710 REPORT— 1888. 



seven of land birds, four of lizards, and one snake. This seems to show that the 

 island has been stocked by what may be called accidental means. 



Secondly — Its peculiarity. Of the mammals, three out of the five are certainly 

 peculiar, as are all the land birds, though some approach their allies on the archi- 

 pelago very closely, and four out of the five reptiles. A considerable though not so 

 high a degree of peculiarity has been found among the invertebrate forms. 



Thirdly — As to the afiinities. "S^Tiat conclusions are to be drawn as to the 

 affinities of the fauna and flora when viewed as a whole cannot be certainly 

 determined until the examination is complete. The birds, however, appear to be 

 allied to those of the Austro-Malay region. 



SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 8. 

 The Section did not meet. 



MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 10. 



The following Reports and Papers were read : — 



1, Report of the Committee for aiding in the maintenance of the establish- 

 ment of a Marine Biological Station at Granton, Scotland. — See 

 Reports, p. 319. 



2. Report of the Committee on the Development of the Oviduct in certain 

 fresh-water Teleostei. — See Reports, p. 338. 



On certain Adaptations for the Nutrition of Emhryos. 

 By F. W. Oliver. 



4. On the Development of the Bulb in Lamlnaria bulbosa.' 

 By C. A. Barber. 



A brief description was given of a mature plant. In such a plant three parts 

 are distinguishable. The bulb ; the stalk, upon whose modifications special stress 

 was laid ; and the lamina. The bidb is merely a part of the stalk curiously altered. 

 After a short historical summary, the development of the bulb was described in detail. 

 It arises as a ridge upon the stalk below the lamina : this ridge grows outwards 

 and forms a shelf-like process, which very soon curves downwards all aroimd. A 

 bell-shaped organ is thus formed from whose edges numerous hapteres are developed: 

 after these hapteres have appeared, successive circles of these processes are developed 

 in ascending order upon the expanding hollow bulb. A few points were noticed in the 

 histology of the plant. The epidermis seems to be the only region in which active 

 cell-division takes place. Increase in size in all parts, even at the ridge, seems to 

 be largely dependent on increase in size of the cells. Increase in thickness is also 

 dependent on the great thickening of the walls of the cells. This occurs especially 

 in the elongated cells of the central strand of tissue. From these latter are sent 

 out numerous protrusions into their thick mucilaginous walls. The protrusions thus 

 formed penetrate in all directions, and form the so-called ' hyphal tissue.' The 

 formation of new cells by budding seems to take place in a somewhat different 

 foim in the cortical cells of the older stalk. The epidermal cells usually appear to 



' Published in full in Annals of Botany, 



