404 Abhandlungen der Koniglichen 



employed for various purposes Acaena sanguisorba or native burner, with 



the kangaroo grass, much deteriorate the Van Diemen wool. The thorns of 

 the one, and awny seeds of the other get into the fleece, and cannot be remov- 

 ed by washing ; it is recommended, if possible, to have the sheep shearing season 



over before the seeds of these plants reach maturity. Arundo phragmites is 



apparently the same with the European plant ; it is abundant, and is useful for 

 thatching. The panicles dye wool green, and the root is said to be useful in 



liver complaints. Will it not possess the same qualities here ? Banksia 



australis, " when planted in rows and well clipped, forms a stout and impervi- 

 ous hedge, not surpassed by the hawthorn or holly." Dacrydium? cupressinum 



or Huan pine, must be a noble tree, " A height of one hundred feet, and a cir- 

 cumference of thirty, are generally attained by this splendid pyramidal tree." 



The Eucalypti are most useful, and are also numerous in species ; easily 



felled and wrought when green, they become hard as oak when dry, and are used 

 for economical purposes. The leaves also exude a sort of " Manna," greedily 

 devoured by birds and insects, and picked up and eaten by the aborigines. A few 

 of the more common or remarkable plants are also noticed, and the paper will be 

 found worthy of perusal either by the popular or scientific reader Illustra- 

 tions of Indian Botany, by Dr Wight and G. A. W. Arnot, Esq. continued, with 

 a figure of Sesuvium repens. " Botanical information," announces the publica- 

 tion of 2d Fasciculus of Berkeley's Fungi, (See Bibliog. notices, p. 401.) The 



3d will be published in March 1st 1837 Some interesting notes relative to 



the botany and horticulture of some of the German towns, follow extracts from 

 the correspondence of a friend : and the number is concluded with the com- 

 mencement of " a brief Memoir of the Life of Mr David Douglas, with extracts 

 from his letters, accompanied by a portrait," which occupies also the whole of 

 No. xvi. We shall wait for its completion, and shall then give some extracts 

 from the adventures of one who has introduced so many beautiful and hardy 

 plants to the gardens of Britain. 



Transactions and Periodicals — Foreign. 



Abhandlungen der Koniglichen Akademie der Jfisscnschaften 

 zu Berlin. Aus dem Jahre 1834. — Berlin, 1836. 



Vergleichende Anatomie der Myxinoiden, der Cyclostomen mit durchbohrtem 



gaumen. Von Herrn MiiLLER Comparative Anatomy oftheMyxinoideee,Sfc. — 



The author begins by stating the great advantages which zoology has of late years 

 derived from the habit which has arisen of either pursuing the history of some 

 particular oigan through each branch of the animal kingdom, or of giving a very 

 accurate anatomical description of some individual, which may serve as a basis 

 for farther comparative observation. The works already published upon the 

 anatomy of the tortoises, the Omithorynchus, the Cossus of Lyonnet, the Cock- 

 chaffer, the Nautilus, &c. are admirable instances of accurate detail. But it is of 

 still more importance that we should be well acquainted with the structure of 

 those animals which stand as it were upon the boundary of some other class, and 

 partake at once of the characters of both. On this account, a knowledge of the 

 anatomy of the Omithorynchus, and of the Echidna, throws light on the study 



