REPORT FOR THE YEAR 1869. 
By the Curator. 
In sending out this Report of the Botanical Exchange Club, I must 
offer au apology to the members for its very late appearance. The parcels 
were received by me from Mr. Baker in the end of January. At that 
time the recent sudden death of Mr. J. E. Sowerby, who had had 
charge of the plates for the third edition of ‘ English Botany,’ had 
brought upon me a large addition to my usual labours in connection 
with that work, which greatly delayed the examination and redistribu- 
tion of the club parcels ; but I can assure the members of the club 
that I have not altogether sacrificed their convenience to the claims of 
‘ English Botany,’ for as yet I have not found time to write the de- 
scription of a single grass for the concluding volume of the book. 
Thalictrum minus , L., maritimum. I have sent to all the mem- 
bers desiring it specimens of the flower and fruit of this plant, collected 
at Kirkcaldy, Fife. In the third edition of ‘ English Botany ’ I divided 
T. minus, L., into T. eu-minus (with two varieties, maritimum and 
montanum ) and T. jiexuosum, Bernh. This is certainly wrong ; T. 
maritimum , T. montanum, and T. jiexuosum must stand in the same 
rank. Whether they should be considered as subspecies or as varie- 
ties, is a question I do not yet feel able to determine. T. maritimum 
I have in cultivation, both from roots and from seed. I should feel 
much obliged to botanists who would furnish me with ripe seed of T. 
montanum and T. jiexuosum, which, I may mention, must, to ensure 
germination, be sown in the same autumn in which it ripens. 
Ranunculus peltatus, Fries, form approaching R. pseudo -jluitans, 
Bab. A few specimens were sent to those supposed to be interested in 
Batrachian Ranunculi, which I believe to show a transition from one 
form into the other. They were collected in a rapid stream running 
into Loch Leven, a little to the north of the South Queich river. At the 
