ii2 FLASHLIGHTS ON NATURE 



after all, is the production of seed ; just as among 

 birds the main object of pairing and nesting is the 

 laying of eggs and the hatching of their little ones. 

 And this introduces us to a second consideration 

 of great importance. Plants take care of their 

 young. The seeds of clover are small, but they 

 are rich in foodstuffs laid by for the use of the 

 little plant at its start in life. Now, the parent 

 flower is well aware that many insects love to lay 

 their eggs and hatch out their grubs in pods of this 

 character ; if you have ever shelled peas, you must 

 have seen such grubs very frequently in the pea-pods. 

 The maternal instinct of the mother makes her lay 

 her eggs where food is abundant ; the maternal 

 instinct of the mother-plant makes it do its 

 best to protect its young against such devouring 

 enemies. 



In No. ii we see a flower of Dutch clover 

 cut open lengthwise, so as to show the little pod 

 within, very much magnified, and with one valve 

 opened. Tiny as these pods are, they usually 

 contain two, three, or four seeds. Every kind 

 of clover, owing to the richness of these seeds, 

 is much exposed to the attacks of insect enemies. 

 To baffle these wary foes the clovers have invented 

 an extraordinary variety of protective devices, two 

 of which I mean to examine in this essay. Dutch 

 clover meets the difficulty by tucking down the 

 flowers after fertilisation out of the way of the bee, 

 and then retaining the withered corolla or set of 

 petals which completely enclose and hide the pod 

 in the centre. Indeed, such a head as you see in 



