42 



The Naturylist. 



Glasgow Field Naturalists' 

 Society. — On Tuesday evening, 

 August I7th, the Society held its 

 usual fortnightly meeting in the 

 Andersonian University, when Mr. 

 James Allan, vice-president, occu- 

 pied the chair. In his report con- 

 cerning the very pleasant and pro- 

 fitable excursion to Ben Voirlich, 

 Dr. Stirton said that he had found 

 a lichen never before observed in 

 this country, but which had yet to 

 be named. He will exhibit it at a 

 future meeting. Mr. Watt discov- 

 ered the rare Sihhaldia procumhens 

 on the mountain. The following 

 scarce plants found in this locality 

 should be recorded :—Luzula spicata, 

 Cerastium alpinum, Lycopodium 

 annotinum, Aspidium Lonchitis 

 (previously recorded, but very rare), 

 the moss Gampylopus Schwarzii (first 

 found there), and Dydymodon dal- 

 deana. Glacial markings were very 

 plainly seen on the boulders of the 

 hill, and especially on those on the 

 side of Loch Sloy. Mr. Noble 

 exhibited a variety of shells from 

 Moreton Bay, Queensland ; and 

 Mr. King, marine shells from Rio 

 de Janeiro and Valparaiso, also a 

 collection of butterflies and beetles 

 from Chili. Mr. Patterson laid 

 upon the table the rare bird's nest 

 fungus Clathrus cancellatus from 

 the south of Ireland. This is the 

 first time it has been found in 

 Britain. A similar species is found 

 in New Zealand. He also exhibited 

 a number of scarce plants from the 

 Gareloch, among which may be 

 named Lathroea squamaria. Mr. 

 Kenwick showed the small plant 

 Malaxis paludosa, which he found 

 at Lochwinnoch. It has not been 



previously reported from that dis- 

 trict. Mr. M 'Kay laid before the 

 meeting an interesting series of 

 rare British plants. The next 

 excursion was announced to take 

 place on August 28th to Kilsyth 

 Glen. 



Meeting, 31st August, Mr. Jas. 

 Allan, vice-president, in the chair. 

 The chairman gave an account of 

 the excursion to Kilsyth Glen on 

 the previous Saturday. He stated 

 that no flowering plants worth 

 recording had been found, but that 

 Asplenium viride had been got in 

 considerable abundance. — Mr. R. 

 H. Paterson reported that he had 

 found the very rare fungus Coprinus 

 Hendersonii at this excursion. He 

 exhibited a collection of fac-similes 

 of ferns and club-mosses printed 

 from the plants themselves. He 

 also mentioned that he had found 

 the fungus Saprolegnia ferax grow- 

 ing on a fresh-water snail Limnma 

 peregra. This is a curious example 

 of what may be called an amphi- 

 bious fungus, as it is quite undis- 

 tinguishable from Sporendonema 

 muscoe, the fungus which grows on 

 and is supposed to cause the death 

 of the common house-fly. — Mr. 

 Alexander Macindoe reported the 

 following plants from the neighbour- 

 hood of Maryhill :— Lychnis Githago, 

 Linum usitatissimum, Cichorium 

 Intyhus, and Sisymhrium Sophia. — 

 Mr. W. J. Milligan then read a 

 paper on " The Theory of Sponta- 

 neous Generation." 



GooLE Scientific Society. — 

 The September excursion of this 

 Society was made on the 11th of 



