OBSEKVATIONS. 



817 



IV. Among the extracts from bota- 

 nical correspondence, communi- 

 cated by Professor Balfour, was : 

 A letter from the Rev. James 

 Farquharson, noting some of the 

 rarer plants which occur in the 

 neighbourhood of Selkirk, among 

 which are Trientalis europmt, yeottia 

 nidus-avis, Lathrcpa sqiiamaria, Plan- 

 tago media, Blysmus compressus, do. 



Mr. Sadler exhibited specimens 

 of Cystopteris fragilis var. interriipta, 

 which he had picked in Glen Farg, 

 near Bridge of Earn, in 1863. 



Dr. James Stirton, Glasgow, sent 

 specimens of Mniiim cocldearifolium, 

 found by him on the hills behind 

 Dunoon. 



Specimens were exhibited of Sa- 

 gina ciliata (Fries) and Arenaria 

 leptodados (Guss), which had been 

 transmitted from Old Machar, Aber- 

 deenshire, by Mr. John Sim ; also 

 specimens of Simetliishicolor (Kmiih.), 

 from Bournemouth, and of Phalaris 

 jparadoxa (L) from Swanage, trans- 

 mitted by James Hussey, Esq., of 

 Salisbury. 



Mr. John M'Donald exhibited a 

 peculiar monstrous condition of a 

 double Roman narcissus. 



Dr. Greville sent a specimen of 

 the common Carnation exhibiting 

 monstrosity in flowers, all the floral 

 envelopes being changed into scales 

 or bracts. 



Piofessor Balfour announced the 

 painful intelligence of the death of 



Dr. W. Balfour Baikie, one of the 

 early members of the society, who 

 had distinguished himself by his 

 discoveries in Africa. He died of 

 dysentery at Sierra Seone, on 30th 

 November last. 



The Natterjack Toad.— The Nat- 

 terjack, (Bvffo calamita,) of which 

 I have several specimens in my 

 Reptile Vivarium, is at once distin- 

 guishable from the Common Toad, 

 by the very bright yellow line along 

 the vertebral column. The general 

 colour is a sort of olive striped with 

 black, and dark green on the flanks 

 and legs. It is also spotted with 

 red tubercles, giving it altogether 

 quite ahandsome appearance. When 

 surprised they begin walking or 

 running off" (at a pace between the 

 two). They always go in pairs. 

 They seem to be more delicate than 

 the common species, as mine scarcely 

 ever enter the water at this season, 

 while the latter frequently do. I 

 find them most commonly on sunny 

 days, where a pond has nearly dried 

 up. Mine are now tame enough to 

 eat out of my hand. Their food 

 consists of worms and insects, which 

 they catch by their tongues in the 

 same way as the other species. 

 Their croak is hoarser than that of 

 the Toad. I have now a Toad which 

 croaks whenever handled ; and a 

 Croaking Natterjack of my catching 



