Prof. G. Gulliver on Raphides. 110 



For myself, I am perfectly satisfied with the evidence, both 

 verbal and written, that has been given to me. It will be seen 

 that it is substantially the same as that given by Daldorff and 

 John, who, however, did not notice (or, if they did, did not re- 

 cord) that the fish inclined its body to one side when advancing 

 by means of its opercula. To me, the fact that the negative evi- 

 dence of Buchanan Hamilton should have been considered of 

 more value than the positive evidence of two eye-witnesses (one 

 a highly respectable missionary, the other an officer in the 

 Danish service) is a thing more extraordinary by far than that 

 the Anahas scandens should ascend palm-trees, for which one 

 might almost say it is specially fitted by the unusual form of its 

 opercular pieces. 



That Hamilton Buchanan never saw this fish climb a Palmyra- 

 tree is by no means surprising ; for it is said only to do so 

 during the monsoon, when the trees are surrounded by water, 

 and the rain is descending their trunks — a time when, save by the 

 merest accident, no European, unless for some special reason, is 

 likely to be in such a situation. Buchanan Hamilton was from 

 Bengal, and in all probability knew nothing of the Tamil lan- 

 guage ; if he had, it might have occurred to him that the com- 

 mon Tamil name of this fish must have been given for some 

 good reason. 



Madras, Nov. 13, 1863. 



XV. — Observations on Raphides. By George Gulliver, F.R.S. 



[ContinueiJ from p. 43,] 



Rubiacea. — We have seen how, in our native Flora, the plants 

 of this order may be characterized as raphis-bearers. Though 

 Prof. Babington retains the name of Rubiacese in his ' Manual of 

 British Botany,' these weeds have been separated by very high 

 authority (see Lindley's * Vegetable Kingdom ') from the useful 

 and larger group of Cinchonacese ; so that Prof. Lindley's order 

 Galiacese includes all the British species of Rubiacese, and he 

 abolishes this last name altogether. Of Cinchonacese I am now 

 enabled, through the courtesy of Dr. Hooker, to give the following 

 results of a few examinations : — Ixora (fresh leaves of four spe- 

 cies), no raphides ; but abounding in beautiful sphseraphides, 

 each about , g'o o th of an inch in diameter. Gardenia (fresh 

 leaves of two species), no raphides ; but loaded and somewhat 

 gritty with sphseraphides, larger than those of Ixora, and well 

 seen in sections of the petioles. Manettia bicolor and Pentas 

 camea (fresh leaves and interpetiolary stipules) abounding in 



