The Making of Species 



The fact that insects do visit many con- 

 spicuously coloured flowers does not show that 

 the colour attracts them, when the fact is borne 

 in mind that they neglect others which are 

 equally coloured, while the flowers which they 

 particularly haunt are inconspicuous. Con- 

 spicuous flowers which have abundance of 

 nectar attract insects, of course, but so do 

 inconspicuous flowers which have nectar. If 

 they have no nectar, neither the conspicuous 

 nor the inconspicuous flowers attract insects 

 other than pollen or petal eaters, whose visits 

 are not good for the plant. This shows that 

 the nectar attracts the insects and that the 

 colour of the flowers makes no difference." 



In autumn many leaves assume bright and 

 beautiful tints. These are not believed to be 

 in any way useful to the plant. The autumnal 

 hues and shades are regarded, and rightly re- 

 garded, as the garb of death and decay. Such 

 colours are the result of the oxidation of the 

 chlorophyll or green colouring matter of the 

 leaves. Why should not the colours of the 

 petals of the flowers, which wither and fade 

 long before the green leaves do, be due to a 

 similar cause? The bright colours of fruits 

 are supposed to have been effected by natural 

 selection in order to attract fruit-eating animals. 

 Surely a hungry animal does not require that its 

 food be brightly coloured in order to find it ! We 



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