89 



the capillaries of a frog's tongue;, for many hours after it hail 

 been separated from the body. Midler states, that in several 

 of the lowest tribes of animals, there are circular currents,, 

 similar to those in the chara. Nordmann has observed in the 

 envelope of the f alcyonella disaphana' small isolated circu- 

 lations ; and Cams has seen similar in the ambulacra of the 

 sea urchin. Ehrenberg has observed circular currents of 

 granules in the medusas, and in the retractde fibres on the 

 dorsal aspect of the asterias. 



" The author has before described motions in different forms 

 of vegetable life, especially in the so-called spores of the con- 

 ferva glomerata, and need not revert to them again. 



" Upon a careful review of the arguments, it appears that 

 the great preponderance is in favour of the supposition, that 

 the cause of the motion is a purely vital one. It is true, that 

 motion continuing after the apparent death of the leaf, mili- 

 tates somewhat against this deduction ; but it must be borne 

 in mind, that change of colour is not absolute proof that all 

 vitality has departed — and even if it were, the importance of 

 the facts is thrown completely into the shade, by the observa- 

 tion recorded at a previous part, respecting the effects of 

 desiccation. 



" After having thus arrived at the vital nature of the phe- 

 nomenon, all encpiiry must for the time close, as the powers 

 of life are as inscrutable in the vegetable as in the animal 

 kingdom." 



The author then concluded his paper, by detailing some 

 experiments on the circulation in the hairs of terrestrial plants; 

 showing, that in them stagnation did not take place either in 

 oil or air ; but, that immersion in water soon destroyed the 

 motion, by changing the condition and contents of the cell. 



In ihese cases there was no doubt of the vital character of 

 tin- phenomenon. 



