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was to shades of red ; their triumphant colour — their final 

 chromatic evolution — is blue." This ought, at any rate, to make 

 it clear to us that flowers are like ourselves — very imperfect ; for 

 blue flowers are not plentiful. White varieties are numerous. I 

 have found the common Bluebell in white, also the Gentian, the 

 Primrose, the bush Vetch, several orchids, and others. I have also 

 found flowers, chiefly of the buttercup order, more or less double. 

 The commonest buttercup of our meadows is Ranunculus bulbosus, 

 with generally five petals, but I have found flowers growing in the 

 open meadow, some with five petals, some with six, some with 

 seven, some with eight, and a few with ten. Only in a few cases 

 was it clear that petals were being formed at the expense of 

 stamens, for the doubling of a flower is the conversion of stamens 

 into petals. In wet seasons, the common White Clover is given to a 

 singular freak, for, as if to prove that books are right when they 

 speak of calyx and corolla leaves, it will turn out sham flowers 

 made of green leaves twisted about. I have not yet been there to 

 see when any plant of any description has turned into some other 

 plant. Amusing as is the thought of such a thing to us, it was 

 formerly believed that in bad seasons corn might change its nature 

 quickly ; might, that is to say, turn into noxious weeds Evolu- 

 tion is nowhere by the side of this. Some time ago a good man 

 wanted to find out if I knew a certain plant. His effort to make 

 his meaning clear in his complete ignorance of botanical terms was 

 very amusing. At last he said " Well I did want to know, because 

 I believe that on my land the seeds of that plant grew up into 

 something else." This story is only one of a number, but it must 

 suffice, except for this : A countryman was looking admiringly at 

 some plants which I had found very near his own house, and pub 

 them into his hand with the question, '• Aren't they lovely ? " He 

 said, " Yes, they be ; but them doan't grow in these parts, do 'em?" 

 " Oh, yes, they do. Most likely you have trodden on such many a 

 time." '* Well, then," he said, " I must a bin about all these 

 years wi' my eyes shut." How many species of plants grow in 

 this neighbourhood ? Have you decided what is the neighbour- 

 hood ? And what book is to be followed ? And what is to be 

 called a species ? Whether this or that should be called a species 

 or something else is not a part of my subject. Specific characters 

 are as interesting as they are important, but by no means always 

 easy to make out, and nitermediate forms are not a help to a 

 student, but a perplexity. No one, however, can try to see points 

 of agreement or of diff'erence between things, whether plants or 

 not, without benefiting by the use of the observant faculty. But 

 enough of general observation, for it is time I told you something 

 definite about the extent and variety of our flora. It is a matter 

 of counting up and arranging under their natural orders our 



