VARIOUS MARRIAGE CUSTOMS. 93 



which is made up of petals, united or distinct, 

 is usually brightly coloured, and acts as an 

 advertisement or allurement to the insects ; it 

 occurs chiefly in insect - fertilised flowers, and 

 generally implies the presence of honey. The 

 calyx or outer cup, which is made up of sepals, 

 distinct or united, acts mainly as a protective 

 covering. Plants can fertilise themselves if 

 necessary, but in all the highest and most 

 successful plants some form or other of cross- 

 fertilisation has become almost universal. Self- 

 fertilisation goes down the hill; cross-fertilisation 

 is the road to success and vigour. 



CHAPTER VII. 



VARIOUS MARRIAGE CUSVOMS. 



The Simplest and earliest flowering plants had 

 probably only three sets of organs — leaves, 

 stamens, and pistils — workers, males, and 

 females. Their flowers consisted at best of the 

 necessary organs, enclosed, perhaps, in a few 

 protective sheathing leaves, rather smaller than 

 the rest, the forerunners of a calyx. How, 

 then, did modern flowers come to get at last 

 their brilliant corollas? 



We must remember that anything which made 

 flying insects visit plants would be of use to the 

 flowers, as promoting cross-fertilisation. Now, 

 as far as we can see at present, before flying 

 insects were evolved in the animal world, there 

 could have been no such things as bright-hued 



