Of the herb Periwinkle , zvherein the opinion that it does not bear any 



feed, is refuted. 



jL was induced to turn my thoughts to the confideration of tlie 

 herb Periwinkle, from an opinion which is entertained, tliat, tliough 

 it bears a flower, it does not produce any feed. I therefore pro- 

 cured fome. bloHoms or flowers of tliis herb, as they grew on the 

 flalks, for I was well aflured, that no flower is produced by any 

 plant, which, when it falls off, is not fucceeded by fome kind of 

 feed. And, upon examining by the microfcope thefe flowers, and 

 the remains, as I may fay, of fome of them, which adhered to the 

 llalk, in the i)laces where the flowers had fallen off, I very plainly 

 faw, that thefe remains were formed for the particular purpofe of 

 producing feed ; for, in fome of them, I faw two or three feeds, 

 though very minute. 



An acquaintance of mine, a refpeftable perfon, gave me fome of 

 thefe flowers, which he had gathered from a plant, growing in a 

 place, where the rays of the fun feldom penetrated : and the fame 

 j)erfon, paffmg by a houie, where this plant was placed as aii orna- 

 ment, and obfcrvhig that there were Ibme feeds on it, he brought 

 me a few of thofe feeds with the fliells or pods inclofmg them. Thefe 

 feeds were of a dark colour, oblong, and much larger than I 

 expected to have feen, and they were inclofed in a ftrong and 

 tough fliell. They were not much ihorter than coffee berries, though 

 the coffee berries are four times as thick ; and laftly, the feeds of 



