625 



others there were several centres shown, with concentric circles round 

 each. From Mr. Brand : — Specimen of an adulteration of green tea, 

 said to be composed chiefly of the excrement of the silk-worm. 



Mr. M'Nab called the attention of the Society to " a magnificent 

 specimen of the Liliuni giganteum of Wallich, or L. cordifolium of 

 Don's ' Flora Nepalensis,' now flowering, for the first time in Britain, 

 in the Comely-bank Nurseries, from seed originally sent home by 

 Major Madden, collected in the damp shady woods of Kemaon. The 

 plant at Comely Bank is now nine feet six inches high, and in flower. 

 Major Madden has just informed me that this gigantic lily grows at 

 between 7000 to 9000 feet of elevation, in deep, black, vegetable soil, 

 and averaging from five to eight feet in height, the bulbs being always 

 found on the surface of the soil." 



The following papers were read : — 



1. 'On a supposed new Species of Eleocharis';' by Charles C.Babing- 

 ton,M.A. The plant described by Mr. Babington had been picked in the 

 autumn of 1844, by Professor Balfour, at Taynlone, in Can tyre, along 

 with Scirpus pauciflorus. Among specimens of the latter plant trans- 

 mitted by Dr. Balfour, Mr. H. C. Watson had detected the new spe- 

 cies to be noticed. The species has been denominated Eleocharis 

 Watsoni by Mr. Babington, and is thus described : — Spikes terminal, 

 solitary, oblong ; glumes acute (.?), the lowest one somewhat blunt, 

 and surrounding the base of the spike ; style bifid ; the achene con- 

 vex on both sides, oblong, very obtuse, with its base slightly attenu- 

 ated, the angles rounded and obscurely punctate-striated, the base of 

 the style persistent, broadly depressed ; 4-6 hypogynous setae shorter 

 than the achene ; culms sheathed at the base, the sheath abruptly 

 truncate. Mr. Babington, after giving fuller details respecting the 

 plant, made some remarks on the difference between it and the allied 

 plants, viz., Eleocharis uniglumis, E. multicaulis, and E. palustris ; 

 and he expresses an earnest hope that some botanist will visit the 

 locality in Cantyre, and determine more completely the character of 

 the species, which at present rests on the examination of three or four 

 specimens only. The paper was illustrated by a specimen of the 

 plant, from Professor Balfour's herbarium. 



2. ' Analysis of the Fluid (known as gram-oil) from the Leaves of 

 Gram {Cicer arietinum) ;' by Thomas Anderson, Esq. This paper 

 consisted of an analysis made by Mr. Russell Aldridge. " On evapo- 

 ration it yielded a black residue, which would not dissolve in cold 

 water, but did so readily when heated ; and on cooling it became tur- 

 bid, showing the presence of oxidizable extractive. To a small por- 



VOL. IV. 4 L 



