260 PHYSIOLOGY OF 



but we find that even the beauties of the 

 most sequestered wilderness are not made in 

 vain. They have myriads of admirers, at- 

 tracted by their charms, and rewarded with 

 their treasures, which very treasures would 

 be as useless as the gold of a miser to the 

 plant itself, were they not thus the means of 

 bringing insects about it. The services ren- 

 dered by such visitants will be understood 

 when we have described all the parts of a 

 flower. 



Besides the above purposes, I have always . 

 conceived the Corolla to fulfil some important 

 ofiice to the essential parts of the flower with 

 respect to air, and especially light. It not 

 only presents itself in a remarkable manner 

 to the sun-beams, frequently closing or droop- 

 ing when they are withdrawn, but it is so 

 peculiarly distinguished by beauty or brilli- 

 ancy of colour, that one cannot but think its 

 functions somewhat different from those of 

 the leaves, even with regard to light itself. 

 pr. Darwin calls the Corolla the lungs of 

 the stamens and pistils, and with great pro* 

 bability, for they abound in air-vessels. But 

 when we consider the elaborate and peculiar 



