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of real interest to say on astronomy, he does not communicate it to the 
Society specially devoted to astronomy, but to the Royal Society. If half- 
a-dozen students of astronomy would resolutely, and for a good while 
together, stand by the Astronomical Society, sending abstracts only of their 
results to the Royal Society, astronomy would gain largely ; but we fear 
there is no chance of this, the mischief which exists being itself the cause 
of the continuance of a mischievous system. 
The Planet Saturn. — This planet will be in opposition to the sun on 
August 16th. 
Annular JEclipse of the Sun. — There will be an annular eclipse of the sun 
on September 29, visible as a partial eclipse (between llh. 25m. and 12h. 47m. 
at Greenwich), only 119 thousandths of the sun’s diameter being concealed. 
BOTANY AND VEGETABLE PHYSIOLOGY. 
The Lecytlvidacece. — Professor Asa Gray, in noticing the large memoir on. 
this subject which the Linnsean Society has recently issued, says (“ Silliman’s 
American Journal ”) that it is a splendid memoir, of 64 pages and 33 plates, 
large quarto, forming the second part of the 30th volume of the a Transac- 
tions of the Linnsean Society,” 1874, a wonderful piece of work for a man 
of Mr. Miers’ great age. He proposes to restore the Lecythidese or Lecythi- 
dacese as an independent order. The plates illustrate the floral structure of 
the twelve genera which the author recognises, and the fruits of most of 
them. It is a remarkably interesting group, consisting of huge trees, all 
tropical American, with singular flowers and large woody fruits, a sort of 
pyxis, containing numerous nut-like seeds, of which Brazil-nuts (from Ber- 
tholletia excelsa ) and Sapucaia-nuts (f:om a species of Lecythis) are well- 
known examples. Few botanists have had the opportunity of properly 
studying these noble plants, and no one has devoted to them so much atten- 
tion as the veteran Miers. 
The different Parts of a Floral Whorl , which are by no means well put for- 
ward in our text-books, have been recently pretty fairly put before the 
reader. Dr. Eichler, of Kiel, has (according to u The Academy,” May 8) 
recently published the first part of a work entitled “ Bliithendiagramme,” 
in which he illustrates the inflorescence and flowers of all the monocotyle- 
donous and dialypetalous dicotyledonous families of which he has been able 
to examine sufficient material. The actual and theoretical diagrams of most 
of the different modifications of arrangement are given, and botanists will 
find it a very useful book ; but in its German form it must remain unintelli- 
gible to many. The theoretical diagrams of many of the monocotyledonous 
families, such as the Graminese, Cyperacese, Centrolepidese, &c., are very 
interesting, and in all cases there are copious references to existing literature. 
To complete the symmetry of the flowers of some groups involves much 
labour ; hence it is not surprising that there are many blanks, and that much 
diversity of opinion still prevails regarding the nature of some structures. 
The relative dignity, as it is termed, of the different organs of a flower is. 
