86 THE EVOLUTIONIST AT LARGE. 



nated, the fruits begin to set. Here they are, 

 on their tall spike, whose enclosing sheath 

 has now withered away, while the top is at 

 this moment slowly dwindling, so that only 

 the cluster of berries at its base will finally 

 remain. The berries will swell and grow 

 soft, till in autumn they become a beautiful 

 scarlet cluster of living coral. Then once 

 more their object will be to attract the animal 

 world, this time in the shape of field-mice, 

 squirrels, and small birds ; but with a more 

 treacherous intent. For though the berries 

 are beautiful and palatable enough they are 

 deadly poison. The robins or small rodents 

 which eat them, attracted by their bright 

 colours and pleasant taste, not only aid in 

 dispersing them, but also die after swallowing 

 them, and become huge manure heaps for the 

 growth of the young plant. So the whole 

 cycle of arum existence begins afresh, and 

 there is hardly a plant in the field around me 

 which has not a history as strange as this 

 one. 



