| → it may be 1861 1866 1869 1872 |
| I 1859 1860 |
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preys. This is obvious in the structure of the teeth and talons of the tiger; and in that of the legs and claws of the parasite which clings to the hair on the
body. But in the beautifully plumed seed of the dandelion, and in the flattened and fringed legs of the water-beetle, the relation seems at first confined to the elements of air and water. Yet the advantage of plumed seeds no doubt stands in the closest relation to the land being already thickly clothed
other plants; so that the seeds may be widely distributed and fall on unoccupied ground. In the water-beetle, the structure of its legs, so well adapted for diving, allows it to compete with other aquatic insects, to hunt for its own prey, and to escape serving as prey to other animals. |
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| The store of nutriment laid up within the seeds of many plants seems at first sight to have no sort of relation to other plants. But from the strong growth of young plants produced from such
peas and
when sown in the midst of long grass,
→it may be
that the chief use of the nutriment in the seed is to favour the growth of the
whilst struggling with other plants growing vigorously all around. |
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| Look at a plant in the midst of its range, why does it not double or quadruple its numbers? We know that it can perfectly well withstand a little more heat or cold, dampness or dryness, for elsewhere it ranges into slightly hotter or colder, damper or drier districts. In this case we can clearly see that if we
in imagination to give the plant the power of increasing in number, we should have to give it some advantage over its competitors, or over the animals which
on it. On the confines of its geographical range, a change of constitution with respect to climate would clearly be an
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