84 



THE NATURALIST. 



et Genevensis, par M, Armand Thielens, 

 from tlie author ; Observations sur Quel- 

 ques Plantes rares ou iiouvelles de la Flore 

 de Belgique^ from the author. 



The following donations to the Herba- 

 rium were announced : — From Dr. W. F. 

 Mactier, collection of Ferns from Penang : 

 from Mrs. Bevan, per William Brand, Esq. , 

 plants from Mont Blanc : from James 

 Backhouse, Esq. , York, specimens of Viola 

 arenaria, colected at Widdybank Fell, 

 Teesdale, Durham, May 1865. 



The following communications were 

 read : — 



I. Note on a New Gall from China. By 

 Professor Archer. 



Mr. Archer first referred to a gall des- 

 cribed by Dr. Pereira, under the name of 

 "Woo-pei-tsze, which has recently been im- 

 ported into this country for the manufac- 

 ture of Gallic acid. Mr. Hanbury believes 

 it to be produced on Rhus semi-alata, and 

 Mr. Doubleday thinks it is caused by the 

 puncturing of an aphis and not by a cynips. 

 He next noticed a gall from India called 

 Mahee, the produce of Tamarix indica and 

 T. turas, and rich in Gallic acid ; also a 

 a peculiar gall called Kakrasingee, yeilded 

 by Rhus KaTcrasinghee (Eoyle), and one 

 from Southern Germany named Knoppern, 

 produced on Quercus Cerris. In conclusion, 

 he noticed a curious gall from Shanghai, 

 resembling somewhat the Chinese and 

 Japanese galls, but wanting their peculiar 

 branched appearance. 



II. Note on Cape Saffron. By Professor 

 Archer. 



This saffron is the produce of a plant 

 belonging to the natural order Scrophula- 

 riacese, and is noticed by Dr. Pappe in his 

 " Flora Capensis." It yields a good orange 

 dye, and resembles common saffron in taste 

 and smell. 



III. Notice of Cubebs from Southern 

 Africa. By Professor Archer. 



Mr. Archer believed the cubebs to be the 

 fruit of Vepi'is lanceolata (Jussieu), a plant 

 belonging to the natural order Xanthoxy- 

 lacese. 



Specimens of the various galls, saffron, 

 and cubebs refeiTed to were exhibited. 



IV. Notes on the desiructive eJffects of 

 Beetles on certain young Plantations. By 

 Mr. James Myles, factor to Mr. Speirs of 

 Elderslie. Communicated by Mr. Gorrie. 



The plantations chiefly attacked are 

 "Wrtes, Kirkton, and Borthwickfield — the 

 former having been planted three years, 

 and the latter two years. The plants in 

 Wrses are so much injured that nothing 

 can be done to save them, and cattle have 

 been turned into the plantation. In Kirton 

 more than one half of the plants are killed, 

 while in Borthwickfield the number des- 

 troyed is considerably less than the half. 

 The beetles attack the plants first at the 

 base of the stem, eating and then punctu- 

 ring the bark upwards. The plants des- 

 troyed are Scotch fir, larch, spruce, Austrian, 

 Weymouth, and other coniferous trees and 

 a few beech, birch, oak, and mountain ash. 

 The beetles occur in great profusion and 

 Mr. Myles gave a description of what he 

 had done to diminish their numbers. Three 

 boys were able to collect for some time 

 between thirteen hundred to fourteen hun- 

 dred beetles each day in the plantation, 

 but they had so far diminished now that 

 they could only gather six hundred or seven 

 hundred a day. Mr. Myles sent specimens 

 of the beetles and plants injured by them 

 Mr. W. E. M 'Nab, who had examined the 

 insects, finds three different species, viz : — 

 Hylurus piniperda^ Hylohms Ahietus, and 

 Otiorhynchus notatus. 



Y. Notes of an Excursion from Simla 

 to the Yalleys of the Giri, Pabur, and 

 Tonee Elvers, tributaries of the Jumna. 

 By Dr. Cleghorn. 



YI. Eecent Botanical Intelligence. 

 Communicated by Professor Balfour. 



1. On examining the flowers of Fumari- 

 acce in their early development, M. Godron 

 finds them quite regular, but flattened from 

 before backwards, as if they were com- 

 pressed between the axis of inflorescence 

 and the bract. They preserved this regula- 

 rity in Dielytra, Adlumia, and Daciylicap- 



