22 
PLANTS. 
Pancratium maritimum, and of the Pancratium illy - 
ricuni, present us with a singular phenomenon, 
somewhat different from that which we have just 
noticed. The anthers of these plants, before the 
flowers blow, are, like those of the lily, attached 
lengthways to the filaments ; but when the little 
boxes containing the pollen begin to open, they as- 
sume an horizontal direction, and sometimes turn 
upon the end of the filament as on a pivot, always 
presenting to the stigma that part of the anther 
from whence the fecundating dust is beginning to 
escape. 
A still more obvious phenomenon, of a similar 
nature, may be observed in the Fritillaria persica. 
This plant has six stamens, which, before the flower 
has arrived at perfection, are removed from the 
style to the distance of a quarter of an inch, or 
more; but in a short time their situation is changed; 
for we perceive, almost directly after the flower is 
in bloom, that they alternately approach the style, 
and apply their anthers against the stigma. When 
they have effected their purpose, by shedding their 
pollen, they return in the order in which they ap- 
proached, each taking the same place in the flower- 
cup which it occupied before. All this passes 
sometimes in the space of twenty-four hours. Move- 
ments analogous to these may be observed in the 
stamens of the flowering rush, and, though in a very 
slight degree, in some species of garlic ; in the 
star of Bethlehem, and in asparagus. 
But this irritability in the stamens is not con- 
