• 872 



lichens being still used, by the peasantry of these countries, to dye 

 their home-spun yarn, &c. ; and, lastly, 



" 4. By contributing to the literature of lichenology, in the form of 

 references to books or journals, &c., containing information of any 

 kind on the natui-al history of the lichens ; as well as to orchil and 

 cudbear manufacturers, dyers, and other parties engaged in the impor- 

 tation or sale of orchella-weeds and other dye-lichens, or their con- 

 version into dye-agents." 



Dr. Lindsay illustrated his paper with drawings of the minute ana- 

 tomy of lichens, preparations of the dyes extracted from various native 

 species, and specimens of the plants yielding these colours. 



Flora of the District in the Neighbourhood of Peebles. 



A paper by James Young, Esq., intituled ' Remarks on the Flora 

 of the District in the Neighbourhood of Peebles,' was read. 



The author gave a brief account of some botanical walks made in 

 the autumn of 1851, and enumerated some of the plants which he 

 had collected, and the localities in which they were found. 



Mr. G. S. Blackie remarked that Mr. Young had not visited some 

 of the best districts in Peebleshire ; otherwise he would have found 

 such plants as Betula nana, Saxifraga aizoides, S. stellaris, and S. 

 oppositifolia, Sibbaldia procumbens, Allosorus crispus, &c., none -of 

 which appeared in Mr. Young's list. 



Cultivation of Victoria regia in Jamaica. 



A paper * On the Cultivation of Victoria regia in Jamaica,' by Dr. 

 G. M'Nab, was read. 



In this communication Dr. M'Nab stated that seeds had been sent 

 to him by his brother, Mr. James M*Nab, of the Botanic Garden, 

 Edinburgh, in September, 1851, that they had been planted by the 

 Hon. Edward Chilty, at Kingston, in a tank prepared for the pur- 

 pose, and that the plant had grown vigorously, and had flowered well. 

 The full details in regard to the growth of the plant were given in a 

 Jamaica paper, copies of which have been already noticed in this 

 report, as presented to the Society. 



Dr. Balfour observed that the structure of the stem of the Victoria 

 regia had been examined recently by Mr, Henfrey, in the case of a 

 specimen which flowered in the garden of the Royal Botanic Society, 

 London. He says that the plant developes its stem by a terminal 

 bud, like palms, throwing out leaf after leaf, in a spiral course ; that 

 there is no tap-root in the perfect plant, that produced in the embryo 



