148 Archceologia. 



sensitiveness. The petioles remained straight, and the leaflets 

 continued open. 



These fresh experiments came in aid of others which, have 

 been made on the same subject, and supply an argument in 

 favour of those who consider the movements observed in 

 these plants to be produced by the operation of organs analo- 

 gous to those which animals possess. 



ARCH^OLOGIA. 



The past month has witnessed the congresses, or annual meetings, 

 of the three great ARCHiEOLOGiCAL associated bodies, the British 

 Archaeological Association, the Archaeological Institute (the branch, 

 or rather division, from the former), and the Cambrian Archaeolo- 

 gical Association, which was formed on the model of the first. We 

 have stated, on a former occasion, that the three Associations had, 

 quite unknown to each other, selected the same place of meeting, 

 Hereford, for the present year ; but that, as the Cambrian Associa- 

 tion, by the prior publication of its claim, had secured the right to 

 Hereford, the two others were obliged to seek their fortunes else- 

 where. The British Archaeological Association announced its in- 

 tention of meeting at Ludlow, in Shropshire ; and its congress was 

 accordingly held during the week, from the 29th of July to the 3rd 

 of August, under the presidency of Sir Charles H. Rous Boughton, 

 Bart., of Downton Hall, near Ludlow — an old member, and one of 

 the Vice-Presidents of the Association. The Archaeological Insti- 

 tute (very unadvisedly, we think) chose to meet at Hull during 

 the same week which had been previously chosen for the meeting of 

 the older body, the British Archaeological Association. The Cam- 

 brian Association met at Hereford from Monday, August 12th, to 

 Saturday, August 17th, under the presidency of Lord Saye and 

 Sele, who was compelled, by unavoidable causes, to depute his 

 authority to the Rev. Archer Clive, of Whitfield. As a tolerably 

 numerous meeting, which everybody enjoyed, and which gave 

 satisfaction to all concerned in it, that of the Archaeological Asso- 

 ciation appears to have been the most successful. It may be ques- 

 tioned if any one of these meetings has added to our archaeological 

 knowledge, or even if such meetings generally have that effect ; 

 but they are pleasant reunions, in which people who are more or 

 less attached to the same pursuits meet and commune together. 

 They have the tendency, perhaps, to make people talk on antiquities 

 instead of studying them, or rather before studying ; but this in- 

 convenience is somewhat compensated by the circumstance that 

 they excite a local feeling of interest in the numerous monuments 

 of antiquity which still exist, and many of which have been exposed to 

 the risk of destruction through local ignorance. 



The meeting of the Cambrian Association was made the occasion 



