48 PROCEEDINGS OF SOCIETIES. 



object — "the seed" — was partly to induce some of the yoiiuger 

 members to pay attention to it, as something worthy their study, and 

 partly to show that an apparently insignificant object was deserving of 

 greater notice than was generally given to it, from the physiological 

 teachings deducible from its structure and component parts, as well as 

 for the assistance it rendered in classifying the plants to which it 

 belonged. 



As some were aware during 1862-3-4 he devoted considerable 

 time and attention to the collection and examination of the seeds of 

 wild plants, when, he might safely say, he examined some hundreds ; 

 in fact, he seldom took a walk without bringing home half-a-dozen 

 fresh examples, a considerable percentage of which were so beautiful 

 as to warrant their being mounted for the cabinet. Since then he 

 had, from time to time, paid more attention to the seeds of cultivated 

 plants. One lesson he had learnt, among others, was the family like- 

 ness which ran through seeds belonging to some of the great natural 

 orders, and another the assistance the microscopic characters afibrded 

 in determining the difference between species which approximated 

 closely to each other in some particulars. 



In its ripe state a seed consisted of a nucleus, or kernel, and an 

 outer skin called the testa, variable in colour, texture, and markings. 

 Sections, such as those so admii'ably made by their friend. Dr. Halli- 

 fax, showed that three distinct layei'S might be detected in the testa^ 

 corresponding to the three coats of the ovule. The nucleus consisted 

 of two parts — the albumen and the true-growing parts. The albumen 

 differed in quantity and consistency, being soft in some, and as hard 

 as bone in others, and was composed of starch, lignine, oil, nitrogenous 

 and saline substances, contained in cells. The embryo was either 

 straight or curved, and consisted of the radicle, which developed into 

 the root ; the plumule, which produced one or more seed leaves, and 

 the gemmule, or first leaf-bud. 



Turning to the external appearance of the seed, the microscope 

 revealed " a thing of beauty," as shown by the great variety of mark- 

 ings. Without entering into minute descriptions, he would indicate 

 some of the families whose seeds he had found contained some of the 

 most interesting examples. As before mentioned, the family likeness 

 was so great that it was often possible to indicate the family to which 

 a seed belonged before knowing its name. 



The Chili nettles, the Loasacece, contained very interesting and 

 beautiful seeds, contrasting with which were the Portulacece, Purslane 

 family, some of which bore a striking resemblance to the shells of 

 fossil ammonites, many of them shining with quite a metallic lustre. 

 Among the Lobeliacece would be found interesting specimens, not the 

 least interesting being Isotoma axillaris, presenting an amber-coloured 

 crystalline appearance, with exquisite markings. The Papaveracece 

 well repaid examination, while the ScrophuUiriacece — a very large 

 family, containing the foxgloves, mulleins, figworts, the toadflax, snap- 

 di'agon, eyebright, paulonia, &c. — were all characterized more or less 

 by hexagonal markings, with more minute reticulations within them. 

 One cultivated plant, Nycterinia capensis, was of a delicate primrose 



