255 



Jfroctttringg of ^octettes. 



Linnean Society of London. 



June 8, 1880. — Prof. Allman, F.E.S., President, in the chair. 

 — The only botanical paper read at this meeting was by Mr. George 

 Murray, " On the application of the results of Pringsheim's Eecent 

 Eesearches on Chlorophyll to the life of the Lichen. 1 ' Summarising 

 the results of Pringsheim's labours, Mr. Murray considered the 

 suggestion of Dr. Vines that by the aid of an artificial chlorophyll 

 screen the protoplasm of fungi might be excited to the decomposition 

 of carbonic acid, and contended that this experiment is proceeding 

 naturally in Lichens. He pointed out that in these organisms we 

 have the fungal tissues in the body of the thallus, and the chloro- 

 phyll screen in the gonidia ; and that light traversing the chlorophyll 

 containing gonidia- — -often occurring as a dense layer — excites in 

 the fungal tissues the decomposition of carbonic acid. In evidence 

 he adduced the plentiful occurrence of starch, or rather lichenin — a 

 substance of the same chemical composition as starch (C 1 2 H 1 o 1 o ) 

 and formed from it by the action of the free acids of the plant. 

 In conclusion he submitted that this process tended to explain the 

 nature of the consortism of the fungal and algal elements in the 

 Lichen, and thus to support the views of Schwendener. In the 

 discussion following, Messrs. Bennett, Carruthers, and Stewart, 

 and Professors Duncan and Greene took part. 



June 17, 1880.— Prof. Allman, F.R.S., President, in the chair. 

 The following gentlemen were elected Fellows of the Society : 

 the Eev. H. G. Bonavia Hunt (Trinity Coll., Lond.), H. N. Moseley, 

 F.E.S., the Kev. A. Merle Norman (Durham), and E. A. Webb 

 (of Turnham Green). — Dr. E. C. A. Prior read a letter from a 

 correspondent concerning the rare case of a Mistletoe found parasitic 

 on a Mistletoe. — Mr. E. M. Holmes exhibited microscopical slides 

 of Polynphoniafastigiata showing the trichogyne still remaining 

 attached to the young cystocarp and antheridia on the same 

 branches. The occurrence of both antheridia and cystocarps on 

 the same plant is rare in this species, which is usually dioicous.— 

 Mr. Charles Stewart showed, and made remarks on, some 

 microscopic sections of the growing point of Cham and of the 

 common ash. — No botanical papers were read at this meeting. 

 The President in a few parting remarks closed the session. 



Botanical Netos* 



Baron H. F. A. von Eggers, to whose ( Flora of St. Croix we 

 referred at p. 93, is contemplating an organised exploration of the 

 West Indian Islands, with the view of thoroughly investigating 

 {heir natural history. He hopes to secure the subscriptions of 

 botanists to sets of dried plants which it is intended to prepare at 



