Miscellaneous. 225 



being supposed to be highly injurious to cattle, especially horses, 

 causing blindness, which prevailed in many parts to a fearful extent. 



On reaching Whitehall, situated at the southern extremity of Lake 

 Champlain, two remarkable species of ferns were observed for the 

 first time ; namely Asplenium rhizophyllum and Aspidium bulbiferum, 

 the former growing on the surfaces of moist rocks, where it throws 

 out its fronds which take root at their extremities ; while the latter 

 bears a number of small bulbs along the rachis, which, when mature, 

 fall off and vegetate in the crevices of the rocks. Many other inter- 

 esting plants were observed, but few of them in flower, with the ex- 

 ception of Rubus spectabilis, Desmodium acuminatum and canadense, 

 and a few others. 



Mr. M'Nab afterwards exhibited several specimens of gooseberries 

 and currants which had been kept for the last two years in glasses 

 containing water only, in which they had now matured their fruit 

 for the second time ; and it was remarkable that the gooseberries 

 (yellow amber) and the red and white currants were as highly 

 flavoured as the same sorts under ordinary treatment. 



Mr. Trevelyan exhibited specimens of some remarkable varieties 

 of Taraxacum officinale found on the sandy beach near Arbroath, and 

 a curious variety of Aspidium, felix fcemina, from Braemar, having the 

 frond branched at the extremity; the specimens were afterwards 

 presented to the Society. 



MISCELLANEOUS. 

 Correction by Dr. Dickie on Art. XXI. p. 168 of this Number. 



CUTLERIA MULTIFIDA. 



In justice to so accurate an observer as Dr. Greville, I beg to ac- 

 knowledge that since my note and figures on the fructification of 

 this genus were made out, I have ascertained that they have refer- 

 rence to its condition when immature. — G. D. 



COLOURING OF THE WATERS OF THE RED SEA. 



A memoir on the colour of the waters of the Red Sea, by M. 

 Montagne, was read at the Academie des Sciences, July 15th. The 

 conclusions which the author draws from all the facts contained in 

 his memoir, whether already known or entirely new and still un- 

 published, are the following : — 



1. That the name of Erythrean Sea, given first to the sea of 

 Oman and to the Arabian Gulf by Herodotus, afterwards by the 

 later Greek authors to all the seas which bathe the coasts of Arabia, 

 probably owes its origin to the very remarkable phenomenon of the 

 colouring of its waters. 



2. That this phenomenon, observed for the first time in 1823 by 

 M. Ehrenberg in the bay of Tor only, then again seen twenty years 

 later by M. Dupont, but in truly gigantic dimensions, is owing to 

 the presence of a microscopic Alga sui generis, floating at the surface 



