The Making of Species 
The fact that insects do visit many con- 
spicuously coloured flowers does not show that 
the colour attracts them, when the fact is borne 
in mind that they neglect others which are 
equally coloured, while the flowers which they 
particularly haunt are inconspicuous. Con- 
spicuous flowers which have abundance of 
nectay attract insects, of course, but so do 
inconspicuous flowers which have nectar. If 
they have no nectar, neither the conspicuous 
nor the inconspicuous flowers attract insects 
other than pollen or petal eaters, whose visits 
are not good for the plant. This shows that 
the nectar attracts the insects and that the 
colour of the flowers makes no difference.” 
In autumn many leaves assume bright and 
beautiful tints. These are not believed to be 
in any way useful to the plant. The autumnal 
hues and shades are regarded, and rightly re- 
garded, as the garb of death and decay. Such 
colours are the result of the oxidation of the 
chlorophyll or green colouring matter of the 
leaves. Why should not the colours of the 
petals of the flowers, which wither and fade 
long before the green leaves do, be due to a 
similar cause? The bright colours of fruits 
are supposed to have been effected by natural 
selection in order to attract fruit-eating animals. 
Surely a hungry animal does not require that its 
food be brightly coloured in order to find it! We 
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