CoLGAN — Tropical Drift Seeds on Irish Atlantic Coasts. 63 



that Jacob Plateau, hearing that Cliisius was engaged in the preparation of 

 his worlv on Exotics, sent him several fruits. Amongst them was this, which 

 290 years later was finally identified as Saccoglottis, and traced to its home 

 in the Amazon basin.* It is described by Glusius as being two inohea long 

 by four inches in girth, marked into five segments by longitudinal ridges, 

 the surface lubercolated witli blister-like protuberances, whicli, when opened, 

 were found to be empty. It is to these closed cavities, or resin cysts, that 

 tlie higli buoyancy of the fruit is due. 



Saccoglottis is of infrequent occurrence on the beaches of western 

 Europe. In addition to tlie Hebrides, the only records are those for the 

 Devonshire coast, where it was picked up in 1887, and for the Mayo coast, 

 where we have felt justified in accepting its occurrence on the evidence given 

 by Miss Warren. 



In concluding this account of our Irish tropical drift seeds it is my 

 pleasing duty to have to acknowledge kind aid i-eceived in many ways from 

 the following, in addition to those already mentioned : — Miss M. C. Knowles, 

 of the Herbarium, National Museum ; Mr. T. W. Lystei', Librarian of the 

 National Library; Professor A. Henry, of Eoyal College of Science; 

 Mr. E. W. Scully, author of the "Piora of the Co. Kerry"; Mr. E. Lloyd 

 Praeger, of the National Library ; and last, though by no means least, 

 Dr. H. B. Guppy, of Salcombe, South Devon, whose sympathetic correspon- 

 dence carried ou witli me during the progress of the work was most fruitful 

 in suw^estion. 



"oo'- 



APPENDIX. 



(A) Dame Killigrew sends Sea-beans to Loljel from Cornwall. Lobel, 

 Adversaria, Londini, 1570, 395. 



Permultas accepimus a nauclerus fabas Phaseolosve ex Americae novo 

 *orbe, eque Hesperia Aphrica allatas, quae mixtae naturae videntur, sed 

 propinquioris Phaseolo . . . sed aliaa perquam raras liabemus nos munere 

 lectissimae literata virtute et familia in Anglia illustri Heroinae Catherinae 

 Killigreae quas ferunt repertas magna copiae ad Cornubiae littora & quod 

 non parum mirum, eo loco nullum merainit nllus navem illisam, nullumve 

 naufragium factum et tameu quotannis novae inveniuntur, partim tluitanles& 

 partim eftbdiuntur inimersae sabulis littoreis, quasi ut putant Cornubiensis 

 maris AngUce accolae, secundis Austria aut Zephyris e nova mundo appulsae 

 fueraut. 



' " Nature," Nov. 2>St, 1895. A Jamaica Drift Friiit, D. Morris. 



It. I. A. PROC, VOL. XSXV, SECT. B. [B.] 



