62 LINNEAN SOCIETY OF LONDON. 
photographs, taken in Ceylon, and chiefly representing the vege- 
tation of the Island and Botanic Garden of Peradeniya, ae 
the plants were Micus religiosa, said to be 2000 years old; F. Tre 
meni, F’. elastica, the Banyan- tree at Nequimbo; Travellers’ Palm, 
Ravenala madagascariensis ; the avenue of Oreodoxa regia at Pera 
deniya; Jack-fruit, Arctocarpus integrifolia ; Great Bamboos, Dike 
drocalamus giganteus, Alsophila crinita, Corypha umbraculifera, Cary- 
ota urens, Lodoicea seychellarum, &¢. — Mr. . Morris exhibited 
leaves and fibre of two species of Agave, viz., A. Iatli and 4. 
Salmdyc? The former has been traced as one of the plants 
ielding tne ‘‘ Sisal Hemp” of commerce. The fibre prepared from 
to vatils se the fibre of this plant, which is very common in the Wes 
contrary, consists of glossy strong threads, which among other 
things are opps: a ats for rope-making. In pa = this 
the export of Sisal Hemp from Yucatan is stated to reach a h 
as £500,000 per Mr W. T. Dyer showed a Japanese johnnie 
on Botany, one of a set of the Honzo zufu (Illustrations and Brief 
a consists of ninety-six volumes, containing some 2000 coloured 
es. Mr. Dyer read an interesting account of Japanese 
al works, sent by Mr. F. Dickins, F.L.8., which we hope 
to publish in extenso. — The President exhibited and ate remarks 
on a spike of maize obtained from an ancient grave at Ancon 
Peru, and on samples of prehistoric wheat from jasant British 
and Romano-British buri al mounds near Salisbury and Winklebury, 
Wilts, along with wheat, for Se athatinda, from Dunstable Market, 
mounted by Mr. Worthington G. Smith, F.L.8. — Mr. Charles T. 
Druery gave a communication on a new instance of apospory in 
Polystichum angulare var. pulcherrimum Wills. From his observa- 
tions he infers that the formation of the prothallus is preceded by. 
a very different series of phenomena from those already recorded. 
For the one case the prothalli are simple extensions of the cellular 
- substance of the tips of the pinnules commencing at points quite 
beyond the haeesaapoe and produce no root-hairs unless brought into 
contact with the soil. In the other case, however, the prothallus 
is a di 
substance. Whether Ses or antheridia are present upon 
the solitary specimen in question under examination cannot be 
positively asserted. — A paper was ser on apospory and allied 
phenomena by Prof. F. O. Bower. do opting for the ded aes 
of this investigation Sach’s definition eae f the “spore” 
