CONTENTS 



CHAPTER I 



THE WILD CAMOMILE {Matricaria C/iamomilla) : 

 A WEED OF EMINENCE 



PAGES 



The Advent of the Camomile — On the Rubbish Heap — A 

 Veritable Sea of Daisy Blooms — Eminence in Rank — Its 

 Relations — The Daisy-like Inflorescence under a Magnify- 

 ing Lens — Primitive Flowers — Insects and Pollen — Nectar 

 — Plants the First Advertisers — Specialisation for Insect 

 Visitors— Origin of Petals— Saving the Time of the Busy 

 Bee — Fertilisation — Why Daisies are so Lasting as Cut 

 " Flowers" — The White Florets — Mimicry of a Flower — 

 Foliage — Difference in the Behaviour of the Camomile and 

 Field Daisy at Night i — 16 



CHAPTER II 



THE SYCAMORE "KEY" 



The Boisterous Wind and the Sycamore Tree— Its Seeds or 

 "Keys" — Provision for its Offspring— Dispersion of the 

 Seeds — How they came to Utilise the Wind — Germination 

 of the Seed — The Young Root and the Nurse-leaves — 

 First Pair of True Leaves — Buds and Branches— The 

 Pendent Stalk of Flowers— A Veritable Flies' Picnic- 

 Flowers a Fly Speciality— The Scheme for Pollination- 

 Unisexual Flowers and Cross-fertilisation — Hairs from 



IX 



