were seen to float out along with the pollen. They were also ob- 

 served on the ovarium, and in little clusters on the hairs and feathery 

 stigmata. These bodies are found to accompany the ergot through 

 all its stages, and are present even before the fecundation of the ova- 

 rium, at least before the discharge of the pollen, and consequently 

 before there is any appearance of an ergot ; they therefore cannot be 

 the sporules, but must be the cellules of the minute fungus itself. 

 On examining an ergot, the surface before being moistened presents 

 under the microscope the appearance of a thin whitish pruinose 

 crust, which, on the application of moisture, speedily separates into 

 myriads of the minute transparent cellules before mentioned. On 

 viewing the ergot in the dry state under the microscope, the pruinose 

 appearance of the crust will be found to arise from these bodies being 

 united together longitudinally, forming slightly elevated spiculse, but 

 crowded underneath and forming a kind of crust. These cellules so 

 united present the appearance of slender-jointed filaments, either 

 simple or branched, in which state they occur likewise on the an- 

 thers. Mr. Smith regards these cellules as the articulations of a 

 minute filamentous fungus which is developed in the early stage of 

 the flower, and propagating itself by the separation of the joints and 

 impregnating the soil or the perfect seeds of the grass, which on 

 germination and subsequent development carry up some of the re- 

 productive matter of the fungus, which again developes itself in the 

 flower, in the manner that Mr. Francis Bauer has shown to take 

 place in the propagation of the smut and grain-worms in wheat. 



Read, "A Letter on the occurrence of Wilson's Fetrel (Procellaria 

 Wilsoni) on the British coast." By Jonathan Couch, Esq., F.L.S. 



A single specimen of the bird was found in a field near Polperro 

 in Cornwall, about the middle of August last, when the stormy pe- 

 trel (P. pelagicd) abounded on the coast. Mr. C. instituted a com- 

 parison between them, and the result was as follows : 



Weight of the stormy petrel 4 drams, 35 grains ; of Wilson's petrel 5 

 drams, 2 scruples. 



Length 6 inches 7 inches. 



Spread of wings 11^ — 16^ — 



Wings extended beyond the tail ... ^ — 1-^ — 



With the leo's extended, the toes 1 , ,. -n i i ^ -i ■ r, ^^ 



extend short of the tail | ^ '"'"• ^'^>'"»^ ^^'^ ^^'^ * '"• ^ l'"- 



The stormy petrel is feathered just to the basal joint ; but in 

 Wilson's petrel the feathers only approach within 4 lines of it. In 

 the former the tarsus is in length 1 line short of an inch, in the 

 latter 1 inch 4 lines, and equally slender with the former ; and the 



