C m ) 
and in all probability would have been cor- 
reded, had Linneus's health, during the latter 
part of his life, permitted. Alterations have 
been made in thefe clafles of late years, which 
are pretty generally received ; and as the liberal 
fpirit of the age inclines his fucceffors in this 
delightful fcience rather to render his labours 
perfect, than to hold out his failings to ridi- 
cule, we may hope that time will give us his 
fyftem as free from defect as fuch an under- 
taking can be expected to be. 
The mifletoe (vifcum) belongs to the clafi 
two-houfes : this is a parafitical plant, or one 
which lives upon the juices of another ve- 
getable, without fixing it's roots into the 
ground : it can only be propagated by flick- 
ing the feeds upon the bark of trees, into 
which they ftrike their roots in a curious 
manner. A feed firft fends out three claws* 
which fix themfelves on the bark of the tree, 
and begin to fepa-rate at the centre of the 
feed, as if each claw was to become a diftinct 
plant ; but in a year or two the three claws 
become fwoln and enlarged enough to meet 
at their points, and are fo ftrongly united* 
that they make the foundation but of one 
plant ; the place of their firft joining in the 
centre 
