PEOCEEDINOS OF TUK 



December I6th, 1886. 



William CAEHUTHEns, F.E.S., President, in the Chair. 



The Minutes of the last Meeting were read and eontirmed. 



Arthur Wells Bawtree, Esq., Frederick Juslen, E.sq., Trailoksa 

 Nath Mukharji, Esq., Francis AVall Oliver, Esq., and Richard 

 Vowell Slierriug, Esq., were elected Fellows ; and George 

 Nicholson, Esq., was elected an Associate. 



The President announced that Sir Geor^ie MacLeay, K.C.M.G., 

 F.L.S., had presented to the Society a framed water-colour por- 

 trait of the Rev. AV^illiara Kirby, F.L.S., the distinguished ento- 

 mologist ; also the manuscripts and currcspondeuce of his father, 

 Alexander MacLeay (elected F.L.S. 1794), for many ^'ears Secre- 

 tary to the Society. 



For these valuable donations a special vote of thanks was 

 unanimously accorded. 



Prof. F. O. Bower exhibited and made comments on a number 

 of large photographs tnken iu Ceylon, chiefly representing the 

 Vegetation of the island, and of the Botanic Garden of Pera- 

 deniya. Among the plants were : — Ficus religiosa, said to be 

 2000 years old, F. Trimeni, F. elasiica, the Bunyan Tree at 

 Nequimbo, the Travellers' Palm, Havenala madacjascariensis, the 

 avenue of Oreodoxa regin at Peradeniya, Jack-fruir, Artoearpus 

 integrifolia , the Great Bamboo, Dendrocalamus (jiganteus, Also- 

 phila crinita, Corypha umhracidifera, Caryota nrens, Lodoicea 

 seychellariim, <fcc. 



Mr. Edward A. Heath exhibited a Stormy Petrel (Mother 

 Carey's Chick), FroceUaria p)e]ariica, which was picked up alive 

 in Kensington Gardens on the 9th December, the bird evidently 

 having been driven inland during the great storm of the preceding 

 day. 



Mr. Daniel Morris exhibited the fresh leaves and the fibres 

 thence extracted of Agave Salmdyckia, Baker, and A. Ixtli, the 

 product of the latter being known as Sisal Hemp. Mr. Morris 

 stated that the fibre extracted from A. Salmdyckia is relatively of 

 little value, owing to its singularly curly texture ; whereas that 

 from A IxtU has beautifully straight glossy threads, admirably 

 adapted for ropc-niakiug. The export of Sisal Hemp from 

 Yucatan is said to reach the annual amount of £500,000. 



Mr. W. T. Thiselton Dyer showed a Japanese volume on 

 Botany, one of a set of the ilonzo Zufu (Illustrations and brief 

 descriptions of the Plants of Japan) by Iwasatli Teanemassa. 



