64 NOTICES OF BOOKS AND MEMOIRS. 



in the Middle Ages., and complains that he was not permitted 

 to attain certainty by making a section through the fruit. Through 

 the liberality of the present administration of the Egyptian 

 Museum, this scientific demand has now been satisfied. Professor 

 Lepsius had the kindness to permit the decisive section being 

 made, which was undertaken with the assistance of Dr. Stern, who 

 showed the most friendly interest in our work generally. Besides, 

 the late Professor A. Braun had already compared with it the fruit 

 of Ficus Carica, L., about to be mentioned, from which it appears 

 he had ah-eady guessed their near relationship. — A. and M.] 



In the tomb opened by Passalacqua (mentioned in the intro- 

 duction), a cake was found resting on an under layer of sycamore 

 twigs, which are indeed very much broken, but still possess 

 distinct remams of leaves. The leaves show on young shoots 

 only an indication of the lobes so characteristic of the leaves 

 of the ordinary fig-tree.* The other leaves are undivided. The 

 common fig tree, Ficus Carica. L., was also cultivated in ancient 

 Egypt, as the figure given by Ungerf proves. The Passalacqua 

 collection also contains such a fruit, recognised by Kunth as that 

 of Ficus Carica, L. 



The Castor Oil (Bicinus communis, L.), was cultivated for the oil 

 under the name of Kiki in even as great abundance then as now. 

 The figures which Unger| takes as those of this plant, permit of 

 other interpretations. The seeds have often been found in tombs, 

 and in part look so well xn-eserved that Kunth § was led to make a 

 naturally fruitless attempt at cultivation. The existence of a 

 fatty oil has been proved by the Parisian chemist, Julia-Eonte- 

 nelle.|| The mottling of the Bicinus seed may still be clearly 

 made out. 



Cordia Mijxa, L., Arabice Miichet, is the name of a fruit tree of 

 medium size, which is abundantly cultivated in the gardens of 

 Egypt, and a form of it with smaller seeds grows wild in Abyssinia. 

 The fruit is a drupe with a comparatively large stone exca- 

 vated above and below, and a sweet mucilaginous flesh. It was 

 formerly to be found in our apothecaries' shops under the name 

 of " sebestenen" or black jujubes, and was employed in the same 

 way as the true jujubes (from Zizijplms Jujuha, Lamk.). Particu- 

 larly characteristic of the Cordia fruit is the basin-shaped calyx 

 which surrounds it at the base. According to Ungerll the fruits 

 of this tree are to be found in the Vienna Egyptian Museum, and 

 in the Florentine Museum also fruits are preserved under this 

 name. On the other hand, Unger's inteipretation of an antique 



* In Egypt there is cultivated also a form of Ficus Carica, L., with 

 undivided leaves. Compare Ascherson in ' Garten-Flora,' 1876, p. 70. — A. and M. 

 + L. c, xxxviii. 23, Taf. iv., Fig. 41. 

 J L. c, xxxviii. 23, Fig. 86, 87. 

 § ' Ann. des. Sc. Nat.' viii. p. 422. 

 II • Passalacqua Catalogue,' p. 292. 

 ^ L. c, xxxviii. 23, p. 113. 



