oe 
66 REPORT— 1852. 
course of the Gulf-stream, may be least exposed to its influence. Investigations 
respecting the temperature of our seas are, however, still desiderata, and without 
such, an important modifying element has been overlooked having reference to the 
climate of the British islands. 
Notice of a Monstrosity of Bellis perennis. By Professor Dicxir, M.D. 
Each capitulum was surrounded by an involucre of the usual form; the recep- 
tacle (as in a well-known variety of the plant) supported numerous secondary 
capitula, each having an involucre of three to five pieces, and enclosing generally 
three, five, or six imperfect flowers, most of which seemed reduced merely to open 
carpellary leaves, and attached to some of them there was an imperfect ovule. The 
secondary capitula were either sessile or stalked, and the same was true of the car- 
pellary leaves. This variety presented therefore a remarkable example of arrest of 
development, the flowers being reduced to imperfect carpels with or without rudi- 
mentary ovules. 

Remarks on the Altitudinal Ranges of Plants in the North of Ireland. 
By Professor Dicxiz, M.D. 
The observations were made on Slieve Donard, in county Down, attaining an 
elevation of 2796 feet, Muckish and Erigal in county Donegal, the height of the 
former being 2190 feet, of the latter 2450 feet, and Nephin in the north-west of 
county Mayo, its elevation being 2639 feet. Neither of these mountains present 
the same richness of vegetation seen on many of those in North Britain. Only one 
of them, namely, Slieve Donard, comprehends the upper part of the Mid-Arctic zone 
of Mr. H. C. Watson, lying between 3000 and 2000 feet. Only six species attain 
the summit of Slieve Donard, three being Monocotyledons, and three Dicotyledons ; 
six of the former and twelve of the latter were found on the summit of Muckish; 
Erigal has on its comparatively narrow summit four Monocotyledons and seven Di- 
cotyledons ; on the summit of Nephin were observed four of the former and eight of 
the latter; there are only two species common to all the summits, viz. Festuca 
vivipara, and Vaccinium Myrtillus. 
The upper limits of 39 Dicotyledons and of 32 Monocotyledons were carefully 
measured. It might have been expected that in general the species noted would 
have the upper and lower limits of each respectively, obeying the usually understood 
law. Instead of which, it appears that their natural upper limits are, with a very 
few exceptions, lower in the North of Ireland than in North Britain. 
The lowest limits of plants usually found at high elevations were next examined, 
and those of 20 species in Ireland compared with their recorded lowest limits in 
different parts of North Britain; from which comparison it appears that the lower 
limits in Ireland are generally much lower than in Britain. It may be stated, in 
other words, that in Ireland, with a climate generally mild, plants usually growing 
in the low grounds do not rise so high upon the mountains as in North Britain 
with a less favourable climate; and plants usually growing at high elevations, 
descend lower in Ireland than in many parts of North Britain. 
On an Anomaly of the Trifolium repens (white clover), in which the Pedicles 
of the Flowers were very much elongated, and the Petals and Pistil converted 
into Leaves. By the Rev. Professor W. Hrncxs. 
Morphological Analogy between the Disposition of the Branches of Exogenous 
Plants and the Venation of their Leaves. By the Rev. Professor M‘Cosu, M.A. 
The view which the Professor took of the morphology of the plant might be regarded 
as an extension, in the same direction, of the theory of Goethe. According to this 
theory, all the appendages of the axis of the plant, including leaves, bracts, sepals, pe- 
tals, stamens, &c., are formed on a common plan, of which the leaf may be taken as 
the type. It had occurred to him (Dr. M‘Cosh) that we may regard the branches 
of the plant and the whole plant as formed on the same plan. We may thus regard 

