856 REPORT— 1805' 



2. The Wealden Flora of England. By A. C. Seward. 



Mr. A. 0. Seward, after referring to the various species described by Mantell, 

 Carruthers, Starkie Gardner, and others, from the Wealden strata of England, 

 briefly described a large number of plants from the British Museum collection. 

 During the last few years Mr. Eufford, of Hastings, has obtained an extremely 

 valuable and rich collection of plants from Ecclesbourne, Fairlight, and other 

 localities; and these have now become the property of the nation. The following 

 species are at present known from the Wealden of England ; some of these have 

 already been figured in the first volume of the catalogue of the Wealden flora, and 

 the remainder are dealt with in the forthcoming second volume: — Algites valdeiixis, 

 sp. nov., A. cafenelloides, sp. nov., Chara KnowUoni, sp. nov., Marclumfites Zeilleri, 

 sp. nov., Eqidsetifes Lyelli, Mant., E. Burchardti, Dunk., E. Yokoyam<v, sp. nov., 

 Onychicypsis Mantelli (Brong.), O. elongata (Geyl.), AcrostAchopteris Rnjfordi, sp. 

 nov., Matonidium Giipperti (Ett.), Pi-otopteris Witteana, Schenk., Rufordia 

 Gopperti (Dunk.), Cladnphlebis longipenniSfSp. nov., C. Albertsii (Dunk.), C. Brow- 

 niana (Dunk.), C. Dunkcvi (Schimp.), Sphenopteris Fo7itainei, sp. nov., S. Fittoni, 

 sp. nov., Weichselia Mantelli (Brong.), Tceniopteris Beyrichii (Schenk.), T. Dawsoni, 

 sp. nov., Sagenopteris Mantelli (Dunk.), S. acufifolia, sp. nov., Microdidycm Dunkeri, 

 Schenk., I)ictyop>hyllum liomeri, Schenk., Leckenbya valdensis, gen. et sp. nov., 

 Tempskya Schimperi, Cord., Cycadites Itomeri, Schenk., C. Saportce, sp. nov., 

 Dionites Dunkerianus (G6pp.),i>. Brongniarti (Mant.), i\%so7)j« Scliaumhurgensis 

 (Dunk.), Otozamites Klipsteinei (Dunk.), O. Goppertianus (Dunk.), Zamites Buchi- 

 anus (Ett.), Zamites Carruthersi, sp. nov., Anmnozamiten Lyellianus (Dunk.), Cy- 

 cadolepis, Carpolithes, Androstrobzis Nathorsti, sp. nov., Conites elegans (Carr.), 

 C armatus, sp. nov., Bucklandia anomala (Stokes and Webb), Fittonia Ruffordi, 

 sp. nov., Beymettites Sa.rbyanus (Brown), B. Gibsonianus, Carr., B. {Williamsonia^ 

 Carruthersi, sp. nov., Yatesia Morrisi, Carr., Withamia Saport(s, gen. et sp. nov., 

 Becklena anomala, gen. et sp. nov , Dichopteris, sp., Sphenolejndium Kurriammi 

 (Schenk.), S. Sternhergiammi (Dunk.), Bagiophyllum erassifolium, Schenk., Brachy- 

 phyllum obesum (Heer), B. spinosmn, sp. nov., Pinifes Solmsi, sp. nov., P. Dunkeri 

 (Carr.), P. Mantelli (Carr.), R. patens (Carr.), P. Carruthersi (Gard.), &c. 



3. On the Diurnal Variation in the Amo2int oj" Diastase in Foliage 

 Leaves. By Professor J. Reynolds Green, F.H.S. 



The diastase which is present in foliage leaves varies in amount during the day, 

 being greatest in the early morning, and least after sunset. The variation has 

 been ascertained to be chiefly, if not entirely, due to the action of the sunlight. 

 The author showed last year, at the Oxford meeting, that diastatic extracts exposed 

 to sunlight or electric light, without the interposition of any form of screen, had 

 their activity largely impaired, the damage amounting sometimes to 70 per cent. 

 Experiments made upon the living leaf of a scarlet-runner showed a similar 

 destructive action of the light, the amount of destruction only amounting, how- 

 ever, to about 10 to 20 per cent. The author attributes the difl'erence to the 

 screening action of the proteids in the cells of the leaf. 



4. On the Strucitire of Bacterial Cells. By Harold Wager. 



In this paper an account was given of the present state of our knowledge of the 

 cells of bacteria. Reference was made to the observations of Schottelius, Migula, 

 De Bary, Biitschli, and others. The author showed that it is possible to demon- 

 strate in the majority of bacterial cells the presence of two substances, one of which 

 may be regarded as protoplasmic in nature, and a second which stains deeply 

 when acted upon by fuchsin and kindred stainina: substances, and which may be 

 regarded as nuclear. It was pointed out that this nuclear substance does not 

 possess the structure of nuclei in the cells of higher plants. 



