lxxxii Journal of Proceedings.
Frederick Mitchell, Mrs. Sapsworth, Mrs. John Spiller, W. Stacpoole,
and J. E. Stacpoole.
The Secretary read the following letter :—
"British Association for the Advancement of Science,
"22, Albemarle-street, W.,
"October 17th, 1882.
"Sir,—I am directed by the General Committee of the British Associa-
tion for the Advancement of Science to transmit to you the following
copy of a resolution" which was adopted by the Committee at the last
meeting of the Association, and to request your attention to it, and to
the annexed extract from the rules of the British Association :—
That Mr. R. Meldola, General Pitt-Rivers, Mr. Worthington Smith, and
Mr. W. Cole be a Committee for the purpose of investigating the ancient
earth-work in Epping Forest known as the Loughton Camp; that Mr. W.
Cole be Secretary; and that the sum of £10 be placed at their disposal for
the purpose.
[Here follow rules as to grants of money.]
I have the honour to be,
Your very obedient servant,
T. G. Bonney,
To W. Cole, Esq." Secretary.
Mr. Oldham exhibited some butterflies taken at Folkestone last summer
(1882), including Colias edusa, and the aberration helice, with some
female specimens of Lycaena adonis, remarkable for their extremely blue
colour, compared with the ordinary brown form of this sex of the
butterfly.
Mr. R. M. Christy exhibited some nutlets of the Hounds-tongue
(Cynoglossum officinale) as being one of the most prehensile seeds with
which he was acquainted. Many common plants bear seeds pro-
vided with innumerable simple hooks, but the hooks with which the
Cynoglossum seeds are furnished are superior to these to the same extent
as a kedge anchor is superior to a piece of bent iron as a secure hold for
a vessel, and in precisely the same way. The nutlets are covered with
many spines, each having four or five small, but very sharp barbs, set
round its tip, so that when seen from above they resemble a star, and
when applied to one's coat or to a sheep's back they stick with remark-
able firmness. He also exhibited some achenes (or "seeds") of Geum
rivale which he had gathered on the shores of the lake of St. Moritz in
the Engadine last August. The " seed " is pointed at each end, and one
end is furnished with a long arm, about four times as long as the achene,
which has some rather long hairs down the sides, the tips of the hairs
pointing away from the "seed." The extremity of this arm makes a
double curve, forming a hook as in many other plants, but to the point
of the hook is jointed a long feathery awn. This is also hooked at the
proximal extremity, and is very easily detached. Mr. Christy considered
that these peculiar structures undoubtedly had some connection with the
mode of distribution of the seeds, which he could not explain, although
somewhat similar awns occur in the genera Stipa and Erodium. Sir