40 THROUGH THE FIELDS WITH LINN^US 



of Bernard de Jussieu and Beaumur, and had free 

 access to their cabinets. One of the plants remained 

 unexplained, and seemed to embarrass the demonstra- 

 tor. Linnasus had looked on in silence, but now, 

 remarking the professor's hesitation, he said in Latin, 

 4 It has the appearance of an American plant.' l This 

 was apparent to his natural instinct as a botanist, 

 ascending to generalisation from well-studied parti- 

 culars. ' The foundation of a natural system of classifi- 

 cation must result from a close attention, not to one or 

 two, but to all the parts of plants.' These are Linnaeus's 

 own words. The great naturalist seems to recognise a 

 particular instinct which he felt within himself by 

 which botanists are guided in their inquiries, and which 

 enables them to distinguish the characters of plants by 

 this dominant impression. c The habit of a plant,' he 

 remarks, ' must be secretly consulted ' intuitively felt, 

 is perhaps nearer his meaning. i A practised botanist 

 will distinguish at the first glance plants of different 

 quarters of the globe, and yet will be at a loss to tell 

 by what mark he detects them. There is, I know not 

 why, a sinister, dry, obscure look in African plants, 2 



1 Sir J. Smith was surprised to find Vaillant's Herbarium rich in 

 North American specimens collected by Sarrazin in the beginning of 

 the eighteenth century, many of -which were early in the nineteenth 

 century supposed to be of recent discovery as Ealmia glauca of 

 Hort. Kew and thought it wonderful they should have remained so 

 long undescribed by French botanists. 



2 Hooker and Ball in their journey in Morocco allude to this in 

 speaking of the Cynara acaulis, Linn, as a species characteristic of 

 the hot and dry region of North Africa. 



