CHAPTER IV 



MOVEMENT AND NERVOUS ACTION IN PLANTS 



Climbing Plants — Dai-will's Observations, 7vith Siunmaiy — Inter- 

 pretatio7i of Movements — Movements of Seedlings — Methods of 

 Obsej-vation — Theory of Circumnutatio7i. 



We have seen that the sundews and fly-traps have a 

 power of movement as energetic as that of many animals, 

 and a sensitiveness to external stimuli which in its acute- 

 ness is not surpassed by that of our own nerves. In our 

 study we closely followed the work of Darwin, for his 

 researches, though by no means infallible, are funda- 

 mental, and moreover profoundly suggestive of that living 

 conception of nature which was so characteristic of his 

 work. In order to gain more complete possession of his 

 point of view — which is indeed that of Modern Botany — 

 let us still, as it were, continue to walk in his garden and 

 look at plants through his eyes. With this purpose we shall 

 first take a rapid survey of Darwin's observations on Climb- 

 ing Plants as they are set forth in one of his volumes.^ 



Climbing Plants. — Among many different orders of 



plants, and in all parts of the world, there are climbers 



which reach the air and the light on the shoulders of their 



stronger fellows. They insinuate themselves among the 



^ The Movemeyits and Habits of Cliinbing Plants (London, 1875). 



