294 THE VOYAGE OF H.M.S. CHALLENGES. 



CONVOLVULACEJE. 



Among the New Guinea drift-seeds are several species belonging to this order, and 

 probably to Ipomcea ; and Moseley specially mentions seeing Ipomcea pes-caprce (Ipomoea 

 bildba) in bis Notes, reproduced at p. 104. Particulars of tbe wide distribution of this 

 plant in maritime districts, and tbe capability of its seeds to bear long immersion in 

 sea-water, are given in Part I., p. 51, II., p. 80, and III., p. 169. 



YERBENACE/E. 

 Minute fruits from the New Guinea drift, probably belonging to this order. 



LAURINE^E. 



In the collection of drift objects there is the very hard crustaceous deeply grooved 

 empty endocarp of an oval, slightly oblique fruit, which may belong to some member of 

 the Laurinere. There is a similar unnamed fruit in the Kew Museum from Borneo, col- 

 lected by Motley. Denuded of its outer coat, this is upwards of four inches in length. 



Hernandia sp. ? 



A single seed in the New Guinea drift. 



The testa of the seed is much water-worn, and hardly recognisable, the distinctive 

 annular raphe not being discernible ; but the large embryo, with thick, lobed, sub-ruminate 

 cotyledons, is exactly that of Hernandia. The species must remaiir doubtful, but it may 

 be the widely diffused Hernandia peltata, or it may be one of the more local species of 

 the region. 



CUPULIFER^E. 

 Quercus sp. (Plate LXV., H.) 



A number of acorns, destitute of cups, from the New Guinea drift. 



Unlike many exalbuminous seeds, those of Quercus retain their vitality only a very 

 short time, either moist or dry. According to F. von Mueller (Victorian Naturalist, Dec. 

 1884), D'Albertis found acorns of two kinds of oak drifted down the Fly River, but, as 

 in ours, the cups were washed off. Whether there be any described species of Quercus 

 from New Guinea we do not know. In the place cited, however, Mueller describes the 

 foliage of a species of a tree (Quercus gu/ppyi, Muell.), discovered in the volcanic island of 

 Oima, one of the Solomon group, by Dr H. B. Guppy of H.M.S. " Lark" during a recent 



