50 PROCEEDINGS OF THE 



plexuses form a respiratory organ for the brain is novel : I wonder 

 what Dendy's conception of a respiratory organ is. 



In conclusion, I am grateful to the Linnean iSociety for allowing 

 me to put my views before them, and only hope that all those 

 who dissent from them will study for themselves organ by organ 

 the resemblances between the two groups of animals and make 

 up their minds whether they are accidental or, as I believe, 

 tsignificant of a real relationship. 



The President said that at that hour of the evening, and after 

 so brilliant a discussion, no one would expect a speech from a 

 botanical Chairman, though much had been said of great general 

 interest to all biologists. On the first evening Dr. Gaskell had 

 directly appealed to the Chair with reference to his belief that 

 •' each higher group of animals has arisen in succession from the 

 highest race developed up to that time." At present he would 

 only say that the evidence on the botanical side appeared not 

 unfavourable to such a view ; perhaps he might have an oppor- 

 tunity of returning to this question on the 24th of May. 



The President felt that any criticisms of his on the course of 

 the discussion might well be dispensed with, for he had been 

 anticipated by Prof. Stanley Gardiner, whose remarks appeared to 

 him to agree, point for point, with those which would occur to the 

 mind of any present-day botanist in listening to the discussion. 



It only remained for him to ask the Fellows to return their 

 hearty thanks to Dr. Gaskell and all who had taken part in the 

 discussion, for the intellectual entertainment they had provided. 



February 17th, 1910. 



Dr. D. H. Scott, M.A., F.R.S., President, in the Chair, 

 succeeded by Mr. H. \V. Monckton, Treasurer & Vice-President. 



The Minutes of the General Meeting of the 3rd February, 1910, 

 were read and confirmed. 



Mr. Henry John JefFery, A.E.C.S., was admitted a Fellow. 



Dr. Leonard Cockayne, Mr. Walter Ambrose Heath Harding, 

 M.A. (Cantab.), and Miss Ida Margaret Hayward, were proposed 

 as Fellows. 



Mr. W. T. Saxton, F.L.S., then gave an account of his 

 recent investigations upon the anatomy of the genera Widdring- 

 tonia, Endl., and Callitris, Vent., of which the following is an 

 abstract. 



