
i et i, | el i, i el 

Dee, 1, 1870] 
NATURE 
99 


the Didactic, in 1813 ; and the Wernerian, in 1858. Between 
1771 and 1788 many well-known names occur among its list of 
members—Benjamin Bell, Professors Alexander Munro, J. Hope, 
Joseph Black, Francis Home, James Gregory, Alexander Hamil- 
ton, and W. Hamilton (Glasgow). In 1802, Dr. Barclay and 
Charles Bell; in 1814, David Brewster. By its union with the 
Natural History Society it enrolled among its members the 
botanists, James Edward Smith and Robert Brown, and another, 
great in almost every department of science, literature, and law, 
Henry Brougham. Brown’s papers on the ‘‘ Botany of Angus,”’ 
and on the “ Sexes of Plants,” are models in this department, 
and Brougham’s on ‘‘ Thunder” and ‘‘ Combustion ” will well 
repay a careful perusal. One other notice : in 1828 the Plinian 
approached the Royal Physical with proposals to unite, and 
both societies appointed influential committees, with powers to 
form a union. After much consultation, they reported “ that 
the union of the societies had been admirably accomplished.” 
But the Plinians, after the union was consummated, rued the 
act, and refused to associate with their lawful head. The 
Plinian lived on for a season in cold estrangement, and gradually 
passed into the dark. On the list of ordinary members of the 
Plinian is the name ‘‘Charles Darwin, Shrewsbury, Nov. 26, 
1826.” The history of the Royal Physical Society is substan- 
tially that of Scottish zoology. The latter could not be written 
without the former. I have only to choose these names from 
the list of our presidents to make good this remark :—Robert 
Knox, Captain Thomas Brown, Edward Forbes, Robert K. 
Greville, James Y. Simpson, John Coldstream, George Wilson, 
John Goodsir, Alexander Bryson, William Dick, Hugh Miller, 
Sir John Graham Dalyell, and John Fleming. In these men 
was embodied the great characteristic of our society. They 
were all practical naturalists. In November, 1849, Professor 
Fleming delivered the opening address, in which he urged the 
expediency of steps being taken by the society to bring before 
the Government and country the great want of a general national 
museum for the native products of Scotland, and to bring together 
the other collections in Edinburgh under one roof. Steps 
were soon taken inthese directions by public bodies and by in- 
fluential individuals. It again fell to Fleming to give the 
opening address, in 1855, and he could say—‘‘ The gra- 
tifying intelligence at last reached us that the Board of 
Trade had resolved to institute an industrial museum for 
Scotland in Edinburgh.” The Society might claim the merit 
of one of the first agitations for this great national institution. 
Dr. Duns passed a high eulogium on the researches of Dr. 
Strethill Wright on the Ca@/enterata and Protozoa, referring to 
the sensation produced by the deep-sea dredging report, inti- 
mating the growth of chalk in one of the dredged localities. 
But honour to whom honour. In 1861, this note occurs in Dr. 
Wright’s address to this Society. Referring to the oolite and the 
chalk, he says: ‘‘ Similar deposits are now in process of forma- 
tion over yast areas of sea bottom, especially in the Atlantic, 
Mediterranean, and Australian seas.” Since the Society last met 
it had lost one of its most distinguished members, Sir James 
Young Simpson. Dr. Simpson was born at Bathgate, Linlith- 
gowshire, on the 7th June, 1811. He sprang from a family long 
resident in the district, comfortable in worldly circumstances, and 
noted for their strong mental powers and outstanding indivi- 
dualities. After being educated at the parish school, where for 
several years he had for a companion the late Prof. John Reid, 
of St. Andrews, Simpson entered the Arts course of the Univer- 
sity of Edinburgh, He commeneed his purely medical studies 
in 1827, and graduated as M.D. in 1832. Immediately after 
graduation he was elected President of the Medical Society. In 
1833 he petitioned for a scat in this Society, recommended by 
Edward Forbes. From 1832 to the beginning of 1836, he acted 
as assistant to Prof. John Thomson, who occupied the Chair of 
General Pathology in the University. In Session 1839-40 he 
gave a course of lectures on midwifery, and in 1840 he was 
elected by the Town Council to the Chair of Midwifery, vacant 
by the resignation and subsequent demise of Dr. Hamiltor. 
Dr. Simpson died on the evening of the 6th May, 1870. Dr. 
Duns concluded by some apposite observations on the motives 
that should incite to natural history studies, and the methods by 
which they should be pursued. 
Botanical Society, July 14—Sir Walter Elliot, Pre- 
sident, in the chair.—1.‘‘Ou Kashmir Morels.” By Mr. M. 
C. Cooke, India Museum, London. The author remarked, 
that it has long been known that truffles and morels are 


found in N. W. India andKash mir, but no attempt has hitherto 
been made to determine the species. Some years ago, applica- 
tion was made to the Agricultural and Horticultural Society of 
the Punjab, and to other sources, for specimens, but without any 
result. He had, however, lately received, through Dr. J. L. 
Stewart, a string of dried morels, said to be the morels of Kash- 
mir, and sent by Mr. Baden Powell, of Lahore. This string con- 
tains two distinct species, both of them small, and neither of 
them the Morchella esculenta of European markets. The author 
gave some account of the history of morels as far as known, and 
concluded by giving scientific descriptions of the supposed two 
new species from Kashmir. 2. ‘*On the Characters of the 
| Flowers of Silene maritima and Silene inflata, as regards their 
Stamens and Pistils.” By. Dr. F, Buchanan White. The 
author had examined 72 plants and 201 flowers of Silene maritima ; 
of these, 39 plants were perfectly hermaphrodite, 11 had the 
stamens abortive, 10 the styles abortive, 11 the styles partly abor- 
tive, and I with the stamens partly abortive. Of the 201 flowers 
examined, 122 had three styles and three-celled ovary ; 68 had 
four styles and four-celled ovary ; and r1 had five styles and five- 
celled ovary. 3. ‘* Notes of a Botanical Excursion to the neigh- 
bourhood of Perth.” By Mr. John Sadler. 4. ‘‘ Results Ob- 
tained from the Cutting and Transplanting of a Plaited Horn- 
beam Hedge.” By Mr. M‘Nab. 5. “On the Guachamacan, a 
poisonous plant growing in the Llanos (plains) of Venezuela.” 
By M. A. Ernst, Caracas. 
GLASGOW 
Geological Society, November 3.—Mr. John Young, Vice- 
president, in the chair. Mr. James Thomson, F.G.S., sub- 
mitted to the Society some remains of fish and molluscan life, 
which he had recently discovered in the neighbouring coal-fields, 
and which were new at least to the west of Scotland. These 
were Acanthoides Wardi, from Airdrie; Athyris pisum, from 
Brockley ; and Anomia corrugata, from Dalry. He pointed out 
the characteristics of these species, and described the relative 
position of the beds in which their remains had been found. 
1. The Acanthoides was a well-preserved specimen, showing the 
dorsal and anal spines in their natural position. This was of 
some importance, as these spines had frequently been found 
singly, and could not be referred to any known genus ; but this 
discovery enabled palzeontologists to name and classify these ich- 
thyodorulites. This species had also been discovered in the 
Staffordshire coal-field by Mr. John Ward, and named by Sir 
Philip Egerton, F.R.S., after its discoverer. It also occurs in 
the Edinburgh coal-field. The specimen before them had been 
found near Airdrie, in the upper members of the Clyde coal- 
measures. 2. Afhyris. This. little fossil occurs at Brockley, 
Lesmahagow, and Roughwood, Ayrshire. From the resem- 
blance to Zerebratula Saculus, it had often been mistaken for 
that shell ; but when placed under the microscope the structural 
characters indicated that it could not be referred to that genus. 
It had been submitted to Mr. Thomas Davidson, F.R.S., who 
named it A. pisum, from its pea-like form. 3. Anomia corru- 
gata, This is the first well-authenticated specimen of Anomia 
that has been recorded from the Scottish mountain limestone. 
It is found in a band of shale which underlies the ‘‘ Linn” lime- 
stone, near Dalry.—Mr. D. C. Glen, C.E., gave some notes on 
the boulder-clay laid open in the excavation now going on for a 
new dock at Cartsdyke, near Greenock, and referred to the 
abundance of arctic marine shells and other organisms found 
embedded init. The shell-bed seems to occur in a hollow of the 
boulder-clay, which has been exposed to view by a deep cutting 
running parallel to the river, or east and west. Onthe northern 
side of this cutting, nearest the river, the bed is several feet in thick- 
ness ; but on the other side it thins out, and finally disappears as 
we recede from the shore. In the other direction, from east to 
west, it is seen to abut suddenly against the boulder-clay, and 
| thus occupies a hollow of no great extent, in which, however, an 
immense number and variety of marine organisms are crowded 
together, forming one of the richest beds of such clay yet dis- 
covered on our western coast. At the same time there was 
| reason to doubt whether the deposit is now found in its natural 
position, or has not been dug out from some neighbouring part 
of the shore, and laid down to improve and level the ground, 
many years ago, in forming the policies where the excavation is 
being made. On this point, however, he would not express a 
decided opinion, and other members who had visited the spot 
were not unanimous regarding it. 
