322 THE JOUKNAJj OF HOT AN V 



scaber), which were seen on separate nights, were unexpected addi- 

 tions and an unusual type of flower visitor. Neither Muller nor 

 Knuth record any lsopoda as being agents in flower- pollination. I 

 believe Porcellio is a vegetarian, and, although I could not exactly 

 decide what they were doing on the Primrose flowers, I suspect they 

 were feeding on something. The spider was a moderate-sized 

 example, which I did not capture. A small Geometer larva was seen 

 on a llower (24th), but I do not think that this has any significance. 

 On April 22 I watched some Primroses for a short time (1.30 to 

 2.30). The day was warm and calm, with bright sunshine. There 

 was a fair display of Primroses on a sunny roadside bank of southerly 

 aspect just outside and west of Whitford (Flint). This locality is 

 on the plateau of the Halkin llange, some five miles to the east of 

 Cwm and at the same elevation as Bryn Goleu. A fair number 

 of a small burrowing-bee was observed frequenting the ilowers and 

 collecting pollen. Specimens were subsequently identified as Andrena 

 Gwyiiuna. In a lane close to this spot a single humble-bee 

 (Bombus $ ) was noticed on a Primrose, but whether collecting 

 pollen or nectar I could not decide, as she quickly took to flight. 

 This was either Bomb us terrestris or B. horlorum. 



(To be continued.) 



THE VITALITY OF SEEDS. 



The paragraph which we reprinted (p. 240) from the Times 

 has attracted the notice of the Royal Botanic Society, whose 

 Quarterly Summary for July contains an interesting article by 

 the editor, Mr. J. L. North, Curator of the Society, on the subject, 

 from which we extract the following passages. It may be noted 

 that, in the version of the story which we printed, the " Morning 

 Glory" (Ipomoea purpurea) was mentioned, whereas in the follow- 

 ing account the " Moonflower " (7. Bona-nox) appears, but the 

 absurdity is the same in either case : — 



" In a newspaper a short while back there appeared a letter from 

 a correspondent referring to some seeds of oats which had germinated 

 after removal from a mummy 2,600 years old. As it is a good 

 example of mummy stories, and this Society had something to do 

 with the spreading of it, it may be interesting to Fellows. 



"The particular mummy to which it refers was one presented 

 to the late John ' Rob lloy ' Macgregor, of canoe fame. When in 

 the course of his wanderings (this was 50 years ago) he reached 

 Egypt, the Khedive, Ismail, presented him with an unopened 

 mummy in its case. After he came back to England it was opened 

 in the presence of credible witnesses, and among the dust at the 

 bottom was found four oat seeds. Two of these he sowed himself, 

 and two he brought to these gardens. All four seeds germinated, 

 his producing flowers and fruits ; ours grew, but died without 

 flowering. The story of their discovery and growth was put in 

 the papers, and made a great stir at the time, while the fact that the 

 Society had grown the seeds was held as proof of its authenticity. 



