NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY OF GLASGOW. lxi 



The situation was also in other respects one of the most unpromising 

 that could be imagined, for the soil was very stiff clay, and there 

 were no plants around of a nature to indicate that so delicate a 

 flower might love the place — yet here the beautiful Cephalanthera 

 ensifolia was apparently quite at home. Mr. Harper was greatly 

 pleased with his discovery, and, to prevent its being made by others, 

 he not only exacted from Mr. Landsborough a promise not to dis- 

 close the spot, but was himself in the habit of plucking the flowers 

 as soon as they came into bloom. As no one else knew the place, 

 this state of matters might long have continued ; but last year a 

 third party found the plants, and Mr. Harper at once took alarm. 

 Accordingly he, in whose eyes the plants had been so sacred that he 

 did not lift even a single one for his own garden, removed six of the 

 roots, planting four of them in the Annick Lodge Garden, and two 

 in another wood. The part of the garden where they have been 

 planted is admirably suitable, being shaded by trees, while care has 

 been taken that the soil should be appropriate. There can therefore 

 be little doubt that they will thrive and continue to bloom, and it 

 will be very interesting to notice if they increase in number. It 

 should be mentioned that spikes of the flowers were sent by Mr. 

 Harper to the Editor of the Gardeners' Chronicle, by whom they 

 were pronounced to be the finest specimens he had ever seen. This 

 Mr. Harper attributes to the stiffness of the clay in which they had 

 grown. A spike was also sent by Mr. Landsborough to the late 

 Mr. H. C. Watson, author of Cybele Britannica. 



The following additional papers were read : 



" Notes on the Occurrence of the Kingfisher (Alcedo ispida, L.) 

 near Kilmarnock," by the Rev. David Landsborough, Corresponding 

 Member.* 



"Notes on the Terrestrial Isopoda (Oniscidce)" by Mr. D. A. 

 Boyd. 



" Notes on the Foraminifera of the Faroe Channel and Wyville 

 Thomson Ridge, with a description of a New Species of Hyper- 

 am?nina" by Mr. Fred. G. Pearcey, of H.M.S. Challenger Expedi- 

 tion, Corresponding Member.f Mr. Pearcey's paper was illustrated 

 with diagrams and a fine series of microscopic specimens. 



" Botanical Notes from Wigtownshire and Kirkcudbrightshire," 

 by Mr. James M' Andrew, Corresponding Member. { 



* Transactions, vol. 111. , p. 301. f Ibid., p. 207. J Ibid., p. 163. 



El 



