A Vi;ky 1ntki,ij(;i:nt Plant 



271 



Tlic ^msc knows tlu* saiiu- tliiiij^, too ; and it 

 takis particular can* to piiMTVi- its Uaws and 

 llowcrs aj^ainst tlu' aj^j^rcssiw ipiadi upt-dN. Wlu'n 

 Novfinhcr comes it begins to blossoni. No. 7 

 shows yon how cleverly and cautiously it makes its 

 preparations for this important function. The 

 llower-buds, I need hardly say, are particularly rich 

 and juicy, and, there- 

 fore, particularly 

 lial")le to the assaults 

 ol the enemy. I lence, 

 you will observe, they 

 ate doubly protected. 

 Toj^uarda^ain^t larj^i' 

 animals, each little 

 knot ol buds is care- 

 luliy placed, for safetv, 

 in the anj^le formed 

 by the main stem with 

 one of its sb.ort, sti)ut 

 branches. Stem and 

 branch alike end in 

 a forbiddinj4 prickle, 

 and the buds are so 

 set in the axil that 



it is simply impossible for anv browsing creatine 

 to )4et at them without encounterinif both these 

 serious weapons. Indeed, no illustration can fully 

 brinj^ out the beautiful variety and com|ilexity of 

 arranj^ement bv which each separate j^roup ot buds 

 is completely defended ; in order to understand it 

 fully, I advise you, after readinj^ this chapter, to go 



NO. 8.— TitK i;Kr ArtoAi, I'K<»i i.< tinc. 



IIIK 111 D?) KkoM COM) AM> KKOM 



khi.-iavim; inskcts. 



