488 Royal L'isJi Academy, 



figured as if a few teeth of the P. Groenlandica were inserted into 

 the upper jaw. The author related some anecdotes of the inter- 

 esting and beautiful specimen now in the Zoological Gardens ; con- 

 trasted the species in structure and habits with the Halichaerus; 

 and expressed his dissent from the statement put forward in Mr. 

 Bell's British Quadrupeds, on the authority of Professor Nilsson, 

 that the oblique position of the molar teeth in P. Vitulina was a 

 specific character of unerring value. He has shown, in fact, that 

 the obliquity in question arose from the insufficient development of 

 the jaws in early life, which contracted the space for the teeth ; and 

 that it disappeared long before the skull reached its maximum size, 

 and partially occurred in the young Halichaerus. 



Mr. Ball then alluded to the seal taken in the Severn, which Pro- 

 fessor Nilsson pronounced to be his Phoca annellata, but which 

 has since been stated, with the Professor's concurrence, to be the 

 P. Groenlandica. He expressed his doubts as to the justness of this 

 conclusion, observing that the Groenlandica was a large species, 

 while the Severn seal was certainly a small one. He further showed 

 that the form of the intermaxillary bones, where they joined the 

 nasal, was quite sufficient to distinguish it from the specimen figured 

 by Sir E. Home in the paper before referred to; and he expressed 

 his belief that the species was still to be determined. 



The author concluded by stating his belief in the existence of a 

 fourth seal (probably P. barbata) on the southern coasts of Ireland, 

 which he had occasionally seen, but never had opportunity of 

 closely inspecting; and finally, exhibited a number of sketches illus- 

 trative of his paper, showing generic and specific distinctions of 

 external forms, skulls, teeth, caeca, and of the great sinuses of the 

 hepatic veins. 



Professor Kane laid before the Academy specimens of the salts 

 of a new acid, called by him " Xanthomethilic Acid." 



The same gentleman stated some conclusions to which he had 

 recently arrived, from the examination of pyroacetic spirit, which 

 he considered to be a new alcohol. 



LXXXIX. Intelligence and Miscellaneous Articles. 



UPON THE SUPPOSED ABSORBENT POWERS OF THE CELLULAR 

 POINTS, OR SPONGIOLES, OF THE ROOTS OF TREES, AND 

 OTHER PLANTS. BY THOMAS ANDREW KNIGHT, ESJJ., F.R.S. 

 PRESIDENT OF THE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY.* 



AN opinion is very extensively if not generally entertained, that 

 the nutriment which trees and other plants derive from the soil iri 

 which they grow, is exclusively taken in by the cellular extremities 

 of their roots, which, from their texture, have been called Spon- 

 gioles, and which in their organization differ from other parts of 



• From the Transactions of the Horticultural Society, New Series, vol. ii. 

 p. 117, having been read May 17, 1836. 



