* 
422 Naturalist’s Monthly Report. [May 1, 
being according to Swartz a native. of the colder. regions of the mountains in jamaica. To 
the successful cultivation of plants, a knowledge of the elevation at which they occur is 
fully as necessary, as that of the latitude.---Volkameria angustifolia, supposed to bea native 
of the Isle of France, communicated by Mr. Dona, eurator of the botanic garden at Cambridge. 
In habit this shrub appears to approach very near to the simple-leaved jasmins.—Zingiber 
Cliffordiana, so named in honor of Lady de Clifford, an amateur of botany and collector of 
Curious and rare plants.—-Pancratium ameenum. The author says that this plant is certainly 
distinct from P. caribeum, but as far as we can judge from the figure, not by any means a 
good one, it isa mere variety; and was brought by Lord Seafcrth from the West Indies under 
the latter name, and presented to Mr. Lambert in whose stove it flowered in March 1808. 
—Periploca africana, a yare plant which flowered at Messrs, Whitley and Brame’s Old 
Brompton, industrious cultivators of rare plants from every part of the world, and obligingly 
communicative of their treasures to inquiring botanists. 
Our limits will not permit. us to proceed further forthe present, we are obliged therefore , 
to postpone the consideration of the two latter numbers of the repository to another oppor- 
tunity, when we shall also again take up our account of the English botany, of which we 
are several numbeis in arrear. 
NATURALIST’S MONTHLY REPORT. 
cS spay MARCH 
As yet the trembling year is unconformed 
And winter oft ateve refumes the breeze 
Chills the pale morn, and bids his driving fleets 
Deform the day. i 
PURING the whole of this month the weather has been perfectly feafonable, particulars 
ly when we confider the tremendous fall of rain that we had during the month of Janu- 
ary, and nearly till the middle of February. The farmers, who, about fix weeks ago, were 
making fad forbodings refpecting the failure of the corn crops of the enfuing feafon, are 
now verfeétly fatisfied that the country at large has fuftained very little injury. During the 
aft two or three days of the month the wind has been eafterly, and very cold. Hitherto 
this year we have not had any violeut gales, if I may except thofe inthe month of January : 
“$n the prefent month we have had none whatever ; fo that I hope we may for once efcape 
the tempetts of the vernal equinox. 
March if. A falmon was this day caught, which weighed two and twenty pounds. It 
was one of the fineft that has been remembered for many years, as taken fo early in the 
feafon. 
March ath. Rooks are beginning to prepare their nefts. 
The fallow begins to fhow the yeilow anthers of its catkins. The whitlow-grafs, (dra- 
ba verna) in flower on the fides of dry gravelly and fandy banks. Yew trees are in flower. 
March roth. Cuwrculio niger crawls about the walls of old bu ldings. The jumping fpider 
(aranea scenica) isfeen on the funay walls and pales of gardens and fields. ‘ 
I have, in the courfe of the prefent month, picked upon the fea beach a great many hard 
fiones, that are perforated to the depth of about the eighth of an inch, in sarrow and fome- 
what oblong holes. Iam ata lois toconjeCture by what fpecies of animal thefe could have 
been formed. No fhells were found in any of them, and had they been the work of fome 
minute kind of teftacea, fuch or fragments of fuch,' would certainly have remained. If any 
@f your correfpondents are potiefied of information on this fubject, it would be an acceptable 
fervice to the fcience of natural hiftory, to lay it before the public in your Magazine. 
March 11th. Pheafants are heard to crow. 
The Cancer fiagual's is to be feen in the fplathes on gravelly parts of the roads 3 and in 
the fame places the hair or wire worm is moving about in its flow and tortuous manner. Me- 
loe proscarabeus, Chrysomela tencbricosa, and Chiysomela coriaria , crawi about in the hedge bolt ms. 
March 20th. ‘fwowhite rats were killed this day. They had each red eyes, as is com- 
mon in all the white varieties of the murisie fpecics. What is by no means a ufual occur- 
rence in a county fo fer fouth as Hamphhire, a perfe@tly white weezel has feveral times been 
obferved about the premifes of a farm yard in the neighbourhood fron which I am writing. 
The field crickets, (Grylles campeftris of Linnzeus) begin to open their holes on the fides of 
funny banks, and to come out or them inthe middle of the day, when the heat of the 
fun is moft powerful. An obferver may fee one of them at the’orifice of each hole if he 
approach gently and with great caution; but they run in on the leaft alarm. They have 
not yet began to.chirp, or creak, as it is called in fome parts of this county ;- nor. perhaps 
will they be heard to do this till aboutthe beginning of May. 
Crows, mag; ies, wood-pigeoms, as well as numerous kinds of {mall birds, are occupied in 
forming their nefts. ' F 
Jam informed that a fofiil tortoise or turtle ina very perfect flate, has lately been dug 
out of the ground, upwards of fixty feet below the fusface, at Swannage in Dorfethhire. 
March 30th, Afpecimen of the warty lizard of Pennant (/acerta palufiris of Linneus), 
4 J 7 ‘ 4 7 was 
2 
