l83 STUDIES OF NATURE. 



of rivulets; the olive, which is enamoured of the 

 fea-fhore to fuch a degree, that it degenerates in 

 proportion as you remove it thence, carry their 

 feed inclofed in a fpecies of little calks, capable of 

 holding out the lbngeft voyages. The red berry 

 of the yew, whofe favourite refidence is the cold 

 and humid mountain, by the fide of a lake, is 

 hollowed into a little bell. This berry, on drop- 

 ping from the tree, is, at firft, carried down, by 

 it's fall, to the bottom of the water : but it returns 

 inftantly to the furface, by means of a hole, which 

 Nature has .contrived, in form of a navel, above 

 the feed. In this aperture is lodged a bubble of 

 air, which brings it back to the furface of the wa-r 

 ter, by a mechanifm more ingenious than that of 

 the divers-bell, in this, that the vacuum of the 

 diving-bell is undermoft, and in the berry of the 

 yew it is uppermoft. 



The forms of the feeds of aquatic-plants are ftili 

 more curious; for, univerfally, Nature redoubles 

 her ikill and exertions in favour of the little and 

 the weak. That of the bulruQi refembles a lob- 

 fter's eggs ; that of fennel is a real canoe in mi- 

 niature, hollowed in the middle, with both ends 

 raifed into a prow. There are others grooved 

 into each other, refembling pieces of wood dif- 

 pofed for a float, and worm-eaten ; fuch are thofe 

 of the horned poppy. Thofe which are deflined 



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