PROCEEDINGS OF SOCIETIES. 251 



became putrid, a piece enclosed by the Dioncea remained perfectly 

 inodorous, but soon lost its red colour, and was gradually disintegrated 

 more and more till reduced to pulp. — Mr. C. W. Peach exhibited some 

 monstrosities he had observed in Leontodon Taraxacum. — Dr. William 

 Craig showed, as the result of experiments he had made, that a weak 

 solution of hydrate of choral will preserve not only the tissues but the 

 colours of flowers for several months. 



July Sth. — Sir Eobert Christison, Bart., in the chair. — The follow- 

 ing communications were read : — " Additional Note on Experiments on 

 BioncBa museipula,''^ by Thomas A. G. Balfour. Dr. Balfour stated 

 that, in accordance with a suggestion made by Sir R. Christison at 

 the last meeting of the Society, he had tried the experiment of put- 

 ting black pepper on the sensitive leaf. The leaf closed, and had re- 

 mained closed since June 24th, secreting what he called its gastric 

 juice. Another leaf behaved similarly, but others after closing on 

 the pepper soon opened again. It being understood that the irrita- 

 bility was resident in six hairs that grow on the upper surface of each 

 leaf, he had tried the experiment of cutting off those hairs, first with 

 a pair of scissors, and afterwards more thoroughly with a knife. In 

 one case the leaf closed, but opened again in two days, and would 

 not afterwards close on irritation. In another case, where every trace 

 of the hairs had been removed, the leaf closed very slightly on irri- 

 tation. Another leaf, though irritated several times on the place 

 where the hairs had been, would not close, but on a certain day it 

 closed easily on being so treated. From one leaf three of the hairs 

 were removed without producing any special effect. When the other 

 three hairs were removed the leaf at first closed slightly ; after- 

 wards it ceased to respond to irritation, though tried on successive 

 days ; but at last, while being replaced on the shelf, it suddenly 

 closed in an awkward manner. — " Notes on the Structure of the 

 leaves of Lathrcea sqicamaria'^ by F. M. Caird. The author after de- 

 scribing the external appearances of the leaves, proceeded to describe 

 the arrangement of the internal *' stomatic cavities." These are pro- 

 bably formed by an involution of the leaf, and therefore they all com- 

 municate externally by means of a longitudinal curved slit or cleft on 

 the under surface. While the general epidermis is destitute of ap- 

 pendages, that which is prolonged into and lines these cavities is fur- 

 nished with rudimentary hairs and stomata. These hairs merely con- 

 sist of two terminal cells on the top of a single basilar one, but occa- 

 sionally they are found more complex, and then present intermediate 

 stages, passing on to the perfect form of hairs found on the calyx and 

 flower stalk. The general mass of the leaf consists of polygonal cellular 

 tissue with large nuclei and starch grains. Fibro-vascular bundles 

 pass from the stem fork and surround these cavities. — *' Short Account 

 of a Fossil Tree at Kinneil," by W. Badger, communicated by J. 

 Sadler. This tree is a large Sigillaria, with roots {Stiff maria) at- 

 tached, which was discovered a good many years ago in a bed of white 

 fireclay on the banks of the Avon, near Linlithgow. — "Some Sta- 

 tistics regarding the Size of certain Australian Trees, principally 

 Eucalypti,'' by R. Etheridge, jun., E.Gr.S.—" Notice of Trees struck 

 by Lightning near Lasswade, in 1874," by James M^Nab. — "Report 



