Miscellaneous. 309 



vital action, which becomes rapidly coloured whilst the circulation 

 continues active. On the inner surface of the cell-wall, whilst rota- 

 tion is going on, the author observed a luminous stratum suggesting 

 the action of cilia, but in every observation, as the dye permeated 

 the tissue and the circulation ceased, the true cell-wall became 

 covered with irregular markings, either corrugated or having raised 

 excrescences, scarcely aUke in any two cells ; in no case were the 

 markings visible until the rotation had ceased, and they had the 

 appearance which would be produced by ciha falling against the cell- 

 wall in all positions upon the suspension of vital action. 



The chlorophyll-vesicles appear in three forms — in a gelatinous 

 sac or mass rotating altogether in the cells, as independent vesicles 

 apparently homogeneous in their structure, rendered opake by colouring 

 matter, and, lastly, as independent vesicles somewhat increased in 

 size, of a pale green colour, almost transparent, containing nuclei, 

 one, two, or three in number, which in reality appear to be immature 

 vesicles within the parent, similar to Volvox globator, without rota- 

 tory motion. The chlorophyll-vesicles appear to resist the action of 

 the magenta for some time after their rotation has ceeised, indicating 

 a vitaUty, at least to a certain extent, independent of that of the cell. In 

 some of the experiments a few of the cells assumed a purplish colour, 

 whilst in the adjoining cells the circulation was active and the chloro- 

 phyll green ; in those the chlorophyll appeared to be decomposed, 

 and the cell to be nearly full of very minute dots, swarming like the 

 granules in Closterium lunula. Upon this subject the author offered 

 no opinion. The observations were made with ^th and gth ob- 

 jectives ; and the paper contained minutiae of several experiments, 

 with the hours of observation, temperature of the room, and other 

 particulars. — Proceedings of the Literary and Philosophical Society 

 of Manchester, March 1863. 



The Ringed Seal (Phoca fcetida). 



A specimen of this animal was caught at Aberystwith during last 

 month, and has been exhibited alive in London. It is now in the 

 Collection of the British Museum. — J. E. Gray. 



On the Nature of the Gas produced from the Decomposition of 

 Carbonic Acid by Leaves exposed to the Light. By M. Bous- 



SINGAULT. 



In an interesting paper in the 'Ann. Sc. Nat.' (Bot.) ser. 4, vol. xvi. 

 pp. 1-27, 1 862, referring to the history of discovery in respect to 

 the relations of plants to the atmosphere, Boussingault remarks that 

 Bonnet first took notice of the emission of air from the surface of 

 leaves. Priestley recognized this air to be oxygen ; Ingenhous 

 showed the presence of light to be necessary ; and Senebier proved 

 that the oxygen gas eliminated by leaves under the light of the sun 



