184 GEOGRAPHICAL STATISTICS OF THE EUROPEAN FLORA. 
inquiry. That distinguished botanist, the late Robert Brown, ex- 
pressed the following view in his ‘ Botany of Congo.” Co mmenting 
upon the lists therein published of species common to Equinoctial 
Africa and other continents, and referring to dispersion by natu 
causes, he observes: —‘ It may be stated as not unfavourable to it 
that of the dicotyledonous plants of the lists a considerable number 
have the embryo of the seed highly developed, and at the same time 
well protected by the texture of its integuments. This is the case in 
the Malvacee, apap tena and particularly in the Leguminose, 
which is also the most numerous family in the lists, and in several of 
d d Abrus 
ose species, as Guilandina Bon ue a precatorius, the two 
conditions of development and protection of the embryo co-exist in 
emarkable a degree that I have n the seeds of these plants 
would retain their vitality for a great length of time either in the 
cu ean, or in the digestive organs of birds or other 
sin: Sop plants in the lists which belong 
to other families have the o of the seed apparently less advanced, 
but yet in a state of considerable development, indicated either by the 
entire want or scanty remains of albumen; the only exception being 
i e 
oe hat the existence of a copious albumen does not equally 
mply an inferior degree of vitality in the embryo, but may be con- 
x as the natural structure of that = division, seeds with- 
out albumen occurring only in certain genera of the paradoxical 
Aroidee, wa in some other varatugoteinasiots Orders, which are 
chiefly aquati 
To test Lacibae the absence of albumen from the seeds of Dicotyle- 
dons especially is oo to ee the following comparison is 
confine to that class alon 
Average. 
2501 with oe seeds ‘ 2 267 
3140 albumen absent or very scanty . wee 
Our British Dicotyledons divide as follows :— 
Average. 
402 with albuminous seeds 4 pene ew 4 
Die 4 oes umen absent or very scanty : 6°46 
nas a seag : rent ob s calculations ( a, Bot., vol. i, 
pp. the result obtained respecting the dispersion of 
dicotyledonous Orders i ‘i . : : 
Orders, Species. cond ia. more 
1 ers Se with albuminous seeds . : 
5B. 4. 96877 exalbuminous ,,  . yr ahs 
oa Sa the three comparisons, therefore, is Mr. Brown’s view 
PIII, Disperst To cLassteication.—Large Orders.— 
The Orders which wine more org 00 Continental species are :— 
