224 PROSERPINA. 



of another, — yes, and of many others, — must be 

 woven in our minds. Thus the almond, though 

 in the form and colour of its flower, and method 

 of its fruit, rightly associated with the roses, yet 

 by the richness and sweetness of its kernel must 

 be held mentally connected with all plants that 

 bear nuts. These assuredly must have something 

 in their structure common, justifying their being 

 gathered into a conceived or conceivable group of 

 ' Nuciferae,' in which the almond, hazel, walnut, 

 cocoa-nut, and such others would be considered 

 as having relationship, at least in their power of 

 secreting a crisp and sweet substance which is 

 not wood, nor bark, nor pulp, nor seed-pabulum 

 reducible to softness by boiling ; — but a quite 

 separate substance, for which I do not know 

 that there at present exists any botanical name, 

 — of which, hitherto, I find no general account, 

 and can only myself give so much, on reflection, as 

 that it is crisp and close in texture, and always 

 contains some kind of oil or milk. 



35. Again, suppose the arrangement of plants 

 could, with respect to their flowers and fruits, be 

 made approximately complete, they must instantly 

 be broken and reformed by comparison of their 

 stems and leaves. The three creeping families of 

 the Charites, — Rosa, Rubra, and Fragaria, — must 



