376 



The Scottish Naturalist. 



of instructions in botany is given in a series of lectures, illustrated 

 by diagrams and freshly-gathered specimens of wild plants. At 

 the last of the course of lectures for this session some particulars 

 about the getting up of the " Flora of Renfrewshire," a work which, 

 it is hoped, will be in the hands of the public by next spring, were 

 .given. 



A report of the work of the class during the session was given 

 which showed that up to the present there had been twenty-eight 

 excursions in connection with it, none of which, notwithstanding 

 the wet season, had proved a failure. 



Mr. Taylor, it was intimated, re-opens the practical agriculture 

 chemistry classes in the hall in September. 



KUTHEKGLEU NATUEALISTS' SOCIETY. 



THE monthly meeting of the above Society took place in the 

 Guild Room, Parish Church Halls, on Monday evening, 

 2nd June, when a paper was read by Mr. John Torrance of Cam- 

 buslang on the " Dispersion of Seeds." In his opening remarks 

 Mr. Torrance said that the study of fruits and seeds was quite as 

 interesting as that of flowers, although they lacked the brilliancy ot 

 colouring and texture usually found in flowers. The proper dis- 

 persion of the seeds seemed of supreme moment to the plant ; 

 and when we considered that the existence of plant-life to a cer- 

 tain extent depended on the seeds being carried to a district differ- 

 ent from that of the parent we could form an idea of the import- 

 ance of this subject. Mr. Torrance then spoke of the dispersion 

 of seeds under the following means : — i. By wind currents ; 2. 

 by water and ocean currents ; 3. by birds ; 4. by animals and in- 

 sects ; 5. by mechanical means ; and 6. by hygroscopical means. 

 The paper was illustrated by diagrams ; and, when treating the 

 last section, Mr. Torrance showed that, by means of heat and 

 moisture, certain classes of seeds assumed a very lively and ani- 

 mated appearance. 



GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OP GLASGOW. 



ANEW part of the Transactions of the Society is in the press 

 and will be issued early in the forthcoming session. It 

 will contain a number of papers on local geology by Professor T. 

 Rupert Jones, . Emeritus Professor Foster Heddle, Mr. John 



