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17 THE AUSTRALIAN NATURALIST. 
6th March, 1917.—The usual monthly meeting was 
held in the Education Building, Mr. A. A. Hamilton (Pre- 
sident) in the chair, and 40 members present. Mr. 8S. J. 
Dodds was duly elected a member. 
Miss Agnes Brewster read a most useful paper on the 
*‘Pollen Grains of the Myrtaceae, Proteaceae, and Epacri- 
deae,”’ illustrating her remarks with drawings. Also on 
behalf of Miss Mabel Brewster, a ‘‘Life History of a 
Cricket.’’ Miss Clark exhibited larvae of the Green Wau- 
derer Hawk Moth. Miss Froggatt contributed an interest- 
ing paper on ‘‘Moth Cocoons.’’ Mr. McCarthy, a paper on 
“The Nest-making Habits of the Tread-waisted Sand- 
digger wasp, Ammophila suspiciosa.’’ Mr. B. H. Zeck, on 
**Myrmecophilous Insects.’’ Miss Shiress exhibited a 
Waratah grown from a bush cutting. 
Mr. McDonald proposed a special vote of thanks to the 
members who had contributed papers for the evening, and 
emphasised the fact that ‘‘Members’ Nights’’ were proving 
a great attraction. This was carried unanimously. 
THE CORAL TREE AND ITS METHOD OF ADAPTA- 
TION TO OUR CLIMATE. 
By Miss Agnes A. Brewster. 
An interesting example of adaptation to climate is 
seen in the Coral Tree (Hrythrina indica). It lives in a 
hot climate—indeed, it has migrated from Queensland— 
and yet it has deciduous leaves, which is rather unusual 
in trees of very hot lands. During the leafless period it 
is enabled to partly supply the loss of food manufactured 
by the leaves, by means of a layer of very green cortex 
just beneath the thin smooth bark. This food is stored 
in the medullary rays and in the pith, chiefly in the form 
of starch. If a thin cross section of a young stem be 
cut, and mounted in a very weak solution of iodine, the 
medullary rays and the cells of the pith are outlined most 
clearly by the response of the abundant starch grains to 
the iodine as they turn blue. The storage of starch in 
such quantities is probably for the purpose of having a 
ready supply of food for the development of the flowers, 
which appear before the leaves, and later on, for the 
