:i4 THE EVOLUT1OMST AT LARGE. 



This delicate minuteness of workmanship, as 

 we call it, reminds us of similar human 

 products of fine lace, of delicate tracery, of 

 skilful filagree or engraving. Almost all tin 

 green leaves which we admire are noticeable, 

 more or less, for the same effects, as in the 

 case of maple, parsley, horse-chestnut, and 

 vine. It is true, mere glossy greenness may, 

 and often does, make up for the want of 

 variety, as we see in the arum, holly, laurel, 

 and hart's-tongue fern ; but the leaves which 

 we admire most of all are those which, like 

 maidenhair, are both exquisitely green and 

 delicately designed in shape. So that, in the 

 last resort, the beauty of leaves, like the 

 beauty of coast scenery, is really due to the 

 constant interaction of a vast number of 

 natural laws, not to any distinct aesthetic 

 intention on the part of Nature. 



On the other hand, the pretty pink squill 

 reminds me that semi-conscious aesthetic 

 design in animals has something to do with 

 the production of beauty in nature at least, 



