428 Reports and Proceedings, 



and rendered historical as tlie spots explored by the Kev. David Ure, 

 who. in his " History of Eutherglen and East Kilbride," figured 

 and described many of the fossils found in them. The quarries are 

 •worked in the Carboniferous Limestone, and present a variety of 

 beds, some of which are very rich in organic remains. The geological 

 portion of the trip ended by a visit to Calder Glen, where is to be 

 seen a precipice 140 feet of pei-pendicular rock, exhibiting 40 distinct 

 strata. 



m. — On June 30th a joint meeting of this Society, with the 

 Edinbugh Geological Society, was convened at Edinburgh for the 

 pui-pose of visiting the many interesting localities where the eruptive 

 rocks are seen — in the Castle Rock, The Calton Hill, Salisbury Crags, 

 and the columnar basalt of Samson's Eibs. The party were 

 received by their metropolitan fellow-geologists, who entertained 

 them at breakfast in their rooms, and Mr. David Page, F.G.S., 

 acted as guide, assisted by other members of the club. 



Botanical Society of Edinburgh. — This Society met on the 12th 

 July, in the Histology Class-room at the Eoyal Botanic Garden— 

 Dr. Alexander Dickson, V.-P., in the chair. 



Among other communications read was one, — " On the Structure 

 and Affinities of Lepidodendro7i and Galamites." By William Car- 

 ruthers, Esq., F.L.S., of the British Museum, — of which, the follow- 

 ing is an abstract : 



After referring to the fragmentary condition in which the remains 

 of fossil plants generally occur, the author noticed the causes which 

 interfered with the satisfactory preservation of the coal plants, and 

 the difficulty of identifying fragments of the same species. Conse- 

 quently the various portions of the same organism not in actual 

 contact, which exhibited different appearances, had been referred to 

 different genera. Eoot, stem, branches, leaves, and fruit, were each 

 placed in a different genus. As the result of continued observation, 

 and the occasional discovery of more perfect specimens, this unavoid- 

 able multiplication of generic names is being reduced, and the 

 scattered fragments united to form the complete plant. Lepidodendron 

 and Calamites were shown to be striking examples of this, and both 

 genera were described in detail. 



Lepidodendron was restored as a tree, like a huge Lycopodmm cer- 

 nuum. The trunk consisted of a large cellular pith, surrounded by a 

 cylinder of wood of thickness varying according to the age of the 

 plant. This was surrounded by a cylinder of cellular substance, 

 traversed by numerous vascular l3undles, which passed upwards and 

 outwards, and, penetrating a second woody cylinder, terminated in 

 the bases of the leaves which were immediately beyond. This 

 singular arrangement had been determined by Mr. Binney from a 

 large series of beautifully prepared specimens. The author showed 

 that the arrangement of parts was similar in the trunks of some 

 Gycadece, which presented a further resemblance ia having the outer 

 surface composed of the bases of the leaves, and so marked by a 



