LONDON. Linnean Society, December 20, 1888.—Mr. W. Carruthers, F.R.S., President, in the chair.—Prof. R. J. Anderson exhibited a photograph of an apparatus for the microscope which he had designed, consisting of a revolving disk with clips, by means of which a number of slides may be successively brought opposite the microscope, which is fixed in a horizontal position in front of it.—Mr. Clement Reid exhibited fruit of the Hornbeam from the pre-glacial forest bed at Pakefield, near Norwich, and not previously recorded as occurring in any British deposit.—Mr. T Christy exhibited a collection received from Java of hairs from the base of various ferns, notably Cibotium Cummingii, and a species, as supposed, of Dicksonia, used as a styptic, for staunching blood. Prof. Stewart, in pointing out that the use of similar material for a like purpose in China was well known to surgeons, took occasion to explain the nature of the so-called “lamb of Tartary,” on which an instructive little volume had been published by the late Mr. Henry Lee, F.L.S. Mr. D. Morris remarked that the use of “fern hairs” was also known as a styptic in South America, whence specimens had been forwarded to the Herbarium at Kew.—A paper was then read by Mr. D. Morris on the characteristics of plants included under Erythroxylon Coca, Lamarck, with a description of a new variety, which he proposed to name, from its origin, E. novo-granatense. He pointed out that the well-known coca-plant had been noticed by botanists and travellers for the last 300 years; and that, although Clusius was generally regarded as the earliest writer on it, he had been anticipated by Nicholas Monardes in his “Historia Medicinal,” published at Seville in 1580, and translated by Clusius, who printed it in a condensed form in his “Exoticorum libri decem” in 1605. The plant was first described as a species by Lamarck, in the “Encyclopédie Méthodique ” in 1786, from specimens brought by de Jussieu from Peru. Until lately the leaves had been used merely as a nervous stimulant, like opium in China, and betel in the East Indies; but had latterly come into prominence as the source of cocaine, a valuable alkaloid possessing anæsthetic properties in contact with the mucous membrane. There were several climatic forms more or less distinct; and after describing the typical plant, Mr. Morris pointed out the characters by which E. novo-granatense might be distinguished. The paper was ably criticized by Mr. J. G. Baker, Mr. Rolfe, and Mr. Thomas Christy.—Mr. Spencer Moore contributed a paper on Apiocystis, which he regarded as a Volvocinea. The ciliated form was described, and it was shown that its zoospores may sometimes escape as cœnobia, like a degenerate Volvocinea which has exchanged the motile for the fixed condition. The sexual cells being zoogametes, its affinity is rather with Pandorineœ than with oogamous Volvoceœ. The paper was criticized by Mr. A. W. Bennett and Prof. Marshall Ward, who, while testifying to the importance of the investigation, expressed the hope that no change would be made in classification until further examination had been made of some of the stages at a critical period of development. Mr. George Murray gave his warm support to the views expressed by Mr. Moore.—A paper was then read by Mr. G. B. Sowerby embodying descriptions of some new species of shells, of which coloured drawings were exhibited. Amongst these, the most noticeable were an Orthalicus from the Peruvian Andes, Pleurotoma (Hong Kong), Amathina (Mauritius), Crassatella (Japan), Clavigella (Mauritius), and Pectunculus (Australia). An interesting discussion followed, in which Prof. Stewart and Prof. Mivart took part, upon the coloration of Mollusca being possibly dependent upon the colour of their natural surroundings, or upon that of the host to which in many instances they were found to be attached.
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