494 



LEAFLESS ROOT- PARASITES. 



There was not much cultivation passed to-day, although most of 

 the surface is fit for it : water is near the surface. The Maha Gullah 

 range is composed of limestone. 



The white-spined Mimosa and crooked-spined one change places, 

 the former occupies uncultivated plains, the latter stony, undulated, 

 or hilly ground. 



Carissa certainly represents Jasminum. 



On the Kaliki Serai plain the chief plant is Mimosa albispina, 

 then Bheir — here and there patches of Leguminosa, like the Cyti- 

 soides, so , common in Affghanistan. In the Bheir thickets Schce- 

 nanthus is common ; Andropogon and Pommereullioid also occur. 



In the Hussun Abdul river there is a species of Perilampus ap- 

 proaching to Leuciscus, but with faint bars. In the sacred stream 

 there is a small Cyprinoid, probably a Systomus, with a conspicuous 

 spot on either side near the tail : there is also a small loach. 



The Mahaseer in the water is a handsome fish, the edges of the 

 scales being then blackish, as is also the longitudinal line. 



It is curious that all plants hitherto found parasitical on roots, 

 have no green leaves ; to this, marked exceptions exists in Cuscuta 

 and Cassytha, such true-leaved parasites being found only on the 

 ascending axis ; this rule is so permanent, that species of certain 

 genera, such as Burmannia, the bulk of which are not parasitical, 

 have no leaves. The mode of attachment of all parasitical plants 

 is I think the same, otherwise I should suspect the above difference 

 to point to a marked one in the nature of the fluid derived from the 

 stock : thus leafless plants might be supposed to induce no particular 

 change in the fluid they imbibe, while the others might be supposed 

 to elaborate their own from that of the stock. 



There is another very remarkable circumstance connected with 

 the most typical leafless parasites, in their very frequent limitation 

 to the genus Cissus, on which perhaps all Rafflesiacese and Cyno- 

 moriese are exclusively found. 



My chief reason for supposing Sarcocodon to be Monocoty- 

 ledonous, or rather Endogenous, is the ternary division of its parts, 

 and if my supposition be correct, it tends to establish, if indeed 

 other ample evidence did not exist, the great permanence and conse- 

 quent value of this numerical character. 



And with respect to Sarcocoidalis I shall adopt the same opinion, 

 if I find on enquiry that a binary number, and imperfection of the 

 female as compared with the male, are more characteristic of En- 



