f 



LINXEAK SOCIETI OF LONDOX. 1 1 



Edward De Wiuton, Charles Edgar Salmon, and Thomas WiUiam 

 Sanders ^^■ere admitted Fellows of the Society. 



The following papers were read : — 



1. " On Electric Eesponse in Ordinary Plants under Mechanical 

 Stimulus;" By Prof. Jagadis Chunder Bose. (Communicated by 

 the President.) 



2. '• On the Fruit of Mdocanna hamhusoides, Trin., an Exalbu- 

 minous Grass.'" By Dr. O. Stapf, A.L.S. 



3. " On Malacostraca from the Ked Sea, collected by Dr. H. O. 

 Forbes.*' By A. O. Walker, F.L.S., and Andrew Scott. 



April 3rd, 1902. 



Prof. S. H. Vines, F.E.S., President, in the Chair. 



The Minutes of the last Meeting were read and confirmed. 



Mr. Harold Stuart-Thompson was admitted, and Messrs. Henry 

 Haselfoot Haines, Edwin Ernest Lo\\ e. and George Michael Eyan 

 were elected Fellow s of the Society. 



Mr. E. MoRTO^f MiDDLETON, F.L.S., exhibited two Letters from 

 Linnteus to Dr. David van Eoyen and Mr. Eichard Warner of 

 "Woodford, dated respectively 18 April 1769 and 29 Sept. 1758 

 (see p. 48), as also a Letter from Sir J. E. Smith to N. Wallich 

 on Nepalese Plants written in 1819. 



Eemarks thereon were made by the Eev. T. E. E. Stebbing, 

 Mr. Carruthers, and Mr. Daydon Jackson. 



Mr. E. A. EoLFE, A.L.S. , on behalf of the Director, Eoyal 

 Gardens, Ke\^", exhibited a series of specimens of Pachira aquatica, 

 Aubl.. and P. insir/nis, SaA'igny, from British Guiana, collected by 

 the late G. S. Jenman, F.L.S., Government Botanist, to illustrate 

 the great variation which exists in the size and shape of the fruits. 

 It appeared that the two species were best distinguished by their 

 flowers, those of P. insignis being very large and having broad 

 crimson petals of considerable substance, while those of F. aquatica 

 were smaller, and the petals light yellow, narrower, and of more 

 slender texture. No distinguishing character had been detected in 

 the fruit, which, though varying greatly in size and shape, seemed 

 almost to duplicate itself in the characteristic forms of the two 

 species. In both, the shape varies from fusiform-oblong and 

 considerably elongated to shortly elliptical, with a series of inter- 

 mediate forms, as seen in the series exhibited. There was also a 

 certain amount of variation in the leaves and flowers, though in the 

 latter each species retained its own essential character. These 

 trees were common over the great alluvial forest-region, extending 

 also to Brazil, and were commonly cultivated for ornament. 



Mr. Caekuthees, F.E.S., in making some observations on the 

 subject, prefaced his remarks by deploring the loss which the Society 



