166 Dr Graham's Description of New or Rare Plants. 



were invisible to him. The representation appeared of the 

 natural size, and the outline of the whole person of the spectator 

 was most correctly pourtrayed. To prove that the shadow seen 

 by each individual was that of himself, we resorted to various 

 gestures, such as waving our hats, flapping our plaids, &c. all 

 which motions were exactly followed by the airy figure. We 

 then collected together, and stood as close to one another as 

 possible, when each could see three shadows on the disc ; his 

 own, as distinctly as before, while those of his two companions 

 were but faintly discernible. 



'•* As the autumnal day was fast declining, and we had a long 

 walk before us to Braemar, we were forced to hurry down the 

 rugged sides of Loch Etichan ; and, being consequently soon 

 enveloped in the mist, we lost sight of the atmospheric pheno- 

 menon, but not until it had been distinctly visible to us for 

 about a quarter of an hour.'' 

 Edinburgh, Ath Dec. 1830. 



Description of several New or Rare Plants which have lately 

 Jlowered in the neighbourhood of Edinburgh, and chiejly in 

 the Royal Botanic Garden. By Dr Graham, Professor 

 of Botany in the University of Edinburgh. 



lOth Dec. 1830. 

 Banksia speciosa. 



B. speciosa; foliis linearibus, pinnatifidis, lobis triangulari-semiovatis 

 mucronatis, subtus niveis, obsolete nervosis ; calycis laniinis lanatis ; 

 stylo pubescente ; folliculis tomentosis — Brown. 

 Banksia speciosa, Br. Trans. Linn. Soc. 10. 210. 



Description Trunk erect, branched ; branches spreading, towards their 



extremities densely covered with snowy tomentum. Leaves {\\ foot 

 long, 1^ inches broad) scattered, linear, attenuated at the base, and very 

 slightly at the apex, truncated, pinnatifid, nerved and reticulated, co- 

 vered on both sides, when young, with short dense white tomentum, 

 which is beautifully snowy below, when old naked bright green and 

 shining above; segments alternate, triangular, ovate along their upper 

 edge, inucronate, the mucro projecting forwards, Spike (4| inches long, 

 34 broad to the extremities of the styles) terminal. Flowers in pairs along 

 the rachis, forming double lines, which are much crowded together, ex- 

 panding from below upwards, every where yellow, except the stigma, 

 which is red. Calyx {\\ inch long) 4-parted, woolly on the outside, the 

 woolliness increasing upwards. Anthers subsessile, in the oblong hollow 

 extremities of the calyx, linear-lanceolate. Style longer than the calyx, 

 curved upwards, pubescent, filiform, tumid near the extremity, tipped 

 with the red subacute somewhat angled Stigma. 

 This very handsome species produced a fine head of flowers in the green- 

 house of the Edinburgh Botanic Garden in October 1830, the plant be. 

 ing about five feet high. 



