THE PRINCIPLES OF BOTANY. 
183 
fectly still, with the expression of a martyr in his upturned 
eye. The piece sawn off was as large as one’s fist; and the 
animal got perfectly well very soon afterwards.” 
THE PRINCIPLES OF BOTANY. 
By Professor James Buckman, F.G.S., F.L.S., &c. &c. 
(Continued from p. 97.) 
The last order of the cucurbital alliance which we have 
now to consider will, for the most part, comprehend those 
interesting plants known to us almost exclusively as garden 
specimens, namely, Begonias. 
Authors have placed the natural order Begoniacece in this 
place with some degree of hesitation, but the objection to 
this is thus answered by Professor Lindley: 
(( The main objection to the association of Begoniads and 
Cucurbits in the same alliance arises from the great apparent 
difference in their placentation, that of Begoniads being 
axile and of Curcubits parietal; but a careful examination of 
the ovary of Dipoclinium Evansianum, acuminatum , incurva- 
tum, &c., shows that distinction to be one of words rather 
than of essential structure. The ovary of such Begoniads 
consists of three carpels, whose dorsal structure is winged, 
and whose margins turn inwards for a considerable distance, 
each margin forming a plate or placenta, over which the 
ovules are arranged.” 
Any one who will take the pains to compare the drawings 
of a section of the fruits of a young cucumber and of the 
common greenhouse plant Diploclinium will at once see both 
the concord and discord of the opinions just expressed; but 
it will be far better to study the fruits themselves at different 
stages of growth, and, at the same time, an examination of 
the flowers of the two, and a study of their properties points 
to a nearness of alliance which a careless examination of the 
fruits might at first lead one to oppose. 
As one of the best descriptions of the natural order Be- 
goniacse has been penned by Professor Balfour, we make no 
excuse for transcribing it in this place: 
“ Begnoniacejs ( Bergoniads ).—A natural order of dico¬ 
tyledonous plants belonging to the monochlamydeous sub¬ 
class ofDe Candolle. Lindley places the order in his Cucur¬ 
bital (cucumber) alliance. The order contains herbaceous 
