324 STUDIES OF NATURE. 



of the plant. The long beards which furmount 

 the coat that is wrapped round the grain, are 

 bridled with denticulations, very much adapted to 

 the purpofe of making them adhere to the hair of 

 animals, and of re-fowing them in lofty and dry 

 fituations. The oats, on the contrary, deftined to 

 humid places, have narrow leaves, gathered clofe 

 around the ftem, in order to intercept the rain- 

 water. The coats of this plant diftended, fimilar 

 to two long half- bladders, and not very clofely ad- 

 hering to the grain, render it proper for floating, 

 and croffing the water by the help of the winds. 

 But here we are prefented with a (till more won- 

 derful fact, which will confirm what has been ad- 

 vanced, refpecling the ufes of the different parts 

 of plants, relatively to the elements, and which 

 extends the views of Nature even beyond the fruc- 

 tification, though we have confidered this as the 

 determining character; it is, that barley, in rainy 

 years, degenerates into oats, and that oats, in dry 

 feafons, change into bailey. 



This obfervation, related by Pliny, Galen, and 

 Mathiola, the Commentator of Diofcorides *, has 

 been confirmed by the experiments of feveral mo- 

 dern Naturalifts. Mathiola, indeed, alleges, that 

 this transformation of barley is not into oats pro- 



* See Mathiola on Diofcorides, book iv. page 43 z. 



perly 



