122 THE BEAUTIES OiF NATURE chap. 



It is, I think, well established that the 

 main object of the colour, scent, and honey of 

 flowers is to attract insects, which are of use 

 to the plant in carrying the pollen from flower 

 to flower. 



In many species the pollen is, and no doubt 

 it originally was in all, carried by the air. 

 In these cases the chance against any given 

 grain of pollen reaching the pistil of another 

 flower of the same species is of course very 

 great, and the quantity of pollen required is 

 therefore immense. 



In species where the pollen is wind-borne 

 as in most of our trees — firs, oaks, beech, 

 ash, elm, etc., and many herbaceous plants, 

 the flowers are as a rule small and inconspic- 

 uous, greenish, and without either scent or 

 honey. Moreover, they generally flower early, 

 so that the pollen may not be intercepted by 

 the leaves, but may have a better chance of 

 reaching another flower. And they produce 

 an immense quantity of pollen, as otherwise 

 there would be little chance that any would 

 reach the female flower. Every one must 

 have noticed the clouds of pollen produced by 



