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Show [ I 78 ] vVhere cool' d by rills, and curtain' d ~ound by woods, Slopes the green dell to meet the briny floods, 466 The fpark1ing noon-beams trembling on the tide, The PRoTEUS·LOVER woos his playful bride, To win the fair he tries a thoufand fonns, Balks on the fands, or gambols in the fl:onns. 4 7 o A Dolphin now, his fcaly :fides he laves, And bears the fportive Dan1fel on the waves ; She fl:rikes the cymbal as he moves along, And wondering Ocean lifl:ens to the fong. -And now a fpotted Pard the lover fl:alks, 475 Plays round l}er fieps, and guards her favour' d walks ;, The Proteus-lover. l. 468. Conferva polymorpha. This vegetable is put amongfl: the cryptogamia, or clandefiine marriages, by Linneus; but, according to Mr. Ellis, the males and females are on different plants. Philo[. Tranf. Vol. LVII. It twice changes its colour, from red to brown, and then to black; and changes its form by lofing its lower leaves, and elongating fame of the upper ones, .fo as to be rnifiakcn by the unfkilful for different plants. It grows on the fhores of this country. There is another plant, Medicago polymorpha, which may be faid to affume a great variety of fhapes; as the feed-veffels refemble fometimes fnail-horns, at other times caterpillars with or without long hair upon them; by which means it is probable they fometimes elude the depredations of thofe infects. The feeds of Calendula, Marygold, bend up like a hairy caterpillar, with their prickles bri(l:ling outwards, and may thus deter fame birds or infects from preying upon them. Salicornia alfo affumes an animal ~militude. Phil. Bot. p. 87. Sec note on Iris in additional notes; and Cypripedia ln Vol. l. t 179 J As -with white teeth he prints her hand, carefs' d, And lays his velvet paw upon her breafl:, 0 'er his round face her fnowy fingers fl:rain The filken knots, and fit the ribbon-rein. ---And now a Swan, he fpreads his plumy fails, And proudly glides before the fanning gales; Pleas' d on the flowery brink with graceful hand She waves her floating lover to the land; Bright fhines his finuous neck, with crimfon beak 4s S He prints fond kiffes on her glowing cheek, Spreads his broad wings, elates his ebon crefl:, And clafps the beauty to his dowriy breaft. A hundred virgins join a hundred [wains, And fond AnoNrs leads the fprightly trains; -490 Adonis. l. 490. Many males and many females live together in the fame flower. It may fccm a folecifm in language to call a flower, which contains many of both [exes, an individual; and the more fo to call a tree or fhrub an individual, which confifis of [o many flowers. Every tree, indeed, ought to be conficlered as a family or fwarm of its rcfpcctive buds ; but the buds themfelves feem to be individual plants; becaufe each has leaves or lungs appropriated to it; and the bark of the tree is only a congeries of the roots of all thcfe individual buds. Thus hollow oak-trees and willows are often fccn with the whole wood decayed and gone; and yet the few remaining branches flourilh with vigour; but in rcfpeCt to the mule and female parts of a flower, they do not Aa2 |