606 
SECOND REPORT-— 1832. 
that he knows of “ no parallel to this, except in Casuarina , in 
which the whole of the inside of the testa consists of minute 
spiral vessels.’’ 
After reading this statement, it occurred to Mr. Baxter that 
the mucous matter which envelops the seed in most species of 
Salvia, might possibly also be partly composed of the same kind 
of spiral vessels as those first observed by Professor Lindley in 
the mucous matter which envelops the seed in the Collomia. 
He accordingly placed a seed of Salvia verbenaca on a small 
bit of glass on the stage of a compound microscope, and sub¬ 
jected it to moisture by dropping upon it a drop or two of clear 
water, w 7 hen in a few seconds he had the satisfaction to observe 
an infinite number of exceedingly delicate and beautiful spiral 
vessels dart forth from the outside of the testa,—not in separate 
fasciculi, as he found to be the case in some seeds of Collomia 
grandiflora , which he had before examined, but in one un¬ 
broken circle, forming a complete and beautiful radius round 
the seed. If the seed on which the experiment has been tried 
is allowed to dry upon the glass, the spiral vessels will remain 
in their extended position, (their bases inclosed in the mucous 
matter which also dries upon the glass,) and may be preserved 
as an interesting object for the microscope at any future time. 
Dr. Daubeny exhibited A Specimen of an Index to the Flora 
of Oxfordshire , showing in separate columns the kind of situ¬ 
ation most favourable to the growth of each plant, and the geo¬ 
logical character of the spot in which it usually occurs. He 
stated that this Specimen was only intended to convey an idea 
of such a tabular Index as might enable the botanists of Ox¬ 
fordshire to cooperate in collecting the data necessary for per¬ 
fecting a Flora of that county, and might also engage others in 
different parts of Great Britain to draw up similar Indexes for 
their own neighbourhood, and thus to realize the views which 
the Association had suggested of obtaining a general Flora of 
the kingdom on one uniform plan. 
On the Geographical Distribution of the Plants of Cambridge¬ 
shire. By the Rev. J. S. Hen slow 7 , Professor of Botany , 
Cambridge. 
In this communication the author stated, that Cambridge¬ 
shire may be correctly divided into three distinct botanical di¬ 
stricts, exclusive of a small maritime station. These districts 
do not coincide with the geological divisions of the county, 
although their limits are defined by the mineralogical character 
