142 The Scottish Naturalist. 



the top of Rescobie Loch, flowering well side by side with C. pa/ustris, in 

 the last week of May, at an elevation of 200 feet. The plant looks very like 

 the B. mentioned in ' Hooker and Arnott ' as a garden variety. It agrees 

 with Mr Babington's description of C. radicans in stem and sepals. The 

 root-leaves can hardly be called triangular. — Walter Graham, School- 

 house, Rescobie, May 23, 1S81. 



Caltha radicans. — Since the above note was written, I have received a 

 post-card from Professor Babington, in which he says: "We have the roots 

 of Caltha growing well which you kindly sent. They have flowered. I 

 think that they are the true plant radicans, although, like you, I have (and 

 still have) some little doubt. It may be that radicans is not different from 

 palnstris minor, but that is a mountain plant. The leaves of your plant are 

 very 'peculiar.' " — Id., May 26. 



Effects of the Winter 1880-81. — In this district (the environs of Leith) 

 the result of the winter on various species of plants has been very disastrous. 

 From the evergreen oak down to herbaceous plants, the weather of the past 

 winter has told very severely. The holly, and its different varieties of gold 

 and silver, has parted with a considerable number of leaves. Another of our 

 native plants, the common yew {Taxus baccata), has been similarly dealt 

 with, and, in addition, the young wood of the previous year on some plants 

 is destroyed. The hedges of privet {Ligustrum vulgare) are completely 

 stripped of their foliage, and many plants are killed. Garrya elliptica is a 

 mass of dead leaves and shrunk catkins. That valuable shrub, Aucuba 

 uiponica, has all the young wood frost-bitten ; the common ivy [Hedera helix) 

 has suffered in foliage and young shoots ; the strawberry - tree {Arbutus 

 unedd) killed ; rosemary {Rosmarinus officinalis) killed ; lavender {Lavandula 

 spied), dear to every one on account of the fragrance of its leaves and flowers, 

 bushes lyz feet high and 2 feet through, reduced to half their former size ; 

 wallflower — the destruction is 50 per cent ; Cedrus deodara, loss of part of 

 foliage and damaged branches. Notwithstanding the severity of the past 

 winter, fruit-trees are covered with a profusion of blossom. The apple, 

 pear, and indeed every fruit-tree, has flowered in a way that I have not seen 

 for a great number of years. — M. King, 120 Pitt Street, Bonnington, 

 Edinburgh, May 30, 188 1. 



NOTICES OF NEW BOOKS. 



Papilio. Organ of the New York Entomological Club. Vol. I., No. I. 

 (Communications to be sent to Mr Henry Edwards, 185 East 116th Street, 

 New York.) 



Students of entomology (or at least of some of its branches) cannot com- 

 plain of a want of literature, periodical or otherwise, connected with their 

 science. This new claimant for their support, being nicely got up, and 

 having the promise of support from many of the leading American entomo- 

 logists, deserves, and no doubt will obtain, success ; but as the club of which 

 it is the organ is not exclusively devoted to Lepidopterology, it seems a 

 pity that the magazine is to be restricted to that branch. 



