brous, leafy. Root-leaves numerous, lanceolato-linear, channelled, glabrous, ciliato-denticulate, flaccid, about as long as the stem. Stem-leaves similar to the others, but gradually smaller, and passing into bracteæ upwards, scattered, and stem clasping, acuminate. Bractea dilated at the base, membranous at the edges, acute; secondary smaller ones within the larger. Flowers in long, lax, terminal racemes, nodding. Peduncles clustered, glabrous, jointed in the middle, dark green in their lower half, paler in the upper. Corolla (1 inch across, when fully expanded) white, of six, wide spread, 3-nerved, oblong, acute, petals, of which the three outer are narrowest. Stamens half the length of the corolla; filaments tumid above the middle, glabrous; anthers orangeyellow, as long as the filaments, emarginate at the apex, notched at the base, bursting along the sides; pollen very abundant, orange-yellow. Pistil rather longer than the stamens; stigma pubescent; style declined; germen linear, trigonous, trivalvular, trilocular, dissepiments arising from the centre of the valves. Ovules attached to a central receptacle, and arranged in two rows in each cell.

Bulbs of this species were brought from Lima last spring by Mr Cruckshanks, under the generic name of Ornithogalum, and flowered in the stove of the Botanic Garden, Edinburgh, in September.

Celestial Phenomena from January 1. to April 1. 1831, calculated for the Meridian of Edinburgh, Mean Time. By Mr GEORGE INNES, Astronomical Calculator, Aberdeen. The times are inserted according to the Civil reckoning, the day beginning at midnight -The Conjunctions of the Moon with the Stars are given in Right Ascension.

Proceedings of the Wernerian Natural History Society.

1830, Dec. 11.—ROBERT JAMESON, Esq. P. in the chair.— The Rev. Dr Scot of Corstorphine read a learned essay on the "giants" mentioned in the Sacred Writings. The Secretary read a communication from James Wilson, Esq. giving an account of the great Orang-outang of Sumatra, illustrated by figures of the hand and foot, of the natural size. Professor Jameson then gave an account of Dr Gregory's analysis of the compact ferruginous marl of the old red sandstone of Salisbury Crags; and also of the same gentleman's analysis of the limestone of the Red Burn near Seafield Tower in Fife, which is magnesian, but only where in contact with the trap. The Professor also communicated some details in regard to Captain Ross's expedition, and the splendid display of polar lights observed in the Shetland Islands in the month of November last. A sketch of the magnificent fossil tree, at present seen in situ in Craigleith Quarry, with a cross-section of a portion of the stem, exhibiting very nearly the structure of a coniferous tree, was exhibited to the meeting.

At this meeting, the following gentlemen were elected officebearers of the Society for 1831.

SCIENTIFIC INTELLIGENCE.

METEOROLOGY.

1. Heavy fall of Rain, and frequent appearance of Aurora Borealis, in September 1830.-At the Calf of Man Low Lighthouse, on the morning of the 16th September, there was a remarkably heavy fall of rain. "In the course of little more than four hours (says Mr James Macintosh, the light-keeper), I found ninety parts in the gauge. At a quarter past eleven o'clock P. M. it began lightly, and it gradually increased till twelve, when it came down in torrents. This continued till near four o'clock in the morning, when the rain entirely ceased. Although it blew a gale that day, there was not a breath of wind during the fall of rain, but the wind rose immediately afterwards. The Edinburgh Chronicle takes notice of floods in several places in Scotland, of the same date; so I presume we had the first of the heavy rain here, as the direction of the wind, both before and after the rain, was from the S. W. During the course of this September (adds Mr Macintosh), I have to record no fewer than nine appearances of the aurora borealis, the dates being the 7th, 10th, 12th, 13th, 17th, 19th, 20th, 21st, and 25th."

2. Water Spout in the Lake of Neufchatel.-On the 9th June, at nine o'clock in the morning, the weather being moist, and the thermometer at 64° Fahr. a water-spout was seen at Neufchatel, on the other side of the lake, about a league from the fort. From a fixed black cloud, about eighty feet above the surface, descended perpendicularly a dark-grey cylindrical column, touching the surface of the lake. Much agitation was seen at the foot and top of the column, a dull heavy sound was heard, and the waters of the lake were seen to mount rapidly along this sort of syphon to the cloud, which gradually became white as it received them. After seven or eight minutes had elapsed, a north-east wind pressed upon the column, so that it bent in the middle, still however raising water, until at last it separated. At the same moment, the cloud above, agitated and compressed by the wind, burst and let fall a deluge of rain.