Nov. 1890.] BOTANICAL SOCIETY OF EDINBURGH. 3 



Mr E. Lindsay thanked che Society for the honour of 

 re-election as President. 



Numerous presents to the Library, the Museum, and the 

 Herbarium at the Eoyal Botanic Garden were announced.* 



The Pkesident directed the attention of the Society to the 

 exceptional extent and value of the presents of books — some 

 of which were exhibited — recently added to the Library. 

 The greater part of the presents came from the Library of 

 the late Mr John Ball, RRS., well known as an Alpine 

 traveller and botanist, who, dying October 21, 1889, 

 bequeathed his Herbarium and Botanical Library "to Sir 

 Joseph Dalton Hooker, the Director of the Eoyal Botanical 

 Gardens at Kew for the time being, and to the President of 

 the Eoyal Society of London for the time being, requesting 

 them to give the same Herbarium and Library to such 

 person or persons or public institution in this country, the 

 British Colonies, or elsewhere in the world, as they or any 

 two of them may select, with the sole object of promoting 

 the knowledge of natural science, subject to the condition 

 that the Keeper of the Eoyal Herbarium at Kew may, in 

 the first place, select any specimens or books that may be 

 desirable for that Institution." The Edinburgh Botanic 

 Garden has been so fortunate as to obtain the gift from the 

 trustees. The Library has already been received, and the 

 Herbarium, a very extensive one, will in due course be 

 added to the collection at the Botanic Garden. 



Dr William Craig communicated to the Society the 

 news of the death of William Thomson, F.E.C.S.E,, Fellow 

 of the Society. 



Dr Wm. Craig recorded the occurrence of Fistulina 

 hepatica on the trunk of Castanea vcsca in his garden in 

 Edinburgh. He pointed out that the plant is known to 

 occur on Castanea vesca, var. americana, in the United 



* An official list of these will appear in future in the Annual Report 

 upon the Garden by the Keeper, and a list of them will not therefore be 

 printed in the Society's publications. 



