Zoological Society. 333 racters : the great development of the perforating cone and the existence of fibroid strengthening folds in the suckers ; in the stem the constantly distinct medullary sheath and the pitted utricles of the pith ; and in the leaves the thick pitted fibres, and the epidermis and parenchyma often heterogeneous. Me-lampyrum has the perforating cone of the suckers well orga-nized, but destitute of strengthening folds, the medullary sheath not distinct from the concentric woody layer, and, by an ex-ception to the character of the order, which occurs, however, also in Rhinanthus, it has the vessels of its leaves grouped as in the OrohanchecB, amongst which it corresponds exactly with Phelipcea. Lastly, Tozzia, which is morphologically very nearly allied to Melampyrum, is well distinguished therefrom by its leaves with the vessels neither pressed together nor prismatic, and the parenchyma homogeneous, as well as the epidermis, towards the two faces of the limb. The anatomy, which is not favourable to the splitting of the genus Bar tsia into Eufragia and Trixago, separates very distinctly some species which there is great difficulty in distinguishing morphologically. The Odontites Jaubertiana, which has been, until very recently, confounded with 0. rubra, even at the gates of Paris, differs considerably from the latter in the structure of its leaves and medullary sheath. In the same way also the Euphrasia paludosa and E, speciosa of R. Brown, which the learned Bentham appears inclined to -unite as simple varieties, must remain separated ; the latter species differing greatly from the other by the form of its epidermic cells, which is rare even in the order. With these examples I conclude, as I only wish to show here that botanists might have recourse to anatomy with good results, even in the determination of the value of critical species. PROCEEDINGS OF LEARNED SOCIETIES. ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY, June 24, 1856.— Dr. Gray, F.R.S., in the Chair. On three Genera of Vespertilionid^, Furipterus, Natalus and Hyonycteris, with the Descriptions of TWO New Species. By Robert F. Tomes. The genus Furia was established by M. F. Cuvier from the exa-m nation of a single example taken at Mona in South America, by M. Leschenault. Linnaeus having previously made use of the name in another branch
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