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REPORTS OF SOCIETIES. 
bacciferum, and of a number of small marine animals taken among 
the living weed in the Sargasso Sea, including Medusa, several small 
fish and crustaceans, the trigger fish, a small cephalopod, &c. ; also a 
specimen of the curious fungus, Geaster fornicatus, the “ vaulted 
earth-star.” By Mr. W. A. Vice, specimens of three interesting fungi 
collected at Blaby, Hypoxylon coneentricum, a solid black mass two 
inches long, new to the county ; Nectria pulicaris , and Podisoma 
Sabina, neither of them recorded in the Leicester district. The chair¬ 
man introduced a discussion on cleistogamous flowers, pointing out that 
whereas Darwin had shown the importance of cross fertilisation and 
the many remarkable contrivances among plants for securing it, it was 
found that a considerable number of plants bore, in addition to their 
ordinary flowers with open coloured corolla, other flowers generally 
without corolla and never opening at all, which seemed purposely 
formed for securing self-fertilisation, and which generally perfected 
seed while many of the open flowers were barren. These closed and 
inconspicuous flowers were called cleistogamous ; what was their real 
purpose? Mr. E. F. Cooper showed fresh and dried specimens of 
Viola odorata, V. hirta and V. Riviniana, bearing flowers of both kinds. 
Darwin suggests that the closed flowers are degraded organs for 
securing ripe seed at the least possible cost of energy to the plant. 
The chairman suggested that they might be survivals of an early 
form of the reproductive organs before the corolla-bearing epoch was 
reached.—Evening Meeting, Wednesday, May 18. Attendance 14 
(three ladies). Chairman, F. T. Mott, F.B.G.S. The chairman 
reported that the field-day excursion last week was attended by six 
members, who visited the gardens at Belvoir Castle, under the 
guidance of Mr. Ingram, and were delighted with the beauty of the 
Spring flowers. Camellias and the Himalayan rhododendrons, which 
have remained in the open air without protection for many years, 
were in full bloom, and a number of rare and beautiful hardy her¬ 
baceous plants were seen, with a fine collection of varieties of Narcissus. 
The following objects were exhibited, viz., by Mr. W. A. Vice, specimens 
of ripe loquats (Kriobotrya Japonica), sold in the streets of London, and 
several fungi; Bev. T. A. Preston, a beautiful microscopic slide of the 
Amphioxus, with several other examples of it in spirits, and a specimen 
of the curious fungus Cordyceps entomorrhiza, growing on a caterpillar 
from Norfolk ; by the chairman, Dr. Cooke’s work on the British 
Myxomycetes, translated from the Polish. Mr. Tlios. Carter, LL.B., 
introduced a discussion on “ A Botanical Garden for Leicester.” He 
said that in France there was a system of such gardens in the principal 
provincial towns, all in connection with the central gardens at Paris, a 
system which dated from the great revolution ; that while travelling 
in France he had found these gardens very useful, and that such a 
garden in Leicester would greatly facilitate the study of botany. The 
discussion was interesting and lively. The chairman produced a 
rough design which he had sketched for a very complete botanical 
garden of ten acres, in which visitors would pass successively through 
arctic, temperate, sub-tropical, and tropical floras, and in which 
there would be special departments also for the local flora, medical 
plants, hardy fruits and vegetables, agricultural plants, with experi¬ 
mental grounds, and a type series illustrating the botanical orders. 
It was finally determined that Mr. Byrne, of the Abbey Park, should 
be consulted as to the possibility of some small beginning being made 
there, and that, if it seemed possible, the Park Committee should be 
approached on the subject. Mr. J. H. Garnar read a short paper on 
“the Entomostraca,” describing some personal observations confirming 
the published views of Dr. Baird, and illustrated by living specimens 
exhibited undertlie microscope as well as by a number of mounted slides. 
