290 Linnaan Society. 



cuius becoming at the same time twisted so as to bring the raphe 

 into relation with the placenta. 



Mr. Clarke then proceeds to illustrate the importance of these 

 characters in a systematic point of view, as regards different families 

 usually regarded as nearly related. He states that Thymelece differ 

 from Laurinece in having the rajDhe next the placenta, and that the 

 same difference of relation occurs in Sanguisorbe<s and Amygdaleae. 

 In all the Urtical Orders with pendulous ovules the raphe is next the 

 placenta, or if campylotropal the direction of the curvature is equiva- 

 lent, and the radicle of the embryo is turned away from the placenta ; 

 while in the Chenopodal Orders with pendulous ovules the radicle is 

 either turned towards the placenta or placed on one side of it. The 

 characters thus indicated may also, he thinks, tend to a more natural 

 distribution of the Orders related to Rhamnece, Rutaceee and Sapin- 

 dacece. He refers also to the differences in this respect existing be- 

 tween Berberis and Ranunculacece, Hedera and Cornus, Cinchonacece 

 and Compositce. He states that Erythroxylon differs from Malpighi- 

 acece in having the raphe next the placenta ; and Selago in a similar 

 manner from Myoporum and Stenochilus, in which the raphe is lateral. 

 Scleranthus also differs both from Illecebrece and Tetragoiiice in having 

 the radicle turned directly away from the placenta. 



In conclusion, Mr. Clarke observes that while rajyJie aversa and 

 raphe lateral occur in several instances in the same family and pos- 

 sibly in the same genus (as the vertical and horizontal positions of 

 the seed in Chenopodium appear to be equivalent characters), yet 

 raphe aversa, or even raphe lateral, and raphe next the placenta are 

 not known to occur in the same family — pendulous ovules only being 

 understood. And also, that as far as his inquiries go, raphe next 

 the placenta in pendulous ovules is unknown in Endogenous {)laiits. 



November 4. — R. Brown, Esq., President, in the Chair. 



Read a communication from J. Couch, Esq., F.L.S., recording 

 the discovery on the Coast of Cornwall of a species of Onchidium 

 allied to O. Celticum, Cuv. 



These mollusca were found by Mr. Couch in great abundance on 

 a confined space of rocks at West Coombe, in Lantivet Bay, between 

 Polperro and Fowey, congregated in small groups about a foot or 

 two from the surface of the sea, where the waves break over them, 

 ascending and descending with the tide so as constantly to maintain 

 nearly the same relative position. When wholly immersed (in an 

 attempt to preserve them alive) in a bottle of sea-water, they did 

 not survive the day. 



Read an Extract from a Letter addressed to the President 

 by W. K. Loftus, Esq., the Naturalist attached to the Turco-Persian 

 Boundary Commission, dated at Kerrind, Persia, August 6th, 1851. 



In this locality, the neighbourhood of which abounds in plants pro- 

 ducing foetid gums, Mr. Loftus, acting on Mr. Brown's recommen- 

 dation, had procured several different kinds, of which, and of the 



