OF NATURAL HISTORY. 31 J 



the bark, the liber, the wood, and the pith. The petals of 

 all flowers, in a natural ftate, are fingle. But, when tranf- 

 planted into gardens, many of them, efpecially thofe which 

 are furnilhed with numerous ftamina, as the anemone, the 

 poppy, the peony, the ranunculus, the daify, the marigold, 

 the rofe, &c. double, or rather multiply their flower-leave? 

 without end. This change from fingle to double, or mon- 

 ftrous flowers, as they are called, is produced by too great a 

 quantity of nutricious juices, which prevents the fubflance of 

 the liber from condenfing into wood, and transforms the fta- 

 mina into petals j and it not unfrequently happens, that, 

 when thefe double flowering plants are committed to a poor 

 foil, they become drier, are reduced to their natural ftate, 

 and produce fingle flowers only. Plants which inhabit the 

 valleys, when tranfported to the tops of mountains, or other 

 elevated fituations, not only become dwarfifli, but undergo 

 fuch changes in their general fl:ru(Elure and appearance, that 

 they are often thought to belong to a different fpecies, though 

 they are, in reality, only varieties of the fame. Siniilar 

 changes are produced when Alpine or mountain plants are 

 cultivated in the valleys. 



From culture and climate, likewife, plants undergo many 

 changes. But this fubje6l is fo generally known, that to en- 

 large upon it would be entirely fuperflous. We fliall only 

 remark, that the older botanifl:s, when they perceived the 

 fame fpecies of plants growing in a different foil, or in a dif- 

 ferent climate, afliime fuch different appearances, confidered 

 and enumerated them as diftincl fpecies. But the modern 

 botanifts, to prevent the unneceffary multiplication of fepa- 

 rate beings, have endeavoured to reduce all thofe varieties 

 arifing from fortuitous circumftances to their original fpecies. 

 From thefe fa6ls, and many others which might be men- 

 tioned, it appears, that, in both the animal and vegetable 

 kingdoms, forms are perpetually changing. The mineral 



