1854.] Linnean Society. 349 



even a ball from a musket. Both the external large plate-like scales 

 forming the corslet, and those, arranged in a slate-like manner, be- 

 tween the skins, are of an irregular, but somewhat round, or oval, 

 shape. When seen from the outside of the external black skin, the 

 plain parts between the extremities of four scales, present, by the 

 overlapping of their edges, a somewhat regular appearance, and are of 

 a nearly uniform size, viz. about half an inch in length, by a little 

 more than one- eighth of an inch in width, and they thus exhibit 

 much of a diamond pattern. 



Mr. Hogg observed, that ichthyologists seem not to have described 

 this remarkable protection, presented by the thick skins, and strong 

 bony interlaminated scales, which is evidently a beautiful provision 

 of Nature to defend these fishes from the attacks of their enemies, 

 and especially those of their greatest foe, the sword-fish. 



Read a paper " On Decaisnea, a remarkable new genus of the 

 tribe Lardizabalea," by J. D. Hooker, Esq., M.D., F.R.S., F.L.S., 

 and Thomas Thomson, Esq., M.D., F.L.S. 



The small family of Lardizabalece, which was first instituted 

 many years ago by Mr. Brown, and characterized by the distribution 

 of the ovules over the whole surface of the ovary, was afterwards 

 admirably illustrated by M. Decaisne in a memoir in the ' Archives 

 du Museum.' Though the peculiar distribution of the ovules has 

 always been justly regarded as the most strildng characteristic of 

 Lardizahalea;, it is by no means the only peculiarity of the order 

 which may be distinguished from all its near allies by a considerable 

 number of very striking characters, sufiiciently proving the distinct- 

 ness of the order even where the prominent characters of the in- 

 sertion of the ovules and the digitate leaves are absent. This is 

 remarkably the case in the plant to which the authors of this paper 

 called the attention of the Society, and of which a figure was placed 

 on the table. 



This interesting plant, which was originally discovered in Bhotan, 

 by Mr. Grifiith, is briefly referred to in his ' Itinerary Notes,' under 

 the name of Slackia insignis, a name evidently imposed on a con- 

 viction that the many striking characters which it presents warranted 

 the establishment of a new genus, to which, however, no characters 

 were assigned. That name having (before the publication of these 

 ' Itinerary Notes,' in which it was only a manuscript designation,) 

 been applied by Grifiith himself, in his ' Essay on Palms,' to a genus 

 of that order, the authors proposed to designate the plant now de- 

 scribed, Decaisnea, after the distinguished monographist of the group 



No. LX. — Proceedings of the Linnean Society, 



