FAIR MAIDS OF FEBRUARY 41 



ally they went there because they were relatively 

 a feeble folk. They retired before a competition 

 which they could not face, and left the more 

 desirable parts of the earth's surface to the 

 stronger races who were capable of seizing and 

 holding them. This is probably true of most of 

 the mountain plants. Take the case, for example, 

 of the lycopodiums, or club mosses. Far back 

 in the world's history they were among the 

 dominant plants of the earth, and, of tree -like 

 dimensions, played a great part in the formation 

 of the coal. To-day they are dwarfs confined 

 to the higher altitudes, where competition for space 

 is slight. They have yielded up the good grounds 

 to more pushing rivals, and have prolonged 

 existence by adapting themselves to an environ- 

 ment where the struggle is slack. 



And just as there is a surrender to competition 

 in space, so there is a yielding in time. June and 

 July are great flower months, but they are also 

 the months of intensest struggle. The plants on 

 the sunny side of the hedge are fighting one 

 another for root space, straining to overtop one 

 another and get the most of the sun, competing 

 furiously with one another for the attention of 

 insects, resorting to all manner of cunning devices 

 for the successful deposition of their seed. Those 

 of them which cannot keep their heads up in the 

 struggle must either submit to extinction or get 

 into a less crowded part of the year. Some have 

 got over the difficulty by waiting till the crowd 

 has passed, and these are the autumn plants. 

 Others have solved the problem by getting to 



