Oil Bodies in the Cherry Laurel Leaf. 371 
lime, and in view of their close similarity, expressed the opinion 
that they should be considered as parts of one plant-formation. 
Dr. Gates in studying the somatic mitoses in the nucellus of 
CEnothera lata had observed cases in which reduction division 
appeared to he about to take place. 
Professor D. H. Campbell gave an account of some of the chief 
features in the vegetation of Venezuela and Guiana and the sur¬ 
rounding region. 
The semi-popular lecture was given by Mr. I. H. Burkill on 
“ The Botany of the Arbor Expedition : a study of t-he forests of 
the Arbor Hills, Eastern Himalaya.” 
Excursions. 
Several successful excursions were made. On Saturday 
September 7th, a large party visited Tentsmuir and had an oppor¬ 
tunity of seeing the interesting maritime vegetation which is so 
extensively developed there. On the same day a smaller party paid 
a visit to Glen Clova and spent a strenuous day seeing the alpine 
and sub-alpine vegetation and several of the floristic treasures of 
that classic ground. Other excursions were made to Loch Rescobie 
with its reed-swamps and fens, and to the maritime cliffs, north of 
Arbroath as far as Red Head. An excursion had been arranged 
for the opening day of the meeting, but was not very successful 
owing to the fact that few botanists had been informed about it. 
The idea of having an excursion on the opening day is a very good 
one if it can be previously advertised in some way, and it is hoped 
that in future this may be done. A. G. T. 
H. H. T. 
NOTE ON OIL-BODIES IN THE MESOPHYLL OF 
THE CHERRY LAUREL LEAF. 
I N the elementary class at the Cambridge Botany School the 
leaf of the Cherry Laurel, Primus Laurocerasus L. is often 
used as a type for the study of leaf-anatomy. The following method 
is employed by the students. Sections of the fresh material are 
placed for a short time in methylated spirit and are then mounted 
and examined in dilute glycerine. In some preparations recently 
. made in this way, it was noticed that the palisade cells contained 
green bodies of roughly spherical form, but larger than the chloro- 
plasts themselves and of a more intense green colour. Moreover 
these bodies appeared structureless and highly refractive. On 
inspection they were found in every preparation, though unless the 
section were thin they were not at all conspicuous. 
As there was some discussion concerning the nature of the 
bodies it was thought desirable to examine them more fully. For 
this purpose sections of the fresh material were cut and treated in 
various ways. 
Sections mounted in water only, without previous immersion 
in alcohol showed the bodies, which now lacked the bright green 
colour, but were of a pale bluish-green tint. They had the 
appearance of oil drops or at least of drops of some highly refractive 
substance. It seemed then that the green colour noticed in the 
first preparations, was very probably due to the absorption of 
