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|lrotc£bmgs 0f Soncfrcs. 



LiNNEAN Society. — February l&ih. — G. Busk, Esq., Vice-President, 

 in the chair. The following papers were read : — " On the Eeproductive 

 Organs of Tremellineous Fungi," by L. and C. Tulasne ; " Bryological 

 -Remarks," by S. 0. Lindberg. 



March 2nd.—G. Bentham, Esq., in the chair. The following botanical 

 paper was read: — "On the Familiar Names of Plants," by the Eev. S. 

 Mateer. 



' March \&lh. — G. Bentham, Esq., in the chair. Professor Oliver exhi- 

 bited specimens of Cnpania c'merea, Popp., showing the singular dehis- 

 cence of the seed, which allows the embryo to fall out, whilst the testa 

 and ardlas remain on tlie tree. Dr. Hooker read extracts from a letter 

 from General Munro, describing the vegetation of a part of St. Vincent, 

 West Indies. Mr. Henry Eeeks showed a series of forms, which he con- 

 sidered a complete gradation between Polystlch/aii acidcatmn and P. a7igit- 

 Inre. The specimens were collected at VVoodhay, Hampshire. The fol- 

 lowing paper was read, " Notes on Capparls gulcuta and G. Murrayi," 

 by N. A. Dalzell. 



JprU klh. — G. Bentham, Esq., in the chair. The following paper 

 was read : — " On the Styles and Stigmas of Proteacea,''' by the President. 

 The pollen in this Order is usually scattered before the flower opens; the 

 stigma is also exposed, though not mature, in the bud. From the 

 examination of mainly dried specimens, it appears that there are arrange- 

 ments in many genera to prevent self-fertilization. In Pctropliila, the 

 stigmatic surface is shielded in the bud by the perianth-segment ; in a 

 section of Persoonia, the style is turned away from the stamens, and 

 received into a pouch; wdiilst in Coiiospermum, the lowest, and in Si/)ia- 

 phea, the uppermost of the four anthers is abortive, the cells being open 

 cups, and in each case the stigma is directed towards the abortive .anther. 



Botanical Society of Edinburgh. — Jiml \'6th. — Alexander 

 Buchan, Esq., President, in the chair. The following communications 

 were read : — " Notes on the recent Progress of Botany in Denmark." 

 By Dr. iiobert Brown. In this paper Dr. Brown gives a review of some 

 of the more important researches made by Danish botanists during the 

 last few years, and published chiefly in the Danish langungc, in the 

 'JVansactions of the Natural History Society, the Botanical Society, the 

 Academy of Sciences, or as s-parate works. After noticing the proposed 

 removalof tiie Botanic Garden from the centre of the city of Copenhagen, 

 where it has long been, he called attention to the foundation of the 

 BotanisJc Forening, or Botanical Society, which now numbers between 

 one and two hundred honorary, resident, non-resident and foreign mem- 

 bers, and publishes a yearly ' Tidsskrift,' or fasciculus of transactions, con- 

 taining many papers of merit. The last part is occupied by l^ranth and 

 Ilostrup's "Licheries Danise.' It is under the Presidency of Professor 

 Lange, and is yearly increasing in importance and numbers. The publica- 

 tion of the 47th livraison of the ' Flora Danica,' under the editorship of 

 Professor Lange, marks an era in Danish botany, and keeps up the high 

 reputation this work has attained. The present part contains, like its 

 predecessors, 60 plates, representing 75 plants (14 of these being 

 varieties already partially described in the ' Flora Danica ' and two 



