NOTES AND EXHIBITS. 635 



C. dacti/lcn, and " rhachilla not produced '" in C. incompletus. 

 Mr. Cheel exhibited di.ssections of tlie flowers of the two species 

 at the Society's Meeting in August last, but at that time there 

 was here a lack of means of correctly recognising the species with 

 " the rhachilla not produced," which Dr. Stapf has now kindly 

 done." 



Mr. Cheel also {>xhibited a fresh flowering branch of Bra- 

 chychiton popuJneo-acprifolium, a hybrid described by the late 

 Baron von Mueller in the Society's Proceedings for 1884(p.381). 

 The original tree was growing at Fernlea, Mulgoa; and a speci- 

 men, raised from seed obtained from this plant, '20 3fears ago, is 

 growing in the Botanic Gardens, Sydney, and is flowering freely 

 at the present time. The colour of the flowers is what is known 

 as "vieux rose." He also exhibited a small log of Correa 

 Lawrenciana Hook., 4-5 inches in diameter, from a shrub 10-12 

 feet high, which branches much from the base; from Dromedary 

 Mountain, N..S.W.(J. L. Boorman). 



Dr. J. M. Petrie demonstrated Guignard's new method of 

 detecting hydrocyanic acid compounds in plants. Taking Sorghum 

 as an example, he showed that, with a plant 6 feet long, positive 

 results were obtained from root, stalk and seeds, but that leaves 

 »ave no reaction until emulsion, prepared from sweet almonds, 

 was also added. The leaves, therefore, contained the glucoside 

 only, but no ferment. It was suggested that, though such leaves 

 would be non -poisonous, yet if eaten in conjunction with certain 

 other plants, which might contain ferment, the toxic effects would 

 at once ensue, by the setting free of hydrocyanic acid in the 

 digestive organs. The Egyptian grown Sorghum is known to 

 become non-poisonous when over 12 inches long, whereas the 

 local "rown plant 5-6 feet long contained much poisonous gluco- 

 side. Dr. Petrie also stated that he was engaged in a systematic 

 examination of the Australian flora for cyanogenetic compounds. 



Mr. Froggatt showed a number of living larval stages of the 

 Great Leaf-insect of Ceylon, feeding upon leaves of the Mango. 



56 



