Ch. Vi. SOUTH AMERICA. 51 



Among the variety of vegetables, which grow un- 

 der the Hiade of the trees, and along the funny borders 

 cf the woods, the moft common is the fenfitive ; on 

 touching one of the leaves of which, all thofe on the fame 

 branch irrimediately clofe againil each other. After 

 a fhort irlterval, they begin gradually to open and 

 feparate from each other, till they are entirely ex- 

 panded. The fenfitive is a fmall plant about a foot 

 and a half or two feet in height, v^ith a flender flem, 

 and the branches proportionally weak and tender. 

 The leaves are long, and ftand fo cloic too;ether, that 

 all on one branch may be confidered as a fingle leaf^ 

 four or five inches in length, and ten lines in breadth ^ 

 which, being fubdivided into the odier ilili fmaller, 

 forms in each df them the true leaf, which is about 

 four or five lines in length, and not quite one in 

 breadth. On touching one of thefe fmall leaves, all of 

 them immediately quit their horizontal pofition, and 

 fly into a perpendicular dire6tion, clofmg their inward 

 fuperficies, fo that thofe, which before this fenfitive 

 motion made two leaves, now feem as but one. The 

 vulgar name of this plant at Carthagena being impro- 

 per to be mentioned here, we fhali om.it it ; in other 

 parts it is more decently called la vergonoza, the balli- 

 ful, and la don^ella, the maiden. The common peo- 

 ple imagine that this elFedi: is caufed by pronouncing 

 its name at the inftant of the touch and are amazed 

 that a plant Ihould have the wifdom of fliewing its obe- 

 dience to what was ordered, or that it was too much af- 

 fected by the injury offered it to conceal its refentment. 



We afterwards meet with this plant at Guayaquil, 

 where the climate feems to be better adapted to it than 

 that of Carthagena, for it is not only more common, 

 but grows to three or four feet in height, the leaves 

 and every part in proportion. 



In the woods about Carthap-ena are found a o;reat 

 quantity of bejucos of a different magnitude, figure, 

 and colour, «ind fome of the ftems fiat. Qne fpecies is 



E 2 parti- 



