344 



be the means of attracting new investigators to a subject which pre- 

 sents so many points of interest and importance." 



Prof. Henslow referred to the great interest of the questions which 

 Mr. Henfrey had undertaken to report on, and felt sure that every 

 physiological botanist would study earnestly the very valuable report 

 which had been read. 



' On the Botanical Geography of the Himalaya Mountains and 

 Tibet; by Capt. R. Strachey and Major Madden.' Capt. Strachey 

 described, by the aid of maps and diagrams, the principal features of 

 the vegetable kingdom in the districts of India in which he had tra- 

 velled in company with Major Madden. 



Dr. T. Thomson, also by the aid of a series of diagrams, represent- 

 ing the distribution of plants in Western Tibet, described the botani- 

 cal geography of this district. 



Dr. J. Hooker observed that Capt. Strachey and Dr. Thomson had 

 done for the Himalaya what Humboldt had done for the Andes. The 

 district of the Himalaya in which he had travelled was not unlike that 

 just described ; it was however higher, reaching to 28,000 feet, whilst 

 that first described was only 25,000 feet. In the Sikkim Himalaya 

 the ascents were constantly modified by descents, and there was more 

 rain, and the line of perpetual snow was lower than in Kumaon. 

 Pines were alike abundant in both regions. The larch was abundant 

 in Sikkim, but absent in Kumaon. Rhododendrons numbered thirty- 

 six species in Sikkim, but only six or eight in Kumaon. 



Mr, Winterbottom, who had travelled over the same districts with 

 Capt. Strachey and Dr. Thomson, compared the flora of the Alps with 

 that of the Himalaya, and pointed out the comparative richness of the 

 latter. Where firs alone grew on the Alps, a most varied and beauti- 

 ful vegetation was observed in the Himalaya. There was, however, 

 a great difference in different districts. W^here the rains fell and the 

 atmosphere was moist, there the vegetation was most prolific ; but 

 where there was a want of moisture, the land was sterile and truly 

 disagreeable to behold. Many of the plants were representative of 

 European species. 



The Secretary brought up the Report of the Committee ' On the 

 Vitality of Seeds,' which, in addition to the observations of Prof. 

 Henslow, before recorded, on account of the earliness of the season, 

 presented no new features of interest. 



