The Beauties of Nature

ugh these gifts were, it appears, often received with disappointment, still it will probably be admitted that flowers have contributed more to the happine

in every w

tint of Fai

wer could tell us, we should have solved some of the greatest mysteries of Nature. But we cannot hope to succeed-even if we had the genius of Plato or Aristotle-without careful, patient, and reverent study. From such an in

or to make him immortal, and the prayer was granted on condition that every animal and plant would swear not to injure him. To secure this object, Nanna, Balder's wife, descended upon the earth. Loki, the God of Envy, followed her, disguised as a crow (which at that time were white), and settled on a little blue flower, hoping to cover it up, so that Nanna might overlook it. The flower, however

oof, and gave it to Balder's brother. This, unfortunately, pierced him to the heart, and he fell dead. Some drops of his blood spurted on to the Holly, which accounts for the redness o

for several things, but is

ts of Nature are not less fascinat

ate tendency in each species? Is it intentionally designed to delight the eye of man? Or has the form and size

ucture of the Cowslip and Primrose, after which even S

e by a ri

primrose

as nothi

planation of the flower then given, and to which I shall refer

e sometimes united into a tube, are called sepals; (2) a second whorl, the corolla, consisting of coloured leaves called petals, which, however, like those of the Calyx, are often united into a tube; (3) of one or more stamen

ightly coloured, many produce h

e and purpose of this

ur, scent, and honey of flowers is to attract insects, which are

se cases the chance against any given grain of pollen reaching the pistil of another flower of t

leaves, but may have a better chance of reaching another flower. And they produce an immense quantity of pollen, as otherwise there would be little chance that any would reach the female flower. Every one must have noticed the clouds of pollen produced by the Scotch Fir. When, on the contrary, the pollen is ca

hem to find the flowers, the scent being especially useful at nig

by continual selection, have added so much to the beauty of our gardens, so to the unconscious a

a few common flowers. Take, for

ach side of which is a small projecting tooth (Fig. 8, m). The upper portion of the corolla is an arched hood (co), under which lie four anthers (a a), in pairs, while betwee

hite Dea

at lesson do the little teeth teach us? What advantage is the honey to the flower? Of what use is the fringe of ha

g.

g.

ce in return; the arched upper lip protects the stamens and pistil, and prevents rain-drops from choking up the tube and washing away the honey; the little teeth are, I believe, of no use to the flower in its present condition, they are the last relics of lobes once much larger, and still remaining so in some allied species, but which in the Dead-nettle, being no longer of any use, are gradually disappearing; the height of the arch

g.

10. F

head at the top of the stamen, are separated by a long arm, which plays on the top of the stamen as on a hinge. Of these two arms one hangs down into the tube, closing the passage, while the other lies under the arched upper lip. When the Bee pushes its proboscis down the tube (Fig. 11) it presses the lower arm to one side, and the upper arm consequently descends, tapping the Bee on the back, and dusting it with pollen. When the flower is a little older the

PDR

ects-are entirely closed. A little consideration, however, will suggest the reply. The Snapdragon is especially adapted for fertilisation by Humble Bees. The stamens and pistil are so arranged that smaller species would not eff

ROOM, AN

ck more or less into one another, and the flower remains at first closed. When, however, the i

ET

ts legs, thus pressing them down; they are, however, locked into the "keel," or lower petal, which accordingly is also forced down, thus exposing the pollen which rubs against, and part of which sticks to, the breast

12. F

d Pollen

IM

gardeners, who call them thrum-eyed and pin-eyed. Mr. Darwin was the first to explain the significance of this curious difference. It cost him several years of patient labour, but when once pointed out it is sufficiently obvious. An insect thrusting its proboscis down a primrose of the long-styled form (Fig. 12) would dust its proboscis at a part (a) which, when it visited a short-styled flower (Fig. 13), would come just opposite the head of th

om another plant. The fact that "cross fertilisation" is of advantage to the plant doubtless also explains the curious arrangement that in many plants the stamen and pistil do not mature at the same time-the former having shed their pollen before t

TINGHAM

ening that the flower opens one set of stamens ripen and expose their pollen. Towards morning these wither away, the flower shrivels up, ceases to emit scent, and looks as if it were faded. So it remains all next day. Towards evening it reopens, the second set of stamens have their turn, and the flowe

HE

boscis into the flower to reach the honey, it is sure to press against one of these horns, the ring is dislocated, a

AND

ve ceased to produce pollen, but are prolonged into fingers, each terminating in a shining yellow knob, which looks exactly like a drop of honey, and by which Flies are continually deceived. Paris quadrifolia also takes them

14.

which comes to maturity first. Small Flies enter the flower apparently for shelter, but the hairs prevent them from returning, and they are kept captive until the anthers have shed their pollen.

STORY O

visible and more likely to be visited by insects. I have elsewhere given my reasons for thinking that under these circumstances some flowers became yellow, that some of them became white, others subsequently red, and some finally blue. It will be o

oths, Bees and Flies. Those which are fertilised by Moths generally come out in the evening, are often ver

an economy of labour to the Bee, because she has not to vary her course of proceeding. It is also an advantage to the plan

S AND

pted for dispersion, beautifully and in various ways: some by the wind, being either provided with a wing, as in the fruits of ma

acorns, nuts, apples, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, plums, grasses, etc.-or

nstance, those of many Geraniums, Violets, Balsams, Shamrock

he ground, as those of certain gra

plants, as those of certain

, as those of the Flax; or to tree

AV

all kinds of strange shapes, as if to invite us to examine them. Star-shaped, heart-shaped, spear-shaped, arrow-shaped, fretted, fringed, cleft, furrowed, serrated, sinuated, in whorls, in tufts, in

re, texture, and surface; some are scented or have a strong taste, or acrid j

square inches. The distance between the buds is about 1-1/4 inch, and the leaves lie in the general plane of the branch, which bends slightly at each internode. The basal half of t

15.-B

buds; if the leaves were broader, they would overlap, if they were narrower, space would be wasted. Consequently the width being determined by the distance between the buds, and the size depending on the weight which the twig can safely support, the length also is determined. This argument is well illustrated by comparing the leaves of the Beech with t

eaves placed at right angles to the branches instead of being parallel to them. The leaves are in pairs and decussate with one another;

wn of leaves such as those of the Sycamore, space would be wasted, and it is better that they shou

-Acer pl

this it will be observed that while in most leaves the upper and under surfaces are quite unlike, in the Black Poplar on the contrary they are very similar. The

wide open prairies tend to point north and south, thus exposing both surfaces equally to the light and heat. Such a position also affects the i

apart and broader. In other cases the width of the leaves is determined by what botanists call the "Phyllot

e 1/2, 1/3, 2/5, 3/8, and 5/13. In the first the leaves are generally broad, in the 3/8 arrangement they are elliptic, in the 5/13 and more complicated arrangements nearly linear. The Willows afford a very interesting series. Salix herbacea has the 1/3 arrangement and rounded leaves, Salix c

rule are narrow, which is obviously an

ION, BRAZIL. To

TIC

en to support their own weight, much less to resist the force of the wind. In still air, however, for the same reason, finely-divided leaves may be an advantage, while in exposed positions compact and entire leaves are more suitable. Hence herbaceous

fected by surrounding plants. Upright leaves tend to be narrow, as in the case of grasses; horizontal leaves, on the c

o much on the manner in which

tally, but vertically, so as to present, not their surfaces, but their edges, to the sun. One English plant, a species of lettuce, has the same habit. This consideration has led also to other changes. In many species the leav

offering, in proportion to their volume, a smaller surface for evaporation. Of this the Stonecrops, Mesembryanthemum, etc., are familiar instances. Other modes of checking transpiration and thus adapting plants

ome species which are deciduous in the north become evergreen, or nearly so, in the south of Europe. Evergreen leaves are as a rule tougher and thicker than those which drop off in autumn; they require more protection from the weather. But some evergreen leaves are much longer lived than others; those of the Evergreen Oak do not survive a second year, those of the Scotch Pine live for

acteristic of dry regions, where they run especial danger of being

H

too rapid evaporation; in some (3) they serve as a protection against too glaring light; in some (4) they protect the plant from

the woolly covering of hairs prevents the "stomata," or minute pores leading into the interior of the leaf, from

ts are covered with felty hairs, which serve to preven

m being eaten, as also do the spines of Thistles, and those of Hollies, which, be it r

is important that they should be excluded, and not allowed to carry off the honey, for which they would perform no service in return. In many cases, therefore, the opening of the flower is

are more or less viscid. This also is in most cases a provi

rbing hairs, etc. It is marvellous how beautifully the form and structure of leaves is adapted to th

be able to explain every difference of form and s

ENCE

uenced by that of the soil. In this respect granitic and

n hirsutum having them hairy at the edges as the name indicates; while in R. ferrugineum they are rolled, but not hairy, at the

l, but in a district where both occur, A. atrata grows so much the more vigorously of the two if the soil is calcareous that it

d the botanist in a summer's walk may see at least a hundred plants in flow

EEDL

Furze are reduced to thorns; but those of the Seedling are herbaceous and trifoliate like those of the Herb Genet and other

to have their habit

OF P

. But why should flowers sleep? Why should some flowers do so, and not others? Moreover, different flowers keep different hours. The Daisy opens at sunrise and closes at sunset, whence its name "day's-eye." The Dandelion (Leontodon) is said to open about seven and to close about five; Arenaria rubra to be open from nine to three; the White Water Lily (Nymph?a), from about seven to four; the c

ause it would render them liable to be robbed of their honey and pollen, by insects which are not capable of fertilising them. I have ventured to suggest then that the closing of flowers may have reference to the habits of insects, and it may be observed also in support of th

also change their position, and Darwin has given strong reasons for considering th

OF LEAVE

tellaria) one, running down the stem and thus conducting the rain to the roots. Plants with a main tap-root, like the Radish or the Beet, have leaves sloping inwards

ced how the leaves of the Lady's Mantle (Alchemilla) form little cups containing each a sparkling drop

MI

s, and which is protected by its acrid juice. The most familiar case, however, is that of the Stinging and the Dead Nettles. They very generally grow together, and though belonging to quite different families are so similar that they are constantly mistaken

AND P

lant to plant is by no means the

y Belt, bears hollow thorns, while each leaflet produces honey in a crater-formed gland at the base, as well as a small, sweet, pear-shaped body at the tip. In consequence it is inhabited by myriads of a small ant, which nests in the hollow thorns, and thus finds meat, drink, and lodging all provided for it. These ants are continually roaming

IVOROU

that some plants catch and devour insects. This he observed in a North American plant, Dionsea, the leaves of which are formed something like a rat-trap, with a hinge in the middle, and a formidable row of spines round the edge. On the surface are a few very sensitive hai

owers, growing in pools and slow streams, is so called because it bears a great number of bladders or utricles, each of which is a real miniature eel-trap, having an orifice guard

NTS OF

ainty. Many of them differ indeed greatly from the ordinary conception of a plant. Even the comparatively highly organised Sea-weeds multiply by means of bodies called spores, which an untrained observer would certainly suppose to be animals. They are covered by vibratile hairs o

very growing part of a plant is in continual and even constant rotation. The stems of climbing plants make great sweeps, and in other cases, when the motion is not so

orning and evening, then lies down again while the seeds are ripening, and ra

le flowers have no stalks, and grow low down on the plant. They soon, however, detach themselves altogether, rise to the surface, and thus are enabled to fertilise the female flowers among w

continually revolving. I have already mentioned that the spores of sea-weeds swim freely in the

rought into contact with one of their projections, or "pseudopods," the protoplasm seems to roll itself in that direction, and so the whole organism gradually changes its place. So again, while a solution of salt, carbonate of potash, or saltpetre causes them to withdraw from the danger, an infusion of sugar, or tan, produces a flow of protoplasm towards the source of nourishment. In

ION OF OU

s contain large numbers which botanists have not yet had time to describe and name. Even in our own country not a year passes without some additional plant being discovered; as regards the less known regi

n the other hand, they must have greatly exceeded in number. Every difference of form, structure, and c

TNO

Tho

k, Flowers

s, Fruits,