Miscellaneous. 465 



organ. The ovary, which is truly inferior, is produced by a discoidal 

 formation. The ovule is lateral. The succession of the development 

 of the leaf-cycle is altogether abnormal. 



In describing the pappus of Sonchus, the author remarks that its 

 degree of fragility depends upon its state of cultivation ; but it cannot 

 yet be decided whether a stony soil plays any part. The fragility 

 depends very closely upon the thickness of the hairs of the pappus, 

 and this is governed by the number of rows of cells which form the 

 hairs. In Sonchus the base of the pappus is formed by three or 

 four series of cells ; the oldest part of the hairs is the extremity. 

 The very fine pappi of SonchuSf when examined by the microscope, 

 present at their extremity a system of hooks, formed, on the average, 

 of five or six cells, arranged upon eight lines, recurved externally in 

 the form of a hatchet ; these will probably hereafter furnish specific 

 characters. The author indicates the characters thus displayed by 

 Sonchus arvensis, arboreiu, asper, oleraceus, palustris, and tenerrimu8. 

 All these species, especially the two last, most clearly show this sys- 

 tem of recurved teeth, whilst the pappus of Sonchus divaricatus de- 

 parts considerably from them, and more nearly approaches that of 

 the exotic Rhabdotheca.—Bibl. Univ. October 1864, p. 169. 



On the Remains of Plants found beneath the Suriss Lake-dwellings. 

 By Professor O. Heer. 



At the late meeting of the Socidte Ilelvetique des Sciences Natu- 

 relles, on the 23rd of August, Professor Heer exhibited a collection of 

 vegetable remains found under the ancient lake- dwellings of Switzer- 

 land. In his remarks upon these remains he referred particularly to 

 some interesting recent discoveries at Robenhausen, on the Lake of 

 PtTifikon. The subsoil of the layers of peat at Robenhausen is formed 

 by a white mud ; above this white mud, and also below the peat, are 

 the vegetable remains, nearly all of which are carbonized. They are 

 endently the di^bris of plants that the former inhabitants have thrown 

 into the lake. 



The remains of use^l plants are particularly interesting for the 

 history of agriculture. Among cereals we find wheat and barley of 

 the following kinds : — A small-grained variety of Triticum vulgare, 

 Liim., occurs most frequently at Robenhausen, and also at Waugen, 

 in the Lake of Constance, and at Moosedorf, in the Canton of 

 Berne ; a Triticum vulgare, with grain of the ordinary size, is also 

 met with. These two varieties have been sent to Prof. Heer from 

 the locality near Olmiitz, the age of which is unknown. Near Ro- 

 benhausen Triticum turgidum occurs, a species still cultivated in the 

 south of Europe, but scarcely in Switzerland. At Wangen the T. 

 dicoccum and T. monococcum, Linn., are known to occur ; and T. 

 Spelta is found only in the recent lacustrine locality of the ile de St. 

 Pierre (age of bronze ?). Of barleys, the Hordeum hexastichum, Linn., 

 is generally diffused. Its ears, from which the grain has fallen, 

 are found well preserved in most of the lacustrine villages. According 

 to linger, this barley is also that of the ancient monuments of Egypt ; 

 whilst our common barley (//. vulgare) is wanting in both localities, 



Ann. is Mag. N. Hist. Ser.3. Vol.iiw 30 



