INTRODUCTION, 
Spiral Ophrys with immaculate white flowers, the 
Lknodorum, Arethufa pulcherrima, Sarracenia pur~ 
purea, Sarracenia galeata, Sarracenia lacunofa, 
Sarracenia flava. Shall we analyze thefe beautiful 
plants, Since they feem cheerfully to invite us ? How 
greatly the flowers of the yellow Sarracenia repre- 
sent a Silken- canopy ? the yellow pendant petals are 
the curtains, and the hollow leaves are not unlike 
the cornucopia or Amal'thea’s horn ; what a quan- 
tity of -water a leaf is capable of containing, about 
a pint ! tafte of it— how cool and animating — lim- 
pid as the morning dew : nature feems to have fur- 
nifhed them with this cordated appendage or lid, 
which turns over, to prevent a too fudden and 
copious Supply of water from heavy fhowers of rain, 
which would bend down the leaves, never to rife 
again ; becaufe their Straight parallel nerves, which 
extend and Support them, are fo rigid and fragile, 
the leaf would inevitably break when bent down to 
a right angle ; therefore I Suppofe the waters which 
contribute to their Supply, are the rebounding 
drops or horizontal Streams wafted by the winds,, 
which adventitiouily find their way into them, when 
a blast of wind Shifts the lid : fee thefe Short Stiff 
hairs, they all point downwards, which diredt the con- 
clenfed vapours down into the funiculum ; thefe Stiff 
hairs alio prevent the varieties of infedts, which are 
caught from returning, being invited down to fip the 
mellifluous exudation, from the interior furface of the 
tube, where they inevitably periSh ; what quantities 
there are of them ! Thefe latent waters undoubtedly 
contribute to die Support and refreshment of the 
plant: perhaps designed as a refervoir in cafe of long 
continued droughts, or other cafualties,. fmee thefe 
plants naturally dwell in low favannas liable to 
overflows, from rain water : for although I am not 
of 
