: NOTICES OF BOOKS. 63 
but stronger than that of the pelican, and its feet are not webbed.— 
A memoir was read from Joseph Woods, Esq., on the various forms 
of Salicornia, accompanied with additional notes by Mr. Richard 
Kippist, eurator of the Society. The author commented on the 
varieties and sub-varieties of the species of the genus Salicornia, more 
especially the British species, S. erbacea. He proposed to make a 
new species, S. lignosa; and was disposed to regard the variety of 
herbacea, S. procumbens, as a distinct species. He questioned whether 
S. radicans was specifically distinct from S. kerbacea. A species found 
in the South of France, with tubercled seeds, he proposed to call 
S. megastachya. This plant was the type of Moquin Tandon's genus 
Arthrocnemum. The seeds of the true Salicornie, according to Mr. 
Kippist, are covered with curved simple hairs, whilst the embryo is 
conduplicate and incumbent, and the seed exalbuminous. In Artro- 
cnemum the testa of the seed is crustaceous : the embryo is only slightly 
eurved, and lies in the midst of albumen. The paper was illustrated 
with drawings of the seeds, and dried specimens of the various 
species, with their seeds.—The Earl of Derby presented to the Society 
a series of drawings of the living animals at Knowsley Park, by Mr. 
Waterhouse Hawkins. These drawings were beautifully executed, and 
consisted principally of species of Ruminantia and Solidungulate Pachy- 
derms. We were sorry to observe that the binder had carelessly 
injured several of the plates, and cut off the names. J. W. Bryans, — 
Esq., was elected a Fellow of the Society. i 
NOTICES OF BOOKS. 
Description of the PALMYRA PALM of oi: by Wr F 
son. Colombo. 1850. 
Under the above title we have received a very FA in à buts. se 
in 4to, of nearly 100 pages, and we heartily wish our several colonies = 
in all parts of the world would present us with similar publications on 
the various vegetable and other products of the respective countries, 
and in the same popular form. Travellers in these regions little think 
how ignorant we “stay-at-home” people are of the properties and 
uses of some of the most common vegetables they see, and probably 
pass unheeded. How little was known in England of extracting Toddy, 
