Transactions. 39 



It was agreed that lady members be charged no enrolment fee, 

 and that life members be admitted on payment of £2 2s each. It 

 was further resolved that the name of the Society shall be 

 "Dumfriesshire and Galloway Scientific, Natural History, and 

 Antiquarian Society," which is the title printed in Transactions 

 No. 2. 



Exhibits. — Copy of the Edinhuryh Coicrant, dated 1705, and 

 piece of polished limestone conglomerate, by Mr M'Meekan; 

 piece of the first steam ship, large ammonite, coralline, and several 

 other fossils, by Mr Todd. 



The Characece, with special reference to the British species. — 

 A paper was read, contributed by Mr A. Bennett, F. Ij.S., 

 Croydon, corresponding member. The paper was illustrated 

 with a large number of specimens, which were presented to the 

 Society : — After noticing the little attention which has been given 

 to this branch of Botany, Mr Bennett said — " The Characece 

 forms an independent natural order between the Mosses and the 

 Algm. In 1880, the Messrs Groves published in the Journal of 

 Botany their admirable review of the British Characece, with four 

 plates containing figures of all the then known species. At the 

 end of that year he found that some Cornish specimens belonged 

 to Chara baltica, and in September of that year he was fortunate 

 enough to discover in Norfolk C. stelligeria. In 1881 Mr H, 

 Groves found C. contraria in Wichen Fen, Cambridgeshire ; soon 

 afterwards Mr Bennett found in Norfolk C. tomentosa, and along- 

 side of it C. stelligeria, the former being an addition to the 

 British flora, but kno^vn in Ireland since 1847. There are still 

 several continental species that may be found, especially in Scot- 

 land. The Scandinavian flora is very rich in these plants, 

 especially that of the southern provinces ; and these being mainly 

 in the same latitude as Scotland, it is not unreasonable to expect 

 additions to our lists. With regard to their distribution outside 

 our country, they are found from the hot springs of Iceland to the 

 tropics, high up in the Andes of South America to the Lakes of 

 British North America, but principally in the tempei-ate zones. 

 The genera included in the order are Chara Lychnothamuns, 

 Tolypella, and Nitella. The known species are about 140 ; of 

 these we have 12 species of Chara, 1 of Lychnothamnus, 3 of Toly- 

 pella, and 7 of Nitella." Mr Bennett concluded his very valuable 

 paper by intimating that it any of the members would take up 



