MNlTEAN SOClKTY OP LONDON. 33 



contained in the same volume; ^ivart, on 'The Vertebrate Skeleton' 

 (Trans, xxvii. 1871) ; and finally, the Rev. 0. P. Cambridge's papers 

 on British Spiders (Trans, xxvii. 1871 — xxix. 1874). President Bell 

 spoke in his haste on the eve of the birth of the theory of evolution, 

 little dreaming that this event was to be the signal for an 

 unparalleled outburst of activity in all departments of biology. 



The last period to be considered is that -which covers the con- 

 cluding quarter of the centurj' ; for obvious reasons I can only treat 

 it in a somewhat cursorj- manner. I would say at once that it 

 shows no signs of deterioration when compared with the period 

 immediately preceding. Descriptive and systeaiatic Botany has 

 been strongly represented, more especially in relation to the fioras 

 of newly explored districts. Thus we have in our " Transactions" 

 Prof. Oliver's reports on the Botany of the Eoraima and of the 

 Kilimanjaro expeditious ; the late Dr. Aitchisou's •' Botany of the 

 Afghan Delimitation Commission ' ; Mr. Hiern's account of Major 

 Serpa Pinto's Central African Plants ; Dr. Stapf, on the Plora of 

 Mount Kinabalu, Xorth Borneo ; the descrii)tion of the plants of 

 Milauji, Xyassa-land, by the Botanical Staff of the British Museum ; 

 Mr. Spencer Moore, on the Botany of the Matto Grosso Expedition ; 

 Mr. H. K. Bidley, on the Flora of the Eastern Coast of the Malay 

 Peninsula ; and the late Mr. John Ball's paper on ' The Distribution 

 of Plants on the South side of the Alps,' which embodies the 

 results of long years of observation. The " Journal " also contains 

 a number of papers of a similar kind, foremost among which are 

 several relating to Indian Botany by Mr. C. B. Clarke ; some by 

 the late Dr. Hance, on Chinese j)lants ; several by Mr. Bolus, 

 on South African Botany, with special reference to Orchids ; 

 Mr. Hemsley's ' Botany of Christmas Island ' ; Mr. J. G. Baker's 

 ' Contributions to the Elora of Madagascar * : and others. The 

 most important work in pure taxonomy is undoubtedly that of 

 Mr. J. G. Baker, who contributed to our " Journal " a series of 

 monographs relating to the families of bulbous Monocotyledons and 

 their allies, which show how completely he has mastered the 

 difficulties presented by the classification of these interesting and 

 beautiful plants. The study of Morphology and Teratology is 

 identified with the name of Dr. Masters, who has given us many 

 papers on these subjects, with special reference to the Coniferae, 

 upon which group he is a recognized authority. To this depart- 

 ment may be assigned Miss Benson's important ' Contributions to 

 the Embryology of the Amentiferse ' ; and 1 may here briefly 

 digress to mention the fact that, although it is only lately that 

 ladies have been frequent contributors to our pages, yet the practice 

 is an old one, having begun so long ago as 1853 (Journ. ii.), when 

 a ^[iss Llewelyn communicated, thirough Bentham, a note on the 

 formation of buds on leaves of Cardamine hirsuta. The Crypto- 

 gams have received a fair share of attention. As regards Ferns, in 

 addition to Mr. J. G. Baker's valuable descriptions of the Ferns of 

 various countries, we have the discovery and investigation, by 



LINN. SOC, PROCEEDINGS. — SESSION 1900-1901. d 



