LINNEAN SOCIETY OF LONDON. Ill 



Eead Extracts from two Letters addressed to the President by 

 Henry Evans, Esq., of Darley Abbey, near Derby, giving an account 

 of his experience in shooting Seals on the coast of Ireland, and 

 noticing the occurrence in the neighbourhood of Eoundstone, near 

 Clifden, of the Harp- Seal, Phoca Groenlandica, L. 



Eead also " Observations upon Mystropetalum andCynomovium" 

 being a continuation of Dr. J. D. Hooker's Memoir " On the 

 Structure and Affinities of Balanophorece" read during the last 

 Session, and ordered for publication in the " Transactions." 



December 18th, 1855. 



Thomas Bell, Esq., President, in the Chair. 



"William Archer, Jun., Esq., and William Dickinson, Esq., were 

 elected Fellows. 



Mr. W. Pamplin, A.L.S., exhibited some living specimens of 

 the Water- spider (Argyroneta aquatica). 



Prof. Bentley, F.L.S., exhibited the following specimens : — 1st. 

 A fasciated branch of the Larix europwa, Dec. 2nd. A cluster of 

 flowers of the Tanacetum vulgar e, in which some of the plants had 

 acquired an abnormal development apparently from the attack of 

 insects. 3rd. A monstrosity of the Papaver bracteatum, Lindl., 

 in which the stamens showed a gradual transition into pistils. 

 This he considered a very interesting specimen, as no such trans- 

 itions occur naturally between these organs, although such are 

 common between stamens and petals. In this specimen the ab- 

 normal bodies in some cases exhibited partially developed anthers 

 containing pollen on their outer surface, while their inner bore 

 numerous ovules. Prof. Bentley stated that he had observed the 

 flowers of the plant from which his specimen had been taken to 

 exhibit the above peculiarity for two seasons successively ; and he 

 thought therefore that it was probable such a variety would 

 become permanent. 



Dr. J. D. Hooker, F.L.S., read a " Note on some species of 

 West Indian Seeds washed up on the coast of South Wales." 



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