WEST INDIAN DRIFT ON EUROPEAN SHORES 31 



has been observed. For further details on this point Note 9 of the 

 Appendix should be consulted. 



Through the courtesy of Mr. Lloyd Praeger I have received whilst 

 preparing this work some more particulars about West Indian seeds 

 on the western sea-borders of Ireland. The following extract is 

 from a letter of April 29, 1915, written to him by Miss M. C. Knowles 

 of the National Museum, Dublin : 44 On p. 133, Irish Naturalist 

 for 1897, I see Mucuna urens was picked up on the shores of Kilkee 

 (Co. Clare). Mr. Tomlinson sent me Entada scandens that he had 

 found on the north coast a short time ago, but he did not give me 

 the locality. I have found it at White Park Bay (Co. Antrim) on 

 several occasions." 



On September 2, 1915, Miss Knowles wrote to tell me of two 

 seeds, Entada scandens and Mucuna sp., just brought to her, which 

 were found by the Rev. Br. S. O'Connell in a cave at Kilkee. They 

 were sent to me for inspection by the Rev. Br. M. A. Hoban. Both 

 of them appeared to be sound and germinable. The Mucuna seed 

 came nearest to those of M. urens. I may add that with the object 

 of directing interest to this matter I sent in May 1915 to the National 

 Museum, Dublin, a collection of West Indian drift seeds most likely 

 to be found on the Irish coasts. 



The West Coast of Scotland and the Hebrides. — As already 

 observed, Sir Robert Sibbald in his Scotia Illustrata (II., lib. 4, p. 55, 

 1694) includes, without commenting on their origin, Phaseoli Molucani 

 and Nux Indica in a catalogue of marine plants and other things 

 44 quae in Mari proveniunt." The use of the name Molucca Beans has 

 been before explained. The Indian Nut, 44 of which snuff-boxes 

 are made," is evidently Entada scandens, and is thus regarded by 

 Sloane, who identifies it in his paper in the Philosophical Transactions 

 with the Cocoon, which is its native name in Jamaica. Amongst 

 the West Indian seed-drift stranded on the north-west coasts of 

 Scotland and on the Hebrides, and described by Sloane in his Voyage 

 to Jamaica, etc. (II., 41, 186), are represented Guilandina bonducella, 

 Sacoglottis amazonica, and Manicaria saccifera. The first named 

 can be at once recognised from his account. As regards the other 

 two species, the identification of the Manicaria fruits was made by 

 Plukenet ; whilst the description of the Sacoglottis fruits, as quoted 

 by me under that head, leaves no room for doubt as to their identity. 



We have before referred to the account which Martin gives in 

 his Description of the Western Islands of Scotland (1703) of the 

 medicinal uses to which the Hebrideans and the people of Mull put 

 the Molucca Beans and Indian Nuts washed up on their shores, 

 and we have dwelt also on his account of the superstitions attached 

 to them. Amongst the seeds he mentions we can recognise those 

 of Entada scandens and Guilandina bonducella. He adds (p. 283) 

 that the Steward of St. Kilda told him that they had found Molucca 

 Beans in a nest of the Solan Goose, it being the habit of these birds 

 to carry to their nests many things they find afloat in the sea. This 

 is interesting in connection with the discovery by Sir William Milner 

 of large West Indian seeds in the crops of nestling petrels at St. 

 Kilda, a matter which drew the attention of Darwin, and is treated 



