THE GRAPE HYACINTHS OF SWITZERLAND.

WE

E have previously remarked* that the English "blue-bell" (H. non-scrip

tus) does not grow in Switzerland, but this does not apply to the several species of Muscari, which are only too plentiful in the Swiss vineyards. Towards the end of March, as we pass by the vine-clothed slopes, an oppressive odour is perceptible in the air (which is said to resemble plums); it is carried from the thousands of grape hyacinths, which literally cover the broken ground between the vines, and resist every effort made to exterminate them. If once this species, Muscari racemosum, becomes rooted in the soil, it spreads in the most prolific manner, as shown in the figured specimen. The plant is bulbiferous, each tiny bulb detaching itself from the parent root to start an independent existence. This single specimen had no less than twenty-four vigorous little bulbs attached, a clear proof of the rapidity of reproduction. It was the first plant that came handy for examination, not being in any way remarkable for size. The species may at once be identified by the scent and by the peculiar form of the leaves, which are channeled, curling up in such a manner that they might be mistaken for those of an Allium. The flowers, of a dull purplish-blue, are crowded in a raceme, the upper ones being abortive; the stem stands erect, one or more from each bulb. Another species, Muscari botryoides, is not nearly so commonly distributed, occurring more in shady woods than in the vineyards. From the drawing, it will be noted that the bulb is of different shape, not budding young rootlets in the wholesale manner as M. racemosum. The raceme of blue flowers is more graceful-looking in M. botryoides, the abortive terminal buds having a decided pink tinge. The leaves, though slightly channeled, are linear-lanceolate, and do

not coil up, as in the other species. We have found these two species very generally confused, whereas

SCIENCE-GOSSIP, No. 244, p. 83.

the distinction is well-marked, as an examination of the two plants together quickly testifies.

Muscari comosum, the feather hyacinth, is a strangelooking plant. Visitors to the south of France must

Fig. 164.-Muscari racemosum.

have been struck with its appearance, growing from every wall in such profusion. The flowers are shortly pedicelled, of a livid brown colour as regards the fertile ones, which form the lower part of the loose

Leaves channeled, but linear-lanceolate, not curled ; flowers in dense raceme, blue; upper and above flowers pink-tinged; teeth of corolla white and wellmarked.

4. M. comosum, Mill. (feather hyacinth). Bulb ovoid; leaves large and spreading; racemes prolonged and loose. Lower and fertile flowers livid brown; upper ones, long-stalked, crowning raceme like feathers, abortive, and of blue colour.

It is now but the commencement of April, but other plants of the Lily order are in leaf, and will shortly be in flower in the neighbourhood of Montreux. We have noted species of Tulipa, Scilla, Allium, Ornithogalum, Gagea, Erythronium, and Lilium already far advanced in growth. If there are botanists among the readers of SCIENCE-GOSSIP who wish to visit the upper end of the lake of Geneva at the best season for the flowers of the lower Alpine slopes, we strongly recommend the month of May as the time of year most suitable. The Hôtel les Avants, 3200 feet above the sea, and about 2000 feet above Montreux, is a very Paradise for botanists, and in May the slopes of surrounding mountains are a very blaze of colour from the brilliant succession of Alpine flowers.

Montreux.

C. PARKINSON.

NOTES ON NEW BOOKS.

DICTIONARY of the Names of British Plants,

by Henry Purefoy Fitzgerald (London: Baillière, Tindall, & Cox). This little book is calculated to be of great use to botanists, especially to self-taught students of the science. It gives the generic and specific names of British plants arranged alphabetically, with the derivation where known, and the pronunciation. In the case of specific names, the name of some plant is also given to which the specific name applies. It is from no desire to find faults that the fact is pointed out, that there are no accent marks given in the pronunciation-words. Doubtless in most cases the length of the vowels is practically sufficient, but the word Helosciadum at least might be accented in several ways. Silaifolia might be inserted in the next edition.

British Butterflies, Moths and Beetles ("The Young Collector"), by W. F. Kirby (London : Sonnenschein & Co.), Is. This book begins with a brief outline of the class Insecta, with examples and figures under each order. The rest of the book is divided into two parts, in which are treated at greater length British beetles and British butterflies and moths. Brief descriptions are given as well as numerous woodcuts, while in the case both of general entomology, and of butterflies and moths, a short list of books likely to be useful to beginners is given. There is neither a table of contents nor an index.

Our Insect Enemies, by Theodore Wood (London: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge). In this little book the author has attempted, he says, to trace the life histories of injurious insects, pointing out how they are injurious, and as far as possible [the range and extent of their ravages, treating them for the most part in the order of their present system of classification rather than in accordance with the particular crops they frequent. The book is uniform in general appearance with the Natural History Rambles series, and like some of this series unfortunately has no index, a defect only partially remedied by the detailed table of contents. The Aphis or "Green-Blight" has four chapters to itself, in which its structure and lifehistory are taken up, and various individual species noted. Cockchafers, wire-worms, weevils, turnip sawfly, and many other injurious insects, including butterflies and moths, follow on. The clothes-moth is omitted on account of the limited character of its ravages and its beneficial influence out of doors. The book, which is illustrated with woodcuts, contains much that should be commended to the notice of all who have to do with raising crops, for it is almost entirely with out-door life that it is concerned.

Scientific Romances, No. II.-The Persian King, or The Law of the Valley, by C. H. Hinton, B.A. (London: Swan Sonnenschein & Co.), IS. The clever author of "What is the Fourth Dimension?” has here produced another scientific romance, his ostensible topic this time being Energy and its dissipation. His book requires to be read with attention and care, and the fact that he has supplied an explanatory second part may be taken as evidence that he does not consider the allegory in the first part as likely to sufficiently explain itself. The inhabitants of the valley in which the Persian king finds himself have a tendency to apathy, the pleasure of doing anything being exactly equalled by the accompanying pain. The king, however, can make them act, by means of a power with which he is endowed, of taking upon himself some of the pain attending any action which he wishes performed, leaving thus an excess of pleasure which causes the performance of the action. Now the king corresponds more or less to a certain supposed ultimate medium, which, according to the view here propounded, is the cause of all motion. The second part of the book should be read by everyone interested in questions of physics; and if the reader afterwards turns to the first part he may find there, whether he understand them or not, passages which imply that the writer includes in his subject higher things than physics.

A Tour in Sutherlandshire, with Extracts from the Field-Books of a Sportsman and Naturalist, by Charles St. John, with Appendix on the Fauna of Sutherland, by J. A. Harvie-Brown, F.Z.S., and T. E. Buckley, F.Z.S., 2 vols. (Edinburgh: David Douglas). This is the second edition of a work issued between thirty and forty years ago, the author being an ardent

student of animal life in days when the evolution theory had not made its way into the conceptions of animal history as it has now. He was a sportsman pure and simple, seldom killing for killing's sake, and, though one may not always take his view, it is impossible for a lover of nature not to be interested as the author carries him along with pleasant discourse of eagles and ospreys, wild swans and their ways, seals, otters and foxes, not disdaining frogs, and cats, and sparrows. Mr. St. John was rather too anxious to shoot ospreys, and was, indeed, somewhat inconsistent with his own remarks in doing so; and to the hooded crow he was a determined enemy. His style is very readable, and on the whole these volumes are as pleasant a sportsman's record of animal life as one is likely to find anywhere. The little pen-and-ink

tail pieces are many of them delightful. The tour is contained in about half the first volume, and is followed by field notes for the different months and extracts from note books. The Appendix by Messrs. Harvie-Brown and Buckley concludes the second volume. A word or two of praise should be devoted to the printing, paper, and general get up, which makes the contents of the sombre covers pretty nearly all that can be desired from this point of view.

First Year of Scientific Knowledge, by Paul Bert, translated by Madame Paul Bert (London: Relfe Bros.), 2s. 6d. It is announced in the very short preface to this, its English edition, that there is scarcely a school in France, even in the smallest village, where "M. Paul Bert's famous book" is not used. It is to be inferred from this, from the title, and from the book itself, wherein Paul, George, Harry, and James are duly informed of a vast number of facts, that it is intended for young children. Here, in rather less than 350 pp., one has animals, plants, stones and soils, physics, chemistry, animal and vegetable physiologies, discussed and laid aside in succession. It is, after all, but little more than a page a day for the young children, and the illustrations are so many and so entertaining, some so really good, that if by the end of the year the child is not a botanist, a physicist, &c., in little, the failure should perhaps be laid to the door of the system, which is not that which has of late years been advocated as the true method of studying science. It is really wonderful what is here provided, ready cut and dried for the children to swallow, if only they can hold it all. The book is a phenomenon worth considering. Its illustrations, of which there are said to be 550, are many of them attractive, though all are small. That of the sheep's jaws happens to be printed upside down, and unfortunately that intended to explain the apparent movement of a penny in a vessel when water is poured in, is quite wrong, and that in more ways than one; and here the text also is not free from blame.

An Elementary Star Atlas, by Rev. T. H. E. Espin, F.R.A.S. (London: Swan Sonnenschein & Co.).

This is a book of star maps and text, the maps on the right-hand page and the text on the left. The book is light to hold, and the stars are marked in black, large enough to be seen on the white paper in a dull light. The book is specially intended for beginners, but it is only fair to warn the beginner that he will probably find it necessary to give his careful consideration to the method on which the book is constructed. There are twelve maps, the places where January and July would be expected being occupied by circumpolar maps (north pole). Should a second edition be called for, it is to be hoped that various matters of more or less consequence will be attended to, and so the usefulness of the book be increased. A preface is supplied by Mr. J. A. Westwood Oliver, editor of the "Illustrated Science Monthly."

THE ECONOMICAL PRODUCTS OF PLANTS. By JOHN T. RICHES.

CA

AMPHOR.—This valuable commodity is the produce of Cinnamomum Camphora, Nees et Eb. (Camphora officinarum, Nees), a native of China, chiefly near Chinchew, in the province of Fokien, also very plentiful in Formosa, and some parts of Japan, the principal supplies of the material coming from the former part by way of Singapore to this country. It is a large tree (Fig. 167) belonging to the laurel family (Lauracea) with a straight trunk, freely branched at the top, all the parts when bruised emitting a camphoraceous odour. Leaves alternate, on long petioles, ovate-lanceolate, subcoriaceous, entire, bright green above, paler beneath, three-nerved. Flowers in lax axillary and terminal panicles, small, bi-sexual. Fruit small, roundish, drupaceous.

Camphor, like most substances the produce of countries southwards or eastwards of India, was unknown to the ancients. It was, however, known to the Arabs, who called it "kaphoor." It is diffused throughout all parts of the tree, hence all, with the exception of the leaves, are used in the process of procuring it root, stem, and branches are cut up into convenient lengths, and boiled in water in large closed vessels, when the volatilised substance is sublimed into inverted cones of straw placed within earthen capitals. In this form it is collected and imported into Europe, and is known as crude camphor, mainly from the parts mentioned above, but some of good quality is obtained from Japan, which is, however, chiefly secured by the Dutch, amounting in some years to several thousand pounds. It exists in this stage in the form of small greyishcoloured sparkling grains, which by aggregation form crumbling cakes, with all the properties of pure camphor, but mixed with impurities. After its importation all these are removed by another process, after which it assumes the form in which it is usually

seen in commerce. The raw material is mixed with lime, and again sublimed into glass vessels of a special shape, which are ultimately broken away, leaving the camphor in the form of concavo-convex cakes from two to three inches thick, with a hole in the middle; when it is solid, colourless, and translucent, with a penetrating aromatic odour, and a bitter pungent taste, with a crystalline consistency. Its specific gravity is less than that of water, consequently it floats on water, and evaporates, undergoing a curious rotary movement while doing so ; but little soluble in water, freely so in alcohol and ether, also in volatile and fixed oils. At ordinary temperatures it slowly evaporates and crystallises on vessels

in which it is contained, as in glass jars for instance. It melts at a temperature of 288°, and boils at 400°, is very inflammatory, burning with a blue flame.

The uses of camphor are very numerous, and its actions are equally various. When taken internally its action is chiefly upon the nervous system, in moderate doses producing exhilaration, quietude and placidity of feeling, allaying irritation. In large doses the circulation, especially in some persons, such as those suffering from heart affections, may be effected in a similar way, passing off afterwards through the skin and bronchial membranes, but not by the urine. In excessive doses it is narcotic and poisonous. It is chiefly employed in medicinal practice as an anodyne in nervous affections and

met with in European commerce. This tree also yields the oil of camphor, or liquid camphor, as it is frequently called, which is obtained by incision from the younger trees, a practice which eventually destroys the trees. It has, however, the same properties as the solid camphor, and would have ultimately developed into that substance if the trees had been left unmolested. The solid camphor of this tree is found in the cracks of the bark in large blocks, varying according to the age of the tree; and to obtain it the trees are cut down, split into blocks, and the camphor extracted. In the Museum No. 1, in the Royal Gardens, Kew, the crystallised camphor is shown in situ upon the wood, so there is a great difference between the development of camphor in the