Prof. G. Gulliver on Raphides. 365 



part of the trunk. Lower parts yellowish, marbled with black- 

 ish in the posterior half of the body ; an irregular series of sub- 

 quadrangular black spots along each side of the anterior half of 

 the belly. 



This species was discovered by Messrs. Godman and Salvin, 

 near Duefias and on other parts of the tableland of Guatemala. 

 An adult female measures 17| inches, the tail being 1§ inch. 



XXXVI. — Observations on Raphides. 

 By George Gulliver, F.R.S. 



The term raphides will be here used as defined in the 'Annals' 

 for September last. Much perplexing obscurity has arisen from 

 the too frequent practice of confounding such very different 

 things as sphseraphides, or other microscopic crystals, with 

 raphides. 



The importance of these objects has been so far shown (see 

 the October and preceding Numbers of the ' Annals ') that de- 

 scriptions of certain orders can never henceforth be regarded as 

 complete, in any system pretending to be a natural one, without 

 notice of the fact which implies that a fundamental end of the 

 existence of those plants is the production of raphides; for, 

 during their whole healthy lives, such plants may be truly 

 characterized as Nature's laboratories of these curious crystals. 

 And yet, valuable, weighty, and central as this character cer- 

 tainly is, I know not that it has ever yet been recognized by 

 systematic botanists. No other single diagnosis for the orders 

 in question is so simple, fundamental, and universal as this; 

 and the orders to which it applies should be designated rapjhis- 

 bearing or raphidiferous, and so of the genera or species when all 

 the plants of an order do not produce raphides. 



Onagracea. — This order, as shown in former papers, is so 

 well and truly characterized in this manner that the raphides 

 even in the seed-leaves may be sufficient for the diagnosis; and 

 I know not that it had ever before been suspected that this 

 rudimental part of the plant of one order would thus be ade- 

 quate to distinguish it from other plants of the nearest allied 

 orders. 



Further, I have now to observe that the same difiierence may 

 be demonstrated in the ovule. In its sacs and in the placenta 

 the raphides abound, while they do not exist there or else- 

 where in plants of cognate orders. Though I have made a few 

 observations to this effect in other raphidiferous plants, I have 

 chiefly studied the facts in Onagracese, because these are easily 

 obtained, germinate freely, abound so much in raphides, and 



