g^ ON THE MECHANISM OF FLOWERS. 



plants at that time. This female is also another proof of 

 the spiral wire being inserted without a case, and therefore 

 twisting much. 

 Eff.ctofthe How powerful is the mechanism of the antirrhinum! 

 froitand light- rpj^gg^rgj^gtl^ (^f the spring is such, that it appears as if 

 ""'^' made of steel, rather than of a thin cuticle, with a pabulum 



of diminutive round bubbles of water. There is not any 

 thing more wonderful than the strength in flowers, and in 

 lierbacemis or annual plants. 1 could scarcely believe, that 

 it could proceed from their fulness alone, and that when 1 

 found a stem of cabbage as hard as wood, a frost could in 

 one moment render it as soft as pap : and yet it is certainly 

 so. Lightning and frost produce exactly the same effect on 

 tiiem. On examination of the stem of vegetables, after 

 being thus struck, the vessels appear broken, and the li- 

 quid discharging itself. It is the same with a leaf or flower: 

 the strength of the corolla depends wholly on the balls of 

 water, which forms its pabulum, and the vessels, which are 

 partly wood, partly spiral wire. Puess them lightly be-n 

 tween the finger and thumb, the bubbles are broken, and 

 the whole becomes a soft wet rag» There is however a 

 curious part of this process I cannot at all comprehend; it 

 is the circular turn both frost and lightning produce ia all 

 the thick stems of herbaceous or annual plants. When 

 thus struck, their parts are found not only broken, but 

 twisted, so that the whole interior will be entirely mis-!- 

 placed, and all cue way. But 1 should apologise for this 

 digression. 

 Mechanism of The spring of the antirrhinum is formed by the thick 

 »mirrbinuni. ^q^j vessels ts, fig. 10, turning within that which sur- 

 rounds them ; so that when the spiral wire draws these 

 tight, they push against the springs, and the flower opens its 

 mouth. But there are many other motions caused by the 

 pressure of the filamenta, contracting and pushing cross- 

 ways against the opposite sides of the flower; while the 

 bending of the fibres n n, from their interior contraction, 

 alternately presses each stamen to the glutinous drop of the 

 pistil, now ready for their reception. There is not a more 

 beautiful arrangement than this, which may be seen by 

 pressing the two sides so as a little (when th« sun shines 



fully 



