British Association for the Advancement of Science. 11 



disease. Baillie and Bostock had stated it to be rare, whilst 

 French and German anatomists had pronounced it frequent in the 

 generahty of the human species. The author states, from his 

 own experience, that out of twenty-eight individuals he had 

 opened, who had died of various diseases, and varied in age and 

 sex — the youngest being fourteen — he had found the Trichoce- 

 phakis dispar in twenty-five. Dr. Richardson added, that in the 

 lower mammalia and in fish, the cseca were frequently found 

 filled, in some literally crammed with Botryocephali, ranging from 

 a yard to a yard and a half in length ; and what was remarkable, 

 the animals appeared to be as healthy and vigorous as if they 

 were not infested. 



Plants growing under Glass. — In April last. Dr. Daubeny in- 

 troduced into globular glass vessels, their aperture being covered 

 with bladders, three several sets of plants. In the first were Se- 

 diim, Lobelia, &c. ; in the second, Primida, Alchemilla, &c. ; in 

 the third, Armeria, Sempervivum, &c. At the end of ten days 

 the plants were healthy, and had grown. The air in the jars 

 was examined, Avhen it was found that the first had four per cent, 

 more oxygen than the atmosphere, the second also four per cent, 

 more, and the third one per cent. more. This was the result of 

 examination during the day, but at night the excess of oxygen 

 had disappeared. On the eleventh day, the first jar contained 

 two per cent., the second and third one per cent, excess of oxy- 

 gen. At night there was less oxygen than in the atmosphere. 

 On the 20th of June the following results were obtained : in first 

 jar, two and a half per cent., in second jar, three and a quarter per 

 cent., and in third jar, four per cent, less oxygen than in atmos- 

 pheric air. Some experiments were then made to determine the 

 rate of access of air to the plants through the bladder, and it was 

 found that when the jars were filled with oxygen, the average 

 rate at which it escaped till the internal air was like that of the 

 atmosphere, was eleven per cent, daily. 



Prof. Lindley then read a paper by Mr. Ward on the same sub- 

 ject. The Professor observed, that Mr. Ward, of Wellclose Square, 

 London, had made many experiments on the subject of keeping 

 plants in unventilated vessels, and Avas the original proposer of the 

 plan for preserving plants in this manner. The discovery of their 

 being able to be thus preserved, Avas of great practical importance, 

 as it enabled us to bring plants from foreign climates, that could 



