upon the Safety of the Seed and Fruit in a great meafure, I might therefore take notice of the peculiar Care the great God of Nature hath taken for the Confervation and Safety hereof: as particularly in fuch as dare to fhew their Heads all the Year, how fecurely their Flower, Seed or Fruit is locked up all the Winter, together with their Leaves and Branches, in their Gems (10), and well fenced and covered there with neat and clofe Tunicks. And for fuch as dare not fo to expofe themfelves, with what Safety are they preferved under the Coverture of the Earth, in their Root (11),

Seed

vafcula femin alia obtinet aquæ cum reliquis congeneribus magnitudinis • quorum immenfa & vifum fugiens parvitas cum magnitudine planta collataadeo nullam gerere. proportionem invenietur, ut tantam plantam é tantillo femine produci attentum obfervatorem merito in admirationem rapiat. Ray, ibid. L.13. pag. 132. This W. C. was Mr. Wil. Cole, as he owneth in a Letter I have now in my Hands of his to Mr. Ray, of Octob. 18. 1684.

(10) Vegetantiam genus, ut debitam magnitudinem fortiatur, & fua mortalitatis jacturam fucceffiva prolis eductione reparet, ftatis temporibus novas promit partes, ut tandem emergentes Uteri, recentes edant Soboles. Emanantes igitur a caule, caudice, ramis, & radicibus novellæ hujufmodi partes, non illico laxata extenduntur, fed compendio quodam coagmentata intra folti axillam cubantes, non pa rum fubfiftunt, Gemma appellantur, &c And then that great Man goes on to fhew the admirable various Methods of Nature, in repofiting in that little Compass, fo large a Part of a Tree or Plant, the curious Structure of the Gems, the admirable Guard afforded them, and the Leaves, Flowers and Seed contained in them, &c. Of which having taken Notice before, I pafs over it now, and only refer to our Author Malpighi, and Dr. Grew, in the Places cited in Note 6, and 7

(11) Of Bulbous, and a great many more, probably of the far greater Number of Perennial Roots of Herbs, as Arum, Rape-Crawfoot, &c, it is very obfervable, that their Root is annually renewed, or repaired out of the Trunk or Stalk it felf. That is to fay, the Bafis of the Stalk continually, and by infenfible Degrees defcending below the Surface of the Earth, and hiding it felf therein, is thus both in Nature, Place and

Office,

Seed (12), or Fruit, till invited out by the kindly Warmth of the Spring! And when the whole Vegetable Race is thus called out, it is very pretty to obferve the Methods of Nature in guarding those infenfitive Creatures against Harms and Inconve niencies, by making fome (for Inftance) to lie down proftrate, and others, to close themselves up (13) upon the Touch of Animals, and the moft to fhut up their Flowers, their Down (14),

or

-So in Brownwort, the

Office, changed into a true Root. Bafis of the Stalk finking down by Degrees, till it lies under Ground, becomes the upper Part of the Root; and continuing ftill to fink, the next Year becomes the lower Part: and the next after that, rots away; a new. Addition being fill yearly made out of the Stalk, as the elder Parts yearly rot away. Grew. ibid. L. 2. pag. 59. ubi plura vid.

(12) How fafe and agreeable a Confervatory the Earth is to Vegetables, more than any other, is manifeft from their rotting, drying, or being rendred infecund in the Waters, or the Air; but in the Earth their Vigour is long preserved. Thus Seeds particularly, Mr. Ray thinks fome, may probably retain their Fecundity for Ten Years, and others lofe it in Five; but, faith he, in terra gremio latitantia, quamvis tot caloris frigoris, bumoris & ficcitatis varietatibus ibidem obnoxia, diutius tamen (ut puto) fertilitatem fuam tuentur quam ab hominibus diligentiffime cuftodita; nam & ego alii ante me multi obfervarunt Sinapeos vim magnam enatam in aggeribus foffarum recens faltis inque areis gramineis effoflis, ubi poft hominum memoriam nulla unquam Sinapeos feges fuccreverat Quam tamen non fponte ortam fufpicor, fed e feminibus in terra per tot annos refiduis etiam prolificis. Ray. Hift. Pl. L. 1. C..13.

(13) Plantæ nonnulla Efchynomena Veteribus dia, Recentioribus Viva, & Senfitiva, & Mimoja, baud objcura sensus indicia produnt: fiquidem folia earum manu aut baculo tacta, & paululum compreffa, pleno etiam meridie, fplendente Sole, illico fe contrahunt; in nonnullis etiam fpeciebus cauliculi teneriores concidunt & velur marcefcunt, quod idem ab aere frigidiore admiffa patiuntur. Ray. Hift. Pl. T. 1. L. 18. App. S. 2. c. 2. p. 978

(14) I have obferved that many, if not moft. Vegetables, do expand their Flowers, Down, c. in warm Sunfhiny. Weather, and again close them towards Evening, or in Rain,

c..

especially

or other their like Guard, upon the Close and Cool of the Evening, by Means of Rain, or o ther Matters that may be prejudicial to the tender Seed.

And now to these Confiderations relating to the Seed, I might add the various Ways of Nature in diffipating and fowing it, fome being for this end, winged with light Down, or Wings, to be conveyed about by the Winds; others being laid in elaftick fpringy Cafes, that when they burft and crack, dart their Seed at convenient diftances, performing thereby the Part of a good Hufbandman (15); others by their agreeable Tafte

and

especially at the Beginning of Flowering, when the Seed is young and tender; as is manifeft in the Down of Dan delion, and other Downs; and eminently in the Flowers of Pimpernel; the opening and fhutting of which, are the CountryMan's Weather-wifer; whereby Gerard faith, he foretelleth what Weather shall follow the next Day; for faith he, if the Flowers be close four up, it betokeneth Rain and foul weather; contrariwife, if they be spread abroad, fair Weather, Ger. Herb. B. 2. ch. 183.

Eft & alia [arbor in Tylis] fimilis, foliofior tamen rofeique floris; quem noctu comprimens, aperire incipit Solis exortu, meridie expandir. Incola dormire eam dicunt. Plin. Nat. Hift. L. 12. C. II.

(15) So foon as the Seed is ripe, Nature taketh feveral Me thods for its being duly Sown; not only in the opening of the Uterus, but also in the make of the Seed it felf. For, first, the Seeds of many Plants, which affect a peculiar Soil or Seat, as of Arum, Poppy, &c are beary and small enough, without further. care, to fall directly down into the Ground But if they are fo large and light, as to be exposed to the Wind, they are often furnished with one or more Hooks, to ftay them from ftraying too far from their proper Place So the Seeds of Avens have one fingle Hook; thofe of Agrimony and Goose-grafs, many, both the former loving a warm Bank; the latter, an Hedge for its fupport. On the contrary, many Seeds are furnished with Wings or Feathers; partly with the help of the Wind to carry them, when ripe from off the Plant, as of Afb, &c. and partly to enable them to make their flight more or less abroad, that fo they may not, by falling together, come up too thick; and that if one should miss a good soil or Bed,

another

1

another may bit. So the Kernels of Pine baye Wings

yet

bort whereby they fly not into the Air, but only flutter upon the Ground. Pur thofe of Typha, Dandelion, and most of the Pappous kind bave long numerous Feathers, by which they are wafted every way. Again, there are Seeds which are fcattered not by fling abroad, but by being either Spirted or flung away. The first of thofe are Wood-forrel, which having a running Root, Nature fees fit to fow the Seeds at fome diftance. The doing of which is effected by a white sturdy Cover, of a tendinous or Springy Nature. This Cover, fo foon as it begins to dy, bursts open on one fide, in an Inftant, and is violently turned infide outward and fo fmarily brows off the Seed, The Seeds of Harts-tongue, is flung or hot away. by the curious Contrivance of the Seed-Cafe, as in Codded-Almart, only there the Spring moves and curls inward, but here outward, viz. Every Seed Cafe is of is of a Spherick Figure, and girded about with a furdy Spring. The Surface of the Spring refembles a fine Screw.. Spring is become stark enough, it fuddenly breaks the Cafe into two Halfs, like two little Cups, and fo flings the Seed. Grew. ib. p. 199. and in Tab. 72. all these admirable Artifices are handsomely reprefented.

So foon as

this

Quin fi quantitas modica feminum (Filicis Phyllytidis quoque) a foliis in fubje&tam charta munde schedam, decurtatur, detergaturva, & deinde in acervum converratur, veficularum feminalium plurimis una diffilientibus, & fibi invicem allifis, acervulus varie moveri per partes videbitur, non fecus ac fi Sys renibus aut iftiufmodi beftiolis replerus effet

quin fi locusTranquillus fit, aure proxime admota, crepitantiam inter umpendum vafculorum fonitus percipietur; & fi microscopio chartam oculis oberves, femina per eam undique fparfa, & ad notabilem ab acervo diftantiam projecta comperies. Ray ibid. p. 132.

The admirable Contrivance of Nature, in this Plant is most plain. For the Seed-Vefjels being the best Preferver of the Seed, 'tis there kept from the Injuries of Air and Earth, 'till in be rainy, when it is a proper time for it to grow, and then it is throw'n' round the Earth, as Grain by a skilful Sower. When any Wet touches the End of the Seed Veffels, with a smart Noife, and fudden Leup it opens it felf, and with a Spring featters its Seed to a pretty Distance round it, where it grows. Dr. Sloa e Voy. to Jamaica, p. 15o. of the Gentianella flore ceruleo, &c. dr Spir-Leaf.

"

The Plants of the Cardamine Family and many others may be added here, whofe Cods fly open, and dart out their Seed, upon a mall touch of the Hand. But the most remarkable Inftance is in the Cardimine impatiens, cujus Silique (faith Mr. Ray) vel leviter talte, actutum ejaculantur [Semina] imo quod

Lange

and Smell, and falutary Nature, inviting themselves to be swallowed, and carried about by the Birds, and thereby alfo fertilized by paffing through their Bodies (16); and others not thus taken Care of

longe mirabilius videtur, etfi filiquas non tetigeris, fi tamen manum velut tallurus proxime admoveas, femina in appropinquantem evibrabunt; quod tum Morifonus fe Jæpius expertum fcribit, tum Johnfonus apud Gerardum verum esse affirmat. Hift. Plant. L. 16. c. 20.

Neither is this Provifion made only for Land Vegetables, but for fuch alfo as grow in the Sea. Of which I fhall give an Inftance from my before commended Friend, Dr. Sloane. As to the Fuci, their Seed hath been discovered (and fhewed me firft) by the Industry of the ingenious Herbarift, Mr. Sam. Doody, who found on many of this kind, folid Tubercules, or Rifings in fome Seafons, wherein were lodged feveral round Seeds, as big as MustardSeed, which, when ripe the outward Membrane of the Tubercule breaking, leaveth the Seed to float up and down with the Waves. This Seed coming near Stones, or any folid Foundation, by means of a Mucilage it carries with it, flicks to them, and shoots forth Ligula with Branches, and in time comes to its Perfection and Magnitude. Sloan Voy. Jamaica, p. 5o.

But although Mr. Doody had hinted, and conjectured at the thing, yet the first that discovered the Seeds in Fuci, was the before commended Dr. Tancred Robinfon; as may be feen by comparing what Mr. Ray faith in his Synopf. Stirp. Brit. p. 6. with his Append. Hift. p. 1849. Befides which Fuci, the Dr. tells me, he obferved Veffels and Seed in Coralloid Shrubs, as alfo in feveral Fungi, not only in the Species of Crepitus Lupi, but also between the Lamella of other Species, and in that fubterraneous kind called Truffles, whofe Seed and Veffels open in the Cortex,, at some Seasons he faith, like that of Mallows in Shape.

As to the Crepitus Lupi, I have more than once examined their Powder, with those excellent Microscopes of Mr. Wilson's Make: But the moft fatisfactory View Mr. Wilson himself gave me; by which I found the Seeds to be fo many exceeding fmall Puff-Balls, with round Heads, and longer than ordinary, fharp-pointed Stalks, as if made on purpose to prick easily into the Ground. These Seeds are intermixed with much dufty Matter, and become hurtful to the Eyes, probably by their fharp Stalks pricking and wounding that tender Organ.

(16) The ancient Naturalifts do generally agree, that Mif feltoe is propagated by its Seeds carried about by, and paf