8(50 PHVSIOLOGY OF 



because he has not deigned to explore it ; 

 but we find that even the beauties of the most 

 sequestered wilderness are not made in vain. 

 They have myriads of admirers, attracted 

 by their charms, and rewarded with their 

 treasures, which very treasures would be as 

 useless as the gold of a miser to the plant it- 

 self, were they not thus the means of bringing 

 insects about it. The services rendered 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 

 ofi5ce 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 ing when they are withdrawn, but it is so 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 somevvhat different from those of 

 the leaves, even with regard to light itself. 

 Dr. 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 



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