JOHNSTON : CAREX DURI^I 



159 



which the edges of the glumes curl inwards when deta- 

 ched from the spikelets is so great as not to allow time 

 to make some arrangement for keeping them flat. 



Severa! experiments were afterwards tried with li- 

 ving plants, with the object oí finding some way to keep 

 the glumes in their natural shape, but as in every case the 

 difficulty above mentioned invariably recurred, some modi- 

 fication of plan seemed to be necessary, and it was thought 

 that a dried plant might perhaps answer better, as not 

 being liable to changes of form in any of its parts. Accor- 

 dingly, the above illustration, taken from such a specimen, 

 represents a female spikelet, and also, separately, on the 

 right and left, one of the utriculi as seen respectively from 

 the upper and the under sides, in the latter case with the 

 dark chestnut-brown glume underneath it. As there is 

 hardly any perceptible difference in dimensions or in form 

 between the dried and the tresh specimens, it is hoped 

 that, taking the two illustrations together, they will, col- 

 lectively, give a fair idea of the general appearance and 

 specific characters of the plant. 



