On the Physiology of Fegetalles. 177 



the matter, is not easy to do ; for the cylinders are so folded in 

 double or treble folds, that to an eye unused to the sight, they 

 would all appear like the mo<it heautiful papier mache fiowerSy 

 only extremely small and delicate, and perfectly without colour. 

 But I have found another means of distinguishing the case from 

 the real buds: it is the dark or black shade always attending the 

 cylinders alone, as they are seen in contrast to the apertures, 

 which being then empty, most plainly appear : but when the 

 flowers mount them, they fill up the holes so thoroughly as to 

 leave no dark shadow to set them off. I shall give a specimen 

 of cylinders without flowers (see fig. 6); and flowers without cy» 

 linders, at fig. 7 ; also fig. 13, joining both together, and showing 

 {though very badly) the apertures up which the flowers mount, 

 A\'hen you cut perpendicuhirlv, and happen to remove the soft 

 covering sufficiently to leave the flowers open to view, then they 

 show admirably ; for they are generally torn enough to remove 

 the thin matter, leaving the various sorts of vessels discoverable 

 between the cylinders. Of these vessels I can say nothing, but 

 that I have most exactly copied them ; but what they are for, ex- 

 cept to support the flowers, I cannot tell ; but we must truly 

 imitate till we can vndersiund. These large bouquets of flowers 

 adorned with hanging spirals, and adding grace and beauty to 

 the picture, I have truly delineated. But I must observe that 

 they are too small to show all the defects the tearing might 

 produce, though sometimes observable ; and only exhibit the 

 beauties arising from pressure, &c. which the opening and 

 closing flowers produce. The most perfect pattern -drawer woukl 

 be left far behind in tliis case : for so excessive is the variety y 

 and so astonishing the beauty of these bouquets, that I in vain 

 endeavour to do them justice. When some corollas half open, they 

 appear like finished flowers: see fig. 8,9, 10. The cenan- 

 the, the angelica, and the hieracium spondylium, will give an 

 idea of some of these pictures: but to complete it I must show 

 the different specimens from which each part is taken in the 

 plants, as fig. 8*, fig. 9*, and fig. 10*, are a sextant of each speci- 

 men, just cut at the top of the root, that the reader may be a 

 proper judge of the curious manner in which the flowers are 

 arranged even in that situation. The root must be cut slanting. 

 It must be remembered, that when the first specimen is ob- 

 served, and when the flower-buds (in trees) leave the root, they 

 nm directly into the cylinders of the line of life. This is the 

 same in the plants that rise each year from the earth : they also 

 run into the same vessels, and are formed and conducted so fajr 

 in the same manner; — but here ends the resemblance. 



1 have shown how different the formation of tlie line of life is, 

 and how much looser all the matter as given at fig. II'', the 



Vol. 48. No. 221. Sept. KSl(J. M variety 



