THE society's NOTE-BOOKS, 385 



the Scyllium suspended above them, though it occurred to me as I 

 passed by, that not one in a million who throng that busy thorough- 

 fare would be likely to discover the connection intended to be 

 conveyed. W. Lane Seer. 



Cherry-Stone, Tr. Sec— It will be noticed that the grain runs 

 in three different directions : the outer in lines converging towards 

 the centre, the middle in longitudinal lines from end to end, and 

 the inner in a matted mass round the stone. W, M. Appleton. 



Cuticle of Plants, To Prepare. — I have prepared some hun- 

 dreds of cuticles in past years by the following method : — Place 

 the leaf in a test-tube in a little solution of caustic potash {liquor 

 potassce, of druggists), boil for a short time, varying in the case of 

 different leaves from a few seconds to several minutes ; turn the 

 contents of the tube into a beaker of hot water and swill round, 

 and then removing the leaf open it out with a broad scalpel under 

 water. If the leaf be snipped round one edge before it is placed 

 in the potash solution, it will open out spontaneously. 



The vascular system of the leaves are remarkably well prepared 

 in this way, the minute terminations remaining attached, and in 

 many cases manifesting special characteristics. See on that point 

 Herbert Spencer's Principles of Biology and reprint of a paper (in 

 that volume, I think) read by him many years since before the 

 Linnaaan Society.* H. Pocklington. 



Chrysis ignita. — Nothing can exceed the splendour and bril- 

 liancy of the Chrysididcz. Latreille compares these insects to 

 precious stones, and supposes that their superb colour dazzles 

 their enemies, and so facilitates their escape. They seem timid, 

 for directly they are touched they roll themselves into a ball. 

 They have a very weak sting, placed at the extremity of their long 

 telescopic-formed oviduct (only able to pierce soft bodies). This 

 flexible tube can be extended to a very great length, and is fre- 

 quently exserted. It is brownish-ochre in colour, the terminal 

 plate of the abdomen beneath being generally black. 



These insects are not uncommonly found on walls and windows 

 in very hot weather, and their brilliantly-coloured thorax and abdo- 

 men, as well as their velvety black antennae, and yellow or blue- 



* Linn. Soc. Trans., xxv., 405. 



