408 REPORTS ON THE STATE OF SCIENCE. 
The Structure of Fossil Plants.—Third Interim Report of the Committee, 
consisting of Dr. D. H. Scott (Chairman), Professor F. W. OLIVER 
(Secretary), Mr. EH. NEWELL ARBER, and Professors A. C. SEWARD 
and ¥', KE. WEIss. 
Tue Committee appointed at the York meeting to investigate the structure 
of Fossil Plants beg to report that the sum of 2/. only has been spent. 
This has been paid for sections of Stigmaria for Professor Weiss’s work, 
still in progress, on the structure and affinities of that genus. 
The Committee ask for leave to retain the balance of 3/., now in the 
hands of the Chairman. 
Research on South African Cycads, and on Welwitschia.—Interim 
Report of the Committee, consisting of Professor A. C. SEWARD 
(Chairman), Mr. R. P. Grecory (Secretwry), Dr. D. H. Scort, 
and Dr. W. H. Lana. 
Professor Pearson reports as follows :— 
1. South African Cycads. 
A. Field observations and a study of the life-histories of various 
species, commenced in 1905, have been continued. A considerable 
amount of material has yet to be examined before Iam able to publish 
my general results. 
B. I have paid particular attention to Encephalartos Frederici- 
(fuilielmi, which is one of the most interesting of the South African 
species.!_ I hope to publish a second paper of field-observations on this 
species when I have been able to clear up a few points that are still 
doubtful. 
C. During a visit to the habitat of this species in September 1906 
T collected a large number of seeds of various ages, from which I have 
obtained a fairly complete series of stages of the development of the pro- 
embryo and embryo. A similar study has been made of the pro-embryo 
and young embryo of Stangeria sp. and of the early pro-embryo of 
Encephalartos villosus. I propose to publish an account of this work as 
soon as I have been able to prepare the drawings. 
D, An investigation into the development of the microsporangium 
and microspores of Stangeria paradoxa, referred to in my last report, is 
still unfinished, as material showing certain missing stages has not yet 
been obtained, 
2. Welwitschia. 
I visited Damaraland in January of this year, and stayed at Welwitsch 
(three days) and Haikamchab (seven days), two well-known localities of 
Welwitschia, the one to the south and the other to the north of the lower 
Swakop river. I made observations on the relations of the plant to the 
prevailing life-conditions, and collected and fixed a large number of cones 
for the completion of the study of its life-history. 
1 Vide ‘Notes on South African Cycads’—(1) in Trans. S. A. Phil. Soc., xvi. 
(1906), pp. 342, 348, 
