PRESERVATION OF LIFE IN SEED. 3 7 



while others have imputed it to the same inherent per- 

 ceptive intelligence which leads the duckling to the wa- 

 ter, and the young partridge to the wood. Mr. Knight 

 found that if seeds be made to germinate on a rapidly 

 revolving wheel, their plumelets converge towards its 

 axis, while the radicles proceed in an opposite direc- 

 tion, and therefore, he concludes that the same princi- 

 ple which causes a heavy body to fall when unsupport- 

 ed, gives to the rostel its descending direction. The 

 subject however is still involved in obscurity, for it 

 seems paradoxical to say, that the Oak towers above 

 the horizon in consequence of the same gravity, by 

 which, when decayed it is precipitated to the ground. 



The germination of the Misletoe is very different 

 from the process which has here been described. 

 Destined to live upon the resources of other vegetables, 

 its rostel penetrates their bark, and according to the 

 observations of Duhamel, its seed will vegetate even 

 when its cotyledons have been removed. Nor does 

 its rostel exhibit that invincible tendency downwards, 

 which has been noticed among the phenomena of ordi- 

 nary generation, but its young stem and young roots 

 grow in every direction, apparently with the same fa- 

 cility. 



"The preservation of the vital principle in seeds, is 

 one of those wonders of Nature which pass unregard- 

 ed from being every day under our notice. Some 

 lose their vegetative power by being kept out of the 

 ground ever so little a while after they are ripe, and in 

 order to succeed, must sow themselves in their own 

 way and at their own time. Others may be sent round 

 the world, through every vicissitude of climate, or bu- 



