48 THK AMERICAN BOTANIST. 



Avitha small amount of rich pulp enclosing the three seeds. 

 The wild pigeons of the coast {Columba tasciata) are ver}' 

 fond of these. It forms their principal diet while in season. 

 It is grotesquely amusing to watch Mr. Jay (Seller's) try 

 to scold them off his preserves. They being migratory and 

 marauders in their habits while he is a permanent citizen 

 one feels inclined to decide with him for once. Mr. Howell 

 locates Rhatnnus occidentalis, a small shrub with yellow- 

 ish green leaves, in the southern part of Oregon. 



Apropos of the article on names in the January num- 

 ber, here is appended the names of our plant from the 

 check-list of Sudworth : Buckthorn, baj^berrj-, bearberry, 

 bearwood, Oregon bearwood, pigeon-berr3% yellow wood, 

 wild coffee, California coffee, western coffee-bush and the 

 one at the head of this article. 



Nasel, Washington. 



PLANTS WITH EXTRA-FLORAL NECTARIES AND 



OTHER GLANDS. 



The existence of glands and nectaries outside of the 

 flow^er or inflorescence has l)een a subject of much interest 

 to biologists. Delpino, Darwin, Trelease and many others 

 have given a large amount of information in regard to the 

 occurence and nature of these organs ; yet much is still 

 obscure and any one so inclined may at least obtain con- 

 siderable pleasure by making observations along this line. 



Various views have been held as to the cause and use 

 of extra-floral glands and their secretions. Delpino con- 

 sidered that the power to secrete nectar lj3^ any extra- 

 floral organ has been specially gained in every case for the 

 sake of attracting ants and wasps as a body-guard, or as 

 defenders of the plant against enemies. Darwin while ad- 

 mitting that this may be the case in some plants did not 

 think that all such glands originated in this way. He held 

 that the saccharine matter in nectar was excreted as a 

 waste product of chemical changes in the sap and that 

 this product might then become useful for accomplishing 

 cross-fertilization or for attracting a body-guard, and 



