SEED-COLORATION 395 



in Tobago and Grenada. The seed is exalbuminous, and has a 

 thin covering or skin, which, if I remember rightly, is brownish 

 in colour. As I write I have by my side the exalbuminous 

 seeds of Monstera pertusa, a climbing aroid, gathered in Grenada 

 over a year ago. In this case also the embryo is dark green. 

 Further details on this subject will be found in Note 18 of 

 the Appendix. 



Before leaving the subject of the colour of embryos, a Theconnec- 

 few more remarks may be made on the relation in ex- albuminous 



albuminous seeds of the Leguminosae between white embryos 



and the colour of the seed. If we can judge from the between 



behaviour of the genera Canavalia and Phaseolus, where bryosand 



white embryos seem characteristic, there is no connection ^ 



between the two. The four species of Canava/ia with which 

 I am acquainted, C. ensiformis^ C. gladiata^ C. obtusifolia, and 

 a Tobago species, of which the specific name is unknown to 

 me, all have white embryos. In the first the seed is white, 

 in the second dull red, in the third banded brown, and in the 

 last pale brown. The same indication is afforded by four 

 kinds of Phaseolus, all of which have white kernels or embryos, 

 namely, P. vulgaris (French Bean), with reddish-brown seeds ; 

 P. multiflorus (Scarlet-runner), having two varieties, one with 

 seeds showing black mottling on a reddish ground, the other 

 with white seeds ; and a West Indian species with white seeds. 

 From these data it would seem that, as already pointed out in 

 the case of leguminous exalbuminous seeds where the embryo 

 is green in the unripe and yellowish in the resting seed, there 

 is no connection between the colour of the embryo and the 

 coloration of the seed-coats. 



The hard red seeds of different species of tropical The red 

 leguminous plants, such as Abrus precatorius, Adenanthera f^umin 

 pavonina, different species of Erythrina, etc., invite attention for P lants - 

 many reasons. As presented to view in the opening pods, 

 they must often attract the notice of birds ; but with the 

 exception of Erythrina and Adenanthera 1 have not come upon 

 many references to birds selecting them for food. In my 



