152 Botanical Society of Edinburgh. 
The tamed Bisons carried from Bialowieza to Grodno have just 
made. by land a journey of 140 versts (20 German leagues). . 
pair destined for St. Petersburgh was shut up in an oblong cage, 
covered with straw, divided into two compartments, so that the 
Bisons could lie down without turning away from one another. This 
new prison and the jolting of the carriage had a painful effect on the 
spirit of the Bisons, and although tranquil and resigned, they took 
no food, and would not lie down for the first twenty-four hours ; but 
the second day they became calm and returned to their old habits. 
The journey lasted three days. 
The male and female destined for London travelled in a dak 
more spacious and uncovered cage. The male was very restless 
during the whole journey, struggled incessantly, made a roaring 
similar to the bellowing of the bull, and wounded himself in the eye 
in attempting to leap over the bar of the cage, two toises high. Of 
the age now of 15 months, the male is 4 feet 1 inch in height and 5 
feet 6 inches long; the female is 4 feet high, and 5 feet 3 inpher 
long. 
At Grodno the Bisons are placed in a spacious stable, ond bet 
pair is separated from the cther. At first, on attempting to put them 
together, they fell to fighting desperately, so much so that they even 
knocked down the solid partition which separated them ; they began 
by all attacking one another, and then, which is a singular fact, the 
three male Bisons fell upon the only female within their reach, and 
would infallibly have killed her, if the keepers had not defended 
her. Subsequently they became accustomed to one another, and 
the combats ceased. 
It would be necessary, in my opinion, to keep the Bisons in a © 
spacious park, where they would be able to live at their ease; and 
as they detest brilliant colours, and red especially enrages them, their 
keepers ought to wear clothes of a dark colour. I should also men- 
tion that they dislike dogs, and grow furious when pursued by them, 
Driuirri DE Dotmarorr, ; 
Master of the Forests of the Government of Grodno. 
BOTANICAL SOCIETY OF EDINBURGH. 
Jan. 11, 1849.—Professor Balfour, President, in the Chair. 
sa following communications were read :— 
. “A short Notice of Berwickshire Plants,” by James Hardy, 
Req, _ In this communication Mr. Hardy first alluded to the vegeta- 
tion of the coast between Cockburnspath and the mouth of the Pease- 
burn; the chief plants of importance being Glaucium luteum, Astra- 
galus glycyphyllos, Blysmus rufus, Carex extensa and Ligusticum sco- 
ticum. The oyster-plant (Steenhammera [or Stenhammaria as it 
ought to be spelt] maritima) used to grow on that shore, but it has 
now disappeared, although it still grows abundantly two miles east 
from the Pease Dean. 
This Dean has little to recommend it botanically, but its scenery 
is yery interesting. One of the best botanical localities in the district 
