198 The Scottish Naturalist. 



In replying to Mr. Fergusson's remarks, Dr. Cooke begged to ask how they 

 in England were to know what their Scottish brethren were doing unless 

 the latter recorded their discoveries. He thought, too, that any mistakes (in 

 localities) that might have crept into Messrs. Berkeley and Broome's report 

 in the "Annals of Natural History" might be corrected in the pages 

 of the Scottish Naturalist, where also other discoveries might be reported. 



Dr. Buchanan White remarked that he was always happy to give space in 

 the Scottish Naturalist for reports of discoveries, and that some of these 

 discoveries had been reported, and the mistakes alluded to by Mr Fergusson, 

 corrected in that magazine. 



The next paper was "On the Fungi of Scotland north of the Tay," by 

 the Rev. J. Stevenson, of Glamis. In submitting this extensive list to the 

 Society, the author intimated that he intended to supplement it at next 

 Conference, by a list of the species south of the Tay, and that then the 

 Society might perhaps publish it. We would take an opportunity in the 

 meantime, of asking assistance from every one who could give it. 



Mr. C. P. Hobkirk of Huddersfield, read the next paper " On Zygodon 

 rupestris" in which he discussed the differences between that species and 

 Z. viridissimus. This paper will appear in the Journal of Botany. 



The concluding paper was " On ergots" by Mr. A. Stephen Wilson, of 

 Aberdeen, and will be found at p. 185. 



In the evening the members of the Society and their friends had a Fungus 

 Dinner. 



On the last day the Show was thrown open to the public. It was estim- 

 ated that at least 150,000 specimens of fungi, mosses, lichens &c, were ex- 

 hibited — the space covered amounting to nearly 3000 square feet. A fan- 

 amount of species new to Britain were exhibited. Special features of the 

 show were the original drawings of Mr. W. G. Smith's discoveries (see 

 Gardeners Chronicle, &c.,) regarding the potato fungus {Peronospora 

 infestans), and a series of beautiful water colour drawings of fungi, by Miss 

 Johnstone of Inverary. 



A full account of the Show will be found in the report referred to above. 

 Though the Cryptogamic Society may well be proud of the success of 

 their first exhibition, " the most comprehensive," it was declared, "ever 

 seen in the world ; " yet there are one or two points of failure which we 

 may allude to. The chief of these was the absence of a systematically 

 arranged and named collection of fungi. An attempt was made to have 

 such, but the immense number of specimens sent in for exhibition, and the 

 shortness of the time available for arrangement, as well as the comparatively 

 small number of workers, prevented anything approaching completeness. 

 On another occasion it might be advisable to have more unpackers and 

 arrangers, so as to permit those qualified to classify and name. To reduce 

 the number of collections sent in, would be to risk the loss of many 

 specimens instructive in various ways. 



On another occasion, too, the Show might be kept up for longer than 

 a single day. As it was, the shortness of time prevented many of the 

 arrangers from having a thorough examination of the specimens. 



Naias flexilis in Perthshire. — On the 13th of August last, I accom- 

 panied my friend Mr. Robb, of Worcester College, Oxford, for a few days' 

 botanizing among the aquatic plants of the Loch of Cluny. This Loch, 



