LnWEAN SOCIETY OF LOJ!iBON. 1 7 



The following papers were read : — 



1. " Further Coutributious to the Flora of Central Madagascar. 

 I. Polypetate. II. Calycifloraj." By J. G. Baker, F.R.!S.,'F.L.S. 



2. " Notes on the Flora of Parasnath, a Mountain of JST.W. 

 Bengal," in a Letter from Mr. C. B. Clarke, F.R.S., F.L.S., to 

 Sir J. D. Hooker, C.B. 



3. " On a new Species of Ccelacanthus from the Yorkshire Cannel 

 Coal." By J. W. Davis, F.L.S. 



4. " Observations on a peculiar Mode of Development in the 

 Lady Fern {Athyrium Filix-foemma)" By Cliarles F. Druery. 

 (Communicated by Dr. J. Murie, F.L.S.) 



5. " The Morphology of Cyclops and the Eolations of the Cope- 

 poda." By Prof. Marcus M. Hartog, F.L.S. 



6. " On a new Species or forgotten Variety of Chama, allied to 

 the Arcinella of Linnaeus." By Sylvanus Hanley, F.L.S. 



ADDEESS TO THE LINNEAN SOCIETY, 1884. 



By Prof. P. Mautin Duncan, M.B. Lond., F.E.S., F.G.S., 

 Vice-Pres. Linnean Society. 



The time which has elapsed since our esteemed President asked 

 me to occupy his position, on the present occasion, has been much 

 too short to admit of my offering you a carefully prepared Address 

 on any special scieiitific subject. I must therefore ask for your 

 kind consideration whilst I occupy your time with some remarks 

 upon the works of the great naturalist whose name this Society 

 bears, and upon some of the philosophical views of De Lamarck. 



Every experienced naturalist is aware that three men have 

 especially contributed to the present state and aspect of the 

 knowledge of Animated Nature. To name Linnaeus, De Lamarck, 

 and Charles Darwin is to confirm this statement. 



The wonderful and patient labours and the elaborate theories 

 of Charles Darwin are fresh in our inemories, and are constantly 

 being brought before every student of nature ; but it is con- 

 sistent witii truth to assert that the merits, methods, and re- 

 corded work of the two predecessors of our great naturalist, 

 although they cleared the path for, and even foreshadowed, exist- 

 ing knowledge, have too often been forgotten. I propose to bring 

 some of the labours of these two great men before you. 



I need hardly remind you that Gesner and Caet-alpinus, those 

 diligent botanists and foreshadowers of the Natural System of 

 Classihcation, formed an epoch in their science which was fol- 

 lowed by nearly a century of slow progress, marked, however, 

 by the collection and description of many plants from the uewly 

 discovered or latidy colonized foreign lands. The method of 

 Caesalpinus in classifying the great groups of plauts was not 



LINN. SOC. PllOCEEDlNGS. SESSION lyS3-188Ii, C 



