUares, 
oppositi,  petiolo  longiores.  Involucn  Jbliola  exteriora,  atque  pedi* 
celli  ramulique  juniorxs  minutim  ac  sparsim  stdlato-puberulL  Flo- 
res  pallide  flavi. 

1.  H.floribunda;   Wight,  Cat.  n.  2467. 

IIab. — In  sylvis  editioribus  insulae  Ceylani^  prope  Newere  Ellia, 
Wight. 

^'  I  dedicate  this  genus  to  Lady  Horton^  on  account  of  the  lively 
interest  she  takes  in  botany^  and  her  extensive  knowledge  of  Cey- 
lon plants.  It  appears  to  hold  a  place  intermediate  between  Mag- 
noliacese  and  Anonaceae,*  having  the  numerous  petals  and  large  albu« 
men,  with  minute  embryo  of  the  former,  and  extrorse  anthers  and 
distinct  carpels  of  the  latter,  differing  from  both  in  its  opposite  and 
axillary  inflorescence."  ( Wight  in  lilt.)  Dt  Wight  remarks,  that 
there  are  8-10  stamens,  and  numerous  petals  in  several  rows,  8-10 
in  each.  I  have,  however,  in  no  instance,  observed  more  than  seven 
stamens,  and  as  for  the  petals  or  leaves  of  the  perianth,  there  are 
not  two  situated  in  the  same  plane,  all  forming  a  dense  spiral  of  se- 
veral rows  at  the  apex  of  the  pedicel.  I  therefore  consider  the  sup- 
posed floral  covering  more  in  the  light  of  an  involucre,  and  in  this 
way  Hortonia  will  obviously  approach  the  Monimiacese.  From  these 
it  differs  principally  by  the  imbricated  estivation,  and  definite  sta- 
mens placed  in  a  single  series  around  the  ovaria,  and  neither  insert- 
ed into  the  tube  of  the  involucre,  but  upon  a  flat  receptacle  or  di- 
lated* apex  of  the  pedicel.     All  the  anthers  which  I  have  examined 

*  Belonging  to  the  natural  order  Schizandraceae,  which  does  hold  this  interme- 
diate place,  1  have  received  from  Dr  Wight,  collected  in  Ceylon  and  Malabar 
(in  1836,)  a  species  of  K<id8ura,  differing  only  from  the  character  of  that  genus, 
as  limited  by  Blume,  by  having  three  ovules  in  each  ovarium  :  it  is  JT.  Wightiana 
( Am.)  dioica,  foliis  obliquis  ovalibus  obtuse  acuminatis  supra  medium  denticula- 
tis,  pedunculis  axillaribus  femineis  petiolo  longioribus  calyce  (seu  perianthio) 
12-phyllo  sub  4-seriali,  filamentis  discretis,  ovariis  3-ovulatis,  stigmate  obliquo 
planiusculo  ovato  subpeltato,  carpellis  suborbicularibus  obtusis  mucronulatis. — 
Wight,  Cat.  n.  2478 — Pfttislowia,  Wight  in  titt. 

Differ t  a  K.  RgxhurghjaaaXjQjM^K.  Japonica,  Wall.,  K.  altera  species  a  Da- 
nalis  memorata,  et  Uvana  heterocUta,  Roxb.)  antheris  haud  immersiB  et  ovario ;  a 
K.  Japonica,  Kffimpf.,  si  fidem  descriptioni  Thnnbergimio  ponas,  plurinus  notisL 


or  obscure  species  of  Plants.  547 

had  each  cell  marked  along  the  middle  with  a  longitudinal  furrow, 
and  contained  pollen  ;  hence  I  infer  that  they  are  fertile^  and  open 
by  slits  (not  by  valves,)  but  I  have  seen  none  after  dehiscence,  and 
as  at  the  same  time  they  bear  the  closest  resemblance  to  the  stami- 
nodia  of  many  genera  of  Laurinese,  so  it  is  not  improbable  that  they 
may  be  sterile,  and  that  the  fertile  ones  (on  a  different  plant)  do 
open  by  valves.  If  this  view  were  to  be  adopted,  Horionia  would 
be  more  allied  to  Atherospermeae,  particularly  to  Laurelia  (the  fila^ 
ments  of  which  are  likewise  furnished  with  a  couple  of  glands  at 
their  base,  as  in  Laurinece,)  but  in  all  the  Atherospermeae  the  ovule 
is  described  as  erect,  not  pendulous,  and  the  style  is  long,  persistent, 
and  plumose.  At  present,  Hortonia  ought  perhaps  to  be  consider* 
ed  as  a  connecting  lipk  between  Monimiaceae  and  Atherospermese, 
agreeing  with,  but  at  the  same  time  differing  from  both,  in  several  of 
their  peculiar  characters.  The  flower  buds,  if  they  may  be  so  call* 
ed,  resemble  those  of  a  double  flowering  myrtle,  and  are  rery  fre- 
quently injured  and  internally  deformed  from  having  been  attacked 
by  the  larvae  of  insects. 

In  Lindley's  Introduction  to  the  Natural  System,  all  the  species  of 
Monimiaceae  are  said  to  be  natives  of  America ;  this  is  surely  a  mere 
inadvertency ;  a  very  few  only  are  found  in  the  New  World. 

AcROCARPUs,  Wight  MSS.  (Leguminosss.) 
Calyx  subcoriaceus,  ebracteolatus,  campanulatus,  5-fidus,  laciniis 
erectis,  superioribus  et  inferiori  caeteris  paullo  majoribus.  J'orus 
tubum  tegens.  Petala  oblonga,  subcoriacea,  subaequalia,  sessilia, 
diu  persistentia,  in  ore  calycis  inserta  ac  ejus  lobis  alterna  et  paullo 
longiora  ;  aestivatio  subimbricata,  carinalis.  Stamina  5,  ibidem  in- 
serta, petalis  alterna ntia  :  Jllamenta  e  basi  lata  subulata,  petala  2-> 
S-plo  superantia,  libera,  recta :  anihera  oscillatoriae.  Ovarium  longe 
stipitatum,  stipite  libero«  oblongo-lineare,  ^Icatum,  stylo  brevi  in- 
curvo  acuto  mucronatum,  multi  (suh-15,)  ovulatum.     Fruclus.  .  . 

Arbor  magna ,  speciosa,  glabra^  Folia  alterna,  imparipinnata^  d»» 
cidua  ;  peliolus  4-6  poll,  longus,  teres  :  Jvliola  ^-Ajuga,  lanceolata, 
acuminata,  basi  paullo  inasgualia,  3-}k>IL  longa,  iniegerrima  subtus 
pallida,  peliolulo  semipollicari,  Flores  antefoliorum  evoluiionem  ex^ 
pansi  majusculi,  coccinei,  racemosi ;  racemis  spicifbnnibus  densiflc 
ris  6-8  poll,  longis  ;  pedicellis  lineam  vel  sesquilineam  longis  recurvis. 
StAmmA  Je re  pollicem  longa. 

1 .  A/fraannifolius,  Am.  in  Wight  Cat.  n.  246(>. 

Hab.  Ad  Courtallum,  florens  fore  absque  fuliis  mense  Februario; 

Wi^rhi. 

VOL.  II    NO.  12.  O  O 


548  Gbsrrvaiions  ofi  some  new 

This  genus  is  allied  to  Humboldtia,  as  far  as  regards  the  number 
of  stamens,  and  their  insertion  into  the  mouth  of  the  calyx,  but 
there  the  relation  seems  to  end ;  for  that  genus,  with  Jone^ia  and 
a  few  others,  form  a  small  group  distinguished  by  the  stipes  of  the 
ovarium  cohering  on  une  side  with  the  tube  uf  the  calyx  ;  here  it  is 
perfectly  free.  1  have  not  seen  the  fruit,  but  the  ovary  in  many 
respects  resembles  that  of  several  species  of  Pongamia  and  PUro- 
carpus.  It  seems,  however,  to  belong  to  the  second  section  of  Cies- 
alpineae  of  Decandolle,  or  third  of  Vogel,  and  to  be  more  al''"i  to 
the  genera  with  a  diminished  number  of  petals,  ( Crudt/a  and  Di- 
aliumtJ  than  to  any  of  the  others,  on  account  of  the  simply  pinna- 
ted leaves  with  a  terminal  leaflet.  Dr  Wight  remarks,  that  the 
native  name  is  Malle-vemboo«marum,  meaning  Hill-margosa  tree, 
or  Azadarachta  Indica,  to  which  it  bears  no  resemblance  whatever, 
except  in  being  also  a  tree  with  pinnatifid  leaves. 

Another  genus  of  the  same  group,  but  more  allied  to  Macrolo^ 
bium,  I  have  received  from  Bahia  by  the  kindness  of  M.  De  Les- 
sert  (No.  2567)  ;  it  does  not  agree  with  any  of  those  described  by 
Vogel,  and  obviously  differs  from  Macrohhium  by  the  short  (not 
very  long)  style,  and  nearly  equal  petals.  If  not  already  named 
by  M.  De  Lessert,  it  may  be  called 

Zenkerta. 

Calf/cis  sepala  3  in  tubum  turbinatum  connata ;  laciniae  sub- 
sequales,  reflexae.  Petala  3,  subscqualia,  tubi  ore  inserta,  obovata, 
basi  attenuata.  Stamina  3,  fertilia,  erecta,  petalis  alternantia,  se- 
palis  opposita ;  filamenta  libera,  glabra,  apice  subiter  subulata ;  an- 
therse  oblongSB,  Ovarium  stipitatum,  compressum,  pubescens,  bin- 
ovulatum.  Stylus  brevis,  crassus,  glaber,  stigma  depresso-capita* 
tum,  obliquum.     Fructus     .... 

Arbor  ?  glabra.  Rami  teretes.  Folia  pinnatay  foliolis  4-5,  al" 
temisy  petiolatis,  ovalibusy  obtusis  vel  retusis*  Stipulae  oblongcB, 
Flores  fasciciilati  vel  subcorymbosi  secus  bcuin  ramulorum  Juniorum 
digesti,  ante  foliornm  evolutionem  expansi.  Pedicelli^oref  CBquan* 
tes.  Petala  alba.  Stamina  petala  cBquafUia,  Stylus  ovario  jemi- 
ovali  duplo  brevior, 

1.  Z.  dalbergioides. 

I  have  named  this  in  honour  of  the  late  Professor  Zenker  of  Je- 
na, the  genus  of  that  name  described  by  Trinius  being  the  same 
with  Amphidonax,  N.  ab  E.  in  Lindl.  Nat.  Syst.  p.  449  (excluding, 
however,  Arundo  Bengalensit,  Roxb.  the  only  species  there  referred 


or  obscure  species  of  Plants,  540 

to,  which  appears  to  me  neither  to  agree  with  the  character  given, 
nor  to  differ  from  Arundo  of  Kunth.) 

SPHJEROCARYA,    Wall. 

About  six  years  ago,  Dr  Wight  and  I,  while  examining  some  of 
bis  East  Indian  plants  which  were  in  an  imperfect  state,  found 
specimens  of  a  pear-shaped  fruit  accompanied  with  some  detached 
leaves,  which  we  considered  to  belong  to  Sphceroca7ya,  These  we 
soon  afterwards  noticed  in  Jameson's  Edinburgh  Journal  (for  July 
1832,)  under  the  name  of  S.  Wallichiana  ;  we  had  seen  no  flowers, 
but  from  the  remains  of  them  on  the  top  of  the  fruit,  we  were  in- 
duced to  alter  considerably  the  character  of  the  genus,  in  so  far  as 
we  conceived  it  to  have  no  petals,  but  that  the  bodies  so  called  by 
Dr  Wallich  were  an  exterior  petaloid  row  of  glands.  Whether  we 
were  correct  in  ascribing  this  structure  to  the  Nepal  plant,  the 
type  of  the  genus,  I  have  never  been  able  to  determine,  not  having 
been  so  fortunate  as  possess  or  even  see  specimens  of  it,  but  having 
now  obtained  flowers  belonging  to  the  peninsular  species,  I  And 
that  it  must  be  separated  from  Dr  Wallich *s  genus.  In  the  Nepal 
plant  there  are  said  to  be  Ave  persistent  petals  and  alternating 
scales,  (or  perhaps  a  double  row  of  scales,  the  outer  petaloid,  the 
inner  minute,)  and  no  disk  ;  in  Dr  Wight's  there  is  a  disk,  but 
neither  petals  nor  scales.  Dr  Wallich  says,  that  the  ovule  is  "  erect, 
supported  by  a  fleshy  subdiaphanous  spirally  twisted  cord,  which 
rises  from  the  bottom  of  the  ovary,  and  is  conducted  into  the  oblong 
cell  by  means  of  a  proper  tube  or  conal ;"  on  which  account  Sphas- 
rocarya  would  be  a  doubtful  member  of  Santalacese,  (if  the  sup- 
posed erect  ovule  and  fleshy  cord  be  not  in  reality  a  more  central 
column,)  while  the  peninsular  plant  belongs,  I  should  suppose,  un- 
questionably to  that  order.     I  propose  to  call  it 

ScLEROPYRUM,  (SantalacesB.) 
Flares  abortu  dioici  ?  IVIasc.  Perianthiiim  ebracteolatum,  5-fi- 
dum,  laciniis  patentibus  :  tubus  turbinatus,  intus  disco  cupulato 
5-lobo  tectus.  Petala  nulla.  Stamina  5,  sepalis  opposita,  inter 
disci  marginem  peri  an  thi  urn  que  inserta.  Filamenta  planiuscula, 
sepalis  paullo  breviora,  apice  bifida,  segmento  utroque  antherse  lo- 
culum  antice  ferente.  Ovarium  (abortivum  ?)  disco  immersum, 
uniloculare,  (nunc  fere  solidum,)  columella  central!  carnosa  cylin- 
drica  e  basi  loculi  orta  apice  libera  instructum.  Stylus  conicus 
crassus.  Stigma  3-4-lobum,  lobis  erectis  insequalibus,  duobus  ma- 
joribas.    Fem.  Flores  (fide  Rheidei)  ut  in  mare  at  tubo  pyriformi. 


550  ObservatioHs  on  some  new 

Fructus  drupaceus^  pyriformis^  monospermus,  laciniis  perianthii 
marcescentibus  et  disco  coronatus.  Semen  aphiericaxn,  hilo  prope 
basin.  Albumen  carnosum.  Embryo  axilis^  gracilis^  semine  dimidio 
brevior.     Radicula  supera. 

Arbor  (Rheedeo  teste)  spinosa.  Hamuli  tei'eteSf  glabri.  Folia 
glabra,  altemay  exstipulatay  breve  petiolata^  3^-6  poll  longa,  ^9  ^i 
lata,  supra  liwida,  ex  ovatis  obtusis  in  ovalia  ianceokUa,  penninervioy 
nervis  paucis  subtus  prominulis  secus  costam  decurrentibus,  ad  axil- 
las  nervorum  eporosa,  integerrima.  Flores  subsessiles^  dense  spi- 
cati,  spicis  in  axillis  foliorum  (sttpius  delapsorum)  subsessilibusy 
florentibus  folio  S-A-plo  brevioribus,  rachi  dense  pvhescentij  brae- 
tea  minute  lanceolata  pubescente  persistente  sub  guoquejiore.  Flores 
ma^culi  illis  Pomaderridis  baud  absimiles.  Filament  a  apice  infra 
Jissuram  dorso,  perianthiique  lacinia  ad  medium^  villis  albis  paucis 
instructw.     Drupa  bast  in  pedicellum  brevem  crassum  attenuata* 

1.  S.  Wallichiana,  Arn. — Sphaerocarya  Wallichiana,  Wight  et 
Am,  irk  Ed.  Phil  Joum.  (ia32)  xv.  p.  180 ;  Wight,  Cat,  n.  948. 
— Idu-mulli,  Rheed.  H.  Mai  iv.  t.  18,  (fem.)^Tiri.itti-Canni, 
Rheed.  IL  Mai  vii.  t.  30,  (mas.) 

Has. — In  Malabaria. 

In  all  the  flowers  I  have  examined  the  stigmas  appeared  imper. 
feet,  and  although  the  central  column  of  the  ovarium  was  slightly 
incrassated  at  the  apex,  I  could  perceive  no  trace  whatever  of  ovules. 
1  therefore  consider  them  as  unisexual,  in  which  I  am  confirmed  by 
Rheede,  who  says  of  his  Tiri-itti-Canni,  ''  fructus  nulli  :"  in  his 
Idu-mulli,  or  the  fructiferous  plants  no  stamens  are  figured,  but 
they  are  described  ;  probably  they  are  abortive.  Rheede  figures  the 
female  with  thorns  on  the  branches^  but  not  the  male,  although  he 
describes  them.  On  my  specimen  there  are  none  whatever,  but  it 
is  the  mere  termination  of  a  young  branch.  Rheede  says  of  the 
male  that  it  is  a  parasitical  plant,  of  the  female  that  it  is  a  lofty 
tree  :  the  former  appears  to  me  quite  a  misconception  on  his  part. 
The  figures  he  has  given,  the  one  of  the  male  flower,  the  other  of 
the  fruity  are  faithful. 

Mackaya,  Am. 
Calyx  ebracteolatus,  brevis,  late  campanulatus,  limbo  brevissimo 
5--denticulato.  Corolla  subgamopetala*  rotata,  5-partita,  decidua^ 
lobis  oblongis  calycis  denticulis  alternantibus ;  seativatio  valvata. 
Stamina  5,  inter  glandulas  duas  inserta  prope  basin  corollft  lacini- 
arum  ac  iis  opposita.  Antherie  sesailes,  incurv»^  ovate,  biloculares, 
longitudinaliter  versus  latera  dehiscenteSj  connectivo  crassiusculo, 

4 


cr  obscure  species  of  Plants.  551 

Ovarium  semiadheerens^  uniloculare  absque  axi  columellare  centralis 
partie  libera  conico-ovata  in  stylum  brevem  crassum  sensim  acumi- 
Data  :  ovula  3  ex  apice  loculi  pendula.  Stigma  3-lobum.  Frttctus 
omnino  cohierens,  oblongus^  apice  calycis  denticulis  styloque  per- 
sistente  coronatus,  unilocularis,  crustaceus,  indehiscens^  cortice  (seu 
calyce)  per  maturitatem  in  valvas  3-4—5  ab  apice  ad  basin  subirre- 
gulariter  deiacerato.  Semen  unicum^  pendulum.  Albumen  olea- 
gioeo-carnosum.  Embryo  minutus^  in  basi  albuminis  (sc.  prope 
hilam)  situs. 

Frutex  glaber,  scandens.  Folia  allerna,  longiuscule  petiolaia, 
subpellcUa,  triplinervia,  inlegerrifna,  ovala,  apice  allenuata,  basi 
rotundata  vel  retusa,  subius  glauca.  Pedunculi  graciles,  dichoiomi, 
paucijlori,  axillares  aggregali  vel  secus  ramuUim  brevem  a^xillurem 
aphyllum  ant  apicem  versus  oligo^phyllum  altervatim  disposifi,  nunc 
in  ramis  Junioribus  axillares  soliiarii  vel  in  axillis  superioribus  in 
cirrhos  muiaii  !  Flores  longe  pedicellaii,  tnagnitudine  ac  quodam- 
fnodo  facie  ewum.  Myosotidis  palustris  colore  forsan  cUbo, 
1.  M.  populifolia,  Arn^^Wight,  Cat.  n.  2405. 
Hab. — Ad  Courtallum  ;  fVigkf. 

Of  this  genus  I  cannot  indicate  the  natural  order,  nor  even  the 
place  in  the  linear  series  which  it  ought  to  occupy.  In  the  struc- 
ture of  the  ovarium  it  approaches  Combretacese^  but  in  that  of  the 
seed  is  very  different  from  them.  I  hesitate  whether  or  not  the 
petals  be  not  really  distinct :  they  certainly  do  cohere  by  their 
margins  at  the  very  base,  forming  a  kind  of  short  tube,  but  when 
they  fall  Off,  they  leave,  not  a  continuous  circular  mark,  but  five 
distinct  scars  on  the  top  of  the  fruit  alternating  with  the  teeth  of 
the  calyx  :  1  can  perceive  no  epigynous  disk.  One  might  suppose 
it  a*l5pecies  of  Olacinese  with  inferior  fruit,  but  it  differs  from  the 
true  genera  of  that  order,  as  well  as  of  Santulaceee,  by  the  want  of 
a  central  columella  to  the  ovarium  :  at  the  same  time  it  is  more  re- 
lated to  these  than  to  any  other  order  at  present  characterized,  and 
has  as  much  right  to  be  placed  near  them  as  some  others  usually 
referred  there,  but  differing  widely  in  their  ovaria  and  fruit.  In 
many  respects  it  bears  a  relation  to  Schmpfa,  a  genus  referred  by 
Decandolle  to  Loranthacese,  having  a  cup-shaped  bractea  under 
its  ovarium,  and  said  to  have  a  trilocular  ovary  ;  whereas  here  the 
calyx  is  naked  at  the  base,  and  there  is  no  trace  of  a  central  axis. 
In  Schcepfa  arborescensy  however,  the  only  species  which  I  possess 
or  have  had  an  opportunity  of  dissecting,  the  ovary  is  unilocular, 
with  three  ovules  suspended  from  the  apex  of  a  thick  angular,  but 
free  central  column,  as  in  Olacinese  and  Santalaceee  ;  nor  does  it  ap- 


552  On  some  new  or  obscure  species  oj' Plants. 

pear  distinct  from  the  latter  except  by  the  presence  of  a  true  co- 
rolla, or  from  the  former  except  by  the  cohering  calyx.  Perhaps, 
then,  notwithstanding  the  difference  of  structure  of  the  ovary, 
Schcejifia  and  Mackaya  may  be  linked  together,  and  form  a  small 
(artiticial  P)  group  among  the  Calycifloree,  connecting  Santalacee 
with  them,  as  Olax  does  with  the  Thalaniiflorae ;  a  view  which 
would  be  strengthened,  if  we  were  to  consider  with  Dr  Lindley, 
while  speaking  of  Anthoboleae,  Nysseae,*  and  Santalaceee,  that  the 
superior  or  inferior  fruit  was  a  character  of  more  importance  than 
the  position  of  the  ovules.  Without,  however,  granting  this,  for 
which  I  am  not  prepared,  the  two  may  be  placed  near  each  other, 
till  other  and  better  affinities  be  discovered. 

I  may  here  add  with  regard  to  Sihcvpjiay  that  although  Vahl, 
(under  Codotiium,)  and  some  other  botanists,  describe  the  ovarium 
as  half-superior,  that  portion  which  is  elevated  above  the  margin  of 
the  calyx  is  perfectly  solid  and  fleshy,  and  appears  to  me  to  be  more 
an  epigynous  disk,  similar  to  what  is  observed  in  many  Rubiaceae, 
than  a  part  of  the  ovarium  itself:  the  ovary  is  thus  truly  inferior, 
and  this  constitutes  the  principal  objection  to  uniting  the  genus  to 
Olacines.  The  ovules  are  narrow  oblong,  attenuated  at  their  point 
of  attachment,  and  reach  from  the  apex  of  the  columella  nearly  to 
its  base,  with  the  angles  of  which  they  alternate.  In  5.  arborescens 
the  style  is  cylindrical  without  any  trace  of  furrows,  and  reaches  to 
about  the  middle  of  the  corolla ;  the  stigma  is  capitate,  and  not  at 
all  lobed ;  it  is,  however,  slightly  flattened :  the  lobes  of  the  corolla 
are  recurved  and  acute,  nor  do  I  see  how  S.  Jiexuosa  is" to  be  dis- 
tinguished except  by  its  rather  narrower  leaves.  Vahl  mentions 
that  there  is  a  small  tuft  of  hairs  on  the  corolla  at  the  back  of  the 
anthers,  which  I  perceive  also  in  my  specimen  (from  Bahia:)  there 
thus  seems  to  be  no  distinction  in  this  respect  between  the  Ameri- 
can and  Indian  species ;  but  in  one  of  those  from  India,  and  pro- 
bably in  both,  the  stigma  is  clavate  and  3-lobed,  and  the  corolla  in- 
fundibuliform,  by  which  Decandolle's  two  sections  may  be  charac- 
terized. 

•  The  genus  Nyssa  differs  from  Santalaceae  not  only  in  habit,  but  by  the  very 
large  embryo  nearly  as  long  as  the  alhumen,  which  is  thin  ;  the  whole  structure 
of  the  seed  is  not  very  unlike  that  of  Fagonia  cretica,  and  some  other  genera  of 
the  class  Rutacese,  as  also  of  Euphorhiaceae :  In  those  species  I  have  examined 
I  have  found  only  one  ovule  in  the  ovarium 


[     553     ] 


REVIEWS  AND  CRITICAL  ANALYSIS. 


Dr  Lardner*s  Cabinet  Cyclopcedia,  Natural  History,  Natural 
History  and  Classification  of  Birds,  By  W.  Swainson,  Esq. 
A.  C.  G.,  F.  R.  S.  L.,  &c.  Vol.  II.  London,  Longman  and  Co. 
1837.     (Continued  from  p.  461.) 

Wb  now  pass  to  the  tribe  Scansores  or  climbing  birds,  '*  compriz- 
ing all  those  families  whose  feet  are  more  particularly  organized  for 
climbing  trees,  and  whose  modification  of  structure  have  been  al- 
ready so  fully  explained"  in  a  previous  volume.  With  the  exception 
of  the  creepers  (^Cerlhiadas,)  the  whole  tribe  have  their  toes  placed 
in  pairs.  The  primary  divisions  are  naturally  arranged  under  the 
families  Certhiadct,  Picidtp,  Psittacidat  Ramphastidts,  and  Cucu- 
lidos  ;  and  these,  he  observes,  "  collectively  form  a  complete  circle, 
the  junction  of  the  last  with  the  Ramphastidse  being  effected  by 
the  great  hollow-billed  genus  Phcenicophaus,  and  by  Scythrops,  the 
Australian  genus  of  toucans."  The  certkiacUet  which  show  the 
closest  affinity  to  the  Tenuirostres  or  suctorial  tribe,  are  generally 
of  a  small  size,  with  a  bill  of  slender  proportions  as  compared  with 
other  Scansores,  but  the  hinder  toe  greatly  developed.  The  subfa- 
milies of  this  division  are  the  Anabatifue,  with  the  tail  slightly  rigid, 
but  never  acute,  the  outer  toes  free  ;  Certhiana,  having  the  tail  ter- 
minating in  sharp  and  often  horny  points ;  Bnphagirue  with  the 
bill  thicker,  and  tail  as  in  the  first  group,  Troglodytirue,  the  wrens, 
and  Sitiina,  with  a  short  and  partially  wedge-shaped  bill,  the  toes 
greatly  developed  in  proportion  to  the  size  of  the  body.  From  this 
family  he  has  rejected  the  genus  Upupa,  Li^n.  which  he  now  places 
among  the  Promeropida,  as  the  tenuirostral  form  ;  as  well  as  Ortho^ 
tomus,  which  we  have  seen  him  introduce  as  a  scansorial  type  among 
the  Sylvian€B  ;  and  J/itto/tY/a,  which  holds  the  same  station  among  the 
American  SylvicoUe.  The  Picidce  which,  from  their  structure,  he 
considers  to  be  the  most  perfect  of  the  climbers,  constitute  the 
typical  division  of  the  tribe.  Of  its  minor  groups,  the  subfamily 
PicianiB,  or  true  woodpecker,  has  been  investigated  with  great  sue- 


554  Classification  of  Birds. 

ceas,  and  its  circle  down  to  the  subgeneric  groups  wonderfully  work- 
ed out.  The  SuccoincB,  containing  the  genera  Asthenurus,  Sw. 
Picumnvs,  Temm.  Bucco,  Linn,  and  Pogonias,  111.  is  another  sec- 
tion^ and  it  is  probable  the  genera  Yunx,  Linn,  and  Ojeyrynchus, 
Temm.  may  prove  representatives  of  others.  The  PsittacicUB,  or  par- 
rot form  the  third  family,  and  subtypical  division.  Of  these  curi- 
ous and  beautiful  birds,  he  justly  remarks,  that,  if  any  group  in  na- 
ture be  isolated,  it  is  this.  Possessing  in  themselves  the  strongest 
characteristics,  there  is  no  bird  yet  discovered  which  presents  any 
point  of  connection  to  them.  Approximations,  indeed,  are  certainly 
made  towards  them  by  the  tooth-billed  barbuts,  (Pogonias),  but 
there  is  still  a  gap  which  no  genus  yet  discovered  is  calculated  to 
fiUup. 

The  subfamilies,  as  indicated  by  the  genera,  appear  to  be  the  Ma* 
crocercina,  PsUtacina^  Pfyclolophina,  Loriana,  and  Platycerdtue, 
under  each  of  which  he  has  in  the  Synopsis  given  the  genera  and 
subgenera,  which  donot  essentially  differ  from  the  arrangements  con- 
tained in  the  history  of  parrots,  forming  the  sixth  volume  of  the 
"  Naturalist's  Library."  The  JRamphastida,  or  toucans,  represent 
the  fourth  family,  a  group  remarkable  for  the  enormous  size  and 
comparative  lightness  of  their  bills,  a  provision  beautifully  adapted 
for  that  excessive  development  of  the  olfactory  organs  which  gives 
them  the  most  exquisite  powers  of  smell.  The  genera  recognised 
are  four,  viz.  Rampkaslos,  Linn.  Pteroghssu*,  111.,  Aulacorynchus, 
Gould,  and  Scytkrops,  Lath.  The  cuckoos  or  Cuculida  form  the 
fifth  and  last  family  of  the  Scansores*  This  he  divides  into  the  sub- 
families Cucuilirup,  Cortyzina,  Crotophaginay  Leptosominet,  and 
Indicatorina  ;  but  as  our  limits  will  not  permit  us  to  enter  into  fur- 
ther *details^  we  refer  our  readers  to  the  author's  elaborate  papers  on 
this  group,  contained  in  the  third  and  fifth  numbers  of  this  Maga- 
zine. We  may,  however,  remark,  that  he  conceives  the  necessary 
union  between  the  scansorial  tribe  and  the  rasorial  order  of  birds,  iz 
effected  by  certain  species  of  the  genus  Leptosomcu  The  tenuiro$- 
tral  tribe  or  honey-suckers,  which  he  considers  the  most  aberrant  di- 
vision of  the  insessorial  order,  are  principally  distinguished  by  the 
structure  of  their  tongue,  which  is  always  retractile  and  long,  some* 
times  simply  forked,  but  more  frequently  >vith  the  tip  brush-like  or 
filamentous ;  the  feet  and  legs  are  generally  small  and  slender,  and 
the  bill  in  the  typical  groups  is  so  delicate,  as  to  appear  to  be  form- 
ed rather  for  the  purpose  of  sheathing  or  defending  the  tongue,  than 
for  seizing  or  grasping  food.  The  primary  divisions  are  thus  named 
from  the  generic  types,   Trochilida,  Cinnyridtpy  Promeropida,  Pa- 


Classification  of  Birds,  556 

radisida,  and  Mellipkagida.  Of  these, the  two  first  are  considered 
the  typical  and  sub- typical  divisions.  In  the  Melliphagidse  we  have 
a  curious  and  highly  interesting  group^  containing  within  itself^  as 
he  observes,  types  of  every  order  and  tribe  throughout  ornithol(^. 
By  the  Piiloris  paradiseus,  or  rifle-bird  of  Australia,  it  seems 
brought  in  connection  with  the  Profneropida,  while  its  smaller  forms 
lead  to  the  sun-birds  or  family  Cinnyridcd,  the  typical  groups  of 
which  are  natives  of  the  tropical  regions  of  the  old  world.  In  these, 
birds  the  margins  of  the  bill  are  minutely  dentated,  the  tongue 
forming  a  bifid  tube^  but  the  tip  without  the  filaments  or  brush-like 
appendage  of  the  Melliphagidse. 

In  the  Trockilida  or  true  humming-birds  he  remarks, ''  we  have 
the  full  development  of  the  suctorial  perfection  belonging  to  this 
tribe."  As  a  group  they  still  remain  in  a  degree  isolated,  no  imme- 
diate connecting  link  with  the  other  families  having  yet  been  dis- 
covered, though  there  is  obviously  a  strong  affinity  between  them 
and  the  Cinnyridse ;  and  in  the  large  species  lately  discovered,  we 
ore  inclined  to  think  a  close  approximation  to  the  Promeropidae  will 
be  found  to  exist.  He  determines  the  five  principal  forms  under  the 
generic  heads  of  TrochiluSi  Cynanlkus,  Lampomis,  Campy lopterus, 
and  Pcelhornis.  We  now  arrive  at  the  last  tribe  of  the  Insessores, 
which,  from  the  great  width  of  the  gape  of  its  members,  has  been 
named  the  tribe  of  Fissirostres,  As  a  whole,  Mr  Swainson  observes, 
''  they  are  distinguished  by  having  the  powers  of  flight  developed 
in  the  highest  degree ;  all  energies  of  their  nature  seem  concentrated 
in  this  one  perfection  ;  for  their  feet  are  always  very  short,  weak, 
and  generally  so  imperfect  as  to  be  of  no  further  use  than  to  rest 
the  body  after  flight.  Their  food  is  insects  captured  upon  the  wing." 
The  primary  divisions  are  supposed  to  be  the  families  Caprimul^ 
gidcB,  Hirundinida,  Meropi€Ue,[  Halcyonida,  and  Trogonida. — 
Among  the  Beefeaters,  Meropida,  we  find  the  Rollers,  genus  Coracias, 
which  by  former  systematists  used  to  be  placed  among  or  near  to  the 
crows.  That  the  present  is  their  natural  station,  no  one,  we  think, 
who  has  investigated  their  structure  and  economy,  as  well  as  their 
immediate  affinity  to  the  genus  Eurystomus  will  be  prepared  to 
doubt.  Among  the  Halcyonidae  he  properly  places  the  puff-birds  or 
members  of  Tamatick,  and  its  sub-genera,  an  extensive  group, 
which,  in  systems  where  natural  affinities  and  economy  were  either 
little  understood,  or  not  attended  to,  used  to  figure  among  the  Cii- 
culidiB,  Thejacamars,  also,  (G<i/Wa),  which  at  one  period  were 
placed  close  to  the  hornbills,  he  has  transferred  to  their  proper  sta- 
tion in  this  family.     That  the  IVogons,  whose  situation  hitherto  has 


556  Classification  of  Birds, 

been  a  subject  of  much  doubt  and  discussion,  actually  form  a  por- 
tion of  the  fissirostral  tribe,  ^an  examination  of  the  species,  as  well 
as  what  we  know  of  their  habits  and  economy,  has  satisfied  us,  al- 
thuiigli  some  links  may  be  wanting  to  render  their  connection  with 
the  other  groups  of  a  closer  nature  than  it  is  at  present.  With  the 
Trogons  he  associates  the  Motmots,  {Prioniles,  111.,)  which  also  pos- 
sess a  serrated  bill ;  by  some  of  the  species  such  as  P,  plaiyrynckits, 
and  a  beautiful  recent  introduction  P.  superciliaris,  a  decided  affi- 
nity to  the  Meropidse  and  Halcyonidee  is  indicated. 

The  gallinaceous  birds,  or  order  RasoreSy  next  claim  attention  ; 
but  as  our  analysis  has  already  extended  to  an  inconvenient  length, 
we  must  confine  our  remarks  to  a  mere  notification  of  the  primary 
groups  of  which  it  and  the  two  remaining  orders  seem  to  be  com- 
posed. The  rasorial  families  are  the  Pavonidre,  Teiriionida, 
SiruthionidcPf  CohimbidcB,  and  Cracida,  or  as  he  afterwards  names 
it  in  the  synopsis  Mcgapodida,  Of  these  five  the  two  first  are  the 
typical  and  subtypical  divisions.  The  analogies  of  the  rasorial 
birds  with  the  ungulated  quadrupeds,  respecting  which  wc  have  al- 
ready stated  our  opinion,  are  given  in  the  following  table. 

Pavonidae Soli  pedes 

Tetraonidae Ruminantes 

Crucidie Anoplotheres 

Columbidas Edentates 

Struthionidse Pachydermes 

The  connection  of  this  order  with  the  Insessores  through  the  me- 
dium of  the  Scansores,  its  analogue,  he  endeavours  to  prove,  and  we 
think  successfully,  to  be  effected  by  certain  birds  of  the  family  Cu- 
culidee,  such  as  G.  Crotophaga,  Ltpiosoma,  and  the  Cocofzus  Geoff'- 
royii,  and  not  by  Musophaga  or  Corythaix,  as  supposed  by  Cuvier 
and  other  writers  ;  the  atfiuities  of  the  last  mentioned  genera  clearly 
indicating  them  to  belong  to  the  Conirostral,  and  not  to  the  Scan- 
sorial  tribe.  A  few  additional  |observations  on  the  affinities  of  the 
gallinaceous  birds  closes  this  chapter. 

The  Grallatorial  order,  or  wading-birds,  comprises,  in  Mr  Swains- 
son's  words,  ''  all  such  families  as  live  both  on  land  and  sea,  and 
to  whom  one  element  is  as  essential  as  the  other."  The  families 
or  primary  divisions  of  the  waders  are  supposed  to  bfe  comprehended 
under  the  following  heads;  Ardeadm,  Charadriadaf,  Scolopacidig^ 
Rallidxe,  and  TanlalidcB,  Among  the  Ardeadce,  he  places  the 
Cranes,  which  we  were  inclined  to  consider  as  a  distinct  family, 
and  that  his^^family  Tantalida  entered  within  the  circle  of  the 
Ardeadm ;  our  views,  however,  we  confess,  may  have  been  errone- 


Classification  of  Birds.    ,  657 

ous,  as  our  investigation  of  the  contents  of  this  order  has  not  been 
of  that  minute  character  to  enable  us  to  speak  confidently  of  its 
affinities  and  analogical  relations.  The  order  Natatores,  or  swim- 
ming birdSj  closes  the  great  ornithological  circle^  and  is  composed 
of  such  families  as  habitually  live  upon  the  waters.  They  are  cha- 
racterized as  having  feet  short  in  proportion  to  the  size  of  the  body, 
generally  placed  behind  the  equilibrium,  with  toes  rather  long,  and 
more  or  less  united  by  a  thin  membrane  or  web,  and  with  the  ex- 
ception of  tlie  waderb,  are  the  only  order  which  have  the  neck  con- 
siderably longer  than  the  legs.  The  five  great  divisions  which  are 
supposed  to  constitute  the  natural  families  of  the  order,  are  the 
Analidis^  Laridce,  Pelicanidee,  AlcadcBy  and  Colijmbida  ;  of  these  he 
considers  the  two  last,  from  the  great  development  of  the  natatorial 
powers,  to  be  the  primary  types,  but  adds,  that  further  investigation 
is  required,  before  the  anal(^ies  of  its  primary  groups  can  be  satis- 
factorily determined ;  at  present,  he  supposes  them  to  stand  thus. 

Families  of  NatatoreS'      Tribes  of  Insessorss.  Orders  of  Birds, 

Colymbidae,  Conirostres,  Insessores, 

Alcadee,  Dentirostres,  Raptores, 

Pelicanidae,  Fissirostres,  Natatores, 

Ldridae,  Tenuirostres,  Grallatores, 

Anatidae,  Scansores,  Rasores ; 

and  though  not  fully  convinced  of  the  truth  of  his  positions^  we  must 
confess,  his  arguments  in  their  favour  are  ingenious,  and  of  consider- 
able weight*     Among  the  Anatidae,  whose  circle,  in  some  of  its 
minor  divisions,  as  that  of  the  Anaiince,  has  been  successfully  worked 
out,  he  places  those  singular  birds,  the  flamingoes,  G.  Phcenicop- 
ierus,  a   transportation  from  the  grallatorial  order  in  which  they 
were  left  by  other  writers,  but  for  which  change,  judging  from  what 
we  have  seen  of  these  birds,  both  as  to  structure  and  habits,  he  has 
good  grounds  for  doing.     It  thus,   as  an  aberrant  form,  becomes 
the  grallatorial  type  of  the  Anatidae,  and  forms  that  link  by  which 
the  Natatores  are  united  to  the  Grallatores.     Of  the  families  Co- 
lymbidas,  Alcadce,  and  PelicanidoBy  much  remains  for  further  exami- 
nation, and  he  merely  points  out  the  known  genera  of  each.     The 
Laridae  or  gull  family,  including  the  terns^  gulls,  albatrosses,  skuas, 
and  petrels,  is  the  fifth  and  last ;  the  circle  being  closed  by  the  sub- 
genus Pachypiila,  Forst.,  which,  in  the  form  of  the  bill,  indicates  a 
near  approch  to  the  family  of  the  Anatidae.     Among  the  Laridas 
he  has  also  placed  the  genus  Dromon,  Payk.,  the  representative  of 
which  is  figured  and  described  in  the  ''  Illustrations  of  Ornithol(^y>" 
under  the  title  of  Erodia  Ampkilensis  ;  but  we  cannot  think  Mr 


568  Classificatioji  of  Birds. 

Swainson's  viewfi  in  regard  to  this  curious  bird  are  correct^  its  form 
and  structure  apparently  bringing  it  much  closer  to  some  of  the 
grallatoriai  families,  and  we  can  only  attribute  its  present  station  to 
the  circumstance  of  the  author  never  having  seen  or  examined  a 
specimen. 

The  concluding  half  of  the  volume  is  occupied  with  '^  a  Synopsis 
of  the  Natural  Arrangement  of  Birds,"  in  which  the  whole  of  the  or- 
ders, families,  and  other  minor  divisions  are  arranged  in  that  series, 
which  the  latest  researches  of  the  author  indicate  to  be  most  in 
consonance  with  their  direct  affinities,  and  consequently  with  that 
order  which  they  occupy  in  nature.  U{>on  an  inspection  of  this 
synopsis,  it  will  be  observed,  that  the  distribution  of  the  groups  in 
some  cases  is  different  from  what  they  appear  in  the  text,  bnt  this, 
he  observes,  *^  has  resulted  from  further  analysis,  and  by  incorpo- 
rating his  researches  up  to  the  latest  time."  These  changes,  indeed, 
are  mostly  of  minor  importance,  that  is,  they  do  not  interfere,  or 
are  at  variance  with  the  principle  of  his  arrangement,  being  mostly 
confined  to  such  forms  or  groups  as  had  not  previously  undergone  a 
searching  analysis,  or  which,  as  osculant  species,  and  showing  a 
double  affinity,  it  was  difficult,  without  additional  information,  to 
locate  in  the  groups  to  which  they  are  in  reality  most  nearly  allied. 
The  nomendatural  department,  it  will  be  seen,  has  undergone  con- 
siderable change;  several  new  genera  have  been  added,  and  many 
generic  and  specific  names  introduced  by  other  writers  have  been 
altered.  With  the  first  class  we  find  no  fault,  so  long  as  the  forms 
present  characters  of  sufficient  importance  to  %varrant  generic  dis- 
tinction. With  the  other,  though  we  do  not  approve  of  all  the  innova- 
tions introduced,  we  nevertheless  think  the  names  are  generally,  as 
being  more  classic  in  their  derivation,  preferable  to  those  for  which 
they  are  substituted ;  and  further,  that  an  author  is  justified  in 
making  such  changes  whenever  the  rules  of  nomenclature,  as  laid 
down  by  the  '  fathers  of  science,'  have  been  palpably  violated  or  ne- 
glected, otherwise  it  is  impossible  a  system  of  classic  nomenclature 
can  ever  be  established  or  insured.  Upon  quitting  this  part  of  the 
volume,  we  shall  just  glance  at  one  or  two  forms,  whose  situation,  if 
not  inappropriate,  we  at  least  deem  doubtful,  with  the  limited  infor- 
mation at  present  possessed  of  their  habits  and  economy.  The  first 
is  that  of  his  Catheturus  Australis,  (the  Alectura  or  New  Holland 
vulture  of  Dr  Latham,)  which  he  places  among  the  Vulturidie,  of 
which  family  he  considers  it  the  rasorial  type,  though  he  had  pre- 
viously assigned  that  station  to  the  Dodo  of  authors, — a  bird  of  whose 
existence  at  any  period,  under  the  form  generally  represented,  we 
have  always  been  very  sceptical.    Our  own  impression,  from  a  mi- 


Classification  of  Birds,  559 

nute  examination  of  skins  of  Catheturus,  is,  that  it  belongs  to  the 
rasorial  order,  and  will  enter  the  family  named  Cracida,  or  now  by 
Mr  Swainson,  MegapodidcB.     Its  exterior  characters  certainly  ap- 
pear more  nearly  allied  to  the  rasorial  than  the  raptorial  forms — the 
bill,  though  strong,  being  in  shape  essentially  that  of  a  gallinaceous 
bird,  with  nostrils  partially  protected  by  a  superincumbent  scale. 
The  tail,  as  the  generic  name  first  given  it  clearly  imparts,  is  strict- 
ly  rasorial,  and  the  legs  in  structure  closely  approach  those  of  some 
of  the  birds  with  which  we  would  associate  it.     Of  its  habits  and 
mode  of  living,  upon  which  much  depends,  we  unfortunately  know 
little  or  nothing.   A  second  is  that  of  the  genus  Chionis  or  sheatlibill, 
which  he  has  placed  as  a  form  in  the  family  Columbidce,  but  whose 
affinities  require  to  be  better  understood  before  its  real   station 
can    possibly   be  determined.      The  cranes,  genus  Gt^s,  &c.  we 
still   think   entitled  to   a  rank   of  higher   value  than   that  of   a 
subfamily  of  Ardeadce.    It  will  be  observed  that  the  genus  and  its 
subgenera  have  been  altogether  omitted  or  forgotten  in  the  synop- 
sis.   Of  the  present  situation  of  the  genus  HaemalopuSy  we  also  have 
considerable  doubts,  and  believe  that  it  will  be  found  to  belong  to  a 
different  division  of  the  Orallatores.     Of  the  affinity  of  Dronius, 
the  last  genus  of  the  synopsis,  we  have  already  stated  our  opinion. 
Having  at  length  brought  our  observations  to  a  conclusion,  we  take 
our  leave  of  Mr  Swainson,  with  feelingsof  gratitude  for  the  lasting  be- 
nefit he  has  conferred  upon  science.    He  has  in  the  volumes  now  pub- 
lished given  us  a  system  or  arrangement  of  two  of  the  great  classes  of 
vertebrate  animals,  which,  if  not  yet  perfect  in  all  its  details,  has, 
nevertheless,  its  great  outlines  and  demarcations  based  upon  fixed 
and  important  principles,  proving  it  to  be  infinitely  superior  to  any 
that  has  before  been  attempted,  and  more  in  accordance  with,  or 
more  nearly  approaching,  the  natural  system.  He  has,  we  think,  suc- 
cessfully carried  out  the  views  and  principles  of  that  eminent  natu- 
ralist, which  were  first  disclosed  in  the  pages  of  the  Horae  Evto^ 
mologicce,  and,  in  addition,  has  announced,  and  we  think  gone  far 
to  prove,  the  existence  of  other  important  natural  and  general  laws. 
That  much  remains  to  be  done  to  render  the  arrangement  perfect 
in  all  its  parts  and  minor  details,  we  fireely  allow ;  it  is  indeed  a 
matter  of  time,  and  must  occupy  years  to  accomplish.     Day  after 
day,  however,  new  objects  in  every  department  of  natural  history 
are  being  brought  to  light.    These,  so  far  from  increasing  our  diffi- 
culties, mu8t  essentially  diminish  them,  as  we  may  naturally  expect 
to  find,  among  the  variety  discovered,  forms  which  we  wanted  to 
fill  up  those  links  of  the  chain  which  at  present  are  imperfect  or 
disjointed. 


560  Tentamen  Pttridograpkia\ 

Bibliographical  Notices. 
Tentamen  Pteridographias,  seu  Genera  Filicacearum,  presertimjux* 
ia  venarutn  decurjtum  et  distributionem  exjtosila.     Auctore   Ca- 
ROLO  BoR.  Presl.     PragK,  1836,  8vo.  pp.  290. 

Although  published  in  1836,  this  very  interesting  work  has  only 

4  just  come  in  our  way,  and  we  hasten  to  bring  it  under  the  notice  of 

our  readers.     As  the  title  indicates,  it  is  an  att^^mpt  to  determine 

the  genera  of  Filices,  according  to  characters  mainly  derived  from 

the  venation  of  the  frond. 

''Dignttasvasorum  seu  nervorum  venarumve,"observesthe  author. 
*'  in  dignoscendis  plantis  jum  eo  usque  cognita  est,  quod  ex  contem- 
platione  illarum  in  foliis  diversissimis  plantae  monocotyledoneae  a  di- 
cotyledoneis  facile  discerni  possunt.  Dispositio  nervorum  vel  ve- 
narum  in  laminis  foliaceis  indicnt  compagem  organorum,  in  quibus 
obvenit,  et  cum  dispositione  vasorum  in  truncis  et  petiolis  conten- 
torum  arctissimo  cohaeret  vinculo.  Usee  vasa  in  organis  fuliaceis 
Filicacearum  tamquam  costue,  venae  et  venulae  palam  fiunt  et  ex 
supra  allatis  cuusis  maximum  in  describendis  dividendisque  Filici- 
bus  possident  argumentum.  Filicacese  compage  venarum  anatomi- 
ca  ab  omnibus  aliis  vegetabilibus  phanerogamis  quam  maxime  dif- 
ferunt  ;  hac  ex  causa  venw  Filicacearum  characterem  essentialeni 
et  validissimum  ex  interna  structura  harum  plantarum  desumtum 
praebent.'* 

The  work  is  illustrated  by  twelve  folding  plates  filled  with  a 
great  number  of  accurately  drawn  and  beautifully  executed  figures, 
exhibiting  the  venation  and  fructification  of  the  genera.  Perhaps 
M.  Presl  has  in  some  cases  pushed  his  principle  a  little  too  far, 
and  formed  genera  of  groups  which  might  have  been  retained  with 
advantage  as  sections.  The  number  of  new  genera  amount  nearly 
to  fifty  !  There  is  no  doubt  that  venation  has  been  too  much  ne- 
glected, and  that  henceforth  it  Avill  be  held  of  primary  importance 
in  defining  the  genera  of  this  large  and  beautiful  family. 

Bryologia  Europ^ea  seu  Genera  Muscorum  Europaeorum  Monogra- 
pkicc  illustrnta,  Auctoribus  Bruch  et  W.  P.  Schimper.  Fasc. 
1.  cum.  Tab.  xi.     Stuttgartiae,  1837.     4to. 

This  is  the  first  part  of  an  entirely  new  work  upon  the  Mosses  of 
£urope,  and,  if  completed  according  to  the  plan  proposed,  will  form 
a  valuable  addition  to  our  botanical  libraries.  The  generic  and  spe- 
cific characters  arc  in  Latin  ;  the  observations  hn  French  and  Ger- 
man. Every  species  is  figured,  and  the  well-executed  plates  abound 


EncydojHBdia  Britannica,  561 

with  those  minute  details  (drawn  by  the  authors  themselves,)  for 
which  the  German  naturalists  are  celebrated.  The  present  fascicu- 
lus contains  the  Phascac^je  and  Bitxbaumiacete.  The  second 
and  third  fasciculi,  containing  the  ORTHOTRicHACEiE,  illustrated 
with  twenty  plates,  are  probably  already  published.  Each  mono- 
graph is  perfect  in  itself,  and  may  be  purchased  separately.  We  re- 
commend the  work  to  the  attention  of  all  muscologists. 

Encyclopaedia  Britannica.  Edited  by  Professor  Naptkr.  4to.  &lack 
and  Co.  Edinburgh.    Article  Mammalia y  &c. 
Though  an  Encyclopaedia  scarcely  comes  under  the  range  of  a 
Magazine  devoted  to  Zoology  and  Botany,  yet  works  of  this  kind 
often  contain  so  much  information  on  physical  science,  and  have  held 
such  an  important  station  in  the  literature  of  almost  all  countries, 
that  we  think  ourselves  bound  to  direct  attention  to  the  articles 
devoted  to  natural  history,  and   more  particularly  as  these  can  now 
be  obtained  bound  up  apart  from  the  great  work  itself.    The  Ency- 
clopaedia Britannica  is  now  in  the  course  of  publication  by  an  enter- 
prising Edinburgh  bookseller,  having  the  various  departments,  in- 
dependent of  the  superintendence  of  an  enlightened  general  editor, 
placed  under  the  charge  of  men  whose  names  are  a  guarantee  for  the 
accuracy  and  merit  of  the  essays  which  fall  under  their  review. 
The  zoological  department  has  been  entrusted  to  Mr  James  Wilson, 
author  of  the  "  Illustrations  of  Zoology  ;"  and  there  has  already  ap- 
peared, in  addition  to  shorter  and  less  important  articles,  Entomo^ 
logy.  Ichthyology^  and  Mammalia.     The  first,  being  the  favourite 
pursuit  of  its  author,  has  perhaps  had  the  most  pains  bestowed  upon 
it^  and  forms  an  excellent  introductory  treatise  on  this  branch,  oc- 
cupying a  complete  half  volume.     Ichthyology  runs  through  nearly 
a  hundred  pages ;  and  the  last  article.  Mammalia^  occupying  a  hundred 
and  twenty  pages,  forms  a  good  and  concise  exposition  of  the  Cu- 
vierian  system,  which  has  been  adopted  in  both  the  latter  branches, 
"  rather  than  that  of  any  more  modern,  or  it  may  be  amended 
classilication,"  which  from  "  critical  asperities  have  scarcely  in  them- 
selves subsided  into  a  lucid  or  tranquil  element  of  science."*    Most 
of  the  latest  discoveries  have  been  introduced  in  their  proper  places, 
and  the  treatise  will  be  found  to  contain  a  summary  of  what  was 
known  up  to  the  date  of  publication.     The  engravings,  generally 
copies  from  the  standard  illustrated  works,  both  British  and  foreign, 
are  well  executed,  and  in  the  three  departments^  amount  to  forty- 
eight  in  number.f 

*  Mammalia,  pages  84  and  88- 

f  Mammalia  17,  Ichthyology  11,  Ertomology  20. 


I  562  ] 


INTELLIGENCE. 


Miscellaneous. 

Botanical  Society. — 1837,  November9th. — Prafessoi Graham, 
President,  in  the  Chair. — The  following  members  were  elected  : 
Residenty  Mr  A.  H.  Balfour ;  Mr  James  Crossfield ;  Air  Alexander 
Dempster.  Non-resident,  Mr  C.  E.  Broome  of  Rudloe ;  Mr  Samuel 
Holker  Haslam,  of  Chesham  ;  Mr  John  Sheer,  Aberdeen.  Foreign, 
M.  S.  Bischoff,  Berne ;  M.George  DoUiner,  Vienna  ;  M.  F.  Glocker, 
Berne ;  Dr  Oswald  Heer,  Professor  of  Botany  in  the  University 
of  Zurich  ;  M.  Albert  KoUiker,  Zurich  ;  Dr  Francis  Lagger,  Fri- 
bourg  ;  Rev.  Christian  Miinch,  Basle  ;  M.  Charles, Naegeli,  Zurich  ; 
M.  Phil.  Max.  Opitz,  Prague  ;  M.  L.  Rabenhorst,  Luckau  ;  M. 
J.  L.  Schaller,  Fribourg ;  M.  R.  Schartow,  Berne ;  M.  C.  Sin«, 
Berne ;  Professor  John  Bernh.  Wilbrand,  Giessen. 

Specimens  were  presented  from  Sir  William  Jardine  and  twenty- 
four  members  of  the  Society,  received  since  13th  July^last,  along 
with  various  donatiooa  to  the  library  from  Professor  Wilbrand, 
Mr  J.  T.  Mackay,  Professor  Heer,  Mr  R.  J.  Shuttleworth,  Mr 
P.  J.  Brown,  M.  P.  M.  Opita,  and  Mr  R.  W.  Falconer,  &c.  &c.  The 
thanks  of  the  Society  were  given  to  Dr  Greville,  Dr  Balfour,  and 
Mr  Brand,  for  their  exertions  and  trouble  in  collecting  for  the  So- 
ciety, a  large  stock  of  Alpine  duplicates,  chiefly  from  the  mountains 
of  Forfarshire  and  Aberdeenshire. 

Mr  R.  W.  Falconer  exhibited  a  specimen  of  Celosia  crisiafa  rais- 
ed from  seed,  in  the  open  air,  in  a  garden  near  Bath,  which  by  fre- 
quent transplantation  had  attained  to  a  great  size.  This  plant  is 
a  native  of  Japan,  where  Thunberg  says  the  crests  or  heads  of  flowers 
are  often  one  foot  in  length  and  breadth,  but  that  when  removed 
from  their  native  soil  they  rapidly  degenerate.  The  flower  in  the 
specimen  shown  measured  2  feet  4^  inches  from  side  to  side,  and 
1  foot  2^  inches  across,  and  was  one  of  twenty  equally  large. 

Dr  Balfour  read  an  extract  from  a  letter  which  he  had  recently 
received  from  Mr  W.  B.  Carpenter  of  Bristol,  wherein  Mr  Carpen- 
ter mentioned  that,  on  tracing  up  the  reproductive  system,  from  its 
simplest  appearance  in  the  lowest  cryptogamic  to  its  most  special- 
ized form  in  the  highest  flowering  plants,  he  was  inclined  to  think 


MtsceUaneons,  56d 

that  there  is  no  essential  change  in  its  character  throughout  the 
vegetable  kingdoms,  although  the  organs  become  progressively  more 
complicated,  the  lowest  and  simplest,  however,  possessing  all  that 
is  essential  in  the  highest.  Mr  Carpenter  intimated  his  intention 
of  making  these  views  ere  long  the  subject  of  a  paper  to  be  sent  to 
the  Society. 

Dr  Graham  exhibited  drawings,  and  gave  an  account  of  several 
remarkable  forms  of  trees  which  he  had  recently  seen  and  examin- 
ed.    1.  In  the  M'Nab  burying-ground  at  Killin,  a  small  Scotch  fir 
(Pinus  sylvestris)  is  suspended  from  one  much  larger,  by  adhesion 
to  Its  side.     The  suspended  tree  is  alive  both  above  and  below  the 
point  of  union,  and  is  of  considerably  greater  diameter  below  that 
point  than  above  it.     Notwithstanding  a  legend  regarding  it,  that 
thirty  years  ago^  in  a  gale  in  February,  a  branch  was  broken  from 
a  neighbouring  tree,  and  stuck  in   a  cleft  in  the  one  here  alluded 
tOj  Dr  Graham  thinks  it  quite  certain  that  the  suspended  tree  had 
grown  on  the  steep  bank  adjoining,  and,  lying  against  its  neighbour, 
had  formed  a  union  with  it,  whilst  its  own  roots  were  yet  in  the 
ground,  and  then,  having  been  detached  from  the  soil,  remained 
suspended,  and   lived  by  the  fluids  obtained  through  the  point  of 
union.     2.  The  apparent  union  of  a  horse-chestnut  and  beech  at 
Cambusmore  near  Callander.     A  branch  from  the  horse-chestnut 
lies  across  the  stem  of  the  beech,  and  is  pinched  tightly  in  the  acute 
angle  formed  by  the  stem,  and  a  large  branch  poceeding  upwards 
from  it,  so  as  to  be  completely  imbedded  and  covered,  with  the  ex- 
ception of  a  narrow  strip  of  the  bark  along  the  upper  side  of  the 
branch,  which  remains  exposed.     Dr  Graham  is  satisfied  that  there 
is  no  transfusion  of  fluids  from  the  beech  to  the  horse  chestnut,  not 
even  organic  adhesion  between  them,  and  he  feels  assured  that  the 
branch  will  die  as  soon  as  it  is  completely  enveloped  by  the  beech. 
3.  At  Gargunnock  House,  Stirlingshire,  two  elm  trees,   (Uhnus 
mantana)  grow  near  to  each  other,  so  near  that  they  might  be  sup- 
posed^ to  arise  from  the  opposite  sides  of  a  considerable  stem,  felled 
many  years  before.     Between  these,  and  a  little  to  one  side,  is  the 
stem  of  an  ash  tree,  less  than  half  the  diameter  of  either  of  the 
elms ;  and  in  the  centre  are  three  stems  of  holly,  two  of  which  are 
certainly  portions  of  one  tree^  but  whether  the  third  is  a  distinct 
tree  or  not,  it  was  found  difiicult  to  determine.     At  their  bases,  all 
these  are  so  intermingled  and  so  imbedded  in  each  other,  that  it  jia 
scarcely  possible  to  believe  that  no  organic  union  subsists  between 
them.     One  of  the  holly  stems  has  died ;  and  another  appears  to 
be  fast  going  to  decay,<-^for  having  become  wholly  imbedded  in  the 
vol*.  II.  NO.  12.  p  p 


664  Miscellaneous. 

elm,  its  bark  must  be  destroyed,  and  no  power  left  of  transmitting 
its  elaborated  fluids  to  the  roots.  All  the  other  trees  are  perfectly 
healthy,  and  together  form  a  top  which  at  a  distance  seems  one 
well-shaped  handsome  tree. 

December  14th. — Professor  Graham^  President,  in  the  chair.  The 
following  members  were  elected  : — Resident ,  Mr  Herbert  Giraud, 
Mr  David  Graham,  Mr  John  Thomas  Syme,  Mr  Emanuel  Young. 
Non- Resident,  Dr  Robert  Hibbert  Taylor,  Dumfries.  Mr  Robert 
Graham  was  appointed  Local  Secretary  at  Liverpool,  and  Dr  Gilbert 
M'Nab  in  Jamaica. 

The  Chevalier  Giovani  Gussone  of  Naples  was  proposed  by  the 
Council,  and  elected  a  Foreign  Honorary  Member. 

Specimens  were  presented  from  Dr  Greville,  Mr  Percy,  Rev.  A. 
Rutherford,  Mr  Edwin  Lees,  Dr  Tyacke,  Rev.  W.  S.  Hore,  Mr 
J.  Cruickshank,  Mr  William  Reid. 

Dr  Greville  presented  a  beautiful  design  for  a  diploma,  for  which 
the  thanks  of  the  Society  were  unanimously  given  to  him. 

Dr  Greville  then  read  a  ^'  Notice  of  a  Botanical  excursion  to  the 
Highlands  of  Forfarshire  and  Aberdeenshire."  Dr  Greville  left 
Edinburgh  on  the  16th  of  August,  accompanied  by  Dr  Balfour  and 
Mr  Brand, — one  of  the  principal  objects  of  the  party  being  to  col- 
lect specimens  of  the  rarest  Scottish  plants  for  the  Botanical  So- 
ciety.  The  party  proceeded  by  Dundee  to  Airlie,  and  from  thence 
to  the  head  of  Glen  Isla,  which  forms  a  part  of  the  richest  botani- 
cal mountain  district  in  Scotland.  About  three  miles  from  Dundee 
the  true  Rumex  aquaticus  of  Linnaeus  was  observed  to  be  not  un- 
frequent,  the  only  station  for  which  plant  in  the  British  islands, 
hitherto  recorded,  being  near  Ayr,  where  it  was  discovered  by  Mr 
Goldie.  In  Canlochen,  one  of  the  glens  which  terminate  the  head 
of  Glen  Isla,  were  found  Thlaspi  alpestre,  Gentiana  nivalis,  Alope- 
curus  alpinus,  Phleum  alpinum,  Poa  alpina,  Erigeron  alpinus, 
Dryas  qctopetala,  Veronica  alpina,  F.  saxatilis^  Epilobium  alsinifo- 
Hum,  Saussurea  alpina,  Sonchus  alpinus,  Juncus  caslaneus.  Car  ex 
atrata,  Salix  lanata,  besides  numerous  other  rare  species  in  which 
this  glen  abounds,  and  which  so  remarkably  characterize  and  dis- 
tinguish it  from  Caness,  the  other  terminal  branch  of  Glen  Isla,^^ 
~  the  latter  being  as  unproductive  in  the  scarcer  alpine  plants,  as  the 
former  has  been  shown  to  be  the  reverse.  From  19th  to  25th 
August,  the  head- quarters  of  the  party  were  fixed  at  the  hamlet  or 
Kirk  town  of  Clova,  near  the  head  of  the  valley  of  the  South  Esk, 
from  whence  excursions  were  made  to  Glen  Dole,  Glen  Phee,  Lock 
Brandy,  &c.  and  a  large  accession  of  plants  made  to  those  already 


Miscellaneous.  565 

collected,— >] Deluding  Lychnis  alpina.  Astragalus  alpinus,  Linncea 
borealis,  Sonchus  alpinus,  Pyrola  rotundifolia,  Carex  rarijlora,  C. 
Vnhliiy  Salix  arenaria,  S.  reticulata,  Hieracium  alpinu7n,  Lycopo^ 
dium  annotinumt  Azalea  procumbens,  Isoetes  lacustris,  Cerastium 
alpinum,  Oxytropis  campestris,  fVoodsia  hyperborea,  Weissia  lati* 
folia,  Didymodon  glaucescens,  &c.  From  Clova  the  party  removed 
on  the  25th,  proceeding  by  Glen  Dole,  the  White  Water,  and  Glen 
Callader  to  Castleton  in  Braemar,  where  they  remained  till  1st 
September,  making  excursions  in  the  interval  to  Glen  Callader, 
Loch-na-gar,  Ben-y-bourd,  &c.  Specimens  were  obtained  of  Carex 
rupestris,  discovered  in  Glen  Callader  in  August  1836  by  Mr  Dickie; 
also  Carex  Vahlii,  C,  paucijlora,  Juncus  castaneus,  Alopecurus  al' 
pinus,  Saxifraga  rivularis,  Stellaria  cerasloides,  Arabis  petraca, 
Comiis  Sttecica,  &c.  Dr  Balfour  found  a  new  station  for  the  rare 
Saxifraga  rivularis  on  Ben-y-bourd.  On  1st  September  the  party  se- 
parated, Dr  Greville  and  Dr  Balfour  recrossing  the  mountains  to  Air- 
lie,  on  their  way  to  Edinburgh,  Mr  Brand  proceeding  by  the  summit 
of  Benmuickdhui,  the  highest  ground  in  Scotland,  (in  order  to  gather 
Luzula  arcuatd)  to  Inverness.  It  is  worthy  of  remark,  that  Rumex 
aqualicus,  which  was  one  of  the  first  plants  met  with,  was  observed 
to  prevail  throughout  the  whole  of  the  district  traversed,  and  even 
to  be  found  in  abundance  by  Mr  Brand  in  Morayshire,  about 
Peterhead,  &c.  During  the  excursion  the  party  suffered  occasion- 
ally from  severe  cold,  attended  with  storms  of  wind,  rain,  and 
snow  ;  but,  in  the  conclusion  of  his  narrative,  Dr  Cireville  observes, 
that  it  ''  was  probably,  taking  all  things  into  consideration,  the  most 
productive  one  ever  made  in  the  Highlands  of  Scotland.  The  num- 
ber of  specimens  procured  cannot,  I  think,  fall  short  of  15,000,  and 
it  only  remains  for  me  to  express  a  hope,  that,  as  far  as  the  Botani- 
cal Society  is  interested  in  the  result  of  our  labours,  its  expectations 
will  not  be  disappointed." 

Dr  Balfour  exhibited  a  Carex  transmitted  to  him  by  Dr  Murray 
of  Aberdeen,  which  had  been  found  by  Mr  Dickie  in  August  1836, 
on  rocks  near  the  summit  of  Loch-na-gar.  Dr  Balfour  stated  that, 
on  careful  examination,  it  appears  to  him  to  be  Carex  Icporina,  Linn, 
Willd.  and  Flor.  Dan.,  C  lagopinaj  Wahl.,  and  C.  Lachenalii^  Schk. 
a  species  never  before  found  in  Britain.  The  Carex  leporina  of 
Huds.,  Leers,  Lightf.,  £hrh.,  and  WahL,  is  merely  a  synonym  of 
C.  avails,  Gooden. 

Dr  Pollexfen  exhibited  specimens  of  Delesseria  ruscifolia,  liho^ 
■domenia  Palmetta,  and  Bonnemaisonia  asparagoides,  found  by  him 
last  summer  in  Orkney,  and  all  new  to  the  Scottish  Flora.     Also 


566  Miscellaneatu. 

Nemalion  luhricum,  Duby,  (Chordaria  nemalion,  Agardh^)  found 
by  Miss  Watt  at  Skaill^  Orkney^  being  a  new  genus  to  Britain. 
Lastly,  a  new  species  of  Striaria,  found  by  Dr  Pollexfen  in  Kirk- 
wall Bay,  Orkney,  which  he  proposes  naming  S,  Grevilliana.  It 
is  chiefly  distinguished  by  its  irregular  ramification. 

Dr  Graham  read  some  remarks  on  a  paper  published  by  Dr  Wight, 
in  the  Madras  Journal,  (No.  13,  p.  300,)  which  paper  contained  a 
commentary  on  a  letter  ^m  him  to  Dr  Wight,  regarding  the  ganir- 
boge  tree  of  Ceylon.  In  this  paper  Dr  Wight  mentions  that  Dr 
Ghraham  differs  from  him  by  having  made  the  following  statements: 
1st,  That  the  plant  sent  to  him  from  Ceylon,  and  which  he  (Dr  G.)  has 
since  named  Hebradendrtm  gamhogtoidesy  is  the  only  one  which  pro- 
duces gamboge ^t  to  be  used  in  the  arts  ;  2d,  That  the  Hebradendron 
gambogioides  is  the  plant  which  yields  the  true  Ceylon  gamboge ; 
3d,  That  Drs  Wight  and  Amott  were  mistaken  when  they  asserted 
that  the  Xanlhochymus  ovaiifoiius  is  the  only  indigenous  plant  in 
Ceylon  that  produces  gamboge  fit  to  be  used  in  the  arts  ;  and  4lh, 
That  HebradendroH  gambi^ioides  is  a  native  of  Ceylon. 

Dr  Graham  showed,  by  reading  the  extract  from  his  letter  which 
Dr  Wight  himself  had  published,  that  he  never  made  one  of  these 
statements,  except  the  second,  the  accuracy  of  which  he  is  quite  pre- 
pared to  maintain,  having  proved,  by  his  own  experiments  and  those 
of  others,  that  the  concrete  juice  of  Hebradendron  gambogioides  is 
excellent  gamboge,  chemically,  medicinally,  and  as  a  pigment, — and 
knowing  from  the  perfectly  unexceptionable  authority  of  Mrs  Walker 
that  it  is  collected  in  large  quantity  in  Ceylon.  The  first  statement 
Dr  Graham  not  only  never  made,  but  it  is  opposed  to  the  opinion 
which  he  actually  holds ;  although  information,  he  thinks,  is  still  re- 
quired on  the  subject.  On  the  third  point  there  is  a  threefold  error. 
Dr  Graham  never  maintained  that  Drs  Wight  and  Amott  had  as- 
serted that  Xanthochymus  ovaiifoiius  is  the  only  indigenous  plant  in 
Ceylon  which  produces  good  gamboge.  They  asserted  that  it  is  the 
only  plant  in  Ceylon  which  does  so ;  but  Mrs  Walker  has  enabled 
Dr  Graham  to  prove  that  there  is  another.  He  is  now  further  able 
to  assert  that  the  concrete  juice  of  Xanthochymus  ovaiifoiius  cannoi 
be  employed  advantageously  as  a  substitute  for  gamboge.  The  fourth 
statement  Dr  Graham  never  made,  and  indeed,  until  lately,  he  had 
no  information  upon  the  subject  ;  but  recent  letters  from  Mrs 
Walker,  he  thinks,  now  entitle  him  to  say  that  the  Hebrandatdron 
gambogioides  is  indigenous  in  Ceylon,— at  any  rate  certainly  enable 
him  to  disprove  the  assertion  upon  which  was  founded  Dr  Wight's 
opinion  that  it  is  not. — W.  H.  C.  Sec, 


INDEX. 


Abeideen,  on  the  mosses  found  in 

the  neighbourhood  of,  412 

Africa,  zoology  of,  365 

Afzellus,  Prof,  his  death,  .  292 

Alder  Joshua,  on  the  land  and  fresh 

water  MoUusca,  of  Great  Britain,  101 
Alps  of  the  Canton  of  Valais,  Botani- 
cal Excursion  in  the,  1-24 ;  180- 

106 ;  605^^7 

*  American  Journal  of  Science  and 

Art.'  noticed,  .  281 ;  464 

^  Annalen  der  Physique  und  Che. 

mie,*  noticed,  .  •  80 

<  Annates  des  Sciences  Naturelles,* 

noticed,        .       89;  278;  360;  463 

*  Archiv  fur  Anatomie,  Physiologic, 

und  Wissenschaftliche,  Median,' 
^alysisof,  .  467 

Amott,  G.  A.  W. ,  on  some  new  or 
obscure   species  of   plants,  419 

427;  543-552 

Ar?icola  pratensis,  .  92 

*  Australia,  Synopsis  of  the  Birds 

of,' noticed,  .  .  266 

*  Australia,  and  the  adjacent  Islands, 

the  Birds  of,*  noticed,  357 

Babington,  Charles  C,  on  the  Bo. 
tany  of  Krris,  119;  on  the  Bri. 
tiflh  species  of  the  genus  Ceras- 
tium,  197-204 ;  his  Supplement 
to  Britiih  Cerastia,  317-319; 
Botanical  Expedition  to  Guernsey 
and  Jersey,  .  397 

Baird,  W.,  History  of  the  British 
Entomostraca,        132-144;  400-412 

Bank  Vole,  .  92 

Bats,  revision  of  the  Genera  of,  and 
description  of  new  genera  and  spe- 
cies, .  .  .483 

Berkeley,  M.  J.,  on  the  existence  of 
a  second  membrane  in  the  Asci 
of  Fungi,  222;  ou  a  conlrrToid 
state  of  Mucor  davatus,  340 

Berkeley,  M.  J.,  «  British  Fungi,* 
noticed,        .  .472 

Bibliographic  Entoroologique,  Re- 
port of,  noticed,         .  269 


<  Birds,  British,  A  History  of,'  no- 

ticed, ...        357 

<  Birds,  History  of,'  noticed,         .      267 
*•  Birds,  Natural  History  and  Classi- 
fication of,'  noticed,  75-85 ;  451 

461  ;  553*559 
Blainville,  M.  his  *  Manuel  dc  Ma- 
lacologie  et    de  Conchyliologie,' 
noticed,  .  .  238 

Blumenbach,  .  .  280 

Blyssmus  compressus,  .  285 

Bonaparte,  Carolo  L.,  bis  Chdonio- 

rum  Tabula  Analytica,  58 

Botanical  Expedition  to  Guernsey 

and  Jersey,  notice  of,         .  397 

*'  Bounical  Magazine,'  Companion 

to  the,  noticed,         .     87 ;  276 ;  360 
Botany,  Local,  on  the  advancement 

of,  in  the  environs  of  London,        163 
British  Association,  report  of  meet, 
ing  of,  at  Liverpool,  370 ;  correc- 
tions and  additions  to,  .  474 
British  Museum,         .  384 
Brongniart,  M.  Ad.,  his  historical 
notice  of  Antoine  Laurent  de  Jus- 
sieu,            ...  293 
Bruch  and  Schimper,  MM.,  their 
*  Bryologia  Europcea,'  noticed,       660 

<  Bryologia  Enmpsa,'  noticed,  560 
Bryum  androgynum,  on  the  gem- 

ma  of,  .  .  226 

Burrows,  Kev.  E.  J.,  *•  his  Elements 
of  Conchology,'  reviewed,         .      238 

Caprimulgus    Europaus,    observa- 
tions on  the,  .  158 
t  Catalogue  of  the  Flowerless  Plants 

of  Great  Britain,'  noticed,        .      267 
CepoU  rubescens,  .  .  93 

Cerastium  pedunculatum,  .        369 

Cerastium,  on  the  British  species  of, 

197 
Cerastia,  on  the  British,  317 

Cbeloniorum  Tabula  Analytica,  58 

Clarke,  W.  B.,  on  the  Caprimulgus 

EuropsBUS,  158 

Clausilia  Rolphii,  284 


568 


Ifuiex. 


Coleoptera,  on  the  localities  of  Scot- 
tish, ..  .  232 

Cooper,  Daniel,  on  the  advancement 
of  local  boUny  in  the  environs  of 
London,  163 ;  his  *  Supplement  to 
the  Flora  Metropolitana,*  noticed,  358 

Crenilabri,  contribution  towards  a 
knowledge  of  the,  442 

Dickie,  G.,  on  the  Gemmae  of  Bry- 
um  androgynum,  226  ;  on  the 
mosses  found  in  the  neighbour- 
hood of  Aberdeen,  .  412 

Donovaa,  £.  Esq.,  his  death,  292 

Drummond,  James  S.  M.  D.  his  di- 
rections for  the  presenration  of  sea 
plants,  144 

Duncan,  J.,  Characters  and  Deccrip- 
tioos  of  the  Dipterous  Insects  of 
Britain,  .  205 

Rhrenberg*s  Infusoria,  284 

'  Elemenu  of  Modern  Conchology,* 

reviewed,  238 

<  Elements  of  Conchology,'  reviewed,  238 

*  Encyclopssdia  Britannica,'  noticed,  561 
Entomostraca,  British,  the  History  of, 

132.144;  400-412 
Erris,  on  the  botany  of,  1 10 

Eyton,  T.  C,  his  attempt  to  ascer- 
Uin  the  Fauna  of  Shropshire  and 
North  Wales,  .  .         537 

*'  Fauna  Japonica,'  noticed,  266 

Fauna  of   Shropshire    and    North 

Wales,  an  attempt  to  ascertain.  537 
Fauna  of  Twizell,  387 

'  Perns,  British,  and   tlieir  Allies,* 

an  analysis  of,  reviewed,         .  85 

^  Flora  Metropolitana,*  Supplement 

to,  noticed,  .  358 

Flora,  Northumberland,  .         369 

Footsteps,  fosbil,  in  sandstone  and 

greywacke,  .  284 

Fossil   footsteps  in    sandstone  and 

greywacke,  .  284 

Francis,   G.  W.,  his  *  Analysis  of 

the  British  Ferns  and  their  Allies,' 

reviewed,  85 

Fungi  under  the  Tropics,  472 

Fungi,  on  the  existence  of  a  second 

membrane  in  the  asci  of,  222 

*  Genera  of  recent  and  Fossil  Shells,* 

reviewed,  238 

Glass  eroded  by  a  Lichen,  368 

Gould*s  *  Synopsis  of  the  Birds  of 
Australia,  266 ;  his  work  on  the 
*  Birds  of  Australia  and  the  adja- 
cent islands,*  357 ;  his  '  Icoues 
Avium,'  .  357 


Gray,  J.  E.,  on  a  peculiar  structure 
in  shells,  228  ;  observations  on 
the  shell  of  Sphserulites,  ib.  ; 
his  revision  of  the  genera  of  Bats, 
and  descriptions  of  new  genera 
and  species,  505 

Guernsey  and  Jersey,  notice  of  a  bo* 
tanical  expedition  to,  397 

Hare,  the  Irish,  283 

Hewitson,  W.  C,  hhi  notes  on  the 

ornithology  of  Norway,  309 

Hooker,  Sir  W.  J.,  his  «  Icones 
Plantarum,'  noticed,  74  ;  his 
*  Companion  to  the  Botanical  Ma- 
gazine,'  noticed,  87  ;  276 ;  360 

*  Icones  Avium,*  noticed,  357 

*  Icones  Plantarum,'  noticed,  74 
Infusoria,  Ehrenberg*s,  284 
Insects,  Dipterous,  of  Britain,  205 
Insects,  subaquatic,  notes  on,  124 
Ireland,  contributions  to  the  natural 

history    of,   42-57;     170-179; 

427-440 

Jenyns,  Rev.  L.,  on  the  dentition 
and  other  characters  of  the  Bri- 
tish Shrews,  24 

Jersey  and  Guernsey,  notice  of  a 
botanical  expedition  to,  2^7 

Johnston,  Dr  George,  Miscellanea 
Zoologica,  63;  History  ol'  Bri- 
tish Zoophytes,  .  319 

Jussieu,  Antoine  Laurent,  Biogra- 
phical notice  of,  293 

Latham,  John,  M.  D.,  his  death,      385 
Leigh  ton,  W.  A.,  his  •  Catalogue  of 
Mowerle&s  PianU  of  Great  Britain,* 
noticed,  267 

*  Linnsea,*  analyns  of,  470 
Little,  Rev.  W.,  on  Subaquatic  In- 
sects,  124;   on  the  localities  of 
Scottish  Coleoptera,  233 

London,  on  the  advancement  of  local 

BotAny  in  the  environs  of,  163 

Lutjanus  rupestris,  .  284 

Macgillivray,  W.,  his  '  History  of 

British  Birds,*  nutieed,  267 

*•  Magazin    de   Zooiogie,*   noticed, 

361  ;  465 

*  Magazine    of    Natural    History,* 

analysis  of,  86;  276;  359;  462 

*  Manuel  Malaoologie  et  de  Conchy. 

liologie,*  reviewed,  238 

*  Manuel  de    l*Histoire    Naturelle 

des  Mollusques  et  de  leur  Coquil- 
Ics,*  reviewed,  338 

Miscellanea  Zoologica,  73 


Index. 


569 


Mollusca  of  Great  Britain,  notes  on 

the  land  and  fresh  water,  101 

Mor^,  Voyage  Scientifique  en,  344 
Mosses  found  in  the  neighbourhood 

of  Aberdeen,  remarks  on,  412 

Mucor  Clavatus,  on   a  confervoid 

state  of,  .  340 

*  Musci  Angusiani/  prospectus  of,  3C8 
Museum,  British,  291 

Neroertes,  .  47 1 

Norway,  on  the  Ornithology  of,         309 

Ornithology  of  Norway,  notes  on,      309 

Psonia  officinalis,  100 

Patella  parva,  365 

Percheron's  '  Bibliographie  Ento- 
mologique,*  report  of,  noticed,        269 

Plants,  on  the  dispersion  of,  in  the 
environs  of  London,  1G3  ;  on 
some  new  or  obscure  species  of,  41 0 
427  ;  543-d52  ;  on  the  growth 
of,  inclosed  in  cases,  474 

Plants,  sea,  directions  for  their  pre- 
servation, .  1 44 

Prcal,  M.  his  '  Tentamen  Pterido- 
graphis,*  noticed,  .  560 

Prize  essay,  Wemerian  Society,         291 

Rang,  M.  Sander,  his  <  Manuel  de 
V  Histoire  Naturelle  des  Mollus- 
queset  de  leur  Coquilles,*  reviewed,  238 

Rhea,  .  92 

Schimper  and  Bruch,  MM.,  their 

*  Bryologia  Europs,*  noticed,  560 
Schomburgh,  Dr.  R.,  his  description 

of  Victoria  regina,  .  440 

Selby,  P.  J.,  on  the  Fauna  of  Twi- 

zell,  387 

Shells,  British  land  and  fresh  water, 

found  at  Mickleham,  471 

Shells,  on  a  peculiar  structure  in,  228 
Shrews,  British,  on  the  dentition  and 

characters  of,  24 

Shuttleworih,  R.  J.,  his  Botanical 

Excursion  to  the  Alps  of  the  Va- 

lais,  1-24;   180-196  ;  505-53? 

Siebold's  '  Flora  Japonica,*  noticed,  266 
Silene  maritima,  .  100 

Sivathcrium,  .  93 


Skulls,  American,  pruposed  new 
work  on,  .  284 

Society,  Botanical,  of  London,  97 ;  477 

Society,   Botanical,  of  Edinburgh, 

93;  285;  366;  475;  562 

Society,  Ornithological,  of  London, 
Plan  of,  98  ;  notice  of,  480 

Society,  Nat  Hist  of  Newcastle,       479 

Society,  Philosophical  and  Literary, 
of  Leeds,  <  Tiansactions*  of,  no- 
ticed, .  271 

Sowerby,  G.  B.,  his  '  Genera  of  re- 
cent and  Fossil  Shells,*  revised,   238 

Sparshall,  Joseph.  Esq.  his  death,      482 

Sphserulites,  observations  on  the 
Shell  ot,  .  228 

Staphylinidse,  British,  a  new  genus 
of,  described^  .  124 

Surnia  Nyctea,  93 

Swainson,  W.  Esq.  his  *  Elementt 
of  Modem  Conchology,'  reviewed, 
238  ;  Natural  Histories  in  ^  Lard- 
ner's  CyclopsBdia,*  reviewed,  75- 

85;  451-461;  553-559 

'•  Synopsis  of  the  Birds  of  Australia,'  266 

Tamus  communis,  100 

*  Tentamen  Pteridographise,*  no- 
ticed, 560 

Thompson,  W.,  Contributions  to  the 
Natural  H  istory  of  1  reUnd ,  42-57 ; 
170-179;  427-440;  his  contri- 
bution  to  the  Crenilabri,  442 

Twizell,  Fauna  of,  387 

Victoria  regina,  notice  of,  440 

Voyage  Scientifique  en  Mor^,  344 

Watson,  Mr  H.,  his  <  New  Botanist's 
Guide,*  Vol.  2,  destroyed,  98 

Wemerian  Society  Prize  Essay,         291 

Westwood,  J.  O,  his  notes  upon 
subaquatic  insects,  124 ;  descrip- 
tion of  a  new  genus  of  British 
StaphylinidsB,  .  124 

Woodforde,  Dr  James,  his  death,      386 

Yarrdl,  W.,  his  *  History  of  Briush 
Birds,*  noticed,  .  357 


Zoophytes,  British,  the  history  of, 


319 


/ 


ERRATA. 

Fftge  107i  line  Ttfir  aea,  read  lea. 

166, 22,^  county,  read  county, 

^—  167,  —  IT  9  fir      do.       read      do. 

169,  at  Tabic  8,^  681  genera,  286  ipedes,  read  the  revetse. 

328,  line  24,  Jbr  Fig.  1,  read  Fig.  2. 

——  26, ybr  Fig.  2,  roMi  Fig.  I. 

H84,  -^  12  and  18,^  Mr  Bald,  read  Mr  Bali.. 

— ^  429,  ——27,^  jerkins,  read  perking. 

.^ —  433, 7%  for  Toomavarat,  read  ToomaTara. 

— *  488,  — ^  10,/^  Tridactylitet,  read  Trifurcato. 


I 
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