BOOK-NOTES, NEWS, ETC. 81 
the result that the enzyme was in all cases found to be proteolytic. 
The investigation was then extended to different parts of widely 
differing plants. In view of the fact that the ter occurring 
aturally in plants are such (e.g. globulins and alb 8) as are 
readily digested, whereas those generally used ed bienin, 
fibrin) are m ore resistent, t material to be digested was 
peptone, a mixture of albumoses and peptones. It was found that, 
with few exceptions, an enzyme was present which, as proved by 
the tryptophane-reaction, proteolysed a se substances in 4-20 
hours. Having established the presence of a proteolytic enzyme, 
the next step was to ascertain whether the tissues or juices of the 
plants aa me arg en were capable (like the pineapple, the fig, 
the papaw, &¢.) of peptonizing the higher proteids. ee nce of 
the pepiimition of fibrin and of the caseinogen of m as ob- 
tained in the case of the j juise of the melon, of the Wekary “Abast 
of nag lettuce, and of the tissue of the mushroom. The results in 
r cases were either doubtful or negative. There was frequently 
Sviddenoe that the proteids naturally ‘existing in the vegetable sub- 
stances themselves had been digested. The experiments definitely 
establish the fact that an enzyme which actively proteolyses the 
simpler forms of proteid is present in all parts of the . Digne e 
But the question as to the precise nature of this enzyme still 
remains to be answered. Where proteolysis is accompanie 
peptonization, it may be inferred that - enzyme is allied to the 
trypsin of the animal body. Where no peptonization, but only 
proteolysis, can be detected, it seems srababl e that the enzyme is 
allied to the erepsin recently discovered by Cohuheim in the small 
oem! Possibly more than one enzyme may be active in 
oditah 
‘Ar ii same meeting, Mr. A. G. Tansley, in a pees illustrated 
by lantern-slides, on ‘“‘The Relation of Histogenesis to Tissue- 
Morphology,” dealt with a few points bearing on agen elation : 
histogenesis at the apex of the stem in the Ptoridophyta to t 
morphology of the tissue-regions in the adult stem 
Ar the meeting held on 4th December, Mr. HE. A. Newell Arber 
gave a digest, illustrated by lantern-slides, of his paper on ‘ The 
pp ad of the Flowers and Fruits of the Xylosteum section of 
mong many members of the Xylosteum division of the 
genus apse icera, union padgs the two flowers of the Ly lage an 
between the two fruits, i ormal occurrence. A study of the 
morphology shows that ne ‘ian whereby the spacey | lacked 
ae a always of the same morphological nature. True synanthy 
in L. Xylosteum and L. nigra, by the partial ae hear of 
the wails of the two ovaries in the median plane. Where the syn- 
several species of Lonicera, a bracteolar pone is dragon par- 
tially or completely surrounding the gynecia, w free 
from one another. The two ovaries may, however, unite with the 
