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ables evince 



as 



the cloii"g 



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Sect. VIII. 2. 



MUSCLES, NERVES, BRAIN. 





th 



ether during th 



fleep 



The hedyfarum gy 



whirls its leaves in various diredions, when the air is ftill, by an ap 



parently voluntary effort, probably for th 



purpofe of refp 



prickles 



The dionoea mufcipula, Venus's fly-trap, clofes its leaves from the 

 flimulus of infeas, which crawl upon theni, and pierces them with 



And the apocynum androfemifolium contrads its petal's 

 aarVes round the probofcis of the flies, which Simulate it, and 

 holds them till they die, or till the fleep of the plant releafes them by 

 the relaxation of its mufcular aaion. 



From thefe circumftances it appears, that there are not only muf- 

 cles about the moving foot-ftalks or claws of the leaves and 'petah 



above mentioned 



but that thefe mufcles muft be endued with 



of fenfe as well as of motion 



Now, as when one part 



f 



leaf of 



mimofa is touched, the whole leaf falls 

 be a common fenforium, or brain, wh 



t follows, that there muft 

 the nerves communicate. 



w 



^...S to this one leaf-bud 



To evince this further another leaf 

 let was flit with ftiarp fciflars, and fome feconds of time elapfed, be- 

 fore the plant feemed fenfible of the injury ; and then the whole plan 



pfed as far as the principal ftem 



Afterwards a fmall drop of oil 



of vitriol was put on the bud in the bofom of a leaf of another fen- 

 fitive plant ; and, after about half a minute, when the brain of this 

 bud could be fuppofed to be deftroyed, the whole leaf fell, and rofe 



more 



If the individual buds of plants poflefs mufcles and 



with a brain 



common fenforium ; the following queftions confe 



quently occur, and ftiould be anfwered in the affirmative 



Have 



getable buds irritability ? have they fenfat 



h 



they volition ? 



have they afibciations of motion ? I am perfuaded they poflefs them 

 all, though in a much inferior degree even than the cold blooded 



animals. 



2. The irritability of vegetable fibres is demonftrated by the ab- 

 forption and circulation of their fluids in their roots, leaves, and pe- 

 tals ; which can not be explained by any mechanic law, and exaaiy 



correfpond? 



