SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE, SEPTEMBEE 28. 



ccxxiii 



• Giant PuffbalL— From 0. C. Paine, Esq., of Haverstock Hill, N.W., 

 came a specimen of the giant Puffball {Ly coper don Bovista), having a 

 circumference of 38f in. 



Museum preparations. — Dr. Voelcker showed a human heart set up 

 as a museum preparation, which without dissection showed the whole of 

 its structure. The liquid in which it was preserved was a mixture of 

 various ethers, &c, and portions were rendered transparent owing to the 

 refractive index of the liquid being the same as that of the material pre- 

 served. The discovery of this preservative was due to Dr. Spalterholz, 

 and it promises to be of great use in preparing museum specimens. 



Forms of Impatiens Boylei. — Mr. Bowles showed a white-flowered 

 form of Impatiens Boylei. It is rather smaller than the type, and has 

 paler, narrower leaves. He also showed a variegated form which had 

 appeared in his garden among seedlings of I. Boylei var. pallidiflora, 

 (" Botanical Magazine," t. 7647). The seedling had shown the variega- 

 tion, and it had been maintained throughout the life of the plant. 



Linaria maroccana sport. — Mr. Bowles also showed a sport of 

 Linaria maroccana with the corolla split to the base and without spurs, 

 which had occurred in his garden. The flowers failed to produce seed, 

 the ovary being absent. 



Narcissus Tazetta var. — He also showed leaves of a form of Narcissus 

 Tazetta, which had persisted until the present time. They were quite 

 green and healthy-looking, and about 18 in. in length. 



Furcate inflorescence in Typha angustifolia. — Mr. E. Hooper Pearson 

 exhibited a specimen of Typha angustifolia, received from Lord Avebury, 

 in whose garden at High Elms, in Kent, the plant was growing. The 

 stem showed a slight fasciation, and it bore at the top four inflorescences 

 as shown in fig. 140. Fasciation appears to be very uncommon in the 

 genus. A somewhat similar specimen was shown from Mr. T. Smith, of 

 Newry, in 1901 (see Journal B.H.S. xxvi. p. ccxii.). 



Solanine in Solanum nigrum. — The following communication was 

 read by Mr. Holmes, F.L.S. : " Solanum nigrum is included amongst 

 poisonous plants in works of toxicology, but cases of poisoning by it are 

 rare, and relate chiefly to children ; but its active principle, solanine, 

 undoubtedly possesses poisonous properties in large doses. Solanine was 

 originally discovered by Desfosses, of Besancon, in 1821, in the berries of 

 Solanum nigrum; and to it and to atropine, possessing mydriatic pro- 

 perties, its physiological effects are believed to be due. Solanine also 

 occurs in young sprouts of the Potato, in Tomatos, and other species of 

 Solanum. S. nigrum contains about 0*3 per cent, of solanine. Mature 

 healthy Potatos are said to contain none, but Kassner separated 30 to 

 50 milligrammes from 150 grammes of diseased Potatos. Orfila found 

 that the extract of Solanum nigrum had a very feeble effect as a poison, 

 but rabbits are killed by doses of 0*1 grain of solanine per kilogramme 

 of weight of the animal. The symptoms commence in ten minutes, with 

 apathy, low temperature, and slow breathing ; convulsions set in before 

 death, and the pupils become dilated. Dogs are not easily affected by it, 

 as it is usually rejected by vomiting. Blyth, in 'Poisons: their Effects 

 and Detection,' p. 398, remarks : ' Poisoning in all recorded cases (i.e. in 

 cases of accidental poisoning of human beings) has not been by the pure 



