NOTE  ON  A  NEW  KIND  OF  KAMALA. 
141 
caused  to  roll  under  water  or  glycerine,  the  glands  all  ultimately 
show  to  the  observer  their  flat  side.  In  its  centre  we  find  a  very 
short  stalk- cell,  from  which  a  certain  number  of  small  clavate 
cells  radiate  in  different  directions,  thus  constituting  the  some- 
what globular  form  of  the  gland,  which  is  covered  by  a  weak 
integument.  The  thicker  ends  of  the  small  clavate  cells  within, 
appear  at  the  outside  as  soft  protuberances,  upon  which  partly 
depends  the  irregularity  of  the  nearly  globular  form  of  the 
glands.  The  radiate  cells  in  question  are  arranged  around  the 
centre  of  the  flat  side  to  the  number  of  from  9  to  30.  If  only 
the  basal  side  is  examined,  they  will  be  seen  to  be  filled  with  a 
dark  brown  or  brownish-red  resin,  the  intermediate  spaces  and 
the  outer  membrane  being  of  a  light  yellow  color.  The  outline 
of  that  side,  which  is  always  turned  to  the  observer,  forms  thus 
an  undulated  circle  or  ellipsis,  the  diameter  of  which  varies 
from  70  to  120  micromillimetres  (thousandth  parts  of  a  milli- 
metre),— the  heighth  of  the  whole  gland  being  always  consider- 
ably less. 
The  kamala  glands  are  always  accompanied  by  a  tolerable 
amount  of  characteristics,  stellate,  colorless  or  brownish  hairs, 
belonging  equally  to  the  fruits  of  Mallotus,  and  some  fragments 
of  the  latter  and  inorganic  purities. 
I  had  the  opportunity  for  examining  authentic  specimens  of 
the  above  plant  from  the  Calcutta  gardens,  from  which  I  am  in- 
debted to  my  friend  Hanbury,  and  several  others  received  from 
the  late  Mr.  Zollinger,  under  the  name  Rottlera  affinis,  Hasskarl, 
ft.  sumatrana,  a  species  now  united  with  Mallotus  philippinensis 
by  the  recent  author  of  the  Euphorbiacece  in  the  4  Prodromus.' 
The  glands  of  these  plants  I  find  to  be  certainly  identical  with 
commercial  kamala,  as  hitherto  furnished  by  English  as  well  as 
by  continental  importers,  and  the  mother  plant  must  certainly 
be,  as  generally  supposed,  the  said  Mallotus  or  Rottlera. 
The  resins  contained  in  kamala,  to  the  amount  of  78  per  cent, 
have  been  examined,  in  1855,  by  Anderson,*  who  stated,  at  the 
same  time,  that  3*8  per  cent,  of  the  weight  of  kamala  are  due 
to  inorganic  matters.    1  must  confess  that  I  never  met  with  the 
*  Edinburgh  New  Phil.  Journ.  vol.  i.  p.  330;  Pharm.  Journ.  and 
Transactions,  vol,  xvii.  p.  407. 
