168 CONSERVATIVE ORGANS. [LECT. IV. 



Ixia for instance, although the same course of 

 vessels be perceptible, yet, very thick roots are 

 thrown out from the superincumbent recent bulbs, 

 by which the nutriment is immediately taken up 

 from the soil, without passing through the de- 

 caying bulb *. Under certain circumstances of 

 soil, also, wires are protruded from between the 

 more recent bulbs and the old bulb, with small 

 bulbs attached to them-f-, and these are some- 

 times so elongated as, to give to the lateral pro- 

 geny a pendulous character. 



On dissecting this species of bulb, we find 

 that, besides the outermost coat, which is in 

 general either fibrous or reticulated, it has two 

 others more succulent and fleshy, which appear to 

 form the bases of the sheathing of the leaves, and 

 to cover the whole of the bulb terminating at the 

 plate whence the roots are protruded. Within 

 these is the solid homogeneous mass of the bulb, 

 covered with a thin, beautiful, transparent epider- 

 mis, and depressed considerably in the centre, 

 where the stem and part of the foliage are at- 

 tached ; and having cavities also at those points 

 where the young bulbs are formed. The exterior 

 leaves terminate at a kind of shoulder, which sur- 



separate from the others immediately after they enter the new 

 bulb, and pass on to the embryon bulbs, forming on a. 6. e* 

 the embryon bulbs. 



* Vide Plate I. fig. 7. f Ibfd. fig. 7. 



