210 VEGETABLE IVORY PALM. 
dieularly and regularly over the preceding layer: they rest in their 
turn upon the last, which is 
* V. A final layer of very dark and irregular cells, externally 
coated, on the side towards the albumen, with a brown colouring 
matter, waich imparts its hue to the surface of the albumen, or Vege- 
table Ivo 
All the E EEA organization belongs only to the integu- 
mentary system. 
“ The albumen, or Vegetable Ivory itself, is composed of concentric 
layers, of which only the most external differ from the most internal. 
When the albumen is hard, as was that which I examined, it presents 
a white substance, transparent in water, and which appears continuous, 
and not to be distinguished into various degrees of growth. It is per- 
forated with an infinity of holes, the sections of so many cavities; 
the latter are irregularly rounded and also prolonged into arms or 
tubes, which give a starry appearance to the cavities, many of them 
being 5, 6, 7, 8, and 10-rayed. Here and there may be seen a little 
spheroidal cavity ; finally the tubes appear to be each tipped with a 
small swollen head. 
“ Throughout the albumen the above-described structure is mere or 
less regular, offering a beautiful study to the Vegetable-Anatomist. 
“ Generally speaking, the starry cavities are arranged in a quincunx, so 
that the interval between two of them corresponds to a third. A little 
attention also enables the observer to see that those rays, which are ter- 
minated by a little head, answer always to one another. The space 
between these heads is largest in a dry slice and least in a moist one. 
The centralcavity is sometimes empty, and sometimes filled with a 
substance composed of very minute globules, reaching occasionally to 
the very tips of the rays. 
“Tt is evident that these starry cavities represent so many hollows 
of cells, which still preserve their radii of communication, though the 
primitive parietes are obliterated; and in some instances, the cavities 
only remain in the form of ovoidal cells, which still can be restored to 
their original configuration by immersing the portion of albumen in 
Canada balsam. I have dried a carefully cut slice of the ivory, and 
then subjected it to the influence of Canada balsam, which rendered it 
so perfectly diaphanous as to be scarcely discernible by the naked eye 
from the balsam. This process has the effect of restoring the cells to 
