11 



tion of which is given in the frontispiece, and another 

 will be found on page 59. 



The Starches here illustrated are grouped in the 

 Natural Orders from which they are derived, as in most 

 instances there is a similarity in the starches obtained 

 from plants of the same Natural Order ; but as some 

 exceptions occur, this generalization must not be 

 absolutely depended upon as a guide to their identifica- 

 tion. Thus it will be seen that the Oraminice have 

 two types of Starch granules, the circular and the 

 angular ; while in the Leguminosce the granules are 

 oval and rather large, except in the Ground Nut or 

 Monkey Nut fArachis liypogceaj, in which they are 

 round and small. 



A short account of the origin of the Starch is 

 given with the illustrations, and each is magnified 

 160 times linear. The author has so far found that 

 the beet medium for mounting permanent preparations 

 of Starch, and vegetable tissues containing it, for the 

 microscope, is a mixture of one part of glycerine with 

 seven parts of camphor water or carbolic acid watei'. 

 A solid medium is much wanted on account of the 

 decreased liability to damage, but all those so far 

 suggested are too refractive, and nearly or completely 

 obliterate the finer details. A series of Starches 

 mounted in glycerine and camphor water has been in 

 the cabinet of the Royal Microscopical Society for 

 about 20 years, and when examined a short time ago 

 were found to have sufiered little or no deterioration. 



