268 
REPORTS OF SOCIETIES. 
in a fossil state in a section of coal-ball material. Mr. H. Hawkes, 
slides of Tilmadoche nutans and Thelephora laclniata. Mr. W. B. Grove 
made a few remarks on the Myxomycetes, describing the difference 
between an ordinary fungus and a myxomycete. The former when 
germinating produced mycelia, the latter amoeboid forms ; these, 
called myxamoebse, coalesced, and though the individual amoebae 
could not be made out, yet the whole mass of the plasmodium slowly 
crawled. When it had taken sufficient food it began to assume its 
mature form, and then hardened to a horny consistence, and the 
internal protoplasm separated into spores. This completed its life 
history.—September 17th. Mr. P. T. Deakin exhibited a specimen 
of Planorbis carinatus var. alba from the Stratford Canal. Mr. H. 
Hawkes the following fungi, Agaricus phalloides , A. mollis, and Lactarius 
rufus. Mr. W. H. Bath, a Dragon Fly, Gomplius. 
LEICESTER LITERARY AND PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY. 
—Section D, Zoology and Botany.— Chairman, F. T. Mott, F.R.G.S. 
Evening Meeting, Wednesday, September 10 ; attendance, four¬ 
teen (two ladies). The Secretary reported that the field-day on the 
12th was attended by eight members, who went over the fields to Great 
Stretton, a small village ou the old Roman Via Devana, returning by 
road.—Exhibition of Seedvessels : Miss Grundy, Miss Noble, and Mr. 
Knowles contributed examples of seedvessels of the Umbelliferae, 
Cruciferae, Labiatte, Sapindaceee, Cupuliferae, and other orders; but 
the finest collection was exhibited by the Rev. T. A. Preston, who had 
collected and arranged in three trays about one hundred fresh seed- 
vessels, all of which were carefully named. He had also fine examples 
of the Brazil nut pod and the huge monkev-pot, containing the 
Sapucaya nuts. Mr. Headley exhibited a fine specimen of the Oak 
Beauty moth (Amphydasis prodromaria), which he captured last March, 
near the Victoria Park, and which had not been previously recorded in 
the county. The Chairman stated that he had measured the growth of 
a plant of Antirrhinum majus, from August 13th, when it was lljin. 
high, to September 19th, when it was 26in., and found that its rate of 
growth, which was at first Jin. per day, gradually increased to Jin., the 
most rapid growth being that of the flower spike after emerging from 
the upper leaves. A paper on “ The Parasitic Phanerogams of 
Leicestershire ” was read by Mr. Thomas Carter, LL.B., including 
the genera Latbraea, Orobanclie, Cuscuta, and Viscum as undoubted 
parasites, and those of Rhinanthus, Bartsia, Euphrasia, Pedicularis, 
and Melampyrum as somewhat doubtful. The author referred to the 
theory that some of these parasites, having no chlorophyll, were 
compelled to seek their carbon from the juices of other plants, or, as 
it is sometimes stated, having learnt to live upon the labour of others 
they gradually ceased to produce chlorophyll, but pointed out that 
there were difficulties in the theorv in either form. The Misletoe has 
abundant chlorophyll even in the roots which penetrate the branches 
of its host, and the Orobanches often grow to a much larger size than 
the little plant upon whose slender root they have seized, and which 
yet does not seem much the worse for their embrace. A lively 
discussion followed, during which the Rev. T. A. Preston stated that 
he had once taken the trouble to trace the root of an Orobanclie 
which gradually diminished to a very slender thread, and at the 
distance of six feet horizontally he found it attached to a rootlet of 
Centauria scabiosa. The Orobanclie had other roots which descended 
into the soil. 
