VI 
difcions, perfectly innoxious and excellent eating, although 
in other conditions it becomes a violent poison; this 
Phaseolus , the species of which we could not determine 
either here or at Reunion, has been recognized by Dr. 
Hooker and Dr. Bentham, to be the Phaseolus lunatus 
Lin., a native of Bengal, and which there, as well as in 
Mauritius, produces a great many of varieties, of different 
size and colour, some innoxious and others poisonous. 
Prof. De Candolle, who, with the assistance of several 
botanists, continues the publication of the Prodromus, 
commenced by his illustrious father, mentions in the last 
volume of that great work, several species of plants from 
Mauritius which bad been sent to him by us. 
In his letters he asks for information respecting a tree, 
the fruit of which drawn by “ Gaertucr fils ” under the 
name of Calvaria , was forwarded to him sometime ago, fiy 
Bojer, but the habitat of which is not sufficiently indi- 
cated. 
Being in uncertainty, we sent to Professor De Candolle, 
by one of the last Mails, the singular fruit of the tree 
known at Seychelles as the <f Bois Capucin.” 
On the other hand the learned Botanist of Geneva has 
given us the explanation of the long transit over the 
Ocean of certain seeds (some of which we have sent him) 
which float on the waves and are carried by the currents 
to great distances from the place of their habitat. 
We are also in occasional communication with the 
“ British Museum ” and with the “ Zoological Society of 
London ” whose Proceedings are kindly sent in exchange 
of our “ Transactions.” 
We have forwarded a prepared collection of the veno- 
mous Fishes of Mauritius to Dr. Gunther who has deter- 
mined the species to which they belong. The path 
ha\ing been opened, it will be easy, at some future day, 
to write the really curious history of these Fishes -the 
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