peculiar examples of the richeft and moft exalted fra¬ 
grance. 
Amidft this profufion of fweets in the vegetable 
kingdom there are occafionally interfperfed feme exam¬ 
ples of a contrary odor : thus fome fpecies in the 
genera of Arum, Sterculia, Lobelia, and a few others, 
are convincing proofs that Nature does not always 
accommodate her productions to the immediate gra¬ 
tification of the human fenfe. 
A fpecies of Morel 1 , not uncommon in woods to¬ 
wards the latter part of the fummer, has a fmell fo 
much refembling that of putrid animal matter, as to 
attract feveral fpecies of carnivorous infedts, and par¬ 
ticularly flies, which are generally obferved fettled in 
great numbers on the top of the plant, and eagerly 
feafting on the glutinous moifture with which it 
abounds. 
But of all vegetables yet known, which arc poffelfed 
of a fmell fimilar to that of animal fubftances, the 
plant here figured is by far the moft remarkable; and 
\.hen in a flate of florefcence, diffufes a feent fo pow¬ 
erfully cadaverous as to allure the common flefh-fiy, or 
blow-fly to depofit its eggs on the flower, where they 
are hatched, and the young larva, for want of proper 
nutriment, commonly peril'll foon afterwards; and thus 
Nature in this Angle inftance, almoit feems to have 
deceived herfelf. If however we may rely on fome 
obfervations, it happens fometimes that other fpecies 
of flies much fmaller than the common flefh-fly, depo¬ 
fit their eggs in the flower, and when hatched, the lar¬ 
vae being verv fmall, and not requiring much food, 
do 
