244 SYLVAN WINTEE. 



earth, sand, or rock, have, when brought to the 

 surface and subjected to the influence of sun and 

 rain, developed into life ! 



Many years ago in North America, whilst some 

 men were engaged in the operation of digging a 

 well, they came upon a stratum of sea-sand at 

 some distance from the surface. Its discovery 

 gave rise to much curiosity, as there was no sea 

 near the place. The sand therefore was carefully 

 collected and thrown, down by itself for further 

 examination. Some time afterwards plants were 

 discovered growing from the sand, and on being 

 identified, it was found they were specimens of 

 Prunus maritima — ' the seaside inhabiting Plum,' 

 as it is called^ — a species which only grows wild 

 by the sea- shore. The' plum- stones enclosing 

 the fertile kernel had probably lain for many 

 centuries in the position in which they were.f ound, 

 and had passed through geologic changes of con- 

 siderable violence without injury ! Dr. Lindley, 

 famous for his works on botany, stated that he' 

 had raised three raspberry plants from seeds which 

 had been taken from a human skeleton dug up 

 from a Roman barrow, the skeleton being thirty 



