1068 



Botanical Society of Edinburgh. 



Thursday, July 14, 1853. — Professor Balfour, President, in the 

 chair. 



Donations to the Society's herbarium were announced, from the 

 Oregon Botanical Association (valuable specimens of plants, recently 

 received from Mr. Jeffrey, their collector), and from Mr. Alex. O, 

 Black (a parcel of British plants). 



The President announced that a new part of the Society's ' Trans- 

 actions ' was expected to be ready for distribution in the course of a 

 few days. 



Dr. Balfour exhibited a number of donations recently made to the 

 Museum of Economic Botany, at the Botanic Garden. 



Dr. Balfour mentioned the following localities for rare plants in the 

 neighbourhood of Edinburgh : — Hordeum maritimum : Kincardine, 

 in abundance (Mr, Robert Carr). H. pratense : Kincardine (Mr. 

 John G. Cunningham). Alopecurus agrestis : abundant near North 

 Berwick (Mr. J. Lockhart Morton). Petasites fragrans : in immense 

 profusion in a wood near North Berwick. Alyssum calycinum : 

 Arthur's Seat (Mr. G. R. Tate, and Mr. G. Lawson, jun.) Mimulus 

 lutens : near Lanark (Mr. John Cleland). Marrubium vulgare : Gos- 

 ford Links (Mr. Cropper). Carex aquatilis : near Lanark (Mr. W. 

 O. Priestley). Sedum dasyphyllum : roadside near Queensferry 

 (Miss Lambie). Trientalis europa;a : near West Calder (Mr. Soubki). 

 Equisetum umbrosum : near Garrion Bridge, on the Clyde (Mr. John 

 Ross). 



Mr. G. Lawson exhibited specimens of a collection of Fifeshire 

 mosses, proposed to be published by Mr. C. Howie, who, in conjunc- 

 tion with Mr. A. O. Black, had carefully investigated the cryptoga- 

 mic Botany of the East of Fife. 



Dyeing Properties of Lichens. 



A paper by Dr. W. Lauder Lindsay, intituled ' Experiments on the 

 Dyeing Properties of the Lichens,' was read. 



The author observed : — " It has appeared to me interesting to dis- 

 cover, by a series of simple chemical experiments, the possible appli- 

 cability of a large number of native s])ecies of lichens to the art of 

 dyeing and colouring ; and for this purpose I have made, during the 

 last two years, the experiments comprehended in the table now laid 

 before the Botanical Society. Such an inquiry is, however, not only 



