Nov. 1S98.] BOTANICAL SOCIETY OF EDINBURGH 131 



Carl Pearson thinks one asymmetrical molecule might 

 have been formed by chance, and bred others ; but to this. 

 Professor Japp replies, that no such case of breeding ever 

 had been seen, and that, as far as has been known, no in- 

 organic molecule has any such effect on another. 



Professor Japp also says the mechanical production of 

 single optically active compounds, asymmetric always in 

 the same sense, is not inconceivable, but it is enormously 

 improbable. 



Professor Fitzgerald thinks that life might have origin- 

 ated either at the north pole or at the south pole — hence 

 the right- or left-handed structure of an organism. 



Professor Japp replies that this experiment, " Can rota- 

 tion produce asymmetric compounds ? has been tried for 

 us by Nature ever since life began on this planet ; and the 

 result has been, so far, negative, for we do not find right- 

 handed vegetables at one pole, and left-handed at the 

 other." 



On the contrary, in both hemispheres the honeysuckle 

 and most leguminous plants twine with the hands of a 

 watch ; tlie convolvulus and the passion flower, against the 

 hands of a watch. 



The old genus, Jungcrmannia, was at one time divided 

 into two sections — 



Tucuboiis Jungcrmannia, with leaf spiral, going against 

 the hands of a watch, such as — Radula comidanata, Frid- 

 lania dilatata, F. Tamarisci. 



Succuhous Jiingermannia, with leaf spiral, going with the 

 hands of a watch, such as — Plagiochila asplcmoidcs, Junger- 

 mannia hicnspidata, Lojphocolea hidentata. 



These differences are as mysterious, as the fact that the 

 oil from the silver top, stringy bark. Eucalyptus lojvojnnecc 

 rotates to the left, and the oil of the messmate, F. dextro- 

 pinca, rotates to the right ; but they certainly show that 

 the difterence does not depend on tlie hemisphere in which 

 the plants grow. 



Biologists, unfortunately, suppose that they explain a 

 biological problem by handing it over to the chemist, or to 

 the physicist. 



In Dicken's novel, Mr. Micawber paid his debts with an 

 I.O.U, The biologist pays his with cheques on the banks 



