8 INTRODUCTION. 
to the endosperm. The endosperm is penetrated, especially in the uppermost portion, 
by deep, dark-coloured canals convergent on the centre. These canals are formed of 
cells, elongated in.the direction of the canal itself , which are also saturated with a 
tannic substance, but which is, however, not collected in special cavities or sacs. 
Two or three layers of very small cells situated under the tissue in which the 
canals originate, or in immediate contact with the endosperm, constitute the testa 
of the seed. : 
The endosperm offers nothing remarkably different from that of a Calamus. It - 
is horny or bony and perfectly solid even to the centre. From what has been 
stated above, it would seem that the rumination of the seed of the Daemonorops is 
not entirely due to the penetration of the outer integument within the endosperm, 
since the external tissue which penetrates into the canals does not appear to be 
derived from it, but from a layer of cells placed under the integument, a layer 
which belongs apparently only to the nucellus. | 
Together with the ripe fruits, I was able to examine also some ovaries of 
D. Jenkinsianus also preserved in alcohol, which had already attained a diameter 
of 45—5 mm. (Pl J, f. 7, 8) In ovaries which have attained this degree of 
development, it is clearly seen that the  gelatinous-tanniferous fluid, previously 
mentioned, transudes from the exceedingly acute angle formed by the insertion of 
the funieulus with the ovarian cavity, and accumulates unevenly around the ovule 
during its transformation into a seed. ‘This uneven accumulation produces depressions 
here and there upon the surface of the young seed which vanish as the seed 
arrives at complete maturity. 
In the ovule arrived at the degree of development just stated (i.e. of 4—5 mm. 
diameter) there may be observed, in a longitudinal section following the raphe and 
passing by the mieropyle (Pl. I, f. 8), a considerable cavity in the central part, of 
irregular shape (tbe embryo sac) which starts from the micropyle (Pl. I, f, 8), and 
extends in the direction of the periphery at the point which corresponds to the 
chalaza (Pl I, f. 8, 7); this cavity is lined with a delicate layer of endosperm in 
a state of formation, and its surface, at the point nearest to the chalaza, is 
rendered uneven by tiny protuberances which are no other than the beginnings of 
the canaliculi which will later bring about rumination. 
Already at this stage of development, in the fleshy mass which later forms 
the integument of the seed, the tanniferous sacs can be seen in very considerable 
numbers, These sacs probably draw by endosmosis out of the mass the tannic 
substance which exudes between the ovule and the ovarian wall. The integument 
of the seed becomes, in the ripe fruit, fleshy and is frequently acidulate or 
sweetish. 
IX.—The Seed. 
The seeds of  Daemonorops are for the most part globular, though often of 
irregular shape. When the integument (which, as it dries, adheres closely to the 
seed) is stripped off, the surface is seen to be finely pitted all over. These tiny 
openings indicate the beginnings of the canals, full of the tanniferous substance, 
which penetrate the interior, and are the cause of the rumination of the seed. 
