PROCEEDINGS OF SOCIETIES. 67 
vigorous specimens. The experiment is however too recent 
to be considered conclusive. Many of the rare Alpine species 
have been tried, but most of them are in a sickly state. 
H. Crista-Castrensis seems to thrive but does not form so 
handsome a plant as H. uncinatum. H. loreum becomes in 
appearance exactly like H. squarrosum. H. atro-virens, from 
Ben Lawers, is very beautiful. No Hypna fruit with me but 
those which are commonly found fertile; H. cordifolium is 
perhaps an exception. 
Omatim.—O. trichomanoides is healthy. Neckera crispa is 
tied to a flat stone and suspended ; it is in a very satisfactory 
condition. 
Hooxerir#.—H. lucens never changes: in winter and 
summer it is alike beautiful. It is now fruiting pretty freely. 
Fontinatex.—F. antipyretica fails. 
Hepaticxz.—Riccia fluitans grows in a very interesting way. 
Targionia hypophylla is gone. The Marchantie grow too 
freely. Jungermannie: I have had twenty-seven species ; 
some of them, e. g., J. tomentella, J. ciliaris, J. spinulosa, and 
J. asplenoides are as beautiful as any plants in the case. 
Some of the species fruit profusely, pouring out a stream of 
silvery translucent fruit-stalks, tipped with little shining ebony 
heads, which, when expanded, show very remarkable hygro- 
metric properties. J. nemoralis is covered with little dark- 
coloured gemme. 
Bartramia Halleriana grew last autumn with a fringe of 
Hymenophyllum, with which it was collected near Loch Lo- 
mond, and was as round and as finely in fruit as a bush of 
mistletoe. 
Roya Institution or Great Britain, March 27th, 1857. 
The Duke of Northumberland, K.G., F.R.S, President, in 
the chair. 
On the Aquarium. By Rosert Warineton, Esq. 
Tue speaker opened the evening’s demonstration, by 
stating that he had immediately responded to the invitation 
of the managers of the Royal Institution to deliver this dis- 
course, on what they had been pleased to call his ‘‘ own sub- 
ject,” from the feeling, that as the originator of the aquarium, 
he was in duty bound to afford, to all those who had taken 
up this “‘ new pleasure,” every assistance, from the result of 
his own experience, that lay in his power, in order to render 
the undertaking more easy and pleasurable; and for this 
