LINNEAN SOCIETY OF LONDON. 2$ 



Lubbock continued his phytobiological observations on the forms 

 of seedling plants, and on the causes to which they are due ; and 

 Prof. Huxley placed before us the results of his study of the 

 Gentians, and expounded the bearing of the peculiarities in the 

 structure of the flower on the evolution and classification of this 

 Order of plants. 



The occurrence of a prothallus produced directly from the 

 fronds of some Terns without the intervention of a spore liad 

 been observed and described to the Society by Mr. Druery ; a 

 further instance, which he had observed, was brought to our 

 notice by him. Prof. Bower investigated these abnormal growths 

 and, in an exhaustive memoir, established that the prothallus was 

 produced from a spore arrested in its development, and was to 

 be considered a sport rather than a reversion. Tlie structure 

 and afiinities of the various groups of Algse were placed before 

 us by Mr. Bennett, together with a review of the classification 

 of the Order, and an exhibition of his view of the genetic re- 

 lationships of the various forms. 



The true nature of a malady which threatens destruction to a 

 valuable food-plant in tropical America has been shown by 

 Messrs. Massee and Morris to be a fungus nearly allied to that 

 which has so seriously injured our potato-crops. The experi- 

 ments on turgescent tissue, and its conduct under various re- 

 agents, were clearly expounded by Mr. Darwin, joint author of 

 the communication on this subject with Miss Batesou. A long 

 series of observations on the structure and affinities of the sporo- 

 phore of Mosses were placed before us by Mr. Vaizey. Mr. 

 Eolfe brought to our notice some remarkable hybrid Orchids, the 

 produce of the artificial fertilization of a plant of one genus by 

 the pollen of one of another genus. 



One of the objects the Liuneau Society had before it at its 

 institution was the investigation and illustration of the Natural 

 History of Grreat Britain and Ireland. This has not been 

 neglected by the Pellows during the past year. We have had 

 an account of observations and experiments by Mr, Plowright 

 on the life-history of some of our parasitic Fungi, which not 

 only add to the knowledge of our indigenous plants, but extend 

 the number of those minute Pungi which have been ascertained 

 in their individual histories to pass tlirough such remarkably 

 different jDhases. Mr. N. E. Brown has described to us the 

 natural hybrid between Vaccinium My Hill us, L., and V. Vitis- 

 Idcsa, L., detected by Prof. Bouney on Cannock Chase, and which, 

 though not previously observed in Britain, had been met with 

 in several localities on the continent. 



In British Zoology we have had an account, by Mr. Sim, of 

 Lumpenus lampetriformis on the north coast of Scotland, a fish 

 recently added to our Fauna ; and experiments on the Lochleven 

 Trout have been placed before us by Dr. Day, showing that the 



