49 



;prcia^bmrjs oi Socreircs. 



LiNNEAN Society. — January 20tk, 1870. — G. Bentham, Esq., F.E.S., Presi- 

 dent, in the chair. The following botanical papers were read : — 1. Con- 

 tributions to British Mnscologif. By Professor Lindberg, viz. : — Notes on 

 some Andrece, on Pottia intermedia, Tnrn., on Tortula sqiiarrosa, on Tri- 

 chostomum diffractum, Mitt., on Orthotrichum leiocarpum, on Leucohryum glau- 

 cum, on the British Dicranum strictum, on a British SeUgeria {S. acutifolia, 

 Lindb.), on Nechera complanata, on Sphagnum curvifolium, Wils. 2. The Flora 

 of Iceland. By Professor C. C Babington, F.R.S. This paper was preceded by 

 some introdnctory observations. Professor Babington stated that though Ice- 

 land was larger than Ireland, yet but a small portion of the country was botani- 

 cally productive, *'. e. the coast and the tracts near the large rivers, tlie remainder 

 being occupied by snow-covered mountains and extensive volcanic tracts. The 

 climate is also very unfavourable to vegetation ; there is but Uttle direct sun- 

 shine, and the amount of rain is excessive. No grain of any kind is now 

 grown, but potatoes are cultivated on the north coast, which is the most fertile 

 portion of the island. The only trees in the country are Birches, which form 

 " forests," they are about eight feet high, or rather higher ; there were once 

 trees of greater size, but all have been cut down by the inhabitants. The 

 commonest Birch is Betula intermedia, but B. alba and B. nana occur. A very 

 complete account of all previous writings on the plants of Iceland was given 

 from Konig in 1765 to tlie present day, including Mr. I. Carroll's list in this 

 Journal.* Professor Babington has looked through all available herbaria, and 

 believes his list to be complete, or nearly so ; he expressed his gratitude to 

 Professor Lange, of Copenliagen, for his valuable help. The number of Pha- 

 nerogams is 467, the great bulk of which are Scandinavian, and all but 62 ai'o 

 British. Three only are purely arctic, Gentiana detonsa, Pleurogyne rotata, 

 and Epilobimn latifoliiim ; these occur in Arctic Russia, but not in Scandinavia 

 or the Alps. The paper itself is a systematic catalogue of the species, with 

 their earliest notices as Icelandic, and a copious list of localities. Bellis per- 

 ennis is a great rarity, and lias been only once found. 



Geological Society. — December 22nd, 1869. — Professor Huxley, LL.D., 

 F.R.S. , in the chair. — " Notes on the Structure of Sic/illaria." By Principal 

 Dawson, F.R.S., F.G.S., Montreal. In this paper the author criticized the 

 statements of Mr. Carruthers on the structure of Sigillaria (see Q. J. G. S. 

 XXV. pp. 248) . He remarked that Sigillaria, as evidenced by his specimens, is 

 not coniferous ; that the coniferous trunks found in the coal-formation of Nova 

 Scotia do not present discigerous tissue of the same type as that of Sigillaria ; 

 that no conifer has a slender woody axis surrounded by an enormously thick 



* See 'Journal of Botany,' Vol. IV. pp. 107-110. 

 VOL. VIII. [makch I, 1870.] £ 



