JULY FLOWERS. 



121 



to perform their new functions, because such nrc^ans were 

 better able to perform them under those pecuhar con- 

 ditions than tlie ancestral leaflets, derived from a pro- 

 genitor of very different tastes and habits. Stranj^^cst of 

 all, in gorse the leaves assume the -uise of stout\T,-ccn 

 thorns ; though the young seedlings have first t'Jefoil 

 foliage like the clovers, and only gradually- produce more 

 and more lance-shaped blades as they reach the adult 

 condition. Here protection from animals is obviously 

 the object in view. Yet so rich is nature that all these 

 varieties of flowers, fruits, and leaves occur within the 

 limits of a single family ; and they may all be observed 

 together at this very moment in the July meadows or 

 commons of southern England. 



