1883-84.] Edinburgh Naturalists' Field Chib. 129 



vi(3W, and a hoirible fascination it must have had, for the ILabbit, 

 which seemed to have fairly escaped, turned itself in the stream and 

 swam straiglit back for the spot where the Weasel was. Eefore, how- 

 ever, it reached the side, the Weasel took to the water and had a firm 

 hold of its victim ere it landed, and for fully five minutes thereafter 

 we had to look helplessly on, while the poor Eabbit, who struggled 

 liard, was " done to death " by an animal not a tithe of its size. 

 During all the time this was going on, we noticed another Eabbit 

 among the bushes at the edge of the bank, watching the whole pro- 

 ceedings in a dazed state. One could not help admiring the courage- 

 ous, tliough perhaps relentless, way in which the Weasel hunted and 

 killed the Eabbit ; and neither our shouts, the Eabbit's cries, nor the 

 exposed place where the deed was done — not a bush or tuft of grass 

 to conceal the pair — could make the Weasel stay for a moment its 

 cruel work, much less frighten it into giving up altogether its con- 

 templated meal. 



At this meeting Mr A. D. Eichardson exhibited under the micro- 

 scope a most interesting collection of plant stems, exogenous, 

 endogenous, and acrogenous, — drawing attention, in a few descriptive 

 remarks, to the characteristic features in the structure of each. 



UI.—A NEW METHOD OF TAKING IMPRESSIONS OF LEAVES. 



By Mr JOHN TURNBULL, Galashiels. 



{Communicated hij Mr A. Fbazer, Dec. 27, 1883.) 



The process of taking leaf-impressions by means of carbonised paper 

 is exceedingly simple and inexpensive. The materials required con- 

 sist of a sheet of fresh carbonised paper, such as is used for taking 

 duplicates of letters, &c. ; two sheets of thin, tough paper ; and the 

 paper upon which the leaves are to be copied. The latter ought to 

 have a very smooth surface, otherwise the finer lines or veins will 

 not be distinctly shown. Place the leaf to be copied upon the car- 

 bonised paper, and over it lay one of the sheets of thin paper. 

 With the soft fleshy extremities of the fingers and thumb press the 

 leaf into close contact with the carbonised paper. Continue this 

 until the entire surface of the leaf is covered with carbon. Although 

 not often necessary, this can be ascertained by lifting and examining 

 it from time to time. The leaf thus carbonised is now transferred 

 to the paper on which it is desired to take the impression. Carefully 

 spreading it out, cover it with the second or clean sheet of thin paper. 



