100 On giving flexibility to Botanical and Zoological specimens. 
ture of the Santalaceous ovarium. The small cell, if it may be 
so called, where there is no empty cavity, is filled by a short, 
oval or olong, erect central column, which bears near its free 
apex four very minute and simple ovules, evidently reduced to 
naked nuclei. This genus therefore undoubtedly belongs to the 
small alliance or class that comprises the Olacine@ and the San- 
talace@ ; and as respects these two orders I should not hesitate 
to refer it to the latter, notwithstanding the double floral envel 
opes. ‘I'he moderate imbrication of the divisions of the perigo 
nium in the bud is surely a discrepancy of slight importance in 
comparison with this characteristic ovulation; and I cannot but 
recognize in this case something like a direct confirmation of the’ 
opinion [ had already ventured to express (Botany of the U. S$. 
xpl. Exped, i, p. 301), namely, that Mr. Miers, in excluding on 
such grounds Bursinopetalum and Pleuropetalon from his ordet 
Icacinee, has over-estimated the importance of a character which, 
however valuable, is seldom perfectly stable throughout all the 
that the published character should be modified as follows: 
Fl. fem.: Perigonium basi quadribracteolatum ; tubo clavato 
* 
oris laciniis oppositis. Ovarium uniloculare. Ovula 3 vel 4% 
minima, simplicissima, ex apice placente centralis crasse liber® 
{loculum parvum implentis) pendula. 
breviuseulus: stigma cruciato-quadrilobum, lobis perigonii inter 
——— 

Art. XVIL—On a mode of giving permanent flexibility to brit- 
tle specimens in Botany and Zoology ; by Prof. J. W. Basie, 
U.S. Military Academy, West Point, N. Y. 
Tue excessive fragility in the dry state, of many plants, and 
particularly of those which secrete carbonate of lime is well 
nown to botanists. There is no herbarium in existence 1 
which the specimens of Amphiroa, Jania, Corallina, Halimed 
Liagora, Chara, &c. are not in a more or less mutilated con 
dition, which becomes worse every time the plants are examined. 
In studying a large collection of the stony Alge I was led to re" 
mark their perfect flexibility while moist, which passed to great 
brittleness when dry, and it occurred to me that if they could be 
kept permanently moist they would remain permanently flexible. 
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