as BOTANY 
compounds of plants. Place a drop of strong 
nitric acid on the white of a hard boiled egg. The 
yellow colour which appears shows the presence of a 
protein, in this case albumen. Now wash flour in a 
piece of fine muslin, till nothing but an elastic 
substance remains. This is gluten, another protein, 
which responds to the same test. 
The protoplasm or living substance of both plants 
and animals is in the nature of a protein. Protoplasm 
is found only in living things, and there is no life 
without it. Indeed it is the life substance. 
SEEDS. 
Have ready a number of seeds of different plants, 
some quite dry and others that have been soaked in 
water for twenty-four hours. Seeds of the broad bean, 
searlet runner, pumpkin, sunflower, castor oil, onion, 
maize, and barley will be suitable for the purpose. 
Examine a dry bean seed (Figs. 11-12). Observe 
that it is kidney-shaped and that it is covered with a 
brown coat, the testa. Note the black sear, the hilum, 
which shows where the seed was attached to the wall 
of the pod by a little stalk or funicle. Now take a seed 
that has been soaked, and, after drying, squeeze it 
between the finger and thumb. A drop of water will 
appear near one end of the hilum. This indicates the 
position of the micropyle, a small opening, through 
which, before it could develop into a seed, the ovule 
received a tube bearing fertilizing material from the 
pollen grain, and through which passes the bulk of the 
water absorbed by the seed. 
Now remove the brown coat or testa which protects 
the more delicate parts within. Carefully separate 
the two fleshy cotyledons which contain the store of 
food that is to support the infant plant. Test the bean 
cotyledons for starch and protein. Both are present, 
