clefts; and if wet as before, and then
look'd on with this _Microscope_, it will appear to unwreath it self, and
by degrees, to streighten its knee, and the two clefts will become
streight, and almost on opposite sides of the small cylindrical body.

If it be continued to be look'd on a little longer with a _Microscope_, it
will within a little while begin to wreath it self again, and soon after
return to its former posture, bending it self again neer the middle, into a
kind of knee or angle.

Several of those bodies I examin'd with larger _Microscopes_, and there
found them much of the make of those two long wreath'd cylinders delineated
in the second Figure of the 15. _Scheme_, which two cylinders represent the
wreathed part broken into two pieces, whereof the end AB is to be suppos'd
to have join'd to the end CD, so that EACF does represent the whole
wreath'd part of the Beard, and EG a small piece of the upper part of the
Beard which is beyond the knee, which as I had not room to insert, so was
it not very considerable, either for its form, or any known property; but
the under or wreathed part is notable for both: As to its form, it
appear'd, if it were look'd on side-ways, almost like a Willow, or a small
tapering rod of _Hazel_, the lower or bigger half of which onely, is
twisted round several times, in some three, in others more, in others less,
according to the bigness and maturity of the Grain on which it grew, and
according to the driness and moisture of the ambient Air, as I shall shew
more at large by and by.

The whole outward Superficies of this Cylindrical body is curiously adorned
or fluted with little channels, and interjacent ridges, or little
_protuberances_ between them, which run the whole length of the Beard, and
are streight where the Beard is not twisted, and wreath'd where it is, just
after the same manner: each of those sides is beset pretty thick with small
Brides or Thorns, somewhat in form resembling that of _Porcupines_ Quills,
such as _aaaaa_ in the Figure; all whose points are directed like so many
Turn-pikes towards the small end or top of the Beard, which is the reason,
why, if you endeavour to draw the Beard between your fingers the contrary
way, you will find it to stick, and grate, as it were, against the skin.

The proportion of these small conical bodies _aaaaa_ to that whereon they
grow, the Figure will sufficiently shew, as also their manner of growing,
their thickness, and nee