1897. NOTES AND COMMENTS. 223 



those far-away times closely resembled that to which they are now 

 restricted. 



The most effective agent in distribution is the wind. Fruits and 

 seeds carried along by help of wings or feathery appendages are to 

 be seen everywhere in summer and autumn. It is a significant fact 

 that one of the characteristics of the largest and most widely spread 

 family of seed-plants, the Compositae, is a light hairy fruit-appen- 

 dage known as the pappus, and familiar to everyone in the dande- 

 lion * clocks.' In rare cases the whole plant packs up and travels to 

 a new locality. The Rose of Jericho (Anastatica Hierochuntina) is a 

 small annual growing in desert places from Syria to Algeria. When 

 in flower the branches are spreading, but as the seeds ripen the 

 leaves wither and the branches dry up and curl inwards, forming a 

 ball in the inside of which are the seed-pods. In this condition it is 

 soon loosened from the sandy soil and carried or rolled along by the 

 wind, and often blown into the sea. On being wetted, the branches 

 unbend and the pods begin to open, so that if thrown up again on the 

 shore its seeds will germinate in a new locality. 



Animals also play an important part, either by carrying in their 

 coats or feathers, or by swallowing and ultimately rejecting, the seed 

 uninjured. For transport by the former means grappling hooks or 

 barbed or sometimes sticky hairs are of service, to the latter we owe 

 our brightly-coloured succulent fruits and seeds. By offering a 

 tempting meal the plant succeeds in propagating its kind in a distant 

 spot. Of course the seed must be protected from injury during its 

 passage through the animal's body, and this explains its hard or 

 tough covering in such cases. The beauty of this part of the exhibit 

 is striking ; fruits of the Yew, Guelder Rose, Rowan, Elder-berry and 

 other familiar examples being reproduced in a modelling composition 

 by Miss Emett with- life-like brilliance of colour as well as 

 accuracy of form. 



Students can learn more by a few minutes' study of these cases 

 than by hours of text-book reading. 



The Horniman Museum. 



Suburban theatres are springing up all round London, and are 

 prospering. Why not suburban Museums ? That there is an 

 opening for them if intelligently and attractively managed is shown 

 by Mr. F. J. Hornimans Museum at Forest Hill, S.E., which during 

 1896 was attended by no less than 62,119 visitors. The sixth annual 

 ■Report, by the curator, Richard Quick, evidences a commendable 

 activity in many directions. It has the advantage of being illustrated 

 by some excellent photo-process engravings of objects contained in 

 the Museum, also of a group of Burmese visitors to the Museum, 

 showing Mr. Horniman sitting between two pretty ladies. Another 

 plate represents three chert palaeolithic implements selected from 



