PO VERTY AND BANKR UPTC V. 223 



touching episode savouring of humanity. As much 

 of the old s/iow is kept up as the plant can possibly 

 afford, and there are few species which do not bear 

 ordinary flowers as if nothing were the matter ; 

 whilst the dwarfed and aborted cleistogamic flowers 

 are hidden out of sight at the bases of the clustering 

 leaves, as though the plant were anxious they should 

 not be seen. The best face possible is put on the 

 case, and often not without good results, for the 

 occasional crossing the conspicuous flowers of these 

 plants get enables the seeds to gain back some of 

 their old vigour, or to stay off the evil days of 

 extinction in which pure cleistogamism might end. 

 The conspicuous flowers are not borne every year 

 by some plants — they cannot afford such a luxury. 

 And one or two known kinds bear flowers which 

 are of no good whatever, for they are never found 

 fertile ; so in thefr case we must regard the habit 

 as a survival, or as an indisposition to give up the 

 old floral life and rank. 



The story of the common Red Clover, imported 

 into New Zealand, is an interesting one, as showing 

 how flowers change their habits under certain circum- 

 stances. My readers will frequently see it stated in 

 all books dealing with the fertilisation of flowers, 

 that the Red Clover does not bear seed in New 

 Zealand, owing to the absence of humble bees. Mr. 

 J. B. Armstrong, of the Christchurch Botanic Gar- 

 den, has recently contradicted this statement, and has 



