946 



cavities were formed ; and in these the crystals were the most abun- 

 dant. The occurrence of a fungus in the heart of a Hving oak-tree 

 the author beheved had never yet been recorded ; and its presence in 

 this instance might lead to its detection in oak-timber previous to its 

 being employed for building purposes. 



The Phytological Club, 

 {in connexion with the Pharmaceutical Society). 



April 4, 1853. — Robert Bentley, Esq., F.L.S., &c., President, in 

 the chair. 



A donation of British plants, from Mr. J. C. Braithwaite, was 

 announced. 



An adjourned discussion on M. Ville's experimental researches on 

 vegetation took place. 



Aspleniuin viride at Danny. 



Mr. Reynolds introduced the subject of the discovery of Asplenium 

 viride at Danny, communicated to the January meeting of the Bota- 

 nical Society of London, by Mr. T. Moore (see Phytol. iv. 842). 



That paper offering no clew to the origin of the station for the fern, 

 he was induced to call attention to the following fact, which might 

 throw some light upon the case. In Derham's ' Remains and Life of 

 John Ray,' it is stated that the illustrious naturalist spent the latter 

 end of 1667, and the beginning of 1668, at Danny, with Mr. Burrel 

 and Mr. Courthope, both of whom had been his pupils, at Trinity 

 College, Cambridge. There is no reason to suppose that the plant 

 was introduced by Ray himself; for, that he was then unacquainted 

 with it, is shown, by its not being mentioned in his ' Catalogus ' (ed. 

 2 1G77). In the ' Synopsis' (1690) it is given, but on the authority 

 of Sibbald's ' Prodromus,' and the MS. notes of Edward Lly wd. 



May it not, however, reasonably be supposed that the then owner of 

 Danny (jMr- Courthope) possessed tastes similar to those of his friend 

 John Ray ? If so, it is probable that he liad under cultivation inte- 

 resting indigenous plants not belonging to the Flora of the neighbour- 

 hood ; and his attention could hardly fail to be attracted to the ferns, 

 a class first put by Ray on at all an intelligible footing. 



Once established, a plant may long retain its station. Specimens 

 of Hutchinsiapetra;a, collected on the walls of the churchyard at Elt- 

 ham, were exhibited to the meeting, having originally escaped from 



