and the outside rind is the primine. Between the rind (primine) and 
shell (secundine) is the fleshy mass, or edible part. This is not con- 
idered as one of the coats, being the fungus-like thickening of the 
rind. As an edible fruit, the naming is different. Then the primine 
is called the exocarp; the secundine, endocarp ; and the interposed 
fleshy mass is the sarcocarp. The five coats which are made of the 
ovule, if it is true that they are always present, are exceedingly differ- 
ent in thickness. It may be well to imagine their existence, for the 
sake of convenient analogy, whether or not they have always been 
found. In case of the wheat, we find that a coat or two, (perhaps the 
whole five,) and the outside achenous or stigma-bearing one, produce, 
in miller’s language, shorts, bran, and kernelle, by grinding. But who 
can make out the achenous tunic, bearing the stigma, and within it the 
primine, secundine, tertine, quartine, and quintine 2? The nucleus or 
simple seed, (wheat,) we know to be principally amylaceous and glu- 
ous albumen, from the quantity of flour it gives, which is almost a 
pure mixture of starch and gluten (paste).” 
Other parts of the work are consistent with this ludicrous jumble. 
Thus, on page 236, we read of the peach, &c. that the “seed is the 
putamen and its contents within the sarcocarp (fleshy part) of a drupe :” 
and on page 234, ‘all seeds have this outer tegument, (tqpta or pri- 
_ mines,) excepting the conifere@, as pine trees, &c.” Also page 253, 
where the Conifers are said to have ‘“ seeds purely naked, not covered 
by testa, nor a skin-like envelope ;’’ and, Jest the idea should not be 
distinctly apprehended, a note informs us, that “all seeds but those of 
this order have a testa, skin, or membranous covering. 3 
these only, are truly naked. The gymnospermia of Class Didynamia 
_ are naked as it respects the pericarp. But the seeds of that order have 
the covering here referred to.” Parietal placenta, we learn from page 
- 6, “ means that fie placenta forms a kind of wall about ovules.” It 
¢an hardly be necessary to make further extracts to justify the remark 
which we premised. Ignorance of the rudiments of structural botany 
is of itself no disgrace ; but when young ladies write, and learn 
professors supervise such books as that before us, we are reminded of 
the title of a chapter, we believe in Fielding, ‘ showing that an author 
Writes all tie better for oe some Enowiedgs of the subject of which 
t rents: 
<A ath Hooker’ 8 Saeual of Botany. —The fourth volume of this inter- 
esting periodical commenced with the number for June last ; which? is 
occupied with a translation of a paper by Martius, on the Botany of 
razil, and st the first portion of a very important paper, by Mr. 
Smith, of Kew, entitled “ An eae and definition of the Gener 
Vol. XLU, te 1.—Oct.—Dec. 1841. BEES. 
