418 CLIMBING PLANTS. 
fluid and then absorb the watery plants, and ultimately leave 
a cement. 
Plants become climbers, in order, it may be presumed, to 
reach the light, and to expose a large surface of leaves to its 
* action and to that of the free air. This is effected by climbers 
with wonderfully little expenditure of organized matter, in 
comparison with trees, which have to support a load of heavy 
branehes by a massive trunk. Because these climbing plants 
graduate into each other they have " become" climbers by 
gradual changes. This looks too much like the old fanciful 
theory that has again and again appeared, namely, the giraffe 
acquired his long neck by a constant desire for high twigs, 
and an effort to reach them ; the elephant his long trunk by 
a similar desire and effort to reach the grass at his feet. We 
cannot see how homology iudicates descent. We do not be- 
lieve because the various modes of inflorescence run into each 
other (homologous) that they have all been derived from one 
common form. Mr. Darwin believes that leaf-climbers were 
primordially twiners, and tendril-bearers were primordially 
leaf-climbers ; and thinks he understands how the change has 
been brought about; yet he says "if we inquire how the 
petiole of a leaf, or the peduncle of a flower, or a branch, 
first becomes sensitive and acquires the power of bending 
towards the touched side, we get no certain answer." We 
are again silenced if we inquire how the stems, petioles, 
tendrils, and flower peduncles first acquired their power of 
spontaneously revolving. Below we give a good sample of 
Darwinism. 
“If these views be correct Lathyrus nissolia must be de- 
scended from a primordial spirally-twining plant; that this 
became a leaf-climber; that first, part of the leaf, and then 
the whole leaf became converted into a tendril, with the 
stipules by compensation greatly increased in size; that this 
tendril lost its branches and became simple, then lost its re- 
volving-power (in which state it would resemble the tendril 
of the existing L. aphaca), and afterwards losing its pre- 
