REPORTS OF SOCIETIES. 
161 
calycinum , described in ed. ii. of the Spec. Plantarum by Linnaeus, 
is referred by him to Jacq. Hort. Yind. in error, as it is not included 
in that early work of Jacquin’s. In the name Arenaria trinerva a 
letter has dropped out ; it should, of course, be trinervia. Withering 
points out that the Linnaean Mentha piperita was a form of hirsuta. 
It appears necessary to make considerable changes in our nomen¬ 
clature. For instance, the Dentaria hulbifera of Linnasus has been 
placed with the Cardamines by Syme, and in the Genera Plantarum 
the genus Dentaria is merged in that of Cardamine. It has been 
quoted in Lond. Cat. of Syme, but long ago Crantz called it Cardamine 
hulbifera. Linaria purpurea , which in the Flora is quoted of Linnaeus, 
appears to have been first called a Linaria by Miller. In the Spec. 
Plant, it was given as an Antirrhinum. The varieties of Montia fontana 
were alluded to as minor and major in the Flor. Ped. by Allione, but 
more fully described under the same names by Both in Tent. Germ. 
Hypericum Elodes, as pointed out long ago by my friend Mr. It. C. Pryor, 
should be quoted of Grufberg, as should Cochlearia anglica , and several 
other species at present attributed to Linnaeus. G. C. Druce. 
Shamming Vegetable. —An Indian mantis or praying insect, a little 
less wicked, though no less cruel than the spiders, deceives the flies 
who come to his arms under the false pretence of being a quiet leaf, 
upon which they may light in safety for rest and refreshment. Yet 
another abandoned member of the same family, relying boldly upon 
the resources of tropical nature, gets itself up as a complete orchid, the 
head and fangs being moulded in the exact image of the beautiful 
blossom, and the arms folding treacherously around the unhappy 
insect which ventures to seek for honey in its deceptive jaws. Happily, 
however, the tyrants and murderers do not always have things all 
their own way. Sometimes the inoffensive prey turn the tables upon 
their torturers with distinguished success. For example, Mr. Wallace 
noticed a kind of sand-wasp, in Borneo, much given to devouring 
crickets ; but there was one species of cricket which exactly reproduced 
the features of the sand-wasps, and mixed among them on equal terms 
without fear of detection. Mr. Belt saw a green leaf-like locust in 
Nicaragua, overrun by foraging ants in search of meat for dinner, but 
remaining perfectly motionless all the time, and evidently mistaken by 
the hungry foragers for a real piece of the foliage it mimicked. So 
thoroughly did this innocent locust understand the necessity of remain¬ 
ing still, and pretending to be a leaf under all advances, that even when 
Mr. Belt took it up in his hands it never budged an inch, but strenu¬ 
ously preserved its rigid leaf-like attitude. As other insects “ sham 
dead,” this ingenious creature shammed vegetable.—“ Cornhill 
Magazine ” for February. 
ft c parts of Societies. 
BIRMINGHAM NATURAL HISTORY AND MICROSCOPICAL 
SOCIETY.— Biological Section, April 29. Professor Hillhouse in 
the chair. Mr. Bagnall gave an introductory address on the 
“Classification of Mosses.” He traced the history of the classifi¬ 
cation of mosses, with a fuller account of Schimper’s system, which 
he considered the best to be adopted. He then described the two 
main series, namely, Acrocarpae, with terminal fruit, and Pleurocarpae, 
with lateral fruit, into which all the true mosses are divided; and 
then Bryineae anomalae, or the anomalous mosses, illustrating each 
with an extensive series of specimens and microscopic preparations.— 
