New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-03-03
MIND IN PLANTS.
OBSERVATIONS IN THE PRIMITIVE FOR
EST OF GUIANA.

"a
lection sexual selection and the struggle Tor me-
hut plea for consciousness in pants as we"
as animals. The autho' approaches his piotur-
osoua bit Of metaphysical by gradual process
He begins by showing how the tropical iorest
dominates everything within its limits TO those
who resent this all-embrac!ng tyranny the forest
&c hateful and incomprehensible. They axe tor
meuted by the silence and by the matted tam
gle Of things living and dead through whicn they
have 10 make their way. Looking upward they
can see nothing but confused assemblage OF
pillars supporting vast green roof. IL IL I'M
possible TO make out any order in the relative
position OF these pillars. In the dim aises OF a
grove OF Northern ems there is hint OF aren't
tectural uniformity. 1t was Michelet VINO said
that the conception Of Gothic cathedral oouid
only have arisen in the European forest. But no
such ideas can terminate in tropical forest.
There are no vistas every view is shut off by the
multitude Of tree trunks. It is possible to mag
ire that this confused temple Of nature Is Of
infinite extent But the unpracticed eye can
hardly distinguish one thing from another. The
dense shade of the fiat, green roof rarely admits
a raw Of the sunlight which beats with fierce In
tensity upon its upper surface.
With those who have learned the ways Of tho
forest and have subduod themselves to its mas
tory the case IS different To the hunter ana
the Indian the dark maze Of trees and jungle
is never dull. Indeed. the IgIian, Ike the
other animals has never known anything but
tho dominance ~ the forest. and remains uncor-
scious Of the restrictions placed upon his liberty
rs human being Ages Of use and inheritance
have made every nook Of tho region which he in
habits familiar to him. IL has learned to be as
silent ~ the forest itself He treads softly
,,,iu md foo Nc
he moves murh faster than the white man can
follow. All the hills and valleys are known 10
him: he knows where the little streams rise, and
where they join the great rivers Individual trees
are As familiar to him as famous buildings are t.
tho dcnzcns " n great city. n ne takes few
steps hc disappears from the sight of the white
man as completely IA II he had never existed.
His brown skin merely makes a part of the uni
ycrsal COON and dimness In this protective
c,lor,tion he Is like all the other creatures OF
the forest on the sand reefs that border the
rivers The tall trees replaced by thickets Il
bushes alternating with patches bare as a des-
ert The sunlight here finds its way to the
ground and In tho Tickets makes varied pat
tern u light and shade II is In these hlcke,s
that the jaguar sleeps by day. and the markings
~ his beautiful coat resemble wonderfully the
mosaic 81 light and shade around him. The
sloth. hanging beneath a bough. looks with his
sharry hair Ike a nest - term!tes or lilt" one ~
those .rnumerablc plan, parasites with its Ma
non-s dangling aImlcssiy in the air. Amnesty.
shall f. d. snid2 Hut wait. Mr. 'dwav is COM
Ing To- shat
The author = this book is N enthusiastic and
expert botln.st But he j. one of those who
think that no investigator can limit himself 10
n particular province He who secs only ore
a-2or, = ratur" an never filly appreciate N"
l,aut.fIl aIiptatlous Z or" 90 another and their
r.if.oi lrt"rdcpcni,nre" re illustrates this lo,nt
I'm q great variety 4 ways. hut particularly by
the example u a Norhysa or etabally tree,
which he found growing On the bank OF creek.
Tho troc whom h. cav Il was MI aFow at the
tn with golden f. lwcrs ana around these flowers
Hu,torcA hundreds - sulphur colored butterflies.
shining tn swecis AMI u; tn, same time carrying
on tho work - fertilization. Tn" sight suggested
the prohablit, that the larvae ~ these butter
ri.s ma, have lived on the sane tree. denu.!ng
r. of iis leaves. but IN tho end leaving q stronger
than before No, only Do the catcrpilars attract
the birds that feed upon hem. but the seeds per
fc,el mainly hy the fertiz!ng efforts ~ tn"
butterflies bring To- the tree monkeys and birds
o,1 hots & feed In The branches and dents t.
1o,.,ur what falls u thu ground frustrating
b-ls como 20 prey IN tho smaller creatures. and
v,han these take refug. below they nni that
snakes have crcpt up from Tho ground and arc
waiting - capture them In the lower branches
or IN the ground tho jagupr waits for such crea-
,ur,s - come 1t his way rh"s" are only ieW
features ot tho multitudinous life which gathers
about a seed bearing tree in tn" tropics The
particular etnbally which attracted the attention
n tho naturalist also sor,ed rs a support for a
hcnonIa tho flowers of which hung gracefully
from It's summit. The cordaga q this plant had
10 share In sustaining an "'chid. great clcmp
., onc.dlurn altlssimum which had made home
for Iieelf on A fork 81 the tree and now let fall
tia long flower stems. laden with blossoms that
looked Ike yellow butterflies. The first attempt
to dislodge this plant showed that la roots were
Guarded hy multitudes ~ ants. and when It was
brought to the ground and plunged In the water
aown stream there nonted away from 1t not only
ants bui cockroaches Al centpedes. Given the
cockro,,hcs II was easy { soc why ants and
eontInedes were present. FOR the latter feed upon
tho former Where cockroaches were 50 numer
ous II might well be imagined that the orchid.
foollne It's own life In danger. would do what II
could TO attract the ants and would make them
welcome as rs protectors. II cannot be shown
tbo, This plan could thus have taken precautions
Tor Ite own safety. But conditions existed under
which orchids showed an extraordinary amount
Of prccauiion. Tho sensitive aerial roots chung
o, closely to living trees. to logs. To the bars of
wooden baskets - the sides Of porous Hover
n,ts that th"y could not he detached without
injury But the moment their support became
uncongena they began to loosen their hold.
Let the bark Of the living tree begin to show
traces Of disease. The sound log begin
to rot and the orchid preferred to drop off
rather than to be slowly poisoned by sub
stances on which the fungus nourlsh"d in It's
Mace Tn, author had often to pick up orchids
f,tm tho ground in his garden and place them
where their roots would take hold. In particular
ne watched the conduct of Rurlingtona under
very trying circumstances. The plant had rested
with apparent content on a hoard which was set
M against tho trunk OF tree. 1t was indeed