48 PROCEEDINGS OF THE 



June 4th, 1903. 



Dr. Percy Groom, F.L.S., read a paper entitled " Notes on 

 tbe Transition of Opposite Leaves into the Alternate Arrange- 

 ment : a new factor in morphologic observation." The author 

 stated that his observations began on Atr'lple.v rosea, and to make 

 a graphic representation of i-esults, he plotted the length of the 

 internodes in a given manner, which produced a zigzag curve : 

 when this principle was applied to Ohenopodium and Salsola an 

 entirel}' similar result came out, and a zigzag course was plotted, 

 due to the long and short internodes alternating. At first he 

 suspected this might be due to its nearness to salt water, but 

 inland specimens told the same tale, and neither the influence of 

 day and night nor of salinity could account for it. His belief was 

 that the true solution lay in an upward displacement of one of the 

 two leaves at each node from a primitive opposite phyllotaxis. 

 Such a displacement by fusion is admitted in the opposite-leaved 

 SciKcornia, in which both leaves are fused with the main stem up 

 to the succeeding node. Continuing his observations, the author 

 examined Scropliidaria nodosa, which exhibited a transition from 

 an opposite phyllotaxis to an alternate arrangement in the in- 

 florescence. Symphytum officinale showed a regular displacement- 

 curve in its raised and fused axillary branches. Mhinanthus Crista- 

 galli occasionally presented a curious anomaly : the leaves Avere 

 commonly opposite, but sometimes became suddenty alternate, 

 but in such instances the individuals showed some of the solitary 

 leaves bilobed or succeeded at the next higher node by two 

 asymmetrical laterally approximated leaves. Lysimachia vidc/aris 

 first showed opposite leaves, then by the process last described, 

 splitting at the apex and becoming distinct, a whorl of four leaves 

 finally appeared. The author laid stress on the fact that he had 

 taken his species at random, as they came to his hand, and were 

 not specially selected. Although this was only a preliminary 

 statement of the facts observed, it embodied a long series of 

 observations. 



June 18th, 1903. 



Dr. Eustace read a paper upon " Rudimentary Horns in Horses," 

 in which he recorded the occurrence of bilateral osseous promin- 

 ences on the frontal bones in two thoroughbreds, "Domain," 

 aged 5, belonging to Mr. H. Bonas, and " The Swamper,"' aged 3. 

 Both horses at the time of writing were under the care of 

 Mr. Alfred Day, of Westergate. In the younger horse the 

 bosses did not appear until the animal was six months old ; in 

 both the left boss w-as larger than the right. 



The author stated that Mr. William Day remembered the same 

 peculiarities being exhibited by " Mounseer," the property of 

 Lord Eivers, and the winner of the Chester Cup in 1850. 



It is of interest that " Mounseer," " Domain," and " The 

 Swamper " are all descended from " Eclipse," which itself was the 



