182 
Scientific Intelligence. — Botany. 
high hills of the remote island of Achlin ; the Ledum palustre 
in quantities together, in elevated marshy grounds ; the Papaver 
nudicaule scattered in single plants, among rocky glens in the 
hills. 
33. Chara aspera. — Mr Charles Clouston of Stromness Manse, 
Orkney, an assiduous cultivator of botanical science, has lately 
added Chara aspera , Willd. to the Flora of Great Britain. We 
have compared Mr Clouston’s plant with authentic specimens 
received from Professor Agardh, and consider it as a well esta- 
blished species. The genus, it may be observed, is deserving of 
peculiar attention, on account of the very opposite opinions en- 
tertained of its affinities. Sir James Edward Smith continues to 
place it among the Phaenogamous plants, in the first class of the 
Linnean system. Dr Hooker places it in Cryptogamia, between 
the Algce and Hepaticce . Agardh, in his recently published 
Systema Algarum , considers it as belonging to the true Algae, 
and places it between the genera Bulbochcete and Ceramium . 
The latter author has divided the species into two genera, Ni- 
tella and Chara. In conclusion, we may notice, that Dr Hooker 
mentions, in his Flora Scotica, that M. Leman is of opinion the 
Charae are allied to the 44 Onagrariae and Salicariae , and pro- 
poses, that the genus Chara should constitute a new family of 
Dicotyledons, under the name of Eleodeae.' , ' > M. Leman draws 
his conclusions from his examinations of the nucule , in the fos- 
sil state. — R. K. G. 
ZOOLOGY. 
34. Sphinoc Atropos.— Mr Donovan, in his 44 British Insects,” 
remarks, that this is nowhere common, and is rare in England ; 
and adds, that he once met with the larva of full size, but it 
died. We may mention, as evincing the peculiar warmth and 
dryness of the past summer season in this part of Scotland, that 
the larvae of this large sphinx appeared pretty common in the 
country around Edinburgh, during the month of August. They 
were generally found in potato fields, and feeding on the leaves 
of the potato plants. The great size of the caterpillars, which 
were from three to five inches in length, and of proportional 
thickness, frequently attracted the notice of the country people, 
