SECT. II. AGENCY OF THE POLLEN. 303 



But admitting that the invisibility of the embryo 

 is no proof of its non-existence in the pollen, the 

 total want of a passage, in most styles, fit to con- 

 duct the particles of pollen entire, exposes this 

 theory to the most serious objections, if it does not 

 rather render the alleged mode of impregnation al- 

 together impracticable. And if a passage of suf- 

 ficient width were found to exist even in all styles, 

 still the probabilities of the two cases are in favour 

 of the ovarist. For if the embryo is to pre-exist 

 at all, is it not more likely that it should pre-exist 

 in the ovary where it is to be brought to maturity ; 

 than that it should first be generated in one organ 

 or plant, and then transferred to another to be deve- 

 loped ? Is it not also most extraordinary that the 

 embryo should so invariably assume the same po- 

 sition in the same species of seed,, if it is merely 

 conducted to the ovary from a different organ or 

 plant, and introduced as it were at random ? And 

 is not the doctrine of the ovarist countenanced from 

 the analogy of the process for which he contends 

 to that of the generation of the animal egg, which 

 is produced complete in all its integral and distinct 

 parts even without the co-operation of the male, 

 though still destitute of the principle of fertility ? 

 And finally is it not further countenanced from the 

 fact of the apparent and numerical perfection of 

 parts often observable in the fruit of insulated 

 female plants, in which the embryo is not always 

 wanting, but only not fecundated? For which 



2 



