106 TRAKSACTIONS, NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETF OF GLASGOW. 



single fruits, as we observe in the clusters of the 

 grape, rowan, and elderberry. The colour generally 

 presents a strong contrast to that of the foliage, 

 and if the fruit remain after the leaves have fallen 

 it will challenge attention all the more as the season 

 advances. Artists avail themselves of this contrast, 

 and frequently- introduce into snow-scenes a sprig of 

 holly with its scarlet berries. It were sacrilegious 

 to refer to Christmas-cards in connection with the 

 dispersion of seeds, or w'e might adduce the favourite 

 devices on these ubiquitous missives in illustration 

 of the perfect colouring in fruits. 



Compared wdth flowers coloured fruits exhibit less 

 variety of tint. Perhaps the reason of this is to be 

 found in the circumstance that for tlje purpose of 

 fertilisation it is important that insects should be 

 able easily to recognise and distinguish the different 

 species of flowers. For disj)ersion it is not necessary 

 that a bird should distinguish the species of lilant 

 or confine itself to one kind of fruit. On one 

 occasion the writer happened to notice the fruits of 

 the rose, honeysuckle, yevi*, and holly growing in 

 close i^roximity, and was struck by the similaritj- of 

 their hues when seen from some distance, in com- 

 parison with the distinct shades of the flowers 

 blooming at that season. 



Notwithstanding this, birds seem to perceive when 

 fruit is ripe from the change of tint it show^s. We 

 have seen a rowan-tree stand for days and no birds 

 come near although it ^vas covered with berries, 

 but directly these assumed the deep orange tinge 

 numerous blackbirds appeared and cleared the tree 

 in a single daj*. 



The British flora furnishes as examples of i-ed or 

 orange coloured fruits the barberry (Berberis vulgaris), 

 the spindle-tree {Euonyinus europcvus), the straw- 

 bei'ry (Fragaria vtsca), the rose {Rosa canina), the 

 hawthorn {Crafcegits Oxyacantha), the raspberry 

 (Rubus I(kvus), the rowan (Pyi-iis Aucuparia), the 

 currant {Ribes rubrum), the dogwood {Cornus mas). 



