296 Linnaan Society. — Geological Society. 



April 5. — A valuable present of stuffed birds and fishes 

 was received from Capt. King, collected by him in his late ex- 

 pedition to explore the north-west coast of New Holland. 



The Committee appointed at the preceding meeting made 

 their report relative to Mr. Salisbury's paper on Trichomanes 

 clegans ; and stated that the plant was represented to have 

 been gathered in Guiana, by M. Martin, and to have been 

 purchased by Mr. Rudge. It belongs to the genus Trichomanes 

 of Smith. M. Bory asserts that the spike described as the ma- 

 ture fructification, is of a totally different structure from the 

 others, which are regarded as immature. It appears that Hooker 

 did not doubt the fidelity of Mi*. Rudge's plant, though his 

 own figure supports M. Bory's opinion, inasmuch as the 

 fronds there delineated differ from those in Mr. Rudge's figure. 



M. Poiret has described, and M. Desveaux has both de- 

 scribed and figured, the plant which corresponds with the 

 fructification supposed to be mature. Weber and Mohr have 

 also the same species. 



In the Banksian and Mr. Brown's collection, were found 

 several specimens of each of the two plants, alleged by the 

 French author to be confounded, in all stages of fructification. 

 In every instance the Committee found the barren frond of 

 Mr. Rudge's specimen combined with the fructification which 

 he calls the young state ; and as constantly the frond, figured 

 by Hooker, with the spike which is said to be mature. 



The specimen itself was also subject to their inspection, and 

 upon a minute examination of it, they were satisfied that it 

 was composed of two individuals. They therefore reported that 

 M. Bory appeared to them to be justified in his conclusions. 



It was added, that they thought it but justice to Mr. Brown 

 to say, that Mr. Salisbury was correct in stating that M. Bory 

 had fallen into the error of making Mr. Brown adopt Will- 

 denow's arrangement of the Ferns, whereas Mr. Brown's work 

 made its appearance in the same spring, but before Will- 

 denow's, and his arrangement is materially different. 



A further })ortion of Dr. Hamilton's Commentary on the 

 Hortiis Malabaricus was also read. 



April 19. — A continuation of the Rev. Messrs. Sheppard 

 and Whittear's paper on Norfolk and Sufftjlk biids was read. 



GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



March 18. — The paper entitled " Observations on the beds 

 of clay, sand and'gravel, belonging to the red n)arl formation of 

 the midland counties, and in the rocks from which they are 

 derived, by tlie Rev. James Yates, M.G.S. was concluded. 



In this communication Mr. Yates enters into some description 



of 



