222 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



a prey to the Blue Jays and King Crows. In Egypt, too, the plague 

 is assuming serious proportions, and the Government has delegated 

 Mr. Hooker, a leading official, to leave for Upper Egypt, in order to take 

 measures for the protection of the crops against the ravages of these insects. 

 Mr. Wallace, Director of the Farming School, is charged with a similar 

 mission to the Delta. 



SCIENTIFIC SOCIETIES. 



Linnean Society of London. 



April 1 6. — Prof. Stewart, President, in the chair. 



The following were elected Fellows of the Society :— Messrs. J. Oliver, 

 J. H. Hill, W. D. Crotch, A. S. Woodward, and W. B. Longsdon. 



A paper, by the Kev. F. K. Wilson, was read, M On Lichens from 

 Victoria," in which several new species were described, specimens of which 

 were exhibited. 



A paper, by Surgeon-Major A. Barclay, followed, " On the life-history 

 of two species of Puccinia, viz. P. coronata, Corda, and a new species 

 which the author proposed to name P. Jasmini-chrysopogonis. A feature 

 of peculiar interest noted in the latter species was the extraordinary 

 abundances and wide distribution of the teleutosporic stage as compared 

 with the comparative scarcity of the aecidial stage, and this disproportion 

 in the distribution of the two stages had been remarked by the author long 

 before he had ascertained that they were related. A discussion followed in 

 which several of the botanists present took part. 



May 7. — Prof. Stewart, President, in the chair. 



Messrs. J. H. Hill and J. Oliver, and Prof. A. Milnes Marshall were 

 admitted, and Mr. M. A. Ruffer and Prof. Cramer were elected Fellows of 

 the Society. 



Prof. R. J. Anderson exhibited a panoramic arrangement for displaying 

 drawings at biological lectures. 



Mr. John Young exhibited a nest of the Bearded Titmouse, Cala- 

 mophilus biarmicus, which had been built in his aviary. Several eggs were 

 laid, but none of them were hatched. 



The Rev. E. S. Marshall exhibited several specimens of a Cochlearia from 

 Ben More, believed to be undescribed. 



Mr. Robert Drane forwarded for exhibition a plant of the rayless daisy 

 found growing abundantly in the neighbourhood of Cardiff; and an 

 undetermined sponge dredged in about forty fathoms off the coast of 

 South Wales. 



