"NORMALS" 123 



partner. The important fact of such partnership, however, is 

 generally overlooked. 



An example of the way in which Symbiosis is under-estimated 

 even by the most broad-minded of Biologists may be gleaned 

 from Dr. H. F. Osborn's recent essays on The Origin of 

 Evolution and of Life. He admits that plants establish a 

 marvellous series of life environment interactions, but says 

 that this is done first with the developing insect life, and 

 " finally " with the developing bird life. It must be clear by 

 now that these interactions by no means cease with birds. 

 They embrace all the highest types of life as well, and, the higher 

 we ascend in the evolutionary scale, the more vitally important 

 they become. The development of the mammals, for instance, 

 would have been quite impossible without an adequate supply 

 of Vitamines. What supplies these Vitamines ? The plant. 

 The plant alone (though in many ways symbiotically supported 

 by the animal) is capable of manufacturing Vitamines. 



I would point out, moreover, that it is not only amongst 

 birds but more particularly amongst mammals that adaptation 

 to a fruit diet has reached striking degrees of perfection, which 

 shows that Symbiosis with plant life represents the norm of 

 animal life. 



