PLANTS THAT GO TO SLEEP 159 



finally submitted to its unnatural method of liv- 

 ing, and, like some people, "turned night into day." 



Single plants, when observed at night, do not 

 present the sleeping appearance so strikingly as 

 when grouped together in beds. Professor Lind- 

 ley says: "Plants of corn, in which there is very 

 little indication of sleep when growing singly, ex- 

 hibit this phenomenon very distinctly when observed 

 in masses; their leaves becoming flaccid, and their 

 ears drooping at night." 



This regular sleeping and waking of plants has 

 occupied the attention of such distinguished men 

 as Linnaeus and Darwin ; Chaucer and Shakespeare 

 have spoken of it ; and it has been observed by many 

 others. Linnseus was led into making a series of 

 investigations through a peculiar circumstance 

 which Ann Pratt has interestingly described: 



"A friend had sent him some seeds of a species 

 of lotus. The red flowers which sprung from them 

 excited his admiration, and as his gardener was ab- 

 sent when they came in bloom, Linnseus, immedi- 

 ately upon his return, took him to the greenhouse 

 to see this new floral treasure. It was evening, 

 and with a lantern they proceeded to the spot; but 

 what was the surprise and vexation of Linnaeus 

 at finding that his beautiful blossoms had quite 

 disappeared! He concluded that they had been 



