ioo VIGNETTES FROM NATURE. 



these very young flowers keep up the memory 

 of a time when the guelder rose had not as 

 yet acquired its berry, but was obliged to 

 produce large numbers of small dry seeds in 

 a three-celled capsule. 



There are two more small matters con- 

 nected with this bush which one can hardly 

 afford to overlook. The first is that while the 

 flowers are white, the berries are blackish red, 

 and those of the nearly allied way faring- tree 

 are dark purple. Now, white is a common 

 colour for flowers, but very rare in fruits ; 

 while black or dark blue and purple are 

 common colours for fruits, but very rare in 

 flowers. The plant is obliged to use one set 

 of hues to attract the proper insects, and 

 another set to attract the proper birds ; for 

 we now know that each species of insect and 

 of bird has a very decided taste of its own in 

 the matter of chromatics. The second point 

 is this : the leaves of the guelder rose have a 

 number of small swollen glands all along the 

 stalk, and a fringe of ragged-looking leaf-like 



