290 



which the water has retii-ed, it produces leaves having short wedge-shaped 

 segments exactly as aquatilis does under similar conditions. 



Kor do the more permanent and generally trustworthy characters which 

 are drawn from the seeds seem to be in tliis case of much greater value, for 

 after careful inquiry amongst thoroughly practised botanists, I have found 

 no one who could say from his own experience that it was possible to make 

 the book characters agree in the case of the more closely allied varieties — 

 and the authors are certainly at variance with each other. This being the 

 case, I suggest to the members of the Club who have the opport\inity, that 

 they should carefully examine and note the variations of the plant in such 

 localities as these, viz. : — A strong river like the Wye, a brisk stream Uke the 

 Arrow, a rivulet of spring water, a pool in rich pasture land, a pool on pent 

 or gravel, and a piece of brackish water. Note also whether the water is 

 tainted by manure. It would be interesting to observe how the plants behave 

 when removed to different localities, and when the upper part of the stems of 

 these form, which do not usually produce floating leaves, are artificially 

 elevated above the surface. 



I am strongly inclined to believe that the seeming constancy of character 

 in these plants only exists so long as the conditions under which they giow 

 remain constant, or at any rate that a few generations would suffice to change 

 any one of them into another variety. I am not sufficiently acquainted with 

 the foreign varieties allied to liederaceas and forming links between it and 

 aquatilis, to give an opinion as to that species ; but as to the others the pro- 

 bability of their being really no more tlian forms of the same plant appears 

 great. In any case the subject will repay investigation ; and we hope to be 

 able to throw some further light not only upon these allied species, but upon 

 other varieties in plants about which great diversity of opinion now exists. 



(The paper was illustrated by numerous specimens of the different 

 varieties, and many well- executed water-colour drawings.) 



At the close of the paper, Mr. Edwtn Lees, F.L.S., Vice-President of 

 the Worcestershire Natural History Society, said he agreed generally with the 

 conclusions of the writer of the paper, and had considerable doubt as to the 

 so-called species iuto which Hanuncuius aquatilis was divided. He felt this 

 the more strongly because he found botanists differ so much in their identifi- 

 cation of supposed species. In one instance the same specimen of a plant had 

 received ten different names from different botanists (laughter) ; and further, 

 he had known the same specimen receive different names from the same botanist 

 on its being several times submitted to him (laughter). The fact was that it 

 was exceedingly difficult to identify plants from the descriptions given by 

 many botanists, and this was specially the case in regard to these supposed 

 new species. He was strongly inclined to think that all the presumed species 

 or sub-species of iJ. aqttatilis were really referable to the variety of position 



