240 Transactions. 



Admirals, pure white Papilios, and Acraeas with bright red spots 

 on their wings, are all very common in the darker places. Some- 

 times one sees a millipede about 10 inches long, with hundreds of 

 twinkling red feet crawling over the path, and a very large wood- 

 louse, which rolls into a ball about an inch in diameter, is very 

 common. But the insects arc a study in themselves in Madagas- 

 car. When one emerges from the forest into the interior, the 

 difference is extraordinary. As far as the eye can reach, there is 

 nothing but range after range of bleak granite hills covered with a 

 uniform grey grass broken by low scrubby perennials. Only small 

 bushes with heath-like leaves seem able to live on the soil, which 

 is a hard red clay, the debris of the granitic and gneissose rocks. 

 The flowers are usually very inconspicuous, and it is most remark- 

 able to find Eubiacea such as Anthospermum, Leguminosse e.g. 

 Indigofera, Hypericums, Stachys, Philippias, &c, all taking the 

 same appearance. There is even an extraordinary Monocotyledon 

 which has done its best to become something of the same kind — 

 Vellosia. Where there is more water the flowers are more beauti- 

 ful, and it is in such places that one finds Disas and Habenarias 

 with long stalks and bright pink and white flowers, or that 

 most beautiful Gentian Tachiadenus with a corolla 4 inches long, 

 and the handsome shrubby Impatiens forms ; but it is impossible to 

 do justice to these flowers in such a paper as this. 



The main features of the flora are, however, easy to under- 

 stand. There is a certain number of seaside plants usually the 

 same as those found along the Eastern Coast of Africa. The 

 flanks of the mountains are covered with forest, and this flora 

 shows most affinity with the forest plants of the East African 

 Coast, while the bare steppe-like highlands of the interior are 

 covered with plants which show distinct relationship with the 

 similar grassy plateaux of the Transvaal and the Shire Highlands. 



11. Annan : Its Historical and Literary Associatio?is. 

 By Mr Fkank Miller. 



Mr Miller said the town which he had been asked to describe 

 was interesting to every student of Scottish history as one of the 

 famous old border burghs. Owing to its geographical position, it 

 was sadly exposed to the fury of invaders during the long-con- 

 tinued wars with England ; and again and again it was the scene 

 of desperate conflict. When at length the union of the crowns 

 secured a permanent peace, it was universally acknowledged that 



