MISCELLANEOUS NOTES, 765 



of tho Liiuiacan Sneiety, October 1917, p. T)). Of thoso toatod it was foiind 

 that tho bost llier was tlio achoue of T'li.-'ailayo farfara L., tho English 

 " Colt's-foot," which ro([uiro(l an air-moveniont of only "62 of a mile per 

 hour. The ri'st varied between that and 7*7 milea per hour. But it is to 

 bo remembered that these are all seeds with a pappus at the top specially 

 designed for this very purpose. The carriage over at least l!0 miles of sea 

 of certain air-borne spores and seeds was proved by Treub, who found on 

 Krakatoa, ;5 years after tho eruption, eleven ferns, two species of composi- 

 tse, and two grasses, all of which could have been conveyed by wind (Schimp- 

 er, Plant (Geography, Eng. Edn. 1903, p. 80). Unfortunately Schimperdoes 

 not mention to what species the two grasses belonged. But there are a few 

 grasses whoso seeds possess a definite wind dispersal mechanism. None 

 of theabove observatitni lend any colour to the idea that a comparatively 

 large, smooth seed like that and jowari, artificially developed over ages 

 in order to contain as much farituiceous luatter as possible, and therefore 

 heavy even for its size, could be transported any considerable distance by 

 a storm. 



Moreover any wind strong enough to raise and hold the grains of jowari 

 would inevitably raise and hold also a quantity of other matter, leaves, 

 straw, paper, &c. 



I venture therefore to suggest that this jowari was deposited in the 

 excrement of migratory birds, which at that time (April) would be going 

 north in large numbers. 1 take it that the grains were not actually seen to 

 fall, in which case it may be assumed that flocks of birds either intention- 

 ally, or through pressure of the storm, alighted at the point where the 

 grains were afterwards collected. If the home of the jowari variety could 

 be traced that would give the line of passage of the birds. Seed dispersal 

 by birds is, of course, also a recognized method of plant distribution. 



As a means of "forecasting the weather this phenomenon is almost 

 certainly useless, like all other special extraneous phenomena ; and Mr. 

 Brook-Fox does not suggest otherwise. 



L. J. SEDGWICK. 

 Dharwak District, ) 

 22th January 1918. \ 



