HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



181 



first fold in half and then in half again, like a ribbon 

 reduplicate, and not coiled round {circinate), like a 

 fern-frond, which grows later in the season, and 

 requires less protection. By March 18 independent 

 existence begins, and the young sycamore is possessed 

 of two green cotyledons, a pink stem, a tap-root, and 

 rootlets. This is the most dangerous stage of growth, 

 for the plant is tender, and foes are many. If it 

 survives, however, the first pair of real leaves, which 

 are serrated, appears about March 27, and the young 



Fig. 116.— Single Samara, further developed (March 1, 1885): 

 a, pteridion ; /', simarre ; c, tunica. 



Fig. 117. — Young Fig. 118. — Ditto, further advanced 

 Seedlings of Sycamore (March 18): a, cotyledon; b, 

 (Mar. 13 and 20, 1885). tap-roots. 



tree continues gaily enough until, by the end of May, 

 solid wood is formed. Through June the growth 

 solidifies, and proceeds less slowly, till by the middle 

 of July the tree has obtained its ultimate height for 

 the first year. The samara shown in the figures 

 produced a tree'eleven inches high by the middle of July 

 last year. That was under a bell-glass in the sun, 

 whereas some other samaras, also in a bell-glass, but 

 not once exposed to the sun, had their cotyledons and 

 first leaves still entire on Dec. I, 1885. I have 



noticed that, in the same way, tadpoles in shaded 

 pools do not develop into frogs by July. 



By the end of May sycamores are flowering (Fig. 

 113), with large' scented racemes, highly attractive to 

 aphides and bees. The flowers have 7, 8, or 9 stamens, 

 and a bifid pistil. As soon as the pistil is fertilised the 

 lunation of the samaras begins, like budding horns. 

 By July 8 the wings are full-grown, green, with a. 

 blush of pink. By Sept. 9 they are brown. On 

 Nov. 9 the tree is destitute of leaves, and the 

 samaras are ready for the carrier winds. How 

 splendidly adapted the seeds are for flying it is 

 needless to show. The wing enables them to spin 

 with a most rapid twinkling flight, which floats them 

 at a very acute angle. The wings of these samaras, 

 are, like the wings of dragon-flies and hawk-moths, 

 evidently intended to float a heavy body, which fact 

 makes up an interesting mathematical problem : 

 given the angle of the wing, determine the weight of 

 the body, or vice versd. When lying on the ground, 

 the beating of the rain-drops on the wing does much 

 to alter the position of the seed. 



The name samara, which is properly applied to 

 the seed of the elm, also means a woman's long dress, 

 light covering, or scarf. It is often spelled simarre, 

 chunarre, or cymar, from the Spanish zamarro, a 

 shepherd's coat of sheepskin, which is the Arabic 

 sammdr, the Scythian weasel, marten, or sable. 

 Simarre also means the upper robe worn by bishops, 

 to which lawn sleeves are attached. Carlyle mentions 

 it ( " Fr. Rev." ) i. 67 : " One party rushed off in such 

 haste to prepare the Archbishop of Toulouse for the 

 king that they had to borrow a simarre." 



As applied to the seeds of the sycamore, the term 

 must have a double signification, referring to the long 

 wing-like appendages and the soft furry lining of the 

 capsule. Botanically speaking, these seeds are dry 

 indehiscent winged syncarpous fruits. The maple 

 and ash also have samaras. Thus the seed of the 

 sycamore is a samara composed of a unilocular capsule 

 opening by valves, lined with silky hair, and contain- 

 ing the embryo wrapped in a tunic. This seed when 

 perfected must be dispersed, so a wing {■mepiZiov) is 

 attached, to bear it away. The radicle emerges from 

 the suture, the cotyledons are at once used as lungs, 

 and the plumule starts into life. 



If this paper falls into the hands of any reader near 

 Llangollen, let him walk out for an hour or so beside 

 the magic Dee, where it is sliding over its slabs of 

 slate, and the water-ousels are chasing up and down. 

 Under the sycamores at Berwyn he will have little 

 difficulty in following the above description. 



We are sorry to have to record the death, at the 

 age of 78, of Professor King, of Galway College, a 

 well-known geologist, and the distinguished oppo- 

 nent of the late Dr.Carpenter concerning the organic 

 origin of Eozoon. 



