THE WIND AND THE FLOWERS 163 



It was only after my interest and enthusiasm 

 were aroused by the very showy flowers that I be- 

 came curious to solve the mysteries of their himible 

 relatives, who had no colour, nectar, nor perfume 

 to offer. 



Where these charms are lacking in flowers, in- 

 sects are apt to pass them by ; and we, too, are prone 

 to do the same. But once our interest is aroused, 

 we are sure to seek out the mysteries of such humble 

 and inconspicuous flowers as those of the trees, 

 grasses, cereals and rank weeds. In fact, we 

 scarcely suspect that some of these bear any flow- 

 ers ; yet flowers they have, such as they are, and in 

 great abundance. For flowers are known by what 

 they accomplish; and these inconspicuous ones give 

 seedling forests to clothe barren hillsides, myriad 

 grasses and grain for our fields, and hosts of weeds 

 to teach us patience in our gardens. 



Wind fertilisation of the flowers may be consid- 

 ered as a crude and primitive plan, for it was cer- 

 tainly in operation before insects came to do the 

 work, and the two schemes suggest a comparison 

 with jNIan's work of early days and now. As wind 

 and water did the work of carrying pollen, so men 

 used wind and water to do their hardest tasks, of 

 grinding, spinning and sawing. Later men tamed 

 beasts of burden, and flowers ensnared their insects 



