THE PRINCIPLES OF BOTANY. 
337 
midway, was a stoppage of cut hay and straw. The lungs 
were quite healthy, hut the heart displayed similar appear- 
ances to the stomach. The mucous coat of the auricles and 
ventricles was also much inflamed. We informed the owner 
that we had no hesitation in coming to the conclusion that 
his horse had taken some narcotic poison. The following 
day the owner sent a note, saying that the horse had eaten, 
the day previous, a quantity of laurel leaves, he wanting to 
know if they were poisonous. This at once accounted for the 
symptoms during life, and the 'post-mortem appearances after- 
wards, as the Laurocerasus folia contain a certain amount of 
hydrocyanic acid, which is a deadly poison. 
THE PRINCIPLES OF BOTANY. 
By Professor James Buckman, F.G.S., F.L.S., &c. &c. 
( Continued from p. 266.) 
The eighth alliance — the second of endogens — include 
several natural orders of plants in which the floral organs are 
clustered on and around a terminal flower-stem called a 
Spadix , which may or may not be enveloped in a leaf or 
leaves, to which the name Spatha has been given. This 
structure is well exhibited in the Lords and Ladies, now so 
common on every hedge bank, and which, under its botanical 
name of Arum, will he again referred to. 
The Aral Alliance contain the following natural orders : 
1. Pistiacece — Lemnads, or Duckweeds. 
2. Typhacece — Typhads, or Bullrushes. 
3. Aracece — Arads. 
4. Pandanaceae — Screwpines. 
5. Palmacece — Palms. 
Of these it will only be necessary to describe those affording 
the more practical details. 
The Typhads are well represented by our common Bull- 
rush, the curious structure of which can hardly he described 
without figures. Most writers place them in a separate 
section from Arads, but Robert Brown united them with 
these, but whether alone or otherwise the foliage and half 
glumaceous nature of the inflorescence of Typha will place it 
near to the Carcies, which were dwelt upon in our last chapter. 
Professor Lindley describes these plants as “ found com- 
monly in the ditches and marshes of the northern parts of 
