On the Periods of Flowering of certain Plants. 223 



all the interstices flat and broad, and all very sparingly clothed 

 with short, suberect whitish scales, and by the anterior tibia 

 being armed with a long spine near the apex without, and with 

 two diverging spines in front. 



According to Sckonherr, Tr. spinimanus (which is described by 

 Gyllenhal apparently from a native insect*) is synonymous with 

 Tr. scaber {scabriculus of Linn.f), but my foreign specimens of 

 Tr. spinimanus from Germar himself are very different from sea- 

 briculus of Linn., and very distinct. 



Although I have taken many specimens of Tr. alternans in 

 different localities, yet I never met with a specimen of Tr. spini- 

 manus ) it appears to be very rare ; specimens in the cabinet of 

 Mr. Waterhouse were found I think near Cromer, Norfolk, and 

 I am indebted to him for a specimen ; I have seen specimens in 

 the cabinet of Mr. Stephens. 



XXVI. — Comparison of the Periods of Flowering of certain 

 Plants in the early Spring of 1846, in the Botanic Garden of 

 Belfast and the Jardin des Plantes at Paris. By William 

 Thompson, Esq. (Belfast). 



To the Editors of the Annals of Natural History. 



Gentlemen, 

 Although fully sensible that the following very brief commu- 

 nication on a highly interesting subject is almost too trivial for 

 publication in the ' Annals,^ I send it forward under the impres- 

 sion that possibly it may be considered worth the little space that 

 it will occupy. 



Belfast, Feb. 27, 1847. Wm. THOMPSON. 



A PAPER by M. Ch. Martins appeared in the number of ' Annales 

 des Sciences Naturelles' for April last, on the subject of the 

 extraordinary temperature of the winter of 1846, and its influ- 

 ence on the flowering of plants. Lists of the species which 

 flowered in the Botanic Garden of Paris at certain periods of that 

 season being given, they suggested to me the desirability of 

 drawing up similar lists respecting the Botanic Garden at Belfast. 

 These compared with the others exhibit some interesting results, 

 although the number of species noted down in the latter locality 

 falls far short of what could be wished. The information re- 

 specting them was derived from Mr. D. Ferguson, the able cu- 

 rator of the Garden — who also supplied the few notes respecting 

 Glasgow. 



[It was not until after this communication was read before the 



* Gyll. Ins. Suec. iv. p. 614. t Syn. Ins. vii. p. 117. 



