JJJ4 STUDIES OF NATURE. 



What has prevented Botanifts from remarking 

 the relations which the leaves of plants have with 

 the waters- that feed and refrefh them, is their 

 feeing. them every where nearly of the fame form, 

 in the valleys, as on the heights ; but though 

 mountain-plants prefent foliages of every kind of 

 configuration, you may eafily difcern, from their 

 aggregation in form of pencils, or fans, from the 

 gatherings of the leaves, or other equivalent figns, 

 that they are deftined to receive the rain water, 

 but chiefly from the aqueduct which I have juft 

 mentioned. This aqueduct is traced on the pe- 

 dicle of the fmaUeft leaves of mountain-plants; by 

 means of it, Nature has rendered the forms them- 

 felves of aquatic-plants fufceptible of vegetation 

 in the moft parched fituarions. 



The bulrufli, for example, which is only a round 

 and full draw, that grows by the water-fide, did 

 not appear fufceptible of collecting any humidity 

 in the air, though it is very well fuited to lofty 

 iituations, from it's capillaceous form, which, like 

 that of gramineous plants prefents nothing to the 

 wind to lay hold of. In fad:, if you coniider the 

 different fpecies of rufli which clothe the moun- 

 tains in many parts of the world, fuch as that cal- 

 led kho, on the lofty mountains of Peru, the only 

 vegetable almofl that grows there, and thofe which 

 thrive with ourielves in dry fands, or on heights, 



you 



