SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE, DECEMBER 8. 



CCXXV 



Scientific Committee, December 8, 1908. 



Mr. E. A. Bowles, M.A., F.L.S., in the Chair, and eleven members 



present. 



Eggs of earthworm. — Mr. Saunders, F.L.S., showed some of the egg 

 capsules of the earthworm — small, roundish or ovoid sacs of a yellowish- 

 white colour, each containing a few fertile eggs. 



Grease bands.. — Mr. Voss, F.C.S., again showed a grease band taken 

 from the same tree as that shown at the last meeting. A few male and 

 female specimens of Cheimatobia brumata had been captured during the 

 past fortnight. 



Proliferation in Pear. — Mr.Worsdell, F.L.S., showed a Pear having a 

 second Pear developed from the apex just within the calyx. 



Bhizophores of Selaginella. — Mr. Worsdell also showed specimens of 

 Selaginella inaequifolia having rhizophores developed into leafy shoots. 

 In this species the rhizophores are dark brown, and are borne normally at 

 the fork of the stem, one on the upper and one on the under surface. 

 In several instances in the specimens shown the rhizophores had become 

 changed into leafy shoots, sometimes partially, sometimes entirely. Mr. 

 Worsdell said this could be induced if the two branches of the forked stem 

 are cut off just above their place of origin in their young state. In some 

 plants of S. Martensii at Kew growing in a pan, those parts which were 

 moist bore rhizophores in the normal manner, while in the upper part 

 where the atmosphere was drier, instead of rhizophores, leafy shoots had 

 developed. 



Sta?nens of Orchids variable in number. — Mr. Fawcett showed draw- 

 ings of the orchid Eindendrum Ottonis made from plants occurring wild 

 in Jamaica. The flowers always there have three stamens while in 

 Trinidad five stamens are developed in the same species, and in Venezuela 

 the structure, according to Reichenbach, is normal. 



Raisins. — Mr. Bennett-Poe, V.M.H., showed a portion of a bunch 

 of excellent Raisins. Last year (1907) two bunches of Black Muscat 

 " Mrs. Pince " had been placed in bottles in a dark cupboard. They 

 had been forgotten, but were found in November of this year, when it was 

 seen that each of the stems had sent out roots, which had died, owing to 

 the subsequent drying up of the water. The Grapes had dried up and 

 become converted into Raisins of excellent appearance and flavour. 



Nerine hybrids. — Mr. Worsley showed inflorescences of two Nerines 

 to illustrate the fact that Nerine tardiflora is a hybrid, having N. flexuosa 

 var. pulchella as one of its parents. He also showed part of the scape of 

 a Marica, on which numerous small plants had developed, and stated 

 that plants raised from these buds took longer to arrive at a flowering 

 stage than those of the same species raised from seed. In some species 

 of Marica, however, there is no retardation of flowering following- 

 vegetative reproduction. 



Interesting orchids. — Mr. Moore, Y.M.H., of Glasnevin, sent two very 

 interesting Orchids, Arachnanthe Lowii and Angraccum caudatuvi. In 

 the former the first three or four flowers of the very long inflorescence 

 are somewhat smaller and of a quite different colour from those of the 



