Evening Meeting, Bee. 3rd, 1853. IxxL 



Mr. Duller considered the best means of forwarding Mr. 

 Ondaatje's views, would be to communicate the wishes of the 

 Society, through him, to the Assistant Government Agent at 

 Badulla ; in which the Meeting gladly acquiesced, and re- 

 quested the Secretary to supply Mr. Buller with any informa- 

 tion on the subject he may require. 



2. A sample of Gum produced by the Satin wood tree; 

 in appearance it resembles Gum Arabic. 



3. A sample of Gum produced by the Ebony tree. It is in 

 small rounded nodules, partially transparent, when not coloured 

 black with the same colouring matter that gives the wood 

 its chief characteristic; its taste is insipid. 



4. A sample of Gum from the Terminalia alata. In appear- 

 ance it resembles dark coloured Gum Arabic, but it appears 

 to be a harder and more tenacious Gum than the latter; its 

 taste is also insipid. 



5. Black Resin, the produce of a tree growing in the 

 barren soil of Badulla, Semecarpus abovatum, Moon, the Kalu 

 Badulla gaha of the Singhalese. It is of a pure black colour 

 resembling black sealing wax, of very light specific gravity and 

 tasteless. It is soluble in turpentine. 



6. A black substance, which Mr. Ondaatje describes in 

 his letter of the 29th November, 1853. 



Badulla, 29th November, 1853. 

 Herewith I enclose a few insects, and a black substance deposited by 

 them on the Gyrocarpus J acquini, — and shall be glad of any further infor- 

 mation you can give me regarding them. The Singhalese call the sub- 

 stance " Kadde pas, " and use it as an external application in cutaneous 

 affections of the legs. 



Your's, &c, 



W. C. Ondaatje. 

 The Secretary regretted that he could give no further 

 information regarding this substance than that contained in 

 Mr. Ondaatje's letter, not having had time to make a minute 

 examination of the insects, which do not appear to be Aphides, 

 but rather closely resemble the Ichneumonidse ; at the next 

 Evening Meeting the results of a close examination will be 

 detailed. 



VOL. II. k 



