Zoological Society. 333 



racters : the great development of the perforating cone and the 

 existence of fibroid strengthening folds in the suckers ; in the 

 stem the constantly distinct medullary sheath and the pitted 

 utricles of the pith ; and in the leaves the thick pitted fibres, 

 and the epidermis and parenchyma often heterogeneous. Me- 

 lampyrum has the perforating cone of the suckers well orga- 

 nized, but destitute of strengthening folds, the medullary sheath 

 not distinct from the concentric woody layer, and, by an ex- 

 ception to the character of the order, which occurs, however, 

 also in Rhinanthus, it has the vessels of its leaves grouped as in 

 the OrohanchecB, amongst which it corresponds exactly with 

 Phelipcea. Lastly, Tozzia, which is morphologically very nearly 

 allied to Melampyrum, is well distinguished therefrom by its leaves 

 with the vessels neither pressed together nor prismatic, and the 

 parenchyma homogeneous, as well as the epidermis, towards the 

 two faces of the limb. 



The anatomy, which is not favourable to the splitting of the 

 genus Bar tsia into Eufragia and Trixago, separates very distinctly 

 some species which there is great difficulty in distinguishing 

 morphologically. The Odontites Jaubertiana, which has been, 

 until very recently, confounded with 0. rubra, even at the gates 

 of Paris, differs considerably from the latter in the structure of 

 its leaves and medullary sheath. In the same way also the 

 Euphrasia paludosa and E, speciosa of R. Brown, which the 

 learned Bentham appears inclined to -unite as simple varieties, 

 must remain separated ; the latter species differing greatly from 

 the other by the form of its epidermic cells, which is rare even 

 in the order. 



With these examples I conclude, as I only wish to show here 

 that botanists might have recourse to anatomy with good results, 

 even in the determination of the value of critical species. 



PROCEEDINGS OF LEARNED SOCIETIES. 



ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY, 



June 24, 1856.— Dr. Gray, F.R.S., in the Chair. 



On three Genera of Vespertilionid^, Furipterus, 

 Natalus and Hyonycteris, with the Descriptions of 

 TWO New Species. By Robert F. Tomes. 



The genus Furia was established by M. F. Cuvier from the exa- 

 m nation of a single example taken at Mona in South America, by 

 M. Leschenault. 



Linnaeus having previously made use of the name in another branch 



