Wei-nei'ian Natural History Society, 67 



lar preparation made with two ounces of the full-grown seeds while 

 still green and juicy, had no effect whatever when introduced into 

 the cellular tissue of a rabbit, except that inflammation was excited 

 where the extract was applied. 



4. The author has not yet had an opportunity of trying the effects 

 of the fourth species, ^thusa Cynapum, or Fool's-parsley. 



WERNERIAN NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY. 



The first meeting of the season of this Society was held in the 

 College on Saturday the 16th of December, at 2 p.m. 



Professor Jameson, President, in the Chair. 



1. The first paper read was upon " The Temperature of the Firth 

 of Forth, and on the Specific Gravity of its Water," by Dr. John 

 Davy, F.R.S.L. &E. 



After consideration, the Society resolved to institute measures 

 whereby this interesting subject might be still further prosecuted, 



2. The next communication was entitled " A Short Account of 

 the Mode of Reproduction of Lost Parts in the Crustacea," with il- 

 lustrative drawings, by Harry D. S. Goodsir, Esq., Conservator of the 

 Museum of the Royal College of Surgeons, Edinburgh. The follow- 

 ing is a short analysis : — 



It has been long known that the animals belonging to this class 

 have the power of reproducing parts of their body which have been 

 accidentally lost. If one of the more distal phalanges of a limb be 

 torn off, the animal has the power to throw the remaining part of 

 the limb off altogether. This separation is found to take place always 

 at one spot only, near the basal extremity of the first phalanx. The 

 author has discovered that a small glandular -like body exists at this 

 spot in each of the limbs, which supjilies the germs for future legs. 

 This body com])letely fills up the cavity of the shell for the extent of 

 about half an inch in length. The microscopic structure of this glan- 

 dular-like body is very peculiar, consisting of a great number of large 

 nucleated cells, which are interspersed throughout a fibro-gelatinous 

 mass. A single branch of each of the great vessels, accompanied by 

 a branch of nerve, runs through a small foramen near the centre of 

 this body, but there is no vestige either of muscle or tendon, the at- 

 tachments of which are at each exti'emity. In fact, this body is per- 

 fectly defined, and can be turned out of the shell without being much 

 injured. 



When the limb is thrown off, the blood-vessels and nerve i-etract, 

 thus leaving a small cavity in the new-made surface. It is fi-om 

 this cavity that the germ of the future leg springs, and is at first seen 

 as a nucleated cell. A cicatrix forms over the raw surface caused 

 by the separation, which afterwards forms a sheath for the young leg. 



3. The third paper was " On the Dislocation of the Strata and 

 Beds in the Coal-fields of Scotland," by James Robertson, Esq., 

 Mining Engineer, with an extensive series of illustrative drawings. 

 From the length of this valuable communication a portion of it only 

 could be read, 



F2 



