354 



Miscellaneous: 



of pollen, one of which fell at Troy, New York, the other in the har- 

 bour of Picton, a portion alighting upon a vessel in the harbour on a 

 serene night in June, and having to be collected and thrown over by 

 the bucket-full in the morning. A small quantity of each of these 

 powders was preserved and sent to Professor J. W. Bailey to submit 

 to microscopic examination ; this gentleman ascertained that the 

 powder which fell at Picton was wholly composed of the pollen of a 

 species of pine ; and that that from Troy was made up of pollen from 

 various trees, but Professor Bailey was not able to state positively 

 what plants furnished it. Figures of the three forms of pollen gra- 

 nules met with in the powder from Troy accompany Professor Bailey's 

 letter : from an examination of these I find that two of them are to 

 be referred to some endogenous plant, one of them most probably to 

 a species of grass, the other perhaps to the genus Nymph&a, and that 

 the third form is undoubtedly the pollen of an exogen not unlikely 

 to be the Corylus. Professor Bailey thinks that no part of the pow- 

 der can be sporules of Lycopodium, because he remarks our species 

 of that genus do not flower until July or August, whereas the pow- 

 der in question fell in May. I arrive at the same conclusion, but for 

 a different reason ; the sporules of Lycopodium do not present at all 

 the structure of any one of the three figures. It is beautiful to ob- 

 serve, and observe it we ought wherever we can, how simply, and 

 yet how effectually, nature contrives for the fulfilment of all her 

 varied purposes. 



In Monoecious and Dioecious plants the male and female flowers are 

 placed either on different branches of the same tree, or on different 

 and sometimes distant trees, and consequently much less within the 

 influence of each other ; whence the ordinary provision of pollen 

 might often be ineffective. To avoid this an immense quantity of 

 stamina is provided for the elaboration of a corresponding quantity 

 of pollen, and we find also that these stamina are generally placed 

 in pendulous and graceful tassels moved by the slightest breath of 

 wind which dislodges clouds of pollen from them to be diffused far 

 and near through the atmosphere, and finally to alight upon the 

 destined point of almost microscopic proportion. So great is the 

 quantity yielded by the different species of pine, that not unfrequently 

 the ground beneath them may be observed to be entirely covered 

 with saffron-like dust of the pollen. There are, I believe, well au- 

 thenticated tales of date trees having been fertilized though distant 

 from the male tree some miles. A. H. Hassall. 



Cheshunt, Herts, March 20th, 1842. 



CRATERIUM PYRIFORME. 



A supposed microscopic fungus, Craterium pyriforme, is mentioned 

 by Prof. Bailey, in p. 195 of Silliman's Journal, as having been sent 

 from Clapham Common by Dr. Mantell ; and is described as being 

 found adhering to the surface of flints, and emitting a blood-red 

 liquid on being punctured. 



From the examination of some specimens at the meeting of the 

 Microscopical Society, it proves to be the operculum of the nidus 

 of an Acarus : some were found in the act of hatching. 



