206 



Art. LXII. — Proceedinys of Societies. 



LINNEAN SOCIETY. 



March Xst. — Dr. Horsfield in the chair. A present of a collection of plants from Dr. Barratt of America, 

 was announced : the collection consisted chiefly of Carices and Eupatoria. Read, a letter from W. Borrer, 

 Esq., ill which that gentleman offered to the Society his extensive and valuable collection of foreign Phsenoga- 

 mous plants ; including European plants from Hooker, Woods, Mertens, and others; American plants from 

 Drummond, Gardiner, &c. ; plants of Ai-abia, Abyssinia, the Pyrenees &c, from the Uuio Itineraria; and 

 Lippold's plants of Madeira. 



March 15. — Edward Forster, Esq. in the chair. A present of a collection of plants from the Tyrol was 

 announced. Eead, a paper by Dr. H. Faulkner, on Edgworthia, a new genus of plants from lower Alfghan- 

 istan, belonging to the order Myrsinacea;; a remarkable point in which is the protrusion of the style beyond 

 the flower, even when in bud. The only species of the genus — E. buxifolia, is found associated with Dodo- 

 ntea dioiea, an Olea, and an undescribed Asclepiadeous plant. 



April 5th. — Eobert Brown, Esq., in the chair. Specimens of Crocus vemus, gathered by Mr. Flower near 

 Hornsea Church, were exhibited by him. The receipt of the herbarium of the late Professor Don, according 

 to his bequest, was announced, as well as a collection of hard fruits and sections of woods. 



BOTANICAL SOCIETY OF EDINBURGH. 



Thursday, April lith. — Professor Christison in the chaii-. The following communications were read. — 



1. Professor Balfour of Glasgow made some remarks on the natural order Lecythidacese, and exhibited 

 various specimens of the fruit of Lecythis and Couratari, from Brazil. Dr. Balfour also exhibited specimens 

 of various fossil palms, which had been found embedded in sandstone collected at Stevenston, Ayrshire, by 

 the Rev. David Landsborough. He likewise exhibited specimens of the snake-nut, brought by Dr. Campbell 

 from Guiana ; and communicated from Mr. W. Gourlie, Glasgow, a specimen of a large Sphaeria attached to 

 a West Indian caterpillar, and which had commenced its gi-owth during the Ufe of the animal. 



2. Dr. Balfour read extracts from a letter addressed to him by Mr. Edward Forbes, dated H.M.S. Bea- 

 con, Macri, Asia Minor, February 28th, 1842. Mr. Forbes's cruise round the islands of the Archipelago, al- 

 though rich in results as regards marine Zoology and tertiary Geology, had been almost fruitless in Botany, 

 in consequence of the season. 



3. Dr. Balfour read his Report on the Progress and State of Botany in Britain, from February 1840 to 

 January 1841 ; being a continuation of a paper on the same subject by Dr. Greville, printed in the Society's 

 Transactions. 



4. Dr. Balfour next read a communication from Mr. Ralfs, of Penzance, on the following species of Al- 

 gse. — 1. Homceocladia anglica, concerning which there appears to be considerable confusion, some looking 

 upon Mr. Ealfs's specimens as Schizonema xylodes, others as Oscillatoria chthonoplastes ; and Harvey noti- 

 ces them under the name of Microcoleus marinus. Mr. Ralfs was satisfied of his plant being the true Ho- 

 mceocladia anglica, by comparing it with a specimen in the herbarium of Mr. Berkeley. 2. Desmiclium 

 compressiim, a new species of the genus, concerning which Mr. Berkeley remarks, — "I am quite delighted 

 with your new Desmidium ; your observations are very correct. I see very distinctly the gland between each 

 pair of segments ; but as there are no separate joints in my specimen, I cannot quite ascertain its form. — 

 It is certainly quite distinct from the other species, and a most interesting discovery." Specimens of both 

 these AlgEE, as well as of Desmidium Borreri, were presented to the Society. — Abridged fi-om the Edinlmryh 

 Evening Post and Scottish Standard of Wednesday, April 20, 1843. 



BOTANICAL SOCIETY OF LONDON. 



March 18. — John Edward Gray, Esq., F.R.S., &c., President, in the Chair. The following donations 

 were announced: — Parts 1, 2 and 3 of 'Alga; Danmonienses,' and Fasciculus 1 of Berkeley's British Fungi, 

 presented by Mrs. Margaret Stovin. British plants from the Royal Horticultural Society of Cornwall, Messrs. 

 Edwin Lees, J. Buckman and J. G. Mitchell. British Mosses from Hewett C. Watson, Esq., V.P. Books 

 from the Leeds Philosophical Society and Mr. H. M. Holman. The following specimens were exhibited: — 

 Oxalis stricta, collected near Penzance, presented by the Royal Horticultural Society of Cornwall. Elaco- 

 dendron Argan, Retz, collected in the province of Haha, near Deabet, Barbary, in August, 1840, by Dr. W. 

 Willshire, and presented by him. Hypmim polymorphuni, Hedw., collected by Mr. William Gardiner, jun. 

 on the sands of Barrie, Forfarshire, in June, 1841, and presented by him. 



A paper was read from Edwin Lees, Esq., F.L.S., being " Remarks on the Flora of the Malvern HQls in 

 the counties of Worcester, Hereford and Gloucester. Part 2 : — The Hills and their immediate Roots." In 

 geological language the Malvern Hills form an eruptive or igneous chain, stretching in a narrow ridge nearly 

 due North and South for upwards of nine miles- Quartz, felspar, mica and hornblende are their mineralo- 

 gicul ingredients in luimberlcss varied proportions; but it must be understood that the greater part of the 



