GENERAL NOTES 263 



after the blossoming in 1917, the tin, being just about 

 perished, was placed on the ground, and the roots imme- 

 diately commenced to enter the soil, and soon had taken 

 fast hold. This soil is the ordinary red soil of Bezuiden^ 

 hout Valley, and is quite unenriched. 



In 1918, 2 umbels were thrown up, and both of these 

 bore the same blue coloured flowers of the original plant. 



To theorise is pleasant, though notoriously unprofit- 

 able, but I think it may be fairly inferred that the blue 

 colour of the flower is caused by some constituent of the 

 soil. That in 1915 and 1916 the supply of this consti 

 tuent v/as becoming exhausted in the tin, and in 1917 

 was so small that it failed to have any effect, and that in 

 1918 the roots obtained all that they required and the 

 original colour became restored. 



One would have expected from experience with other 

 plants, especially bearing in mind Miss Mason's quoted 

 remark, that the change w^ould have been gradual, and 

 it is not easy to account for the blue and white umbels 

 being so decidedly '' self '' coloured. 



Finally, in support of the statement that the blue and 

 white forms are identical, I may mention the experience 

 of one of the best knoAvn Johannesburg amateur gar- 

 deners, whose garden is situate on the Northern slope 

 of the hills overlooking the Zoo and plantation, and 

 whose soil differs considerably from mine. 



He informed me that he could not keep a blue Aga- 

 panthus in his garden, as they all changed to white after 

 being planted out. 



€. N. Kxox Davies. 



Johannesburg. 



Entomological. 



Mr Claude Fuller^ in his First Report as Entomologist 

 to the Natal Government of that day, 1899-1900, under 

 the heading " Insect Friends," page 43, mentions that it 

 had come under his observation that the lady-bird, 

 Stictolcis instahiles, Muls., a var. of ^Sf. 2'2-moculnta, 



