TRANSACTIONS OF SECTION D. 681 



Passalacqua in 1823 made considerable collections from tombs at Thebes, and 

 these were carefully examined and described by the distinguished botanist Kunth. 

 He pointed out, in a paper published sixty years ago, that these ancient seeds 

 possessed the minute and apparently accidental peculiarities of their existing repre- 

 sentatives. Unger, who visited Egypt, published in several papers identifications of 

 the plant-remains from the tombs ; and one of the latest labours of Alexander 

 Braun was an examination of the vegetable remains in the Egyptian Museum at 

 Berlin, which was published, after his death, from his manuscript, under the 

 careful editorship of Ascherson and Magnus. In this, twenty-four species were 

 determined, some from imperfect materials, and necessarily with some hesitation 

 as to the accuracy of their determination. 



The recent exploration of unopened tombs belonging to an early period in the 

 history of the Egyptian people has permitted tlie examination of the plants in a 

 condition which could not have been anticipated. And happily, the examination 

 -of these materials has been made by a botanist who is thoroughly acquainted with 

 the existing flora of Egypt, for Dr. Schweinfurth has for a quarter of a century been 

 exploring the plants of the Nile valley. The plant-remains were included within 

 the mimimy-wrappings, and being thus hermetically sealed, have been preserved 

 with scarcely any change. By placing the plants in warm water. Dr. Schwein- 

 furth has succeeded in preparing a series of specimens gathered four thousand years 

 ago, which are as satisfactory for the purposes of science as any collected at the 

 present day. These specimens consequently supply means for the closest examina- 

 tion and comparison with their living representatives. The colours of the flowers 

 are still present, even the most evanescent, such as the violet of the larkspur and 

 knapweed, and the scarlet of the poppy ; the chlorophjdl remains in the leaves, and 

 the sugar in the pulp of the raisins. Dr. Schweinfurth has determined no less than 

 fifty-nine species,' some of which are represented by the fi'uits employed as offer- 

 ings to the dead, others by the flowers and leaves made into garlands, and the 

 remainder by branches on which the body was placed, and which were enclosed 

 within the wrappings. 



The votive offerings consist of the fruits, seeds, or stems, of twenty-nine 

 species of plants. Three palm fruits are common ; the Medemia Argun, Wiirt., of 

 the Nubian Desert, and the Hyphcene tJiebaica, Mart., of Upper Egypt, agreeing 

 exactly with the fruits of these plants in our own day ; also dates of different 

 forms resembling exactly the varieties of dried dates found now in the markets of 

 Egypt. Two figs are met with, Ficus cnrica, L., and Ficus Syconiorus, L., the 

 latter exhibiting the incisions still employed by the inhabitants for the destruction 

 of the Neuropterous insects which feed on them. The sycomore was one of the 

 Bacred trees of Egypt, and the branches used for the bier of a mummy found at 



' List of the species of ancient Egyptian plants determined by Dr. Schweinfurth. 

 1 am indebted to Dr. Schweinfurth for some species in this list, the discovery of 

 which he has not yet published. 



Delphinium orientale, Gay ; Cocculus Leaha, DC. ; Nympluta ccerulea, Sav. ; 

 Nymphcea Lotus, Hook. ; Papaver Mliceas, L. ; Fiinapis arvensis, L., var. Allionii, Jacq. ; 

 Marua uniflora, Vahl. ; Oncoha spinosa, Forsk. ; Tamarix nilotiea, Ehrb. ; Alcea 

 Jicifolia, L. ; Linum humile, Mill. ; Balanites wgyptiaea, Del. ; Vitis vinifera, L. ; 

 Moringa aptera, Gaertn. ; Medicago de7iticulata, 'S^iWA.; Sesiania mgyptiaca, Pers. ; 

 Faba vulgaris, Moench ; Lens esculenta, Moench ; Lathyrns sativus, L. ; Caja7ius 

 indious, L. ; Acacia nilotiea, Del. ; Lamsonia inermis, Lamk. ; Punica Granatum, L. ; 

 Fpiloiiuvi Mrsutum, L. ; Lageiharia vulgaris, Ser. ; Citrullus vulgaris, Schrad., var. 

 colocynthoides, Schweinf. ; Apium. graveolens, L. ; Coriandrum sativum, L. ; Ceruana 

 giratensis, Forsk. ; Sphccranthus suaveolens, DC. ; Chrysanthemum coronarium, L. ; 

 Ccntaurea depressa, M. Bieb. ; Carthamus ti^iotorius, L. ; Picris coronopifolia, Asch. ; 

 Mimuso2}S Sehimperi, Hochst. ; Jasmiimin Samhac, L. ; Olea europcra, L. ; Mentha 

 jnperita, L ; Ruinex dentatus, L.; Ficus Sycomorus, L. ; Ficus carica, L. ; Salix Safsaf, 

 Forsk.; Juniperus 2)hcenicea, L. ; Pinus Pinea, L. ; Allium sativum, L. ; Allium 

 Cepa, L. ; Phcenix dactylifera, L. ; Calamus fascioulatvs, Roxb. ; Hyphane thehaica, 

 JIart. ; Medemia Argun, P. G. v. Wiirtemb. ; Cyperus Papyrus, L. ; Cyperus esculen- 

 tus, L. ; AndrojJogon laniger, Desf. ; Leptochloa bipinnata, Eetz. ; Triticum vulgare, 

 1.; Hordeum vulgare,!^.; Parmeliaf urfuracea, Kch.; Csnea j^Hcata, HoSju. 



