26 THE STORY OF THE PLANTS. 



remote period, under conditions which now no 

 longer exist. It is almost certain that the first 

 plants were jelly-like specks, floating freely in 

 water. They must have been green, and must 

 also have possessed the essential plant-power of 

 building up fresh living material when sunlight 

 fell upon them. This power implies the other 

 power of reproduction, that is to say of splitting 

 up into two or more similar parts, each of which 

 continues to live and grow like the original body. 

 From such simple and very primordial plants 

 all other and higher forms are most likely 

 descended. 



CHAPTEE III. 



HOW PLANTS CAME TO DIFFER FKOM ONE ANOTHER. 



ALL plants are not now alike. Some are trees, 

 some herbs ; some are roses, some buttercups. 

 Yet we have a certain amount of reason to 

 believe that they are all descended from one and 

 the same original ancestor ; and we shall see by 

 and by that we can often trace the various 

 stages in their long development. They differ 

 immensely. Some of them are more advanced 

 and more complex than their neighbours ; some 

 are small and low, while others are tall and 

 strong; some, like nettles and grasses, have 

 simple and inconspicuous flowers, while others, 

 like lilies and orchids, have beautiful and very 

 complicated blossoms, highly arranged in such 

 ways as to attract and entice particular insects 

 to visit and fertilise them. Again, some havq 



