I I 2 
Dawson. — On the Structure of 
As is well known, many ancient writings are on vellum 
or papyrus : this, however, was evidently neither a prepared 
animal skin nor so complicated a tissue as that of the Cyperus 
Papyrus. It clearly was composed of fibres which had by 
some process been extracted from the tissues of some 
plant. 
After teasing in water and examining with the microscope, 
the paper was seen to consist of fibres, often occurring in 
strands, accompanied by elements showing spiral or simple- 
pitted markings, and here and there by cells of wood-paren- 
chyma or medullary rays. The layers of the paper appear 
to have been stuck, not woven together ; an examination 
of the dust, shattered from the paper, showed, after treatment 
with iodine, yellow and bluish-black particles — the latter some- 
times lying along the fibres, and giving to them a blue colour. 
This suggested that some form of starch may have been used 
in the manufacture, but all attempts to determine its nature 
were unsuccessful. This alteration of the starch-grains, which 
had evidently taken place, was probably due to the action 
of numerous Fungus-hyphae, and groups of Bacteria-like 
bodies, which could be seen amongst the fibres. 
The individual fibres are somewhat cylindrical in shape, 
with pointed ends, and very narrow lumen. Their walls are 
thick, and show regular longitudinal striations, but no visible 
pits. Their breadth is practically constant (-015 mm.), but 
the length varies considerably: the extreme measurements 
taken were 6*4 mm. and 3*1 mm. ; an average of ten measure- 
ments gave 4*25 mm. As, however, so many of the fibres were 
broken, accurate measurements of length were not possible, 
and these figures cannot be relied upon. It can, nevertheless, 
be affirmed that the fibres are shorter and narrower than 
those of cotton, and are not, like them, flattened and 
twisted. 
They show a marked tendency to tear into fibrillae, often 
in spirals, and show traces of swellings or kinks. With 
Schulze’s solution, they give a purple colour, with iodine pink, 
and with iodine and sulphuric acid blue : but no trace of 
