1905-1906.] 413 



grew to the frond stage, to their surprise they found that strange 

 forms had sprung up, different forms had crossed, combining 

 two or more characters in one plant, the spermatozoons having 

 travelled from their own prothallus to- neighbouring ones, thus 

 fertilising them. When this had been discovered and tested, 

 special sowings were made of mixed spores of well-marked 

 characters and the products carefully noted, the result being 

 the union of different characters on one plant. (Plate XV.). 

 Some of the sowings of the late Mr. E. J. Lowe of Scolo- 

 pendrium showed multiple parentage, some two parents, some 

 of more, and even to as many as six parents. 



A short description then followed on some of Nature's 

 short cuts in propagation of ferns by bulbils on the fronds and 

 rhizom,es by buds, and by apospory and apogamy, &c. 



The lecture, which was illustrated by numerous lantern 

 slides, two' of which are reproduced, was well received by the 

 audience. The election of three new members concluded the 

 meeting. 



BIRD WATCHI[NG. 



The first of the Wednesday informal meetings this session 

 was held in the Clubroom, on November 29th, when Mr. N. H. 

 Foster, M.B.O.U., gave a talk on "Bird Watching." The chair 

 was occupied by the Vice-President (Mr. Robt. Patterson, 

 M.R.I.A.), who, in introducing the lecturer, said these formal 

 Wednesday meetings were chiefly intended to induce the younger 

 members of the Club to make their first appearances as readers 

 of papers, and so pave the way for longer papers in the future. 



Mr. Foster said there was nO' reasonable doubt that birds 

 had been evolved from a reptile form previous to or during 

 the geologic period known as Jurassic, in the rocks of which the 

 remains of the oldest known bird, the Archgeopteryx, had been 

 discovered. This bird, as well as some of the other ancient 

 fossil species, displayed many reptilian characteristics, which 

 had long since disappeared from, birds as we find them to-day. 



