flowers expand in the evening like those of C. grandiflorus, which 

 they resemble, but are not above half the size. The number of the 

 angles of the stem is variable. The species is an old inhabitant of 

 our stoves, but has rarely flowered. 



Read, " Descriptions of the Indian species of Iris," by D. Don, 

 Esq., Libr. L.S., Prof. Bot. King's College. 



The number of species of this beautiful genus belonging to the 

 Indian Flora is five, three of which have not been previously de- 

 scribed : one of the species is from Cashmere, another from Ludak, 

 a country situated beyond the Himalaya, and the remaining three 

 are natives of Nepal and Kamaon, and of the country to the west- 

 ward. 



The following are the characters of the undescribed species : 



1. /. kamaonensis (Wall. Cat. n. 5052.), barbata; scapo brevissimo uni- 

 floro, tubo perianthii longissimo subfiliformi, sepalis interioribus bilo- 

 bis longe uiiguiculatis, ovario turbinate 3-gono. 



2. /. longifolia (Royle 111. t. 91. f. 2.), imberbis ; fobis margine scabris, 

 scapo brevissimo unifloro, sepalis sublanceolatis integerrimis, tubo pe- 

 rianthii vix ullo, ovario elongate triquetro scapum adsequante, stigma- 

 tis lobis integerrimis. 



3. /. Moorcroftiana {Vfa\\. Cat. n. 5051.), imberbis; scapo bifloro pedun- 

 culis breviore, spathis glumaceis tubum perianthii superantibus, sepalis 

 lanceolatis acutiusculis, ovario 6-sulcato. 



Read, " Additional observations on the Spongilla fluviatilis " By 

 John Hogg, Esq., M.A., F.L.S. 



The author's views of the vegetable nature of the river sponge 

 were given in a paper read before the Society on the 5th of June, 

 1838, a report of Avhich was inserted in the August number of the 

 ' Annals of Natural History.' 



The present paper contains additional observations in confirmation 

 of those views, derived from a more accurate examination of the 

 seed-like bodies, which are found adhering in abundance to the walls 

 of the cells or cavities of the sponge, and are also frequently free 

 and endowed with the faculty of locomotion ; and which have been 

 regarded by some authors as the ova of the Spongilla, and by others 

 as those of the Plumatella. Mr. Hogg has determined the identity 

 of these bodies, having succeeded in raising young Spongilla from 

 both kinds ; and he has also ascertained that they are destitute of 

 cilia, being merely studded with minute granular papiUae. The mo- 

 tions of the unattached bodies resemble those observed by Unger in 

 the sporules of Ectospora clavata, and Mr. Hogg considers the cur- 

 rents to be due to the same causes, which affect the circulation of 

 the fluids in the cells of vegetables. 



