LrNiSTEAN SOCIEIT OF LOXDOX. 7 



James Davidson, D.Sc. (Liverp.), F.E.S., was elected a FelJow. 



The President spoke on the foundation of the "Goodenoiigh 

 Fund," and .stated that a circular explanatory of its purpose 

 would dliortly he issued. 



Dr. A. 13. Kendlb, F.E.S., Sec.L.S., read an appeal for contri- 

 hutions in aid of a fund to purchase Monsieur Jules Cardot's 

 Herharium of Mosses for the Paris Museum of Natural History. 

 He referred to Monsieur Cardot's misfortunes early in the war, 

 and pointed out that the Herharium is a valuable one, containing 

 as it does the types of a large iiumher of new species — those 

 described by L'ardot jointly with F. llenauhl, a large number from 

 India and tropical West .Africa, the materials on which are based 

 his ' jNIousses de Madagascar,' ' Sphaignes d'Furope,' ' Recherches 

 Anatomiques sur les Leucohryacees,' ' Moiuigra[)hie des Fontina- 

 lacees,' ' Diagnoses Preliminaires de Mousses Mexicaines,' etc. 



The General Secretary gave a lantern lecture entitled "jMethods 

 of Botanic Illustration during Four Centuries " ; of which the 

 following is an abstract : — 



The Lecturer explained his meaning with regard to the word 

 "Illustration," namely, a representation in printiug-ink or some 

 similar medium, capable of identic reproduction in considerable 

 numbers, thus excluding all drawings which need hand-copying, 

 and all purely photographic prints. Colour could hardly be 

 touched upon, as it is not easy to display in the lantern. Thus 

 defined, illustration may be held to consist of three maiu 

 methods :— 



(1) When the design projects from the surface, and the ink 



is applied only to the elevations; 

 {'2) When the design is cut into the surface, and the ink 



remains only in the depressions ; 

 (3) When the surface is practically level, the design being 



reproduced by chemical action as in lithography. 



1. Siu'face design. Wood engraving was the (Ir.st metliod 

 employed, the early foi'ms being known as block-books, drawing 

 and legeiul being printed from the same block. On the introduc- 

 tion of movable type the woodcuts were at lirst confined to the 

 ornamental part, then to copying the pen-drawings found in some 

 of the old Codices of Dioscorides and similar authors. These 

 drawings were crude ; a few are selected Irom the work entitled 

 ' Jlerl)arius ' from the iirst word of the work; it was printed at 

 Maiutz in 1484, These bi'ginnings did not long satisfy the peo])le 

 of the lienaissance ; accordingly in loJJO a volunu; came out with 

 representations of ])lants, by Otto Brunfels, a (Jerman school- 

 master. Eecently Dr. A. Jl. Church has inihlished a sympathetic 

 account of this precursor of botanic illustration, commenting on 



