WILD THYME. 185 



lip of the calyx closes over the four nutlets, 

 while this scale assumes its place and so pro- 

 duces the effect of an empty seed-vessel. 

 Any prying bird or insect which looked into 

 such a calyx on its foraging expeditions would 

 be sure to conclude that it had already shed 

 its seeds, and so go off to another plant. 

 Thus in two closely related species we see 

 two totally different plans for securing the 

 self-same end. In one group, the originally 

 accidental presence of a few hairs in the 

 throat gave rise to a new departure in one 

 direction ; in another group, the habit of 

 closing over the nuts, with perhaps the rudi- 

 ment of a scale on the back, gave rise to a 

 different departure in another direction. 



The hop supplies us with a very similar 

 case in a widely unlike family of plants. 

 Hops, as Kentish farmers know only too 

 well, are liable to attack from * the fly * and 

 many other enemies. To protect their seeds, 

 the hope of future generations, from these 

 marauders, the vines have hit out the plan 



