358 Microscopical Society. gether, both being commonly seen near the young one. The hooded-stals generally bring forth their young two or three weeks later than the harps, and they always occupy different districts, being generally found further to the north. 4. The " square -flipper " is described as being much larger than the hooded-seal. It is, however, very rare, and we did not see one, or hear of one being seen this season. I do not know what is the scientific name of this seal, and whether he has been described at all. Captain Furneaux told us that they were sometimes twelve or even fifteen feet long. It may be the Phoca barbata of Muller. — Vol. i. p. 308-312. Newfoundland Woods. — The woods occupy indifferently the sides or even the summits of the hills and the valleys and lower lands. The trees consist for the most part of fir, spruce, birch, pine, and juniper, or larch ; and in some districts the wych-hazel, the moun-tain-ash, the alder, the aspen, and some others are found. The cha-racter of the timber varies greatly, according to the nature of the subsoil and situation. In some parts, more especially where the woods have been undisturbed by the axe, trees of fair girth and height may be found ; these, however, are either scattered indivi-duals, or occur only in small groups. Most of the wood is of small and stunted growth, consisting chiefly of fir-trees about twenty or thirty feet high, and not more than three or four inches in diameter. These commonly grow so close together, that* their twigs and branches interlace from top to bottom, and lying indiscriminately amongst them, there are innumerable old and rotten stumps and branches, or newly fallen trees, which, with the young shoots and brushwood, form a tangled and often impenetrable thicket. Every step through these woods is a matter of toil and anxiety, requiring constant vigilance to avoid falling, and constant labour to procure standing-room ; climbing and creeping, and every mode of progres-sion must be had recourse to, and new directions have constantly to be taken, in order to find the most practicable places through which to force a slow and tortuous way. — Vol. ii. p. 212-213. PROCEEDINGS OF LEARNED SOCIETIES. MICROSCOPICAL SOCIETY. At a meeting of the Microscopical Society held November 16th, 1842, Prof. Lindley, President, in the Chair, a second paper was read by Arthur Hill Hassall, Esq., on the destruction of fruit by fungi. The author stated, that he had obtained more conclusive evidence of the influence of fungi in producing decay in fruit, from the fact that this decay can be communicated at will by inoculating sound fruit with the decayed matter containing the spawn of the fungi, and the effects of this inoculation become manifest in twenty-four hours. The author concluded by observing, that the decay of fruit might be retarded by coating the surface over with a varnish which would ex-
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