260 ESSAYS anp OBSERVATIONS 
39. ARGUMENT 7. “‘ Septimo flores nu 
« zantes. Cum pollen mafculus, plerumque 
«* aére {pecifice gravior, difficile furfum ten- 
“‘ deret; apud plera/que plantas, piftillum lon- 
‘< gius gerentes, florem nutantem fecit Crea- 
“tor, ut ftigma eo melius attingat pulvis : 
“ e, gr. in galautho leucoio, cyclamine, narcif- 
“© fo, fritillaria, campanula, erythronio, &c.” 
Wahlbom (c). ‘ Flores nutantes gaudent 
*¢ piftillo, ftaminibus longiore, ut cadat pol- 
“len in ftigma: campanula, leucotum, galan- 
“ thus, fritillaria,” Linnaeus (f ). 
I readily grant, that the pollen mafculum, 
or pulvis apicum, is heavier than air, it being 
often heavier than water; and alfo, that fome 
flores nutantes have the piflilum longer than 
the /lamina; but cannot allow the reafon to 
be ‘ut cadat pollen in ftigma:” for thus it 
mutt fall on the back of the /ligma, when 
the /fylus, is there thickeft ; or fall by it quite, 
when there flendereft ; and, in neither cafe, 
can this have ready accefstothe feed. Again, 
in many genera of plants, not only in different 
Species, but even on the fame ftem, fome 
flowers hang down, others ftand ered, o- 
thers 
(¢) Amaen. acad. 1. p. 95. 
(f) Phil. Bot. p. 92. 
