122 
tus connected with their organization, for they are true alembics. The stem of a 
particular kind of Bamboo, and also of a Cissus, or wild Vine, have been found 
charged with limpid and wholesome water, grateful to the weary and thirsty tra¬ 
veller. In these last, it is obvious the liquid is an elaboration of the plant. This, 
too, is the case with the Agapanthus umbellcitus, or African Lily, which often 
distils water from its gracefully pendant leaves ; and in one instance this distilla¬ 
tion was so copious during the night, as nearly to destroy a work-box, accidentally 
left beneath its foliage : hence the intention is obviously to enable the plant to 
water its own roots. It belongs to the parched and sandy desert of Africa. The 
Cctlla (Bthiopica is another instance of the same kind : it is a native of the Cape. 
We almost esteem it as a half-aquatic; and yet it is found a denizen of the desert 
—its natal soil an arid sand. I am informed, however, that an individual who 
communicated the fact, and brought a magnificent specimen to this country, which 
I have seen, has found this plant where the ground around it was as wet as if it 
had been saturated with a heavy dew or a gentle shower of rain. The Calla 
cethiopica, like its congener, the Agapanthus umbellcttus, distils water from the 
tips of its leaves, and in both cases the process takes place during the night. 
Not the least singular among the phenomena of the vegetation of the desert, 
is the existence of succulent plants; precisely where we should least of all expect 
to find them; such as the Cactuses , Mesembryanthemums , and the Stapelias ; 
the last of these being emphatically called “ the Vegetable Camel.” The curious 
berry met with by Mr. Campbell, in the desert, full of limpid water, and which 
some little mice were observed to treasure up in their retreats, will also be remem¬ 
bered, and suggest a train of singular and useful reflections. 
But the most curious of all is, certainly, the Tillandsia , or Water Withe, of 
Jamaica, belonging to the curious tribe of Epiphytes —dwellers on trees, though 
they do not live upon their kind, like parasites. The Tillandsias are associated 
in their port and habit with the Eromelias and Bilbergias. The Tillandsia has 
what may be called a hollow stem ; it is, in fact, a tank or cistern, formed by the 
leaves which overlap each other in an imbricated arrangement, and in ordinary 
conditions of the atmosphere constitutes an envelope alike impervious to air and 
moisture. This tank catches and retains the condensed dews—very copious in 
tropical countries—or the early and latter rains, retaining the supply when that 
which falls upon the ground is promptly absorbed by the thirsty and porous soil. 
Here, then, is a living well where insects and birds may slake their thirst, and 
quadrumana and others among the Scansores may apply to as containing a cool 
and refreshing beverage. So far there is much to admire in the beneficent pro¬ 
vision : but the tale of interest is not half unfolded. In Earl Fitzwilliam’s exten¬ 
sive conservatories, at Wentworth House, there were two plants of the Tillandsia , 
and being in different compartments were subjected to varied temperature. In the 
one, the temperature of the external atmosphere was 71° Fah., and in the other 
