SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE, MAECH 19. xxix 



seeds of the former are of a blue-green colour, and have a metallic 

 lustre, being similar in form and appearance to some of the tropical 

 Buprestideae, and the latter red and black, mocking in appearance some 

 of the Coccinellidae. The marked likeness to these beetles was thought 

 to be possibly connected with the distribution of the seeds by birds who 

 might be deceived into carrying them some distance before they found 

 their mistake. 



Fungus on Oak. — Mr. Douglas, V.M.H., showed dead branches from 

 oak trees in the neighbourhood of Great Bookham covered with a parasitic 

 fungus. Mr. Douglas said that large numbers of oak branches were being 

 killed by the fungus. 



Malformed Gypripedium. — Mr. Douglas also drew attention to a 

 flower of Gypripedium Dayanum in which the dorsal and one of the 

 lateral sepals were coherent, showing a normal flower for comparison 

 with it. 



Malformed Cyclamen. — Dr. Masters showed a malformed Cyclamen 

 flower sent by Mr. Pettigrew which had an adventitious bud in the axil 

 of one of the sepals, a not uncommon malformation in flowers of the 

 Cyclamen. 



Lenticels in Laburnum. — Professor Henslow showed a piece of the 

 bark of Laburnum, and drew attention to the enormous number of 

 lenticels present in that plant, particularly in the inner bark. 



Cabbage in Patagonia. — Professor Henslow also showed a specimen of 

 Brassica oleracea collected by Charles Darwin at Port Desire in Patagonia 

 when on his memorable journey, and others collected on the Kentish 

 coast of the same species. It would be interesting to know how that 

 species came to be growing in Patagonia so long ago. 



Cotyledon macrantha (Berger). — A specimen of this fine plant shown 

 by Sir Trevor Lawrence was discussed, and Dr. Masters promised to 

 examine it and report further upon it at the next meeting. 



Diseased Gladiohts Corms. — Some diseased Gladiolus corms of the 

 variety 1 Princeps,' imported from America in 1905, having the interior 

 partly eaten away and so injured that after lifting the corms rot completely 

 away, were received. Mr. Giissow reported that he found they were 

 attacked by the fungus Botrytis parasitica, a common fungus on certain 

 bulbous plants. The flies that had been noticed in the corms had 

 evidently been attracted by the decaying tissues, and were feeding upon 

 those. 



Scientific Committee, Maech 19, 1907. 



The late Dr. M. T. Masters, F.R.S., in the Chair, and twelve other 

 members present, and Messrs. J. Burtt-Davy, of the Transvaal, and 

 B. James, of British Guiana, visitors. 



Spots on Rhododendron Leaves. — Mr. Saunders, F.L.S., reported that 

 he had carefully examined the rhododendron leaves shown at the last 

 meeting, but had been unsuccessful in detecting any cause for the holes 

 and notches in them. " Leaves of various plants with very similar per- 

 forations &c. are frequently passing through my hands, and they have 

 often been before the Scientific Committee, but I have never been able 



