88 FLORA HISTORICA. 



advances in height, ^vhich curls its tendril fingers 

 around whatever it can meet with to support it from 

 the earth, where, were it suffered to fall, the flower 

 could scarcely perform the act of impregnation, 

 from the want of sun and air ; and its leguminous 

 fruit, could it be formed, would be devoured by 

 insects before it could mature its seed, and what 

 escaped their ravages would, were it to rest on the 

 ground, be consumed by the birds, who cannot so 

 easily open the pods whilst they are dangling in 

 the air. Thus, under cultivation, we observe the 

 common Peas of the field, which have no aid lent 

 them, supporting each other in friendly embrace. 

 Each plant clings to its neighbour whilst it offers 

 its own arm in return for the support it borrows, 

 until we find the whole field linked in that happy 

 union which rears each individual plant from the 

 cold ground, and supports their pods out of the 

 reach of reptiles. 



The Pea in its ripened state is also the food of 

 numerous species of the larger kinds of animals, 

 from the mouse of the fields to the noble horse of 

 the plain ; and Nature seems to have guarded the 

 parts of fructification with a precaution not less 

 wonderful than the means she has given it to climb. 

 In opening a pod of Peas, we sometimes find a small 

 withered skin of a Pea or two, mixed with the per- 

 fect Peas, but more generally at the end of the pod. 



