52 STUDIES IN THE FIELD AND FOREST. 



of fruit, than those of the same species that grow in an 

 open field. 



It is for this reason that solitary flowers are commonly 

 more beautiful than flowers that grow in clusters, which 

 are rendered conspicuous by their aggregations. For 

 this reason, also, drooping flowers, that are partly con 

 cealed by their position, are more fragrant than those of 

 kindred species that are upright. There is, as it were, 

 a contention between the plants of different species to 

 display the greatest attractions to the fertilizing insect. 

 The large flower of the dandelion, placed upon the 

 green verdure of the early spring meadow, needs no 

 other contrast, besides that of its own yellow disk with 

 the green grass, to render it a conspicuous object. The 

 pansy, on the other hand, being a smaller flower, com 

 pensates itself by assuming a beautiful union of three 

 colors, yellow, violet, and purple, and turns its disk to 

 the sun, not to receive any direct benefit from his rays, 

 but to be more conspicuous, by the reflected light, to 

 the insect advancing in the direction of the rays. 

 These three colors combined can be recognized at a 

 greater distance than any one of the colors alone. 



I have remarked that flowers commonly assume geo 

 metrical shapes, as contrasting more vividly with the 

 general irregular forms of vegetation. There are cer 

 tain plants, like the orchids, that ure remarkable for 

 assuming the shapes of insects, that serve to attract the 

 fertilizing agent by holding up an image of its own 

 features. These characters are said to resemble those 

 of insects which are indigenous to the same country. 

 All such flowers are highly perfumed, and richly stored 

 with honey. Other flowers are furnished with con 

 trivances for holding the insect in confinement until he 



