124 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY. 



Since the last valuation of the Society's Securities, these have 

 depreciated by £168 14s., and this amount has been written ofif the 

 Investment and Capital Account. 



The Investment Account therefore now stands at £1813. 



The Auditors draw attention to the fact that the Property Account 

 stands at the nominal amount of £174, and does not include any 

 account of the instruments and books, which are insured for a sum 

 of £3000. 



During the year two Life Composition Fees have been received, and 

 these have been placed to the credit of the Life Membership Account, 

 making that Account £118 2s. 6^. 



Compared with last year, the Income of the Society shows a steady 

 increase, and the amount received from Subscriptions and Admission 

 Fees is practically the same as received in 1913 — the last pre-war year. 



Unfortunately, the cost of publishing the Journal again shows an 

 increase, and it will not be possible to revert to a bi-monthly issue 

 unless the income of the Society is considerably increased. 



Mr. Hill moved and Mr. Wilson seconded : — '* That the Financial 

 Statement be received and adopted." Carried. 



Mr. Blood moved and Mr. E. J. Sheppard seconded — " That the 

 best thanks of this Meeting be accorded to the Auditors, Mr. Hiscott 

 and Mr. Mortimer." Carried. 



The following papers were read by Mrs. Arber, D.Sc, F.L.S. : — 

 " Studies on the Binucleate Phase in the Plant-Cell," by Agnes Arber ; 

 " On Multinucleate Cells : An Historical Study (1879-1919)," by Rudolf 

 Beer and Agnes Arber. 



These papers appear on pages 1-31. 



The President said that the Society was greatly indebted to Mrs. 

 Arber for her papers. As he was not a botanist he did not feel com- 

 petent to deal with or criticize the papers, but he could appreciate the 

 work, and realize the amount of tedious toil that had been necessary in 

 their preparation. 



Mr. E. J. Sheppard said that several facts had come under his 

 notice. In rapidly growing tissues it was quite a common feature to 

 see nuclei with very long pseudopodia. Sometimes they were extensively 

 lobed, and the ends extremely truncated or lobed. It had often 

 occurred to him that these large pieces might be separated off. He had 

 seen in these extended portions a nucleolus, and, as growth proceeded, it 

 was quite possible they might form other nuclei. In cases like these he 

 was inclined to suggest that it was amitotic division rather than mitosis. 



Mr. Paulson pointed out that in the course of her remarks Mrs. 

 Arber had supported very strongly the view that the irregular nucleus 

 was a nucleus that was passing away, but admitted that there was a 

 possibility that two nuclei might fuse within the cell. Mrs. Arber's view 

 that ,the irregular nucleus was a nucleus in a state of old age, and Dr. 

 G. R. McLean's that the bi-lobed nucleus was the result of the fusion 

 of two nuclei, led to opposite conclusions. In the first case they 

 had old age ; in the second a form of rejuvenescence. 



