156 



in female by having no pistil or rudiment of fruit 

 about them, but only a large thrum, corered with 

 dust in their middle. The female blossoms have a!. 

 Mfays a pistil within the flower leaves, and the rudi- 

 ments of the fruit are always apparent^ at the bottom 

 of the flower before it opens. 



But there is a species of Willow, which appears to 

 change its sex every year. One year it produces male 

 blossoms, and female blossoms the next. 



19. The seed when it is ripe, is enclosed in a pe. 

 culiar covering. la some plants it so increases, as 

 to become a fruit. And in these also we find fibres 

 and utricles dispersed with endless variety* 



Various are the methods which the wisdom of 

 God takes for sowing seeds of various kinds. Those 

 of Arum and Poppy are heavy enough to fall directly 

 to the ground. Others that are light, have hooks to 

 stop them, from straying too far from their proper 

 place. So have Agrimony and Goose-grass, the one 

 wanting a warm bank, the other a hedge for its sup. 

 port. 



On the other hand many seeds have wngs, that 

 the wind may carry them off the plant, and may 

 scatter them asunder, that they may not fall together 

 and come np too thick. The kernels of pines have 

 yery short wings, just enabling them to flutter on the 

 ground. But some seeds have many long feathers) 

 by which they are wafted about every where. 



Others are lodged in elastic cases, which dart out 

 the seed to the convenient distances. Thus Wood- 

 sorrel havii g a running root, needs to have its seed 

 sown distant iiom each other. And this is done by 

 means of a tendmouscover, which when it begins to dry, 

 bursts open on one side in an instant, and is violently 

 turned inside out. The seed of Harts-tongue is dis- 

 persed in a different manner. It has a spring wound 

 round its case. When it is ripe, this suddenly breaks 

 the casein two halves, and so throws out the seed, 

 remarkable is the way \\hcrein Fern-seed 



