1892. | Evolution in Methods of Pollination. 43 
therefore, other things being equal, the oldest inflorescences. 
On the other hand, among the dominant forms of to-day, the 
greatly specialized Composite, Umbellifere, Leguminose, 
Orchidacee, Labiate, Scrophulariacez, Rubiacez, Ericacee, 
etc., bright reds, blues and orange yellowsarecommon. There 
are 23 orders of the world flora which contain 1000 species or 
more. Inconspicuous flower clusters are characteristic of only 
five of these, viz: the Cyperacexw, Graminez, Urticacee, Pi- 
Peracez and Euphorbiacez. The first and second are very 
old types, the third and fourth apetalous (probably old), the 
last degenerate. It seems then logical to call these incon- 
spicuous, little protected clusters of stamens and pistils an- 
cient forms of flowers and to consider wind-fertilization, which 
1S So Common among them, a primitive method. 
to an ovule thousands are swept to destruction. Self-fertiliza- 
The en , however, justifies the means, otherwise crossed 
plants would long ago have yielded place to self-fertilized 
single case was the advantage on the other side.”? So wind- 
fertilized plants waxed strong and multiplied on the face of 
the earth. 
Meanwhile ‘‘away back in the darkness of the coal period, 
when tree-ferns, calamites and giant club-mosses combine 
with archétypal yews to people the steaming swamps of a hot, 
Cloud- aden island world, there existed a strange form of insect 
Which can only be compared to the cockroaches of our day, 
but which seems to have embodied in its structure the begin- 
mings of all the varied types of insect life, the promise and 
< White and 
4 white speci 
m 
eae oeagd tropical lands where flower-frequenting birds and butterflies = 
abundan lace’s statement of the surprising monotony of tropica 
Vegetation is not ne: 2 : 
cessarily o ed to this. 
. "A. Miller, oe 
yellow are the predominant colors of our own flora; 420 yellow, 
2056 flowers of Gray's Manual (revised edition). 
