343 Botanical Society of Edinburgh. 



and to point out more especially by a few illustrations the value of 

 microscopical botany to the general practitioner. 



March 9, 1854. — Professor Balfour, President, in the Chair. 



The following papers were read, viz. :— 



1. "On the Pollen of Zamia horrida,'' by J. H. Balfour, M.D. 

 The pollen is in its ordinary condition elliptical, with a groove in 

 one side, resembling very much a grain of wheat in appearance. The 

 groove is formed by the folding inwards of the edges of the pollen- 

 grain, which when fully expanded under the action of water becomes 

 completely spherical. When water is applied under the microscope, 

 the two edges of the groove are seen to unfold and spread out so as 

 to produce the circular grain; when allowed to dry, the grain resumes 

 the elliptical grooved condition. It is perhaps difficult to say whether 

 the elliptical or the spherical form is to be looked upon as the cha- 

 racteristic one ; the elliptical being the dry state of the pollen, while 

 the spherical is the moist condition. The true structure is rendered 

 more apparent by an application of iodine. The pollen of Cycads 

 is stated by many to be angular. This is not the form in Zamia 

 horrida. 



2. "Notice of the Muscology of the East Coast of Fife," by the 

 Rev. Thomas Brown. The author offered some observations on the 

 (Jistribution of Mosses on the east coast of Scotland, with reference 

 more particularly to such stations as the Sands of Barrie, the Tents 

 Muir, Elie and Gullane Links, which although all situated close to 

 the sea- shore, presented several alpine species. He enumerated the 

 Mosses found by him in the neighbourhood of Elie, which included 

 a variety of Mnium affine not previously found in fruit in Britain, 

 Bryum dealhaturrii Hypnum abietinum, Encalypta rhaptocarpa^ Di- 

 dymodon inclinatum, and other unusual species. 



3. " Note on the supposed Antheridia of the RhamnetB," by J. S. 

 B. Sanderson, M.D. A careful examination of the buds of various 

 species of Rhamnus, particularly of R. catharticus, led the author to 

 believe that the club-shaped organs described by Grisebach differed 

 from the antheridia in not being developed from a single special mother- 

 cell, in not possessing a central cavity at any period of their growth, 

 and in containing a resinous secretion. He could not detect the 

 " long-tailed globules enclosed in minute spherical cells," observed by 

 Grisebach to oscillate in a very lively manner. 



4. " Register of the Flowering of certain hardy plants in the Royal 

 Botanic Garden from 9th February to 7th March, 1854," by Mr. 

 James M*Nab. 



5. "On the Anatomical Structure of Coniferse and other Gymno- 

 gens," by Mr. G. Lawson. The author remarked that the structure 

 and development of the wood-cell had been well elucidated by Hugo 

 von Mohl in various papers in the ' Annales des Sciences Naturelles,' 

 and in his work on * The Vegetable Cell,' but there was one aspect in 

 which the subject had not been so fully viewed as appeared desirable. 

 Mr. Lawson' s examinations had been undertaken principally for the 

 purpose of ascertaining in how far the peculiarities in the minute 



