293 Prof. G. Gulliver on Raphides and other Crystals, 



the panicles of the Byhlus-rush, in order to record this interesting 

 fact in connexion with so important an African plant as the 

 Papyrus or Byblus, I should prefer to call this new Antelope 

 Tragelaphus byhlophagus instead of " T. Spekii" the name sug- 

 gested by Dr. P. L. Sclater. Another character of this animal 

 is very worthy of note — namely, the extreme length of the toes 

 or fore parts of the hoofs, so that " it could hardly walk on the 

 dry ground," but of course most useful for traversing the mud 

 and marshy shores of the lakes. This provision of nature re- 

 minds me of the long toes of the Water-rail, Gallinule, and other 

 kinds of the family Macrodactyli of Cuvier, which he character- 

 izes as having "les doigts des pieds fort longs et propres k marcher 

 sur les herbes des niarais;" and in like manner, it adapts that 

 Antelope to walking over, and being supported upon, the long 

 stems of the Byhlus-rush and other fluviatile " plants so densely 

 interwoven in the waters" — or, in the exact words of the philo- 

 sopher Seneca (Nat. Quaest. lib. vi. cap. 8), "ita implicitse aquis 

 herbse " — not only of the Upper Nile itself, but also of the 

 reservoir-lakes which feed that mighty and sacred river. 

 Feb. 19, 1864. 



XXIX. — Observations on Raphides and other Crystals. 

 By George Gulliver, F.R.S. 



[Continued from p. 215.] 



Smilacea. — The following officinal drugs were obtained from 

 the authentic dispensary of the Society of Apothecaries, through 

 the courtesy of its worthy treasurer, Mr. Ward : — Red Jamaica 

 Sarza, Honduras Sarza, Guatemala Sarza, and solid extract of 

 Sarza. All the three roots abounded in raphides, generally seen 

 within oblong cells, which, in the Guatemala specimen, often 

 appeared as beautiful chains along the liber. This sample was 

 remarkable for the scantiness of its starch, scarcely a ti'ace of 

 which could be detected ; while the Red Jamaica and Honduras 

 abounded in starch-granules and their cells. In the extract no 

 raphides could be found; but it contained numerous quadratic 

 octahedrons, about -rrroth of an inch in diameter, and exactly 

 resembling those microscopic crystals which have been usually 

 regarded as composed of oxalate of lime. These crystals are 

 most easily found by diluting the extract with water, and then 

 letting them subside to the bottom for collection. The examina- 

 tion of the officinal American sort will be found noted under 

 Araliacese. 



Dioscoreacece, — In all the few species yet examined we have 



