Royal 'Academy of Sciences in Paris. 229 



No. 2. SphcEiia spermoides, (Hoffmann); JEcidium Pi7ii, 

 (Persoon) the largest, as it is probably the most rare of this cu- 

 rious genus; Uredo Geranii, (Decandolle); Agaricus turgidus, 

 a new species, thus defined : its " pileus somewhat plane, at 

 length convex, very smooth, greyish-brown ; gills narrow, nu- 

 merous, pale ; stem large, remarkably hollow, ventricose ;" and 

 Fusarium tremelloides, (Tremella Urticee, Pers.) 



No. S. Peziza plumbea, a new species, " sessile, minute, gre- 

 garious, fleshy, depressed, brownish-olive, with a smooth brown- 

 ish grey hymenium (fructifying surface or disk)." Uredo ob- 

 longata, (Link), Cryptosphagria Taxi, (Sp/iceria Taxi of Sow- 

 erby), a genus which the author has, we think with great pro- 

 priety, separated from Spkccria by the following character : 

 " Receptaculum O. Sphaerulae duriusculae sparsae vel aggrega- 

 t£e, sub epidermide insidentes, ore nunc depresso nunc elon- 

 gato, erecto aut inclinato, intus massa gelatinosa sporulifera in>- 

 structa. Sporulaj semper Enudae." Pdyporus hisjndus, (Fries), 

 and Puccinia Rosce, (De Candolle). 



^^ "U'^e trust that this useful work will meet with the en- 

 coui'agement which the labour and patient investigation of its 

 iuithor entitle him to expect fi-om the students and admirers of 

 British Botiuiy. 



XLII. Proceedings of Learned Societies. 



ROYAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES IN PARIS. 



July 1. A REPORT was made on a curious fact of vegetable 

 physiology conniiunicated by M. D'Hombres-Firmas. Vege- 

 tables, except a small number, and especially trees, do not 

 flower or bear fruit till after a certain growth ; and the leafing 

 precedes the flowering. The observation commimicated re- 

 lates to two fine bunches of lilac, on the ground, which 

 M. Villaret took at first sight for bunches detached from a 

 neighbouring tree, -and planted in the ground by children, but 

 which he found to be rooted. Tlie reporter considers this 

 fact as very inijjoiumt. 



July 15. M. Cuvier delivered a highly-favourable report in 

 the name of a Ct)mmission upon the Memoir (if M. Floureus, 

 entitled " llesearches relative to Sensibility and Irritability." 

 The object of these researches has been to ascertain by a series 

 of experiments, whether the sensitive and the motive powers 

 reside in tlie whole nervous system, or each in distinct parts of 

 it. And the interesting result a})pears to be, that hi the nervous 

 system there are two projierlies essentially tlistinct : tlic one, 

 to excite nuiscular contractions ; the other, to receive impres- 

 sions. 



