MR. JOHN MIERS ON A NEW GENUS OF THE BURMANNIACEZÆ. 463 
muriform tissue. The extremity of the funicle, where it is attached to the seed, is not 
deeurrent along the outer surface of the integument, as usually occurs, but enters its 
broad open mouth, within which it is attached on one side, and where its further progress 
is Jost; and it should be especially noticed that there is no indication of the presence of 
a raphe, or of spiral vessels, or ducts of any kind, either in the integument or in the 
funiclé. Besides the lines above described, we see within the pellicular tube of the funi- 
cle, when viewed under a high power, as well as beneath the cuticle of all parts of the 
plant, more especially on the inner surface of the perianth, a number of rounded yellow 
glands, irregularly scattered, which might be mistaken for pollen-grains; but they are 
very different, less than half their size, yellow and granulated, and apparently fixed upon 
the cuticle. 
In analyzing the seed, the readiest method of separating the outer seminal integument 
from the body which it encloses is to place one of them on a sheet of paper, covering it 
with a glass slide; then moving the latter by a gyratory motion under moderate pres- 
sure, the outer integument will be seen to split, not along the delicate pellicular inter- 
spaces, but through the middle of its more solid carinated nervures; and it thus opens 
valvately from the mouth downwards into segments united at their base, after the manner 
of dehiscence of an ordinary capsule. The oval body thus liberated from the pulvinate 
base of the outer integument, is about two-thirds of the length of that tunic; it seems 
to contain a torulose yellowish nucleus, apparently formed of three or four series of 
aggregated nodules, just as was formerly deseribed in the seed of Ophiomeris, and figured 
in the Linnean Transactions, vol. xx. pl. 15. figs. 18 & 19. 
When the integument of the oval body thus liberated is ruptured by the point of a 
needle, under water, about eighteen loose spherules become disengaged, which are irre- 
gular in size, somewhat angular in shape, of a dark-brown or blackish colour when fully 
matured, more or less opake, and appear to consist of numerous very minute oily cells, 
aggregated together somewhat loosely around a larger central globule, seemingly trans- 
parent and of an oily nature. When these spherules are placed under a nn 
the central oily globule escapes, the more minute cells are separated, and -— them a 
number of black extremely diminutive atoms, which look like the sporidia of — 
lt should be mentioned that the spherules first mentioned show no vestige m A vs 
cular covering; so that they cannot be compared with the spore-cases of gne ; 2 e 
the most careful search nothing like an embryo could be perceived. The dd d 
had never become dry, having been preserved in spirits from the time pec 
Were collected to the period of their examination, when they were placed xa — 
Water, lest any extraneous earthy particles might interfere with - Pun buen RR 
Ing integument, when cleared of its contents, is found to be a simply scat raphe 
brane, cancellated, with rather large areoles, and has no appearab’® e id fter er 
vessels of any kind. Such are the only results I have been able to athain a 
tous attempts, carefully repeated, to analyze the seed of —Ó eis E reig 
I have omitted, in the previous details, one ee DR usually found in 
X notice, Alth 
i ough, as before stated, no trac C Moto 
can he à onts of the seed of Myostoma, 
be seen in the funicle, or in either of the integuments de^ 
