92 PROCEEDINGS OP SOCIETIES. 



mediate between the Mjixogastres and Trichogastres. — " On a sport of 

 Paritium triciispe'^ by Dr. G. King. 



Jan. 10th, 1876.— Prof. J. G. Allman, F.R.S., President, in the 

 chair. The following botanical communications were read : — " Con- 

 tributions to the Botany of the Challenger. No. 29. Orchidece coWactQi. 

 in the Admiralty Islands, Ternato, and Cape York," by H. G. 

 Reichenbach. One species forms the type of a new section of Den- 

 drobium. — " The Fungi of Brazil," by Rev. ^[. J. Berkeley and M. 

 C. Cooke. All the Fungi known in P.razil amount to but 437 species ; 

 of these there are Hymenoraycctes .356, Gasteromycetes 13, Hypho- 

 mycetcs 7, Coniomycetes 5, and Ascomycetes 55. About 300 are 

 peculiar to Brazil This apparent paucity of species (Cuba has 886 

 and Ceylon 1 1 90) may be due to incomplete collection aud deficient 

 knowledge of the microscopic forms. Mr. Trail's collection, made in 

 1874, is included in the enumeration. — " On a new species of Oak from 

 Sikkim Himalaya," by Dr. G. King. This is the " Katoos " of the 

 .Nepalese, and forms a fine forest tree, largely used by the European 

 residents of Darjeeling. It is allied to Quercm spicata, and is named 

 Q. Afidersoni. 



Feb. '3rd, 1876. — Professor G. J. Allman, President, in the chair. 

 Four new Fellows were elected ; five ordinary and two foreign 

 members were proposed. Of the latter, Lichenologists will be pleased 

 to learn that the honour is likely to be conferred on. the worthy Dr. 

 Nylander. The subjoined botanical communications were laid befoi'o 

 the meeting, which we may remark was an unusually full one, 

 Mr. Darwin, Sir John Lubbock, Mr. Wallace, Dr. Hooker, 

 Prof. Oliver, Mr. Bentham, Mr. Carruthers, Dr. Masters, and other 

 distinguished botanists being present. — " 'Note on Baa Commersonii," 

 by Henry Trimen. The author observed that the supposition of the 

 old voyager Commcrson having obtained the type at Magellan Straits 

 had been founded on an error, as shown by Robert Brown. It had 

 since been always referred to the Seychelles. Mr. C. Walter has 

 quite lately discovered specimens growing on coral reefs in the Duke of 

 York's Island, which through Baron von Mueller, of Melbourne, have 

 been forwarded to this country for examination. The probability is that 

 Commcrson himself obtained his examples in 1768 from nearly the same 

 locality, viz.. Port Praslin, in New Ireland ; its true habitat afterwards 

 being confounded from the name " Praslin" (attached to the original speci- 

 men) having been supposed to refer to the island so called in the Sey- 

 chelles. — "On new British Lichens, "by Rev. W. A. Leighton. A careful 

 description and excellent figures of the structural characteristics of the 

 following genera and species are given : — Vcrrucaria mgrinspora, V. 

 succina, Lccidca subdiluta, L. advcnula, Melaspilea vermifcra, and 

 Arthronia punctill/fonnis. — " Lichenes Capenses. An enumeration of 

 the Lichens collected at the Cape of Good Hope by the Rev. A. E. 

 Eaton during the Venus Transit Expedition in 1874," by Rev. 

 James M. Crombie. — "Lichenes Kergueleni. An enumeration of the 

 Lichens collected in Kerguelen Land by the Rev. A. E. Eaton during 

 the Venus Transit Expedition in 1874-5," by Rev. James M. Crombie. 

 Some of the species in the above two communications of tlie Rev. J. 

 M. Crombie have already been briefly recorded in this Journal (n.s. 

 vol. iv., p. 333, and vol. v., pp. 18-21). 



