The Seniors of the Forest 285 
form with the greatest simplicity of floral structure. 
They are among the earliest terrestrial plants 
known to us. They are ‘‘the seniors of the 
forest,’’—surviving types from a younger world. 
They were many and prosperous in the geologic 
‘“Age of Reptiles,’’ when animal life swam and 
crawled but had scarcely yet begun to run or fly. 
The first flowers the young world saw were 
borne by the Conifere, and as there were no 
winged insects in those days, the trees had to send 
pollen to one another by the wind. Now, when 
the summer air is full of possible pollen-carriers 
ready for errands, and when less conservative 
flower-families have learned to rely altogether upon 
their ministrations, the Coniferee depend, as of old, 
upon the wind alone. They are like the people of 
some unprogressive communities, who cling to old 
methods of work, and look askance on modern 
machinery and labor-saving devices. 
As the Conifer can carry on their affairs without 
the aid of flying messengers, they are able to per- 
petuate themselves abundantly in cold _ regions, 
while gay blossoms, which cannot set their seed 
without the ministrations of insects, are practically 
restricted to latitudes where the climate is favor- 
able to the life of their winged friends. 
