Mr. Babington on Saxifraga umbrosa. 47 



-whilst three round and thick orange-coloured granules ascend- 

 ed and descended together rapidly along the same line of cir- 

 culation, and continued visible from one extremity to the 

 other. 



After long immersion of the utricules in water, the arrange- 

 ment of the orange-coloured granules apparently proved the 

 existence of a double sac in which the granules Avere contained. 

 The circulation in this case was similar to that described by 

 Mr. Slack in hairs of Tradescantia (Trans. Soc. Arts, vol. 

 xlix. p. 41). "Each articulation appeared to consist of an 

 exterior glassy tube. Between this and the colouring matter 

 was the circulating fluid with its molecules. The coloured 

 fluid of the hair appeared to be enclosed in a membranous 

 sac, which formed an axis around which the fluid circulated." 



On crushing the anther there were observed some purple 

 hairs formed of an immense quantity of granules of extreme 

 minuteness, endowed with a very quick molecular motion. 



Iodine rendered the orange granules green. Alcohol did 

 not dissolve them. The latter did not arrest the circulation 

 of the nucleus in the ovoid utricules, although it instantane- 

 ously killed the animalcules. 



VIII. — Notes on Saxifraga umbrosa: By Charles C. Ba- 

 bington, M.A., F.L.S., F.G.S., &c. ; and by the Reviewer 

 of Baines's * Yorkshire Flora.' 



In the 39th Number of these Annals (vol. vi. p. 401), the Rev. 

 W. T. Bree expresses his doubt if the Saxifraga umbrosa is 

 " in fact a genuine native of Britain ;" and if he had said Great 

 Britain, I should have been inclined to say that it has all the 

 appearance of having been introduced, and that much more 

 evidence is requisite before we ought to admit it to have been 

 a genuine native. Concerning Ireland, however, I must ex- 

 press quite the contrary opinion, being convinced that there 

 is no plant that has a more decided claim to be considered as 

 certainly indigenous. I have myself seen it in the greatest 

 plenty upon the wild mountains of Connaraara and Joice's 

 county, but certainly did not notice it in the neighbourhood 

 of Killarney, where S. Geum is peculiarly abundant. 



It is worthy of notice, that the plant found in Connamara 

 differs as a variety from the Pyrentean plant, by having its 

 leaves dentate, crenate, and not simply and bluntly crenate, 

 as in the plant from the Pyrenees. The figure given in Eng. 

 Bot. (t. 663), which was taken from a specimen gathered at 

 Throp Arch woods, in Yorkshire, approaches much more 



