Abstract
LONDON. Linnean Society, Dec. 2.—J. Ramsbottom: The Society of Amateur Botanists. Mordecai Cubitt Cooke (1825–1914) was appointed head master of the new Trinity School, Lambeth, at the age of twentythree years. Here he conducted evening botanical classes under the old Science and Art Department. In the later 'fifties he occasionally took his pupils for country rambles. Afterwards they were joined by outsiders, and in 1860 constituted themselves into the Society of Amateur Botanists. This was planned for excursions, interchange of specimens, communication of papers, and the establishment of a library, herbarium, and museum. Cooke was the first and only president. Excursions were held on alternate Saturdays and meetings on alternate Wednesdays. The meetings were held first at the Metropolitan Club, Edgware Road, and then over the shop in Piccadilly of Robert Hardwicke, the publisher of natural history works. A letter in the first volume of Hardwicke's Science Gossip (1865) from W. Gibson, suggesting an association of amateur microscopists “something on the plan of the Society of Amateur Botanists,” led to the formation of the Quekett Microscopical Club. The new club enrolled 155 members in its first year. Excursions were carried out as with the Society of Amateur Botanists, many of whose members joined the new club. The Society languished and may be said to have been killed by the Quekett.—C. E. Salmon: Some interesting British plants. Myosotis brevifolia Salm. is a new species, found in marshes in the Cross Fell district, and bearing short, broad, blunt leaves; it produces numerous rooting stolons above ground; its corolla is pale blue, almost as large as that of M. repens, the calyx is deeply divided, rather more than half-way, and the segments are oblong, rounded or blunt at the apex; its style is very short. Other plants were also described.
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Societies and Academies. Nature 119, 104–107 (1927). https://doi.org/10.1038/119104b0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/119104b0