342 MISCELLANEOUS COMMUNICATIONS. 



Vegetable Physiology. — Mr. Nevan, in February, 1836, instituteri 

 some experiments on the physiology of vegetables : they were performed 

 on Elm trees, forty years of age ; and the results were the following : — I. 

 The stem of the tree was denuded, in a circle, of its cortical integument 

 alone, leaving the alburniun beneath uninjured. In the IMay following, the 

 denuded part was filled up by the exudation of bark and wood from the up- 

 per surface of the wound, and the tree had not suftered in growth. — 2. The 

 bark and cambium were removed in the same manner. In August, 1837, this 

 tree sickened, and there was no formation of wood or bark in the wounded 

 part. Two developments, however, took place, one above the other, from 

 below ; the former having the appearance of roots, the latter were branches 



with leaves 3. The bark and two layers of alburnum were cut away. The 



tree was at the time unhealthy : it, however, put forth its leaves in that and 

 the ensuing spring, but shortly after died. No sap was observed above or 

 below the wounded part. Koots were developed from the upper, and 



branches from the lower part of the section 4. The bark and six layers of 



alburnum were taken off. The tree became much less vigorous, but did not 

 die, and otherwise presented the same appearance as the last — 5. The bark 

 and twelve layers of alburnum were stripped. The consequences were 

 similar to the last two ; the alburnum above and below the cut being dry : 

 but an accidental cut that penetrated into the heart-wood exuded sap — 6. 

 This was a repetition of the experiment of Palisot de Beauvais, by cutting 

 away a circular ring of bark around a single branch. The branch continued 

 to grow, and roots sprouted from the under surface of the isolated bark and 



branch 7- In this the whole of the wood of the tree was cut away, except 



four pillars, composed of bark and sap-wood. In this case, the sap first ap- 

 peared from above, descending by the pith, and then from the heart-wood» 

 the alburnum being dry. In this case the sap must have passed up the al- 

 burnum, and horizontally through to the heart-wood — Mr. Nevan inferred 

 from these experiments, 1. That the life of the tree does not depend on the 

 liber or cambium, the inner bark or nutritive fluid. — 2. A descent of sap 

 takes place before the development of leaves. — 3. That new matter arises 

 from below, which had not previously been allowed. He thought there 

 were two distinct principles in the tree; one the ascending or leaf principle, 

 the other the descending or root principle. He had also performed some 

 experiments on the conversion of roots into branches, and came to the con- 

 clusion that buds or branches might be developed from any part of the root 

 above its extreme end, from which point it was impossible for buds to be 

 developed. 



Fossil Remains M. Aze'ma has found some fossil bones of Mastodons 



and the Rhinoceros, reptiles, and some well-preserved fruits, in the parish of 

 Sauveteire, near the district explored by M. Lartet, whose discoveiies we 

 announced some time back. It would be interesting to ascertain whether 

 the skeleton of the new and remarkable Rhinoceros brought from behind the 

 Cape, by the expedition under Dr. Andrew Smith, presents more affinity to 

 the recent or to the fossil species. It seems that the new fact concerning 

 fossil quadrumana has been succeeded by a similar discovery in the Himma- 

 laya mountains, but which is not so curious as the circumstance of finding 

 these animals in Europe ; and what is still more extraordinary, the compara- 

 tive anatomists have determined that European species to be similar to those 



