BUTTERCUPS ; A STUDY OF SPECIES 303 



of the stem ; the celandine-buttercup produces detachable 

 tubers and bulbils so freely that it has come to depend upon 

 them for dispersal, and very rarely ripens its seeds. 



When we get outside the buttercup genus (Ranunculus) 

 and consider the far wider buttercup family (Ranunculacese), 

 the modifications of the flower become more important. 

 We find enlarged nectaries, loss of petals, stamens reduced 

 to five, carpels reduced to one, the nearly uniform yellow 

 of the flowers changing to red, purple and blue. The 

 Ranunculacese show in epitome the modifications which 

 flowers in general have undergone in compliance with 

 the tastes and habits of flower-haunting insects, in this 

 case mostly bees and flies. Time would fail even to 

 mention the countless adaptations of leaves, stems and 

 roots which are met with in the great buttercup family. 



What is the main purpose of a classification of plants 

 or animals ? The first systematists had very likely 

 nothing in their minds beyond orderly arrangement. Even 

 that excellent naturalist, Ray, could think of no better 

 arrangement of plants at the time of his first treatises 

 than an alphabetical one. Any orderly arrangement is 

 of great service as a means of rapidly finding out what 

 is known about a particular plant or animal. 



The view long prevailed, and is evident in many old 

 systems, that the best arrangement of animals or plants 

 was that which brought together such as agreed in their 

 mode of life. Hence animals were classed as animals 

 with or without blood ; as hot-blooded or cold-blooded ; 

 as walking, flying or swimming animals, and so on. Plants 

 were divided into trees and herbs. Working naturalists 

 came in time to perceive that it was bad classification to 

 put bats near to birds, or whales near to fishes, or the 

 crowberry near to the heaths, however striking the super- 

 ficial resemblance might be. The principle of arrange- 

 ment according to the organs of greatest physiological 

 importance was defended long after it had been proved 

 to be impossible in practice. 



