558 TRANSACTIONS AND PROCEEDINGS OF THE [Sess. lvii. 



seed brought by j\Ir. Graham Kerr, naturalist with the 

 Pilcomayo Expedition ; and a twig of Tlivya oricntcdis, 

 showing russet brown tints in winter which in summer are 

 replaced by a golden hue. 



Dr. John Wilson sent for exhibition fruits of Celastrus 

 scandens, the bitter-sweet of America, brought from ]\Iinne- 

 sota by Mr. J. Orr. 



Professor Bayley Balfour exhibited a branch of Abies 

 nohilis, sent by Sir James Gibson Craig, of Riccarton, show- 

 ing tubercular growth of the cortex ; also a set of cultures 

 of microphyta, prepared by Dr. Krahl, of Prag, in a form 

 said to be permanent and in which they could be shown in 

 a museum. 



Dr. Christison exhibited a photograph of a tree said to 

 be the largest in Victoria, and measuring 57 feet in girth 

 and about 450 in height; also a panel about 3 feet square, 

 veneered on both faces with walnut of high quality, 

 obtained from a large tree grown at Otterstone, Fife. The 

 tree was 15 feet in girth, and was supposed to be 300 

 years old. Dr. Christison presented the panel to the 

 Museum of the Royal Botanic Garden as an example of 

 the best walnut wood ever grown in Scotland. 



The following Communications were read : — 



Descriptions of Plants Collected during the Pilco- 

 mayo Expedition. By J. Graham Kerr. 



Note on the Boots of I'lants Grown in Tubs in the 

 Royal Botanic Garden. P.y Professor Bayley Balfour. 



On Tempep.atup.e and Vegetation in the Royal Botanic 

 Garden, P2dinp.urgh, during the month of December 1892. 

 hy lioBERT Lindsay, Curator of tlio Garden. 



Tlie weather of the past month was of an exceedingly 

 wintry character. Frost was registered on twenty-three 

 mornings, indicating collectively 192° of frost for the 



