256 
THE CANADIAN NATURALIST. 
Syriaca)^ a beautiful and fragrant flower. I have observed 
the first appearance of its blossoms for two years on this day. 
It usually grows in large groups or beds ; and is a tall plant, 
as you see, with large broad oval leaves ; when broken, a 
white glutinous fluid exudes, whence it, with other plants, 
has acquired the name of milkweed. The flowers which, as 
you perceive, grow in large close heads, are very curious in 
their structure : the order to which they belong is known 
from all others by the single character of its grains of 
pollen adhering together within a sort of bag, which occupies 
the whole of the inside of each cell of the anther ; and when 
it falls out, sticks to glands of a peculiar character occupying 
the angles of the stigma." Besides this, the anther and 
the stigma adhere firmly to each other. A large Sphinx, 
the Zebra Hawk-moth ( Sphinx Kalmice ), resorts to these 
flowers in considerable numbers, during the warm evenings ; 
and many smaller moths. The Zebra Hawk I have invari- 
ably found as soon as the milkweed is blown, but at no other 
time, and on no other flowers. You may, no doubt, see 
some there this evening, soon after the sun has set. The 
flowers of this plant are succeeded by large spindle-shaped 
pods, (that is, thick in the middle and pointed at each end,) 
about three inches long, containing many rows of flat round 
seeds, lying imbricated one upon the other, attached to a 
pithy substance that runs through the centre, ihe placenta ; to 
each seed are affixed long silky filaments of down, which, 
when ripe, act the part of wings to convey the seeds on the 
wand, and scatter them in different directions. 
C. — Many plants have downy seeds : those of the com- 
mon dandelion ( Leontodon Taraxacum ) are very regularly 
and beautifully arranged. 
F. — The modes by which the seeds of plants are trans- 
ported about, are exceedingly various, and well worthy of 
attention : and perhaps none are more so than those of syn- 
