4 Mr. WoopwarD's Effay towards an 
: plants have been reputed to grow, may not meet with one in a whole feafon?" 
—He has not then met with it very frequently near Norwich; 
but though certainly a rare fpecies, it happens to be by no means. 
very fcarce in this neighbourhood; there being feveral fpots in 
which it is every year to be found, and fome of thefe four or five 
miles afunder. For fome years paft that I have attended to thefe 
plants, I have never failed meeting with this in fuch of thefe places 
as have been vifited; and in this refpect it is much more certainly 
to be found than the ftellatum Linn. which, though much more 
common, is rarely met with two years on exactly the fame fpot ; 
and for this a reafon will be prefently given. In one place not lefs 
than ten of the fornicatum Hudfon or quadrifidum Br. have been 
found within a few yards of each other; and of all, which in the 
courfe of feveral years I have obferved in different places, not one 
varied in the arched form or number of its rays*. But if there 
were a plant accidentally difcovered with five or three rays, it would 
no more difprove the character of the fpecies, than finding the 
Paris quadrifolia with five or three leaves, which is not very un- 
common, would difprove the identity of that plant. A fpecimen, 
it is true, has been {hewn to me with three rays; but on exami- 
nation, it was found that one ray, both of the upper and lower vol- 
Va, Was as broad as the remaining two; and they had begun to fplit 
at the points, which were feparated for a {mall {pace in each. This 
plant was therefore accidentally prevented from taking its proper 
form, and yet the arched appearance was preferved, though not 
* Some of thefe plants flood on the flat furface of the fummit of a bank, others on 
fiopes of very different angles; fome amongft bufhes, others on grafly banks entirely ex- 
pofed; all which different fituations Mr. B. fays muff occafion different appearances, 
and different expanfons of the rays (pp. 37, 38, 39); and yet every one of thefe pladis 
when fully grown correfponded with Blackftone's fig. except in fize. 
perfectly 
