804 



Professor Balfour exhibited the following donations, made to the 

 Museum of Economic Botany at the Royal Botanic Garden, since the 

 last meeting of the Botanical Society, viz. : — From Professor Simp- 

 son : Three specimens of the fruit of a species of sago palm {Saffus)^ 

 from Calabar. From Professor Christison : Specimens of poison-nuts, 

 from Calabar, apparently the seeds of a Leguminous plant. In exhi- 

 biting these to the meeting, Dr. Balfour took occasion to mention that 

 the seeds produce effects similar in many respects to poisoning with 

 aconite. He stated that Dr. Christison had swallowed about a quar- 

 ter of a seed ; and it had produced alarming symptoms, such as de- 

 pression of the heart's action, and intermission of the pulse, requiring 

 the use of ammoniacal stimulants. From Sir Walter C. Trevelyan, 

 Bart. : A collection of fruits and seeds, consisting of 2973 species and 

 varieties. From Henry Paul, Esq. : A bowl, with chain and ladle, 

 from Christiania, all connected together, and cut from one piece of 

 wood, without joining. From Dr. Greville : A specimen of Trente- 

 pohlia pulchella, from Craven, Yorkshire, spreading over a stone be- 

 tween three and four inches in diameter, and giving to it a fine purple 

 covering on one side. 



Dr. Balfour laid on the table two numbers of a new German perio- 

 dical, entitled ' Bonplandia,' to be published twice a month, under the 

 editorship of Messrs. Seemann and Rumpler. 



Mr. A. Bryson exhibited a beautiful polished pedestal, having the 

 appearance of a solid block of black marble, made from the stem of 

 the gru-gru palm {Acroconiia sclerocarpa) ; also a circular ottoman, 

 made from the stem of the mountain cabbage palm {Euterpe montana). 



Alpine British Plants, particularly Hieracia. 



Dr. Balfour exhibited a series of alpine specimens, transmitted by 

 Mr, Backhouse, including three species of Polygala, Myosotis suaveo- 

 lens (from Yorkshire), Polypodium alpestre (from several localities), 

 and a series of Clova and Braemar Hieracia. The latter included 

 nearly every alpine form found among the mountains of that district. 

 Mr. Backhouse states that in adopting five or six new names for those 

 of the H. alpinum group, &c., it is not with a strong belief that all 

 these are distinct species, but because for the present they give dis- 

 tinction to the distinct forms occurring among the mountains. Mr. 

 Backhouse hopes ere long to be able to write a paper minutely de- 

 scribing these, and in such a manner as to enable persons to identify 

 each form, or species, in that district at least. In mentioning forms, 

 he alludes, of course, to the apparently permanent forms which may 



