456 Report of Meetings. By the President. 



a3 was for long supposed ; but that it was intruded in the way 

 that I have described, is now, according to Professer Lebour, con- 

 sidered to be proved by two facts. First, the sedimentary 

 rocks which immediately overlie the Whin Sill are altered or 

 metamorphosed, especially when they consist of shales ; and 

 secondly, that it does not lie at one uniform level amongst the 

 sedimentary strata, but frequently comes up in bosses, cutting 

 through the rocks, and shifting its relative position amongst 

 them to the extent of 1000 feet or more in short distances. 



Like all basaltic rocks, the Whin Sill has a tendency to be- 

 come fissured and to split up into jointed columns, as may be 

 observed in the detached rocks called The Pinnacles, which, 

 crowded as they are in the season— so that, apparently, not an 

 inch of standing room is left— with guillemots, kitti wakes, and 

 razor-bills, form one of what may be well called "the 

 sights" of the Fames. The Pinnacles lie close to the south side 

 of Stapel island, where Eider ducks and other birds breed ; and 

 on that island, with the exception of a few who preferred going 

 off to the Crumstone to see the Seals, our party landed after 

 quitting the Longstone, whence we had easily reached our 

 steamer, for in the interval she had moved to the southward of 

 the island and we dropped down to her on the last of the 

 flood. 



While they were examining the interesting and, to so many 

 of them, the novel features of bird-life there presented, I 

 devoted the short time at my disposal to botany. 



The Botany of the Fames offers nothing that is peculiar ; and, 

 as might be expected, its plants are of a maritime character. 

 There are no trees, and, as I have already mentioned, the fern 

 order is wholly unrepresented. 



I had with me a complete list of the flowering plants, 62 

 species, given by Mr Tate, and to which no one, I believe, has 

 made any addition. 



I could not observe among the very numerous single, on the 

 Brownsman and Stapel, any double flowered specimens of Silene 

 mantima recorded by him. That, however, is not remarkable ; 

 the double state of a flower being often a transient one, depend- 

 ing on certain conditions favorable to luxuriance. 



The only other plant which calls for a word of notice is 

 Cochlearia Danica, *' Scurvy Grass." 



Cochlearia is a genus of smooth, sleek, shining cruciferous 



