1888-89-] The Ichneumon or Mungoos. 253 



shrubs, and forming formidable obstacles to the traveller in 

 those regions where they abound, as well as to the animals 

 which find their food on branches and other herbage. These 

 spines were doubtless developed for protection ; but it does 

 not seem so clear why the Discarias of Australia and N'ew 

 Zealand are so armed, when there are no native browsing 

 mammals in these countries. But the most extraordinary 

 feature of these plants is the tendency they possess to change 

 their characters. The late Dr Lindley records a case, on the 

 authority of Mr Barnes of Bicton, in 1849, of a seedling from 

 C. spinosa taking the form of C. cruciata, which latter is now 

 generally known as C. Bictoneusis. In the Botanic Garden 

 of our own city there is a plant of C. cruciata with a dimorphic 

 branch agreeing with C. spinosa ; but there is no evidence of 

 C. spinosa ever producing C. cruciata. Thus though a number 

 of so-called species have been named, the probability is that 

 they are for the most part wide phases or forms of one or two 

 real species. Of the Discarias, one species, D. serratifolia, is 

 found associated with the Colletias in Chili and Peru, and the 

 other two are confined to Australia and New Zealand. The 

 following is a list of the known forms of Colletia, with their 

 synonyms : — 



C. armata, syn. C. spinosa. 



C. Bictonensis, syn. C. cruciata. 



C. ferox, syn. C. spinosa. 



C. liorrida, syn. C. spinosa. 



C. polyacantha, syn. C. spinosa. 



C. ulicina, syn. C. Benthamiana. 



C. Valdiviana, syn. C. spinosa. 



Yl.—THE ICHNEUMON OR MUNGOOS. 



By Mr ROBERT STEWART, S.S.C. 



{Read March 27, 1SS9.) 



On the banks of the river Findhorn, a few miles above the 

 pretty town of Forres, a number of herons had taken up their 

 abode, until some years ago a colony of jackdaws set up a 



