VI PEOCEEDINGS OF THE 



It was moved by Dr. Hooker, seconded by Mr. Grwyn Jeffreys, 

 and carried unanimously that " The Linnean Society beg to 

 express their thanks to Her Majesty's Grovernment for the en- 

 couragement offered to their scientific pursuits in providing 

 accommodation for them in Burlington House, and their sense of 

 the handsome and effective manner in which the liberal inten- 

 tions of the Government have been carried out." 



The President read from the Chair certain alterations in the 

 Bye-laws proposed by the Council, which, in accordance with the 

 Charter, must be read at three consecutive Meetings, and then 

 balloted by the Fellows. 



Thomas A. O'Donnell, M.D., was elected a Fellow. 



Professor Thiselton Dyer, P.L.S., exhibited specimens from 

 the Kew Herbarium of Dipterocarpus Camellatus, Hook, f., from 

 Labuan, and of a new species, collected by M. L. Pierre in 

 Cambodia ; also a rhizome of Sydnora angolensis. 



The following paper was read, viz. : — 



1. " On Sydnora americanay By Dr. J. D. Hooker, V.P.L.S. 



In this paper Dr. Hooker reviewed in some points, in conse- 

 quence of recent more complete opportunities of examination, his 

 account of the structure of Sydnora americana, as given in his 

 monograph of Eafflesiacege in De Candolle's * Prodromus,' in which 

 he had not done full justice to De Bary's previous description. A 

 very great difficulty is presented, from the point of view of the 

 theory of evolution, in the occurrence of the two allied species 

 Mydnora africana and americana, both root-parasites, widely sepa- 

 rated geographically (the one in South Africa, the other in South 

 America), but so closely resembling one another in every point of 

 their structure, that it is impossible to look upon them otherwise 

 than as very nearly related genetically. The only connexion sug- 

 gested is through Cytinus, another nearly allied genus of root- 

 parasites, species of which are natives of South Africa as well 

 as of both South and North America. 



