FERNS, AND THEIR ALLIES. 35 



four leaflets, or the traditional " four-leaved shamrock." 

 The conceptacles are somewhat of the character of 

 those in ferns, and contain sporangia of two kinds, 

 that is, micro-sporangia containing numerous micro- 

 spores, and macro-sporangia with solitary macrospores. 

 The latter are almost half-moon shaped, obtuse, 

 entirely bald, furnished with many manifest ribs, with 

 two short teeth at the suture. 



The sporocarps of the "Nardoo" obtained by Mr. 

 King were sent to Dr. Moore of Glasnevin for culture, 

 and the results of the examination and experiments 

 were afterwards published. He says that "the fact 

 of the fruit of any cryptogamous plant containing a 

 sufficient quantity of nutritive substance to support 

 human life during a lengthened period, at once struck 

 me as being a very remarkable circumstance. It has 

 been long known that the thallus of some, and the 

 rhizomes of others, contain nutritive matter, which 

 leads to their being occasionally used as food by the 

 natives of various parts of the world, but this I believe 

 to be the only instance on record of the fruit of any 

 of them being employed for that purpose. Poor 

 Burke and his companions were able to subsist on 

 this during a considerable period, but they also died 

 on it, with the exception of King, who was reduced 

 to a mere skeleton when found by the relief party. 

 I believe that I am pretty safe in assuming that the 

 nutritive properties contained in the thallus, or 

 rhizomes, of cryptogamic plants depend chiefly on the 

 presence of an amylaceous substance, analogous to 

 gelatine, which occurs in the form of pure starch, or 

 amylaceous fibre, which is also the case in the fruit 



