210 THE ELEMENTS. 



those of Other plants, have the benefit of the summer, 

 and are sown upon the surface. The order of vegetation 

 externally is this : The plant produces its flowers in Sep- 

 tember ; its leaves and fruits in the spring following. 



V. I give the account of the dioncea muscipula, (Plate 

 XXXVIIl.) an extraordinary American plant, as some late 

 authors have related it ; but, whether we be yet enough ac- 

 quainted with the plant to bring every part of this account to 

 the test of repeated and familiar observation, I am unable to 

 say. Its leaves are jointed, and furnished with two rows of 

 strong prickles ; their surfaces covered with a number of 

 minute glands, which secrete a sweet liquor, that allures 

 the approach of flies. When these parts are touched by 

 the legs of flies, the two lobes of the leaf instantly spring 

 up, the rows of prickles lock themselves fast together, and 

 squeeze the unwary animal to death."* Here, under a 

 new model, we recognise the ancient plan of nature ; viz. 

 the relation of parts and provisions to one another, to a 

 common oflice, and to the utility of the organized body to 

 ■which they belong. The attracting syrub, the rows of 

 strong prickles, their position so as to interlock, the joints 

 of the leaves ; and, what is more than the rest, that sin- 

 gular irritability of their surfaces, by which they close at 

 a touch ; all bear a contributory part in producing an ef- 

 fect, connected either with the defence, or with the nu- 

 trition, of the plant. 



CHAP. XXI. 



THE ELEMENTS. 



When we come to the elem.ents, we take leave of our 

 mechanics ; because we come to those things, of the or- 

 ganization of which, if they be organized, we are confess- 

 edly ignorant. This ignorance is implied by their name. 

 To say the truth, our investigations are stopped long be- 

 fore we arrive at this point. But then it is for our com- 

 fort to find, that a knowledge of the constitution of the el- 

 ements is not necessary for us. For instance, as Addison 

 has well observed, " we know water sufliciently when we 

 know how to boil, how to freeze, how to evaporate, how to 

 make it fresh, how to make it run or spout out, in what 



* Smellie's Phil, of Nat. His. vol. i. p. 5. 



