216 PROCEEDINGS OF SOCIETIES, ["Journal AlSrrism 



museum by the members. Interesting collections of photographs 

 were lent by the India Office, the Autotype Company, Messrs. A. E. 

 Durham, F. Good, and A. L. Henderson, and Flaxmau's studies were 

 open to the inspection of the visitors in the Shield room, whilst in 

 dai'k rooms, at frequent intervals, exhibitions of micro-photographs 

 were admirably shown by Mr. How. Mr. Solomon showed his process 

 of photography by the magnesium lamp, and Mr. Apps performed a 

 variety of brilliant experiments with induction coils and vacuum tubes. 

 Eefreshmonts were served in the museum and in one of the class- 

 rooms. A nmnerous and brilliant company attended during the even- 

 ing, who were received on entrance by the President, Secretary, and 

 members of the Committee. 



LiTEBARY AND PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY OF MANCHESTER. 



(^Continuation of paper " On the Natural Ropes used in packing Cotton Bales in tlic 

 Brazils" from page 172.) 



Bi'jnoniacece. — Travellers in the Brazils tell us that by far the 

 larger number of climbing plants in the South American tropics 

 belong to the natural order Malpighiaceae, and we should therefore 

 expect that this would be the family which furnishes the majority of 

 natural ropes. But this does not appear to be the case ; the Bignoni- 

 acete stands pre-eminent as the natural order most largely used for 

 supplying lianas for packing purposes, both as regards the quantity of 

 rojjes, and the largest number of species. 



Most of them are readily identified by the remarkable and sym- 

 metrical outlines presented by the cortical and woody systems of their 

 stems when seen in a horizontal section, the bark being projected into 

 the woody tissue, towards the centre, in the form of rays. These 

 cortical rays are wholly formed of liberian fibres, and they vary in 

 colour according to the species. In the majority of stems such pro- 

 longations of the bark are four in number, disposed after the manner 

 of a Maltese cross. In a few species each of the four cortical por- 

 tions is very thick and perfectly square in contour, but in the larger 

 number they are long and slender, frequently reaching the pith 

 itself. 



The yearly additions to these rays do not proceed after a uniform 

 method, and I shall notice two or three of the i:»rincipal arrangements. 

 The more common is that where the four primitive rays are deeply 

 projected into the woody portion, the additions taking place each season 

 in the form of plates deposited on each side of the primitive cortical 

 ray. It is difficult without the aid of a diagram to convey a clear idea 

 of the sequence in which the various portions of bark and wood arc 

 formed ; suffice it to say that each successive addition of bark is 

 projected into the wood a shorter distauce than its predecessor, and as 

 the innermost extremity of every plate is truncate or rectangular, 

 it follows that the outline presented by each cortical mass is that of 

 a pyramid, whose sides are formed of a series of rectangular steps 

 like an ordinary stone staircase. It is difficult to account for this 



