ON FLORAL ATTRACTIVENESS AND COLOUR 87 



mechanism, it is less demonstrable than in others. 

 Nor does it show itself merely in our admiration 

 and care for the flowers ; there are many instances 

 of its appearing in a form which borders upon 

 the " uncanny " — a form of that universal and 

 universally sympathetic sub-consciousness which 

 Psychology is doing its best to investigate. 



Thoreau in one of his Essays mentions how 

 that one day he wished to find a certain rare 

 orchid, but had no idea in which direction to seek 

 it; and, setting out in this blind state of mind, 

 his steps took him straight to the very object of 

 his quest. Of course those in whom prejudice 

 is a more real possession than open-mindedness 

 will dismiss such evidence as pointing to mere 

 coincidence or to an unmistakable case of chance. 

 They will say the same, too, of the instance mentioned 

 by Mr. H. Stuart Thompson in an article, " Ten 

 Days in Co. Kerry," which appeared in the 

 Gardeners' Chronicle for October 22, 1910. "My 

 companion," says Mr. Thompson, " makes no claim 

 to be a botanist, but he has an innate faculty for 

 finding good plants if they are to be found ; and 

 let it be said here that during a ski-ing holiday 

 in Switzerland last winter he managed to grub 

 up through the snow quite a wonderful collection 



