OF NATURAL HISTORY. ^st 



iiant to every idea of found philofophy. Befides, the re- 

 verfe has been proved by Dr. Alfton, Camerarius, and Tour- 

 nefort. Thefe gentlemen reared female plants of the fpi- 

 nage and hemp in fuch fituations, and with fuch fcrupulous 

 precautions, to prevent any fuppofed impregnation by means 

 of the wind, or of infects, that it is difficult to conceive the 

 pollibility of any communication between the males and fe- 

 males. Thefe females, however, produced fertile feeds in 

 the greateft abundance. 



Since thefe experiments were made, it has been difcover- 

 ed, that male flowers are fometimes found iurkin": on the 

 female plants of the fpinage and hemp : And this difcovcry 

 the fexualifts think fufncient to account for the fuccefs of 

 Dr. Alfton's experiments. But, inftead of folving the difli-^ 

 culty, this circumftance feems to involve it in ftill deeper ob- 

 fcurity : for, that the pollen ifluing from the antherae of a 

 male flower or two lliould rife, fall, and turn round in every 

 dire(Si:ion, fo as to light precifely on the ftigmata of all the 

 fuperior, inferior, and circumjacent female flowers, appeari- 

 to exceed the common powers of human faith. Belides^ 

 this circumftance would feem to indicate, that there is no 

 fteadinefs in what is called vegetable f exes. We are even told^ 

 that trees, which had continued many years under the 

 chara6ter of females, but, from fome ftrange metamorphofiSj 

 had fuddenly dropped their female forms, and aflumed th^: 

 more robuft features peculiar to the male part of the crea- 

 tion ! 



It was hinted above, that all the dioicous, monoecious, as 

 well as moft of the hermaphrodite flowers, being impregnat- 

 ed by means of the wind, feemed not to accord with the 

 rules of philofophizing ; we fliall now examine that do(^lrine 

 more clofely. 



The pollen is allowed to be too large to get admiflion into 

 the fligmata, though laid upon them with the greateft dex- 



