PHYSICAL AND LITERARY. 263 



felves free, and ereded high enough a- 

 bove the involucrum, than immediately, 

 by a fort of explofion, all the dull is en- 

 tirely, with great violence, thrown out 5 

 and fince the leaves af the involucrum 

 clofe up again, as quickly, and with as 

 much force a^ they feparated, and re- 

 fume their former figure ^ ; does not all 

 this Ihew, that the duft is not by nature 

 defigned to impregnate the feed, but to 

 be carried away by the winds, left it 

 fliould infedt it, by falling on the ftig- 

 mata ; and that autopfia teaches the quite 

 contrary to what Mr Gefner alledges. 



23. " It A feCe in plantis habere, (fays 

 *' M. Whalbom) di(5litat primo oculos. 

 ** Flore florefcente, et poUine antherarum 

 *' volitante, quod ftigmati pollen inhsereat, 

 " prima fronte obvium eft f ." But it is not 



at 



* " Ita (quldem, adds Mr Vaillant), ut difficillimuoi 

 " foret credere, flores hofce allam vim paiTos effs, niCi 

 ** vel ipfe aQxxm huac vidiiTet orulus. vel adhuc cernereC 

 '* caduca fceleta magnanimorum heroum, allquamdia 

 " ereSa ja campo confildlus, ubi apluftrium inftar, jo- 

 *' cularios experiuntor lufus volitantis zepbyri,'' 



t Araaeo. Acad. i.p. 90, 



