SrJ, nt'jir IlltrU'nj, ))<■• . 



III. Botany and Zoology. 



1. G. Briosi. Sopra an Orgunojinc 

 Embrioni Vegetali. Abstract of ; " 

 to the A caidi una del A/,/<v/, now published in tlie Proceedings 

 of the Stazione (Jhimico-Agraria tiperimentule of. Rome, l>y its 

 Director Briosi. Flhist rate I by eighteen figures on three litho- 

 graphic plates. —The discovery here announced was made in the 

 lirst instance upon the germinat in-- seeds of Eucalyptus globulus. 

 The caiiliele (i-adicle of systematic writers) is slightly club- 

 shaped, and with broad extremity as it were truncate. Close 

 an opening at the 

 extremity into a shallow cavity, partly filled by a conical projec- 

 tion from above. This is the incipient root, which develops in 

 the usual way. The hollowed extremity of the cau.iclc surround- 



whole sin-face of' this promptly developes long g ' root-hairs," or 

 their equivalents, forming a conspicuous rut!', not unlike that in 

 the portraits of Velasquez and other painters of that period. This 

 ruff of root-hairs is fully developed before these appear on the 

 young root: the whole withers away after the latter has attained 

 a certain development. A great number of species of /-j"-< ihjptu* 

 were examined, some in seed only, others in germination, and all 

 show the same structure. Traces of the same were observed in 

 i'lillistfunuii. Fnhi'h'iii bti-hjiitd produces the ruff of long root- 

 hairs at the junction of eaulicle and root, 1ml without any evident 

 development of the annulus. Species of Leptosperumm and 

 M,ltihn>'" show the annulus more or less. Myrlux Tarnd'ni'i 

 and M. Romana accord with FahrU-'m. Extending his observa- 

 tions somewhat into orders allied to the Myrtacece, Briosi found 

 a beautiful ring of very long hairs at the junction of eaulicle and 

 root of germinating {.gthrum Sailmrin and ILhu'xi .std><-;/nIi<(, 

 and somewhat the same in three species of Kp'd*>hi>nn ; but 

 found no trace of it in Godetia and (Eiodhi-ru. 



Briosi naturally takes the function of this collar of hairs on 

 the base of the eaulicle to be the same as that of the ordinary 



the soil, which comes into action at a very early period in germi- 

 nation, before the root and it- root-hair> are produced. 



lade by Professor Camel to its title, " / 

 egetable embryos hitherto unnoticed," — 



well rejoins, that this open calotte of Eucalypti 

 be the homologue of the closed coleorhiza of Ri< 

 which the incipient root breaks its way, and 



