410 Mr. Strickland’s Commentary 
when about the size of an egg. It not unfrequently happens 
that they are but imperfectly impregnated ; in which case they 
assume a different form from those in which the process is 
complete, and fall in two or three years. 
The perfect fruit. The abortion. 
The weight of an ordinary ripe drupe is from 40 to 50 Ibs. 
I believe it invariably happens, that when four lobes are con- 
tained in one husk, which is not uncommon, that they sepa- 
rate in the middle, forming two fruit, only distinguishable 
from those that grow separately by the flatness of the inner 
sides. ‘Those, however, that have three lobes are always 
united. 
The number of lobes of the leaves is altogether uncertain, 
varying from twenty-two to forty-five ; nor do the two sides 
always contain an equal number. 
I have only to add to the foregoing remarks, that the pollen, 
examined by the microscope, resembles in form a grain of 
barley, with a longitudinal furrow. It is too minute to pre- 
sent any form to the naked eye.—Evtraci from a Letter from 
Mr. George Clarke of Mahé, which is the largest of the Sey- 
chelles group. 
XLVIII.—Commentary on Mr. G. R. Gray’s * Genera of 
Birds? 8vo. London, 1840. By H. E. Srrickianp, 
Esq., M.A., F.G.S., &c. 
Mr. Gray’s ‘ Genera of Birds,’ though a work of no external 
pretensions, is calculated to exercise a very beneficial influ- 
ence on the science of ornithology. To the unscientific reader 
it presents only a bare catalogue of names ; but the naturalist 
no sooner consults it, than he finds in it evidence of much la- 
borious research and sound criticism. The object of this work 
is to give a classification of all the generic groups of the Class 
Ayes, which have been defined by various authors, and to 
append to each genus a list of the duplicate names which 
these authors have given to the same group, either through 
ignorance of each other’s labours, or from the less excusable 
cause of wishing to introduce their own terms into the sci- 
ence to the exclusion of those given by the original descri- 
