Sex of Plants. 331 
at night, called, not unaptly, the Jleep of 
plant s and the opening and fhutting of 
manyfflowers, at ftated times, with equal 
propr^ty denominated vigilice forum the 
rifing of the flower of aquatic plants out 
of the water, every morning during the ftate 
of florefcence, as inftanced in the Nym-^ 
phceay and ftill more fignally in the Vallif'* 
neria. To thefe may be added the more 
remarkable examples in the Mimofa^ and 
Oxalis fe?2fitiva, in the T)ioncea mufcipula, 
the Drofera and the Hedyfarum gyransy and 
finally, in the exquifite irritability of the 
flamina^ and anther c^y in various fpecies. 
Empedocles, nevertherlefs, though he 
maintained the dod:rine of the fexesy does 
not attempt to confirm it by any fad:s, or 
reafonings deduced from the knowledge of 
the ufes of the feparate parts in flowers, but 
from analogical deduflion, founded merely 
on his general doftrine^ 
Aristotle, or rather the author of the 
Books onPlantSy which bear his name, com- 
bats the opinions of Empedocles, and his 
followers, refpedling the fentient and ani- 
mated principle in vegetables ; yet it is evi- 
dent 
