linnea:?^ society of londox. 63 



the Eev. T. R. R. Stebbing and 1902 in Essex by himself. Prof. 

 E S noocU-ich, Sec.L.8., made a few remarks upon the exhibition. 

 '[Since the i\Ieeting Mr. K. S. Bngnall, F.L.8., !ias reported 

 tliat Dr. W. E. Colhnge has also recorded this species, " whilst I 

 have taken it in verv large numbers in the Bath district, and tliis 

 Easter a single si)ecimen in Lancashire. In the Bath district it 

 is one of the comu)onest of species."] 



Prof. A. H. Reginald Buller, introduced by Dr. A. B. Rendle, 

 Sec L S., gave a discourse " Upon the Ocellus Eunction of the 

 Subsj)or'angial Swelling of Pilohohis." He stated that the sub- 

 sporangiarliwelling of PUoholus functions, not merely as part of a 

 squirting apparatus, hut also as an ocellus, which receives the 

 heliotropic stimulus \\ hich causes the stipe to turn the fungus gun 

 toward the light. The swelling is transparent and refracts light, 

 like'tlie bulb of a Florence tlask filled with water. Its diameter 

 is always greater tlian that of the black sporangium which it 



supports. , 1 ,1 in 



The sporaiigiophore of l^ilohohis appears to be the only ortho- 

 heliotropic plant organ known which takes up its positively helio- 

 tropic position owing to the possession of a special light-perceiving 



cell-structure. " 



PUoholus may well be described as a fungus with an optical 

 sense-organ or simple eye ; and, in using its eye for laying its gun, 

 it ap])ears to be unique in the plant world. 



The paper was illustrated with models. A fuller account of 

 \\ie Pdoholus eye is about to appear iii the 'Transactions of the 

 British Mvcological Society.' 



A discussion followed in which these were engaged : Mr. E. J. 

 Butler, Prof. R. R. Gates, and Capt. Ramsbottom, Prof. Buller 

 replying. 



Major R. B. Setmouii Sewell, I.M.S. (visitor), read a paper by 

 Dr. N. Annandale (who was prevented by illness from presenting 

 the paper himself), entitled "The vegetation of an ishand in 

 Chilka Lake on the east coast of India, considered as a preliminary 

 to a study of its fauna," of which the following is an abstract :— 



In order to a])preciate the fauna of a small island in the Cliilka 

 Lake on the east coast of India, the Author has found it necessary 

 to study the vegetation. The area of the island is about one-third 

 of a square mile, and the rocks are composed of garnet-bearing 

 qiiartzite wliich yields an infertile and scanty soil on weathering. 

 The climate is relatively dry. The vegetation consists mainly of 

 trees, shrubs, and perennial creepers, with a great scarcity of 

 herbs, ferns, and epiphytes, and a complete absence of palms, 

 bamboos, screw-pines, and orchids. The genus Flcus has the 

 largest number of species (7); tlie . commonest tree is the Nim 

 {Azadirachtd indica), the commonest shrub Gh/cosmis pentajjhi/lla, 

 and the commonest creeper Vitis quadrangidaris. Several distinct 



