336 
the Quercus coccifera, and the cochineal insect, in the case of the 
Opuntia, effect no appreciable harm on these plants.” 
This article is of peculiar interest, as it was written from 
Tyninghame and refers to the same affected beech-woods, to which 
attention was drawn by the Earl of Haddington in 1863 in the 
letter to Prof. Balfour quoted in extract above. 
On December 28th, 1910, Mr. Brotherston, replying to a request for 
information as to the present state of the beech-trees at Tyninghame, 
states that he notices very little difference from the condition which 
prevailed in 1903. He says, however, that nowhere in Scotland 
has he observed trees so thickly coated with Coccus as he has seen 
them in Herefordshire. In his letter, Mr. Brotherston refers to 
the death of trees in Scotland, obviously due to causes other than 
Coccus, as follows :—“ At the same time large numbers of beech- 
trees have been dying and others are approaching death on many 
estates. It is not a question of soil, for trees growing in almost 
pure sand go as fast as those which have a clayey loam to root in. 
The symptoms, which are at first apparent, are leaves which year by 
year diminish in size till a spring arrives when they fail to appear, 
or sometimes appear to shortly wither away. When the tree is 
felled the main roots are usually in a condition approaching rotten- 
ness and sometimes the centre of the trunk is also rotted. But 
there are influences that account for these conditions. The trees 
are (perhaps) invariably aged for beech. Those which die at 
Tyninghame are over or nearly 200 years of age. At Mellerstain, 
Berwickshire, they are a few years younger. Protracted drought is 
vyory hartita: = 7. 3 $s ina decaying condition also bear 
enormous crops of mast, not every year, but sufficiently often to 
lessen the vitality of the trees. 
In the “ Journal of the Board of Agriculture ” for November, 
1910, pp. 642-3, an article occurs in which a reference is made to 
the presence of Cryptococcus fagi in the forest of Charbonnicre, 
Belgium ; in this reference it is said that the disease is not taken 
seriously by the Belgian forester. 
A full account of Cryptococcus fagi, its life history &c., is to be 
found in * A Monograph of British Coccidae ” . Newstead, 
vol. ii., pp. 215-221, plate lxx., figs. 1-10. Leaflet No. 140 of the 
Board of Agriculture also deals with the insect, and the treatment 
of the disease ; and an account of recent observations on the dis- 
tribution of the Coccus in beech-woods is given by the Board of 
Agriculture and Fisheries in the Annual Report of the Intelligence 
Division, Part II, for the year 1909-10. 
PERSONAL OBSERVATIONS. 
In the following notes on a selection of the beech-woods visited, 
the condition of individual trees is dealt with. 
_Ashridge Woods.—These, the property of Earl Brownlow, were 
visited on April 7th, 1910, when Mr. Wheatley, the agent, very 
kindly allowed the forester to accompany us. Our attention was 
first directed to a wood composed principally of old beech-trees. 
Most of these had been pollarded in hess youth, and many were in 
