Hiftory of the Britifh Stellated Lycoperdens. SI 
fanciful defcriptions of the animal nature of thefe plants (p. 4r 
et feq.); an idea which is of itfelf fufficient to convince the cool na- 
turalift of the readinefs with which this otherwife ingenious bota- 
nift is apt to catch at any thing which interefts his imagination, 
To the variations of the atmofphere are alfo to be attributed the 
contraction and dilatation of the teeth or cilie furrounding the 
mouth in the different fpecies, which remain as long as any duft 
is contained in the head; though this circumftance Mr. Bryant 
alfo attributes to the animal nature of the plant, and fuppofes to be . 
voluntary as long as the plant has life. But unfortunately for his 
arguments, which prove rather too much, the prehenfile property 
of the claws (for fo are the rays called) is fuppofed to continue 
even after death; as one of thefe plants has held an unfortunate 
fornicatum of Hudf. * im its mercilefs gripe’ for feveral years in a 
drawer of the author's cabinet (p. 45). There can be no neceffity 
for entering into any arguments to prove, that thefe appearances 
are entirely owing to the coriaceous nature of thefe plants, and that 
they are acted upon by a moift or dry air, exactly in the fame man- 
ner as any other fubftances of the fame kind. It was neverthelefs 
neceffary to take notice of it, as the author builds part of his fyftem 
upon it, not only baving an idea, that in the plants juft mentioned 
it is fpontaneous; but alfo (p. 17, 18) attributing a furprif- 
ing degree of natural elafticity to the rays of his ftellatum, from 
the circumftance of one of them difengaging itfelf with great force 
from a couple of pens, with which he had endeavoured to expand 
the incurved rays, to take a drawing of it*. It evidently appears 
that this proceeded entirely from the fame caufe, and not from any 
{pontaneous elafticity naturally inherent in the plant, which had 
* "The circumftance here mentioned affords an additional proof, that this ftellatum of 
Bryant is really the plant mentioned in the beginning of this feétion, and f. 8. 
H 2 | been 
