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The Great World's Farm 



sorts; but bright yellow seems to be especially favored by 

 beetles, and blue by bees, though they do not, of course, 

 confine themselves to flowers of this or any color. What 

 a flower lacks in color may often be more than made up 

 for by its sweet scent and abounding nectar. The dull 

 pink sedum, for instance, which blossoms in the autumn, 

 attracts a swarm of humble-bees and butterflies; though, 

 as its flowers are flat and tubeless, the nectar is open to 

 all comers, and bees are not necessary to it. 



Yellow is said to attract insects of the lowliest kind; 

 white, those a little higher in the scale; and pink, red, 

 lilac, purple, blue, rank higher and higher as to the insects 

 which they attract, that very superior insect, the bee, 

 being, as already said, especially pleased with blue. 



It is the fashion at present to say that the bright colors 

 and sweet scents of flowers exist solely for the plant's own 

 benefit, as the means of drawing to it the insects which 

 carry pollen from one blossom to another. Nevertheless, 

 man is gratified abundantly; and if this theory be correct, 

 he may at least congratulate himself on the fact that he 

 and the insect-world are of one mind as to what is agree- 

 able and attractive. 



But are he and they altogether of one mind? The 

 butterfly will hover about a lavender-bush, attracted by the 

 perfume, and so far man shares its taste; but it will also 

 go and drink daintily at a drain, and for anything that 

 appears to the contrary, an ill scent may be as pleasant to 

 it as a sweet one. 



Ill-smelling flowers, as well as sweet ones, have their 

 admirers, and are certainly not especially avoided by 

 insects; and flies will regale themselves upon honey or 

 filth with apparently equal satisfaction. Ill-smelling 



