cannot bear cold weather well; the few who, during the heat of the summer, extend their excursions to the middle or northern States, generally all return at the approach of winter; and I believe also, that very few of these birds breed eastward of the Pine Swamps of West Jersey. They are much attached to particular roosting trees, and I know will come to them every night from a great distance: on alighting on these, each of them, anxious for a choice of place, creates always a general disturbance, and often, when quite dark, their hissing noise is heard in token of this inclination for supremacy. These roosting trees of the buzzards are generally in deep swamps, and mostly high dead cypresses; frequently, however, they roost with the carrion-crows (Vultur atratus), and then it is on the largest dead timber of our fields, not unfrequently close to the houses. Sometimes also this bird will roost close to the body of a thickleaved tree; in such position I have killed several, when hunting wild turkeys by moonlight nights, and mistaking them for these latter birds.

In Mississippi, Louisiania, Georgia and Carolina, they prepare to breed early in the month of February, in common with almost all the genus Falco. The most remarkable habit attached to their life is now to be seen; they assemble in parties of eight or ten, sometimes more, on large fallen logs, males and females exhibiting the strongest desire to please mutually, and forming attachments by the choice of a mate by each male, that, after many caresses, leads her off on the wing from the group, neither to mix or associate with any more, until their offspring are well able to follow them in the air; after that, and until incubation takes place (about two weeks), they are seen sailing side by side the whole day.

very choice respecting the Deep in the swamps, but

These birds form no nest, yet are place of deposit for their two eggs. always above the line of overflowing water mark, a large hollowed tree is sought, either standing or fallen, and the eggs are dropped on the mouldy particles inside. Sometimes immediately near the entrance: at other times as much as twenty feet in. Both birds incubate alternately; and both feed each other whilst sitting, by disgorging the contents of the stomach, or part of them, immediately close before the bird that is sitting. Thirty

two days are needed to bring forth the young from the shell, --a thick down covers them completely, the parents at that early period, and indeed for nearly two weeks, feed them, by gorging food considerably digested in their bill, in the manner of the common pigeons ;-the down acquires length; becomes thinner, and of a deeper tint as the bird grows older. The young vultures at three weeks are large for their age, weighing then upwards of a pound, but extremely clumsy and inactive; unable to keep up their wings, then partly covered by large pen feathers, drag them almost to the ground, bearing their whole weight on the full length of their legs and feet.

If approached at that time by a stranger or enemy, they hiss with a noise resembling that made by a strangling cat or fox, swell themselves, and hop side-ways as fast as in their power..

The parents whilst sitting, and equally disturbed, act in the same manner-fly only a very short distance, waiting there the departure of the offender to reassume their duty. As the young grows larger, the parents throw their food merely before them, and, with all their exertions, seldom bring their offspring fat to the field. Their nests become so fetid before the final departure of the young birds, that a person forced to remain there half an hour must almost be suffocated.

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I have been frequently told that the same pair will not abandon their first nests or place of deposit, unless broken up during incubation. This would attach to the vulture a constancy of affection that I cannot believe exists, as I do not believe that pairing in the manner described is of any longer duration than the necessitous call of nature for the one season; and, again, were they so inclined, they would never congregate in the manner they do, but would go in single pairs all their lives like eagles.

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Vultures do not possess in any degree the power of bearing off their prey as falcons do, unless it be slender portions of entrails hanging by the bill. When chased by others from a even renders them very awkward in their fligh them to the earth again almost immediately. Many persons in Europe believe that buzzards flesh to any other. This is a mistake. Any at once tear with their very powerful bill in

no matter how fresh. What I have said of their killing and devouring young animals, are sufficient proofs of this; but it frequently happens that these birds are forced to wait until the hide of their prey will give way to the bill. I have seen a large dead alligator, surrounded by vultures and carrion crows, of which nearly the whole of the flesh was so completely decomposed before these birds could perforate the tough skin of the monster, that, when at last it took place, their disappointment was apparent, and the matter, in an almost fluid state, abandoned by the vultures.

It was my intention to give you further details respecting this bird in the present letter, particularly of the anatomical structure of its head and stomach, wherein I have had the pleasure of meeting corroborating evidence, through the observations made on the same by a learned anatomist of this city, Dr Knox. My time, however, is at present quite limited; but I will very soon resume the subject with great pleasure.

EDINBURGH,
Dec. 7. 1826. S

List of Rare Plants which have Flowered in the Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh, during the last three months; with Descriptions of several New Plants. Communicated by Dr GRAHAM.

Aralia spinosa.

10th December 1826.

This plant has stood on the open wall three winters, protected partially with broom twigs, but never flowered till the beginning of November last, having nearly reached the top of a wall fourteen feet high. Asplenium flabellifolium.

Aster pulcherrimus.
Banksia integrifolia.

Begonia undulata.

B. undulata; fruticosa; foliis inæqualiter cordatis, undulatis, integerrimis, glabris, nitidis; capsulæ alis rotundatis æqualibus.

DESCRIPTION.- -Stem erect, turgid below, tapering upwards, annular; when young slightly hispid, green, and having numerous small, oblong white spots; when older smooth, and of a reddish-grey colour; branched, branches axillary and alternate. Leaves petioled, alternate, distichous, unequally cordate, smooth and shining, undulate, acuminate, full green on the upper surface, paler and minutely dotted below, 3 inches long; edges occasionally reddish, especially when young, callous, quite entire, but having a dot, like an obsolete tooth, at the termination of each vein;

burg petioles hispid, especially on the older branches, one-fourth of an inch long. Stipule varying in size and shape, pointed, transparent, reddish, and spotted like the stem, caducous. Panicle supported on footstalks about half the length of the leaves, dichotomous, smooth and shining. Bractea unequal, shorter than the pedicel, pellucid, colourless. Flowers white; corolla of the male of four petals, of which the two outer are large and cordate, that of the female of five petals, the largest about one-third of the length of the wings of the capsule. Capsule, wings rounded, tapering towards the pedicel. Stigmata convolute, pubescent, with two prominent angles on each, yellow. Stamens numerous, yellow. Seeds very numerous, covering the projecting wings of their green receptacle. We received this plant in 1825 from M. Otto at Berlin, under the specific name here adopted, and were informed that the native country was Brazil. It has been kept in the stove.

Bignonia candicans.

This plant has never perfectly evolved its flowers, but these have repeatedly decayed, both this year and last, when they were just about to burst. The shrub thrives well in the stove, and is trained to a considerable length along the glass.

Brexia madagascariensis.
Buddleia brasiliensis.

B. brasiliensis; foliis deltoideis, per petiolos decurrentibus, connatis, irregulariter dentato-crenatis, floribus verticillatis, bracteatis, ramis tetragonis, lanatis.

DESCRIPTION.-Shrub erect. Stem nearly round. Branches opposite, decussating, young shoots four-sided, covered with a white wool, which subsequently peels off, exposing the brown and cracked bark. Leaves opposite, decussating, when young oblong, afterwards becoming wider at the base, and more pointed, so as to be nearly deltoid, unequally toothcrenated, broadly decurrent along the petiole, where quite entire, connate, soft, tomentous, especially below where white, green above, reticulated. Flowers verticillated, the lower whorl on two short axillary footstalks; verticillus leafy; bractea small, pointed, green, placed on the outside of the whorls. Calyx persisting, green, covered with white tomentum, 4-cleft. Corolla orange-yellow, hairy within and without, least so on the upper surface of the limb; tube more than twice the length of the calyx; limb spreading, 4-cleft, segments rounded. Anthers reddish, sessile in the throat of the corolla, pollen pale yellow. Germen hairy, lodged in the calyx; style filiform, at length exserted; stigma rounded, lobular, deep green.

Seeds communicated to the Botanic Garden by Mr Hunneman in 1824, and received by him from Russia under the name here adopted. Sprengel quotes under Buddleia brasiliensis, B. perfoliata of Humboldt; but this is quite distinct from our plant.

Convolvulus candicans.

Flowered on the wall outside one of the stoves.

Crataegus glabra.

This fine plant was covered with flowers on the open wall in November, and will continue so during this month also, unless the weather prove very severe. It seems probable that it came into flower, and pushed much new wood, at this season, in consequence of the warm rains which succeeded the unusually long continued hot and dry weather of summer and autumn. If it shall prove sufficiently hardy for the open ground, there have been few more desirable additions made to the shrubbery; and it has already borne, without injury even to its flowers, a cold of 25° Fahr.

Crinum anomale.

Crotalaria dichotoma.

C. dichotoma; Fruticosa, diffusa; foliis ternatis, foliolis cuneato-ellipticis, pilosiusculis, mucronatis; stipulis subulatis, reflexis, persistentibus; racemis subcapitatis, oppositifoliis. DESCRIPTION.-Stem weak, round. Branches long, straggling, pubescent, and slightly furrowed towards the top, subdichotomous, one of the limbs being generally a little thicker than the other. Leaves ternate, leaflets elliptical, mucronate, wedge-shaped at the base, rather longer than the petiole, and supported on very short, equal, partial footstalks, soft, covered with minute pubescence, very indistinct on the upper surface, bright green, and becoming mottled in fading, middle rib strong, petioles half an inch long, furrowed, spreading at right angles to the branch. Racemes opposite to the leaves, subtriquetrous, occasionally one flower in the middle, the rest crowded near the top. Brace tea like the stipulæ, but less frequently reflected. Calyx bilabiate, hairy, segments pointed, green; upper lip 2-parted, segments diverging; lower lip 3-parted, segments parallel, closely applied to the carina. Corolla yellow; vexillum rounded, reflexed, streaked with brown on the back, claw furrowed and hairy on its lower side; ale involute, shorter than the vexillum; carina pointed, equal in length to the alæ, split at its base, its lower edge forming nearly a right angle. Stamens monadelpheus; filaments very slender, five nearly as long as the style, supporting small round (abortive ?) anthers, five shorter having oblong anthers of deeper yellow colour. Germen pubescent, flattened; style turgid at the base, above which it is bent nearly to a right angle, filiform, hairy, persisting; stigma small and pointed. Legumen covered with small adpressed hairs, inflated, nearly cylindrical, slightly furrowed above. Seeds numerous (about 14), kidney-shaped, and arranged in two rows, at least when

young.

The seeds of this plant were brought to the Botanic Garden from Mexico in 1824 by Dr Mair, and the plants have flowered in our stove during the last two years.

Cypripedium insigne.

Dianthus fruticosus.

Flowered freely in the open border.

Eucalyptus cordata, and E. perfoliata.

These two plants have been covered with buds on the open wall during several weeks, but have not expanded any flowers. They have not, however, been in the least injured by the late severe frosts; and the last has been out of doors for three years.

Lantana hirta.

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L. hirta; inerma; foliis ovato-lanceolatis, acuminatis, rugosis, supra hirtis, subtus nitidis, serrato-crenatis, basi cuneatis integerrimis; pedunculis axillaribus, foliis brevioribus; bracteis ovatis, acuminatis. DESCRIPTION. Shrub erect; branches 4-sided, brown, slightly hairy, angles blunt; hairs most conspicuous and harsh, and suberect on the young shoots. Leaves petioled, opposite and decussating, wrinkled, hispid above, shining, and destitute of all hairs below, excepting on the veins, where there are a few, acuminate, wedge-shaped, and quite entire at the base, the rest serrato-crenate, veins prominent behind; petioles short. Flowers capitate. Bractea ovate, acuminate, smaller inwards, hairy. Calyx sessile in the axil of the bractea, campanulate, bi labiate, the lips placed laterally, hairy, small, greenish-white. Corolla white; tube equal in length to the bractea, slightly curved upwards, dilated in the centre, about twice the length of the limb, hairy especially on the outside and in the throat, quite smooth within the calyx, hairs suberect; limb 4-parted, lateral segments blunt and smallest, lower segment subrotund, upper retuse, smooth above, hairy below. Stamens inserted

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