320 ■ OF THE BARBERRY. 



filament may be touched without this effect, 

 provided no concussion be given to the whole- 

 After a while the filament retires gradually, 

 and may again be stimulated ; and when each 

 petal, with its annexed filament, is fallen to 

 the ground, the latter on being touched 

 ghowg as much sensibility as ever. See Tracts 

 on Nat. History, l6o. I have never de- 

 tected any sympathy between the filaments, 

 nor is any thing of the kind expressed in the 

 paper just mentioned, though Dr. Darwin, 

 from some unaccountable misapprehension, 

 has quoted me to that effect. It is still more 

 wonderful that the celebrated Bonnet, as 

 mentioned in Senebier's Physiologic Vegttak, 

 z\ 5. 105, should have observed this phenome- 

 non in the Barberry so very inaccurately as to 

 compare it to the relaxation of a spring, and 

 that the ingenious Senebier himself, in quot- 

 ing me, p. 103, for having ascertained the 

 lower part only of each filament to be irrita- 

 ble, should express himself as follows : — " It 

 has not yet been proved that the movement 

 of the stamens is attended with the contrac- 

 tion of the filaments ; which nevertheless was 

 the first proof necessary to have been g;iven 



