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128 British Association for the Advancement of Science. 
Section D. Zoology and Botany. 
A paper by Mr. Lankester was read, on the formation of woody 
Tissue. The tissues of plants, are for the sake of convenience, 
divided into fwe ; but the origin of all these may be traced to the 
simple cell. How they are formed from the simple cell, is an unde- 
cided question, especially with regard to woody tissue. Du Petit 
Thouars supposes, that woody fibre is formed by the buds and 
leaves, and sent down by them between the bark and wood of the 
tree ; whilst other writers suppose that it is formed from the bark 
or wrod: The conclusions of the author, from all the known facts” 
on the formation of woody tissue are :—1. That the requisites for 
the formation of wood, are a living tissue developing elongated 
fibres, a tissue forming and depositing secreted matter, and expo- 
sure to the influence of external stimuli. 2. That the secreted — 
matters are more easily brought under the influence of external 
stimuli in the younger tissues ; hence the importance of leaves. _ 
3. That neither bark nor aan are essential to the formation ak 
woody tissue. 
Notice of Zoological Researches in Orkney and Shetland in 
June, 1839, by Edward Forbes and John Goodsir. "Their a 
tion was directed almost. wholly to invertebrate animals. 
Mollusca, they found four new species of Holida, a new aie 
_ tina, and three apparently new species of Ascidia. Of the An- 
nelida, they took great numbers; among others, the beautiful 
Plonaria atomata of Miller, not holies recorded as British. As 
to the Radiata, they were equally successful. The genus Holo- 
thuria holds its British court in Shetland, and the king of them 
is an enormous species, which the authors name H. grandis. 
Five other new species of this genus were found, and also a new 
species of Ophiocoma, of Dian@a, of Oceanea, of Alcynée, and 
a minute animal, the type of a new genus among the Acalephe- 
The most beautiful contribution to the British Fauna, from the 
Orkneys, is a zoophyte of the family Tubulariade, new both as 
a species and genus, and the largest known form of its tribe. It 
is about four inches long, and its stem half an inch in diameter. 
It belongs between 7 ‘ubedeesa and Coryne, on the relations. of 
which genera its discovery throws much light, as well as 
polypes in general. 'The authors propose to consecrate. the genus 
to that great British zoophytist, Ellis, calling it HJdisia, and giv- 
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