PERIODICAL OPENING AND CLOSING OF FLOWERS. 19 



represented, are ninety-three, which, arranged according to the 

 colours of the blossoms, are — 



The result is the same as what had been previously announced by 

 the author : — " That with the exception of yellow blossoms, the 

 white possess the strongest tendency to contract and expand, and 

 then the red and blue in equal proportions; " and the same holds 

 good if every plant which is not indigenous be struck out of the 

 list. Now if all plants indigenous to Bohemia be arranged 

 according to colour, the result is, 



White . . 677 = 37 per cent. 



Blue ... 165 = 9 



Yellow . . 586 = 32 



Red . . . 403 = 22 „ 



Since then for every hundred species of each kind of colour there 

 is the following number of observed species whose blossoms open 

 and close, — 



White . . =2-21 



Blue . . . = 515 



Yellow . . = 5-56 



Red . . . = 149 



we have the following law : — " The relative number of plants whose 

 blossoms open and close is the greatest in the yellow and blue, 

 and smallest in the white and red." 



The tables which show the dependence of the duration of sleep 

 and its limits on the colour of the flowers are too long and com- 

 plicated for insertion; it appears, however, that the duration of sleep 

 in the white and red blossoms 



\ (13-1 + 137) = 13-4 



In the blue and yellow, | (14-9 + 14-6) = 1475 



As the number of species which periodically close and expand 

 was found to be greater in the blue and yellow than in the 

 white and red, so the duration of sleep is found to be T35 hours 

 longer in the one case than in the other. It appears, also, that 

 the blue and yellow blossoms are more susceptible of the influence 



c 2 



