63 BOTANICAL NOTES, NOTICES, AND QUERIES. [January, 



Polypodium ; 3. Gymnogramnia ; 4. Woodsia. In Tribe II., 

 Aspidiea (Bab.), there were, 1. Lastrea, which he had divided 

 into four, viz. a. Lastrea palustris, ^. Lastrea montana, y. Las- 

 trea vera, B. Pseudo-Lastrea ; 2. Polystichum ; 3. Cycopteris. 

 In Tribe III., Asplenieee (Bab.), there were, 1. Athyrium; 2. As- 

 plenium, which he had divided into two, viz. a. Asplenium verum, 

 /3. Pseudasplenium ; 3. Scolopendrium. In Tribe IV., Grammi- 

 tidiea (Bab.), there was, 1. Ceterach, and so on for the other four 

 tribes of Babington, in whose classification Mr. M'Nab con- 

 curred. In conclusion he noticed, after reviewing the whole sub- 

 ject, of Pteridology, the ravages of snails and the Otiorhynclius 

 sulcatus, and the effects of shot, and of Fungi on Ferns. The 

 paper was illustrated by a large collection of British and Foreign 

 Ferns, a large number of beautiful coloured diagrams, micro- 

 scopic preparations, and dissections, etc. 



II. Notice of the third occurrence of Scymnus borealis (Flem.) 

 off the Scottish coast, by Mr. Eobert Brown. (The paper will be 

 published at length.) 



Remarks were made on both papers by the President, and 

 Messrs. Sadler, Burns, Thomson, Brown, and Kay. The So- 

 ciety then adjourned to private business, when Messrs. Crossby 

 and M'Millan, M.A., were elected members ; Mr. Eobert Brown 

 was elected Treasurer vice Mr. M. M'Donald, who goes out of 

 office by rotation. The Secretary's and Treasurer's reports, etc., 

 were laid before the Society, when the next meeting was fixed 

 for the 24th of January. 



BOTANICAL NOTES, NOTICES, AND QUEUIES. 



Plants used by Monks as Eood. 



In one of the numbers of the ' Phytologist ' for last year, an article was 

 published upon Cockle bread and beech-leaves forming part of the food of 

 the monks of the Wormwood Valley, in early times. I think some of your 

 readers may like to know that in the Golden Legend it is said of St. Ber- 

 nard, Abbot of Clairvaux, " that he often made his pottage with leaves of 

 Holm." Now if we are to understand Holm to be the plant that was, and 

 still is, called Holly, Twish to know what particular virtues, dietetic, me- 

 dicinal, or otherwise, the leaves thereof possessed, or were supposed to 

 possess, in St. Bernard's time. Some writers tell us that the bark of 

 the Holly contains a viscid juice from which birdlime is made, and for 



