ii8 SAGACITY AND MORALITY OF PLANTS. 



The Solanaceae is also a highly defended order of 

 plants in this respect — few species being free from 

 poisonous or other secretion deleterious to animals ; 

 and one of them, the Belladonna {Atropa bella- 

 donna^ generically well named after that individual 

 of the " Fates " who cut the thread of human life), 

 has attained a high notoriety for its poisonous char- 

 acter. The Bitter-sweet {Solanum dulcamara) and 

 the Black Nightshade {Solanum nigrtim) are doubt- 

 fully poisonous, but certainly to other animals than 

 birds their berries are not wholesome ; and the 

 fruits of the Potato {Solanum tuberosuni) are so 

 objectionable that few kinds of animals partake of 

 them — thus furnishing a marvellous contrast to 

 another species of this order, the Tomato {Lycopersi- 

 ctim esculentiim)^ whose beautiful "love-apples" bid 

 for the services of animals to carry away the hard 

 seeds ! 



Another genus of this order, k'nown in the West 

 Indies as the Poison -berry (Cestnini) sufficiently 

 denotes by its popular name its deterrent qualities. 

 It might be objected that if animals partook of such 

 vegetable poisons there would be an end to the 

 matter, for both attacked and attackers would be- 

 come extinct together. But animals which have 

 eaten of poisonous seeds frequently recover, and 

 the lesson thus learned is not only never forgotten, 

 but the experience becomes a racial tradition or 

 instinct. Moreover, it is the young rather than the 



