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That wliicli IS now fubjcdlcJ to the difquifitions find 

 cenlure of ilich whofc cxqiilficc (1611 conilicuccs 

 them judges of inch performances, is, Whether it may 

 not be niore proper to fuppofe, that the feeds which 

 are lod^^ed in the proper involucra, are at the firft un- 

 irnprcgnated ova (or eggs) as of animals; that this 

 farina'^is a congeries of leminal plants, one of which 

 miift be conveyed into every ovum before it can be- 

 come prolific ; that the ftylus, in Mr. Ray's language, 

 or the upper part of the piftillum, 

 fort's, is a tube defigned to convey thefe feminal plants 

 into their nefts in the ova •, that there is fo vaft a pro- 

 vifion made, becaufe of the odds there are, whether 



Ihall ever find its way into, and 







in Mr. Tourne- 



G E N 



'To which we muft add, that ihe tube alv/avs be-in^:; 

 to die when thcfc thec;£ arc eiupcied of the:r contents ^ 

 if they lail any longer. It Is only whiht the globule:;, 

 v^hich enter ac their orifice, may be fuppofed to have 

 finiflied their pafiage. Now, can we well expecl a mortf 

 convincing proof of chcfc tubes being dcji^-mcd to con- 

 vey thefe globules^ than that they widier v/hen there 

 are not more globules to convey. 

 If I could nov/ fhew, that the ova, or unimpre2:nat- 

 ed feeds, are ever to be obfervcd without this feminal 

 plant, the proof would arife to a demonftration •, but 

 Jiaving not beenfo happy as to obfervc this, I iliall 



one, of 



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that h 



cnce 



many, 

 through fo narrow a conveyance. 

 To make this fuppofidon the more credible, I fnall 

 lay down the obfervations I have made upon the fitu- 

 ation of thefe ftamina, and the ftylus, in fame few fpe- 



cies of plants. 



Firfl:, In the Corona Imperlalis, where the uterus, or 



vafculum feminale of the plant llands upon the center [ recommend the enquiry to thofe gentlemen who are 



of the flower •, and from the top of this arifeth the 



content myfelf at prefent with fuggefting, 

 one would conclude, that the petala of the flower were 

 rather defigned to fever fuperiiuous juices from what 

 was left to afcend in the ftamina,' than the ftamdna'to 

 perform this office, either for them, or the vinimprcg- 

 nated lemina, and obferve the analogy between ani- 

 mal and vegetable generation, as far as v/as nccelTary 

 there fliould be an agreement bctv/een them. Illiall 



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ftylus, the vafculum feminale and ftylus together re- 



prelenting a piftillum. 



' Round, this are placed fix ftamina ; upon the ends 



of each of thefe are apices, fo artfully fixed, that they 



turn every way with the leaft ^yind, being in height 



almoft equal to the ftyles about which they play, 



and wlucli in this plant is manifeftly open at the 



top, as it is hollow all the way-, to which we muft 



add, that upon the top of the ftykis there is a fort 



of tuft, confiftingof pinguid villi, which I imagined 



to be placed there to catch and detain the farina, as 



. it flies Cut of the .thec^e ; from hence, I fuppofe, the 



-^wind fhakes it down the tube, till it reach the vafcu- 



. lum feminale. 

 In the Caprifolium, or Honeyfuckle, there rifes afty- 



; Ixjs from the rudiments of a berry, into which it is in- 

 .'- ferted to the top of the monopetalous flower ; from 

 % the middle of which flower are fent forth feveral fta- 

 mina, that flied their farina out of the cafes upon 

 the orifice of the ftylus, which, in this plant, is 

 villous or tufted, upon the fame account as in the 

 / former. ^ 



In Allium, or common Garlic, there arifes a tricoc- 

 . * cous uterus, or feed-veflfel ; in the center of which is 

 inferted a fl:iort ftylus, not fo high, as the apices, which 

 _ thus over- topping it, have the opportunity of llied- 

 - ' ding their globules into an orifice more eafily ; for 

 .. which reafon, I can difcern no tuft upon this (as in 

 the former) to infure their entrance, that being pro- 

 vided for by its fituation juft under them. . :.> 

 . ' The reader, I hope, will excufe me, if I prefent him 

 now with fome fuch reafoninp;s or refleftions as the 

 . foregoing account doth fuggeft, and will fupport -, 

 ■; and I cannot but hope to perfuade thofe that are 

 . ©andid, that I have afllgned to the feveral parts of the 

 flowers I have mentioned, their true and real ufe. 

 For nothing can be more natural than to conclude, 

 . that where a fine powder is curioufly prepared, care- 

 fully renofited, and flied abroad at a peculiar feafon, 

 : where there is a tube fo placed as to be fit to receive 

 Jt> and fuch care in difpofing this tube, where it doth 

 :.. not lie direftly under the cafes that flied the powder, 

 ' It hath a particular apparatus at the end, to infure its 

 entrance. - ^ 



Nothing can be more gcnuinely_ deduced from any 

 premifes, than it may from this, that this pov/dcr, 

 or fome of it, was defigned to enter this tube. If thefe 

 itamina had been only excretory du6Vs, as has been hi- 

 therto fuppofed, to feparate the grofi^er parts, and leave 



the juice defigned for the nouriftiment of the feed 

 more referved, what need was there to lodge thefe ex- 

 cremcnts m -fuch curious repofitories ? They would 

 nave been conveyed any where, rather than where 

 tnere W'as fo much danger of their droppino- into the 

 feed-veffel again, as there is here, 

 -^gain; the tube, over the mouth of which they are 



liied, and into which they enter/ leads always direftly 

 -. into tile feed-veffel. ' .- 



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mafters of the beft microfcopes, and addrefs in ufing 

 them ', though, in the mean time, I have made fome 

 fteps toward a proof of this fort^ and have met with 

 fome fuch hints, as make me not delpair of being able, 

 .in a fliort time, to give the world even this fatisfaftion. 

 For,, not to infift .upon this, that the feminal plant 

 always lies in that part of the feed which is always 

 neareil to the infertion of this ftylus, or fome propa- 

 gation of it into the feed^yeflfels, I have difcovercd in 

 Beans, Peas, and Kidney-beans, juft under one end of 

 that we call the eye, a manifeft pertoration, (difcernible 

 by the groflfer fort of magnifymg glaflTes) which leads 

 direftly to the feminal plant, and at wjiich I fuppofe 

 the feminal plant did enter • and, I am apt to think, 

 the Beans or Peas that do hot thrive "well, may be 

 found deftitute of it. /. . . "T^. " ' 



I — 



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But I muft now proceed to defcribe'fbrfie other 

 plants, whereby it will appear, that there is a parti- 



r 



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cular care always excrcifed to convey this powder, fo 

 often mentioned, into a tube, which may convey it 

 to the ova. 



Now, in legumiinous plants, if we carefully take off 

 the petala of the flower, we ftiall difcover the pod, or 

 filiqua, clofely covered with an involving membrane, 

 wjiich, about the top, feparates into nine ftamina, 

 each fraught widi its quantity of farina;' and ihefQ 

 ftamina clofely adhere to the ftyle, which is obferv- 

 able at the end of that tuoe, which here^alfo leads di- 

 rcftly to the pod; ic ftands hot upright,'' Indeed, but 

 fo bent, as to malce near aright angTe3Tth itr.;>^\ 

 In Roles there ftands a column, cohfifting of rnan'y 

 tubes clofely clung together, though eafily feparable, 

 each leading to their particular cell, the ftamina in a 

 great number placed all round about." ' ' '• ■. ..,;...* 

 In Tithymalus, or Spurge, there rifes a tricoccous 

 vefl^el, that,whilft it is fmall, and not eafily difcernible, 

 lies at the bottom till it is impregnated, ' But af- 

 terwards grows up, and ftands lb high upon a tall 

 pedicle of its own, as would tempt one to think, that 

 there were to be no communication betwixt this and 

 the apices. " , ., . 



In the Straw-berries and Rafpberries, the hairs which 

 row upon the ripe fruit (which, I fuppofe, may be 

 furprifing to fome) are fo many tubes Icadihg each to 

 their particular feed ; arid therefore we may obferve, 

 that in the firft opening of the flower there ftands a 

 ring of ftamina, within the petala, and the whole in- 

 ward area appears like a little wood of thefe hairs or 

 pulp, which, when they have received and conveyed 

 their elobules, tne" feeds fwell, and rife in a carneous 



pulp. Thus far Mr. Morland. .'. 

 We may obferve a, vefiel at the bottom of the piftll 

 of the Lily, which vefirl we may call the uterus, or 

 womb, in which are three ovaries filled v/ith little 



or rudiments of feed found in the ovaria, 

 which always decay, andcoir.e to nothing, unlcfs im- 

 pregnated with the farina of the fame plant, or fome 

 other of the fame kind ; the ftamina alfo ferveforthe" 

 conveyance of the male feed of the plant to be pfer- 



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