46 BUNYA BUNYA NUTS, KTC. 



fessor Sachs, in Wurzburg. From the cones of Araucaria 

 brasiliensis he inferred that the scales of the Araucaria cones are 

 destitute of a placenta in opposition to the scales of the genus 

 Pinus. Now the scales of Araucaria Bidicllli are distinctly 

 shown to be composed of two parts, a proper bract and a placenta 

 which is grown to the bract and which includes the nut. 



Unlike the nuts of Pimi^ ptnea and Pimis cembra the Bunya- 

 nuts contain absolutely no fatty oil. The whole endosperma is 

 filled with amylum (starch) which resembles closely the starch 

 grains contained in the fruits of the Chestnut tree {Castnnea 

 vesca). Under the microscope the grains are seen to be packed 

 closely together so much as to be pressed in a polygonal form. 

 No sugar is contained in the Bunya nuts ; whereas the Chestnuts 

 contain a large quantity of it. The endosperma includes the 

 atropous embryo which has only two cotyledons and which 

 shows the anomalous power to develop chlorophyll and to get 

 green in the absolute dark when the seed is germinating. 



NATIVE ASTRINGENT MEDICINES AND TANNING 

 MATERIALS OF UUEENSLAND. 



By Dp. JOSEPH LAUTERER. 



[Read before the Royal Society of Queensland, March 9, 1895.] 



THE SUPPOSED DESCENT OF THE AUSTRALIANS. 



By Dp. JOSEPH LAUTERER. 



[Bead before the Boyal Society of (Queensland, March 9, 1895. 



