I885.J 



NEW-YORK MICROSCOPICAL SOCIETY. 



199 



to the axis of the awn. The barbs on the several awns of B. 

 chrysanthemoides, or the Larger Bur Marigold, are shorter, and 

 their angles less acute, and on one or more of the awns they are 

 ranged in two ranks instead of the usual three. 



" It is an interesting fact that, while the barbs are very sharp, 

 the tips of the awns themselves are blunt, being hooded by the 

 bases of two or three barbs. They were obviously not intended 

 for penetration. The character, position, and direction of the 

 barbs fit the achenia for adhesion to the wool and fur of passing 

 animals, and thus secure for the plant a wider dispersion." 



RUTILE IN CEYLONESE MOONSTONE. 



Mr. Geo. F. Kunz : " Rutile is a common inclusion in moon- 

 stone, and its presence usually lessens the value of the gem." 



SO-CALLED mummies' EYES. 



Mr. Geo. F. Kunz : " My specimens of eyes taken from the 

 mummies of Peru were loaned to me for this exhibition by the 



"""llpiii^^ 



Messrs. Tiffany and Co. They are in fact the crystalline lenses 

 oi V\iQ ^^Q% oi Loligo gii^as, — the Great Cuttle-fish of the Peru- 

 vian coast, — which, divided hemispherically, the embalmer sub- 

 stituted for the perishable and lustreless natural eye in order to 

 give to the faces of the dead a more life-like appearance. These 

 lenses possess a structure like that of the pearl, an aggregation of 

 concentric layers. From lapse of time they have acquired a color 

 varying from a light amber yellow to a rich amber brown. It is 

 the opinion of some persons that a poisonous substance, such as 

 arsenic, was used in the preparation of these lenses. This 

 opinion, I am constrained to say, rests on inadequate grounds." 

 The diameters of the specimens exhibited by Mr. Kunz ranged 

 between eight mm. and nineteen mm. The accompanying draw- 

 ings represent three of the larger ones in their natural size. 



