164 Rev. W. A. Leighton on the Cowslip, Primrose and Oxlip. 



gular at the periphery," and " an angle at the base of the colu- 

 mella," characters which were not noted in Capt. Mutton's de- 

 scription. Capt. Hutton also describes the shell as ^'conico- 

 discoidea." My note gives " conoid depressed." Pfeiffer says, 

 " Habitat in Himalaya prope Kirmalliah." Capt. Hutton's ha- 

 bitat is " Kirmalliah, five miles from Neemuch," which is 100 

 miles south of Ajmere in Rajpootana, and 400 miles from the 

 nearest point of the Himalaya. 



H. proxima, Fer. (Pfr. no. 980). 



The habitat " Coimbator " is stated on the authority of 

 Leschenault and Deshayes, as in the "presqu'ile au delk du 

 Gauge," instead of " en de9a du Gauge," Coimbatore being south 

 of Seringapatam. 



Anostoma Boysii, Bens. (Pfr. no. 3). 



The habitat of this singular little species of a rare genus, 

 which I named after its discoverer, Capt. W. J. Boys, is given as 

 Bengal, communicated by Dr. V. d. Busch, who doubtless re- 

 ceived it, with other Indian shells (the source of which is not 

 acknowledged in the ^Abbildungen' of Philippi), from Capt. Boys. 

 This gentleman found A, Boysii among the stones of the Sakk 

 in the hill-fort of Chittore in Rajpootana. He got also a single 

 specimen at Ajmere. The species has occurred in no other part 

 of India. 



Dublin, June 21st, 1848. 



XVI. — On the form of the Capsule and Seeds as affording a 

 specific character in Primula vulgaris (Huds.), P. veris (Linn.), 

 and P. elatior [J acq.). By the Rev. W. A. Leighton, B.A., 

 F.B.S. E. & L.* 



Very much has been written from time to time on the Cowslip, 

 Primrose and Oxlip, both to prove their specific identity and the 

 contrary; and many experiments have been undertaken with 

 similar views, but as it appears to me without having arrived at 

 any certainty. The question seems still an open one. Most of 

 these writers, whose papers I have had the means of consulting, 

 whilst they duly describe the forms and peculiarities of the 

 leaves, flowers, scape and other parts of the above plants, never 

 take any notice of the capsule and seeds. The same may be said 

 of both English and continental botanists, whose works I have 

 referred to. 



It occurred to me that possibly good specific characters might 



• Read before the Botanical Society of Edinburgh, July 13th, 1818. 



