741 



on Ben na Muick Dhui ; Carex cnrta, var. alpicola, ox C. Persoonii, 

 near the summit of Lochnagar; Woodsia hyperborea, rocks in Glen 

 Phee ; Hieracium nigrescens, Ben na Muick Dhui; and H. inuloi- 

 des, var. latifolium of Fries, in Glen Clova. 



Dr. Fleming expressed doubts as to the correctness of Professor 

 Forbes's theory regarding the migration of the Scandinavian Flora, 

 and noticed the evident depression of the land along the eastern coast 

 of Scotland, from which he inferred that the level of the German 

 Ocean must have been greatly altered, and was inclined to believe 

 that the similarity of the Floras of this country, and of Norway and 

 Sweden, might be accounted for by supposing thM these countries 

 were at one time united to Britain. 



2. Read, extracts from a letter from Dr. W. H. Campbell, Deme- 

 rara, giving account of an excursion up the Essequibo river, in the 

 course of which he saw Victoria regia in a lake or lagoon, about half 

 a day's journey above the Itabally rapids. He described the petioles 

 as densely covered with prickles, and varying from fifteen to twenty 

 feet in length, the leaf itself being five or six feet long. He also 

 procured specimens of the root and bark of the plant which yields 

 the Hiarry poison, which he describes as a huge hush-rope, or 

 climber. Unfortunately, neither the Victoria nor Hiarry plant was 

 in flower. The latter is being analyzed by Dr. Sheer, the agricultu- 

 ral chemist at Demerara. 



Dr. Douglas Maclagan stated that he had already made an analysis 

 of the Hiarry root, and had detected a peculiar volatile acid, to 

 which he believed the poisonous properties of the plant were due. 



3. Read, a Supplement to a ' Synopsis of the British Rubi,' by 

 Charles C. Babington, M.A., Cambridge. In this communication 

 two new forms are described, viz., Rubus glandulosus, var. dentatus, 

 and R. Gunteri, Weihe. 



Specimens of Trichinium, collected by Dr. Learmonth, in Austra- 

 lia, were exhibited ; and the peculiar structure of the calycine hairs 

 shown under the microscope. 



At this meeting the election of oflSce-bearers for the ensuing year 

 took place, when Dr. R. K. Greville was elected president, and Dr. 

 Archd. Inglis, Sir Wm. Jardine, Bart., Professor Balfour, and Rev. 

 Dr. Fleming, vice-presidents. — W. W. E. 



Vol. it. 5 a 



