LINNEAN SOCIETY OF LONDON. 



:N'overaber 17th, 1887. 



Prof. St. Gteo. J. Mivart, F.E.S., Vice-President, in the Chair. 



The Minutes of the last Meeting were read and confirmed. 



Mr. Arthur Bennett drew attention to the following new 

 British plants : — 



1. Arahis alpina, Linn. Exhibited on behalf of Mr. H. 

 C. Hart, F.L.S., of Letterkenny, Co. Donegal, and gathered on 

 the Cuchullin range of mountains in the Isle of Skye in July 1887. 

 An alpine and sub-alpine species found throughout Europe, 

 except Turkey, Greece, and Sicily ; also in Canada, Alaska, 

 G-reenland, Labrador, Arctic Siberia, and Kamtschatka. 



2. Jimcus alpinus, Vill. Exhibited on behalf of Dr. T. Bu- 

 chanan White, F.L.S., of Perth, and gathered in three stations 

 in Perthshire by Dr. White and friends. Found also in Iceland, 

 North and INIiddle Europe, South European Alps, Caucasus, 

 Altai and Baikal ranges in Asia, and in Grreenland. 



3. Juncus tenuis, Willd. Grathered by Mr. J. McAndrew near 

 New Galloway, Kirkcudbrightshire, Scotland. Formerly reported 

 by Don as a Scottish plant, and named successively J. gracilis 

 and J. Gesneri by Sir J. E. Smith, who regarded it as distinct 

 from Willdenow's species. 



Mr. W. H. Beeby exhibited and made some remarks on Carex 

 ccBspitosa, Linn., from Shetland. 



Photographs of Palmyra Palms were exhibited for Surgeon- 

 General G. Bidie, and a letter from him was read dated Oota- 

 camund, Oct. 8, 1887, of which the following is an extract : — 



" I am sending you by book-post by this Mail for presentation 

 to the Linnean Society two interesting photographs, one of which 

 is a Palmyra Palm {Borassus Jiabelliformis) with its stem divided 

 into 8 branches. The tiee from which the photograph was taken 

 is growing about 8 miles from the town of Tanjore, on the road 

 to a village called Paducottah. Some notices of such abnormal 

 Palm-stems and theories as to their origin have appeared in the 

 Society's records, but at the present moment I am not within 

 reach of any library containing them. It may, however, be men- 

 tioned that some years ago I had sent to me the flower-spike 

 of a Cocoa-nut Palm, in which one of the flower-buds had 

 developed into a small leaf. If I can lay my hand on this speci- 

 men on getting back to Madras, 1 will forward it to the Society. 



The other photograph, which was taken at Thayetmayo 



in Burmah, speaks for itself." 



The latter photograph is of Elephants in coitu, in correction of 

 a plate in Houel's work ' Hist. Nat. des Elephans,' 1803, and 

 also contradicting the old traveller De Varthema, as to the un- 



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