BON TIE CeA-MTICTRED apy 
I always preferred a bloflom almoft ripe. Ithen opened 
the urn on the fide; I carefully took out the pollen, and 
by this method, I difcovered an oval body, of an herba- 
ceous colour, fituated in the centre. This kind of capfu- 
la, as Icallit, is ftrongly fixed to the bottom of the urn, 
and although I did not obferve it fticking to the internal 
filament, -I am much inclined to think it is the terminati- 
on of it. At another time, I cut off horizontally, a -part 
of a ripe bloflom, and expofing it to a magnifying glafs, 
I difcovered 1. the epidermis of the corolla (Fig. 18. A.), 
ad. the pollen furrounding the capfule (Fig. 18. B.), 3d. 
{mall globules fitting between the fibres of a kind of net, 
which appeared to me to be the feeds (Fig. 18. C.). Thefe 
obfervations, I have fucceflively repeated on-all the moffes 
to be found in the neighbourhood of Paris, and Lifle in 
Flanders, and I obferved, with fatisfaGion, that every one, 
without an exception, was organized in the fame manner. 
‘Having arrived at this important difcovery, I determin= 
ed to proceed farther. I examined and tried the yellow 
duft which furrounds the capfule, and I became convinced, 
from its inflammability, and-from the difficulty with which 
it mixed with water, that-it was of the fame nature with 
the pollen of other vegetables. It now remained to prove 
that the {mall oval body furrounded by the poHen:is a true 
capfule, including the feeds. The obfervation which I 
had formerly-made with the microfcope proved it, indeed,. 
but not in‘a-manner fufficiently fatisfattory, as there did 
not appear to be any dire& communication between the 
‘pollen and the feeds, which are contained in the capfula. 
I:had recourfe, again, to obfervation, and I fortunately 
caught nature, as it were, in the fact, and difcovered the 
ufe and operation of each of the parts of which the urn 
of the mofles is compofed. AsI was, one day, examin- 
ing, with attention, the Aypnum velutinum, of Linnzus, 
YOL. WI, Dd I endeavoured 
