2-5 /^ 


J'fJO.£ 


Proceedings of the Linnean Society of London. 

cf. B. D. Jackson, General Index to the first 
twenty volumes of the Journal (Botany) and the 
proceedings, Nov. 1838 to June 1886 of the 
Linnean Society. London 1888, p. v-vii. 


lumber 


Pages 


Dates of 
issue 


1 


1-8 


9 Mar. 1839 


2 


9-16 


27 Apr. 1839 


3 


17-32 


16 May 1839 


4 


33-40 


5 Nov. 1839 


5 


41-48 


17 Dec. 1839 


6 


49-56 


3 Mar. 1840 


7 


57-64 


7 Apr. 1840 


8 


65-72 


10 Nov. 1840 


9 


73-80 


17 Dec. 1840 


10 


81-88 


6 Apr. 1841 


11 


89-96 


22 Apr. 1841 


12 


97-112 


12 June 1841 


13 


113-120 


18 Jan. 1842 


14 


121-128 


5 Apr. 1842 


15 


129-152 


14 Nov. 1842 


16 


153-160 


16 Feb. 1843 


17 


161-168 


23 May 1843 


18 


169-176 


9 Aug. 1843 


19 


177-184 


7 Feb. 1844 


20 


185-196 


May 1844 


21 


197-212 


Sept. 1844 


22 


213-220 


? 1844 


23 


221-228 


Feb. 1845 


24-27 


229-268 


6 May 1845 


28 


269-284 


May 1846 


29 


285-304 


Aug. 1846 


30 


305-312 


16 Feb. 1847 


31 


313-320 


30 Apr. 1847 


32 


321-328 


13 May 1847 


33 


329-340 


9 Sept. 1847 


34 


341-364 


2 May 1848 


35 


365-380 


14 July 1848 


36 


381-388 


2 Oct. 1848 


37 


389-401, 
index, title etc. 


15 May 1849 


38^0 


1^8 


6 Nov. 1849 


41 


49-64 


16 Apr. 1850 


42 


65-80 


18 Oct. 1850 


43 


81-96 


30 Oct. 1850 


44 


97-112 


15 Apr. 1851 


45-46 


113-144 


4 Nov. 1851 


47 


145-160 


19 Apr. 1852 


48 


161-176 


23 July 1852 


49-50 


177-200 


28 Oct. 1852 


51 


201-220 


23 June 1853 


52-53 


221-252 


8 Nov. 1853 


54 


253-268 


7 Feb. 1854 


55 


269-284 


2 May 1854 


56-57 


285-316 


19 Sept. 1854 


58 


317-332 


7 Nov. 1854 


59 


333-348 


6 Feb. 1855 


59t 


333t-336t 


27 Feb. 1855 


60 


349-364 


1 May 1855 


61-63 


365-412 


5 Sept. 1855 


64-65 


413-436 


19 Oct. 1855 


66 


437-448, 
title, index 


31 Oct. 1855 


PROCEEDINGS 


K 


LINNEAN SOCIETY 


OF LONDON. 


VOL. I. 

From November 1838 to June 1848. 


PRINTED FOR THE SOCIETY, 
BY R. AND J. E. TAYLOR, RED LION COURT, FLEET STREET. 


LIST OF PAPERS. 


page 
Arnott, G. a. Walker, LL.D., F.L.S., Regius Professor of Botany 
in the University of Glasgow. 
Note on Samara lata, L 326 

Babington, Charles Cardale, Esq., M.A., F.L.S., F.G.S. &c. 

On Cuscuta epilinum and halophyta 44 

A Description of a new genus of Linece 90 

On Spiranthes gemmipara 189 

Babington, Churchill, Esq. 

Remarks on British Lichens and Fungi, principally on Species 
or Varieties new to our Flora 32 

Bauer, Francis, Esq., F.R.S. & L.S. 

Observations on the Ergot 52 

Bentham, George, Esq., F.L.S. 

On the Heliamphora nutans, a new Pitcher Plant from British 

Guiana 63 

Account of two new genera of Plants, alUed to Olacinece 85 

Berkeley, Rev. M. J., M.A., F.L.S. 

On a Gall gathered in Cuba, by W. S. MacLeay, Esq., on the 
leaf of a plant belonging to the order Ochnacece 33 

On an edible Fungus from Tierra del Fuego, and an allied Chi- 
lian species 97 

On Agaricus crinitus, L., and some alUed species i. 230 

Bird, Golding, A.M., M.D., F.R.S., F.L.S. &c. 

On the Siliceous Armour of Equisetum hyemale, L., with an ac- 
count of its hitherto undescribed Stomatic Apparatus 290 

Blackwall, John, Esq., F.L.S. 

Descriptions of newly-discovered Spiders 41 

The Difference in the Number of Eyes with which Spiders are 
provided, proposed as the Basis of their distribution into Tribes ; 
with the characters of a new Family and three new Genera 

of Spiders 66 

A Catalogue of Spiders, either not previously recorded or little 
known as indigenous to Great Britain, with remarks on their 
Habits and Economy 130, 131 

BooTT, Francis, M.D., F.L.S. &c. 

On Carex saxatilis, L., and an allied Species 180 

Caricis species novae vel miniis cognitae 254,258, 284 

Brown, Robert, Esq., D.C.L., V.P.L.S. &c. 

Some Account of an undescribed Fossil Fruit 344 

BuNBURY, Charles James Fox, Esq., F.L.S. 

Remarks on certain Plants of Brazil, with descriptions of some 
which appear to be new 101, 108 


IV 

page 
Cantor, Theodore, M.D., Civil Surgeon, Prince of Wales's Island. 

Observations on two Malayan species of Semnopithecus 235 

Description of the Wild Dog of the Malayan Peninsula 236 

Clark, — , Esq. 

On the Sea Cocoa-nut of the Seychelles, Lodoicea Seychellarum, 
Comm. and Labill 152, 153 

Clark, Bracy, Esq., F.L.S., Corresp. Memb. of the French Instit. 
An Appendix or Supplement to a Treatise on the CEstri and Cu- 
terebra of various Animals 99, 100 

Clarke, Hyde, Esq., F.L.S. 

Note on the Preservation of Specimens of Natural History 96 

Clarke, Robert, Esq., Senior Assistant Surgeon to the Colony of 
Sierra Leone. 
A Notice of the African Grain called Fundi or Fundungi 155 

Cooper, Daniel, Esq., A.L.S. 

On the Structure of the Nut knovm as Vegetable Ivory 120 

Couch, Jonathan, Esq., F.L.S. 

A Letter on the occurrence of Wilson's Petrel {Procellaria Wil- 

soni) on the British coast 2 

An Account of a Fish, nearly allied to the genus Hemiramphus, 

taken in Cornwall 161 

Coxe, John Redman, M.D., Professor of Materia Medica in the 
University of Pennsylvania. 
Observations on some Fungi or Agarici, which by deliquescence 
form an inky fluid, drying into a bister-coloured mass, capable 
of being used as a water-colour for drawings, and of a very 
indestructible nature by means of common agencies 19 

Curtis, John, Esq., F.L.S. 

Descriptions of the Nests of two Hymenopterous Insects inhabit- 
ing Brazil, and of the species by which they were constructed 186 

Descriptions of the Insects collected by Capt. P. P. King, R.N.', 
F.R.S., F.L.S. &c., in the Survey of the Straits of Magellan.. 196 

On the Economy of the Order Strepsiptera 212 

Don, David, Esq., Libr. L.S., Professor of Botany in King's Col- 
lege, London. 
Description of a new genus of Plants belonging to the Natural 

Family Bignoniacece , 3 

Descriptions of the Indian species of Iris 8 

An Account of the Indian Species of Juncus and Luzula 9 

A Monograph of the genus Disporum 44 

A Monograph of Streptopus, with the description of a new 

genus now first separated from it 47 

On the Structure of the Tissues of Cycadea 53 

On a peculiar kind of Organs existing in the Pitcher of Nepen- 
thes distillatoria 91 

Doubleday, Edward, Esq., F.L.S. &c. 

Remarks on the genus Argynnis of the ' Encyclopedic Metho- 
dique,* especially in regard to its subdivision by means of cha- 
racters drawn from the neuration of the wings 229, 233 

On the Pterology of the Diurnal Lepidoptera, especially upon 
that of some Genera of the Heliconidce 348 


page 
Edgrwobth, M. Pakenham, Esq., F.L.S., Bengal Civil Service. 
Descriptions of some unpublished species of Plants from North- 
western India 252 

Description of a new genus of Lentibularice, with remarks on 
some Indian species of Utricularia 351 

Falconer, Hugh, M.D., F.R.S., F.L.S. &c.. Superintendent of the 

Hon. E.I.C.'s Botanic Garden at Calcutta. 
Extracts from Letters addressed to Dr. Royle, F.R.S., F.L.S. &c., 

Prof. Mat. Med., King's College 13 

Description of Aucjclandia, a new genus of Composite, supposed 

to be the Costus of Dioscorides 80 

On a reformed character of the genus Cryptolepis of Brown ... 114 
On Edgeworthia, a new genus of Plants of the Order Myrsinece 129 

Description of the Asafoetida plant of Central Asia 308 

Account of Gamoplexis, an undescribed genus of Orchideous 

Plants ...320 

Description of Athalamia, a new genus of Marchantiece 343 

Forbes, Edward, Esq., F.R.S., F.L.S. &c.. Professor of Botany in 
King's College, London. 
On Pectinura, a new genus of OphiuridcB, and on the species 

of Ophiura inhabiting the Eastern Mediterranean 167, 1 74 

On the Radiata of the Eastern Mediterranean 1 84 

On the Medusa proboscidalis of Forskahl 222 

Notice of some Peloria varieties of Viola canina, L 382 

Forrest, Thomas. 

A notice of the Encephalartos horridtis, which flowered at Kin- 
mel Park....t 9 

FoRSTER, Thomas, M.B., F.L.S. &c. 

Oh the permanent varieties of Papaver orientale, L 158 

On the Migration of the Swallows 296 

Fox, George Townshend, Esq., F.L.S. 

A notice of the Birds of Iceland, accompanied by specimens...... 21 

Gardner, D. P., M.D., of Hampden Sidney College, Virginia. 

On the Influence of the Dew-Point on the Temperature of 
Plants 119, 120 

Gardner, George, Esq., F.L.S. 

Description of Peltophyllum, a new genus of Plants allied to 
Triuris of Miers, with remarks on their Affinities 176 

Giraud, Herbert, M.D. 

Contributions to Vegetable Embryology, from Observations on 
the Origin and Development of the Embryo in Tropceolum majus 124 

Griffith, William, Esq., F.L.S. 

On the Ovulum of Santalum, LorantJms, Viscum, &c. 162, 166, 168 
On the Root Parasites referred by authors to Rhizanthece and 

their Allies 179, 180, 189, 190,209,216 

On the Development of the Ovulum in Avicennia 223 

On the Ovulum of Santalum, Osyris, Loranthus, and Viscum ... 223 

On the Ambrosinia ciliata of Roxburgh 263 

On the Anatomy of Eriocaulonece 271 

On the Structure of the Ascidia and Stomata of Dischidia Raffie- 

siana, Wall 279 

On the Seeds of Careya, Roxb 280 


VI 

page 

Papers on various subjects, bearing date in 1834 and 1835 281 

On the Impregnation of Dii'cAirfia , 324 

Hamilton, Francis Buchanan, M.D., F.R.S., F.L.S. &e. 

Commentary on the Eighth Book of the Hortus Malabaricus of 

Van Rheede 134, 293, 310, 343, 356 

Commentary on the Ninth Book of Van Rheede's Hortus Mala- 

barictis 361 

Haro, a., M.D., of Mentz. 

On Secale comutum, the Ergot of Rye, and on a species of 
Aspleniuniy related to A. Trichomanes, L 159 

Harris, Major W. C. 

Account of the Trees producing Myrrh and Frankincense, as 
found in those parts of the coast of the Red Sea and Indian 
Ocean whence those Gums were obtained in the first dawn of 

Commerce .". 181 

Hassall, Arthur Hill, Esq., F.L.S. 

Observations on the Growth and Reproduction of Enteromorpha 
intestinalis 152 

An Essay on the Distribution, Vitahty, Structure, Modes of 
Growth and Reproduction, and Uses of the Freshwater Con- 
fervcB 160, 163 

Heming, G. C, M.D., F.L.S. &c. 

On the Muscles which move the Tail and Tail-coverts of the 
Peacock 212 

Henderson, Mr. Joseph. 

On the reproductive Organs of Equisetum 74 

Henfrey, Arthur, Esq., F.L.S. 

Observations on the immediate causes of the Ascent of the Sap 
in Spring 229 

HiNCKS, Rev. W., F.L.S., F.R.S.E. &c. 

Descriptions of three Vegetable Monstrosities lately found at 

York 46 

Descriptions of some Vegetable Monstrosities 118 

On the causes of disjunctions of Vegetable Substance, especially 

those which are horizontal 273 

Hogg, John, Esq., M.A., F.R.S., F.L.S. &c. 

Additional observations on the Spongilla fluviatilis 8 

Further Observations on the Spongilla fluviatilis, with some re- 
marks on the nature of the Spongice Marines 3Q, 225 

Additional remarks on the Spongilla fluviatilis 226 

D'HoMBRES Firmas, Baron. 

Notes on the Seals of Linnajus 323 

Hooker, Joseph Dalton, M.D., F.R.S., F.L.S. &c. 

An Enumeration of the Plants of the Galapagos Islands ... 231, 238, 

263, 276 
On the Vegetation of the Galapagos Archipelago, as compared 
with that of some other Tropical Islands and of the Continent 
of America 312, 313 

Hope, Rev. F. W., M.A., F.R.S. & L.S. 

Descriptions of some new Insects collected in Assam, by William 
Griffith, Esq., Assistant Surgeon in the Madras Medical Ser- 
vice 42 


vu 

page 
Descriptions of some new Insects collected in Assam, by William 
Griffith, Esq., Assistant Surgeon in the Madras Medical Esta- 
blishment ^^ 

On some rare and beautiful Coleopterous Insects from Silhet, 
the major part belonging to the collection of Frederic Parry, 
Esq. of Cheltenham 127, 157 

KipPiST, Richard, Esq., Libr. L.S. 

On the existence of Spiral Cells in the Seeds of Acanthacea 63 

On Jansonia, a new genus of Leguminosee, from Western Au- 
stralia 330 

KoLLiKER, Albert, Professor of Physiology and Comparative Ana- 
tomy in the University of Zurich. 
Some Observations upon the Structure of two new species of Hec- 
^ocofyZe parasitic upon Tremoctopus violaceus, Delle Chiaje, and 
Argonauta Argo, L., with an exposition of the hypothesis that 
these HectocotyloB are the males of the Cephalopoda upon 
which they are found 236, 237 

Lankester, Edwin, M.D., F.R.S., F.L.S. &c. 

On a White Incrustation on Stones, from the bed of the river 

Annan 81 

Lhotsky, Dr. John. 

An Account of a species of Lepidosperma, from Tasman's Penin- 
sula, Van Diemen's Land 4 

Some Data towards a Botanical Geography of New Holland ... 11 
A Biographical Sketch of Ferdinand Bauer, Natural History 
Painter to the Expedition under Capt. Flinders 39 

LiNDLEY, John, Esq., Ph.D., F.R.S., F.L.S. &c.. Professor of Botany 
in University College, London. 
A Note upon the Anatomy of the Roots of Ophrydeee 10 

Maconochie, Capt. Alexander, R.N., late Lieutenant-Governor 
of Norfolk Island. 
Some Notes on the Natural History of Norfolk Island 228 

Main, James, A.L.S. 

Remarks on Vegetable Physiology 226 

Michelotti, Signor Giovanni. 

Observations on some new or little-known species of Polyparia, 
found in the supercretaceous strata of Italy 95 

MiERS, John, Esq., F.R.S., F.L.S. &c. 

On some new Brazilian Plants allied to the Natural Order Bur- 

manniacecB 60 

Additional Observations on some Plants alUed to the Natural 

Order Burmanniacece 66 

Description of a new genus of Plants from Brazil 96 

On a new genus of Plants from Chili 122 

On a new genus of Plants of the family Burmanniacece 328 

On the genus Atamisquea 355 

Nees von Esenbeck, C. G., F.M.L.S., President of the Imperial 
Leopoldino-Caroline Academy Naturae Curiosorum. 
A Descriptive Catalogue of the Graminete and Cyperacea con- 
tained in the Indian Herbarium of Dr. Royle 92 

Newport, George, Esq., F.R.S., F.L.S. &c. 

Monograph on the Class Myriapoda, Order Chilopoda, with ob- 
servations on the general arrangement of the Articulata 190, 191 


Vlll 

page 
Additions and Corrections to his Monograph of the Myriapoda 

Chilopoda 231 

On the Natural History, Development, and Anatomy of the Oil 

Beetle, Meloe, more especially Meloe cicatricosus. Leach 268 

On the Aqueous Vapour, and on the dark colour of the Wax, in 

Bee-hives 288 

Note on the Generation oi Aphides 292 

On the Natural History, Anatomy and Development of Meloe 

(Second Memoir) 317 

Note on Cryptophagus cellaris, Payk 327 

On the Natural History, Anatomy and Development of Meloe 

(Third Memoir, the Anatomy) 346, 368 

On the Formation and Use of the Air-Sacs and Dilated Tracheae 

in Insects 353 

On the Anatomy and affinities oi Pteronarcys regalis, Newm. 370,387 

Ord, George, Esq., F.L.S. 

Notes on the Habits of the Box-Tortoise of the United States of 
America, the Cw^MC?a CaroZma of Gray 116 

Owen, Richard, Esq., F.R.S., F.L.S. &c. 

On a new Species of the genus Lepidosiren of Fitzinger and 
Natterer 27 

Planchon, J. E., Docteur-es-Sciences. 

On Meliantheee, a new natural order of Plants 36 1 

QuEKETT, Edwin John, Esq., F.L.S. 

Observations on the Anatomical and Physiological Nature of 
Ergot in certain Grasses 4 

Observations on a certain Crystalline Matter found on the re- 
cently cut surfaces of the Wood of the Red Cedar 58 

Some ftirther Observations on the Nature of the Ergot of Grasses 160 

Remarks on the Examination of some Fossil Woods which tend 
to elucidate the structure of certain tissues in the recent Plant 232 

On the Development of Starch and Chlorophylle 293 

Ralph, Thomas Shearman, Esq., A.L.S. &c. 

On the Axial and Ab-axial arrangement of Carpels 284 

On the Structure of Viola, in connection with its Impregnation 297 

Reeve, Lovell, Esq., A.L.S. &c. 

On the calcifying functions of the Cowry and the Olive, two ge- 
nera of Pectinibranchiate Mollusks 307 

On the Structure and Comparative Physiology of Chiton and 
Chitonellus 322 

RuDGE, Edward, Esq., F.R.S., F.L.S. &c. 

A notice of Cereus tetragonus 7 

SCHOMBURGK, Sir RoBERT H. 

Description of the Curata, a plant of the tribe of Bamhusece, of 
the culm of which the Indians of Guiana prepare their Sarba- 
cans or Blowpipes 49 

Smith, Mr. John, A.L.S; of the Royal Botanic Garden, Kew. 

Observations on the cause of Ergot 1 

A Notice of a Plant which produces perfect Seeds without any 

apparent action of Pollen on the Stigma 41 

A Note on the Fern known as Aspidium Baromez 58 

Arrangement and Definition of the Genera of Ferns, founded 


IX 

upon their venation, with examples of the species, and obser- 
vations on the affinities of each genus 75 

Solly, Edw^ard, Esq., jun., F.R.S., F.L.S. &c. 

On the SoHd Vegetable Oils ^ 214 

SowERBY, G. B., Esq., F.L.S. &c. 

Description of a new species of Cowry 314 

SuTTOR, George, Esq., F.L.S. &c. 

Notes on the Forest-trees of Australia 177 

Taylor, William, Esq., F.L.S. 

A Note on the Bokhara Clover ^^ 

Thwaites, G. H. K., Esq. 

On the Structure and Movements oi Bacillaria paradoxa, Gmel. 310 
On the early stages of the Development of Lemanea Jluviatilis, 
Agardh 360 

Valentine, William, Esq., F.LTS. 

On the Structure and Development of the Reproductive organs 

oi Pilularia glohulifera 20 

Supplementary Observations on the Development of the Theea, 
and on the Sexes of Mosses 33 

Walker, Francis, Esq., F.L.S. &c. 

Notes on the Variations of Structure in the British species of 

EurytomidcB 233 

Characters of undescribed species of British CAaZcirfi^e* 261 

Westwood, John Obadiah, Esq., F.L.S. &c. 

Descriptions of some new species of the Coleopterous genus 

Cerapterus , 76 

Observations on the genus Derbe of Fabricius 82 

A Synopsis of the Coleopterous family Paussida, with descrip- 
tions of a new Genus and some new Species 110 

A Description of an additional species of Paussus 115 

Description of a new Indian species of Paussus 133 

On the occurrence of the Potatoe Disease, independent of the 

Attacks of Insects 345 

Descriptions of some new species of Athyreus, MacL., a genus 

of Lamellicorn Beetles 358 

On the Australian species of the Coleopterous genus Bolboce- 

ras, Kirby 365 

Descriptions of some new or imperfectly known Species of Bol- 
boceras 384 

White, Adam, Esq., F.L.S. &c. 

Notes towards a Statistical Account of the Fauna of New Zea- 
land and the Auckland Islands, so far as regards Annulose 
Animals 306 

Woods, Joseph, Esq., F.L.S. &c. 

Attempt to arrange the Carices of Middle Europe 209 


SHORT COMMUNICATIONS, 


page 
Ansell, John, Esq. 

Notice of Juncus diffusus, Hoppe, gathered near Hoddesdon, 
Herts 313 

Babington, Charles Cardale, Esq., F.L.S. &c. 

Notice of some Fir-cones taken from beneath about 10 feet of 
sohd peat at Burrishoole, near Newport, co. Mayo 89 

Backhouse, James, Jun., Esq. 

Notice of specimens of Spergula stricta, Swartz., and of Equise- 
turn Drummondii, Hook., both collected in Teesdale, Yorkshire 222 

Bennett, John Joseph, Esq., F.R.S., Sec.L.S. &c. 

Note on a new species of the genus Arundinaria of Michaux ... 61 

BiDWELL, J. C, Esq. 

Notice of a new species of Araucaria from the neighbourhood 
of Moreton Bay, and of the germination of Nuytsia Jloribunda 123 

BoRRER, William, Esq., F.R.S., F.L.S. &c. 

Notice of Leersia oryzoides, Swartz, gathered in Henfield Level, 
Sussex 222 

BosTOCK, John Ashton, Esq. 

Extract of a Letter to J. Bostock, Esq., M.D., F.L.S., on an 
extraordinary Flight of Locusts observed between Cawnpore 
and Agra 183 

Bromfield, William Arnold. M.D., F.L.S. 

Notice of a species of Calamintha from the Isle of Wight 179 

Burnham, J., Esq. 

Extract of a Letter to H. Clarke, Esq., F.L.S 99 

Cameron, Mr. Richard, A.L.S. 

Notice of a Fern, cultivated in the garden of the Birmingham 
Horticultural Society as the Agnus Scythicus, or Vegetable Lamb 57 

Clarke, Joshua, Esq. 

Notice of specimens of Galium Vaillantii, Dec, gathered near 

Saffron Walden 222 

Notice of Barkhausia setosa, Dec, found near Safiron Walden... 179 

Cooper, Daniel, Esq., A.L.S. 

Notice of specimens of Lastrea rigida collected at Settle 52 

Cumming, Mr. William. 

Notice of specimens of Lagurus ovatu^ collected near Safiron 

Walden 49 

Notice of specimens of Lagurus ovatus, Briza maocima, and 

Mentha crispa, gathered near Safiron Walden 81 


XI 

page 
Farre, Frederick, M.D., F.L.S. &c. 

Notice of a singular gall on the leaves of a species of Oak from 
Mexico 65 

Felkin, William, Esq., F.L.S. 

Notice of some specimens of Sea- Island Cotton grown in a 

cotton-mill in the centre of Manchester 99 

Fox, George Townshend, Esq., F.L.S. 

Notice of a specimen of Phrynosoma comutum from Texas 67 

Francis, George, Esq., F.L.S. 

Notice of Lepwrandra 5amc?ora, Graham 73 

Gardner, George, Esq., F.L.S. &c. 

Extract of a Letter to J. Miers, Esq., F.L.S 99 

Gould, John, Esq., F.R.S., F.L.S. &c. 

Notice of a nondescript Lizai'd from New Holland 81 

Griffith, William, Esq., F.L.S. 

Extracts of Letters to R. H. Solly, Esq., F.L.S., on the Ovula 
of Ephedra and Callipeltis ; and on the parasitism of Cuscuta 

and Orobanche 90 

Extract of a Letter to R. H. Solly, Esq., F.L.S., on the Ovulum 

- of Osyris 113 

Extract of a Letter to R. H. Solly, Esq., F.L.S., on the Ovula of 
Santalum and Osyris ; and on the Sporules of Isoetes, Azolla, 
and Anthoceros 121 

Hankey, John Alexander, Esq., F.L.S. 

Notice of specimens of Fritillaria Meleagris gathered at Finch- 
ley, Middlesex 134 

Hassall, Arthur Hill, Esq., F.L.S. 

Notice of an Apple in which decay had been induced by inocula- 
tion of decayed matter 160 

Hincks, Rev. William, F.L.S. 

Notice of a specimen believed to belong to Neottia gemmipara. 
Smith, from the collection of Dr. Wood of Cork 1 62 

Home, Sir Everard, Bart., Capt. R.N. 

Extract of a Letter to R. Brown, Esq., V.P.L.S., giving an Ac- 
count of the Measurement of some of the largest of the New 
Zealand and Norfolk Island Pines 321 

Hope, Rev. Frederic William, F.L.S. 

Notice of an extensive Collection of Engraved Portraits of Linnaeus 1 &6 

HoRE, Rev. William Strong, F.L.S. 

Notice of a remarkable variety of Duck 46 

Iliff, William Tiffin, Esq., F.L.S. 

Notice of some larvse believed to belong to Musca canicularis, 
contained in the Urate of Ammonia voided by a Boa Con- 
strictor 52 

Janson, Joseph, Esq., F.L.S. 

Notice of specimens of Neottia cestivalis collected near Lynd- 

hurst 80 

Notice of some living flowering plants of the "hungry rice" of 

Sierra Leone, Paspalum exile, Kipp 167 

KiPPisT, Richard, Esq., Libr. L.S. &c. 

Note on Crepis biennis and Barkhausia taraxacifolia 98 


xu 

page 
Description of the Fundi or Fundungi, a new species of granife- 

rous Paspalum from the colony of Sierra Leone 156 

Note on the characters and distribution of Barkhausia setosa, 

Dec 179 

Lankester, Edwin, M.D., F.R.S., F.L.S. &c. 

Notice of an Agaric in which gills were abundantly developed on 

a portion of the surface of the pileus directly over the stipes... 226 
Notice of a Fucus sold in London under the name of " Australian 

Moss," believed to agere with Fucus spinosus, L 267 

Lay, John Tradescant, Esq. 

Notice of some specimens of the Keih-seen-me, a species of Alga 
related to Nostoc, and eaten as a dehcacy among the Chinese 180 

Mann, Thomas White, Esq., F.L.S. 

Notice of an instance of extraordinary vitality in a specimen of 
Sedum Telephium 89 

Newman, Edward, Esq., F.L.S. 

Notice of a species of Trichomanes lately found in the co. Kerry, 
and supposed to be distinct from Tr. speciosum 179 

Newport, George, Esq., F.R.S., F.L.S. &c. 

Notice of Fteronarcys regalis, Newm., a Neuropterous insect 
furnished with external branchiae in its perfect state 180 

Northumberland, His Grace The Duke of. 

Notice of the Fruit of Chrysophyllum monopyrenum, Sw., grown 

at Sion House 99 

Notice of the Fruit of Diospyros edulis, grown at Sion House ... 134 

Ogilby, William, Esq., F.L.S. 

Notice of a new species of Clover (allied to TrifoUum resupina- 
tum) recently introduced from Cabul 80 

Ralph, Thomas Shearman, Esq., A.L.S. 

Notice of a Collection of Indian Fruits and Seeds presented by... 158 

Rauch, Francis, Esq. 

Notice of a Fruit of Salisburia adiantifolia, grown in the Impe- 
rial Garden at Vienna 73 

Read, W. H. Rudston, Esq., F.L.S. 

Notice of a shell of Spondylus varius, Brod., beneath the enamel 
of which a quantity of water had been retained for several 
months 134 

Reeve, Lovell, Esq., F.L.S. 

Notice of a specimen in spirits of the Animal of Panopoea Al- 
drovandi 160 

Solly, Richard Horsman, Esq., F.R.S., F.L.S. 

Notice of a male plant of Encephalartos pungens, which had 

flowered in the Royal Botanic Garden at Kew 52 

Notice of some effects produced on specimens of Fossil Wood 

preserved in a Cedar-wood Cabinet 128 

Stocks, J. Ellerton, Esq., M.D., F.L.S. 

Notes on the Vegetation of Scinde 367 

Taylor, William, Esq., F.L.S. 

Notice of the Oil of Madia sativa, grown neai* Ipswich 77 

Notice of the seeds, oil and oil-cake of Camelina sativa, Crantz. 162 


XIU 

page 
Ward, Nathaniel Baoshaw, Esq., F.L.S. 

Notice of a specimen of the Agnus Scythicus, or Vegetable Lamb 58 

Notice of a Plant of Musa Cavendishii brought from the Navi- 
gators' Island in one of Mr. Ward's cases 157 

Notice of specimens exhibiting the extreme states of Chondrus 
crispus, Lyn^bye, gathered at Linmouth, N. Devon 283 

Notice of specimens of Uncaria procumbens, Burch. ; and of a 
portion of the stipes of a Fern, probably Pteris esculenta, Sol. 293 

Notice of Italian Specimens of Adiantum Capillus Veneris, L., 
and Asplenium Trichomanes, L., one of the latter bearing on 
several of its pinnae sori, taking their origin from the upper 
as well as from the lower surface of the frond ; also of a branch 
of a Scotch Fir hollowed by hornets ; 317 

Notice of several Ferns collected in Ireland 326 

Watson, Hewett Cottrell, Esq., F.L.S. 

Notice of specimens of Carum Bulbocastanum gathered near 
Cherry Hinton, and of Seseli Ldbanotis gathered near Seaford 51 
Westcott, Mr. Frederick. 

Description of a Fern cultivated in the Garden of the Birming- 
ham Horticultural Society as the Agnus Scythicus, or Vegeta- 
ble Lamb 58 

Westwood, John Obadiah, Esq., F.L.S. 

Notice of various Insects from the Collection of Lieut.-Col. J. B. 

Hearsey 131 

Notice of the Aerial processes of the roots of Sonneratia acida, 

L., sent by Mr. Templeton from Ceylon 166 

Notice of some (Estrideous Insects received from Professors Zet- 

terstedt and Dahlbom 179 

Notice of several instances of Insect Monstrosities 346 

Notice of the Silk spun by the Caterpillars of the new Indian 

Silk Moth Bombyx Huttoni,Westw 357 

Wood, Rev. William, B.D., F.L.S. 

Notice of a remarkable variety of Typha angustifolia 42 

Woods, Joseph, Esq., F.L.S. &c. 

On Crepis biennis and Barkhausia taraxacifoUa 98 

Wright, Hon. H. 

Notice of specimens of the inner bark of the Cinnamon-tree, 
peeled of extraordinary length 151 

Yarrell, William, Esq., F.L.S. 

Notice of an interwoven mass of filaments of Conferva fluviatilis, 
of extraordinary size 65 


XIV 


OBITUARY NOTICES. 


page 
Abraham, James Hussey ... 2.98 

AUen, William 202 

Anderson, William 331 

Ansley, John 135 

Baily, Francis 238 

Bartlet, John ^7 

Bauer, Francis 101 

Beatty, Sir Wm., Knt., M.D. . 135 

Bedford, John, Duke of &7 

Beetham, William Q7 

Bell, Sir Charles, K.H 135 

Bell, Rev. Isaac 135 

Bevan, Thomas, M.D 332 

Biggs, Arthur 371 

Blumenbach, John Fred., M.D. 72 

Bostock, John, M.D 333 

Bowman, John Eddowes 1 35 

Bree, Rev. Robert Francis 145 

Bridgman, William 334 

Brookes, Samuel 34 

Butt, Rev. Thomas 137 

Carhsle, Sir Anthony, Knt. ... 104 
Chichester, The Bishop of ... 105 

Chinnock, Henry Singer 298 

Christy, William, Jun 67 

Churchill, Lord Chas. Spencer 67 
Churchill, Lord Henry John 

Spencer 105 

Clarke, Edmund John, M.D. . 137 

Coles, George 137 

Cooper, Daniel 173 

Cordeaux, Charles, M.D 239 

Cotton, Richard 67 

Cunningham, Allan &7 

Cuvier, Frederic 35 

Dalton, Rev. James 172 

Davy, Rev. Martin, D.D 34 * 

DeCandoUe, Augustin Pyramus 142 
Delessert, Baron Benjamin ... 339 

Dietrichsen, Lionel 334 

Don, David 145 

Dreyer, Rev. Richard, LL.B. . 34 

Dunston, John 372 

Dutrochet, Henri, M.D 341 

Ellis, John 372 

Famham, John Lord. 34 


page 

Field, Barron 298 

Finch, William, M.D 372 

Forester, Forester Rich., M.D. 203 

Fox, George Townshend 372 

Gilbert, Davies 68 

Gimbemat, Charles de 35 

Gisborne, Rev. Thomas 299 

Goodall, Rev. Joseph, D.D. ... 70 
Goodenough, The Very Rev. 

Edmund, D.D 239 

Goolden, Richard 137 

Graham, Robert, M.D 300 

Grey, Sir Thomas, Kt., M.D. 334 

Griffith, William 239 

Guillemard, John Lewis 244 

Hailstone, Rev. John, M.A. ... 372 

Harlan, Richard, M.D 246 

Harrison, William 137 

Hatchett, Charles 334 

Hills, Robert 244 

Holford, Charles 34 

HoUinshed, Lawrence Brock ... 34 

Holme, Edward, M.D 373 

Hope, Thomas Charles, M.D. 250 

Hornemann, Jens Wilken 145 

Hoy, James Barlow 204 

Hull, John, M.D 34 

Hunneman, John 36 

Hurlock, Joseph 244 

Jacquin, Baron Joseph Francis 73 

Jamison, Sir John, M.D 244 

Janson, Joseph 301 

Johnson, James Rawlins, M.D. 137 

Keith, Rev. Patrick 70 

Kendrick, James, M.D 376 

Kent, William 71 

Knapp, John Leonard 244 

Knight, Henry Gaily, M.P. ... 301 

Knowlton, Thomas 302 

Lagasca, Don Mariano 71 

Lambert, Aylmer Bourke 137 

Lane, Charles 139 

Latham, John, M.D 172 

Latham, Richard 302 

Leigh, Richard 139 

Locke, WiUiam Oliver, M.D. 376 


XV 


page 

Loddiges, George 334 

Loudoji, John Claudius 204 

Lubbock, Sir John Win., Bart. 105 

Lush, Charles, M.D 302 

Lynn, James, M.D 172 

Macartney, James, M.D 206 

Main, James 303 

Marlborough, George, Duke of ^7 

Martin, Matthew 35 

Matthews, Alexander 173 

May cock, James Dottin, M.D. 72 

Menzies, Archibald 139 

Mills, William 72 

Milne, George 35 

Morgan, John 376 

Mountnorris, the Earl of 245 

Newman, Rev. Thos., M. A. ... 172 
Newton, Rev. Thos., M. A. ...172 

Nixon, Rev. Robert, B.D 35 

Northumberland, Hugh Percy, 

Duke of 335 

Nouaille, Peter 303 

Onley, Charles SaviUe 207 

Parkmson, John 336 

Pavon, Don Jose 208 

Peete, William 377 

Pennant, David 141 

Penny, George 36 

Quekett, Edwin John 378 

Rackett, Rev. Thomas, M. A. ... 105 

Roddam, George, M.D 379 

Rokewode, John Gage 172 

Rudge, Edward 337 

St. Aubyn, Sir John, Bart. ... 72 


page 
St. Hilaire, Etienne Geoflroy . 247 

Samouelle, George 304 

Saye and Sele, Lord 338 

Sharpe, James 72 

Sheppard, Rev. J. Revett, M.A. 106 

Simmons, Richard, M.D 338 

Shgo, the Marquis of 245 

Smimove, John 245 

Solly, Samuel 339 

Sowerby, Charles Edward 149 

Stephenson, Simon 207 

Sternberg, Gaspard Count ... 35 

Stuart, Daniel 339 

Sutton, Charles, D.D 341 

Taylor, Thomas, M.D 379 

Tnnius, Karl Beruhard von ... 249 

Valentia, Lord Viscount 1 06 

Vigors, Nicholas Aylward, 

D.C.L 106 

Viney, Major-General 107 

Walsingham, Lord, Rev. Thos. 72 

Wedgewood, John 245 

Weekes, Richard 380 

Wheeler, Thomas 380 

Wickham, William Nicholas ... 339 
Wilmot, Sir John Eardley, Bart. 381 
Wilmot, R. Montague, M.B.... 107 

Wood, George Wilham 207 

Wood, Rev. William, B.D. ...107 

Woods, Henry 107 

Wright, Francis Boucher 107 

Young, William Weston 36 

Younge, William, M.D 35 


PROCEEDINGS 


OF THE 


LINNEAN SOCIETY OF LONDON. 


November 6, 1838. 
Edward Forster, Esq., V.P., in the Chair. 

The Society assembled this evening for the Session. 

The Vice President stated that the late Nathaniel John Winch, 
Esq.. A.L.S., of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, had bequeathed to the So- 
ciety his entire herbarium, consisting of upwards of 12,000 species 
of plants, and his librar)^ of Natural History. 

f 
Read, " Observations on the' cause of Ergot." By Mr. John 

Smith, A.L.S., of the Royal Botanic Garden, Kew. 

Mr. Smith, like many others, liad supposed that the ergot of rye 
"Was an organized fungus, growing in the florets of the r}'e and other 
grasses, but in the early part of October his attention was particu- 
larly directed to the subject by observing several large drops of a 
brown -coloured fluid suspended from a spike of a species of Elymus, 
in which were several full-grown ergots, and others in a younger state. 
The fluid was viscid and had a saccharine flavour. On subjecting 
a portion of it to the microscope, it was found to be full of innume- 
rable minute, oblong, transparent bodies, varying from the 3000th 
to the 7000th of an inch, and resembling the sporules of fungi, and 
slightly bent, having a somewhat indistinct spot at each end. On 
applying a drop of water to a full-grown ergot, multitudes of these 
bodies became disengaged from its surface, and issued from the 
cracks or longitudinal fissures which generally characterize the fully 
develoi)ed ergot. These bodies imparted to the water a milky ap- 
pearance. He observed the same bodies on ergot? of all ages and 
sizes, and on opening the unexpanded flowers of ergot-bearing spikes, 
they were met with in abundance on the ditterent organs, especially 
on the anthers; for, on cutting an anther and applying water, they 

No. I — Proceedings of the Linnean Society. 


2 Linnean Society, [Nov. 6, 1838. 

were seen to float out along with the pollen. They were also ob- 
served on the ovarium, and in little clusters on the hairs and feathery 
stigmata. These bodies are found to accompany the ergot through 
all its stages, and are present even before the fecundation of the ova- 
rium, at least before the discharge of the pollen, and consequently 
before there is any appearance of an ergot ; they therefore cannot be 
the sporules, but must be the cellules of the minute fungus itself. 
On examining an ergot, the surface before being moistened presents 
under the microscope the appearance of a thin whitish pruinose 
crust, which, on the application of moisture, speedily separates into 
myriads of the minute transparent cellules before mentioned. On 
viewing the ergot in the dry state under the microscope, the pruinose 
appearance of the crust will be found to arise from these bodies being 
united together longitudinally, forming slightly elevated spiculse, but 
crowded underneath and forming a' kind of crust. These cellules so 
united present the appearance of slender-jointed filaments, either 
simple or branched, in which state they occur likewise on the an- 
thers. Mr. Smith regards these cellules as the articulations of a 
minute filamentous fungus which is developed in the early stage of 
the flower,' and propagating itself by the separation of the joints and 
impregnating the soil or the perfect seeds of the gra^, which on 
germination and subsequent development carry up some of the re- 
productive matter of the fungus, which again developes itself in the 
flower, in the manner |hat Mr. Francis Bauer has shown to take 
place in the propagation of the smut and grain- worms in wheat. 

Read, "A Letter on the occurrence of Wilson's Petrel (Pro ce//ana 
Wilsoni) on the British coast." By Jonathan Couch, Esq., F.L.S. 

A single specimen of the bird was found in a field near Polperro 
in Cornwall, about the middle of August last, when the stormy pe- 
trel (P. pelagica) abounded on the coast. Mr. C. instituted a com- 
parison between them, and the result was as follows : 

"Weight of the stormy petrel 4 drams, 35 grains; of Wilson's petrel 5 
drams, 2 scruples. 

Length 6 inches 7 inches. 

Spread of wings 14^ — 16^ — 

Wings extended beyond the tail ... -| — l^- — 

With the lears extended, the toes ) , ,. t> j xt. ^ -i • ni- 

extend short of the tail..: ) ^ ^^""- ^^^^"^ *^^ ^^'^ - ^"- ^ 1^"- 

The stormy petrel is feathered just to the basal joint ; but in 
Wilson's petrel the feathers only approach within 4 lines of it. In 
the former the tarsus is in length 1 line short of an inch, in the 
latter 1 inch 4 lines, and equally slender with the former ; and the 


Nov. 20, 1838.] Linnean Society. 3 

hinder toe is so minute that it might escape any but attentive exa- 
mination. In the bill the markings are more strongly defined, with 
the terminal hook longer and sharper. The prominence of the fore- 
head is less than in the more common species. Colour of the head 
black with a hoary tint, lighter on the throat. The back, belly, wings, 
and tail are ferruginous, lighter on the wing coverts ; the rump white, 
and a little of the same at the vent. Tarsi and feet black, with a 
longitudinal stripe of sulphur-yellow, more of a golden at the bor- 
ders or the web between each toe. 

The stouter configuration of this species enabling it better to 
escape the violence of a storm may be ascribed perhaps as a reason 
why it is not more often found on our coasts. 

On examining the stomach of a stormy petrel Mr. Couch found 
about half an inch of a common tallow candle, of a size so dispro- 
tionate to the bill and gullet of the bird, that it seems wonderful 
how it could have been able to swallow it. 


November 20. 
Edward Forster,,Esq., V.P., in the Chair. 

Read, " Description of a new Genus of Plants belonging to the 
Natural Family Bignoniacece." By D. Don, Esq., Libr. L.S., Prof. 
Bot. King's College. 

The subject of this paper was collected by Capt. Sir James Ed- 
ward Alexander, during a journey through the interior of Southern 
Africa to the western coast. The plant was discovered by that en- 
terprising traveller in the open desert, called the Kei Kaap, in Great 
Namaqua Land, in 25° S. latitude and 17° E. longitude. It is a 
thorny bush, about six feet high, with small simple, hoary, wrinkled, 
serrated leaves and large white flowers. There can be no doubt that 
the plant belongs to the Bignoniacece, although in habit it bears a 
stronger resemblance to Verhenacece, especially to Duranta and Gmelina. 
In its spathaceous calyx and regular funnel-shaped corolla the genus 
comes near to Spathodea, but is abundantly distinguished from it by 
the cells of the anthers being parallel and connate from the middle 
upwards. Its regular funnel-shaped corolla, spathaceous calyx, 
equal stamina, and serrated leaves essentially distinguish it from 
Burchell's curious genus Rhigozum, with which it agrees in habit. 
On the specimen were two expanded flowers and a bud. The calyic 
in all three had six teeth, and both the expanded flowers and the 
bud had a six-cleft limb ; one of these had seven stamens, and the 


4 Linnean Society, [Dec. 4, 

other, as well as the bud, six, so that this last may be regarded as 
the normal number. 

The following- are the name and characters of this new genus. 

Catophractes. Calyx spathaceus, hinc fissus, inde 6-dentatus. Corolla 

infundibuliformis : limbo C-lobo, patenti, aequali. Stamina 6, raro 7. 

subaequalia, exserta. Antherarum loculi paralleli, e medio sursum con- 

nati. Ovarium abbreviatum, conicum, biloculare ? 

Frutex (namaquensis) erectus, spinosus. Folia fasciculata, simplicia, 

serrata. Flores laterales, subsessiles, speciosi, albi. 
Sp. 1. C. Alexandri. 

Read, ** An Account of a species of Lepidosperma, from Tasman's 
Peninsula, Van Diemen's Land.'* By Dr. Lhotsky. Communicated 
byProf. Don,Libr. L.S. 

This species is nearly allied to the Lepidosperma elatior of Labil- 
lardi^re, and is remarkable for the great length of its leaves, varying 
from 10 to 15 and even 20 feet. A specimen exhibited to the meet- 
ing had the leaf upwards of 13 feet long. It was discovered by 
Dr. Lhotsky in Tasman's Peninsula, Van Diemen's Land, growing 
in a dense jungle, through which its long slender leaves contrive to 
penetrate. It is termed " Cutting Grass," and like the other spe- 
cies of this Cyperaceous genus is characterized by the sharp edges 
of its leaves, which inflict wounds on the unwary traveller who 
happens to pass the plant hastily. 


December 4. 
Edward Forster, Esq., V.P., in the Chair. 

G. E. Dennes, Esq., Vine Street, Golden Square ; R. G. Holland, 
Esq., Surgeon, Sheffield; and Henry Laxton, Esq., Parliament 
Street, were elected Fellows of the Society. 

Read, " Observations on the Anatomical and Physiological Na- 
ture of Ergot in certain Grasses." By E. J. Queckett, Esq., F.L.S. 

Having had the opportunity of examining the formation of the 
ergot in several grasses, the author has endeavoured to trace the 
cause and origin of this singular formation on them, and particularly 
on Elymus sabulosus. 

It was found, that when a grain of the grass was to be replaced by 
an ergot, it presented before the period of expansion of the flower a 
singular mildewed appearance. This, when examined microsco- 
pically, was seen to consist of filaments, at whose base were myriads 


I 


1838.] lAnnean Society. 5 

of particles of exceedingly diminutive size, forming a complete 
coating to the young grain, so that no part of its body was visible 
through it. 

From this state the increase of the young ergot, but not of the 
filaments and particles, was very rapid ; for in a short time after, when 
the ergot began to appear between the paleae of the flower, its violet 
black colour was then visible, on account of the mildewed appear^ 
ance not keeping pace in development with the ergot*. 

After the ergot begins to appear beyond the paleae, it in a short 
time attains its full size, and loses almost entirely its mildewed 
covering, presenting now its perfect violet black surface, and mea- 
sures in different specimens from half an inch to one inch and half. 

If the ergot be examined carefully at this period, in such speci- 
mens as have not been subjected to injury or displacement on the 
plant, it will be found that at its base are the two scales which are 
observable in the same place in the healthy grain, and that it is ar- 
ticulated to the receptacle, and separates from it as readily as the 
grain when ripe does from the same spot, and at the apex of it is a 
small body, frequently hairy, on which can be observed the remains 
of the stigmas. 

From the relations of the ergot to these parts, and compared with 
those of the healthy grain, it is found that it is placed between and 
upon the same organs as the grain, and there cannot be a doubt but 
that this singular body is not an independent fungus, but a grain 
diseased from causes presently to be mentioned. 

When the particles before mentioned, which occur on the surface 
of the ergot, and which are also found in a viscid fluid that hangs 
about the paleae of the infected grass, are examined by the micro- 
scope, their size is found to be -nAnr part of an inch in length, and 
tttW part of an inch in diameter in the generality of instances, and 
their number is countless, probably 20 millions on each ergot. 
When magnified from 500 to 800 times, it then can be observed that 
their interior contains several well-defined green dots or granules, 
two or three being the most common numbers. 

If these particles, which are no doubt the cause of the ergot, as 
they are found on every ergotized grass and are the sporidia of a cer- 
tain fungus, be kept moistened on any convenient surface, as between 
a plate of glass and talc, they soon commence germinating (if recent) 

• The growth of the ergot is very rapid when compared with that of the 
grain. Philippar, in his * Traite Organographique et Physiologico-agricole 
sur I'Ergot, &c., dans les Cereales', observed some particular plants of rye, 
whilst passing by a certain corn-field, which had no appearance of ergot, but 
ten or twelve days after these same plants had full-sized ergots upon them. 


6 Linnean Society, [Dec. 4, 1838. 

in various ways ; sometimes by emitting a tube or tubes containing 
green granules, similar to those in the interior of the sporidia, and 
which probably separate finally into as many perfect reproductive 
atoms ; in other instances one sporidium gives off a minute process 
from its side, which goes on increasing and ultimately becomes like 
its parent, and then separates from it. Often several sporidia so ge- 
nerated, remain united to each other for a short time, forming a mo- 
niliform filament, composed frequently of seven or eight joints. 

The next and last method is the most perfect when it is found 
that the sporidia have their cavity divided by a septum, which is 
formed by a green granule of the interior extending itself laterally ; 
each half of each sporidium being again subdivided, and by endless 
repetitions of this process a radiated plant is produced, which, when 
arrived at a certain size and age, bears upon its branchlets sporidia 
similar to that one from which it was first produced. 

From these observations, it is proved that the sporidia, foimd on the 
surface of the diseased grain, can germinate and ultimately develope 
the means of their reproduction, without forming any body analo- 
gous in shape or structure to an ergot, which fact is conclusive that 
the filaments and sporidia are no part of that body, because they are 
found to flourish unconnected with it, and even grow on many parts 
of the same grass, as seen in the anthers by Mr. Smith, of Kew Gar- 
dens, and observed by Mr. Queckett on the paleae, glumes and ra- 
chis ; therefore the ergot, Mr. Queckett conceives, originates by the 
grain of the respective grass becoming diseased, from the presence of 
a parasite, which occasions such alteration in its developement as to 
cause it to assume the well-known form, and to possess also the sin- 
gular properties manifested in that of rye. 

If the ergot be sliced into thin transverse sections, and these ex- 
amined with a very high magnifying power, it will be seen that nu- 
merous particles escape from them when they are placed in water. 
These have been taken by Philippar for sporidia, from which cir- 
cumstance he considered the ergot as the reproductive apparatus 
of a fungus ; but such particles are only those of a fatty oil, which 
escape from the divided cells, and collect on the surface of the water, 
in which the sections are immersed, and differ from the sporidia of 
the exterior by floating on the surface, whilst the latter always sub- 
side to the bottom of the vessel containing the water. The appli- 
cation of heat to these supposed sporidia fuses them into irregular 
masses of diff^erent sizes ; and ether or turpentine, if allowed to eva- 
porate after being added to them, leaves similar appearances. 

The internal structure of the ergot looks extremely irregular, there 


Dec. 18, 1838.] lAnnean Society, 7 

being no equally formed cells, but a confused jumble, out of which 
can scarcely be traced the true cells, on account of their boundaries 
being exceedingly sinuous, which structure is very like the centre 
of the fungus produced during the germination of the sporidia, and 
appears to be occasioned by fungoid matter having grown in the in- 
terior of the grain. 

From these observations, which have been followed up in many 
ergotized grasses, Mr. Queckett is inclined to believe that the ergot 
is a grain diseased by a particular parasitic fungus developing in or 
about it, whose sporidia find the young state of the grain a matrix 
suitable for their growth, and quickly run their race, not entirely 
depriving it of its vitality, but communicating to it such impressions, 
which pervert its regular growth, and likewise the healthy formation 
of its constituents, being at last composed of its diseased mate- 
rials, which are mixed up with fungic matter, which has developed 
, within it. 

The fungus caused to germinate in the way described is quite in- 
visible to the naked eye, seldom measuring beyond the one or two 
hundredth part of an inch ; and from comparisons with British and 
foreign genera of Fungacese, it has not been found that it belongs 
satisfactorily to any as at present constituted ; the author therefore 
proposes a new genus, with the title Ergot at ea, to represent this 
minute fungus, which will belong to the sub-order Coniomycetes 
of Fries, and to its division Mucedines, very near to the genus Sepe- 
donium. 

After repeated experiments with the sporidia of the ergot of rye, 
of ElymuSy and other grasses, the author has always succeeded in 
making them germinate, and has not discovered such differences as 
would lead him to consider that the parasite in each case was not 
the same, therefore he has applied the term abortans, as the specific 
name of Ergotcetea, to the plant found on the ergot of rye, and be- 
lieves the parasites, on the other grasses which have been examined, 
to be of the same species. 


December 18. 
Edward Forster, Esq., V. P., in the Chair. 

Read, *' A notice of Cereus tetragonus,'* by Edward Rudge, Esq., 
F.R. & L.S. 

This plant has blossomed during the three past years in Mr. 
Rudge's collection at Abbey Manor House near Evesham. The 


S Lirinean Society. [Dec. 18, 1838. 

flowers expand in the evening like those of C grandiftoi^s , which 
they resemble, but are Hot above half the size. The number of the 
angles of the stem is variable. The species is an old inhabitant of 
our stoves, but has rarely flowered. 

Read, " Descriptions of the Indian species of IrisT by D. Don, 
Esq., Libr. L.S., Prof. Bot. King's College. 

The number of species of this beautiful genus belonging to the 
Indian Flora is five, three of which have not been previously de- 
scribed : one of the species is from Cashmere, another from Ludak, 
a country situated beyond the Himalaya, and the remaining three 
are natives of Nepal and Kamaon, and of the country to the west- 
ward. 

The following are the characters of the undescribed species : 

1. /. kamaonensis (Wall. Cat. n. 5052.), barbata; scapo brevissimo uni- 
floro, tubo perianthii longissimo subfiliformi, sepalis interioribus bilo- 
bis longe unguiculatis, ovario turbinate 3-gono. 

2. I. longifolia (Royle 111. t. 91. f. 2.), imberbis ; foliis margine scabris, 
scapo brevissimo unifloro, sepalis sublanceolatis integerrimis, tubo pe- 
rianthii vix uUo, ovario elongato triquetro scapum adsequante, stigma- 
tis lobis integerrimis. 

3. /. Moorcrq/Vmwa (Wall. Cat. n. 5051.), imberbis ; scapo bifloropedun- 
culis breviore, spathis gluniaceis tubum perianthii superantibus, sepalis 
lanceolatis acutiusculis, ovario 6-sulcato. 

Read, *' Additional observations on the Spongilla fluviatilis." By 
John Hogg, Esq., M.A., F.L.S. 

The author's views of the vegetable nature of the river sponge 
were given in a paper read before the Society on the 5th of June, 
1838, a report of which was inserted in the August number of the 
* Annals of Natural History.' 

The present paper contains additional observations in confirmation 
of those views, derived from a more accurate examination of the 
seed-like bodies, which are found adhering in abundance to the walls 
of the cells or cavities of the sponge, and are also frequently free 
and endowed with the faculty of locomotion ; and which have been 
regarded by some authors as the ova of the Spongilla, and by others 
as those of the Plumatella. Mr. Hogg has determined the identity 
of these bodies, having succeeded in raising young Spongilla from 
both kinds ; and he has also ascertained that they are destitute of 
cilia, being merely studded with minute granular papillae. The mo- 
tions of the unattached bodies resemble those observed by linger in 
the sporules of Ectospora clavata, and Mr. Hogg considers the cur- 
rents to be due to the same causes, which affect the circulation of 
the fluids in the cells of vegetables. 


Jan. 15, 1839.] Linnean Society. 9 

January 15, 1839. 

Edward Forster, Esq., V. P., in the Chair. 

Major Thomas Best Jervis, E. I. C. Engineer Service; Thomas 
Bruges Flower, Esq., Bath ; J. C. Hall, Esq., Kensington ; R. M. 
Lingwood, Esq.^.A., Uckfield, Sussex ; and F. J. White, M.D., 
Warminster, were elected Fellows of the Society. 

Read, " A notice of the Encephalartos horridus, which flowered at 
Kinmel Park." By Mr. Thomas Forrest. Communicated by the 
Secretary. 

This brief notice was accompanied by the male spadix, which had 
flowered at Kinmel Park, the seat of Lord Dinorben, and was sent 
for exhibition to the meeting by command of His Royal Highness the 
Duke of Sussex. The plant had been sent to Lord Dinorben from 
the Cape of Good Hope about six years ago by Lord John Spencer 
Churchill, Capt. R.N. The spadix was of unusual size, and bore a 
strong resemblance to a gigantic pine cone. The most remarkable 
peculiarity observable was, that several scales, less developed than 
the others, bore only a single unilateral mass of anthers, whilst in 
others the two masses were scarcely confluent. 

Read, '* An account of the Indian Species ai Juncus and Luzula." 
By D. Don, Esq., Libr.L.S., Prof. Bot. King's College. 

The species described in this paper are all from Northern India, 
and were mostly collected by Dr. Royle in the range of the Hima- 
laya, included between the Ganges and Sutlej. Of the eight spe- 
cies described, seven belong to Juncus, and only one to Luzula. 
Three of the former genus are entirely new, two had been previously 
gathered by Dr. Wallich's collectors in Nepial, and of the two others, 
one (/. bufonius) is common throughout the northern hemisphere, 
and the other (/. glaucus) is abundant in northern and central 
Europe. The Luzula is spicata, which occurs on the mountains of 
the north of England, Scotland, and throughout Europe, reaching 
as high as 71" north latitude, and which is likewise found on the 
Caucasus and Altai mountains in northern Asia. The present va- 
riety is from Lippa in Kunawur, a country situated beyond the 
Himalaya, in about 31° 33'.north latitude, being about 11° more to 
the south than any station previously recorded for Luzula spicata. 
The variety differs in its broader sepals, blunt capsule, with obovate 
valves, and in the seeds not being above half the size. 

No. II. — Proceedings of the Linnean Society. 


10 Linnean Society, [Feb. 5^ 

We subjoin the characters of the new species. 

1. /. leucanthus (Royle), culmo bifolio tereti, foliis margine invohitis 
filiformibus ailmum subaequantibus, capitulo terminali solitario 6 — 10- 
floro, involucre 5-phyllo ghimaceo floribus longiore, sepalis acutius- 
culis, antheris acutis filamentis duplo longioribus, ovario incluso, stig- 
matibus stylo ter brevioribus. 

This species is nearly allied to /. triglumis. 

2. J. leucomelas (Royle), culmo enodi filiformi aphyllo, foliis subulatis 
canaliculatis, capitulo terminali 3 — 5-floro involucro 3-phyllo acuto 
breviore, sepalis obtusis, antheris filamentorum fere longitudine, capsula 
acuminatjt perianthio longiore. 

3. /. memhranaceus (Royle), culmo tereti subdiphyllo, foliis subfiliformi- 
bus obtusis, capitulo terminali solitario 4 — 8-floro bractea communi 
membranacea breviore, sepalis obtusis capsula acut^ longioribus, stami- 
nibus inclusis, antheris filamentis dilatatis ter brevioribus.' 

4. /. concinnus (Don. Prodr. Fl. Nepal, p. 44), culmo tereti subdiphyllo, 
foliis planiusculis obtusis, capitulis 3 — 6-floris corymbosis, bractea 
communi elongata foliacea, sepalis acutis capsule acuta longioribus, 
staminibus longe exsertis, antheris filamentis simphcibus 6-pl6 brevi- 
oribus. 

5. /. indicus, triandrus ; capitulis multifloris squarrosis trichotome cy- 
mosis, sepalis lineari-lanceolatis apice mucronatis recurvis capsulae mu- 
ticae longitudine, stigmatibus sessilibus. 


February 5. 
Edward Forster, Esq., V. P., in the Chair. 

J. J. Adams Esq., Surgeon, Finsbury Square, was elected a Fel- 
low of the Society. 

Read, a paper entitled " A Note upon the Anatomy of the Roots 
of Ophrydecc:' By John Lindley, Ph. D., F.R. and L.S., Prof. Bot. 
University College. 

The object of the author in this paper was to show that salep, the 
prepared roots of certain Ophrydece, is not a substance consisting 
principally of starch, as is the common opinion among writers of the 
present day, but is composed of a bassorine-like matter, organized 
in a peculiar manner. 

After stating the opinions of recent authorities, the author gives 
the results of his own microscopical examination of the tissue of re- 
cent and prepared roots, by which it appears that the tubercles of 
Ophrydece universally contain large cartilaginous nodules of a muci- 


1839.] Linnean Society, II 

laginous substance, not coloured by iodine, and a small quantity of 
the grains of starch, lying in the usual manner in the parenchyma 
which surround the nodules, and readily susceptible to the usual ac- 
tion of iodine. The tubercles of many South- African Ophrydecc pre- 
sent when dried the appearance of bags filled with small pebbles, as 
if the epidermis had contracted over hard bodies in the inside. If a 
fresh root of Satyrium pallidum be divided transversely the cause of 
this appearance is explained, for with its soft parenchyma are mixed 
tough nodules, clear as water, and often twenty times as large as the 
cells which surround them. These nodules are easily separable, are 
tough like horn, and on being sliced appear to be perfectly homo- 
geneous. They are scarcely soluble in cold water; when boiled they 
become tumid and partially dissolve into a transparent jelly. If ex- 
posed to the air they rapidly dry and become brown, llie aqueous 
solution of iodine has no sensible effect upon them in their natural 
state. 

On charring slices of some salep procured at Covent Garden, a 
coarse preparation of wild OphrydecB, the author found that the no- 
dules apparently homogeneous were composed of extremely minute 
transparent cells, filled, as he supposed, with a secretion of the same 
refractive power as themselves, and adhering naturally to each other 
firmly ; the double walls of the cells and intercellular spaces being 
only made apparent by the charring process. The author explains 
the error of those who have considered salep to consist chiefly of 
starch, by allusion to the mode of its preparation. The tubercles 
are first parboiled and then dried, the effect of which is to dissolve 
what starch exists in the cells surrounding the nodules. The dis- 
solved starch flows over the surface of the nodules, from which when 
dried it is undistinguishable, and consequently when iodine is ap- 
plied to salep the mass appears to become iodide of starch. If the 
nodules, however, after this action of iodine, be removed, they are 
seen to retain their original vitreous lustre. 

The author remarks that these nodules of Ophrydete are, as far as 
his observations extend, absent in the tubercles of the other tribes 
of Orchidaceee. 

Read, a paper entitled " Some Data towards a Botanioal Geogra- 
phy of New Holland." By Dr. John Lhotsky, late of the Civil Ser- 
vice, Van Diemen's Land. Communicated by Prof. Don, Libr. L.S. 

The author commences his paper with the observation, that it was 
the lot of Mr. Brown to become connected in an almost exclusive 
way with the Flora of New Holland, he having been the first to illus- 


12 LAmiean Society. [Feb. 5, 

trate its vegetable riches in an extensive and philosophic manner. 
Notwithstanding the important discoveries since made, his re- 
marks, and especially those upon the botanical geography of that 
country, (published nearly twenty years ago,) have been confirmed 
by subsequent observations. The great approximation towards the 
European Flora, in that part of the country first explored by the 
author, agrees perfectly with the following observation of Mr. Brown : 
" It appears that a much greater proportion of the peculiarities of the 
Australian Flora exist in this, which I have therefore called the prin- 
cipal parallel (between 33° and 35° S. latitude), and that many of 
them are nearly confined to it.*" The author proposes the follow- 
ing geographical division of the Flora of the south-eastern part of 
New Holland. 

1st. The coast vegetation. — This class of vegetation clothes the 
almost moveable sand of the coast, and the rocks of sandstone of the 
coal formation, or skirts the ponds of salt or brackish water. Epa- 
cris, Boronia, Lambertia, Astroloma, Xanthorrhaa, Hakea, Banksia, 
&.C. are the most characteristic genera, forming usually a dense 
shrubbery of stiff and harsh plants. Of trees, scarcely any but 
species of Eucalyptus are to be met with. 

2nd. Vegetation of the rocky gullies near the sea coast. — Such lo- 
calities are generally characterized by small creeks or springs of fresh- 
water, of which the localities of the former class are mostly devoid. 
Two palms, Corypha australis and Seaforthia elegans, and the won- 
der of Australian forests, Dorymthes excelsa, adorn these localities. 

3rd. The Argyle vegetation characterizes those park-like spots, with 
their stately Eucalyptus trees growing at some distance from each 
other, with very little underwood, which have attracted the notice of 
travellers, from Tasman down to those of our times. The geological 
features of this region consist of various rocks, the sandstone of the 
coal formation excepted, which last never yields a good soil. The 
genera of this class of vegetation are various grasses, Thlaspi,'Cera- 
stium, Thymus, Scandix, Hydrocotyle, Dianella, Exarrhena, Silene, 
Hypericum, &c., many of them European forms, and soft juicy 
plants. Where this vegetation occurs are to be found some of the 
most advantageous parts of the colony for the purposes of grazing. 

4th. The Menero vegetation comprehends the Flora of those exten- 
sive downs which extend on the east side of the Alps to the extent 
of more than a hundred miles, and which are capable of maintaining 
vast numbers of sheep and other cattle. These downs present a dif- 

* General remarks, geographical and systematical, on the Botany of 
Terra Australis, p. 586. 


1839.] Linnean Society, 1$ 

ferent aspect in different seasons, being in some covered with the 
most luxuriant herbage, which at other times is parched and dried 
up. Many genera of the preceding class occur in these localities, 
besides Lythrum, Epilohium, Potentilla, Leuzea, Rumex, and other 
European genera. The author regrets that the season was too far 
advanced to examine the Graminea; and Cyperaceee, which abound 
in this region. 

5th. Alpine vegetation. — This was traced by the author to the 
summit of Mount WiUiam the Fourth.* These mountains being very 
extensive, will yield a great harvest to future travellers. The few 
plants collected by the author in this first investigation were two 
species of Gentiana, Mniarum, Sphagnum, Dracophyllum, Azeroe, Co- 
prosma, Podolepis, some of the latter genus being three feet high. 


February 19. 

The Lord Bishop of Norwich, President, in the Chair. 

Mr. George Dickie, of Aberdeen, was elected an Associate of the 
Society. 

Read, ** Extracts from Letters addressed to Dr. Royle, V.P.R. & 
F.L.S., Prof. Mat. Med., King's College." By Dr. Falconer, Super- 
intendent of the Hon. E. I. C.'s Garden, Saharunpore. 

Under date of January 24, 1837, from Saharunpore, Dr. Falconer 
gives a general report of the state of the garden. 

*' The Bixa Orellana," he remarks, " now flowers and fruits freely. 
The umbelliferous flowered Panax, near the cinnamon tree, is now 
a large and lofty tree, and there are numbers of it all over the gar- 
den. The Bombay Mangoes and Leechees are abundant with us. 
The medicinal garden still gives the annual supply of Hyoscyamus, 
and the Canal nursery turns out about 2000 teaks. The Otaheite 
sugar cane, brought up by Colvin, is likely soon to spread all over 
the district ; it has succeeded famously here, and I have now in pre- 
paration about a couple of beegahs of ground outside the garden for 
it. I am also preparing for sowing about twenty beegahs with up- 
land Georgia cotton seed, which will undoubtedly be most success- 

* According to a recent calculation, made from the degree of temperature 
at wliich water boiled on the top of this mountain (viz. 196°), it possesses an 
absolute height of SOOO feet, being by far the highest point reached hitherto 
by any traveller in Australia. 


14 Linnean Society. [Feb. 19, 

ftil ; it ripens before the Bourbon cotton comes into flower. Tliis 
last season I got a few pods of Egyptian cotton, of the garden 
growth ; the seed only reached me on the 15th of July, six weeks at 
the least too late, and it did not all ripen before the frosts, but what 
did ripen was long, fine, and strong in the staple, and the pods 
large. I expect to have a better account of it at the end of this 
season. I have also some Peruvian seed to experiment on. 

** The herbarium has been largely added to. The family of all others 
that has yielded most additions perhaps is the Orchideee. There 
are upwards of thirty epiphytous species growing on the trees in the 
garden, and many more in the herbarium ; some of them are most 
interesting additions : one of them is a triandrous Dendrobium, 
D. normcUe, Fal. The three anthers are not the only singularity 
about it. The flower is perfectly regular ; the three sepals being 
exactly equal, as are also the three petals, which, although of the 
same length, are twice as broad as the sepals. The column is also 
symmetrical, and as there is no labellum, it is difficult when the 
flower is removed from the axis to find out which of the petals re- 
presents the lip. Further, and what is most interesting of all, it 
clearly shows what is the normal position of the supplementary an- 
thers in the family. Lindley makes them alternate with the lateral 
petals ; while Brown, from the structure of Apostasia and Cypripe- 
dium, states that they alternate with the lateral sepals, and belong 
to a diff'erent whorl from the fertile anther. In my plant it is most 
distinctly evident, both by a decurrent ridge on each filament 
and by transverse sections of the column at all heights down to 
its base, that the supplementary anthers have the same relative 
position as the usual fertile one, and in harmony with Lindley's for- 
mula. Further, I have another variety of the species, in which the 
column is sliced ofi^ in front as is usual in the genus, and then the 
labellar petal is invariably developed into a spurred lip, so that it 
would appear that in the family the irregularity of the lip is a state 
of anamorphosis consequent on the imperfect development of the 
column, or vice versd ; in fact, that the deficiency of the one is abs- 
tracted to make up the excess of the other. Next I discovered an- 
other genus of the tribe Gastrodice, with a monophyllous perianth, the 
segments, sepals and petals being united for two-thirds of their length 
into a tube. I found it on Dhunoultee, and have called it Gamo- 
plexis ; it has the habit and look of an Orobanche, I have found 
also a magnificent Malaxideous genus, standing, when in flower, 9 
feet. You never saw a more superb affair, with rich yellow flowers 
like the Cyrtopera. I have called it Thysanochilus. The seed-vessel 


1839.] Linnean Society. 15 

has no ribs, and in one flower of it I found a plurality of stamens. 
I have several other new genera, which it would tire you to de- 
scribe. Talking of Dhunoultee, I found Wallich's Fraxinus flori- 
bunda growing on the ridge half-way between it and Landour, close 
to the road. You remember the description you give of the irregu- 
larity of the Paris polyphylla in Wallich's Plantae Asiaticae, — I found 
the Podophyllum Emodi growing intermixed with it, and strange to 
say, as if bewitched with the same turn for vagaries, with every 
number of stamens from 6 to 10, and in almost every flower one 
filament bearing two anthers, and that filament invariably the one 
opposite the petiole of the flower-bearing leaf. In one flower I found 
the following irregularities : 6 petals, 10 anthers, 7 filaments, or 
stamens if you like ; on one filament 3 anthers, on another 2, and the 
remaining 5 regular. Singular that it and the Paris should grow 
together and both so irregular." 

Under date of January 26, 1838, from Cashmere, whither he had 
proceeded on a Botanic mission in connexion with Sir Alex. Burnes's 
Expedition, Dr. F. says, " I am now wintering in Cashmere, with the 
prospect before me of pushing across through Little Thibet towards the 
Kuenlun Mountains when the snow clears. I started from Loodiana, 
where, by the by, I got the Butomus umhellatus in flower and fruit, 
new, I believe, to the plains of India ; and after a few days at Lahore, 
I marched on through the Punjab to Attock in the month of July ; no 
rains and fearful heat in the sandy plains I went along. From the want 
of rain and my route being through an open plain I did not glean much 
in my march. The Flora is exactly that of the neighbourhood of Delhi; 
Peganum Harmala everywhere, with Capparidea, Crotolaria Bushia, 
Calotropis Hamiltonii, Alhagi Maurorum, Tamarix, Acacia modesta, 
&c. &c. Near Lahore I got what I believe to be anew Asclepiadeous 
genus exactly intermediate between Calotropis and Paratropis, with 
the angular and saccate sinued corolla, membrane lipped anthers and 
corona of the former, but the coronal leaflets cleft and the pollen 
masses oval and ventricose as in the latter, with other peculiar cha- 
racters besides. It is a low, twining, small, fleshy, lance- leaved under- 
shrub. I have called it provisionally jBM^ro/?i5. It is in great abundance 
in the Punjab. I met with the Dhak (Buteafrondosa) as far as the west- 
ern bank of the Jhelum. The Flora begins to change atRawulPindee, 
which is elevated and continuous so on to the plain of Chuch, along 
the banks of the Attock. Here I first came on the famous Zuetoon, 

the wild olive, Olea ? and further on, at Hussan Abdal, I found 

Himalayan Rubi and a Cashmeer Dianthus, white flowered and new 


16 Linnean Society, [Feb. 19, 

to you. Near Attock I joined the party, having marched hitherto 
alone. We halted at Attock, the dry arid hills of which have a pecu- 
liar vegetation. We crossed the noble Indus at Attock ; a fearful 
ferry, in the rains the river running eight knots an hour. The 
lower part of the plain of Peshawur, where we now were, is sandy, 
and has exactly the Flora of the arid tracts of the Punjab ; Salsolas, 
Chenopodea, Alhagi, Calotropis, Peganum, Tamarix, &c. But when 
we got to Peshawur, so much do the seasons differ that i)eaches 
were coming into fruit the 15th of August, and the Kurreel {Cap- 
paris aphylla) out of flower only lately. From Peshawur I made an 
excursion to Cohaut, and from thence to the Salt Hills and the 
valley of Rungush. In the Salt Hills I got a Stapeliaceous Asclepiad, 
unfortunately neither in flower nor fruit, very probably one of Wight's 
Carallumas or Boucerosias. Also the Cassia obovata, the Egyptian 
senna in flower. I had previously got the same plant from near Delhi, 
no doubt about the species ; certainly not the ohtusa of Roxb. ; the 
legumes always crested over the bulge of the seeds. I got numerous 
other plants. From Peshawur Burnes started for Cabul, and Mackeson 
and I for Cashmeer. From Attock, Mackeson went by the straight 
militar}'- road, as he was on a military survey, while I made an 
attempt to run up the Indus into the hills. I got on three marches 
and was forcibly stopped at Durbund (look at Burnes's map) and 
threatened with rather rough usage. I then turned across the hills 
and rejoined my companion in the noble valley of Huzara. The vege- 
tation along the banks of the Indus from Attock to Durbund surprised 
me much. It is quite that of the characteristic forms of the Deyra 
Dhoon, and taking difference of latitude and altitude into account, 
with the great distance westward, this might not have been looked for ; 
Grislea tomentosa, Rottlera tinctoria, Hastingia coccinea, Acacia Ca- 
techu, Holostemma, &c. On the banks of the Indus, in the valley lead- 
ing up to Cashmeer from Huzara, I found the Dodonoea Burmanniana. 
You remark in your notice of the. Sapindacea its absence from the 
Bengal and Hindoostan region. Its occurrence with a leap further 
north is remarkable. From Huzara we marched on by the Paklee 
road to Mosufferabad. Near Drumbur I came on the Hovenia dulcis. 
At Mosufferabad I got on a high ridge, and followed it on to Cash- 
meer, where we arrived early in October. It was now too late in 
the season to exhaust the Flora of the valley and neighbourhood, so 
I made up my mind to winter here and make a fresh start in spring. 
It would take pages to contain what I have observed about the Flora 
here, late as I came. It has several anomalies ; few if any oaks de- 
scend on the northern side of the Peerpunjal into the valley. I have 


1839.] Linnean Society, 17 

not seen one yet. I have selected oaks as a very characteristic type. 
The same holds with respect to the plants that are associated with 
the oaks, &c. about Mussourie. In the lake you see Nelumbium 
and Euryaleferox, growing dlon^vfiXh. Menyanthes trifoliata\ and 
cotton, a poor sort, growing on the banks, while the sides of the 
bounding hills are skirted with pines. I got Staphylea Emodi grow- 
ing along with Ribes Grossuiaria (your Himalense ?), while it grows 
as you know at Mussourie on low slopes near Budraj. The Prurigos 
pabularia grows in the valley. I found it most abundant on Ahatoong, 
a low trap hill on the valley, but it is not so vigorous a plant as in 
its Thibetian habitat. I expect in the summer to get as far north 
as lat. 36° at the least on the Kuenlun or Kara Korun range, a 
most desirable tract to explore, as it will be clear beyond Hima- 
layan vegetation, partly characteristic of that of central Asia. I have 
already seen enough to convince me from a trip to the Thibet 
frontier to near Durass, that the Flora ahead will bear a close re- 
semblance in many general relations to that of the Altai Mountains 
shown by Ledebour and yourself." 

" Deosir, Cashmeer, June 20, 1838. 

" I have written to you twice from Cashmeer. I have been going 
leisurely all round the valley, and into all the subordinate valleys 
which radiate on all sides from the great one. I have made many 
acquisitions. Among Ranunculacece I have got species of Hepatica, 
Ceratocephalus, and Callianthemum, all of which I believe to be new, 
and making up the very blanks you notice in your ' Illustrations.* 
Of Callianthemum, I have no knowledge, besides your quotation, but 
my plant has leaves with umbelliferous habit, 8 white strap-shaped 
clawed petals, with the nectariferous pore high up on the claw, and 
a pendulous ovulum. It cannot therefore be a Ranunculus, nor your 
R. pimpinelloides. Further, I have got anew Ranunculaceous genus, 
new unless Jacquemont has got it, having the habit of Trollius in its 
leaves and mode of inflorescence, 8 herbaceous sepals, 24 strap- 
shaped petals, plane with no fovea at the claw, and solitary trans- 
versely attached ovula, being neither pendulous nor erect. It forms 
a transition from Adonis to the Ranunculece. This is another 
blank filled up in the desiderata so pointedly mentioned by you. I 
have called the genus Chrysocyathus^ It grows intermixed with 
Trollius, ' inter nives deliquescentes,' and till I examined it I took it 
for a Trollius. I have got a new species of Adoxa, forming I believe 
the second of the genus, A. inodora (mihi), a larger plant than 
the A. Moschatellina, and with the lateral flower 12-androus, and 

No. III. — Proceedings of the Linxean Society. 


18 JAnnean Society . [Feb. 19, 

6 segments in the flowers. I have also a new Epimedium, a large 
handsome leaved herb, E. hydaspidis (mihi), and two species o{ Al- 
chemilla. Fritillaria imperialis, the Crown Imperial of English gardens, 
grows wild in the lofty shady forests of Cashmeer. The Cashmerees 
regard it to be unlucky, and grow it only near musjids and over graves. 
Fothergilla involucrata (mihi), belonging to the Hamamelideee, exists 
in vast abundance in Cashmeer, forming whole tracts of low jungle ; 
— strange that it should not have been brought before either to you 
or to me. It occupies the place that the hazel {Corylus Avellana) 
does in England, and at a little distance does not look unlike it. 
Thus, Hamamelidece are found at opposite ends of the Himalaya 
range, Bucklandia and Sedgwickia in Assam, and Fothergilla in Cash- 
meer, but none of the family have yet been met with in the interme- 
diate tracts. Prang OS pabularia I have found in vast abundance in 
several directions, but the Cashmerees do not know it for any useful 
purpose, except as a plant highly prized by Europeans. They some- 
times use the roots to destroy worms, by steeping them in Dhaun 
fields as Calamus {hutch) is used in Hindoostan. The UmbelUfera 
have not come into fruit yet, so I do not know much of my new ac- 
quisitions, but I have got among others a species of Turgenia, a genus 
which I believe is new to the Himalayas. My brother wrote me 
that you were inquiring about Koot and Amomum. Koot is ex- 
ported from Cashmeer : it is a plant of the natural family of Compo^ 
sitce, which has not yet come into flower, but I shall let you know 
about it hereafter. Amomum, Humama, or Amamoon, is not known 
in Cashmeer nor to be had at the Piensarees. I have got a magni- 
ficent species of Ornithogallum ?, with a scape 7 feet high : the Cash- 
merees call it Prustereen, and prize it highly as a culinary vegetable. 
I have had Dodonaa brought to me from above Jummos in the heart 
of the hills, growing along the banks of the Chenab. I mentioned 
to you in a former letter some of the anomalies I had met with in 
the absence of forms common elsewhere ; not an oak, nor Andromeda, 
Rhododendron arboreum, Mahonia nepalensis, &c., have I yet found, 
though so common in the hills elsewhere. I have got Sparganium 
{carinatum, mihi), Butomus and Villarsia Nymphoides from the jhils. 
A species of Sagittaria is used here as a Cashmeree Salep, the natives 
collecting the roots as in China. The Coniferce are, as to the east- 
ward, 3 pines, 2 or 3 firs and Deodar, but I have not seen the Cu- 
pressus torulosa, the lofty cypress of the Mussourie hills." 


1839.] Linnean Society. 19 

March 5 . 

Edward Forster, Esq., V.P., in the Chair. 

Read, " Observations on some Fungi or Agarici, which by de- 
liquescence form an inky fluid, drying into a bister-coloured mass, 
capable of being used as a water-colour for drawings, and of a very 
indestructible nature by means of common agencies." By John 
Redman Coxe, M.D., formerly Professor of Materia Medica in the 
University of Pennsylvania. Communicated by the Secretary. 

Dr. Coxe having gathered a Fungus and placed it on a sheet of 
white paper, leaving it until the next day, found several drops of an 
inky fluid, slowly trickling from the inner surface, which had as- 
sumed a black appearance ; by placing the Fungus in a glass, the 
whole except the outer skin liquefied. The colour of the fluid was 
rather a deep bister than black, and being left in the glass, in a few 
hours it separated into a solid sediment, with a lighter coloured fluid 
swimming above. Having afterwards collected a considerable quan- 
tity of fluid from the same species, he obtained by drying an extract 
of a pretty deep black colour of both parts conjoined, which would 
otherwise have separated. This on trial formed an admirable bister- 
like water-colour, well adapted for drawing when mixed with a little 
gum. 

Dr. Coxe used the " fresh inky fluid as ink, and from such fresh 
fluid the accompanying drawings were made ;" but it was soon found 
that its change was too rapid to think of depending on it for such a 
purpose, he therefore was led to dry it as quickly as possible by 
spontaneous evaporation, and then to use it diluted with water. 
Having exposed various portions of writing thus made to the direct 
rays of the sun for several months with little change, he tried the 
eff'ects of chlorine and euchlorine gas, muriatic acid, and ammoniacal 
gases : from these but a trifling change ensued, except from the mu- 
riatic acid gas, which destroyed very considerably the dark tint of 
the writings. He also placed some small and recent specimens of the 
Fungus in a solution of corrosive sublimate, which preserved them 
and prevented any deliquescence : the same eff^ect was produced by 
alcohol. 

The ink is fully formed and escapes in about three or four days. 
When received into a phial, in a short time the heavier and blacker 
matter was found to settle as a sediment ; the lighter brownish amber- 
coloured fluid surmounts it, and may be poured off" from it to dry them 


20 Linnean Society. [March 5, 

separately. From a good sized specimen nearly half an ounce of 
fluid has been obtained. 

The following chemical experiments among others were made : — 

1. Two drachms of the fluid added to J 1 of hydrate gave a clear 
brown transparent solution, to which in separate glasses was added 

2. Nitrate of Silver : no effect at first, but in a few minutes dark 
brown flocculi subsided, leaving a transparent fluid above. 

3. Muriate of Barytes : no efi^ect at first, finally a subsidence of 
dark brown flocculi. 

4. Acetate of Lead. Immediate dark brown flocculi, leaving a 
clear liquid above. 

5. Carbonate of Potash. Transparency destroyed ; a trifling brown 
deposit in a few hours. 

6. Alcohol. No apparent change from it. 

7. Solution of Corrosive Sublimate. An apparent diflfiision of brown- 
ish hue, gradually subsiding in dirty brown flocculi. 

8. Dilute Muriatic Acid. The same, but much smaller in amount. 

10. Lime Water. Light brown flocculi in a few hours. 

1 1 . Liquor Ammonia. No efi^ect. 

12. Succinate of Ammonia. Deep brown deposit in a few hours. 

13. Prussiate of Potash. No eff"ect. 

14. Oxalate of Ammonia. Clouds form and settle in a dirty brown 
sediment. 

From these experiments Dr. Coxe is disposed to think that an ex- 
cellent India Ink might be prepared for drawing ; perhaps its dried 
deposit mixed with oil might answer for engravings ; and as an ink, 
indestructible from any common agents, it might be well to try it in 
the filling up of bank notes and other papers of consequence, as he 
believes it cannot be extracted by any means without destroying the 
paper itself. 

The Fungus described, and on which the above experiments were 
tried, is referred with some hesitation to Agaricus ovatus, Schseff^er, 
' Icones Fungorum,' fig. 7. A. cylindricus, fig. 8. A. porcellaneus, 
fig. 46. and 47. The drawings are named Agaricus ovatus"*". 

• The drawings evidently represent Agaricus fmetarius, Linn, and Curtis; 
A. comatus, Mull, and Berkeley ; A. cylindricus, Sowerby ; to which A. cy- 
lindricus, Schaeff. f.8. and A. porcellaneus, figs. 46 & 47. belong; it is not 
so clear that A. ovatus, fig. 7. (the name adopted by Dr. Coxe) does. In the 
subgenus named by Berkeley Coprinus every species is deliquescent. Curtis 
observes, under his A. ovatus, which is A. atramentarius. Bull, and Berk., 
that the seeds may he seen in the black liquor if magnified. 


1839.] Linnean Society, 21 

ft 

March 19. 
Edward Forster, Esq., V. P., in the Chair. 

Robert John Ashton, Esq., Brompton; Patrick Leigh Strachan, 
Esq., of the Civil Service, Sierra Leone; and Alfred White, Esq., 
Islington, were elected Fellows of the Society. 

Read, " A Notice of the Birds of Iceland, accompanied by speci- 
mens." By George Townshend Fox, Esq., F.L.S. 

It is perhaps not generally known that the Durham University 
has established a Museum as one of the necessary appendages of an 
academical institution ; the subcurator of which, Mr. Wm. Proctor, 
requested and obtained permission to go out to Iceland in the summer 
of 1837 to procure a collection of the birds of that island. Three 
months were passed on the most northern part of Iceland, this local- 
ity being chosen by Mr. Proctor as one least visited by naturalists, 
and therefore the most likely to repay his labours by the number or 
rarity of the specimens to be obtained. Skins of fifty-two species of 
birds were brought home, besides skins of six Rein Deer, three spe- 
cies of Seals, two large Fishes (Anarrhicas), and a Porpoise, 

Frederick Faber in his Ornithology of Iceland, published at Copen- 
hagen in 1822, enumerates eighty-four species of birds; of which 
about twenty are land birds, and sixty water birds. Faber adopted the 
nomenclature of Linnaeus, but an examination of the skins brought 
home by Mr. Proctor has led to the belief that several of Faber's 
birds are not identical with the Linnean species. The Iceland 
Falcon is considered by Mr. Hancock* as distinct from the whiter 
falcon of Greenland. The Iceland Grouse is correctly considered 
by Faber as peculiar to that island. The Bridled Guillemot, Uria 
lacrymans, Lapyl., is for various reasons believed to be a species 
distinct from the Common Guillemot, Uria Troile, Lath. Clangula 
Barrovii was found breeding on the ground in a nest formed of 
its own down, and placed among aquatic plants a little above high- 
water mark. Some rare eggs were also obtained, namely, those of 
the Iceland Falcon, Little Auk, Bridled Guillemot, and Sclavonian 
* Grebe. 

Read also a paper, "On the Structure and Development of 
the Reproductive organs of Pihlaria glohuliferay In a letter to 

* See Mr. Hancock's paper on this subject in the * Annals of Natural 
History,' vol. ii. p. 241. 


i2 Linnean Society. [March 19, 

R. H. Solly, Esq., F.R.S. and L.S. By William Valentine, Esq., 
F.L.S. 

The author observes, that the involucrum of Pilularia globulifera 
contains two kinds of bodies, which, however, occupy distinct sacs ; 
one kind are round, very numerous, and minute, not larger than the 
460th part of an inch ; they are found principally in the upper part 
of the involucrum, and are about forty in each sac. The other kind 
are of an oblong pyriform shape, a little constricted near the middle, 
with a conical projection at one extremity, and are much less nu- 
merous, about sixty, and occur singly in each sac ; they are about 
the 80th part of an inch broad, and have the power of germination, 
which the former kind do not appear to possess. Both kinds are 
loose in their sacs, and have an opake, pure white, minutely granular, 
testaceous covering, and are imbedded in a kind of gelatin, which 
softens and expands by the action of water, but is not completely 
dissolved. The larger bodies, the undoubted sponiles, after a very 
slight maceration in water, (less than a minute is sufficient,) are en- 
veloped by a well-defined covering of gelatinous matter, which be- 
fore the maceration existed in a concrete state. Further macera- 
tion does not appear to affect this gelatinous covering, as it remains 
unchanged long after germination, and gives to the sporule the ap- 
pearance of having a very delicate transparent border, whose breadth 
is about the 4th part of .the diameter of the sporule. 

The sporule consists of three coats, the outer of which is white, 
opake, somewhat brittle, more or less incomplete at the conical ex- 
tremity, but much thickened about the upper third of the sporule, 
where it exhibits traces of cellularity. The middle coat iS mem- 
branous, elastic, of a light yellowish brown colour, and perforated at 
the apex of the conical projection which is essentially formed by 
this coat, the outer coat being gradually lost upon its surface, or in 
some instances being scarcely continued on to it, in which case the 
sporule appears truncated, the middle membrane not having sufficient 
firmness of itself to support the conical form. This conical projec- 
tion is more or less plicated, and in those instances in which the outer 
coat is very deficient the middle membrane exhibits lines radiating 
from the aperture. The third coat, or internal membrane, is similar 
in colour to the middle, differing from it however in being inelastic, 
and not being continued into the cone, but forming a short cavity, 
by passing directly across the base of the cone, at which point it is 
not in contact with either of the other membranes, and is marked 
by three lines, which radiate from the centre of the unsupported 
portion, and indicate a valvular structure to allow of the protrusion 


1839.] lAnnean Society. 23 

of the growing matter in germination. The cavity of the sporule is 
occupied by a quantity of grumous fluid and particles, which are of 
various sizes, the larger ones being mostly of an ovoid shape, but 
altering by pressure. 

I found many of these sporules in a germinating state, the major- 
ity having escaped from the involucrum, but in several instances I 
found them considerably advanced in germination before the rupture 
of the involucrum and whilst they were yet inclosed in their sacs. 
The first external sign of germination is either the appearance of 
four cells projecting through the apex of the conical projection 
or a general swelling of that part. By dissection, however, we 
can observe this process at an earlier period, and I find upon re- 
moving the conical projection that the first evidence of germination 
having commenced is an appearance of cellularity within the unsup- 
ported or valved portion of the internal membrane, which is transpa- 
rent ; and I now find for the first time a very delicate pellucid mem- 
brane lining the whole cavity of the sporule, and having the cells 
which give the appearance just mentioned either lying on its exter- 
nal surface or forming that portion of it which lies beneath the valves. 
From the appearances and impossibility of separating the cells from 
the membrane I am inclined to believe that the cavity formed by this 
membrane is completed by the cells, or, in other words, that the 
sac is partly membranous and partly cellular. It is possible that 
this last described membrane may exist before germination begins, 
notwithstanding the numerous unsuccessful dissections which I 
have made to discover it, the failure being owing to its extreme de- 
licacy ; but I am pretty well satisfied that it is a product of germi- 
nation, because I have not the slightest difl[iculty in demonstrating 
it after that has commenced, nor is there the slightest trace of it in 
any stage of the development of the sporule. However this may be, it 
is quite certain that fresh cells are gradually formed on the external 
surface of the cellular part of the sac, and that the valves of the 
third membrane are very soon ruptured and gradually turned back 
by the growth and protrusion of this button-like cellular germ. 
The enlarging cellular mass then distends the conical projection, 
unfolding the plicae of that body, and at length appears externally, 
with four of its cells projecting beyond the general mass and com- 
pressed into a quadrangular form, I fancy by the pressure of the apex 
of the cone, the aperture in which is quadrangular. These projecting 
cells soon harden and acquire a reddish brown hue, and in the ad- 
vanced stage of germination ajipear like a brown quadrangular space, 
which I should have little hesitation in referring to the above cause 


24 Linnean Society. [March 19, 

did I not find several similar spaces on the germinating sporules of 
Isoetes lacustris, which I could not refer to such an origin : it must 
be observed however that I have not seen the earlier stages of germi- 
nation in Isoetes. Soon after the exposure of the entire germ, which 
is effected by the reflexion of the valves and conical membrane over 
the side of the sporule, where they lie quite concealed by the germ, 
little fibrillse or rootlets begin to shoot from one side. They are 
simply articulated tubes or elongated cells applied end to end with 
frequently a bulbous extremity, and each is produced from one of 
the cells of the germ. They differ much in length in different 
sporules ; in some they are not longer than the sporule, whilst in 
others they are three or four times that length, and, in common with 
the cells of the germ, contain granules which in these are colourless 
but in the germ green. The cluster-like appearance of the cells 
which form the germ, soon after the appearance of these librillse be- 
gin to change, the cells becoming flatter and more intimately con- 
nected with each other. At the same time an internal change is taking 
place, for by a gradual arching or receding upwards of that part of 
the germ which closes the cavity of the sporule the germ becomes 
hollow, the hollow communicating "with the cavity of the sporule, 
which is of course proportionably enlarged. The germ now gra- 
dually points in two places, which are by no means fixed, but occur 
in various situations according to the position of the sporule in rela- 
tion to the light. The direction of the first leaf is generally in the 
direction of the axis of the sporule, or rather a little inclined, and 
that of the first root at right angles or lateral, but very soon chan- 
ging to an opposite direction to that of the leaf. This would be the 
constant direction if the sporules were always left to themselves free 
from entanglements, on account of the peculiar structure of their 
outer coats ; the spongy fibro-cellular texture of the superior third 
of which, causing that end to be the most buoyant in the water, ex- 
poses the superior surface of the germ to the direct action of the 
light ; but as it cannot always happen that the sporules should be 
free, the direction of the leaf and root is sometimes quite the reverse, 
and at others both leaf and root are lateral, but proceeding from 
opposite sides of the germ. These two jioints gradually lengthen, 
and if dissected each will be found to consist of a closed sheath, con- 
taining in one instance the leaf, in the other the root in the form of 
a conical process like a finger in a glove. The young leaf, which is 
taper and its cells crowded with green granules, being in advance of 
the root, which is obtuse and destitute of green granules, bursts 
through the summit of its sheath when it has become rather longer 


1839.] Linnean Society. U5 

than the sporule, whilst the root, although more backward in its de- 
velopment, pierces its sheath before it is as long as the sporule. The 
sheaths are not distinct, but communicate with each other ; and the 
only point of connexion between the sheath (there being in fact but 
one) and the germ is around its base close to the sporule, so that 
nearly the whole of the germ is inclosed in this sheath. Besides 
this sheath which embraces the upper part of the root, there is an 
exceedingly delicate expansion, which so closely embraces the ex- 
tremity of the root like a cap, that it is only by a careful examina- 
tion that it can be discovered. I am not aware that this has ever had 
any connexion with the sheath through which the root bursts, but, 
on the contrary, I believe it to be a distinct formation. After the 
leaf has grown many times the length of the sporule, or about 2 
lines long, another leaf grows from the germ close to the first, to 
which it is in all respects similar, and then a bud begins to be de- 
veloped from some indefinite part of the germ, but like the leaves 
and root from within the sheath, which is now frequently much lace- 
rated. This bud is covered by a peculiar kind of jointed hairs, whose 
attachments are lateral, at a short distance from their bases, and 
they contain a few colourless granules. This bud sometimes appears 
after the first leaf, in which case there is no second primordial leaf 
formed, and is the rudimentary stem, the first growth from it being 
a leaf which exhibits, although in a small degree, the first evidence 
of gyration, and shortly after a root which is furnished with its own 
sheath. As I have not seen more advanced specimens, I am unable 
to describe the succeeding steps; but as, up to this point, my obser- 
vations were made upon several hundred examples, I may safely 
aflirm that the instances were sufficiently numerous for my purpose. 
All the leaves after the primordial ones, or those which grow direct 
from the germ, are developed in a similar manner to ferns, and even 
the running stem partakes in a slight degree of the same gyrate evo- 
lution. The roots are all formed in sheaths, through the apices of 
which they ultimately burst ; the sheath continuing to embrace the 
base of the root, whilst a distinct and far more delicate sheath 
closely embraces its point. Transverse sections of the stem, root, 
and leaves show them all to be hollow with the cavity divided longi- 
tudinally into separate channels. In the stem these longitudinal par- 
titions are about fifteen or sixteen in number, and in the leaf and 
root they are about ten or twelve, which in the latter £ure arranged 
in pairs. These partitions radiate from a central column of enlarged 
cells which surround a bundle of minutely dotted ducts that may be 
unrolled spirally, and the channels between these partitions are fro- 


26 Linnean Society. [March 19, 

quently divided by transverse partitions or diaphragms. The cells 
which form these partitions are curiously arranged — they are flat- 
tened on two opposite sides, and connected with each other by their 
narrow sides and extremities, but only at intervals, so that there are 
numerous holes formed which aiFord a free communication between 
all the channels. In the partitions of the root the intervening holes 
are so large in proportion to the breadth of the cells that these have 
the appearance of a string of beads. Another peculiarity of the 
root is, that, in addition to the diaphragms formed of this tissue, 
which are also found in the stem and leaf, a peculiar body is fre- 
quently met with occupying a similar position to the diaphragms. 
These bodies (for they are sometimes numerous) are each formed of 
one or more cylindrical cells coiled up in a gyrate manner. They 
grow from the angle formed by the partition and the cuticle, and 
are developed subsequent to the other tissue, for they may be found 
in various stages of advancement in the same root. Their nature I 
have not been able to ascertain. 

The author then proceeds to describe the development of the spo- 
rules. A transverse section of the involucrum when about the size 
of a small pin's head shows it to consist of four integuments, con- 
taining a mass of very delicate spongy compressible cellular tissue, 
subdivided into four equal triangular portions by four lines radiating 
from the centre. In the centre of each of these portions is a cavity, 
and projecting into each of these cavities are a number of nipple - 
like processes which are attached in each cavity to a common recep- 
tacle, whilst this again is connected with an open rigid cellular 
tissue that lies between the spongy tissue before described and the 
involucrum, and serves as a connexion between the two. As the 
involucrum advances, the spongy tissue recedes all round the four 
cavities, which consequently become larger and afford more space 
for the growth of the nipple-like processes. This recession of the 
spongy tissue is not caused by the pressure of the growing pro- 
cesses, for it is frequently in advance of them ; but it is produced by 
a gradual condensation inherent to the tissue around the cavities 
and along the radiating dividing lines, which, in fact, are nothing 
more than this condensation, which at maturity is so complete that 
the whole of the spongy tissue is condensed into four dissepiments, 
dividing the cavity of the involucrum into four equal loculi. The 
nipple-like processes are found upon a careful examination to be 
hollow sacs with obscurely cellular walls — those which occupy the 
lowest part of the involucrum being considerably in advance of the 
upper ones. These sacs contain a quantity of grumous matter, and 


1839. J Linnean Society, 2J 

a number, perhaps about ten, of soft rather opake pulpy bodies, 
which are evidently compounded of four closely connected parts so 
placed on each other as to form a cone with a triangular base. 


April 2. 

The Lord Bishop of Norwich, President, in the Chair. 

Henry Bingley, Esq., Queen's Assay Master, Royal Mint ; Joseph 
Dickinson, M.B., Lecturer on Botany at the Philosophical Institu- 
tion, Liverpool ; George Everett, Esq., Clapham ; and John Miers, 
Esq., Chelsea, were elected Fellows of the Society. 

Mr. Owen read. a Paper on a New Species of the genus Lepido- 
siren of Fitzinger and Natterer. The author commenced by advert- 
ing to the first announcement of that anomalous animal, the Lepido- 
siren paradoxa, as the type of a new genus of Perennibranchiate 
Reptiles by Fitzinger at the meeting of the German naturalists at 
Prague in 1837, and to its subsequent description by its discoverer 
Dr. Natterer, the well-known South American traveller. 

With the generic characters assigned by these able German na- 
turalists to their Lepidosiren, the species described by Mr. Owen 
fully and closely agreed ; but it differed specifically in the greater 
relative length of the head and rudimental extremities, and its much 
smaller size. 

Mr. Owen observed, that since the time of the discovery of the 
Ornithorhynchus there had not been submitted to naturalists a spe- 
cies which proved more strongly the necessity of a knowledge of its 
whole organization, both external and internal, in order to arrive at 
a correct view of its real nature and affinities, than did the Lepidosiren, 
and as he had felt a reluctance to bring before the Society an in- 
complete description, w^hich might only have served to raise new 
doubts in the minds of naturalists with regard to this animal, he had 
deferred since June 1837 the completion and communication of the 
present paper. He had however at that time prepared a brief descrip- 
tion of the specific characters of the specimen in question, under 
the name of Protopterus, and had referred it in the Catalogue of the 
Museum of the College of Surgeons to the Class of Fishes, on ac- 
count of its scaly covering and the condition of its nostrils as plicated 
sacs, and to the abdominal family of the Malacopterygian order' 
of that class, in which it seemed to present an extreme modification 


28 Linnean Society. [April 2> 

or rudiraental condition of the fins indicative of a transition from the 
abdominal to the apodal families. 

The anatomical details which formed the principal part of the pre- 
sent communication, confirmed the propriety of referring the LepU 
dosiren to the class of fishes ; but they also led, Mr. Owen observed, 
to a considerable extension in his original views of its affinities in 
that class. 

A minute description was then given of the external characters 
and peculiarities of the present species, which differed from the Le- 
pidosiren paradox a in the greater relative length of the head and ru- 
dimental fins as compared with that of the trunk ; and in its general 
size, which is three-fourths smaller. 

The chief peculiarities of the skeleton consist in its imperfect, or 
rather partial ossification, and in the green colour of the ossified 
parts ; in which it resembles that of the gar-pike (Belone vulgaris). 
The parts which continue permanently in the cartilaginous condition 
are the petrous elements of the temporal bones containing the acoustic 
labyrinth, a portion of the articular pedicle of the lower jaw, the 
branchial arches, and the bodies of the vertebrae : these, moreover, are 
not separated to correspond with the neurapophyses and ribs, as in 
Plagiostomous Cartilaginous Fishes, but retain their primitive con- 
fluent condition as a round continuous chord, extending from the oc- 
ciput to the end of the tail : this vertebral chord consists of an ex- 
ternal firm, elastic, yellowish capsule, enveloping a softer subgelati- 
nous material, as in the Cyclostomous Fishes. The corresponding 
parts or basilar elements of the cranial vertebrae were ossified : and 
Mr. Owen then entered upon a detailed description of the skull. 

The ribs are thirty- six pairs, and consist of short, slightly curved, 
slender styles, encompassing, with the spine, about one-sixth part of 
the cavity of the abdomen. These ribs are attached to the lower part 
of the side of the fibrous sheath of the central vertebral chord ; their 
pointed free extremities are cemented to the intermuscular ligaments. 

The superior spines are throughout separated from the neurapo- 
physes, and these are not anchylosed together at their upper extre- 
mities. Hsemapophyseal spines are developed in the caudal region, 
and both these and the neurapophyseal spines have articulated to 
them dermo-osseous spines, of equal length, with their distal extre- 
mities expanded, and supporting the transparent elastic horny rays 
of the caudal fin. . The rudimental filiform pectoral and ventral 
fins were supported each by a single cartilaginous ray composed of 
many joints. 

The muscles of the head, jaws, hyoid and branchial apparatus 


1839.] Linnean Society, 29 

were then described : the muscular system of the body consists of 
subvertical layers of oblique fibres separated at brief intervals by 
aponeurotic intersections. 

The following peculiarities of the Digestive system were then 
pointed out ; — two long, slightly curved, slender, sharp-pointed 
teeth project from the intermaxillary bones, which are moveable. 
The upper maxillary bones support each a single dental plate divi- 
ded into three cutting lobes, by two oblique notches entering from 
the outer side : the lower jaw is armed with a single dental plate si- 
milarly modified, the produced cutting edges fitting into the notches 
above : these maxillary teeth somewhat resemble the dental plate of 
the extinct Ceratodus of Agassiz. The fleshy and sensitive parts of 
the tongue are more developed than in fishes generally. The jaws 
are adapted to minutely divide and comminute alimentary substances; 
the pharyngeal opening is contracted ; the entrance to the pharynx 
guarded by a soft semicircular valvular process. Gullet short, straight, 
narrow, but longitudinally plicated. Stomach simple, straight, with 
thick walls, in capacity corresponding with the oesophagus ; termi- 
nating by a valvular pylorus projecting with a scalloped margin into 
the intestine. No pancreas or spleen. Liver well-developed, partly 
divided into two lobes. A gall-bladder, and large ductus choledochus, 
opening by a valvular termination close to the pylorus. Intestine 
round, straight, at first of equal diameter with the stomach, but gra- 
dually contracting to the vent, with thick parietes ; traversed inter- 
nally by a spiral valve describing six gyrations ; the first of which is 
the longest. 

The respiratory organs consist of branchiae, and a double elon- 
gated air-bladder, with the usual vascular and cellular structure of 
the lungs of a reptile. 

The branchice consist of elongated, sub-compressed, soft, pendu- 
lous filaments, attached to cartilaginous branchial arches; these 
arches are not joined together, or to the os hyoides by an interme- 
diate chain of cartilages or bones below, nor are they articulated to 
the cranium above. There are six branchial arches on each side, 
and five intervals for the passage of the water from the mouth to the 
branchial sac. All the branchial arches do not support branchial 
filaments ; but only the first, fourth, fifth, and sixth. The first and 
last branchial arches each support a single row, the fourth and fifth 
each a double row of branchial filaments. The second and third 
branchial arches have their full proportions, but offer not the slight- 
est trace of gills. The branchial sac is pretty large, and opens ex.< 
ternally by a small vertical fissure immediately anterior to the ru- 
dimental pectoral extremities. 


30 Linhean Society. [A])ril 2, 

The heart is situate below the oesophagus, in a strong pericardium ; 
it consists of a single auricle and ventricle and a contorted bulbus 
arteriosus, with a longitudinal valvular process as in the Siren. The 
two branchial arteries, which wind round the gill-less arches, after- 
wards unite together on each side, and give off branches which form 
the pulmonary arteries, or those which go to the air-bladders. 

The apparatus for aerial respiration commences by a short, single, 
wide and membranous trachea, or ductus pneumaiicus, which com- 
mences by a longitudinal laryngeal slit, one line in extent, situated 
three lines behind the orifice of the pharynx : a single plate of car- 
tilage is continued from this laryngeal opening forwards to that of 
the pharynx : the plate is as broad as the floor of the pharynx, and 
its office seems to be to prevent the collapse of the parietes of that 
tube, and to keep a free passage for the air to the trachea. This tube 
dilates at its lower end into a sac with very thin parietes, which com- 
municates directly with each division or lobe of the air-bladder. 
These lobes or lungs are partially subdivided into small lobes at their 
anterior and broadest part ; and then continue simple and flattened, 
gradually diminishing to an obtuse point situated behind the poste- 
rior extremity of the cloaca. The whole of the parietes of the lungs 
is honey-combed : the cells are largest, deepest and most vascular 
and subdivided at the anterior and broader end of the lung. The 
lungs are situated behind the ovaria, the kidneys, and the perito- 
neum, which is in contact with merely that part of their ventral 
flattened surfaces, not covered by other viscera. 

The two kidneys are quite distinct, very long and narrow, but 
broadest towards the cloaca : the ureters communicate with the back 
part of the common termination of the oviducts. There were not 
any suprarenal bodies, nor any spleen. 

The ovaria are two long, flattened bodies, with ovisacs and ova of 
difi*erent sizes : many between 2 and 3 lines in diameter, scattered 
among clusters of other ova of smaller size. The oviducts are distinct 
tortuous tubes, which commence by a very wide and thin-coated 
portion, opening by a slit, 3 lines wide at their anterior extremity, 
and not communicating with each other before opening into the pe- 
ritoneal cavity, as in the Plagiostomes. The oviduct contracts and 
performs many short undulations, adhering to the ovarian capsule 
as it descends : its coats become thicker, and oblique spiral folds are 
developed from the inner surface ; the capacity of the oviduct in- 
creases before its termination, which is by a single prominent open- 
ing, common to the two oviducts in the posterior part of the cloaca. 

A small Allantois is situated between the oviduct and rectum. 
The cloaca receives the above parts in the following order, — first, or 


1839.] Linnean Society. 31 

most anteriorly, the common opening of the peritoneal canals ; se- 
condly, the anus ; thirdly, the AUantoid bladder ; fourthly, the ovi- 
ducts, with the ureters, which open into the back part of the ovi- 
ducts. 

The brain consists of two elongated subcompressed distinct cere- 
bral hemispheres ; a single elliptical optic lobe, or representative of 
the bigeminal bodies ; a simple transverse cerebellar fold, not cover- 
ing the widely- open fourth ventricle ; largely developed pineal and 
pituitary glands ; and a single corpus mammillare. 

The nerves given off from the brain, were the olfactory ; the optic, 
which arose from the same point at the middle line between the 
crura cerebri, and did not decussate ; the fifth pair ; the acoustic ; the 
pneumogastric ; and lingual nerves : there were no traces of the third, 
fourth, or sixth nerves ; there being no muscles to the eyeballs. 

The eyes are very small, and adhere to the skin, which passes over 
them without forming any projection ; they have a small spherical 
lens, and no choroid gland. 

The organ of hearing consists of a vestibule enclosed in a thick 
cartilaginous case, without external communication except for the 
foramina transmitting the portio mollis : it consists of two large 
otolithic sacs, containing each a white chalky mass ; the external one 
being six times the size of the one next the brain : above these sacs 
are three small semicircular canals. No trace of tympanic cavity or 
Eustachian tube. 

The organ of smell consists of two oval membranous sacs, pli- 
cated internally, and having each a single external aperture upon 
the upper lip ; but without any communication with the mouth, — a 
structure which the author obsei*ved was perhaps the only single 
character which unexceptionably proved the Lepidosiren to be a true 
fish. The remaining evidence of its ichthyic nature reposed rather 
upon the concurrence of many less decisive characters. 

These characters were stated to be, its covering of large round 
scales ; the mucous ducts of the head and lateral line ; the many- 
jointed soft ray supporting the rudimental pectoral and ventral fins ; 
the gelatinous vertebral chord, united anteriorly to the whole of the 
basi- occipital, and not to two condyles as in Batrachia; a prae- 
opercular bone, the intermaxillary bone being moveable ; the lower 
jaw having each ramus composed simply of a post-mandibular and 
dentary piece ; the double row of spinous processes, both above and 
below the vertebral chord ; the green colour of the ossified parts of 
the skeleton ; the straight intestine, with its spiral valve ; the absence 
of pancreas and spleen ; the single peritoneal outlet ; the position 


32 Linnean Society, [April 16, 

of the anus ; the single auricle of the heart ; the number of branchial 
arches, and the internal position of the gills ; a long lateral nerve ; 
acoustic labyrinth with large otolithes. These characters, with the 
nasal sacs opening only externally, prove satisfactorily the Lepido- 
siren to be a true Fish, and not a Perennibranchiate Reptile. 

In the class of fishes, Mr. Owen pointed out the interesting rela- 
tions of the Lepidosiren as a link connecting the Cartilaginous fishes 
with the Malacopterygians, and especially with the Sauroid genera, 
Polypterus and Lepidosteus, and at the same time making the near- 
est approach in the class of fishes to the Perennibranchiate Reptiles. 

For the species here described Mr. Owen proposed the name of 
Lepidosiren annectens. It is a native of the river Gambia, Africa. 


Aprill6. 

The Lord Bishop of Norwich, President, in the Chair. 

Read, " Remarks on British Lichens and Fungi, principally on 
species or varieties new to our Flora." By Churchill Babington, 
Esq. 

The object of Mr. C. Babington in this paper is to give descrip- 
tions of some species or varieties of Lichens and Fungi hitherto un- 
published in any British Flora, and also to communicate observa- 
tions on the transit of monstrosities to their proper forms. The 
Lichens brought into notice as not yet introduced into the British 
Flora are, Lecanora elatina, Ach., from Rose Hall, Cumberland ; 
Sterocaulon denudatum, Florke, (confounded with S. paschale) from 
Scotland ; Lecidea nitidula, Fries, also from Scotland ; Lecidea mis- 
cella, Ach., as distinct from L. miscella, Eng. Bot. ; Biatora Kro- 
ckiana, Hoppe, from Isles of Rum and Skye ; Biatora anomala, Fr., 
from Yoxall Lodge ; Opegrapha signata, Ach., from Herefordshire ; 
and Verrucaria margacea, Wahl., from Charnwood Forest. Among 
the Fungi are, Agaricus Marine, Klotsch ; A. serrulatus, Fr. ; The- 
lophora ferruginea, Pers. ; T. lactea, Fr. : T. Icevis, Pers. ; Peziza 
I,edi, Alb. and Schw. ; Stictis Uchenicola, Mont. ; Sclerotium ro- 
seum, KneifF. ; Spharia scoriadea, Fr. ; S. mesiota, Bab. ; S. rhy- 
tismoides, Bab. ; S. arbuticola, Fr. ; <S. alnea, Fr. ; S. ostruthii. Fr. ; 
S. Depazea^ Fr. ; Depazea pyricola, Desm. ; Dothidea choetomium, 
Kunze ; Stemonitis pulchella, Bab. ; Stilbum aurantiacum, Bab. ; Syzy- 
gitis megalocarpus, Ehrenb. ; Stibospora macrosperma, Pers. ; Conio- 
thecium amentaceum, Corda ; and Xenodochus carbonarius, Schl. 


1839.] Linnean Society. 33 

Read, " On a Gall gathered in Cuba, by W. S. MacLeay, Esq., 
on the leaf of a plant belonging to the order Ochnacea." By the 
Rev. M. J. Berkeley, M.A., F.L.S. 

The gall is remarkable for its very close resemblance in habit and 
form to some epiphytous Fungi, for possessing a distinct operculum, 
and, especially, for bursting through the cuticle, which surrounds it 
in the form of a few laciniae at the base. Mr. Berkeley pointed out 
various forms of galls and other productions of insects which have 
been described as Fungi, but in none is the resemblance so striking 
as in the present. He regretted that he was not able to throw any 
light upon the animal by which it is caused, though he was able to 
state positively that it is an animal production, as in most instances 
decayed exuviae were found in its cavity, and in one case a little im- 
perfect grub, which was however unfortunately lost. 


May 7. 

The Lord Bishop of Norwich, President, in the Chair. 

John Hawkins, M.D., of St. Albans, was elected a Fellow ; and 
Carl Gustav Carus, M.D., of Dresden, Henri Dutrochet, M.D., and 
Henri Milne Edwards, M.D., Members of the French Institute, 
Stephen Endlicher, M.D., of Vienna, and John Torrey, M.D., of 
New York, were elected Foreign Members of the Society. 

Read, " Supplementary Observations on the Development of the 
Theca, and on the Sexes of Mosses." In a letter to R. H. Solly, 
Esq., F.R.S. & L.S. By William Valentine, Esq., F.L.S. 

The author commences his letter by stating that subsequent ob- 
servations have induced him to concur entirely with the views of 
Professor Mohl as to the sporules of Mosses being developed by four 
in a mother cell, a fact Which he was led to doubt in his former com- 
munication printed in the 17th volume of the Society's Transactions. 
The present paper contains a detailed account of the development 
of the theca in (Edipodium Griffithianum, which exhibits a beau- 
tiful example of the tetrahedral union of the sporules. In this moss 
the four sporules in each mother cell are piled on each other so as to 
form a cone with a triangular base, and they appear to be connected 
with each other in the young state by a very minute stalk which is 
situated at the conjunction of three radiating lines. This connexion 

No. IV. — Proceedings of the Linnean Society. 


34 Linnean Society. [May 24 

is perhaps in most instances dissolved at an early period, and the 
sporules recede a little from each other, but are still kept in the tri- 
angular form by the mother cell. It is not uncommon however to 
find the connexion unbroken after the sporules have arrived at ma- 
turity, and in these instances there seems to be a general adhesion 
at the opposing faces of the sporules. 

The author concludes his paper with some remarks on the analogy 
that exists between sporules and pollen, which he observes, is so re- 
markable, and the particulars so numerous, that the essential identity 
of the two can be scarcely a matter of opinion. 


May 24. 

The Lord Bishop of Norwich, President, in the Chair. 

This day, the Anniversary of the birthday of Linnaeus, and that 
appointed in the charter for the election of Council and Officers, the 
President opened the business of the Meeting, and in stating the 
number of Members whom the Society had lost during the past year, 
gave the follo\\:iug notices of some of them : 

Samuel Brookes, Esq. — Mr. Brookes was devoted to the science of 
Conchology, and possessed a valuable collection of British and Fo- 
reign Testacea. He was the author of an Introduction to the Study 
of Conchology which appeared in 1815. 

The Rev. Martin Davy, D.D., F.R.S., Master of Caius College, 
Cambridge. 

The Rev. Richard Dreyer, LL.B. 

John Lord Farnham. 

Charles Holford, Esq. 

Lawrence Brock Hollinshead, Esq. 

John Hull, M.D. — Dr. Hull was ardently attached to the study of 
Botany, and in the midst of an extensive medical practice, he found 
occasional moments of leisure to devote to the cultivation of his 
favourite pursuit. We are indebted to him for the publication of a 
British Flora in 1799, of which a second edition appeared in 1808 ; 
and the Elements of Botany, in 2 volumes, 8vo, in 1 800. These 
works, highly creditable to their author, tended to increase the taste 
for botanical pursuits. 


1839.] lAnnean Society, 35 

Matthew Martin, Esq. — Mr. Martin reached the advanced age of 
90. He became a Fellow of this Society in 1791. 

George Milne, Esq. — Mr. Milne pursued with much ardour the 
study of Entomology for more than half a century, and his name is 
familiar to the cultivators of that branch of science in this country. 
He possessed an extensive cabinet of insects, particularly rich in Bri- 
tish and Exotic Lepidoptera. He had retired from London for several 
years to his native place Johnshaven, Kincardineshire, where he died 
some months ago at an advanced age. 

The Rev. Robert Nixon, B.D., F.R.S. 

William Younge, M.D. — Dr. Younge was the early friend and a 
fellow student of our late distinguished President and Founder Sir 
J. E. Smith, and the companion of his tour on the continent in the 
years 1786 and 1787, of which an account appeared in three volumes 
8vo, in 1793, and a second edition in 1807. Dr. Younge was elected 
a Fellow of this Society at its first institution in March 1788. 

Amongst the Foreign Members occur M. Frederic Cuvier, Mem- 
ber of the Academy of Sciences of the French Institute, the younger 
brother of the great Cuvier, and eminently distinguished as a system- 
atic zoologist. He was the author of a work on the value of the 
teeth as affording zoological characters in the class mammalia, and 
of a number of valuable papers on Descriptive Zoology in the An- 
nales and M^moires du Museum. He likewise wrote the principal 
part of the text to the Histoire Naturelle des Mammif^res, a work 
which he had undertaken in conjunction with GeofFroy St. Hilaire. 
Among his last productions may be noticed his Memoire sur les Ger- 
boises et les Gerbilles, printed in the second volume of the Transac- 
tions of the Zoological Society of London. He was distinguished, 
like his brother, for his candour and frankness of character, and a total 
freedom from those petty jealousies which too often beset men of 
science. 

M. Charles de Gimbernat. 

Gaspard Count Sternberg, Founder and President of the Royal 
Museum of Natural History at Prague, a distinguished patron of 
science, and author of a valuable original work on Fossil Plants, 
which were chiefly obtained from his own coal mines in Bohemia, 
and of an excellent Monograph of the genus Saxifraga, illustrated 
by coloured figures. To him we are indebted for the recovery of the 
vegetable treasures collected by Haenke in Peru, Cochabamba, and in 
the Philippines, whither he had accompanied the Spanish voyage of 
discovery under the celebrated, but unfortunate, Malaspina. These 
interesting plants have been published by Presl, under the auspices 


36 Linnean Society, [June 4, 

of Count Sternberg, in a work entitled ' Reliquiae Haenkeanse.' 
Count Sternberg was distinguished for his urbanity, hospitality, and 
an eager desire to promote every useful work. He left his collections 
and books of Natural History to the Museum already mentioned. 

Among the Associates are the following : 

Mr. John Hunneman. — Mr. Hunneman having been long the me- 
dium of communication between the botanists of this country and 
those of Germany, Switzerland, and Russia, our collections have 
been enriched through his means with a vast variety of new and in- 
teresting plants. A curious Mexican genus, belonging to the natural 
family Papaveracea, bears his name, and commemorates the services 
rendered by him to science. 

Mr. George Penny. — He was well acquainted with the plants 
which he successfully cultivated, and was the author of the * Hortus 
Epsomensis', and of several papers on Garden Botany in Mr. Loudon's 
Gardener's Magazine. 

Mr. William Weston Young made the drawings for Mr. Dillwyn's 
valuable work on British Confervse, and a series of drawings of Bri- 
tish birds now in the possession of Mr. Yarrell. 

The President also announced that twenty Fellows, five Foreign 
Members, and two Associates had been elected since the last An- 
niversary. 

At the election, which subsequently took place, the Lord Bishop of 
Norwich was re-elected President ; Edward Forster, Esq., Treasurer ; 
Francis Boott, M.D., Secretary; and Richard Taylor, Esq., Under- 
Secretary. The following five Fellows were elected into the Council 
in the room of others going out, viz. W. J. Burchell, Esq., J. W. 
Lubbock, Esq., Hugh Duke of Northumberland, John Forbes Royle, 
M.D., and WiUiam Yarrell, Esq. 


June 4. 
Edward Forster, Esq., V.P. in the Chair. 

Mr. George William Francis was elected a Fellow of the Society. 

Read, *' Further Observations on the Spongillajluviatilis, -with some 
remarks on the nature of the Spongice Marines." In a letter to the 
Secretary, by John Hogg, Esq., M.A., F.L.S. 


1839.] Linnean Society. 9/1 

In the latter portion of this letter the author endeavours (in addi- 
tion to what has been already stated at p. 8,) to demonstrate the ve- 
getability of the river sponge, from the following facts, which were 
obtained by many experiments made by him upon that substance 
during the last two summers. 

1 . From the general resemblance of the membrane which invests 
the soft portion or jelly with the membrane or cuticle of the leaves 
of many plants. 

2. From this gelatinous or soft portion being so similar to the 
parenchymatous substance of the more fleshy kinds of leaves, and 
being chiefly composed of numerous pellucid globules. 

3. From the green colouring matter or chromule contained in those 
globules, on being pressed out, giving a permanent green or yellow- 
ish-green colour to white paper, as is the case with the chromule of 
leaves. 

4. From strong acids having the same effects on this sponge as 
they are seen to have upon plants when they are macerated in them. 

5. From the mode in which numerous bubbles of gas, most pro- 
bably oxygen, are disengaged from the surface of the living mass of 
Spongilla, when exposed to the brightest solar light, being so ex- 
tremely analogous to that which is known to occur with the leaves 
of a plant when immersed in water and submitted to the direct ac- 
tion of the light of the sun. 

As to the currents of water which take place in the Spongilla flu- 
viatilis, and are so similar to those which have been noticed by Dr. 
Grant and other authors in the sea sponges, and relied upon by them 
as the best evidence of their supposed animal nature, Mr. Hogg 
has, after many careful experiments, never been able to witness them 
taking place in any specimens which have been entirely destitute of 
every parasitical insect or other animal ; he therefore concludes that 
these currents are caused by some insect, which is seen so generally 
to inhabit nearly every specimen of the Spongilla ; and by means of 
the animal's performing the function of respiration, the streams or 
currents of water are found to enter into and flow out from the pores 
or oscules of that structure. But if on future investigation it shall 
be proved that these currents do occur in such individual masses 
of the Spongilla fluviatilis as are quite free from every parasite, Mr. 
Hogg would then consider that they are eff^ected by the same agents 
as cause the motions or circulation of the fluids in vegetables. 

The author has not perceived any trace of animal organization, or 
the least symptom of sensation, or any powers of contraction and di- 
latation in this species of sponge, although he has applied to it, when 
in a fresh and vigorous state, several sorts of powerful stimuli. 


38 Linnean Society, [June 4, 

He next showed that no arguments in support of the fancied ani- 
mality of the Spongilla can be brought forward, either from its smell- 
ing like carrion or animal matter, or from numerous spiculse being 
present in its composition. And the manner in which he raised 
young SpongillcE from the seed-like sporidia and locomotive sporules 
makes it perfectly conclusive that this freshwater sponge cannot be, 
as Montagu supposed, the nidus of some aquatic insect, although 
such an opinion might, without those successful experiments, have 
been somewhat confirmed by the author's discovery of an unknown 
and anomalous insect, which he has at present only observed inhabit- 
ing this production. Some specimens of this small insect were ex- 
hibited, and presented to the Society. 

Mr. Hogg concluded his letter with some general remarks on the 
nature of the Spongia marince. He stated that hitherto he had al- 
ways accounted these substances as being principally composed of 
an animate or live jelly, which was endowed, as some authors af- 
firmed, with a certain degree of sensation, and consequently had, 
fourteen years ago, instituted for them an order " Gelatinifera" 
which he arranged the last among the Polyparia Composita. That 
on becoming convinced by his late researches on the river sponge of 
its vegetability, he began in some measure to concur in the opinion 
of Montagu, that that substance might probably be quite distinct 
from the sea sponge, and to think that the latter might still be of an 
animal nature ; but, on a more recent examination and comparison 
of the Spongilla with many of the SpongitB, he has found that there 
exist no real grounds for that opinion, and that there scarcely is even 
a generic difference between them. 

The author then compared the freshwater sponge with the sea 
sponge, and showed, among other extreme resemblances in their 
structure and composition, that many of the latter possess similar 
seed-like bodies or sporidia, as well as the locomotive germ-like bo- 
dies or sporules which have been described by Dr. Grant. 

Mr. Hogg concludes, if the currents of water do flow in and issue 
out from the sea sponge, independent of the function of respiration 
of any marine insect or parasitical animal nestling within it, that 
then they are caused by the same means which effect the motions of 
fluids in plants, and that these currents convey nutriment to the in- 
ner parts of the sponge, after the same manner as food is supplied 
to vegetables. He observed that neither the odours of the fresh, 
dried, and burnt sponges, nor the presence of ammonia in them, af- 
forded proofs of their animality, and that there really is no more pe- 
culiarity in their chemical composition than what likewise exists in 
that of certain plants. 


1839.] Linnean Society, S& 

Mr. Hogg therefore maintains it to be impossible to account the 
Spongilla as belonging to the vegetable kingdom and the Spongia 
to the animal ; and since he has become sure of the former, and since 
.the Spongia is now known to popsess neither one organ nor a single 
property peculiar to an animal, he has been at length forced to ac- 
knowledge the vegetable nature of the Spongia. 

Moreover, the fact of Dr. Grant having witnessed the locomotive 
sporules of some of the sea sponges germinating and developing 
themselves after the forms of their parent structures, at once decides 
that they cannot be the nidus or matrix, or the fabrication or produc- 
tion of any marine animal. 

Lastly, Mr. Hogg, considering to what order of plants t^e fresh- 
water and the sea sponges should be referred, proposed to classify 
them in a separate order " Spongiae," which ought to be placed 
between the orders Fungi and Algae. 


June 18. 


Mr. Forster, V.P., in the Chair. 

The Secretary read a letter addressed to him by the President no- 
minating the four following Members of the Council to be Vice-Pre- 
sidents for the year ensuing, commencing the 24th of last month, viz. 

Robert Brown, Esq. ; Edward Forster, Esq. ; Thomas Horsfield, 
M.D. ; Aylmer Bourke Lambert, Esq. 

The V. P., in the chair, read a notice, addressed to the Society 
from Upsal, aimouncing the death of Louisa von Linne, the third and 
last surviving daughter of Linnaeus, which took place at Upsal, on 
the 21st of March last, at the very advanced age of 90. 

Read " A Biographical Sketch of Ferdinand Bauer, Natural Hi- 
story Painter to the Expedition under Capt. FHnders." By Dr. John 
Lhotsky. Communicated by the Secretary. 

Ferdinand Bauer, the celebrated Natural History Painter and Tra- 
veller, was born in the year 1760, at Feldsberg in Austria, where 
his father held the appointment of Painter to Prince Lichtenstein. 

In the year 1775 we find him employed by the Rev. Norbert 


40 Linnean Society. [June 18, 

Boccius, of the same place, to make miniature paintings of plants 
from nature. 

In 1784, while still in the same employment, he was through the 
recommendation of the elder Jacquin engaged by Dr. Sibthorp to 
accompany him in his first Journey to Greece, and on his return he 
was for several years occupied in finishing the numerous drawings 
of plants made in that journey, and which prove him to have been, 
even at that period, a very accurate observer, as well as a highly ac- 
complished artist. 

In 1801 he was selected by Sir Joseph Banks as the Natural Hi- 
story Painter in the voyage of Capt. Flinders. From this expedition 
he returned to Europe in 1805, bringing with him no less than 1600 
finished sketches of plants, besides numerous drawings of animals, 
of equal merit, and for several years was engaged in finishing a se- 
lection of his drawings of plants, which are deposited at the Admi- 
ralty, the board by which he was employed. 

After the Investigator was condemned as unfit for the prosecution 
of the voyage, and Capt. Flinders had left New Holland to return to 
Europe, Mr. Bauer, along with Mr. Brown, remained in New South 
Wales, chiefly at Port Jackson ; but he also visited and remained a 
considerable time in Norfolk Island, where he diligently collected and 
made drawings of all the plants of that remarkable island, and from 
his materials Dr. Endlicher has lately published his very interesting 

* Prodromus Florae Norfolkicese.' 

In 1813 Mr. Bauer commenced the publication of a work entitled 

* lUustrationes Florae Novae Hollandiae,' which did not extend beyond 
three numbers, and of these the last was finished at Vienna, where 
he had returned in 1814. This work met with very little encou- 
ragement, either in this country or in his own. 

In the vicinity of Vienna he continued to reside, employing him- 
self in drawing the more remarkable plants that flowered in the im- 
perial gardens of that capital, and even in making occasional bota- 
nical excursions into the Austrian and Styrian Alps. Besides the 
works already noticed, during his stay in England he prepared the 
greater part of the drawings of the first volume of Mr. Lambert's 
work on the genus Pinus, and the plates of that work were chiefly 
coloured by him. He also prepared a series of drawings of the spe- 
cies of Digitalis, which have since been published by Dr. Lindley, in 
his * Digitalium Monographia.* 

Mr. Bauer was seized with a severe illness in 1825, which termi- 
nated in his death on the 17th of March 1826, having attained the 
age of 66. 


1839.] lAnnean Society, 41 

Read, "A Notice of a Plant which produces perfect Seeds without 
any apparent action of Pollen on the Stigma." By Mr. John Smith, 
A.L.S. 

The subject of the present notice belongs to the natural family of 
Euphorhiacece, and has been cultivated for several years in the Royal 
Botanic Garden at Kew, under the name of Sapium aquifolium. It 
is a native of Moreton Bay, on the east coast of New Holland, where 
it was discovered by Mr. Allan Cunningham, who sent three plants 
of it to Kew in 18'i9. A short time after their introduction the 
plants flowered, and they proving to be all females, they were na- 
turally passed over as belonging to a dioecious j)lant, until Mr. 
Smith's attention was particularly drawn to them by the fact of their 
producing perfect seeds. They have annually flowered and matured 
their seeds since, and notwithstanding the most diligent search and 
constant attention no male flowers or any pollen-bearing organs have 
been detected. Young plants have been raised at different times 
from the seeds, and they bear so close a resemblance to their parent* 
that it is scarcely possible even to suspect the access of pollen from 
any other plant. 

Mr. Smith considers the plant as the type of a new genus, which 
he names Coelebogyne. It forms an irregularly branched, rigid, ever- 
green shrub, of about three feet in height, with alternate, petiolate, 
elliptical, mucronate, coriaceous leaves, having three large spinous 
teeth on each side, and furnished with two small subulate persistent 
stipules. The paper was Accompanied by a young plant raised from 
seed produced at Kew, and by a beautiful drawing of the parts of 
fructification from the pencil of Mr. Francis Bauer. 

Read also, " Descriptions of newly discovered Spiders." By John 
Blackwall, Esq., F.L.S. 

This paper comprises descriptions of new species of Spiders, re- 
cently discovered, and principally by the author himself, in the north 
of England and Wales, and it must be confessed that the success 
which has attended his labours in this department is greater than 
could have been anticipated, no fewer than fifty-three species having 
been added by him to the catalogue. Much of this success is to be 
attributed to the fact of his attention having been chiefly directed 
to those species which, on account of their diminutive size, require 
the aid of optical instruments, of a high magnifying power, for their 
accurate examination. 

The genera to which the species chiefly belong are Drassus, Clu- 
biona,Lycosa,Agelena, Theridium, Walckenaera, Neriene and Linyphia. 

No. V. — Proceedings of the Linnean Society. 


42 Linnean Society, [Nov. 5, 

November 5. 
Edward Forster, Esq., V.P., in the Chair. 

The Society assembled this evening for the Session. 
Beriah Botfield, Esq., of Norton Hall, Northampton, was elected 
a Fellow of the Society. 

The Rev. William Wood, B.D., F.L.S., exhibited specimens of a 
variety of Typha angustifolia, remarkable for its small size, and the 
shortness of its female catkins, collected by him in the extensive 
marshes situate between Sandwich and Deal. 

Read, " Descriptions of some new Insects collected in Assam, by 
William Griffith, Esq., Assistant Surgeon in the Madras Medical 
Service." By the Rev. F. W. Hope, M.A., F.R.S. & L.S. 

The insects described in this paper, some of which are remarkable 
for their size and splendid colours, were mostly collected in Assam 
by Mr. Griffith, during the stay of the late Scientific Mission from 
Calcutta, to which he was attached. They chiefly belong to the 
longicom beetles, and to the family of Lamiadce. The following are 
the characters of the new genera and species : 

LAMIA. 
1. L. Horsfieldii. 
Long. lin. 26 ; lat. lin. 8§. 

Corpus cinereum ; antennis corpore longioribus elytrisque flavo-creta- 
ceis maculisque ornatis, antennae articulis tribus primis subscabris. 

This species, which has been named in compliment to Dr. Hors- 
field, is the largest of the family, and is nearly related to L. catenata 
of De Haan from Japan. 

G. N. EUOPLIA. 

Corpus subdepressum. Antenncs lamiseformes, fere ut in Omacantha. 
Thorax utrinque spinosus, dorso punctulatus. Elytra depressa, api- 
cibus 2-spinosis, spina suturali minore, lateraJibus majoribus. In re- 
liquis cum Lamia convenit. 

1. E.polyspila. 

Besides the one enumerated, the author possesses five other species, 
all natives of India, and which are still undescribed. 

G. N. OPLOPHORA. 

Caput fere quadratum. Mandibulce falciformes. ^wienwts corpore paulld 
longiores, articulis basi pallidis. Thorax utrinque armatus, dorso for- 


1839.] Linnean Society. 43 

titer rugoso, tiiberculo in medio disci posito. Elytra thorace 4-pl6 lon- 
giora, basi sinuata, subscabra, gradatim e humeris ad apicem magni- 
tudine decrescentia, apicibus rotundatis. Corpus infrk annulis abdo- 
minis ad apicem sensim attenuatis. Pectus valde convexum, mucrone 
armatum. Pedes difformes et robusti. 
1. O.Solln. 

This splendid species is dedicated to Richard Horsman Solly, 
Esq., F.R.S. & L.S., in whose cabinet the chief part of the insects 
described in this paper is contained. To the same genus belong 
Lamia punctata of Fabricius, and two undescribed Indian species. 

G. N. ANOPLOPHORA. 

Caput quadratum. AntenncB corpore duplo longiores, ultimo articulo 
vdld^ elongato. Thorax utrinque spinosus, medio depressus. Elytra 
antice et postice fere sequalia, apicibus rotundatis. Corpus infra squa- 
mosum, pectore inermi. Pedes difformes et robusti. 
1. A. Stanley ana. 

This insect, distinguished for its brilliant colours, which rival those 
of some of the more splendid Lepidoptera, has been named in honour 
of the Lord Bishop of Norwich, President of the Linnean Society. 

CALLICHROMA, Lair. 

1. C. Cantori. 

Long. lin. 21 ; lat. lin. 5. 

Viride, nitidum ; an tennis violaceis, femoribus tibiisque laet^ cyaneis tar- 
sisque aureo-ornatis. 

This species is named in compliment to Dr. Cantor, a distinguished 
zoologist in the service of the East India Company, and whose va- 
luable collection of Indian Reptilia and drawings are deposited in the 
RadclifFe Library at Oxford. 

2. C. Griffithii. 

Long. lin. 20i ; lat. lin. 8. 

Obscure atrum ; antennis tarsisque luteis, elytris nigris et flavo-fasciatis. 

This species is dedicated to its discoverer, an acute and enter- 
prising botanist, and author of two valuable memoirs on the deve- 
lopement of the ovulum of Santalum and Loranthus, printed in the 
18th Volume of the Society's Transactions. 

MONOCHAMUS, Megerle. 
1. M. ruber. 

Long. lin. 1 1 ; lat. lin. 4^. 

Ruber ; antennis corpore dupld longioribus, thorace elytrisque nigro-ma- 
culatis, pedibus concoloribus. 


44 Linnean Society, [Nov. 19^ 

Read also, " On Cuscuta epilinum and halophyta." By Charles C. 
Babington, Esq., M.A., F.L.S. 

The first of these species has been recently added to the British 
Flora by J. E. Bowman, Esq., F.L.S., having been found by him 
growing abundantly on flax, near Trelydan Hall, Montgomeryshire, 
in August last. The other species, which occurs on the coast of 
Norway, growing upon Chenopodece, has not been hitherto observed 
in this country. The author gives the following characters of the 
two plants : — 

1. C. epilinum (Weihe), florum glomenilis bracteatis sessilibus, squamis 
palmati-subsexfidis tubo corollse semper ventricoso adpressis, sepalis 
carnosis basi deltoideis corolla vix brevioribus. 

2. halophyta (Fries), " florum glomerulis subbracteatis" sessilibus, squa- 
mis bifidis tubo corollae ventricoso adpressis : segmentis bifidis, calyce 
corolla multo breviori. 


November 19. 
Edward Forster, Esq., V.P., in the Chair. 

William Borrer, Jun., Esq., B.A., of St. Peter's College, Cam- 
bridge ; Richard Davis, Esq., of St. Helen's Place ; and Christopher 
Parsons, Esq., of South Church, Essex, were elected Fellows of the 
Society. 

Read, " A Monograph of the genus Disporum.'' By D. Don, Esq., 
Libr. L.S., Prof. Bot. King's College. 

This genus was first suggested by Mr. Brown, in his ' Prodromus 
Florae Novae HoUandiaa'; and the name of i)z5por Mm was subsequently 
given to it by Salisbury in the first volume of the Transactions of 
the Horticultural Society of London. It remained, however, unde- 
scribed, and almost unnoticed, until the publication of the author's 
work on the plants of Nepal, in which a detailed description of the 
genus, and the characters of two additional species were given. 
The characters of the genus consist in its campanulate perianthium, 
with the sepals produced into a pouch or spur at the base, in the 
cells of its ovarium bearing two ovula, in its baccate pericarpium, 
and in its umbellate inflorescence. These distinctions will be found 
to be common to all the Asiatic species hitherto referred by most 


1839.] Linnean Society. 45 

botanists to Uvular la. We subjoin the characters of the species 

described in this paper : — 

1. />. calcaratum, umbellis pedunculatis sub-5-flori8, sepalis lanceolatis 
acutiuscuHs basi long^ calcaratis, antheris filamentis stigmatibusquc 
stylo tripl6 longioribus, foliis ovato-lanceolatis sessilibus. 

Uvularia calcarata. Wall. Cat. n. 5087. 

2. D. WalUchii, umbellis subsessilibus sub-S-floris, sepalis lanceolatis 
acuminatis, calcaribus rectis abbreviatis, antheris filamentis 4-pld bre- 
vioribus, stylo stigmatibus longiore, foliis ovato-lanceolatis subpetio- 
latis. 

Uvularia Hamiltoniana, B. et C. Wall. Cat. n. 5088. 

3. Z). Hamiltonianum, umbellis pedunculatis sub-5-floris, sepalis lanceo- 
latis acutis, calcaribus abbreviatis recurvis, antheris filamentorum longi- 
tudine, stylo stigmatibus subaequali, foliis ovato-lanceolatis subpetio- 
latis. 

Uvularia Hamiltoniana, A. Wall. Cat. n. 5088. 
U. Betua. Ham. MSS. 

4. D. Horsfieldii, umbellis pedunculatis sub-5-floris, sepalis spathulatis 
mucronatis puberulis, antheris filamentis dupl6 brevioribus, stylo stig- 
matibus duplo longiore, foliis ovato-lanceolatis subpetiolatis. 

Uvularia Hamiltoniana, D. Wall. Cat. n. 5088. 

5. D. Leschenaultianum, umbellis sessilibus 3 — 5-floris, sepalis ovato- 
lanceolatis acutis basi gibbosis, antheris filamentis vix dupld breviori- 
bus, stylo stigmatibus ter longiore, foliis ovatis subpetiolatis. 

Uvularia Leschenaultiana. Wall. Cat. n. 5089. 

6. D. Pitsutum (Don, Prodr. p. 50.), umbellis pedunculatis 7 — 9-floris, 
sepalis cuneato-lanceolatis obtusiusculis basi gibbosis, antheris fila- 
mentis ter brevioribus, stylo stigmatibus dupld longiore, foliis lanceo- 
latis subpetiolatis. 

7. D. parviforum (Don, Prodr. p. 50.), umbellis subsessiUbus 2— 7-floris, 
sepalis lanceolatis acuminatis basi gibbosis, antheris filamentis dupld 
brevioribus, stigmatibus stylo ter brevioribus, foliis lanceolatis subpeti- 
olatis. 

8. D. fulvum (Salisb. in Hort. Trans, i. p. 330.), umbellis sessilibus sub- 
4-floris, sepalis lanceolatis acutis basi breviter calcaratis, antheris fila- 
mentis vix brevioribus, stigmatibus styli longitudine, foliis lanceolatis 
subpetiolatis. 

The author concludes his paper with the description of a new and 
nearly-related genus, founded upon a plant which was introduced 
by Mr. Allan Cunningham from New South Wales into the Royal 
Botanic Garden at Kew, in 1823, and which is remarkable for its 
unenclosed embryo, and for the singular appendages, similar to 
those of Parnassia, which are seated at the inner base of the sepals. 
The following is the description of this interesting genus : — 


46 Linnean Society. [Dec. 3, 

TRIPLADENIA. 

Perianthium 6-phyllum, petaloideum, patens, aequale, deciduum : foliolis 
aestivatione involutis, basi biappendiculatis ! sessilibus. Stamina 6, 
toro, nee basi sepalorum inserta. AnthercB erectae, extrorsae, bilocu- 
lares, duplici rima longitudinal! dehiscentes. Ovarium liberum, trilo- 
culare : loculis biovulatis : ovulis campylotropis, collateralibus, erectis. 
Stigmata 3, recurvata. Pericarpium subbaccatum, 3-loculare, 3-valve, 
loculicido-dehiscens : loculis 1 — 2-spermis. Semina sub-orbiculata, hinc 
convexa, inde angulata, v. concaviuscula, glabra, nitida, colore suc- 
cinea, hilo maxime fungoso-strophiolato, cbalaza orbiculata concava 
fuscH, raphide dimidio seminis vix breviori, elevata : testa tenui, mem- 
branacea: albumen copiosum, corneum, album. Embryo oblongus, 
albus, hinc convexus, inde planiusculus, more Graminum extra albumen 
locatus, eodemque facie plana applicatus, funiculo maxime strophiolato 
solummodo obtectus ! extremitate radicular! (cauliculari) paullo latiori. 

Herba (Novae Hollandiae) perennis, rhizomate multicepite, caulibus subsim- 
plicibus multangulis, foliis amplexicaulibus ovato-lanceolatis, pedunculis 
axillaribus solitariis unijloris infra medium articulatis involucrelloque 
3-phyllo munitis. 

1. T. Cunninghamii. 


December 3. 
Edward Forster, Esq., V.P., in the Chair. 

Edward S. Blundell, M.D., Lower Seymour-street, Portman- 
square, was elected a Fellow ; and the Rev. William Stobbs, Strom- 
ness, Orkney, was elected an Associate of the Society. 

The Rev. "W. S. Hore exhibited a specimen of a remarkable va- 
riety of Duck, supposed to be hybrid between the Anas Boschas 
and Anas acuta of Linnaeus, 

Read, ** Descriptions of three Vegetable Monstrosities lately found 
at York." By the Rev. W. Hincks, F.L.S. 

Two of these monstrosities occur in species of Iris and much re- 
semble each other. The species are /. versicolor and /. sambucina. 
They have 5 parts in each circle, except that the inner circle of pe- 
tals consists of 4 in one instance and only 3 in the other. It is suf- 
ficiently manifest that they are produced by the union of two flowers 
to form each, and they lead to the conclusion that when Irises with 
4 parts in each circle occur (which are not very uncommon) they are 


1839.] Linnean Society, 4J 

unions of two flowers, one third part of each having perished in the 
junction. Various other monstrosities consisting in the union of 
two flowers were compared with the subjects of the description, par- 
ticularly some of QEnothera, flowers having 7 petals, 14 stamens, 
and 7 stigmas, where the parts preserved in the union are in exactly 
the same proportion as in the Irises. 

The third specimen described as a monstrous union of 4 flowers 
in Scrophularia nodosa. The flower-stalk may be perceived to be 
formed by the adherence of several stalks. The parts found are 15 
sepals, 16 petals, 20 stamens, 2 separate ovaria, each with 2 carpels, 
and a third ovarium formed by the adherence of 2 more, and con- 
sisting of 8 carpels. Explanations were attempted of the manner in 
which the union of 4 flowers would account for these numbers of 
parts. The increased developement of the circle of stamens, 5 ap- 
pearing for each flower, though of these several are united in threes 
together, and two are imperfect, and the increased number of carpels 
in two of the united flowers, are interesting facts. They show that 
the union of the flowers had the eff^ect of diminishing and rendering 
more equable the pressure on the interior circles so as to allow of 
the growth of parts which are usually abortive. 

There was also read, ** A monograph of Streptopus, with the de- 
scription of a new genus now first separated from it." By D. Don, 
Esq., Libr.L.S., Prof. Bot. King's College. 

The genus Streptopus was established by the elder Richard in 
Michaux's ' Flora Boreali-Americana,' and was intended to include, 
besides the Uvularia amplexifoUa of Linnaeus, which is to be regarded 
as the type, two other species, then entirely new to botanists, namely, 
jS. roseus and lanuginosvs. The first is common to Europe and Ame- 
rica, while the two last are confined to the latter continent. A fourth 
species, a native of Gosaingthan and Kamaon, was described under 
the name of simplex in the ' Prodromus Florae Nepalensis.' The lanu- 
ginosus is considered by Professor Don as the type of a new genus, 
which he has named Prosartes, and which is distinguished from 
Streptopus by its lengthened filaments, binary pendulous ovula, and 
terminal inflorescence. In Streptopus the filaments are short, with 
erect sagittate anthers, the cells of its baccate pericarpium are po- 
lyspermous, the seeds erect, and the flowers are axillary and solitary. 
Both genera belong to the SmilacetE, and serve to connect that family 
with Meianthacea. The characters of the new genus and of the 
species belonging to both are here subjoined : — 


48 Linnean Society, [Dec. 3, 

1. S. amplexifolius (Lam. et DeCand. Fl. Franc. 3. p. 174.), glaber; 
pedunculis medio convolutis appendiculatis, sepalis obtus^ acumi- 
natis, antheris sagittatis acuminatis, stigmate trilobo, baccae loculis 
6-spermis. 

2. S. roseus (Mich. Fl. Bor. Amer. i. p. 201.), hirtellus; foliis ciliatis, pe- 
dunculis recurvatis subbifloris, sepalis lanceolatis acuminatis, antheris 
bicuspidatis filamentorum longitudine, stigmatibus stylo 6-pl6 brevi- 
oribus, baccae loculis 4 — 6-spermis. 

3. S. simplex (Don, Prodr. p. 48.), glaber ; pedunculis rectis ! nudis, se- 
palis obtusis, antheris cordato-lanceolatis obtusis, stigmatibus styli sub- 
longitudine, baccae loculis 10 — 12-spermis. 

PROSARTES. 

Streptopi sp., Mich. 

Perianthium 6-phyllum, petaloideum, campanulatum, sequale, deciduum : 
folioUs basi foveolatis v. saccatis. Stamina 6, basi sepalorum adnata, 
simulque decidua. Antherce erectae, innatae, obtusje, biloculares, rim4 
duplici marginali longitudinaliter dehiscentes. Ovarium liberum, 3- 
loculare : loculis biovulatis : ovulis obovatis, a placentae apice pendulis ! 
Stigmata 3, brevissima, recurvata. Pericarpium baccatum, 3-loculare. 
Semina solitaria, v. rarius bina. 

Herbae (Amer. bor.) perennes, pube ramosd vestitcB, rhizomate diviso mul- 
ticepiie. Caules teretiusculi. Folia sessilia, dilatata. Inflorescentia 
terminalis, umhellata. Bacca rubra. 

1. P. lanuginosa, umbellis bifloris sessilibus, sepalis lanceolatis acumi- 
natis 3-nerviis basi foveolatis, stylo glabro, foliis cordato-ovatis subam- 
plexicaulibus utrinque pubescentibus. 

2. P. Menziesiiy umbellis sessilibus bifloris, sepalis oblongis mucronatis 6- 
nerviis margine revolutis basi saccatis, stylo longissimo piloso, foliis 
ovatis sessilibus glabriusculis. 

This new species is a native of the north-west coast of America, 
where it was first found by Mr. Menzies in the voyage of discovery 
under Vancouver, and it has been very properly named in compli- 
ment to that venerable botanist. 

The plant bears a close resemblance to some species of Disporum, 
and it moreover agrees with that genus in its sepals being produced 
into a short spur or pouch at their base. The flowers are consi- 
derably larger than those of lanuginosa, and they are apparently of a 
yellow colour. The style is long and copiously hairy. The genus 
is essentially distinguished from Disporum by its innate anthers, 
nearly concrete styles, and pendulous seeds. 


1839.] Ltnnean Society, 49 

December 17. 
Mr. Forster, V.P., in the Chair. 

Specimens of the Lagurus ovatus collected last summer at Sewer's 
End, two miles from Saffron Walden, were presented by Mr. Gum- 
ming, who discovered the plant about three years ago in that locality, 
which is its only actual English station. 

Read, " Description of the Curata, a plant of the tribe of Bamhusea, 
of the culm of which the Indians of Guiana prepare their Sarbacans 
or Blow-pipes." By Robert H. Schomburgk, Esq., communicated 
by the Secretary. 

Referring to a passage in Baron Humboldt's " Personal Narra- 
tive" of his Travels in America, in which the learned author de- 
scribes the reeds of which the Indian Blow-pipes are made, and re- 
grets his inability to determine from what plant they were obtained, 
Mr. Schomburgk states it to have been a point of the greatest in- 
terest with him in his recent journeys in the interior of Ouiana to 
ascertain this fact. He found that the Macusi tribe of Indians ob- 
tained these remarkable reeds by barter from the Arecunas, who 
again made journeys of several months* duration to the westward to 
procure them from the Maiongcong and Guinan Indians, to whose 
country they are restricted, and who have thence acquired among 
the other natives the appellation of the Curata people. The Are- 
cuna thus becomes the medium of the barter carried on of blow- 
pipes on the one hand for Urari poison on the other, the latter being 
found in the district inhabited by the Macusi, and exchanged by 
them for the tube through which the arrows impregnated with it are 
discharged with such deadly effect. It was at a settlement of Maiong- 
cong Indians near the river Emaruni that Mr. Schomburgk at last 
succeeded in obtaining positive information of the locality of these 
reeds, which he was informed were found on two lofty mountains, 
named by the Indians Mashiatti and Marawacca, the former of which 
was pointed out to him at the distance of about 20 miles. The latter 
however lying more directly on his route was visited by him in pre- 
ference ; it is seated at a day's journey from a Maiongcong settle- 
ment on the banks of the Cuyaca, from whence the natives showed 
the beaten track. After having ascended the mountain to a height 
of about 3500 feet above the Indian village, the traveller followed the 
course of a small mountain stream, on the banks of which the Curas 
or Curatas, as these reeds are called by the Indians, grow in dense 
tufts. They form in general clusters of from forty to a hundred 
No. VI. — Proceedings of the Linnean Society. 


50 Linnean Society. [Dec. I?, 1839. 

stems, which are pushed forth, as in many other Bambuseae, from a 
strong jointed subterranean rootstock. The stem rises straight 
from the rhizoma, without knot or interruption, and preserving an 
equal thickness throughout, frequently to the height of 16 feet, be- 
fore the first dissepiment is stretched across the interior and the first 
branches are given off^. The joints that follow succeed each other 
at intervals of from 15 to 18 inches ; and the whole plant attains a 
height of from 40 to 50 feet. The stem when full-grown is at the 
base about an inch and a half in diameter, or nearly 5 inches in cir- 
cumference ; but Mr. Schomburgk mentions having seen young 
stems, which at the height of 20 feet, and with a thickness of scarcely 
a quarter of an inch, offered no signs of articulation. The branches 
are only formed when the stem begins to increase in diameter. The 
full-grown stem is of a bright green colour, perfectly smooth and 
hollow within. The branches are verticillate, generally from 3 to 4 
feet in length, very slender, terete and nodose ; the upper joints 
separated by an interval of from 2 to 3 inches, and clothed by the 
sheaths of the leaves, which are split at the apex, persistent, striate 
and somewhat scabrous. The leaves are linear-lanceolate, obliquely 
rounded at the base, acute, of a bright green above, glaucescent 
below, nervoso-striate, with the midrib prominent, and the margin 
scabrous, from 8 to 9 inches long, and 5 or 6 lines broad ; they are 
furnished with a short petiole, which is articulated to the vagina ; 
and a series of long setae occupy the place of the ligula. The inflo- 
rescence is in terminal spikes, with a flexuose rachis ; the locustse 
subsessile, lanceolate, lax, from 1^ to 2 inches in length. The en- 
tire plant is from 40 to 50 feet in height ; but the weight of its in- 
numerable branches causes the slender stem to curve downwards so 
that the upper part generally describes an arch, which adds greatly 
to the gracefulness of its appearance. Leaving out of consideration 
the length of the first nodeless joint, it resembles in its general habit 
the Bamhusa latifolia of Humboldt, which Mr. Schomburgk was not 
unfrequently led into the mistake of confounding with it at a di- 
stance. He estimates the height at which it grew as 6000 feet above 
the level of the sea ; and its growth appears to be limited to the 
chain of sandstone mountains which extends between the second and 
fourth parallel, and forms the separation of waters between the rivers 
Parima, Merewari, Ventuari, Orinoco and Negro. The only ascer- 
tained localities were Mounts Mashiatti, Marawacca and Wanaya. 

Mr. Schomburgk describes at length the process by which the 
blow-pipes are prepared, and encased, for their better security in the 
hollowed trunk of a slender species of palm ; together with the mode 


Jan. 21, 1840.] Linnean Society. 51 

in which other parts of the apparatus are supplied in order to render 
it available for its important uses, and the various modifications in 
its construction occurring among the different tribes. He adds also 
9. particular description of the arrows and quivers in use among 
several of the native tribes. 

To this paper was appended the following note by John Joseph 
Bennett, Esq. F.L.S. 

** Mr. Schomburgk having placed in my hands specimens of the 
grass which forms the subject of his communication, with a request 
that (if I should find it to be unpublished) I would describe it, I 
consulted the publications of Nees von Esenbeck and Kunth, and 
was at first strongly inclined to suspect that it was identical 
with the Arundinaria verticillata of those authors ; but a subsequent 
examination has satisfied me that it is a distinct species of that 
genus. I have had no opportunity of comparing it with specimens 
oi A. verticillata, but it difi'ers from the descriptions of that species, 
given by the two eminent botanists above named, in the following 
particulars. Its leaves are linear, instead of lanceolate, and smooth 
on both surfaces, instead of scabrous ; the mouth of their sheaths 
is furnished on either side of the articulation of the leaf with a fringe 
of long rigid setae, which are not mentioned as occurring in A. verti- 
cillata ; its locustse are sessile, instead of being pedicelled ; and the 
hypogynous scales are lanceolate and acute, instead of obovate and 
obtuse. The following character will therefore serve to distinguish 

the species : — 

Arundinaria SchomburgUi. 

A. foliis linearibus acuminatis laevibus; vaginarum ore utrinque longe 
setoso, spic^ simplici pauciflor^, locustis sessilibus, squamulis hypogynia 
lanceolatis acutis." 


January 21, 1840. 

Mr. Forster, V.l^., in the Chair. 

Mr. Hyde Clarke, of Great Ormond Street, and James Rankine, 
M.D., of Ayr, were elected Fellows. 

Mr. Hewett Cottrell Watson, F.L.S., exhibited specimens of Ca- 
rum Bulhocastanum discovered by Mr. W. H. Coleman, near Cherry 
Hinton, Cambridgeshire, and of Seseli Libanotis gathered by the 
same in a Dean west of the river Cuckmere, near Seaford, Sussex, 
being the first time it has been observed in that county. 


52 Linnean Society, [Feb. 4, 

Mr. Solly, F.L.S., exhibited two splendid drawings executed by- 
Mrs. Withers of a male plant of Encephalartos pungensy which 
flowered in the Royal Botanic Garden at Kew, in October last. 

Mr. IlifF, F.L.S., exhibited some urate of ammonia voided by the 
Boa Constrictor at the Surrey Zoological Gardens, in the midst of 
which were several larvae supposed by Mr. Curtis to be those of the 
Musca Canicularis of Linnaeus. Mr. IlifF is of opinion they were 
voided with the excrements of the Boa, and referred to a case in the 
Memoirs of the Medical Society of London, where he believes si- 
milar larvae were voided from the intestines of a man. 

Specimens of the Lastrea rigida collected at Settle, Yorkshire, 
were presented by Mr. Daniel Cooper, A.L.S. 

Read " Observations on the Ergot." By Francis Bauer, Esq., 
F.R.S., and L.S. 

The author, as is well known, has made the ergot a subject of 
particular study, and about thirty years ago he undertook, at the 
suggestion of Sir Joseph Banks, a series of careful microscopical ob- 
servations, with a view to determine the nature and cause of that 
singular production, and the beautiful drawings prepared by him at 
that time, illustrative of the ergot in various stages of its develop- 
ment, form part of the Banksian collections now deposited in the 
British Museum. Mr. Bauer's investigation led him to determine 
the ergot to be a morbid condition of the seed, but he was unsuc- 
cessful in ascertaining the cause of the disease, which Messrs. Smith 
and Quekett have satisfactorily shown to be occasioned by a mi- 
nute filamentous fungus, a fact already recorded at p. 1 & 4. After a 
long lapse of years Mr. Bauer was induced to resume the subject, 
and the result has been an additional drawing from his masterly 
pencil, displaying the minute fungus already noticed in different 
stages of its growth. The fungus has been named by Mr. Quekett 
Ergotcetia ahortifaciens . 


February 4. 
Mr. Forster, V.P., in the Chair. 

Thomas White Mann, Esq., of Upper Hollo way, was elected a 
Fellow ; and Mr. David Moore, Curator of the Botanic Garden at 
Glasnevin near Dublin, was elected an Associate of the Society. 


1840.] Linnean Society. 53 

Read, '* On the Heliamphora nutans, a new Pitcher Plant from 
British Guiana." By George Bentham, Esq., F.L.S. 

The interesting subject of this communication was discovered by 
Mr. Schomburgk growing in a marshy savannah on the mountain of 
Roraima, on the borders of British Guiana, at an elevation of about 
6000 feet above the level of the sea. It belongs to the Sarraceniacea, 
and constitutes a very distinct genus of that small but remarkable 
family of plants, hitherto exclusively confined to the United States. 
The genus is principally distinguished from Sarracenia by the entire 
absence of petals, small apterous stigma, and trilocular ovarium. 

The following are the characters of this new genus : 

HELIAMPHORA. 

Perigonii foliola 4, 5, (vel 6 ?) hypogyna, libera, eestivatione valde imbri- 
cata, subpetaloidea. Stamina numero indefinita, hypogyna. Anihera 
oblongo-lineares, versatiles, biloculares, loculis oppositis longitudinaliter 
dehiscentibus. Ovarium triloculare, ovulis numerosis anatropis pluri- 
seriahter placentae axili affixis. Stylus simplex, apice truncatus. Stigma 
parvum, obscure trilobum, minute ciliatum. " Capsula trilocularis, 
trivalvis, polysperma" (Schomb.). Semina obovata, compressa, testa 
fusca laxiuscula, vix rugosa, in alam fusco-membranaceum semen 
cingentem expansa. Embryo parvus, teres, rectus, prope basin albu- 
minis copiosi, radicula juxta hilum, cotyledonibus parvis. 

Herba perennis, uliginosa. Folia radicalia ; petiolus tubuloso-amphoree- 
formis, ore obliquo margine subrevoluto. Scapus erectus, apice simpli- 
citer racemosus, glaber. Flores nutantesy alhi v. pallida rosei. 

1. H. nutans. 

Read a paper, entitled " On the Structure of the Tissues of Cy- 
cadecd" By D. Don, Esq., Libr. L. S., Prof. Bot. King's College. 

In ConiferiB the structure of the stem presents the ordinary appear- 
ance of dicotyledonous trees ; the annual layers are distinctly 
marked, and there is a regular bipartition of each into wood and bark 
(liber) ; but in Cycadece no bipartition takes place of the fibro-vascular 
bundles, which in that respect resemble those of monocotyledonous 
plants, and the differences otherwise are very striking, Cyca^ having, be- 
sides a large central pith, several thick concentric alternating layers 
of cellular and fibro-vascular tissue ; and in Zamia and Encephalartos, 
besides the pith, there are only two very thick layers, one of fibro- 
vascular, and the other, which is also the exterior one, of cellular 
tissue. The great peculiarity of the Conifer a, and which distin- 
guishes them as well from Cycadea as from every other family, is 
the remarkable uniformity of their woody tissue, which consists of 


54 lAnnean Society, [Feb. 4, 

slender tubes, furnished on the sides parallel to the medullary rays 
with one or more rows of circular or angular dots ; but in Cycadecs 
no such uniformity is observable, their tissue, as in other phsenoga- 
mous plants, consisting of two kinds of vessels, namely of slender 
transparent tubes, without dots or markings, and of dotted, reticulated 
and spiral vessels, which are capable of being unrolled. The former are 
identical with the fibrous or woody tissue, whilst the latter, which form 
a part of each bundle, can only be compared to the strictly vascular 
tissue of other plants. These dotted vessels in Cycadea bear a con- 
siderable resemblance to the vessels of Coniferce, and especially to 
those of Dammara and Araucaria, from the dots being disposed in 
rows, and confined to the two vertical sides of the vessel only, and 
they are moreover alternate, as in the two genera just mentioned. 
In CycadecB, however, the dots present much less regularity in 
number and size than in Conifer a, not only in different vessels of the 
same bundle, but in different parts of the same vessel, forming one, 
two, three, four, and five rows ; and they are not always confined 
to the vertical sides, but appear in some cases to follow the entire 
circle of the vessel. Their form is oblong, or elliptical, in Cycas re- 
valuta, circinalis, glauca, and speciosa, Zamia furfur acea and pumilat 
as well as in Encephalartos horridus and spiralis; but they are 
sometimes longer, narrower and nearly linear, giving the vessel 
the appearance of being marked with transverse stripes. The 
vessels in all present so much similarity, that no generic distinction 
can be drawn from them. The dots are always arranged dia- 
gonally. The dotted vessels of Zamia furfuracea and pumila 
were observed to unroll spirally in the form of a band, pre- 
senting a striking resemblance to those of Ferns. The band was 
found to vary in breadth in different vessels, and was furnished 
with transverse rows, composed of two, three, or more dots. The 
coils followed the direction of the dots, and the unrolling was from 
right to left. In Cycas revoluta dotted vessels frequently occur with 
a single row of dots ; but, from the circumstance of the dots on both 
sides being in view at the same time, they are liable to be mistaken 
as having a double row on each side. Besides the dotted vessels, 
there occurs throughout Cycadece another variety, differing but 
little from the ordinary spiral vessel, except in the tendency of the 
coils to unite. In some vessels the coils are free, and the fibre ex- 
hibits frequently, at intervals, bifurcations or narrow loops ; in others 
the coils unite at one or both sides, in which case the vessel presents 
a series either of rings or bars ; the fibre then is with difficulty un- 


1840.] Linnean Society, 55 

rolled, and it often breaks off into rings, or the bars separate at the 
point where the coils unite, which is generally on the perpendicular 
sides of the vessel. In other cases the vessels are distinctly reticulated, 
and they then exhibit a striking analogy to the dotted cellules in Cycas 
revoluta. All these modifications are frequently to be observed in 
the same vessel in Zamia furfur acea andpumila, a fact which affords 
conclusive evidence of the accuracy of the theory advanced by Meyen, 
which refers the spiral, annular, reticulated, and dotted vessels to a 
common type. The dots and stripes are evidently the thinnest por- 
tions of the tube, being most probably parts of the primitive mem- 
brane remaining uncovered by the matter subsequently deposited on 
the walls. 

The cellular tissue of Cycadees consists of tolerably regular paren- 
chyma, composed of prismatic, six-sided cellules. In the species of 
Zamia and Encephalartos, so often referred to, the walls of the cellules 
appear to be of a uniform thickness and transparency, and destitute 
both of dots or markings ; but in the adult fronds of Cycas revoluta 
a different structure presents itself, for the walls of the cellules are 
furnished with numerous elliptical, obliquely transverse dots or 
spaces, where the membrane is so exceedingly delicate and trans- 
parent as to give to the cellules the appearance of being perforated 
by holes, the intervening spaces being covered by incrustating 
matter, disposed in the form of confluent bands, which, when 
viewed under the microscope, resemble a kind of network. The 
dots or spaces uncovered by incrustating matter, are generally of 
a large size, and occur more particularly on the vertical sides 
of the cellules, a band usually running along the middle of the 
two opposite sides. Tlie bands vary in breadth, as do the dots, 
and they not unfrequently exhibit minute transparent points or 
spaces where the solid matter forming the band shows a tend- 
ency to separate. The extreme delicacy and transparency of the 
dots or spaces of whatever size, appear fully to prove that they 
are parts of the primitive membrane of the cellule, which are un- 
covered by the incrustating matter. A solution of iodine will be 
found of great service in determining the actual existence of the 
membrane at those parts ; for although it does not materially alter 
its colour, it tends very much to diminish its transparency and ren- 
ders it distinctly visible, so as to leave no doubt that the spaces are 
not openings. The bands are evidently the result of a partial ligni- 
fication ; and indeed no better example can be offered than Cycas 
revoluta to illustrate and confirm the correctness of the views ad- 


56 Linnean Society. [Feb. 4, 

vanced by Schleiden as to the origin of the bands and fibres 
in the cellules and vessels of plants. Being anxious to ascer- 
tain whether the bands exist at an early period, the author had 
recourse to the examination of a young undeveloped frond, about 
two weeks old, and he was much gratified by finding his previous 
suspicions fully confirmed ; the cellules then being of a uniform 
transparency, presenting neither bands nor dots, but furnished with 
a distinct cytoblast or nucleus, which was found to have entirely dis- 
appeared from those cellules in which the incrustating matter was 
visible, proving that the incrustating matter is formed at the expense 
of the nucleus. The matter forming the bands is continuous, and is 
evidently not formed by a coalescing of spiral fibres, as some might 
suppose ; for it is perfectly solid, and shows no disposition to un- 
roll or to break up into fibres. The bands most probably originated 
from the shrinking up of the incrustating substance, which at first 
was equally diff^used in a fluid state over the walls, and which, from 
the mere effects of consolidation, aided by the distention, and per- 
haps enlargement of the cellule, would naturally leave portions of 
the primitive membrane uncovered. That the dotted and reticulated 
vessels in Cycadeae are of the same nature, and originate in a similar 
way as the cellules just described, there seems no reasonable ground 
to doubt. The parenchymatous cellules in Cycas circinalis, glauca, 
and speciosa resemble those of Zamia and EncepJialartos in having 
their walls of a nearly uniform thickness and transparency, being 
but rarely furnished mth a few elliptical obliquely transverse spaces 
or dots. The cellules in Cycas revoluta vary both in size and 
structure, some being three or four times longer, whilst others are 
still longer and narrower, and furnished with more numerous and 
much smaller dots, which are not confined to the sides, but are 
disposed around the tube. These last, which have been observed 
also in Cycas. glauca and circinalis, present an evident transition to. 
the dotted vessels. 

The whole of the CycadecB are supplied with numerous gummife- 
rous canals, often of great length, and uniformly furnished with 
distinct cellular walls of considerable thickness, and which have 
been accurately described and figured by Professor Morren in a 
recent memoir. 

Notwithstanding the analogies presented by their reproductive 
organs, the author considers the Cycadeee as related to Conifer(B 
only in a remote degree, and that they constitute the remains of a 
class of plants which belonged to a former vegetation. 


1840.] Linnean Society, Bj 

February 18. 
The Lord Bishop of Norwich, President, in the Chair. 

The Rev. George Isherwood, of Old Windsor, was elected a Fel- 
low of the Society. 

Mr. George T. Fox, F.L.S., exhibited a specimen of the Phryno- 
soma cornutum (Agama cornuta of Harlan) from Texas. 

Mr. Cameron, A.L.S., presented a specimen of a new fern (Cibo- 
Hum Baromez, J. Sm.) which has lately borne fructification, for the 
first time in this country, in the garden of the Birmingham Horti- 
cultural Society. A description of the plant by Mr. Westcott ac- 
companied the specimen. The fern has been cultivated for some 
years in the gardens as the Agnus Scythicus or Vegetable Lamb 
{Polypodium Baromez, Linn.), but whether identical with the plant 
of Linnaeus is a question still undetermined, as there happens to be 
j/ no specimen in his herbarium, and the description alone is too meagre 
to settle the point. Mr. Westcott is however in possession of a spe- 
cimen of a fern collected in Mexico by Mr. Ross, which closely re- 
sembles the plant of the gardens, and should they prove to be iden- 
tical, all doubt will be removed as to the claims of the present plant 
to be regarded as the Baromez of liinnseus, which is a native of 
China. 

The following is Mr. Westcott's description of the species :— 

Rhizoma densely clothed with yellow woolly articulated hairs. 
Stipes about 7 feet high, roundish, of a dark reddish brown colour, 
more or less covered with tufts of woolly hairs near the base, naked 
for about half its height : upper part flexuous from the point where 
the pinnae commence. Frond bipinnate ; pinna alternate, ovate-lan- 
ceolate, acuminate, smooth, under surface glaucous, upper surface 
dark green ; those pinnae bearing the sori curved, the barren pinnsB 
straight ; pinnules pinnatifid, alternate, linear-lanceolate, acuminate ; 
upper ones decurrent ; lower ones shortly petiolate ; lobes oblong, 
sharply serrated, more or less truncated, acute ; margins somewhat 
revolute, lobes in the upper row of each pinnula somewhat larger 
than those of the lower row, and those nearest to the rachis in the 
upper row the largest of all. Venation in the barren pinnae branched, 
in the fertile pinnae simple ; veins alternate. Indusia pouch-like, 
coriaceous sessile, situate on the apex of a vein at the margin, and 
near the base of the lobe of the pinnula : dehiscence by a transverse 

No. VII. — Proceedings of the Linnean Society. 


58 Linnean Society, [March 3, 

slit near the apex ; outer valve white, inner valve brown, and form- 
ing a persistent operculum or lid. Thecce roundish, stipitate, half 
surrounded by an articulated ring. Sporules numerous, angular. 

Read, " Observations on a certain Crystalline Matter found on the 
recently cut surfaces of the Wood of the Red Cedar." By Edwin J. 
Quekett, Esq., F.L.S. 

Mr. Quekett remarked, that on the recently cut surfaces of the 
wood of the Red Cedar (Juniperus virginiand) a crystalline matter is 
observed to form, which puts on the appearance of a mouldiness, but 
which, when viewed with a magnifying glass, is seen to consist of 
innumerable extremely minute crystals of an acicular form. The 
substance was observed to form on the duramen or heart wood only, 
and not universally, but in patches. It is easily volatilized by heat, 
and gives out the well-known odour of the wood. Mr. Quekett 
showed that the duramen of the red cedar contains an abundance of 
a concrete volatile oil, on which the peculiar odour depends, and 
that the crystalline substance is a compound formed between the air 
and the oil, for when the latter was obtained from the wood, and ex- 
posed to the action of the air, it was soon also found to be covered 
with the same acicular crystals. This substance, which possesses 
many of the properties of benzoic acid, Mr. Quekett considers new, 
and he proposed for it the name of Cedarine. 


March 3. 

Mr. Brown, V.P., in the Chair. 

Mr. Francis Boyle Garty, of Camberwell, and the Rev. William 
Strong Hore, M.A., of Devonport, were elected Fellows ; and Mr. 
Frederick John Bird, of Wilmington Square, was elected an Associate 
of the Society. 

Mr. Ward, F.L.S. , exhibited a specimen of the Agnus Scythicus, 
or Vegetable Lamb, from the collection of the Apothecaries' Com- 
pany. 

Read, " A Note on the Fern known as Aspidium Baromez." By 
Mr. John Smith, A.L.S. 

This plant, of which a description by Mr. Wcstcott was read at 
the preceding Meeting, and of which an abstract has been given. 


1840.] Linnean Society, 59 

was shown by Mr. Smith to be a legitimate species of the genus 
Cibotiunit with which it agrees in the venation of its frond, the dis- 
position of its sori, and in the structure and texture of its indusium. 


March 17. 
Mr. Forster, V.P., in the Chair. 

William Ifill, M.D., of Welbeck Street ; Edwin Lankester, M.D., 
of Campsall Hall, near Doncaster ; and Lieut. William Munro, of 
Her Majesty's 39th regiment of foot, were elected Fellows of the 
Society. 

The following addresses of congratulation to Her Majesty and to 
His Royal Highness Prince Albert of Saxe Coburg and Gotha, on 
occasion of Her Majesty's marriage, were read from the Chair, and 
unanimously adopted by the Meeting, viz. 

" To the Queen's most Excellent Majesty. 
*' The humble Address of the President, Council, and Fellows 

of the Linnean Society of London. 
** Most Gracious Sovereign, 
** We, Your Majesty's most dutiful and loyal subjects, the Pre- 
sident, Council, and Fellows of the Linnean Society of London, beg 
leave to approach Your Majesty, humbly to offer our heart-felt con- 
gratulations on the joyful occasion of Your Majesty's nuptials with 
His Royal Hijghness Prince Albert of Saxe Coburg and Gotha. 

" Deeply impressed with feelings of loyalty and devotion towards 
Your Majesty, we hail this auspicious event as an assurance of last- 
ing happiness to Your Majesty, and of permanent blessings to the 
British Empire, and we most fervently implore the blessings of Al- 
mighty God upon Your Majesty, that through His mercy and good- 
ness He may be pleased to extend His watchful care over the lives 
and the happiness of Your Majesty and Your Majesty's Royal Con- 
sort.'* 

** To His Royal Highness Prince Albert of Saxe Coburg and Gotha. 
" The humble Address of the President, Council, and Fellows 

of the Linnean Society of London. 
" May it please Your Royal Highness, 
" We, the President, Council, and Fellows of the Linnean So- 
ciety of London, beg leave humbly to present to Your Royal High- 


60 Linnean Society. [March 1 7, 

ness our cordial congratulations on the happy occasion of Your Royal 
Highnesses marriage with Her Majesty our gracious Queen and 
Patron. 

** We hail this auspicious event as equally promoting the happi- 
ness of Her Majesty and the best interests of Her Majesty's aiFec- 
tionate and loyal people, and we most devoutly implore the blessings 
of Almighty God on Your Royal Highness, that He through His 
goodness and mercy may be pleased to extend His watchful care 
over the lives and happiness of our beloved Sovereign and Your 
Royal Highness." 

Read " On some new Brazilian Plants allied to the Natural 
Order Burmanniacece." By John Miers, Esq., F.L.S. 

Of the thirteen recorded species of Burmannia five are natives of 
Brazil, where they were found by Von Martins, who has not only 
accurately described them, but has given an able detail of the genus. 
The author, previous to his departure from Brazil, discovered five 
new plants, evidently allied to Burmannia, but which differ in many 
essential characters : from these he has established three new ge- 
nera, Dictyostega, Cymhocarpa, and Stemoptera : they possess the 
habit of Burmannia in their thickened rhizoma with branching fibres, 
an erect stem, almost naked, or furnished with a few distant bracti- 
form leaves and terminal flowers, with a tubular petaloid perian- 
thium, having a six-partite border, composed of three sepals and three 
petals ; stamens three, almost sessile, in the mouth of the tube be- 
low the petals ; anthers with the cells disjoined and opening trans- 
versely ; a simple style ; three stigmata and a capsule surmounted by 
the "withered perianth bursting irregularly ; seeds minute, resembling 
those of Orchidece ; but the most important difference consists in their 
having unilocular capsules, with three parietal placentae, while Bur- 
mannia has always a trilocular capsule, with central placentation, 
an essential difference, which entitles them to be considered, if not 
as forming a new natural order, at least as constituting a distinct 
sub-family. Allied to these are to be arranged three other plants, 
already recorded, the Apteria setacea of Nuttall, a native of North 
America, and Gonyanthes Candida and Gymnosiphon aphylhim of 
Blume, by whom they were found in Java. The author considers 
his genus Dictyostega as coming very near Apteria, which, however, 
from the drawing and description of Mr. Nuttall, would seem to re- 
semble Stemoptera still more closely in its habit, its seeds, and its 
large single flowers ; but it does not appear to possess the very 


1840.] Linnean Society, 61 

rfemarkable stamens of the latter genus, nor the habit or singular 
seeds of Dictyostega. He gives a full description of the charac- 
ters of his new genera and species, adding at the same time the 
character of Apteria and of Dr. Blume's two genera, so as to collect 
all the evidence yet known respecting the order of Burmanniacea. 
Of the genus Dictyostega he describes three species, which he found 
in Brazil, to which is to be added a fourth species, discovered by 
Mr. Schomburgk in British Guiana. 

The following are their characters : — 

DICTYOSTEGA. 

Perianthium tubulosum, ovario adnatum, supem^ liberum : Umbo G-fido, 
laciniis 3 altemis minoribus. Stamina 3 : filamentis brevissimis : an- 
ther ec loculis disjunctis, transversim dehiscentibus. Sty his simplex. 
Stigmata 3. Capsula 1-locularis, sub 3-valvis, polysperma, apice dehi- 
scens : valvis medio placentiferis. Semina minuta, scobiformia, testa 
lax&, reticulata, pertranslucidiL, nucleo quintuple longiore vestita. 

Plantae (brasilienses) rhizocarpeco, radice fibrosa, squamis membranaceis, 
imbricatis, ciliatis, incanis tectd. Caulis erectus, subfiexuosus, pallide 
purpurascens, subsolitarius, rarius ramifenis, et tunc ramis 1 — 3 
erectis, alternis, trunco consimilibvs. Folia bracteiformia, subsessilia, 
adpressa. Jnflorescentia terminalis, dichotome racemosa, vel subum- 
bellato-cymosa, floribus purpurascentibus, pedicellatis. 

1. D. orobanchioides, caxile ereeto simplici vel ramifero, racemis geminis, 
floribus nutantibus unibracteatis, bracteis cum pedicellis alternantibus, 
capsula subvalvatd ecostatH longitudinaliter dehiscente. — Monte Corco- 
vado, Rio de Janeiro. 

2. D. umbellata, caule ereeto simplicissimo, foliis erecto-patulis, umbella 
simplici 6 — 9-flora, floribus erectis, pedicellis basi bracteatis, ovario 
ecostato. — Serra dos Orgaos, Prov. Rio de Janeiro. 

3. D. costata, caule ereeto simplici, floribus erectis, cym& bibracteal^, pe- 
dicellis ebracteatis, capsule evalvi 6-costata apice dehiscenti. — Rio de 
Janeiro. 

4. )S>. Schomburgkii, caule ereeto subsimplici, racemis geminis paucifloris, 
floribus unibracteatis, bracteis pedicello oppositis, perianthio medio 
baud constricto, laciniis obtusioribus, capsul4 6-costata apice dehiscenti. 
— Guiana. 

CYMBOCARPA. 

Perianthium tubulosum, ovario adnatum, supem^ liberum : Umbo 6-fido, 
laciniis tribus altemis minoribus. Stamina omniiio Dictyostegee. 
Stylus simplex. Stigmata 3-loba, lobis gibboso-rotundatis, comubus 2 


62 Linnean Society, [March 17, 

subulatis erectis instructis. Ovarium gibboso-3-gonum, l-loculare, 
placentis 3 parietalibus. Cajtsula 1-locularis, latere unico angulo su- 
periore tantiim dehiscens. Semina scobiformia, numerosissima, testa 
reticulata nucleo vix excedente. 

PlantsB (brasilienses)^ rhizocarpetB, radice Jihrosd. Caulis simplex, suh- 
flexuosus, erectus, albescens. Folia sessilia, bracteiformia, erecta, aut 
adpressa. Inflorescentia dichotome spicata, paucijlora, fioribus fia- 
vescenti-albidis, basi bracteatis, cum pedicellis brevissimis summo abrupte 
declinatis geniculatis. 

1 . Cymbocarpa refracta. — Monte Corcovado, Rio de Janeiro. 


STEMOPTERA. 

Perianthium ovario adnatum, supra liberuin, subinfundibuliforme : favce 
turgida sacculis 3 interioribus aucta : limbo 6-partito, laciniis acutis, 
aestivatione marginibus induplicatis, 3 alternis brevioribus. Stamina 
3, fauci adnata : filamentis complanatis, e margine sacculorum orienti- 
bus bifurcatis, ramulo singulo antherifero alato. Ovarium turbinatum, 
l-loculare, placentis 3 parietalibus. AS^^/wslongitudinestaminum. Stig- 
mata 3, recurvata, apice glandulifera. Capsula 1-locularis, polysperma, 
subtrivalvis, apice 3-fisso dehiscens, Placentce 3, parietales. Semina 
numerosissima, scobiformia, testa nucleo vix excedente, reticulata, are- 
olis elongatis obliqu^ dispositis. 

PlantsB (brasilienses) rhizocarpecB, radice fibrosd. Caulis erectus, subdi- 
chotome ramosus, ramis subjlexuosis, pallidis, subpurpurascentibus. Fo- 
lia pauca, sessilia, erecta, bracteiformia, pallida. Inflorescentia termi- 
nalis, unijlora. Flores cceteris mojores, ebracteati, purpurascentes, Ap- 
terise Nutt. Jiaud absimiles. 

1 . Stemoptera lilacina. — In uliginosis ad Serra dos Orgaos Prov. Rio de 
Janeiro. 

All the species are described at length in the paper, and their cha- 
racters are further illustrated by drawings, with details of the parts 
of fructification. The author remarks, that upon the same principle 
that Apostasiacete have been separated from Orchidea, and Xyridecd 
from Restiaceee, these plants ought to constitute an order distinct 
from BurmanniaceiB ; but the difference between the unilocular cap- 
sule with parietal placentation and the trilocular capsule with axile 
placentation, which at first sight seems to offer a wide and well- 
founded distinction, appears of less value when we consider that 
the extensive order Gentianece presents similar differences, toge- 
ther with every possible gradation of transition from one extreme 
to the other. He therefore inclines to the view of preserving all 


1840.] lAnnean Society, 63 

within the natural order Burmanniaceee, dividing it into two sub- 
families, viz. 1. Burmanniece, which will contain only the single 
genus Burmannia (and perhaps the Gonyanthes of Blume may be 
found to belong also to this section) ; 2. Dictyostegea, com- 
prising Dictyostega, Cymbocarpa, Stemoptera, Apteria, Gonyanthes, 
and Gymnosiphon. He then proceeds to show the close affinity which 
Burmanniacea bear to Orchidea, which often also present nearly a 
naked stem, with imperfectly developed leaves, and instances are 
moreover known in which they exhibit three distinct stamens and 
three stigmata : they have also an unilocular ovarium, with parietal 
placentation ; there exists also a close resemblance in the structure 
of the walls of the capsule, and there is hardly any difference in the 
shape and structure of the seeds of Dictyostega and some species of 
Pleurothallis, which have both a transparent reticulated testa, show- 
ing distinctly the included nucleus suspended from the apex. The 
pollen of these plants also bears much resemblance to that of Or- 
chideae, in being inclosed in a peculiar anther-case, and consisting of 
coarse grains cohering in waxy masses. Dictyostega orobanchioides 
also offers a beautiful illustration of the emission of pollen tubes, 
which are seen penetrating the stigmata in crowded bundles of cot- 
tony filaments, each thread being clavately terminated by its re- 
spective grain of pollen. 

There was also read a paper, entitled, " On the existence of Spiral 
Cells in the Seeds of Acanthacea." By Mr. Richard Kippist. Com- 
municated by Prof. Don, Libr. L.S. 

After briefly enumerating the other natural families in whose seeds 
spiral cells had been previously observed, the author proceeds to de- 
scribe those of a plant brought from Upper Egypt by Mr. Holroyd 
(Acanthodium spicatum, Delile), whose peculiar appearance when 
placed under the microscope, first led him to examine those of other 
Acanthacea, in which family the existence of spiral cells had not be- 
fore been noticed. The entire surface of the seed in Acanthodium is 
covered with whitish hairs, which are appressed, and adhere closely 
to it in the dry state, being apparently glued together at their ex- 
tremities. On being placed in water, these hairs are set free, and 
spread out on all sides, they are then seen to l^e clusters of from five 
to twenty spiral cells, which adhere firmly together in their lower 
portions while their upper parts are free, separating from the cluster 
at different heights, and expanding in all directions like plumes, 
forming a very beautiful microscopic object. The free portions of the 


64 , Linnean Society. [March 1 7, 

cells readily unroll, exhibiting the spire formed of one, two, or occa- 
sionally of three fibres, which may sometimes be seen to branch, and 
not unfrequently break up into rings. Throughout the whole length 
of the cell the coils are nearly contiguous ; in the lower part they are 
united by connecting fibrils, and towards the base of the adherent 
portion become completely reticulated. The testa is a semitrans- 
parent membrane formed of nearly regular hexagonal cells, whose 
centre is occupied by an opake mass of grumous matter. Those 
cells which surround the bases of the hairs are considerably elon- 
gated, and, gradually tapering into transparent tubes, appear to oc- 
cupy the interior of the spiral clusters. Some of these appearances 
were noticed by Delile, who described the Acanthodium in the 
splendid work on Egypt, published by the French Institute, where 
also a slightly magnified figure of the seed will be found, but with- 
out representing the spiral cells, which Delile does not appear to 
have detected. 

Two species of Blepharis are mentioned as possessing a structure 
very similar to that of Acanthodium spicatum, differing chiefly in the 
smaller and more uniform diameter of the spiral cells, and in their 
thicker fibre, which is always single and loosely coiled. 

The seed of Ruellia formosa on being placed in water develops 
from every part of its surface single short thick tapering tubes, 
within which in some cases a spiral fibre is loosely coiled ; whilst in 
others the place of the spiral fibre is supplied by distant rings. 

In the seeds of Ruellia littoralis, Phaylopsis glutinosa, and Barleria 
noctiflora, the whole surface becomes covered with separate tubes, 
very similar in form, but destitute of spiral fibre, and terminating in 
a minute pore, from which streams of mucilage are discharged. 

Those of several species of Barleria, Lepidagathis, &c. are entirely 
covered with long tapering simple hairs, which expand in water, and 
like the rest are enveloped in a thick coat of mucilage. 

In all the foregoing species the hairs occupy the entire surface of 
the seed, and are usually directed towards its apex, though they 
occur often most abundantly at the edges ; in others they are only 
found attached to a marginal ring of a different texture from the rest 
of the seed. This is the case in Strobilanthus lupulina, Blechum 
Brownii, and Ruellia secunda. The seeds of many plants of this family 
are wholly destitute both of spiral cells or of any other appendages 
possessing hygroscopic properties, such for example as Acanthus 
mollis and ilicifolius, Dipteracanthus erectus, and several sj^ecies of 
Justicia and Eranthemum. 


1840.] Linnean Society. G5 

April 7. 

Mr. Forster, V.P., in the Chair. 

The Rev. John Berrington, A.M., of Kingston, Surrey, and Si- 
gismond Rucker, Jun., Esq., of Wandsworth, were elected Fellows ; 
and Mr. Henry Letheby, of Pentonville, was elected an Associate of 
the Society. 

Dr. Farre, F.L.S., exhibited specimens of a singular form of gall 
on the leaves of a species of oak from Mexico. The gall consisted 
of an aggregation of hollow cylindrical tubes, nearly an inch in 
length, and furnished with a fringed orifice. The tubes were 
remarkable for their elegance and uniformity; their colour was 
white, suffused with red, especially towards the apex. 

Mr. Yarrell, F.L.S., exhibited a specimen of a satin-like mass of 
Conferva fluviatilis, which grew in a water meadow near Totness. 
A spring, which flows only in winter, rises in the meadow, and this 
substance is taken from narrow gutters, from one of which, twelve 
inches wide, a piece was taken up which measured seventy-nine feet 
in length, so firm and tough was its consistence ; and another piece 
broke off at thirty-nine feet. In consistence and appearance it bore 
considerable resemblance to a piece of cotton wadding, but of a 
firmer texture. A portion was carefully examined under the micro- 
scope, and found to consist entirely of an interwoven mass of filaments 
of Conferva fluviatilis. The plant was compared with the authentic 
specimen of that species preserved in the Linnaean Herbarium, and 
was seen to differ only in the greater length of the articulations. 
The under surface of the mass was of a bright green colour, but the 
upper surface was white from the effects of direct exposure to the 
air and light, which had caused the death of the plant at that part. 

Read, a continuation of Mr. Smith's "Arrangement of the Genera 
of Ferns." 


April 21. 

The Lord Bishop of Norwich, President, in the Chair. 

Read, a paper by John Blackwall, Esq., F.L.S., entitled " The 
Difference in the Number of Eyes with which Spiders are provided. 
No. VIII. — Proceedings of the Linnean Society. 


66 Linnean Society. [May 25 

proposed as the Basis of their distribution into Tribes ; with the 
characters of a new Family and three new Genera of Spiders." 

Mr. Blackwall begins by stating his objections to the bases of ar- 
rangement adopted by MM. Walckenaer and Dufour in the subdi- 
vision of the order Araneidea, and proceeds to give his reasons for 
preferring a division founded on the number of eyes ; in conformity 
with which he proposes three tribes, viz. 1. Octonoculata; 2. Senocu- 
lina; 3. BinocuUna. 

In the first tribe he proposes three new genera, two of them be- 
longing to a family which he characterizes under the name of Cini- 
floridce : these genera he also characterizes under the names of Ciniflo, 
founded on the Clubiona atrox of Latreille, and Operaria, compri- 
sing the Theridion benignum, Walck., Drassus exiguus, Blackw., and 
Drassus viridissimus, Walck. The third genus characterized by Mr. 
Blackwall, is referred by him to the family of Agelenidcd, under the 
name of Cavator : it is founded on the Clubiona saxatilis, Blackw. 


May 5. 
ITie Lord Bishop of Norwich, President, in the Chair. 

Read, " Additional Observations on some Plants allied to the 
natural order Burmanniacese." By John Miers, Esq., F.L.S. 

These observations have reference chiefly to the relative position 
of the parts of the flower in the tribe of plants above-mentioned. 
The author remarks, that the stamina, placentae, and stigmata in 
these plants, are disposed in the same line, and opposite the inner 
series of the perianthium. The placentae are always invariably 
double ; and the stigmata in such cases as the present are to be re- 
garded as being made up of the confluent margins of the two ad- 
joining carpel-leaves, as suggested by Mr. Brown in his learned 
Memoir on Cyrtandrea lately published. 


May 25. 

The Lord Bishop of Norwich, President, in the Chair. 

This day, the Anniversary of the birth-day of Linnaeus, and that 
appointed in the Charter for the election of Council and Officers ; 


1840.] Linnean Society, Gf 

the President opened the business of the meeting, and in stating the 
number of Members whom the Society had lost during the past 
year, gave the following notices of some of them : — 

George, Duke of Marlborough, one of the Honorary Members, was 
distinguished for his botanical taste, and for his zeal in the cultiva- 
tion of exotic plants ; and the magnificent collection formed by him 
at White Knights was long one of the finest in this country, both ia 
regard to its extent, and the rarity and beauty of the specimens. 
His taste for Botany continued unabated to the last, and the col- 
lection established afterwards at Blenheim was chiefly cultivated 
under his own immediate superintendence. 

John Bartlet, Esq. 

John, Duke of Bedford, K.G. — This amiable and accomplished 
nobleman was a most munificent patron of the arts and sciences in 
general, and especially of Botany, in the cultivation of which he 
took great delight. We are indebted to him for several splendidly 
illustrated works, abounding in valuable practical remarks, on par- 
ticular tribes of plants, of which he had formed extensive collections 
at his magnificent seat of Woburn Abbey. 
William Beet ham, Esq. 

William Christy, Jun., Esq. — Few persons cultivated Botany and 
Entomology with more ardour than Mr. Christy, who, to the regret 
of his friends, and to the loss of science, was cut off at an early age. 
His zeal and success in the pursuit of science were only equalled by 
his readiness and liberality to impart to others a portion of the 
stores which he had collected. He had formed an extensive Her- 
barium of British and Foreign Plants, and for that purpose had 
made several extensive tours in the British Isles, and had also vi- 
sited Madeira and Norway. His collection of dried plants, and 
books on Botany, he gave to the Botanical Society of Edinbui'gh, 
of which he was one of the institutors. 

Lord diaries Spencer Churchill. 

Richard Cotton, Esq. 

Allan Cunningham, Esq. — This eminent botanist and traveller was 
born in the beginning of the year 1791, at Wimbledon, where his 
father (who was a native of Ayrshire) held the situation of gardener. 
His father took great pains with his education, and placed him, 
along with his younger brother, Richard, at an excellent academy at 
Putney, then conducted by the Rev. Mr. Adams. About the year 
1808 both brothers were engaged in the office of the Royal Botanic 
(rardens at Kew, at the period when the second edition of the *Hor- 
ius Kewensis * was passing through the press. In the autumn of 


68 Linnean Society. [May 25, 

1814, having been appointed a Botanical Collector for the Royal 
Gardens, he left England, in company with Mr. James Bowie (who 
had also received a similar appointment), for the Brazils, where they 
remained two years, and among many other plants transmitted by 
them, were Gloxinia speciosa, Cereus speciosissimus, Jacaranda mi- 
mosifolia, and Calathea zehrina, then new to the Gardens. The two 
companions now separated, Mr. Bowie having received instructions 
to proceed to the Cape of Good Hope, and Mr. Cunningham to 
New South Wales, where he arrived in 1817, and shortly after 
joined the expedition into the interior of that colony, under Mr. 
Oxley, the Surveyor-General. On his return to Sydney he em- 
barked as botanist in the voyage of survey under the command of 
Lieutenant, now Captain Philip Parker King, of the Royal Navy. 
The survey continued four years, and during that period they cir- 
cumnavigated Australia several times, and visited Van Diemen's 
Land, Timor, and the Mauritius, at all of which places Mr. Cun- 
ningham formed extensive collections. After the conclusion of these 
voyages, Mr. Cunningham made several journeys into the interior 
of New South Wales, and subsequently visited Norfolk Island and 
New Zealand, where he remained several months. The fruits of 
his researches in the latter country are given in the ' Companion to 
the Botanical Magazine,' and ' Annals of Natural History.' After 
an absence of seventeen years, Mr. Cunningham returned to his 
native country, and continued to reside in the vicinity of Kew, until 
the melancholy tidings arrived of the death of his brother Richard, 
whom he was appointed to succeed in the quality of Colonial 
Botanist in New South Wales, where he again arrived in February 
1837. In the following year he revisited New Zealand, and re- 
mained there during the whole of the rainy season, which produced 
serious effects upon a constitution already greatly debilitated, and 
on his return to Sydney his health visibly declined until the period 
of his death, which took place on the 27th of June last, at the age 
of 48. He was distinguished for his moral worth, singleness of 
heart, and enthusiastic zeal in the pursuit of science. 

Davies Gilbert, Esq., F.R.S. — Mr. Davies Gilbert was distin- 
guished by his high attainments in science and literature, his simple 
and gentle manners, and his amiable purity of heart. He was the 
son of the Rev. Edward Giddy, and was born on the 6th of March, 
1767, at St.Erth, in Cornwall. 

Davies Giddy was a child of early intellectual promise, but his 
health was feeble, and he received not only the rudiments, but al- 
most the whole of his education under the paternal roof, guided and 


1840.] lAnnean Society, 69 

assisted by a father whose classical learning was of a high order. 
For about a twelvemonth he was placed under the tuition of the Rev. 
James Parken, Master of the Grammar School at Penzance, to which 
town his family removed for that purpose ; but he soon returned 
to Tredrea, which was long afterwards his favourite abode, to pursue 
his studies in a manner more congenial to his feelings. He had by 
this time formed a taste for mathematical investigations, in which 
he was aided by the knowledge, freely and kindly imparted, of the 
Rev. Malachi Hitchins of St. Hilary, a man whose name is well 
known and respected by practical astronomers. In the year 1782 
he removed with his family to Bristol, and continued to cultivate the 
severer sciences with undiminished ardour. On the 12th of April, 
1785, he entered as a Gentleman Commoner of Pembroke College 
in the University of Oxford, and soon attracted the notice of many 
of its Professors and Senior Residents. He resided pretty constantly 
there from his matriculation, except during the long vacations, till 
the year 1789, when he became an Honorary Master of Arts, but still 
continued to make long visits to his old College. 

In November, 1791, he became a Fellow of the Royal Society, 
and formed a connexion with Dr. Maskelyne, Sir Joseph Banks, 
Mr. Cavendish, and other eminent members of that body, which 
terminated only with their lives. Though the sciences dependent 
on and connected with mathematics were the chief objects of his 
early studies, he was far from inattentive to the claims of Natural 
History on a portion of his leisure. He cultivated chiefly that 
branch of it which embraces the vegetable kingdom ; and an ac- 
quaintance formed in Cornwall with Dr. Withering, as well as his 
friendship with Dr. Beddoes and Dr. Sibthorp at Oxford, contri- 
buted to the same end. He became a Fellow of the Linnaean So- 
ciety in 1792, in which year he also served the office of Sheriff for 
his native county. In the year 1804 he was chosen one of the re- 
presentatives of the borough of Helston, and in 1806 *was returned 
in a new Parliament for that of Bodmin. In this seat he continued 
till the year 1832, when he ceased to be a member of the legislature. 
During the whole time of his continuance in Parliament, he was the 
encourager and indefatigable supporter of every measure connected 
with the advancement of science ; and by his representations and 
exertions many services were rendered to various scientific societies 
and institutions, in promoting whose prosperity and usefulness he 
was incessantly and zealously occupied. He took a prominent part 
in the inquiry relating to the currency, and published in 1811 a 
plain statement of the bullion question ; and he was also very 


70 Linnean Society, [May 25, 

active both in the House of Commons and out of it in the arrange- 
ment of the standard of weights and measures. 

In 1806 he married Mary Anne Gilbert, and in 1817 he assumed 
the name of her family, in pursuance of the injunction contained in 
a will of her uncle, Charles Gilbert, Esq., of Eastbourne, in Sussex. 
By this marriage he had seven children, of whom only four sur- 
vived him ; John Davies Gilbert, Esq., the present Sheriff of Sussex, 
and three daughters. 

He became a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries in 1820, and 
was likewise Fellow of the Astronomical and Geological Societies. 
He continued to perform the office of Treasurer of the Royal So- 
ciety, till in 1 827 he became President of that distinguished body. 
In the year 1831 he retired from the chair, and was succeeded by His 
lloyal Highness the Duke of Sussex. In 1832 he received from the 
University of Oxford the Degree of Doctor of Laws, by Diploma. 

His last visit to his native county took place in 1839. On lea- 
ving Cornwall he came through Exeter and Oxford to London, and 
returned after a few days to Oxford. This last journey, which was 
attended by some untoward circumstances, was too much for his 
sinking strength. On his return to London he fell into a state of 
lethargy, from which, though he was enabled to reach his home, he 
never fully recovered, but after lingering in this state for some time, 
he expired, on the 24th of December, 1839, and in the 73rd year 
of his age. 

The Rev. Joseph Goodall, D.D., Provost of Eton College. — Dr. 
Goodall was ardently devoted to the study of Natural History, but 
more especially to Conchology, wdth which science he was tho- 
roughly acquainted, and his collection in that department was re- 
garded as one of the most valuable in this country. He was ever a 
warm and zealous friend of this Society. 

The Reverend Patrick Keith. — Mr. Keith long and successfully 
cultivated the interesting department of Vegetable Physiology, 
to which he published an Introduction in 1816, under the title of 
* System of Physiological Botany,' in two volumes, 8vo. The 
work contained the fullest and best account of the subject at that 
time in the English language, and was, moreover, enriched by nu- 
merous original remarks. Mr. Keith was likewise the author of a 
Botanical Lexicon, published in 1837, and three separate Memoirs, 
printed in the 11th, 12th and 16th volumes of the Society's Trans- 
actions ; the first on the Formation of the Vegetable Epidermis, the 
second on the Development of the Seminal Germ, and the third 
on the Origin of Buds. Several jxipers on botanical subjects, from 


1840.] Linnean Society. *J\ 

the pen of Mr. Keith, occur also in the Philosophical Magazine and 
Annals of Natural History. 

Mr. Keith had long been suffering from severe illness, which ter- 
minated in his death on the 25th of January last, at the age of 71, 
at the parsonage of Stalisfield, in Kent, of which parish he had been 
for many years vicar. He was a native of Scotland, and received 
his education at the University of Glasgow. 

William Kent, Esq. — Mr. Kent was a zealous botanist and hor- 
ticulturist, and formerly possessed an exten&lve garden at Clapton, 
where, among many other choice plants, he successfully cultivated 
the beautiful Nelumbium speciosum, and other tender aquatics, of 
which he was a liberal distributor to his friends. His health obli- 
ging him to retire to Bath, he lost the means of indulging his inclina- 
tion to horticulture on so large a scale ; but of his garden on Bath- 
wick Hill, it might truly be said that there never perhaps were so 
many rare plants cultivated together in so small a space. Notwith- 
standing he laboured under a painful complaint, he was also happily 
able to amuse himself by landscape j)ainting ; and at the same time 
he was ever active in promoting useful institutions, moral, scientific 
or literary. 

Don Mariano Lagasca, Professor of Botany, and Director of the 
Royal Botanic Garden at Madrid, was a native of the province of 
Arragon, where his father followed the occupation of a farmer. He 
was sent at an early age to the Gymnasium of Tarragona, and after 
pursuing the course of study prescribed at that institution, he re- 
paired to Madrid to complete himself for the medical profession, for 
which he had evinced a predilection. At Madrid he had the good 
fortune to attend the lectures, and to acquire the friendship, of the 
celebrated Cavanilles, at that time Professor of Botany in the 
Spanish capital, and these circumstances laid the foundation of 
the eminence to which he afterwards attained. In 1822, on the 
assembling of the Cortes, he was returned Deputy for his native 
province, and on the overthrow of the constitutional form of go- 
vernment in November of the following year, he was obliged to 
consult his safety by flight, first to Gibraltar, and afterwards to 
this country, v/here his high moral character, amiable disposition, 
aiKi eminent talents, gained him universal esteem and respect. 

Spain, long famed as the granary of ancient Rome, is known to 
surpass all other countries in the great variety of those grasses 
which are cultivated for human food, such as wheat, barley, rye and 
oats : and many of those whom I am now addressing may remem- 
ber the extensive and interesting collection of Spanish Cerealia cul- 


7^ Linnean Society, [May 25, 

tivatcd by Professor Lagasca in the garden belonging to the Society 
of Apothecaries at Chelsea. The publication of a * Ceres and Flora 
Hispanica * had long been a favourite object with him, but which he 
did not live to accomplish. He departed this life in the 58th year 
of his age, on the 23rd of June last, at the palace of his early friend 
and school associate, the present Bishop of Barcelona, who hearing 
of his infirm state of health, had invited him to partake of his 
hospitality and kindness, in the hope that the milder air of Cata- 
lonia might be the means of restoring him. His remains were ho- 
noured with a public funeral, and an oration was pronounced over 
him by his friend Don Augustin Yanez, Professor of Natural History 
at Barcelona. 

It was in Systematic Botany that Professor Lagasca had more 
particularly distinguished himself, and he has added greatly to our 
knowledge of various families of plants, such as Umbelliferce, Dip- 
saceee and Compositce, of one of the groups of which, the Lahiatiflorce, 
he may be regarded as the founder. 

James Dottin Maycock, M.D. — Dr. Maycock is deserving of no- 
tice as the author of a Flora of Barbadoes, in which island he had 
long resided. The work forms a catalogue of the indigenous as well 
as cultivated plants of that island, and contains besides a number 
of interesting notices on their oeconomical uses. The author has fully 
established the identity of the species which aiFords the Barbadoes 
aloes, with the Aloe vulgaris, accurately figured in the ' Flora Grseca.* 

William Mills, Esq. 

Sir John St. Auhyn, Bart., F.R.S. — A distinguished cultivator of 
the science of Mineralogy, and who possessed one of the most ex- 
tensive and valuable collections in that department of Natural His- 
tory ever formed in this country. 

James Sharpe, Esq. 

The Rev. Thomas, Lord Walsingham. 

Amongst the Foreign Members occur — 

John Frederick Blumenhach, M.D., Professor of Medicine in the 
University of Gottingen, Foreign Member of the Royal Society of 
London, and Associate of the Royal Academy of Sciences of the 
French Institute, was pre-eminently distinguished by his important 
researches in General Anatomy and Physiology, which he continued 
to prosecute during a long life ardently devoted to the advancement of 
science. He was equally remarkable for the extent and variety of his 
knowledge and the philosophical sagacity of his views. Professor 
Blumenbach died on the 22nd of January last, at the advanced age 
of 88. 


1840.] Linnean Society, 73 

Joseph Francis, Baron Jacquin, Professor of Botany and Che- 
mistry, and Director of the Imperial Botanic Garden at Vienna, to 
which appointments he succeeded on the resignation of his father, 
the celebrated traveller and botanist. He was author of Ecloga 
Plantarum, a folio work, containing descriptions and coloured figures 
of the new and rare plants which flowered in the gardens under 
his care, and also of a valuable work on birds. 

Baron Jacquin was distinguished for his urbanity and kindness, 
especially to strangers ; and few cultivators of science visited the 
Austrian capital without partaking of his good offices and hospita- 
lity. He died at Vienna, on the 10th of December, in the 74th year 
of his age. 

The President also announced that seventeen Fellows and four 
Associates had been elected since the last Anniversary. 

It was then moved by the President, and unanimously agreed to 
by the meeting ; '* That the cordial thanks of the Society be given to 
Dr. Boott on his retirement from the office of Secretary, for the in- 
cessant attention which he has shown to the duties of that office, and 
for the ability, zeal, and urbanity with which he has discharged those 
duties." 

At the election, which subsequently took place, the Lord Bishop 
of Norwich was elected President; Edward Forster, Esq., Trea- 
surer ; John Joseph Bennett, Esq., Secretary ; and Richard Taylor, 
Esq., Under-Secretary. The following five Fellows were elected 
into the Council in the room of others going out; viz. Thomas Bell, 
Esq., George Loddiges, Esq., Gideon Mantell, Esq., LL.D., Richard 
Horsman Solly, Esq., and Sir George Thomas Staunton, Bart. 


June 2. 
Mr. Forster, V.P., in the Chair. 

William Felkin, Esq., of Nottingham, was el6cted a Fellow of 
the Society. 

Mr. George Francis, F.L.S., exhibited a portion of the trunk of 
the Lepurandra saccidora (Graham, Cat. Bomb. PI. p. 193.), from 
Western India, of the bark of which sacks and bags are made. 

Mr. Ranch exhibited a specimen of the fruit of Salisburia adianti- 
folia, which was grown last year in the Imperial Botanic Garden at 
Vienna. 

No. IX. — Proceedings of the Linnkan Socibtt. 


74 lAnnean Society. [JunelG, 

Read, " On the reproductive Organs of Equisetum." By Mr. 
Joseph Henderson, Gardener to Earl Fitzwilliam, at Milton Park, 
communicated by the Rev. M. J. Berkeley, F.L.S. 

Mr. Henderson's observations were made on Equisetum hyemale 
and other species, and embrace the entire period of development of 
the sporae and of the thecse containing them. The theca is in the first 
instance filled with cells of extreme tenuity, in the interior of which 
the sporae afterwards take their origin. After the appearance of the 
sporae the containing cells gradually become thickened, and sepa- 
rate from each other; and at a still later period their walls are 
marked by spiral sutures, by means of which they are subdivided 
into two narrow bands with broad and rounded ends. As the sporae 
approach maturity these bands separate at the sutures, and the con- 
taining cell is thus resolved into its component parts, the supposed 
filaments and antherae of Hedwig. The sporae, when ripe, have a 
double membrane, which is rendered evident by the addition of 
tincture of iodine. In the immature state of the thecae, up to the 
time when the spiral lines become distinctly marked on the integu- 
ment of the sporae, they form transparent membranous reticulated 
bags, the meshes of which have different directions in different 
parts. When the sporae have attained their full size, a new deposit 
of vegetable matter is added, and spiral vessels are formed within 
the flattened cells of which the membrane is composed, and the 
outlines of which are indicated by the meshes on the surface. In 
some situations these vessels are true spirals, in others they partake 
more of the character of the annular. 

While making these observations, Mr. Henderson was not aware 
that he had been in part anticipated by Treviranus, BischofF, Meyen 
and Mohl. They differ, however, in some particulars from the ob- 
servations of those physiologists, who also differ from each other. 


June 16. 

The Lord Bishop of Norwich, President, in the Chair. 

Thomas Harris, Esq., of Kingsbury, was elected a Fellow of the 
Society. 

The President nominated the four following Members of the 
Council to be Vice-Presidents for the year commencing on the 


1840.] lAnnean Society, JS 

25th of May last, viz. Robert Brown, Esq., Edward Forster, Esq., 
Thomas Horsfield, M.D., and Aylmer Bourke Lambert, Esq. 

Read, "Descriptions of some new species of the Coleopterous 
genus Cerapterus." By J. O. Westwood, Esq., F.L.S. 

In the present paper the author enumerates eight species of this 
interesting genus of the family of Paussidte, which he distributes 
into six subgenera. The following are the characters of the new 
species : — 

1. C. Horsjleldii, piceus ; thorace antic^ emarginato, elytris macula apicali 

flavescente baud rotundat^ literam y quodammodo simulante, palpo- 
rum labialium articulo ultimo securiformi. 

2. C. quadrinotatus, piceo-niger, nitidissimus ; thorace (antice viso) sub- 

emarginato, maculis duabus magnis ovalibus prope scutellum, alterisque 
duabus apicem versus majoribus antic^ et postice lobatis rufo-fulvis. 
Long. Corp. lin., lat. lin. 

3. C piceus, nitidus; antennis pedibusque rufo-piceis, punctis irregula- 

ribus minutissimis. 

4. C. brasiliensis, fulvo-rufescens ; oculis albidis tenuissime punctatis, ver- 

tice depress©, thorace intra ^ngulos posticos utrinque foveolato. 
Long. corp. lin., lat. lin. 

This remarkable species was discovered by Mr. Miers in the vi- 
cinity of Rio de Janeiro, and a drawing of the insect accompanies 
the present paper. Mr. Westwood regards it as the type of a new 
subgenus, which he names Homopterus. 

5. C. Westermanni, rufo-piceus, baud nitidus ; elytris nigris postic^ cruce 

nifescente notatis basi bicostatis discoque longitudinalit^r subimpressis^ 
apice rufescente. 
Long, corp. lin., lat. lin. 

Read also the conclusion of a paper, entitled " Arrangement and 
Definition of the Genera of Ferns, founded upon their venation, 
with examples of the species, and observations on the afiinities of 
each genus." By Mr. John Smith, A.L.S. 

The principles of the author's arrangement are similar to those 
proposed by Presl in his Tentamen Pteridographia, published at 
Prague in 1836, in which the venation of the frond (a character, the 
importance of which, combined with the relation of the sori to the 
veins, was first pointed out by Mr. Brown) is adopted as the basis of 
generic division. Mr. Smith states that his arrangement was com- 
pleted before the work of Professor Presl had reached this country, 
and thinks that the coincidence of their views affords presumptive 
evidence in favour of the accuracy of the principles upon which 
their distribution of the species is founded. This extensive family. 


76 Linnean Society, [Nov. 3, 

or rather class, was divided by Mr. Brown into four very natural 
subfamilies. It is only with the first of these {Polypodiacea) that 
Mr. Smith has more particularly occupied himself in the present 
paper. The following are the names and characters of the tribes 
into which he has distributed the Polypodiacece. 

Subfam. I. POLYPODIACEiE, R. Br. 
Sporangia globose, or oval, transparent, unilocular, pedicellate, or rarely 
sessile, opening transversely by the elastic property of a vertical, rarely 
oblique, articulated ring. 
Tribe I. PoLYPODiEiE. Sori punctiform or elongated, destitute of a spe- 
cial indusium. 
Examples. — Polj^podium, Sw. Grammitis, Sw, Hemionitis, L. 
Tribe II. Acrostichie^. Sori amorphous, destitute of a special indusium. 

Example. — Acrosticlmm, L. 
Tribe III. Pteride^e. Sori punctiform, or elongated transversely. In- 
dusium lateral, attached exteriorly. 
Examples. — Pteris, L. Adiantum, L. 
Tribe IV. Asplenie^. Sori elongated, oblique. Indusium lateral, linear. 

Examples. — Asplenium, L. Diplazium, Sw. 
Tribe V. Aspidie^. Sori punctiform, intramarginal. Indusium orbicu- 
lar and central, or reniform and lateral, and attached interiorly. 
Examples. — Aspidium, Sw. Nephrodium, Mich., R. Br. 
Tribe VI. Dicksonie^. Sori marginal. Indusium lateral, attached in- 
teriorly, its free margin conniving with the indusiform margin of the 
frond, forming a calyciform bilabiate cyst. 
Examples. — Lindsasa, Dry. Davallia, Sm, Dicksonia, L*Hkrit, Tricho- 
manes, L. Hymenophyllum, Sm. 

Tribe VII. Cyathe^. Sori punctiform, intramarginal. Indusium caly- 
ciform, or wanting. Receptacle elevated. 
Examples. — Cyathea, Sm. Hemitelia, R. Br. Alsophila, R. Br. 
These tribes are again subdivided into minor groups, founded upon cha- 
racters derived from the venation of the frond, the position of the sori, and 
the form of the indusium. Notholcena and Ceratopteris are referred to 
the first, Ceterach to the fourth, and Onoclea to the fifth tribes. 


Nov. 3. 

Mr. Forster, V.P., in the Chair. 

George Stephens Gough, Esq., of Rathronan House, near Clon- 
mel, and Captain D. McAdam, of the Royal Marines, were elected 
Fellows of the Society. 


1840.] lAnnean Society, 77 

Mr. William Taylor, F.L.S., exhibited a sample of the oil obtained 
from the fruit of Madia sativa, grown at Aspall Stoneham, near 
Ipswich. 

Read, " A Note on the Bokhara Clover." By William Taylor, 
Esq., F.L.S. 

Mr. Taylor obtained from Mr. Loudon a small parcel of seeds of the 
Bokhara Clover (Melilotus arborea), which was sown early in April, 
1839. The plant proved to be biennial, and stood the winter well. 
On the 28th of April following, a part of the crop was cut down, the 
stems measuring 15 inches in height ; and on the 28th of May, from 
the same piece of ground, a second crop was obtained, which had 
reached the height of 16 inches; a third on the 28th of June, 17 
inches; a fourth in July, 16 inches ; a fifth in August, 15 inches; 
and a sixth in September, measuring 14 inches. According to Mr. 
Taylor's calculation, the Bokhara Clover would yield from 20 to 30 
tons of green herbage per acre, and from 2 to 3 tons of strong fibre* 
which appears capable of being manufactured into cordage. 

The flowers are white and very fragrant, and the plant does not 
appear to differ specifically from the Melilotus leucantha, although 
regarded by DeCandolle as a distinct species. 

There were also read, *' Descriptions of some new Insects collected 
in Assam, by William Griffith, Esq., Assistant Surgeon on the Madras 
Medical Establishment." By the Rev. F. W. Hope, M.A., F.R.S., 
and L.S. 

This paper contains a further selection of new insects from Mr. 
Griffith's Assam collection in the possession of Mr. Solly, an account 
of part of which has been already noticed at p. 42, and has since 
appeared in the Society's Transactions. The descriptions are ac- 
companied by coloured figures. The species described belong chiefly 
to the group of Lucanida, and are as follows : — 

LUCANUS. 

1. L. Forsteri. 

Long. unc. 2, lin. 11 ; lat. elytr. lin. 10. 

Nigro-piceus ; mandibulis valde exsertis intern^ multidentatis ad basin 
dente valido suprk et infrk armatis, apicibus furcatis. 

This species has been named in compliment to Edward Forster, 
Esq., Treas. and V.P.L.S. 

2. L. Rafflesii. 

Long. unc. 2, hn. 6 ; lat. hn. 8. 


78 Linnean Society, [Nov. 3, 

Niger, nitidus ; mandibulis vald^ exsertis ante apicem unidentatis, apici- 
bus obtusis et oblique truncatis. 

This species is nearly related to L. nepalensis, but is of larger di- 
mensions, and is extensively diffused over the eastern part of the 
Indian continent, occurring in Nepal, Bengal, and Assam. 

3. L. Spencei, 

Long. unc. 1, lin. 9 ; lat. lin. 6. 

Ater ; mandibulis exsertis basi robustis et unidentatis, apicibus furcatis. 

4. L. ciirvidens. 

Long. unc. 1, lin. 9 ; lat. lin, 6^. 

Niger ; mandibulis exsertis intus dente curvato valido fere ad basin po- 
sito. 

5. L. hulbosus. 

Long. unc. 1, lin. 6; lat. lin. 6. 

Nigro-castaneus ; mandibulis exsertis dentibus bulbosis armatis, apicibus 
acutis. 

6. L. astacoides. 

Long. unc. 1, lin. 3; lat. lin. 4. 

Castaneus; mandibulis exsertis intus ad basin denticulatis denticulis ni- 
gricantibus, apicibus acutis. 

7. L. foveatus. 

Long. unc. 2 ; lat. lin. 6. 

Castaneus ; mandibulis vald^ exsertis, apicibus acutis, dente fere medio 
fortiori, aliisque 4 sequalibus ante apicem positis. 

8. L. omissus. 

Long. unc. 1, lin. 9 ; lat. lin. 6. 

Castaneus ; mandibulis valde exsertis, apicibus acutis, dentibus 2 nigris 
subbasalibus, aliisque 4 subapicalibus. 

9. L. serricolUs. 

Long. unc. 1, lin. 3 ; lat. lin. 6. 

Ater, politus ; mandibulis pariim exsertis sinuatis et punctatis. 

10. L. punctiger. 

Long. lin. 9^ ; lat. lin. 4. 

Ater ; corpore punctato nitido, thoracis marginibus externis serratis, 
elytris sutura parum elevata glabra insignitis, tibiis 4 posticis uniden- 
tatis. 

CHEIROTONUS. 

Corpus oblongo-ovatum, crassum. Antennce 10-articulatsB. Thorax ely- 
tris antice angustior, lateribus subrotundis, valde serrulatis. Elytra 
thorace latiora. Pedes robusti, armati, antice longiores ; Uhiis externe 
irregulariter dentatis : tarsis elongatis, articulis apice spina brevi ar- 
matis, unguibus bidentatis. TibicB 4 posticce seriebus spinarum irre- 
gularibus armatae, 
1. C. MacLeai/ii. 

Long. lin. 23 ; lat. hn. 13. 


1840.] lAnnean Society, 79 

iEneo-viridis ; thorace lateribus extern^ serrulatis et varioloso-punctatis, 
sulco longitudinal! in medio dorso fortiter impresso, elytris nigro-seneia 
maculisque croceis insignitis. 
The insect which forms the type of the above new genus, has 
been named in compliment to Mr. W. S. MacLeay. It forms, 
along with Eucheirus of Kirby, and Protomacrus of Newman, a 
small natural family, which has been termed by the author Euchei- 
rida, and is regarded by him as related to the Dynastidce, and con- 
stituting a link of connexion with the Goliathida. 

LAMIA. 
1. Z. Swainsoni. 

Long. uuc. 1, lin. 4; lat. lin. 6. 

Brunnea; thorace utrinque spinoso, dorso convexo in medio bulboso, 
elytris concoloribus albo-variegatis et ad basin nigro-tuberculatis. 

This species, which has been named after Mr. Swainson, appears 
to constitute a subgenus related to Euoplia, described in the first 
part of the account of Assam Insects at p. 42. 

MONOCHAMUS. 
1 . M. heryllinus. 

Long. lin. 8 ; lat. lin. 3. 

Coeruleo-beryllinus ; antennis griseis, thorace utrinque spinoso elytrisque 
nigro-maculatis. 

STIBARA. - f 

Corpus Saperdaeforme, crassum, robustum. Caput latum, antice fer^ 
quadratum, postice convexum. j^ ntennce cori^ore breviores, 11-articu- 
latae. Thorax robustus, nodosus, inermis. Elytra lata, thorace vix 
triple longiora, apicibus abrupte truncatis, lateribus elevatis. Pedes 
femoribus incrassatis, tibiis robustis. 

1. S. tetraspilota. 

Long. hn. 10; lat. lin. 3^. 

Aurantio-rubra ; antennis oculisque nigris, thorace nodoso, elytris conco- 
loribus, macula magna ovali nigr4 ad humeros posits, apicibus nigris, 

2. S. trilineata. 

Long. lin. 9 ; lat. lin. 3. 

Pallide castanea ; antennis albo-cinctis, thorace nodoso utrinque denticu- 
lato, elytris lineis 3 nigris insignitis, sutura latiori, lateribus punctatis, 
punctis duplici serie ad disci medium fortissimo insculptis. 

A new genus belonging to the Saperdida, to which family the 
Lamia nigricornis is also referrible, besides several other types of 
undescribed genera. 


80 lAnnean Society. [Nov. I7j 

November 17. 

Mr. Forster, V.P., in the Chair. 

Mr. Janson, F.L.S., exhibited specimens of the Neottia cdstivalis, 
discovered in August last by himself and Mr, Branch, near Lynd- 
hurst, Hampshire, being the first time it had been observed in 
England. 

Mr. Ogilby, F.L.S., exhibited a specimen in flower of a new 
species of clover recently introduced from Cabul, remarkable for the 
quantity of herbage which it yields. The species is very nearly re- 
lated to Trifolium resupinatum. 

Read, ** Description of Aucklandia, a new genus of Composita, 
supposed to be the Costus of Dioscorides." By Hugh Falconer, 
M.D., Superintendent of the Honourable East India Company's 
Botanic Garden at Saharunpore. Communicated by Dr. Royle, 
F.R.S. & L.S. 

This interesting plant, the root of which, under the name of koot, 
forms an important article of Cashmeer commerce, is considered by 
Dr. Falconer as identical with, the long-disputed Costus of the an- 
cients, and his opinion appears to be borne out by the accordance 
of the root with the description given by Dioscorides, by the striking 
analogy of the Arabian synonym hoost to its Greek and Cashmeer 
appellations, and also by the commercial history of the drug. 

The roots, which are possessed of a strong aromatic and pun- 
gent odour, are collected in large quantities, principally for export- 
ation to China, where they are held in high repute, as an aphrodisiac, 
and are also burnt as incense in the temples. The quantity annu- 
ally collected varies from 10,000 to 12,000 khurwars (of 96 seers, 
or 192 lbs.,) or about 2,000,000 lbs. weight. At Canton the price 
per cwt. is 2/. 7^. bd., while the cost at the depot in Cashmeer is 
only 25. Ad. 

The plant is not held in much repute as a medicine by the Cash- 
meerians, who are only astonished at the estimation in which it is 
held in other countries ; nor do they apply it to any other use than 
that of protecting bales of shawls from the attacks of moths : por- 
tions of the stem are, however, suspended from the necks of children 
to avert the ** evil eye," and to expel worms. 

The plant is regarded by Dr. Falconer as constituting the type of 
a new genus of Cynarea, which he has named in compliment to the 
present Governor- General of India ; and as it was discovered during 


1840.] lAnnean Society, 81 

a journey in Cashmeer, commenced under Lord Auckland's auspices, 
and yields a valuable product, he regards the name as peculiarly 
appropriate. The Aucklandin is a gregarious plant, growing in great 
abundance on the moist open slopes of the mountains which sur- 
round the valley of Cashmeer, at an elevation of from 8000 to 9000 
feet above the level of the sea, but like some other plants of that re- 
gion, it is extremely local, being confined to the immediate vicinity 
of the valley. The genus is nearly related to Saussurea, and is stated 
to be chiefly distinguished by the rays of its feathery pappus being 
disposed in two rows, and cohering by twos or threes at the base. 
The following is the author's character of the genus : 

AUCKLANDIA. 

Capitulum homogamum. Anther arum caudce lanato-plumosae. Pappi 
setacei lamellcp biseriales, plumosae, basi ternatim quaternatimve co- 
haerentes, in annulum deciduum concretse. Achenium glabrum, 

Herba orgyalis, radice perenni ramosd crassd, caule erecto simplici 
sulcata glabra folioso, foliis suhhjratis margine setaceo-dentatis suprd, 
glabris atrovirentibus subtus glaucescentibus venis puberulis, capitulis 
numerosis terminalibus aggregatis, Jloribus atropurpureis. 

Sp. A. Costus. 


December 1. 
Mr. Forster, V.P., in the Chair. 

Mr. Gould, F.L.S., exhibited a specimen of a nondescript LizEird 
from .New Holland, remarkable for the extreme aculeation of its 
scales. 

Mr. William Cumming presented specimens of Lagurus ovatus, 
Briza maxima, and Mentha crispa, which he stated that he had 
gathered in the vicinity of Saffron Walden, Essex. 

Read, " On a White Incrustation on Stones, from the bed of the 
river Annan." By Edwin Lankester, M.D., F.L.S. 

During a short stay which the author made last summer on the 
banks of the Annan, in Dumfries -shire, his attention was arrested by 
the appearance of the stones on the banks of the river. Wherever 
a mass of gravel was exposed to the air, the surface of the stones 
appeared covered with a white incrustation, as if they had been 
white- washed. This appearance was more or less general on all 

No, X. — Proceedings of the Linnean Society. 


82 Linnean Society. [Dec. 1, 

the exposed banks, but was most evident on the stones nearest the 
water's edge. On examining the stones with a pocket-lens, their 
surface appeared covered with acicular crystals, and hence it was 
at first concluded that the incrustation arose from the crystalliza- 
tion of some salt abounding in the waters. On procuring, however, 
some stones from the water itself, they presented on their surfaces 
the filaments of a minute conferva, which appeared to be the source 
of the white crust ; but as the existence of the conferva would not 
explain the crystalline appearance, it was examined under the micro- 
scope, and was found to proceed from minute acicular bodies about 
y^j^jth of an inch long and gw o^^ °^ ^^ "^^^ broad, which were most 
of them arranged in a stellate form, although many were scattered 
in all directions. Running under the whole were the filaments of a 
minute conferva, on which the acicular bodies rested. 

In Greville's Scottish Cryptogamic Flora, similar bodies are re- 
ferred to the genus Exilaria, but Dr. Lankester describes the stellate 
arrangement of the aciculae as giving to those examined by him a 
different character from E.fasciculata. Hooker, in his continuation 
of Smith's 'English Flora,' has placed Greville's name as a synonym 
of Diatoma truncatum, from which D. fasciculatum is believed not to 
be distinct. 

In Ehrenberg*s work on the Infusoria, these bodies are figured 
and described (p. 11. tab. xvii.) as Polygastric animalcules of the 
family Bacillaria. The genus to which they belong is Synedra, and 
the species which they most closely resemble is the Synedra Ulna, 
which is characterized by being striated, with linear corpuscles, 
straight, truncated at the sides, flat on the back and belly, with the 
apex a little dilated as the individuals become aged. The bodies 
from the Annan are not striated, nor are their ends dilated, although 
they appear to be full-grown. The siliceous skeletons in which these 
little animals are invested account for their white appearance. Al- 
though similar bodies have been often described both as plants and 
animals, the author believes that no notice has been taken of their 
producing the phsenomenon here described. 

Read also, " Observations on the Genus Derbe of Fabricius." 
By John O. Westwood, Esq., F.L.S. 

After noticing the recent memoirs by Messrs. Percheron and 
Boheman on this little-known Fabrician genus, and its very close 
relationship to Otiocerus and Anotia of Kirby, the author states that 
the Fabrician type of the genus, D. hcemorrhoidalis, is quite distinct 
from the group described as such by^the two first-mentioned authors. 


1840.] Linnean Society, 83 

He accordingly restricts the generic name Derbe to the typical spe- 
cies, with the following characters : 

Derbe. Rostrum ad medium abdominis extensum, articulo apicali minuto. 
Antennae breviores. Oculi subrotundati. Alae longiores, angustioros, 
cost^ anticarum ante apicem incis^, venis numerosis, longitudinalibus, 
in medio venis transversis conjunctis, mediana ramos lOlongitudinales 
emittente ; alae posticaj vena postcostali 4-fida. 

In addition to the typical species and D. nervosa^ Klug, Burm., 
the author adds the two following species to the typical group : 

1. Z). semwiriata, luteo-fulva ; alis pallidis costa magis fulvescenti venis 
nigricantibus strigisque tenuibus fuscis inter venas (nisi in cellulis api- 
calibus) dispositis. Expans. alar. lin. 16f. Brasilia. Mus. Westw. 

2. D. strigipennis, pallide fusco-lutea ; thoracis dorso carinaque faciei 
sanguineis, alarum venis fuscis, strigls tenuibus fuscescentibus inter 
venas omnes ad apicem alarum cirentibus, pedibus albidis. Expans. 
alar. lin. 14. Brasilia. Mus. "Westw. 

Mysidia. Rostrum ultra pedes posticos haud extensum. Antennae me- 
diocres. Oculi rotundati. Alae breviores, latiores, pulverosae ; anticae 
integrae, venis paucioribus, vena mediana ramos tres emittente, ramo 
medio bifido ; posticae vena postcostali bifida aut trifida. 

The variation in the position and number of the veins of the 
wings affording a character of primary importance for distinguish- 
ing the preceding groups, the author has at some length entered 
into an examination of their normal state and direction, and the 
manner in which they become modified. The following species are 
referred to this subgenus : Derbe pallida, Fab., (described and 
figured by Percheron from the Copenhagen Cabinet as the type of 
the genus,) D. squamigera, Fab., D. costalis. Fab., and probably 
D. punctum. Fab., D. testacea. Fab., and D. nivea, Fab., as well as 
the following new species : 

M. albipennis, parva, tenera ; alis albis, anticis puncto parvo ante me- 
dium costae punctis nonnuUis ad marginem internum venis trans- 
versis punctoque ante apicem nigris, lunulis parvis marginalibus fuscis. 
Expans. alar. lin. 8. Vera Cruz. Mus. Westw. 

M. lactiflora, luteo-albida ; vertice coUarisque margine antico parum 
sanguineis, hujus margine postico margineque postico tegularum albis, 
alis albis margine antico lutescente versus basin maculis tribus parvis 
maculaque majori ante apicem nigris. Expans. alar. lin. 12^. Brasilia. 
Mus. Westw. 

M. subfasciata, alba ; alis fusco transverse nebulosis puncto ante apicem 
iiigro ad basin areae parvae triangularis subapicalis, venis 4 transversis 
obscuris. Brasilia. Mus. D. Burchell, et See. Zool. Loud. 


84 Linnean Society, [Dec. 1, 

Lydda. Rostrum brevius. Antennae breves. Alae anticse valde elongat£3e, 
apice rotundatae, directione venarum anomala ; regione venae medianse 
minimi, aut potius ejus rami in venae postcostalis ramos transformati. 

The type of this subgenus is Derhe elongata, Fab., from New 
Holland, in the cabinet of the Linnean Society. 

Zeugma. Rostrum ultra basin pedum posticorum extensum. Antennae 
rotundatae. OcelH obsoleti ? Prothorax lateribus pro antennarum re- 
ceptione concavo-dilatatis. Alae anticae oblongo ovatae, apicfe subtrun- 
catae, venis numerosis longitudinalibus ; vena postcostali ramos 8 posticS, 
mediana tantum tres emittente. 

This subgenus is stated to be intermediate between Derbe and 
Thracia on the one hand, and Mysidia on the other. The only spe- 
cies is 
Z. vittata, fulva ; aHs anticis flavidis vitta lata media apicem versus 

deflexa altevaque postica parallela apice vitta abbreviata fasciaque 

tenui transversa fuscis. In Mus. Soc. Linn. 
Thracia. Rostrum pectore longius. Antennae capite fere duplo longi- 

ores. Oculi orbiculati. Ocelli nulli ? Alae anticse longissimae, angustas, 

apice truncatae, venis 12 longitudinalibus inter angulum apicalem et 

regionem analem. 

This subgenus is proposed for the two African species, D. sinuosa 
and D. nervosa, described by Boheman, and considered by him as 
constituting the first section of the genus. Notwithstanding the 
difference of its geographical range, the author adds the following 
species from Java, which agrees with the other two in all the sub- 
generic characters : 

T, javanica, fulva ; abdomine obscuriore vitta centrali pallidiori, alis 
pallide hyalinis anticis fascia lata costali fusca. Java. D. Horsfield. 
In Mus. Soc. Mercat. Ind. 

Phenice. Rostrum pectore vix longius. Antennae capite manifesto bre- 

viores. Oculi oblongi, vel obovati, distincte emarginati. Ocelli di- 

stincti. Alae anticae quam in Thracia breviores, apice subrotundatae, 

venis fere ut in Mysidia dispositis, 12 longitudinalibus inter angulum 

apicalem et regionem analem. 

This subgenus is proposed for the three African species, D. fritil- 

larisyfasciolata, and stellulata, described by Boheman, and forming 

his second section of Derhe. 

After reviewing the characters of the preceding subgenera, the 
author expresses the opinion that Otiocerus (including Hypnis, 
Burm.) and Anotia of Kirby, must also be considered as subgenera 
of equal rank with the preceding ; that Anotia coccinea, Guer. Icon. 


1840.] Linnean Society, 85 

R. An. MS. pi. 58, L3, forms another subgenus ; and that the two 
following groups also constitute two other subgenera of Derbe : 

Patara. Rostrum ad basin pedum posticorum extensum. Ocuii maxjmi, 
subtus emarginati. Ocelli obsoleti. Antennae maximae, compressae, 
verrucosae, apice subtruncato et setigero. Alae anticae longitudine 
mediocres, apice rotundatae, venis paucis celluHsque tribus discoidali- 
bus. 
F. guttata, capite tboraceque fulvis, alls anticis griseo-fuscis margine albo- 

guttatis. Insula S" Vincentii. D. Guilding. Mus. D. Hope. 
P. albida, luteo-aibida ; antennis nigricantibus, alis anticis albis farinosis 
apicem versus fuscescenti-tinctis, guttis albis sanguineisque oruatib. 
Insula S*' Vincentii. D. Guilding. Mus. D. Hope. 

Cenchrea. Frons parum producta. Oculi magni, emarginati. Ocelli 2. 
Antennae minutae, articulo 2do brevi subrotundato. Prothorax latus, 
lateribus pro receptione antennarum concavo-dilatatis. Alae anticae 
elongatae, angulo antico apicali valde obtuso, venis perpaucis longi- 
tudinalibus. 
C dorsalis, pallide testaceo-fulva ; alis anticis flavescentibus margine 
interno fuscis apice punctis duobus purpureis. Insula S" Vincentii. 
D. Guilding. Mus. D. Hope. 

The species above described, together with their structural cha- 
racters, and especially the vaiiations in the direction of the veins of 
the wings, were illustrated by numerous magnified figures. 


December 15. 
Mr. Forster, V.P., in the Chair. 

The Rev. William Cuthbert, D.D., and William Griffith, Esq., 
of the Hon. East India Company's Medical Service, were elected 
Fellows. 

Read, an " Account of two new Genera of Plants, allied to Ola- 
cinecE." By George Bentham, Esq., F.L.S. 

The two new genera on which this paper is founded are Pogope- 
talum, Benth., collected by Mr. Schomburgk in British Guiana ; and 
Jpodytes, named but not described by Prof. Ernst Meyer, among 
the South African plants collected by Dr^ge. A third genus, Lere- 
tia of Vellozo, figured in the ' Flora Fluminensis,' is also character- 
ized for the first time. 

After noticing the opinions of various authors as to the affinities 


86 Linnean Society, [Dec. 15, 

of Olacinete, and enumerating the genera hitherto referred to that 
family, Mr. Bentham enters into a detailed examination of its cha- 
racters and of their modifications in the different genera, the most 
important of which he condenses into the following character of the 
Order. 

Ord. OLACINE^. 

Calyx parvus, liber v. basi adnatus, truncatus v. dentlculatus, fructifer 
persistens immutatus v. auctus. Corollce petala 4, 5, v. 6 hypogyna v. 
subperigyna, subcoriacea, sestivatione valvata, libera v. per paria con- 
nexa v. basi in tubum coalita. Stamina definita, cum petalis inserta, 
iis coalita v. libera, numero petalorum dupla v. aequalia fertilia rarius 
asymraetrica, alterna saepe sterilia difformia. AnthercB introrsse, bilo- 
culares, loculis rima longitudinali dehiscentibus. Ovarium toro nunc 
parvo, nunc incrassato et interdum cum calyce concrete insidens, l-lo- 
culare (nunc spurie et incomplete 3 — 4-loculare) v. rarius excentrice 3- 
loculare. Ovula in loculo 2, 3 v. 4 collateralia, rarius solitaria, ab apice 
placentae liberae v. ovario v. dissepimentis spuriis connatae pendula, ana- 
tropa. Stylus erectus, simplex, stigmate nunc truncato tenui, nunc 
incrassato 2 — 3 — 4-lobo. Drupa calyce immutato stipata v. ampliato 
cincta, velata v. adnata, pericarpio tenui carnoso v. exsucco, putamine 
crustaceo v. osseo, abortu 1-spermo, rarius 2 — 3-spermo. Semen in- 
versum, v. saepius placenta cum illo a basi concreta spuria erectum, 
umbilico lato basilari affixum. Embryo in axi albuminis copiosi carnosi, 
rectus, apici fructus proximus, nunc brevissimus, rarius dimidio albu- 
minis longior, radicula apicem fructiis spectante brevissima, cotyledo- 
nibus semiteretibus, plumula inconspicua. Arhores v. frutices erecti 
V. interdum scandentes, inermes v. ramis axillaribus spinescentibus ar- 
mati, glabriv. parce pubescentes. i^o/ia alterna, simplicia, integerrima, 
exstipulata, glandulosa. Flares hermaphroditi, v. abortu polygami, 
nunc axillares distincte v. irregulariter racemosi, spicati v. cymosi, nunc 
terminales cymoso-paniculati, rarius solitarii laterales v. axillares. Brac- 
tece squamaeformes, saepius minutae, rarius juniores* imbricatse. Brac- 
teolcB parvae in cupulam connatae v. nuUae. 

Mr. Bentham distinguishes three tribes characterized as follows ; 
Trib. I. OLACEiE. Ovarium basi dissepimentis spuriis (rarius evanidis) 
3 — 4-loculare, apice 1-loculare, placenta centrali dissepimentis spuriis 
basi adhaerente superne libera. Ovula tot quot loculi spurii ex apice 
placentae pendula. Semen erectum. Injlorescentia axillaris, racemosa, 
racemis rarius ad florem unicum reductis. 

Trib. II. OpiLiEiE. Ovarium a basi 1-loculare. Ovulum (saltem per an- 
thesin) unicum, minimum, ab apice placentae liberae centralis pendu- 
lum. Stylus centricus. Semen erectum. Injlorescentia axillaris, ra- 
cemosa. 

Trib. III. IcAciNE.*. Ovarium a basi 1-loculare, v. excentrice et complete 


1840.] Linnean Society. 87 

S-loculafe. Ovula in quoque loculo duo, ab apice placentae hinc ovario 
adnata collateraliter affixa, pendula, in loculo superposita, placenta al- 
tera elongata. Stylus excentricus. Semen pendulum. Inflorescentia 
cymosa, axillaris v. terminalis. 
To the first tribe Mr. Bentham refers Heisteria, L., Ximenia, L., 
Olax, L. (including Spermaxyrum, Labill., and Fissilia, Comm.), and 
Scheepfia, L. ; to the second, Opilia, Roxb. (including Groutia, Guill.), 
and Cansjera, Lam. ; and to the third, Gomphandra, Wall., Icacina, 
A. Juss., Apodytes, Leretia and Pogopetalum. 

He considers Schapjia to be far removed from Loranthacea by the 
structure of its ovary, while it differs from Symplocos in the aestiva- 
tion of its corolla and the incomplete division of its ovary, — two 
points in which it agrees remarkably with Olax and Ximenia. He 
describes the greater part of its ovary as well as the margin of its 
calyx as free, and states that an adherence almost as complete exists 
in some species of Olax. The gamopetalous corolla he regards as a 
character of little consequence in orders where the aestivation is val- 
vate, and as existing to a considerable degree in Olax itself. In 
Schtepfia the stamens are more closely adherent to the corolla, but 
the filaments are filiform and prominent from the base of the latter, 
and are not confounded with its substance. 

He states Cansjera to differ from Thymelece, to which it is usually 
referred, in the nature of the floral envelopes, in the position of the 
stamens, and in the structure of the ovary and of the fruit ; and adds, 
that in all these points it agrees with Opilia, from which it differs 
only in the adherence of its petals. 

The genera Apodytes, Leretia and Pogopetalum are characterized 

as follows : 

APODYTES. 
Flores hermaphroditi. Calyx parvus, immutatus. Petala 4, 5. Stamina 
totidem, iis alterna, sterilia nulla. Ovarium 1-loculare. Fructus ovato- 
reniformis, subcompressus, hinc appendice carnosS auctus. Inflores- 
centia terminalis. 

LERETIA. 

Flores hermaphroditi, v. abortu masculi. Calyx parvus, immutatus. Pe- 
tala 5, intus villosa. Stamina totidem, iis alterna, sterilia nulla. Ora- 
ni/ml-loculare. i^rwc^M* (ex icone Fl. Flum.) depresso-globosus. Inflo- 
rescentia axillaris, laxa. 

POGOPETALUM. 

Flores hermaphroditi. Calyx parvus (fructifer parum auctus?). Petala 
4, 5, intus villosa. Stamina totidem, iis alterna, sterilia nulla. Ova- 
rium 3-loculare. Fructus depresso-globosus ? Inflorescentia axillaris, 
densa. 


88 Linnean Society. [Dec. 15, 

Of the latter genus two species are characterized : 

P, orbiculatum, foliis ovato-orbiciilatis obtusissimis subtus ramulisque in- 
canis, ovario hispido. — A shrub ten or twelve feet in height, found in 
dry Savannahs on the Padavvire River, Schomburgk. 

P. acuminatum^ foliis ovatis oblongisve acuminatis subtus vix pallidioribus, 
ovario glabro. — A tree of about thirty feet high, growing on the high 
banks of the Rio Negro, Schomburgk, n. 970. 

Mr. Bentham suggests that the three tribes above characterized 
may perhaps, when better known, be considered as distinct orders. 
He thinks, however, that the species of Olax in which the dissepi- 
ments of the ovary are almost entirely obliterated form a transition 
to Opilie^e ; that Gomphandra connects Opilie(E with Icacinece ; and 
that Pogopetaliim is in many respects equally allied to Olacece and to 
Icacineoe, He states that OlacecB approach most nearly to the poly- 
petalous orders with which Olacinece have been compared ; but he 
cannot admit of the supposed affinity between them and Aurantiaceee. 
Humiriacece are, he thinks, among Dichlamydeous plants, those which 
come nearest to Olacinea ; and he considers Styracece (including 
SymplocecB and HalesiacecB of Don) to be very near both to Humi- 
riacefR and Olacinete. Cornece and some other albuminous orders 
have also, in his opinion, some relation to them, but much more 
distant. 

He considers the nearest approach to Santalacece to occur in the 
tribe Opiliece, where the calyx is reduced to little more than a dila- 
tation of the torus ; and if it be admitted that there are true Santa- 
laceous genera with a superior ovary, and if he is right in supposing 
that, in the young buds of Opilia and Cansjera, there is more than one 
ovule, these two genera become so nearly intermediate, in his opi- 
nion, between Olacea; and Santalacece, as to have nearly as much 
claim to be associated with the latter as with the former. 

Lastly, he states that Icacinece recede from the two other tribes in 
the adherence of the placenta to one angle of the ovarium, and in 
the seed being consequently pendulous and not erect; a circumstance 
which would have led him to propose it as a distinct order, were it 
not for the remarkable resemblance in the floral parts to some true 
Olacineous genera, and the absence of any other distinctive character 
of importance. 

In the notes to the paper Mr. Bentham characterizes several un- 
described species of Olax in the following terms : 

0. nana (Wall. Cat. Herb. Ind. n. 6783.) suffruticosa? glabriuscula, ra- 
mis erectis parce ramosis, foliis subsessilibus oblongis lanceolatisve ob- 


1840.] lAnnean Society. 89 

tusis vix mucronulatis, pedicellis axillaribus solitariis l-floris, calyce 
libero, staminibus sterilibus bifidis. — Napalia ? Wallich. 

O. acuminata (Wall. /. c. n. 6781.), fruticosa scandens ? glabra, ramis an- 
gulatis, foliis ovato-lanceolatis acuminatis, racemis brevibus distichis 
paucifloris, calyce toro incrassato basi breviter adnato, staminibus ste- 
rilibus bifidis. — Sillet, Wallich. 

O. macrophylla, glaberrima, foliis ovato-lanceolatis acuminatis inaequila- 
teris, racemis axillaribus brevibus distichis, calycibus glabris ovarii 
basi adnatis : margine libero truncato, staminibus sterilibus integris v. 
vix emarginatis, ovario glabro. — In Monte Padawan Guianae Anglicae, 
Schomburgk. 

O. paucijlora, foliis ovatis junioribus ramulis pedicellisque puberulis, pe- 
dunculis axillaribus 1 — 3-floris, calycibus molliter pubescentibus ovarii 
basi adnatis : margine libero brevissimo truncato, staminibus sterilibus 
longe bifidis, ovario villoso. — Serra Acurua Provincire Bahiensis Bra- 
siliae ; Blanchet, n. 2795. — An hue Dulacia singularis, Veil. Fl. Flum. ? 


January 19, 1841. 
Mr. Forster, V.P., in the Chair. 

Vv. 

John MacClelland, Esq., of the Hon. East India Company's Me- 
dical Service, was elected a Fellow ; and Mr. F. Westcott, of Bir- 
mingham, an Associate of the Society. 

Mr. Mann, F.L.S., exhibited a specimen of Sedum Telephium, 
which had been preserved for two years in his Herbarium, and still 
continued to send forth buds. 

Mr. Babington, F.L.S., exhibited some Fir-cones taken from be- 
neath about ten feet of solid peat at Burrishbole, near Newport, co. 
Mayo, where they were accompanied by nuts of Corylus Avellana. 
He stated that the trees in tfejfe' part of Ireland had all been de- 
stroyed for about 200 years, and that no individuals of either species 
now occur within very many miles, except a few planted of late 
years and far^rom this locality. Professor Don remarked, that the 
Cone^ differed from either of the varieties of Pinus sylvestris at pre- 
sent found in Scotland ; and that they so entirely resembled those of 
the alpine form of that species, figured by Jacquin under the name of 
Pinus Mughus, as to leave but little doubt of their identity. He 
added, that h'b'regarded Pinus Pumilio as only another form of the 
same species. *, 

No. XI. — Proceedings of the Linnean Society. 


90 Linnean Society. [Jan. 19, 

Read, " A Description of a new genus of Linece." By Charles 
Cardale Babington, Esq., M.A., F.L.S. 

This genus, which Mr. Babington regards as assisting to establish 
more fully the relationship of Linea to MalvacecB, is stated to differ 
from the usual structure of Linece by its imbricated and not contorted 
petals, which are also not unguiculate, although slightly attenuated 
below, and by the remarkably thick coats of its one-seeded, perfectly 
closed carpels. Its essential character is given as follows : 

CLIOCOCCA. 

Sepala 5, integra. Petala 5, in gestivatione imbricata. Stamina 5. Cap- 
sttla 10-locularis; loculis clausis indehiscentibus. 

The plant on which the genus is founded was raised in the Cam- 
bridge Botanic Garden from seeds gathered in the interior of New 
South Wales by Mr. Melluish, and has flowered there during three 
successive years. 

Read also, " Extracts of Letters from Wm. GriflJth, Esq., F.L.S., 
to R. H. Solly, Esq., F.L.S." 

In the first of these letters, dated from Olipore, April 8th, 1840, 
Mr. Griffith states that he had recently examined two species of 
Ephedra, and had no doubt that the ovulum is, as described by 
Mr. Brown, naked. The first of these species has a very siliceous 
stem," without stomata, unless certain discs blocked up with some 
hard matter (silex }) are to be so considered ; which he believes to 
be the correct view, inasmuch as the other species, which has no 
siliceous deposit, has stomata of the ordinary structure arranged in 
a similar manner. 

He had also examined the ovaria of some Orchideous plants, in 
which he found, in conformity with Mr. Brown's observations, that 
the cords sent down to the placentae and subdividing into branches, 
one of which passes on each side of each placenta, do not exist before 
impregnation. He adds, that the size of the cords is certainly in 
proportion to the degree of solution of the pollinia by the stigmatic 
action. 

In another letter, dated April 23rd, Mr. Griffith describes the 
ovule of the outer cell of Callipeltis ? (that of the inner being always 
abortive) as deriving its membranous covering from the inner layer 
of the ovarium. The ovulum itself he states to be reduced to its 
nucleus, but otherwise exactly to resemble those ovula which have 
their foramen near the hilum. The same structure, he adds, exists in 
the two species of Galium found in the neighbourhood ; the seed 


1841.] lAnnean Society, 91 

having no proper covering except the albumen and embryonary sac, 
its proper coat adhering intimately with the free inner layer of the 
ovary, and this again adhering slightly with the calycine layer of that 
organ. 

In another letter, dated from Cabul, July 23rd, 1840, Mr. Griffith 
alludes to the mode of attachment of Cuscuta and Orobanche. CuscutOt 
he says, differs in this respect but little from Loranthus : the suckers 
stop at the first completely-formed wood, and never penetrate 
further, and both the cortical and ligneous systems pass into the 
stock. In Orobanche, which, however, he has only slightly examined, 
the attachment seems to him to be made only by a bundle of ducts 
derived from the outer part of the central system, which spread out 
into a disc over the surface of the first comjiletely-formed wood they 
meet. He states the Cuscuta examined to be a gigantic species in 
extent, infesting willows, poplars, a species of Elaagnus and the 
Alhagi Maurorum. It also preys, he says, extensively on itself ; and 
one of its intricate masses, half covering a willow- tree twenty or 
thirty feet high, presents a remarkable spectacle. 


February 2. 

Mr. Forster, V.P., in the Chair. 

Addresses of Congratulation to Her Majesty and to His Royal 
Highness Prince Albert, on Her Majesty's safe delivery of a Princess, 
were read and agreed to. 

Read a paper " On a peculiar kind of Organs existing in the 
Pitcher of Nepenthes distillatoria." By Prof. Don, Libr. L.S. 

These organs, named by Prof. Don ' clathrophores,* occupy the 
lower half of the inside of the pitcher, and have been described by 
Treviranus, Meyen and Korthals. Doubts still exist as to their 
precise function ; but it appears to him probable either that they are 
the mouths by which the fluid is poured out into the pitcher, or that 
they are connected with the function of respiration. 

He thinks with M. Morren that the pitcher originates from the 
lamina of the leaf, the margins of which become united at an early 
period ; while he regards the operculum as formed upon the plan of 
the cucullate sepal and petals oi Aconitum, and derived from the apex 


92 Linnean Society, [Feb. 2, 

of the leaf. He regards the pitchers of Sarracenia as formed upon 
the same principle ; but compares those of Cephalotus to the labellum 
of Cypripedium, the modified leaf being produced anteriorly into a 
pouch, and the operculum being posterior, and not anterior, as in 
Nepenthes. 

The cuticle of the upper surface of the expanded part of the pe- 
tiole of Nepenthes distillatoria is described as destitute of stomata; 
that of the under surface as being furnished with numerous oval, or 
nearly orbicular stomata, composed of two semicircular cellules with 
rectilinear faces. That of the outer surface of the pitcher is also 
without stomata, but covered, especially in the young state, with 
long subulate hairs, frequently dichotomous, or furnished with a spur- 
like process at their base. The outer surface of the operculum is 
sparingly furnished with stomata, and clothed with hairs which are 
frequently branched and fasciculate ; the inner has no stomata, but 
is furnished with clathrophores and clothed with hairs, which are 
often fasciculate, but mostly simple. 

In Sarracenia purpurea the cuticle of the pitchers is described as 
consisting of sinuously-lobed and somewhat stelliform cellules, with 
numerous small, oval, closed stomata. The fibrous bundles are 
stated to be composed entirely of long pleurenchyma, the paren- 
chyma adjacent to which consists of beautiful spiral cellules. The 
hairs of the inner surface of the operculum are simple, hollow, re- 
flexed, subulate, and marked with numerous longitudinal parallel 
lines or striae ; they proceed from a somewhat elevated base. In the 
pitchers of Cephalotus the stomata are large, oval and closed ; the 
spiral vessels smaller than in Nepenthes, and containing only a single 
fibre ; and the hairs which form the fringed border are simple, ob- 
tuse and transparent. 

Read also " A Descriptive Catalogue of the Graminea and Cype- 
racecE contained in the Indian Herbarium of Dr. Royle." By C. G. 
Nees von Esenbeck, F.M.L.S., President of the Imperial Leopoldino- 
Caroline Academy Naturae Curiosorum. 

The following are the characters of the new genera described in 
this paper. 

Trib. SACCHARINES. 

Leptatherum, Nees. 

SpiculcB in rachi ad articulos barba cincta geminje, homogamse, hemio- 

logamae, altera sessili, altera pedicellata, utraque setiger^. Glumce duae, 

herbaceo-membranacese, acutaj ; inferior dorso canaliculata, quadri- 

nervis ; superior carinata trinervis. Flosculi univalves membranacei ; 


1841.] lAnnean Society, 9S 

inferior neuter, muticus ; superior linearis, canaliculatus, apice trans- 
iens in setam longam capillarem apice subcirrhosam non genuflexam. 
LodiculcB 2, obconicae, plicatae, truncatae, ovario bveviores, membra- 
naceae. Stamina 3, filamentis capillaribus. Slyli basi conjuncti, gra- 
ciles ; stigmata villosa. Caryopsis libera, lanceolata, acuta. Inflores- 
centia : Spicce, rachi continua, triangulari, glabra, solis spicularum in- 
sertionibus barbulatis, fasciculatie, laxae. — Herba, habitu Panici Sec- 
tionis Digitariarum. Culmus racemosus, adscendens. VagincB longae. 
Folia lanceolata, acuta, plana, Iset^ viridia, nervo albo. Ligula nulla. 
L. Boyleanum, Nees. 

Batratherum, Nees. 

Spicules in rachi articulate geminatae, heterogamae, alterfi sessili hemi- 
gama, altera pedicellata neutrA. Gluma spicules perfectae 2, subaequales, 
herbaceo-chartaceae, acutae, apiceve acut^ bidentatae, in aliis superior 
apice setacea ; inferior plana, 2 — 6-nervis ; superior carinata, compli- 
cata, 1 — 3-nervis, a dorso plicata, canalem struens, in quo seta flosculi 
continetur, margine tenui simpliciter connivente. Flosculi membra- 
nacei, glumis breviores, nunquam saltern longiores ; inferior neuter, 
1-valvis, muticus ; superior bivalvis : valvula inferiori acuminata apice 
minute bidentat^ prope a basi emittente setam in medio geniculatam 
infern^ tortam ; superiori exigua lineari-subulata bidentata quandoque 
nulla. LodiculcB latae, membranaceae, truncatae, dentatae, plicatae, in 
semicirculo singulae singulum floris latus ambientes. Stamina 3. Stig- 
mata villosa. Styli discreti. Spicula pedicellata angustior, subuniglu- 
mis. Gluma plana acuta nervosa, margine subtilius serrulata ; superior 
gluma et flosculi rudimentum minuta, rotundata, squamiformia. Injlo- 
rescentia : Spica parce dichotoma, ad genicula magis minusve barbata. 
Pedicelli spicularum sterilium ciliati. — Gramina repentia, ramosa, foliis 
brevibus amplexicaulibus. Stipules membranaceae, exsertae. 

B. micans, Nees. 

APOCOPIS, Nees. 

SpiculcB in rachi angustS, barbulat4 subgeminae muticae, altera rudimen- 
tali pedicellari, alter^ polygama sessili. Glumce truncatae ; inferior 
lata, plana, obovato-conica, coriaceo-chartacea, 8 — 9-nervis, laevis, apice 
minute bidentata et inter denticulos subciliolata, basin versus firmior 
et colorata ; superior ovata, apice angustior denticulataque, chartacea, 
marginibus inflexa, laevis, quinquenervis. Flosculi 2, membranacei, 
bivalves, mutici ; inferior masculus valvulis aequalibus, apice truncatis 
denticulatis, dentibus aliquot magis distantibus. Stamina 3, antheris 
angustis, fulvis. Lodiculce exilissimae, quandoque omnino nullae quan- 
doque denticuliformes acutae. Flosculus superior hermaphroditus, vel 
potius hermaphrodito-femineus. Valvula inferior pauld firmior reliquis 
€t colorata, apice truncato-bi-tri-denticulato ; superior brevior, latiiis 
truncata, ciliolato-denticulata. Lodiculce nullae, aut forsan, ut in mas- 
culo, exilissimae. Stamina 3, eo tempore quo flosculi masculi stamina 


94 lAnnean Society, [Feb. 2, 

antheris perfectissimis filamentisque nondum elongatis intra valvulas 
adhuc latent, Jaw maxim^ extenuatis filamentis antheris autem nullis 
residuis extra valvulas prominentibus, conspicua. Ovarium lanceola- 
tum, in stylum simplicem, mox bifidum, transiens. Stigmata longa, 
linearia, brevi-villosa. Spicules neutrius vestigia produntur pedicello, 
spiculse fertili adjecto, ciliato, mutilo. Infiorescentia : Sirica bifida aut 
gerainata ; articulis trigonis ciliato-hirsutis ad genicula longiiis barbu- 
latis. — Gramen tenerum, gracile, raraosum. Nodi glabri. Vaginte 
arctae. Folia plana, lineari-acuta. 

A. Royleanus, Nees. 

Trib. STIPES. 
Orthoraphium, Nees. 

SpiculcB uniflorse. GlumcB duae convexsB, chartaceo-membranaceae, plu- 
rinerves. Flosculus collo barbato hinc depresso-plano insertus, bival- 
vis, chartaceus. Valvula inferior plurinervis, convoluta, apice attenuata 
in subulam continuam non articiilatam neque contortam ; superior 
brevior, binervis, dorso convexa. Lodiculce 3, membranacese ; duse 
anteriores lanceolatse, ovarium aequantes, basi callo insertse ; posterior 
lanceolato -linearis, ovario duplo longior. Stamina 3, antherae flavae, 
apice barbatae aut nudae. Ovarium sessile, apice calloso-incrassatum. 
Styli breves, basi contigui. Stigmata plumosa. Caryopsis libera. In- 
Jlorescentia : Panicula angusta, ramis paucifloris. — Gramina foliis an- 
gustis rigidis, cauda avistaeformi spiculanim raediocri rigidula scabra. 

0. Roy lei, Nees. 

Trib. CHLORIDES. 

Melanocenchris, Nees. 
Spiculce sesquiflorae aut subtriflorae, flosculo extremo rudimentali, in 
rachi propria brevi alternss quidem, sed adeo approximatae ut capitu- 
lum involucratum exhibeant ; superiores rachillae imperfectae. Glumes 
in infimis duae, aequales, in superioribus quandoque in omnibus una 
(supera), bracteaeformes, subulatae, rigidae, hirsutas, flosculis longiores, 
basi membranaceo-marginatae. Flosculi perfecti duo, ubi gluma sin- 
gula residet quasi axillares in angulo glumae et rachillae ; quorum alter 
rachillae propior, hermaphroditus, perfectus, sessilis ; alter masculus vel 
neuter pedicellatus ; tertius, ubi adest, rudimentalis, clavatus, nudo 
pedicello seu rachillae apice indicatus. Valvules duae, membranaceo- 
herbaceae ; inferior trinervis, apice bifida, laciniis aequalibus lineari-subu- 
latis, vel bifida cum seta interjecta; superior aequ^ longa, plana, biner- 
vis, apice bifida. Flosculus superior conformis, sed minor. Lodicules 
breves, subquadratse, bidentatse, glabrae. Stamina 3. Antheres luteae. 
Ovarium oblongum, compressum, Iseve, truncatulum. Styli longi, late 
discreti, filiformes. Stigmata angusta, dissite brevi-puberula. Caryop- 
sis libera. Infiorescentia : Spices partiales, forma involucrorum Cen- 
chri aut Penniseti, in rachi communi flexuosi alternae, secundae, paucae, 
nutantes racemulum exhibent. — Gramina perennia, parva, polyphylla, 


1S4L] Linnean Society, 95 

ramosa. Folia brevia, rigidula. Ligula nulla. Racemus exsertus, 
gracilis, secundus, laxus. Seta flosculorum coloratse. 

1. M. Royleana, Nees.,^ 

2. M. Bot^iana, Nees. ^'^ 
Pomereulla raonoica, Roth. 

Trib. FESTUCEiE. 
PLAGIOLYTRUM, Nees. 

Spicula multiflora. GlumcB duag, spicule breviores ; inferior minor am- 
plectens, oblique acutata, altero latere subpraemorsa ; superior biden- 
tata, et inter dentes brevi-subulata, subul& dentes aequante, e nervi 
dorsalis geminati apice unito orta. Flosculi jn axi gracili ad genicula 
barbulata imbricati, bivalves. Valvula inferior ovata, lateribus incur- 
va, herbacea, trinervis, apice bilaciniata laciniis muticis, setis tribus 
strictis, e nervo medio duobusque lateralibus proficiscentibus interjectis ; 
superior oblonga, magis membranacea, sursum plana, in apice obtusi- 
usculo bifida, inferius convoluta, referens flosculum ligulatum Synan- 
thereae, subquadrinervis, nervis duobus marginibus proximis distinctis, 
mediis obsoletis. Lodiculis 2, coloratae, conicae, truncatae, glabrae, 
angustae. Stamina 2 (?). Filamenta capillaria. Ovarium cylindricum, 
glabrum. Styli filiformes, distantes. Stigmata laxe villosa. Caryopsis 
elongato-cylindrica, compressiuscula, truncato-bidenticulata. Inflo- 
rescentia : Spica simplex, disticho-subsecunda. — Gramina erecta, foliis 
angustis, ligula brevi. 

1. P. calycinum, Nees. 
Dineba calycina, Hb. Wight. 

2. P.Jiliforme, Nees. 

3. P. unidentatum, Nees. 

Many new species belonging to genera previously established are 
also characterized and described. 


February 16. 

The Bishop of Norwich, President, in the Chair. 

The Most Hon. Spencer Joshua Alwyne, Marquis of Northamp- 
ton, President of the Royal Society, was elected a Fellow ; and Mr. 
George Gordon an Associate. 

Read "Observations on some new or little -known species of 
Polyparia, found in the supercretaceous strata of Italy." By Signor 
Giovanni Michelotti of Turin. 


96 Linnean Society. [March 2, 

March 2. 

Mr. Forster, V.P., in the Chair. 

Read a " Description of a new genus of Plants from Brazil." By 
John Miers, Esq., F.L.S. 

The following are the characters of the new genus described : — 

TRIURIS. 

Flores dioici. Perianthii foUola 3, obovata, infra apicem processu longo 
instructa. ^ Antherce 3? sessiles, loculis disjunctis, imo androphoro 
magno carnoso central! insertae. $ Pistilla numerosissima, aggregata, 
supera. Styli simplices, subulati. Fructus ignotus. — Planta pusilla 
hyalina, foliis paucis hracteiformibiis. 

T. hyalina. 

Hah. in humidis Serra dos Orgaos Provinciae Rio de Janeiro. 

Mr. Miers observed this minute plant only in a single locality, and 
was unable to find ripe fruit. He perceived, however, in each pistil- 
lum what appeared to him to be a solitary ovule, but so minute and 
indistinct as to be evident only by the appearance of a darker oval 
form in the centre. He has consequently no positive evidence 
whether it is Monocotyledonous or Dicotyledonous ; but is induced 
by various considerations to refer it to the former class. He notices 
the points in which it appears to him to bear some resemblance to 
different Monocotyledonous families, and suggests that, as it cannot 
be distinctly referred to any of them, it may probably be taken as 
the type of a distinct order, holding a place between Burmanniacece 
and Fluviales. 

The processes which are noticed in the character as arising from 
below the apices of the divisions of the perianthiura, are described 
as capillary tubes three times as long as the segments, within which 
they are coiled up during aestivation, their apices exhibiting at the 
apex of the bud three minute pore-like apertures open externally. 

Read also a " Note on the Preservation of Specimens of Natural 
History." By Hyde Clarke, Esq., F.L.S. 

Mr. Clarke suggests the application of Payne's apparatus for the 
preservation of animal substances for domestic purposes, to the pre- 
servation of objects of Natural History. The apparatus consists of 
an iron cylinder, in which the subject for preparation is placed, and 
the air-tight cover screwed down. The air is then exhausted by 
means of an air-pump, and when a sufficient exhaustion has been 
effected, a cock is opened communicating with a vessel containing 


1841.] lAnnean Society, 9? 

the antiseptic fluid, which, on being admitted, thoroughly pene- 
trates the object to be preserved, impregnating even the marrow of 
the bones. He adds, that the process is useful not only for the 
prevention of putrefaction, but also in arresting its progress, the 
gases generated during putrefaction being expelled from the re- 
ceiver along with the air, and their place supplied by the antiseptic. 


March 16. 
Mr. Brown, V.P., in the Chair. 

Mr. William Kay was elected a Fellow of the Society. 

Read " On an edible Fungus from Tierra del Fuego, and an allied 
Chilian species." By the Rev. M. J. Berkeley, M.A., F.L.S. 

Mr. Berkeley describes these two species as constituting a new 
genus, which he characterizes as follows : — 

CYTTARIA. 

Receptacula carnoso-gelatinosa in stroma commune subglobosum, epider- 
mide crassiuscula vestitum, aggregata ; basi stipitiformi granulate. 
Cupula peripherica, primo clausa, gelatina distenta, demum epidermide 
rupta aperta. Hymenium, margine excepto, separabile. Asci ampli^ 
demum libcri, paraphysibus immixtis. Velum persistens, demum 
ruptum, margine plus minus reflexo. Sporidia pallida. 

Genus Bulgarice affine, sed stroraate pulvinato ex variis individuis com- 
posite Sphceriam concentricam quodammodo referens, et hymenio sepa- 
rabili valde diversum. Certe ad seriem Pezizarum pertinet, perithecio 
spurio lion obstante. Confer Sphteriam monocarpam, Sebum, ad Pezi- 
zam rhizopodam a clar. Friesio ascriptara. Nomen dedi a xyTTocgof, 
ob superficiem fungi alveolatam. 

1 . C. Darwinii, vitellina globoso-depressa, cupulis parvis ore irregulari de- 
miim apertis. 

Ilab. in Fagum beiuloidem in Tierra del Fuego, Dec.-Jun. 

2. C. Berteroly pallidioB irregularis, basi subelongatd, cupulis majoribus ; 
ore pentagono ; margine fisso reflexo. 

Hah. in Chili in Fagum obliquam, vere et aestate. 

The first species is noticed by Mr. Darwin (from whom Mr. 
Berkeley obtained his specimens of both) at p. '298 of his ' Journal 
and Remarks,' forming the third vol. of the ' Narrative of the 
Voyages of the Adventure and Beagle' ; and Mr. Berkeley gives from 
Mr. Darwin's MS. notes a more detailed account of his observations 
made upon the spot. The second species is referred to in a post- 
No. XII. — Proceeoinos of the Linkean Society. 


98 Linnean Society. [March 16, 

humous hst of the plants collected by Bertero (originally published 
in the * Mercuric Chileno,' and translated in Silliman's ' North 
American Journal,' vol. xxiii. p. 78), as forming, perhaps, " a new 
genus approximating to the Spharia." A further account of this 
species also is extracted from Mr. Darwin's notes : it seems to be 
less eatable, and less frequently eaten than the first, which Mr. 
Darwin describes as forming a very essential article of food for the 
Fuegian. 

Read also a " Letter from Joseph Woods, Esq., F.L.S., to Mr. 
Kippist, on Crepis biennis and Barkhausia taraxacifolia." 

Mr. Woods is of opinion that the plant described by Sir James 
Smith in the * English Flora' and * English Botany,' by Sir W. J. 
Hooker in the ' British Flora,' by Mr. Babington in the Society's 
' Transactions,' vol. xvii. p. 456, and by Mr. Mackay in his ' Irish 
Flora,' as Crepis biennis, is in reality Barkhausia taraxacifolia, di- 
stinguished especially by the long beak of its achenia, while those of 
Crepis biennis are, in the words of Gaudin, " neutiquam attenuata." 
The stem of Crepis biennis is also less branched and more leafy than 
that of Barkhausia taraxacifolia, the latter rarely producing a leaf 
except where there is a branch. Mr. Woods adds, that it is almost 
certain that we have the two species in England, though the dif- 
ference has not been noticed. Crepis biennis grows in Kent and 
Surrey. 

In a "Note" appended to Mr. Woods's letter, Mr. Kippist 
states that the authentic Linnean specimens of Crepis biennis from 
Scania, although too young to have ripe seeds, appear to confirm 
Mr. Woods's idea, the pappus being quite sessile even in those 
most advanced, and the stem moderately branched in the upper 
part, and very leafy below. The two specimens in the Smithian 
Herbarium, one from Mr. Crowe's garden and the other from Mr. 
Rose's Herbarium, have the stem much branched, and the pappus 
apparently sessile, but the achenia are immature. 

The only developed specimen in Mr. Winch's herbarium is from 
Dartford in Kent, and has the pappus very decidedly stalked, the 
stem much branched in the upper part, and only a few scattered 
leaves in the lower, a branch being produced from the axilla of each 
cauline leaf with the exception of one or two of the lowermost., 
Other specimens, gathered near Cobham and Ramsgate, in the same 
county, and near Moulsey in Surrey, agree with Mr. Winch's plant 
in their stalked pappus and branched stem, and probably therefore. 


1841.] Linnean Society. 99 

belong to Barkhausia taraxacifolia. The only British specimens in 
the Society's possession that Mr. Kippist believes to be refenible 
with certainty to Crepis biennis are two in the Hortus Siccus of 
Mr. Woodward, with ripe achenia and perfectly sessile pappus ; the 
habitats of the plants are not given, but in all probability they were 
gathered either in Suffolk or Norfolk. 

Read also an " Extract from a Letter to John Miers, Esq., F.L.S., 
from George Gardner, Esq.," dated Rio de Janeiro, Dec. 16, 1840, 
in which Mr. Gardner gives some account of his journeys in the in- 
terior of Brazil, and of the collections made by him subsequent to 
May last. 


April 6. 

Mr. Forster, V.P., in the Chair. 

Read, an Extract of a Letter from J. Bumham, Esq., to Hyde 
Clarke, Esq., F.L.S., on a supposed new British Juncus. 

Read also the commencement of " An Appendix or Supplement 
to a Treatise on the (Estri and Cuterebrce of various Animals." By 
Bracy Clark, Esq., F.L.S., Corre.sp. Memb. of the French Institute. 


April 20. 

Mr. Brown, V.P., in the Chair. 

John Branton, Esq., of Bush Hall, near Hatfield, Herts, was 
elected a Fellow. 

His Grace the Duke of Northumberland, F.L.S., sent for exhibi- 
tion a specimen of the fruit of Chrysophyllum monopyrenum, Sw., 
from his living collection at Syon House. 

W. Felkin, Esq., F.L.S., sent for exhibition specimens of Sea- 
Island Cotton grown in a cotton-mill situate in the centre of Man- 
chester,, accompanied by a Notice of the circumstances under which 
the experiment was made. The details have been given in the 
Transactions of the British Association. 


100 Linnean Society. [April 20, 

Read the conclusion of Mr. Bracy Clark's "Appendix or Supple- 
ment to a Treatise on the (Estri and Cuterebrce of various Animals." 

The first memoir to which this paper is intended as an Appendix 
appeared in the third volume of the Linnean Transactions, published 
in 1796. This memoir was republished by the author with consi- 
derable additions in 1815, and a Supplement was added in the fol- 
lowing year. Since that period much has been published on the sub- 
ject, and Mr. Clark is desirous in consequence of making some ad- 
ditions and corrections to his former publications. 

After adding to and modifying some of the passages contained in 
them, he examines the validity of several species of the genus (Estrus 
proposed by writers. He suspects (E. Trompe of Modeer and (E. 
ericetorum of Leach to be severally the males of (E. Tarandi and CE. 
Bovis. He believes CR. Pecorum of Fabricius to be only a dark- 
coloured variety of (E. nasalis, L. {(E. veterinus, B. CI.) ; and is sa- 
tisfied by an examination of the original specimen, that Dr. Leach's 
(E. Clarkii is nothing more than a very light- coloured variety of the 
same species. He also regards CR. lineatus of Villars as synonymous 
with (E. Bovis. 

Referring to Latreille's account of the genus in Cuvier's * R^gne 
Animal,* he points out some omissions with regard to the habits and 
oeconomy of (E. Equi and (E. hemorrhoidalis, and objects to the 
statement that the eggs of the latter are deposited on the verge of 
the anus of the animal attacked. He strongly deprecates the opi- 
nion of Pallas and Latreille, that there exists a proper human (Estrus y 
which he regards as altogether founded in error ; and believes the 
larva figured in illustration of a supposed case of the kind published 
by Mr. Howship, to be that of CE. Bovis. 

Lastly, he describes three species, added to the genus (Estrus since 
the publication of his Treatise, viz. CE. pictus of Megerle, (E. Lihy- 
cus of Ruppel, and CE, Clarkii of Shuckard. The following are the 
characters of the latter species, figures of which, and of CE. Libycus, 
accompany the paper. 

(E. Clarkii, casrulescenti-fuscus, alis obscuris antice sinuatis basin versus 
atro-bipunctatis. 

Hab. ad Caput Bonse Spei. 

He adds also a description of a new species of his genus Cuterebra, 
with the following characters : — 

C. fonianella, thorace atro lateribus albis, abdomine violaceo : segmentis 

ultimis albis nigro-punctatis. 
Hah. in Illinois Americae Borealis, cuniculis praecipu^ infesta. 


1841.] Linnean Society, 101 

May 4. 

Mr. Brown, V.P., in the Chair. 

Dr. Carl Ernst von Baer, His Serene Highness Maximilian Prince 
of Wied-Neuwied, and Dr. Charles Bernhard Trinius, were elected 
Foreign Members. 

Read the commencement of " Remarks on some new or rare Spe- 
cies of Brazilian Plants." By Charles James Fox Bunbury, Esq., 
F.L.S. 


May 24. 
The Bishop of Norwich, President, in the Chair. 

This day, the Anniversary of the birth-day of Linnaeus, and that 
appointed by the Charter for the Election of Council and Officers, the 
President opened the business of the Meeting, and stated the num- 
ber of Members whom the Society had lost during the past year. 
The following is a list of the Members who have died within that 
period, acccompanied with notices of some among them. 

Francis Bauer, Esq., F.R.S., Sfc, was bom at Feldsberg, in 
Austria, on the 4th of October, 1758. His father, who held an ap- 
pointment as painter to Prince Lichtenstein, died while he was yet 
a boy, and the care of his education devolved upon his mother. So 
early was his talent for botanical drawing manifested, that the first 
published production of his pencil, a figure of Anemone prat ensis, L., 
is appended to a dissertation by Storck ' de Usu Pulsatillae nigri- 
cantis,' which bears date in 1771. 

In 1788 he came to England in company with the younger Jac- 
quin, and after visiting his brother Ferdinand, who was then engaged 
in completing the beautiful series of drawings since published in the 
* Flora Graeca,' was about to proceed to Paris. But the liberal pro- 
posals made to him by Sir Joseph Banks on the eve of his intended 
departure, diverted him from this resolution, and induced him to 
remain in England and to take up his residence in the neighbourhood 
of the Royal Garden at Kew, in which village he continued to dwell 
until the termination of his life. It was the opinion of Sir Joseph 
Banks, that a botanic garden was incomplete without a draughtsman 
permanently attached to it, and he accordingly, with the sanction of 


102 Linnean Society, [May 24, 

His Majesty, fixed Mr. Bauer in that capacity at Kew, himself de- 
fraying the salary during his own life, and providing by his will for 
its continuance to the termination of that of Mr. Bauer. In fulfil- 
ment of this engagement with Sir Joseph, Mr. Bauer made numerous 
drawings and sketches of the plants of the garden, which are now 
preserved in the British Museum. A selection from his drawings 
was published in 1796 under the title of * Delineations of Exotick 
Plants cultivated in the Royal Garden at Kew,' and this was in- 
tended to be continued annually ; but no more than three parts, con- 
sisting wholly of Heaths, and containing thirty plates, were published. 

In the early part of 1801, Mr. Bauer made for Mr. Brown, who 
had then been for some years engaged in a particular study of the 
Ferns, drawings of many genera of that family which Mr. Brown 
regarded as new. His drawings of Woodsia, made some years after- 
wards, were published in the 11th volume of our Transactions, in 
illustration of Mr. Brown's paper on that genus. At a later period 
he again directed his attention to that tribe of plants, his labours in 
which have within these few years been given to the world in Sir 
William Jackson Hooker's ' Genera of Ferns.' The 13th volume of 
our Transactions is enriched with his elaborate drawings accom- 
panying Mr. Brown's memoir on Rafflesia ; and the part published 
last year contains a paper by Mr. Bauer ' On the Ergot of Rye,' from 
materials collected between the years 1805 and 1809. 

The plate which accompanies the last-mentioned paper is derived 
from drawings which form part of an extensive series in the British 
Museum, illustrative of the structure of the grain, the germination, 
growth and development of wheat, and the diseases of that and other 
Cerealia. This admirable series of drawings constitutes perhaps the 
most splendid and important monument of Mr. Bauer's extraordinary 
talents as an artist and skill in microscopic investigation. The sub- 
ject was suggested to him by Sir Joseph Banks, who was engaged 
in an inquiry into the disease of Corn known under the name of 
" Blight," and the part of Mr. Bauer's drawings which relates to 
that disease was published in illustration of Sir Joseph's memoir on 
the subject, and has been several times reprinted with it. Mr. Bauer 
has himself given, in the volume of the ' Philosophical Transactions' 
for 1823, an account of his observations on the Vibrio Tritici of 
Gleichen, with the figures relating to them ; and another small por- 
tion of his illustrations of the Diseases of Com has since been pub- 
lished by him in the ' Penny Magazine' for 1833. His figures of a 
somewhat analogous subject, the Apple- blight and the Insect produ- 


1841.] Linnean Society. 103 

cing it, accompany Sir Joseph Banks's Memoir on the Introduction 
of that Disease into England, in the 2nd volume of the ' Transactions 
of the Horticultural Society.' 

Before the close of the last century Mr. Bauer commenced a series 
of drawings of Orchidece, and of the details of their remarkable struc- 
ture, to which he continued to add, as opportunities offered, nearly 
to the terminatioii of his life. A selection from these, which form 
one of the most beautiful and extensive series of his botanical draw- 
ings, was lithographed and published by Professor Lindley between 
the years 1830 and 1838, under the title of ' Illustrations of Orchi- 
daceous Plants.' 

His other published botanical works are : 1 . The first part, pubhshcd 
in 1818, of * Strelitzia Depicta,' a work intended to comprise figures 
of all the known species of that magnificent genus ; 2. ' Microsco- 
pical Observations on the Red Snow' brought from the Arctic Re- 
gions by Capt. Ross, the globules contained in which, by some re- 
garded as an Alga, he described in the 7 th volume of the * Quarterly 
Journal' of the Royal Institution as a species of Uredo; 3. 'Some 
Experiments on the Fungi which constitute the colouring matter of 
the Red Snow,' published in the ' Philosophical Transactions' for 
1 820 ; and 4. The Plates to the Botanical Appendix to Captain Parry's 
first Voyage of Discovery, published in 1821. One of the last pro- 
ductions of his pencil, illustrating the structure of a plant growing 
at Kew which produces perfect seeds without any apparent action 
of pollen, will appear in the forthcoming part of our Transactions. 

In the year 1816 he commenced lending the assistance of his 
pencil to the late Sir Everard Home in the various anatomical and 
physiological investigations in which that distinguished anatomist 
was engaged ; and in the course of ten or twelve years furnished, in 
illustration of his numerous papers in the ' Philosophical Transac- 
tions,' upwards of 120 plates, which were afterwards reprinted with 
Sir Everard's * Lectures on Comparative Anatomy.' These plates, 
which form together the most extensive series of his published works, 
embraced a great variety of important subjects, chiefly in microscopic 
anatomy, and aflford abundant evidence of his powers of observation 
and skill in depicting the most difficult objects. 

It is this rare and previously almost unexampled union of the ob- 
server and the artist that has placed Mr. Bauer foremost in the first 
rank of scientific draughtsmen. His paintings, as the more finished 
of his productions may well be termed, are no less perfect as models 
of artistic skill and effect, than as representations of natural objects. 


104 Linnean Society. [May 24, 

Of all his predecessors, Ehret alone approaches him in these par- 
ticulars ; among his contemporaries, none but his brother Ferdinand 
can be regarded as his equal. 

Mr. Bauer became a Fellow of the Linnean Society in 1804, and 
of the Royal Society in 1820. He died at his residence on Kew- 
Green on the 11th of December last, in the 83rd year of his age ; 
and was buried in the church-yard of that parish on the 16th of the 
same month. 

Sir Anthony Carlisle, Knt., F.R.S., SfC, a distinguished surgeon 
and physiologist, was born at Stillington, in the county of Durham, 
on the 8th of February, 1769, and received his early professional 
education partly at York and partly at Durham. He afterwards 
came to London, entered himself as a student at the Hunterian 
School uttder Cruickshank and Baillie, and became a resident pupil 
to Watson, whom he succeeded as one of the Surgeons of the West- 
minster Hospital in 1793. On the retirement of Sheldon, in 1808, 
he became Professor of Anatomy to the Royal Academy, and re- 
tained that office until 1824. He was also a member of the Council 
and of the Court of Examiners of the Royal College of Surgeons, of 
which College he was twice President. At the accession of George 
the Fourth he was knighted as a mark of acknowledgment to his 
professional skill. He died at his house, in Langham Place, on the 
2nd of November last, and was buried in the Cemetery at Kensal 
Green. 

Mr. Carlisle became a Fellow of the Linnean Society in 1792, 
and of the Royal Society in 1804; and his most important contri- 
butions to Natural Science are contained in the Transactions of 
these Societies. His paper on the Structure and QEconomy of 
Tceniie, in the second volume of our Transactions, is probably the 
first attempt to illustrate the structure of Entozoa by artificial injec- 
tions, and established, among other points, the non-existence of an 
anus in the Tcenia. At this early period, Mr. Carlisle anticipated 
M. Virey's idea of the state of the nervous system in the lowest 
animals, on which the chief character of Mr. MacLeay's Acrita is 
founded, ascribing to the Tcenice a diffused condition of the nervous 
substance, and referring to John Hunter as having, in his lectures, 
applied that character to many of the lower tribes of animals. 

Of his papers in the * Philosophical Transactions,' the first in im- 
portance and originality is the memoir * On the peculiar arrange- 
ment of the Arteries in Slow-moving Animals;' and it is on the 
striking discovery detailed in it that his memory as a comparative 


1841.] LAnnean Society, 105 

anatomist will chiefly rest. His paper on the Physiology of the 
Stapes, published in the volume for 1805, affords a good example 
of the application of Comparative Anatomy to the elucidation of a 
difficult physiological question ; almost all the facts contained in it 
relating to the form and structure of the stapes in various animals 
were new. The Comparative Anatomy and Physiology of the Organ 
of Hearing formed the subject of his Lectures at the College of Sur- 
geons in 1818. 

His Lectures on Extra-vascular Substances, also delivered at the 
College of Surgeons, but of which an abstract only of a small por- 
tion was published in the * Annals of Philosophy,' are alluded to in 
high terms by Mr. Lawrence. In 1820, and again in 1826, he de- 
livered the Hunterian Orations at the College. The latter of these, 
containing the Anatomy of the Oyster, has been quoted in reference 
to the observations which indicate the sensibility of the Oyster to 
light. He also spent much time in experiments on the growth and 
reparation of Shell. In the prosecution of his various inquiries he 
enriched the Museum of the College with some unique examples of 
his peculiar anatomical skill. 

Besides these contributions to Comparative Anatomy and Animal 
Physiology, Mr. Carlisle communicated to the Horticultural Society 
a memoir ' On the connection between the Leaves and Fruit of 
Vegetables, with other Physiological Observations,' and another 
paper published in the 2nd volume of the Transactions of that So- 
ciety. 

The Bishop of Chichester, 

Lord Henri/ John Spencer Churchill, 

Sir John William Lubbock, Bart, 

The Rev. Thomas Rackett, M.A., F.R,S., SfC, during a long life 
successfully cultivated viurious branches of Natural Science and the 
liberal arts. Associated in his school-days with Hatchett, and after- 
wards with Maton, Pulteney and Cavallo, he became attached to 
the pursuits by which his friends Were distinguished, and assisted 
warmly in the promotion of their views. In the years 1794 and 
1796, he accompanied the two former in the tours which Dr. Maton 
subsequently published under the title of ' Observations relative 
chiefly to the Natural History, Picturesque Scenery, and Antiquities 
of the Western Counties of England,' and furnished with his pencil 
the embellishments of that work, which was inscribed to him in a 
friendly and grateful dedication. In conjunction with Dr. Maton, 
he published in the 7 th volume of our Transactions ' An Historical 


106 Linnean Society. [May 24) 

Account of Testaceological Writers,' and in the 8th * A Descriptive 
Catalogue of the British Testacea.' These works may be justly 
characterized as manifesting extensive research, careful comparison, 
and accurate observation : the latter long continued to be the text- 
book of British Conchologists. Dr. Maton and himself also pub- 
lished in our 8th volume ' An Account of some remarkable Shells 
found in cavities of a Calcareous Stone, called by the stone-masons 
Plymouth-Rag ;' and he subsequently contributed to the 11th volume 
' Observations on Cancer salinus' and to the 12th, ' Observations on 
a Viper found in Cranborne Chace, Dorsetshire,' which he presumed 
to be Coluber Chersea, L. In addition to his skill in the use of the 
pencil, he was an accomplished musician, and devoted much of his 
time to antiquarian research, as well as to the prosecution of Natural 
and Experimental Philosophy. 

Mr. Rackett became a Fellow of the Linnean Society in 1795, 
and of the Royal Society in 1803. In the year 1780 he was insti- 
tuted to the Rectory of Spettisbury and Charlton, in the county of 
Dorset, and died on the 29th of November last, at the advanced age 
of 85, after an incumbency of more than sixty years. 

The Rev. John Revett Sheppard, M.A. 

Lord Viscount Valentia. 

Nicholas Aylward Vigors, D.C.L., F.R.S., M.R.I. A., SfC, one of 
the most eminent ornithologists of the present day, was born in 
1787 at Old Leighlin, in the county of Carlo w, where his family had 
long been settled. He was educated at Trinity College in the Uni- 
versity of Oxford, and gave early proof of the diligence and success 
with which he pursued his classical and literary studies, by pub- 
lishing in 1810 * An Enquiry into the Nature and Extent of Poetick 
Licence.' Towards the close of 1809 he purchased an Ensigncy in 
the Grenadier Guards, and was severely wounded in the action at 
Barrosa, in the early part of 1811. On his return to England in the 
same year he quitted the army, and for the next twenty years 
devoted himself to the study of Zoology, and especially of birds 
and insects. In both these departments he formed extensive col- 
lections, and at a subsequent period liberally presented them to the 
Zoological Society, of w^hich he was the first Secretary and one of 
the most zealous and active promoters. On the death of his father 
he succeeded to the family estate, and in 1832 became the repre- 
sentative in Parliament of the borough of Carlow, for which, or for 
the county of the same name, he continued to sit until the termina- 
tion of his life on the 26th of last October. 


1841.] Linnean Society, 10? 

Mr. Vigors became a Fellow of this Society in 1819, and is author 
of an important paper in the 1 4th volume of our Transactions, * On 
the Natural Affinities that connect the Orders and Families of Birds.' 
In this elaborate memoir he applied to the whole Class of Birds the 
principles of the quinary arrangement propounded by Mr. W. S. 
MacLeay in the ' Horse Entomological,' of which he continued 
through life to be one of the most ardent supporters. In the suc- 
ceeding volume he published, in conjunction with Dr. Horsfield, the 
first part of ' A Description of the Australian Birds in the collection 
of the Linnean Society, with an attempt at arranging them accord- 
ing to their Natural Affinities,' in which the same principles were 
further developed and applied to the illustration of the Raptorial and 
Insessorial Orders. His only other contribution to our Transac- 
tions consists of a * Description of a new Species of Scolopax lately 
discovered in the British Islands ; with Observations on the Anas 
glocitans of Pallas, and a description of the Female of that Species,' 
contained in the 14th volume. 

The first of his papers in the 'Zoological Journal' appeared in 
1824 ; in 1827 he became its principal editor, and so continued until 
its termination in 1834. Of his numerous ornithological memoirs 
pubUshed in that work, perhaps the most important is his ' Arrange- 
ment of the Genera of Birds ;' which, although scarcely more than 
a bare enumeration of names, contains the most complete outline of 
his views on the subject of classification. Some of his notices in 
the ' Zoological Journal' are on Entomological subjects ; and several 
valuable papers, written in conjunction with Dr. Horsfield, are de- 
scriptive of new or rare Mammalia in the collection of the Zoological 
Society. For several years before his death the active part which 
he took in politics precluded his paying much attention to Zoology, 
but he retained to the last a considerable interest in his former pur- 
suits, especially in connexion with the Zoological Society, He con- 
tributed many valuable notices to the ' Proceedings' of that Society. 

Major- General Viney, 

Robert Montague Wilmot, M.B. 

Rev. William Wood, B.D., and 

Francis Boucher Wright, Esq. 

Among the Associates 

Henry Woods, Esq., a surgeon, formerly resident at Bath, and 
subsequently at Camden Town, near London, who was well versed 
in the study of the Mammalia, a ' Natural History' of which he was 
for many years engaged in preparing for the press. This work. 


108 Linnean Society. [June 1, 

which was intended to be on a very extensive scale, has never ap- 
peared. He was author of * An Introductory Lecture on the Study 
of Zoology,' of a memoir * On a new Species of Antelope,' in the 
5th volume of the * Zoological Journal,' and of one or two notices 
in the * Proceedings of the Zoological Society.' A few years before 
his death he quitted the neighbourhood of London and returned to 
Bath, where he became Secretary to the Literary Institution, and 
died on the 18th of August last, at the age of 46. 

The President also announced that twelve Fellows, three Foreign 
Members, and two Associates had been elected into the Society 
since the last Anniversary. 

At the election, which subsequently took place, the Lord Bishop 
of Norwich was re-elected President; Edward Forster, Esq., Trea- 
surer ; John Joseph Bennett, Esq., Secretary ; and Richard Taylor, 
Esq., Under-Secretary. The following five Fellows were elected 
into the Council in the room of others going out, viz. Sir Wm. 
Jackson Hooker ; Joseph Janson, Esq. ; The Most Honourable the 
Marquis of Northampton ; John Parkinson, Esq. ; and John Obadiah 
Westwood, Esq. 


June 1. 

Mr. Forster, V.P., in the Chair. 

Read the conclusion of Mr. Bunbury's " Remarks on certain 

Plants of Brazil, with descriptions of some which appear to be new." 

The following are the characters of the species described as new : 

Lasiandra calyptrata, ramis teretibus ferrugineo-tomentosis, foliis petio- 
latis ovato-oblongis acutis 5-nervibus subsetoso-hirsutis subtus dense 
villosis, racemis terminalibus paucifloris, pedicellis oppositis 1-3-floris, 
bracteis hispido-pilosis convolutis calyptriformibus, calyce sericeo, fila- 
mentis styloque hirsutis. 

Hab. pvope Gongo Soco, in prov. Minas Geraes. 

Clidemia ? glabrata, ramulis subtetragonis glabris, foliis petiolatis oblongo- 
lanceolatis subcordatis acuminatis serrulato-ciliatis 5-nervibus utrinque 
glabris: petiolis ciliatis, panicula tevminali trichotoiua divaricata glabra, 
floribus'verticillato-aggregatis sessilibus ebracteatis, petalis lanceolatis. 

Hab. prope Gongo Soco, in prov. Minas Geraes. 

Clidemia deflexa, ramis subtetragonis petiolis paniculisque setoso-hispi- 
dissimis, foliis ovatis acuminatis quintuplinervibus subdenticulatis cili- 


1841.] Linnean Society, 109 

atis utrinque hispidis, paniculS, terminali elongate opposite ramosa de- 
flex& nutante, floribus ad ramulorum apices congestis ebracteatis, lobis 
calycinis obtusis concavis dorso appendiculatis. 
Hab, prope Gongo Soco. 

Cremanium ? cordifolium, undique glanduloso-pilosissimum, foliis petio- 
latis lat^ cordatis acuminatis inaequaliter denticulatis ciliatis 8ub-7- 
nervibus, panicula subterminali nutante lax& opposite ramo8&, calyce 
subrotundo-turbinato : lobis subulatis, petalis lanceolatis acuminatis. 

Hab. prope Gongo Soco. 

Hireea cinerea, foliis lanceolatis acutis supern^ glabris subtiis fructibusque 
adpress^ sericeo-pilosis canescentibus, paniculd terminali trichotomy 
folios&j calycibus eglandulosis adpresse pilosis, fnictds alis semiorbicu- 
latis crenatis undulatis. 

Hab. in sylvis montis Corcovado prope Rio de Janeiro. 

T'etrapteris mutabilis, rarais paniculisque velutino-tomentosis, foliis 
obovato-ellipticis obtusis rugosis utrinque tomentosis : petiolis apice 
biglandulosis, panicula terminali laxa divaricata multiflora, alis fructils 
inaequalibus. 

Hab. in sylvis montis Corcovado. 

Abutilon benedictum, ramis sulcatis petiolis pedunculis calycibusque 
floccoso-tomentosis, foliis lanceolatis acuminatis basi acutiusculis obtus^ 
serratis rugosis supra glabris subtus incano-velutinis, pedunculis axil- 
laribus unifloris folium aequantibus. 

Hab. in sylvis caeduis {capoeiras dictis) prov. Minas Geraes. 

Rubus longifolius, caule angulato petiolis pedunculisque densissime glan- 
duloso-setosis aculeatis, foliis quinato-palmatis : foliolis petiolatis ob- 
longo-lanceolatis acuminatis basi subcordatis argute serratis utrinque 
glabris, stipulis setaceis, calyce subsericeo-tomentoso reflexo. 

Hab. prope Gongo Soco. 

Lupinus nitidissimus, suftruticosus erectus ramosus aureo-sericeus, foliis 
simplicibus ovatis acutis, stipulis petiolo adnatis breviter acuminatis, 
racemis subterminalibus elongatis, floribus verti ciliatis, calycis labiis 
integris : inferiore elongato. 

Hab. in campis altis prov. Minas Geraes, prope Capao et Ouro Preto. 

Achyranthes paludosa, caule herbaceo subramoso fistuloso, foliis obovato- 
lanceolatis acutiusculis glabris, pedunculis axillaribus folium subaequan- 
tibus, spicis abbreviatis capitatis glaberrimis. 

Hab. prope urbem Buenos Ayres. 

DesinochtBta ? sordida, caule herbaceo prostrate ramosissimo lanato, foliis 
subrotundis mucronulatis in petiolum attenuatis glabriusculia, capitulis 
sessilibus axillaribus ovatis, calycis foliolis '3 exterioribus majoribus; 
interioribus carinatis conniventibus : setis uncinato-barbatis. 

Hab. ad vias prope urbem Buenos Ayres. 


ilO Linnean Society, [June 1^ 

Schultesia pallens, culmo erecto subramoso, foliis ovatis ellipticisque acu- 
tiusciilis : summis lineari-lanceolatis acuminatis, floribus terminalibus 
subsolitariis, alls calycis dilatatis semiovatis, corollae laciniis obovato- 
rhombeis breviter acuminatis integerrimis. 

Hub. piope Gongo Soco in prov. Minas Geraes. 

Solanu7n graved ens, suffruticosum inerme glanduloso-pilosum viscosum, 
foliis pinnatis : foliolis petiolulatis oblongo-lanceolatis acuminatis mem- 
branaceis, racemis longe pedunculatis multifloris subcoryrabosis uni- 
lateralibus, corolla quinquefidil. 

Hab. prope Gongo Soco. 

Solarium reptans, herbaceum inerme bispido-hirsutum, foliis pinnatis : 
foliolis petiolulatis oblongis subacuminatis : petiolis alatis, racemis late- 
ralibus folio brevioribus, caule prostrate radicante. 

Hab. prope Gongo Soco. 

Mr. Bunbury believes Lasiandra jissinervia, DeC, to be merely a variety 
of L. Fontanesiana ; and Clidemia urceolata and C. biserrata to be one spe- 
cies. He describes variations in character occurring in Lasiandra protea- 
formis. DeC, Clidemia urceolata, DeC, C. longibarbis, DeC, Tetrapteris 
acutifolia, Cav., Bignonia venusta and Neurocarpum angustifolium, Kuntli. 
He thinks it possible, however, that his plant may differ from the latter, as 
the flowers are resupinate, a character which could hardly have escaped M. 
Kunth ; he therefore proposes for it the following character, should it prove 
to be distinct : — 

Neurocarpum resupinatum, frutescens erectum, foliis trifoliolatis : foliolis 
ellipticis oblongisque retusis mucronulatis supra glabris subtiis pallidis 
pilosiusculis,pedunculis subbifloris folio brevioribus, floribus resupinatis. 

Hab. ad Botafogo, prope Rio de Janeiro. 

Specimens of the plants noticed in this memoir were included in a col- 
lection presented to the Society by Mr. Bunbury some years ago. 

Read also a " Synopsis of the Coleopterous family Paussidce, 
with descriptions of a new Genus and some new Species." By J. 
O. Westwood, Esq., F.L.S. 

This paper contains a brief enumeration of the species of the re- 
markable family of Paussidce, with some additions and corrections to 
Mr. Westwood's Monograph of it, published in the 16th volume of 
the Society's Transactions. 

He proposes to exclude from the family the genus Trochoideus, an 
examination of the cibarian organs having proved that genus to be- 
long to the EndomychidcK ; and states that he is now acquainted with 
four, if not five, species belonging to it, viz. 1 . Troch. cruciatus, 
Dalm. ; 2. T. Dalmanni, Westw. ; 3. T. Desjardinsii, Guer. ; 4. T. 
Americanus, Bucqu. ; and 5. ? T. Hopei, Westw. The last-named spe- 


1841.] Linnean Society, 111 

cies he has seen in Mr. Hope's collection : it is from New Grenada, 
and is possibly identical with T. Americanus. 

Mr. Westwood gives the following as a synopsis of the genera 
belonging to the family in its present state : — 
AntenncB quasi biarticulatae. 

Caput thorace haud immersum, collo distincto, ocellis nullis. 

Palpi labiates articulo ultimo elongato 1. Paussus. 

articulis aequalibus 2. Platyrhopalus. 

Caput thorace immersum ocellis duobus 3. Hylotorus. 

AntenncB quasi sexarticulatae. 

Prothorax angulis anticis valde productis 4. Pentaplatarlhrus. 

transversus, angulis anticis rotun- 1 ^ T h' d 

datis, posticis valde emarginatis / 

truncato-cordatus 6. Ceratoderus. 

AntenncE ({nsi,s\ decemarticulatae 7. Cerapterus. 

I. Paussus, Linn. 

Sect. A. Thorax quasi bipartitus. 

a. Antennarum clava postice haud excavatd. 

1 . P. microcephalus, L. Africa ? 

2. P. Jousselinii, Guer. Rangoon. 

3. P. Linncei, Westw. Habitat unknown. 

4. P. Burmeisteri, Westw. Cape of Good Hope. 

5. P. rujitarsis, Westw. Habitat unknown. 

6. P. pilicornis, Donov. Bengal. 

7. P. Turcicus, Frivaldsk. Balkan Mountains. 

b. Antennarum clava postice excavata. 

8. P. thoracicus, Donov. Bengal. 

9. P. Fichtelii, Donov. Bengal. 

10. P.fulvus, luteo-fulvus subopacus, elytris magis rufescentibus, anteU' 
narum articulo basali thoracis lateribus postice femoribusque obscurio- 
ribus, capite supra profunde impresso.— Zon^. corp, tin. 3. 

Hah. in India Orientali. 

\\. P. tibialis, castaneus nitidus, elytris singulis plaga magna nigr&, tibiis 
4 anterioribus elongatis ; posticis multo latioribus compressis, antenna- 
rum clavd postice profunde excavata. — Long. corp. lin. 2J. 

Hah. in Bengala. In Mus. D. Westermann. 

12. P. excavatus, Westw. Senegal. 

13. P. ruber, Thunb. Cape of Good Hope. 

14. P. cochlearius, Westw. South Africa. 

15. P. Klugii, Westw. Cape of Good Hope. 

Sect. B. Thorax subcontinuus. 
a. Species Africanae. 

16. P. sphterocerus, Afzel. Sierra Leone. 


112 Linnean Society, [June 1, 

17. P. armatus,]^e].\ P.cornutus, Q,\\e\ro\. Senegal. 

1 8. P. curvicornis, Chevrol. ; P. cormdus, var. ?, Chevrol. Senegal. 

19. P. Shtickardi, Westw. South Africa. 

20. P. Uneatus, T\mnh. Cape of Good Hope. 

21. P. qffinis, Westw. On the authority of the British Museum Cata- 
logue Mr. Westwood is now enabled to give Africa as the habitat of 
this species ; but he suggests that there may be some mistake as to lo- 
cality, and that the insect may really be Indian, and not specifically di- 
stinct from the following, P. cognatus. 

b. Species Indicae. 

22. P, cognatus, rufo-castaneus nitidus punctatus, elytris singulis plagS 
magna nigra, capite antic^ linea tenui impressa : vertice impressionibus 
duabus semicircularibus, antennarum clava subovat& basi extiis in ha- 
mum producta. — Long. corp. lin, 4. 

Hah. in Bengala. In Muss. D. D. Melly et Westermann. 

23. P. HardwicJcii, Westw. Nepaul. 

24. P. Saundersii, fulvo-rufescens subnitidus punctatus, capite thoraceque 
obscurioribus, antennarum clava oblongo-ovatit basi extus in hamum 
setigerum producta. — Long. corp. lin. 3f . 

Hab. in India Orientali. Mus. D. W. W. Saunders. 

25. (Sp. ined.), Latr. Isle of France. 

Obs. P. rujicollis, Fabr., is given by Dr. Erichson as one of the Malachii, 
and as identical with his Collops 4:-maculafus. 

2. Platyrhopalus, Westw. 

1 (26). P. denticornis, Westw. East Indies. 

2 (27). P. unicolor, Westw. East Indies. 

3 (28). P. acutidens, Westw. Nepaul. 

4 (29). P. Westwoodii, Saund. East Indies. 

5 (30).' P. angustus, Westw. East Indies. 

6 (31). P. Melleii, Westw. Malabar. 

7 (32). P. aplustrifer, Westw. Bengal. Certainly belonging to this genus. 

8 (33). P. ? IcBvifrons, Westw. Senegal. 

9 (34). P. ? dentifrons, Westw. Senegal. 

3. Hylotorus, Dalm. 
1 {Z5). H.buceplialus, GyW, Sierra Leone. 

4. Pentaplatarthrus, Westw. 
1 (36). P. paussoides, Westw. South Africa. 

5. Lebioderus, Westw. 
1 (37). L. Goryi, Westw. 

6. Ceratoderus. 
Corpus oblongum, depressum. Caput transverso-quadratum, postice collo 
instructum, disco inter oculos bi-impressum. Antenn(S quasi 6-articu- 


1841.] Linnean Society. 113 

latae, articulis 4 intermediis transversis planis, ultimo semiorbiculari . 
Maxilla minutae, planae, corneae, apice acutse curvatae, intus sub apice 
dente acuto armatae. Palpi maxillares 4-articulati, articulo magno 
ovato, 3tio 4toque minoribus subcylindricis ; lahiales articulo ultimo 
praecedente baud multo majori ovato apice tnmcato. Prothorax capite 
vix latior, cordato-tiuncatus, trans medium linea impress^ notatus. 
Elytra oblongo-ovata, depressa. Pedes breviusculi ; femoribus tibiisquc 
compressis, bis apice baud calcaratis ; tarsis distinct^ 5-articulati8, ar- 
ticulo basali sequenti longiore. 

1 (38). C. btfasciatus. 

Paussus bifasciatus, Kollar in Ann. Wien. Mas. 1836, t. 31. f. 7. a, b; 
Westtv. in Trans. Ent. Soc. ii. p. 91. pi. 10. f. 3. 

Hah. in Indill Orientali. 

7. Cerapterus, Swederiis. 

1 (39). C. latipes, Swed. Bengal. 

2 (40). C. Horsfeldii, Westw. Java. 

3 (41). C. ^-maculatus, Westw. Java. 

4 (42). C. (Orthopterus) Smithii, MacL. Soutb Africa. 

5 (43). C. (Arthropterus) MacLeaii, Donov. Nevir Holland. 

6 (44). C. (Phymatopterus) piceus, Westw. New Holland. 

7 (45). C. (Homopterus) lirasiliejisis, Miers. Brazil. 

8 (46). C. (Pleuropterus) Westermatini, Westw. Java. 


June 15. 

The Bishop of Norwich, President, in the Chair. 

The President nominated the four following Members of the 
Council to be Vice-Presidents for the year commencing on the 25th 
of May last, viz. Robert Brown, Esq., Edward Forster, Esq., Thomas 
Horsfield, M.D., and Aylmer Bourke Lambert, Esq. 

Read, an Extract from a Letter from William Griffith, Esq., F.L.S., 
to R. H. Solly, Esq., F.L.S., dated Meerut, March 29, 1841. 

Mr. Griffith states, that in its placentation, ovula, and protrusion 
of the embryonary sac, Osyris approaches Santalmn, but presents in 
some particulars still more curious anomalies. First, the embryo- 
nary sac of Osyris seems to be produced beyond the base of the 
ovulum, passing down through the placenta and through the central 
tissue of the young fruit to its base. Secondly, the first steps of the 
growths consequent on fecundation take place outside the protruded 

No. XIII. — Proceedings of the Linnean Society. 


114 Linnean Society. [June 15, 

sac, which may be found unaltered in the placenta of the ripe fruit. 
Whether the first cells, constituting the rudiments of the part in 
which albumen is subsequently deposited, are derived from the boyau 
or from the embryonary sac, Mr. Griffith states, that he has not 
been able to determine ; but he imagines that they are derived from 
the boyau. He adds, that if his views of the seed of Loranthus being 
derived from the boyau solely be correct, Osyris is intermediate be- 
tween Loranthus and Santalum ; and intimates his intention of send- 
ing, on his arrival at Calcutta, a Supplement to his paper on Loran- 
thus, published in the Society's Transactions. 

Read also a paper " On a reformed character of the genus Cry- 
ptolepis of Brown." By H. Falconer, M.D., Superintendent of the 
Hon. East India Company's Botanic Garden at Saharunpore. 

Dr. Falconer's character is as follows : — 
Cryptolepis, R. Br. 
Calyx 5-partitus. Corolla infundibuliformis, 5-fida ; tubo intus proces- 
subus 5 carnosis, obtusis, inclusis, cum Hmbi laciniis alternantibus, in- 
structo ; fauce nuda. Stamina in)o corollse tubo inserta, inckisa ] fila- 
meiita brevissima, distincta; antherte sagittatee, dorso penicillato-bar- 
batse, basl stigmatis niargini adhserentes. Massce pollinis solitaviae, 
granulosse, corpusculi glandulseformis apjiendiculae lineari tenuissimsB 
applicitae. Ovaria 2. Stylus brevissimus. Stigma dilatatum, margine 
attenuatum, apiculo conico. Squamulce hypogyncB nullae. Folliculi di- 
varicatissimi, ventricosi, apice acuto recto. Semina ad umbilicum co- 
mosa. 
Frutex volubilis, glaherrimus, succo lacteo scatevs ; foliis oppositis, hreve- 
petiolatis, lato-eUipticis cum acumine suhulato brevi, supra Icete-viren- 
tibus, subtus albido-glaucis, transverse venosis ; petiolis supra basin ar- 
ticulatis ; corymbis axillaribus, breve-pedunculatis, curtails ; floribus 
subsessilibus, majusculis, citrinis ; corollse limbo patulo, segmentis ligu- 
latis. 
C. Buchanani, Roem. et Sch., iv. p. 409. 
C. reticulata, Royle, Illustr., p. 270. 
Nerium reticulatum, Roxb. Flor. Ind. Orient, ii. p. 9. 
Hab. passim in India Orientali. 

In his Monograph in the Wernerian Transactions, Mr. Brown re- 
ferred the genus Cryptolepis, which he there established, to Apocynece, 
placing it next to Apocynum, and in this he has been followed by all 
subsequent writers ; but Dr. Falconer states that it has the whole 
stigmatic apparatus of Asclepiadece, with granular pollen as typically 
developed as in Cryptostegia or any other of the PeriplocecB, although 
in a less considerable degree of evolution. He regards it, however. 


1841.] Linnean Society. 115 

as constituting the closest known transition from that family to Apo* 
cynea. He thinks the extreme minuteness of the appendiculae may 
account for their having escaped Mr. Brown's observation in the dry 
specimen ; but adds, that there are two other points of difference, 
which lead him to suspect his plant to be distinct from that described 
by Mr. Brown. These are the want of hypogynous scales, of which 
he finds no trace, and which he believes to be wanting in the series of 
Periploceous genera allied to Cryptolepis ; and the axillary, and not 
interpetiolar, inflorescence. He also gives a detailed description of 
the sexual organs, and states that he has never been able to observe 
the pollen tubes either naturally or artificially produced. 

In a supplementary note. Dr. Falconer adds, that he has since 
learned by letters from Dr. Wight and Mr. Griflith, that both those 
gentlemen have been long aware of Cryptolepis being an Asclepiadeous 
genus. With reference to Dr. Wight and Mr. Arnott's genus Stre- 
ptocaulon, under which those authors include the mass of Dr. Wallich's 
Indian species of Periploca, he observes, that S. calophyllum wants 
the principal character on which the distinction of that genus from 
Periploca is founded, and suggests its restoration to Periploca, of 
which he also characterizes a new species from the neighbourhood 
of Cashmeer with a peculiar pseudo- aphyllous habit. Of these spe- 
cies he gives the following characters : — 

P. calophylla, volubilis glabra, foliis anguste lanceolatis longe attenuatis 
utrinque nitidis transverse venosis, cymis subsessilibus paucifloris, flo- 
ribus breviterpedicellatis, corollis intus parce hlrsutis, squamis hirsutis- 
simis, folliculis elongatis gracilibus subparallelis (nee divaricatie !). 
Streptocaulon calophyllum, Wight, Contr. Ind. But., p. 65. 
Hub. passim in vallibus exterioribus montium Himalensium. 
P. Hydaspidis, volubilis ramosissima glabra, ramis fasciculatis nodoso- 
articulatis, foliis tenuissiniis linearibus apiculatis adpressis remotis ca- 
ducis, cymis axillaribus nmltifloris, floribus breviterpedicellatis, coroUA 
intus squamisque tomentosis. 
Hah. secus ripas Hydaspidis extra Kashmeer prope ** Khutao Kelah." — 
Fl. Septembri. 

The paper was accompanied by a coloured drawing of Cryptolepis 
Buchanani ? var. reticulata, and of* the details of its fructification. 

Read also, *' A Description of an additional species of Paussus." 
By J. O. Westwood, Esq., F.L.S., &c. 

The following are the characters of this species, which Mr. West- 
wood states to be most nearly allied to P. ruber, Thb., and of which 
he has seen only a single specimen in the collection of Samuel 


116 Linnean Society. [Nov. 2> 

Stevens, Esq., who obtained it together with specimens of Platyrho- 
palus denticornis and P. aplustrifer in a small collection of Indian in- 
sects, without any indication of its precise locality. 

Paussus Stevensiamis, pallide luteus, capite nigosulo tuberculis 2 elevatis 

inter oculos, antennarum clava magna postlce excavata, elytris versus 

apicem fasciculis duobus minutis pilorum instructis. 


November 2. 

The Bishop of Norwich, President, in the Chair. 

The Hon. William Henry Dawnay, M.P., and Samuel Solly, Esq., 
were elected Fellows of the Society. 

Read, " Notes on the Habits of the Box-Tortoise of the United 
States of America, the Cistuda Carolina of Gray." By George Ord, 
Esq., F.L.S. 

Mr. Ord states that this species is common in Pennsylvania, and 
appears to prefer dry situations, only frequenting the wet in pursuit 
of some favourite food, such as the remains of fish which lie scattered 
under the trees in swamps where the Night-heron (Ardea Nyctica- 
rax, L.) breeds. It feeds also on insects, worms, and tender fungi, 
and eats greedily of strawberries, raspberries, and soft peaches. Its 
flesh is excellent, but the farmers have the same prejudice against it 
as against that of frogs. It hybernates about the middle of October, 
preferring a loose soil and southern exposure ; and in severe winters 
some individuals perish in consequence of not having penetrated to a 
sufficient depth to escape the frost. About the 20th of April the sur- 
vivors reappear in a feeble state, until invigorated by the returning 
warmth. 

Mr. Ord kept a number of these Tortoises for several years in his 
garden, where they had an ample range, abundance of suitable food, 
and convenient places of winter resort. They regularly deposited 
their eggs, but seldom produced young, a circumstance which he at- 
tributes to the destruction of the eggs by ants. He gives from his 
books of memoranda the details of observations made in the years 
1814 and 1832 on their mode of laying and depositing their eggs, 
and the circumstances attending their hatching. 

The earliest deposit observed took place on the 22nd of June 181 4. 
The Tortoise scooped out the earth with her hinder feet, using them 


1841.] Linnean Society, 117 

alternately, as deep as she could reach, when the earth at the bottom 
of the hole was loosened. The first egg was secured in this loose 
earth, and five other eggs were laid and deposited in the same man- 
ner, at intervals of four or five minutes, the earth being scraped from 
the sides of the hole and carefully pressed upon each egg as it was 
deposited, and the hole itself being finally covered over with the 
loose earth carefully packed and pressed. The animal kept in one 
position during the whole process, not looking once at the deposit. 
The eggs appeared to pass with facility, and shortly after laying the 
last egg, she uttered a guttural sound, several times repeated. The 
number of eggs appears to vary from three to six. 

In June 1832 Mr. Ord renewed his observations. Two of the 
female Tortoises then in his possession having been disturbed when 
about to lay, abandoned the place ; one of these laid on the subsequent 
day, and the other not until the second day after, whence Mr. Ord 
concludes that they possess the power of retaining their eggs under 
certain circumstances. The eggs were always laid about or after sun- 
set ; and some of the Tortoises, if not all, laid twice during the season. 
Of a deposit made on the 28th of June, one of the eggs (that nearest 
the surface) was hatched on the 24th of September. On struggling 
out of the shell the young animal seemed to be almost blind ; its case 
was very soft and cartilaginous ; and in the centre of the under shell, 
or between the abdominal and the femoral shields, there was a large 
umbilical process. It measured an inch in length and could crawl 
with ease. On the 14th of October another young Tortoise made 
its appearance from the same deposit ; it was livelier and larger than 
that first hatched, measuring an inch and three-quarters in length, 
and its eyes were completely open. Mr. Ord conjectures that it had 
emerged from its shell some days previously, but had only then made 
its way to the surface. On the 15th another made its appearance, of a 
size between the other two ; and on the same day Mr. Ord inspected 
the deposit and found a fourth young one, still in its shell, but strug- 
gling to get free, in which it succeeded during the afternoon. It was 
rather larger than any of the rest, and had remained in the shell one 
and twenty days longer than the first. On the 29th of September, 
Mr. Ord examined a deposit of eggs laid on the 26th of June. None 
appeared to have hatched, but the shell of the uppermost having 
been partly eaten by the ants, he opened it and found a perfectly 
formed foetus, measuring an inch in length, attached to a yolk-bag 
three-quarters of an inch long. On the 21st of October Mr. Ord 
examined one of a number of eggs which he had removed from their 


118 Linnenn Society. [Nov. 16, 

deposits on the 24th of September, and found it to contain a living 
young, not quite so large as that hist mentioned, and having a much 
larger yolk-bag ; and on the 1st of December he took up all the eggs 
of which he had any knowledge, none of which (although some were 
still living) were sufficiently matured for exclusion ; a circumstance 
which he attributes to a deficiency of the usual summer heat and to 
severe early frosts. Of the four young ones hatched, one escaped ; 
and the remaining three hybernated with the adults, reappeared in 
the spring, and lived in the garden for several years. 


November 16. 
E. Forster. Esq., V.P., in the Chair. 

Sir Oswald Mosley, Bart., was elected a Fellow. 

Read, " Descriptions of some Vegetable Monstrosities/* by the 
Rev. William Hincks, F.L.S., F.R.S.E., &c. 

In this paper, which is a continuation of one read before the So- 
ciety towards the close of the year 1839, Mr. Hincks arranges the 
monsters described by him under the several heads of adherences, 
transformations, and increased or diminished developments of par- 
ticular parts. 

The adherences comprise, first, a case of the union of five grapes 
into one fruit in so complete a manner as to render it probable that 
the flowers were also united ; secondly, an instance of cohesion be- 
tween four peduncles of Centaur ea moschata, without fusion of their 
capitula ; and thirdly, the common case of adherence of two flowers 
of Fuchsia fulg ens. The latter is introduced for the purpose of re- 
marking how frequently, when the usual number of organs in a circle 
results from the suppression of certain parts rudimentally present, 
the same cause which produces adherence with the nearest flower, 
also developes all the nidiments, and thus increases the number of 
parts. On the other hand, in cases of union by fusion, that is, where 
the united flowers form one enlarged flower, Mr. Hincks observes, 
that one organ at least is generally sacrificed at each point of junc- 
tion. 

Of transformations Mr. Hincks notices two : first, a terminal bud 
of an Azalea, gathered about the period when the plant ceased to 
produce blossoms, which is partially converted into a flower, the 


1841.] Linnean Society, 119 

leaves nearest the centre being imperfectly changed into stamina, 
and surrounded by many of petaloid aspect, while the outer leaves 
differ from the ordinary appearance only in ha^^ng a little colour ; 
the organs are not arranged in circles, and one leaf only, and that 
among the most remote from the centre, assumes the form of a pi- 
stillum. The second transformation described occurs in a specimen 
of Gentiana campestris, in which all the parts of the flower are con- 
verted into leaves, which are somewhat petaloid and crowded into a 
rose-like tuft : this kind of transformation is similar to that described 
and figured by M. De CandoUe in Trifolium rcpens. 

The first case of increased or diminished development noticed by 
Mr. Hincks affects a specimen of Anagallis arvensis, resembling one 
described by M. Moquin-Tandon as found by M. Gay, in which an 
increased development of the exterior circle is accompanied by dimi- 
nution in the interior ones : the eflfect produced is stated to be very 
unequal in different flowers, but the more the calyx is enlarged, the 
more the interior circles are contracted. The second case is the well- 
known wheat-ear carnation, Dianthus Caryophyllus imhricatus, L.^ 
which is noticed as probably affording the best example of the mon- 
strous multiplication of a particular circle. A third case occurs in 
a capitulum of Matricaria^ in which the bractese, consisting under 
ordinary circumstances of paleaceous scales, are enlarged into full- 
sized leaves, completely deforming the flower : the rose-ribwort is 
noticed as a phaenomenon of the same kind. Fourthly, Mr. Hincks 
mentions a monstrous variety or highly developed form of Convallaria 
multiflora, cultivated at Kew, which he presumes to be the var. 
bracteata of De Candolle and Duby : in it the number of flowers 
usually reaches five or six, and each of them proceeds from the 
axilla of a small leaf on the pedicel. And lastly, the author notices 
under this head a case of abortion or atrophy affecting the leaf of 
a fern cultivated by Messrs. Rolleston, by which in one instance the 
whole side of a frond, and in another the secondary veins with the 
parenchyma at both sides are entirely suppressed ; a phaenomenon 
v\ hich he has also observed in Scolopendrium officinale. 

Read also the commencement of a paper " On the Influence of 
the Dew-point on the Temperature of Plants," by D. P. Gardner, 
M.D., of Hampden Sidney College, Virginia, communicated by the 
Secretary. 


120 Linnean Society* [Dec. 21, 

December 7. 

R. Brown, Esq., V.P. in the Chair. 

Mr. John Brett was elected an Associate. 

Read, " On the Structure of the Nut known as Vegetable Ivory," 
by Daniel Cooper, Esq., A.L.S. 

Read also the conclusion of Dr. Gardner's paper " On the In- 
fluence of the Dew-point on the Temperature of Plants." 


December 21. 

E. Forster, Esq., V.P., in the Chair. 

The following Addresses of Congratulation to Her Majesty and 
His Royal Highness Prince Albert were read and agreed to : — 

** To the Queen's most Excellent Majesty. 
** Most Gracious Sovereign, 

" We, Your Majesty's most loyal and dutiful subjects, the Presi- 
dent, Council, and Fellows of the Linnean Society of London, beg 
leave to approach the throne with the expression of our warmest 
congratulations on the auspicious birth of an Heir Apparent to the 
Crown of these realms. 

" Deeply impressed with feelings of loyal attachment to Your 
Majesty's person, we hail this event as an important addition to 
Your Majesty's domestic happiness and a renewed pledge of the 
permanence of Your Majesty's illustrious House. That Your Ma- 
jesty may long, in the enjoyment of every blessing, reign over a 
grateful people ; and may, at a far distant time, transmit to Your 
Majesty's successor the best inheritance of a prince in the affections 
of a loyal and devoted nation, is our most earnest prayer," 

•* To His Royal Highness Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. 
" May it please Your Royal Highness, 

'* We, Her Majesty's most loyal and dutiful subjects, the Presi- 
dent, Council, and Fellows of the Linnean Society of London, beg 
leave to offer to Your Royal Highness our warmest congratulations 
on the birth of an Heir Apparent to the Throne of these realms. 

" Deeply impressed with feelings of loyal attachment to Her 
Majesty's person, we hail this event as an additional source of 


1841.] lAnnean Society, 121 

domestic happiness to Her Majesty and Your Royal Highness, and 
as a pledge of the permanence of Her Majesty's illustrious House. 
That Her Majesty and Your Royal Highness may long enjoy every 
blessing that can attend the married state, is our most earnest 
prayer." 

The Secretary announced to the Society, that since its last meet- 
ing it had sustained a severe loss by the death of its Librarian, Pro- 
fessor Don, which took place at the Society's House on the 8th 
instant. 

Read an extract of a letter from William Griffith, Esq., F.L.S., 
to R. H. Solly, Esq., F.L.S., dated Serampore, the 11th of October 
1841, containing the following observations : — 

" In Santalum the ovulum consists of a nucleus and an embryo- 
sac, prolonged both beyond the apex and base of the nucleus ; the 
albumen and embryo are developed in the exserted part above the 
septum ; the mass of the embryo is developed directly from the ve- 
sicle, which is the termination of a pollen tube ; the seed (albumen) 
has no other proper covering than the incorporated upper separable 
part of the embryo-sac. 

" In Osyris the ovulum is reduced to a nucleus and an embryonary 
sac, prolonged exactly in the same directions as in Santalum, but not 
to such a degree anteriorly ; this anterior portion resembling exactly 
the unchanged part of the sac of Santalum below the septum. The 
albumen and embryo are formed outside the sac, and are absolutely 
naked, or whatever covering they may have did not enter into the 
composition of the ovulum." 

Mr. Griffith adds, " I have lately looked at Isoetes capsularis, 
Roxb. ; it is an instructive plant, for it shows that botanists are 
mistaken in their supposition as to the male. In Roxburgh's plant 
the contents of the sporangium are sometimes of two sorts, but both 
have the same origin, both are precisely similarly constituted, except 
perhaps as to contents ; and the largest of these, the males of authors, 
become afterwards like the others, but larger. There can be no doubt 
that in all tliese plants the true sporules or seeds are those produced 
by division of an original simple cell or its contents. Isoetes and 
Azolla prove too a thing of some importance, that the dissimilar 
organs which have so puzzled botanists may have a similar origin. 
The true male of Isoetes will probably turn out to be the oblong, 
cordate, fleshy laminae above the female. On the male my observa- 
tions were stopped by indisposition. As a male it is certainly ano- 

No. XIV. — Proceedings of the Linnean Society. 


122 Linnean Society. [Dec. 21, 

malous ; it is probably, I conjecture, developed originally within the 
leaf, and the scale between it and the female is probably analogous 
to the indusium of ferns. The most instructive plant is Anthoceros 
(which is not a Hepatica), for this may explain Ferns by showing 
that a pre-existing organ, to be acted upon by the male influence, is 
not necessary. Endlicher says Isoetes has no stomata ; De Candolle 
figures them in his ' Organographie ;' in /. capsularis they are very 
evident : no matter whether emerged or submerged, all plants having 
a cutis have stomata." 

Read also a paper " On a new genus of Plants from Chile." By 
John Miers, Esq., F.L.S. 

This genus, which is named by Mr, Miers Solenomelus, on account 
of the confluence into a tubular form both of the stamina and stig- 
mata, belongs to the natural order Iridem, and is thus characterized : 

Solenomelus. 

Cruckshanksia, Miers, Travels in Chile, ii. p. 529. non Hook. 

Perianthium petaloideum ; tubo brevi incurvo ; limbo 6-partito, laciniis 
patentibus, 3 superioribus erectioribus, 3 inferioribus deflexis. Tubus 
stamineus cum tubo perianthii coalitus, demum liber, ore antheras 3 
sessiles gerens. Stylus filiformis. Stigma integrum, urceolato-tubulo- 
sum, margine ciliatum. Capsula triquetra, trilocularis, loculicido-tri- 
valvis. — Herbse Chilenses perennes, habitu Sisyrinchii. Spatha bivalvis, 
dorso sub apice mucronata. Flores breviter pedicellati. 

1. Solenomelus Chilensis, foliis lineari-ensiformibus, corolla aurantiaca. 
Cruckshanksia graminea, Miers, Travels in Chile, ii. p. 529. 

Hab. apud Concon, locis umbrosis. 

2. Solenomelus punctatus, foliis aiigustioribus, corolM aurantiaca; laciniis 
singulis supra basin puncto sanguineo notatis. 

Hab. prope Concepcion. 

Mr. Miers observes, that the curved corolla, the coherence of the 
filaments throughout their entire length, and the union of the stig- 
mata into an urceolate tube, aff"ord characters that sufficiently di- 
stinguish this genus from Sisyrinchium, to which it is in other re- 
spects most nearly related. In all the species of the latter genus 
that he has examined he has found a portion of the filaments fi-ee ; 
and he thinks the genus should be limited to those species in which 
the stamina are only partially united. This would exclude S. odo- 
ratissimum, Cav. (which is apparently the same as S. Narcissoides, 
Lindl.) and S. flexuosum, Lindl., described as having entirely united 
stamina, and further diff'ering from Sisyrinchium in having a long 
infundibuliform corolla, with more distinct markings, and a very 


1841.] lAnnean Society, 123 

odoriferous smell. On these species Mr. Miers proposes to found a 
genus under the name of Symphyostemon ; agreeing with Solenome- 
lus in the complete union of its stamina, but diifering by its deeply 
cleft style and the shape of its corolla. He thinks also that several 
species added to Sisyrinchium by Sprengel, such as S. collinum, S. 
filiforme and S. flexuosum, should be discarded from it, and believes 
that the entire genus requires a revision, for which he regrets that 
he does not possess sufficient materials. 

Read also a " Notice of a new species of Araucaria from the neigh- 
bourhood of Moreton Bay ; and of the Germination of Nuytsia flori- 
bunda" in a letter from J. C. Bidwell, Esq., to R. Taylor, Esq., 
Under Sec. L.S. 


January 18, 1842. 
R, Brown, Esq., V.P., in the Chair. 

ITie Secretary reported that the Council held this day had agreed 
to the following resolution, viz. 

" That notice be given at the General Meeting this evening that 
the Election of a Clerk, Librarian and Housekeeper will take place 
on the 15th of February ; the Chair to be taken at half- past seven 
o'clock in the evening, and the Ballot to close at nine." 

He further reported that the Candidates were Charles M. Lemann, 
M.D., Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians in London, and 
Mr. Richard Kipj)ist, Assistant Clerk and Librarian of the Society. 

Edward Solly, Jun., Esq., the Rev. Henry Hawkes, B.A., and 
Dr. William Henry Brown, were elected Fellows. 

ITie Vice-President in the Chair then proposed, that in consequence 
of the recent death of Aylmer Bourke Lambert, Esq., V.P.L.S., and 
in consideration of his long connexion with the Society and emi- 
nent services to natural history, the meeting should adjourn, which 
was unanimously agreed to. 


February 1 . 
The Bishop of Norwich, President, in the Chair. 

Mr. John William Griffith was elected a Fellow, and Mr. Lovell 
Reeve an Associate. 


124 Linnean Society. [Feb. 1, 

Read, " Contributions to Vegetable Embryology, from Observa- 
tions on the Origin and Development of the Embryo in Tropceolum 
majus." By Herbert Giraud, M.D., communicated by the Secretary. 

After referring to the researches of MM. Schleiden, Wydler, 
Mirbel and Spach, and A. St. Hilaire, on this important point. Dr. 
Giraud states that he was induced to select Tropceolum as the sub- 
ject of his own observations on account of its solitary ovula, and 
their comparatively large size, which render the individuals of this 
family, as well as the allied Geraniacece, peculiarly fitted for the pur- 
pose. He arranges his observations under seven general heads cor- 
responding with as many progressive periods in the growth of the 
female organs, and extending from the completion of the anatropous 
development of the ovule to the perfect formation of the embryo ; 
or from the commencement of the expansion of the bud to the com- 
plete formation of the fruit. The results are collected from a great 
number of dissections. 

In the first period, or just before the expansion of the bud, a lon- 
gitudinal section of the carpellum from its dorsum towards the axis 
of the pistillum, dividing the o\aile, shows the latter to have com- 
pleted its anatropous development. A portion of rather firm and 
dense cellular tissue enclosing a bundle of vessels descends from the 
placenta and in apposition with it to form the raphe, and terminates 
in the base of the ovule. The nucleus has only one integument, at 
the apex of which is the exostome or micropyle, opening close by 
and to the outside of the point of attachment; and the conducting 
tissue of the style may be traced into the carpellary cavity as far as 
the exostome. 

In the second period, during which the expansion of the bud and 
the dehiscence of the anthers commence, and therefore before im- 
pregnation, a small elliptical cavity makes its appearance near the 
apex of the nucleus, having a delicate lining membrane formed by 
the walls of the surrounding cells : this cavity is the embryo- sac, 
and a minute canal may be traced leading from it to the exostome. 
The apex of the embryo-sac encloses at this period a quantity of 
organizable mucilage containing many minute bodies having the 
appearance and character of cytoblasts. 

In the third period, the apex of the nucleus and of its integument 
becomes slightly inclined towards the placenta. The embryo- sac is 
much enlarged and lengthened ; its mucilage has disappeared and 
given place to an elongated diaphanous utricle {utricule primordiale, 
Mirbel ; vesicule embryonnaire, Meyen ; extremite anterieure du boyau 
pollinique, Schleiden ;) containing a quantity of globular matter or 


1842.] Linnean Society. 125 

cytoblasts. This primary utricle is developed wholly within the em- 
bryo-sac, from which it is obviously distinct. 

The fourth period occurs after impregnation. The pollen tubes 
do not extend into the carpellary cavity ; but the fovilla with its gra- 
nules is found abundantly in the passage leading from the style to 
the exostome. With the increased development of the embryo-sac, 
the primary utricle elongates and becomes distinctly cellular by the 
development of minute cells in its interior, while at the extremity 
next the base of the nucleus it is terminated by a spherical mass con- 
sisting of globular cells. The primarj' utricle at this period assumes 
the character of the suspensor (Mirbel), and its spherical extremity 
constitutes the first trace of the embryo. 

In the fifth period the apex of the nucleus and of its integument 
becomes more inclined towards the placenta ; the spherical extre- 
mity of the suspensor enlarges, and it becomes more evident that it 
constitutes the rudimental embryo. In the mean time the suspensor 
has become lengthened by an increase in the number of its cells ; 
and its upper extremity is found to be protruded through the apex 
of the embryo-sac, the apex of the nucleus and the micropyle. 
From this extremity there is a considerable development of cells, 
many of which hang loosely in the passage leading to the conduct- 
ing tissue of the style, while the rest unite in forming a process 
which passes down the outer side of the ovulum within the carpel- 
lary cavity. This process is composed of from nine to twelve rows 
of cells, and its extremity resembles in appearance and in the ana- 
tomical condition of its cells the spongiole of a root. By a slight 
traction of this cellular process the suspensor with the embryo may 
be withdrawn from the embryo-sac through the exostome, thus pro- 
ving the continuity of the process with the suspensor, and through 
it with the embryo itself. 

During the sixth period the suspensor becomes more attenuated ; 
and the cellular process has reached the base of the ovulum, the cells 
of its extremity abounding with cytoblasts, which prove that it is still 
progressing in development. The embryo also increases in size, and 
two lateral processes are observed, which evidently form the first 
traces of the cotyledons. 

In the seventh period all distinction between the nucleus and its 
integument ceases, and they form a single envelope enclosing the 
embryo-sac ; the cellular process has become so much developed, 
that its extremity has passed round the base of the ovulum and is 
directed towards the placenta ; and the lateral processes of the em- 
bryo have become distinct fleshy cotyledons, enclosing both the 


126 Linnean Society, [Feb. 15, 

radicle and plumule in corresponding depressions . of their opposed 
surfaces. The subsequent changes consist chiefly in the great de- 
velopment of the cotyledons, which ultimately occupy the entire ca- 
vity of the nucleus, filling the space usually taken up by albumen. 

From these observations Dr. Giraud deduces the following in- 
ferences. 

The formation of the embryo-sac and the development of cyto- 
blasts within it having been shown to take place at a period prior to 
impregnation, and even the primary utricle itself making its appear- 
ance before the emission of the pollen from the anther and before 
the expansion of the stigma, the origin of the primary utricle cannot 
be referred to the influence of impregnation, nor can it have been de- 
rived from the pollen tube pressing before it a fold of the embryo-sac. 

The primary utricle at its first formation being quite distinct from 
the embryo-sac, even at its apex (although brought into contact with 
it at a subsequent period, and ultimately penetrating it), cannot re- 
sult from a depression of involution of the embryo-sac, as is main- 
tained by M. Brongniart. 

The pollen tubes (which after impregnation may be traced in the 
conducting tissue of the style) never reaching the micropyle, but 
pollen granules being found in abundance in the channel leading to 
it, and being doubtless brought into contact with the outer surface 
of the embryo-sac through the exostome ; and the first trace of the 
embryo appearing at this time in the formation of the spherical body 
at the inferior extremity of the primary utricle — Dr. Giraud is led 
to conclude that the origin of this simple spherical body results from 
a peculiar process of nutrition, determined by the material or dyna- 
mic influence of the fovilla, conveyed through the medium of the 
primary utricle or suspensor. 

The paper was accompanied by a series of drawings representing 
the ovulum of Tropceolum in the several stages of development de- 
scribed. 


February 15. 

R. Brown, Esq., V.P., in the Chair. 

The Meeting having been specially summoned for the election of 

a Clerk, Librarian, and Housekeeper in the place of Professor Don, 

the Vice-President in the Chair opened the business of the day, and 

the Members present proceeded to ballot. 


1842.] Linnean Society. 12 J 

The Vice-President appointed Mr. Bentham and Mr. Yarrell to be 
Scrutators, and the ballot being closed and the votes being counted, 
the Scrutators reported the election to have fallen on Mr. Kippist, 
who was thereupon declared to be duly elected. 


March 1. 
T. Horsfield, M.D.. V.P., in the Chair. 

The Secretary reported, that since the last meeting the Society had 
received from W. Borrer, Esq., F.R.S., F.L.S., &c., the present of a 
valuable Herbarium of Foreign Flowering Plants. 

George Gardner, Esq., was elected a Fellow. 

Read a paper " On some rare and beautiful Coleopterous Insects 
from Silhet, the major part belonging to the collection of Frederic 
Parry, Esq., of Cheltenham." By the Rev. F. W. Hope, F.R.S., 
F.L.S., &c. 

The number of species described amounts to fourteen, one of 
which is regarded by Mr. Hope as forming the type of a new genus. 
The following are the generic and specific characters : — 

LUCANID^. 

Hexarthrius Parryi, niger, mandibulis exsertis subdenticulatis bidentatis, 

capite thoraceque scabriusculis, elytris postice castaneis. Long. lin. 36 ; 

lat. lin. 10. 
Odontolahis Cuvera, ater, mandibulis valde exsertis denticuiatis, elytris 

pallida castaneis littera V nigra signatis. Long, (mandibulis inclusis) 

lin. 34; lat. lin. -ll. 
Odontolahis Baladena, niger, mandibulis porrectis multidentatis, capite 

thoraceque unidentatis. Long. lin. 20; lat. 10. 
Dorcas Wesfermanni, niger, mandibulis porrectis multidentatis capite 

thoraceque parum brevioribus. Long. lin. 26^ ; lat. lin. 9. 
Dorcas DeHaani, niger, mandibulis porrectis capite pariim longioribus : 

dente forti fere trigono ante basin posito ; reliquis rainoribus. Long. 

lin. 22 ; lat. lin. 7\. 
Hah. in agro Assamensi. Mus. D. Hope. 
Lucanus Brahminus, niger, mandibulis valde exsertis denticuiatis capiti 

thoracique aequalibus, thorace postic^ utrinque dentato, elytris glabris 

marginatis. Long. lin. 24^ ; lat. lin. 6^. 
Lucanus Buddha, niger nitidus, mandibulis vald^ porrectis capite thora- 
ceque longioribus denticuiatis. Long. lin. 21 ; lat lip. 6. 


128 Linnean Society. [March 15, 

RUTELIDJE. 

Mimela Passerinii, viridis, thoracis lateribus luteolis, elytrorum margini- 
bus elevatis pallide virescentibus, corpore infra roseo-cupreo, pectore ca- 
pillis longis flavescentibus obsito. Long. lin. 9| ; lat. lin. 4^. 

Hah, in Montibus Himalayanis. 

BUPRESTID^. 

Chrysochroa Edivardsii, viridi-aurata, thorace cupreo-purpureo, elytris 
fascia irregulari macula flava insignitis, corpore subtus roseo-cupreo, 
pedibus concoloribus. Long. lin. 27 ; lat. lin. Sf. 

This superb Buprestis approaches most nearly to that named Pe- 
rottetii by M. Guerin. 

LONGICORNES. 

Monochamus sulphurifer, corpore toto supra et infra flavo-sulphureo, 

antennis pedibusque nigro cinereoque variegatis. Long. lin. 13 ; lat. 

lin. A%. 
Purpuricenus rubripennis, violaceus, elytris rubro-marginatis macula sub- 

quadrata in medio disco insignitis, pedibus concoloribus. Long. lin. 15 ; 

lat. lin. 4. 

ZoNOPTBRUS, Hope. 

Caput mandibulis arcuatis, fronte declivi, cornu brevi utrinque ad basin 
antennarum. AntenncB 11-articulatse, articulo basali apice crassiore, 
2do minimo, 3tio longissimo, 4to fere dimidio minore, 6 sequentibus 
fere sequalibus, ultimo longiore acuto. Thorax depressus, capite dupld 
longior. Elytra thorace triplo longiora, parallela, apicibus rotundatis. 
Pedes femoribus 4 anterioribus incrassatis, posticis duplo majoribus 
subcompressis ; tibiis posticis subincurvis. 

Zonopterus flavitarsis, niger, antennis bicoloribus, thorace nigro-tomen- 
toso, elytris flavo-bifasciatis, femoribus tibiisque atris, tarsis flavis. 
Long. lin. 15 ; lat. lin. 4. 

Colohothea ruhricollis, rubro-picea, antennis concoloribus, elytris nigri- 
cantibus maculis flavo-ochraceis aspersis. Long. lin. 15 ; lat. lin. 4. 

Sagrid^. 
Sagra Carbunculus, cyanea, elytris igne auroque micantibus, pedibus pos- 
ticis incrassatis ; tibiis incurvis. Long. lin. 4|. 


March 15. 

E. Forster, Esq., V.P., in the Chair. 

Mr. R. H. Solly exhibited a Cabinet for Microscopic objects made 
of Cedar-wood, the specimens contained in which, consisting of thinly 
ground sections of fossil- wood cemented on glass, had become cp- 


1842.] Linnean Society. 129 

vered with a very adhesive varnish. Where the fossil-wood was 
quite sound, and the cement (probably of Canada Bedsaro) did not 
project beyond its edges, very little of the varnish was deposited ; 
but where the fossil-wood was cracked or unsound, or where the ce- 
ment projected beyond its edges, it was found in considerable quan- 
tity ; and on the specimens not cemented to glass, it was deposited 
chiefly in the pores or cracks which had imbibed some of the oil used 
in polishing the surface. The cabinet was quite new when the spe- 
cimens were placed in it, and Mr. Solly supposes that the air con- 
tained in the drawers had become loaded with vapour from the Ce- 
dar-wood, which coming into contact with oil or resin combined with 
it to produce a varnish. 

Read a paper " On Edgeworthia, a new genus of Plants of the 
Order Mp'sinece" By Hugh Falconer, M.D., Superintendent of the 
Hon. E. I. C.'s Botanic Garden at Saharunpore, communicated by 
J. F. Royle, M.D., F.L.S., &c. 

Dr. Falconer refers this new genus to the Tribe Theophrastea, and 
characterizes it as follows : — 

Edgeworthia. 

Calyx 5- partitas; laciniis obtusis imbricatis. Corolla hypogyna, subcain- 
panulata ; tubo brevi crasso, intus squainis 5 adnatis acuininatis, cum 
linibi 5-partiti lobis acutis (in oestivatione contorlo-imbricatis) alter- 
nantibus, instructo. Stamina 5, corollae tubo inserta, ejus denique la- 
ciniis opposita, exserta ; filamenta subulata, basi cum squamis conflu- 
entia ; antherae extrorsiB, versatiles, loculis longitudinaliter dehiscen- 
tibus. Ovarium 1-Ioculare; placenta basilaris, parva; ovula pauca, 
erecta, anatropa. Stylus elongatrus, etiam in alabastro exsertus ; stigma 
minutum, indivisum. Drupa mono- (raro di-) sperma. Semen pelta- 
tum, hilo lato excavato umbilicatum ; testa ossea. Embryo intra albu- 
men (cartilagineum) ruminatum excentricus, transverse arcuatus ; ra- 
dicula infera. — Arbuscula sempervirens ; foliis alternis ejcstipulatis, 
ioiitariis v. fasciculatis, ellipti^is, integerrimis, coriaceis, marginatis ; 
ramis spinescentibus ; pedicellis bracteolafis ; floribusjparvi* suhsessi/ibus 
in capitula axillaria subumbellata dense coacervatis, chloroleucis ; drup& 
eduli dulci. 

Obs. Genua inter T/ieophrasteas,Jacquinitpet Theophrasta ]ii\ta charac- 
teres tribuales affine, sed ab utroque et a sociis albuminc runiinato, 
necnon inflorescentid distinctum. Notatu dignissimum, stylum etiam 
in alabastro exsertum ! 

Edgeworthia buxifolia. 

Hab. in collibus aridis Provinciarum Taxilae et Peucelaotis in Bactrim In- 
feriore ; passim obvenit prop^ Peshawur, Cohaut et Attock, indigenis 

No. XV. — Proceedings of the Linnean Society. 


130 Linnean Society. [April 5, 

Goorgoora dicta. Floret Februario ; fructus matiirescit JuHo. Semina 
dura globosa vulgo in monilia precatoria conseruntur. 

Dr. Falconer describes Edgeworthia as one of the most character- 
istic forms of Lower AiFghanistan, where it grows associated with a 
species of Dodoncea, Olea Laitoona, a species of Rhazya, and an un- 
described Asclepiadeous genus. To the latter, which he refers to the 
tribe of Periploceie, he gives the name of Campelepis^ with the follow- 
ing generic characters i — 

Campelepis. 

Corolla rotata, 5-fida ; fauce coronata, squamis 5 cum segmentis alternan- 
tibus, brevibus, fiexuoso-trilobis, confluentibus, medio aristatis, aristis 
filiformibus erectis apice uncinatis ; tubo intus squamulis totidem inclu- 
sis, laceris, patentibus, staminibus oppositis, instruct©. Filamenta di- 
stincta, fauci infra squamas inserta ; antherae sagittatae, apiculo acuta 
terminatse, dorso barbatae, basi stigmatis medio agglutinatae. Masses 
pollinis solitarise, granulosse, corpusculorum stigmatis appendiculis di- 
latatis applicitsB. Stigma dilatatum, muticum. FoUicuU cylindracei, 
laeves, divaricatissimi. Semina ad umbilicum comosa. — Frutex erectusy 
ramosissimus, glaber, quasi aphgllus; foliis nenipe squamcBformibus, deci- 
duis, remofis; cymis hreve pedunculatis, paucifloris; floribus ^arm, cor- 
riaceis ; coroUae laciniis intu§ prope apicem barbatis, disco leprosis. 

Campelepis viminea. 

Hah. passim in Bactrim Inferiore, prope Peshawur, Attock, &c. 


April 5. 

R. Brown, Esq., V.P., in the Chair. 

The Secretary announced that the Society had received, in pur- 
suance of the bequest of the late Professor David Don, Libr. L.S.„ 
his Herbarium and collection of Woods and Fruits, with the ex- 
ception of such as relate to Materia Medica. 

Mr. Richard Kippist, Libr. L.S., was elected an Associate. 

Read the commencement of " A Catalogue of Spiders, either not 
previously recorded or little known as indigenous to Great Britain, 
with remarks on their Habits and Economy." By John Blackwall, 
Esq., F.L.S., &c. 


1842.] Lmnean Society, 13 J 

April 19. 

E. Forster, Esq., V.P., in the Chair. 

M. Pakenham Edgeworth, Esq., of the Bengal Civil Service, was 
elected a Fellow. 

The Secretary announced that the Treasurer had received from the 
Executors of the late Archibald Menzies, Esq., F.L.S., the sum of 
90/., being the amount of a legacy of 100/. bequeathed by him to tlie 
Linnean Society, after deducting 10/. for legacy duty. 

J. O. Westwood, Esq., F.L.S., exhibited numerous species of 
Sphingida, Nocturnal Lepidoptera, and other insects, from the collec- 
tion of Lieut. -Col. Hearsey, formed during a residence of thirty years 
in Central India. He stated this collection to be very interesting on 
account of its local character, and as compared with the splendid col- 
lections recently received from Sylhet and the Himalayas, exhibited 
at late meetings of this Society. In Colonel Hearsey's collection 
the species of the modem genus Papilio are very few in number, and 
well known. Of P. Hector there is but a single specimen. There 
is not a single species of Lucanus, nor true Fulgora, in the collection ; 
a striking peculiarity as compared with the Sylhet and Himalayan 
collections. The collection, however, contains a species of Paussus 
and one of Diopsis, both new ; a very minute Apotomus, specimens 
of both sexes of the interesting Hymenopterous genus Trirogma, a 
number of very English -looking Harpalidue, various Alhyrei and 
Bolhoceriy as well as most of the new species described by Mr. 
Saunders in the last Part of the Transactions of the Entomological 
Society. 

Read the concluding portion of *' A Catalogue of Spiders, either 
not previously recorded or little known as indigenous to Great Bri- 
tain, with remarks on their Habits and Economy." By John Black- 
wall, Esq., F.L.S., &c. 

The following is a list of the species enumerated by Mr. Black- 
wall : — 

1. Drassus sericeus, Walck. In several of the northern counties of En- 
gland and Wales. 

2. Drassus ater, Walck. Common in Denbighshire and Caernarvon- 
shire. 


132 Linnean Sociefij. [April ig'j. 

3. Cluhiona epimelas, Walck. Found rarely in the wooded districts of 
Denbighshire. 

4. Cluhiona accentuata, Walck. In the woods of Denbighshire and Caer- 
narvonshire. 

5. Cluhiona erratiea, Walck. Frequent in the woods and commons of 
Denbighshire. 

6. Jrgyroneta aquatica, Walck. In the fens of Cambridgeshire, Mr. Ba- 
hington ; and in small pools in Cheshire, Mr. Glover. 

7. Cinijlo ferox, Blackw. Abimdant in England and Wales, 

8. Ergatis latens, Blackw. On commons in Denbighshire. 

9. Tegenaria domestiea, Walck. Oxford and Cambridge. 

10. Lycosa andrenivora, Walck. Commons and old pastures in variou* 
parts of England and Wales. 

11. Lycosa agretyca, Walck. Old pastures in England and Wales. 

12. Lycosa allodroma, Walck., var. leucophaea. Lycosa leucoplreea, 
Blackw., in Lond. and Edinb. Phil. Mag. x. p. 104. 

13. Lycosa picta, Hahn. In Cheshire and Denbighshire, frequenting 
sandy districts on the coast. 

14. Lycosa luguhris, Walck. Abundant in woods in Denbighshire and 
Caernarvonshire. 

15. Lycosa pallida, Walck. Frequent on banks of rivers in Denbighshire 
and Caernarvonshire. 

16. Lycosa piratica, Walck. Marshes and margins of pools in England 
and Wales. 

17. Dolomedes fimhriatus, Walck. In the fens of Cambridgeshire, Mr. 
Bahingfon. 

18. Salticus cupreus, Hahn. Mountain-woods of Denbighshire and Caer- 
narvonshire. 

19. Salticns coronatus, Blackw. Attus coronatus, Walck. Common in the 
woods of Denbighshire and Caernarvonshire. 

20. Salticus gracilis, Hahn. Gwydir woods in Caernarvonshire. 

21. Thomisushrevipes, Hahn. In fields adjacent to woods, at Oakland, 
near Llanrwst, Denbighshire. 

22. Thomisus hifasciatus, Blackw. Xysticus bifasciatus, Koch. In pas- 
tures near Llanrwst. 

23. Thomisus citreus, Walck. In the western parts of Denbighshire. 

24. Philodromus dispar, Walck. In the wooded parts of Denbighshire 
and Caernarvonshire. 

25. Philodromus cespiticolens, Walck. In woods in Denbighshire. 

26. Philodromus ohlongus, Walck. In the north of Cheshire. 

27. Sparassus smaragdulus, Walck. England, Mr. Bahington ; in the 
woods at Tan-y-Bwlch in Merionethshire, Mr. Glover. 

28. Theridion denticulaium, Walck. Common in England and Wales. 

29. Theridion signatum, Walck. Among heath in Denbighshire : rare. 

30. Neriene trilineata, Blackw. Theridion reticulatum, Hahn, Under 
gtones in the neighbourhood of Manchester. 


1"842.] Linnean Society^ 133 

31. Neriene fframinicolens, Blackw. Sp. nov. a Neri'ene trilineaid di- 
versa pedibus palpisque unicoloribus nee annulatis. Old pastures at Oak- 
land, near Llanrwst, Denbighshire. 

32. Mandnculus vernalis, Blackw. Theridion vemale, Hahn. In pas- 
tures in various parts of Lancashire and Denbighshire. 

33. Pkolcus phalangioides, Walck. Barmouth, Merionethshire, Mr. Pot- 
ier ; Liverpool, Mr. Glover ; Isle of Wight. 

34. Linyphia pallida, Bi&ckw. Theridium pallidum, ATocA. Anwng grass 
in the grounds about Oakland. 

35. Epeira bicornis, Walck. In the wooded parts of Denbighshire^ 

36. Epeira agelena, Walck. In pastures near Llanrwst. 

37. Epeira scalaris, Walck. In the neighbourhood of London. 

38. Epeira nmbratica, Walck. Abundant in various parts of England 
and Wales. 

39. Epeira fusca^ Walck. In Denbighshire and Caernarvonshire. 

40. Epeira antriada, Walck. Common in the north of England and 
Wales. 

41. Dysdera erythrina, Walck. In the town of Manchester; also in Cam- 
bridge, Mr. Potter. 

42. Dysdera ritbicunda, Koch. Camhridge, Mr. Babington. 

43. Dysdera Hombergii, Walck. Plentiful in the wooded districts of Den- 
bighshire and Caernarvonshire. 

44. Oonops pulcher, Tempi. Deletrix exilis, Blackw., in Lond. and 
Edinb. Phil. Mag. x. p. 100. In Lancasliire, Denbighshire and Caernar- 
vonshire : abundant in the two last. 

Mr. Blackwall states, that with a few exceptions, the spiders com- 
prised in the foregoing catalogue have never before been recognized 
as British species. "With respect to nearly the whole of them, nu- 
merous facts are detailed relative to their structure, instincts, eco- 
nomy and haunts, with occasional remarks on their nomenclature 
and systematic arrangement. 

Read also a " Description of a new Indian species of Paussus.** 
By J. O. Westwood, Esq., F.L.S., &c. 

This species, which is in the collection made by Lieut.- Colonel 
Hearsey mentioned above, approaches Platyrhopalus in having the 
penultimate joint of its labial palpi about two-thirds the length of 
the terminal joint. In all its other characters, however, it accords so 
exactly with the Indian species of Mr. Westwood's second division 
of the genus Pcmssus, that were the antennae broken off, it would be 
almost impossible to distinguish it from Paussus cognatus. 

Paussiis Hearseyanus, rufo-castaneus nitidus punctatus, elytris singulis 
plag^ lata longitudinali nigra, capite pone oculos carin& elevate trans- 
versa alteraque longitudinali mediana ad nasum ferd duct&, antennarum 


134 Linnean Society, [May 24, 

clav& subovat^ basi ext^s in hamum producta ; margine postice super- 
neque oblique 3-impresso. 

The only specimen known was captured by Col. Hearsey at Be- 
nares by night, having flown against the lamp and fallen upon the 
table, a habit observed in other species of the genus by several Indian 
entomologists. 


May 5. 

The Lord Bishop of Norwich, President, in the Chair. 

Capt. Theobald Jones, R.N., M.P., was elected a Fellow. 

His Grace the Duke of Northumberland, K.G., F.R.S., F.L.S., 
&c., sent for exhibition a specimen of the ripe fruit of Diospyros 
edulis, and of the female flowers of the same, grown in one of His 
Grace's stoves at Sion. 

J. A. Hankey, Esq., F.L.S., laid on the table for distribution nu- 
merous specimens of Fritillaria Meleagris, L., gathered by himself 
at Finchley, Middlesex. 

W. H. Rudston Read, Esq., F.L.S., exhibited a specimen of a 
shell {Spondylus varius, Brod.) collected at Riatea, one of the So- 
ciety Islands, under the enamel of which was retained for several 
months a quantity of water. 

Read a portion of Dr. Hamilton Buchanan's Commentary on the 
8th Part of Rheede's ' Hortus Malabaricus.' 


May 24. 

The Lord Bishop of Norwich, President, in the Chair. 

This day, the Anniversary of the birth of Linnaeus, and that ap- 
pointed by the Charter for the Election of Council and Officers, the 
President opened the business of the Meeting, and stated the num- 


1842.] Linnean Society, 135 

ber of Members whom the Society had lost during the past year, of 
some of whom the Secretary read the following notices : — 

John Ansley, Esq. 

Sir Wm. Beatty, Knt., M.D., F.R.S., well known as having been 
surgeon of the Victory at the memorable action off Cape Trafalgar, 
and as having in that capacity assisted at the last moments of Lord 
Nelson, of which he afterwards published an account. 

Sir Charles Bell, K,H., F.R.S. Lond. Sf Ed., Professor of Surgery 
in the University of Edinburgh. 

The very recent death of this eminent surgeon and distinguished 
physiologist precludes on the present occasion any detailed account 
of his life and works. He was born in Edinburgh in 1778, and the 
early part of his life was spent in his native city as the assistant of 
his brother John in his surgical lectures. He came to London in 
1806, and became lecturer on surgery at the Hunterian School in 
Windmill Street, and afterwards one of the surgeons of the Middlesex 
Hospital. His important discoveries in the functions of the Nervous 
System, by which his fame has been most widely spread, were com- 
municated in a series of papers read before the Royal Society, com- 
mencing in 1821. On the accession of King William the Fourth he 
received the honour of knighthood ; and in 1836 he returned to 
Edinburgh, having been appointed to the Professorship of Surgery 
in that University. He died almost suddenly at the beginning of 
the present month. 

The Rev. Isaac Bell. 

John Eddowes Bowman, Esq., was bom at Nantwich in Cheshire, 
on the 30th October, 1785. He was in early life confined to busi- 
ness during more than twelve hours of the day, and yet con- 
trived, by early rising, to cultivate a taste for botany, which he had 
imbibed from his father. The small town in which he lived fur- 
nished no persons of congenial pursuits with whom he could asso- 
ciate, but this circumstance, though it limited his progress, did not 
damp his ardour. He became the manager of a bank at Welch Pool, 
and with an income extremely limited, was not only enabled to 
give a liberal education to his rising family, but, by the help of such 
books and instruments as he could purchase, to extend his studies 
to many branches of natural science with great zeal and success. In 
1824 he became a partner in a banking establishment in Wrexham, 
from which he retired in 1830, and never entered into business again; 
for being in possession of a moderate competence, he willingly relin- 
quished together the profits and the cares of active life, in, exchange 
for the tranquil happiness he hoped to enjoy from the undivided pur- 


l'^6 Linnean Society. [May 24, 

suit of those sciences of which he had ever been passionately fond. 
Hitherto he had been able to follow them only as a recreation, having 
never allowed their cultivation to encroach on the time set apart for 
business ; yet he had already, from the ample stores around him, ac- 
quired extensive collections in the departments of botany and geology, 
which were his favourite studies. 

In 1837 he transferred his residence to Manchester, where he in- 
tended to pass the remainder of his life. During his short abode in 
that great emporium of manufactures and commerce he endeavoured 
by all the means in his power to advance and diffuse a love for sci- 
ence, and especially for natural history ; and by his associates in the 
different societies of that place his memory will be warmly cherished. 
He had looked forward with much interest to the approaching meet- 
ing of the British Association for the Advancement of Science in 
that town, but this hope was not realized. He died after a sudden 
illness on the 4th December last. 

Mr. Bowman became a Fellow of this Society in 1828. He has 
contributed two papers to the sixteenth volume of its ' Transactions' : 
viz. " An Account of a new Plant of the Gastromycous order of 
Fungi," which is well described and figured under the name of Ener- 
thema elegans ; and a memoir " On the parasitical connexion of 
Lathrcea Squamaria, and the peculiar structure of its subterranean 
leaves." The last-named paper is a valuable contribution to our 
knowledge of a very obscure branch of vegetable physiology, the 
connection, namely, of Root-Parasites with the plants on which they 
grow, and is beautifully illustrated by two plates of details, from Mr. 
Bowman's own pencil. His other natural-history publications are, 
with one exception, geological. They consist of, 1. a memoir " On 
the Longevity of the Yew, as ascertained from actual sections of its 
trunk, and on the origin of its frequent occurrence in Churchyards," 
in Loudon's 'Magazine of Natural History for 1836'; 2. "Notes on a 
small patch of Silurian Rocks to the W. of Abergele, on the north- 
ern coast of Denbighshire," communicated by Mr. Murchison to the 
Geological Society in 1838; 3. "On a white fossil Powder found 
imder Peat-Bog in Lincolnshire, composed of the siliceous fragments 
of microscopic parasitical Confervce;" 4. " On the origin of Coal, and 
the geological conditions under which it was produced;" 5. "Ob- 
servations on the characters of the Fossil Trees discovered on the line 
of the Bolton Railway;" 6. "On the Upper Silurian Rocks in the 
Vale of Llangollen, North Wales ;" (the four latter communicated to 
the Manchester Geological Society, and published in the first volume 
of their Transactions ;) 7. three papers in the ' Philosophical Maga- 


1842.] Linnean Society, 137 

zine' for 1840, "On the Natural Terraces on the Eildon Hills;" and 
8. a memoir in the same Journal for 1841, "On the question whether 
there are any evidences of the former existence of Glaciers in North 
Wales." 

The Rev. Thomas Butt. 

Edmund John Clark, M.D. 

George Coles, Esq. 

Richard Goolden, Esq. 

William Harrison, Esq., Queen's Counsel, a Bencher of the Inner 
'I'emple, Counsel of the Treasury and War Office, and Attorney- 
General for the Duchy of Cornwall, died at his seat at Cheshunt, 
Herts, on the 4th of October last. He was eminently distinguished 
in his profession, in the parliamentary business of which he for many 
years took the lead. Those among us who have visited his retreat 
at Cheshunt are not likely soon to forget the beautiful garden, with 
its noble range of stoves and conservatories, which he had formed 
there, or the kind hospitality with which they were received. Much 
of his leisure was devoted to planting, and his garden exhibited, in 
the great variety of trees and shrubs which it contained and the taste 
displayed in their arrangement, ample proof of his attachment to that 
pursuit. 

James Rawlins Johnson, M.D., F.R.S., S^c, was author of "A Trea- 
tise on the Medicinal Leech, including its medical and natural his- 
tory, with a Description of its Anatomical Structure ; also. Remarks 
upon the Diseases, Preservation and Management of Leeches," 1816, 
8vo, London; and of two papers published in the 'Philosophical Trans- 
actions' for 1817, entitled "Observations on the mode of Propagation 
of the Hirudo vulgaris, or Rivulet-Leech," and " On the Hirudo com- 
planata and Hirudo stagnalis, now formed into a distinct genus under 
the name of Glossopora." These two papers were reprinted in 1825, 
with some additional facts and observations, imder the title of 
" Further Observations on the Medicinal Leech." In these publica- 
tions Dr. Johnson contributed much to the elucidation of the natural 
history of the Leech, which has since been so ably completed by Ca- 
rena and others. 

Aylmer Bourke Lambert, Esq., the last survivor of the original 
members of the Linnean Society, and for nearly fifty years one of its 
Vice-Presidents, was born at Bath on the 2nd of February, 1761. 
His father, Edmund Lambert, Esq., of Boy ton-House, near Heytes- 
bury, Wilts., married Bridget, daughter of the last Viscount Mayo 
and his only surviving child, through whom Mr. Lambert inherited 
the ftimily property and the name of Bourke. He was educated at 


138 Linnean Society, [May 24, 

St. Mary's Hall, in the University of Oxford, and attaching himself 
early in life to botanical pursuits, joined the Linnean Society at its 
foundation, and became one of its warmest friends and promoters. In 
1791 he also became a Fellow of the Royal Society. 

On succeeding to his paternal estate, he was enabled to indulge his 
taste for botany more freely, and laboured with great ardour and suc- 
cess to increase his herbarium, which at length acquired the charac- 
ter of being one of the most valuable and important private collec- 
tions in existence. Of this herbarium, and of the several collections 
from which it was chiefly formed, an account has been given by Mr. 
Don, who for many years acted as its curator, and who had also 
charge of Mr. Lambert's extensive botanical library. These collec- 
tions were at all times most liberally opened by their possessor for 
the use of men of science, and one day in the week (Saturday) was 
constantly set apart for the reception of scientific visitors, travellers 
and others, who either brought with them or sought for information 
on botanical subjects. 

Mr. Lambert's separate publications are two in number : " A De- 
scription of the Genus Cinchona," London, 1797, 4to, and "A De- 
scription of the Genus Pinus," London, 1803-24, in two vols, folio. 
Of the latter work, which is one of the most splendid botanical pub- 
lications that ever issued from the press, a second edition, with addi- \ 
tions, was published in 1828, and a third volume was added in 18^. ij 
A small edition, in two vols. 8vo, was also published in 1832. 

His other works consist entirely of papers in our ' Transactions.* 
They are as follows : — 

"An Account of the Canis Graius Hibernicus, or Irish Wolf- Dog," 
in vol. ii. 

"Anecdotes of the late Dr. Patrick Browne, author of the 'Natural 
History of Jamaica'," in vol. iv., containing some interesting par- 
ticulars relative to that intelligent naturalist, from whom Mr. Lam- 
bert received and presented to this Society his MS, of a ' Flora Hi- 
bernica,' together with a small herbarium, collected in the counties 
of Mayo and Gal way, and a separate collection of Mosses. 

" A Description of the Blight of Wheat, Uredo Frumenti." 

" A Description of Bos frontalis, a new species from India," de- 
scribed from a living specimen in the collection of Mr. Brookes of 
the New Road. 

" Observations on the Zizania aquatica," accompanied by a figure 
from the pencil of Ferdinand Bauer, taken from specimens grown by 
Sir Joseph Banks in a pond at Spring-grove. 

" A further Account of Bos frontalis," containing numerous par- 


1842.] Linnean Society, 139 

ticulars of its habits, taken from a Letter written by Mr. Macrae. 
These four papers are in vol. vii. 

" A Description of a new Species of Macropus (M. elegans), from 
New Holland," from a living specimen in the collection at Exeter 
Change, in vol. viii. 

"Some Account of the Herbarium of Prof. Pallas," in vol. x., which, 
besides a general account of the collection, then recently purchased 
by Mr. Lambert, contains characters of a number of new species of 
plants, which are figured on six accompanying plates. 

" Notes relating to Botany, collected from the MSS. of the late 
Peter Collinson, Esq.," also in vol. x., and affording many interest- 
ing notices relating to botanists, gardeners and gardens in England, 
in the middle of the last century. 

" Description of a new Species of Psidium " {P.polycarpon), which 
had ripened its fruit at Boyton, in vol. xi. 

" Some Account of the Galls found on a species of Oak from the 
shores of the Dead Sea," and a " Note on the Mustard-plant of the 
Scriptures," in vol. xvii. 

Mr. Lambert's health had for some years been failing, and he had 
ceased to visit his country-seat at Boyton, but preferred, when out 
of town, taking up his residence of Kew, where his proximity to the 
Royal Gardens, and to his friends in town, afforded him more co- 
pious sources of enjoyment than he could have found elsewhere. He 
died at Kew, on the 10th of January in the present year, and his 
remains were removed to Boyton for interment. He married Catha- 
rine, daughter of Richard Bowater, Esq., of AUesley in the county 
of Warwick, but was left a widower, without any family, some years 
before his death. 

Charles Lane, Esq. 

Richard Leigh, Esq. 

Archibald Menzies, Esq., who, on the death of Mr. Lambert, be- 
came father of the Society, was bom at Weem, in the county of 
Perth, on the 15th of March, 1754. He was early attached to the 
Botanic Garden at Edinburgh, of which his brother WiiHam after- 
wards had charge ; and was enabled, through the kind assistance of 
Dr. John Hope, then Botanical Professor in that University, who was 
attracted by his love for natural history and especially botany, to 
pass through the academiccd studies necessary for his education as a 
surgeon. In the summer of 1778 he made a tour, under the auspices 
of Dr. Hope, through the Highlands and Hebrides, with the view of 
collecting their rarer plants, to which attention was then strongly 
directed by the recent publication of Lightfoot's 'Flora Scotica.' He 


140 Linnean Society. [May 24, 

afterwards became assistant to a surgeon at Caernarvon ; but soon 
quitting for a time the practice of his profession on shore, he entered 
the navy, and became assistant- surgeon on board the Nonsuch, 
Captain Truscott, in which vessel he was present at the famous vic- 
tory obtained by Rodney over the Comte de Grasse on the 12th of 
April, 1782. After the peace of that year he remained for some time 
on the Halifax station. In 1 786 he embarked as surgeon on board the 
Prince of Wales, a vessel fitted out by the enterprising firm of John 
and Cadman Etches and Co., and was placed under the command 
of Lieut, (afterwards Captain) Colnett, of the Royal Navy, for a voy- 
age of commercial discovery to the north-west coast of America. In 
this voyage he visited Staten Land, where he remained for some time, 
the Sandwich Islands and China, as well as North-western America, 
and returned from China by the direct route to England in the be- 
ginning of 1789. In the following year he was appointed in the 
capacity of naturalist, and with the rank of surgeon, to accompany 
Captain Vancouver, on board the Discovery, in his celebrated voy- 
age ; from which, after visiting King George's Sound on the south 
coast of New Holland, a part of New Zealand, Otaheite and the 
Sandwich Islands, and exploring by far the greater part of the north- 
west coast of America, he returned to England in the autumn of 
1795. During one of the visits made by this expedition to the Sand- 
wich Islands he ascended Wha-ra-rai and Mowna-roa, two of the 
principal mountains of the island of Owhyhee, and determined their 
heights (that of the latter exceeding 13,000 feet) by barometrical 
observations made simultaneously with others on board the vessel. 
" Some account" of his ascent of the former was subsequently given 
by him in the 1st and 2nd volumes of Loudon's 'Magazine of Natural 
History.' From an early period of the voyage Mr. Menzies added 
to his duties as naturalist those of surgeon of the Discovery, and it 
aflfords a striking proof of his professional skill, that on so arduous 
a service and in so protracted a voyage, not a single man was lost 
by disease after quitting the Cape of Good Hope in their passage 
out. 

From these various voyages Mr. Menzies brought back with him 
to England large collections of natural history, chiefly botanical. A 
very considerable number of the plants which he had collected, and 
especially of the Cryptogamous, to the study of which he was always 
devotedly attached, were new to science, and have been described 
from his specimens by Sir James Edward Smith, Mr. Brown, Sir 
W. J. Hooker and other botanical friends, among whom they were 
most liberally distributed. His own publications were few in num- 


1842.] Linnean Society. 141 

ber. In the lat volume of our ' Transactions' are contained " De- 
scriptions of three new Animals [Echene'is lineata, Fasciola clavata, 
and Hirudo branchiata] found in the Pacific Ocean** during his first 
voyage round the w^orld ; and in the 4th, " A new Arrangement of 
the Species of Polytrichum, with some Emendations," which, to- 
gether with an Appendix, afterwards added, forms a valuable mono- 
graph of that extensive genus. In the 'Philosophical Transactions* 
for 1796, he gave, in conjunction with Mr. (afterwards SirEverard) 
Home, " A Description of the Anatomy of the Sea- Otter," of which 
he had brought home a fine specimen, afterwards presented, with 
many other zoological specimens and a set of his plants, to the Bri- 
tish Museum. 

He subsequently served in the West Indies as surgeon of the Sans- 
pareil, commanded by Lord Hugh Seymour ; but early in the present 
century he quitted the sea, and continued to practise his profession 
in London. For some years previous to his death he had retired to 
Notting Hill, where he passed the tranquil remainder of his length- 
ened existence, eager to the last to obtain additions to his botanical 
collection, and enjoying the society of his numerous friends with a 
kindness of heart that never failed. 

He died on the 15th of February in the present year, having nearly 
reached the age of 88, and was buried beside his wife (who died five 
years earlier, and by whom he had no children), in the Cemetery at 
Kensal Green. He left his herbarium, consisting chiefly of Crypto - 
gamous plants, GraminecB and Cyperacece, arranged with character- 
istic neatness on paper of an 8vo size, to the Botanic Garden at 
Edinburgh, where he had studied ; and also gave by his will a be- 
quest of £100 to this Society, of which he became a Fellow on the 
19th of January, 1790, and to which he was always most WEirmly 
attached. 

David Pennant, Esq., son of the distinguished naturalist and ele- 
gant writer to whom we owe so many agreeable and instructive 
publications, and who, on the foundation of this Society, was elected 
one of its Honorary Members, died on the 24th of June, in the 78th 
year of his age. He edited some of his father's posthumous works, 
to one of which, consisting of the third and fourth volumes of the 
'Outlines of the Globe,* he supplied a preface containing some 
account of the latter days of his parent, and an eloquent tribute to 
his talents and virtues. He was himself one of the oldest Fellows 
of the Society, having been elected in 1792. 

Among our Foreign Members we have sustained, in common 
with the whole world of science, a severe loss in the person of 


142 Linnean Society. [May 24, 

Augustin Pyramus DeCandolle, a botanist of such [distinguished 
eminence as to demand from us a more than ordinary tribute of re- 
spect. Descended from a family which came originally from Mar- 
seilles, but had for more than two centuries been settled at Geneva, 
and which towards the close of the sixteenth century furnished one 
of that illustrious band of classical printers who united in so high a 
degree the study of letters with the art of transmitting them to pos- 
terity, he was born in the latter city, of which his father had been 
Premier Syndic, on the 4th of February, 1778. His youthful incli- 
nations were turned towards literature rather than science ; but a 
residence in the country awakened in him a taste for botany, which 
his attendance on the lectures of Professor Vaucher confirmed, and 
at the age of sixteen his path in life was determined, and he devoted 
himself to the cultivation of botanical science. 

In 1795 he paid his first visit to Paris, where he attended the lec- 
tures of Cuvier, Lamarck, Fourcroy, Vauquelin, and other distin- 
guished professors ; and when Geneva was a few years afterwards 
incorporated with the French .Republic he returned to the metropolis, 
where he fixed his residence for several years, attending the medical 
classes and pursuing his botanical studies at the same time under 
Jussieu and Desfontaines, with both of whom he formed a close and 
intimate friendship. Soon after taking up his abode in Paris he com- 
menced the publication of his * Plantarum Historia Succulentarum,' 
which was speedily followed by his * Astragalogia;' and in 1802 he 
began to furnish the text to Redoute's magnificent work, ' Les Lilia- 
cees,' which he supplied up to the 4th volume. In 1805 he was as- 
sociated with Lamarck in the third edition of that excellent natu- 
ralist's ' Flore Frangaise,' to which he prefixed an introduction, en- 
titled 'Principes Elementaires de Botanique,' and containing the 
outlines of a course of lectures which he had delivered in the pre- 
vious year at the College de France. A ' Synopsis Plantarum in 
Flor^ Gallica descriptarum ' followed in 1806. He had previously, 
in 1 804, connected his medical and botanical studies in an * Essai 
sur les Proprietes Medicales des Plantes, comparees avec leur clas- 
sification naturelle,' of which a second edition appeared in 1816. 
At an early period of his residence in Paris M. DeCandolle took an 
active part in the formation, under the auspices of Baron Benjamin 
Delessert, of the Societe Philanthropique for the supply of oeconomical 
soups to the poor and other charitable purposes, of which he con- 
tinued for several years to be the secretary. The Society for the 
Encouragement of National Industry is also stated to have been 
formed under his direction and management. 

In 1806 he ceased to be permanently resident in Paris. He re- 


1842.] Linnean Society. 143 

ceived in that year a commission from the Imperial Government to 
collect information on the state of botany and agriculture throughout 
the empire, and in pursuance of this commission he took for six suc- 
cessive years annual journeys into the several departments, the re- 
sults of which are contained in his ' Rapports sur les Voyages Bota- 
niques et Agronomiques faits dans les Departemens de I'Empire 
Fran9ais/ which were published in a collected form in 1813. 

Soon after his appointment to this important task he quitted Paris 
for Montpellier, where he became Professor of Botany in the Faculty 
of Medicine in 1807, and a Chair of Botany having been established 
in the Faculty of Sciences of that Academy in 1810, he attached 
himself with renewed ardour to the promotion of his favourite pur- 
suit. Under his direction the Botanic Garden was greatly improved, 
and a Catalogue, with descriptions of many new species, was pub- 
lished by him in 1813, in which year his * Th6orie El^mentaire de la 
Botanique' also made its first appearance. Many valuable memoirs, 
scattered through various publications, but chiefly taken from the 
' Annales du Museum d'Histoire Naturelle,' were in this year col- 
lected into a volume. 

After the second Restoration of the Bourbons, circumstances oc- 
curred which induced him to quit Montpellier and return to his na- 
tive city, now restored to independence. A Chair of Natural History 
was instituted expressly for him, of which he took possession in 
January 1816, and the Botanic Garden, established towards the 
close of the last century with the assistance of funds bequeathed for 
that purpose by the celebrated Bonnet, was greatly augmented, partly 
by assistance derived from the Government, and partly by voluntary 
subscription. Several Fasciculi of the ' Plantes rares du Jardin de 
Geneve' attest the interest which he took in its success. 

In 1816 he visited England for the purpose of consulting the Her- 
baria of our country with a view to the general system of plants, the 
publication of which he then meditated, and during his stay here 
communicated to the Linnean Society a paper entitled " Remarks on 
two Genera of Plants to be referred to the Family of Rosacea." These 
are Kerria and Purshia, previously strangely misunderstood, and as 
strangely misplaced in distant and very dissimilar families. His me- 
moir on this subject, the only one by M. DeCandolle which has a 
place in our ' Transactions,' is contained in the twelfth volume. 

In 1818 appeared the first volume of his intended ' Regni Vege- 
tabilis Systema Naturale,* which was followed by a second in 1821. 
But the plan of this work was obviously too vast for accomplishment 
by individual industry, however great ; and after the publication of 
these two volumes, M. DeCandolle recognized the necessity of con- 


144 Linnean Society » [May 24, 

fining himself within narrower limits. In the year 1824 he commenced 
the publication of his * Prodromus Systematis Regni Vegetabilis,' the 
title of which indicates his intention at some future period to resume 
the more extensive work. But even this ' Enumeratio Contracta,' 
as he designates it, proved too mighty a labour, and in the remain- 
ing seventeen years of his life, all that his unwearied energy could 
accomplish was the publication of seven volumes, completing pro- 
bably about two-thirds of the contemplated task. The value of these 
important manuals, in the present state of botanical science, can only 
be estimated by those with whom they are of necessity in daily use. 
On many of the more interesting families on which they treat he si- 
multaneously published a series of descriptive memoirs. 

It is the great merit of this important work, that, far more than 
any other approaching it in extent, it is founded on actual observa- 
tion. M. DeCandoUe's own herbarium was extremely rich ; he had 
visited and carefully examined many of the most extensive collections, 
and especially those of Paris ; and many entire collections as well as 
separate families, on which he was specially engaged, were from 
time to time submitted to his examination by their possessors. He 
had thus opportunities of comparison greatly beyond what in ordi- 
nary circumstances fall to the lot of an individual. His library too 
was stored with almost every important publication that could be 
required for his undertaking. With such ample materials, aided by 
his untiring zeal and the persevering energy of his character, he 
steadily pursued his allotted task, and only ceased to labour at it 
when he ceased to live. 

It was not merely as a botanist that M. DeCandolle deserved well 
of his country and of mankind. Both as an individual and in the 
Council of his native city, he was ever active in the promotion of 
measures of public utility, whether they related to the improvement 
of agriculture, the cultivation of the arts, the advancement of public 
instruction, or the amelioration of the legislative code. Even in his 
botanical lectures he never lost an opportunity of inculcating the 
importance of these and similar subjects. Those lectures were at- 
tended by a numerous class, who caught from their teacher a portion 
of the enthusiasm with which he was himself inspired. Some idea 
of the manner in which he brought their subject before his auditors 
may be obtained from his ' Organographie ' and ' Physiologic Vege- 
tale,' published in 1827 and 1832, which contain the substance of 
his lectures on those two great departments of the science. 

For some years his health had been declining, and it is to be 
feared that the severe and incessant attention which he paid to the 
elaboration of the great family of Compositee had made a deep inroad 


1842.] Linnean Society, 145 

upon it. As a relaxation from his labours, he undertook, in the last 
year of his life, a long journey, and attended the Scientific Meeting 
held at Turin ; but he did not derive from this journey the anticipated 
improvement in his health, which gradually failed until his death, on 
the 9th of September last. He has left a son, Alphonse, well known 
as the author of several valuable botanical publications, one of which, 
his memoir on the family of Myrsinece, appeared in our * Transac- 
tions.' 

Jens Wilken Hornemann was born in 1770, and studied at the Uni- 
versity of Copenhagen, where his * Forsog til en Dansk ceconomisk 
Plantelaere' obtained a prize in 1795. In 1798 he commenced a 
botanical tour through Germany, France and England, and in 1801 
became lecturer at the Copenhagen Botanic Garden. He succeeded 
his teacher Vahl as Regius Professor and Director of the Garden in 
1804, and i)ublished in 1807 an 'Enumeratio Plantarum Horti Hav- 
niensis,' and in 1813 and 1815 a more complete synopsis of the 
plants there cultivated under the title of ' Hortus Regius Botanicus 
Havniensis.' In 1819 he wrote a dissertation ' De Indole Plantarum 
Guineensium.' After the death of Vahl he superintended the pub- 
lication of the ' Flora Danica,' and several papers by him have been 
published in the ' Transactions of the Danish Philosophical Society * 
and the * Tidskrift for Naturvidenskaberne,' of which he was one of 
the editors. His lectures and writings have done much to extend 
the study of botany in Denmark, and have contributed to maintain 
the character acquired for Danish botanists by Koenig, Forskfihl, 
CEder, Rottboll and Vahl, 

Among the Associates we lament the loss of 

The Rev. Robert Francis Bree, who became a Fellow of the Lin- 
nean Society in 1815, and was placed on the List of Associates in 
1827. He died at his residence in the New Kent Road on the 28tli 
of January in the present year, at the age of 66. 

David Don, Esq., Professor of Botany in King's College, London, 
and Librarian of this Society, was born in the year 1800, at Forfar, 
where his father, an acute practical botanist, had established a Nursery 
and Botanic Garden. On his father's being afterwards appointed to 
the charge of the Botanic Garden at Edinburgh, he attracted the 
notice of Mr. Patrick Neill, and was enabled to attend some of the 
classes in that city. His father, however, after a while quitting 
Edinburgh, he returned with him to Forfar, and received his early 
training in the Garden there. Subsequently he again visited Edin- 
burgh, and had charge of the stoves and greenhouses in the esta- 


146 Linnean Society, [May 24, 

blishment of the Messrs. Dickson of Broughton near that city, then 
among the finest in Scotland. Late in 1819 he removed to London, 
and soon after became librarian to Mr. Lambert, in whose house he 
was domiciled, and of whose extensive herbarium he had charge. 
About this period he published " Descriptions of several new or rare 
native Plants, found in Scotland chiefly by the late Mr. George Don, 
of Forfar;" and wrote "A Monograph of the Genus Saxifraga,'* 
which appeared in the 13th volume of our 'Transactions.' These 
publications brought him into favourable notice, and in the year 1822 
he became Librarian of the Linnean Society, an office which he con- 
tinued to hold till his death, and in which he acquired the universal 
respect and esteem of the Members by the wide extent of his infor- 
mation and the liberality with which he was at all times ready to 
impart it. 

On the death of Prof. Burnet in 1836 he succeeded to the Bota* 
nical Chair at King's College, which he also retained till his decease. 
His constitution was apparently robust, but towards the end of 1 840 
a tumour appeared in his lower lip, which it was found necessary to 
remove. The disease, however, after a short respite, reappeared in 
the neck, and assuming by degrees a decidedly malignant character, 
left no hope of his long surviving. He died on the 8th of December 
last, worn out by severe suffering, which he bore with the most 
exemplary fortitude, and was buried on the 15th of the same month 
in the Cemetery at Kensal Green. He was married, but left no 
children. 

As a systematic botanist his character stands deservedly high. 
His knowledge of plants was most extensive, and his appreciation of 
species ready and exact. The most important of his publications are 
his " Prodromus Florae Nepalensis ;" his monographs of Saxifraga 
and other genera, and of the family of Melastomacece ; his memoirs 
on Composita, in our * Transactions ;' and his papers, especially those 
on the plants of Peru and Chile, in the ' Edinburgh Philosophical 
Journal.' The following is believed to be a nearly complete cata- 
logue of his works : — 

L In the * Transactions of the Linnean Society :' 

1. " A Monograph of the Genus Saxifraga," in vol. xiii. 

2. " Descriptions of nine new species of Carex, natives of the Hi- 
malaya Alps in Upper Nepaul," in vol. xiv. 

3. " Description of Cowania, a new genus of Plants ; and of a new 
species of Sieversia,'* in vol. xiv. 

4. ** Description of a new genus (Lophospermum) belonging to the 
Natural Family of Plants called Scrophularinea," in vol. xv. 


1842.] Linnean Society, 147 

5. "On the Origin and Nature of the ligulate Rays in Zinnia^ and 
on a remarkable multiplication observed in the parts of fructification 
of that genus," in vol. xvi. 

6. " Descriptions of the new genera and species of the Class Com- 
posita, belonging to the Floras of Peru, Mexico and Chile," in vol. xvi. 

7. " On the Plant which yields the Gum Ammoniacum," in vol.xvi. 
S. "Observations on thtTropaolum pentaphyllum, Lam.," and "Ad- 
ditional Observations " on the same, in vol. xvii. 

9. "On the modifications of ^Estivation observable in certain plants 
formerly referred to the Genus Cinchona*' in vol. xvii. 

10. " Remarks on some British Ferns," in vol. xvii. 

11. "Descriptions of five new species of the Genus Pinus, disco- 
vered by Dr. Coulter in California," in vol. xvii. 

12. " Descriptions of Indian Gentianete,'' in vol. xvii. 

13. "Descriptions of two new genera of the Natural Family of 
Plants called Conifer (b,'* in vol. xviii. 

14. " Description of a new genus of Plants (Catophractes) belong- 
ing to the Natural Family Bignoniacece," in vol. xviii. 

15. "Descriptions of the Indian species of Iris,'' in vol. xviii. 

16. " An Account of the Indian species oi Juncus and Luzula," in 
vol. xviii. 

17. "A Monograph of the Genus Disporum," in vol. xviii. 

18. "A Monograph of Streptopus, with the Description of a new 
genus (Prosartes) now first separated from it," in vol. xviii. 

II. In the * Memoirs of the Wernerian Society of Edinburgh :' 

19. " Descriptions of new or rare Native Plants, found in Scotland 
by the late Mr. George Don of Forfar," in vol. iii. 

20. " Descriptions of new Plants from Nepaul, in the Herbarium 
of A. B. Lambert, Esq.," in vol. iii. 

21. " Illustrations of the Natural Family of Plants called Melasto- 
macea," in vol. iv. 

22. "A Monograph of the Genus Pyrola,' in vol. v. 

23. "On the classification and division of Gnaphalium and Xeran- 
themum of Linnaeus," in vol. v. 

III. In the ' Edinburgh New Philosophical Journal ;' 

24. " Observations on Phiiadelphea and Granatea, two new Fa- 
milies of Plants," in vol. i. 

25. " On the AflSnities of Empetrete," in vol. ii. 

26. " On the Rhubarb of Commerce, the Purple-coned Fir of Ne- 
paul, and the Mustard-tree," in vol. ii. 

27. "Description of the Genus Malesherbia of the Flora Peru- 
viana, with remarks on its affinities," in vol. ii. 


148 Linnean Society. [May 24, 

28. " Observations on the Cow-tree of the Caraccas, and on the 
culture of the Nutmeg," in vol. iii. 

29. •' Remarks on the IrritabiUty of the Stigma, and on the Origin 
and Nature of certain parts of the Fructification in Pinus Larix," in 
vol. iv. 

30. ** On the general presence of spiral Vessels in the Vegetable 
Structure," in vol. vi. 

31. "Descriptions of the Genera Columellia, Tovaria and Francoa," 
in vol. vi. 

32. •* An attempt at a new Classification of the Cichoracea," in 
vol. vi. 

33. *• On the Characters and Affinities of Darwinia, Brunsfehia, 
Browallia, Argylia, Eccremocarpus, and of a Plant improperly re- 
ferred to the latter genus," in vol. vii. 

34. "On the Affinities of Vellozia, Barhacenia, Glaux, Aucuba, 
Viviania, Deutzia, and of a new genus of the Order Rubiacea," in 
vol. viii. 

35. "On the anomalous Structure of the Leaf oi Rosa berberi- 
folia," in vol. viii. 

36. "A Monograph of the Family of Plants called Cunoniacea," 
in vol. ix. 

37. " On the Characters and Affinities of certain Genera, chiefly 
belonging to the Flora Peruviana," various papers in vols. x. — xiv. 

38. " Descriptions of some new species of Malesherbia, KagC' 
neckia, Quillaja, and of a new genus of Salicarite," in vol. xii. 

39. " Additional Remarks on Er cilia, Macromeria, Aitonia and 
Citronella," in vol. xiv. 

40. " On the Coniferce at present growing in Australia," in vol. xiv. 

41. " On the Characters and Affinities of the Genus Codon," in 
vol. XV. 

42. " On the Connexion between the Calyx and Ovarium in cer- 
tain Plants of the Order Melastomace<E," in vol. xv. 

43. " Some Remarks on the Plant which yields the Cascarilla 
Bark," in vol. xvi. 

44. "An attempt at a new Arrangement of the Ericacea," in 
vol. xvii. 

45. " On the Characters of certain Groups of the Class Personata," 
in vol. xix. 

IV. Miscellaneous : 

46. " Prodromus Florae Nepalensis," 12mo, 1825. 

47. The Text of the new Series of Sweet's "British Flower- 
Garden." 


1842.] lAnnean Society, 149 

48. "A List of the Plants collected by Mr. Fellows in Asia Minor, 
with descriptions of some new species," appended to Mr. Fellows's 
Narrative of his Travels. 

Mr. Charles Edward Sowerby (son of the late James Sowerby, and 
brother of James Do Carle and George Brettingham Sowerby, who 
still survive to maintain the reputation of the family name,) was 
principally known as a naturalist by the smaller and cheaper edition 
of the ' English Botany,' which he superintended and which is now 
nearly completed. He died on the 7th of the present month. 

The President also announced that ten Fellows and three Asso- 
ciates had been elected since the last Anniversary. 

At the Election which subsequently took place, the Lord Bishop 
of Norwich was elected President ; Edward Forster, Esq., Trea- 
surer; John Joseph Bennett, Esq., Secretary; and Richard Taylor, 
Esq., Under-Secretary. The following five Fellows were elected 
into the Council in the room of others going out, viz. The Right 
Hon. the Earl of Beverley; John Alexander Hankey, Esq.; John 
Miers, Esq. ; Roderick Impey Mnrchison, Esq. ; and Alfred White, 
Esq. 

The President announced that Vol. XIX. Part 1. of the Society's 
' Transactions' was ready for distribution. 

In accordance with the Resolution of Council of the 26th ultimo, 
the Secretary read the following Statement : — 

" The Council having had under their serious consideration the 
financial affairs of the Society, submit the following Statement to 
the Fellows at large. 

"The cost of the Collections and Library of Linnaeus, together 
with those of the first President Sir James Edward Smith, purchased 
of the Executors of the latter in 1828, amounted to £3000. Of this 
sum about £1500 were then raised by subscription ; and to meet the 
remainder a debt on bonds was incurred, which now amounts to 
£1300, paying interest at 5 per cent. 

** In consequence partly of this amount of interest, and partly of 
a diminution in the Annual Receipts, there has been accumulated 
within the last few years a further debt of about £500. 

'• By recent arrangements a saving of some amount has been eflfected 
in the Expenditure ; but the Council are convinced that no further 
material reduction can be made without greatly impairing the eflfi- 
ciency of the Society, and they desire to avoid, as far as possible, the 
necessity of calling upon the Fellows to agree to a small charge being 


150 


Linnean Society, 


[May 24, 


placed upon the Society's Publications, that appearing to be the most 
obvious means of supplying the deficiency in the Annual Receipts. 

" With this view they propose a General Subscription, which, they 
trust, may reach such an amount as to meet the present liabilities, 
and to relieve the funds of the Society from the burthen of debt and 
interest. 

"They therefore earnestly recommend the Subscription to the 
Members of the Society."* 

• The following is a List of the Subscriptions up to the 20th of October: — 


£ s. 
The Lord Bishop of Norwich, 

President 50 

His Grace the Duke of So- 
merset 26 5 

His Grace the Duke of North- 
umberland 50 

The Rt. Hon. Earl Brownlow 21 

William Anderson, Esq 10 

Chas. Cardale Babington, Esq. 5 

Rev. John Barlow 5 

Thomas Bell, Esq 21 

John J. Bennett, Esq., Sec. 21 

Rev. Miles Joseph Berkeley. 5 

John Black wall. Esq 10 

Francis Boott, Esq., M.D. ... 10 

William Borrer, Esq 21 

William Borrer, Jun., Esq. ... 5 5 
William Arnold Bromfield, 

Esq., M.D 5 5 

Henry Alexander Brown, Esq. 5 

Robert Brown, Esq., V.P. ... 21 

Walter Buchanan, Esq 5 5 

William John Burchell, Esq., 

LL.D. 5 

Jonathan Couch, Esq 1 

Hugh Cuming, Esq 5 

Rev. William Cuthbert, D.D. 5 

Charles Daubeny, Esq., M.D. 5 

David Elisha Davy, Esq. ... 5 

Lewis Weston Dillwyn, Esq. 10 
John Shute Duncan, Esq., 

D.C.L 5 

Alexander Erskine, Esq. ... 10 10 
Edward Forster, Esq., Trea- 
surer and V.P 21 

Edward Forster, Jun., Esq. ..5 5 

Thomas Forster, M.D 5 5 

George Townshend Fox, Esq. 5 5 

John Guillemard, Esq 5 

Rev. John Hailstone 5 

John Alexander Hankey, Esq. 26 5 


Rev. Henry Hasted 3 3 

Charles Hatchett, Esq 5 

John Hogg, Esq 3 3 

Sir Wm. Jackson Hooker,V.P. 21 

Rev. Frederick William Hope 21 

Thomas Horsfield,M.D., V.P. 8 8 

Frederick H. Janson, Esq. ... 5 5 

Joseph Janson, Esq 50 

Mr. Richard Kippist 5 5 

Rev. William Kirby 5 5 

John Leonard Knapp, Esq. .. 5 

Henry Lee, Esq., M.D 2 2 

William Horton Lloyd, Esq. 50 

Sir John Wm. Lubbock, Bart. 5 5 

Duncan M'Arthur, Esq., M.D. 1 1 

Gideon Mantell, Esq., LL.D. 5 

John Miers, Esq 5 5 

Joshua Milne, Esq 50 

George Moore, Esq 5 

Rev. Thomas Newton 5 5 

William Ogilby, Esq 5 

John Parkinson, Esq 5 5 

Frederick J. Parrj-^, Esq. ... 5 

Algernon Peck over, Esq 5 5 

Louis Hayes Petit, Esq 10 10 

William Pilkington, Esq. ... 10 

William Wilson Saunders, Esq. 5 5 

Daniel Sharpe, Esq 5 5 

Richard Horsman Solly, Esq. 21 
Sir George Thomas Staunton, 

Bart 10 

Charles Stokes, Esq 10 

Richard Taylor, Esq 21 

James Thomson, Esq 5 5 

Nathaniel Bagshaw Ward, Esq. 10 

John ObadiahWestwood, Esq. 7 7 

Alfred White, Esq 10 

Jas. Edw. Winterbottom, Esq. 10 

Joseph Woods, Esq 21 

William Yarrell, Esq 26 5 


1842.] lAnnean Society, 151 

June 7. 

The Lord Bishop of Norwich, President, in the Chair. 

An Address to Her Majesty, on the late treasonable attempt on 
Her Majesty's life, was read and agreed to. 

Joseph Hooker, Esq., M.D., was elected a Fellow. 

The Hon. H. Wright, of the Ceylon Civil Service, presented spe- 
cimens of the inner bark of the Cinnamon Tree (the fine Ceylon Cin- 
namon of commerce), peeled of an unusual length (nearly eleven 
feet). 

Read " An Account of a Fish, nearly allied to the genus Hemi- 
ramphus, taken in Cornwall." By Jonathan Couch, Esq., F.L.S., &c. 
Mr. Couch states, that in the month of August 1841, several indi- 
viduals of this little fish were found swimming at the surface of a 
large pool in the rocks near Polperro, where they had been left by 
the receding tide, having been swept thither by a continued south- 
west wind, which had also driven in many individuals of Motella 
glauca and other fishes that do not ordinarily select such a situation. 
Their length was half an inch ; the head proportionately large, espe- 
cially across ; the body slender ; eye large ; snout in front of it 
short and abrupt; upper jaw arched; under stout, projecting to a 
considerable extent, but in some specimens more than in others, the 
point declining, and the sides not appearing to be formed of parallel 
rami of the jaw, but rather of a cartilaginous substance ; vent placed 
posteriorly ; body, which is equal from the head to this point, taper- 
ing thence to the tail ; lateral line, so far as could be distinguished, 
straight ; dorsal and anal fins single, posterior, opposite, the latter 
beginning close behind the vent, and both reaching nearly to the 
tail, their membrane at first broader, but narrowing in its progress ; 
pectoral fins and tail round. The colours of different specimens 
varied greatly, some being dark with a tint of green, others cream- 
coloured but sprinkled with specks ; regular and thickly set narrow 
stripes passed from the back obliquely forward, breaking into dots at 
the sides, in the darker coloured specimens ; belly dark. 

Mr. Couch was unable to discover ventral fins even with the aid 
of a lens. He has no doubt of the specimens being in a very early 
stage of their existence, but cannot refer them to any known species. 


^t*'!^^ 


152 Linnean Society, [June 21^ 

He thinks it indeed doubtful whether they really belong to the genus 
by the name of which he has provisionally designated them, or even 
to the same family, some parts of their structure seeming to indicate 
an affinity with the genus Ammodytes. 

The paper was accompanied by magnified figures. 

Read also the commencement of a paper " On the Sea Cocoa- 
nut of the Seychelles, Lodoicea Seychellarum, Comm. and Labill." 
By — — ClarkcEsq., a gentleman long resident in those islands. 


June 21. 
Edward Forster, Esq., V.P., in the Chair, 
John Bright, Esq., was elected a Fellow. 

Read " Observations on the Growth and Reproduction of Enter o-- 
tnorpha intestinalis ." By Arthur Hill Hassall, Esq. 

Mr. Hassall states that, in the earliest stage of their development, 
the tapering filaments consist of a single series of cells placed end to 
end. Each of these cells afterwards becomes bisected by a longitu- 
dinal line, and other lines subsequently appear, so that the original 
cells are ultimately divided into several, each of which in its turn 
enlarges and is in like manner divided. From the continued growth 
and unlimited division of the cells, the filaments increase to an in- 
definite size, soon lose their original confervoid character, present a 
reticulated appearance, and instead of being attenuated become cy- 
lindrical and hollow. 

Mr. Hassall proceeds to state, that in each articulation of the fila- 
ments, and often when they are not thicker than a horse-hair, a dark 
central nucleus is gradually developed, which is the reproductive 
germ. He thinks there can be little doubt that this, as well as the 
cell in which it is contained, undergoes repeated division in the same 
manner as the reproductive globules of the Ulvce. These reproductive 
bodies germinate while still inclosed within the cells in which they 
were developed, and while the parent filament retains all its fresh- 
ness and vigour, giving rise to the jointed and tapering filaments 
first described ; which in this state, after the rupture of the parent 
cell, and while their bases are still fixed within it, bear a strong re- 


1842.] lAnnean Society. 153 

semblance to a parasitic Conferva. This development, division and 
growth of cells and reproductive bodies appears, Mr. Hassall adds, 
to be going on continually and successively, so that most specimens 
of the plant present examples of each different stage of its formation. 
These observations lead Mr. Hassall to regard Enteromorpha iri' 
testinalis as having a twofold relation, viz. to the Conferva in its 
young articulated filaments, and to the Ulv<£ in its reproduction from 
globules which undergo repeated division. He objects to the tauto- 
logy of the specific name, and proposes that of lacustris in its place. 

Read also the conclusion of Mr. ClEirk's paper " On the Sea Cocoa- 
nut of the Seychelles, Lodoicea Sechellaruniy Comm. and Labill." 

Mr. Clark's paper contains a complete history of this remarkable 
palm, on which so much has been written ; but in the following abs- 
tract only those points are noticed which appear either to have been 
overlooked, or not to have been sufficiently attended to by former 
observers. 

Mr. Clark states the Lodoicea to have been completely extirpated 
on Round Island, and to exist at present in a state of nature only on 
the Islands Praslin and Curieuse. The few which are found on the 
other islands of the Seychelles Archipelago have all been planted, 
and only two or three of these appear to thrive. The trunk yields to 
the slightest breeze, and when the wind is moderately strong, the 
huge leaves are crashed together with an astonishing noise. The part 
of the trunk immediately above the surface of the grouiM forms an 
inverted cone, which is terminated below by an hemispherical base, 
from whence spread in all directions a great number of cord-like 
roots, penetrating to a considerable distance around, and having a 
tough brown bark surrounding a soft internal substance. These 
roots remain long after the destruction of the plant to which they 
belonged. In spots that have been burned, or in some of the oldest 
clearings, where the trees have long since perished and disappeared, 
a black circle on a level with the surface of the earth indicates their 
former existence. This is the base of the cone before mentioned, 
and now forms the brim of a huge bowl, often filled with decayed 
vegetable matter ; on removing which, the internal surface is found 
to be pierced by a vast number of holes, forming the openings of the 
tubes into which the roots have been converted by the decay of their 
internal substance. Such tubes are generally large enough to admit 
the end of the fore finger, and are compact and sonorous, but brittle. 

So firmly are the leaves attached to the trunk, that Mr. Clark 
No. XVI. — Proceedings of the Linnean Society. 


154 Linnean Society. [June 11, 

states a man may seat himself at the end of one of them with per- 
fect safety. The texture of the leaflets (the largest number of which 
yet found was ninety-seven) is very strong, and consists of fine 
threads or fibres disposed in three layers. The direction of the twa 
outer layers is longitudinal, that of the central layer transverse ; 
when denuded by the decomposition of the parenchyma, their tissue 
resembles coarse book-muslin. Mr. Clark estimates, that three of 
the leaves, only one of which is produced each year, occupy eight 
inches on the stem, and that consequently a tree of eighty feet in 
height must be about 400 [360] years old. 

According to Mr. Clark, both the male and female spadix, instead 
of rising from the angle of the accompanying leaf-stalk, pass through 
a fissure in its base. 

The drupe attains the length of fifteen inches, is about three feet 
in circumference, and weighs from thirty to fifty pounds. When the 
fruit has reached its full size, but is still soft (in which state it is 
called Coco tendre), it may easily be cut through with a knife. A 
transverse section, Mr. Clark states, successively displays the husk, 
green on the outside but whitish within, of a harsh astringent taste, 
much like the husk of the common cocoa-nut, inside of which is the 
substance which is destined to form the shell ; next follows a layer,, 
more or less thick, of a mealy insipid substance, of a white colour,^ 
covering a yellow substance, of a very decided bitter and said to be 
poisonous, which incloses the perisperm. This is a white translucent 
mass of a gelatinous consistence and sweetish taste ; taken at the 
proper period it furnishes an agreeable food, much esteemed by the 
Sechellois. In the centre of this, at the spot where the two lobes of 
the perisperm unite, is the germ, at this period scarcely visible. 

The germination of the seed sometimes commences before the fall 
of the fruit, but most frequently after. It is prevented by burying 
the nut, but readily takes place on the surface of the earth, in a situa- 
tion not too much exposed to the sun. The length of time from the 
germination to the period when the trunk begins to be formed above 
ground, is stated at from fifteen to twenty years ; and even in favour- 
able situations the Lodoicea is full twenty-five years before producing 
flowers. 

Mr. Clark states, that although the tree puts forth only one spadix 
in a year, ten or more may be seen flowering at the same time ; this 
is explained by the multiplicity of flowers in each catkin, which blos- 
som successively. The female trees bear flowers and fruit in all their 
diff^crcnt stages at the same time. As many as seven well-formed 


1842.] Linnean Society. 155 

drupes are sometimes produced on a single spadix. It sometimes 
happens that the fecundation is imperfect, in which case the ovary 
expands and lengthens, but does not assume the usual form, and at 
the end of two or three years it drops off; but seven or eight years 
are required for the full maturing of the nut. This fact Mr. Clark 
fitates to have been ascertained on one of the female Lodoiceas planted 
at Mah6, which had flowered for several years without producing 
fruit, owing to the absence of a male plant. A male flower was pro- 
cured from an estate a few miles distant and suspended in the tree, 
and about two months afterwards one of the buds expanded and 
finally arrived at maturity. The experiment was made in 1833, and 
the fruit fell at the latter end of 184 1 . 


November 1. 


R. Brown, Esq., V.P., in the Chair. 

Mr. Joseph Henderson and Mr. Thomas Shearman Ralph were 
elected Associates. 

J. E. Bicheno, Esq., F.L.S., late Secretary of the Society, pre- 
sented his portrait by Mr. Eddis, and the best thanks of the Society 
were ordered to be returned to Mr. Bicheno for his very acceptable 
present. 

Jonathan Pereira, M.D., F.L.S., presented specimens of the dif- 
ferent varieties of Ceylon, Malabar and Java Cardamoms, &c. 

Prof. Owen, F.L.S., exhibited a specimen of the animal of the 
Pearly Nautilus, with its shell, brought from Amboyna by Captain 
Belcher, R.N., C.B. 

Read " A Notice of the African Grain called Fundi or Fundungi." 
By Robert Clarke, Esq., Senior Assistant Surgeon to the Colony of 
Sierra Leone. Communicated by Jacob Bell, Esq., F.L.S. 

This Lilliputian grain, which is described by Mr. Clarke as being 
about the size of mignonette-seed, is stated to be cultivated in the 


I 


156 Linnean Society. [Nov. 1^ 

village of Kissy and in the neighbourhood of Waterloo by indus- 
trious individuals of the Soosoo, Foulah, Bassa and Joloff nations, 
by whom it is called '* hungry rice." The ground is cleared for its 
reception by burning down the copse-wood and hoeing between the 
roots and stumps. It is sown in the months of May and June, the 
ground being slightly opened and again lightly drawn together over 
the seed with a hoe. In August, when it shoots up, it is carefully 
weeded. It ripens in September, growing to the height of about 
eighteen inches, and its stems, which are very slender, are then bent 
to the earth by the mere weight of the grain. They are reaped with 
hooked knives. The patch of land is then either suffered to lie fal- 
low, or planted with yams or cassada in rotation. Manure is said to 
be unnecessary or even injurious, the plant delighting in light soils 
and being raised even in rocky situations, which are most frequent 
in and about Kissy. When cut down it is tied up in small sheaves 
and placed in a dry situation within the hut, for if allowed to remain 
on the ground or to become wet the grains become agglutinated to 
their coverings. The grain is trodden out with the feet, and is then 
parched or dried in the sun to allow of the more easy removal of the 
chaff in the process of pounding, which is performed in wooden 
mortars. It is afterwards winnowed with a kind of cane fanner on 
mats. 

In preparing this delicious grain for food, Mr. Clarke states that 
it is first thrown into boiling water, in which it is assiduously stirred 
for a few minutes. The water is then poured off and the natives add 
to it palm oil, butter or milk ; but the Europeans and negroes con- 
nected with the colony stew it with fowl, fish or mutton, adding a 
small piece of salt pork for the sake of flavour, and the dish thus pre- 
pared is stated to resemble kous-kous. The grain is also made into 
a pudding with the usual condiments, and eaten either hot or cold 
with milk ; the Scotch residents sometimes dressing it as milk-por- 
ridge. Mr. Clarke is of opinion that if the fundi grain were raised 
for exportation to Europe, it might prove a valuable addition to the 
list of light farinaceous articles of food in use among the delicate or 
convalescent. 

Specimens of the grass accompanied Mr. Clarke's communication, 
and were examined by Mr. Kippist, Libr. L.S., who added some ob- 
servations on its botanical characters. 

It is a slender grass with digitate spikes, which has much of the 
habit of Digitaria, but which, on account of the absence of the small 
outer glume existing in that genus, must be referred to Paspalum. 


1842.] Linnean Society, 157 

Mr. Kippist regards it as an undescribed species, although speci- 
mens collected at Sierra Leone by Afzelius are in the collections of 
Sir James E. Smith and Sir Joseph Banks, on the former of which 
Afzelius has noted that it is much cultivated by the negroes in Sierra 
Leone. 

Mr. Kippist distinguishes the species by the following characters: — 
Paspalum exile, glaberrimum, caule filiform!, racemis subternis digitatis, 
axi partiali spiculis singulis angustiore, spiculis parvis sub-biserialibus 
pedicellatis, glumis ovatis acutiusculis paleis aequalibus, foliis lineari- 
lanceolatis margine serrulatis, 
Gramen sub-bipedale, inferne ramosum ; racemi tenues, 3 — 4-pollicare8, 
subsessiles ; axes partiales angustissimse, planae, margine minute den- 
ticulatae ; spiculae vix lineales ; glumae exterioris respectu racheos, (val- 
vulae floris masculi superstitis) nervi 7 — 9 aequidistantes, interioris 5, 
quorum laterales approximati ; paleae minutissim^ striatae ; folia plana ; 
vaginae longissimae ; ligulae truncatse integrae. 

Read also a letter from N. B. Ward, Esq., F.L.S., containing a 
statement furnished to him by Mrs. Williams, the widow of the late 
missionary of that name, respecting the transportation of the Musa 
Cavendishii to the Navigators' Islands, and its culture there. Mr. 
Williams left England on the 11th of April 1839, and arrived at 
LTpolu, one of the Navigators' Islands, at the end of November. He 
carried with him, in one of Mr. Ward's glazed cases, a young plant 
of Musa Cavendishii, which bore the voyage well. It was trans- 
planted into a favqurable situation, and in May 1 840 a cluster of 
fine fruit (in number exceeding 300) was produced ; after which the 
parent plant died, leaving behind more than thirty suckers, which 
were distributed to various parts of the island. In May 1841, when 
Mrs. Williams left to return to England, the greater part of these 
were in a fructifying state, so that there cannot be a doubt of this 
valuable plant quickly becoming abundant, not only in Upolu, but 
also in the neighbouring islands. Mrs. Williams further states that 
the fruit is highly prized by the natives as being much finer and very 
different in flavour from any of the species or varieties previously 
growing in these islands. 

Read also a continuation of Mr. Hope's memoir on new and un- 
described Insects from Sylhet. 


I 


158 Linnean Society. [Nov. 15, 

November 15. 
E. Forster, Esq., V.P., in the Chair. 

Frederick John Parry, Esq., was elected a Fellow ; and Mr. Samuel 
P. Woodward and Mr. John William Salter, Associates. 

Mr. T. S. Ralph, A.L.S., presented numerous fruits and seeds col- 
lected in the neighbourhood of Aurungabad. 

Read a Note " On the permanent varieties of Papaver orient ale, 
L." By T. Forster, M.B., F.L.S., &c. 

Dr. Forster states, that ever since the introduction of Papaver brac- 
teatum, Lindl., into England, he has regarded it as a permanent va- 
riety of P. orientale, of which P. bracteatum, as having fertile seeds, 
while those of P. orientale are usually sterile, was to be considered 
the original plant. He retains, however, the name of orientale for 
the species, both as being the earlier and as being applicable to all 
the varieties, four of which he now distinguishes as permanent by the 
following characters : — 

1. P. orientale bracteatum, characterized by its height, its bractese, 
its large and deep red petals, and its uniformly perfect seeds. 

2. P. orientale prcecox, the common "Monkey Poppy" of the old 
gardeners, and the most common variety in England, distinguished 
by its somewhat depressed capsule and sterile seeds. It flowers along 
with the former, generally about the 10th of May, the flowers being 
of a fine deep orange inclining to cinnabar. 

3. P. orientale serotinum, resembling the last except in that its 
petals incline more to what is called salmon-colour, but principally 
characterized by its flowering nearly a month later, along with P. 
somniferum, L., early in June. Dr. Forster has several times tried in 
vain to make it flower with the commoner sort. The seeds are always 
imperfect, and the flower and capsule of the same shape as in the 
last. 

4. P. orientale, capsuld et floribus longioribus, which are its prin- 
cipal distinguishing characters. It flowers in May a few days after 
the old English sort, but is only met with on the Continent : the 
petals are of the same colour, but the leaves are rather smaller. 
Dr. Forster states it to be common in the gardens of Belgium as 
the only variety cultivated, the two last-named varieties being there 


1842.] Linnean Society. 159 

unknown. It holds a middle rank between them and P. orientale 
bracteatum, being tall and bearing seeds, which are sometimes pro- 
lific, and well deserves to be introduced into English gardens. 

Dr. Forster adds, that about ten years ago Mr. Curtis showed him 
a bed of seedlings of the second year in full flower in May, which 
had round capsules and orange flowers like P. orientale, but which 
he stated to have been derived from seeds of P. bracteatum. Mr. Cur- 
tis attributed the change to the bees having transported the pollen 
of that plant, but the uniform appearance of the whole bed led Dr. 
Forster to think this explanation doubtful. He further states, that 
he has been assured in the South of Europe that the best opium and 
in the largest quantity is obtained from P. orientale bracteatum ; and 
as this plant suits the English soil and seeds freely, he thinks it 
might often be advantageously substituted for P. somniferum. 

Read also a Note " On Secale cornutum, the Ergot of Rye ;" and 
" On a species of Asplenium, related to A. Trichomanes, L." By A. 
Haro, M.D., of Metz, communicated by the Secretary. 

In the latter communication Dr. Haro calls attention to a fern dis- 
covered by himself in the well of an old castle. The well in which 
it was found is described as being large, four-cornered, and having 
at the top on one side a square window, freely admitting Eur £ind 
light. The opposite wall is lined with the fern, which lies flat upon 
the stones, to which the fronds are said to be attached throughout 
their length by slender roots, rendering it difficult to remove them 
even with a knife. Dr. Haro submitted the plant to a Professor of 
the faculty of Nancy, who regarded it as a new species, more distinct 
from A. Trichomanes than A. viride or A, Petrarch(e, and supplied 
the following descriptive characters of these four species : — 

A. Trichomanes, frondes patulce, glabrce, impari-pinnatae ; stipes nigres- 
centi-vernicosus, supr^ membranula crenulatd et ab insertione pinnu- 
larum utrinque decurrente manifeste appendiculatus ; pinnulae mediae 
ovatcB inaequilaterales, superiores oblongae et basi obliqu^ cuneatae, 
impar crenulata, omnes obtusae obtuse(\\xe crenatae. 

A. Harovii, frondes decumhentes saxoque fibrillis tenuissimis adfixae, 
glabra, impari-pinnatae; stipes nigrescenti-vernicosus, supril membra- 
n\x\k obsolete et ab insertione pinnularum utrinque decurrente appen- 
diculatus; pinnulae mediae has tato- rhomb aide ce, trilobatce, superiores 
oblongae basi oblique attenuatae vel cuneatae, impar pinnatifida, omnes 
obtusae sed acute dentatae. 

A. viride, frondes erecto-patulce, glabra, impari-pinnatae ; stipes viridis, 
supri canaliculatus, inappendiculatus ; pinnulae mediae fere omnes ovate- 


I 


160 Linnean Society. [Dec. 20, 

rhomboideae, iiiaequilaterales, impar crenulata iucisa, omnes obtusae 
ohtuseclue crenulatae. 

^, Petrarch(B, frondes ereclo-pafulcs, glanduloso -villoscRy impari-pinnatae ; 
stipes obscure nigrescens, suprk applanato-canaliculatus, inappendicu- 
latus ; pinnulse mediae ohlongcB basi obliqu^ truncatse vel cuneatcB et 
inde valde inaequilaterales, pinnatifidae, lobulis obtusis inaequaliter cre- 
nulatis, superiores supra rachin decurrentes. 


December 6. 


E. Forster, Esq., V.P., in the Chair. 

William Roden, Esq., was elected a Fellow. 

Mr. Lovell Reeve, A.L.S., exhibited a fine specimen preserved in 
spirit of the animal of Panopcea Aldrovandi, one of the largest of 
Acephalous Mollusca. 

Read a portion of " An Essay on the Distribution, Vitality, Struc- 
ture, Modes of Growth and Reproduction, and Uses of the Fresh- 
water Confervce'' By Arthur Hill Hassall, Esq. Communicated by 
the Secretary. 


December 20. 

E. Forster, Esq., V.P., in the Chair. 

A. H. Hassall, Esq., exhibited an Apple in which decay had been 
artificially induced by inoculating it with decayed matter from another 
apple containing filaments of Entophytal Fungi. 

Read a continuation of Mr. Hassall's memoir on the Freshwater 
Conferva. 

Read also " Some further Observations on the Nature of- the Ergot 
of Grasses," By Edwin John Quekett, Esq., F.L.S. 


1842.] Linnean Society, 161 

This paper contains the results of experiments made by the author 
with the view of determining the mode in which the sporidia of the 
fungus which he regards as the cause of Ergot are introduced into 
the infected grass. 

In March 1 840 twelve healthy grains of rye, of wheat and of bar- 
ley were placed in a shallow glass vessel containing a sufficient 
quantity of distilled water to moisten them, and covered with a glass 
shade. When germination commenced an ergot of wheat of the pre- 
ceding year was immersed in the water, the sporidia on its surface 
were detached, and the ergot itself was then removed. The same 
experiment was performed with sporidia obtained from an ergot 
of Elymus sahulosus. Several days afterwards, when the leaves had 
attained a length of three or four inches, the young plants were 
conveyed into the country and planted side by side in a garden. At 
the period of harv^est there remained alive only four plants of the rye 
(one of which had been infected from the ergot of Elymus, and the 
remaining three from that of wheat), three of the barley and four of 
the wheat. Of the rye scarcely a single ear produced healthy grains, 
the paleae being generally quite empty ; but nine of the ears contained 
ergots, some furnishing only a single specimen, and others as many 
as six. The ears of the barley were filled with healthy grains, and 
only one apparently diseased grain was detected ; while in the wheat 
the ears were full and without disease. 

As in these experiments no grains from the same sample were 
sown which had not been subjected to the influence of the sporidia 
of the fungus, Mr. Quekett made in the following autumn another 
experiment with the view of supplying this deficiency. Twelve 
grains of rye, of wheat and of barley were again made to germinate 
under similar circumstances to the last, and the sporidia obtained 
from the surface of one of the ergots of rye produced in the first ex- 
periment were diffused in the water in which they grew. These were 
planted in October on the same estate, but not within half a mile of 
the former spot ; and twelve healthy grains of each kind which had 
been carefully kept apart from the others were planted in the same 
locality. Very few of the plants arrived at maturity, and in August 
last there remained of the infected plants only two of rye, two of 
wheat, and one of barley ; and of the uninfected plants one of each 
kind. On each of the plants of rye which had been subjected to the 
influence of the sporidia an ergot was discovered, and the ears as be- 
fore were almost entirely devoid of healthy grains ; while the plants 
of wheat and barley subjected to the same influence produced perfect 
ears and healthy grains. The three plants of rye, wheat and barley 

No. XVII. — Proceedings of the Linnean Society. 


162 Linnean Society. [Feb. 7? 

planted at the same time without exposure to the sporidia of the 
fungus presented no unhealthy appearance. 

Mr. Quekett argues that all the grains of rye subjected during 
germination to the influence of the sporidia of the fungus in both 
sets of experiments having produced plants infected with ergot, 
while the plants derived from grains not so subjected escaped disease, 
a convincing proof is afforded that their infection could not have been 
the effect of chance, but must have resulted from the artificial intro- 
duction of the sporidia ; and that the infection of the rye only, while 
the wheat and barley escaped, is to be attributed to the greater sus- 
ceptibility of the rye to infection, as proved by the much greater fre- 
quency of the production of ergots in that species of grain. 


January 17, 1843. 

E. Forster, Esq., V.P., in the Chair. 

Francis G. P. Neison, Esq., William Maddox Bush, M.D., and 
William Osbern, Esq., were elected Fellows. 

William Taylor, Esq., F.L.S., presented specimens of the seeds, 
oil, and oil-cake of Camelina sativa, Crantz, accompanied by some 
observations strongly recommending its cultivation in preference to 
that of flax for the production of oil. 

Read the commencement of a memoir " On the Ovulura of San- 
talum, Loranthus, Viscum," &c. By William Griffith, Esq., F.L.S. &c. 


February 7. 

E. Forster, Esq., V.P., in the Chair. 

Edward Forbes, Esq., Professor of Botany in King's College, 
London, was elected a Fellow. 

The Rev. William Hincks, F.L.S. , exhibited a specimen believed 
to belong to Neottia gemmipara. Smith. The specimen, which was 


1843.] Linnean Society, 163 

from the collection of Dr. Wood of Cork, was obtained by him from 
very near the original locality named by Mr. Drumraond. Mr. Hincks 
stated that he had taken some pains in comparing the specimen, not 
only with the description, but also with the original sketch made by 
Mr. James Drummond on a blank leaf of the pocket-book in which 
he noted down the occurrences of the tour upon which he made the 
discovery of this curious plant. The specimen now exhibited was 
marked by Dr. Wood when fresh, and he had no doubt of its identity ; 
and the result of Mr. Hincks's examination was a confirmation of 
this opinion. 

Read the conclusion of Mr. Hassall's " Essay on the Distribution, 
Vitality, Structure, Modes of Growth and Reproduction, and Uses 
of the Freshwater Confervee." 

The author commences his memoir by a general notice of the cir- 
cumstances under which the freshwater Conferva are found, and the 
distribution of various species. As regards their vitality he is in- 
clined to think that the lives of few species, if any, extend beyond 
the period of a year ; while it is certain that very many perish after 
a few months or even weeks, and are reproduced, under favourable 
circumstances, twice or thrice in the course of the year : their tena- 
city of life is also very great. 

In structure they exhibit great uniformity. An outer transparent 
membrane destitute of markings, but whose ultimate structure Mr. 
Hassall believes to be fibrous, invests a simple series of cells placed 
end to end, and containing a turbid almost colourless fluid, in which 
float a number of vesicular bodies of various sizes, the uses and na- 
ture of which are not satisfactorily ascertained. In some of them 
Mr. Hassall has noticed a dark central nucleus ; and it is supposed 
that they are connected with the function of reproduction, and that 
they supply the material for the formation and growth of the cells 
and their investing membrane. Each cell, the author thinks, may 
be regarded as possessing a separate and independent existence ; and 
consequently the entire Conferva is to be looked upon, like the asso- 
ciated zoophytes, as a compound or aggregated being. 

The principal part of Mr. Hassall's observations on the growth of 
Confervce has been already published in the ' Annals and Magazine 
of Natural History,' vol. ix. p. 431-2 ; and he has, since the reading 
of the present paper, published his observations on a mode of deve- 
lopment not previously noticed by him, in the same Journal, vol. xi. 
p. 359. At the period of the former publication he was not aware of the 
observations of M. Morren, M. Dumortier and M. Mohl on the growth 


164 Linnean Society, [Feb. f, 

of Conferva by the subdivision of their cells ; but he states that his 
views of the mode in which this subdivision is effected differ consi- 
derably from those of M. Morren. He does not believe that when 
the endochrome of a cell has become separated into two masses, 
leavinj^ a transparent space between them, this space is occupied by 
a formative intercellular matter such as M. Morren describes. On 
the contrary, he states that the first indication of the partitions which 
are to divide the parent cell into two consists of a solution of the 
continuity of a portion of the periphery of the cell, the divided edges 
of which become inflected and gradually approach the centre, where 
they coalesce. 

After dismissing as unphilosophical the doctrine of spontaneous 
generation, as well as the more recent theory which attempts to de- 
duce the origin of productions so widely differing in their structure 
and modes of growth as Mosses and Conferva from the same germ 
developed under different circumstances or in different media, the 
author proceeds to pass in review the mode of reproduction of the 
several genera of freshwater Confervm, adopting for the most part 
the divisions of Vaucher, and comparing his own observations with 
those of that distinguished algologist. 

In his account of the reproduction of the genus Vaiicheria, he dif- 
fers from Vaucher, who states that the horns (which he regards as 
the anthers) approach the globular cell containing the future spore. 
On the contrary, he affirms that it is the spore which approaches the 
horn, in contact with which it remains for some hours ; and he adds 
that the sporiferous cell is perforated or prolonged into a tube at the 
place where it comes in contact with the horn. Of the function at- 
tributed to the latter by Vaucher he has no doubt. He finds also, 
in contradiction of Vaucher's statement, that enlargements of the 
filaments, distinct from the reproductive apparatus, occur in all the 
species of Vaucheria ; but he regards their presence as unconnected 
with reproduction, their purpose being possibly to assist in sustain- 
ing the plant on the surface of the water. 

The most important of Mr. Hassall's observations on the genus 
Conjugata of Vaucher (including the more modern genera Zijgnema, 
Tyndaridea and Mougeotid), viz. the development of the spores with- 
out conjugation of the filaments by the confluence of the contents of 
two adjoining cells of the same filament, was published by him in the 
' Annals and Magazine of Natural History,' vol. x. p. 34. To his 
account of the reproduction of this genus he adds, that the filaments 
of the different species never grow in an entangled manner, but on 
♦he contrary always lie, when undisturbed, parallel to each other. 


1843.] Linnean Society, 165 

thus allowing of the regular union of the filaments, which could not 
otherwise take place. So remarkable is this arrangement, that Mr. 
Hassall states it to be alone sufficient to enable us at once to recog- 
nize a species as belonging to the Conjugating Conferva, 

On the reproduction of Hydrodictyon and Polysperma (Lemania, 
Bory) Mr. Hassall offers no observations of his own. The account 
given by Vaucher of that of Batrachospermum (including also Chato- 
phora and Draparnaldia) has been since doubted, but Mr. Hassall 
thinks that he has verified it by observations on B. plumosum. On 
the other hand, he believes Vaucher's account of the reproduction of 
Prolifera to be in a great measure inaccurate. The enlargements of 
the filaments are doubtless connected with reproduction, but not, he 
thinks, in the manner supposed by Vaucher, while what Vaucher re- 
garded as the young proliferous offspring appear to him to be para- 
sitic growths, to which Conferva are peculiarly liable. 

Ha^dng completed his review of the genera of freshwater Confei'va 
noticed by Vaucher, Mr. Hassall next proceeds to call attention to 
the mode of reproduction occurring in a group of which he believes 
himself to have first ascertained the true characters, and which 
he has denominated Vesiculifera. His observations on this group 
have been already published in the * Annals and Magazine of Natural 
History,' vol. x. p. 336, &c. In these observations he had described 
as the usual mode of reproduction in that group the formation of the 
spores without union of the filaments by the intermingling of the 
contents of two contiguous cells in the same filament; and had 
questioned the motion and development of the zoospores as described 
by M. Agardh the younger. In his communication to the Society 
he adds some extracts from letters which he had since received from 
Mr. Ralfs, who describes the disintegration of the sporular masses 
and the vivid motion of the separated granules in Draparnaldia tenuis 
and Spharoplea crispa, and adduces the testimony of Mr. Borrer and 
Mr. Berkeley to the same fact. And Mr. Hassall himself, in a note 
under date of the 7th of April, retracts his objections to the motion 
and development of zoospores in the Vesiculifera, and states his be- 
lief that they possess a double mode of reproduction, that which he 
had described as occurring by means of true spores being the perfect 
form. 

Mr. Hassall's observations on the reproduction of the branched 
Conferva have been published, since the reading of his paper before 
the Society, in the * Annals and Magazine of Natural History,' vol. xi. 
p. 3 60, &c. With regard to the genus Meloseira, Mr, Hassall believes, 
from the occurrence of vesicles in the filaments similar to those of the 


166 lAnnean Society. [March 7^ 

Vesiculifera, that its true position will be with them. The Vesi- 
culifera composita, Hass., Ann. Nat. Hist. x. p. 394, is identical with 
Meloseira varians, Agardh. 

The paper concludes with some remarks on the various uses of 
the freshwater Conferva. 


February 21. 

E. Forster, Esq., V.P., in the Chair. 

Frederick Blundstone White, M.D., and Edward Doubleday, Esq., 
were elected Fellows. 

The Rev. F. W. Hope, M.A., F.L.S., &c., exhibited an extensive 
collection of engraved Portraits of Linnaeus, accompanied by a list of 
such as had fallen under his observation, and notices of the more 
important among them. 


March 7. 

The Lord Bishop of Norwich, President, in the Chair. 

Thomas Corbyn Janson, Esq. and William Hammond Solly, Esq., 
were elected Fellows. 

J. O. Westwood, Esq., F.L.S., presented specimens of the aerial 
processes of the roots of Sonneratia acida, L., sent by Mr. Templeton 
from Ceylon, and described by him as affording a wood of an ex- 
tremely light and close texture, admirably adapted for lining insect- 
boxes, on account of the facility with which it admits, and the tena- 
city with which it retains, the finest pins. 

Read a continuation of Mr. Griffith's memoir " On the Ovulum of 
Santalum," &c. 


1843.] Linnean Society. 167 

March 21. 

The Lord Bishop of Norwich, President, in the Chair. 

Mr. Arthur Henfrey was elected an Associate. 

J. Janson, Esq., F.L.S., exhibited living flowering plants of the 
''hungry rice" of Sierra Leone, Paspalum exile, Kipp., described at 
p. 157, raised from seeds brought from Sierra Leone by Robert 
Clarke, Esq. 

Read a memoir " On Pectinura, a new genus of Ophiurida, and 
on the species of Ophiura inhabiting the Eastern Mediterranean." 
By Edward Forbes, Esq., F.L.S., Professor of Botany in King's Col- 
lege, London. 

Professor Forbes states that in his late researches in the >^gean 
Sea he found ten species of Starfishes of the order Ophiuridcs, several 
of which are undescribed. In the present memoir he confines him- 
self to those belonging to the genus Ophiura, and to an allied genus, 
hitherto uncharacterized, to which he gives the name of Pectinura. 
This genus is founded on a small starfish brought up by the dredge 
from the depth of 100 fathoms on the coast of Lycia, and is charac- 
terized as follows : — 

Pectinura. 
Corpus orbiculare, squamosum, granulosum, ad peripheriara radiatum ; 
radiis simplicibus, squamosis, in corporis discum subprolongatis ; squamis 
radiorum lateralibus adpressis, in marginibus superioribus spiniferis ; 
ossiculis ovarialibus binis in corporis lobos non productis. 
P. VESTiTA, disco orbiculari, radiis convexiusculis ; squamis superioribus 
rotundatis : lateralibus 8 spiniferis. — Lat. disci \ unc. 

Professor Forbes states that he should scarcely have ventured to 
establish a genus on the single specimen of this species which he 
possesses, and which is somewhat imperfect in the rays, had he not 
had an opportunity of examining a large foreign species, which shows 
it to be a well-marked genus, having a rather closer aflinity with 
Ophiura than with Ophiocoma. It differs from the former in having 
the disc clothed with granules, in the absence of the pectinated 
scales embracing the origins of the rays, and in the ovarian plates 
(not soldered into one as in Ophiura) not encroaching on the body ; 
and from Ophiocoma by the lateral ray-plates overlapping each other 
and the posterior ray-plates as in Ophiura, and instead of having the 
spines on a transverse ridge or keel having them articulated to their 
superior margins, so that when the animal is dead they lie close to 
the rays and do not bristle out as in Ophiocoma. 


168 Linnean Society. [April 18, 

Of Ophiura Professor Forbes found three species, O. texturata, O. 
albida, and a new species to which he gives the name of O. ahyssicola, 
on account of its being found in deeper water than any recorded 
starfish, at the depth namely of from 150 to 200 fathoms.^ A com; 
parison of the characters of this new species with those of its de- 
scribed allies, has enabled him to revise the characters of the genus 
Ophiura as follows : — 

Ophiura, Lam,, Agass. 
Corpus orbiculare, squamosum, Iseve, ad peripheriam radiatum ; radiis 
simplicibus, squamosis, in corporis discum prolongatis, ad origines 
squamis pectiiiatis adpressis ; squamis radiorum lateralibus adpressis, 
m marginibus superioribus spiniferis ; ossiculis marginis ovarialibus 
simplicibus, in corporis lobos productis. 
The following are the specific characters of the ^gean species : — 
O. texturata, Lam. Squamis pectinatis ad radiorum origines plus quam 
20-dentatis, ossiculis ovarialibus lyratis, radiis carinatis ; squamis supe- 
rioribus transverse oblongis : lateralibus 7 spiniferis. 
0. albida, Forbes. Squamis pectinatis ad radiorum origines 16-dentatis, 
ossiculis ovarialibus scutatis, radiis convexis ; squamis superioribus trl- 
angularibus : lateralibus 4 vel 5 spiniferis. 
O. ABYssicoLA, squamis pectinatis ad radiorum origines binis 5 — 9-den- 
tatis, ossiculis ovarialibus pentagonis, radiis carinatis ; squamis supe- 
rioribus quadratis : lateralibus 3 vel 4 spiniferis. — Lat. disci -^V unc. 

Read also a continuation of Mr. Griffith's memoir ** On the Ovu- 
lum of Santalum" &c. 


April 4." 

E. Forster, Esq., V.P., in the Chair. 

George Suttor, Esq., was elected a Fellow. 

Read a continuation of Mr. Griffith's memoir " On the Ovulum of 
Santalum," &c. 


April 18. 

The Lord Bishop of Norwich, President, in the Chair. 

Robert Armstrong, M.D., Nathaniel Buckley, Esq., Charles Pope, 
M.D., and Thomas West^ M.D., were elected Fellows. 

Read the conclusion of Mr. Griffith's memoir " On the Ovulum 6f 
Santalum, Loranthus, Viscum," &c. 


1843.] Linnean Society, 169 

In this paper, dated " Malacca, March 28th, 1842," Mr. Griffith 
proposes to supply many of the deficiencies in his two memoirs on 
the ovula of Santalum, Loranthus and Viscum, published in the 1 8th 
vol. of the Society's " Transactions," to correct some important mis- 
takes, and to extend his inquiries to another pjenus of the natural 
family of Santalacea, viz. Osyris. With this view he gives a detailed 
description of the progress of the development of the embryo, so far 
as he has been enabled to observe it, in Santalum album, Osyris Ne- 
palensis, Loranthus bicolor, Loranthus globosus and two species of 
Viscum ; each of which subjects is illustrated by an extensive series 
of microscopical drawings. In connection with these details he pro- 
ceeds to remark at some length on the four following points : — 1 . the 
solidity of the ovarium and the appearance of the ovulum after fecun- 
dation, or rather after the action of the pollen on the stigmatic sur- 
faces ; 2. the reduction of an ovulum to the nucleus or to the 
embryonary sac ; 3. the embryonary sac ; and 4. the origin of the 
embryo. The following is the summary given by him of his ideas 
of the structure of Santalum, Osyris, Loranthus and Viscum : — 

" In Santalum the ovulum consists of a nucleus and an embryonary 
sac, prolonged beyond both the apex and base of the nucleus : the 
albumen and embryo are developed in the parts above the septum 
[in the exserted portion of the sac] , the parts below and the nucleus 
remaining unchanged. The embryo is developed from the poUinic 
vesicle. The seed has no actual proper covering, and no other theo- 
retical coveriag than the incorporated upper separable parts of the 
embryo-sac. 

*' In Osyris the ovulum is reduced to a nucleus and an embryonary 
sac, which is i)rolonged in the same directions as in Santalum, but not 
to such a degree beyond the apex of the nucleus. The seed is formed 
outside the embryo-sac, and is absolutely without proper tegument, 
or whatever covering it may have did not enter into the composition 
of the ovulum. The embryo appears to be developed at some di- 
stance from the anterior end of the pollen tube. 

" In Viscum the modifications appear to me to be two : in the one 
an evident cavity exists in the ovarium, and the ovulumjippears to be 
reduced to an embryonary sac hanging from one side of the base of 
a nipple-shaped or conical placenta. In the other the ovulum is 
reduced to an embryonary sac, but this is erect, and has no such ob- 
viously distinct point of origin as in the first. In both the albumen 
has no other proper covering than the incorporated embryonary sac ; 
and, at least in the last, the embryo appears to be a direct transfor- 
mation of the pollinic vesicle. 

No. XVIII. — PROCEEniNGS OF THE LiNNEAN SoCIBTY. 


170 Linnean Society, [April 18, 

" In Loranthus each ovulum appears to be reduced to an embryonary 
sftc, the albumen is developed either partly within the sac, or entirely, 
or almost entirely, without it. The embryo is a growth from the 
ends of the continuations of the pollen tubes outside the anterior 
ends of the embryo-sacs, and is, in one modification, exemplified by 
L. globosus, up to a certain period exterior even to the albumen. In 
L. hicolor the albumen has no proper tegument ; in L. globosus it 
may be supposed to have a partial one in the incorporated albumi- 
nous part of the embryo -sac. 

" The gradation of structure appears to me to be tolerably complete. 
One modification of Viscum, in my opinion, tends to show that in San- 
talum the first steps towards the disappearance of the usual nucleus 
take place. Osyris seems to me to indicate that a similar tendency 
may aifect the embryonary sac ; and Santalum appears to me to 
allude to a reduction in the embryo-sac to the form of that of Osyris. 
Nor is this all, Osyris has its albumen and embryo developed outside 
that end of the sac to which the pollen tubes are applied : Loranthus 
bicolor has the same developed outside the opposite end of the sac. 
And the partial development of the albumen in the embryo-sac of 
Loranthus globosus may perhaps be a passage to its development out- 
side that sac in L. bicolor. 

" The novel points of structure and development pointed out in 
thi-s paper are, so far as I know, the possibility of the separation of 
a continuous membranous embryo- sac into two distinct parts, of 
which the lower remains unchanged, though it would almost appear 
from Osyris to be the most permanent ; the presence of the embryo- 
sac not being necessarily connected with its forming one of the con- 
stituent parts of the young or of the mature seed ; the longitudinal 
percursion of the embryo- sac by the pollen tubes ; the formation of 
the albumen either only partially within the embryo-sac, or almost 
entirely, if not quite so, without it ; the confluence of the albumina 
of several sacs into one albumen ; the growth of the embryonic tis- 
sues from the continuations of the pollen tubes outside the embryo- 
sac ; the possibility of one embryo resulting from a combination of 
several pollen tubes, and of its becoming interior to the albumen, 
although it may have been for some time entirely exterior to it. 

" I make no mention of the posterior prolongations of the sacs, in 
doubt of the true nature or origin of the so-called chalazal apparatus 
of Thesium ; or of the growth of the embryonic tissues from the ends 
of the pollen tubes, in doubt of my having misunderstood the obser- 
vations of M. Schleiden, and in ignorance of those of M. Wydler." 
In a subsequent note Mr. Griffith notices certain peculiarities in 


1843.] lAnnean Society, I?! 

the development of the embryo in Avicennia, and in a genus which, 
notwithstanding its very curious anomalies, he considers referrible 
to Santalales, and to which he gives the following characters : — 

MODECCOPSIS. 

Calyx su^erus ; Umbo minutissimo, 5-dentato. Petala 5, ^isco epigyno 
inserta, basi utrinque uni-glandulosa. Stamina 5, pctalis opposita. 
Ovarium omnino inferum, 1-loculare. Ovula 3, ex apice loculi ! pen- 
dula, anatropa! Stylus brevis. Stigmata 3, subcapitata. Fructus 
subdrupaceus, monospermus, calyce demilm soluto quasi S-valvis ! ! 
i^ew^w unicum, pendulum ; endocarpio osseo inclusum. J Ihumeti co- 
piosum. RadiculcB locus superus. • 

Frutex scandefis, cirrhifer, cirrhis axillaribus. Folia alterna, exstipulata, 
ohlongo-ovata, hast suhcordata et quinque-venia. Flores minuti, incon- 
spicui. Glandulse apice pilifera ! Fructus abortu solitarius, cum pe- 
dicello clavato-pyriformis ; valvse intus rubra. 

Habitus Modeccce ; Rhamneis mediante Gouanid analoga ? Santalaceis 
potius afHnis. 

Bab. in Assami4 Superiore, Oris Tenasserim, Mergui Provinci&, Ma- 
lacca. 


May 2. 

The Lord Bishop of Norwich, President, in the Chair. 

M. Achillfe Richard and M. Joachim Frederic Schouw were elected 
Foreign Members ; John Salt, M.D., was elected a Fellow ; and Mr. 
Thomas Sansom an Associate. 

In consequence of the recent death of H.R.H. the Duke of Sussex, 
the Meeting adjourned. 


Anniversary Meeting. 
May 24. 

The Lord Bishop of Norwich, President, in the Chair. 

His Majesty the King of Saxony was elected an Honorary Member. 

The President opened the business of the Meeting, and having 
stated the number of Members whom the Society had lost during 


172 Linnean Society, [May 24, 

the past year, the Secretary read the following notices of some of 
them ; — 

The deaths among the Fellows have been six in number. 

The Rev. James Dalton was educated at Clare Hall, in the Uni- 
versity of Cambridge, where he took his Bachelor's degree in 1787, 
and that of Master of Arts in 1790. He was much attached to bo- 
tanical pursuits, and well acquainted with our native plants, and 
especially with the Carices and Mosses. Among the latter he was 
the first discoverer of several new species, and his name has been 
commemorated by Sir W. J. Hooker in a well-known genus. Many 
of his observations are recorded by Sir James E. Smith in his ' En- 
glish Botany ' and ' English Flora.* He became a Fellow of this 
Society in 1 803 ; and in 1 805 he was presented by the King to the 
living of Croft in Yorkshire, where he continued to reside until his 
decease, on the 2nd of January in the present year, at the age of 78. 

John Latham, M.D., formerly a physician of considerable emi- 
nence and extensive practice, was born at Gawsworth in the county 
of Chester, Dec. 29, 1761, and educated at Brasen-nose College, 
Oxford, where he took his Doctor's degree in 1788. In the same 
year he established himself in London, and became successively 
physician to the Middlesex, the Magdalen; and St. Bartholomew's 
Hospitals, and Fellow and President of the Royal College of Physi- 
cians. He was elected a Fellow of this Society on the 16th of March 
1790, and was consequently its senior member. He died on the 
20th of April in the present year at Bradwall Hall, Cheshire, to 
which place he had retired from the fatigues of practice in 1829. 
His published works are wholly medical. 

James Lynn, M.D. 

Rev. Thos. Newman, M.A. 

Rev. Thos. Newton, M.A. 

John Gage Rokewode, Esq., for many years Director of the Society 
of Antiquaries, was the fourth and youngest son of Sir Thomas Gage 
of Hengrave Hall in the county of Suffolk, the sixth baronet of that 
family, and brother of the late Sir Thomas Gage, also a Fellow of 
our Society and a botanist of considerable attainments, especially in 
his knowledge of the family of Lichens. On the death of his second 
brother, he assumed the name of Rokewode and entered into posses- 
sion of Coldham Hall and the property belonging to it, in pursuance 
of a settlement executed in 1728 by one of his ancestors. Mr. Gage 
Rokewode was devoted from an early period of his life to the study 
of the antiquities of his native country, to the illustration of which 
his numerous publications in the * Archseologia,' in the * Vetusta 


1843.] Linnean Society, 173 

Monumenta,' and in various separate works, have greatly contri- 
buted. 

The Society has also to regret the loss of two of its Associates. 

Mr, Daniel Cooper was the second son of Mr. John Thomas Cooper, 
well known as a distinguished practical chemist. He was educated 
for the medical profession, and assiduously devoted himself to the 
study of natural history, and more especially of botany and concho- 
logy. He took an active part in the establishment of the Botanical 
Society of London ; and subsequently became one of the Assistants 
in the Zoological Department of the British Museum, and delivered 
Botanical lectures at various Medical Schools. On quitting the British 
Museum he entered the Medical Service of the Army, and was for 
some time employed in the Museum at Fort Pitt, Chatham ; whence 
he was appointed Assistant- Surgeton to the 17th Lancers, then sta- 
tioned^at Leeds. He died at the early age of 25, in the Cavalry Bar- 
racks of that town, on the 23rd of November 1842, about two months 
after joining the regiment, of a sudden attack of inflammation of the 
veins. 

Soon after the establishment of the Microscopical Society he com- 
menced the publication of a * Microscopic Journal,' of which he 
edited nearly two annual volumes, the latter in conjunction with 
Mr. Busk. He published also a ' Flora Metropolitana,' 12mo, 1836, 
which constitutes a useful guide to the stations of the rarer plants 
found within a walk of the metropolis, and includes * A List of the 
Land and Freshwater Shells found in the environs of London.' To 
this little work a Supplement was added in 1837 ; and he also super- 
intended a new edition of Bingley's ' Useful Knowledge ' remodelled 
and with considerable additions. 

Mr. Alexander^ Mathews, an active and intelligent botanical col- 
lector, died at Chachapoyas on the Andes of Peru, on the 24th of No- 
vember 1841. He had been engaged for many years in forming and 
transmitting to Europe collections of Peruvian and Chilian plants ; 
and was the first discoverer of many species of great interest and 
beauty, which have been described, from the specimens gathered by 
him, chiefly in Sir W. J. Hooker's various publications, in which also 
occasional letters from him on the subject of his botanical pursuits 
will be found. 

The President also announced that two Foreign Members, eighteen 
Fellows and six Associates had been elected since the last Anni- 
versary. 

At the election which subsequently took place, the Lord Bishop of 


174 


Linnean Society. 


[June 6, 


Norwich was re-elected President ; Edj^vard Forster, Esq., Treasurer ; 
John Joseph Bennett, Esq., Secretary ; and Richard Taylor, Esq., 
Under-Secretary. The following five Fellows were elected into the 
Council in the room of others going out : viz. Arthur Aikin, Esq. ; 
Rev. Frederic William Hope ; William Horton Lloyd, Esq. ; Richard 
Owen, Esq., and William Yarrell, Esq. 

The Treasurer reported that the Subscriptions hitherto received 
in aid of the fund for relieving the Society from its incumbrances 
amounted to 982/. 145.* 


June 6. 


Edward Forster, Esq., V.P., in the Chair. 

Thomas Turner, Esq., and James TuUoch, Esq., were elected 
Fellows. 

Read the conclusion of Professor Forbes's memoir " On the Ophiu- 
ridce of the ^gean Sea." 

The author commences this portion of his paper by a revised cha- 
racter of the genus Ophioderma of Miiller and Troschel, as follows :— 


* The following Subsci*iptions have been received subsequent to the pub- 
lication of the List given at p. 150, making the total amount received up to 
the 31st of July, 994/. 3s. 


William Atkinson, Esq 2 

Robert John Ash ton, Esq. ... 5 

Henry Beaufoy, Esq 5 

William Bridgman, Esq 5 

Lieut.-Gen. Sir Thomas M. 

Brisbane, K.C.B 5 

Harford James Jones Brydges, 

Esq 5 

James Charles Dale, Esq. ... 5 

M. Pakenham Edge worth, Esq. 5 

Mr. James Forbes 1 

Rev. Henry Hasted (2nd 

subscr.) 3 

Rev. Henry Hawkes 5 

Mr. Joseph Henderson 1 

Thomas Charles Hope, Esq., 

M.D 5 


£ s. 

James Charles Hurst, Esq.... 2 2 

Mr. Abel Ingpen 1 1 

Capt. Theobald Jones, R.N., 

M.P 5 

Benjamin Kennedy, Esq. ... 2 

John Kidd, Esq., M.D 5 

Mr. James Main 1 1 

Thomas White Mann, Esq.... 4 4 

John Martin, Esq 1 1 

Jonh Miers, Esq. (2nd subscr.) 5 5 
Roderick Impey Murchison, 

Esq 10 

Mr. William Pamplin 1 1 

John Reeves, Esq 5 

Edward Rudge, Esq 5 

Rev. George Thackeray, D.D. 5 5 

John Windsor, Esq 3 3 


1843.] Linnean Society, ' 175 

Ophiodbrma. 
Corpus orbiculare, squamosum, granulosum, ad peripheriam radiatum ; 
radiis simplicibus squamosis ; disco in radiorum origines prolongate, 
infrk poris genitalibus viginti ; squamis radiorum lateralibus adpressis, 
in marginibus superioribus spiniferis, spinis simplicibus ; ossiculis ova- 
rialibus parvis, oralibus pectinatis. 

The species on which this genus is founded, Ophiura lacertosa, 
Lam., is stated to be rare in the ^Egean Sea, and is thus character- 
ized : — 

Oph, lacertosa. 

O. radiis convexiusculis ; squamis superioribus transverse oblongis : late- 
ralibus 8-spiniferis : inferioribus quadratis. 

Of the genus Ophiomyxa of the same authors, Professor Forbes 
also gives the following revised character : — 

Ophiomyxa. 
Corpus pentagonale, coriaceum, laeve, ad peripheriam radiatum; radiis 
simplicibus, interrupte squamosis ; disco in radiorum origines prolon- 
gate ; squamis radiorum lateralibus spiniferis, spinis serrulatis ; ossi- 
culis ovarialibus binis parvis, oralibus spinis serrulatis armatis. 
The iEgean species, 0. lubrica, Forbes, was found in between ten 
and twenty fathoms water in the sea of the Cyclades. 

For a new species not uncommon in the seas of the Archipelago, 
the author establishes the genus — 

Ophiopsila, Forbes. 
Corpus orbiculare, coriaceum, laeve, ad peripberiam radiatum ; radiis sim- 
pliciter squamosis, infra discum insertis ; squamis latefralibus subcari- 
natis spiniferis, spinis simplicibus ; ossiculis ovarialibus parvis, oralibus 
ad latera nudis. 
Oph. Aranea, Forbes. 

Another new genus is constituted for the reception of the long- 
rayed, scaly and smooth-bodied OphiuridcB, with simple tentacula and 
smooth spines, and is characterized as follows : — 

Amphiura, Forbes. 
Corpus orbiculare, squamosum, laeve, ad peripheriam radiatum ; radiis 
simplicibus squamosis, infra discum insertis ; squamis lateralibus sub- 
carinatis spiniferis, spinis simplicibus ; ossiculis ovarialibus parvis, ora- 
libus ad latera nudis ; cirrhis simplicibus. 

Three species inhabit the ^gean Sea, of which one is undescribed. 
Their characters are thus given : — 

I A. florifera, Forbes. 
A. disco squamis ccntralibus niaximis rosulatis, scutcUis ovatis disjunctis, 


1 76 Linnean Society, [June 6, 

squamis radiorum superioribus qiiadratis : inferioribus trilobatis : late- 
ralibus 3-spiniferis ; spinis brevissimis linearibus simplicibus. 

A. neglecta, Forbes. 

A. disco squamis central ibus parvis rosulatis, scutellis oblongis conjunctis, 
squamis radiorum superioribus quadratis : inferioribus oblongis : late- 
ralibus 4 — 5-spiniferis ; spinis brevibus simplicibus. 

Ophiura neglecta, Johnston. 

A, Chiajii, Forbes. 

A. disco squamis minutis rosulatis, scutellis cuneatis divergentibus apici- 
bus approximatis, squamis radiorum superioribus lenticularibus : infe- 
rioribus quadratis sulcatis : lateralibus 4-spiniferis ; spinis longis sim- 
plicibus. 

Ophiura filiformis, Chiaje (nee Miiller) . 

' Lastly, the author adopts the genus Ophiothrix of Miiller and 
Troschel, with the following revised character : — 

Ophiothrix. 
Corpus orbiculare, spinosum, ad peripheriam radiatum ; radiis simplicibus, 
squamosis, squamis superioribus imbricatis, lateralibus carinatis spi- 
niferis; spinis serrulatis; ossiculis ovarialibus parvis, oralibus ad latera 
nudis ; cirrhis pinnatis. 
Ophiothrix Rosula is common in the JEgean Sea. 
Figures are given of all the new genera and species, with nume- 
rous magnified details. 

Read also a " Description of Peltophyllum, a new genus of Plants 
allied to Triuris of Miers, with remarks on their Affinities." By- 
George Gardner, Esq., F.L.S. &c. 

The plant described in the present communication was discovered 
by Mr. Gardner in the province of Goyaz, in the interior of Brazil, 
and the few specimens which he possesses are unfortunately all 
female. The following are its characters : — 

Peltophyllum, Gardner. 
Flores dioici. Masc. ignoti. Foem. Perigonium 6-partitum, coloratum, 

patens, persistens ; laciniis ovatis, longe acuminatis ; acumine piano. 

Ovaria plurima, in tori apice sessilia, adpressa, libera. Styli ad apicem 

incrassati, oblique truncati. Fructus ignotus. 
Hexhdi parvula Brasiliensis. Folia a scapo distantia, longe petiolata, pel- 

tata, valde reticulata. Radix tuberosa, fibrosa. Scapus siibramosus, 

bast squamosus ; -peduncuVis basi bracteatis, unifloris] floribus luteis. 
Peltophyllum luteum, Gardn. Herb. Bras. n. 3570. 

Mr. Gardner compares the female flowers of his plant with those 
of Triuris, to which it is evidently nearly related ; and discusses at 
some length the subject of their proper position in the natural system, 


1843.] Linnean Society, 177 

wliich he believes to be 'along vi'\t\\.Similace(B and the other orders of 
the group to which Prof. Lindley gave first the name of Retosa and 
subsequently that of Dictyogens. He proposes to form a distinct 
order for their reception under the name of 

Triurace^. 

Herb(B parvulae, perennea, rhizomate repente ? Folia solitaria, a scapo 
distantia, longe petiolata, nervosa, integerrima. Vagina ad basin pc- 
tioloruin membranaceae. Scopus subramosus, basi squamosus. Floret 
regulares, dioici ; pedicellis unifloris, bracteatis. Perigonium corollinum, 
3- vel 6-partitum, patens, persistens ; laciniis longis, acuminatis, aesti- 
vatione basi valvatis ; acumine interdiim tubuloso, ante aiithesin gy- 
rate incluso. Stamina 3 vel 6 ? AnthertB extrorsiB, locuh's disjunctis, 
imo androphoro magno earnoso centrali insertae. Ovaria plurima, in 
tori apice sessilia, adpressa, libera. Ovula in loculis solitaria ? Stgli 
sublaterales, subulati, vel ad apicem incrassati et obliqu^ truncati. 
Fructus ignotus. 

A figure of Peltophyllum luteum, with details, from the pencil of 
Mr. Miers, accompanied the paper. 


June 20. - 

E. Forster, Esq., V.P., in the Chair. 

Read " Notes on the Forest-trees of Australia." By George 
Suttor, Esq., F.L.S. &c. 

Mr. Suttor states that the far greater number of these trees be- 

L long to the or&^r My rtaceee, and chiefly to the genus Eucalyptus. The 

^ species are very numerous, and many of them are still undescribed. 

' They are generically known to the colonists as Gum-trees, and their 

distinctive names are chiefly derived from the colour of their barkfl ; 

as for example, blue, black-butted, red, white, yellow, green, and 

spotted Gum-trees. There is also a Flooded Gum-tree, a Manna 

Gum-tree, and a so-called Mountain-ash, all belonging to the genus 

Eucalyptus. Many of the species are of gigantic growth, and the 

Black-butted Gum-tree in particular (Eucalyptus globulus, Labill. ?) 

attains a size equal perhaps to that of any tree in the world. It 

derives its name from the blackness of its butt, caused, it is said, by 

exposure to the fires which are so frequently kindled by the natives 

' in order to biirn the grass and secure the game. 

No. XIX. — Proceedings of the Linnkan Society. 


178 Linnean Society. [Nov. 7^ 

The Manna Gum-tree {Eucalyptus mannifei'o) is also of large 
growth, with widely spreading branches. Its manna drops in a 
liquid state most plentifully in the summer from the flowers and buds 
of the young shoots into the leaves, where it quickly becomes hard- 
ened, and falls thence to the ground in irregular lumps. It has a 
sweet agreeable taste, and is said to have all the properties of the 
manna of the shops. The wood contains a large quantity of saccha- 
rine sap, which soon becomes acid, and it is to this cause that Mr. 
Suttor attributes the power of resisting fire, so remarkable in all the 
Gum-trees, and which renders them peculiarly valuable in building 
houses. 

Another species of Eucalyptus, the so-called Mountain-ash, which 
grows in the Blue Mountains, is a very fine timber-tree, which splits 
freely into long pieces and is brought to Paramatta for chair-rafts, 
&c. Its wood is very strong and elastic, and said to be equal in 
those respects to any wood in the world. 

The Forest- mahogany of the colonists {Eucalyptus rohusta. Smith) 
has strong large spreading branches, forming a very large head, and 
sweet-scented flowers. Its wood is heavy and close-grained, resem- 
bles the mahogany of Jamaica, and is used in Sydney for making 
chairs and bedsteads. 

The timber-trees not belonging to the order Myrtacea consist of 
a few species of Conifers, the Casuarince, and the so-called Cedar 
(Cedrela Toona, Roxb.), the wood of which very much resembles the 
Honduras mahogany, and is very valuable to the colonists in fitting 
up their houses, making furniture, &c. The tree is of large growth, 
and has not been found in the interior, but generally on the low 
grounds of the coast rivers. 


November 7. 


R. Brown, Esq., V.P., in the Chair. 

A letter was read from the Baron de Gersdorff", Resident Minister 
of the King of Saxony, addressed to the President, and stating that 
" the King will feel highly gratified in seeing his name enrolled on 
the list of Honorary Members of the Linnean Society of London, and 
that his Majesty has accordingly been graciously pleased to accept 
the Diploma transmitted by your Lordship, as President." 


1843.] Linnean Society. 1/9 

Dr. Bromfield, F.L.S., presented a specimen of a species of Cala- 
mintha found by him in the Isle of Wight and regarded as new. 

Mr. Newman exhibited a specimen of Trichomanes lately found in 
the CO. Kerry, and supposed to be distinct from TV. speciosum. 

Read a letter from Joshua Clarke, Esq., of Saffron Waldon, ac- 
companying specimens of Barkhausia setosa, Dec, found in that 
neighbourhood, with a note on the characters and distribution of the 
species by Mr. Kippist, Libr. L.S. 

Read also the commencement of " An Analysis of Rkizanthete.'* 
By Wm. Griffith, Esq., F.L.S., being the first of a series of memoirs 
on Root-Parasites and their allies. 


November 2 1 . 
E. Forster, Esq., V.P., in the Chair. 
David William Mitchell, Esq. was elected a Fellow. 

Read the conclusion of Mr. Griffith's " Analysis of Rhizanthea" 
and his " Description of Sapria, a Himalayan genus related to Raf- 
flesia." 


December 5. 


E. Forster, Esq., V.P., in the Chair. 

Mr. Westwood, F.L.S., exhibited a box of CEstrideous insects re- 
cently received from Professors Zetterstedt and Dahlbom, with the 
view of determining the correctness of Mr. Bracy Clarke's conjecture 
as to certain characters, which, in his memoir published in the last 
Part of the ' Transactions' of this Society, he had regarded as sexual, 
and as proving that the (Estrus Tai-andi and (E. Troinpe are sexes of 
the same species. Mr. Westwood stated that this collection con- 
tained both sexes of each of these species, and that it would conse- 
quently be necessary to reinstate these two species as well as several 


180 Linnean Society, [Dec. 19, 

others, which, on the same account, Mr. B. Clarke had sunk in his 
memoir. 

Read " Observations on Cy tinea and on the genus Thottea of 
Rottboll," in continuation of Mr. Griffith's memoirs on Root-Para- 
sites, &c. 


December 19. 

E. Forster, Esq., V.P., in the Chair. 

William Ferrand Merson, M.D., William Tucker Alia way, M.D., 
John Hillier, Esq., and Sylvanus Hanley, Esq., were elected Fellows ; 
and Mr. Henry Denny an Associate. 

Mr. J. T. Lay, Her Majesty's Consul at Canton, presented a box 
of specimens of the Keih-seen-me, a species of Alga related to Nostoc, 
and eaten as a delicacy among the Chinese. 

The Secretary exhibited on the part of Mr. Newport, President of 
the Entomological Society, a specimen in spirits of a Neuropterous 
insect, Pteronarcys regalis, furnished with external branchiae in its 
perfect state. 

Read a paper " On Carex saxatilis, L., and an allied species." By 
Francis Boott, M.D., F.L.S. &c. 

The allied species refeiTcd to was found in 1832 in Glen Phee, 
Clova, by the party accompanying Dr. Graham on his annual bota- 
nical excursion to the Highlands, and was considered as a form of 
C. saxatilis, L. ; but Dr. Boott, whose attention has lately been called 
to the subject by a letter from Mr. W. Wilson of Warrington, point- 
ing out certain differences between the two plants, is led to regard it 
as a distinct species, which he names and characterizes as follows : — 

Carex Gra/iami, spicis 4 — 5 cylindricis ferrugineis ; masculis 2 (rarius 1) 
gracilibus acutis : foemineis 2 — .3 subremotis crassis obtusis inferioribus 
pedunculatis evaginatis subnutantibus, stigmatibus 2, perigyriiis ob- 
longo-ovatis rostratis bifurcatis inflatis nervosis siiberectis ferrugineis 
(rarius stran)ineis) basi pallid is squani^ ovata acuta fnsck apice albid^ 
ncrvo ])al]ido duplo longioribus. 


1843.] Linnean Society, 181 

Of Carex saxatilis, L., Dr. Boott gives the following character : — 

C. saxatilis, spicis 2 — 3 atropurpiireis ; niascula 1 (rarius 2) cylindric& 
peduMculata : fcemineis 1 — 2 rotundatis ovatisve infima plus minusve 
pedunculata evaginat^ bracteatjl erecta, stigmatibus 2 — ;J, perigyniis 
subglobosis ovatisve rostratis emarginatis stipitatis patentibus eiierviis 
atropurpureis basi pallidis squama ovata obtusiusculA nigro-purpureA 
apice albida nervo concolori longioribus. 

C. saxatilis, L. Ft. Lapp. 2.59 (1737). 
C. puUa, Good, in Linn. Trans, iii. t. 14 (1795). 

Hah. in Alpibus Scotiae, Norvegiaj, Lapponioe, Succioe, Islandiae, Insula- 
rum Faeroensium. 

The author enters at length into a critical examination of the ori- 
ginal authorities which prove the Carex pulla of Goodenough to be 
the same with Carex saxatilis, L. ; and points out the origin of the 
confusion of the latter with C. rigida, Good. He then examines more 
particularly the distinguishing characters of C. Grahami and C. sax- 
atilis ; and adds that he should have no doubt of the specific distinc- 
tion between them but for the observations of Drejer, who in his 
' Revisio critica Caricum Borealium ' describes, under the name of 
C pulla /3 fusca, specimens from Iceland and Greenland closely 
agreeing with C. Grahami, except that he makes no mention of the 
nerves of the perigynium, and observes that the Greenland specimens 
are so extremely variable that it could scarcely be believed that they 
belong to the same species. In the absence of precise information 
respecting the perigynium of the larger Greenland specimens. Dr. 
Boott is inclined to refer them, together with the specimens from the 
Rocky Mountains described by him in Sir W. J. Hooker's * Flora 
Borccdi- Americana' under the name of C. saxatilis, to C. physocarpa, 
Presl, a native of Nootka Sound. Of the latter his knowledge is 
derived from M. Kunth's " Cyperographia." 

In conclusion Dr. Boott leaves it to future observation to deter- 
mine the value of the specific character which he has given of C. Gra- 
hami ; whether it is to be considered as a distinct species, referred 
back to C. saxatilis, L., or transferred to C. physocarpa, Presl, re- 
peating that at present he considers it, with Mr. Wilson, entitled 
to rank as a species. 

Read also an " Account of the Trees producing Myrrh and Frank- 
incense, as found in those parts of the coast of the Red Sea and In- 
dian Ocean whence those Gums were obtained in the first dawn of 
Commerce." By Major W. C. Harris, late on an Embassy- to the 


182 Linnean Society. [Dec. 19, 1843. 

Court of Shoa in Southern Abyssinia. Communicated by the Se- 
cretary. 

Major Harris describes the Myrrh-tree (Balsamodendron Myrrha) 
as growing abundantly on the Abyssinian coast of the Red Sea to 
the Straits of Bab el Mandeb, over all the barren hiil-sides of the 
low zone inhabited by the Danakil or Adaiel tribes. It is called 
Kurheta, and there exist two varieties ; one producing the better de- 
scription of the gum being a dwarf shrub, with deeply serrated crisp 
leaves of a dull green ; while the other, which yields a substance 
more like balm than myrrh, attains a height of ten feet, and has 
bright, shining, slightly dentated leaves. The myrrh, called Hofali, 
flows freely from any wound, in the form of a milky juice, possessing 
a perceptible acidity, which either evaporates or becomes chemically 
changed during the formation of the gum. The seasons for collect- 
ing it are in January, when the buds appear after the first rain ; and 
in March, when the seed^ are ripe. Every passer-by transfers such 
portions of it as he may find to the hollow boss of his shield, and ex- 
changes it for a handful of tobacco with the next slave-dealer whom 
he meets on the caravan-route. The merchants also of the sea-coast, 
before returning from Abyssinia, send into the forests that gird the 
western bank of the river Hawash, and bring away considerable 
quantities of the Hofali, which is sold at a high price. The natives 
administer it to their horses in cases of fatigue and exhaustion. 

The shrub which produces the balm of Mecca, Balsamodendron 
Opobalsamum, is found on the opposite Arabian coast at Cape Aden, 
where it is called Beskdn, either the original of or a derivative from 
the word Balsam. It is the Balessan of Bruce, who did not meet 
with the true myrrh-tree. The balm flows copiously from any in- 
cision, and the sethereal oil speedily evaporating, a tasteless gum 
remains. 
f ^ The Frankincense, Major Harris states, is found chiefly along the 

// Somauli coast, in the neighbourhood of Cape Guardafui. At Bunder 
f^ Maryah, twenty miles to the S.W. of Ras Feeluk, the mountains are 
three miles from the shore and attain a height of five thousand feet. 
Ascending a thousand feet a plain presents itself, bounded on every 
side by precipitous mountains, studded with the Frankincense and 
Gum-Acacia trees, although looking bare from the total absence of 
under- wood. The frankincense -trees invariably grow from the bare 
and smooth sides of the white marble rocks, or from isolated blocks 
of the same scattered over the plain, without any soil whatever. 
From the base of the trunk, and about treble its diameter, a round 
thick substance is thrown out, of a nature between bark and wood. 


Jan. 16, 1844.] Linnean Society. 183 

adhering most firmly to the stone, and resembling at a distance a 
mixture of mortar and lime. 'ITie stem rises from the centre of this 
mass, and having first taken a bend outwards of several inches, rises 
straight to a height of forty feet. It throws out from the top short 
branches covered with a very bright green foliage, the leaves being 
narrow and rounded at the end, five or six inches in length by one 
broad, and crimped like the frill of a shirt, or rather like the sea- weed 
called by children on the English coast " the old gentleman's ruflles," 
The usual girth of the stem is from a foot to eighteen inches. The 
bark is perfectly smooth and consists of four distinct layers, the 
outermost of which is very thin ; the two next of a singularly fine 
texture, resembling oiled letter-paper, perfectly transparent, of a 
beautiful amber-colour, and used by the Somaulis to write upon ; 
and the innermost about an inch thick, of a dull reddish hue, tough 
and not unlike leather, but yielding a strong aromatic perfume. The 
wood is white and soft. On making a deep incision into the inner 
rind, the gum exudes profusely, of the colour and consistence of milk, 
but hardening into a mass by exposure to the air. The young trees 
produce the best and most valuable gum, the older merely yielding 
a clear glutinous fluid resembling Copal varnish and exhaling a 
strong resinous odour. During the S.W. monsoon the pastoral tribes 
in the neighbourhood of Ras Feeluk collect large quantities of frank- 
incense, which they barter with the Indian Banyans, of whom a few 
reside at the villages along the Abyssinian coast. Boats from Ma- 
culla and from other parts of the Arabian coast also come across du- 
ring the fine season and carry away the gums that have been accu- 
mulated, in exchange for a coarse kind of cotton cloth which is worn 
by the shepherds. 


I 


January 16, 1844. 

E. Forster, Esq., V.P., in the Chair. 

Thomas Harrison, Esq., M.D., Edward Hamilton, Esq., M.D., 
William Francis, Esq., Ph. D., Augustus W. Clement, Esq., M.D., 
and John Mussendine Camplin, Esq., were elected Fellows. 

Read an extract from a letter addressed by John Ashton Bostock, 
Esq., Assistant Surgeon in H.M. 3rd Buffs, to his father John Bos- 
tock, Esq., M.D., F.L.S. 


184 Linnean Society/. [Jan. 16, 

The letter is dated Agra, Oct. 21st, 1843, and describes the oc- 
currences of a journey from Allahabad. The extract is as follows : 
" Between Cawnpore and this place I witnessed one of the extraor- 
dinary phsenomena peculiar to tropical climates, viz. a flight of locusts. 
The direction of the flight was nearly due east, ^d the rate four miles 
per hour ; and you will form some idea of the immense hbst, when I 
tell you, that travelling at the same rate and in the opposite direc- 
tion, I was between two an^i three hours in passing through them. 
During the whole time, the horizon, as far as the eye could reach, 
was darkened, and every nearer object was obscured. On looking 
directly upwards the appearance was that of a very heavy snow- 
storm, and the ground, which was covered by them, resembled the 
fields strewed by the dried leaves of the autumn. Several of them 
flew into my Palken. They were 2| inches long, of a pink colour, 
marked with dark brown; The poor natives were shouting and en- 
deavouring to prevent their devouring the crops, to which they prove 
most destructive." 

Read also a continuation of the series of memoirs on the Radiata 
of the Eastern Meditierranean. By E. Forbes, Esq., F.L.S., Professor 
of Botany in King's College, London. 

The memoir now read relates to the order Echinida, the Mediter- 
ranean species of which Professor Forbes states to amount in num- 
ber to between twelve and fifteen. Of these nine occur in the seas 
of the Egean Archipelago, at various depths, some being found as low 
as a hundred fathoms. I'hey are enumerated as follows : — 

Fam. Spatangace^. 

Gen. Spatangus, L. 

Spatangus purpureus is rare to the east of the Morea, but more 
abundant and attaining a larger size on the coasts of Sicily and 
Malta. The Mediterranean specimens are in every respect identical 
with the British, and Spat, meridionalis of Risso is the same species. 

Gen. Brissus, Klein. 

Fragments of Sea-urchins belonging to this genus were repeatedly 
found in very deep water on several parts of the Archipelago and on 
the coast of Asia Minor, but too imperfect to admit of determination. 
One of these, probably belonging to a new form, was taken in mud 
at the depth of from 100 to 140 fathoms. 


1844.] Linnean Society. 185 

Gen. Amphidetus, Agansiz. 
Of this genus Prof. Forbes describes a new species nearly related 
to Spat, cordatus of Pennant, which he characterizes as follows : — 

A. Mediterraneus, dorso convexiusculo ; depressione subplano ; iinpres- 
sione scutifurmi, extremitate antili trunca!& impress^ cuud& prominenti 
acuminata, ventre piano ; areA post-orali lanceolat4- — Long. \-^^ unc. ; 
lat. lTV;alt. I,*,. 

Of this species, which was taken in a few feet water in the Island 
of Paros by Capt. Graves, but which Prof. Forbes has dredged as 
deep as twenty fathoms, the author gives a detailed description ; and 
particularly notices the occurrence on each side of the madrejjoriform 
plate, obliquely beliind the posterior ovarian foramina, of a minute 
perforation, surrounded by a circle of minute spiniferous tubercles. 
Similar perforations similarly encircled are seen between each of the 
ovarian foramina laterally and anteriorly, so that their total number 
is five. These, the author states, are the eye-sockets with their 
protecting spines or eye-lids. Their presence, he adds, is unnoticed 
in any description of the species of Spatangacece, though they are 
doubtless to be found in all. 

Fam. CLYPEASTERIiE. 

Gen. EcHiNOCYAMus, Leske. Fibularia, Lam. 
Echinocyamus pusillus is abundant throughout the Egean Sea, 
being thrown up in shell-sand and equally plentiful at all depths be- 
tween one and a hundred and ten fathoms. Dead specimens were 
even dredged at a depth of two hundred. Specimens taken alive in 
the European seas are undistinguishable from those found in the an- 
cient tertiaries of the Paris basin, in the miocene strata of Touraine 
and the Crag, and in the pliocene beds of the Mediterranean. Prof. 
Forbes regards Fibularia Tarmttina, Lam., Fih. Ovulum and probably 
Fib. angulosa as synonyms of this species. 

Fam. CiDARIDiE. 

Gen. EcHiNu.s, L, 

Echinus esculentus, L., was very rarely met with in the Egean Sea ; 
while, on the other hand, Ech. lividus. Lam., was most abundant, 
being always littoral and covering the rocks within a fathom of depth, 
but never, so far as Prof. Forbes has observed, boring into them. 

A living species which the author is unable to distinguish from 
the fossil Echinus monilis, Defr., was found very abundantly at the 
depth of between twenty and a hundred fathoms. It would appear 

No. XX. — Proceedings of the Linnean Society. 


186 Linnean Society. [Feb. 6, 

to be the same with Ech. pulchellus, Ilisso, and a variety Ech. deco- 
ratus, Agass. It is also Ech. miliaris of Grube, but very distinct 
from the true Ech. miliaris. 

Gin. CiDARis, Lam. 
Species of Cidaris Hystrix, Lam., were frequently met with, but 
perfect specimens are not so common. They are occasionally, how- 
ever, found in considerable numbers and appeared to be gregarious, 
between thirty and forty living examples having been taken in a 
single dredge in seventy fathoms water off Cape Krio in Asia Minor, 
the site of the ancient city of Cnidos. The author gives a particular 
account of the differences between this species and Cid. papillaris of 
the British and Norwegian seas, and observes that it possesses the 
power of climbing up branching bodies by means of its spines alone. 
He thinks it possible that the perforated tubercles of this genus may 
have reference to this habit, the additional ligament giving additional 
firmness to the long spine. 


February 6. 

R. Brown^ Esq., V.P., in the Chair. 

Read " Descriptions of the Nests of two Hymenopterous Insects 
inhabiting Brazil, and of the species by which they were constructed." 
By John Curtis, Esq., F.L.S. 

The materials for this paper were obtained by Mr. Curtis from a 
collection in the possession of Lord Goderich, to whom it was pre- 
sented by the Right Hon. Henry Ellis, on his return from his late 
special mission to Brazil. 

The first insect described belongs to the family of Tenthredinida 
and to the genus Hylotoma of Klug. But this extensive group, as Mr. 
Curtis has already remarked, affording sufficient grounds for further 
generic subdivision, he has distinguished the present species ])y the 
following name and characters : — 

DiELocERus, Curt. 
AntenncE articulo 3tio in mare furcato, piloso ; in foemina simplici. 
Tibice ante apicem espinosae. Clypeus profunde emargiiiatus. Lahriim 
orbiculare: viaridibula graciles, acutae, altera denticulo interne mi- 


1844.] Lintiean Society. 18? 

nuto : maxilltB subaequaliter bilobse ; palpi mediocres, 6-articulati, arti- 
cuHs tribus basalibus aequalibus, secundo tertioque crassis, quarto 
paulo minore, quinto omnium minimo quadrato, sexto gracili, baud 
reliquis longiore : mejilum sub-semiovatum ; palpi tuberculis promi- 
nentibus affixi, breves, crassi, 4-articulati, articulo secundo latiore, 
tertio omnium gracillimo longitudiue primi : labium latum, trilobuna. 

Tliis genus is most nearly related to Schizocerus, Latr. The 
s])€cies on which it is founded is named by Mr. Curtis Dielocerus 
Ellisii, and is described at length, and the distinctions pointed out 
between it and Hylotoma formosa^ Klug, to which Mr. Curtis was 
at first inclined to refer it. Its economy is totally different from 
that of any other known species of Tenthredinidce ; the caterpillars 
of the solitary saw-flies, especially the larger species, forming single 
oval cocoons of a very tough and leathery material attached to 
twigs ; and those even of the gregarious species placing their co- 
coons (which are oval cases of silk and gum) in an irregular manner 
with no unity of design. The caterpillars of Dielocerus Ellisii, on 
the contrary, which are evidently gregarious, unite to form on the 
branch of a tree, an oval or elliptical case, four or five inches long, 
narrowed superiorly, very uneven on its surface, and of a dirty 
whitish ochre in colour. The cells, thirty-eight in number in the 
nest examined, are placed at right angles to the branch, piled hori- 
zontally one above the other, unequal in size and irregular in form, 
those next the tree being pentagonal, the central ones hexagonal, 
and some of the outer ones nearly round or oval. In one of these 
cells Mr. Curtis found a dead female, and most of them had the 
exuviae of the caterpillars remaining, but no shroud of the pupae ; 
he thinks the smaller cells may have been occupied by the males. 
At the end of each cell is a circular lid, formed of the same leathery 
material as the rest of the comb, which being cut round by means of 
the sharp mandibles, leaves an opening through which the saw-flie« 
make their way. In two of the cells were found the dead cater- 
pillars, which closely resemble those of the genus Hylotoma. 

The author observes upon the dissimilarity of the mode of forma- 
tion of this nest to that of any previously observed, the compound 
nidus (as far as hitherto known) being always the work of the parent 
insects for the protection of their young through the first three stages 
of their existence. In this case, however, it is formed by the larvae 
themselves for the purpose of their own metamorphosis. The nearest 
approach to this economy seems to be the nidus formed by the mag- 
gots of some of the Jchneumones adsciti, whose silken cells are placed 
regularly in rows. 


188 Linnean Society, [Feb. 6, 

Mr. Curtis then proceeds to describe two species of Schizocerus 
from his own cabinet with the following characters : 

S, nasicornis, $ niger, abdomhie pallid^ oclivaceo apice nigro, alis nebu- 
losis, pedibus fuscis ; femoiibus 4 postcrioribus ocbraceis, capite antic^ 
1-dentato. 

S. ochrosfigma, <? fusco-niger, alis obscure byalinis : costd stigmateque 
flavis, pedibus ocbraceis ; tibiis tarsisqiie posticis fuscis. 

The other nest brought home by Mr. Ellis is that of a wasp of the 
Fabrician genus PoUstes, but differing apparently from any of the 
species hitherto recorded as forming similar habitations. The insect 
by which it is constructed is thus characterized : 

Afyraptera hrunnea, sericeo-fiisca, pedibus ocbraceis, femoribus genubus 
tibiisque 4 posterioribus (nisi basi) fuscis, maculis duabus in genis 
flavis. 

The nest is attached to a twig not much more than an eighth of 
an inch in diameter. It is eight inches long and fifteen in circum- 
ference, pear-shaped, and having on its outer margin a hemispherical 
tubercle pierced with a circular hole a little more than half an inch 
in diameter. The materials of which the nest is composed are very 
substantial ; and the external undulations allow of the tracing of 
four layers of comb. Many of the neuters fell out on shaking, but 
neither males nor females were detected. The specimen being 
unique, Mr. Curtis has not cut it open, but he entertains no doubt 
that its structure is very similar to that of the nest of PoUstes nidulans, 
figured by Reaumur. The following characters are those of a nearly 
allied species, of which numerous neuters were contained in the 
same collection : 

Myrapteru elegans, sericeonigra, capite thorace abdomineque lineis cin- 
gulisque fulvis, tibiis tarsisque ocbraceis. 

Mr. Curtis adds a list of the nine species referred to the genus 
PoUstes, and w^hich should be distributed into four genera, distin- 
guished by the structure of the trophi ; no assistance being derivable 
from the form of the antennae or the neuration of the wings. They 
are as follows : 

J. Abdominis petiolo brevi sensim Incrassato. 

1. PoUstes Gallica, L. 

2. Act(Eon, Hal. Tbe nest resembles the foregoing. 

3. Africana, Pal. de Beauv. 

II. Abdominis petiolo brevissimo, abrupte incrassato ; thorace postice 
truncato. 

4. Epipone nidulans, Fabr, 

5. Lecheguana, Latr. 


1844.] Linnean Society, 189 

III. Abdominis petiulo elongato, clavato; thorace abrupt^ trancato. 
C. Chartergus Morio, St. Farg. 

IV. Abdominis petiole elongato, clavato ; thorace postic^ declivi. 

7. Myraptera scutellarisj White. 

8. eler/ans, Curt. 

9. ■ bruntiea, Curt. 

The paper was accompanied by a series of drawings illustrative of 
the insects and their nests. 


February 20. 

The Lord Bij^hop of Norwich, President, in the Chair. 

Read a further portion of Mr. Griffith's memoir on Root-Parasites 
and their allies, comprehending a description of Asiphonia, a new 
genus of AsarincB, and an account of Hydnora, Thb. 


March 5. 
E. Forster, Esq., V.P., in the Chair. 
Wm. Hopkins Milne, Esq., was elected a Fellow. 

Read a paper " On Spirant hes gemmipara." By Charles Cardale 
Babington, Esq., M.A., F.L.S., F.G.S. &c. 

Two specimens of this very rare plant were first found by Mr. 
James Drummond in or about the year 1810, near Castletown, Bear- 
haven, in the county of Cork, " opposite the western redoubt, grow- 
ing in a salt-marsh near the shore." One of these was communi- 
cated to Sir James E. Smith, who published it in his ' English Flora * 
under the name of Neottia gemmipara, with a description furnished 
by Mr. Drummond. Within these few years the plant has been again 
discovered near to, but probably not in exactly the original spot, by 
Dr. P. A. Armstrong, who on the 30th of September 1843 con- 
ducted Mr. Babingtoii and Mr. E. Winterbottom to the station, 
where they saw about twelve specimens, several of which had been 


190 Linnean Society, [March 19, 

destroyed by cattle, and all were in rather an advanced state of 
flowering. 

From the specimens then collected Mr. Babington gives a detailed 
description of the. plant, which differs in a slight degree from that 
furnished to Sir J. E. Smith by Mr. Drummond. He thinks it may 
fairly be referred to the genus Spiranthes, although differing from 
the other European species in some particulars ; the most remarkable 
of these differences consisting in the connexion of all the sepals with 
the two lateral petals. The difference in habit is considerable in 
consequence of the great density of the spike, and the arrangement 
of the flowers in three spiral lines*. 

A notice of a specimen of this plant, exhibited before the Society 
on the 7th of February 1843, by the Rev. William Hincks, F.L.S. 
&c., will be found at p. 162 of the * Proceedings.' 

Read also a continuation of Mr. Griffith's memoir, comprehending 
the parts relating to Cytinus and to Mystropetalon. 


March 19. 
E. Forster, Esq., V.P., in the Chair. 
Thomas Bridges, Esq., was elected a Fellow. 

Read the commencement of a " Monograph on the Class Myria- 
poda, Order Chilopoda ; with observations on the general arrange- 
ment of the Articulata." By George Newport, Esq., Fellow of the 
Royal College of Surgeons, President of the Entomological Society, 
&c. Communicated by the Secretary. 

• In a subsequent communication Mr. Babington states that he has iden- 
tified the Irish plant with specimens o( Spiranthes cernua, Rich., from North 
America, in the herbarium of Sir W. J. Hooker. 


1844.] Linnean Society. 191 

April 2. 

R. Brown, Esq., V.P., in the Chair. 

Robert Donaldson, Esq., M.D., and Joseph Exall, Esq., were 
elected Fellows. 

Read a continuation of Mr. Newport's " Monograph on the My- 
riapoda Chilopoda.'* 


April 16. 
E. Forster, Esq., V.P., in the Chair. 
John AUcard, Esq., was elected a Fellow. 

Read the conclusion of Mr. Newport's " Monograph on the My- 
riapoda Chilopoda." 

Mr. Newport commences his memoir by remarking on the smaller 
degree of attention which has been paid to Myriapoda than to any 
other class of Articulata. His inability, from this circumstance, sa- 
tisfactorily to identify the specimens in the anatomical examination 
of which he was engaged, induced him to undertake a complete re- 
vision of the class, as far as the materials within his reach, and con- 
tained in the cabinets of the Rev. F. W. Hope, the British Museum, 
the United Service Museum, that of the Zoological Society, and in 
the Linnean and Banksian collections in the possession of the Society, 
would admit. 

After passing in review the characters of the class, and noticing 
the different views of authors with respect to its classification as a 
whole, Mr. Newport enters at length into the reasons which induce 
him, in accordance with Leach, Latreille and others, and in oppo- 
sition to Professor Brandt, to separate the Myriapoda from true in- 
sects, and to place them, as a class, immediately before the Annelida. 

He details his motives for preferring, with reference to the classi- 
fication of the Invertebrata, a system founded on the skeleton and 
organs of locomotion, together with the nervous system, to that 
which is usually adopted, based on the organs of nutrition. Guided 
by these views he proposes to place the sub-kingdom Articulata at 


192 Linnean Society, [April 16, 

the head of the Invertehrata, and (following in the steps of our di- 
stinguished countrymen Kirby and Spence) to commence with the 
Hexapods or true Insects, placing after these the Octopods or Arach- 
nida, and the Decapods or Crustacea, to be followed by the Myria- 
poda, the Annelida, and the remainder of the Articulata. 

The more important objections to this mode of arrangement are 
considered and answered ; and the author next proceeds to examine 
the division of the Myriapoda into tribes and genera, on which sub- 
ject he agrees, to a considerable extent, with Professor Brandt, 
whose plan he has followed closely in the formation of the families, 
sections and genera, and in the characters assigned to them, but 
whose division of the class into masticating and sucking Myriapoda 
he has been unable to adopt. 'J'he following is a synoptic table of 
the genera of the whole class : — 

Class MYRIAPODA, Leach. 
Ord. 1. CHILOPODA, Latr. — Caput latum, prominens. Corporis seg- 
menta inaequalia ; singula par unicum pedum ad segmentorum latera 
insertovum gerentia. Mandibulse prominentes, acutse, falciformes. Or- 
ganorum sexualium apertura ad extremitatem analem. 

Trib. 1. ScHizoTARsiA, Brandt. — Antennae pluri-articulatae, graciles, 
corpora longiores. Tarsi longi, pluri-articulati, inaequales. Oculi 
compositi, prominentes, globosi. 

Fam. 1. Cermatiidce, Leach. — Scuta dorsaliaS; singula segmenta 
2 ventralia obtegentia. Stigmata mediana. 

Gen. 1. Cermatia, Illi(/. — Oculi prominentes. Caput trans- 
versum. Scuta dorsalia emarginata. Stomatum latera in- 
crassata. 

Trib. 2. Holotarsia, Brandt. — Tarsi 3-articulati. Caput e segmentis 
2 mobilibus efFormatum. Antennae corpore haud longiores, setaceae 
vel filiformes, 14 — GO-articulatas. Oculi stemmatosi, aggregati, 
simplices vel nuUi. 

Fam. 2. Litkobiidis, Newp. — Scuta dorsalia 15, subquadrata, in- 
aequalia; angulis elongatis, acutis. Coxre posteriores excava- 
tionibus ovatis. 

Gen. 2. Lithobius, Leach. — Ocelli numerosi. Caput latum, 
depressuni. Labrum deiiticulatum. 

Gen. 3. Henicops, Newp. — Segnientum ceplialicum latum ; 
ocellorum pari unico. 

Fam. 3. Scolopendrida, Leach — Segmenta podophora 21 vel 2.'?. 
Pedes posteriores incrassati; articulo primo vel secundo spinoso. 


1844.] Linnean Society. 193 

Gen. 4. Scolopendra, L. — Segmentum cephalicum cordatum, 
imbricatum. Ocellorum paria4. Spiraculorum valvularium 
paria 9. 

Gen. 5. Cormocephalus, Newp. — Segmentum cephalicum 
postic^ truncatum. Spiracula valvularia. 

Gen. 6. Rhombocephalus, Newp. — Segmentum cephalicum 
basilareque rhomboidea. Labium angustatum. 

Gen. 7. Heterostoma, Newp. — Segmentum cephalicum trun- 
catum. Dentesmagni. Spiracula cribriformia, in paribus 10. 

Gen. 8. Scolopendropsis, Brandt. — Segmentum cephalicum 
truncatum. Pedum paria 23. 

Gen. 9. Theatops, Newp. — Ocelli distincti. Antennae 17- 
articulatae, subulatae. Pedes posteriores clavati. Labium 
dentatum. 

Gen. 10. Cryptops, Zeac/i. — Ocelli nuUi vel absconditi. An- 
tennae 17-articulatae. Labium baud denticulatum. 

FaM. 4. GeophilidcBy Leach. — Segmenta subaequ^ia, singula e 
subsegmentis 2 completis sed inaequalibus efformata. Segmen- 
tum anale pedibus brevibus styliformibus. 

Sub/am. 1. ScolopendrellincB, Newp. — Corpus breve, crassum. 
Antennae 14 — 20-articulatae. 

Gen. 11. Scolopendrella, Gervais. — Pedum paria 10. 
Antennae moniliformes, 14 — 20-articulatae. 

Sub/am. 2. Geophilints, Newp. — Segmenta numerosa. An- 
tennae 14-articulatae. 

Gen. 12. Mecistocephalus, Newp. — Segmentum cepha- 
licum angustissimum, elongatum. Corpus attenuatum. 
Labium latum, integrum. 

Gen. 13. Arthronomalus, Newp. — Segmentum cephali- 
cum subquadratum. Antennarum articuli insequales. 
Labium angustum, emarginatum. 

Gen. 14. Gonibregmatus, Newp. — Segmentum cephali- 
cum cordiforme, acutum. Antennae filiformes. Cor- 
pus lineare. 

Gen. 15. Geophilus, Leach, — Caput subtriangulare. 
Corpus depressum, gradatim incrassatum. Segmenta 
pedesque numerosi. 

Ord.2. CHILOGNATHA, Za^r.— Caput verticale, rotundatum ; mandi- 
bulae crassae, robustae, vel cum labio coalitae et elongatae ; segmenta nu- 
merosa. Corporis segmenta inaequalia. Pedes superficiei ventrali affixi. 
Organorum sexualium aperturae in segmenti 4** et 7°" superficie ventrali.. 


194 Linnean Society, [April 16, 

Trih. 3. Pentazonia, Brandt. — Corpus ovale, in globum contractile, 
dorso valde convexo, ventre complanato. Pedes laminis liberis 
mobilibus affixi. 

Fam. 5. Glomeridce, Leach. — Corpus Iseve, in globum contractile. 
Oculi distincti. 

Gen. 1 6. Glomeris, Latr. — Ocelli 8, in \inek laterali curvata. 

Segmenta 13. Pedum paria 17. 
Gen. 17. Zephronia, Gray. — Ocelli numerosi, aggregati. 

Antennae 6 — 7-articulatae, clavatae. Pedum paria 21. 
Gen. 18. Sphaerotherium, Brandt. — Ocelli aggregati. An- 
tennae 7-articulataB, clavatae. Pedum paria 21. 

Trib. 4. Monozonia, Brandt. — Corpus vermiforme, elongatum. Seg- 
ment! singuli dimidia pars anterior cylindrica, posterior lateribus di- 
latata; laming ventrali duplici coalite pedum paria 2 gerenti. 

Fam. 6. Polyxenides, Newp. — Caput arcuatum, prominens. Cor- 
pus latum. Pedes attenuati ; coxis maximis. Segmentum anale 
fasciculis longis. 

Gen. 19. Polyxenus, Latr. — Corpus breve, squamis parvis 
penicillatis vestitum. Pedum paria 13. 

Fam. 7. Polydesmidce, Leach. 

Sub/am, 1. Polydesmince, Newp. Oculi nulli vel obscuri. 

Gen. 20. Fontaria, Gray. — Corpus convexum. Segmenta 
imbricata ; laminis lateralibus deflexis. 

Gen. 21. Polydesmus, Latr. — Corpus depressum, subcon- 
vexum ; laminis lateralibus horizontalibus. 

Gen.22. Strongylosoma, ^rawrf^. — Corpus cylindricum. Seg- 
menta tumida ; laminis lateralibus rotundatis subnullis. 

Subfam. 2. Craspedosomince, Newp. Oculi distincti. 

Gen. 23. Craspedosoma, Leach. — Ocelli numerosi, aggregati. 
Corpus depressum ; laminis lateralibus prominentibus. 

Gen. 24. Platydesmus, Lucas. — Ocelli duo, magni, promi- 
nentes. Corpus depressum ; laminis lateralibus prominen- 
tibus. 

Gen. 25. Cambala, Gray. — Ocelli serie simplici curvata. 
Corpus cylindricum ; laminis lateralibus brevissimis, in 
porcam simplicem desinentibus. 

Trib, 5. Bizonia, Newp. — Corpus subcylindricum ; laminis nullis mar- 
giualibus. Antennae 7-articulatae, clavatae. Segmenta numerosa ; 
singula e subsegmentis 2 coalitis efformata, pedumque paria 2 ge- 
rentia. 


1844.] Linnean Society, 195 

Fam. 8. lulida, Leach. — Corpus cylindricum ; laminis lateralibus 
nulJis. Segmenta e subsegmentis 2 coalitis efFormata. 

Subfam. 1. SynpodopetalincBf Newp. Pedes laminis immobi- 
libus afiixi. 

Gen. 26. Platops, JVeM>p.— Caput parvum, complanatum 
vei concavum. Pedes graciles, elongati. Corpus pyra- 
midale, elongatum. 

Gen. 27. lulus, L. — Caput convexum. Corpus cylindri- 
cum. Prothoracis latera triangularia. Antennae elon- 
gatae. 

Gen. 28. Unciger, Brandt. — Squama inferior analis mu- 
cronata. Corpus cylindricum 

Gen. 29. Spirobolus, Brandt. — Caput convexum. Oculi 
subtetragoni. Corpus subpyramidale. Prothoracis la- 
tera triangularia. Antennae breves. 

Gen. 30. Spiropoeus, Brandt. 

Gen. 31. Spirocyclistus, Brandt.-^ hxiienndd breves. Oculi 
elongati, triangulares. Thoracis latera brevia, triangu- 
laria. 

Gen. 32. Spirostreptus, Brandt. — Antennae breves, arti- 
culis infundibulatis. Oculi transversi. Prothoracis la- 
tera elongata vel dilatata. 

Subfam. 2. Lysiopetalinte, Newp. Pedes laminis mobilibus 
affixi. 

Gen. 33. Lysiopetalum, Brandt. — Frons dilatata. Pedes 
laminis liberis mobilibus affixi. 

Fam. 9. Polyzonidce, Newp. (Ommatophora, Brandt). — Ocelli 
conspicui, fronti inter antennas in seriebus transversis inserti. 

Gen. 34. Polyzonium, Brandt, — Ocelli 6 parvi, in seriebus 
2 transversis. Corpus depressum. 

Gen. 35. Siphonotus, Brandt. — Ocelli 2, in serie simplici 
transversal. 

Fam. 10. Siphonophoridce, Newp, (Typhlogena, Brandt.) — Oculi 
nulli. 

Gen. 36. Siphonophora, Brandt. — Caput conicum, elonga- 
tum. Nutritionis organa rostriformia, elongata. 

The author then proceeds to treat at considerable length of the 
external anatomy of the Myriapoda, commencing with the composi- 
tion and mode of development of the segments and their appendages, 
and comparing them in these particulars with Insects. The variations 


196 Linnean Society, [May 7, 

in the several genera of Myriapoda are particularly noticed ; and the 
principles on which their development, in its various modifications, 
depends, are elucidated by numerous observations on their mode of 
growth. The structure and development of the head are next treated 
of in detail in the different families and genera of the Chilopoda ; and 
the organs of nutrition are especially examined with reference to their 
development and analogies. This branch of the subject is concluded 
by an appreciation of the relative value of the different parts of the 
skeleton in furnishing generic and specific characters. 

The systematic description of the families, genera and species of 
the Myriapoda Chilopoda completes the memoir ; which was accom- 
panied by a series of drawings, illustrative of their external anatomy 
and generic characters. 


May 7. 

E. Forster, Esq., V.P., in the Chair. 

M. Louis Agassiz, Professor of Natural History at Neufchatel, and 
Dr. M. J. Schleiden, Professor of Botany in the University of Jena, 
were elected Foreign Members. 

Hugh Falconer, Esq., M.D., and Mr. George Brettingham Sow- 
erby, Jun., were elected Fellows. 

Read " Descriptions of the Insects collected by Capt. P. P. King, 
R.N., F.R.S., F.L.S. &c., in the Survey of the Straits of Magellan." 
By John Curtis, Esq., F.L.S. &c., in continuation of a paper printed 
in vol. xviii. of the Transactions of the Society. 

The present paper, like the former, is devoted to Coleoptera, and 
the following are the new genera and species characterized in it ; — 

Fam. HisTERiDiE. 
Hister Mathewsii, violaceo-ater, capite thoracis margine elytrisque punc- 

tulatis nisi in elytrorum disco ubi maculae 2 magnae violaceae striaeque 

tres basales breves. Long. If lin. ; lat. 1^. 
Hister fur catus, nitide virescenti-niger, thoracis lateribus brevi-canalicu- 

latis punctulatis, elytris stria suturaH curvata basali tribusque costam 

versus apicem baud attingentibus. Long. 1^ lin.; lat. 1^. 
Hister castaneus, la&vis niger, thoracis lateribus punctulatis, elytris pedi- 

busqne castaneis ; iilis stri^ snturali furcata duabus aliis aequilongis al- 

ter&que humerali breviore. Long. If lin. ; lat. \\. 


1844.] Linnean Society, 197 

Fam. Hydrophilid^k. 

Hydrophilus chalybeatus, intens^ nitid^ caeruleus, elytris lineis tribus 
punctulorum remotorum piliferorum, palpis antennisqiie ochreis apice 
nigris, pedibus siibcastaneis ; femoribus piceis. Long. 6 lin.; lat. 3. 

Hydrophilus ochripes, palpis antennis labroque basi ochreis apice nigres- 
centibus, pedibus thoracis margine inferiore sternoque ferrugineo- 
ochraceis. Long. 4 lin. ; lat. 2\. 

Fam. ScARAB£IDi£. 
Sect. COPROPHAQJE. 

Copris semisquatnosa, nigra, clypeo magno bidentato cornu brevi eniar- 
ginato armato, thorace brevi antic^ irregulariter truncato, elytris pro- 
fundi striatis. Long. 10^ lin.; lat. 6. 

Copris punctatissima, nigra, clypeo emarginato hand tuberculato, thorace 
magno punctatissimo tuberculato parvo antice armato, elytris profundi 
punctato-striatis. Long. 8 lin. ; lat. 4f . 

Sect. GeOTRUPID.^ Vel ARENICOLiE. 

Acanthocerus muricatus, niger, punctulatus, elytris punctato-striatis apice 

tuberculatis. Long, l^lin. ; lat. 1^. 
Sphaerosomus muricatus, Kirby MSS. 

Sect. TROGiDiE. 

Trox buUatus, niger cinereo mixtus, thorace inaequali : angulis posticis 
sublobatis, elytris tuberculis minutis conspersis lineisque tuberculorum 
magnorum tribus parvorumque pluribus notatis. Long. 7^ lin. ; lat. 5. 

Trox lachrymosus, cinereus nigro mixtus, thorace parvo inaequali, elytris 
aniplis elongato-ovatis punctato-striatis lineis tuberculorum magnorum 
4 parvorum 5 notatis. Long. 5 — 6 lin. ; lat. 3 — 4. 

Trox trisulcatus, cinerascenti-niger, capite laevi, thoracis sulcis 3 latis 
longitudinalibus, elytris striatis : intervallis fasciculatis. Long. 2^ — 3 
lin.; lat. H— H- 

Sect. ScARABiEIDiE Vel XYLOFHIL-fi. 

Oryctomorphus pictus (Waterh.), piceus, clypeo bidentato, fronte tuber- 
culato, thorace impressione centrali, elytrorum are^ scutellum ciiigente 
strigaque in singulo obliqua undulata nitid^ ferrugineis. Long. 10 
lin. ; lat. ultra 5. 

Sect. Phyllophag^. 
Gen. Tribostethes, Curt. 
Palpi iis Brachystemi similes, nisi quod maxillares longiores, labiales 
breves ; illorum articulus basalis minutus, 2du3 3tiusque obovato- 
truncati, hoc breviore, 4tus longus, gracilis, fusiformis, extus sulco 
longo exaratus. Antennae 10-articulatae; articulus basalis crassus, cla- 
No. XXI. — Proceedings of the Linnean Society. 


198 Linnean Society, [May 7? 

vatus; 2dus parvus subglobosus; 3tius ellipticus; tres sequentes ob- 
longi ; 7mus cuneiformis ; reliqui clavam ellipticam capitis longitudine 
efformantes. Clypeus integer rotundatus, margine paulum elevato, 
sutura transversali inconspicua. Thorax parvus, transversus ; scutel- 
lum mediocre, cordatum. El3'tra thorace latiora, elliptica. Alae am- 
plae. Pectus villosissimus, sterno baud producto ; pygidio nudo. 
Pedes longiuscjili, baud crassi ; tibiae anteriores aiigustae, extus tri- 
dentatae, reliquae setosae suturis ordinariis; tarsi graciles, articulis om- 
nibus subclavatis ; ungue simplici. 

Tribostethes castaneiis, pallide castaneus, capite tboraceque virescenti vel 
aeneo tinctis. Long. 8 lin. ; lat. 4. 

Brachygaster castaneus, Laporte, Cours Compl. d'Hist. Nat. 

Gen. Callichi.oris, Dejean. 

Palporum maxillarium articulus penultimus minutus, subglobosus; ter- 
minal is crassior, longior, subfusiformis, extus planus. Antennae 10- 
articulatae ; articulus basalis crassus, pyriformis ; 2dus subglobosus ; 
3tius 4tusque oblongi ; 5tus brevis ; 6tus cyathiformis ; 7mus cunei- 
formis ; reliqui clavam gracilem fusiformem efformantes. Labrum 
transversum, medio paulum angulatum. Clypeus transverse ovalis, 
medio fortiter reflexo. Femora gracilia : tibiae anticae versus apicem 
angustatae, extus tridentatae ; reliquae subscabrae, apice pectinatae, cal- 
caribusque 2 brevibus armatae : tarsi anteriores articulis 4 basalibus 
brevibus, 3tio 4toque cyathiformibus ; omnium 5to intus emarginato ; 
ungue longo, gracili, simplic', anteriore maxime inaequali. Sternum 
baud productum. 

CaUichloris perelegans, nitide flavo-virens punctatissimus, elytris punc- 
tato-striatis, subtus pygidioque ferrugineis antice pilis albidis villosis 
postice pubescentia concolori vestitis. Long. 7 lin. ; lat. 4. 

Leucothyreus 1 spurius, sine nitore fulvus, capite tboraceque minute punc- 
tulatis : bujus angulis posticis acutis, elytris singulis paribus 4 striarum 
inconspicuarum notatis. Long. 8^ lin. ; lat. 5. 

Leucothyreus 1 antennatuSf ochreus, capite castaneo, antennarum clava 
longissima. Long. 6 lin. ; lat. 3. 

Gen. Serioides, Guer. Camptorhina, Airby nee Schon/i. 

Antennae 9-articulatae ; articulus basalis crassus, pyriformis; 2dus obo- 
vatus; 3tius longior, gracilior ; 4tus gracilis baud 2do longior ; reliqui 
clavam gracilem, tenuiter 5-lamellatam, efformantes. Clypeus rotun- 
datus. Labrum eniarginatum. Palpi maxillares longi, graciles, 4 ?- 
articulati ; articulo basali minuto, sequentibus elongatis subaequalibus, 
terminali truncato : labiales 3-articulati, articulo tertio fusiformi. Ca- 
put semiorbiculare. Thorax transversus, basi supra scutellum elonga- 
tum emargiiiatus. Elytra longissima. Pedes longi, graciles: tibiae 
anticae breves, latae, extus tridentatae ; reliqu.x spinosae : tarsi similes, 


1844.] Linnean Society, 199 

longissimi, graciles, setosi ; articulis subaeqiialibus : ungues dmnes sim- 

plices, longi, graciles. 
Serioides atricapillus, elongatus, violaceo-bninneus, punctulatus, elytris 

rugosis lineatis. Long. 6 lin. ; lat 3. 
Camptorhina atricapilla, Kirhy. 
Serioides Reichii, Guh, Rev. Zool. 1839, p. 301? 

Gen. Athlia, Erichs. 

Palpi maxillares parvi, setosi, 4-articulati f articulo basali minuto, 2do 
elongato-clavato ; 3tio obovato-truncato ; 4to longitudine primi sub- 
securiformi. Antennae minimse, O-articulatae ; articulo basali crasso, 
clavato ; 2do 3tioque obovatis, illo crassiore ; 4to brevi ; 5to 6toque 
cyathiformibus ; reliquis clavam minutam, lobis cragsis cyathiformibus, 
efTorraantibus. Clypeus reflexus, antic^ paulum angustatus, utrinque 
emarginatus. Caput latiusculum. Thorax transversus, convexus, la- 
teribus convexis, basi parum sinuatus, angulis anticis magis acumina- 
tis : scutellum parvum ovatum. Elytra thorace multo latiora terque 
longiora, abdomen operientia, postice latiora rotundata. Alae amplse. 
Pedes longi, baud graciles : tibiae anteriores prof'unde emarginatae tri- 
dentatae ; reliquae setosae : tarsi longissimi, subtus pubescentes ; ante- 
riores crassiores : ungues omnium bifidi. 

Athlia rustica (Erichs.), castaneus, punctulatus, pubescens, elytris sin- 
gulis striis 4 elevatis, antennist pedibusque pallide ferrugineis. Long. 
Q\ lin. ; lat. 3. 

Gen. Pacuvia, Curt, 

Palpi labiales minutissimi : maxillares graciles, 4-articulati ; articulo ba- 
sali minuto ; 2do 3tioque ovalibus ; 4to multd crassiore, parvo, ovato- 
lanceolato. Antennae parvae, 9-articulataB ; articulus basalis crassus, 
clavatus; 2dus magnus, globosus ; tres sequentes minores, subglobosi, 
5tus subcyathiformis ; 6tus cuneiformis ; reliqui clavam ovalem effor- 
mantes. Caput trigono-truncatum. Clypeus reflexus, emarginatus. 
Thorax transversus, subhexagonus, lateribus prominentibus. Scutel- 
lum elongato-trigonum. Elytra thorace latiora, terque longiora, ellip- 
tica. Alae amplae, Pygidium nudum. Pedes longi, extensi : femora 
anteriora brevissima ; postica crassissima: tibiae anteriores breves, ex- 
tus bispinosae ; reliquae pilosae, medio spinosae : tarsi longissimi, subtus 
pubescentes ; 4 anteriorum articulo 2do 3tioque dilatatis ; omnium 
articulo basali 2do multo breviore, terminal! gracillimo : unguibus lou- 
gis, gracilibus, bifidis. 

Pacuvia castanea, ochrea punctulata, capita tboraceque castaneis, elytris 
singulis striis 4 duplicatis. Long. 4^ lin. ; lat. 2J. 

Gen. AcciA, Curt. 
Palpi nudi : labiales minutissimi ; maxillares parvi, 4-articulati ; articulo 
basali minuto; 2do elongate, clavato; 3tio breviori, obovato; 4 to 


200 Lintiean Society. [May 7> 

omnium maximo, elliptico-truncato. Antennae parvae, 9-articulatae ; 
articuli 2 basales crassi, 1 mo pyriformi, 2rlo globoso-pyriformi ; Stius 
gracilis, longus ; 4tus ovalis ; 5tus 6tusque annuliformes ; reliqui 
clavam tenuem efFormantes. Clypeus rotundatus reflexus. Caput 
mediocre. Thorax transvevsus, basi sinuatus, margine anteriore ex- 
cavatus, angulis prominentibus. Scutellum elongato-trigonum. Ely- 
tra tliorace fer^ quater longiora, elliptica, pygidium baud complete 
operientia. Alse amplae. Pedes longi, graciles : femora tibiaeque an- 
teriores brevissimae ; hae latae, extus tridentatae ; 4 posteriores spinosae : 
tarsi longi, graciles, setosi, baud subtus pubescentes; articulo basali 
longitudine 2di : unguibus gracilibus, simplicibus. 

Accia lucida, pitide testacea minute punctulata, capite ferrugineo, elytris 
subcupreis striatis. Long. 4^ lin. ; lat. 2. 

Colporhina bifoveolata, ferruginea asneo tincta punctulata, squamis albi- 
dis in thorace elytrisque maculas efformantibus vestita. Long. 3 lin. ; 

lat. n. 

Macrodactylus marmoraiuSf subcastaneus pills albidis vestitus, thoracis 
disco brunneo linea pilorum albidorum centrali, elytris fasciis irregu- 
laribus brunneis pubescentiaeque albidae maculis notatis. Long. 3^ 
lin.; lat. 1^. 

Fam. LucANiDiE. 

Dorcas rufifemoralis, cinereo-niger, capite thoraceque nitidis, elytris 
dense profun deque punctulatis: punctis ochreo-papillatis, coxis femo- 
ribusque rufis. Long. <? 10, ? 7^ lin.; lat. ^ 3^, ^ 3. 

Dorcas rufifemoralis, Guer. 1 

HETEROMERA. 
Melasoma. 

Fam, PlMELIARID^. 

Procris Icevicosta, obscure aeneo-nigra, elytrorum margine inferiore haud 
punctulato, tarsis subferrugineis. Long. 4^ lin. ; lat. 2%. 

Fam. Blapsid^. 

Scotobius bullatus, obscure niger rugosus latus brevis, capite thoraceque 
punctatissimis : hujus angulis posticis acutis, elytris punctato-striatis : 
porcis in intervallis nitidis granulatis ad apicem tubercula distincta effor- 
mantibus : seriebus 2 costalibus remote tuberculatis. Long. 6^ lin. ; 
lat. 3^. 

Leptynoderus tuberculatus, lutosus, capite trituberculato, thorace tubercu- 
lato, elytris porcis 5 acutis e quibus 2 dorsalibus fortioribus. Long, fere 
6 lin. ; lat. 2^. 

Emalodera multipunctata, nitide nigra punctatissima, thorace obovato* 
truncate, elytrorum punctis lineas numerosas duplicatas efformantibus 
margine extus apiceque tuberculatis. Long. 5^ — Q\ lin. ; lat. 3 — 3^. 

Nyctelia caudata, nitide atra, elytris (nisi in area suturali) oblique eras- 


1844.] Linuean Society, 201 

s^que sulcatis : apice in caudain seniicirculareni dilatatis. Long. 8^ — 

13 1m.; lat. 5— 7f 
Nyctelia undatipewiis, laevis nigra, elytris sulcis 7 brevibus latis trans- 

versis in margine