Consciousness in Plants. 339 



accepted, leaves but a wilted, half-hearted blossom to wel- 

 come the sipper of the sunshine. This beautiful expectancy, 

 somehow or other, determines the limit of its bloom. How- 

 ever, in the event of rain or other causes preventive of insect 

 visits, the evening primrose will remain open for the attention 

 of the butterflies during the ensuing day, when otherwise it 

 would have perceptibly drooped, and extended to them but 

 a listless welcome. Most strikingly may this fact be seen 

 illustrated in a spray of mountain-laurel. For nearly a week 

 have I observed in my house these blossoms lingering in 

 patient expectancy, when the flowers on the parent shrub 

 in the woods had fallen several days before, their mission in 

 life having been fulfilled. In the house specimens the radi- 

 ating stamens, which are naturally dependent upon insects 

 for their release, and the consequent discharge of the pollen, 

 remained in their pockets on the side of the blossom-cup, a 

 support, as it seemed, for the bracing up of the corolla upon 

 its receptacle. But when the operation of releasing the 

 stamens was artificially consummated, the flower-cup soon 

 dropped off or withered upon the peduncle. 



Not mainly has the writer, in attributing a phosphorescent 

 quality to the evening primrose, followed the license of 

 fancy, for, if scientists are to be believed, the regular lumin- 

 ous glow of this and other nocturnal flowers has long 

 attracted the attention of the curious, and positive qualities 

 of inherent light have been accorded in many instances. It 

 is true, as one authority asserts, that " the evening primrose 

 is perfectly visible in the darkest night," from which fact 

 phosphorescent properties have been ascribed to it. Many 

 well-authenticated cases are on record of luminous, electrical, 

 lightning-like phosphorescence playing about flowers, the 

 daughter of Linnaeus having been the first one to note such 

 an interesting phenomenon. Similar flashes or corona have 

 been observed in nasturtiums, double marigold, geraniums, 

 red poppy, tuberose, sunflower and evening primrose. Ac- 

 cording to various authorities, and it would be a rash and 



