854 



In physiology there are unanswered questions of much interest 

 and real importance, connected with the laws of hybridity, hereditary 

 transmission of peculiarities, and transmutation of forms and qualities, 

 which such experiments are calculated to throw light upon. 



And in some ofthe grand (if hypothetical) investigations into the past 

 history of the earth and organic nature, which have latterly occupied 

 scientific attention, the absence of clearly ascertained facts respecting 

 the range of specific variation, has been very strongly felt; and, it 

 may be truly added, detrimentally acted upon ; because, in the absence 

 of ascertained knowledge, hj^pothetical ideas are substituted in place 

 of induction, and cannot be refuted even if erroneous. 



H. C. Watson. 



Thames DiUon, ^ilay, 1847. 



BOTANICAL SOCIETY OF LONDON. 



Tth May. — John Reynolds, Esq., Treasurer, in the chair. 



Dr. Parkin, of Brompton, the Rev. J. F. Crouch, M.A., of Corpus 

 Christi College, Oxford, and Mr. R. Davis, of Pimlico, were elected 

 members. 



Various donations to the library were announced. British plants 

 had been received from Dr. Wood, Mr. Sansom, Mr. Meehan and 

 Mr. Roby, and a collection of Azorean specimens from T. C. Hunt, 

 Esq., H. M. Consul at St. Michaels. 



Mr. Hewett Watson exhibited specimens of an aquatic Ranuculus, 

 hitherto unnoticed as a British form in that genus. In its characters 

 it is intermediate between the two groups of varieties (or quasi-spe- 

 cies) included under the names of aquatilis and hederaceus ; having 

 the floating leaves of aquatilis, with the small flowers of hederaceus. 

 As far as can be decided while the fruit is immature, the plant ex- 

 actly corresponds with the figure of R. tripartitus in the Atlas of 

 Cosson and Germain, making one important exception, in the total 

 absence of submersed leaves with the capillary segments. Fresh ex- 

 amples of R. Lenormandi and R. hederaceus were shown at the same 

 time, in order to illustrate the differences. Two forms of R. aquatilis 

 were also exhibited ; one with the usual large flowers, the other with 

 flowers about half the size ; the latter being possibly R. Peteveri. 

 All the five forms were collected the day before, on Esher Common, 

 Surrey. 



