32 



of naturalists. M. Mandl fancies he has discovered that the 

 milky sap of almost all plants contains Infusoria of various 

 forms. In the Euphorbice these Infusoria are said to be highly 

 developed, but unfortunately the description indicates that 

 M. Mandl has not seen Infusoria, but those minute spiculae 

 previously discovered by Rahn *, which mostly consist of amy- 

 lum. The motions and contortions of these amylaceous spi- 

 culae which M. Mandl pretends to have seen do not however 

 exist in nature. I have recently figured the most remarkable 

 forms of these amylaceous spiculae of the Euphorbia^. 



Some notices have recently been published by E. Solly, 

 jun. J on the milky sap of the cow tree of South America. 

 Gigantic cow trees were found in the neighbourhood of Ca- 

 racas, the smooth stems of which rose to the height of 60 

 feet, while the crown, 40 feet above the ground, spread forth its 

 branches, 24 feet in length, on all sides. If incisions were made 

 in the bark, down to the wood, the snowy stream flowed out 

 very rapidly, so that within a quarter of an hour a flask might 

 be completely filled. The vessels conducting this milk are 

 situated in the interior brown layer of the bark. The milk 

 from one of these trees was forwarded to England, and care- 

 fully examined by Mr. Solly ; it was however evidently spoiled, 

 and consisted of 62 parts of water and acetic acid, 30'5 ga- 

 lactin and some gum, gluten, &c. Mr. Solly has designated 

 by the name of galactin the waxy substance which is con- 

 tained in so great a quantity in the milk of the cow tree ; it 

 was regarded as common vegetable wax, but differs from bees' 

 wax in several very remarkable properties. Galactin is dis- 

 solved by cold sulphuric acid and decomposed by warm ; it 

 does not form oxalic acid with nitric acid. 



M. Aug. de St. Hilaire has published an extract from M. 

 C. H. Schultz's memoir on the proper vessels, which the 

 French Academy of Sciences honoured with the prize in 1833. 

 The extract contains little more than what has previously been 

 published by M. Schultz, and as we may look forward to the 



* Meyen's Report for 1835, p. 32. 

 f Pflanzen-Physiologie, ii. tab. ix. 



I On the Palo de Vacca, or Cow Tree, of South America. Lond. and 

 Edinb. Philosophical Magazine, 1837, xi. p. 542. 

 Ann. des Scienc, Nat. 1837, i. p. 257. 



