20 The Romance of Wild Flowers 
notions based on natural history works of a genera- 
tion ago. Until this had been done by modern 
observers, botany remained, and was like to remain, 
a matter of counting petals and stamens, using long 
words of Greek or Latin origin, and knowing a little 
of the reputed medicinal virtues of each species. To- 
day the naturalist is more concerned in observing 
the habits of the plant, especially its attitude towards 
insects, and the natural relation of one species to 
another as revealed in the main structural features 
of the flower, and by comparing the smaller 
differences which separate species obviously built on 
the same general plan. 
In the present work the author aims at giving a 
brief account of the general characteristics of the 
principal families of British flowering plants, in 
simple language, devoid of technicalities so far as 
these are not absolutely necessary for clearness. The 
facts concerning the internal structure of roots, stems 
and leaves, of cells and tissues, and the chemistry of 
plant-life will be taken for granted, as these may be 
obtained from any elementary treatise, and to deal 
with them here would take up too many of the pages 
required for a different branch of the subject. The 
names of the different floral organs will recur on 
every page, and it is well that the reader should 
start with a very clear notion of what they imply. 
We shall endeavour to make this all plain in our 
first chapter, though this will have the effect of 
giving an air of “dryness” to our start. 
