700 Physiologie. — Palaeontologie. 



und diese die Wirkung des Chinins verzögern, die der übrigen 

 Gifte beschleunigen, zum Teil darauf zurückführen, dass die 

 Chlorionen die Dissoziation des Chininsalzes zurückdrängen. 

 Hydroxylionen verzögern im Allgemeinen die Giftwirkung. 



Mit Aenderung der Oberflächespannung hat die Hemmung der 

 Giftwirkung durch obengenannte Salze nichts zu schaffen. 



Innerhalb der benutzten Konzentrationen wird die Giftadsorption 

 durch Hinzufügung der Metallsalze nur verzögert, nicht gehemmt, 

 sodass zuletzt eine Umwandlung der lyophilen Kolloide in h'ophobe 

 stattfindet. Bei dieser Einwirkung der organischen Giftstoffe kann 

 man sich denken, dass diese Aenderung insbesondere die Lipoid- 

 hydrosole trifft, im Gegensatz zum Narkosezustand jedoch Verdrän- 

 gung des Bindungswassers auf dem die Hydrophilie beruhte, verur- 

 sacht und irriversibel ist. Die Verdrängung des Bindungswassers 

 ruft eine Zunahme des freien Wassers mit Vergrösserung der 

 Permeabilität hervor, sodass Exosmose eintritt. Th. Weevers, 



Seward, A. C, Antarctic Fossil Plauts. British Antarctic 

 ("Terra Nova") Exped. 1910. (Nat. Hist. Report. Geol. I. 1. 

 p. 1—49. pl. I— VIII. maps A— C. textfig. 1^ 6. 1914.) 



The previous records of fossil plants from Antarctic regions 

 have been very fragmentary and of little botanical value. Im^portant 

 specimens, however, were collected by members of Captain Scott's 

 expedition of 1910 — 1914, and are here described. The specimens 

 are from two localities, (1) Priestley Glacier, 74° S. lat., and (2) 

 Buckley Island, Beardmore Glacier, 85° S. lat. At the former frag- 

 ments of carbonised wood were found, and also a piece ot stem 

 with structure preserved, which has been named Antarcticoxylon 

 pyiestleyi, gen. et spec. nov., and appears to be a distinct t5'pe of 

 gymnosperm stem. The secondary wood is on the whole Araucarian: 

 the broad xylem with spiral and scalariform tracheids at the edge 

 of the pith is like Mesoxylon, Cordaites and Araucavin. There is no 

 evidence of double leaf-traces. Growth rings are present, and also 

 light bands, concentric with the growth rings, the nature of which 

 is not clear. 



Embedded in this specimen was found a spore, Pityospoi'ites 

 antarcticus, gen. et spec. nov., the new generic name being proposed 

 for fossil winged spores resembling those of recent Ahietineae. 



The specimens from Buckley Island were those found in the 

 tent with the dead bodies of Captain Scott and his comrades. The 

 identifiable plants are Glossopteris. indica, G. indica\2iX. M^'t/soin, nov., 

 and Vertebraria sp., besides doubtful scale leaves of Glossopteris, 

 and indeterminable wood. These plants indicate a probabh' Permo- 

 Carboniferous age, and extend the known area over which the 

 Ghssopteris flora was developed close to the South Pole, if not to 

 the pole it seif. 



This discovery gives rise to scveral interesting speculations, 

 such as its bearing on the question of climate, which was evidently 

 different in the south polar region where this flora lived from what 

 it is now, while the possibility of the Glossopteris flora having ori- 

 ginated in the Antarctic continent about the end of Carboniferous 

 times now receives some support in fact. W. N. Edwards. 



