June, 1911. 



KNOWLEDGE. 



231 



there is a steady increase in the amount of nucleoprotein 

 present in the plant. He deprecates the attempt made by 

 some writers to attribute to the nucleoproteins the qualities 

 of "life-bearers," "inheritance-bearers," and so on, and 

 points out that protoplasm is an e.\ceedingly complex 

 structure, made up of many protein substances, though 

 its complete chemical structure is quite unknown. 



FURZE THORNS.— In 1893, Lothelier described experi- 

 ments on the influence of humidity and light on the 

 development of the leaves and branches of various spiny 

 plants (Furze, Barberry, and so on). He claimed that branches 

 of Furze, which under normal conditions are developed .as 

 thorns, tend to lose their spiny character and to produce 

 leafy branches. The results obtained by Lothelier were 

 criticised later by Goebel, who contended that the leafy 

 shoots obtained by Lotlielier were simply " reversionary 

 shoots," which can be produced at any time from ordinary 

 Furze branches when the plant is pruned. 2eidler {Flora, 

 1911) has made a series of careful experiments with 

 Furze plants raised from seed, and his results may be 

 thus summarised. ( 1 1 Spine formation is hindered in moist 

 atmosphere, also in feeble light — in total darkness seedlings as 

 well as older plants of Furze very quickly perish. 121 Typical 

 more or less flattened foliage-leaves, without spines, are 

 formed on the basal portions of the shoots, when plants are 

 grown in damp air, but these are only formed at the beginning 

 of each season's growth, and, moreover, they may occur on 

 plants grown under normal conditions, so that each year's 

 growth can easily be recognised on a plant. (3) Lothelier's 

 results were due to the fact that he did not use entire plants, 

 but cut portions, and besides he made no control experiments 

 which would have shown that leafy shoots may arise in cut 

 Furze stems grown under normal conditions. 



FUNGUS IN LIVERWORTS.— Garjeanne, who has 

 already contributed greatly to our knowledge of the biology of 

 the " fungus servant " or mycorhiza present in various Liver- 

 worts, has recently {Flora. 1911) made an extensive re-investi- 

 gation of the subject. He shows that the infection of the 

 rhizoids 1" root-hairs ") of leafy Liverworts is a widely-spread 

 phenomenon, that different kinds of Fungi may enter into 

 partnership with the Liverworts in this way. that some of these 

 Fungi belong to the genus Miicor (to which belongs the 

 common Black Mould found on bread, and so on). In most 

 cases, the particular Fungus, on being isolated and cultivated, 

 proved to be Miicor rhizophihis. a new species, with small 

 gonidangia on a slightly-branched gonidiophore. It has a 

 greatly developed mycelium, with numerous transverse walls, 

 and produces several additional forms of spore besides the 

 gonidia. 



THE EVOLUTION OF THE FLOWER.— H. F. 

 Wernham has commenced to publish, in the Ncu- Phytologist 

 (Vol. 10, No. 3. March, 1911), what promises to be one of the 

 most interesting of the various series of papers which have 

 appeared from time to time — in addition to the valuable 

 original memoirs and summaries of recent botanical research 

 — in this the youngest of British botanical journals, which has 

 already taken its place among the leading scientific periodicals 

 of the day. The author concludes his introductory article 

 with the following summary. (1) The fundamental guiding 

 principles in the progressive evolutionary history of the 

 Dicotyledonous flower are two in number, namely (i) economy 

 in production of the several items comprising reproductive 

 organs; (ii) progressive adaptation to the reception of insect 

 visitors. (2) The second of these principles compensates the 

 first for the decreased chance of pollination which the latter 

 involves. (3) There are also certain tendencies which subserve 

 these two main principles, the most widespread being (i) 

 progressively increasing conspicuonsness attained either {a) by 

 enlargement of the individual flower or, as is by far the more 

 general case {b) by excessive branching of the floral axes to 

 produce aggregation of the flowers into dense inflorescences ; 

 (ii) devices of floral structure or habit which ha\e obvious 

 relation to insect visits, the chief of these being zygomorphy, 

 which may occur either in solitary or loosely aggregated 

 flowers, but is illustrated more generally by the outer florets of 



a close inflorescence ; (iii) fusion of parts, more particularly to 

 form tubes, the most important type of fusion being sympetaly 

 — the formation of a gamopetalous corolla. (4) The " primitive 

 flower " or prototype will be, of course, one in which the 

 working of these principles is realised the least. There will be 

 economy in production ; the parts will be, therefore, produced 

 in indefinite numbers, and there will be no gre:i: specialisation 

 for the reception of insect visitors — no aggregation, chorisis, 

 zygomorphy. or fusion of parts. An analogy to such a proto- 

 type is not wanting in the Gymnosperms. for we find it in cer- 

 tain members of the Bennettitales, and reflected in the typical 

 flowers of certain Ranalian orders, e.g., the Magnoliaceae. 



CHEMISTRY. 



By C. AiNswoRTH Mitchell, B.A. (Oxon.), F.I.C. 



MUTTON BIRD OIL. — Numerous sea birds, including 

 the petrels and fulmars, contain a very high proportion of oil, 

 and for this reason are greatly valued by the natives upon the 

 Scottish Coasts, who obtain from them " oil for their lamps, 

 down for their beds, a delicacy for their table, a balm for their 

 wounds, and a medicine for their distemper." In the Island of 

 St. Kilda it is only legal to kill the fulmars during one week in 

 the year, but during that week from eighteen thousand to 

 twenty thousand birds are destroyed. So rich in oil are these 

 birds, that by passing a wick through their bodies they may 

 be used as lamps. 



Hitherto the nature of the oil in these birds has not been 

 investigated, but in a recent issue of the Joiini. Soc. Cliein. 

 hid. (1911, XXX, 405), there is an interesting account by Mr. 

 Hewgill Smith of the characteristics of the oil of the Antarctic 

 petrel, the mutton bird {Aestralata lessoni), which during 

 the breeding season, is slaughtered in large quantities upon the 

 coasts of Tasmania and New Zealand. The " oil " of this 

 bird, which has now become a comniercial product, is carried 

 in the stomach, whence it can be ejected through the nostrils 

 as a means of defence against its enemies. 



This oil, which is found in the stomach of the dead bird, is a 

 pale yellow or bright red liquid with a faint fishy odour. 

 When cooled to 0° C. it solidifies to a transparent mass. The 

 specimen examined by Mr. Smith had a specific gravity of 

 0-8819 to 0-8S58 at 15^ C. and absorbed 71 per cent, of 

 iodine. It contained a high proportion (36-9 per cent.) of 

 unsaponifiable alcohols, and, unlike the majority of animal fats 

 and oils, contained no glycerine. In its general composition 

 and properties it closely resembled .\rctic sperm oil and, like 

 that oil, did not thicken when exposed to the air. It would 

 thus be useful as a lubricant, if it could be obtained in 

 sufficient quantity, which is, however, unlikely. The body fat 

 of the bird was of quite a different character from this oil, being 

 a soft brownish solid with a specific gravity of 0-9351 to 

 0-9380, an iodine absorption value of 89- 1, and containing only 

 1 - 76 to 2 per cent, of unsaponifiable matter. This appeared 

 to be an ordinary fat, whereas the " oil " might be classed 

 with sperm oil among the liquid waxes. It has been suggested 

 that the mutton bird uses the oil for feeding its young. 



THE DETECTION OF COCAINE.— A test for cocaine 

 has been based upon the fact that it combines with potassium 

 permanganate to form pink crystals in the form of nearly 

 square plates. This test has been studied by Mr. E. H. 

 Hankin (Analyst, 1911, XXXVI. 1), who renders it much more 

 sensitive by allowing a strong solution of permanganate to 

 evaporate on a glass shde. and then adding a drop of a 

 solution of alum containing the cocaine, and watching the 

 crystallisation under the microscope. The use of the alum is 

 to retard the action of the permanganate, and in this way it is 

 possible to distinguish between cocaine and certain other allied 

 anaesthetic compounds. As an illustration of the delicacy of 

 the test. Mr. Hankin cites an instance where a man suspected 

 of illicit dealing in cocaine had received timely warning of 

 the visit of the police. No cocaine was found, but various 

 pieces of paper, in which it was supposed that the drug had 

 been wrapped were subjected to the permanganate test, and 

 in the case of ten out of eleven pieces the characteristic 

 cocaine crystals were seen to develop. In another case a 



