178 TRANSACTIONS OP THE 



SPECIMENS EXHIBITED. 



By Mr. Andrew A. Hogarth, — Paris quadrifoUa from Lennox 

 Castle woods, where it grows in thousands, also the very rare alga 

 Chaetophora elegans from pools on the hills above Innellan. 



By Mr. F. G. Binnie. — One of the land molluscs, Vertigo edentula 

 (Drap.), which he had found near Milngavie. This is the first in- 

 timation of its existence in the district. 



By Mr. J. Eenwick. — Linaria Cymhalaria, Brassica monensis, and 

 Corydalis claviculata, from Brodick, Arran. 



By Mr. J. Harvie, — A number of interesting objects from Wemyss 

 Bay, among which were Alcyonium digitatum and Lima hyans. 



Mr. Adolf Schulze described a species of Polypus found at the 

 excursion to Wemyss Bay. He exhibited a number of drawings in 

 illustration of his remarks. 



EXCLTESION. 



Wemyss Bay (Dredging). — Mr. Harvie said that owing to the large 

 number of members who had turned out at this excursion they 

 were divided into two parties, the one party dredging the ground 

 below and the other the ground above Skelmorlie Buoy. Several 

 interesting objects were found; for instance, some very large specimens 

 of Alcyonium digitatum, popularly called Dead men's fingers, from its 

 resemblance to the human hand, also several specimens of the 

 Cloaklet anemone, Adamsia palliata, attached to the shell inhabited 

 by the Hermit Crab, Pagurus Prideauxii. Large quantities of the 

 nests of Lima hyans, with the mollusc inside, with several 

 species of star-fish, were found. 



PAPERS READ. 



Mr. R. H. Paterson read a short paper on the " Metamorphosis 

 of Plants." He divided metamorphosis into two classes, viz., 

 Regular and Irregular. Regular or progressive metamorphosis is 

 that which is observed constantly and gradually at work, from the 

 development of the first seed leaves to the formation of the fruit, 

 reaching higher and higher like the steps of a ladder through a 

 series of changes to that crowning aim of nature, the propagation of 

 plants by means of male and female organs. Irregular or retro- 

 gressive metamorphosis, on the other hand, is growing in a backward 

 direction, for example, in the metamorphosis of a stamen into a 

 petal. Here nature seems to relax and to leave her work in an 



