21 
have that organ rayed, and the greater number of 
rays in iV. lutea have always been cited in descrip¬ 
tions of the plants, as forming one distinguishing 
character. There appears little or no foundation for 
this. In every hundred specimens of N, pumila ex¬ 
amined, the average number of rays was 11*5, some 
few possessed nine and ten, most eleven and twelve, 
and some few as many as fourteen. Hooker and 
Arnot and Babington say—^‘stigma 8-10 rayed,” 
while of lutea they describe “ stigma 10-20 rayed,” a 
description very apt to mislead the student. The 
essential difference of form in the stigmae is caused 
by these rays. In N, pumila they protrude, form¬ 
ing acute teeth on the margin, perceptible when in 
flower, but very apparent in fruit. In N, lutea on 
the contrary, the margin is smooth. The anthers of 
lutea are linear, those of pumila sub-quadrate. The 
leaves of the former are tough and leathery, with 
approximate lobes, those of the latter less than half 
the size of the former, and of much finer texture. 
To sum up the evidence we have a probable difference 
in locality, a marked variation in size and colour, in 
the form and size of the leaves and of the stamens 
and stigma. These are more than sufficient to entitle 
Nuphar pumila to rank as distinct from N, Lutea^ 
NupTiar pumila has already been found in two or 
three localities in Perthshire. Loch Katrine and 
Loch Lubnaig were mentioned by Mr Dawson as 
habitats. During the course of the paper, Mr Harker 
took the opportunity to impress upon the society the 
importance of making the Natural History of the 
district the primary object of its studies and re¬ 
search. He said,—Few have sufficient time at their 
disposal to leave the beaten tracks of investigation, 
to fewer still is given the opportunity of making new 
discoveries; but in the careful compilation of a 
correct history of the fauna or flora of the district, 
there is room for every one to render useful and 
valuable assistance, for on our knowledge of the dis¬ 
tribution of species and many co-relative facts, de¬ 
pends some of the most important problems of animal 
and vegetable life. 
