94 Chronicles of Science. [Jan., 



lately seen a trunk about five feet in circumference, which was 

 thus ascended by a plant apparently belonging to the Menisper- 

 macese. 



Newfoundland Heather. — Dr. Berthold Seeman has figured 

 this form of Caluna in a late number of the ' Journal of Botany,' 

 and proposes to give it a distinct specific name. When planted by 

 the side of the common Scotch heather, it was observed that whereas 

 the native plant stood the weather easily, this was browned and 

 withered up by the cold. A full-blossomed variety of the heather 

 is cultivated in German gardens, which is also observed to have this 

 peculiarity of habit, and may perhaps be similar in other respects to 

 the Newfoundland form. Dr. Seeman states that it is difficult to 

 seize on any constant character of differentiation between the Trans- 

 atlantic and Scotch forms, excepting this one of habit ; at the same 

 time he considers that they ought to be distinct species. 



Pollen Grains as characteristic of Species. — Mr. Gulliver, 

 F.E.S., communicates to the same contemporary his notes on the 

 pollen grains of certain allied plants, which he finds differ most 

 markedly in size and roughness. The pollen grains of Ranunculus 

 acris are rough and very much larger than those of allied species, 

 while Lotus corniculatus and Lotus major, which are sometimes 

 declared to be identical species, present a most striking difference 

 as regards size in their pollen-grains, those of L. major being 

 invariably smaller than those of L. corniculatus. 



The late numbers of the Journal also contain a paper by Mr. 

 Carruthers " On the Structure and Affinities of Lepidodendron 

 and Calamites." and many of the botanical papers which were read 

 before the British Association at Nottingham. 



TJie Cedars of Lebanon. — Dr. Hooker makes the following 

 interesting communication to a recent number of the ' Gardeners' 

 Chronicle': — "The Bev. M. Tristram, F.L.S., informs me of a 

 most interesting discovery lately made in the Lebanon, viz. of 

 several extensive groves of cedar-trees, by Mr. Jessup, an American 

 missionary, a friend of his own, to whom he pointed out the pro- 

 bable localities in the interior. Of these there are five, three of 

 great extent east of ' Ain Zabalteh,' in the Southern Lebanon. 

 This grove lately contained 10,000 trees, and had been purchased 

 by a barbarous Sheikh, from the more barbarous (?) Turkish govern- 

 ment, for the purpose of trying to extract pitch from the wood. 

 The experiment of course failed, and the Sheikh was ruined, but 

 several thousand trees were destroyed in the attempt. One of the 

 trees measured fifteen feet in diameter, and the forest is full of 

 young trees, springing up with great vigour. He also found two 

 small groves on the eastern slope of Lebanon, overlooking the 

 Buka'a, above El Medeuk ; and two other large groves containing 



