8 Flowers and their Unbidden Guests. 



tained with the least possible expenditure. And in 

 fact it is rare that any part of a plant is so shaped as 

 to be suitable for the attainment of but one end. 

 Usually " two birds are hit with one stone," nay, often 

 three or more. 



It is precisely this varying accumulation of functions 

 in parts morphologically identical, that determines the 

 endless multiplicity of their forms. It is not of course 

 meant that herein lies the explanation of how that 

 multiplicity originated, and what was its primary start. 

 This question, however, as also the further one, why 

 plants in general produce flowers and fruit, and do 

 not remain limited to the vegetative mode of repro- 

 duction, is outside our present inquiry. I purpose, in , 

 the following pages, to do no more than set forth 

 the functional significance of a number of parts that 

 present a very great multifariousness in their develop- 

 ment. But while I thus limit myself, I must start 

 with the assumption that the sexual mode of repro- 

 duction by periodic flowers and fruit is advantageous to 

 every plant ; and I may further intimate that, in my 

 opinion, the advantage thus derived lies in its affording 

 a possibility for the origination of new individuals 

 differing in their external characters from their parents. 



As, moreover, the advantages which accrue from 

 bearing flowers and fruit manifestly cannot be obtained 

 unless each several part fuUy performs its proper func- 

 tion, it will not be inappropriate to bestow here some 



