Cleavers. 1 1 9 



we have already acquired ; the question for our 

 present consideration is this : What gives the goose- 

 grass flower in particular its peculiar shape, colour, 

 and arrangement ? 



First of all, you will notice that it has a united 

 corolla— a single fringe of bloom instead of several 

 distinct flower leaves. This marks its position as a 

 very proud one in the floral hierarchy ; for you will 

 remember that only the most advanced blossoms have 

 their originally separate petals welded into a solid 

 continuous piece. Once upon a time, indeed, the 

 early ancestors of our little creeper had five distinct 

 petals, like those of a dog-rose or a buttercup ; but 

 that was many, many generations since. In time 

 these petals began to coalesce slightly at the base, so 

 as to form a short tube as in the primrose ; and, since 

 this arrangement made it easier for the insect to fer- 

 tilise the flowers, because he was more certain to 

 brush his head in hunting for honey against the 

 pollen-bearing stamens and the sensitive summit of 

 the pistil, all the flowers which exhibited such a ten- 

 dency gained a decided advantage over their com- 

 petitors, and lived and flourished accordingly, while 

 their less fortunate compeers went to the wall. So in 

 the course of ages such tubular flowers, like harebells 

 and heaths, became very common, and to a great 



