684 Geticral Notices. 



considerably injured, and rendered subject to a remarkable disease, by the 

 effects of arsenical compounds in the same district. (^Edinb. Neiu Phil. 

 Journ., vol. xxi. Oct. 1836, p. 333. and 334.) 



Electric Property of Plants. — The electric property of some plants, such as 

 the calendula, nasturtium, and other yellow-petaled flowers, has been long 

 noticed J and Darwin has particularly illustrated it in his Loves of the Plants. 



*' Round her fair form the electric lustre plays, 

 And cold she moves amid the lambent blaze." 



But an additional fact of a curious kind has been added to it by Dr. Walsh, 

 during his residence at Constantinople. Every month in the year is distin- 

 tinguished by some natural phenomenon, which he describes; but that of May 

 is most curious and interesting. " About the 20th of the month, a sudden 

 illumination bursts out from the bottom of the gardens as soon as it begins to 

 grow dark, and the whole of the walks between the trees are glittering with 

 many lights. This arises from the fire-flies, which fill the air in vast numbers. 

 The light which issues from these flies is exceedingly beautiful : it is very 

 bright, but of a character so mild and bland, that it is grateful to look upon. 

 The female is without wings, and is often detected under a leaf by the glitter- 

 ing beaux that are hovering round her. They seem also to be invited by the 

 blossoms of the nasturtium and the Oenothera. The yellow petals of those 

 flowers emit faint flashes of hght in the evening, as has been elsewhere re- 

 marked, and those insects are apparently attracted by the congenial blaze of 

 this * electric lustre.' They continue to illuminate the twilight air in this 

 way with their beautiful scintillations till the end of June, when they all dis- 

 appear." (^Narrative of a Residence at Constantinople.) 



Accelerating the Growth of Seeds by Scalding. — Cobbett, in treating of the 

 locust, says, that he was recommended by an American gentleman (Judge 

 Mitchell of Long Island) to boil the seeds previously to sowing them. (See 

 Arb. Brit., p. 624.) And the idea is not so ridiculous as might at first 

 sight be imagined. The subject was noticed by Professor Henslow, at the 

 meeting of the British Association at Bristol ; and the following is an extract 

 from a communication by the professor to the Magazine of Natural History, 

 vol. ix. p. 477. : — 



" Sir John Herschel lately sent some seeds of an acacia from the Cape of 

 Good Hope, to Captain Smith of Bedford, with directions that they should 

 be scalded, in order to secure their germination. Captain Smith having 

 presented me with a dozen of these, I subjected them to the following expe- 

 riments : — Two were placed in boiling water, and left to soak for an hour, 

 until the water had become cool ; two were kept at the boiling temperature 

 for ]i minute; two for 3 minutes; two for 6 minutes; and one for 15 

 minutes. Some of these were sown immediately, under a hand-glass, in the 

 open border ; and the rest were kept for 3 or 4 days, and then sown in a 

 hot-bed. The following are the results obtained : — 



Under the hand-glass, — 



1, boiled for IJ minute, failed. 

 1-3 minutes, came up in 14 days. 

 1 - 6 - - - 13 days. 



1, not steeped at all, did not germinate. 

 In the hot-bed, — 



1, boiled for 1^ minute, came up in 8 days. 

 1-3 minutes - - 7 days. 

 1 - 6 - - - - 7 days. 

 1 - 15 - - - - 13 days, 



2, in boiling water, left to cool - 9 days. 

 2, not steeped - - - 21 days. 



We cannot draw any decided inference from the single seed, which was boiled 



