256 . 
Transactions of the Society . 
yield from bamboo and papyrus, particularly the latter, is much 
higher than the practical paper-making yield. In practical work 
much of short brittle epidermal cellulose and the tender parenchyme 
tissues are broken up and lost. An extreme case of this kind is 
that of certain mosses available in large quantities and giving high 
yields of cellulose (40 to 45 p.c.), of little value for paper-making 
because of the shortness and minuteness of the disintegrated plant 
structures. Anything less than 1*5 m.m. in length has a low 
value for paper-making purposes. 
On the other hand, careful treatment of such fibres, and 
special arrangements for retaining the delicate parenchyme cells 
in particular, may result in the production of papers having special 
properties not easily obtained by the use of other fibrous materials 
lacking such elements, with which they may be blended to get 
desired results. 
There is perhaps no other material in more common use than 
paper in its many forms, yet there is no common substance which 
has received so little attention from the point of view of the 
criminal investigator. The examination of a very small piece of 
paper by a skilful microscopist, possessing a wide knowledge of 
paper and the paper trade, will yield a vast amount of information, 
which may yield valuable evidence in relation to circumstances. 
In including these remarks on research I cannot help remark- 
ing upon a subject intimately connected with both paper and 
research — viz. the paper upon which the records of our research 
work is printed. A very large percentage of scientific journals 
and literature is printed on paper of little permanence. In view 
of the extensive nature of such publications, and the necessity of 
providing students and workers with their necessary literature at 
a reasonable price, it is out of the question to suggest that all such 
records should be printed on permanent paper of high quality, as 
some idealists have proposed. I am of the opinion, however, that 
all scientific societies, and journals containing records of research, 
should make provision for the printing of a limited edition of their 
literature on a permanent paper for filing in their own and other 
important libraries. 
