158 



Proceedings of Societies. 



BOTANICAL SOCIETY OF EDINBURGH. 



March 13, 1845. — Dr. Seller, V.P., in the chair. 

 Robert Balloch, Esq., 177, West Regent St., Glasgow, was elected 

 a non-resident Fellow of the Society. 



Numerous donations to the library and museum were announced. 

 The following communications were read : — 



1. On the genus Closterium (continued), by Mr. J. Ralfs, Penzance. 



2. On Encyonema prostratura of Klitzing, by the same. 



3. Mr. M'Nab read a continuation of his Journal of a Tour through 

 the United States and the Canadas. The last portion of this journal 

 read before the Society, chiefly related to the botanical aspect of the 

 country immediately to the westward of Kingston ; the indigenous 

 thorns and their fitness for forming hedges being particularly describ- 

 ed. Fi'om Kingston, the party crossed Lake Ontario to Rochester, 

 situated on the American side, a few miles above the mouth of the 

 Genessee river ; considerable tracts of shallow water extend for some 

 distance on either side of this river, in which the wild rice grew more 

 luxuriantly than had been hitherto observed. Proceeding upwards, 

 the river becomes narrower but deep, having beautifully wooded banks 

 rising about a hundred and fifty feet on either side, covered chiefly 

 with oaks, elms, hickories, beeches and birches, interspersed with 

 hemlock spruces, white pines and Arbor-vitaes of large size. On the 

 north bank, the black snake-root {Actcea ramosa) was abundant, its 

 long spikes of white flowers having a singular efiect beneath the shade 

 of the trees. It was not seen on the south bank, but in its place con- 

 siderable quantities of Gerardia flava and G, quercifolia were noticed, 

 all richly clothed with flowers ; here also several extensive groups of 

 buckthorns [Hipijophae canadensis) were observed, each plant form- 

 ing a large silvery looking bush, and when backed by the dark ever- 

 green trees gave a picturesque effect to the landscape. 



Crossing Lake Ontario again to Toronto, on the Canadian side, a 

 great difference in the vegetation was remarked. Here, for the first 

 time in Canada, healthy specimens of weeping willows, locust-trees, 

 and Canadian and Lombardy poplars, were met with ; and, for the 

 first time in the country, a native forest of Pinus resinosa : the trees 

 composing this forest were very tall, but none of the stems measured, 

 exceeded two feet in diameter. Many detached specimens of the 

 black birch or mountain mahogany [Betula lenta) were also seen ; 

 this is described by Mr. M'Nab as a finely shaped tree, with a wide 

 spreading top, much resembling the beech-trees of Britain — the stems 



