510 The Museum Gazette 



and ended gradually, and was by no means exactly coeval in 

 different countries. 



(To be continued.) 



NOTES AND EXTRACTS. 



Note on the Bvoomrapes. — We are indebted for the following 

 to Mr. B. T. Lowne, of Catford. The development of the 

 Lesser Broom rape (Orobanche minor) must be very rapid, as 

 we recently saw a flowering specimen over a foot high, para- 

 sitic on a Zonale Pelargonium, commonly called Geranium, 

 the cutting of which was " struck " about six months 

 previously. 



The development of these interesting parasites, according 

 to Kerner, takes place in the following way : The seedling" 

 Broomrape has no seed leaves, but produces a spiral filament 

 which penetrates into the ground, and if the root tip does not 

 come in contact with a suitable host-plant before the reserve 

 material in the seed is used up, the seedling gradually shrivels 

 and dies. Should the root tip find a host to its liking it not 

 only adheres to it, but swells out and later forms a bud not 

 unlike a Martagon lily bulb, from the centre of which the 

 flower spike springs. 



EARLY USE OF IRON IN EGYPT. 



In Table Case K in the Third Egyptian Room at the 

 British Museum may be seen a fragment of iron plate, 

 presented by Col. Howard Vyse in 1838. It was found 

 at Gizeh, near the mouth of one of the air passages of the 

 Great Pyramid. The Guide Book says : " There is no doubt 

 that this object is contemporaneous with the building of 

 the pyramid." This implies that Egypt was in the Iron 

 Age nearly 6,000 years ago. The "Great Pyramid" is 



