496 



from tlie member. The Committee anticipate that in future the return parcel will re- 

 gularly be sent within ten days after the receipt of a parcel from any contributor. 



Amongst the most valuable parcels received during the past season, may be men- 

 tioned a large collection of British plants from Mr. Hewett C. Watson, comprising 

 upwards of 5500 specimens ; also numerous Jersey plants from Mr. G. H. K. Thwaites. 

 A large collection of Shropshire Rubi from Mr. H. Bidwell ; 300 specimens of Bu- 

 pleurum falcatuin collected in Essex, from Mr. E. Doubleday ; and numerous speci- 

 mens of Lastrcea cristata, collected in Norfolk by Mr. B. D. Wardale, and presented 

 by that gentleman. 



The Committee pointed out the necessity of members sending two labels with each 

 specimen, one for permanent preservation in the label-book, which the Committee an- 

 ticipate will, in the course of a few years, be valuable as an authentic register of the 

 localities of plants, and prove highly serviceable in showing the geographical distribu- 

 tion of the species. Many interesting monstrosities had been received from several of 

 the members; and the Committee impressed upon the members the importance of col- 

 lecting monstrosities, and their value in a public collection. 



Local Herbaria. — The Society had received from Mr. Edwin Lees a herbarium of 

 the Malvern Hills, including the Cryptogamic plants ; accompanied with many valu- 

 able remarks upon the geographical distribution of the i^lants of the neighbourhood, 

 together with the geological character of the neighbouring hills : and the Committee 

 hope next year to be able to report the receipt of other local herbaria now in course of 

 formation for the Society. 



Ci-yptogamous Plants. — The collection of mosses, lichens and Algae received during 

 the past season, had been more considerable than during any former period ; and the 

 first three volumes of 'Algse Danmonienses,' and part 1 of Berkeley's ' British Fungi,' 

 had been presented to the Society by Mrs. Margaret Stovin. Mr. S. P. Woodward is 

 now actively engaged in arranging the whole Cryptogamic collection. 



Foreign Plants. — These form a valuable part of the Society's collection, and com- 

 prise plants from North and South America, British Guiana, New South Wales, Cape 

 of Good Hope, Sierra Leone, China, and various other parts of the world. 



Among the more interesting plants in this collection may be mentioned about 350 

 species collected by Mr. R. H. Schomburgk in British Guiana, and presented by him ; 

 250 species collected in Natal, South Africa, by Dr. F. Krauss ; many thousand spe- 

 cimens collected in North America by Dr. Gavin Watson, and presented by him ; and 

 numerous species from Dr. C. F. S. De Martins, collected by him in South America. 



Museum. — Numerous specimens of sections of woods, seed-vessels, barks, and se- 

 veral large collections of seeds, had been received, many of them purchased at the sale 

 of the botanical museum of the late A. B. Lambert, Esq., and presented by some of 

 the members. 



The Reports of the Council and Herbarium-committee were unanimously adopted, 

 and a ballot then took place for the Council for the ensuing year, when the chairman 

 was re-elected President, and he nominated J. G. Children Esq., F.R.S., and Hewett 

 C. Watson, Esq., F.L.S., Vice-Presidents ; Messrs. E. Doubleday, G. Francis, and J. 

 G. Mitchell were elected new members of the Council, in the room of Dr. Meeson, 

 Messrs. G. Cooper and W. H. White, who retire from the Council in accordance with 

 the Rules of the Society. Mr. J. Reynolds, Mr. G. E. Dennes and Mr. T. Sansom 

 were respectively re-elected Treasurer, Secretary and Librarian. — G E. D. 



