CANADIAN INSTITUTE. 287 



which to carry the rubber manufactured by them, and the same people take 

 large quantities of Calamus {Ancislropkyllum) secundiflorus with them as food 

 when they go into the hills of the Sierra del Crystal to procure rubber. For 

 this purpose they choose the extremities of the stem, cutting off the leaves 

 to make the bundles more portable, and when required for use they simply roast 

 the whole in the fire and then eat the soft central part, which is, however, 

 rather bitter and tough for persons not accustomed to such primitive fare. 



" The fruits of Podococcus are also eaten. The leaves of Sclerosperma are 

 used for roofing and constructing the walls of the huts, being tied between the 

 petioles of Eapkia.^^ 



CANADIAN INSTITUTE. 



ANNUAL REPOUT OF THE COUNCIL FOR THE YEAR 1864. 

 The Council of the Canadian Institute have the honour to present the follow- 

 ing Report of the Proceedings of the Society for the past year : 



^ L MEMBERSHIP. 



The present state of the Membership is as follows : — 



Members, commencement Session 1S63, 1864 445 



New Members elected Session 1863, 1864 13 



Total 458 



Deduct deaths 7 



Withdrawn 21 



Left the Province , 11 



For Don-payment of Subscription 19 



58 



Total SOthNovember, 1864 400 



Composed of Honorary Members 4 



Life Members 82 



Corresponding Members 6 



Junior Members 1 



Members 357 



Total 400 • 



IL COMMUNICATIONS. 

 The following list of Papers, read at the Ordinary Meetings during the Session, 

 •will be found to contain many communications of value, and some of general 

 interest : — 



5th Decbmbeb, 1863. 

 Rev. Prof. W. Hincks. F.L.S., &c. : " Notice respecting Welwitschia, a newly 

 discovered African plant ; being an abstract of Dr. J. D. Hooker's paper in 

 the Linnaean Society's Transactions, with a few remarks." 



Vol. X. T 



