XXVi REPORT OF THE COUNCIL, 1934-35 
general distribution, summarising the various activities of the Association. 
It is intended to give effect to these proposals, and that the first issue of 
both publications should appear next year and cover the period 1931-35 
(from the opening of the second century of the Association). 
XXIV. Galapagos Islands—The Council have received communica- 
tions concerning the intention of the Government of Ecuador to protect 
the fauna of the Galapagos Islands, and have appointed representatives 
of the Association to serve on any joint committee which may be set up 
to consider this matter.” 
Down House. 
XXV. The following report for the year 1934-35 has been received 
from the Down House Committee :— 
The number of visitors to Down House during the year ending June 6, 
1935, has been 6,658, compared with 8,536 in 1933-34, and 7,022 in 1932-33. 
Among gifts to the house during the past year, two call for special 
mention :— 
The Linnean Society, at the instance of Dr. S. E. Chandler, has presented 
a bronze copy of the medal struck on the occasion of the Darwin-Wallace 
Celebration held by the Society in 1908, together with a finely-bound copy 
of the proceedings. é 
There was recently found, and presented to the house by Mr. Bernard 
Darwin, an interesting relic of Darwin, namely, a box containing some 
seventy packets of seeds of flowering plants and vegetables. Endorsements 
on many of the packets indicate that they were sent to Darwin from various 
parts of the world, and some came from Kew Gardens. Some are dated, 
the earliest 1855, and the latest 1876. Some of the seeds have been tested 
at Kew Gardens for germination. Concerning these, the Director of Kew 
Gardens, Sir Arthur W. Hill, F.R.S., has kindly communicated with 
the Secretary. He has stated that the following species of Trifolium have 
germinated :-— 
Trifolium fragiferum, Kew 17A. 141 seeds sown, 15 germinated. 
Trifolium ochroleucum, Kew. 102 seeds sown, 4 germinated. 
Trifolium pannonicum, Kew 17c. 140 seeds sown, 8 germinated. 
Sir Arthur Hill’s communication continues :— 
‘'The other genera tested, Brassica, Convolvulus, Mimulus, Nicotiana, 
Antirrhinum, Nolana, Viscaria, Lathyrus, Anchusa, Papaver, Melilotus, 
Ononis, Lotus and Jberis, failed to germinate. 
“We do not appear to have any reference to the date when the seeds 
marked ‘‘ Kew” were sent to Charles Darwin, but they must be at least 
53 years old. It is interesting to note that Ewart obtained negative 
results with 54-year-old seeds of Trifolium fragiferum, whilst the germina- 
tion of 54-year-old seeds of T. ochroleucum and T. pannonicum appears to 
be a record for those species.’ 
The box contained also an original letter from Alphonse de Candolle 
(presumably to Darwin, though not actually bearing his name): it has 
been published recently in the Yournal of Botany. 
A generous gift of plants for the garden has been made recently by 
Sir Daniel Hall, K.C.B., F.R.S., from the John Innes Horticultural 
Institution. 
Opportunity has been taken to identify the apple-trees in the orchard 
(some of which are very old) through the kindness of the Imperial Bureau 
of Fruit Production, East Malling. 
2 See further under ‘ Resolutions and Recommendations,’ later. 
