i894-95- 



Natural History Notes on Japan. 



117 



trees, not belonging to the Coniferse, are Rhus vernicifera, the 

 lacquer tree ; Rhus succedaneum, the vegetable wax-tree ; 

 Broussetia papyrifera, from which paper is made ; Camellia 

 japonica ; Paulownia imperialis (Scropkularinete) ; and Cleyera 

 japonica, planted round Shinto temples. Of flowers, we may 

 mention the peony {Pceonia moutan) ; the chrysanthemum, 

 the badge of the victorious Mikado and his adherents ; and 

 the three-leaved Asarum, the badge of the vanquished Toku 

 gawa family, who till 1868 ruled Japan. The twelve months 

 of the year are marked by twelve flowers, each month receiving 

 its name from the flower which is then in perfection : — 





Of cereals we may mention maize, rice, rye, called " naked 

 mugi " ; wheat, called " little mugi " ; and barley, called " big 

 mugi." 



Of insects, the most noticeable are the cicada, which beats 

 two drums on its belly; and the tree grasshopper, which 

 plays the violin, using its elytra as a fiddle and the rough 

 edge of its thigh as a bow. The Japanese keep them in 

 cages. 



Of birds I may notice Parus caudatus, found in Britain, 

 and Icteria princeps, a flycatcher — the most beautiful bird in 

 Japan. 



At this meeting Dr Sprague, the President, read a paper 

 entitled "Ripple-marks on Sand." 



