96 TENDEIL-BEAEERS. Chap. III. 



between twenty and thirty times. The same tendril 

 would frequently withdraw from one hole and insert 

 its point into a second hole. I have also seen a 

 tendril keep its point, in one case for 20 hrs. and in 

 another for 36 hrs., in a minute hole, and then with- 

 draw it. Whilst the point is thus temporarily inserted, 

 the opposite tendril goes on revolving. 



The whole length of a tendril often fits itself closely 

 to any surface of wood with which it has come into 

 contact ; and I have observed one bent at right angles, 

 from having entered a wide and deep fissure, with its 

 apex abruptly re-bent and inserted into a minute 

 lateral hole. After a tendril has clasped a stick, it 

 contracts spirally ; if it remains unattached it hangs 

 straight downwards. If it has merely adapted itself to 

 the inequalities of a thick post, though it has clasped 

 nothing, or if it has inserted its apex into some little 

 fissure, this stimulus sufSces to induce spiral contrac- 

 tion ; but the contraction always draws the tendril 

 away from the post. So that in every case these 

 movements, which seem so nicely adapted for some 

 purpose, were useless. On one occasion, however, 

 the tip became permanently jammed into a narrow 

 fissure. I fully expected, from the analogy of B, 

 mpreolata and B. UUoralis, that the tips would have 

 been developed into adhesive discs; but I could 

 never detect even a trace of this process. There 

 is therefore at present something unintelligible about 

 the habits of this plant. 



Bignonia picta. — This species closely resembles the 



