120 COLIN CLOUT'S CALENDAB. 



been enabled, accordingly, to reduce its seeds to one or 

 two, each inclosed in a hard, bony, indigestible nut. 

 Finally, at the very summit of the genealogical tree, we 

 get the plum tribe, highest of all the roses ; growing into 

 considerable arborescent forms (though in this respect in- 

 ferior to pears or apples), and producing large, luscious, 

 pulpy fruits, with a single stony seed, admirably adapted 

 to the best type of dispersion, and never wasting a soli- 

 tary germ unnecessarily, as must be continually the case 

 with its small dry-seeded congeners the silver- weeds and 

 cinquefoils. Not, of course, that this pedigree must be 

 accepted in a linear sense (indeed, the roses early in their 

 history broke up into at least three distinct lines, which 

 have evolved separately on their own account, and have 

 culminated respectively in the plums, the true roses, 

 and the apples) ; but it illustrates the general method of 

 their development, and it shows the strong tendency 

 which they all alike possess toward the production of 

 sweet pulpy fruits in one form or another. 



If you look for a moment at a ripe cherry by prefer- 

 ence a red one, as being less artificial than the pale 

 whitehearts you will see how well it is fitted to perform 

 the functions for which the tree has produced it. It has 

 a bright outer coat, to attract the eyes of birds, and 

 especially of southern birds for England is near its 

 northern limit, and it is a big fruit for our native species 

 to eat ; rowan-berries, haws, and bird-cherries are rather 

 their special food in our northern latitudes. Then, 

 again, it has a sweet pulp to tempt their appetite : sweet- 

 ness and bright color in plants being almost always 

 directly traceable to animal selection. But inside, its ac- 

 tual seed is protected by a stony shell ; while its kernel 

 is stored with rich food-stuffs for the young seedling, laid 

 by in its thick seed leaves, which form the two lobes of 



