14 MEETINGS." 



but it was simply called " Colombier." Some seem to think 

 it was a place of refuge, but a circular tower, 19 feet inside, 

 could not have held many people for any length, of time. 

 Others suggest it being a land mark. It could only be seen 

 from L'Eree Fort and Lihou Island, looking up the Valley 

 from Rocquaine, a very small radius of sight. There is one 

 thing strange about it, viz., that the owner cannot remove 

 the ruin, so from this fact Government might have a right 

 to the building and ground on which it stands. If so, surely 

 there must be some official papers in the States Office. 



J. James Carey. 



REPORT OF THE BOTANICAL SECTION. 



In Field Botany the year has been somewhat uneventful, 

 only four new species having been added to the list, one of 

 these, Aquilegia vulgaris, being probably a garden escape j 

 the other three are, however, of some interest. Primula veris 

 has long been known to occur here, but owing to its scarcity 

 and the secluded spots it favours it has not, until now, been 

 shown to the Society and placed on the list. Anthrisats 

 sylvestris is one of the few very common English plants which 

 are conspicuous by their absence here. It has been recorded 

 three times only for the Channel Islands. Datura stramonium 

 is interesting as belonging to the group of medicinal and 

 mostly poisonous plants, of which Atropa belladonna and 

 Hyoscyamus niger are familiar examples. These appear to 

 have been largely cultivated by the inmates of religious houses 

 in medieval times, and generally occur in the neighbourhood 

 of their ruins. In this instance the plant first found near 

 l'Ancresse Lodge was afterwards traced by Mr. Hocart to the 

 site of St. Michael's Priory. 



Excursions. — The section was represented at 14 out of 

 20 of the excursions organised by the Society, and made one 

 sectional excursion to Fort Doyle on June 4th. 



Herbarium. — The four new species added to the list 

 this year brings the total number recorded up to 718 ; of these 

 631 are now in the herbarium, leaving some 85 to be collected. 

 Special efforts will be made to procure as many of these as 

 possible during the coming season. 



The 631 specimens referred to above have been mounted 

 and arranged in proper order in cases provided by the Society, 

 and were deposited in the Society's room in May last. A 

 sectional meeting was held on Monday last in order to examine 

 their condition, when they were found to be slightly mouldy 



