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grain or nuts (from both of which they would cleverly strip 
the husk whilst eating), with a little meat, of which they 
were very fond. Water was their only drink, and of this 
they took very little. The female was very prolific, having 
several litters of young in the year and from 4 to 6 at a 
birth : the male, however, had to be kept from the young 
for the first 2 or 3 weeks of their existence to prevent his 
eating them, for which he had a great propensity. 
Mr. Sidebotham exhibited some very fine spikes of Oelsia 
Cretica, but, instead of the bright yellow flowers, they were 
apetalous. He had grown a number of plants from seed 
produced from the ordinary form of plant ; they threw up 
fine spikes of flower buds, and, as they appeared a long time 
in coming into flower, he had examined them and found all 
without petals, some of the spikes being in seed. 
Rev. J. E. Vize, M.A., forwarded a spike of the common 
Plantain (Plantago major L.), which had bifurcated from the 
middle of the inflorescence, each portion producing perfect 
fruits. 
Amongst other vegetable monstrosities mentioned was 
that of a dandelion, which Mr. Hunt had collected some 
time ago, having several scapes united so as to form a single 
flat ribbon-like stalk, crowned by the various involucras, 
more or less blended together. 
