OVER THE HILLS AND FAR AWAY 19 



which makes the possible seeds or ovules into real 

 seeds containing embryo plants. The egg-cell inside 

 the ovule is fertilised and launched on the voyage of 

 life when the nucleus of the pollen-grain, carried down- 

 wards by the growth of the pollen-tube, joins forces 

 with it. Thus the movement of the stamens helps to 

 bring about a very important result. 



But, even if we do not know this story of pollen-dust- 

 ing, there is pleasure in pulling the trigger of the Rock 

 Rose's stamens; and we fancy that the reason is that 

 we do not expect much movement in plants and are 

 delighted when we see it. For it brings the plant 

 nearer us; it is a touch of nature making the world 

 kin. An inward movement of stamens, towards the 

 pistil, is seen in the hedgerow Barberry or in its garden 

 relative Mahonia, when we touch the inner side of their 

 bases with a bristle. It would be interesting to know 

 quite precisely why the movement is outwards in the 

 one case and inwards in the other. 



Everyone knows that plants are very active inter- 

 nally, for during the day they are continually trans- 

 forming the energy of the sunlight into the energy 

 that there is in the starch, sugar, and more complex 

 carbon compounds which the green leaf makes. In a 

 sense they are very active internally in manufacturing 

 the explosives that animals fire off, the fuel that 

 animals burn, the wealth that animals spend, the 

 food that animals eat. Not that they work for 

 animals they work for themselves; but they work 

 so hard that there is plenty to spare. The ques- 

 tion arises, however, in the mind, why plants that 

 have so much reserve power (or potential energy) 

 in the form of foodstuffs should not use more of it in 



