28 



Hyphane Thebaica, the Doom Palm of Egypt, has an edible fruit 

 called the gingerbread nut, largely consumed by the Egyptians. 



It now only remains for me to describe one other product of the 

 Palmacese, namely, the so-called " vegetable ivory." This curious sub- 

 stance is the hard albuminous kernel of a very large palm, with a short 

 procumbent stem, found in the hot plains of the lower Andes, in New 

 Grenada, and elsewhere ; it is called Phttelephas Maceocarpa, and 

 does not range under any of the preceding divisions. Its magnificent 

 pinnated leaves are from thirty to forty feet in height, and it bears 

 immense clusters of its curious fruit at their base. The fruit when 

 immature yields a delicious liquid resembling a custard in richness 

 and delicacy of flavour ; when ripe it becomes exceedingly hard and 

 like ivory, and it can be carved into a variety of ornamental objects. 



I have now brought to your notice most of the really important 

 applications of this great natural oi'der, and although there ai'e doubt- 

 less some which I have omitted, I trust I have produced sufficient to 

 interest you in this branch of botanical science, and prepare the way 

 for further communications. 



THIRD ORDINARY ]M E E T I N G , 



Royal Institution, 12th November, 1855, 



The Rev. H. H. HIGGIN3, M.A., in the Chair. 



Resignations were received from Messrs. Puckle, Potts, Banister, 

 Sansom, Hartnup, and Burke. 



Richard Brooke, Esq., F.S.A., was elected an Ordinary Member. 



Mr. T. C. Archer exhibited a curious Chinese Map, a small Shark 

 taken in the neighbourhood, and several specimens of " Nature's 

 Printing ;" Mr. Morton, several rare fossils ; Mr. Marratt, several 

 Mosses, collected since his list of local Musci was published; 

 Dr. J. S. Taylor, an Exhibition Medal struck in Paris ; and the 



