Of THE GR AMINES. 



rating laterally, the progeny from the Proper Re- 

 ceptacle of a single floret, in a moist season, to- 

 wards the end of November, has the tufted caespr- 

 tose appearance characteristic of the maternal 

 plant. 



In calling your attention to these facts, I have, 

 as carefully as possible, observed Nature with my 

 own eyes, endeavouring at the same time to fol- 

 low the advice of a great master in physical science 5 

 " Sit nec novitatis, nec an ti quit at is sectator ; 

 H nec contradicendi licentiam, nec auctontatis sea* 

 ** vitutem amplectatur." 



EXPLANATION OF TERMS. 



( a) The first Seminal Bulb. I have ventured 

 to use this term in preference to Corculum, Plan- 

 tula seminaUs, and Embryo, which seem to mc 

 to convey an incorrect idea of what is merely the 

 first bulb of the seed in these plants. Priority of 

 evolution certainly does not imply the derivation 

 of the existence and form of the secondary bulbs 

 from the first one, as these terms would seem, 

 to take for granted. In fact, the seeds of plants, 

 by a false analogy, have been imagined to resemble, 

 more than they really do, the ova of animals. The 

 latter, however, except in certain anomalous eases, 

 contain only one individual ; whereas the seeds of 

 plants, in numerous instances, contain several in- 



