Treface 



mind springs beyond the liackneyed and common- 

 place. His genius is of the imaginative order." 



The results of his researches, embodied in maga- 

 zine articles,* excited marked attention and did 

 much to stimulate inquiry into flower fertilization 

 among: other scientists, as well as to interest the 

 general public by their novelty, charm and beauty. 

 In that shape, however, they have never been fully 

 appreciated, and we are merely following out the 

 author's own intentions in bringing this scattered 

 material together in permanent form. 



No effort has been spared to make the book 

 thoroughly comprehensive and in every way repre- 

 sentative of the author's work in this branch of 

 science, which was so peculiarly his own, every- 

 thing of value, both in the way of information and 

 illustration, that he ever contributed to the subject 

 being embodied in the present volume. Care has 

 been taken, too, to preserve the charm of his literary 

 style, no alterations having been made in the text 

 that were not rendered absolutely necessary in 

 endeavoring to make a logical, harmonious whole 

 of scattered articles. A little new matter has been 

 added to certain chapters where the different mem- 

 bers of a family showed such marked individuality 



* Afterward reprinted in the same form. 



viii 



