240 MiscellaneoicSr 



the disease, Mr. Davies recommended tlie raising of seed from trans- 

 planted bulbs. He illustrated his remarks by drawings, showing the 

 structure of the turnips alluded to and the structure usually seen in 

 the turnip bulb. 



Dr. Balfour read a letter from Dr. Ernest Meyer of Konigsburg, 

 intimating the transmission of a collection of interesting plants from 

 M. Patze, who has paid particular attention to the species of willow. 

 " As regards the willows," Dr. Meyer remarks, " which constitute 

 M. Patze' s delight, I can assure you that each specimen in leaf is 

 taken from the same plant as those which are in flower, whether male 

 or female. As to the hybrid forms of the genus Salix, which have 

 caused such confusion in our systems, there is not one of them which 

 has not been observed by M. Patze for several years, and found al- 

 most always sterile and in small quantity among the two common 

 species, which he suspects to be the parents." 



MISCELLANEOUS. 



Note on a Monstrosity observed in the Cockchafer (Melolontha vul- 

 garis). By M. Lereboullet, M.D. 



Monstrosities, without being exactly very rare in articulated ani- 

 mals, and in particular in insects, are, nevertheless, not so common 

 as to render it useless to describe them when they occur. This con- 

 sideration has determined me to make known a rather curious ano- 

 maly which I observed last year in a female cockchafer, which con- 

 sists in the existence of three antennae on the right side. I have 

 annexed to this note a representation of the specimen, which is pre- 

 served in the museum at Strasbourg. 



The antenna of the left side is normal ; the club is 4 milUmetres 

 (■^ inch) in length, and is composed of seven leaves. 



The right antenna has its first joint 

 (a) longer and broader than the same /^^) 



joint on the left side. This joint is ^ ^ ^ /w x 



enlarged at the extremity, where it , >v^ §/ » 



presents two pits, into which are arti- ^ 1 \ \ ||/ 



culated two other portions of the an- ^IcW^r^,,,^^ ^ 



tenna, one simple, the other double ; — •(^^'^-"-J^^i^^ 

 that is to say, there are three antennse, ^^ / \ 



each terminated by a foliated club. S . ^^' 



The first of these two portions ^^ 



(No. 1) is composed of a short, glo- ^ 



bular basal joint (b) attached to the 



articulation ; of an elongated second joint (c), resembling in form 

 the penultimate joint of the normal antenna ; and of a foliated club, 

 consisting of seven lamellae which measure 3 millimetres (^ inch) in 

 length, and consequently are a little shorter than those of the normal 

 antennse. The whole of this portion is inclined downwards ; it ap- 

 pears to me to represent the true antenna. 



