BOTANICAL NEWS, _ 391 
on Thursday, 8th November, at 5, St. Andrew en Professor Balfour, 
Hon. Secretary, in the chair. The Chairman made some opening remarks, in 
which he referred to the death of Dr. Greville, the late finde of Dr. 
H. Harvey, Professor of Botany, Trinity College, Dublin, an Honorary Fellow 
of the Society, who died on the J5th May, 1866, at the age of fifty-five; of 
Jean Francois Camille Montagne, one of the foreign Honorary Fellows of the 
Society, a distinguished cryptogamic botanist, who died on 9th January, 1866, 
at the age of eighty-two ; and of Diedrich Friedrich Ludoric von Schlechtendal, 
Professor of Botany and Director of the Botanic Garden at Halle, another 
foreign Honorary Fellow, who died on 12th October, 1866. It was stated that 
the following were the number of Members on the roll of the Society ee 
nages, 2; Honorary Fellows (British), 5; Honorary Fellows (foreign), 23 
resident Fellows, 94; non-resident Fellows, 268; foreign and corimpóndiqi 
Members, 96 ; fusce 25; ladies, 11,—total, 524. The Chairman con- 
gratulated the Members on the continued prosperity of the Society, and alluded 
to the valuable D: which had been read the last Session, and which 
are printed in the Transactions. The following communications were then 
read :—1. > sia Collected at Otago, New Zealand. By Dr. W.L Lauder 
Lindsay. 1. Fungi; 2. Mosses and Hepatica; 4. Ferns. In speaking of 
‘Tree-ferns, the author remarked that 6:81 per cent. of Otago Ferns were arbo- 
rescent. "These Tree-ferus rank, as regards beauty, and frequently as regards 
height, girth, and ado: with the exogenous forest-trees with which they 
are generally more or less intermixed. Cyathea Smithii is the most common 
i i ked 
species in, Otago. 
Tree-ferus of the district. In the south island of New Zealand, Tree-ferns are 
associated with pem udin n other vident of - ‘ipina me rigorous 
climai 
palms dabei with Araliacee, Myrtacee, and ca trees usually regarded 
as denizens of comparatively warm climates. The lar, est glacier, Mount ape 
(13,000 feet, in lat. 434°), which gives rise to the Wairan river, descends 
low as 500 feet above the sea-level on the west coast of Canterbury, and within 
eight miles from the sea. On both sides of this glacier luxuriant forests of 
Tree-ferns, Cordyline, Myrtaceae, and other temperate and subtropical types 
are found. At no great distance from these glaciers are found true 
(Areca sapida). In the mountainous forests and ravines of Nelson, Tree-ferns 
ascend to 2000 feet. The acclimatization of New Zealand Ferns in Britain tain has 
been lately ea a attention of horticulturists. Dr. Lindsay, however, 
doubts whether these plants will be hardy enough ested ie ere: British 
winters phon aeai The classification and 
F some notable instances of the proneness to error 
-DIOCKI Ja 
clavatum. , The variability of t the species of New Zealand Ferns is remarkable. 
This was in species of Asplenium, Lomaria, Aspidium, Hymeno- 
