Miscellaneous. 857 



the caterpillars of the Yponomeutidce ; but with regard to that sent 

 by M. Delahaye, they agree with him in thinking that it is the pro- 

 duct of a number of small spiders of the genus Epiere of Walckenaer; 

 for this tissue is somewhat glutinous and very much finer than that 

 of the caterpillars, the threads of the latter not being adhesive like 

 those of the spiders. — Compte Rendu, Oct. 28, p. 533. 



STRUCTURE OF THE OVULE IN THE ERICEJE. 



In many works on botany, for instance in Lindley's ' Nat. Syst. of 

 Bot.,' we find in the description of the Ericece the words ' radicula kilo 

 opposita '. This has evidently arisen from a confusion of hilum and 

 chalaza by a restricted consideration of the mature seed, for all 

 Ericem which I have hitherto examined present an anatropous ovule 

 with simple (?) integument, whence it follows of itself that a radi- 

 cula hilo proxima must exist in the ripe seed, as also Kunth has 

 correctly stated to be the case in his * Flor. Berol.' 1838. — Dr. 

 ScHLEiDEN in Wiegmanns Archiv, Part IV. 1839. 



COLOUR OF SALT MARSHES. 



A communication read November 4th at the French Academy of 

 Sciences from M. Joli, Professor of Natural History in the College 

 of Montpellier, states that having carefully investigated the colora- 

 tion of the salt marshes of the department of the Herault, he came 

 to the following results : — 



1. The Artemia salina contributes only in a subordinate manner, 

 and it may almost be said not at all, to this colouring. 



2. It is owing to infusorial animalcules. 



3. The Hdematococcus salinus are only dead infusoria become glo- 

 bular. 



4. The Protococcus salinus are the globules which escape from 

 their bodies after death. 



Upon the subject of the letter M. Audouin remarked, that being 

 in company with M. Dunal in June 1838, he observed in the en- 

 virons of Montpellier, in several of the ditches of the salt marshes 

 whose waters appeared to be free from colour, Artemia salina of a 

 red colour only. The intestinal canal of these little Crustacea ex- 

 hibited this colour, and it was owing to the matter which it con- 

 tained. M. Audouin had previously witnessed a similar phsenomenon 

 in the Artemice which M. Payen brought under the notice of the 

 Academy in 1836. Having put a score of them into fresh water in 

 which he had dissolved sea-salt, he had an opportunity for a month 



