PROCEEDINGS, NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY OF GLASGOW. liii 



SUMMER SESSION, 1885. 

 12th May, 1885. 



Mr. Robert Turner, Vice-President, in the Chair. 



Mr. D. A. Boyd reported on the opening excursion of the 

 season, made to Barrhead on Saturday, 9th inst. There was 

 a good attendance of members, who, in spite of one or two 

 heavy showers, had an enjoyable ramble on the Fereneze 

 Braes. Vegetation was observed to be very backward, and 

 few flowering plants were noticed, the only one worthy of note 

 being Chrysosplenium alternifoliuTn, L., which grew sparingly 

 on the banks of a small stream. Many of the mosses, however, 

 were in good condition ; and among the species collected were 

 the following: 



DicJiodontium jpellucidum, 

 Wehera nutans. 

 Pogonatuni alpinum. 

 Polytrichum gracile. 

 Pterygophylluni lucens. 



Eurhynchium piliferiim. 

 Hypnuni stellatuin. 

 H. uncinatiun. 

 H. paiientice. 



Mr. Boyd showed specimens of Hypnuin ScJireberi, Ehrh., in 

 fruit, from the neighbourhood of West Kilbride, Ayrshire ; and 

 he reported that he had obtained a fertile plant of the same 

 moss near Thornliebank early last spring. Although common 

 enough in a barren state, this moss is rarely found bearing 

 capsules — a characteristic common to many allied species of 

 the genus to which it belongs. 



Mr. Thomas King exhibited fertile specimens of the Great 

 Water Horsetail, Eqiiisetum Tehnateia, Ehrh., from the neigh- 

 bourhood of Innellan ; and in the course of some remarks he 

 drew attention to the great dissimilarity, in size and appear- 

 ance, between the spore-bearing and barren forms of this plant. 



Mr. William Gemmell exhibited specimens of the Marsh 

 Marigold, Caltha pahistris, L., showing the effect of a year's 

 cultivation. The plants had assumed a more compact and 

 robust habit, and their flowers had become double. 



The remainder of the evening was devoted to the examination 

 of a large and varied selection of microscopic objects, botanical 

 and zoological, which were exhibited under a number of micro- 

 scopes. The exhibition was extremely interesting and much 

 enjoyed by a large company of members and their friends. 

 Two incandescent electric lamps, in use on one of the tables, 

 were found to provide excellent illumination for the surround- 

 ing microscopes. 



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