PROCEEDINGS OF THE 



WINTER SESSION, 1886-87. 



28th September, 1886. 



Dr. James Stirton, F.L.S., President, in the Chair. 



The Chairman referred in feeling terms to the loss which the 

 Society has sustained in the death of Mr. Alexander Noble; and 

 it was unanimously resolved that a notice of Mr. Noble's death 

 should be recorded in the minutes, and an extract therefrom 

 sent to the relatives of the deceased, with an expression of the 

 sympathy of the members of the Society with them in their 

 bereavement. 



Mr. Noble was admitted as a member in 1879. He took a 

 warm interest in the work of the Society, and was very often 

 present at the meetings and excursions. As a naturalist, he 

 was especially attached to the study of Botany, in which lie 

 took a keen pleasure. His geniality and kindness of disposition 

 secured for him a wide circle of friends in the Society, by 

 whom his loss is deeply regretted. 



Mr. Robert Turner, Vice-President, gave an interesting account 

 of the closing excursion of the Summer Session, made to the 

 Hamilton district on 25th inst., when there was a large attend- 

 ance of members and their friends. The party proceeded to 

 Barncluith, and inspected the fine old terraced gardens, which 

 were laid out during the sixteenth century. In Cadzow Forest, 

 which was next visited, the old oaks, with their gnarled 

 trunks, tortuous branches, and attendant fungi, afforded 

 much interest to the botanists of the party; while the White 

 Cattle, including the Chillingham bull recently added to the 

 herd, received a large amount of attention. Proceeding from 

 thence to the ruined castle of Cadzow, a magnificent view was 

 obtained from the lofty bridge which spans the post-glacial 

 gorge of the Avon amid scenery of much picturesque beauty. 

 A visit was made to Chatelherault on the way back to Hamilton. 



Mr. D. A. Boyd exhibited a remarkable example of phyllody 

 of the floral organs of the Common Sunflower, Hclianthus 

 giganteus, L. The whole of the florets of the capitulum were 

 abortive, the floral organs being apparently transformed into 

 bracts, forming a densely compacted green mass. Mr. Boyd 

 stated thai in a garden at Seamill, West Kilbride, where the 

 specimen was obtained, several plants of sunflower had tins 

 season produced similarly abortive flowers. 



Mr. A. Somerville, B.Sc, F.L.S., made some remarks on this 

 specimen, which he regarded as an interesting example of the 



