228 
Thiselton-Dyer.—Morphological Notes. 
actual specimen is an inch and a half wider. It is impossible not to be 
struck with the general resemblance of the whole preparation to that of 
a human brain with the hemi¬ 
spheres drawn apart. The general 
form, the bilateral symmetry, the 
lobing and convolutions might 
deceive the anthropologist. It 
would be interesting to trace the 
gradual stages by which such a 
structure has been reached. There 
must have been a wild proliferation 
of botryoidal growths pressing on 
and compressed by their prey as it 
succumbed to absorption. One 
can only find a parallel to the 
process in the ravages produced 
by a tumour in an animal economy. 
It is obvious that at an earlier stage 
it must have completely filled the 
cavity of the nut previously occu¬ 
pied by the endosperm which it 
has replaced. As it has been in 
turn drained by the growing plant 
it has shrunk, and this has probably 
produced the lobulation of the sur¬ 
face. Except in scale the whole 
process in no way differs from 
that which takes place in Phoenix 
as admirably described by Sachs 
in 1862. This is at once apparent 
on comparing the figure reproduced 
from his Lectures on the Physiology 
of Plants (p. 344). As I have not 
the opportunity of consulting the 
original paper I borrow the follow¬ 
ing account from Brown and 
Morris:— 
‘ The absorption of the reserve- 
cellulose during germination is 
Germination of Phoenix dactylifera. /, trans¬ 
verse section of the dormant seed; III — IV, 
different stages of germination {IV the natural size); 
A transverse section of the seed at xx in IV; B 
transverse section at xy , C at 22 ; e the horny 
endosperm, s the sheath of the cotyledon, st its 
stalk, c its apex developed into an organ of absorp¬ 
tion which gradually consumes the endosperm and 
at length occupies its place, w the primary root, 
id secondary roots, b' bb" the leaves which succeed 
the cotyledon, b" becomes the first foliage-leaf: in 
B and C its folded lamina is seen cut across. 
brought about by an extension of the cotyledon, which very gradually 
encroaches upon the endosperm. The surface of this advancing portion of 
the cotyledon is covered with a well-marked epithelium, which, according to 
Sachs, probably emits some special substance which provokes the absorption 
