4.92 ON THE GENUS RUBUS. 
and are stronger in each individual leaf as the parts from which 
they rise are stronger. In some species, where they are strong 
and long, they have a glittering appearance, not entirely uncon- 
uected with their size, but resting, I think, partly on the nature 
of the hairs themselves, and varying much in the degree in which 
they reflect the light. Sometimes the long hairs on the midrib 
and primary veins alone have this shining appearance ; at others, 
it seems to extend to those on the smallest veins; and now and 
then we find long and entangled hairs, with something of this 
appearance, spreading over the surface. 
It appears, from what has been said, that the botanist is obliged 
to refer to every part of the Bramble, except the root, im order 
to obtain a correct idea of any one species. In some genera 
we find a peculiarity im one species, or one common to several 
species, which characteristic can be depended on as deciding the 
place which the species or group ought to occupy. Among the 
Brambles no character is absolute, but is to be taken in conjunc- 
tion with other characters, and each character varies in degree and 
in importance, and is sometimes to be disregarded. If we denote 
the characters by the letters of the alphabet, we may say of a 
species that it offers to us a, b, c, d, e, another species wants a, a 
second 6, and so on, each possessing at the same time some further 
marks of distinction; but we shall obtain a very imperfect idea 
of what the botanist has to do in settling the species of Rudi, un- 
less we bear in mind that a plant may exhibit a little of the cha- 
racter a, but not enough to influence our determination of the 
species ; that another may possess much of the character 6, but 
so overborne by other characters that we are forced to neglect it. 
To draw some practical consequences from the foregoing obser- 
vations. I should recommend the student first to attend to the 
panicle. In that however, as in other parts of the plants, he 
must take care to have a well-developed specimen, and not con- 
tent himself with an imperfect one, for the sake of saving room 
in the herbarium. If this be a broad raceme, terminating ab- 
ruptly, each stalk (except possibly one or two at the base, and 
almost detached from the rest of the panicle) supporting not a 
knot, but single flower, it will go to his first group. This group is 
moreover characterized by a stem, not rooting (of this he should 
make a note at the time of gathering the specimen), armed with 
few and rather small prickles, and the fruit consisting of nume- 
