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of Anagallis arvensis, of a pale pink color, which comes perfectly true 

 from seed. The original plant was found wild in a field about three 

 years ago. In the same garden is growing a clump of the blue variety, 

 Anagallis cmriUea, also taken from a ncighbou:iog field, but although 

 these have spread to a bed upwards of a yard square and touch one 

 another, not a single cross between them, or any case of reversion to the 

 type has been noticed. In the shrubbery of a neighbouring farm, 

 Geranium striatum flourishes, and on the railway bank Hieracium 

 aurantiacum is growing; this probably is an introduction, as the bank 

 adjoins a siding where the continental goods' train is frequently shunted. 

 Serratula ti?ictoria and Gnaphalium si/lvaticum, are also reported from 

 the same district. Amongst the grasses, Briza minor and Bromus arvensis 

 have been found. — J. J. 



CoMMENSALisM BETWEEN RooKS AND Jackdaws. — That the fraternity 

 between these birds is not limited only to a similarity of habits, and 

 fellow intercourse, the following will show^ — - 



"Whilst walking in the neighbourhood of Shakespeare's Cliff, 

 Dover, my attention was directed to a great noise made by a parcel of 

 rooks, which, with accompanying jackdaws, rose from a field where they 

 had been feeding, and flew, lustily screaming, above and around me in 

 the air ; at first I took no heed, but as the jackdaws retired further from 

 the scene, I noticed the rooks to become still more demonstrative, circling 

 round, then settling for a moment upon the telegraph wires, or almost 

 beating the ground with their wings as they flew near. Their cries 

 increased, and were evidently notes of alarm ; soon I came upon the 

 cause, for I espied a young jackdaw capable only of a sustained flight of 

 about a dozen yards, which bad probably for the first time that morning 

 accompanied the party. I was able to examine it and satisfy myself 

 that it was not a rooklet, and then, having placed myself on some rising 

 ground, T noted with pleasure the denouement. Pleased with themselves 

 for having driven the obtruder away, the rooks quieted down, but not so 

 the jackdaws ; they were not contented until assured the fledgeling was 

 unhurt, and several couples approached seemingly for that object only. 

 This I take to be a good instance of commensalism, the stronger bird 

 taking upon itself the duty of custodian for the time being." — S. W. 



A Lost Plant. — Salvia pratense, one of our wild blue flowers, and 

 a local species, has not been noticed for the last two years in its I'over 

 locality. It is feared that a farm thistle spudder has rooted it out as a 

 weed, and unless some small outlying specimen has escaped his and our 

 eye, we must, I fear, regard it as a lost plant to the neighbourhood. — S. W. 



Ants and Aphides. — A great deal of nonsense has been written by 

 several authors about the various domestic animals which ants keep. . . . 

 The Aphides which are often found in ants' nests arc not brought from 

 various plants where the ants find them iu their foraging expeditions, as 

 is often supposed, but are kinds (and there are several) which live on the 



