TRANSACTIONS OF THE SECTIONS. 79 
in threes, whereas four is the normal number on which the parts of the flowers are 
arranged in the whole order Onagracee. The primitive number of the parts, in 
exogenous plants, is five. The first series, therefore, which exceeded the quaternary 
arrangement of its flowers, might be looked upon as a return to the primitive number. 
In the second series the number of parts was reduced by the adhesion of the parallel 
edges of two sepals. 
Account of a Luminous Appearance on the Common Marigold, Calendula 
vulgaris. By Richarp DowDeEn. 
This circumstance was noticed on the 4th of August, 1842, at eight p.., after a week 
of very dry warm weather; four persons observed the phenomenon ; by shading off 
the declining daylight, a gold-coloured lambent light appeared to play from petal to 
petal of the flower, so as to make a more or less interrupted corona round its disk. It 
seemed as if this emanation grew less vivid as the light declined; it was not ex- 
amined in darkness, which omission will he supplied on a future occasion, It may 
be here added, in the view to faciliate any other observer who may give attention to 
this phenomenon, that the double marigold is the best flower to experiment on, as 
the single flower “ goeth to sleep with the sun,” and has not the disk exposed for in- 
vestigation. 
Catalogue of the Plants found in the neighbourhood of Cork. By Dr. 
Power. 
Amongst rare plants found near Cork, were Medicago maculata and denticulata, 
and Hypericum calycinum. Plants, which were not uncommon in other districts and 
rare here, were also enumerated. The list contained 1425 plants, of which 624 were 
Cryptogamic. 
Mr. Thompson exhibited to the Section a number of specimens of the phanerogamous 
and cryptogamous plants, of the county of Cork collected and named by Dennis 
Murray, a working gardener, among them were three species new to the Flora of 
Ireland, and twenty-two to that of Cork. 

Mr. Babington presented three new aditions to the Flora of Cork. They consisted, 
first, of Zrica Mackayii, which had been previously found only in Connemara; second, 
the Erica cilians; and third, the Dabecia multifolia. 

The Rev. W. Hincks read a communication from Dr, Wood, ‘ On the economical 
uses of certain Lichens.’ The object of this paper was to draw attention to the fact 
that the Lecanora tartarea and parella grew in abundance about Cork, and that the 
collecting of these lichens as dyes might become a source of employment for the poor, 
Specimens of the plants were then exhibited. 

MEDICAL SCIENCE. 
On a peculiar Disease of the Biliary Ducts. By Dr. OxxtrFz, 
Tue affection to which he was about to call attention had never yet, he believed, 
been described by any author, and was cf great importance, as it proved fatal in the 
ease first brought under his notice. It occurred in the person of an officer who had 
resided for many years in India, and during that time suffered from the “ Jungle Fe- 
ver,” or a peculiar intermittent of the tertian type, which was afterwards renewed in 
a slight form in Italy. Many years afterwards he was attacked by symptoms, not of 
an aggravated character at first, such as slight nausea every morning, but not amount- 
ing to vomiting, with debility. Then rigors of daily occurrence set in, followed by 
fever, terminating in diaphoresis ; he seemed labouring under an attack of ordinary 
intermittent fever. The periodical symptoms were removed by the administration of 
quinine ; but the debility increased, with some tenderness over the region of the liver, 
which appear to be hypertrophied, Notwithstanding the most careful treatment, 
