272 
the spring freshets, and which had become covered with loose 
pebbles. He soon lost the path and suddenly found himself slip- 
ping. He called to his friend, who was in the same predicament, 
and advised him to lie down and attempt to stop himself with his 
extended hands and feet. They both lay down, but still found 
that they were slowly sliding. Torrey was ahead and could not 
stop himself till he reached the brink of a precipice of three hun- 
dred feet descent. Here he stopped, but the slightest movement 
would have caused him to go over, His friend had, by means of 
a knife, obtained a foot-hold, and was able to retain his position. 
Torrey asked him if he could possibly assist him, for he, Torrey, 
feared that he would soon slip. His friend replied that he could 
not leave his position to assist him, but if Torrey could give him 
anything to take hold of he might perhaps pull him up. Torrey 
took his handkerchief, wound it round his hand, and let the wind 
blow the end to his friend who caught it, and thus rescued the doctor 
from his perilous situation. They then, by means, I presume, of 
their knife (although the doctor did not explain this) succeeded in 
clambering up to a safe place. At the time the doctor thought 
of using his handkerchief his feet were actually hanging over the 
precipice, and so hazardous was his position that he did not dare 
raise his arm to reach his friend. 
The doctor mentioned some curious observations which he 
had made upon the Campanula rotundifolia. He had noticed 
that the plant bears in the early part of the season apetalous flow- 
ers often with tri-sepalous calyx, which he had carefully exam- 
ined without perceiving any trace of stamens or pistils ; yet, 
strange to say, these flowers perfected seed as in the usual flow- 
ers. He knew, however, that stamens and pistils in some form oF 
other must be present, and, accordingly, on careful examination 
with a microscope he found the base of the interior of the flower 
was divided into five distinct divisions, and he soon found that 
the apparent base was really a membrane composed of five scales, 
under which the stamens and pistils were concealed. The doctor 
left in the steamboat for New York. His address is 30 McDou- 
gal Street. 
