k 



Linnaan Society. 35 



peated his investigations throw douht upon these points, namely 

 Wigand and Schacht ; the statements of the former as to matters of 

 fact are far from sufficient to bear out the mass of argument he has 

 built upon them against the existence of sexes ; in fact, his obser- 

 vations were so imperfect that he described the two parts of the 

 archegonium, the papilla and the enlarged embryo-sac, as distinct 

 structures ; while he never traced the origin of the new plant at all. 

 His obpervations may therefore be safely passed over. Schacht's 

 are more complete, but he again only argues against the probability 

 of a sexual conjunction, with the preconceived notion that this must 

 be analogous to what he erroneously believes to be the conditions in 

 the Phanerogamia ; while his observations furnish facts which greatly 

 support the probability of an impregnation by the spemiatozoids ; 

 the difficulties he suggests being of little weight in comparison with 

 those of accounting for the existence of all the peculiar structures 

 by any other hypothesis. The opinions of all the rest are in favour 

 of the impregnation (Thuret does not treat of the archegonia), and 

 the differences between them, except in the case of Suminski, are 

 unimportant in a physiological point of view, merely presenting 

 questions of anatomical and morphological interest. And since 

 Surainski's description of the mode of origin of the embryo would be 

 altogether at variance with what exists, not only in other plants, but 

 also in animals, and is opposed to the observations of all the rest 

 of us (except the doubtful support given by Von Mercklin), I cannot 

 but repeat my beHef that he was led from the facts by his imagi- 

 nation being preoccupied by Schleiden's doctrine of the impregna- 

 tion of the Phanerogamia." 



January 18, 1853. — R. Brown, Esq., President, in the Chair. 



Read a paper " On the Habits and Structure of the Great Bustard 

 (Otis tarda, L.)." By William Yarrell, Esq., V.P. and Treas. L.S. 



I'he particulars relating to the habits of the Bustard are derived 

 from the communications of several friends, who have had oppor- 

 tunities of observing it both in England and elsewhere. The first 

 notice is from C. A. Nicholson, Esq., of Balrath Kells, in the county 

 of Meath, and furnishes remarks on the habits of the bird as ob- 

 served by him in the neighbourhood of Seville, where it appears to be 

 extremely abundant, the males beginning to arrive in the cultivated 

 country at the beginning of February in flocks varying (according to 

 Mr. Nicholson's observations) from seven to fifty-three ; the old 

 birds always associating together, and those of a year old, which are 

 much smaller, never mixing with them : the young birds have neither 

 beard nor pouch. The females do not arrive till the beginning of 

 April, and come singly or at most in pairs ; the flocks of males then 

 break up and are met with in parties of three or four, or even singly, 

 spreading their teiils on a fine day like Turkey-cocks, drooping their 

 wings and expanding their pouches. The sexes appear to live quite 

 separate. In May the cocks entirely disappear from the cultivated 

 lands, retiring to the extensive grass marshes on the banks of the 



3* 



