80 BITTER-ALMOND FLAVOUR. 



t. 1(), plants widely different from each other 

 in botanical characters, as well as in colour and 

 every particular except smell. Their odour has 

 one peculiarity, that it is not at all perceptible 

 while the plants are growing, nor till they 

 begin to dry. It proceeds from their whole 

 herbage, and should seem to escape from the 

 orifices of its containing cells, only when the 

 surrounding vessels, by growing less turgid, 

 withdraw their pressure from such orifices. 

 When this scent of new hay is vehement, it be- 

 comes the flavour of bitter almonds. The taste 

 of syrup of capillaire, given by an infusion of 

 Orange flowers, is found in the herbage of 

 Gaultheriaprocumbens^Andr. Repos. £.116, 

 and Spircea Ulmaria, Engl. Bot. t, 96O, two 

 very different plants. 



Some of the above examples show an evi- 

 dent analogy between the smell and colours 

 of flowers, nor are they all that might be 

 pointed out. A variety of the Chrysanthe- 

 mum indicum with orange-coloured flowers 

 has been lately procured from China by Lady 

 Hume. These faintly agree in scent, as they 

 do in colour, with the Wall-flower, Ckeiran- 

 fhus Cheiri; whereas the common purple 



