SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE, MARCH 6. 



Ixiii 



north-west, and was taller than the majority of the Indian species. On 

 the motion of Dr. Masters, seconded by Mr. Druery, a Botanical Certi- 

 ficate was unanimously awarded to this plant. 



American Blight on Ap'ples. - -Yvom L. L. Savill, Esq., came shoots of 

 apple badly attacked by the well-known American blight. He remarked 

 upon the fact that the tits seem particularly fond of pecking the swellings 

 and canker-like growths produced by this pest on the branches, and pre- 

 sumably devouring the aphides. 



Celery woody and spotted. — F. A. Gregson, Esq., of Cranleigh, sent 

 celery, complaining that the plants were always woody, and lacked the 

 nutty flavour which is desirable, this being specially the case when the 

 crop was grown on sand, less so when it was grown on clay. The 

 members of the Committee considered that in all probability the defect 

 was due to lack of water during the hotter part of the year. 



Orchids with Spots on Leaves &c. — E. F. Clark, Esq., of Chamonix, 

 Teignmouth, sent parts of orchids, chiefly Cattleyas, which were spotted 

 and deformed in growth. While fungi were certainly present in some of 

 the spots, it was thought that the primary cause of the trouble lay not so 

 much with the fungus as with a too wet compost and lack of air to the 

 roots, and possibly a too damp atmosphere. 



Scientific Committee, Makch 6, 1906. 

 Dr. M. T. Mastees, F.R.S., in the Chair, and fifteen members present. 



Mealy Bug on Bananas. — Mr. G. S. Saunders, F.L.S., reported that the 

 mealy bug on bananas from Jamaica shown by Mr. Worsley at the last 

 meeting appeared to belong to the same species as the commonest of 

 our greenhouse mealy bugs (Dactylopius longispinus syn. D. adonidum, or 

 Coccus adonidum). 



Grubs in Ash Stem. — Mr. Saunders also reported that the ash shoot 

 from Dunmow had been bored " by one of the small fossorial Hymcnoptera, 

 probably one of the many species of Crahro. These insects fill the cells 

 which they make with insects to supply their grubs with food. Having 

 formed the cell and duly provisioned it, the female lays an egg in it and 

 seals it up, and forms another just above it, treats it as she did the first, 

 and goes on in this way until she has completed her task. In this 

 instance one of the grubs had died before it had consumed its stock of 

 provisions, and the cell was more than half full of the remains of a 

 number of small dipterous flies ; from the other cells the perfect insects 

 had made their escape, and the cells only contained empty pupa cases." 



Variation in Narcissus princeps. — Mr. E. H. Jenkins, of Hampton Hill, 

 sent specimens of this well-known narcissus having the corona contracted 

 at the mouth. Dr. Masters said this condition was due in all probability 

 to the plant having received some check during its development, but 

 exactly at what stage and from what cause was not apparent. The 

 specimens differed from the typical princeps in being paler, both in 

 the corona and perianth ; but, as Mr. Jenkins pointed out, the height, 

 flimsy perianth segments, flat stem and leafage, were unmistakably those 



