president's address. 177 



the commencement of the student's path among the Cn/ptogamia. 

 A good portion of the work, wliich treats of Lichens, is, however, 

 from the pen of my friend, the Rev. Churchill Babington. The 

 whole is admirably illustrated with excellent wood-cuts, and sup- 

 plies what has long been desired, towards the better understand- 

 ing of the more difficult and lower plants. 



The translation of Van der Hoeven's " Handbook of Zoology," 

 by Professor Clark, of Cambridge; "Outlines of Comparative 

 Physiology" (second edition), by Louis Agassiz, and A. Gould; 

 and Professor Owen's second edition of his " Classification and 

 Lectures on Zoology ;" with the last edition of Cuvier's "Eegne 

 Animal," are now indispensable to the Zoologist ; because in 

 the present state of that branch of Natural History, Anatomical 

 and Physiological knowledge is exceedingly essential. 



The "Philosophical Transactions" for the past year, contain 

 two valuable papers by Dr. Carpenter, entitled " Researches on the 

 Foraminifcra ; " also one by Mr. P. H. Gosse, " On the Mandu- 

 catory organs in the class Rotlfera,'" or Wheel animals. All of 

 these are admirably illustrated with engravings. 



In February of the present year. Dr. Williams read to the 

 Royal Society, a communication, " On the reproductive organs 

 of the Annelids;^'' and Mr. Macdonald detailed his " Observations 

 on the natural affinities and classification of the Gasteropodsy 

 Abstracts of both may be read in the " Proceedings of the Royal 

 ►Society," Vol. viii.. No. 25. And Mr. R. Howse, I am happy 

 to see, is continuing the publication, in the " Annals and Maga- 

 zine of Natural History," of his " Notes on the Permian System 

 of the Counties of Durham and Northumberland." 



At last year's meeting of the " German Association for the 

 Advancement of Science," which was held in September, at 

 Vienna, a committee, appointed by the Botanical section, con- 

 sidered the most advantageous plan of conducting Phoenological 

 observations ; that is to say, of noticing and registering the 

 chief appearances, or 2^^<<^>iomena, in vegetation, at different 

 periods of the year, and in accordance with the laws of climate 

 and meteorology. The following plants, among a few others, 

 were fixed upon as the most appropriate for such observations : — 



