Botanical Society of Edinburgh. 129 



rea Mesonema of Eschscholtz ; and the other a most elegant Cydippe, 

 probably the Cydippe pomiformis of Patterson. Both were carefully- 

 figured from life by the author, and magnified drawings of them were 

 exhibited to the Society. 



The paper was concluded by some strictures on the hypothesis of 

 Lamarck respecting the absence of muscular power and of voluntary 

 movements in the order of Radiaires MoUasses. He gave the results 

 of many experiments which he had made on the movements of the 

 Medusa, and which convinced him that they possessed considerable 

 muscular power obedient to volition ; and he ascribed the erroneous 

 views of Lamarck on this subject to his little familiarity with those 

 animals in their natural haunts ; for a Medusa swimming in the sea, 

 and cast on the beach, has very different capabilities of locomotion. 



BOTANICAL SOCIETY OF EDINBURGH. 



This Society held its second meeting for the season on Thursday 

 January the 14th, W. C. Trevelyan, Esq., in the Chair. 



Professor Graham read the continuation of his botanical tour to 

 the South of England and Jersey ; in the course of which he men- 

 tioned the various plants observed so far as peculiar to those districts, 

 or only of rare occurrence in Scotland. He was rather surprised to 

 notice species growing in considerable quantity that have, for the 

 most part, been very sparingly supplied to the Society ; a circum- 

 stance which shows the desii-ableness of English botanists keeping 

 in view, when making their annual collections, that such species, 

 though not uncommon to them, must be alwaj'S in demand among 

 their Scotch brethren. The Professor also made some observations on 

 the climate and general aspect of the island of Jersey, in reference to 

 its height above the level of the sea, the nature of its soil, &c., as bear- 

 ing on the vegetation. At the close of public business the meeting 

 proceeded to the election of office-bearers for next year, when the 

 following gentlemen were appointed, viz. President, Professor Graham ; 

 Vice-Presidents, Dr. Neill, David Steuart, Esq., W. C. Trevelyan, 

 Esq., and W. H. Lowe, Esq., M.D. 



Jan. 11, 1844. — Professor Graham, President, in the Chair. 



1 . Read " A short Notice of some recent Improvements on Ward's 

 Plant-cases," by their inventor. The principal improvement con- 

 sists in dividing the case into several compartments with different 

 soils in each ; so that plants which naturally grow in moist situations 

 may thrive under the same roof with others usually found in drier 

 localities. 



2. " A Catalogue of the Musci and Hepaticce of Teesdale," by Mr. 

 Richard Spruce of the Collegiate School, York. This highly inter- 

 esting paper, in which six species new to the British flora are de- 

 scribed, was illustrated by a series of beautiful specimens, for which 

 the thanks of the Society were specially voted to Mr. Spruce. 



3. "Notes on a new Q^mtnthe," by the Rev. W. H. Coleman. 

 Drawings of the fruit and leaves were exhibited to the meeting to 



Ann. ^ Mag. N. Hist. Vol. xiii. K 



