292 Royal Society : — 



on Azorelki, which grows out from the rosettes in the form of a 

 clear jelly, which becomes changed into a firm yellowish substance 

 of indefinite form. There are also some Sphaeriacei on grass and 

 dead stems of plants. At present few additions have been made to 

 the marine flora. The larger Algae in Royal Sound are usually not 

 cast upon the shore by the waves ;.and I have almost been entirely 

 dependent upon grapples thrown from the rocks for specimens of 

 the more delicate forms. Polysiphonia Sullivance and Bhytiphloea 

 Gomardii are amongst the novelties. A large number of zoological 

 and botanical specimens have been lost through my inability to 

 attend to them in time without assistance. This has principally 

 affected the number of duplicates ; but in one instance it has led 

 to the loss of a species — one of the Petrels, which was the com- 

 monest bird about here when we first arrived. Fortunately it is a 

 well-known species. 



The 1st of March is announced as the approximate date of our 

 sailing from Kerguelen's Island. Five weeks later I hope to arrive 

 at the Cape and to forward to you such of the specimens collected 

 as require only ordinary care in their transmission. The more 

 fragile things are likely to reach you in better condition if I keep 

 them until my return to England, than they would if they were 

 sent with the others. I am, dear Sir, 



Faithfully yours, 



A. E. Eaton. 



June 10, 1875. — Joseph Dalton Hooker, C.B., President, in the 



Chair. 



" On the Organization of the Fossil Plants of the Coal-measures. 

 — Part VII. Myelopteris, Psaronius, and Kaloxylon.'" By W. C. 

 Williamson, Professor of Natural History in the Owens College, 

 Manchester. 



In his ' Dendrolithen ' Cotta first figured some supposed stems 

 under the name of Medullosa, to one of which he gave the name 

 of Medullosa elegans. Corda subsequently figured a portion of the 

 same plant, in his ' Flora der Vorwelt,' under the name of Palma- 

 cites carbonic/crus, in the belief that it was the stem of an arborescent 

 palm. M. Brongniart next gave to the plant the name of Myelo- 

 xylon, and at the same time expressed strong doubts respecting 

 its monocotyledonous character. Groeppert gave this plant the 

 generic name of Stengelia. In 1872 Mr. Binney expressed his 

 belief that the plant was " the rachis of a fern, or of a plant allied 

 to one." At the Meeting of the British Association at Bradford, 

 in September 1873, the author described this plant, and pointed 

 out his reasons for believing it to be not only a fern, but to belong 

 to the interesting family of the Marattiacese ; and in the subse- 

 quent January Professor Renault read a description of the plant 

 to the Academy of Sciences at Paris, when, on independent evi- 

 dence, he arrived at the same conclusion, viz. that it was one of the 



