OB J B C TIONS A GA INS T E VOL UTIOJV. 149 



Thus, the woods used in mediaeval buildings, as 

 well as those found in the buried ruins of British 

 and Roman villages, differ in no appreciable feature 

 from existing woods. Again, chestnuts, almonds and 

 other fruits found in the shop of a fruit-dealer in 

 Herculaneum, under the lava deposits made eight- 

 een centuries ago, are identical with those still 

 grown in the vicinity of Vesuvius. 



But it is Egypt which supplies us with the best 

 preserved vegetable, as it has furnished the best ani- 

 mal specimens of an ancient date. Recent explora- 

 tions, particularly in the Nileland, have put us in 

 possession of materials which are far better for pur- 

 poses of comparison than anything which had been 

 previously known. "And happily," says Mr. Car- 

 ruthers, " the examination of these materials has been 

 made by a botanist who is thoroughly acquainted 

 with the existing flora of Egypt, for Dr. Schwein- 

 furth has been a quarter of a century exploring the 

 plants of the Nile valley. The plant remains were 

 included within the mummy-wrappings, and being 

 thus hermetically sealed, have been preserved with 

 scarcely any change. By placing the plants in warm 

 water, Dr. Schweinfurth has succeeded in preparing a 

 series of specimens, gathered four thousand years ago, 

 which are as satisfactory for the purposes of science as 

 any collected at the present day. These specimens, 

 consequently, supply means for the closest examina- 

 tion and comparison with their living representatives. 

 The colors of the flowers are still present, even the 

 most evanescent, such as the violet of the larkspur 

 and the knapweed, and the scarlet of the poppy ; the 



