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animals were absorbed to make way for soft structures, so it would appear tbat 

 the hard wood of the tree had to give way to the soft cellular growth of the 

 Mistletoe. He did not think this quite proved, because though great compres- 

 sion was evident there yet wanted evidence of absorption to make the analogy 

 complete. He thought if they examined the section made by Mr. Blight and 

 Mr. Smith, or better still, if they made sections for themselves, that they would 

 come to the same conclusion these gentlemen had, that the soft cellular Mistletoe 

 root had the power of penetrating the hard wood in the direction of the 

 medullary rays. He would only mention in conclusion two other reasons in 

 support of this view which had not been named — one was that the section of 

 Mistletoe root if simply enclosed by each annual growth of wood, would have 

 a notched edge corresponding with each year, instead of being as it is a wedge 

 with perfectly smooth outline, and the other was, that when a Mistletoe seed 

 took growth on a small twig of one or two years' growth, as is often seen on the 

 lower branches of lime trees in particular, it invariably killed the bough — 

 whereas Blistletoe sections constantly show the roots on the very first annular 

 layer of wood. The section Fig. 7 of Mr. Blight's showed no less than six roots 

 pent t rating almost to the centre, and had it continued to grow there the branch 

 could not possibly have lived (applause). 



