Botanical Society of London. 149 



Meyen in respect to Euastrum and Closterium ; that the mere dis- 

 solution from some of these lower beings of moving sporules, or at 

 least mobile portions capable of increase of form and size, is not a 

 proof of the animal condition of the parent bearing them, because from 

 the observations of Vaucher, Lamoureux, Montaigne, and especially 

 the younger Agardh, we may safely conclude that the sporules of a 

 very great many Alga, when ripe, are endowed with the faculty of 

 locomotion ; and that this not only takes place when such portions 

 become freed from the mother plant, but in some cases also whilst 

 they are within the interior of the cellules ; also, that the fact of lo- 

 comotion is not a proof at this low extremity of the scale of animal 

 conditions, as we know that it takes place in structures allowed by 

 Ehrenberg himself to be of vegetable nature, such as the Oscillatorias 

 and Zygnemas ; and that Ehrenberg's opinion, that the motion seen 

 taking place in Oscillatoria is caused by rapid growth of the fila- 

 ments, formation of gemmse, and stimulus of light, is ably and suffi- 

 ciently disproved by the experiments of Capt. Carmichael ; and also, 

 that as we cannot in the present state of our knowledge say that the 

 attainment of a particular result from the occurrence of motion, as 

 more apparently ensues in the Naviculas than in the Oscillatorias, is 

 indicative of animal conditions, because result or purpose attained is 

 equally observable in the movements of Zygnema or even in Vallis- 

 neria, and the motions of many irritable stamens ; it seems to be 

 highly probable, that many of these almost invisible organisms 

 hitherto freely yielded up by the botanist to the zoologist, must not 

 be considered as indisputable claims for such distinction, although 

 they may not appear at once so decidedly vegetable as do Diatoma, 

 Fragillaria, Desmidium, Closterium and others. 



The paper was concluded with some remarks on the genus Navi- 

 cula, and illustrated with specimens under the microscope of the va- 

 rious genera, together with a series of diagrams. 



April 3.— J. E. Gray, Esq., F.R.S., &c, President, in the Chair. 



The Secretary announced a donation of a very extensive collec- 

 tion of Foreign Plants, presented by Mr. Emerson through Mr. John 

 Morris. A paper was read from Mr. Riley of Papplewick, Notts, 

 being introductory to a series, which will form a popular " Mono- 

 graph on Ferns." 



June 5th. — D. C. Macreight, M.D., V.P., in the Chair. 

 A donation of American Plants from Dr. Gavin Watson of Phila- 

 delphia, U. S. was announced. Mr. Tatham, of Settle, Yorkshire, 

 presented specimens of Dryas Octopetala obtained from the hills in 

 that neighbourhood. Mr. H. M. Holman, of Reigate, Surrey, for- 

 warded living specimens for distribution of the rarer plants of that 

 locality, comprising Acer as anthropophora, Ophrys muscifera, Os- 

 munda regalis, &c. &c. A paper was read, being Part 3. of a Mono- 

 graph of Ferns. It comprised a description of the British species 

 individually ; the remarks being the result of many years personal 

 experience, the author having cultivated every British species side 



