Botanical Society of Edinburgh, 



71 



they were much more easily arranged on the drying- paper. Mr. 

 Evans observed, that while he and his friend, in pursuing this 

 method, were guided almost entirely by the nature of the plants 

 subjected to the process, they considered from twenty to thirty 

 seconds a medium time to keep " Or chides " and other plants of a 

 robust and fleshy nature in the water, which was always kept boil- 

 ing ; while a mere dip was found sufficient for those of more delicate 

 structure. He is, however, of opinion that the success of their 

 method is not to be entirely attributed either to the temperature of 

 the water used, or the exact time the plants are kept in it, but de- 

 pends much on the frequent changing, for some time, of the paper 

 in which they are afterwards placed ; as unless this is strictly at- 

 tended to, the specimens will be speedily destroyed by the great 

 quantity of water with which they are at first surrounded. It has 

 been recommended, as a means of freeing the plants from external 

 moisture, before placing them in the drying-paper, to press them 

 gently between cloths ; and this he considers beneficial for plants of 

 a robust nature, but rather injurious to the more delicate ones, — to 

 these he merely gives a gentle shake, but changes the paper sooner 

 about them than the others. Mr. Evans concluded by observing 

 that, besides the utility of this method for retaining the colour of the 

 leaves of such plants as naturally become black in drying, it will be 

 found serviceable in preserving the blue colour of the corollas of 

 Campanulas and some other plants, which rather incline to turn 

 white. 



The specimens exhibited by Mr. Evans in illustration of his suc- 

 cess were most beautiful, the colour being in almost all of them 

 perfectly retained ; and to show that it was their previous immersion 

 in hot water which had effected this object, he had purposely kept 

 some portions of them out of the water, and in such instances only 

 the immersed parts had retained their natural colour. 



2. Notice relative to certain Species found in the Parish of Alvah, 

 Banffshire, with a List of Plants observed in that Parish, by the 

 Rev. A. Dodds. Communicated by Mr. W. A. Stables. — The chief 

 interest of this paper arose from the contrast which it presented be- 

 tween the south and north parts of Scotland in regard to the occur- 

 rence and comparative frequency of several species ; the recent occur- 

 rence of some which have now become generally disseminated, to the 

 farmer's great annoyance, such as Senecio Jacobcea, and the gradual 

 disappearance of others which were formerly common, as Arctium 

 Lappa, &c. 



3. Description, with Drawing, of a Vegetable found on the Gills and 

 Fins of a Goldfish, by Mr. Goodsir. — In this interesting paper Mr. 

 Goodsir gave a minute description of the parasite, explaining prac- 

 tically its form, structure, and mode of fructification, &c. ; but the 

 fish having died during its conveyance to town, and putrefaction 

 having commenced before he saw it, his observations were necessa- 

 rily imperfect on some points which he had felt anxious to illustrate. 

 Professor Christison stated, that above a year ago he had noticed a 

 similar parasite on a goldfish, which was entirely covered with it as 



