372 



THE JOUKNAL OF BOTANY 



capsules Avhicli do not split, or the membranous coat of the capsule 

 itself [see fig. i.] , apparently with as much ease as the lightest 

 earth, and often in a direction contrary to gravitation. Any botanist 

 desirous of seeing this need only to tie a piece of muslin round the 

 capsule of Awari/llis loiKjifolia L. a little before it is ripe, and by 

 placing that afterwards in any moist part of the stove, he will soon 

 find the seeds sewed together by their radicles as completely as by 

 a piece of string, see Tab. fig. Before the plumule or first leaf is 

 evolved, an incipient bulb forms at its base, the outer coat of that 

 being part of the cotyledon, to which physical law I know no ex- 

 ception, though the deity has probably ordained that no physical 

 law shall be universal." 



Fig. i. — Ammocharis falcata Herb, with a seed germinating in the capsule, 

 April 26, 181J: ; the capsule was ripe in October, and had stood all winter. To 

 the left, a germinating seed removed from the capsule. 



From a drawing by R. A. Salisbury. 



The figure to which Salisbury refers, and which was not pub- 

 lished, I find among his drawings ; it is reproduced in fig. ii. 



Although Brown and Salisbury were quite clear as to the true 

 seed-character of these structures, it is evident that some divergence 

 of opinion existed, for in 182'4 Achille Richard, in a paper entitled 

 " Observations sur les pretendns bulbil I es qui se developpent dans 

 I'interieur des capsules de quelques especes de Crinuvi'' (Annahs 

 Sci. Nat. ii. 12), refers to the great number of authors who have 

 spoken of fleshy bulbils developing in the interior of capsules and 

 replacing the seeds in Crimim, Amaryllis, &c., and says that, having 

 had the opportunity of observing the pretended bulbils in Criniim 

 asiaticiun, enibescens, and taitense, he has assured himself of the 

 error of the above statements. He gives a description (with figs.) 



