56 Information respecting Botanical Travellers. circle and behind the anus there is a small but distinct orifice of a deep red colour. This description is taken from a single specimen, the only-one I ever saw, and it is probable that the colour may vary in different individuals. It seemed fond of swimming in a re-versed position; and evacuated some small pellets of a bright red colour while in confinement, but it was not ascertained whether these came from the vent or the adjoining excremental orifice. [To be continued.] VII. — Information respecting Botanical Travellers. Letters have lately been received from Mr. Cuming, (so well known by his splendid South American collections of Natural History,) dated Manilla, Dec. 24, 1836; from Dr. Schomburgh, dated New Amster-dam, Berbice, April 8th, 1837, Demerara, August 8th, 1837; from Mr. Gardner, dated Organ Mountains, Brazil, April 5th, 1837. Mr. Cuming had reached Manilla in July of last year, just as the rainy season had set in, when he was unable to make any excursions until the end of September. He then left Manilla for the Hacienda of Calaguan in the centre of Luyon, where he remained until the 15th of December, visiting and exploring the woods and mountains in the neighbourhood, and then returned to Manilla with his collec-tions. These consist of about 1150 species found in the island of Luyon ; and of these nearly one-tenth are ferns of the most varied and beautiful forms ; two of them are tree-ferns ; and one he de-scribes as constituting a shrub, throwing out branches like the fir ; and with the exception of a few, they were all found in fructifica-tion. He secured about 60 species of Orchideae, of which the greater part were not in flower ; many species of Mosses, and 1 25 Fungi. Many trees afforded specimens with splendid inflorescences, some blossoming twice in the year ; but others flower principally in March, April and May, and could not be collected in a satisfactory state at a later season. Without having then visited the coast, he had col-lected no less than 250 kinds of Shells, and a proportionate number of Insects, Reptiles, Crustacean, &c. His reception from the Government (which hitherto had been so jealous of foreigners visiting their country, that I know of no natu-ralist who had ever penetrated into the interior of the island except
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