A paper on Plant Life was read by Mr. W. H. Stott.

In his opening remarks the lecturer alluded to the importance of the study of botany as one bearing upon the necessities, conveniences and elegancies of life.

Generally speaking a plant was a living being destitute of sensation and the power of voluntary motion. Botany had for its object the study of all the parts of the plant and their relation to each other. Cells, modified in various ways, entered into the structure of the whole of the tissues of a plant.

The varied forms of root, stem, leaf, and flower, and their important functions were fully described, more especially those relating to the formation and maturing of seeds as a means of continuing and preserving the species. Mr. Stott drew attention to the remarkable analogies between plants and animals, and noted the many curious phenomena they presented. They might be said to drink and breathe, some even to eat or to give evidence of peculiar powers of movement.

The lecture was admirably illustrated by a series of sixty beautiful lantern slides, many of them specially prepared for the occasion: the magnified representations of stem, leaf, and flower structure calling for special notice.