THE PROBLEM 33 



on occasion, a member of the highest class of 

 the Vegetable Kingdom can descend to the 

 level of a fungus in order to gain some advantage 

 in the struggle for life. The flowers, however, 

 still betray the real nature of the plant. 



Other Flowering Plants resemble in their 

 mode of life those Fungi that grow on the de- 

 caying remains of other plants. An example 

 is the Bird's Nest Orchis of our woods (Neottia 

 nidus-avis). Here, however, the business is 

 more complicated, for the plant grows in close 

 association with a real . fungus, which helps it 

 to get its food. This taking of a fungus into 

 partnership is a very common practice, both 

 among Orchids and other plants, but usually the 

 Angiospermous partner (unlike the Bird's Nest 

 Orchis) retains its green leaves, and with them 

 a greater degree of independence. 



These few examples of peculiar ways of living 

 among Flowering Plants have been mentioned to 

 show the wonderful adaptability displayed by the 

 highest class of the Vegetable Kingdom this has 

 no doubt been one of the conditions of its success. 

 The cases of insect-eating and parasitism are 

 particularly interesting, because, so far as I 

 know, no members of any other class of plants, 

 above the rank of Fungi, have adopted these 

 particular means of gaining a livelihood. At 

 least this seems to be true at the present day, 



