54 



HISTORY OF FRUITS. 



" This irritability is perceptible in stamens of all ages; 

 in flowers only so far expanded as to admit a bristle ; and 

 in old flowers ready to fall off. If the gerrn be cut off, 

 the filaments will still contract, and nothing being in their 

 way, will bend over quite to the opposite side of the 

 flower. After irritation, the stamens will return to their 

 original place. On being touched, they will contract with 

 the same facility as before : and this may be repeated 

 three or four times. 



" The purpose which this curious contrivance of nature 

 answers, is evident. In the original position of the sta- 

 mens, the anthers are sheltered from rain by the concavity 

 of the petals. Thus probably they remain, till some in- 

 sect, coming to extract honey from the base of the flower, 

 thrusts itself between the filaments, and almost unavoid- 

 ably touches them in the most irritable part : and as it is 

 chiefly in the fine sunny weather that insects are on the 

 wing, the pollen is also in such weather most fit for the 

 purpose of impregnation." 



When this coral-like fruit is ripe, it adds much to the 

 beauty of the garden ; but its acidity is so great, that 

 even the birds refuse to eat it. 



It is concluded that this is the fruit called appendices 

 by the ancients. Pliny says, " There is a kind of thorny 

 bush called appendix, having red berries hanging from 

 the branches which are called appendices :" he adds, 

 " these berries, either raw by themselves, or dried, and 

 boiled in wine, are good to stay the flux of the body." 

 We find, by Gerard's account, that the leaves were for- 

 merly used in salad, and to season meat with : he also 

 says, " The green leaves of the barberry-bush stamped 

 and made into sauce, as that made of sorrel called green 

 sauce, doth cool hot stomachs, and those that are vexed 

 with hot burning agues, and procureth appetite." 



Barberries are of an agreeable, cooling, astringent 



