Microscopical Society. 65 



sera, and form, according to M. Endlicher, the greater part of his 

 Agapanthea, whilst Allium is enumerated amongst the Hyacinthece. 

 Perhaps Tulbaghia likewise belongs here. In Bessera, Triteleja 

 and Calliproa, the sepals have three nerves on the back, whilst in 

 all other Allieoe they appear to have one nerve. The true Alliece have 

 two upright campylotropous ovules fixed near to each other at the 

 base of the loculus ; in Allium Victoriale, on the contrary, they are 

 isolated. A.fragrans, euosmium, striatum, striatellum and canadense 

 possess four to twelve two-rowed hemianatropous ovules, and form 

 a distinct genus, which perhaps coincides with Hesperoscordium. 



The Anthericece have a true stem, a clustered or panicled inflores- 

 cence, and numerous more or less tuberose thickened radicular fibres. 

 Eremurus, Asphodelus, Asphodeline and Bulbine, again form in these 

 a small separate group, characterized by the position of the ovules. 

 These are from two to six in number, having the aperture turned 

 downwards, and grown to the inner angle of the loculus, almost the 

 whole of their length, and more or less surrounded with a fleshy 

 arilloid protuberance. The sepals appear one-nerved. To these ge- 

 nera, Kniphofia, Aloe and Lomatophyllum join on very naturally. In 

 the two first, and probably also in Lomatophyllum, the arilloid base 

 of the ovules forms a loose membrane at a later period, which quite 

 envelopes the seed, spreads in the form of wings to the margins, and 

 has been falsely considered as the testa. Accordingly the Aloeineae 

 of Endlicher must fall to the ground, as of the two genera Sanseviera 

 and Yucca, still reckoned amongst them, the first is distinguished from 

 Dracoena merely by solitary ovules, and belongs to the Asparagece ; 

 the second, on the other hand, comes nearer to the Liliaceae. Heme- 

 rocallis, Czackia, Phalangium, and all the remaining genera, which 

 are considered by M. Endlicher as belonging to his Anthericece, have 

 collectively anatropous ovules, and the sepals are furnished with 

 three or more nerves. 



To the Conantherete, which on account of the Ovarium semi-inferum, 

 can hardly deserve to form a separate section of the Anthericece, 

 besides Zephyra, Conanthera, Cumingia and Pasithea, Cyanella also 

 belongs ; but Echeandia must be removed and placed near to Pha- 

 langium. The latter likewise applies to Anemarrhena. Sowerbcea how- 

 ever does not belong here, but to Endlicher' s Aphyllantheee. 



MICROSCOPICAL SOCIETY. 



At a meeting of the Microscopical Society held July 20th, 1842, 

 J. S. Bowerbank, Esq., in the Chair, a paper was read by Mr. John 

 Quekett, " On the peculiar arrangement of the Blood-vessels in the 

 Air-bladder of Fishes, and on the evidence they afford of the true 

 function of that organ." The author, after alluding to three princi- 

 pal modifications of the air-bladder in fishes generally, went on to 

 describe that of the cod-fish, which he stated to be a thick muscular 

 bag without any opening externally, and provided on its ventral 

 aspect with a highly vascular body, which has been supposed to per- 

 form the office of secreting the air contained in the bladder: the 

 author described the minute arrangement of the vessels in this so- 



Ann. 8f Mag. N. Hist. Vol. x. F 



