Lumcean Society. 



229 



specimen of that species preserved in the Linnaean Herbarium, and 

 was seen to differ only in the greater length of the articulations. 

 The under surface of the mass was of a bright green colour, but the 

 upper surface was white from the effects of direct exposure to the 

 air and light, which had caused the death of the plant at that part. 



Read, a continuation of Mr. Smith's "Arrangement of the Genera 

 of Ferns." 



April 21. — The Lord Bishop of Norwich, President, in the Chair. 



Read, a paper by John Blackwall, Esq., F.L.S., entitled " The 

 Difference in the Number of Eyes with which Spiders are provided, 

 proposed as the Basis of their distribution into Tribes ; with the 

 characters of a new Family and three new Genera of Spiders." 



Mr. Blackwall begins by stating his objections to the bases of ar- 

 rangement adopted by MM. Walckenaer and Dufour in the subdi- 

 vision of the order Araneidea, and proceeds to give his reasons for 

 preferring a division founded on the number of eyes ; in conformity 

 with which he proposes three tribes, viz. 1. Octonoculata; 2. Senocu- 

 lina ; 3. Binoculina. 



In the first tribe he proposes three new genera, two of them be- 

 longing to a family which he characterizes under the name of Cini- 

 fioridce : these genera he also characterizes under the names of Ciniflo, 

 founded on the Clubiona atrox of Latreille, and Operaria, compri- 

 sing the Theridion benignum, Walck., Drassus exiguus, Blackw., and 

 Drassus viridissimus , Walck. The third genus characterized by Mr. 

 Blackwall, is referred by him to the family of Agelenidae, under the 

 name of Cavator : it is founded on the Clubiona saxatilis, Blackw. 



May 5. — The Lord Bishop of Norwich, President, in the Chair. 



Read, " Additional Observations on some Plants allied to the 

 natural order Burmanniacese." By John Miers, Esq., F.L.S. 



These observations have reference chiefly to the relative position 

 of the parts of the flower in the tribe of plants above-mentioned. 

 The author remarks, that the stamina, placentae, and stigmata in 

 these plants, are disposed in the same line, and opposite the inner 

 series of the perianthium. The placentae are always invariably 

 double ; and the stigmata in such cases as the present are to be re- 

 garded as being made up of the confluent margins of the two ad- 

 joining carpel-leaves, as suggested by Mr. Brown in his learned 

 Memoir on Cyrtandrece lately published. 



May 25. — The Lord Bishop of Norwich, President, in the Chair. 



This day, the Anniversary of the birth-day of Linnaeus, and that 

 appointed in the Charter for the election of Council and Officers ; 

 the President opened the business of the meeting, and in stating the 

 number of Members whom the Society had lost during the past 

 year, gave the following notices of some of them : — 



George, Duke of Marlborough, one of the Honorary Members, was 

 distinguished for his botanical taste, and for his zeal in the cultiva- 

 tion of exotic plants ; and the magnificent collection formed by him 

 at White Knights was long one of the finest in this country, both in 



