Transactions of the South African Philosophical Society Volume 16 - Tapa blanda

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1907 Excerpt: ... we find that Every determinant formed by taking any three consecutive rows of C (a, b, c, d, e) and any tivo consecutive roivs of C (e, d, c, b, a) is resolvable into three factors, one linear and two quadratic. (XI.) FURTHER OBSERVATIONS ON MIMICRY AMONG PLANTS. By R. Marloth, M.A., Ph.d. (Read May 31, 1905.) It will be remembered that a short time ago I read some notebefore this Society referring to the rarely observed phenomenon of mimicry among plants. I took special care to point out that I looked upon many so-called cases of mimicry as mere speculation, but that on the other hand some instances which had come under my notice in the course of years appeared to be true mimicry. The word as used by me means that these plants are so well adapted to their surroundings that they escape the notice of herbivorouanimals, especially of those feeding at night time. The most remarkable plant of this kind mentioned was Mesembryanthemum Bolusii Hook. Travelling recently in the karroo I discovered another very striking example of such protective adaptation, which is specially interesting as the plant in question is not a near relative of those mentioned beforehand, but a species of Crassula. Its specific name is Crassula columnaris, which indicates very well the shape of the plant as one sees it in cultivation, but is quitmisleading with regard to the plant in its natural habitat, for there the plant is spherical. In shape and colour it is so similar to the brown pebbles among which it grows that one has much difficulty in detecting it. As an illustration of this I may be allowed to mention the following experience. I had brought a dozen of these plants with some soil and pebblewith me to town, and having planted them in a box not larger than my hand, I sometimes a...