The Scottish Naturalist. 89 



EDINBURGH BOTANICAL SOCIETY.— February 12.— The following 

 communications were read :— The Geographical Distribution of Algee of 

 the Firth of Forth, with exhibition of specimens by John Rattray, M.A., 

 B.Sc. ; On the Development of Bifoliar Spurs into Ordinary Buds 

 in Pinus sylvestris, by Professor Dickson ; Note on the Occurrence of 

 Carex salina, var. kattegatensis, Fr., by A. Bennett, F.L.S. ; Report on 

 the Excursion of the Alpine Botanical Club, by Wm. Craig, M.D. ; 

 Report on Temperatures for December and January at the Royal 

 Botanic Institution of Glasgow, by Robert Bullen ; Report on the Pro- 

 gress of Vegetation at the Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh, for 

 January, 1885, by Robert Lindsay. From the last paper we learn that the 

 past winter has been backward, despite its comparative mildness. Of forty 

 selected plants, whosedates of flowering in the garden are sytematically observed, 

 only two were in flower at the end of January, as opposed to sixteen at the 

 same date in 1884. On the rock-garden eight species and varieties flowered in 

 January, 1885, and eighteen in January, 1S84. 



The INVERNESS FIELD CLUB made an excursion on Saturday, 22nd 

 September. Between thirty and forty members were present. The party 

 drove to the Pass of Inverfarigaig, stopping on the way at Dores Schoolhouse 

 to see a fine collection of fossils and local antiquities belonging to Mr. Stewart. 

 Proceeding through the pass, a fine gorge of indurated and waterworm sand- 

 stones and conglomerate clothed with birches, they took the road to the right, 

 which leads to the Foyers valley, stopping on the way to examine an old lime 

 quarry and a fine cliff of graphic granite exposed near it. Time did not permit 

 a careful examination of the Foyers valley ; so after a visit to the Falls of 

 Foyers, the members dined together in the Foyers Hotel, and returned to 

 Inverness in the evening. 



MONTROSE SCIENTIFIC AND FIELD CLUB.— January 27.— Dr. 

 Howden read a paper on The Aims of a Naturalists' Field Club, which we 

 print elsewhere in extenso. 



February 10.— The subject was The Seaweeds of the Forfarshire Coast, 

 by Dr. Crichton of Arbroath. 



PERTHSHIRE SOCIETY OF NATURAL SCIENCE.— December 4.— 

 A note from Mr. J. G. Millais was read relative to personal observations in 

 the woods of Murthly of a flock of Parrot Crossbills, from which it seemed 

 that this species had nested there. Mr. Millais also mentioned that he had 

 lately shot a Reeve near Murthly, and the following birds in the basin of the 

 Tay, viz. -.—Roseate Tern, Green Sandpiper, Ivory Gull, Iceland Gull, Buffon's 

 Skua, and Purple Gallinule. 



Dr. Buchanan White submitted a Report from the Delegates of the 

 Society to the Meeting of the East of Scotland Union of Naturalists' 

 Societies at Dundee; Mr. Robert and Mr. Rufus D. Pullar submitted one 

 as delegates to the meeting of the British Association at Montreal, and another 

 as delegates to the meeting of the American Association for the advancement 

 of Science at Philadelphia. 



