170 



2. On three newly proposed species of British JtiiigermanniiB. By Dr. Taylor, Dunkerron. Communi 

 cated by Mr. WiUiam Gourlie, jun. 



3. Remarks on the Flora of Shetland, with a full catsdogue of plants observed in these Islands. By Mr . 

 Thomas Edmonston, jun. The author observed that the Botany of Shetland had never been adequately in- 

 vestigated. Dr. Neill, who spent ten days or a fortnight there in 1804, was the first to enter upon this field, 

 and he was followed by Dr. Gilbert M'Nab, who spent a few weeks there in 1837. Mr. Edmonston (a native 

 of Shetland) has devoted the last four years to this agi-eeable pursuit, and in that time has visited the whole 

 district. Two years ago, he transmitted to London a list of the plants which had then been observed by him, 

 and this list, though incomplete, and, in some instances, inaccurate, made its appearance lately in the 'Annals 

 of Natural History,' without any previous intimation, so that he had no opportunity of correcting it. The 

 Orkney Islands, which are numerous, stretch about 70 miles from S.E. to N.W. Their geological formation 

 is altogether primitive ; the most abundant rocks being gneiss, granite and limestone, which are very generally 

 covered by large tracts of peat moss, and often destitute of all vegetation excepting the commonest bog plants. 

 Unst is the most northerly island, and is also the most diversified in its formation ; gneiss, mica slate, chlo- 

 rite slate and serpentine being all found on it. Its vegetation is equally varied, some of the species being pe- 

 culiar to it in Britain, and others being rare elsewhere. The most interesting of these, viz., Arenaria norve- 

 gica and Lathyrus maritimus, were discovered by Mr. Edmonston when he was little more than twelve years 

 of age. Eonas Hill, which attains an elevation of about 1500 feet, is the highest land in Shetland, and it is 

 only upon it that the botanist meets with anything like alpine vegetation. The largest island, usually called 

 the Mainland, presents little of interest, but is, for the most part, a succession of dreary peat moors, occasion- 

 ally enlivened by Scilla verna and Finguicula vulgaris ; nor are the other islands generally more productive, 

 though sometimes a fertile spot occurs. " The general character of Shetland vegetation," says Mr. Edmon- 

 ston, " seems to be subalpine, or nearly so, for we find plants belonging properly to that region, in every situ- 

 ation, such as Tkalictruin alpinum, Draba incana, &c., which grow down almost to the sea level." The list 

 of species which accompanied this paper, comprehends 395, viz., 2S6 phanerogamic and 109 cryptogamic, — 

 the latter consisting of 22 ferns, 65 mosses and 22 hepaticee. 



4. Account of a Botanical Excui-sion in Norway. By Dr. John Shaw. The circumstance that most 

 struck Dr. Shaw in this tour, is the almost total absence of Calluna vulgaris, which covers our Scottish moors, 

 but which in Norway is so far from being common, that throughout an extent of 600 miles, he ''could scarce- 

 ly find a specimen of it." He also remarks on the extreme wildness and sterility of some tracts, as contrast- 

 ed with the fertility and luxu-.iance of vegetation in others. The species which he observed were in general 

 the same as those which gi'ow in Scotland, — those not indigenous here being in about the proportion of 1 to 5 ; 

 but several plants which are extremely rare in this country, such as Menziesia cmrulea, Pyrola unifiora and 

 LinncBa borealis, he found abundant in many places. He was also particularly gratified by the beauty and 

 luxuiiance of TroUius europtBus, of which he observed "myriads, witii their corollas like half pounds of but- 

 ter, gracefully waving their heads, almost in the frozen region." — Condensed from the Report in 'Tlie JEdin' 

 burgh JEvening Post and Scottish Standard,' of December 15, 1841, 



BOTANICAL SOCIETY OF LONDON. 



February ith, 1842. — Dr. Willshire in the chair. Specimens of the following plants were presented : — 

 Chara latifolia^ WiUd. found at Belvidere Lake, Westmeath, in August, 1841, by Mr. D. Moore, of the Dub- 

 lin Glasnevin Garden; Equisetum elongatum, Willd. from Collin Glen, near Belfast; both presented by Mr. D. 

 Moore.* ^cidium Thesii, Leefe, collected at Hildersham, near Linton, Gambridgeshire, by The Rev. J. E. 

 Leefe, and presented by him. Cistopteris alpina, Link, collected at Low Layton, Essex, and presented by 

 Mr. E. H. Button. British plants from Mr. J. Riley, Mr. S. King, Miss Roods and Mr. Mitchell ; foreign 

 ferns from Mr. J. RUey; British fungi from Mr. H. O. Stephens; and a collection of British woods from Mr. 

 T. Twining, jun. 



A paper was read by Mr. Adam Gerard, " On the Botany of Kotgurk " in the Himalaya, taken from the 

 notes of Captain Patrick Gerard, of the Bengal Native Infantry. Kotgurk is surrounded on three sides by 

 tJiick woods, in which the Rhododendron flourishes ; they and the neighbourhood abound in pines, oaks and 

 almost every tree, shrub and plant, indigenous to Europe, besides many others unknown. Amongst the lat- 

 ter is a species of small red bamboo, which grows all over the higher mountains, attains the height of 8 — 12 

 feet, and is used for a variety of domestic purposes. The following were mentioned as the chief vegetable 

 productions; — Rice, several kinds, mostly of the coarser sort; Jow, or barley; Oowa, ^o-w,{Hordexmicel<estc); 

 Kunuk, or wheat; Phuphura or phuphur, {Panictim tartaricum) ; Chuberee, or Jabvu-ee, the grain of which 

 difiers little in appearance from that of tlie Phuphur and Oogul ; opium in considerable quantities for export ; 

 three species of Bathoo [Amaranthus Anardhana) ; various kinds of pulse ; a small quantity of cotton and 

 ginger on the banks of the Suthy and other rivers ; Indian corn, limited. The Jow ripens earliest; the Oowa 

 jow and Kunuk fully a month later. In elevated situations in the neighbourhood the crops are often very 

 backward, the wheat especially, which is frequently not housed until the rainy season has set in, and is some- 

 times reaped in a green state. The chmate and other peculiarities were fully described. — O. E. D. 



* See page 173. 



