BKISTOL NATURALISTS' SOCIETY 
SECTIONAL MEETINGS. 
> 
[Fmn the Bristol Daily Post, January 22nd, 1866.] 
Botanical Section, Decembkr 22 — Tbe Presidenf, 
Mr. L^ipner, ocoupied the chair. Ttie subject selected for 
discusaioa was "Vegetable Ripbidep, or tniaute crystals of 
llimeia tbe tissues of plants." Tbe President said that 
jraphides were formerly thought to be only concretionary 
Iformations, arising from decay or death in the part where 
they were found, but that, recently, from the researches of 
Professor Lindley and others, they bad begun to attract in- 
creased attention, abd to assume a far more important posi- 
tion in the vegetable economy, from the fact that they were 
found of the same appearance in alli Imts of certain orders, 
and were always absent in others, thus appearing to furnish 
another link fer the cla«sificarion of plants where the cha- 
racteristics might be otherwise doubtful or confused, in 
this way the similarity between tbe vine and ivy tribes 
might be peen. Riphides consisted of oxalic, phosphoric, 
or other organic acid, in combination with lime, and were 
sotretimes met wirti in great abundance, at others but 
sparingly. ArtiScial raphides had been formed in the tissues 
of rice-paper, soaked in lime water, by forcing oxalic acid 
ira by means of the air-pura p. It was very rarely that more than 
one sort of raphides had been found in tbe same plant, but 
Mr. Leipner exhibited the section of an endogenous stem 
which contained two quite distinct forms. Sometimes they 
were arranged very regularly, as in the crocus, where tbey 
ran in parallel lines. Mr. A. J. Parker, jan., had found 
raphides of a brick shape in the caticle of the onion. Mr, 
Coarbonnier showed preparations from garlic and Turkey 
rhubarb, where they were very abundant, and consisted of 
prisms collected into etar-shaped masses ; also needla- 
shaped crystals from the sepals of the fuschia. Mr. 
Yabbicom exhibited raphides from the roet of tbe Turkey 
rbubirb and the bulb of tbe hyacinth, where they were seen 
as long needle-shaped prisms; Cascarilla bark occurring in 
the shape of rhomboid platep, and Cinchona bark in cubical 
masses. Among the woody fibre of tbe stems of the fuschia 
they were found abundantly, of the same appearance as 
those before-mentioned, which were very similar to some 
shown from the pith of the vine. la the leaves of 
Agapanthus umbellatus, the hyacinth and aloe, they occurred 
of the needle form, those from the old leaves of the latter 
plant being very large. In the cactus they were so abundant 
as to cover the section of the leaf with a white powder, 
which was seen with the microscope to consist of quad- 
rangular prisms collected in masses. It was mentioned that 
some spfcies of cactus were so laden with raphides as to 
make the plant quite brittle. 
Geological Section. — As the evening for this section 
fell in Christnaas week, the meeting was postponed for a 
month. 
Entomological Section, January 9.— Mr, John Bolt 
in the chair. After the minutes of tbe last meeting had been 
read and confirmed, the members present, in accordance with 
rule 3 of the section, proceeded to elect a president and hon. 
secretary for the ensuing year. Mr. Stephen Barton was 
re-elected president, and Mr. Geo. Harding, jun., secretary. 
The secretary then read tbe accounts of the section for the 
previous year, showing a small balance due to him. 
Chemical and PiioroGRAriiic Section, January 10. — 
Dr. W. B. Herapatb, F.R.S,, in the chair. After passing the 
accounts for 1865, the meeting proceeded to ballot for the 
officers of the section for the ensuing year. Mr. Alfred 
Noble "was elected bon. secretary, and Mr, P. J. Worsley, 
F.C.S., president. Mr. W. L. Carpenter proposed a vote of 
thanks to the retiring officers, and Dr, Herapatb, in vacating 
