COMPETITION AMONGST PLANTS 37 



cipally the vegetative organs — root, stem, and leaf — 

 whose growth is also stimulated by the intense light, 

 the warmth, and the humidity. The competition exists 

 also in temperate countries, but it is there concealed 

 under the external appearance of repose which vegetation 

 wears. It affects, in this case, perhaps more the repro- 

 ductive than the vegetative organs, especially the flowers, 

 which it is probable are far more general decorations in 

 the woodlands of high latitudes than in tropical forests. 

 This, however, is a difficult subject, and one which re- 

 quires much further investigation. 



I think there is plenty, in tropical nature, to counteract 

 any unpleasant impression which the reckless energy of 

 the vegetation might produce. There is the incompar- 

 able beauty and variety of the foliage, the vivid colours, 

 the richness and exuberance everywhere displayed, which 

 make, in my opinion, the richest woodland scenery in 

 Northern Europe a sterile desert in comparison. But it 

 is especially the enjoyment of life manifested by individual 

 existences which compensates for the destruction and pain 

 caused by the inevitable competition. Although this 

 competition is nowhere more active, and the dangers to 

 which each individual is exposed nowhere more numerous, 

 yet nowhere is this enjoyment more vividly displayed. 

 If vegetation had feeling, its vigorous and rapid growth, 

 uninterrupted by the cold sleep of winter, would, one 

 would think, be productive of pleasure to its individuals. 

 In animals, the mutual competition may be greater, the 

 predacious species more constantly on the alert, than in 

 temperate climates ; but there is at the same time no 

 severe periodical struggle with inclement seasons. In 

 sunny nooks, and at certain seasons, the trees and the 

 air are gay with birds and insects, all in the full enjoy- 

 ment of existence ; the warmth, the sunlight, and the 

 abundance of food producing their results in the anima- 

 tion and sportiveness of the beings congregated together. 

 We ought not to leave out of sight, too, the sexual de- 

 corations — the brilliant colours and ornamentation of the 

 males, which, although existing in the fauna of all climates, 

 reach a higher degree of perfection in the tropics than 

 elsewhere. This seems to point to the pleasures of the 

 pairing seasons. I think it is a childish notion that the 

 beauty of birds, insects, and other creatures is given to 

 please the human eye. A little observatiouj^and reflection 



