146 Botanical Society of Edinburgh. 



tacustrlsj Eriocaulon septangular e, Ceratophyllum demersum, and 

 Asplenimn marinum. From Miss Gage's list there would appear to 

 be nearly 300 phanerogamous plants and ferns in the island. 



Dr. Cleghorn stated that in August last he visited the Giant's 

 Causeway and Isle of Rathlin in company with Dr. Merriman of 

 Kensington and Mr. T. Merriman. They traversed a considerable 

 portion of the island, observing many of the plants mentioned in the 

 list, Ulex nanus being in profusion. Sedum refiexum occurs at Fair 

 Head and in various localities along the Antrim cliffs. Whoever has 

 experienced the strong currents or boisterous gales in these seas, 

 will not hesitate to attribute the dissemination of species to their 

 agency — along with the transport of innumerable migratory sea birds 

 which whiten the clifF. The party received much kindness under the 

 hospitable roof of the Rev. R. Gage. 



Dr. Cleghorn exhibited the large ligneous fruit of Hydnocarpus 

 inehrians (Vahl), which is used for poisoning fish in Malabar. Lamp 

 oil is extracted from the seeds. He showed a drawing of Erythropsis 

 Roxhurghiana (Lindl.), an extremely handsome tree. The rich scarlet 

 panicles of flowers burst forth after the monsoon, long before the 

 foliage appears. Also the fruit oi StercuUafoetida (Linn.), a com- 

 mon forest tree of stately size, widely diffused : the flowery yield an 

 offensive odour, indicating to the traveller its immediate vicinity when 

 riding through the jungle. The seeds are roasted and eaten like 

 chestnuts. Dr. Cleghorn adverted to the difficulty of studying timber 

 trees in the primaeval forests, and stated it to be one of the most dif- 

 ficult departments of tropical botany. 



Dr. Balfour read a letter wliich he had received from Professor 

 Fries, dated Upsal, 1st November 1849. In this letter, Fries thanks 

 the Society for the specimens of Hieracia which had been transmitted 

 to him, and states that he had found them useful in compiling his 

 recent work, * Symbolse ad Historiam Hieraciorum.' He promises to 

 send some critical species in return. 



Mr. Wyville T, C. Thomson read a letter from Mr. Westwood, 

 Dollar, mentioning the discovery of Potentilla tridentata on Ben 

 Wyvis several years ago. No specimens were sent, and some doubts 

 were expressed as to the discovery. 



Mr. Thomson also exhibited a specimen of Salix retusa which had 

 been gathered by a friend of his on Ben Lawers. 



Mr. M'Nab exhibited a specimen of the spathe and flowering spa- 

 dix of Euterpe montana (mountain cabbage palm), and noticed the 

 rapidity with which the branched spadix is developed. It would ap- 

 pear that the branches of the spadix are confined by the spathe until 

 their resiliency bursts it, and the branches at once spread out at right 

 angles from the common rachis. Although this palm has flowered 

 frequently of late in the Palm House of the Botanic Garden, it has not 

 produced perfect fiuit as it used to do many years ago. 



Dr. Balfour exhibited a specimen of wood hyacinth {Agraphis nu- 

 tans), gathered by Mr. John Jeffrey, Edinburgh Botanic Garden, near 

 Lochar, in Fife, in which all the bracts were converted into green leaves, 

 many of them four to five inches long and one-eighth broad, giving 



