414 BOWERBANK. — FOSSIL. FRUITS AND SEEDS. 



legume that has yet been discovered. In the whole of these 

 curious extinct legumes there exists a singular funiculus, 

 passing for a considerable space beneath the testa before it 

 emerges from the seed. The genus Hightea again presents 

 us with a series of highly interesting fruits, resembling in 

 a few characters someof the Malvacece^hwtda^^vmgivom them 

 in so many important respects, that it is a task of great dif- 

 ficulty to assign them their true place with anything ap- 

 proaching to certainty. 



Mr. Bowerbank has done all that could be done by micro- 

 scopic investigations, minutely and elaborately recorded, to 

 elucidate the structure of these curious members of an ex- 

 tinct Flora. We particularly refer the reader to the seventh 

 plate, and to the descriptions, from pages 25 to 31. A 

 few true melons are given under the name Cucumites, and 

 the entire structvire of these fruits is described, even to the 

 fine membranous arillus which surrounds the seeds. Of 

 true Leguminosce eighteen species are described, and the 

 situation and form of every characteristic part of the seed 

 are detailed and figured with wonderful precision : on one 

 specimen (see p. 134) Mr. Bowerbank has even detected the 

 attack of some pisivorous beetle, probably a Bymchus. The 

 plates are beautifully executed by Mr. J. de C. Sowerby : in 

 the one re-published in the " Illustrations of the Magazine of 

 Natural History," are represented some most interesting 

 Proteaceous cones, closely resembling those of the existing 

 genus Petrophila, a native- of New Holland. 



There is one point of view in which we must hail Mr. 

 Bowerbank's work as one of great importance, we allude to 

 the light which it throws on the nature of the climate of this 

 portion of the globe at the period of the deposit of the Lon - 

 don clay : the general character of the fruits is tropical, and 

 hence we are led to infer that our island, — if island it then 

 was, — must at the period of their ripening have enjoyed the 

 influence of a vertical sun. 



The author has spared neither labour nor expense in 

 getting up the work, and we hope that sufficient encourage- 

 ment may be given him by the purchase of this first number 

 to induce the speedy publication of the remainder in a style 

 equally beautiful and complete. 



SHORT COMMUNICATIONS. 



NEW METHOD OF DRYING SPECIMENS OF PLANTS. 



About five years since I accidentally discovered the follow- 

 ing method of drying specimens of plants ; and not having 

 seen it mentioned in any work, and also being able to pro- 



