Sept. 30, 1886] 
NATURE 
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In the discussion which followed, Prof. Bower said that in 
the elementary schools it would be well to give first the classifi- 
cation of the higher plants, and then, if the students succeeded 
in that part, they might pass to the more strict labora- 
tory learning. — Prof. Hartog condemned the use of the 
type-system with children under sixteen, and, referring to 
the college instruction, lamented that the study of botany 
should have to be regulated by the requirements of the 
medical students:—Dr. Trimen thought the type-system was 
apt to give the students a false impression of the vegetable king- 
dom. ‘They were apt to think that those types covered the 
whole matter to be studied. It would be well if the system 
could be extended. As to the question of medical_ students, 
they certainly did not require a complete course of technical 
botany. The teaching of botany in some of the London schools 
was a mere farce.—Prof. Marshall Ward remarked that the type- 
system has done good service to education, and pointed out how 
necessary it is to obtain exact knowledge from the study of 
actual objects, and how valuable is the training due to their 
careful investigation. The types should be real, and not 
imaginary or badly-selected ones.—Dr. Shaw observed that it 
would be a great mistake to drop biology out of the curriculum 
of the medical student.—Prof. Hillhouse pointed out that the 
type-system gave the student the advantage of commencing with 
simplicity and working up to complexity. The system, to be 
successful, must be carefully arranged and the selection of types 
judicious. 
Remarks on “ Physiological Selectin, an Addi ional Suggestion 
on the Origin of Species,” by G. F. Remanes, FR S., by Henry 
Seebohm.—-This was a criticism of the above paper, and was 
followed by a short discussion, the general conclusion arrived 
at being to the effect that the paper referred to does not contri- 
bute anything essentially new to the theory of Charles Darwin. 
In criticising this theory, Mr. Seebohm pointed out that 
its author not only demanded an impossible number of 
coincidences, but coincidences of such a character that, once 
granted, the additional coincidence of fertility zzéer se but 
sterility outside the family was almost, if not quite, an unneces- 
sary incumbrance to it. 
On the Morphology of the Mammalian Coracoid, by Prof. 
G. B. Howes. —The author seeks to show that the importance 
of a third centre of ossification of the mammalian coracoid has 
escaped attention ; he claims that it is the representative of the 
true coracoid bar of the lower vertebrata, the coracoid process 
being held to answer to the epicoracoid plate of the monotreme. 
He further upholds the view that the mammalian shoulder-girdle 
has been derived from a primarily expanded sheet-like form. 
Some Experiments upon the Acquisition of an Unpleasant 
Taste as a Means of Protecting Insects from their Enemies, 
by E. B. Poulton.—This paper dealt with experiments upon the 
acquisition of an unpleasant taste as a means of protecting 
insects from their enemies. The author remarked that Darwin 
thinking of the use of colour in animals, and deciding that it 
was of use in courtship, came across the bright colours of cater- 
pillars, which were sexless. He directed Wallace’s attention to 
the subject, and he ventured a prediction that the bright colours 
would be associated with an unpleasant taste or smell, so that 
lizards, &c., refused to eat them. Experiments proved that this 
was correct, but, on thinking the subject over, it seemed to the 
writer that some limitations were required. If an imsect was 
distasteful to a lizard, the former would either be starved or 
would have to put up with an unpleasant taste. It might pro- 
bably acquire a relish for what hitherto was disagreeable, and 
then the distasteful organisms being brilliant and conspicuous 
would be easily caught and exterminated. Mr. Poulton there- 
fore determined to experiment upon them, believing that it 
would be found that protection by a disagreeable taste was not 
so complete as was supposed. He obtained lizards from Italy, 
but found that that was the case. They often refused an insect 
at first, and took it afterwards unless they were fed on other 
things which they liked better. It was found that the small 
lizards refused a large moth, such as the privet hawk, although 
entirely harmless and undoubtedly palatable. The larger lizards 
disposed of it at once, and the former were evidently afraid of 
it, from its size bearing some comparison to their own. Further, 
the brilliant black and red moth, the cinnabar, was eaten by 
the tree-frog, and a second specimen was eaten directly after- 
wards. It was quite clear that the frog did not dislike the 
taste, but the moths disagreed with the frog, and they were 
afterwards found floating in the aquarium. The moth of the 
buff tip, which was protected by resembling a piece of broken 
rotten wood, was evidently disliked by the lizards, although 
they ate it in the end. In some cases disagreeable insects were 
eaten with a relish by those particular animals, such as the larve 
of the common Creesus found on birch. The protection was 
therefore less perfect than was supposed to be the case. 
On the Germination of the Spores of “Phytophthora infestans,” 
by Prof. Marshall Ward.—One of the objects of this communi- 
cation was to bring before the meeting copies of some careful 
drawings of all the stages of germination. These were obtained 
by actually watching the development, escape, and germination 
ofthe zoospores from the ‘ conidia,” following all the phases in 
one individual. The curious effects of light and of abnormal 
conditions upon the development of the zoospores were also 
pointed out, and the author showed diagrams of other forms of 
germination obtained by interfering with the conditions. In the 
short discussion which followed Prof. Marshall Ward referred to 
some points in the development and escape of the zoospores of 
the Saprolegnia. 
On the Flora of Ceylon, especially as affected by Climate, by 
Henry Trimen, M.B., F.L.S.—Attention was first called to the 
fact that the Island of Ceylon was practically known to Europeans 
only by its south-west part, being about one-fifth of the whole area, 
but including the chief European centres, the planting districts 
of the hills, and the railway system. The remainder of the 
country is thickly covered with jungle, thinly inhabited, and 
rarely visited by Europeans, save Government officials and 
sportsmen. This difference was shown to be due to climate, 
especially to rainfall. The distribution of the rain, so far as is 
shown by annual amount, was exhibited by a map, in which the 
great advantage to the south-west of the lofty forest-clad escarp- 
ment of the central mountain-mass of over 7000 feet was ex- 
hibited. The south-west monsoon wind commencing at the end 
of May deposits an immense quantity of rain here, especially in 
the neighbourhood of Adam’s Peak. In the rest of the island 
this wind becomes dry, and the country is parched and arid 
until the arrival of the north-east monsoon, which commences 
in October. This wind brings rain to the whole island, and is 
the only rain which the dry districts get ; in many places it all 
falls in a few weeks, when the country is completely under 
water, though parched with drought for the rest of the year. 
This is very different to the well-known south-west of Ceylon, 
where, save in February or March, a fortnight’s drought is a 
very rare eyent. In some parts over 200 inches falls in the year. 
In these respects Ceylon is an epitome or continuation of the 
Southern Indian peninsula, The peculiarities of the flora 
were then gone through in some detail, taking first the low 
country of the wet districts up to 3000 feet—in which the num- 
ber of introduced tropical plants was commented upon; then 
of the lower hills, the principal home of the planting enter- 
prise and tea and coffee estates ; and next ‘of the higher or true 
mountain districts above 5000 feet. In the low country the 
forest has been much destroyed by the indolent and improvident 
native mode of cultivation called ‘‘chena,” and but little virgin 
forest remains in this portion of Ceylon. From 3000 to 5000 
feet the agent of destruction has been European planting, and 
the forest has almost wholly disappeared. Above 5000 feet, 
land is no longer sold by Government. Attention was specially 
called to the concentration of endemic species in this wet dis- 
trict—over 800, or nearly 30 per cent. of the whole flora—and 
to the strongly Malayan, as distinguished from Peninsular 
Indian, type of these and of the whole flora. There are no 
Alpine plants in the Ceylon hills; dense forest covers their 
summits, but a number of temperate gemera are represented. 
This flora is entirely Indian in type, with no gers represented 
which is not also found in the Nilghiris, but the number of en- 
demic sfecies is very remarkable, only about 200 being common 
to both mountain-ranges. A few remarks were then made upon 
the naturally open grass lands, called ‘‘patanas,” in the hills, 
and their peculiar vegetation. The flora of the great dry tracts 
of Ceylon was then considered. It is completely distinct from 
that already considered, being mainly the same as that of the 
Carnatic or Coromandel coast of India, with no Malayan ad- 
mixture, and very few endemic species. The whole country is 
covered with forest, apparently primzeval ; but in reality much 
of it is secondary, and not more than 800 or 1090 years old, as 
is reported by native tradition, and evidenced by the vast remains 
of temples, tanks, and ancient buildings now overgrown with 
trees, Most of the timbers of importance in trade are obtained 
in these districts, and, owing to a very faulty forest conservancy, 
