PLANTS AND ANIMALS. 135 



its enemies are in the fore. Again, was not that 

 one of the reasons why the ants were so ready 

 to take up their abode among the orchid 

 roots? Where its food was to be found the 

 cockroach would certainly come, and the ant as 

 certainly find its prey. And what shall we say 

 of the centipede? Like the ant it loves a fat 

 cockroach, and was present in hopes of finding 

 one. 



We might carry this example of interdependence 

 still farther, although the other developments 

 did not come so immediately under our notice. 

 The tree was a cassia, and far above us 

 exhibited a glow of yellow from its being 

 literally covered with golden blossoms, over 

 which were flitting hundreds of sulphur-coloured 

 butterflies, hard at work sipping nectar, and 

 at the same time carrying on the grand work 

 of fertilisation. The tree is a conspicuous 

 object from a long distance, the butterflies are 

 attracted to it in hopes of procuring food, 

 in sipping the nectar they fertilise the flower 

 and thus enable the etabally to procreate its 

 species. The first stage in the life of the 

 insect was passed on the same tree. The 

 butterfly sips the nectar and then deposits 

 its eggs on the under surface of the leaves, 

 from whence come a host of larvae to spread 



