HARDWlCkE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



Miu-tin's, one of the Scilly islands. Tliey were of 

 a sort new to the iuhabitauts, four or live inches iu 

 length, and gave rise to some conjecture. Not only 

 were they wondered at, but experimented on, and 

 found to be excellent eating. The species was 

 identified by Mr. Cornish, of Penzance, an excel- 

 lent ichthyologist, as Zetts aper.—T. Q. C. 



BOTANY. 



Medicago aeborea.— Attempts are being made 

 at Brighton to find some shrubs sufficiently hardy 

 and well adapted to bear the exposed spray and 

 winds of the new Undercliff road, but as yet only 

 two (the Euonymns and Tamarisk) have been found 

 to stand the variations of heat and cold of that spot. 

 Some years back I suggested to Mr. Spary, the 

 Brighton florist, that the Medicago arhorea, being 

 entirely a seaside plant, though a Southern one, 

 M^ould be likely to stand the climate of Brighton, 

 and he in consequence procured some seeds and 

 raised several plants, which are now grown to large 

 shrubs, and which may be seen in his garden, greeii 

 all the year round, and for the greater part of that 

 time bearing pretty yellow flowers ; it is a remark- 

 ably handsome and very bushy shrub, and being a 

 seaside plant, and growing so luxuriantly near the 

 sea, it would in all probability thrive on the Under- 

 cliff road, not only as a standard, but particularly 

 also if trained up against the cliff wall : it may 

 be seen growing eight feet high against the 

 southern aspect of Mr. Balchiu's cottage in his 

 garden at Hove, as also against the north wall 

 opposite; at Florence it forms beautiful hedges 

 close to the sea. The Tamarisk, it will be remem- 

 bered, was many years back introduced as a seaside 

 plant, and though only indigenous in the south of 

 Europe and along the coast of the Mediterranean, 

 is found to stand the winter and grow freely 

 by the seaside in England, and there is no reason 

 why the Medicago should not flourish there also. I 

 trust that this notice in Science-Gossip may induce 

 the authorities of Brighton, who are expending large 

 sums in planting all over the town, especially on the 

 Undercliff, where nearly ail the trees so lately 

 planted there are dead, to try the Medicago there, 

 which, if it succeeds, as I verily believe it will, 

 cannot fail to be an attractive object and a most 

 desirable addition to the shrubs of Brighton. — 

 T. B. IF., Brighton. 



Bark of the Azadiragta ikdica. — Mr. 

 Broughtou has recently communicated the result of 

 an examination of this bark to the Transactions of 

 the Pharmaceutical Society. The Azadiracta indica 

 is commonly known as the " Nim-tree," and the 

 use of its bark is very general throughout India, as 

 a tonic and febrifuge. It is generally used in the 



form of a decoction, and sometimes as a powder. 

 Some autlioritieS' state that it possesses the same 

 febrifuge properties as cinchona bark. The taste 

 of the bark, and especially that of the inner layer, 

 is intensely bitter. The leaves also have a bitter 

 taste. The seeds yield a large quantity of oil, which 

 has also a strong and bitter taste. The roots are 

 stated to have vermifuge properties. This bitter 

 principle consists of a neutral resin, which may be 

 obtained by exhausting the bark with alcohol. 

 The leaves contain a small amount of bitter sub- 

 stance of a similar nature, but more soluble in 

 water. 



Calla palustris in Surrey (p. Til).—Calla 

 palustris was originally planted in North Surrey so 

 far back as ISGl, and is now quite established. I 

 have no doubt that this is Mr. Gardiner's station. 

 It is also one of the plants recommended by Mr. 

 Robinson for naturalization :—" It is thoroughly 

 hardy, and though often grown in water, likes a 

 moist bog much better. In a bog, or muddy place 

 shaded by trees to some extent, it will grow larger 

 in flower and leaf, though it is quite at home even 

 when fully exposed. Those having natural bogs, 

 &c., would find it a very interesting plant to intro- 

 duce to them, while for moist spongy spots near 

 the rock garden, or by the side of a rill, it is one of 

 the best things that can be used."— (Robinson, 

 "Alpine Plowers," p. 1G2.) Its occurrence in 

 Surrey is noticed in the " Journal of Botany," vol. 

 ii. N.'S., p. 339.— iZ. A. Pryor. 



Eeetilization of Elowers.— The Scrophilaria 

 is, I find, satisfactorily recognized as protocjijnoics . 

 In the same connection has any one observed what 

 species of insects haunt the unattractive-looking 

 3Iercurialis peremiis ? The female plants too seem 

 very generally to come into flower when the males 

 are almost ]3a3t blossoming ; thus presenting an ad- 

 ditional obstacle to their successful pollenization, 

 but are they usually infertile? I do not know 

 whether, as in M. annua, male flowers are occasion- 

 ally intermixed. — R. A. Pryor. 



Royal Botanic Society.— It may be interest- 

 ing to notice that specimens of the Eucalyptus 

 j globulus, described in Science-Gossip, December, 

 1873, are to be seen flourishing in the Economic 

 House at the Regent's Park Gardens.— it. E. L. B. 



Changes in the Vegetation of South Africa. 

 — Dr. Shaw has communicated a paper to the Lin- 

 naean Society showing the changes which have been 

 caused in the flora of South Africa by the intro- 

 duction of the merino sheep. He says that the 

 original vegetation of the colony is being in many 

 places destroyed or rapidly deteriorated by over- 

 stocking and by the accidental introduction of 

 various weeds. Amoug the most important of the 



