POLLEN EBOM ETTNEBEAL GABLANDS IN AN EGYPTIAN TOMB. 251 



On some Pollen from Funereal Garlands found in an Egyptian 

 Tomb, circa b.c. 1000. By Chables Pbedebick White, P.L.S. 

 [Read 3rd April, 1884.] 

 (Plate VI.) 

 These drawings of the pollen of Papaver Bhceas I have been 

 enabled to make by the kindness of Sir Joseph Hooker, who pro- 

 cured for me a few anthers from the funereal garlands from the 

 coffin of the Princess Nzi Khonson, of the XXI. Dynasty, about 

 B.c. 1000, from Egypt, of which several were lately exhibited here 

 by Mr. Dyer. And on the same sheet I have added copies of 

 previous drawings from recent gatherings of the plant. The 

 former are generally slightly larger, and somewhat more tapering 

 towards the ends ; the anthers also are larger. These latter are 

 hard and brittle, and of a blackish-red colour, as though charred. 

 Perhaps there is no family in which the size of the pollen-grain 

 varies more than in that of the Papaveraceas, nor in which the 

 proportionate number of aborted or malformed grains is greater. 

 And this character appears to belong to the ancient as well as to 

 the modern. Still the grains of normal size and shape are not 

 only larger, but more regular in their markings,— certainly cleaner 

 and brighter in colour than some that I have endeavoured to pre- 

 serve on slides for the microscope, collected only a few years ago. 



The point, however, to which I desire especially to call atten- 

 tion is the readiness with which these minute objects (presum- 

 ably deprived of all moisture for so long a period) absorb water, 

 and expand into that subspherical shape so usual with pollen of 

 simple form, with the peculiarity that the Egyptian assume the 

 three-lohed shape common to many pollens, the furrows becoming 

 deeper than when dry, instead of, as generally happens, being 

 nearly obliterated when placed in water. 



No indication of the appearance of the pollen-tubes can be 

 detected, excepting that in several grains I observed at one of the 

 three points at which they would be produced a small bubble of 

 air. I may mention that the characters of the spiral tissue of the 

 inner lining of the anther can be, when in water, sufficiently 



made out. „,. 



DESCRIPTION OF PLATE VI. 

 Fig. 1. Pollen-grains of the Poppy {Papaver Bhceas) from the coffin of the 

 Egyptian Princess Nzi Khonson, XXI. Dynasty, b.c. 1000. X oOO. 



2. Some of the same, immersed in water. X 500. 



3. The recent pollen-grains of P. Bhceas. X 500. 



4. Some recent pollen-grains immersed in water. X 500. 



5. AnantherofthePoppyfromthecoffin(B.c.lOOO)aboTementioned. X50. 



6. An anther from a Poppy grown in 1883. X 50. 



