124 LINNEAN SOCIETY OF LONDON. 



(March 22). Zygopetalum Whitei Eolfe, n. sp. — Iris sindjarensis 

 (fig. 55).— (March 29). ' The Fingered Citron' (figs. 56, 58-60). 



Journal de Botanique (Jan. 16). — L. Guignard, ' Sur la locali- 

 sation dans les amandes et le laurier-cerise des principes qui 

 fournissent l'acide cyanhydrique.' — B. Balansa, ' Catalogue des 



Graminees de l'ludo-Chine francaise ' (Bonia, n. g.). . Hue, 



' Lichens de Canisy (Manche).' — (Feb. 1). C. Sauvageau, ' Observa- 

 tions sur la structure des feuilles des plantes aquatiques.' — P. Hariot, 

 1 Trentepolilia .' — N. Patouillard, ' Flore mycologique du Tonkin.' 



Oesterr. Bot. Zeitschri/t. (March). — J. Weisner, ' Ueber das 

 Saftperiderrn.' — E. Hackel, StreptocJiata Sodiroana, n. sp. — E. v. 

 Halacsy, Cirsium Heldreichii, n. sp. — V. v. Borbas, ' Kahl- und 

 behaartfriichtige Parallelformen der Veilchen aus der Gruppe 

 Hypocarpeas.' — K. Bauer, ' Untersuchungen iiber gerbstoffriihrende 

 Pflanzen ' (contd.). — J. Freyn, ' Plants Karoanas ' (contd.). 



LINNEAN SOCIETY OE LONDON. 

 February 20, 1890. — W. Carruthers, F.R.S., President, in the 

 chair. — Messrs. W. Eagle Clarke and J. H. Veitch were admitted, 

 and Mr. James Jack elected Fellows of the Society. — Mr. G. C. 

 Druce exhibited specimens of Agrostis canina var. scotica, and a 

 small collection of flowering plants dried after treatment with 

 sulphurous acid and alcohol, and showing a partial preservation of 

 the natural colours of the flowers. — Sir John Lubbock then gave an 

 abstract of four memoirs which he had prepared : — 



(1.) " On the Fruit and Seeds of the Juglandem" In a previous 

 paper I have described the peculiar four-lobed cotyledons of Ptero- 

 carya, and shown that this depends on the form of the seed, which 

 resembles an anvil on four short stout legs. This form is again 

 due to that of the fruit, the four projections of the seed having 

 grown into four hollow spaces left in the solid woody tissue of the 

 fruit. I have now traced the gradual development of the fruit 

 from the flower, and compared the fruit of Pterocarya with that of 

 the Walnut, in which, however, the hollow spaces developed in the 

 fruit are much larger, so that, instead of a solid wall, with hollow 

 spaces occupied by the seed, it gives the impression as if the seed 

 was thrown into folds occupied by the wall of tbe fruit. To occupy 

 these spaces fully the cotyledons themselves were thrown into folds 

 as we now see them. The fruit of Pterocarya is much smaller than 

 that of the Horse-chestnut, which was, doubtless, itself formerly not 

 so large as it now is. As it increased, tbe cotyledons became 

 fleshier, and found it more and more difficult to make their exit 

 from the seed, until at last they have given up any attempt to do 

 so. Hence the curious folds, with which we are so familiar, are 

 the efforts made by the original leafy cotyledons to occupy the 

 interior of the nut. Moreover, while essentially similar, the fruits 

 of Pterocarya and of the Walnut offer several remarkable differences. 

 The fruit of Pterocarya is winged, which is not the case with 

 Juglans ; it is much smaller, and a great deal harder. Again, the 

 cotyledons of Pterocarya are aerial, while those of Jtiglans no longer 



