Wright— Hyalonema Lusitanica, Bocage. 549 
Decemher, 1872. 
Bar. 
Ther., 
max. 
Ther., 
min. 
Mean. 
Humidity. 
Rain. 
Sat., 14, 
29-629 
44-0 
40-0 
42-0 
•843 
•135 
Sun., 15, 
29838 
43-2 
35-8 
40-1 
•945 
•008 
MoN., 16, 
29-561 
46-0 
34-8 
40-4 
•956 
•970 
From this it appears that the barometer rose on Sunday, while the 
humidity of the air was notably iDcreased, The afternoon of Sunday 
was also very clear. These circumstances were favourable to abnormal 
phenomena of refraction. On Monday, the thick fog and heavy rain, 
which was collected to the amoant of nearly an inch, were probably 
produced by the precipitation of the excessive vapour held in invisible 
suspension by the air at the time the inverted halo was seen. 
Ltjistar Kainbow. 
On I^ovember 29, 1873, at about 35 minutes after 7 p.m., a lunar 
rainbow was observed at Sandymount. It occupied the northern portion 
of the sky, which was clouded, and it appeared to stretch from a little 
below Ringsend towards the north part of Dublin. The prismatic 
colours were unusually well exhibited, showing that it must have been 
produced by a shower made up of large rain-drops. The whole day 
was warm and showery, with strong gusts of wind from the west. At 
the time this phenomenon was seen, a slight shower was falling, and 
the moon was bright, although only between half and three-quarters. 
In this instance the rainbow lasted about ten minutes. I have been 
informed that a similar lunar rainbow was seen on the same evening, 
at a somewhat earlier hour, from Eooterstown. 
The mean temperature (52°) and humidity of the air (-935) were 
abnormally high on the 28th, both had decreased on the 29th. The 
mean temperature of Eriday was 2° higher than the mean annual tem- 
perature for Dublin. 
LI. — Report on the Structure and Mode of Lipe op Hyalonema 
LUSPiANiCA BocAGK. By Edward Perceval Wright, M. A., M. D., 
P.E. C. S.I., E.L. S., Professor of Botany in the University of 
Dublin. 
[Read January 27tli, 1873.] 
While on my way to the Seychelles Islands, in April, 1867, 
my friend. Dr. J. E. Gray, slis^ed me in the British Museum 
a very beautiful specimen of the species of Hyalonema, called 
a. lusitanica, by Professor Barboza du Bocage, which was said to 
have been taken off the coast of Portugal, near Setubal. This 
new species had been described by Professor Bocage some three 
