﻿Botany. 
  483 
  

  

  in 
  the 
  biological 
  laboratory, 
  its 
  highest 
  practical 
  use 
  will 
  be 
  found 
  

   in 
  the 
  technical 
  laboratories 
  which 
  are 
  rapidly 
  revolutionising 
  the 
  

   industrial 
  applications 
  of 
  wood 
  pulp. 
  g. 
  l. 
  g. 
  

  

  3. 
  An 
  Interesting 
  Method 
  of 
  Dissemination* 
  — 
  In 
  the 
  last 
  num- 
  

   ber 
  of 
  Botaniska 
  Notiser, 
  Dttsen 
  describes 
  a 
  curious 
  peculiarity 
  

   detected 
  by 
  him 
  in 
  the 
  Cameroon 
  species 
  of 
  the 
  genus 
  Calymperes. 
  

   This 
  genus 
  possesses 
  a 
  calyptra 
  which 
  remains 
  permanently 
  at- 
  

   tached 
  to 
  the 
  base 
  of 
  the 
  capsule, 
  instead 
  of 
  separating 
  from 
  it 
  

   in 
  either 
  the 
  mitritbrm 
  or 
  cuculiform 
  fashion. 
  The 
  calyptra 
  thus 
  

   constitutes 
  a 
  sort 
  of 
  bag 
  fitting 
  the 
  capsule 
  rather 
  loosely, 
  and 
  

   therefore 
  permitting 
  enough 
  play 
  for 
  the 
  elevation 
  of 
  the 
  opercu- 
  

   lum. 
  When 
  the 
  operculum 
  lifts 
  a 
  little, 
  and 
  the 
  spores 
  escape 
  

   into 
  the 
  limited 
  space 
  between 
  the 
  capsule 
  and 
  the 
  calyptra, 
  they 
  

   are 
  as 
  closely 
  confined 
  as 
  if 
  they 
  had 
  not 
  been 
  freed 
  from 
  the 
  

   capsule 
  itself. 
  Just 
  here 
  comes 
  in 
  the 
  surprising 
  peculiarity 
  

   observed 
  by 
  Dusen. 
  The 
  calyptra 
  now 
  becomes 
  slit 
  near 
  its 
  apex, 
  

   and 
  when 
  the 
  surroundings 
  are 
  dry, 
  these 
  slender 
  slits 
  are 
  wide 
  

   enough 
  to 
  permit 
  the 
  spores 
  to 
  be 
  sprinkled 
  out. 
  On 
  the 
  approach 
  

   of 
  moisture 
  the 
  slits 
  close 
  tightly 
  and 
  keep 
  the 
  spores 
  in. 
  More- 
  

   over 
  the 
  operculum 
  becomes 
  wedged 
  into 
  the 
  top 
  of 
  the 
  calyptra 
  

   and 
  is 
  lifted 
  or 
  shut 
  as 
  may 
  be, 
  with 
  changes 
  in 
  the 
  dryness 
  or 
  

   moisture 
  of 
  the 
  whole. 
  The 
  complicated 
  nature 
  of 
  the 
  structure 
  

   suggests 
  that 
  the 
  mode 
  of 
  dissemination 
  in 
  mosses 
  should 
  be 
  

   again 
  examined 
  in 
  the 
  field. 
  As 
  is 
  well 
  known, 
  many 
  species 
  are 
  

   provided 
  with 
  means 
  for 
  dispersion, 
  depending 
  on 
  the 
  condition 
  

   of 
  the 
  atmosphere 
  ; 
  it 
  is 
  probable 
  that 
  a 
  reinvestigation 
  may 
  

   throw 
  light 
  on 
  many 
  more 
  cases. 
  In 
  connection 
  with 
  this, 
  it 
  is 
  

   interesting 
  to 
  observe 
  that 
  recent 
  observations 
  by 
  Goebel 
  have 
  

   enlarged 
  the 
  range 
  of 
  function 
  in 
  the 
  elaters 
  of 
  Hepaticee. 
  

  

  G. 
  L. 
  G. 
  

  

  4. 
  Australian 
  Narcotics. 
  — 
  In 
  the 
  presidential 
  address 
  of 
  Mr. 
  

   J. 
  H. 
  Maiden, 
  the 
  untiring 
  investigator 
  of 
  the 
  useful 
  plants 
  of 
  

   the 
  Australasian 
  colonies, 
  it 
  is 
  said 
  that 
  the 
  " 
  native 
  tobacco," 
  

   Nicotiana 
  suaveolens, 
  although 
  possessing 
  the 
  same 
  physiological 
  

   action 
  as 
  ordinary 
  smoking 
  tobacco, 
  appears 
  never 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  

   used 
  by 
  the 
  blacks. 
  But, 
  on 
  the 
  other 
  hand, 
  Pituri 
  (JDuboisia 
  

   Hopwoodii), 
  the 
  principal 
  narcotic 
  of 
  the 
  aborigines, 
  has 
  the 
  

   same 
  physiological 
  action 
  as 
  nicotine. 
  Two 
  other 
  plants 
  are 
  also 
  

   used 
  lor 
  smoking, 
  namely, 
  Adriana 
  acerifolia, 
  a 
  Euphorbiaceous 
  

   species, 
  and 
  Amorphophallus 
  variabilis. 
  These 
  have 
  not 
  yet 
  

   been 
  carefully 
  studied. 
  g. 
  l. 
  g. 
  

  

  