SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE, NOVEMBER 21. 



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Litter, at the time of the rainy season, when it seeks shelter from the rain 

 between the fruits and eats its way into the fruit." Mr. Saunders, F.L.S., 

 reported : " The insect is one of the ' mealy bugs,' probably Dactylopus 

 citri. Paraffin emulsion will kill these insects, but how is this or any other 

 insecticide to be applied effectually to clusters of bananas ? It might be 

 possible to tie the bunches of fruit up in bags and then introduce hydro- 

 cyanic acid gas by means of a tube from some vessel in which the gas was 

 generated." 



Fungus on Bose. — Mr. Saunders showed a shoot of rose on which was 

 a dense whitish felt of the fungus Spharotheca pannosa (the common 

 rose mildew). The resting spores of this fungus are formed on such 

 permanent parts of the plants as this, while the fungus on the leaves 

 produces only spores which germinate immediately. Mr. Saunders also 

 showed a leaf of violet from Burmah, attacked by a fungus which Mr. 

 Massee took to examine further. 



Hardy Eucalypti. — Mr. Bowles, F.L.S., showed flowering specimens 

 of two eucalypti which had been growing in the open air for four years at 

 Myddelton House, Waltham Cross ; Eucalyptus cordata (" Bot. Mag." 

 t. 7835 ; Mueller, " Eucalyptographia," dec. 8, 1), a native of Tasmania, 

 having crenulate leaves and the calyx rounded at base, and Eucalyptus 

 pulverulenta ("Bot. Mag." 2087 ; Mueller, I.e. dec. 8, 7), a native of New 

 South Wales, having entire leaves, and the calyx tube narrowed at the 

 base. 



Variation in Pears. — Dr. Masters, F.R.S., showed pears from Mr. 

 Boupell, who sent the following communication : — " 1 Beurre Ranee Pear,' 

 which bears well with me as a standard on the ' free stock,' sometimes 

 gives traces, I think, of its ancestry by reverting to a form resembling 

 that of the ' Catillac Pear ' with a large open eye, round form and long 

 stalk, and in some cases a flushed cheek. This deviation from the usual 

 form occurs with a second crop which appears in unfavourable seasons, 

 when the first bloom is cut off by spring frosts, and the abnormal fruits 

 are borne upon the extremities of the new growths. The stalks often 

 have buds on them, as in the specimen sent, and also thorns upon rare 

 occasions." 



Burrs on Birch. — Mr. Douglas, V.M.H., showed a specimen of birch 

 from Great Bookham having large burrs covered with adventitious buds. 

 Such growths are common on many kinds of trees. 



Solarium tuberosum. — Dr. Masters showed a copy from the original 

 plate of this plant drawn by Clusius in 1588, and Gerard's figures of a 

 somewhat later date, with plates of the reputed sport from S. Commer- 

 sonii found and cultivated by Mons. Labergerie in France. It was seen 

 that this alleged sport bore a grea: resemblance to the well-known variety 

 ' Blue Giant,' much cultivated in Germany. 



Scarlet Bunncr Poisonous. — Mrs. Arnold, of the Lodge, Dedham, sent 

 roots of scarlet runner with the information that a pony, after having 

 eaten a root of this plant, had died, and another had become seriously ill 

 after eating a portion of a root. Inquiries make it quite clear that no 

 other root such as Aconitum had been mistaken for the scarlet runner, 

 and that there could be no doubt that the roots of the scarlet runner 

 were the cause of the trouble. Mrs. Arnold says : " I want to make it 



