ZOOLOGY AND BOTANY, MICROSCOPY, ETC. 575 



phenomena in muscle and nerve. The author emphasises the importance 

 of this unity between plants and animals, as owing to the simpler con- 

 ditions which obtain in plant life, the electro-physiological investigation 

 in plants may be found to throw much light on the subject generally. 

 There is no longer any room for the explanation that the response in 

 plants is due to movement of water, as suggested by Kunkel. In a 

 work to be shortly published, entitled Response in the Living and Non- 

 living, the author will treat fully of the subject of irritability and 

 response. 



Method of Investigating the Gravitational Sensitiveness of the 

 Root-tip.* — F. Darwin describes a method giving additional confirma- 

 tion of the truth of the theory that sensitiveuess to the stimulus of 

 gravity is confiued to the root- tip. A piece of apparatus was devised 

 by means of which the weight of the heavy cotyledons of leguminous 

 plants (which are especially suitable for experiment) could be supported, 

 but at the same time allowed to move freely, the tip of the root being 

 inserted in a tube. Besides glass tubes, straws and quills were used, 

 and also nectaries of Tropseolum, corolla-tubes of various flowers, and 

 the hollow scape of the dandelion. 



Action of Alcohol on Germination of some Seeds.f — L. Sukatsckeff 

 finds, in agreement with Dixon, that seeds of lupine and pea can re- 

 main some time in alcohol of various strengths without losing capacity 

 for germination. On the other hand, he concludes from experiments 

 with Lupinus luteus and Lepidium sativum, that wounding of the seed, 

 or. removal of the testa, does not lead to so rapid a loss of germination 

 capacity as the results of Dixon and Schmid tend to show. 



Chemical Changes. 



Chemical Studies of the Coco-nut.J — J. E. Kirk wood and W. J. 

 Gies have studied the chemical composition of the coco-nut, and the 

 changes which occur during germination. In the case of the ungermi- 

 nated nut the composition of the milk and of the endosperm is considered 

 in detail. The fresh endosperm contains 46 p.c. water to 54 p.c. solids, 

 the latter consisting, except for 1 p.c, of organic matter. The organic 

 matter comprises 37 p.c. fat, 3 -4 p.c. cellulose, 4 p.c. proteid. Water, 

 salt-solution, and glycerin all failed to extract appreciable quantities of 

 either proteolytic or adipolytic enzymes from the endosperm, though 

 an active amylolytic ferment was extracted in every case. The morpho- 

 logical changes accompanying germination are described, and the general 

 composition of the parts of the seedling and germinated nut. 



Investigation and Presence of Rennet-ferment in Plants. § — 

 M. Javillier describes the extraction and experiments on the action of 

 the rennet ferment obtained from the tare, under rigorous aseptic con- 

 ditions, which have not been observed by previous workers. He finds 

 the ferment to be widespread in plants, occurring chiefly in the leaves. 



* Journ. Linn. Soc. (Bot.), xxxv. (1902) pp. 266-74 (10 figs.). 



t Beih. Bot. Centralbl., xii. (1002) pp. 137-8. 



X Bull. Torr. Bot, Club, xxix. (1902) pp. 321-59 (1 pi. and a ng8 in text). 



$ Comptes Rendus, cxxxiv. (1902) pp. 13 - 3-4. 



2 Q 2 



