266 



they learn that the flowering of these plants is quite a common 

 occurrence at the Royal Gardens. The age at which an Agave will 

 flower depends largely upon the conditions under which it has 

 grown; happily situated it may flower when 10 years old ; on the 

 other hand, if the conditions are unfavourable to healthy quick 

 growth, it may take 20, 50, or even a hundred years, or it may never 

 flower at all. The species that have flowered at Kew this year 

 are the following : — A. Leopoldii, flower spike 14 feet high ; 



A. micraniha picta, 2| feet ; A. liorrida macrodonta, 1\ feet ; 

 A. Potyacantha, k\ feet ; A. Bouchiei, 2\ feet ; A. densi flora, 



■"> feet : .4. Scoli/mus, 8 feet ; A. Haselofki, 5 feet. 



W. W. 



Presentations to Museums.— Among recent presentations to the 

 Museums may be mentioned the following : — Roots of Mesem- 

 bryantliemum acutipetctia, xmd. by natives of the Transvaal for 

 the preparation of "Khadi,"a fermented liquor; received from 

 Mr. J. P.urtt Davy, Department of Agriculture, Transvaal. 



Leaves of Fagus obliqua, Aristotelia Macqui {Kew Bulletin, 

 No. liS, 18 ( .)0, p. 34), and Persea Lingue, eaten by leaf-cutting 

 bees in Chili ; presented by Mr. R. Morton Middleton, F.Z.S. 



Branch of Pinus m uricata, portion of stem and plank of Pinus 

 Conlfrn, planks of Ailanthus glandulosa, Laburnum vulgare. 

 Taxus baccaki, Pinus Laricio and Quercus Hobur, also section of 

 Oak in which a horse shoe has become embedded ; presented by 

 Mr. H. Clinton Baker, Bayfordbury, Herts. 



Section of a Beech log and portion of an Oak pile from the 

 foundations of Winchester Cathedral. The former was taken 

 from under Bishop de Lacy's work, A.D. 1202, and the latter was 

 found under the early Norman work, A.D. 1079 ; received from 

 the Very Rev the Dean of Winchester through the kind offices 

 of Mr. I rancis Fox, C.E. 



Hmtographs showing the effects of the storm upon the Lime 

 Mr W "S • -■ heB ' ni ! t 1 . tree « in BuBhey Park on June 1st, 1908 ; from 



J. M. H. 



settuS ai SJf Z Th !i. aCt,0 S ° f the New 7 <«**rt Government in 

 lorn- for \hlT ? h T gh0 l lt the len S th and br ^dth of the 



cannot l?*£j£?** LOn ° f ? he native animal and P^* H* 

 i me ill t J C0I " n ft iended - Their most important action, 



hre islandK wh^t 8C,e ? tl ? C P ° int 0f view ia the acquisition of 

 an nr Is' Th. Tvf t0 *»»■£?«»"* as sanctuaries' for plants 



character^ UM?£™ f^ wWeh are of <* uite ***«* 



Nnsely cVv7red w [th ^ L— i* ? ^ *?"** ^ulf, a * isla » (l 

 ftesoh&on 21^^^ that of Northern Auckland ; 



ate< I 



' an™ oS?* i am ! b S b al P ine flora not yet properly 



instructive and Jeff HhSSf* 1 *** f ° ms the 8ub ^ ct of a ver ? 



D, L Cockayne ^SSTl^ZSS& '"* * 



