13 



various learned bodies and institutions, in England and America. In 

 reference to presentation No. 3 to Museum, Mr. E. D. Swan pointed out that 

 this plant had been proved by Baron von Mueller to be the Duhoisia 

 hopivoodL "The active principle seems to be almost identical with Atro- 

 pine, both as regards it action and its strength, and it is used in Sydney 

 and Brisbane in place of that alkaloid." {Nature, 18th April, 1878.) 

 Mr. Abbott mentioned we had in the Botanic Gardens an allied species, 

 received from Baron von Mueller. As to presentation No. 5 the Secre- 

 tary read the following extract from a note by the donor : — ** You may 

 possibly know too, that I lived with my dearest aunts and her daugh- 

 ter, to the end of her life here. Having ascertained that there is no 

 portrait of either my uncle or my aunt in the building belonging to 

 the Royal Society, which owes its origin to their united interest 

 in its objects, I send to your care, for he Society, a copy of each. 

 The one of my uncle you must have seen. It is engraved from the latest 

 taken of him. That of my aunt is a fac-eimile of the only one existing, 

 and which, together with the original of the other, belongs to me. There 

 was one portrait of her, taken by Negelen at the same time with that of 

 my uncle, but he carried it away with him, and she never could be induced 

 to sit again under anycircumstances. Ifeelsure that both willhave especial 

 interest with those who recollect Sir John and Lady Franklin." 



A letter from Professor Haast, of the Canterbury Museum, New Zea- 

 land, was read, from which the following extract is given in the hope it 

 may attract the attention of some member of the Society who 

 may be in a position to obtain specimens of the Native Tiger and Devil — 

 the former especially being very much wanted for Bluseums in New Zeal- 

 and elsewhere. "I am in the midst of re-arranging our collections, 

 and have already come across several duplicates which might be useful 

 to you. Amongst them are skeleton and skin of Giraffe, middle size ; 

 skeleton of a Lioness, not full grown ; and a Bhea skeleton beautifully 

 mounted. These specimens are at your service. In return I should like 

 some skins of theTasmanian Tiger and Devil, and any other quadrupeds' 

 skins and skeletons you can spare." Also "some of the implements and 

 tools of the Natives," etc. 



Mr. F. Abbott, junr., read " Notes on Carduus arvensis [Cniciis arvensis 

 of some authors), or common creeping thistle ; with a short reference 

 to Cnicus lanceolatus, the Spear or Plume Thistle." 



The paper was illustrated by reference to plates of the Creeping Thistle, 

 very truthfully executed in a work " Theater of Plants," by John Par- 

 kinson, published in 1640 ; drawings of the plant by writers of recent 

 date, were also laid before the meeting. 



In the discussion which ensued, and in which several members took 

 part, Mr. Swan remarked thtit attempts had been made to destroy the 

 growth of the thistle by covering it with seaweed, but the result was a 

 failure. It might, however, be advisable to give this experiment a further 

 trial when practicable. 



Mr. Stephens called attention to the somewhat singular circumstance 

 that although the thistle was in the first instance carried from phce to 

 place by seed, yet when it became established in any particular locality, its 

 extension took place principally by root growth, and only to a slight ex- 

 tent by seed. It was, therefore, of great importance to isolate the plant 

 thoroughly, so that its seed should not be allowed to mix with that of 

 the neighbouring crops, and thus disseminate the evil. IMr. Stephens 

 also showed a sketch of the lone-handled pliers made use of in England 

 for the purpose of extracting the stems of the thistle before the seed for- 

 mation took place. 



Seeing that the word " Californian " as applied to this thistle was 

 shown by Mr. Abbott to be a misnomer, the general opinion of the meet- 



