456 
when numbers are brought together they become opake and lose 
their green colour in proportion as the quantity increases till at 
last they appear entirely black.” Mr. Arderon made some coloured 
drawings of this organism, and which I found amongst the before- 
mentioned MSS., these with the above description enables us 
easily to identify this supposed animalcule as belonging to a genus 
of fresh water Algre, the Oscillatoria of Agardh, and is doubtless 
0. limosa or 0. nigra. Mixed with the above lie detected a minute 
form resembling a grain of some sort, from this resemblance he 
called it “the Oat Animal.” From Mr. Baker’s description I have 
no doubt but that this was some species of Diatom probably 
Navicula amphisbaena or N. spliceroplwra. 
“To Mr. T. Harmer. 
“ Sir, 
The Hose you sent me is very curious ; I’m much 
obliged to you for it indeed. I have bestowed very little time in 
the study of Botany, consequently shall not give you so satisfactory 
an answer as I would wish. Had the Bose tree produced in 
general such flowers as these, it would have demonstrated to me an 
easy solution to this part of your letter : for then I should have 
told you, the seed which had produced this tree had been impreg- 
nated with the farina Fecundans of some double-flowering species of 
Vegetable, of which there are various kinds of such, as Cowslips, 
Primroses, Auriculas, Anemones, &c. ; and the interposition of whose 
Farina may cause many kinds of plants which are nigh them produce 
a kind of mule in the Vegetable kingdom. Other monstrous pro- 
ductions are produced from too great an exhuberancy or deficiency 
of some particular kind of matter in their component parts ; others 
from sudden strokes of Lightning, and some from the gnawing of 
insects — -which diverts or prevents the plastick power of nature 
from performing its designed Office, but which of these have 
produced this odd phenomenon might best have been discovered 
whilst the flower was fresh and in its perfection.” 
The peculiarity of this rose was “one flower growing out of the 
top of another.” 
