Dr. Smith’s Obfervations , &c. i$y 
fine pair of fciflfars, fo carefully as not to touch the flamen 
which hood next it : then, with an extremely (lender piece of 
quill, I touched the outfide of the filament which had been 
next the petal, ftroaking it from top to bottom ; but it re- 
mained perfedtly immoveable. With the fame inhrument I 
then touched the back of the anthera, then its top, its edges, 
and at laft its infide ; hill without any effedl. But the quill 
being carried from the anthera down the infide of the fila- 
ment, it no fooner touched that part than the hamen lprung 
forwards with great vigour to the higma. This was often re- 
peated with a blunt needle, a fine brihle, a feather, and feveral 
other things, which could not poflibly injure the ffrudture of 
the part, and always with the fame effedl. 
To fome of the antherae 1 applied a pair of feiflars, fo as to 
bend their refpedtive filaments with fufficient force to make 
them touch the ftigma ; but this did not produce the proper 
'contradlion of the filament. The incurvation remained only 
fo long as the inftrument was applied ; on its being removed, 
the flamen returned to the petal by its natural elaflicity. But 
on the fciffars being applied to the irritable part, the anthera 
immediately flew to the fligma, and remained there. A very 
fudden and fmart fhock given to any part of a flamen would, 
however, fometimes have the fame effedl as touching the irri- 
table part. 
Hence it was evident, that the motion above deferibed was 
owing to an high degree of irritability in the fide ot each fila- 
ment next the germen, by which, when touched, it con- 
tracts, that fide becomes fhorter than the other, and confe- 
quently the filament is bent towards the germen. I could not 
difeover any thing particular in the ftrudture of that or any 
other part of the filament. 
This 
