ftHE WIND AS CAERIEK. 



137 



etamens by its side, showing that they are 

 descended from earHer combined male-and- 

 female ancestors. The relics, however, consist 

 of mere empty stalks or filaments, without any 

 pollen-sacks. Of com^se there are no petals. 

 Male and female plants grow in little groups 

 not far from one another ; and the pollen, which 

 is dry and dusty, is carried by the wind from 

 the hanging stamens of the males to the large 

 and salient stigma of 

 the female flowers. 

 A still better ex- 

 ample of a wind- 

 ferdlised blossom is 

 afforded us by the 

 common English 

 salad - burnet, a 

 pretty little weed, 

 very frequent on 

 close-cropped chalk 

 downs (Fig. 27). 

 Here the individual fig. 27.— A, male, and B, female 

 flow^ers are ex- ^^^^wer op salad-but.net, very 

 . , ^^ n MUCH MAGNIFIED. The flowers 



tremely small, and ^^^^^ together in little tassel- 

 they are crow^ded like heads, 

 into a sort of mop- 

 like head at the top of the stem. They have lost 

 their petals, w^hich are now of no use to them ; 

 but they retain a calyx of four sepals, to represent 

 the original five still found among their relations. 

 For salad-burnet, in spite of its inconspicuous- 

 ness, belongs to the family of the roses, and we 

 can still trace in this order a regular gradation 

 from handsome flow^ers like the dog-rose, through 



B 



