METAMORPHOSIS OF PLANTS. 157 



can agree with the theorists in calling a rose or a 

 peach a bundle of abortive leaves ; produced, forsooth, 

 as we have just seen it alleged, by degeneracy or 

 stunting. 



It seems indispensable for every theory to have a 

 loophole through which to escape in case of difficulties ; 

 and in the present instance, the escape is made by 

 maintaining Nature to be wrong when opposed to the 

 theory. "All dissepiments," [partitions] says Pro- 

 fessor Lindley, " whose position is at variance with the 

 foregoing laws are spurious" It is needless to remark, 

 that this mode of decision at once quashes all objection 

 and puts an end to every appeal to fact. Well might 

 M. Le Vaillant say, that ({ the present state of natural 

 history often exhibits nature making sport of our 

 systems." M. Le Vaillant elsewhere says that " one 

 fact is enough to demolish a theory;" but here we 

 have a theory demolishing the facts and calling them 

 spurious. 



