THE RUSHES, GRASSES, AND FERNS. 



271 



upper and smaller flower, which bears an awn, being 

 batten, and the lower without awns but fertile. 

 This occurrence of barren and fertile flowers on the 

 same spike or panicle in many grasses is of great 

 importance, as showing the physiological changes 

 which must have occurred in the life-history of the 

 species before such a result was brought about. For 



Fig. 203. 



Fig. 204 



Floret of Alopecurus 

 rjenicitlatus. 



Floret of ffolcus divested of the 

 outer Glumes. 



few people would be bold enough to say that these 

 barren flowers had been so created this assertion 

 would imply an ignorant freak of creative power, such 

 as we cannot for a moment associate with God's 

 works. Fig. 204 represents a floret of Holcus divested 

 of its outer glumes or scales. We have only two 

 English species of this genus, that just described and 

 the Creeping Soft Grass (Holcus mollis), which may 



