i88 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY 



Chermes on Spruce, and many bud-galls, especially in flower- 

 buds, become much distorted if allowed to dry exposed to 

 the air, and shrivel a good deal if dried in sand. Their 

 form is well retained usually in one or other of the preserva- 

 tive fluids in common use, but they almost always lose much 

 of their colour. 



But while galls should be treated for permanent pre- 

 servation in the way best fitted to give good results, they 

 can be recognised in almost all cases from examples dried 

 even roughly between the leaves of a book or between pieces 

 of newspaper under only slight pressure. I will be glad to be 

 favoured with the sight of specimens from any part of the 

 country, however roughly dried, as actual specimens form 

 the most trustworthy records. 



Of course it is not possible to obtain the gall-makers 

 usually from dried galls. To succeed in this it is necessary 

 to have the fresh galls, and to keep them under conditions 

 favourable to the development or study of the gall-maker. 

 But, as already said, the galls are usually at least as easily 

 recognised as their makers, and afford reliable evidence of 

 distribution of the maker of the gall, if it has been already 

 determined from elsewhere. 



CAREX MAGELLANICA, L, IN THE OUTER 



HEBRIDES. 



By ARTHUR BENNETT, F.L.S. 



IN Dr. Shoolbred's paper on these islands, in the " Journal of 

 Botany " for 1895, he reports the above species (the C. irrigua 

 of Smith) from South Harris. 



As Dr. Shoolbred notes that I had gone through the 

 whole collection, it would be supposed that I agreed to the 

 name ; but I was surprised to see it so reported, having only 

 noted C. liinosa (specimen very poor) myself. I asked Dr. 

 Shoolbred to kindly send me the specimen so named, and the 

 authority for the name. This he did, and I fear he must 



