356 Botanical Society of London. 



on small strips of land, just appearing above water, and surrounded 

 by sedges : the nests are placed in a row, mingled with those of other 

 birds, and are constructed of reeds externally, and weeds inside ; each 

 nest is three or four inches high, and contained on the first of June 

 one egg, of an olive-green colour, spotted irregularly with chocolate, 

 brown, and purple patches. 



Sterna nigra, Linn. Procured May 24. Found in the stomach 

 beetles. Iris very dark brown, almost approaching to black. Com' 

 mon at the river, where these birds are seen in small companies. 



* Sterna Hirundo, Linn. Procured May 24. Found in the sto- 

 mach fish. Iris hazel. Frequents the river : common. Breeds on 

 the slips of land that are laid bare by the diminishing of the waters 

 at the river : it makes no nest, but lays its eggs on the ground. 



On the Crania and Dentition of Carnivora, by Mr. Waterhouse : 

 (see p. 25 of this volume,) 



BOTANICAL SOCIETY OF LONDON. 



November 15. — John Reynolds, Esq., Treasurer, in the Chair. 



Donations of British plants were announced from several members. 

 Mr. Daniel Cooper called the attention of the meeting to several 

 varieties of British plants which he had selected from the several 

 parcels sent in for distribution. 



Mr. T. G. R. Rylands communicated notes on "Aspidium lobatum, 

 var. /3. Lonchitidoides." Mr. R. having long doubted the perma- 

 nency of this " variety," but having had but few satisfactory oppor- 

 tunities of judging, came to no decision on the subject. On the 1 1th 

 of March, 1839, he met vsrith a plant which he considers goes far to 

 prove that it is but casual, since from one root he gathered fronds 

 belonging to both a and /3, and of almost all the grades between ; 

 the following may serve as characters of four of the fronds, speci- 

 mens of which were exhibited. 



1. Fronds distinctly bipinnate (var. a.). 2. Frond sub-bipinnate, 

 upper and lower primary pinnules distinct and auricled, pinnae more 

 or less pinnatifid. 3. Frond sub-bipinnate, upper primary pinnules 

 only distinct, pinnae inciso-serrate. 4. Fronds almost simply pin- 

 nate, only one or two of the upper primary pinnules distinct and 

 scarcely auricled, and those at the bottom of the frond (var. /3). 

 No, 1 Mr. R, considers in all respects lobatum verum, and No. 4 is 

 as far from it as he has ever seen one. He has since had the plant 

 in cultivation, and though small (owing to the confinement of the 



