60 
An interesting discussion followed the reading of the paper, in 
which the President, Mr. Cooper, Mr. Morland, Dr. Carpenter, Mr. 
P. Crowley, Mr. Perry, Mr. Taylor, and Mr. Haddock took part. 
The chief point touched upon was the action of light with regard 
to the formation of colour in flowers. Dr. Carpenter pointed out 
that flowers having different hues was evidence that they decomposed 
light, and fixed a certain portion of that light in their tissues. 
Certain chemical agents would produce a change in a flower, but 
without light, so far as lateral flowers were concerned, it would be 
impossible to get a variety of colours. He had not an acquaintance 
with foreign countries, but he had been under the impression that 
tropical climates certainly produced the most brilliant flowers, as 
they did birds of the most brilliant plumage. The possession of 
scent in a flower was generally accompanied with less brilliant hues, 
but this was not always the case. He did not think that much 
light was wanted for the production of colour, because some of the 
fungi on which he had remarked at a former meeting, grew in 
in the deepest glades of the forest, and had the most brilliant hues 
possible, and generally the darker the glade the brighter the hue of 
the fungus that grew there. Dr. Carpenter also referred to the 
brilliant colours that could be obtained from gas tar, showing that 
although ages ago, when the vegetation of the coal formation 
flourished, brilliant colours were not produced, still the colouring 
matter was there, and could be obtained. He considered Mr. 
Jeeks’ paper a most suggestive one, and he highly commended it. 
Mr. Taytor expressed an opinion that light had but little to do 
with determining the colour of flowers. He mentioned that he 
once planted some crocuses the wrong way upwards, and as they 
did not appear above the surfaee of the soil, he made an examina- 
tion, and found they had bloomed in the ground in their usual 
colours. 
Mr. Happocx expressed an opinion that plants of the same 
class seldom bloomed in two colours, but the experience of other 
gentlemen was against this supposition. 
The Presmpenr having put a variety of questions to the 
lecturer, to which that gentleman ably replied, a cordial vote of 
thanks was passed to Mr. Jeeks for his interesting paper. 
The Prestpent then formally announced that the annual 
meeting would take place in January, and that in February, he 
would contribute a paper on a subject which he had previously 
mentioned. 
The undermentioned gentlemen were ballotted for and elected :— 
The Rev. G. Smith, Whitgift School, Croydon; Mr. E. W. Barnett, 
Essex Lodge ; and Mr. Frank Crispe, 134, Adelaide-road, N.W. 
